It was my favorite album of 2018 and ranked as #9 on this site's ranking! So definitely worth a listen. If you enjoy Brian Fallon or Gaslight I really cannot see it "lacking" in any way from the rest. It is different than Painkillers if that was your first introduction in the Brian Fallon/Gaslight sound. I think this album has more layers to it than Painkillers, with the music being able to breathe and shine.
a year removed and this thing still fuckin slays. Come Wander With Me still ruins me on like a biweekly basis. seriously up there with any Gaslight track, such raw vulnerable Fallon writing. whole album is amazing but that, Etta James, and Prayers are all TOO GOOD
This record is right there with the Gaslightbrecords for me too. Every time I see a notification this thread has been posted in I get excited that Brian will be talking about writing or new material or something. I was hoping there would be some b sides on a itunes covers session like they did with Gaslight or something. Or even compilation contribution. He did that Van Morrison show didn’t he. Where’s the cover song recorded? Sleepwalkers is amazing though. I listen to it a lot too.
I still spin it on the regular as well. So good from start to finish. The second half of that album is so good its not fair.
Looks like he played it in Milan. And the full show is up on YouTube! What's so great about this tour, both from the show I went to and tons of videos online, is the stories he tells about the songs. In this set he gives the backstory to "Among Other Foolish Things", particularly the "I've got a disco outside of my window" line, and it's hilarious and also weirdly poignant.
Had a quiet Saturday evening and revisited some favourites, damn is Elsie as good as ever still. Just to get some conversation going, are there any producers that you would like to see Brian work with in the future?
I wouldn’t mind hearing a self produced Fallon record at least once. I thought he did great work on Hustle Up Starlings.
I feel like Brian enjoys the idea of a producer from interviews and postings? Having a second voice in the room to bounce ideas off of, challenge him, and offer a strong technical foundation. He may not need it though. Hustle Up Starlings has some magical moments so I think he’d do a great job if he ever self produced like you suggested. I’m guessing he may self produced some solo songs before, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve been really happy with his work produced by Ted Hutt for each project. He seems to adapt well to Brian’s desired output. What kind of albums/bands has Dave Cobb produced? I’m sure the time will come when other producers come into the fold.
I know him mostly for his work on records by Jason Isbell, Strugill Simpson and Anderson East, but he's done a lot more including Chris Stapleton, Houndmouth and Corb Lund.
Are they mostly modern Nashville combo country/folk rock/based acts? I know Cumberland Gap and If We Were Vampires by Jason, that’s it. Just curious what you think he’d highlight from Brian, or what style of songs, like a National Anthem/Honey Magnolia or a Rosemary/Come Wander With Me?
Dave Cobb | Credits | AllMusic He's got one of the most prolific and varied resumes of any producer working today. He's known as a country/Americana guy, but he could also help Brian bring out some more of the classic R&B and soul influences that's are all over American Slang and Sleepwalkers. He's known for recording quickly and capturing a very live aesthetic in his recordings. He records at RCA Studio A in Nashville, which is a big, cavernous studio where bands can set up together in the middle of the room and play off each other.
That’s a long list and clearly he’s been busy and successful. I guess Brian really hasn’t reflected publicly on what the new album will sound like as far as I know. He described Painkillers as sound like “America” referencing a lot of Bob Dylan, and other similar artists at the same time, or modern day Ryan Bingham, and Sleepwalkers as R&B soul sound, and a lot of The Clash influence. I know Brian mentioned Matthew Ryan had a huge influence on how he wrote Sleepwalkers. Sounds like they talked on a regular basis, which makes sense since he had just produced Matthew last record. This kind of circles back to Ben’s point earlier, but for me, if Ted Hutt’s not involved, I’d like to hear a Brian song produced to sound as amazing as Matthew Ryan’s Maybe I’ll just disappear, produced by Brian Fallon.