oh yeah, i've sold a lot of stuff for a lot of money but there's only a couple things i legitimate regret selling (ACBTLD even though it sounded like ass, i wasn't into that album much then). few things i know i could sell for a ton and won't (hotelier HLNIT first pressing white/pink, hop along painted shut white/pink, now now first pressing though it's less now). probably will have to/should break up my mansions collection eventually though haha
Don’t sell your Mansion collection!!!! I have everything Mansions (1st pressings of everything baby!) as well and I would never sell it. Same goes for the first pressing of Threads.
Listening to “Drag Out” now and it’s like a punch to the gut. I love the song but it’s so sad to hear now..
Have you noticed a difference in the NBF pressings? I have the original pressing of that and I actually really like the weird packaging of it haha. I also bought that self-titled demo CD around the same time (fall 2012), but idk if that’s still available. Either way, glad I got into them when I did.
hopefully i get to add more to that this year he's just made some smh worthy posts throughout the years i haven't listened to them both enough to know, haha.
it's been a couple of years of listening to them and i still don't really like american art nearly as much as the rest of their stuff. like, i think there are two songs that stand with the rest, but the cosmic drama and flies and afghan guitar are all peak Box for me. What do people love about American Art? I feel like im missing something with that one
I love American Art. For a debut album, it hits many different emotional targets for me: it's anthemic, youthful, and confident. Brian's storytelling is on-point and there is some killer mathy riffage throughout. It's not as good as the other albums but that's only because the others reached a different stratosphere-- all classics. I definitely think I'd sooner throw on American Art than Cosmic Drama tho, just because it's an easier listen (emotionally speaking).
American Art was the first one I listened to and I was convinced it was the best album I’d ever heard for a little bit. I actually put off listening to their other music for a couple weeks bc I was convinced I’d be disappointed but then immediately after I finished TCD I realized that was the best album I’d ever heard lol. AA has a special place for me because of that, but as time goes on, I think it’s probably their weakest full-length. I think it’s a bit overlong, some of the songs start to blend into each other in the middle and back of the record (two of them even share basically the same riff at some point too I think lol), and I think it’s more “emotionally distant” than TCD or FIAD (for lack of better wording). I don’t return to it much in full anymore, but I definitely look back at it fondly.
I think I might have a problem with the anthemic parts because for the electric songs, they come off really similar in terms of the guitar work he does when it's supposed to be a shoutalong type thing. i may have fooled myself into thinking this because some songs kind of run together for me, but yeah. i also just haven't particularly connected with the lyrics on that one, barring one or two songs. i keep trying every so often, though because the reasons you described are things that should sell me on it. 100% agree that it's overlong and songs run into each other. probably my biggest issue with it and none of the other albums have that issue so it's always in the back of my mind that if im listening to AA i could be listening to one of the others lol. This isn't a legitimate criticism but there are also parts of AA that feel really pop punkish and that's kind of a turn off for me in the case of this band
I just really wish TCD was all full band. The acoustic stuffs good, but imagine it with a full band....That would be Nuckin Futz.
Gave Cosmic my first listen in a long time. Didn't realize how great the drumming is on it, partially because I couldn't hear it before. Noise cancelling headphones really helped. I remember Brian said that he had limited time to work on the album which made me think they'd come back after this break with a full band version like, "Here's the finished product."
The acoustic stuff is some of the best stuff on the album imo. I hated that they replaced the original version of They’re Ready For Us To Come Home with a full band one on the reissue, King Friend is already half full-band, and I can’t even imagine something like That MANN as a full band song. Seriously, the drumming is absolutely insane. The drums during the “take me to your darkest place” part of Two Satchels of Light especially sound so challenging. I think it’s more subtle than their other albums in terms of drum performance (took me a while to notice them too), but no-less impressive.
That groove always sounded super difficult to me until yesterday. I noticed a shit ton of little tom and bell hits thrown in all over the place, though. Pretty sure that's the same drummer that played on Flies - that's another one I need to listen to specifically for the drum work. I know it well and even still, I'm certain there's a bunch of notes that I haven't noticed before.
I think the same drummer played on all three full lengths (idk about the EPs/splits/etc tho), just wasn’t a touring member after the American Art-era.
do we know why they or brian never really wanted to play TCD songs live? i think i saw them 3 times and only heard one in that time.
He basically told me that he doesn’t think anyone likes that album. He said they played Ask My Flashlight once and someone after the show said to him “that set was great, except that Flashlight song” or something lol. I was so mad .
damnnnn that sucks. i remember seeing them a few years back and talking to one of the guitarists about them playing some songs from TCD and he was basically like 'that's my favorite too but we never play those songs'. got to hear king friend last time i saw them though and it was awesome.
It felt like witnessing my child get picked on or something lol I was like “who is this person? just give me a name!” Like, usually I wouldn’t care that much that my favorite by a band is their least popular, I’m used to it (TMTMTP, for example), but I feel like consequentially I never got to see any of those songs live and that sucks.