Post Mosh Clarity

Selfish Machines

• Josh & Lani • Episode 3

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Prepare to embark on an enthralling expedition as we delve into the depths of Pierce the Veil's 2010 album, 'Selfless Machines.' This journey explores not just the captivating tunes and themes surrounding love, longing, and desperation; it travels deeper to the very heart of the band and the people behind the scenes that brought this album to life. From Fuentes' musical roots to the valuable contributions of behind-the-scenes engineers, the artistry behind the album is a story of its own.

Unravel the tale behind the album's intriguing title, as Vic shares his perspective on the concept of being selfish with someone's love. The journey doesn't end there; we delve into the album's recording process, share the critical reception the album received at its release and the remix production in 2013. Plus, we'll reveal how a sociology class inspired the band's unique name.

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Sources:
https://genius.com/albums/Pierce-the-veil/Selfish-machines

https://pierce-the-veil.fandom.com/wiki/Selfish_Machines

https://ptv-knowledge.tumblr.com/selfishmachinessongmeanings

https://www.reddit.com/r/piercetheveil/comments/qwai60/selfish_machines_album_cover_art/
https://v13.net/2010/08/interview-with-pierce-the-veil-lead-singer-and-guitarist-vic-fuentes/

http://theveilpierced.weebly.com/ptv-featuring.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Afw9k2zgps

https://www.equalvision.com/news/pierce-the-veil-selfish-machines-debuts-at-1/





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Lani:

Welcome to Postmosh Clarity, a podcast where we take a deep dive and provide you with the insights on your favorite albums that will make you appreciate the music even more. We're your host, Lonnie.

Josh:

And I'm Josh. Whether you're a die-hard fan or a casual listener, we guarantee you'll learn something new and gain a different perspective on the albums that influence your music taste. We hope you enjoy listening and follow us along on this journey.

Lani:

Have you ever been in a relationship, or can you remember a time when you really liked someone and you're perhaps beginning to fall in love? During this stage of the relationship, it could be scary to take that huge step to say the word love or allow yourself to be that vulnerable, with someone being jealous of anyone that has their intention. The natural thoughts and feelings that you want and that you take, the desire to be in love and the desperation for someone else to love you. Well, that's the theme of today's album we will be discussing, which is Selfless Machines. If this is an album you resonate with, we hope you keep listening and discover the dedication it took to make this album become a reality. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the Selfless Machine. So Pierce the Ville is the band album Selfless Machines released June 22nd in 2010.

Josh:

Oh boy.

Lani:

Where were you in 2010?

Josh:

I don't really remember. I think I was about to graduate and, yeah, I was not hanging out with the best crowd.

Lani:

Oh, okay, well, I was uh.

Josh:

Definitely. Oh okay, I wasn't listening to this album, I will admit.

Lani:

Well, that's fine, it was not on my radar. Well, I don't blame you. It's kind of a depressing album, but I mean it's still like, really one of my favorites.

Josh:

I just honestly don't care for Vicks vocals. That's my opinion. Yikes, you know I'm not a girl, a teenage girl back then.

Lani:

Oh, you weren't.

Josh:

No, I couldn't do it.

Lani:

Oh, okay, okay, Well, anyways, in 2010, I was also graduating from eighth grade, I was turning into a freshman, and that's about the time this album came out, which was really awesome because it was a hit.

Josh:

What a banger for you to graduate too.

Lani:

Woohoo. So the band members at the time. We have two brothers, vic and Mike Fuentes. Vic on vocals and Rhythm Guitar.

Josh:

Fuentes, I like that.

Lani:

And Mike does the drums. We have Tony Perry on the lead guitar and Jaime on the bass.

Josh:

Jaime.

Lani:

Additional musicians that are featured on this album would include Jeremy McKinnon, which you know who that's from.

Josh:

Oh, good for them.

Lani:

Vanessa Harris, mike Green Fun fact, he's also a producer for this album. John Mayer, I'm sorry, johnny Meyer.

Josh:

Johnny Meyer. Yeah, that's a little difference there.

Lani:

Dave Yaden. And yeah, okay.

Josh:

They. I didn't know they were brothers.

Lani:

You didn't know they were brothers.

Josh:

Well, like I said, this was not on my radar.

Lani:

Yeah, I guess if you weren't on the radar you wouldn't know.

Josh:

No, I never looked up anything about them. They annoyed me, to be frank.

Lani:

All right Well.

Josh:

And the females that liked them.

Lani:

I hope I can change your perspective.

Josh:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean I've changed quite a bit. I like the next album more than this one, but yeah, I plan to do that.

Lani:

I collided with this guy, that was. That was a fun album.

Josh:

That's cool. That's a fun album.

Lani:

That was a really good, really good one, yeah, but I thought I'd start with this because it's really awesome to see the progression. So Vic7it interview with Absolute Punk in early 2009 that this album was completely inspired by their fans and wasn't sure at the time when it would be released, and that it would be published with the record label equal vision.

