I am halfway through. I was gonna complain about the placement of two ballads back to back, Nebraska and Western Nights, but then realized that actually they are ALL ballads after American Teenager.
The production is just out of this world, and her delivery/lyricism combo has some really stunning (and uncomfortable) moments, but I am itching for something more upbeat (with the same dark aura) like American Teenager already.
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Album Rating: 5.0
ah just you wait
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Ok Ptolemaea and we just doom now, holy fuck
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Ok first full listen done, 1h and 15 minutes, with lyrics. Really powerful stuff.
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Album Rating: 5.0
Well this was disturbing...
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Album Rating: 4.0
“ neek, this is like if Lana Del Rey was darker and did slowcore and ethereal/darkwave”
Ok sold
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lol it's a bit more profound than that but yeah, it's a start.
Disturbing at times, it's the right word, but it's also many things more.
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Album Rating: 5.0
I have a few reservations with this, one of those being that I struggle with the choice to focus so much on reverb and echo. It isn't an approach I'm particularly drawn to. I don't think it needs more pop songs, just a heavier instrumental backbone because the times when the guitar cuts through and the instruments become more pronounced are breathtaking. Something more like PJ Harvey's White Chalk is what I *wanted* to hear. But there is something to this.
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Album Rating: 5.0
"previously I was sitting around a 4-ish, now I'm looking for a way to rate this higher than a 5" lol felt
"maybe when more folks have absorbed this I'll go haywire posting lyrical dissertations and explaining why all the albums that I once thought meant something now ring so fucking hollow compared to this fictional-yet-very-real tale of suffering tinged with just enough hope to prevent it from becoming a black void of utter depression" lol felt, i tried to not spoil too much of the story in the rev but it was hard
& thank you blush!! i'd love to read your thoughts on it as well
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"Something more like PJ Harvey's White Chalk is what I *wanted* to hear. "
I feel this a little, but god I love a good reverb lol
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Album Rating: 5.0
That said, I'm realizing by the time "Thoroughfare" comes on (what a song) I'm completely absorbed in what this is doing. Those last five songs pack an immense wallop.
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Album Rating: 3.5
Will need a closer listen to clear some shit out. Cool stuff indeed
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Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
Loving seeing folks’ initial reactions.
I was gonna complain about the placement of two ballads back to back, Nebraska and Western Nights
I love those two like that, it really works to set up the atmosphere of the rest of the album after “American Teenager” kind of wrong-foots you (cleverly so).
I have a few reservations with this, one of those being that I struggle with the choice to focus so much on reverb and echo. It isn't an approach I'm particularly drawn to. I don't think it needs more pop songs
That’s fair, I do love the reverb and echo but can see that being offputting. Regarding the pop songs, Inbred EP has more of a balance between poppy stuff and darker stuff than this does if that’s interesting to you.
That said, I'm realizing by the time "Thoroughfare" comes on (what a song) I'm completely absorbed in what this is doing. Those last five songs pack an immense wallop.
This seems a bit of a consensus take (at least on early listens) but I must say I love the first half even more partially because it’s a bit more individual song-y before the narrative stuff fully takes over. I love that section too of course but “Ptolemaea” through “Televangelism” is the kind of stuff I’ll only listen to in context whereas I find most others can still work on their own.
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Album Rating: 4.0
This sounds like a sister album to The Killers' Pressure Machine. I'm three tracks in and I already fell for it.
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Album Rating: 5.0
first half vs second half is definitely an interesting discussion.. i feel like i love both equally for the exact reasons you mentioned boney, first half has more individual songs you can jam out of context, but second half has all the narrative perfection (and also helps reshape the first half in a lot of ways).. it's all just fucking perfect lol :]
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Album Rating: 3.0
i have an ear infection can i hear this
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Album Rating: 5.0
yes but read along to lyricc
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Btw fantastic review Jesper, you've outdone yourself my dude.
There's a missing closing quotation mark on the 5th para, but honestly, who cares.
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And I didn't know she was transgender, I wouldn't have guessed listening to her singing.
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Album Rating: 5.0
Yeah, this review is the bee's knees. It would have been folly to dissect all the songs and lyrics, so I'm glad you took the approach that you did. On top of that, you somehow managed to convey this thing's monumental emotional impact (despite circumventing a full dissertation) while also maintaining brevity and high readability. I can't think of a better possible way to tackle this release, so yeah truly commendable work.
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