Album Rating: 4.5

Am I wrong for thinking the Start of Something Beautiful is the best song on the album?

Album Rating: 4.3

^ That's an excellent song for sure. I love how natural the weird time sigs sound on that one

best of the run from in absentia to fear of a blank planet but still some extremely painful moments here

Album Rating: 4.0

Arriving Somewhere and Open Car....waow....

Album Rating: 4.5

Amazing stuff, really. A terrific work. One of their best.

Album Rating: 4.5

Tonally this album is all over the place. It's not like PT have never mixed heavy and soft songs together, but tracks like "Halo" and "Shallow" are weaved in between are "Lazarus" and "Mellotron Scratch" without cohesion, IMO--at least on In Absentia there was an overarching atmosphere that held the tracks together. And while I really enjoy "Deadwing" the song, it might be the most awkward opening track on any of their albums (though I can't imagine another song taking its place).



All that being said...this is also the only PT album where I don't think there's a lull or a weaker track. And maybe that jarring back-and-forth helps to keep a listener's interest.



Plus "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" is the best PT song period, so there's that too.

Album Rating: 4.0

Dark Matter

Album Rating: 4.3

flowing out onto a tape

“Tonally this album is all over the place. It's not like PT have never mixed heavy and soft songs together, but tracks like "Halo" and "Shallow" are weaved in between are "Lazarus" and "Mellotron Scratch" without cohesion, IMO--at least on In Absentia there was an overarching atmosphere that held the tracks together. And while I really enjoy "Deadwing" the song, it might be the most awkward opening track on any of their albums (though I can't imagine another song taking its place).”

Completely agree with this. I read recently that parts of this album were intended to be in a soundtrack to some kind of ghost story, but the project fell through. So SW just kinda took material from that and squished it together with other stuff. Lightbulb moment for me (pun not intended) as this album has always made zero effing sense narratively and tonally, which is really saying something for the band’s discog lmao

listened through this for the first time in years and wow the surprises and slumps have me confused
hot take is that Open Car is the best short banger and at once the best and worst thing lyrically here - the number of terrible lines in that song speaks for itself, but the souring relationship at its centre is much more complex and engaging than his usual flim concept bs (even if the portrayal ain't exactly pulitzer fare). dynamics/edgy/delivery riff style feel v much grounded in its premise, great songwriting if absolutely not great lyricism
other hot take is that Start of Something Beautiful (my earliest fav!) is derivative flab until it hits its midway instrumental. might be my least fav track after Halo (which is point-blank unforgivable)
main KEEPs = Mellotron Scratch coda / Arriving Somewhere first half / most of the t/t (weird fucking song, but v well constructed and full of intrigue - love it as a cold opener for an album this concept-heavy, really makes you work to orient yourself and is much less overbearing in its exposition than Blackest Eyes/FOABP)

Album Rating: 4.5

Well said Johnny

The Start of Something is nice, but a bit straightforward. Especially for being the penultimate "climax" of the album

The t/t Deadwing doesn't get enough credit for being as disorienting, strange, and fascinating as it is. It's PT's dark and despondent sound at its best, and is a blast to listen to. Some days I prefer it to Arriving Somewhere

Album Rating: 4.0

Worst lyrics are on the t/t

"I don't take waifs and strays back home with me / My bleeding heart does not extend to charity" is a wince and cancer threat/cigarette maybe the worst rhyme of all time, but there's enough strong imagery elsewhere to make up for it I think? Halo has it beat at every turn

Album Rating: 4.0

I can’t be the only one who absolutely loves Halo? Love it.

Album Rating: 3.5

Yea, one of the better songs here

Joking, many songs here are quite good

T/t is a skip though, when I listen to this, which isn't very often, I just start with Shallow

Album Rating: 5.0

That main riff in Open Car is one of the best I've ever heard. Seriously.

Album Rating: 4.5

i've come to the conclusion that the ending of Mellotron Scratch is the best moment in their discog

Album Rating: 4.3

^ Mellotron Scratch has grown on me so much over the years. I always used to have it at the bottom of my Deadwing track ranking, but not only is it one of my favorites these days, it's one of my favorite PT ballads in general. The layered vox in the chorus are the big highlight for me

Album Rating: 4.0

This will always have a special place in my heart but it's grown off me quite a bit. Arriving, Mellotron and T/T are really all I ever come back to anymore

Album Rating: 4.5

"I can’t be the only one who absolutely loves Halo? Love it."



I love "Halo" honestly. I'll catch myself singing "I got a halo round my head!" at random times. I recognize that it's one of the weaker songs on the album, but it's more because the album has banger after banger.