Josh:

What album number is this for them?

Lani:

This was album number two.

Josh:

Okay, cool.

Lani:

Yeah, and actually the following album. And this album was written inside of a cabin owned by fearless records president Bob Becker in San Diego, after the end of their Taste of Chaos tour in 2009.

Josh:

So they recorded a cabin.

Lani:

They wrote oh, Some I think they did some recording, but not all.

Josh:

That's a little spooky, but also cool.

Lani:

It definitely matches the tone of this album. I'll say that.

Josh:

Okay.

Lani:

It was revealed that Mike Fentz had recorded the drums in one day at Ocean Studios in Hollywood.

Josh:

What a guy.

Lani:

What a guy, pretty impressive.

Josh:

It is pretty impressive.

Lani:

So by January of 2010,. So six months before the album was released. Six months before the album was released, the vocals and keyboard tracks had yet to be recorded.

Josh:

Oh, cutting the clues.

Lani:

And then an update was posted on February 17th mentioning that Fentaz was still working on the album, and a couple of days later he said there would be about eight days left of recording vocals, and Vic eventually mentioned that he didn't want to record an LA anymore due to too many distractions that weren't needed.

Josh:

That's a little type A, but okay.

Lani:

So Vic Bowen says, did a lot of interviews about this album, and one with Bruce Samour with the 13 media out of Chicago in August of 2010. So a month after the release of this album, he was asked what the significance to the title of the disc was Selfish Machines and Vic refers to Selfish Machines as the voice inside our heads that make us want to take things and keep them for ourselves. He says he doesn't see anything wrong with telling someone that you are selfish with their love and that you can't stand sharing them with anyone else.

Josh:

Hmm, it's pretty deep.

Lani:

Yeah, definitely.

Josh:

I thought it was something to do with people and wanting to keep each other, but I guess feelings is a way to put it. You want to store up the and keep people's love. I guess Cool.

Lani:

This album has pretty noteworthy people behind the scenes working on production. First we have Mike Green. He's a producer, engineer and mixing Recorded during December 2009 and January 2010. Mike stumbled across the band on a documentary he found on YouTube and he really wanted to go with them because throughout the documentary, they proved to show they had a lot of ambition and knew that they had an opportunity to do something cutting edge and different and taking the technical elements to another level. They wanted to do something that sounds real and different, to stand out from the rest of the crowd or genre that they have fallen into.

Josh:

Hmm, I mean, I was lost on me, unfortunately.

Lani:

Vic decided to work with Mike because he was familiar with his work, his previous work, and thought of Mike as a down to earth person and very passionate. He says working with Mike was great because he's everything that Vic is not. He reads music, he knows theory and can tell you almost anything you want to know about writing a song where he feels he's much more freestyle and plays things by ear. So they feel as though they balance each other out very well in the studio.

Josh:

I think it's really interesting when, like a vocalist or something, doesn't know how to read the theory or isn't as advanced. Just a cool little insight you don't have to know everything about music to make great music.

Lani:

Right, especially with like the resources out there today.

Josh:

Sure, sure, and then just having that talent and that ambition and then just striving for it can take you so far in this industry, some, I feel.

Lani:

Yeah, it's pretty awesome.

Josh:

Some people just get a lot luckier than others, but credit is given where credit's due.

Lani:

Absolutely Hard work definitely pays off.

Josh:

Always.

Lani:

And Vic Fuente is speaking of him. He's actually a co-producer for this album and it seems that Vic actually got his start in music through composing small tracks, like a feature on Best Covers Ever, covering the song Somebody that I Used to Know with Made A Parade, and there are other songs he featured in as well, producing the Punk Goes Classic Rock album.

Josh:

So he was already into the game. That's kind of cool.

Lani:

Yeah, and then you can find aside from the EP and a couple songs here and there. Selfish Machines seems to be the first album he produced or was part of production with.

Josh:

I mean, if you're going to go in on anything, you might as well go in on yourself.

Lani:

Exactly Another a data-remembered crew. Tom Denney was a co-writer with Fuentes for the majority of the song and so he was the OG guitar artist for the band a data-remember but left the band to focus on settling down and getting married and starting a family and turned his focus and dedication on his recording studio. Denney at one point mentioned he no longer had the desire to continue the tour life. One would say he didn't want to feel homesick anymore. Now Tom Denney owns both Red Vulture Production Company in Hollywood and Dirty Criminal Productions out of Orlando.

Josh:

Nice. Do you know how long he was with ATTR?

Lani:

Not very long, their first since second album. He left after Homestick.

Josh:

Oh, after Homestick Okay.

