Compared to many books I've read, the critically acclaimed concept albums Wallsocket and Magic, Alive! have less developed characters and less coherent narrative flows. So why do I listen to and enjoy these albums so much?

“The medium is the message”, Marshall McLuhan claims, or less strongly, “the medium shapes the message”, I claim. Detailed dialogue and exposition generally don't make for compelling lyrics in music. However, music incorporates additional distinct channels - instrumentation, tempo, and volume, to name a few - that communicate meaning, and more broadly build a differently compelling story.

In Wallsocket, for example, “Geez louise” uses harsh instrumentation, including intense guitar riffs and screaming vocals to express the character's anguish unearthing the history of Spanish Catholic colonization of the Philippines. “Good luck final girl” uses sparse instrumentation and then distorted vocals to express the character's grief over losing a beloved to war.

In Magic, Alive!, “Recitatif” (referencing a short story by Toni Morrison of the same name) uses aggressive instrumentation, including erratic bass lines and forceful percussion, to express the character's determination to rise above their troubles, perhaps their circumstances, even violently. “Magic, Alive!", the titular track, uses grand instrumentation, including dynamic saxophone runs, and exclamatory vocals to express the sense of magic through surviving and telling stories together.

I listened to these concept albums while exploring the neighborhoods of the DC area, and found they skillfully leverage the medium of music to match and make the mood.