If you hear him talk about careers/discographies of enduring bands, you get the sense that he’s very very self-conscious about being perceived as the out-of-touch artist who laments their early work being the most lauded and who thinks their most recent work is their best. I think he’s being part-humble, part-contrarian toward that and sliding Tower in near but not at the top.
much more refreshing than every other band/artist swearing their newest is their best work ever only for it to be completely absent from setlists one album cycle later
It's a little refreshing he's not like "well clearly my newest album is the best thing I've ever done"
I think the best artists are confident in what they're making for what it is instead of just trying to make their masterpiece every time. Also, having more than ten records under your belt and making a new album you already feel confident enough in to put in your top 5 is a big achievement. Probably means he's super proud of what he's put out so far, which is great!
This is the interview with Ben saying his new top ten, he actually forgot to even mention Thank You For Today and didn’t name a #4 so people are assuming it belongs there but I think he literally forgot it and it wasn’t ranked. Ranking time stamp: 1:20:30
Yeah, I wouldn't think TYFT would actually be 4 if he remembered it. Also glad he said he'd put Give Up in the top 3, I would too.
I would imagine he feels pretty proud of Thank You For Today consider it's the first album he made with the new lineup. And yeah, making a top-five record in your discography almost 30 years into your career is crazy impressive
I also remember him saying he was in a pretty bad place when making Codes and Keys, so it's interesting to hear how those behind-the-scenes experiences can color an album for the artist
Have always loved Give Up but have never thought to pit it against my DCFC favorites. I might squeeze it in around #3 or 4
I'd put four or five Death Cab albums in front of it, but that has nothing to do with the quality of Give Up and everything to do with the streak Ben was on in the 2000s.
i think my inclination towards *give up (lmao need to stop chorusing at 3 am) is mostly because that album bridged a bigger gap in my taste than the dcfc albums did which are mostly just really good indie albums to me, but that postal service album opened a handful of doors getting me into electronic stuff on the whole, which is as big a part of my taste these days as indie rock is
This new album feels like essential DCFC which is an amazing accomplishment at this stage in their career. I think it's easily their best post-Walla. It feels authentic and urgent and every choice they made feels like the right one. I didn't even listen to Riptides (or any pre-release single) before the album so maybe that's why its all just hit me so hard. Love it. AOTY contender for me
Transatlanticism Narrow Stairs Asphalt Meadows Plans The Photo Album We Have the Facts I Built You a Tower Kintsugi Something About Airplanes Codes and Keys Thank You for Today Outside of Northern Lights + 60 & Punk, I think TYFT is a god awful record. Beyond that, I adore everything they’ve done (yes, including Codes and Keys).