Lani:

Yeah, okay. A team of assistant engineers worked together on this album, starting with Kyle Black. He owned his own production company and also produces for other artists such as All Time Low, paramore, taking Back Sunday. That was pretty cool to learn. Vanessa Harris she was an assistant engineer, but she's also a guest singer on this album. Will McCoy he also worked with bands like State Champs and Neck Teep, Kind of bringing that pop punk-y to the album. Alan Duchess is the mastering for this album. Honestly, I was very impressed with the list of projects that this man has worked on. I mean some dating back from 1954, from what I can find.

Lani:

Some artists that really stood out to me were a couple of the Misfits albums Fleetwood Mac, the band Brand New, fallout Boy, the Acacia Strain, and that's just steaming a handful. The list goes on. It's pretty noteworthy.

Josh:

I think I've heard that name before for sure. Mastering is very interesting. You just kind of look over a product and you're like tweaking it here and there. It's pretty cool.

Lani:

It is really cool.

Josh:

I mean, that just goes to show you he really has a ear for it.

Lani:

Absolutely Followed by production. We have two fellows that helped out with the art and direction of the photography of this album, and the one responsible for the photography and the art direction is Phil Manula, and he's done art for other albums by artists such as a Skylet Drive, bring Me the Horizon Asking Alexandria and A Day to Remember.

Josh:

This man only works with the best Thanks.

Lani:

This album, selfish Machines, was debuted on Billboard's Heatseekers chart at number one, beating their first album, which landed at number 61, which indicated a sales of over 400% increase, and it was the first time being number one on the charts.

Josh:

Good for it.

Lani:

Yeah, and the album originally was met with a variety of critical reception, with reviewers criticizing the use of autotune with the tracks.

Josh:

Okay, I mean it was a fun thing to do back then.

Lani:

Definitely. This album was eventually reissued with a remix production on September 24th of 2013. And something I thought was interesting was that Vic says that he got the name of the band from a sociology class after hearing Pierce the Vale. The professor mentioned piercing the Vale meaning to go directly to the root of a problem and removing it at the source, which he implied to RealLife saying if there is something going wrong in life, cut it out completely from the core. As I said in the beginning of today's episode, the theme of the album has to do with the natural thoughts and feelings that you want and take and having that desire to be in love and the desperation for someone else to love you. So with that, I also should include a trigger warning, because this lyrics talks eventually in depth about taking your own life and just dark times and depression.

Josh:

So you're sensitive to that. Take care of yourself, people.

Lani:

So number one on the track we have Basitos, which means tiny or little kisses in Spanish. When I saw Pierce the Vale for the first time, it was in San Francisco and this was the first song that they opened with, and I remember it being super crazy because I've never been in like a mosh pit general admission area where you're standing with the rest of the crowd and once the music started, everyone just pushes forward and it's like a wave and I'm like what the heck is going on.

Josh:

You don't expect it sometimes.

Lani:

My friend looked at me and she can see my face. I was terrified. She's like put up your elbows and just relax and go with the flow. So I was like okay, and finally, after doing that, I was like, oh, this is actually kind of fun. I feel like.

Josh:

Yeah, that's good.

Lani:

I mean we're waves in the ocean.

Josh:

Yeah, you got a good coach. Wish I had had a coach back then.

Lani:

I appreciate it. Shout out to Cheyenne, all right, so yeah, number one, bistito. The music showcases the band's Latin influence and is a story written from the point of view of Vicks, the leapfinger X-Lar Vic takes advantage of her emotionally to the point of getting her fed up and seeking revenge.

Josh:

Not not a healthy, it's an interesting one to open with.

Lani:

The lyrics also describe um one says so Vicks relationship with a girl from her part of you who he couldn't stop hurting over and over again.

Josh:

Just rat it on himself.

Lani:

Vic says in an interview with Alt Press that, um, he always tries to incorporate at least a hint of Latin influence in every song, but with this song they just full sent it and lyrically it's about my dysfunctional relationship with the girl. I couldn't stop hurting over and over again. It's meant to be her speaking to me, asking me why I'm not satisfied with what we had. I wanted to write it from her perspective to try and understand what she was going through at the time. It ends with her wanting to kill me for all the stuff I've put her through, which I appreciate. He was willing to take a look from her perspective because it sounded very toxic. Yeah, that's not normally the case where you can look in.

Josh:

It's a cool thing for him to look back on and do in the moment Like that's. It's really hard to even reflect personally and then to write a whole song about it.

Lani:

Yeah.

Josh:

I mean, I hope, I hope it was a healing process and, like you know, he learned from it.

Lani:

Yeah, that's all you can really do from doing that and if you're doing it correctly and taking it the right way.

Josh:

Yeah.

