Line #42 Music/TheOhHellos


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jfbp8raw.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: [[BrotherSisterTeam Maggie, Tyler,]] and [[RevolvingDoorBand everyone else.]]]]
3
4	[floatboxright:
5	Influenced by
6	+ Music/TheCivilWars, Music/FleetFoxes, Mutemath, Music/MumfordAndSons, Music/ThePogues, Music/SufjanStevens]
7
8	-> ''"We grew up in a house where creativity was encouraged and loud noises were tolerated."''
9	--> -'''Tyler Heath''', [[http://erichwalters.com/2012/09/08/10-questions-with-the-oh-hellos/ "Ten Questions... with the Oh Hello's"]]
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11	The Oh Hellos are an eclectic, indie [[FolkMusic folk-rock]] band based in San Marcos, UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}, consisting of [[BrotherSisterTeam Tyler and Maggie Heath]] and [[RevolvingDoorBand whoever they can bring along on tour]]. Much of their music is inspired by folk tunes, among other things. Their songs are mostly about taking chances, making mistakes, and redemption.
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13	Their music is available on [[http://noisetrade.com/theohhellos Noisetrade]], [[https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-oh-hellos/id509851279 iTunes]], and their [[http://theohhellos.com/ website.]] You can listen to a live session on [[http://audiotree.tv/session/the-oh-hellos/ Audiotree]]. They also can be followed on [[http://www.theohfficialhellos.tumblr.com Tumblr]], [[https://twitter.com/theohhellos Twitter]], [[http://music.theohhellos.com/ Bandcamp]], and [[https://www.facebook.com/theohhellos Facebook]].
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18	!!Discography:
19	* ''The Oh Hellos EP'' (2011)
20	* ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley'' (2012)
21	* ''The Oh Hellos Family Christmas Album'' (2013)
22	* ''Dear Wormwood'' (2015)
23	* ''Notos'' (2017)
24	* ''Eurus'' (2018)
25	* ''Boreas'' (2020)
26	* ''Zephyrus'' (2020)
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28	----
29	!!This band and their music provide examples of the following tropes:
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31	* AdventurousIrishViolins: "The Lament of Eustace Scrubb," "New River."
32	* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Somebody else's gave them their band name.
33	--> '''Maggie:''' One of the stories we drew from [our time in Ireland] was when a belligerently drunken man stumbled out of a bar (at 7 PM) and starting desperately hitting on our mother. His opening statement was, of course, “Oh! Hello. Will you have a drink with me?” So now our mother has not only a song to commemorate her misfortune, but also now a whole band. Happy birthday, mom.
34	* AllTakeAndNoGive: In ''Dear Wormwood,'' the narrator in is caught on the wrong end of this kind of relationship. Made most plain in "This Will End".
35	* AnimalMotifs: The album covers of ''Notos'', ''Eurus'', ''Boreas'', and ''Zephyrus'' depict their respective seasons with a firefly (summer), a migrating bird (autumn), a hibernating bear (winter), and a rabbit (spring).
36	* AsTheGoodBookSays:
37	** "I Was Wrong" alludes to [[Literature/BookOfIsaiah Isaiah 64:8]].
38	---> "I was born at the hands of the potter."
39	** "Like the Dawn" is a WholePlotReference to the story of Adam and Eve.
40	---> "I was sleeping in the garden when I saw you first.
41	---> He put me deep, deep under so that he could work..."
42	** "On the Mountain Tall" refers to Elijah's meeting with God in [[Literature/BooksOfKings 1 Kings]].
43	** "New River" mentions "rain for forty days and forty nights," which is from the story of Noah and the Flood.
44	** "Rio Grande" opens with a description of a scenario that's very similar to, if not an exact description of, the birth of Moses.
45	---> Somewhere down South of here, there's a woman with an armload of grass
46	---> Weaving a basket that will float the Rio Grande
47	---> She'll send her baby on it, the river running wild and fast
48	---> To curry the favour of whatever Pharaoh owns the land
49	** The King in "Soldier, Poet, King" has his brow laid in thorns, and is "smeared with oil, like David's boy."
