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The Black Swan (Story of the Year album)

 

 
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The Black Swan (Story of the Year album)
 
 
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The Black Swan is the third studio album
Studio album

A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"....
 by American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 post-hardcore
Post-hardcore

Post-hardcore is a music genre that evolved from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups who emerged from the hardcore punk scene, or took inspiration from hardcore, while concerning themselves with a wider palette of expression, closer to...
 band Story of the Year
Story of the Year

Story of the Year is an American band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. The band was initially named Big Blue Monkey, they changed their name to Story of the Year in 2002 after the release of their EP titled "Story of the Year" on indie label Criterion Records when they realized a blues group of the same name had already existed....
. The album was named after Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, on unpredictable events and randomness
Randomness

Randomness is a lack of order, purpose, Causality, or predictability. Randomness as defined by Aristotle is the situation, when a choice is to be made which has no logical component by which to determine or make the choice ....
 and was their first album recorded with indie label Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records

Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O....
, after switching from major label Maverick Records
Maverick Records

Maverick Recording Company, is an American record label and the record company division of entertainment company, Maverick . It is owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros....
. Commenting on this switch, lead singer Dan Marsala said in an interview, "Making this record felt like starting over.






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Encyclopedia


The Black Swan is the third studio album
Studio album

A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"....
 by American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 post-hardcore
Post-hardcore

Post-hardcore is a music genre that evolved from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups who emerged from the hardcore punk scene, or took inspiration from hardcore, while concerning themselves with a wider palette of expression, closer to...
 band Story of the Year
Story of the Year

Story of the Year is an American band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. The band was initially named Big Blue Monkey, they changed their name to Story of the Year in 2002 after the release of their EP titled "Story of the Year" on indie label Criterion Records when they realized a blues group of the same name had already existed....
. The album was named after Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, on unpredictable events and randomness
Randomness

Randomness is a lack of order, purpose, Causality, or predictability. Randomness as defined by Aristotle is the situation, when a choice is to be made which has no logical component by which to determine or make the choice ....
 and was their first album recorded with indie label Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records

Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O....
, after switching from major label Maverick Records
Maverick Records

Maverick Recording Company, is an American record label and the record company division of entertainment company, Maverick . It is owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros....
. Commenting on this switch, lead singer Dan Marsala said in an interview, "Making this record felt like starting over. We're like a brand new band. You can hear it in these songs, we're excited again. I think we've really stepped it up on this record." Guitarist Ryan Phillips adds, "Epitaph seemed like the perfect place for us at this time in our career. It's a much more creative environment."

One theme found in a few of the songs ("Wake Up", "Terrified", "Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)") is the concept that human existence is insignificant in comparison to the universe as a whole, and that wars, fighting and killing seem pointless. The band believes that people should live their lives to the fullest extent. Other themes include political and social issues.

The album debuted on the UK rock charts at number 6 and at number 18 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling Albums and extended play in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine....
 chart, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week.

Track listing

  1. "Choose Your Fate" - 3:34
  2. "Wake Up" - 3:32
  3. "The Antidote" - 4:00
  4. "Tell Me (P.A.C.)" - 3:59
  5. "Angel In the Swamp" - 4:29
  6. "The Black Swan"- 3:45
  7. "Message To The World
    Message to the World

    "Message To The World" is a song by rock music band Story of the Year, it was recorded in 2007 and released in 2008. The song is the second single on their third album, The Black Swan ....
    " - 4:04
  8. "Apathy Is a Deathwish" - 3:31
  9. "We're Not Gonna Make It" - 4:03
  10. "Cannonball" - 3:50
  11. "Terrified" - 4:00
  12. "Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)" - 1:06
  13. "Welcome to Our New War" - 5:11


Bonus Tracks
  2. "The Truth Shall Set Me Free" (Wake Up CD Single Bonus Track) - 4:00
  4. "Never Let It Go" (AUS
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    /NZ
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
    /Japan
    Japan

    Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
    ese Bonus Track) - 3:42
  6. "The Virus" (Wake Up 7" Picture Disc Bonus Track) - 4:02
  8. "Turn Up the Radio" (Wake Up CD Vinyl Bonus Track) - 3:52
  10. "Save One" (Wake Up Single 7Digital Bonus Track) - 4:09


Platinum Edition release

Following the original release, Story of the Year
Story of the Year

Story of the Year is an American band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. The band was initially named Big Blue Monkey, they changed their name to Story of the Year in 2002 after the release of their EP titled "Story of the Year" on indie label Criterion Records when they realized a blues group of the same name had already existed....
 released the Platinum Edition of the album through Epitaph
Epitaph Records

Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O....
. The Platinum Editions were only released in Asian regions including China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
.

Platinum Editions features
  • "All the Bonus Tracks"
  • "Video: Wake Up"
  • "Video: Making of Wake Up"
  • "A Bonus DVD"
  • "Our Time Is Now" CD
    Compact Disc

    A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
     & DVD
    DVD

    DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....


Chart Positions


ChartPeak
position
The Billboard 20018
Billboard Top Independent Albums3
UK Album Chart136
UK Rock Albums6


Personnel


  • Dan Marsala – lead vocals
  • Ryan Phillips – lead guitar
    Lead guitar

    Lead guitar refers to the use of a guitar to perform melody lines, fill , and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock music, heavy metal music, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop music contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompan...
  • Philip Sneed – rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar

    Rhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chord al accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the country music, blues music, rock music or Heavy metal music genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the melodic lines and solos play...
    , backing vocals
  • Adam Russell – bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , backing vocals
  • Josh Wills – drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....