Lani:

Number two we have Southern Constellations and this song is about Vicks fascination with Southern girls. Buentes called this guitar tone as one of his favorite tones from the album, which was made using a Stratocaster through a custom made amplifier, making the glassy and unique sound they were looking for. Digging a little bit into the lyrics of the song please keep chasing me, I think is related to not wanting his partner to let go, and the feeling is mutual. The lyrics your Southern Constellations got me so dizzy relates to the mixed signals and Southern Constellation. It's a fascination with Southern girls. It's cold, but you pretend that you were warm with me. Before I get you home. You're nearly frozen is another lyric. And that actually leads into the next song, the Boy who Could Fly, as it starts detailing a boy's thoughts walking his date home through the cold. Additionally is speculated or speculated to be a reference to the couple's dying relationship. The two never clicked, as the girl was only pretending to match the same level of love shown from the boy. The romance eventually turned cold.

Josh:

Could it be a prequel to that song?

Lani:

Yeah, like rolls in to number three being the Boy who Could Fly. That's cool. Yeah, I thought so. So, yeah, this song, the Boy who Could Fly, was originally six minutes but the intro was split off into a separate track which is listed as number two Southern Constellations because of the length of the song at the time. So Southern Constellations, for reference, is a minute and five seconds and the Boy who Could Fly is four minutes and 18 seconds.

Josh:

I didn't know that the first one was so short yeah.

Lani:

The guitar in this song was inspired by what they remembered to love playing as kids. Lyrics are about a relationship reliant on the other person, with obsession and desperation and just stupid things you do when you're in love.

Josh:

So they really like to change up the sound of the songs as they go. Yeah, they like to play the music and learn Latin. Twist on it, yeah.

Lani:

Um Vic had said that this was the craziest and most intense song that he had written.

Josh:

Crazy Fuentes Look at him go.

Lani:

Lyrically one being. I hope you like the stars that I stole for you. Relation to Southern constellations.

Josh:

He's just these callbacks, man.

Lani:

The boy on the blue moon dreams of sun, wanting something you can't have. So a blue moon is used to describe something as impossible or very unlikely.

Josh:

You know what's going to be a blue moon this month, no joke.

Lani:

Really.

Josh:

Yeah, at the end of this month there's going to be a super blue moon and it's kind of like rare every five years. Yeah, I don't know if you can see it on our side of the planet though.

Lani:

Dang, we'll have to look that up. Yeah, yeah, Anyways. So a blue like I said, blue moon is used to describe something impossible or extremely unlikely.

Josh:

Because it doesn't happen often.

Lani:

Yes, Once in a blue moon. A sorrowful aspect of this line is the fact that the boy will never see his sun, because the moon and the sun are constantly apart. He can only bask in the rays that reflect off the moon from a distance, in the same way that Vic is being distanced from his love.

Josh:

That's deep.

Lani:

That was beautiful.

Josh:

I can feel it.

Lani:

All right, number four. We got probably the number one hit on the song heria funilia.

Josh:

Nice, you got through that smoothly Did.

Lani:

I.

Josh:

Oh, I mean looking at it, I don't think I would have said that word, what you said.

Lani:

Well, let's just say I've listened to this song plenty of times.

Josh:

You've heard it a couple of times.

Lani:

Just a bit. I mean, there's just certain somebody in it that I can't see. So, speaking of that certain person would be Jeremy McKinnon, who also helped produce this whole album.

Lani:

So he's definitely involved and it turned out to be a really fabulous song. So originally so, the song is based off his ex-girlfriend Fuentes ex-girlfriend who left her possessions at his house, which made Fuentes thinking about her when he saw them. Before adding the title, Vic sent the lyric to his ex-girlfriend, who was actually very flattered by the whole thing, he says. As soon as he started writing the music for the chorus, Vic knew he wanted Jeremy McKinnon to appear on the song, and so McKinnon appears as he screams throughout the chorus, in the bridge section, which is which made the collaboration very special to Vic.

Josh:

Good for them. It's always great when people collab. Early collabs were kind of hidden. Sometimes you didn't even realize that it was someone else. I didn't at least. Maybe I'm dumb.

Lani:

With a couple songs. Yeah, Like for those that didn't write it or you didn't really look into the song.

Josh:

It was fun to try and guess who the guest vocal was.

Lani:

Yeah, I agree.

Josh:

And sometimes we would have You're like I know that voice yeah, we'd have little arguments about. Back in my band days we would have arguments about who was the guest vocal.

Lani:

That's awesome. My parents would do that while we make dinner. They would blast music like the classic rock radio channel and would just like this and we're eating dinner.

Josh:

They're drilling you and trying to make you learn the music.

Lani:

Well, they would just do quiz. They would just keep quizzing each other about, like, who was on the radio. So I learned a lot from that, actually. Okay. So, anyways, back to Caravanelia Lyric. I brought a gun and I was the preacher trying to stop me. In this line, vic described this scene in which he brings the gun into a church to attempt unaliving himself in front of God, which explains the preacher trying to stop him. This is a reference to Romeo and Juliet. The next lyric what if I can't forget you? I'll bring your name into my throat. I'll be the fire that'll catch you. He's playing with the concept of an imagery, of Imagery. Oh, my goodness.

