I enjoyed the album about an average amount. For me, there were no tracks that I was eager to return to (although I did appreciate the Lenny name drop in "It's The End of the World as We Know It", the standout track of the record) but I can understand why it was influential and successful. Likely won't keep it in my rotation but it was a good way to start of my listening journey :)
To me, one of the key parts of the album is the cover art. It's striking and atmospheric and sets up the tone for the next hour of music. Now going into the music itself, I honestly have a difficult time forming opinions on an album just by listening to it only one time, but I imagine that the more I do this, the more decisive I will become. For this album specifically, it had more moments that stood out to me than my first album from yesterday. Overall, it is very consistent and cohesive, with some moments of contrast. Though I will say, on the tracks when the instrumentation is more stripped back and White is singing, I am not the biggest fan of his vocal delivery but that didn't necessarily take away from the overall musical experience. I enjoyed the touch of petal steel guitar in "I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mothers Heart", which stood out in the wall of mostly homogeneous grunge-y rock sound. They know who they are and what sound they are trying to deliver to their audience, which I assume they also know quite well. Since the rating system does not include half stars, I'm not quite sure how I want to rate this. If I could, I would rate this a 3 1/2 stars but I'll round it up to a 4 since it was a good listen overall and would recommend this to people looking to find more music within this genre.
This ate!!! Like I have no ability to think and write an actual review right at this moment but it's a 5/5 for me. With what brain power I do have left though, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised, considering that this typically isn't my fav genre. The guitar composition was fantastic because there was always something that the listener could discover within the rich texture. There is purpose behind the instrumentation, and there is a destination. Again, absolutely loved it!!!
I think I listened to this album in its entirety in February of this year, but was already familiar with some of the songs ("With a Little Help...", "Lucy in the Sky...", "Getting Better") from my childhood. After that initial listen through, I fell in love with "She's Leaving Home", its soaring melody magical and memorable to the ears, and was reminded why my dad loves "A Day In The Life" so much, especially with that piano chord at the end. This time listening to it, I was able to hear so much more and appreciate what this album had and still continues to offer. I realized that I love "Fixing a Hole", "Lovely Rita", and "When I'm Sixty Four", even though I wouldn't be surprised to learn that people are not the biggest fan of that song. The difference between me and the haters is that I'm not living a miserable existence!! Anyways, moving on to la pièce de résistance: "A Day In The Life". Whenever I listen to it, no matter how many times I do, I still find my breath trapped in my throat for that brief moment of respite between the cacophony and the following crashing wave of resolution that feels like it could accompany the end of the world. (Dramatic much? Maybe so, but what I do know is that this album is absolutely fantastic.)
If I am going to be so honest, this was a hard one to get through. It sounds a bit too much like what would play in a movie while the main protagonist is in a bar after going to a trucker derby :((
I don’t have much time or mental energy to write this review, but I will say that while I understand why this album was such a big deal, it’s just not for me.
I see that this album is not very popular and do I think that this album is a masterpiece? No, not at all. However, I felt it to be kind of tongue and cheek at times which I appreciated and I'll admit that it was an entertaining listen. You know, I really loved the ending of "I'm All You Need" and I was a big fan of the horse element. Really added another level of charm. I've already said this but I really wish there were half star ratings because I would give this a 3 1/2 stars but I'm tired and don't have much time to think so I'll round it up to a 4 because life is short and I have no time to be a hater!
First off, I'm in love with the album cover. It's so beautiful and if I came across this record in a store without knowing anything about the band, I would immediately be interested in it because of the artwork. I feel like it evokes the same feeling that the music does, especially the feeling of the more mellow tracks like "Expecting to Fly" and "Sad Memory". I can imagine sitting on the landing staring off into that endless water listening to those tracks. I will say that I felt like those slower, more contemplative songs, including "Everydays", stood out more and contributed more appropriately to the atmosphere. The simple vocals and instrumentation were quite lovely. Some of the other tracks didn't necessarily stand out (even though I'm sure I'll pick up on more nuances over time) but I don't think that always needs to be the goal. Sometimes you just need a simple yet enjoyable album like this.
