never listened to these guys before, put on The Cosmic Drama. oh my lord. what is this? how did i not come across this years ago? fuck
This makes me so happy. TCD is tied for my favorite album of all time. I reallllly wanna do a listen of that with the group.
The Cosmic Drama didn't give me that transcendent experience a lot of you have had with it, but for me, Flies In All Directions was an incredibly important album for me. I don't listen to it as often as I used to, but that album for me is drenched in memories of the summer before senior year of college. I used to listen to it everyday. Back then, I was experiencing dissociation, depersonalization, and derealization a lot with seemingly no cause. I was just starting to understand my relationship with mental illness, learning to cope, and eventually prosper with it. There's that lyric in Pagan Baby, "Once a cave carried me away, now I carry it with me." What a fucking line. I remember identifying a lot with Brian's description of drug-fueled epiphany because that was also the first and only time I experimented with mushrooms lol. The swirling instruments, the lyrics, the yearning optimism, the sunlight of FIAD... it brings me back to that summer. Things have changed quite a bit since then, but man, I was struggling to feel real, struggling to remember my identity nearly every single day. FIAD made me feel less alone in all of that. It gave me comfort. I'll always love Weatherbox for that.
that's the one i wanted to do the most because that record still hasn't hit me yet. weatherbox is an all time favorite for me but the other two are a big step above in my eyes. so i'd love to see you discuss it especially
I'm kinda terrible with expressing my feelings on music most of the time, so it kind of intimidates me to try and do that with an album I love so much especially. I'd love nothing more than to try. I really, really think the other two are a big step below it haha.
it's less of feelings and more of like, what you like about it and some of the references and stuff i just don't "get". sort of like how the dplan one made a lot of us see the record really differently too
I'm more of a Follow the Rattle of the Afghan Guitar man myself, but Weatherbox is Weatherbox. And Weatherbox is God.
American Art remains the Weatherbox album that hits me the hardest, but a lot of that has to do with where I was at and what I was doing at the time I first got into it.
Every album by this band gives me the chills. They have been such an underrated band throughout their career. It's hard to put into words how incredible he / they are. Seeing them live is basically an outer body experience, too.
Awesome, thanks! Will listen tonight, I've always appreciated/connected with your taste in music. Do you have a list of favorite stuff so far this year? Would definitely check that out as well.
Definitely check it out along with their first album, Kill Them With Kindness. It's Blair Shehan from Knapsack, both bands are two of my all-time favourites. Some stuff I've enjoyed this year besides the usual suspects that everyone's talking about (The Hotelier, White Lung, Pinegrove, Car Seat Headrest etc): Camp Cope, Deer Leap, Teen Suicide, Posture & The Grizzly, Creative Adult, Blowout, For Everest, Cool American, Shakusky, Dikembe, Feel Better, Johnny Foreigner, Lifted Bells, Arrows In Her, Broken Beak, DIIV, Sioux Falls, Snow Roller, Japanese Breakfast, Anna Sage, Look Mexico...that's a pretty extensive list, haha.
I really encourage everyone to read Kurt Vonnegut's - Sirens of Titans if you want to increase your experience with TCD. The album is directly based off that book, hence the album cover/book cover.
I'm with @OotyPa in the fact that I love FIAD more than TCD. The first 6 songs on FIAD are just pure perfection, especially Bathin' In The Fuss, one of the best they've ever done hands down imo. Shoutout for I'm Ready For You To Come Back though, that song gets me in my feels everytime.
The first 13 songs on The Cosmic Drama are perfection. Sorry I know I'm annoying lol YES DO IT. BEST BOOK
I heard a few albums in 2008 that completely changed who my favorite bands were. 8 years later, those bands remain at the top of my list. American Art was one of those albums.
American Art is so great, especially the last few tracks. Drop the Mike completely caught me off guard that first time I heard it haha.
It's probably because FIAD is what made Weatherbox finally "click" for me, but my favorites are literally in reverse chronological order. American Art is good but hasn't ever been a big deal for me, while I love most of The Cosmic Drama and absolutely adore Follow The Rattle and FIAD. Weird.