If I Should Fall From Grace With God

I bought this album on release in 1988, during my final year at Bretton Hall, and it became one of the soundtracks to that year, alongside Marc Almond's *The Stars We Are*. They were very different records, but both looked outwards, towards the world and the people inhabiting it. There was something gloriously expansive about them. Nearly 38 years later, I've discovered that my affection for this one hasn't diminished in the slightest. If anything, I admire it more. We were poor students, and buying an album was a commitment. You bought records you expected to live with, not something you might play twice and forget. My auto-reverse Walkman made that particularly easy. The cassette would reach its end, the mechanism would clunk and the album would begin again. I remember feeling the slight jolt of those reversing motors through my pocket. This was music that accompanied me everywhere, and it had to withstand endless repetition. One of the great misconceptions about the Pogues is that their music was somehow as chaotic as their public image. The opening title track immediately contradicts that. The instrumentation is remarkably smooth, full of intricate relationships between the instruments, beautifully judged counterpoint and tremendous rhythmic precision. Then Shane MacGowan opens his mouth and the illusion of respectability disappears. But that's theatricality, not incompetence. Traditional Irish and Scottish music demands considerable technical discipline, something I've come to appreciate through visits to the far west of Scotland, where musical traditions are still passed between generations with enormous seriousness. The Pogues weren't introducing energy to some sedate old musical form. The energy was already there, supported by generations of diligent craft. Steve Lillywhite's contribution is to give that musicianship sufficient clarity and sheen to reach a mainstream audience without making the band sound remotely respectable. And what an audience they reached. It's astonishing to consider that this album contains "Fairytale of New York", a song that has become so thoroughly embedded in British Christmas culture that its absence from a supermarket or pub in December would almost be conspicuous. It's a near-perfect composition, a devastating portrait of a booze-soaked relationship in which two people know exactly how to hurt one another while somehow retaining their affection. Kirsty MacColl's performance is indispensable. She's not merely singing opposite MacGowan; she's acting with him. The two characters are equally convincing, equally flawed and extraordinarily human. Yet somehow, on this album, it isn't even the best song. The musical inventiveness elsewhere is breathtaking. "Turkish Song of the Damned" is a miniature Gothic drama, with MacGowan delivering its extraordinary narrative with surprisingly precise articulation. It finishes in a Celtic jig that continues for at least sixteen bars longer than it strictly needs to, apparently out of sheer exhilaration. But those extra bars have a purpose, carrying the momentum straight into "Bottle of Smoke", a gloriously disreputable tale of gambling success. MacGowan's performance is practically a patter song, an astonishing torrent of syllables punctuated by throat-shredding cries of excitement. I used to bellow along to that song as a student. "Fiesta", meanwhile, was liable to get you injured. Occasionally, an evening at the students' union in Kennel Block would develop into an after-hours party, and when "Fiesta" came on, people were thrown about with such enthusiasm that bruises were almost inevitable. Quite often they were mine. Even here, though, the apparent anarchy is meticulously constructed. Jem Finer's compositional imagination is extraordinary, and MacGowan's scurrilous Spanish-language excursion into band history and García Lorca is simultaneously gratuitous and indispensable. The false ending, the final explosion of musical mayhem and the way the whole thing runs down like a tired, underpowered clown car are comic orchestration of a remarkably high order. Perhaps the most revealing instrumental performance is "Metropolis". It has a sinister propulsion that reminds me of Lalo Schifrin's arrangements for Jimmy Smith's *The Cat*. At one point it seems to lurch from traditional Celtic music into something approaching cinematic jazz, before the two styles are superimposed upon one another. They don't merely alternate; they demonstrate their compatibility through counterpoint. The whole thing eventually fades into a glorious cacophony. This is music of extraordinary compositional intelligence, performed with enough discipline to make the collisions sound spontaneous. The traditional medley is almost a manifesto. "The Recruiting Sergeant" carries the historical anger of Irishmen being recruited to fight Britain's wars, before the