its the facelessness that makes this bother me so much, i just do not like the new keyboardists writing style and think it particularly pairs badly with jeremys voice. since hes started producing for them (color decay) all their attempts at being melodic have felt completely disposable, so that being more or less all this album is made this a brutal run for me. i honestly dont know why i even bothered
If they wanted to make their most accessible record, they should have written songs as strong as When You’re Gone, and I could’ve been into the record. Mike is still front and center and it’s actually musically interesting and catchy without feeling generic/interchangeable.
I’m assuming that’s Emma doing the spoken word parts on That Same Place and The Sky Behind The Rain right? At least, the new Dying Wish record is a banger!
This album wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it’s still largely nothing I’ll be motivated to revisit. I liked All Out, When You’re Gone, and My Paradise.
I enjoyed this. I think it feels cohesive, even if some of the songs are bland and the sounds blur together. There are some interesting things going on throughout some songs that I think they could’ve pushed a bit further, but I think trying to lean into a mainstream sound probably narrowed their focus. I also really like the art direction for this album and the vinyl packaging looks sick, but not $40 plus shipping sick.
Revolver has if for $31 and if you nab a coupon code for 10 or 20% off for w/e you get for joining the mailing list. Variant isn't AS cool and doesn't ship til the 28th tho.
About halfway through and my biggest thought so far is just, when did Mike become a backing vocalist? It just feels surprising whenever I hear him cause it feels so rare. This has been decent for me so far, but not loving it as much as I hoped. I adored Color Decay and thought it balanced Mike and Jeremy pretty well. I’m not really advocating for them to just be heavier but I really just want to hear more Mike tbh.
I remember when it was Mike: Lead vocals (low screams) Mike: Lead vocals (high screams) Jeremy: Backing vocals This has inspired me to go back and do some album playthroughs of their catalog. There's a couple in there that I wrote off pretty quick (Transit Blues, The Act). So I need to do some due diligence.
Went on a discog run of the band a few years ago, when Color Decay came out. I initially wrote off The Act, but it’s become one of my favorites by them.
There is definitely a bonus song on the vinyl. Very heavy. Sounds like it could be on 8:18. Chorus reminds me of Sailor’s Prayer. Lyrically it seems like it is a clap back at people who complain about their sound change. The ironic thing is that it’s probably the most dynamic song on the album.
I’m on board with this album tbh. Gave it a couple spins throughout the day and it works for me. Definitely get the criticism but most of this stuff is catchy and it flows well. Do agree with whoever said one more song like All Out would’ve gone a long way. It is odd how the vocal duties have essentially flipped compared to how it used to be
The Act is one my favs by them. It came out at a time in my life and it just not all the right feels, and it has stuck since. 8:18 was awesome and The Act was the perfect follow-up to it. With tracks like Please Say No, Numb, Isn't It Strange, Diamond Lost and As Kids we got to see Mike's range from high and low screams, spoken word rasps and even his singing. His range truly is hauntingly beautiful. Music to my fucking ears.
Prior to the song starting a woman is heard saying something like “I fucking hate The Devil Wears Prada, they never play their old shit”. So I’d say probably