Dawes Band • Page 3

I have to say that We're All Gonna Die has only gotten better and better for me over the past year and change. This band is incredible. The only thing keeping it from being an absolute masterpiece for me is that I just don't care for the version of As If By Design that closes out the album. Something about the arrangement just seems jokey to me in a way I don't really enjoy. I've seen live versions of the song online that are amazing. Not really a big deal at all, I just have a thing for strong closing tracks.

I absolutely cannot wait to hear what their next album sounds like. These guys are so good that I have trouble picking favorite tracks from each album or even in general, but if I had to pick one I think I'd go with Little Bit of Everything. That's a special song.

Craig - I know this is like a year late, but speaking of Jason Isbell's run of records - I think I enjoy Here We Rest a tiny bit more than you and would probably put it at 2/3 of a great album, but have you heard the song Brand New Stone? It's a track that didn't make the album and I think it's absolutely phenomenal. I can't really see why he'd hold it back off an album that clearly runs out of gas a few (or several) songs before it ends.

 

Yeah I agree. I have that song on a little 7" that came with the record and I don't know if it's ever been made available digitally but it's a pretty good song, definitely better than "Daisy Mae", "Never Could Believe", and "Save It For Sunday," not to mention the instrumental on there.

Agreed on "As If By Design" as well. I remembering hearing them play it before All Your Favorite Bands came out and I found a bootleg recording of that same show and listened to it all the time and that arrangement was much less jazzy and tossed off than the actual recording. The same thing happened to me with "Now That It's Too Late, Maria" actually. They used to play it faster and I liked it much better than the version that made the album.

 

I feel like our tastes really line up. I like that version of Maria better than the album version too, although I think album Design is still worse than album Maria. Tossed off was the perfect way to describe it. The album version sounds like an off the cuff silly version of a real song.

My version of Here We Rest ends with Brand New Stone so at least the album goes out on a strong song as opposed to being front-loaded and then completely petering out.

 

I love the album version of "As If By Design." I think it's cool to hear them do something that is completely not wheelhouse for them. I believe I described it in my EOTY blurb as "what Bob Dylan would sound like playing piano in an Old West saloon."

Absolutely wouldn't change the album version of "Maria," either. I feel like the tempo/mood of that song is much more reflective of the lyrics/story than the faster version.

I love Here We Rest, I just think (as you said), it runs out of gas at the end. Side one is as good as any run of tracks on the three records that followed. I've never heard the b-side, though. I always thought Isbell was a guy who recorded the songs he liked and put those on the record and didn't have much in the vault. I'll have to track it down.

 

I've recently been listening to a lot of Dawes, specifically We're All Gonna Die, but the version of As If By Design that closes out the album has only gotten worse for me over time. At this point it completely grates on my nerves and I flat out just pretend it doesn't exist and enjoy the other 9 incredible songs. I know this is a long-shot, but do any of you fellow Dawes fans have a good recording of them playing As If By Design live with Taylor on either electric guitar or B3 organ.....?

 

Oh man, so ready for that.

 

Pretty sure that’s Jonathan Wilson which has me pretty excited. I strongly prefer the albums he produced.

 

Extremely excited for this. Cannot wait to hear some news / music.

 

I'm game for another Wilson record, though I love what Jacquire King, David Rawlings, and Blake Mills brought to the table. I was kind of hoping they'd make another adventurous producer choice and record another record that was completely different than everything they've done before. I've enjoyed getting a different version of Dawes every few years.

 

Also, this album better have that song Taylor wrote for Mandy. "Never Gonna Say Goodbye," I think was the name. I loved that song.

 

Thanks for posting this, can't believe I didn't know this existed!

Also, I have the mp3s of We're All Gonna Live if anyone doesn't use streaming services (like myself)

Also also, if anyone would like it, I collected a good amount of acoustic tracks from their past 5 album into an album.
37 acoustic tracks total, tried to find excellent recordings through radio shows, tv appearances, or studio sessions.

 

very down.

 

Yeah I also don't really use streaming services and would love the We're All Gonna Live mp3s.

 

DM'd

 

Also, been listening to the Daytrotter sessions...wow I'm geekin'

Anyone have the mp3s of their Stripped at Grimey's btw? Didn't know if it was just vinyl or not

 

the IG stories of taylor and griff working on mandy's songs are so good. super stoked for that album.