The Wonder Years Band • Page 179

Bluest Things sounds thick as HELL good lord

 

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.

 

Halfway into "Cardinals" and yeah this is spectacular.

 

I WANT THOSE YEARS BACK

reflexively says 'me too'

 

Mikey's hi-hat work in Patsy Cline finally gets justice, and then the riff comes in... fuuuuuuck

 

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.

 

CIGS AND SAINTS, I'M NOT FUCKING CRYING I SWEAR

 

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.

 

Bluest Things...

Yeah I'm about to fucking act up when I get paid tonight.