Yeah, this is a lot of what he talks about. The idea that musicians have to be able to do everything these days such as writing, playing, selling, creating, etc. He was saying how it’s hard to be just a session person unless you are one of the few people in one of the few openings with true session work being in less demand. And being a touring musician is less viable unless you can coordinate multiple projects in a certain way. I knew Matt as a session guy prior to TBS and the touring gigs with the rejects and glassjaw. It was interesting to hear him talk about Stump’s record. He talked about how that was a record he felt was ahead of its time for pop music, noting that a lot of trends today in pop music were on that record. He also gushed about the band Patrick assembled.
As far as songs with similar subject matter goes, I think emg is better than better homes. And I realize I’m going to get booed, but I stand by it.
I feel like a lot of this has to do with the fact that they reunited in March/April of 2010 and this album came out in June 2011, and I think Warner was really pushing for TAYF2 electric boogaloo. That feels like no time to really reconnect and find your footing after 7 years of not talking and working with one another. Some of those demos they released with the special edition should have made that album. And I would argue that You Got Me is one of the worst songs they’ve ever put on a record.
you can put the best of New Again and the best of Self-Titled together and you'd have one bad album that features Everything Must Go
This would be a solid album - although still not better than HI or TW: 1. New Again (first half of the song with a re-worked finish - second half is bad and super repetitive) 2. Summer, Man 3. Swing 4. Where My Mouth Is 5. Cut Me Up Jenny 6. Carpathia 7. Everything Must Go 8. Didn't See that Coming 9. El Paso 10. Faith 11. Best Places 12. This is All Now 13. Call Me in the Morning
Worst part about NA is that they decided to cut Long Time Comin from the original track list. Cut Capital ME and Cut Me Up Jenny for that song and it'd be way better.
The only song from NA that really stuck with me is Swing. I also enjoy title track, Capital M-E, and EMG. And Carpathia as well.