Album Rating: 2.5

bycries

Album Rating: 4.0

I like Birch even though it's very MOR/Ry X and a non song really, just pretty arrangement/cute production - I guess if Dessner is going to write non songs then better have a dude who'd sound nice singing the phonebook working that than Berninger floundering without much of a toon



I would have loved to hear a Justin lead vocal version of Renegades (new 'Comrade's?), would have been my favourite here I'd expect

Album Rating: 4.0

Cut tracks 7-9 and take away three lead vocal guest spots and give them back to JV and this would be very strong and sound cohesive.



I can embrace this scrappiness but definitely a 4 rating ceiling due to that.



Still, salvages the best bits of the last (borderline disastrous) Bon Iver and National albums and makes something much better with the parts for me

Album Rating: 4.4

"on my first listen and my immediate thoughts are: reece would be a better opener than latter days (which i am not a fan of), and then going from vernon to pecknold kinda makes me feel like I’m listening to a playlist instead of an album"



huh. Reese is probably my least favourite cut here, too much like a b-side from BRM1, and Latter Days lyrically sets up the album super well - I can't imagine taking that away and leaving New Auburn as the closer, they work too well

Album Rating: 3.0

most of this was a 3 therefore I gave it a 3

Album Rating: 3.0

It gives me no joy whatsoever giving this a 3, but yeah. agree on that, yoyo

Album Rating: 3.0

I was really excited for this but unfortunately did not get much out of it on first. Hoping it grows but honestly it feels very similar to the first BRM album in having a handful of excellent songs mixed in with a bunch of drifty piffle.

Album Rating: 3.5

row I’ve not had a chance to digest the lyrics properly yet so when I listen next I will take that into account

Album Rating: 4.4

yeah I truly think a lot of people will appreciate this more once they've had time to engage with it's themes and the way it translates them across the album. very well composed stuff



or maybe I just like driffy piffle idk

Album Rating: 3.0

After what ive heard lots of the lyrics deal with the Dessner`s childhood? Have not read the lyrics while listening but i feel that might have helped me bond with this album more than i did or whatever

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Plenty more expansive than the debut, with a longer track list than either The National or Bon Iver have done before. I wish there was more Justin singing as opposed to having so many features akin to a Gorillaz album. Maybe not a very interesting take, but I like this about the same as the debut from 2018. The ratio of forgettable filler to greatness is around the same for both, this just has more of everything. Might slightly prefer this just for the sheer variety, whereas the debut was more uniform. Like with that one, I heard the whole album at once without having listened to any pre-release singles before, which are among the highlights. Favs are Latter Days, Phoenix, Ghost of Cincinnati, Mimi, Magnolia, and Brycie.

i think the worst criticism i have about this album is that it's just incredibly homogenous sounding. some of these tracks are so threadbare and hard to engage with outside of good lyrical content. it's all pretty breezy and 'nice', but its sorely lacking in variety

Album Rating: 3.0

Preach, Gyro!

Album Rating: 3.5

Magnolia is top-notch. Cut 3-4 songs and it would be 4.2-4.3 album.

Album Rating: 3.1 | Sound Off

"most of this was a 3 therefore I gave it a 3"



yah feeling a light to stronk 3

Album Rating: 3.0

all of these songs are lovely but they're lovely in the exact same way. I wish Aaron Dessner wasn't allergic to dynamics

Album Rating: 4.0

Returned to this after a three day break and it sounds really strong for that, missed some of these songs

Album Rating: 4.5

Woah this is really strong on first listen, if maybe a bit too long. Feeling like this will grow on me on further listens, just as happened with their debut.

Dessner's dynamic anemia used to be the perfect foil for Bryan Devendorf's subtle changes of intensity, RIP

Album Rating: 3.0

Ultimately my feelings are pretty similar to the first one. First 6 tracks or so are 3.5-4 tier then it turns into a mass of mostly meh 2.5ish stuff until the last track which while not amazing is an effective closer. 3.0 overall. Like just about everything Dessner has touched recently it could’ve been much better if it lost 4-5 tracks.