music tumbles into "The Rocky Road to Dublin" and then "The Galway Races". The ferocity with which that final tune is attacked makes the connection with "Bottle of Smoke" unmistakable. The Pogues' exuberance and irreverence weren't corruptions of traditional music. They were already present in it. And then comes the political conscience of the second half, "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six". Terry Woods begins with a lament before MacGowan weaponises the cadences of Irish folk to express utter disgust and anger. In 1988, the men were still imprisoned. The injustice was unresolved, and brilliantly, so is the music. The final accordion passage sounds like a prisoner's harmonica, a lonely lament after the collective fury. I remember discussing the Birmingham Six in 2009 with a former West Midlands police officer I worked alongside in Nottingham. He suggested quite casually that the police had probably done everyone a favour by taking the men off the streets, because they were probably guilty of something. The disregard for justice was appalling, but so too was the implication about the Irish diaspora. Eighteen years after the convictions were overturned, here was somebody still prepared to rationalise those imprisonments. It was an unpleasant reminder of why MacGowan's anger mattered. His range as a songwriter is another of the album's great achievements. Three consecutive solo compositions move from the tenderness of "Lullaby of London" to the Gothic nightmare of "Sit Down by the Fire", with its exhilarating verbal torrents and magnificently profane bedtime dismissal, before arriving at "The Broad Majestic Shannon". Here MacGowan becomes a generous, good-natured poet. It's almost as though the bitter, embattled romantic of "Fairytale of New York" has finally made peace with his memories. But the song that towers above everything else for me is Philip Chevron's "Thousands Are Sailing". It's an extraordinarily beautiful account of Irish emigration, and it still reduces me to tears. It did so again this morning, to the point where I was struggling to get the words out. The song confronts the desperate circumstances in which people crossed the Atlantic, often aboard overcrowded ships on appalling voyages, chasing the promise of a better life. Some never survived to see the country they had placed their hopes in. That thought devastates me every time. These weren't historical statistics. They were individual people, each with an imagined future, some of whom never got the opportunity to begin it. Yet Chevron keeps returning to music and dancing, to the cultural threads that survive migration and connect generations. There's tremendous elegance in the composition, and an underlying hope that never quite becomes naïve. I loved this song long before emigrating to North America myself. Living there gave it another dimension, although my circumstances were obviously nothing like those of the people Chevron describes. What remains deeply affecting is the idea of America as a place where reinvention is possible. That's a sentimental and necessarily partial view of the country, but the song isn't attempting a comprehensive judgement of American society. It's about emigration, about the courage to leave and the possibility of beginning again. And there's something especially moving about the fact that people can reinvent their lives without necessarily abandoning who they were. I've carried many feelings about America through my life, not all of them reconcilable, and this song has room for them. Its emotional force has increased rather than diminished with experience. Not once in nearly four decades has it become ordinary. After all this musical ambition, political anger, heartbreak and celebration, the album finally concludes with "Worms", a wheezing, macabre little joke about mortality. The Pogues have taken us through almost every imaginable aspect of human existence, only to remind us that we're all going to end up as worm food. Of course they have. It's a splendid ending. What struck me most on returning to the album was how much of its greatness resides in the arrangements, the musicianship and the sheer intelligence of its construction. The public image of drunken chaos is entertaining enough, but it doesn't begin to explain what's actually happening in these recordings. And that sophistication never comes at the expense of humanity. This is music intended to be sung, danced to, argued with, laughed at and occasionally wept over. It engages with the world rather than withdrawing from it. I bought it as a student and have lived with it for most of my adult life. It can still make me laugh out loud, remember the bruises of my youth, feel genuine political anger and weep uncontrollably over the fate of people who crossed an ocean long before I was born. That's quite an achievement for any record. This one is a masterpiece.

