i've given it a few listens to sink in. this is definitely jason's album. musically its pretty bland but jason has some strong vocal parts to save it. i think ill causually dig about half and ditch the rest after a week or so... definitely the album's brightest moment is the end of offensive song. reluctantly dead into elephant is literally the most boring i've ever heard this band be. last two songs are pretty uneventful as well. while i think this album will certainly get them a bunch of new fans, it's a tough one to swallow for all the people who love them for their chaotic nature. also, i might be wrong but i thought i remembered reading jason talk about not touching drugs/booze but there are a lot of lines in here that reference drug addiction. thought that was interesting.
I save my first listen for a high quality stream but I have enjoyed the singles so I'm sure I'll enjoy the album to some extent. I'm glad they're trying new things (even though some of you find it boring). I'd rather them try and expand their sound rather then them make FH over and over again.
Revisiting Fake History and TBB in prep for my first listen is making me remember all over again why I loved this band so much. Honestly, even TBB's production can't stop me from loving it. It's a great album. I've enjoyed the singles for their more streamlined, melodic sound so I fully expect to like this more than most. We'll see.
Somewhat surprisingly, I haven't listened to this once yet. I think I lost most of my enthusiasm for it with that poor chorus in Another Offensive Song.
One of the worst things about this album is that that song is a breath of fresh air. I felt relieved when I heard the opening riff, then remembered why I was so annoyed about it when I heard the chorus. I loved this band for its chaotic nature, and this album is just way too predictable. The songwriting just goes the exact way you expect it to - which, ironically, isn't what you expect, or rather, want to expect - when you listen to letlive. Just about every chorus on this album falls so flat after some good verses. Like bedwettingcosmo said, as a first listen or first taster of this band, I imagine it'd be great for a newer fan, for the fans who loved them for what I loved them for, i.e. their madness, it just feels like a big fucking slap in the face hearing it.
Jason started to blend this vocal style into TBB so I don't think it's that surprising to hear it more on this. It doesn't work everywhere but I think his voice and lyrics make up for that.
My first impression is that I'm enjoying this a lot more than I expected to with all the negativity here and elsewhere. I think the lack of their signature "chaotic energy" is made up in a lot of places by interesting melodies, lyrics, and sonic experimentation. The focus is definitely on Jason throughout, but honestly that's not a bad thing, and the more streamlined sound makes his contributions shine. It's also a relief to hear this produced well, especially compared to TBB. I'd even be willing to argue that I like this slightly less than the previous two records, but overall I'm liking it quite a lot, and I think I'll find more to like on repeat listens. I definitely think they'll expand their fanbase with this one.
record is super predictable. i tried to listen to it today but i feel like i'm already geting a little bored with it..
I'm really enjoying this album a lot as well, not as much as FH or TBB but still enough to revisit it frequently. I find more interesting stuff with each listen. Letlive has always been a great band to workout/exercise to and I think this album will continue that for me.
man the end of offensive song is killer though. Those words might get you shot Your skin might get you shot Who you fuck might get you shot Open mouth will probably get me shot Write songs that tear through Speak words that scare you Stoke the fire, I dare you Kill me off before we can't be stopped Fuck! reminds me a ton of story of the year's "is this my fate? he asked them"
this vocal style was my least favourite part of TBB. Very sad he decided to go with it for almost the entire album.