Tellin' Lies, Lookers, Midwestern States, Black Mass, Bad Catholics, and Your Wild Years are the band's best songs not named Gates (and I'd put several of them over Gates as well).
Gates is certainly among their best. There are definitely top tier Menz songs on here but I still like the top tier songs from other albums a lot more. These songs are really fun but they're missing something for me that puts them over the top for me. Idk what it is
That's how I feel about the old albums actually. Gates is honestly the only song from their past releases that I'd put on par with most of the stuff here. That song is a gem and makes me want to like OTIP a lot more than I ever have
My main issue with Chamberlain Waits is its best songs are still just below their best songs from the next three albums. Time Tables, Rivalries and the title track come closest. Semi related: love the song Chamberlain Waits but it's always annoyed me that they sing "Chamberlain's waiting" instead of "Chamberlain waits". Saying "waits" would rhyme and also is the name of the song AND album.
This is still my favorite album of the year. It's much everything I loved about On the Impossible Past, except not as depressing of a listen.
I think this is my favorite Menzingers album? I adore OTIP, but this album connected with me so immediately. Tellin Lies, Lookers, Midwestern States, Your Wild Years, and After The Party are all among the best songs they've ever written. I might even put The Bars and Black Mass up there as well. It's really a spectacular album. OTIP will always be a strong number #2.
I first heard OTIP five years ago and still love it just as much as I didn't back then, if not more, and there's not many albums that's I could say that about. It's hard to say which album you prefer when you've only had one for less than a year and the other one for 5 years.
That may be part of the reason this one was so quickly able to supplant it for me: I only got into OTIP about 2 years ago. I certainly do have an emotional connection with it now, but probably not as strong as those who have been listening to it since it was released.
Rivalries, Time Tables, Deep Sleep, Tasker Morris Station, and Chamberlain Waits are definitely up there with their best songs.
I haven't listened to this album since February or March, but I'll occasionally throw a few songs on from this every now and then
Replace Deep Sleep with I Was Born and I agree. But I'd still put the following songs above them: Good Things The Obituaries Gates Mexican Guitars Casey I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore In Remission Lookers Midwestern States Your Wild Years After The Party
Rented World let me down that year as did Get Hurt, Cope and others. 2/3 have redeemed themselves. Brian to come! By the way, I dont mind any of those albums and RW is my favourite of the three. But I liked each of them considerably less than their predecessors.
Midwestern States, Lookers and After The Party are all top tier Menzingers songs. My top 10 songs is now: Good Things & Burn After Writing (they basically count as one song to me now) Obituaries Gates Mexican Guitars Casey Where your Heartache Exists In Remission Lookers Midwestern States After The Party
I don't think it's possible for me not to have the biggest grin whilst listening to this album, which is great cause I find On The Impossible Past a bit more draining emotionally due to connections I have to it and times in my life.
This one is sticking around and might surpass On the Impossible Past for me in my ranking....CW is still my favorite - how I found out about them when Punknews.org was going bonkers over that album. That and American Slang were my 2010 albums. 1. Chamberlain Waits 2. On the Impossible Past 3. After the Party 4. Rented World 5. A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology