"I can't believe I took so long to start this story. I think I'm in love with your works."
- winniescamander
"I love their dynamic! I feel like Megan is definitely 'The Heartbreaker' type and Toby is definitely 'The Heartbroken' one."
- emstjo
"The chapters and the music were so well synchronised."
- KristenGreene27
***
The best songs, in my opinion, are the ones that tell a story.
As catchy as some of the trendiest pop hits are, I find myself enjoying songs with meaningful lyrics much more. From John Mayer's "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967" to Dixie Chick's "Travelin' Soldier", songs with a storyline are the ones that really speak to me.
To take things even further, some artists can create what is called a concept album. By definition, these albums contain songs that have a greater meaning as a whole than individually. In other words, all the songs on the album combine to create one large picture, narrative, or theme. Some examples include Green Day's American Idiot, The Beatles' Revolver, and Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads. The latter is often cited as the first ever concept album.
These albums are truly an art form. It is difficult enough to write eight to sixteen songs as it is, but to write eight to sixteen songs that tell a narrative over the course of the album, that takes another level of talent.
One album that I have been particularly obsessed with since its debut back in 2009 is Masterpiece Theatre by the Canadian band Marianas Trench. I might be a little biased, having seen them live at three separate concerts, but they are arguably one of the most talented and underrated Canadian bands of all time. Josh Ramsay himself is most certainly a lyrical genius.
The reason why I appreciate Masterpiece Theatre slightly more than its successor, Ever After (another fantastic concept album), is because there is more room for interpretation in this one. Ever After comes with a booklet that describes the beginning, middle and end of the plot. With Masterpiece Theatre, there is enough uncertainty for people to fill in the blanks themselves.
And filling in the blanks is exactly what I am trying to do with this short story.
There are twelve chapters here - one of each song on the album - as I attempt to recreate the magic of the band through a written plot of my own imagination. Each chapter is titled after a song in the order of the album, and also includes said song as the multimedia video.
To fully enjoy the story, please play the song and listen to it as you read. I purposely structured the chapters in a way that matched the theme of each song. At least I hope it comes across that way.
That's all for now. It has been fun writing this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Disclaimer: some of the songs may have the odd swear word in it. I apologize in advance if this offends anyone.
©2018, Brandon Wong
YOU ARE READING
Masterpiece Theatre
Short StoryEvery good story had a beginning, middle, and an end. For Toby Perry, his story was missing a conclusion. When Toby left for London to complete a six week exchange, the move was supposed to be the final period to the story that began years ago. It w...
