Snail Mail - Valentine (November 5, 2021) Album • Page 8

I actually think the hooks are much sharper on Lush. Those songs stuck with me, even the slower songs. Sure it’s more guitar centric, but I don’t see that as a knock on the album. I’m fact, Lindsey is great at writing guitars riffs and Valentine is missing those. In regards to slower stuff, Anytime and Let’s find an out are more memorable than the slow stuff on Valentine. I’m glad people are loving the album though. And I do enjoy it, but it’s not hitting me in the same way as Lush which is one of my favorite albums of all time.

 

yeah i like this but am absolutely not blown away by it. lush kinda faded for me after a while, though, and i fear that this might be speedrunning that. i did prefer the more guitar centric work on lush, though, so that could be part of it

 

I do think this is a leap forward in songwriting, I just think it's missing the hooks Lush had, but I seem to be in the minority there. I love both albums though (listening to this now haha) and am so stoked people are connecting with her

 

I need to revisit Lush, I could change my tune now but back when it came out I did not feel the hooks were memorable or strong on the whole, and from the top of my head I can’t remember any. Pristine stands out the most in my mind probably, but even then I don’t know that I think those hooks were crafted as cleverly as what I hear on this record. here, I feel like she cut the fluff. like every line and melody is carefully thought out and crafted for maximum impact. her prior work felt more meandering in that regard, again, only speaking as someone who listened to Lush a few times when it dropped and promptly forgot about it later. I wasn’t even eager to peep this record until I started seeing people here knock her vocals and I thought “well I guess I gotta hear this” and lo and behold I not only didn’t hear the issues others were hearing, I actually really loved the direction and became excited for the record.

 

I’m split between the two groups.

Is it a good album? Yes.
Do I think it falls off after Forever (Sailing) and Madonna? Absolutely.

Part of my problem might be that I haven’t been in a headspace to dig into the lyrics so I’m missing something.

 

But

C. Et Al!

Automate!

Mia!

 

I think her melodies got more emotive and maybe a little catchier myself.

 

100%

 

I still love Lush to death, but I definitely think more and more it sounds like an album written by an 18 year old. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I definitely think you can hear how much she’s grown over the past few years.

 

I also think, vocal melodies aside, there are a TON of musical hooks on this record and those little flourishes can really elevate stuff for me. I am much more of an instrumental and production-focused listener than a lyrical one, there are songs I have loved for over a decade or more I haven’t bothered to learn all the lyrics to tbh haha. but I just feel like her whole band leveled up as a unit here and they’re really playing to one another’s strengths, that said I don’t know how involved the other members are in the writing or if it’s even the same band lol.

 

when I'm not listening to this record, I'm thinking about this record

 

Finally got into the headspace to dive headfirst into this.

Yeah, this is phenomenal. I'll see you all at the Riv.

 

“automate” is the best song ever

 

Finally got around to setting time aside to listen all the way through while in a more receptive mood

this album is everything and I can finally vibe with the hype in here

 

Oof that really sucks. I hope she is able to recover in time for the 2022 US dates!

 

I feel so bad for her. I can’t imagine having to missing out on playing shows for almost 2 years, build up all the momentum around the new album, and then have to postpone a massive comeback tour.

 

AOTY

top 5 at least

so fuckin good

EDIT: oh fuck that suuuuuuucks. hoping for a quick recovery

 

I wish Apple would get their shit together. Now I’m seeing two different versions of this album on the service.

 

Just came in to say Ben Franklin and Headlock are my favorite 1-2 punch’s of the year. Then saw the news about her voice/tour. Glad she’s taking the necessary steps to prevent serious damage, but definitely feel bad for her tour postponement.

 

Automate is also great

 

This will probably round out my top 10

 

Such a great record