I like Rum Sodomy better but this is excellent as well. Plus a few songs from the Dubliners. Not just one note but different styles and moods.

Fun and energetic. 5/5

Another review referred to this album as "far too much diddly dee." by I found it to be just the right amount of diddly dee for me. A load of fun that I'm sure would be an absolute blast live (in a tradition that bands like the Bastard Bearded Irishmen are keeping alive and well), this one had me ready to pack my bags for Ireland (or at the very least commit to attending next year's Dayton Celtic Festival). filled with rowdy, rambunctious fun, and with just the right amount of punkish fist shaking, it's a easy 4/5 that I'll no doubt return to and may increase in time.

Ni me puedo imaginar un solo momento en el que sea la vibra escuchar esto

4.5 Damn drunken pirates from Irland in my ears...

like the Christmas song.

This album is only slightly better than Rum, Sodomy & the Lash, but I just can't get into this style of music. It's much too repetitive and samey. The instrumentals are the best songs on here.

I liked this more than I thought I would, but still find it hard to take The Pogues seriously.

Good album

I'm going to Dublin next month, so I was excited to get this album. Too many songs sound the same too me, which is a me issue, so not much really stood out, but overall it was a fine time. I probably won't return except when in Ireland.

Nope. That one Dropkick Murphys song is enough accordion for the entire lifespan of humanity.

Good album.

Well if it isn't the CEOs of wankers themselves. Amazing that they're able to sing with a microphone stuck up that far up their noses

I certainly liked this more than the big modern celtic-punk bands like "Flogging Molly," but ultimately it all sounds very similar to me.

Maybe it’s because I was listening to the extended version but man, I was just waiting for this album to end. It was enjoyable for about three songs and then it was just repetitive uninteresting. I wish I liked it.

Fun lil album but not my thing

This record is just too eclectic for me to say anything clear about it.

Absolutely terrific. Really good blend of 'Boston Irish' celtic folk and traditional irish folk

A delightful time.

Leprechaun music

unexpectedly fun

I'll admit I'm partial to The Pogues, as I've always been a fan. Their energy is through the roof, and their blend of folk and punk is truly unique. Sure, they're something of a one-trick pony, but so what ? They do that one trick perfectly. And there's actually far more diversity in this album than it seems at first - from raucous drinking songs to melancholic ballads, there's something for everyone here. It features some of my favourite Pogues songs, like Turkish Song of the Damned, Bottle of Smoke and Irish Rover (in the extended version). Yes, it's pub music. But it's *fantastic* pub music, and I'd rather listen to this twice in a row than sit through yet another sophisticated, delicately crafted soft rock album that sounds like a million others and bores me to death after a couple of songs. And to the haters who argue that this should stay in the pub, I'll say this : music has been played in taverns, glades and temples since the dawn of time, long before the sacrosanct concept of the "album" was ever invented. Historically speaking, the polished, studio-produced album format is an anomaly. Music is meant to be alive, and there's nothing wrong with certain kinds of music being tied to a particular moment, place or occasion. In this case, it's perfect music for : going on a pub crawl, starting a bar brawl with Dwarves because you made fun of their beards, getting a weird tattoo you'll later regret, chasing a Leprechaun down the harbour to steal his gold, getting into another bar brawl someone else started, throwing empty bottles at the constabulary, being chased by a Leprechaun who wants his gold back, and ordering another round of whiskey with money you don't have. Or whatever your own idea of a great night out is ! 7/10

Beacause it's the Pogues! because I lisneted to this album (and Rum Sodomy) countless time, because Shane MacGowan was a great songwriter, because it's raw, because it's a cliché to hear "Fairy tale of NY" in an American New England city cop's wake in an Irish pub in film and series...

I’ve never been a big fan of The Pogues, always seeing them mainly as a drinking band. But I have to admit, after the last few bland, generic albums with little personality, they sound surprisingly great to me this morning. Especially considering the year this came out and how almost anachronistic their music must have sounded at the time. At least these guys have a real identity, plenty of character, and an infectious energy.

Fuck it were taking the six counties with this one Favorite song: Thousands are Sailing

I liked this one more than I expected. Fairytale of New York and Fiesta are standouts for me. It's a fun album. I don't think it's going to be in rotation but a couple of songs make the playlist.

The Pogues were, for a time, the favourite band of my best friend at university, so I have very fond memories of them and listened to them a lot back then. This one and Rum, Sodomy and the Lash were my favourites. Thousands Are Sailing can still make me tearful after a few whiskies. The album is very front-loaded, though. Fairytale of New York is obviously a brilliant song and record, appropriate at any time of the year and not diminished by having heard it a million times. The title track and Turkish Song of the Damned are great fun, and Bottle of Smoke and Fiesta aren't far behind. Beyond that, it gets a little patchy. The Broad Majestic Shannon is the best song in the second half, simply because it's a slight rewrite of Fairytale with worse lyrics. That's not actually a bad strike rate for an album, but perhaps it could have been sequenced better, so you aren't left with the feeling that they ran out of ideas halfway through.

