History of Forgotten Things - Jed Whedon and the Willing

Today is my friend Jason Meagher's 17th birthday. In honor of his birthday I'm going to listen to his favorite album and voice my opinion on it. Now the first time I heard it I kind of thought it was terrible, and didn't even listen to the whole thing. But since I'm doing a review of it I have to listen to it at least twice or more. I also know that Jed's brother Josh is in the movie business, well here is the wikipedia page info that will do him more justice that I.

Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon (born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures. He is best known as the creator and show runner of the television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Angel (1999-2004), Firefly (2002) and Dollhouse (2009-2010), as well as the short film Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008). Whedon wrote and directed the movie adaptation of Marvel's The Avengers which will be released in May 2012. He is also notable for his work in film, comic books, and online media. Many of Whedon's projects, as well as Whedon himself, enjoy cult status.

 Now there is probably stuff missing but that's just the wikipedia stuff at the top. So I am going to actually listen to this at least twice and see whats what.

1. Interstate: The Beginning of this song remind me of an electric xylophone with a guy talking over a microphone to space. As soon as the guitar and chorus come in it reminds me of a Phil Colins song In The Air Tonight, with vocals that also sound like Peter Gabriel on the Genesis album Selling England By The Pound. But that all stops with at about 1:10 where he begins to sing and the drum beat is upbeat with some extra outer space type feeling sound ambient effects going on. The piano solo at about 2:15 is probably the part where is sounds like outer space. This song reminds me of Eisley's brand new Ep Deep Space. Now my second time through this reminds me of what I now know as desrible as donkey kong.
2. Tricks on Me: I thought it was funny that in the beginning he says allegory. That, not that meaning, but an different spelling of that word is an inside joke between me and Jason. This song seems like something that would be on a Big Movie soundtrack. Something like when the kid is riding a bike an it's the beginning where he/her is talking about the premise of his/her life. This song also has a country feel to it, with a drumbeat that somewhat reminds me of Paul Simon's 1975 hit single 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Which also is another song that is cool because one of our favorite bands is Flight of The Conchords and they payed homage to that song in their song Carol Brown .
3. To Be Money: The feel I get from this song is one that is what I guess you'd call low-fi. My favorite part of the album is at about 2 minute mark where there is a change in the song, kinda. Like by that I mean like, not sound wise just way wise, Another Girl by The Beatles where it goes "Another Girl, who will love me till the end, through thick and thin she will always be my friend". The song is pretty much a easy listen until it picks up and gets heavier at the last 40 seconds to the fade of the song. 
4. Drone: I feel like this name fits the song. This is another song that has an outer space feel to it. The ambient feel of the background is what adds to it. This reminds me of Lights Out off Deep Space Ep. The second time around I figured out that the introduction beat reminds me of Eminem's song The Way I Am off The Marshall Mathers Lp. I like the acoustic guitar solo on this song. It adds to the vibe and feel.
5. Sugar Cane: This is like like Tricks On Me where it isn't a mellow song, except at the 2:43, but it picks up. The solo in the song is very electronic and sounds good and I love the fact that the bass is so prevalent. The second time around I like the beat more and the guitar and the dirty bass in the background.
6. Ancestors: This songs beginning reminds me of that one song from Titanic, but in space. I know I keep making that space comparison but that what it reminds me of. But it is I think a pretty cool outro, if this was a vinyl, to side one. Because it ends with a sweet feel to it, which is almost always good. 
7. Last Man: Now if this was a Vinyl this would be a good start to side 2. The song is completely different that any other song on the album. This song's chorus reminds me of a good version of Teenage Dream. Which might be a turn off but it is good. This is probably my favorite song. at 2:27ish there is a industrial machine feel right before a solo that sounds like a jazz solo. I don't really think it fits the song. I wish that that machine beat would be more than like 10 seconds and get cut off by a jazz sounding solo that I don't think fits the song.
8. Heat of a Match: This doesn't have a good flow from Last Man to Heat of a Match. I know that it is a different song but in the solo of this song it reminds me of the keyboard solo in MGMT's Congratulations title track, but with a guitar added in. This song gives me a very much so MGMT's Congratulations instrumentation to it until the singing comes in, then it goes back to the space feel, and one that drifts away into space with the piano solo.
9. Trouble Maker: The electronic beat in the background of this song remind me of Diddy Kong. You know the one that is for Super Nintendo. The one with the pirate crocodiles 
10. Bad Son: At first the strings make this song good. but the strings end up making this song kind of drag. And I'm at just over 2 minutes.At 3:30 mark there is a guy who is talking over the music and it reminds me of As I Lay Dying, not style just the way it is played, song to Repeating Yesterday. Or a Killswitch Engage. I laughed the second time around because when that guy talked he asid "Huge Mass" and "Ann" and i said Her!?
11. One of Those Ages: The beginning is like this kid is regretting that he has done some mistakes. I feel like this is has a good lead into the chorus to it and the chorus reminds me of some type of Arcade Fire song off Funeral, which is my favorite Arcade Fire album. This is just an teenage song, like I could see things being the part in the movie where he is forever young and wants summer to last forever but he ends up looking back and his youth has gone by and he is grown up, wanting to do over some mistakes and relive some fun times to.
12. These Words: The beginning of the song is sweet and soft. My only complaint is that he wouldn't sing on this album. I think it would be a good "reprise" of Ancestors if it was just instrumental, but the think is it picks up and the vocals fit. I don't think it would work without vocals unless the beginning of the song was the whole song. and I also wish that if it was instrumental version of the song the build up is gone and it only be like 2 minutes. I still like the song, I just think you should look at it from that aspect. This would be at the end leading up to the credits where the person says the ending words and leads to the ending with the part where the credits start at where the song goes into that heavier part, until the end of the song which fades and thus the credits are over.

Over all this album gives me a novelty feel to it, but in a good way. I would give this a 7.5/10 the first around, but after relistening to it I'd give it an 7.8/10. I'm not huge into this type of much.I think this would be a soundtrack to some movie that would be very successful, and would be one that has a setting in summer. I feel like the lyrics also fit to that summer movie of a kid who would be just growing up and gets himself into messes but grows up and looks back. I think this sounds like a cross between, though this came out after this album, Eisley's Deep Space Ep and Phil Colin's In The Air Tonight and MGMT's 2010 release Congratulations. Another thing this reminds me of is Diddy Kong game for Super Nintendo. The sounds of the electronics in the background remind me of the music in that game. I like this buy. The second time around I fell like it also sounds like Fleet Foxes on some tracks and I also like it a lot more that I did the first time.