Album Rating: 4.0

From what I've heard of this, the religious aspect kinda reminds me of the way Julien Baker approached it on Sprained Ankle. A lot of religious sentiments and imagery are used, but also simultaneously questioned and scrutinized. The album rides the line between having faith and crises of faith, which makes a lot of sense given Simon's age and reflections on mortality

Album Rating: 4.5

Haven't heard much from Mr. Simon's back catalogue but this is really something special. The songwriting, lyrics, the beauty and sadness, the 1 long song LP concept album, topped off with an excellent and timely female vocal feature. Such a unique atmosphere, ethereal as Sowing put it, made by a guy in his 80s damn. Feels like I can't rate this anything below a 5.



Great review btw

Album Rating: 4.0

^ fun fact, Simon's wife Edie Brickell (who also has an excellent discog, I might add) contributed those female vox ;]

Album Rating: 5.0

Yep, I watched the teaser for this before it was released and saw her singing on it. She's got a gorgeous voice and her contributions are one of the best things about this album.



@StormChaser: Thanks! I agree with everything you said. I want to see if I feel the same way about this in a month, but I could also see myself eventually 5'ing this.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah the fact it's his wife makes it all the more special



That's what I do with most albums I really like initially, I let it set in and see what I feel about it when my hype settles, but I feel like this album really has no flaws. I'll give it a month as well, but honestly this is such a difficult listen that I don't see myself wanting to return to it often.



I would like to listen to it more than I can atm, but the subject matter is extremely weighty and it's challenging to get through it if you actually let it suck you in, and it happened to me within the first 3 minutes of my first go-around. I don't see this as just an album to put on for pleasure or in the background, despite it's deceptive lightness and airiness.



As for the religious aspect, I think it's used excellently. It's a language most people who grew around christianity can understand, yet he's challenging all of the concepts he's been taught and he believes / believed in. It's human in the purest way.



The barebones musicianship accompanied by the slight flourishes feels like the otherworldly seeping in through the cracks of the life that's slipping away. It's really something else

Album Rating: 5.0

Well said. It definitely captures Paul Simon's late-life crossroads perfectly.

Album Rating: 4.0

The religious aspect of the album definitely resonates with me, as I was questioning my own faith as a Catholic for a very long time... and I received four of the seven sacraments, so religion had a strong hold on my teenage years. I'm agnostic now, but my time in the church was a very conflicted and distressing one. That's why a lot of my favorite Christian rock/metal bands - Tourniquet, Impending Doom, even DC Talk - are ones who actively confront crises and questions of faith, rather than just shoving worship messages down people's throats

Album Rating: 5.0

Spun this again after taking a couple weeks off from it. I think it sounds even better now. You can really tell that he crafted this with his legacy in mind. This feels like an album he expects to maybe be his last.

Album Rating: 4.5

Same here, it's definitely got a Blackstar by Bowie feel to it, although I can barely listen to that record anymore. It immediately gets me into a this weird headspace where I can't stop thinking about how he had so much more to give and the tragedy behind it all is just so saddening

Album Rating: 5.0

Same feelings here regarding Blackstar.



Both this and the new Swans have an eerie "facing death" vibe and are written by older artists. It's weird how much music like that I've been listening to in 2023.

Album Rating: 4.5

I've come to appreciate those kinds of records more than most. It probably takes a huge amount of courage and facing oneself to bring something like this to life

Album Rating: 5.0

Agreed. I've always been fascinated with music that brings a sense of finality, be it to a career, physical life itself, the end of the world, etc. In this case it could be both of the first two, although I would love to be wrong!

Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker is pretty much exactly that as well

Album Rating: 4.5

Hopefully you are wrong in this case Sowing



Yeah, I listened to that one Tim, it was a good listen but late career Cohen's not exactly my vibe. That record was better than any other I remember hearing post his 71' release

Album Rating: 5.0

I need to listen to more Cohen

Album Rating: 5.0

The combination of instruments in the background of Trail of Volcanoes seems so simple, but it adds so much to that "movement" and to the album as a whole. Sounds so mysterious, but also comforting in a weird way.

So with that 5 you’re telling me you’d put this above Graceland? Really need to check this tomorrow then

Album Rating: 5.0

I mean...is it objectively better than Graceland? No. I got into Paul Simon's solo work late (lifelong Simon & Garfunkel fan though). Graceland was more of a "gotta backtrack through this guy's catalog" moment for me, so I never became attached to it even though I fully acknowledge that it's amazing. This thing just speaks to me on a personal level. I've always been fascinated by the ethereal, and this is quite possibly the swan song of an 81 year old man facing his mortality. It feels more meaningful to me.

Took me months to arrive at the 5, but the more I listen to it the less I care about the fact that it's a half hour of divergent acoustic strumming and the more I hone in on what it represents. Life moves too quickly. Today it's Paul Simon observing the afterlife. Soon it will be all of us.

Album Rating: 5.0

nothing dies of too much love

Album Rating: 4.5

it's absolutely beautiful, captivating and definitely one for the ages, I'm touched by it as much as you are Sow, 5 also incoming soon probably