50	* BookEnds:
51	** ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley'' has "The Valley" at the beginning and "The Valley (Reprise)" at the end. Both start with the words, [[SinsOfOurFathers "We were born in the valley / of the dead and the wicked…"]]
52	** ''Boreas'': the opening verse of "Cold" contains the line "a spectre unreflected", while "Glowing" closes out the EP with "a moon alight / reflecting fully".
53	* ButNowIMustGo: "Exeunt," [[GratuitousLatin appropriately.]]
54	* CallBack: Two songs in ''Eurus'' mention "that old wheel turning" and the goddess Fortuna, which were both first mentioned in ''Notos.'' ''Boreas'' similarly invokes motifs from both ''Notos'' and ''Eurus'', and even includes a subtle nod to "Dear Wormwood". Brought full circle with Zephyrus, which reuses several motifs from Boreas.
55	* CallForward: At the end of ''Eurus'', the last lines of "Passerine" call to ''Boreas'', the next EP in the series:
56	--> "When the cold wind rolls in from the north
57	--> What am I to do, what am I to do, oh Lord?"
58	* ConceptAlbum: After the first EP, everything else has been this.
59	** ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley,'' and ''Dear Wormwood.'' The first album is a series of songs arranged around a theme of turning one's life around, and the second is a series of letters from a LoveMartyr to their beloved.
60	** Their follow-up is a series of four [=EPs=], each named after a Greek god of the wind and their corresponding seasons, and focused on the siblings' experiences and inspirations throughout their lives: ''Notos'' (summer) brings growth and upheaval, and questioning of their old beliefs. ''Eurus'' (autumn) continues to challenge their beliefs, resulting in deeper empathy and understanding of themselves at the cost of leaving behind, or being left behind by, what was once familiar. ''Boreas'' (winter) journeys into the unknown, seeking warmth and kindness in a time of darkness and isolation. Finally, ''Zephyrus'' (spring) is an exploration of the sacrifices made to improve and grow past their previous hubris, while questioning and attempting to triage which of their beliefs are worth either maintaining, discarding in favor of the new, or if there are parts of themselves worth reworking/nurturing into something better.
61	* ContinuityNod: ''Dear Wormwood'' is confirmed to be written from the same perspective as the narrator's in ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley.''
62	* DealWithTheDevil: In "Wishing Well."
63	--> "For my soul he made an offer..."
64	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Dear Wormwood'' is more serious and introspective compared to the rest of their discography.
65	* EnemyWithin: "Dear Wormwood."
66	--> I have always known you,
67	--> You have always been there in my mind,
68	--> But now I understand you,
69	--> [[FightingFromTheInside And I will not be part of your designs.]]
70	* [[EpistolaryNovel Epistolary Album]]: ''Dear Wormwood'' is meant to be a series of letters from the [[FeaturelessProtagonist protagonist]] to his/her lover.
71	* FaceYourFears: The {{central theme}} of their debut EP, culminating in "Trees."
72	* [[GodIsLoveSongs God-Is-Love Song]]: "In Memoriam" is a subtle example.
73	* GiveMeASign: "Caesar." Unlike usual examples of the trope, the narrator is certain he'll receive one.
74	--> "Look to the sky where a sign will be shown,
75	--> Heaven and earth and a king on his throne."
76	* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: Make an appearance in "Pale White Horse."
77	* IronicEcho: Each TitleDrop of "This Will End." The first time, the narrator hopes that his relationship will have a [[HappilyEverAfter happy ending]]. The second time, he fears that it will end up instead become a case of AllTakeAndNoGive. [[RuleOfThree The third time]], he wearily acknowledges that things are strained -- but that he's still [[ICanChangeMyBeloved waiting for his partner]] [[LoveMartyr to finally show true love.]]
78	* ItWasAGift: Their EP began life as a collection of songs written as a gift to their mother, about their memories of a trip to UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}}. They posted a song on {{Website/Reddit}}. Things took off from there.
79	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: ''Dear Wormwood'' is one to ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters.''
80	* LoveAtFirstSight: Like [[Literature/TheBible the story that inspired it]], this happens between the couple in "Like the Dawn."
81	* LoveMartyr: "Bitter Water." Their entire sophomore album, ''Dear Wormwood'', is also written from the LoveMartyr's perspective.
82	* LyricalColdOpen: "Eat You Alive."
