The Piano Guys are Pretty Wonderful "Revised"

Hey y'all! Today we are going to be talking about "Wonders" by The Piano Guys!

I actually really enjoy listening to this group. They put a lot of thought into their arrangements and their videos. The Piano Guys were started by 4 fathers from Utah who have a passion for music that they want to share with the rest of the world. Who they are is well showcased in this quote by the group "We’re just a bunch of ordinary “guys” playing classically influenced instrumental music in videos that showcase incredible locations." I think the thing that makes this group so well liked is the fact that the men in it are so approachable. All four of the men in The Piano Guys are dads, husbands, and are pretty normal people. For them it is always family first. For example, they turned down a Sony recording contract 5 times because it required them to tour away from their families.  These are just ordinary guys who have an extraordinary love for music.

These guys focus their music on reinventing classical music and bringing it together with the popular songs of today.  The Piano Guys rose to their fame after this YouTube video for their song "Game Day" went viral.

After going viral. The Piano Guys have gained over 5 million subscribers on youtube and done numerous collaborations with musicians such as Lindsey Stirling, famous violinist, and the Pentatonix.  The group has made 5 studio albums and are in the process of putting out their sixth album “Uncharted”, and today we are going to be diving in to the real wonders that is their album (so casually named) Wonders.

One thing I found particularly interesting about this album is the initiative it started with.  Like I have said before, the Piano Guys are always looking for something fresh and interesting to produce their songs and music videos with.  In the beginning of 2014, the group came up with the idea to travel the world and record a music video at each of the 7 wonders of the world: Taj Majal, Petra, Roman Coliseum, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, and The Great Wall of China. This is an updated list as most of the original wonders of the world are in ruins, so think of these as the wonders of today! In this album they were only able to tackle 3 of the 7 spots on that list, I still think that it says a lot about the spirit that they put into their music.

This album consists of 12 songs that range from a cover of One Direction’s hit song “ Story of my Life” to meticulously thought out arrangements of the “Let it Go” from the SUPER popular Disney movie Frozen. I think that the large range they put on their music is what makes them so diverse and well liked. Every song has a story that it tells, and together they make the magical tale which is “Wonders”. To me the name of the album could not have had a better fitting name.  It emphasizes the wonder of music itself as well as referring to the wonderful experiences they went through in order to make these videos.

The order of the songs were very important to this album. It starts with “Story of My Life” a heart warming ballad originally performed by One Direction, and then builds to the intense bumping of “Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends”, “Batman Evolution”, “Don’t You Worry Child”, and then eases back down to easy listening with “Pictures at an Exhibition”. The arrangements of the songs turned them into a story.  With each of the new songs a new part of the adventure began and left you wondering what was coming next.  As the album goes on the intensity builds, this is similar to the adrenaline rush that you would get from going on a thrilling quest. 

Another thing that was particularly cool about this is that in order to create the videos for some of the songs they had to take extreme measures.  For most of the videos the group spent countless hours hauling equipment and editing footage. For example, they had to create a contraption were they wrapped a baby grand piano in multiple moving blankets and then strapped on to a rolling platform and hand rolled it up hundreds of feet on the Great Wall of China in order to make the video “Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends” so freakin cool. I mean talk about adventure! The piano guys are dedicated to taking a place that is sacred and beautiful and making it into a sanctuary to share their art with people all over the globe.  The music or the environment are not the main focus of their videos. The two work synonymously to create a masterpiece of both sight and sound. 

Overall, I believe that this album is a work of art in itself.  The ebb and flow of the cello along with the soothing sounds of the piano makes for a whirlwind of tones that makes for an almost cathartic experience.  It is rare that something can so seamlessly meld together to create an album that gives us so much more than just some songs. It is truly a wonder to listen to an album like this.

That is all for today folks! Have a great day and I will see y’all next week!

Mary Ashley