as interesting and innovative as it is tedious and traditional.
certainly didn't hate it but wanted to skip most songs about half way through, no matter how "intricate," i think their ingredients simply don't suit my taste.
talented musicians, i do like the singer's voice, but the vocal melodies are quite limited (even though the singer has a very unique range)
and i do love the drama and size, but the flavors don't land.
The drumming is exuberant but doesnt quite move me.
the guitar is pretty generic outside of solos and i'm not crazy about the tone. probably has to do too much lifting.
i like the synth work and patches and textures on the album, plus the sound effects.
perhaps it's a good example of what differentiates prog rock from jazz fusion maybe? even though it sounds like it should be the same thing?
not bad, not for me.
vital signs and witch hunt were nice surprise songs
crying from the first notes
we had this album around the house and in the car growing up
reminds me of driving around with my dad
haven't listened in truly decades but it's very burned into my brain
revisiting as an adult is so nice
it feels like it captures a wide stretch of human emotion and experience in fine detail
and while it is so deeply sincere, it still feels cool and surprising and neither easy, boring, or obvious
love his voice, delivery, the arrangements and overall production
not their best, some hits for sure but i feel like some 1st drafts made it to the album that needed more work, such as the title track.
apart from the ethical conversation, they are better when they are sticking closer to reggae, but still sound like a typical young rock band for most of the album. but they are their best when they are being more experimental and not strictly 'rock' or 'rocksteady'
its ok
i have warm opinions of them due to nostalgia and how much i enjoyed their first 2 albums. this one is certainly solid, a good first half and a better back half. might not reach to this album again, but it's not bad.
it was a nice reminder to check back in with them: they have a really fascinating children's album, and their dubby covers album from 2017 is nice!
once i asked a friend who worked at a record store if he himself bought anything recently he was excited about and he said 'the gun club' so i was curious about this band but just forgot to ever look them up for 7 years in a row.
i think if i heard this in high school and before i ever heard The Fall i would probably be really into it. in the present i am not sure where rock music fits into my life at all. but i cant hold that against them. likely fun to hear on a jukebox at a burger bar.
nice sound fun approach and good dynamics for a style that is very 'point in one direction and keep going'
speaking of The Fall: fairly jarring use of the n-word (if i didn't just mishear)
got rear ended by a pickup truck at high speeds on the 610 loop and almost died listening to this cd back when it came out
5 stars
such a pleasant surprise!
listened on a walk around dusk on the first truly cold day of the year after a weekend trip to attend a wedding and this felt like exactly the right album for the moment
really beautiful album with fascinating production and arrangements, great balance of folk and electronic instruments, never too sweet or too cynical, and just very cool melodies and progressions
definitely worth the listen
already an incredibly important album to me
a special human achievement
a hundred stars
the voice and delivery will never sit right with me but i don't want to hold it against the whole expression
