Today's review is titled "Vicenarian's Lament" by Brandon Bogdan; for anyone unfamiliar, a "vicenarian" is a person between the ages of 20 and 29 years old, and a "lament" is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
Brandon Bogdan is a singer-songwriter from Maple Shade, New Jersey. "Vicenarian's Lament" is their debut album as a solo artist, written, recorded, and produced entirely independently by themselves.
The first song on the album is titled "Growing Pains" which demonstrates this album thematically. It opens with the character graduating high school, contemplating the choices that will determine their future; go to college or join the workforce (specifically manual labor). Ultimately they decide they want more out of life and end up choosing to go to college, however they realize that the amount of money they spent on college could have been better utilized by buying property, starting a family, and making a life for themselves, but after college all they gained was heaps of debt and an overpriced piece of paper. After graduating, they realize they have become what they always wanted to stay away from being, and now they're officially out in the real world, all on their own. The stress of all this leads them to search for a partner, hoping to share a life with someone who may be able to help take some of this existential weight off their shoulders. Through their expedition of meeting someone romantically, they are bogged down by the surface-level repetition of asking "what's your major" and "what's your sign", sleeping with each other, and then parting ways in the morning, never really building any true, genuine connection or bonds. The character we are following is 22 years old, seems to have no direction in life, and is making a big move across the country. There is uncertainty in all of life's forks in the road, but there are times to celebrate and toast to better days and good things coming. Musically, the song consists mostly of an acoustic guitar with varying degrees of aggression in the strumming and hollow vocals that sound like they reverberate off of walls in an empty room, giving a real gloomy feel which matches the severity of emotions that this song is trying to convey.
Track number two, "Hovering Over My Head" starts off much more upbeat, more charming open chords on the acoustic guitar and some catchy muted plucking underneath. Light on the lyrics but heavy on instrumentation with multiple guitars, tambourine, xylophone, and much more. "Growing Pains" had music that matched the lyrics, whereas this song has a bit of a dichotomy; very happy sounding instrumentation but lyrics that mention Armageddon right off the bat. I like the lyrics "baby by morning, old man by evening, at sunrise a new life again" which suggests how fleeting our time is, feeling as though every night is an ending, a death, but the sunrise brings a fresh start and a new life every morning. The song seems to be acknowledging that so many miniscule events can happen in a day that it almost feels like a lifetime, and so many life-changing, life-ending events can happen at any instant, but we're doomed to get wrapped up in the monotonous and menial tasks, like making your bed. At a short two and a half minutes, this song is an easy listen that comes and goes quickly (almost like life itself).
Track three has a great title, "I Threw My Phone Into the River" and that is exactly what you're getting out of this song, three and a half minutes of that prominent lyric being repeated over doomer sounding guitar with the occasional differentiation of the lyrics "we all are little bombs waiting to explode" that comes in with a chorus of vocals. There is nice usage of some percussion and unusual sounds as the song progresses that breaks up potential monotony.
The following track, "Comfort Zone" is a nice change of pace, starting with a piano introduction before the acoustic and vocals soon fade in. At the end of the lines "but I worry" and "a breath of fresh air" there are notes held out by the vocals impressively long that slowly fade into, while simultaneously filling out the mix. Lyrically, the song starts with the narrator pleading to be pushed out of their comfort zone. They sing about how their comfort zone is holding them back from so much more that there is to do and see, and wanting to do all of it with somebody. They reference a "her" that tells them "I'm here, no need to fear" which allows them to calm down and focus. This insinuates that the storyteller is unable to take a leap out of their comfort zone to see and do more if it weren't for "her" helping hand, being an anchor for them. When she speaks to them, they are eased and at peace, ready to start a journey with her to begin a new life. This concept calls back to the motifs of "Growing Pains" revolving around change and wanting to progress and develop a new life, or a different life.
Coming off of a solemn track with an emphasis on melancholy piano, we are presented with track five, "Day Breaks". Officially halfway through the album and we have another upbeat song with very pretty, ringing chords on the acoustic guitar. Finally we have a break from the existential weight of growing up and taking on the world, this song is about all the little moments with a positive impact on your life, an uproot out of a long-term depression when you finally have a glimpse of hope and encouragement from friends, family, loved ones, and the universe that things are going to be okay, you're doing well and making the right decisions. Starting with the first line being "day breaks, and you find the world is on your side", there is a noticeable change of tone from the majority of the album. As it continues, it shows us moments of being reassured of yourself and your potential. This feeling is so radical and foreign that it feels unreal, like a dream or fantasy. At the end of the song, there is a desperate begging for this unfamiliar feeling to stay as long as it possibly can, a building repetition of "don't go away". This tonal shift of pleading is much more along the lines of the character we have been following and have become familiar with so far, but in this instance they are hoping to maintain their positive view on a new life, after the previous songs discuss getting out of their comfort zone and moving forward, finally finding someone to push them in the right direction and now the fruits of their labor are coming to fruition.
