I will always be psyched for a TDS album and I like this one for what it is. Some great standout tracks that fit into their discog. But all this thread is telling me to do is to stop listening to the Wonder Years tracks that are out and savor the album next month as fresh as I can.
I purposely have held off from Low Tide and the next one coming to have as many new songs I can get for that release!
Got about halfway through this record today and felt no urge to keep listening. It’s just very bland and uninteresting.
Ok. So, this album is nowhere near “bad” territory. It’s good. I like listening to it. There are a few tracks I’ll probably continue to skip. I already consider this better than Golden Record and Self-titled by a long mile. However, after I listen to it, I immediately want to listen to Mother Nature, and when I do, I feel like I'm back at home-base realizing just how important Mother Nature is to me this day and age. For me, I think it finally topped Reach For The Sun.
this only gets better the more i listen. if someday were just cut entirely and the rest of the tracks were rearranged i feel like way less people would be complaining, because yeah big green eyes, gold star, meet me in the morning, and polarity all have that slow tempo to them but taken individually they're all great songs. put one of them after coming home, another after sideways, another after dimensional love, and so on, maybe move wide open up a bit in the tracklist, etc. and you'd hardly notice the slower tempo in the middle. the songs themselves are all incredibly solid. the bridge of polarity is stunning, its just instrumental so people dont hold it up as high as the old school war paint style bridges when imo it could slot right in since its such an impactful moment. letting the instruments do the talking instead is honestly a welcome change of pace sometimes.
really not understanding the problem people have with some spanish being sang on the album? he lives in california lol or did for a while most of the people there can speak it, many as a first language even? i just dont get the problem, it sounds fine, its a beautiful language yet ive seen multiple comments showing distaste for it and im just not getting it
"Polarity," "Meet Me In The Morning," and "Goodbye" are all just ok for me. Not bad, but they don't really get me excited or give me the goosebumps moments this band has delivered in spades in the past. "Someday" is bad. "Gold Star" and "Big Green Eyes" are pretty good. First four tracks and "Wide Open" are great. That's how the album breaks down for me, which is probably similar to my love-like-dislike tiers on Golden Record and self-titled, but I think my highs from both of those albums are higher.
I’m about as big of a fan as band as there is, so I wanted to give this album ~10 listens before sharing my wordy thoughts. I’ve stayed tuned into TDS and try and financially support them (album purchase, tour, etc.) whenever I can. I kept my listening to a minimum for the songs already released. Overall, I think this album is on par for the band, better than some here were suggesting, but lacks the consistent quality to be considered anywhere among their best. When I finished listening to Mother Nature, I was blown away thinking “wow, what did I just listen to” in the best way possible with goosebumps. That never really happened here aside from a few songs. It reminds me of Golden Record and Self-titled in that regard. There are magical moments (Coming Home, Sideways, Dimensional Love, Gold Star), but much of the rest is all too forgettable. However, I’m really glad this album exists because of what we did get. One thing I did not see commented on was how clean and within range the vocals sounded. AJ utilized the raspy sound in proper places and the volume mix was appropriate. I don’t hear anything wrong with the production here, but I think we all felt the difference in final product on Mother Nature and how much it was able to add to the album. I’m super stoked the fellas are still making music, seem happy, and are in control of their material and schedule. Looking forward to supporting what comes next as they are back in the studio already. If you’re still with me, some track by track thoughts are below: Coming Home - Great track and works well here. All I Ever Wanted… - Could do with or without it. Some solid moments but feels incomplete. Get that dog barking out of here please lol. Sideways - Digging everything about this and nailed the vibe he was going for. Nice addition to the catalogue. Dimensional Love - YES!!! This song has that TDS magic. Fucking awesome and immediately one of my all time favs from the band. Can’t imagine not liking this if you’re a fan of their music. Big Green Eyes - Eh. I like the attempt but it needs something more to make me want to come back. Gold Star - It took me a minute but I LOVE this song. Very nicely done. My second fav on the album. Meet Me in the Morning - I’m glad this song exists. I’m not a fan of the spanish but I appreciate trying something new. The second half of it is awesome and captures some of the special TDS magic. AND IT FEELS LIKE I’M ALMOST THERE NOWWWW Polarity - Solid track. Really like the “I gave every ounce of love I ever had” line. Will be hard to revisit a ton. Wide Open - Not into this at all. For me it’s the next iteration of one off songs I really didn’t like (Knives, Valium, Violent Red) Someday - Sorta into the vibe but ultimately I’ll entirely forget this song exists and I’m better off for it. Goodbye - this has some awesome moments but I’m sort of whatever on it. I have a high standard for closers since I truly love Consequence of Living, Infinite, Anchor, Waves, & Never Feel Alone, but I will come back to this.
i think its better than the ep, which i really cooled on, and about on par with s/t and golden record. i dont think theyve lost what made them special to begin with, although i think ajs lyrics were more consistent on the earlier material, but i think mostly i just love rfts and everything they do exists in the shadow of that record
someday does have bad lyrics but overall i don't think the lyrics on this album are a dip at all. and mother nature had plenty of clunky lines too
I tried to move around the track listing but it seems it simply needs some more upbeat/heavier songs to not have straightaways of slow jams.. 01. Coming Home 02. Sideways 03. Goldstar 04. Dimensional Love 05. Polarity 06. Wide Open 07. Big Green Eyes 08. Someday 09. All I Ever Wanted Was A Chance To Know Myself 10. Meet Me In The Morning 11. Goodbye
First listen is just sorta okay. Tracks 1, 4-6, and 8 seem to be the highlights for me. I can only assume the outrage over Someday comes from those who dont listen to rap music....which would have ten lines equal or worse than the line(s) in question. I'm more concerned that the song is just not very good.
I think it's more that TDS aren't Rap, and it's a ballad like song containing the lyrics that throws them lol
I suppose i can see that. Maybe I'm just used to hearing those kind of lyrics that it didnt jar me all that much.
If I really think about it, I've never heard a song with such a pleasant melody, almost a song that could be someone's wedding song type vibe, have lyrics like that lol. I think maybe that was the effect they were going for. It's an extreme contrast. Coldplay meets Eazy-E if you will
I feel the same lol it’s mild as fuck compared to not just rap but plenty of other sexually driven music out there