83	* LyricalDissonance: Since most of their songs are upbeat and danceable while the lyrics often feature fairly heavy stuff, they run into this frequently.
84	** "Bitter Water" and "Eat You Alive" are about how the protagonist's relationship is [[LoveMartyr doing them in]].
85	** "The Valley" deals with SinsOfOurFathers from the children's perspective.
86	** "The Truth Is A Cave" possibly counts, depending upon how a listener views the protagonist's search for truth.
87	** "Torches."
88	---> '''Tyler:''' It's a song about violent nationalism and tribalism, and how easy it is to hate what you don't know.
89	* LyricalTic: A lot of their songs include some form of SingingSimlish, whether vocalizing or whistling. In "The Valley (Reprise)", they hum a hymn tune to close out the album.
90	* MustHaveCaffeine: Maggie and Tyler mention writing most of ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley'' in a coffee shop.
91	* NeverBeHurtAgain: "Hello My Old Heart".
92	* NotAfraidToDie: "This Will End." The LoveMartyr protagonist has taken so much abuse that death seems preferable to the situation they're in, making this a fairly dark example of this trope. They [[HopeSpot entertain the idea]] that their relationship could become a LoveRedeems situation, but they're not optimistic.
93	* PlatonicCave: A complicated example in "The Truth Is A Cave." The narrator ''thinks'' that the PlatonicCave is the true representation of reality, at first. [[SubvertedTrope But it isn't.]]
94	--> "In the silence, I heard [[{{God}} you]] calling out to me..."
95	* PrecisionFStrike: There are only two PG words in their discography.
96	** "Lay Me Down" has "Like the bullets of a gun they drove my tears / And my feet to run the hell out of here!"
97	** "Eat You Alive" describes {{Death}} as "cunning and clever as hell." You could argue, though, that the word's being used in context.
98	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: They pull this out sometimes; most notably in "I Was Wrong" and "Eat You Alive."
99	* RevolvingDoorBand: Tyler and Maggie collaborate with ''a lot'' of people to create their sound, particularly while they're on tour.
100	--> '''Tyler:''' “Basically the only way we felt we could do the recordings any justice was to get pretty much everyone we knew who could hold an instrument to come up on stage with us. We started off with like eight people, including us and we were like ‘Meh. It’s not quite right.' And then we added a few more people and we added a second drummer and then everything clicked and we were like ‘Now, we’re there.’”
101	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: ''Notos'' in general and the title track in particular were partly inspired by Hurricane Harvey, which hit close to the Heaths' hometown.
102	* SafetyInIndifference: "Hello My Old Heart" is about someone who feels this way -- until [[LoveRedeems changed for the better.]]
103	* ShoutOut:
104	** A few to Creator/CSLewis. One song from ''From the Deep, Dark Valley'' is titled [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader "The Lament of Eustace Scrubb."]] Taken up to eleven with ''Dear Wormwood'', as the album is essentially a WholePlotReference to ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters.''
105	** Plenty of songs allude to Literature/TheBible: "I Was Wrong," "Like the Dawn,""The Lament of Eustace Scrubb," "Pale White Horse," "Where Is Your Rider," "Soldier, Poet, King," "Thus Always to Tyrants," "O Sleeper," "Hieroglyphs," and "Passerine."
106	** [[{{PlatonicCave}} "The Truth Is a Cave."]]
107	** A series of four [=EPs=] titled after each of the personified winds of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]].
108	* SingerSongwriter / VocalTagTeam: Maggie and Tyler take a more-or-less equal share in writing and singing their music.
109	* ThreeFacesOfAdam: The song ''Soldier Poet King'' is about this trope, but unlike the modern examples which use an actual trio of men, is specifically about ''one man'', the one and only Jesus Christ, who reflected all three aspects of it at once and will shock the Earth with his return with his sheer perfection of these traits.
110	* WanderlustSong: "Second Child, Restless Child." "Wishing Well" follows up close after, and reveals that dropping everything and running away [[SubvertedTrope isn't such a hot idea.]]
111	* YouAreNotAlone: "I Have Made Mistakes."
112	--> "We are not alone / we are not alone [[WhatYouAreInTheDark in the dark]], [[{{Enemy Within}} with our demons...]]"
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Context Music / TheOhHellos