Music Review: Emblem3 "3000 Miles"

Emblem3

3000 Miles

Album: Nothing To Lose

Year: 2013

           Drew Chadwick wants to return to his home in Illionis in the dusty  “3000 Miles.”

         A morose piano opens the single, setting a disheartened tone.  He wraps a blanket around him. The air  conditioning has been on all day and it’s too hot to go outside. At home, it’s probably already snowing. The grass is decorated with thick sheets of it, topped with snowman of various sizes at certain houses. He and his little sister would go out and play. She would sneak up behind him and smack him with a snowball. It was the start of a big fight, ending with their coats soaked. After dinner, his dad would light the fire. His mom would hand out skewers for the marshmallows and they have s’mores for dessert. Some of his friends would be there. He would love to surprise his mom right now. (“First winter's snowfall/Throwing backyard snowballs/Warming up by the fireplace/Marshmallows catch fire on an open flame/All my friends get together/Wishing I was there but I'm never/Living in the sunshine oh but dreaming of a place called home.”)

            In the pre-chorus, Wesley Stromberg says it’s a difficult time to take time off work right now. Otherwise, he would put in for a vacation. (“I wanna run wanna run away/I'm dreaming of a place called home/I could try but I'm stuck in today/I'm dreaming of a place that's.”)

          In the chorus, Wesley Stromberg says even though he’s been living in California for about two years now, it’s more like ten. He misses goofing off with his friends and season tickets to the White Sox’s games. Watching his team play in the Angel Stadium seems out of place. During the summer, thunderstorms were a regular occurrence. He carried his umbrella with him on the all time. (“3000 miles away/Feels like it's forever/Seems like yesterday/We were running 'round town together/This place, just ain't the same/I miss the stormy weather/I'm not okay/3000 miles away.”)

           Chadwick touches “home” on his phone again. He gets the message to leave a voicemail. It’s 3 a.m. and his little sister is fast asleep. She keeps her phone off during the night. She won’t see he  called for another couple hours. He just wanted to hear how she did on her art project and if anyone asked her to prom.  (“You don't pick up but I keep redialing/Cause you're asleep got your phone on silent/Still early here I'm wide awake/I just wanna hear you tell me all about your day.”)

         Keaton Stromberg says he took his home for granted. He thought he could leave and fit into the California lifestyle. However, California’s not what he thought it would be. (“Although I never really showed it/I had to leave for me to notice/That living in the sunshine's cold /I'm dreaming of a place called home.”)

            Wesley Stromberg sings the pre-chorus again.

              Keaton joins Wesley in the chorus.

               In the bridge, Keaton says all it would take is one flight home for him to stay. But he can’t just pick up and leave. (“If I could go back for the weekend/Or just for the day/To see familiar faces, that's all it would take/But it's too far.”)

               Keaton and Wesley sing the chorus twice to end the single.

              Emblem3’s stuffy vocals (literally for Wesley Stromberg, who seems to have permenant congestion) are kind of bummed out. It’s just so lonely and nobody else around them cares.

            The middling “3000 Miles” has a severe case of homesickness which apparently means bleaching the brain of any creative thought or ambition.