I’m curious as to why Portland is called that. The only maybe reference I even see is in “cheap champagne and roses.”
I will say I think it’s odd they went with the circle for the cover and think it would look better taking up all the space.
Really enjoying the album, will definitely be a top 10 album for the year for me. Super specific and nit picky but I’m not a big fan of reminiscing on the past which is like the central focus of the album, but I can deal with it. I feel like they handled dealing with your 30’s and the past well enough on ATP and while this goes a bit deeper into that process and ended up with an awesome album, the overall idea of looking back at the past is not something I do or care about so I lose some of the meaning and connection to the songs. I was thinking “Strain Your Memory” was my favorite for awhile but I think I just like the beat / how it sounds. Lyrics wise it doesn’t really “hit” me. I think “Portland” might be my favorite, or the title track. Or “Anna”, that song is great.
They really are like five years away from writing the Little League album like in the Hard Times article
I saw them play in Portland, Maine a few months back and it was such a great time! We drove up from MA, had a crew of like 20 of us, and had a hell of a weekend! I hope it’s Portland, ME.
I’m honestly not sure lol I’ve really only listened to this, ATP and RW. And I knew ATP was reminiscing-based from the start so I knew what to expect. I’ve also listened to OTIP but not as much as the others but looking back, yeah, that seems very reminiscent based too lol
Really not a fan of the incredibly generic "whhooaa Oooooooo whoaaa Oooooo"'s in High School friend. It definitely detracts from the song imo. This album is alright. Not as good as ATP, about on par with RW (but RW is a much more interesting album than H.E. imo). Nothing competes with OTIP. HE 7.0 ATP 8.0 RW 7.5 OTIP 9.5 ....is about where I'd rank this atm.
My guess is that it was written in Portland, or the idea for the song came from being out there. I remember on his instagram and podcast talking about being out there for a bit during their downtime.
This album is super consistent, but it don’t think it has a mega high that I feel like every previous album had two of, at least. Weirdly, I think I Can’t Stop Drinking is the closest.
Mega highs: Mexican Guitars Casey Gates Asshole In Remission Lies ATP YWY Charlie but people won’t agree But fuck is this fun to sing along to
I Can’t Stop Drinking is for sure the standout for me. London Drugs and Farewell Youth are also highlights but overall this album doesn’t quite stack up to the previous three. Still great though. One of the most consistent bands making music.
I agree with a lot of Cohen's takes but mainly in the emo realm. Outsider of that his tastes diverge from mine considerably - Menzingers, Manchester orchestra etc