Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Kind of. I'd still have grown tired of this album if it wasn't actually a slyly crafted grower of epic proportions. Music does eventually win the day, you can't carry on listening to this as an ironic 'Team FJM!' thing forever - the subject matter will recede into a self contained conceptual bubble as the chatter about the album settles down anyway.



The album is actually his best so far, though of course if you dislike FJM then that's probably that.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Have you not gone through my ratings? Most folks hating try to do that first? Fear Fun and Honeybear rule. This is like neither of them. This is the aural equivalent of Chinese water torture while giving commentary about how people hate Chinese water torture. He knows people hate it and understandably so. So do you like it just because he knows people hate it? That's edgy.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Well yeah I like the self referencing concept and that's probably where the initial 'love it a little bit' even after one listen thing klap was referring to comes into it.



I wouldn't keep on listening just because the concept was interesting though. It's an album, you need music.



This is his best album musically, the most unique, the most subtle and yet the most densely packed too. It's him carving out his own patch, the one that suits him best, the one that sees him maturing and yeah he knows not everyone will get on board with that. Patience is in short supply out there...and we're full circle back to the concept.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Honeybear was his best for me. Fear Fun was great but Honeybear was basically where the concept went to full bloom. I miss him being more Iron & Wine than being like a knock off Elton John with a narcissistic problem who thinks his voice that doesn't change pitch is more important than anything else. It sucks, lyrically and musically. He's trying to be a white Kanye, and the enablers are gonna let that happen.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

'Honeybear' was light years ahead of 'Fear Fun' which only has four or five decent songs. This isn't light years ahead of 'Honeybear' but it does feel like he took the final third of that album (which imo was the most successful') and decided he'd release an album in that one most impressive style.



Most every song here is at least the equal of 'Bored in the USA' and 'Holy Shit', usually they're superior.

Looking forward to checking this, though doesn't look like I'm going to have the necessary time to sit down and unpack this properly for a while. Fantano and Doof have me intrigued

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Except one song on the album is tolerable. A full album of that? Tedious as fuck. Not to mention the high notes with the strings were beautiful.

Album Rating: 4.0

Exactly as Doof said we can't just keep listening to this in a partisan fashion pretending and wishing it was good. Except after each listen you're rewarded by noticing more + more sweet subtleties in the music and some of the blunt + humorous social commentary in the lyrics. I incidentally don't find this a boring album at all even if I may have at the start slightly. I think this happens if you go into it thinking you're going to get a grand Honeybear Pt2.

Album Rating: 4.0

Also really enjoy A Bigger Paper Bag and The Memo, heading to the top of my favourites by FJM

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Ranked/Rated/Commented



(Bit early for this but you bitches are forcing me)



1. Things It Would... [5] the piano reminds me of a song I can't place yet...but this is better than that song, I know that much. (EDIT: it's something by Grizzly Bear, getting closer to working it out)

2. Magic Mountain [5] people either seem to like the song part a lot more or the instrumental bit at the end more...I love both.

3. Pure Comedy [4.5] benefits a little from being first in that a lot of folk are saying this is the best song/only good song. It's not but it's still a great opener.

4. Dying Man [4.5] one of the more instantly appealing tunes, lively piano and a wide range of vocal styles including that falsetto. This song could grown into a 5 for me.

5. Total Entertainment [4.5] The rocker of the album, well it rocks a bit more.

6. Paper Bag [4.5]

7. God of Love [4] Backing choir is a nice touch when it shows up.

8. Leaving LA [4] Not sure about the longevity in terms of of appeal this track will hold for me, it's what you'd chop to turn this into a more 'conventional' album...so there's the appeal, this is the moment that adds to what makes this an unconventional listen. Close to self sabotage.

9. Birdie [4]

10. Twenty Years [3.5]

11. Wildly Different [3.5]

12. Smoochie [3.5]

13. Memo [3]



Will finish later.

but Memo has that bridge where he mocks music nerds. that robotic voice going "this guy just gets me" and "music is my life" lol

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Yeah Memo is one of the best.

Ballad of the Dying man has emerged as my favorite, love it.

Brushed I think you're going too far with the whole "liberalism simplified" thing. If you actually read into the lyrics this album is more social and cultural commentary than it is explicitly political. But I can tell you're already set in your opinion on this matter and nothing's going to change it. It's fine, you do you.

That said I think you're going a bit too far saying the music is bad; genre-wise it's not drastically different from his past stuff, and it's not poorly put together. I can understand why some are finding it boring musically or boring across a whole album but song for song the music is not "bad".

In fact I very much agree with Doof, I find myself enjoying this more and more purely for the music. And I love the guy's voice and lyrics too of course (though even I will agree there are some spots where the lyrics are a bit cringey).

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

"i think this thread alone makes it pretty abundantly clear that the target demographic for this album is retards"

Potsy's egotism is way worse than FJM and you guys worship him



"It's liberalism simplified" LOL

"i think this thread alone makes it pretty abundantly clear that the target demographic for this album is retards"

So when's your 5 review for this coming out?

Album Rating: 1.5

"I mean the haters of this album are a huge part of the appeal of the record"

u srs dawg

Album Rating: 4.5

i dont think about guitarded chuck when I listen to this lol

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

And they get terribly upset

When you question their sacred texts

Written by woman-hating epileptics



Love this part

Album Rating: 1.5

im not even a hater really like i said before this came out i think this guy isnt completely untalented and i want to like it, i like fleet foxes, folky americana music, etc

Album Rating: 1.5

but foreal doof i duno how serious u were when u said that but dam that gets me triggered

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Like I said it's a surprisingly fun album, cheeky even, and the good Father has put us all in the mix whether you want to be included or not. He acknowledges the people who aren't buying into his persona in general or the artistic direction of this particular album and you can say it's taboo for an artist to laugh at people for not being part of the club but so what, he also laughs at those who are in the club and as for himself - there's a veritable avalanche of self loathing and admissions of weakness included here.



Laughing at the fact this album is 'industrial strength Misty' (it's like 'Bored in the USA' repeated infinitely) that's going to prove toxic to a huge number of people, and that he weaponised his art this way on purpose...plus he then goes on and references the fact within the album itself...well sure this is something I find enjoyable about it yeah. You're supposed to if you're on board.



I genuinely like the music though, I mean I really liked his more piano based ballad stuff off the last album, the fact the whole album was in that style is initially lol but then you realise these are all supremely crafted ballads and the subtle differences between them become more apparent over repeat listens. Commercially I imagine long term this approach will prove to be folly/self sabotage but it's actually artistically the right choice imo. He could easily have slept walked another 'Honeybear' crowd pleaser.