Album Rating: 4.0

his lyrics are always so fucking good... I'm stoked!

Album Rating: 4.0

Luke & Leanna is sort of a new Robert Plant Johnny & Mary but also an uptempo God in Chicago.



Something about it being uptempo actually makes it more sad than God in Chicago, I choked up a bit second listen and that’s rare.

Has a serious Carlos is Crying vibe, dance through pain and laugh through sadness

Album Rating: 4.0

I'll revisit that one, this new album is impeccable and a near insta-5 for me.



One I thought had a 5 in him but he needed a master tinkering in the background to back up that songwriting and the War on Drugs chap I think has cracked it.



The fact Finn says these are the lyrics he's worked on the most in his whole career also tells you everything, it's a really inspired effort.



My ideal Finn album anyway.

Album Rating: 3.5

new album is great, sounds fresh but still pure Craig Finn through and through

Album Rating: 3.5

early standout for me might be I Walk With a Cane

Album Rating: 4.0

So far I've only rated one song under a 4.5 out of 5, 'A Man Needs a Vocation', and that's sat on a 4...this all points towards it being in the running for AOTY 2025 for me.



'L&L', 'Fletchers' and 'Cane' are early highlights, but tracks like the closer could be even better given time, will take me a while to land on any sort of definitive track ranking.

Album Rating: 3.5

yeah the guy is just ridiculously consistent so rankings in general are hard for his stuff



the storytelling on Fletcher's is definitely memorable for me, not usually into spoken word but that one works

Album Rating: 3.5

someone needs to tally how many Craig Finn characters are waitresses, nurses or reformed criminals. it's gotta be a solid majority

Album Rating: 3.5

several listens in, Always Been is awesome. a comfortable second best for him imo. I don't think it's better than I Need a New War

Album Rating: 4.0

Definitely going to return to ‘New War’ - already returned to ‘Same Things’ and the new one is a huge leap beyond that, despite there being some great songs on it.

Album Rating: 3.5

New War is amazing. I think it has his very best songs (Holyoke, Anne Marie and Shane, Something to Hope For)

Album Rating: 4.0

I thought that maybe the service



Would teach me how to save lives



But mostly I learned how to buckle my buttons



And how the difference between dead and alive



Is just a look in your eye



New album is probably his best, some really incredible songs on there

Album Rating: 4.0

New one is quite significantly better than ‘War’ after revisiting - much more sympathetic backing on ‘Always Been’. I don’t miss the orchestration, female backing vox or story telling sound effects - seems a bit clunky after listening to the leanness of the new one.



Also the lyrics are absolutely phenomenal on the new one throughout, slight step up as Finn suggested himself. If he fleshed out the concept and wrote a short story/novel I’d read it put it that way.



Think the 5 rating is sticking.

Album Rating: 4.0

Also I like that ‘Fletchers’ didn’t try and put in a slightly sub par chorus, I’ve always loved ‘Bathtub’ from ‘War’ but the chorus isn’t as great as the verses.

Album Rating: 4.0

I'll have to revisit New War since I have it at a 5 but the new one really is incredible



any of you fine gentleman going to review it?

Album Rating: 4.0

If I wasn’t on holiday I’d probably have given it a go

Album Rating: 3.5

I didn’t really feel that the lyrics on Always Been are much better than his other albums. I think they’re very good in the same way all his lyrics are very good

Album Rating: 4.0





They’re more consistent and feel more tied together conceptually, listening to the album really feels like digesting a short novel.



His lyrics have always been great though.

Album Rating: 4.0

I always liked ‘Bathtub’ best on ‘War’ but going back something wasn’t right after this one…the ‘I can’t keep saying thank you Francis’ flat out was a bit shit I felt. The verses are dynamite but I think he’s got rid of some of the more jarring/forced moments in his writing on the new one - it’s more subtle.



I saw one professional review saying the arrangement for ‘Luke & Leanna’ was poor and repetitive and it should have been made more conventionally songful…but the genius is the fact is keeps motoring with the rise and fall of instrumentation behind it. The arrangement communicates the song so well, it has that ‘Johnny and Mary’ thing where it just keeps cycling around, it’s easily one of his best songs.



Then Fletcher’s is just his spoken work in excelsis and the fact the backing doesn’t put in sound effects and just has the one female spoken work sentence is perfect. Again one of his best.



Lyrics in both just casually devastating. Then the opener is such a great scene setter once you relax into the album, ‘Cane’, ‘Man I’ve Always Been’ and ‘Clayton’ all excellent. The Fender guest spot on ‘Postcards’ is ok too.