I discovered Twenty One Pilots when they signed with Fueled By Ramen a year ago and they instantly became one of my favorite bands. The band consists of Tyler Joseph, vocalist and pianist, and Josh Dun, drummer. They have a decent following in their hometown in Ohio, but I was sad to find that they are pretty much unheard of elsewhere. I think they deserve a lot more recognition for their music because it has such a fresh, new sound. They combine rap and rock and electronic in a genre that can only be described as alternative, for lack of a better term.
The first thing of theirs I saw was this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5daYd91k4ws&list=FL8kZHBpLsPH-yw-ggYHd-Sw&index=41 I was blown away by the simplicity and raw emotion of it all. It is a good introduction to their unconventional style of rap and phenomenal lyrics. Every time I listen to any of their songs, I get a new meaning and connection to it. Their music is incredibly relatable, because it is about things like life and death and mortality and the human condition. It consequently gets pretty philosophical, as in March to the Sea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suq35iak57U) which parallels a march in unison to living an unexamined life.
Their first album is rawer and has a lighter sound, while their second, Regional At Best(which,sadly, was taken off of iTunes for some stupid reason, though they do have a new one coming out next Tuesday)sounds more poppy. I'll let the music speak for itself, so here are some of my favorite songs from them. If you don't love them after hearing these.....
Glowing Eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47AtclpkF-o
Isle of Flightless Birds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMD141I5ERU
Car Radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmTc0sx_E5g
Guns for Hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu8s3ucBEL8
and, not my favorite song but their only music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktBMxkLUIwY
