Album Rating: 3.5

This is great but I prefer the darker side of the wonder years I think, TGG/NCTH/Sister cities where good for that.While this is still dark it carries a more hopeful feeling



Also i think this record will hit harder for those who are at the same point in life as Dan. Where you are Trying to juggle being/learning to be a parent, having depression and having your career hang in the balance due to the last 3 years.



So while this may not land for me now, I think as i grow older i may be able to relate to this record more later down the line

Album Rating: 4.5

Song ranking:



Oldest Daughter (5/5)

Wyatt's Song (5/5)

Low Tide (5/5)

You're the Reason I don't want the world to end (4.5/5)

Cardinals II (4.5/5)

Laura & the Beehive (4.5/5)

Old Friends Like Lost Teeth (4.5/5)

Lost it in the Lights (4/5)

The Paris of Nowhere (4/5)

Doors Painted Shut (3.5/5)

Summer Clothes (3/5)

Songs about Death (3/5)

Album Rating: 3.5

Cardinals II and Low Tide for me. I will say, I'm having a tough time with the production on this album. Stuff still just sounds, idk, muddled to me. On both Spotify and Apple Music, it's also really quiet, so I feel like I'm cranking the volume just to hear things fully. I've tried wired headphones with Apple lossless audio, and it's still jumbled. Maybe my hearing is going.

Album Rating: 4.5

right now my favorites are Oldest Daughter, Lost Teeth and Low Tide



but this is maybe the most consistent TWY album. The gap between best and worst tracks is very, very small. Which means we have no super high peaks like Cardinals (Cardinals I?) but no total failures either

Album Rating: 4.5

I love the verses and chorus of that song and I also like Matt’s vocal part in the bridge. I just wish Dan did something more interesting to complement him

Album Rating: 4.0

solid solid band. not innovative, but they sure can write a solid rock tune.

Album Rating: 2.5

Have softened up quite a bit to 'Oldest Daughter' and 'Old Friends', still think this is their weakest album overall (yes even behind SISTER CITIES) but at this point am content to have a few keepers at the very least.

Excited to see them this Sunday w/ Fireworks who I haven't seen live since, like, 2014.

Album Rating: 2.5

[3] but also check OH, COMMON LIFE because it's better :o)

Album Rating: 4.0

this is very solid, but the softer parts are too delicate and lyrical for me. I think that's my problem. In addition, the album art could have been better. Lost Teeth, Low Tide are my favorties.

Album Rating: 2.5

Was amazing to see Fireworks live again. Never thought it'd happen. Last time I saw them was 2014, just several months after OH COMMON LIFE came out. I have vivid memories of watching these guys play WE ARE EVERYWHERE in its entirety in VFW halls all across southeast Michigan. It was surreal seeing them on a (fairly) big stage once again. Especially with so many fans in the crowd - I swear there were as many people there for Fireworks as there were for The Wonder Years. They sounded great, you'd have no idea they haven't played live shows together in nearly 7 years. Dan Campbell came out for the chorus of 'Xs on Trees' and Tymm Rengers (old drummer) came out to finish up one of the last songs on the kit. Brought back a lot of memories, I'm very glad I got to see these guys one more time...Hopefully not the last, though, but who knows.



The Wonder Years were good, but I'm just not vibing with their new stuff as much as others, so for half the set list I was just kinda like eh. I've determined that I don't like these guys when they get too "slow 'n' sentimental", a la 'Flowers Where Your Face Should Be' and 'Summer Clothes'. They just don't seem cut out to adequately sell that style of tenderness, and it's especially noticeable amid a live show with tons of energy. I wish they'd drop the title track of SISTER CITIES - one of the album's weakest songs imo. 'Pyramids of Salt' and 'Raining in Kyoto' are great, but as a third choice from that album I'd either go 'It Must Get Lonely' or 'The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me'.



Slightly surprised they didn't play a single track from THE UPSIDES; I hope they're not trying to clandestinely banish that album to the same neglectful realm as GET STOKED ON IT. I know it's...uh... (lame criticism inbound) "less mature" than subsequent albums, but I also feel that it's a cornerstone for just about every thirtysomething who's still listening to them. And Sunday night's crowd seemed like the perfect demographic to bust out 'Melrose Diner' or 'Everything I Own Fits in This Backpack'.



Great night overall, mostly because I got to see Fireworks again (and it was my wife's first time seeing them ever). Definitely made me feel older than I am, though. Hanging out toward the back of the venue with a beer in my hands instead of being smooshed against dozens of sweaty bodies a few feet from the stage lol.

Album Rating: 4.5

I don't think the band plays Melrose Diner much but I do love that song. They may just be burnt out on those songs.

Album Rating: 2.5

Also FYI their last tour they played the upsides and suburbia in full.

Yep, I was there, too 😁 Totally understand why they're playing so many new songs - the tour is in support of the new album so I expected it. I guess I just wished I liked the album more, that's all. It isn't as immediate to me as any previous album, especially NO CLOSER TO HEAVEN and THE GREATEST GENERATION.



And I do understand bands getting tired of playing the same old songs again and again. Though I think there are plenty of songs in their catalog that don't reach the live circuit much, songs that I (personally) love and would love to see live more often, and songs that I *think* other frontline fans of the band would love and appreciate. Stuff like 'The Bluest Things on Earth', 'Chaser', 'The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me', 'It Must Get Lonely', 'I Wanted So Badly to Be Brave', 'A Song for Patsy Cline', 'Thanks for the Ride', 'Cul-de-sac', 'This Party Sucks', etc. I'm almost certain these songs would go over swimmingly, and they don't get played live nearly as much as tracks like 'Local Man Ruins Everything', 'Don't Let Me Cave In', 'Passing Through a Screen Door', or 'Dismantling Summer'.



I know some bands have songs that are almost "expected" of them to play. Anyone who goes to a Wonder Years show could safely bet their life savings that they'll hear 'Came Out Swinging' (and there's a good chance it'll be the encore, too). But I sort of hate this unwritten formality. I get why it exists, to some extent. Tangential, surface-level, and/or relatively new fans who are at the show will have some stuff they recognize. And certain songs are undeniable crowd pleasers, for both new and old fans alike. Surely no long-time fan is gonna complain about hearing 'There There' again. But bands of this size/stature have the luxury - more so than very commercial or "ubiquitous" bands - of being confident that a large majority of the people coming to see them will be familiar with the nooks and crannies of their catalog. And I feel like TWY doesn't take advantage of that enough. Compare this to a band of a similar ilk, Saves the Day, who I've seen nearly two dozen times, and 85% of their setlist would be a total grab bag. Yeah, you'll probably hear 'At Your Funeral', but then they'll bust out into something like 'Deciding' or 'Take Our Cars Now' or 'Do You Know What I Love the Most'.

Album Rating: 2.5

Agree with everything you said, I know I've heard all those songs live, too (aside from maybe 'Ocean', I honestly can't remember), but I do wish they'd stretch at least a handful of "random" picks along with them each tour aside from the mainstays.



Hell, Radiohead (and I know we're switching genres bigtime here) switches up their setlist almost every single night of the tour aside from a handful. When I last saw them, I think the opening like four or five songs were all the same, then the next seven or eight were different almost every single night. Then they'd finish the set with the same song (Street Spirit, I think it was). But then they'd do two encores and each one of those would also vary from night to night. I understand that this requires a lot more time and practice to have a much larger list of potential songs polished and ready to go at whimsy, but it's one of the few things that can really elevate the live experience. The thrill of not knowing exactly what you'll hear is awesome, as is getting a few really unexpected gems. (See also: Bruce Springsteen.)

Album Rating: 4.0

"I've determined that I don't like these guys when they get too "slow 'n' sentimental"



Same. I like crisp and decisive pieces. It's like I want to see a thundering attack and the band gives me a show of embroidery.



Edit: I just don't think these soft pieces are suitable for live though, they got significantly better in my quieter moments. I enjoyed the album much.

Album Rating: 2.5

I remember seeing Brand New when they came to Detroit in 2007 (I think). They were playing two nights, back-to-back. Silly me got tickets to both nights. They played the exact same setlist on the second night, except they added two songs. (So the people who only went the first night really got scammed lol.)

In the grand scheme of things was it as shit as this?

Album Rating: 4.0

This album is still very, very, very good but it never grew the way I wanted it to. Definitely leagues better than Sister Cities, but Hum stands pretty much in its own tier and then there's the four other albums that you can kinds juggle whatever way you want imo

lost in the lights and low tide have the same chorus

The closer on this hits as hard if not harder than anything they've done. Does anyone else get a feeling of finality from this record? Like I don't think they've given any indication of hanging it up but I wouldn't be surprised either.

Album Rating: 4.0

Finally got around to listening to the Summer Clothes 7" that came with vinyl I got back in early fall and was surprised when the song continued for an extra 3 minutes?? Probably wouldn't have helped the flow of the album, but I vastly prefer the 7 minute version to the album version. I would've raised my overall rating of the album if it had been included.