Nothing quite like a crowd during the intro. Sets up a bit of a "live" aesthetic. The long instrumental section changed Re-Make/Re-Model from a generic 70s rock song to a genuine experience. Loved the way the drums concluded the song.
Ladytron is musical ASMR for 2 and a half minutes before the guitars and brass decide to be the main character. They might be a bit too loud compared to the rest of the song, but it kinda made them hit harder. I'm also sensing a trend with this album. I wonder if every song will be 70% instrumental.
The theory holds strong. I sure hope I'm not supposed to process the sparse lyrics.
Virginia Plan is what people thought Rock and Roll was before Queen happened. By this point, I've accepted that I don't like the vocalist and also can't understand what bro is even saying in the first place. ALSO, THIS SONG JUST ENDS LIKE THAT??????? I wonder what not liking the most popular song on the album says about me...
I am starting to lose interest. The spunk that the first few tracks had is nowhere to be seen in 2HB.
The Bob is a 1970s Linkin Park song. Yeah, my enjoyment of this group seems to depend entirely on how often I hear the main vocals.
Yeah no. This album ping pongs between actually good music and The Beatles wannabes. When they show their instrumental prowess, the album is amazing. But every time it simmers down for the vocalist, I just want to rip my ears out of my sockets.
Upon checking the bio, it all makes sense now! I can absolutely feel the tug of war between Bryan and Brian. Brian Eno definitely has the better aged music sense, but I feel like this album could only sound this way with their conflicting musical ideals.
Going from "Old 70s album that nobody in my generation has ever heard of" to "Late 90s album that has plagued the previous and current generation of adults is quite jarring.
I am, unfortunately, not emo nor am I a millennial. So, a lot of the vibes in this album go over my head. That does not, however, mean I lack respect for the melodies and intent. I especially enjoy Electioneering, Exit Music, and The Tourist.
The rough sound of the 90s with the heavy synth tickles a part of my brain that makes me feel relaxed despite all the distortion and ambient(n't) samples sprinkled throughout the album.
As a whole, while it isn't the kind of music I listen to that much, it's a great set that resonates strongly with the last 3 tracks in the album.
I'm not too big on the album as a whole. Mainly just a genre thing. The vocals are nice and I love the instrument choices throughout the album. I just don't like it much.
But I do think "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" and "Prairie Fire That Wonders About" are pretty good. Some of the other songs are also Little Big Planet-core AF.
4 Songs in. If everything is as good as these first 3 tracks (I've heard Electric Feel before), this is gonna be an EASY 5 star.
Upon finishing the album, the back half kinda falls off. It's still alright, but I went from "every song is now in my likes" to "80%". Which means this is a perfect 4/5 in every shape of the name.
Gonna be real funny when I check the global average and discover that people hate this album or something.
Bodysnatchers, All I Need, and Jigsaw Falling Into Place were alright...
This album has a certain kind of air around it that I really like. It feels like Dylan was writing stories and a band decided to play music behind it. It presents with it a sense of familiarity and honesty that I don't get from most modern musicians. We're not singing about getting stoned with the bois. We're singing about GETTING STONED and wishing everybody else knew how it felt. I love that.
As for the negatives, it could just be due to me exclusively listening to music at max volume, but this album has some *really* abrasive backing at times. The harmonica in Pledging My Time and Temporary Like Achilles in particular could be turned down a few decibels and I'm confident my enjoyment of them would triple. A lot of the songs also feel very samey, which is a bit of a problem when it comes to a first listen.
In general, it's a pretty good album. Bonus points for having clear vocals too. I'm not really all that big on Dylan's voice, but I don't need to be in order to enjoy the songs in this album. It's pretty strange. I don't see myself willingly listening to this, but the album went down smoothly. I'd probably give it a perfect score if I was alive in the 60s but knowing what shows up within the next few years makes the occasionally wonky mixing too noticeable for me to give the album the score it would otherwise deserve.
Every band with "Dude's name & The Band" as their name hits the exact same. They're all goofy storytelling times with people who I'm confident aren't doing very well mentally. May their struggles be my solace.
Jessica Rabbit in the streets type beat.