Josh:

Imagery.

Lani:

Imagery of fire which burns things. The thought of not being with her doesn't leave his mind. She's forever in his head.

Josh:

Good.

Lani:

I'll say her name 24-7, until it's branded like a burn mark on his throat. Catch fire as a phrase, as many definitions, one being the seizing of an individual after a chase or a grasping, either physically or mentally. In terms of imagery, he just wants to cover her with his love, envelop her with his fire.

Josh:

Wow, I mean he's very emotional and intense, extremely. Yeah, very deep, Very deep.

Lani:

That's why I gave a trigger warning. The next lyric don't mind me, I'm just reaching for your necklace, talking to my mom about this little girl from Texas. Vic wrote this song with the box full of his ex-lover's belongings in it. It's likely he's clutching his memorabilia while talking to his mother about the one who broke his heart. The location of Texas is not random, as Vic has expressed an infinity for girls from the deep south.

Josh:

Good for him.

Lani:

Number five, fast Times at Claremont High. It's a very selfish song, he says, dealing with human nature and our selfish tendencies, and included musical inspirations and influences of Michael Jackson. The title is a reference to Amy Hickerling's 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which involves a cast of characters over a year at high school. The name of Vic and Mike Wintes' school at Claremont High is substituted in the title instead of the name of the film itself. That's pretty cool, huh.

Josh:

Yeah, I mean, it's a way to get kind of a good reference.

Lani:

Yeah, the lyrics, the celebration, so many faces. I say the words as the moon painted us blue. They are dancing under the moonlight, which gives them the perfect setting to tell her how he feels. Now hold on, this is innocent blood. All the Beach Boys look like shark. He doesn't want his girl to fall for the popular kids because he thinks they will do nothing but hurt her, thus comparing them to sharks.

Josh:

Accurate yeah ㅋㅋ.

Lani:

Number six, the new national anthem. The intro is a faster version of the song Europa.

Josh:

Europa.

Lani:

Europa by Santana. One can even argue that it's Sam. I used to drive six hours just to see this girl that I liked. She was beautiful but didn't know it because she was from a small town. I went to her place once and it was completely empty because she was in the process of moving into another apartment. I remember making out with her in the dark in the middle of her empty carpeted floor. A lot of the lyrics of this song were about that night. I recorded the intro to this song in our apartment in LA. We used a lot of the original sounds from my ghetto little recording on the album. That's Vic about this song.

Josh:

Wow, you did a lot of this is like all from the different interviews.

Lani:

Yeah, I mean this was released back in 2010, so just interviews that have been collected over the years.

Josh:

A lot of coverage, yeah.

Lani:

Number seven bulletproof love. This is based on Vic's interest with happy songs that have morbid lyrics, calling it one of the darkest he's written, and that's very true. This is a super duper trigger warning of self harm.

Josh:

There's a lot of places you can go and people that can help. You have any problems or thoughts? Please reach out.

Lani:

Yeah, I can include some resources in the show notes as well.

Josh:

You are loved, the bulletproof love.

Lani:

So written in the style of suicide note that would be found by a loved one. The lyrics are about being passionate with someone to the point that you're willing to hurt yourself.

Lani:

Oh no no, no, all right. Digging into the lyrics, say I'm wrong. In the sunset, turning red behind the smoke, it could be representing his happiness disappearing and all that's left is his memories. The lyric and you've gone and sewn me to this bed is related to depression and alluded to in the next track, stay away from my friends, the lyric being as you tie me to the bed for good, I say that I want you in the most unromantic ways. Nature, the blinding rain is also a lyric in the song. Blinding rain meaning a very thick rainfall making it hard to see. And when the vultures sing tonight, I'm going to join right in. Vultures are said to be nature's cleaning crews. They basically come together when a carcass is found and help get rid of it, which eliminates the spread of diseases, parasites and bacteria. I found that vultures soar similar to eagles and can span up to six foot wings.

Josh:

They're pretty crazy, they're gross.

Lani:

That's like something out of like repotter.

Josh:

They're pretty creepy man Hypograph, hypograph. Hypographs.

Lani:

Yeah, Vic is using this as a metaphor to describe his death over the end of his relationship and would be willing to give up. Give up to the vultures so willing to be eaten alive, basically.

Josh:

Pretty much.

Lani:

My love for you is bulletproof, but you're the one who shot me is another metaphor to explain his heart, or a bulletproof vest to protect their love. But what if you're protecting betrays you and shoots you in the back? Over I can barely say your name, so I'll try to write it and fill the pen with blood from a sink. Well describing the attempt to cover up the emotional pain with physical.

Josh:

Good.

