They were my favorite band for a long time. Definitely one of the first bands I ever loved as a kid, and then the greatest hits kind of got me back into music in general when that came out. Speaking of, Films About Ghosts is one of the best greatest hits albums ever. I feel like there's a lost art to the "Best Of" compilation and they absolutely nailed it there.
This Desert Life: favorite - St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream least favorite - Speedway Hard Candy: favorite - Hard Candy least favorite - Butterfly in Reverse SN&SM: favorite - When I Dream of Michelangelo least favorite - Come Around Wonderland: favorite - Probably Palisades Park but also maybe Cover Up The Sun least favorite - Earthquake Driver
I feel like Come Around ends that album on a high note after a few underwhelming tracks. It's funny - I think SN&SM is their weakest album, but it also has two songs that are in my top 10: 1492 and Cowboys. Recovering the Satellites does that same thing, where the record opens up with a dense, loud track (Catapult, and then it's pushed even further with Angels) but I think 1492 is the best guitar heavy song they've ever done. Both 1492 and Cowboys have some of my favourite lyrics, and the first time I heard him scream, "I will make you look at me or I am not anything" is probably only rivalled by "Round here she's always on my mind" as my favourite moment in their catalogue.
Yeah I definitely meant to say that "Anyone But You" was my least favorite. It's been a while since I've listened to that entire album.
The August and Recovering vinyl reissues look and sound amazing. So glad to finally have those records in my collection.
Favorite Crows songs: Hard Candy Holiday in Spain Murder of One Omaha Have You Seen Me Lately Angels of the Silences Mrs Potter (by far my favorite) St Robinson Up All Night Richard Manuel is Dead Love the last few albums too but nothing there that cracks my top 10.
Hopefully they represent RTS a bit more this year But if that's too much to ask, can I just get one performance of Amy Hit the Atmosphere? Just one?
I've been listening to all their albums for years, but it just hit me today that "Speedway" might be the most explicitly personal song Adam had written lyrically up until that point. Not to say it's any more honest than the others songs, but he's not really hiding behind any imagery or metaphor in that one. He's just being really blunt and despondent and it's pretty heartbreaking. Definitely a bit different in its approach than what he normally does, especially the kind of thing he's doing on Somewhere Under Wonderland.
Man, "Hard Candy" is such a good sounding record. Don't really see it happening.. but I'd love to see them make an album like that sonically again
During the whole "desert island discography" discussion the site had last week, it didn't really hit me, but this weekend I realized these guys would be very high up on my list in terms of that. Extremely consistent in quality, songs for all moods, a varied enough sound. I've been spinning Recovering the Satellites a ton lately. It was never my favorite CC album but man, listening to it now, it's really fucking good. Only song I don't outright love is Have You Seen Me Lately?, and it's still solid.
There was a long period of time when I was in film school that I wanted Miami to be the closing credit music to some future film that I (would never end up making)
His voice has literally never sounded better than that last, high "Let's gooooooooooo shut it dooooooooown."