Schema is the best track on the album and one hell of an opener. I learned the bass line during quarantine and it was a lot of fun. Y’all wanna toss hot pans there you go.
The title track is the actual best song on the album, but of course it has one fatal flaw: it isn't one of the first four tracks
I listened to Descensus again earlier this week too because of this thread. Before I even talk about the quality of the songs - it’s the weirdest thing that this album sounds the way it does top to bottom but having been released between VW and Amulet. I legitimately hate the guitar tones they got on this thing which is totally wild seeing as how these guitarists are primarily responsible for shaping my tastes as a music listener.
Schema/Always Begin are my only jams per se. I don’t think they’ve done a bad album, but I have less returns to Descensus/Amulet the more time passes.
Child of the Desert is fantastic. I love the way it builds and builds and then finally lets loose at the end.
I like it and it reaches great highs, but even tho it stylistically recalls Juturna more than anything else post-OLG, almost half the songs are still plagued by boring, meandering post-OLG Circa songwriting. I wanted to love it, but after the novelty wore off, I think I just like it and see it as a respectable album... maybe a half notch above the rest of the latter era stuff.
Always Begin, Nesting Dolls, and Descensus are the only songs I really dig on that record edit: actually, Quiet Down is pretty solid too. Forgot about that one
For me it’s no contest at all that they crazy stepped up the songwriting on Amulet by comparison to the two albums before it. I think there’s at least 6 or 7 Amulet songs that were written 100% competently and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get that from them again - it’s like they decided to try again. They found a lot of sounds in the last three albums that I didn’t think were their own, and I didn’t personally find them insipiring. I just really appreciate that they went back to the sound that they are masters at - and it’s a sound that is totally unique to them.
Final Totals: Blood From A Stone - 10 The Lottery - 13 That'll do it for Violent Waves! The Descensus bracket will begin shortly.
Round One: 1) Quiet Down vs. Phantom 2) Descensus vs. Nesting Dolls -------------------- Round Two: 1) Match 1 Winner vs. Schema 2) Always Begin vs. Child Of The Desert 3) Match 2 Winner vs. Only The Sun 4) Who Will Lie With Me Now vs. Sovereign Circle Round One begins now and will run until tomorrow morning!
Uggggggh my number 1 and 2 from the album up against each other right out the gate Quiet Down Descensus (it hurts)
Christ, we're just pitting the two best songs against each other in the first round again huh? This bracket man... Quiet down ...Nesting Dolls. I think. Fine, whatever.