damage is a better record every time i listen to it, and was essential for me after my last breakup another hot take: i think if you cut "my best theory" and "higher devotion" from invented it's their best album
I would never dream of cutting My Best Theory or Higher Devotion. Action Needs An Audience is the only song that doesn't belong.
it's not that i dislike those songs but they feel darker and meaner than the rest of the album. "action needs an audience" doesn't belong true but i love the clarity-esque gesture of "let's have a tom song be right here"
I love Invented. It's been too long since I've listened to the whole thing. The title track is easily one of my favorite songs in their catalog.
Movielike is a standout for me on the album, alongside Heart Is Hard To Find, Littlething, Invented, and Mixtape.
I remember when Invented came out that people were particularly critical of Higher Devotion because of the line "I can feel your eye lasers hit," me included. Since then I've come to actually really enjoy the song. The upbeat, dancey feel to the song gives it a rhythm that the album doesn't have much elsewhere except for My Best Theory.
I like it a lot too. It also helped to learn that Jim wrote that song and many others on that album from a female perspective.
Remember when people on AP flipped out because Jim cursed for the first time. That was special. Invented is a great album, it kind of feels like a second attempt at a Futures style record but with a different flair. Plus Invented and Mixtape is an incredible one two punch.