Got my download code and just listened for the first time. It's beautiful. I remember the first time I heard Dust of Retreat. I was the Music Director at my school radio station and someone sent us the album. I had never heard them before so I popped it in and "A Sea Chaney of Sorts" began. Very few albums have ever hit me so hard so fast, but that was one. I am a huge fan of Richard, and love his whole catalog, but nothing has given me that same initial feeling until now. I think it'll take a few listens for everything to fully digest, but on first listen I feel lifted.
It worked, and the album is glorious. I just did the digital version, but I'll give it a listen over the coming week and pick it up at a local record shop next Friday.
It really is incredible. Some early favorites: Lil Dead Eye-d Fool Disappeared Planets Management of Savagery Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Lemon But I truly love them all.
Rollin' hits me like a punch to the gut every time I hear it, but Fool was a stand out on my first listen as well. I don't find this as immediately "grabbing" in terms of ear worms the way pretty much every Margot record has, but I think that's because there's a lot more depth to dive into here. Can't wait til I have the record and lyrics and can read along.
The lyrics make a huge difference. The chorus of "Fool" stumped me for a long time. For those curious, the liner notes say, in all caps (the only time all caps are used in the liner notes), FLASH FLOOD CUZ YOU'RE KEEPIN' ME UP YOU'RE GONNA HAUNT ME 'TILL IT'S OVER, AREN'T YA? FLASH FLOOD CUZ I'M BURNIN' AND BUMMED (2nd chorus: DIZZY AND DUMB) YOU'RE GONNA HAUNT ME 'TILL IT'S OVER LIKE SOME GREAT LOVE!
incredible album, got to listen a lot more though. Not sad enough to be playing this all the time lol
Only had 2 listens so far, but I'd agree with those and throw in Moonwrapped. The 3 pre-release tracks were well-chosen, all great songs and they really show the range of the album.
Lets come back to this. You've seriously had the entire record for the last 3 months? Was it the finished/completed album?
Last 2 months, but yeah. Just in a much lower quality (a Souncloud rip). I think it was the day in January when the travel ban was announced, and Richard posted something on Facebook saying he hadn't been given permission to share another new track but he was doing it anyway because of the political circumstances. He said it likely wouldn't be up for long, which was true. It was Management of Savagery, but at the end of the link to the track, it had an embedded link to the rest of the private playlist of what I'm assuming was the press stream for the album. It was wild. I was terrified that it would leak from that, especially since he had shared the song without permission from the label. But it seems like anyone else who caught it was respectful enough to keep it to themselves, and by the next morning, the private playlist no longer worked, so he or the label must've changed the link to the press stream.
I'd highly recommend everyone re-read Richard's article on Talkhouse once you've gotten familiar with the album.