Lani:

But don't just say it. You should sing my name. Pretend that it's a song, as forever it's yours and we can sing this on the way home, followed by I'll sing along because I don't know any other song. In the previous lines, he wanted her to make up a song about him and sing it, and he would sing along because he doesn't know anything other than his love for her. There's nothing to do but scream at the drunken moon Moon being out, drunken moon, so moon being is just nighttime Could symbolize the ending of the relationship. Vic feels helpless and feels there's nothing to do but scream and cry at the world out of sadness and or desperation. And to conclude this track on a lighter note, vic says it's comforting to say out loud the things you're thinking, and I totally agree to that. Name it to tame it.

Josh:

A little bit of hope at the end of the tunnel, huh.

Lani:

Always. Honestly, this is probably one of my favorite songs on the album. Well, I just really like it. I don't know, I always have, since I first heard it.

Josh:

Yeah, I never really got into them, so I'm a little lost for words. I mean, I don't it's deep. It's a deep stuff and you really went in and you really took a dive. It's good stuff.

Lani:

You know me, but I understand it's pretty heavy. So I'm moving on to number eight. Stay away from my friends. It's about an ex-girlfriend, of course, who was trying to be friends with his friends after they had broken up.

Josh:

That's always weird.

Lani:

Yeah, it's a bit. Vic also says that he wrote the piano parts at his home in San Diego and the piano featured on the song was played by his friend, dave Gaten, who also played keys. On 2007, a Flare for the Dramatic, which is their previous album, which Vic says took everything to the next level.

Josh:

The piano.

Lani:

The piano like adding yeah, adding the piano.

Josh:

Nice yeah.

Lani:

And then about. This is also just about the band wanting to come out different from the rest and from the previous material that they had for the album, and they placed this in the middle of the album to provide some sort of breath of fresh air per se.

Josh:

This is only the halfway through, huh yeah.

Lani:

Well, we're almost there.

Josh:

Almost there.

Lani:

Almost there, Okay, lyrics Waking up your neighbors. It's a metaphor for crying and unpredictable behavior. I've been inside your bedroom a thousand years and timing to the bed suggests that depression he has is preventing him from having the motivation for daily life. I want you in the most unromantic ways. Being unromantic can vary from person to person. Some examples would be not putting in the effort to keep the relationship alive, not showing affection, being unfaithful overall, just negative. Its context of the song is about how Vick's illness is developing as a mental and physical disorder. Louisiana, you're torturing me with a beautiful face. Can you guess what? This is another indicator of Southern girls.

Lani:

Correct and Louisiana could be a pseudonym name for his ex-girlfriend. A penny in the couch and a diamond ring. It really just puts meaning to the worthlessness of the relationship that had turned into and a penny just being as worthless as a diamond ring. Stay away from my friends because I need them to carry me when it's over. I mean just how it is. He'll need his friends to be there for him once the relationship ends.

Lani:

I'll count back from ten and you can listen to Glassheart shattering.

Lani:

Vick symbolizes this as his journey, or it could be symbolizing his journey along to his brokenness. Once he counts back from ten, there would be too much damage to his heart to the point of feeling numb Glassheart's meaning very fragile and compares his heart as Glass. Once broken, it would be very difficult to put back the pieces. First two is alluding to when they kiss. It absolutely infatuates him and he cannot believe that they now only talk on special occasions like main holidays or birthdays, wrapping up with him comparing himself to her beauty, how she can be out of his league and can't believe he ended up with a woman so much. Chorus two I'll count back from ten is now followed with the lines and you can listen to something that you've never heard before and then trails off into a melody. But when looking back at the previous chorus could be alluding to the Glassheart shattering assuming she's never broken someone's heart this terribly and the outro of the song again just alluding to his attraction to self harm to numb the emotional pain he feels.

Josh:

Poor guy just always striking out, but these women, they sure are pretty.

Lani:

They sure are pretty.

Josh:

I mean chill out bro. Why going in so hard?

Lani:

Yeah, it's that he's going through it.

Josh:

Everybody. Everybody cares in different ways.

Lani:

You know when you're young.

Josh:

Yeah, you always make mistakes.

Lani:

And the emotions are wow.

Josh:

It's tough out there. Tough out there for everybody. You never know what someone else is going through.

Lani:

So Right, absolutely.

Josh:

Be kind.

Lani:

Be the reason someone smiles today.

Josh:

Someone smiling because you're there.

Lani:

Alright. Well, back to the darkness. Number nine I don't care if you're contagious. This song is inspired by a female fan telling Fuentes that her boyfriend was involved in a fatal car crash. This one's also very deep, of course. So Vic says that she told me that he held her hand for the first time at one of our shows, and it's speculated that that could be related to the album cover of the Boy and the Girl. This was written as a gift to the fan from the point of view of the boyfriend speaking to her and telling her that he is still watching over her and that he will love her forever.

Josh:

Wow, that's so nice.

