Yep - I never had a huge problem with the original, it's still up there as one of my faves ... but this new mix is akin to watching in 1080p when you've been stuck with 480 previously. So much extra detail coming through. Cigarettes & Saints somehow becomes an even better song. Can totally get why they haven't adjusted the tracklisting, but moving Cigs & Saints into the penultimate slot behind NCTH seems like such a missed opportunity. Given the 'Saviors' refrain doesn't feature in any other songs beyond the first two, feels like Cigs needs to be at the end to "wrap things up"; rather than that refrain just disappearing after Track 5. Also, whereas I love Patsy, feel like Brothers -> Cardinals -> IDLWIWT would have been such an opening.
feeling super vindicated as somebody who loved this album from day 1 and seeing all the love. I will say there's a couple moments that felt off purely because I'm so attached to the originals but yes, there is a lot more detail in the mix here also all due respect to the original but I usually listen to this playlist order I made, excited to try it with the new mix: Brothers & Cardinals Song for Patsy Cline Song for Ernest Hemingway Slow Dancing with San Andreas You in January Palm Reader (alternate) Thanks for the Ride Stained Glass Ceilings Wanted so Badly Bluest Things on Earth I Don't Like Who I Was Then Cigs and Saints No Closer To Heaven
Got as far as stained glass ceilings on my drive to work this morning and my god this one is giving me the most “there’s no way they didn’t fully re-record this” vibes lol this fucking rules and definitely gives me a new appreciation of these songs. I just love this band.
I've always felt it works like a three-act structure, with Cigs & Saints, Stained Glass, and Palm Reader/NCTH being the act closers.
Even from the first second of Cardinals the difference is so obvious. Extremely vindicating and delightful to have the most faithful edition of this album.
The fucking hi-hat count-in at the start of Brothers & that just straight up wasn't there on the OG. Oh my god. First listen time, LFG.
THOSE CHORUS HARMONIES JUST STRAIGHT UP WEREN'T THERE ON PATSY CLINE WHAT THE FUCK Also yeah sorry I'm doing a live listen, you're welcome
I'm so excited to do a side by side comparison of each song and then never listen to the original again.
Revamped IDLWIWT gives me 'this has always been one of the band's best songs' vibes. No wonder it's a crowd favourite.
They would be doing themselves a favour if they asked Hopeless to bury the original release on streaming. There's just no fucking world in which these albums compare.
It's one of the most powerful songs they've ever written but it truly got cut off at the knees. It was arguably their finest moment at one point in their career and I'm so happy they were able to do it justice.
This remix and remaster job makes it sound like there are actually three guitarists in this band, as it fucking should be. HEY HANNAH, DON'T GO
People in here said they hoped they cut the Jason Aalon Butler feature on Stained Glass Ceilings. Lol. Lmao even.
You in January is a song that means a lot to both me and my long-distance boyfriend and this version has me absolutely fucked up. Dear god. Didn't think I could love this song any more than I do. Also, 2015 me thought ...Brave was one of the weaker songs on the record. 2015 me didn't know shit.
Shoutout to the reverb on Dan's vocals on the title track that they needed all along. This is like a brand-new experience and I'm so fucking happy the black sheep of their catalogue gets its moment.
This was the biggest moment of discovery for me on my first listen. It finally has the atmosphere it needed.
Open secret they hated the finished mix on this for years, they've said nothing about SC but probably not out of the question