Album Rating: 5.0

I enjoy Certainty. It's not a highlight for me but it's pleasant enough.



I feel like No Reason has a very uplifting aura that would have made for an excellent closer (or at least a penultimate track, with something more soft-spoken acting as the true closer). Again, don't mind my pointless re-arranging -- with something this varied and vast, it's difficult to resist. I still love the album as-is and it's basically perfect.



Overall, this album has held up remarkably well over the course of the past week and I'm thinking it's my clear cut #1 so far (yes, I know it's only Feb). There's really only 3 songs I could do without, and they're still good songs so I don't even mind that they're on the tracklist.

Album Rating: 4.5

This has me realizing that there's truly no great "closer" track here. The one they picked works well enough, I could also see No Reason, and maybe I could also see Little Things. But none of these tracks really have closer-feel to them

Album Rating: 5.0

I like Blue Lightning as the closer. Any re-imagining I'm doing is purely for my own enjoyment and definitely isn't meant to be a criticism of the album's arrangement. That said I do sort of agree that there's not an "obvious" closer, but in a weird way I sort of enjoy that there isn't because it gives this a very cyclical, communal, "in the moment" feel.

Album Rating: 4.5

yeah that's a good point. it works either way

Album Rating: 4.5

The Only Place into Blue Lightning is a very effective closing duo imo

Album Rating: 4.5

ok here's my first attempt at ranking the songs after a dozen spins or so.



4.7 - 5.0:

Title track

Red Moon

Promise is a Pendulum

Simulation Swarm

The Only Place



4.3 - 4.7:

Change

Spud Infinity

Certainty

Little Things

Heavy Bend

Dried Roses

No Reason

12,000 Lines



4.1 - 4.3:

Sparrow

Flower of Blood

Blurred View

Blue Lightning



3.9 - 4.1:

Time Escaping

Wake Me Up To Drive

Love Love Love

Album Rating: 4.5

I think Blue Lightning is a great closer if only for the lyrics that work as a response to those of Change



"Would you live forever, never die?" - Change



"I want to live forever til I die" - Blue Lightning

Album Rating: 4.5

Oh wow, hadn’t made that connection.

Album Rating: 5.0

me neither that's awesome

Album Rating: 4.5

Nice catch

Album Rating: 4.5

enjoyable album that's held up by its warmth and charm more than any actual standout songwriting. it's enjoyable but almost impossible to listen to from front to back. cool that sputnik is united in liking a straight up folk album like this but I don't understand why this gets so much attention when countless more interesting folk albums get overlooked

Album Rating: 4.5

Oh Colton, forever an enigma.

Album Rating: 4.5

As far as folk albums go this, this fancies me as one of the more interesting ones

Album Rating: 5.0

Colton I listen to every folk album that comes out and this is top tier 🧐

Album Rating: 3.5

Doof is too immersed in the scene and has lost perspective; as light is that by which we see, but too much light and we are blinded



Colton you are almost right except there are a couple dope ass banging top tier songs but so much of the quieter folksters on this have been done more interestingly on plenty of other records, including other Big Thief/Adrianne ones

dragon new warm fountain i relieve in you

Album Rating: 3.0

i felt that

Album Rating: 3.5

Thiggg Beef

Album Rating: 4.5

yeah, there are moments where the singer’s lyrics and personality shine through in a unique way but for the most part I would rather just listen to The Oh Hellos/Joni Mitchell/Gregory Alan Isakov/Pinegrove/Iron and Wine/etc

Album Rating: 4.5

Guys for the connection between the lyrics in Change and Blue Lightning please see page 20 of this thread.