Also the second coordinates and Fear of Good are great interludes, not too fussed about the other two but the first works better if you play Goodness Pt 1 before the album
"End Of Reel" might actually be my favorite closer too. It works really well as both a closer to this record and a closer to the INGO/Home/Goodness arc.
I think Two Deliverances is my least favorite on this. Maybe I just had unrealistic expectations on that song but I just don't find anything that interesting about it. To me it's the song that sounds most like something on Home, where the rest of this album is doing something very different.
I did once on what must have been my fourth or fifth listen and I thought it did, but may have just been my familiarity with the song tbh. Regardless I have started straight on Goodness Pt 2 a few times while listening to the album. The spoken word bit just doesn't really do it for me atm
I thought that initially as I had big expectations of it but it has really grown on me. Definitely understand what you mean by having more of a Home vibe (that and Settle The Scar definitely do) but I don't think it really detracts from it at all, the lyrics certainly are more reflective of the theme of the album and having more rock oriented songs helps keep it interesting.
This definitely is an album you really need 3 or 4 listens to really get. Not that it doesn't hit you first time immediately - an album this complex and progressive never will first time - but like holy shit it really is as good as I thought it'd be. Looking forward to the 2017 Wonder Years' attempt at imitating this! More like No Closer To Hotelier amirite I joke I like Wonder Years don't ban me
It's interesting that there aren't a whole ton of lead guitar parts on this record.. Lots of layered rhythm tracks but it's almost written so that they could play most of these songs with one guitar player it they needed to
Also think it's getting less love because it was released before but Soft Animal is still an absolutely incredible song, one of my favourite ever, in fact it's so good I'd even name a forum account after it...
Yes definitely, it is a great song on its own and in its own right (unlike Piano Player which I think really needs the context to be appreciated, and in the album it's so much better) but in the album it's incredible. As has been said before, wish I never listened to any of the singles. If they'd have cut the gap between the announcement and release and just given us Goodness Pt 1 it would have completely floored me listening to the album for the first time in full.
A few listens in and this is really starting to hold some lyrical weight for me. Also, Alyssa Kai's write up for this is perfect especially reading it after listening to the album.
iTunes said I listened to the album 11 times at work yesterday. I coulda swore it was at least 50. As much as I love this record, I honestly don't think anything will ever hit me as hard as It Never Goes Out. It just hit me at the right time I guess? But what I find most interesting about this album is the fact that they've always gone for a super natural sound, and even more so with this record, sometimes annoyingly so when the vocals dip down underneath the music. But in spite of all of that, they add these super unnatural editing elements, like in the bridge of Settle the Scar when the hits come in all choppy with the panning jumping back and forth, and the chorus vocals in Opening Mail For My Grandmother coming in and then abruptly getting cut off. Idk. I just thought it was super interesting and done very well, for how out of character it is for them!