Lani:

It really is A lyric. Bury me in the bedroom where I can sing you to sleep all night, aside from the perspective of the boyfriend, who'd pass and just wants to comfort her when he's gone.

Josh:

That's a little creepy, though I'm sorry. Only serial killers bury people in a bedroom.

Lani:

Yeah, that's true.

Josh:

I bet that'd be very stinky after a while, very stinky and, at the minimum.

Lani:

The next lyric being I'd rather kill the one responsible for falling stars at night, because they fall all around me, and probably refers to the killing whoever caused the accident and causing his girlfriend to cry and the tears of her happiness being the falling stars. Number 10, disasterology a typical guy's dream of girls going out, drinking and living the life somebody wants. The chorus was a very philosophical idea that I've played around with for a long time. The creation of something beautiful only to destroy is epic, and that really leads into the lyrics, one of them being can we create something beautiful and destroy it? Nobody knows. I dream about it.

Lani:

This is my imagination. He knows he can't have the girl, but nothing is going to hold him back from being with her in his own fantasy world. When reality pushes him to the breaking point, he's willing to take a chance for it all to be destroyed. A lyric I have a million different girls that hide under my bed and when I let them out they treat me right. Oh, what a waste of a perfectly good, clean wreath. Vic has opened up in the past about his own struggles with self harm and would refer the razors as girls.

Josh:

I don't know, that was weird. I was confused.

Lani:

Yeah, again hiding things under the bed.

Josh:

Yeah, lots of beds and getting tied to the bed. He's very fond of the bedroom.

Lani:

But the bedroom is always like.

Josh:

It's weird, it's like dark, happiness, comfort. Yeah, like it's a comforting space, but it's also like some of the worst stuff can happen there. We are weird creatures.

Lani:

That's for sure. There's a lot to handle in our lives. Okay, the next lyric you were screaming until the police came. But following his unrealistic fantasy, his mental problems had been neglected and he wanted to induce pain on himself as a suicide attempt, because this relationship was only real in his head. When she found him, he was in need for dire attention and causing her to panic and call the police. And finally, if every living thing dies alone, what am I doing here? And it fits with the heartbreak theme. However, a line from the movie Donnie Darko inspired this song, when Grandma Death tells Donnie every living creature on earth dies alone.

Josh:

Great movie, really really good movie.

Lani:

Yeah, I like it. I think you showed it to me for the first time, actually.

Josh:

It's great, it's insane.

Lani:

Yeah, number 11, million Dollar House. The Painter this is a gift to the Fuente's parents. Specifically. His father worked as a painting contractor, barely earning throughout his life enough money to keep the family going, and being forced to sell his home. And so Vic wrote this song, expressing the hatred for money and the way it sometimes messes up people's lives and families.

Josh:

All too often.

Lani:

And then one lyric that just took out to me in this song is sometimes the moon looks brighter than the sun. It's similar to the metaphor the grass isn't always greener on the other side but in this song this is obviously relating to money. And two the last song of the album, number 12, the Sky Under the Sea.

Josh:

Do that again.

Lani:

Number 12, the Sky Under the Sea. I'm just going to jump right into lyrics on this one. So, number one being I still remember the night you tried to kiss me through the window. The opening lyrics, vic, is the last thing on this girl's mind as she gives a poor goodbye with a petty kiss through the very. And someday I'll drive close both my eyes, referring to driving off a bridge, someday into a body of water to have a better life after death. I don't think that's a way to get a better life, but to each their own.

Josh:

It worked that way.

Lani:

You'll never be as beautiful without me. She abuses him to feel beautiful and the moment she ends the abuse, she won't feel as powerful or confident.

Josh:

Terrible. I'm going to treat people.

Lani:

Really, and I just want to fade away into the sky under the sea, alluding to suicide by drowning in the sea. And lastly, ladies and gentlemen, I introduced the selfish machine. Some would guess the selfish machine is describing a woman, but it actually just means all humans in general. Vic says the sky under the sea is about admitting I am the selfish machine, about being selfish with love and taking what you want without regret. It also alludes to the animal inside us all. He says we are all humans and no one is perfect, despite how good someone may think he or she is.

Lani:

My final thoughts about this album I really like the drummer's style and he really gives the songs that groovy, like you want to dance but you also really want a head bang. And specifically in care for Nelia, the album is even more amazing after learning that they created this album sort of on the spot and how everyone's talent really just came together very well, and then finally, I mean the whole team that that was put together for this album to come to light. I just think overall they did a very fantastic job with this album. Do you have any final thoughts? What do you think? I know it's pretty heavy.

Josh:

Oh yeah, I mean, it's yeah honestly.

Lani:

No words.

Josh:

You're speechless. I haven't given it enough listens to really put a solid thought together. I mean I like a few songs, they're cool, but I never really got into it as much. I mean, it's the way.

Lani:

It gives the songs a different meaning when you dive in and understand the story behind it.