"Jade" is a song about a girl, presumably the "her" that we met in "Comfort Zone". This song has somewhat of a romantic Doo-Wop feel, starting with intimate guitar and snapping fingers. There is a cleverness to the title "Jade", it could be a girl's name, it's directly referenced as a color in the lyrics, but it is also an interesting choice of word considering how "jaded" this character was before meeting this girl. Jade is also a gemstone, this could exemplify how she is precious and beautiful to the narrator. They state "when I'm with you, girl, everything else can wait" which is a reprieve from the first half of the album when the character was very impatient and anxious about furthering in life and finding happiness and success. The following lyrics are "I'm afraid of our happiness, because I fear that it'll disappear" which goes hand-in-hand with the previous song "Day Break".
Track seven is "Impromptu" and starts with a familiar percussion, with some more electronic spin this time. We are back to having deep questioning of life in the lyrics, interrogating the universe as well as someone, presumably this "Jade" character. The narrator is self-conscious in their relationship and concerned about their ability to repay "her" for all the help, comfort, and reassurance she offered throughout their time together. This could possibly be the beginning of the end in this relationship; the end of their first big true love in their adult life, maybe due to some self-sabotage and inability to stop overthinking.
In the context of the story, it is a little bit difficult to place where this song fits into the timeline. If we are to assume that all songs are in chronological order, perhaps "Lazy Eyes" takes place quite a bit of time after "Impromptu" once that relationship has fizzled out; Now, the character has reverted back to square one of their love life, searching for someone new to start a journey with. Another interpretation may be that this relationship is still intact, but following the downward spiral of the previous song.
"Is it you that I'm looking at?
I know for sure that you are staring at me
Just know I'm trying to keep my eye on you
But recently it's been getting so hard to see
What we could be"
Maybe this partner is trying to keep the spark alive but has been struggling to pull the narrator out of their depression and they have already detached and isolated themselves, unable to see the loving partner that is trying so desperately to get through to them.
"I must learn to live with this burden
Never in my life have I had a clear view
Except when you were right in front of me
Just one more glance of you will do"
There is a tug and pull of the narrator acknowledging their love but not quite being able to express it properly, going back and forth between wanting to make it work by putting in the effort, but also worrying about wasting everyone's time and ultimately giving up because it's easier than trying and failing in the first place; unfortunately this is where the song seems to end with,
"Who am I kidding?
It would be a waste of time
I am realizing
You would be living a lie
With this lazy eye"
We are reaching the end of the album with "Strawbridge" being the second to last song. Once again, we are greeted with an upbeat tone, starting with the sound of doves, and a guitar that sounds slightly somber, but almost as if it is reminiscing. The lyrics begin by describing a setting that feels like childhood or adolescence, and they progress with more childish or juvenile activities such as "spinning in a field". The narrator is rehashing their memories from being a kid, despite being a grown adult now, they still have that a large part of their inner-child. They pray for dreams that will take them back to that time of life, longing for the simplicity and blissful ignorance that comes with youth. This could also be an acknowledgment of growth just throughout the album, now they are finally taking time to reflect on their life, especially a time long ago that they have now lost to age, grasping to find fragments of it to relive. This track greatly departs from the tone of its predecessor, but is a strong return to form with their questioning of the world around them and what they've lost now that they are in the thick of adulthood. They long for the freedom and flexibility that comes with being a child when adulthood doesn't allow for it.
The final song, "The Scarecrow Seeks For Stamina" is honestly a very spooky sounding song. Droning synths, repetitive plucking from the guitar, off-key notes, it almost feels like a haunted house. At the end, there is a twenty second gap of silence before an eerie piano comes back in to lead us out. Once I got to this song, I began to think maybe my interpretation of this album doesn't hold up, or I'm stretching my ideas a little bit too much, I'm not quite sure. The only part that came across as relevant to the story I interpreted was
"Maybe autumn is just a foreshadow of the spring
And don't remind me what is in between
No feeling"
But maybe instead of trying to force a cohesive narration, we can take the lyrics to this song as literal and at face value. It very much could be as simple as a song from the perspective of a scarecrow. The ghostly sounds and hollow echos really give an uneasy, frightening halloween vibe, a great listen for this Fall season.
Thank you to Brandon Bogdan for letting me talk about and share my interpretation of your album "Vicenarian's Lament" and congratulations on your debut as a solo artist! Best of luck with your future musical endeavors.
You can find Brandon's music HERE
( https://linktr.ee/brandonbogdan )
