my roommates are all gone so i listened to this on our big speakers, and dang -- i might've thrown my ps3 out of my living room window at one point
i love that this is such a formless album -- if i never saw it broken down on itunes i'd have a tough time figuring out what the tracks are -- it's like moments of triumph and calls to arms amongst a bunch of sprawling, growling mess and that really feels right
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Monday, 29 March 2010 07:04 (fourteen years ago) link
so on "the battle of hampton roads" it hit me that he is driving the fuck away from her flooring it screaming out of boston back to jersey and as he's driving he starts howling "please don't ever leave"
fuck
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 30 March 2010 03:10 (fourteen years ago) link
word -- i listened to this str8 thru in the car -- some real shit
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 30 March 2010 03:14 (fourteen years ago) link
ok so hey y'all
Saw this band rock the fuck out in a house party basement setting just now. Real nice folks with a great tight vibe. I heard a little bit of Springsteen maybe, but a lot more Mekons circa Rock & Roll with a dash of Fugazi sweaty group mindmeld. Lotsa anthemic chord progressions, and the electric violin also really recalls Mekons stuff. Great moments with three gtr players all hammering some simple 3-or-4-chord thing, several times I could have listened to them keep it up for ten minutes (usually it was over in 1 or 2). Typical basement PA garbage meant most of the vocals were lost, but the passion shone through loud and clear.
Also, they sounded nothing at all like Bright Eyes, who I have seen as well.
Conclusion: all hype is deserved.
― sleeve, Tuesday, 30 March 2010 06:44 (fourteen years ago) link
It is important in this life to sound nothing at all like Bright Eyes.
― Brad Nelson (BradNelson), Tuesday, 30 March 2010 08:22 (fourteen years ago) link
it's more the vocals that do remind me a lot of earlier bright eyes..i can ttly i.d. w/ that comparison, also i dont dislike bright eyes
lol'd at the line 'prepare to be told that shits gay dude'
beginning of 'to old friends and new' sounds like loving cup
2d half of this album is my fav
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 14:37 (fourteen years ago) link
The video reminds me of the Replacements and the Gaslight Anthem. Perhaps I will investigate further.
― Melvin van Osterlow, Jr. (res), Wednesday, 31 March 2010 16:09 (fourteen years ago) link
...though i gotta say i ain't feeling that beard
― Melvin van Osterlow, Jr. (res), Wednesday, 31 March 2010 16:10 (fourteen years ago) link
am listening to this...not bad at all
― j0rdslovesomedude (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 31 March 2010 16:10 (fourteen years ago) link
never heard of these dudes but yalls enthusiasm is contagious
― drink more beer and the doctor is a heghog (gbx), Wednesday, 31 March 2010 16:14 (fourteen years ago) link
i've been driving around looking at apartments all day just leaving hampton roads on repeat
when they go back in doubletime on "cause my enemy" i go the fuck OFF in my car
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 18:59 (fourteen years ago) link
motherfuckers at stoplights be like O_O
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 19:00 (fourteen years ago) link
motherfuckers behind keyboards be like :D
― k3vin k., Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:11 (fourteen years ago) link
really tho i havent been this happy about a rock album since like, gaslight anthem
― k3vin k., Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:12 (fourteen years ago) link
"IT's NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!" *sky falls*
― k3vin k., Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:35 (fourteen years ago) link
^slays me
can't be said enough.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:38 (fourteen years ago) link
incredible vocal doubletracking at the end of "four score and seven" - about halfway through the "it's still us against them!" chants the second voice becomes increasingly wearly, signifying for me this amazing detached sentiment saying basically "i'm getting fucking tired of this"
― k3vin k., Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:42 (fourteen years ago) link
weary*
― k3vin k., Wednesday, March 31, 2010 7:35 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― k3vin k., Wednesday, March 31, 2010 7:35 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark
yes -- this might be my fav moment on the whole album
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:56 (fourteen years ago) link
And I know it won't do much goodGetting drunk and sad and singingBut I'm at the end of my ropeAnd I feel like swinging
dope lyrics
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 00:59 (fourteen years ago) link
i've been thinking about this album a lot in the context of, like, sufjan's 'illinois'
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:00 (fourteen years ago) link
yessssssssssss i feel like swinging made me O_O when i got it
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:01 (fourteen years ago) link
and yeah like this is that rare record where it gets at me emotionally on a personal level and also is really Saying Something Important and also has really rich music that i can get all cerebral about and be like "man did you hear the way those horns went into counterpoint and do you feel the emotional resonance of that minor thing they're hitting"
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:04 (fourteen years ago) link
i think it would be so dope if they made a video for this song and it was like ""IT's NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!"" *fireworks" -- would be the most heroic shit ever
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:05 (fourteen years ago) link
like the horns in the leadup to the bagpipes on hampton roads fuckin KILL me
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:06 (fourteen years ago) link
xp yeah i think it's easy for the straight musicianship to get lost in how intentionally messy the album is -- something like "a pot in which to piss" builds so well, it doesn't rely on the monster solo as a crutch or anything & they don't introduce the pianos as signposts, it all really builds throughout the song
& something like "to old friends and new" has the same sort of release of tension as the songs w/ big solos even tho it doesn't have anything like that -- stickles is p much a genius tbh
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:09 (fourteen years ago) link
hoos, last night i realized that a dude shouting "gimme a whiskey!" over classic bar band riffage is the biggest hoosnip ever
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 April 2010 01:10 (fourteen years ago) link
lol otm
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 1 April 2010 05:12 (fourteen years ago) link
looking forward to my local getting this on the juke so i can jam out with overpriced jameson & coke
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 1 April 2010 05:13 (fourteen years ago) link
just bought this due to all the positive stuff I've heard. vocals definitely sound like a mix of Conor Oberst/Will Sheff.
