Two albums that have fascinated me for years now are “The Protomen” and “Act ii: The Father of Death” both created by the band The Protomen. What’s interesting about these albums is that they’re more than just songs put together, but rather a story that’s told across the two albums. Because the story spans both albums, the way the songs in each album are audibly constructed reflect the point in time the songs take place within the story.
For context, the second album is actually a prequel to the first. In it, the music is much more refined and sharp, making use of more delicate instruments such as harps and other string-related instruments. In contrast, the first album, which takes place chronologically after the second, features a much more technological, crunchy, distorted sound which represents the tragic events that take place in the album. This serves as a sharp contrast to the prequel, where the softer and more pleasant sounding music reflects “a time before the storm” so to speak. One of my favorite parts of these albums is the ending of Act ii which ushers in the first album. The song slowly morphs from the style of Act ii into the familiar distorted sound that dominates the first album, serving as a transition between the two. Overall, I think it’s really neat how easy it is to tell which songs are from which album based solely on the way they sound.