I think I've settled on "Send the Rain" being my favorite track here. Has probably given me chills every time I've listened to it.
Is that song he performed on YouTube that goes "fade in, fade out, a car crash" on the record? I feel like I saw a track title that resembled that song.
That song is so, so good. I really hope that's the one he's talking about. I almost guarantee my favorite will be Fear and Loathing though
http://a.co/7W2Jo2h http://a.co/bM4ywAH Was poking around and found this. Something is happening on Friday. Hype.
God Don't Talk 7" is part of that mega bundle in the preorders. edit: actually that ones available right on his site on its own, too.
I'm sitting here at 3 am listening to Bad Desire. There's a huge amount of incredible albums that got released this year and we're still waiting on some. Usually by the beginning of fall I have a pretty good outline of my "best of 20xx" list. This year it's nearly impossible to put it together but there's one thing I'm pretty certain about. This will be my AOTY. The National will come close but barring a surprise release by Bon Iver I can guarantee y'all this will be my favorite without even hearing it once.
Same, but mostly because of how much other great music has come out this year. It'll be in the list somewhere.
Yeah, that's definitely a factor. I also just don't quite love it the same way as I did those last two. Those were albums I couldn't stop playing. This one, for various reasons, has been more of a "once every few days" record. Probably will still land somewhere in the top 10 though.
How do the two singles so far represent the album? Any other of his last songs that you could use to triangulate the vibe/feel?
It's really just a grab bag, style-wise. I don't think there's any single he could have chosen that would really be "representative" of what this album is like, because it's so dynamic throughout. "The Sound" is closer to the overall vibe than "Bad Desire," though.
Sounds like it could easily run the risk of feeling like a collection of songs, rather than a fully functioning record. Granted, any Noah Gundersen is good Noah Gundersen, but this has me... attentive. Have you come around on any of the songs you weren't a huge fan of?
I like the diversity, that was the one criticism I have of the last two records, they can feel a little "same" at times.
It flows surprisingly well. I don't think it holds together thematically quite as well as Carry the Ghost did, but he definitely has an idea he's shooting for and it keeps things feeling cohesive even when the songs sound nothing alike. I still really don't like "Cocaine, Sex, and Alcohol." Don't think I'm going to come around on that one. Also not all that fond of "Bad Actors," but I don't have a problem with it being on there. I wasn't digging "Sweet Talker" at first, but I like it more now. My favorites are still the ones that sound the most like the first two records, though.
I love those first records, but agree with Jason above. The fact that The Sound was so different made me excited; I'm pumped to check out a new and different Noah. Looking forward to discussing it you when it drops! Anything you can say re: the general theme, or are you looking to keep that quiet?
It actually works in the sense that there is a theme and that theme is sonic tweaking, layering and expression if that makes sense. It doesn't feel like a bunch of songs lumped together but there isn't as obvious a thread running through - I actually think that works in its favour personally. Exactly the same here.
Neither of those albums have ever run together for me, personally. It's basically about trying to find love, connection, and spirituality and figure out how to live a full life in a world where social media and 24-hour political news cycles have changed the way we interact. That's what I get from it, anyway. But not really that surprising. He jettisoned a lot of what I loved about his music, because he's now kind of turned against the Carry the Ghost songs the same way he stopped feeling like the Ledges songs represented him. He's definitely restless to do something new, and while I think what he does here is largely great, it doesn't hit me in quite the same way. I think he's still at his best when it's just him and an acoustic guitar, so no big shock that the three songs where that happens here are the ones I love the most. Honestly, though, I could see it being a 22, A Million situation. I really thought that album was underwritten and overproduced for the first two months, and then the weather shifted and it clicked for me. This is definitely more of a fall record. Still, probably not an album of the year contender, if only because I really think Isbell outdid himself and wrote a better set of song. What's more surprising to me right now is that The War on Drugs is probably the next closest contender instead of this.