1001 Albums Summary

I heard Bittersweet Symphony all the time growing up, but never anything else off of this album. Overall I thought it was pretty boring, although a variation of the motif from Bittersweet appearing in the bassline of Catching the Butterfly was interesting & fun.

While I did not enjoy the heavy melancholy of the album and it took me several tracks to warm up to his vocal style, the instrumentation and production of the album is why I don't rate it lower than 3/5. It seems like the first half of the album features a different 'non-standard' instrument in each track...orchestral strings, trumpet, sax, piano, tenors, flute. The acoustic nature of the album elevates these instruments to be the highlight of each song. The standard guitar & bass compliment both these and his vocals, but give each unique instrument room to shine. I particularly loves the tracks without vocals, and would happily listen to an entire instrumental album of this style.

This genre of music isn't really my style anymore, but I am rating based on what it is instead of my personal preferences. This record is the definition of its genre and perfectly embodies the angst of the early 2000's. If I had found this during my middle school days, I might still be throwing it on occasionally

Okay I was expecting to dislike this record but I actually loved it. The story-telling is incredible, and the instrumentals are top-tier.