Josh:

Yeah, definitely. You know, sometimes we just hear songs and we just enjoy them. You don't think about it as much. I think that's pretty common. So seeing it like in a deeper way, it really does change how you could feel about it. And yeah, I just, I never thought about it. I never thought about it that way.

Lani:

Yeah, and I think all songs in general can be very relatable. You can apply it to whatever you're going through at the time, really. So to conclude, an interview with Bruce Moore with B13 Media out of Chicago. In August of 2010,. Bruce Moore interviewed Vic Fuentes and asked Now that your brand new CD Selfish Machines is complete, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome? Vic says he's more satisfied now than he ever was actually leaving the studio because of the overwhelming positive reaction from the fans. He had heard the record a million times when they were making it in the studio and after for a while and didn't even know what to think about it.

Josh:

Yeah, I can totally agree with that. You're just so immersed in your own creativity and you don't even know how people are going to feel about it. So that's got to feel great.

Lani:

Definitely Just watching your work, because you're really vulnerable, I feel, as a writer, because you're You're taking a chance.

Josh:

That's the whole point, I mean. And then again, I just didn't know that sometimes you just think people write to write. You don't really know if they're actually experiencing everything that they're talking about, right?

Lani:

Right.

Josh:

So just to hear that all of these are very personal to him Really cool, really. I'll definitely have to re-listen and think about it in a different way.

Lani:

Yeah.

Josh:

All right, John. Well, thanks for checking this one out. We got a little bonus, little extra for you. Of course, we got the top three coming in. We're going to do top three artists from our Spotify wrapped 2020.

Lani:

2020.

Josh:

The year it all happened the year it was still happening and we were possibly never going to be free. What were you listening to, oh?

Lani:

Anyways, yes, yes, what was I listening to?

Josh:

Number one of my list. That's what we're here for, Right right, right, dance, give and dance. Oh dude, no way what it's almost like it's mine Wow.

Lani:

Wow, it's like we listened to the same music, or something.

Josh:

Dang. I mean dance, give and dance. They were really killing it then. It was a lot of hype then.

Lani:

So yeah, After Burner came out Right.

Josh:

Yeah, that was it. Everybody was waiting for that to drop Dropped hard.

Lani:

It really did. What's your number one?

Josh:

Song.

Lani:

Artist.

Josh:

I dance, give and dance.

Lani:

You dance yeah.

Josh:

I was agreeing with you.

Lani:

Oh, so that's your number one too.

Josh:

Yeah, apparently.

Lani:

Apparently All right number. Okay, what's your number two?

Josh:

Okay, my number two was a good tiger.

Lani:

That's my number three.

Josh:

Oh well, there you go.

Lani:

I remember we went to where did we go? Half Moon Bay for your birthday and it was so nice outside with the weather and I just remember the doors like the windows rolled down and jamming out to good tiger.

Josh:

Yeah good, tiger is awesome.

Lani:

Like beach yeah.

Josh:

They got great vibes, so that's your number three. What's your number two?

Lani:

Vale of Maya Nice.

Josh:

Yeah, heck, yeah Well, do you know the song?

Lani:

I could look it up. I didn't write the song down.

Josh:

Oh, no worries, All right well.

Lani:

Probably like Toll Spray or Mikasa. Is it Mikasa, misaka? I don't know.

Josh:

Mikasa yeah.

Lani:

Mikasa, yukasa, mikasa. Anyways, it was Vale of Maya.

Josh:

Cool. And then, yeah, I had, and my last one was Hail the Sun.

Lani:

Oh, okay.

Josh:

Yeah, they were pretty cool. I haven't been enjoying them as much lately, but they're classics. I'm just, I just the classics.

Lani:

Yeah, I agree, and just they're so fun live Like Donovan really puts on a show.

Josh:

Yeah, he's a cool dude.

Lani:

I love when he gets on the drums Entertaining.

Josh:

Definitely, and yeah, that first album. He played the drums a lot more. That's why I like it so much. He isn't dude enough anymore. Play the drums, donovan.

Lani:

Sound like you're a drummer or something.

Josh:

I do, I bang. Okay, alright, bang on the drum.

Lani:

Thank you so much for listening.

Josh:

Yeah, we did it again. We're here again and we're glad you're here. We love you guys. If you listened all the way through, you're awesome.

Lani:

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Josh:

Yeah, I mean you could tell somebody if you feel like it.

Lani:

But I get it. Tell your mom, yeah, tell your dad, your sister, your brother, your aunt, your uncle.

Josh:

Check us out on the Instagram. What's the Instagram again?

Lani:

Postmoshclaritypodcast.

Josh:

Baboom.

Lani:

In our Gmail. Postmoshpod at gmailcom.

Josh:

Yeah, let us know what you want to hear, what we could do to make your listening experience better, and until next time, bye.

Lani:

Music playing.