Album Rating: 3.5

Fair enough johnny, I honestly think of songwriting and arranging as being pretty much synonymous. Although I guess songwriting has more to do with how you organize different arrangements within a song rather than just writing melodies and choosing sounds etc

Album Rating: 3.5

And when you say this is too smooth what do you mean? What would make it less smooth

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Yeah, I think this is largely an argument of semantics, because there's no doubt that production is a part of the process of creating a song, but at least for me, songwriting most definitely is the chords, melody, lyrics, basic arraignment, etc., but when you get into elements like the underlying synth beneath those chords, or how distorted or layered a vocal track is, or how much volume a guitar riff has, or even sometimes, 'yeah, this is a good song, but it'd be better if we put a violin in there,' those are all areas where the lines between the territory of the band and the producer often blur, I think. There's no doubt a producer has a large influence in songcraft, especially as arraignments get more elaborate and bands get more pronounced.

Album Rating: 2.5

Yeah I guess I think of songwriting as a foundation for pretty much everything that happens in a track, with all the other processes stemming from it - so it's sometimes p ambiguous where 'songwriting' starts and ends re. other maybe-autonomous processes like production, and arrangement is defs particularly close to the line.

And yeah, choosing melodies/finding sounds would be (typically!) something that happens before you've got a 'song' in my mind - agree that songwriting is where you start organising that shi into a piece. Whatever a piece is. This is nerdspeak but idk, feels helpful to discuss bc songwriting is so often referenced but q rarely unpacked. Maybe it makes sense!

As for 'too smooth', kinda hard to describe if you ain't hearing it already - the whole thing is put together with this super expansive silky palatable seamless in its tones and textures, like every part of the arrangement has to fit perfectly together and have a humongous amount of breathing space that I think overeggs the pudding. There's no tension in any of these arrangements for me, and the melodies feel kinda underwhelming as such (Let It Storm's chorus is maybe the best example of a solid hook on paper that just comes off as kinda dinky). Off the back of that, there are far too many Imagine Dragons stadium woah-ohs and there isn't a single grain of grit in any of these guitars :[

Album Rating: 1.0

heard the first 30 seconds of the first song and was like nope

Album Rating: 3.7

sounds like a thorough vetting process there

Album Rating: 3.0

"Imagine Dragons stadium woah-ohs"



oh lord



"there isn't a single grain of grit in any of these guitars"



now that i did expect

Album Rating: 1.0

they're an octane radio, sonically christian adjacent indie rock band now and it's so lame

Album Rating: 2.5

wish they sounded like rise against

Album Rating: 1.0

ya NO sounds like rise against and this sounds like mercyme

Album Rating: 4.0

Oh god (literally), haven't heard the name Mercyme in ages. The memories of my childhood bible retreats are flooding my mind, lol

Album Rating: 3.5

yeah I pretty much agree on all of that johnny. you're 2 for 2 between this take and the Pet Sounds take it's a good day for you



"feels helpful to discuss bc songwriting is so often referenced but q rarely unpacked"



yeah I feel like a lot of music discussions (maybe just discussions in general) tend to revolve around terms that people define pretty arbitrarily so it can be helpful to discuss what we interpret those things to actually mean

Album Rating: 4.0

"ya NO sounds like rise against and this sounds like mercyme"



what a hilariously reductive take

Album Rating: 3.5

it's different enough I think but very much an MO album

Album Rating: 3.0

"but its no 200 Gex"

- Colton, and Cyg probably

i think i'm allergic to andy hull's vocals

Album Rating: 4.5

Album sounds nice on vinyl, can confirm.

My only gripe is that there is some distortion when layered vocals are present; but I could hear that through headphones via Apple Music so maybe it is a mastering thing

Album Rating: 4.0

Really want both this and ABMTTS on vinyl. This album just keeps on growing on me. The instrumentation, the lyrics and Andy Hulls voice is just damn magical. My favorite stretch must be from Annie to The Internet. Tho i really love Angel of Death too. Im hoping the skies will open up so i can love Inaudible too because thats maybe my least favorite on this album

Album Rating: 4.0

I've taken a full 180 on this album. These songs take a while to make an impact, but once they do, they stick

Album Rating: 4.5

I really want Black Mile too but I can't find it for a reasonable price. When I got this, it was the only copy in the shop too



I liked it when I first heard it and the songs are still growing on me