Wanted to say that this is the best thing I've read about this album anywhere and that you seem to "get" it a lot more than just about any critic who has reviewed is so far. A breath of fresh air to read this after listening to the album a few times today and after being disappointed by the dumpster fire that was Steven Hyden's review of it.
Yeah, I agree - your quick stab at the themes of the record is hands down the best analysis I've read so far and has me extremely excited to listen to this. Incredible write-up.
It's killing me that I can't download the leak and have to wait for the legitimate release. I absolutely love the samples of the songs that I've heard, and it sounds like in many cases those aren't the best parts of the songs by a long shot. The chorus to the bonus track Money On Straight though. That's some good stuff right there.
Not to beat a dead horse here, but I'll be watching this band headline a night of ACL in a few weeks. The other two nights are headlined by Jay Z and Red Hot Chili Peppers. That's the company they keep. Whether or not anyone wants to argue that these are all "nostalgia" acts, being a headliner at the most attended music festival in the country speaks volumes to their popularity.
does this come out tomorrow or next week? thread says next week but someone said they didn't know it came out this week or something.
I like Hyden but his review did make me roll my eyes. Kinda reminded me of his "Get Hurt" review (at least in that one I could see what he was getting at) -- the "it's so dumb that it's good! But it's bad! But on some songs it's good because it's bad!" schtick seems clever in writing but it's not the way I've ever listened to any piece of music ever.
Yes! That's the exact article I thought of while reading it. It just had me scratching my head. Like, why even write about the album at all if that's your angle? Especially since he's seemed like a pretty genuine fan of theirs in the past. It felt weirdly self-conscious to me, like he felt like he wasn't allowed to like this band non-ironically. I'm with you, though. The ironic enjoyment of something, or the "so bad it's good" approach has never been the way I've listened to music. I can see the "this is fun if I turn my brain off" argument for movies or TV, but not really for music.
I'm really enjoying this album. I'd definitely compare this new one to BB, just better IMO. Took me FOREVER to warm up to BB.
First listen through and I'm really feeling this one. I enjoyed it a lot, but have doubts it'll top Battle Born for me. Still, excited to live with this one a bit. Got a lot of long fall drives and I'm gonna put it through the paces.
Yeah "Money on Straight" is my favorite here by a large margin and it's not even on the album. It's not essential or anything so I get leaving it off but it's got my favorite chorus
I hope this grows on me. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. Run for Cover, Tyson vs. Douglas and Money on Straight are the only ones I'm very crazy about. The rest is just meh to me. And that sucks because that's how I feel about Battle Born. But I loved The Desired Effect, so I didn't know at all how I'd feel about this album. Like I said, hopefully it grows on me.
Don’t give up on me. Cause I’m just in a rut. Love that song. Reminds me of U2 for whatever reason. Probably bc the vocals and delayed guitar. Same for Life To Come.
Well I listened to The Man and now I guess I need to hear the entire album. I've only ever listened to their singles.
Wasn't particularly memorable on first listen. "The Man" is still a jam, but the "certified lean" line is still so corny to me. "Rut" stood out on it's own. I guess I think it was better than some initial reviews and comments indicated, I'll have to listen to it more.
I wish they made a whole album like "Rut". I'm only on track three so maybe they did, but holy cow is this a good mode for Brandon's voice.