Both sounded great...My Name is the Night had a fast stomping chorus and then kinda slowed down in the verse (bridge maybe?) with whispered vocals that reminded me of a couple of the Horrible Crowes songs. And See You On the Other Side sounds beautiful. Eyes welled up a bit. Stopped playing that one so I didn't spoil too much of it though.
My gf got us tickets to the Philly show in April. I can't fucking wait. I'm so excited for this album.
Believe "See You On the Other Side" will be released tonight -- someone said it's on Australia spotify already. I assume we get that and "My Name is the Night" before the album based on the earlier slip up where they were available on Itunes for a brief moment a couple weeks ago.
Yeah I'm gonna try my best not to listen but who knows if I'll have the willpower, I'm dying to hear the album. Any new thoughts since having the record for a while? Favorite songs, etc? At this point I'll take details about the songs over actually listening to the closer and then feeling bad about it haha.
We had 8 out of 12 songs from Painkillers before it was released, between Molly and The Zombies, live performances and advance single releases. Right now we are only at 2 for Sleepwalkers.
Yeah it was a truly terrible listening experience when I only didn’t know Among Other Foolish Things, Rosemary, Open All night, and Mojo Hand.
I wouldn’t say terrible. It was strange. Being Brian’s first solo album, it felt like a collection of songs in the same place finally, with some new bonus songs. Sort of like the b sides did as well from Painkillers as well. I’m still happy with it other than liking the Molly version of Long Drives better.
A few things: -"Etta James" is my favorite Brian Fallon song since "Dark Places." One thing Painkillers lacked for me was this kind of sweeping ballad. It reminds me a little bit of "Mae," but has slightly more punch. I think it's going to be a favorite. -There are a few songs in the middle (specifically "Her Majesty's Service" and "Proof of Life") that really sound like Painkillers tracks. I like them, but they don't necessarily mesh with the darker/more groove-based vibe of the first four tracks. The former has a killer hook, though. -"Sleepwalkers" has a very loose vibe, with a very cool horn arrangement at the beginning. I wish Brian had used the horns a little more throughout the album, because it's a nice touch. -I know @Jason Tate doesn't care for "Neptune," but I love it. It's got a ripping guitar solo in the middle, and the bridge is really cool and minimalistic. For most of the song, it reminds me of Gaslight, but the bridge kind of reminds me of Elsie. -I'm surprised he's releasing "See You on the Other Side" before the album comes out, because it's very much the acoustic/lullaby track from this album and doesn't work quite as well out of context. I would have released "Little Nightmares," which has one of the best hooks on the record.
Terrible in the sense that I already knew most of it. I love full album listens for the first time and when I knew basically all of it I got sad, since Brian is my favorite. It was still my AOTY. But I do agree the old version of Long Drives is superior.
Thank you! Man I can't wait to hear "Etta James" -- "Mae but with slightly more punch" sounds awesome. One more question -- was the longer run-time of a lot of the songs noticeable? I'm pretty sure every single track is longer than the longest song from Painkillers, and there's several in the 4 and a half minute range which is typically long for Brian (with "Neptune" nearly 5 and a half). Is this a result of more solos and extended outros (like on "Prayers") and stuff like that?
I never assumed you didn’t enjoy the album, don’t worry. It did alter the first listen experience. I still remember the first and I wanted the album to be longer. My new approach is not to listen to live crappy YouTube versions in advance of a song if it gonna be on an album (like I did before Manchester Orchestra released METN).
Hahaha yeah I totally regretted over-listening to Steve McQueen and Honey Magnolia. I avoided the live videos of If Your Prayers Dont Get to Heaven thankfully! I hope I can contain myself from listening to See You On the Other Side and the 4th track!
I’ll probably listen to the new album tracks too. It’s really allowed me time to get to know the song and Brian’s one of the few artists who’s work/voice I’ve never grown tired of ever. I only listened to the Live video of Prayers after hearing the album version for a few weeks. Sounded good live.
I didn't even realize the difference between song lengths between Painkillers and this was that pronounced, so I guess that answers your question. It feels natural. There are more extended outros, instrumental breaks, etc. I wouldn't say any of the songs drag or overstay their welcome.