Which in and of itself is an intriguing response.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 13 December 2023 03:56 (four months ago) link
is there like a dark and light album im afraid to get involved
― digital chirping and whirring (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 13 December 2023 04:01 (four months ago) link
I didn't get much out of the singles as they were released, but spending time with the album as a whole, I've come to look past some of the PG-in-a-can grooves and melodies and enjoy it for what it is. His late albums (from Ovo onwards) are a different beast from what came before, slower, more reflective, less experimental, more focused on the message than on chasing exciting sounds. I also think his self-production (or "perfectionism") tends to bury the musicians in murk. But accepting all that, his voice is still great, and some of these songs have grown on me: Four Horses, Love Can Heal, even This is Home.
― dinnerboat, Wednesday, 13 December 2023 14:55 (four months ago) link
I really like that you can hear a lot of live Manu this time as opposed to the loop-heavy stuff
― The SoyBoy West Coast (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 13 December 2023 17:05 (four months ago) link
was not expecting "road to joy" to sound so scritti politti
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 08:32 (four months ago) link
this is such a 90s-album-by-80s-star album
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 09:12 (four months ago) link
it's definitely better than i expected, though inconsistent and the tracks tend towards being longer than they need to be (though that's long been the case with him). very possibly his best in over 30 years regardless
truly do not understand the point of the two mixes and the release strategy didn't do him any favours
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 09:48 (four months ago) link
― ufo, Thursday, December 14, 2023 4:12 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
love this record but will begrudgingly admit that this is otm
― Paul Ponzi, Thursday, 14 December 2023 12:51 (four months ago) link
^^this
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 14 December 2023 13:02 (four months ago) link
it's like exactly the album he would have put out in 1997 or so
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 13:07 (four months ago) link
other things "road to joy" reminds me of: music from the spyro games, nine inch nails in a major key
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 13:30 (four months ago) link
"i'm afraid of americans"
― ufo, Thursday, 14 December 2023 13:33 (four months ago) link
There are a few songs on this album that definitely echo other Peter Gabriel records, or at least the last two. Again, probably because he reportedly started this one in 1995! As early as 2000 Gabriel was saying that "i/o" was supposed to be a quick follow-up to "Up."
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 14 December 2023 14:01 (four months ago) link
Especially interesting because Up came out in 2002.
― stuffing your suit pockets with cold, stale chicken tende (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 December 2023 14:31 (four months ago) link
Yeah. People forget, Up came 10 years after Us, and people were complaining that *that* one was taking too long!
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 14 December 2023 14:33 (four months ago) link
i think i slightly prefer the dark-side mixes but not enough to justify the gimmick.
― kissinger on my list (voodoo chili), Thursday, 14 December 2023 14:40 (four months ago) link
I'm just glad he didn't release it as this:
https://www.stemplayer.com
― dinnerboat, Thursday, 14 December 2023 14:48 (four months ago) link
wish it were a little weirder maybe, but this album is good! it's also poppier than I expected: I can remember many of the choruses after two listens
― Vinnie, Saturday, 16 December 2023 13:16 (four months ago) link
As fairly casual fan (I listened to So a lot when I was 8, and that’s about it) the songs here seem more interesting and accessible than anything else I’ve heard post-So
I’m not sure I get the “90s record” reference - it sounds more like a sheen-y 2010s album to me. It’s missing that “someone’s just heard NIN for the first time” vibe
― Chuck_Tatum, Saturday, 16 December 2023 15:07 (four months ago) link