― ksh, Friday, 2 April 2010 06:16 (fourteen years ago) link
ok i'm only as far as "you'll always be a loser" and it resonates, so
― drink more beer and the doctor is a heghog (gbx), Friday, 2 April 2010 23:30 (fourteen years ago) link
Smoking’s been okay so far, but I need something that works faster,So all I want for Christmas is no feelings, no feelings now and ever again
― k3vin k., Saturday, 3 April 2010 19:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Yes, I have surrendered what made me human and all that I thought was true,So now there’s a robot that lives in my brain and he tells me what to do.And I can do nothing without his permission or wasn’t part of the plan,So now in Rock Ridge pharmacy I will be waiting for my man.
^love the delivery here
― k3vin k., Saturday, 3 April 2010 19:47 (fourteen years ago) link
IF I CAME IN ON A DONKEYI HOPE I'M GOIN OUT ON A GURNEY
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:33 (fourteen years ago) link
"theme from 'cheers'" is the song that has grown to knock me out once i've got accustomed to all of the heart-exploding solos & stuff
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:36 (fourteen years ago) link
So let's get fucked up, and let's pretend we're all okay.And if you've got something that you can't live with,Save it for another day, all right?Save it for another day.
i mean, let's get it imo
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:37 (fourteen years ago) link
it's just, maybe i haven't listened to my fair share of anthemic rock music or w/e, but this album comes off as some raggedy, stream of conscious gut spilling, but it's such a well orchestrated album -- every song is long for a reason and pays off every single time & all of them have great musical moments, & as much as i love the last album, this album def strikes me as the work of a dude who is a super talented musician with as many good ideas as the touted indie bigwigs
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:41 (fourteen years ago) link
like, "to old friends and new" shows that he doesn't have to resort to the heart-exploding solos to have a payoff that's affecting & cathartic -- in fact, the rising guitar squall + horns in the middle of that song probably hit harder than the solos & guitar codas depending on what mood you're in, and it's a very restrained and beautiful climax (not to mention the sing along) that really stands out amongst the rest of the songs
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:47 (fourteen years ago) link
i'm also super glad that they had the wherewithal to do the whole cheesy sax solo + piano solo routine on "...and ever"
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:49 (fourteen years ago) link
i haven't been this glad at a decent # of ilxors really taking to an album in a long time
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:50 (fourteen years ago) link
i would like to personally apologize to patrick stickles for being too broke to purchase your album
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:51 (fourteen years ago) link
i need to see this album played straight through live, preferably w/ big hoos doing slam poetry as the opener tbrr
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:57 (fourteen years ago) link
i can't tell if i would try and mosh during the climax of "battle of hampton roads" or if i would just collapse into someone's arms
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 07:59 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22fucking+bagpipes%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 08:01 (fourteen years ago) link
my mans here has really good quality live video here http://www.youtube.com/user/ZacMagnum
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 08:03 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U52u-UtWd1Y&feature=related
― jihad mane (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 4 April 2010 08:04 (fourteen years ago) link
kinda disappointed this dude has a beard tbch
― k3vin k., Sunday, 4 April 2010 17:39 (fourteen years ago) link
idk tbh i get that a dude has to play it safe with his voice while on tour cause he has 4 billion songs to sing but imo without the unhinged ott delivery that song is not as fun to me?
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 4 April 2010 18:24 (fourteen years ago) link
also was not expecting that spoken voice to go with that singing voice