John Mayer - The Search for Everything (2017) Album • Page 5

Yes. I haven't listened to any artist more than I've listened to John Mayer since Continuum's debut, I still listen to his first three albums on a weekly basis and his music has had a huge impact on my own playing.

 

Agreed.

 

Ahhh gotcha. What's held you back from digging something like Battle Studies or Born and Raised? Just more a fan of his early singer-songwriter vibes?

 

I do like a lot of Battle Studies, but I don't love it as a complete work the same way I do for his first three albums (Heavier Things is my favorite album of all time). I also like a few songs from B&R, but even less than Battle Studies (Walt Grace and A Face to Call Home are actually two of my favorites of his). I'm just really more of a fan of his bluesier stuff - I think he really hit what he was going for with Continuum and consider it his best work, even if it's only my second favorite.

 

I've given the EP a few listens now and initial impressions are that LotW and Moving On are both jams - not really the biggest fan of Changing, but the closer is pretty good. I really only see myself revisiting the former two tracks by choice.

 

Yeah, I think most of his *album audience" feels the same way. I mean, even just looking at the Spotify play counts for this EP... MOAGO already has twice as many plays as "Changing" and "You're Gonna Live Forever In Me".

Those B&R tracks are some of my favorite JM tracks too! He did something with "A Face to Call Home" that he's never really done before or since.

 

"You're Gonna Live Forever In Me" reminds me a ton of "Badge And Gun", which is not a song I liked too much.

 

"Badge and Gun" is probably top 3 on Paradise Valley for me.

 

I think I might be a bit more into this release strategy because I kind of see John as a songs artist more than an album artist. The only two albums of his I love all the way through are Continuum and Born & Raised. The others I mostly just pick favourites from. This is just going to expand my pool of Mayer songs by a lot and gives him the chance to really play around with all the different styles he can do without worrying about a cohesive album.

 

Likewise, fantastic song.

 

Well that could partly be because it's the first song on the EP, and people could decide they don't want to listen any further after playing it. I'm hoping it's just because everyone loves it more though.

What is it about A Face to Call Home that you think he hadn't done before or since?

 

I did not like Love on the Weekend at all when it was first released, but I find myself loving it and the first two tracks quite a bit now. While I did enjoy the last two albums (PV a bit less so), I'm definitely glad he's moved on from the sound he was aiming for on those. Not sure we needed a trilogy, ha.

I also agree that the last track definitely leans more Randy Newman than Chris Martin/Coldplay

 

Enjoyed the first track quite a bit, not sure I'm a fan of the next three beyond a surface level pleasantness, but I'll return to them a few times and see if that changes.

 

What is going on with the artwork though

Listened to this on my morning drive. Not terribly impressed. But that's the cost of doing business when you're releasing 300 songs in a year. I'm sure there will be waves of this that floor me and others are indifferent to.

 

Just wanted to recommend Bruno Major to anyone who enjoys John's more chill stuff like "Moving On". "Easily" is a good song to test if you'd like him or not.

 

That's a good point... SoundCloud syndrome.

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It's hard to articulate but let me try. AFTCH is like a soulful, longing pop song that's in the same vein as other B&R tracks, but it moves with a purpose that the other slower songs don't have. It feels like it would fit in perfectly on the back half of Battle Studies if you switched up some of the instrumentation.

It also builds to an appropriate climax at the end of the album that works way better than every other one of his album closers minus Continuum (I know there's the reprise but that doesn't really count as a full closer to me). There's those overlapping hooks, each of which are some of the best on the album, combined with that triumphant guitar solo that feels like the sky's opening up.

Basically John just pulls together everything that he does well in a really cohesive way that resonates in an extra meaningful way to me. Everything he's done since then (new tracks included) exist as a certain shade of JM music, but that song is him operating at the peak of his powers.

 

"Moving On and Getting Over" is such a jam... I enjoy the rest of the EP too but that's my favorite.

 

#2 on the SPS charts, just barely behind The Weeknd

 

Finally got around to listening to this, and I gotta say I find it really boring. Four songs actually felt like kind of a chore to get through.

And yes, if I heard You're Gonna Live Forever In Me without knowing the artist I'd think it was Coldplay

 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnmayer/events/

Having trouble loading his website, but he announced a spring arena tour. Playing full band, acoustic, and Trio sets. All about this.

 

Full tour list: John Mayer | Official Website

March 31 -- Times Union Center, Albany, NY
April 1 -- Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
April 3 -- Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
April 5 -- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
April 6 -- Verizon Center, Washington, DC
April 7 -- Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
April 9 -- TD Garden, Boston, MA
April 11 -- United Center, Chicago, IL
April 12 -- Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
April 14 -- Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
April 15 -- Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
April 17 -- Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
April 19 -- Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
April 21 -- The Forum, Inglewood, CA
April 22 -- T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
May 3 -- Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NL
May 5 -- Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, DK
May 7 -- Ericcson Globe, Stockholm, SE
May 8 – Spektrum, Oslo, NO
May 9 -- Royal Arena, Copenhagen, DK
May 12 -- The O2, London, ENG

 

Boston in April!!!!!!!!! Fuck yea!!!

 

Just recently started diving into John Mayer's discography and wow there's some really incredible stuff in here. Really looking forward to the tour. Diggin the new songs too.

 

Boston Livenation presale sold out in minutes. Surprised, and going to be so bummed if I miss this show!

 

April 9th is a Sunday so that may work.