Great songs from start to finish.

Easiest 5 stars I've given to a record so far, I think. Fairytale of New York is one of the few love songs I can take seriously. I can feel that song in my bones. "Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you" is the most heart-breakingly romantic lyric I've ever heard. The line delivery and how gently forlorn it sounds is essential, it would be so easy for that song to become maudlin but I believe it 100% because of the strength of the singing. Thousands are Sailing is another standout. I love the line "Where ever we go we celebrate, the land that makes us refugees". My parents are immigrants who talk up the 'home country' a lot and I always think, 'if it's so great there then why did you leave?' And I think that touches on what makes this song and this album so great. It's so specific to a culture and place but touches on themes that are universal. I'm not Irish in the slightest but that song speaks to me deeply. It is such a joyous album, and I think if you don't crack a smile while listening to it there's something wrong with you. (Now that I think about it, for a band that never made it big in America they sure have a lot of songs about America.)

# Album Name: If I Should Fall From Grace With God # Artist: The Pogues # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Good album, some of the best of the pogues on here. Shame the record was a touch too long. Cutting it down to 10-12 songs would have been better. It draws out in the middle a bit. # Top Tunes: If I Should Fall From Grace With God / Turkish song / bottle of smoke / fairytale / Thousands are sailing / The irish rover # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Very Irish.

I'm sure they're amazing live but that just felt flat and forced

eh

irish bluegrass? a number of fun songs, not my vibe for the most part. still a decent album

Why did this have elements of Spanish. I thought I would like this but liked it more than I thought I would.

The Pogues are a special, classic symptom of creativity. Style and sound is unique and if you're in the mood, it really gives you a kick!

Lots of cool songs from a genre that I wasn't really aware of. Gunna re-listen to a few at the gym today and start a playlist from this project. Was a little tired of the style by the end of the album though.

Бодренько, почти везде с разгульными ирландскими нотками, едется под это легко

I really enjoyed this. Lots of variety and outside influence to the diddly diddlies.

Probably a 4.5, but it had such character I'll give it 5.

Not a fan of the tempo or how much is going on in most of the songs. Fairytale of New York is a banger though, it’s just not Xmas yet

"Metropolis" and tracks eight and nine had me feeling like a jolly farmer in the 1800s... 🧑‍🌾💗 I also track 11.. The second track put me in the shoes of an eastern Mediterranean trader 😄 and "Fiesta" made me feel like I'm celebrating my quinceañera. Whopeeee (≧∇≦) My favorite songs are the instrumental ones. ❁ The vocals are a bit silly, but they put a smile on my face... "Fairytale of New York" is a very strange song Yay lots of fun I like it thank you 💕

Loistava albumi mutta liian pitkä. Loistavia biisejä mutta tunti tällaista musaa käy vähän puuduttamaan. Pituudesta siis lähinnä putoaa yksi tähti. Vähemmän olisi tässä tapauksessa enemmän. 4/5

A nice change up......fun music to listen and tap along to.

First half: Man, Ireland sounds fun! Second half: Man, Ireland sounds depressing.

Irish attractions love to play Thousands Are Sailing anytime you are doing anything maritime related in Ireland. On repeat. Endlessly. Struggled with this album a lot years ago but one day it all locked into place. Shane's voice being this garbled register that can nevertheless hit different registers over an incredible backing band is a great bit but it's the songwriting that brings it home.

I feel like im in a pirate tavern. Very folky, reminds me of my local music so that definitely helps with the charm. The songs can blend into each other but there is enough variety for it to not become too overbearing. Especially when it starts sounding latin or jazzy which was quite surprising to me.

Didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did

The Pogues are a band I want to love, and I do – in short bursts. There a some truly great songs here, but over the course of a whole album, I find it a bit wearying.

Love some good Irish music! Great instrumentation, but it is pretty long, could have easily been split into 2 albums. The first half of the album was good but becomes bit of a drag after that.

Again with the f word. Sure it was the style at the time but we don’t need to celebrate it any more.

A brilliant album from this Irish band. Shane MacGowan, one of the worlds best songwriters, is at the peak of his game on this album and his drunken ramshackle vocals add a whiskybarrell full of authenticity to the jumping punk-folk of the band and changed Christmasses forever. Cheers!

