I think it's their second best. High Violet still remains my favorite. But even with the instrumentals I'd still pick this over the rest.
I love Hairpin Turns AND Not In Kansas. I guess I don't like Light Years as much as everyone else does, but I do think it's a good song. I don't think I agree with this either. I kinda feel like this album is them doing something weird but doing it insanely well. There are big aspects of their sound that take a back seat on this album, like Matt singing lead and the band really rocking out.
This record is just their “collection of songs” record for me. Which is probably why it’s really close to the bottom. The band is incapable of making a bad song. They having me been doing this too long and have their formula down pat. They could literally shit out ten national songs in their sleep at this point. This is also their first “diminishing returns” record. Majority of the stuff here sounds like stuff that has been well tread on previous records. Which is fine, a solid record that pads the discography with some really good songs.
I describe it that way because it's their biggest, longest, most epic and diverse record. Like it's the kitchen sink record, they just put everything they had into it, and as you say, some "weird" and different stuff (that works, IMO) too. And it even has it's own short film! I guess it's my way of spinning "bloated" into a positive lol
This makes sense. I don't think 'weird' was the right word to use before either, I think I meant more them doing a very specific thing.
In a lot of ways I feel like this album takes parts of TWFM and SWB and strips them to their bones. That isn’t a bad thing.
has this thread talked about how "No Time to Crank the Sun" is both a top-tier Berninger tune and horrifically underrated yet?
It's easy for me to forget that EL VY exists for whatever reason. Every once in a while I'll remember and throw them on and this is definitely an amazing song.
it's not a great album, to be fair, but it would have made a killer EP. I spin "Crank the Sun", the title track and "I'm the Man to Be" a lot
Mine shipped last Wednesday and is expected to arrive this coming Saturday. Probably worth shooting an email to whoever you ordered from