On phenomenal song and the rest of the album isn’t bad at all. Not really my thing but they are interesting.

Mad decision to put the Christmas song on the album.

A bit more polished than their other album, for better or worse, still a lively and joyful band it's hard not to enjoy listening to

Probably 4.5 but. I love this record

I love a lot of this album.

A damn fine album. It does feel a bit weird to listen to it without drinking whisky, but it holds up after all these years. The Pogues are a treasure, and Fairytale of New York is one of the best Christmas songs of all time.

Raucous good time. Fairytale in NY is a classic! Love Shane Macgowan’s gravelly voice. I just want go to a pub and drink Guinness and party. Will say that I may like the album “Peace and Love” better overall, but detracts nothing from this one.

A masterpiece! Their blend of Celtic and punk is fully realized with the addition of Spanish and folk influences.

Definitely was not expecting this mash up, but I dig it the punk and jig.

Still a rollicking good time.

not for me

Album #234: The Pogues – If I Should Fall from Grace with God ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Despite being Irish, I’m not much of a jig and reel man. But I do have a big appreciation for the Pogues, despite them not really being my kind of thing. For one, I think Shane MacGowan was an incredible lyricist. Nick Cave called him one of the best songwriters of his generation, and if you look at songs like A Pair of Brown Eyes, Rainy Night in Soho and the incredibly overplayed Fairytale of New York, you can see why. So poetic, and capable of writing a line that just cuts you deep. You wouldn’t think it to look at him, particularly during the peak of the Pogues’ popularity, that this guy could write some of the most tender, beautiful love songs. And this album has a few of them. I’ll get the bad stuff out of the way first, or at least the stuff that doesn’t work for me personally. The album covers a few different styles. There’s polka, some Turkish influences, and Fiesta, which, to be fair, is a bit of a bop. But some of that stuff just doesn’t do it for me. It feels like a great display of the band’s musicianship, which is stellar, but it can also feel a little gimmicky. The positives are that some of these songs are just unbelievable. Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six is incredibly powerful. I can see why it was controversial at the time, but fuck them. MacGowan was right, and it was only a few years before those people were exonerated. An incredibly powerful song for the time it was released. Then there’s the gorgeous The Broad Majestic Shannon, which feels like the true closer, even though Worms technically finishes the album. I actually quite like Worms. It reminds me of something Tom Waits might do, with that goofy, creepy old-uncle sound. But it’s the high drama that really gets me. The Pogues were capable of writing incredibly dramatic songs, and I don’t think there’s a better example here than Thousands Are Sailing. I thought it was another incredible Shane MacGowan song, so I was genuinely surprised to discover it was written by Philip Chevron, the band’s guitarist. The songwriting is really shared amongst the band, and Chevron wrote a great, great song there. It’s so powerful, and so true. Look, I probably prefer Rum Sodomy & the Lash to this, but both albums have amazing songs on them. If you’re not into the traditional Irish elements of the music, I completely understand that. I’m much the same. But if you strip that stuff away and really listen to what these songs are, they’re full of beautiful chord progressions, beautiful melodies and high drama. Some of these original songs sound as old as the hills, as though they’ve always existed as traditional songs. And I always love a songwriter who can achieve that feat, because it’s not easy to do. But the Pogues do it here. A great album. Strong four.

Can’t say I was in the mood for punk rock sea shanties. I see the appeal, but I couldn’t really stand it for more than 5 minutes.

Blir mettet temmelig raskt.

Ingen tvil om ka høydepunktet e. E egentlig ikke helt i mi gate, men kan ikke nekte for at de e sjarmerende. Elske Worms, fantastisk punktum for albumet. Hmm.. Snill firer eller streng treer? Snill firer. OBS! Masse ekstra spor på Spotify.

Inte alls min smak. Svag 2a.

Frejdigt, alkoholiserat och omöjligt att värja sig från. 3,8/5

Blivit episkt hjärntvättad så vet inte riktigt om jag älskar eller hatar. Sjukt kul på nyutgåvan när dom kör några med dubliners, så läppar man. Det är iaf fett äkta!

En fyra bara för att jag gillar det så mycket även fast det kanske är en stark trea. Ja, ja Shane McGowan var otrolig. Rip

The Celtic tunes with some punk flair work really well. Fairytale of New York is one of the greatest Christmas tracks of all time. You can argue that Worms can slide onto a Halloween playlist as well. I like the Pogues but album loses a bit of steam in the second half, feel as though this would be a better record at 45mins but at over an hour I lost interest. 3 stars

I prefer Rum Sodomy and the Lash, but this is still an all time great album.

This sounds like we're saying goodbye to McNulty and the rest of the homicide dpt. in the Baltimore PD, a song for each, enough time to bid farewell to Bunk, Landsman, Freeman, Norris, the guy Bunk convinced to look at the evidence again, Greggs... I tried, but I could only muster 6 from memory

Celtic/folk punk is always a good time. Really enjoyed this one, especially with its more adventurous sounds compared to Rum Sodomy & the Lash (Although I do think Rum is a more consistent albums). Just sad I won't be getting more Pogues from the generator in the future.

I haven't really been a fan of the English or Irish folk music albums so far, but I really like this. It's upbeat, catchy and spirited with enough musical diversity to stay interesting. The only downside I'm seeing is in some of the lyrics that haven't aged well... and as charming as the accordion and penny whistle are, the music suffers a bit from the lack of diversity in timbre. But I'd definitely give this another spin in the future.

As much as I loved Ireland, I can only really see myself listening to this if I were there. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s just not something I’m going to put on. I appreciate it though, there’s tons of energy and good musicianship, I undoubtedly understand the appeal. Unfortunate that the best track is the one with the slur included for the story, similarly to Money for Nothing. Both uses aren’t intended to be malicious, but it does make it even harder to return to. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Fairtytale of New York, Title Track

I think that in the right mood I would have really enjoyed this. Intrigued enough to try another day.

Not my thing but seemed very Celtic and was actually fun to listen to!

A bunch of classic songs on this one... Great album. Rating: 7/10

Probably good if you're in an Irish pub in the 80's

Not a huge Pogues fan. Was ok.

Was so much fun!!! I loved it can’t listen to it all the time but I’m a sucker for music like this

I like the sound of the Pogues, even though most songs have a Christmassy vibe because of Fairytale of New York :D

Classic. Pretty much can't go wrong with modern takes on Irish folk music

Weirdly christmassy

Good old Pogues!

I fucking love stout

2.5 - ok if you’re into this type of music

It’s fine kinda reminds me of Sea Shanties. Not my style, it all bleeds into each other. 2.5 ( closer to 2) Maybe it would grow on me and like some tracks but honestly it’s not my style at all. Couple moments are good but I REALLY don’t like Sea Shanties ,even if this isn’t quite that. ITS ALSO JUST WAY TO LONG I Need 6 Guinness in me to love this album “Lullaby Of London” & “Turkish Song Of The Damned” are Stand Out Tracks I’m Honestly giving it a 2.5 on merit alone, for me personally it’s a 1. I won’t do it dirty since it’s played well and for someone else this is their thing.

The overall sound is enjoyable, but it mostly feels like the same song over and over.

There is some folk music I don’t mind but I’m not a fan of this album personally. A little hard to get through for me

A crackin' good time

probably doesn't deserve 1 star but I disliked it. Folk-punk didn't work in this and sounded a bit too irish

last time i had a pogues album on this thing, i had a hangover. now im just scared

This album sounds like a good night at a chaotic Irish bar, with an excellent Christmas song thrown in for good measure. I grew to dislike that song due to being tired of all the discourse popping up every winter whether or not the slur should be sung or not, but hearing it today reminded that it is a great song. This could have benefited from being 10-15 minutes shorter as the style does wear thin, even when they do mix up the sound. They take influence from Turkish and Spanish music on "Turkish Song Of The Damned" and "Fiesta" and they are implemented well into their rowdy Celtic playing. This is the type of music that will make you feel proud to be Irish, regardless of your roots!

I smile and move!!!

If I Should Fall From Grace With God - The Pogues (1988) Love these guys so much. Considered giving them 5 stars but I'm keeping it for Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. Fave: Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six, Worms, pretty much every track ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7.75/10

I worked with someone who was quite obsessed with The Pogues. And I just don't see it. They aren't bad, but not good enough to obsess over. My leg was tapping the whole time listening to this album though, so I guess deep down some part of me liked this.