Must say – LOVING the album.
I am glad Brandon went solo with this, because the stripped back arrangements let the strengths in the songs shine through. Some excellent melodies, and Lanois is a dream on the tracks he plays in/produces.
These lyrics are his most well-developed and thoughtful. He melds the urge to tell epic stories with his dry wit and cynicism perfectly.
WTFLV – Nice opening – sets the tone well. Gets you immediately interested, and gives you plenty of the albums strengths (great melody, perfect instrumentation, and lyrically strong). – 7.5/10
OTY – Fantastic slow burner. This was the one I found myself singing constantly after my first listen. 8/10
HE – Jenny Lewis shines. The amazing thing about this track is that it raises the bar from an already cracking start. 8.5/10
JLABH – Currently my favourite on the record. The most ‘killers’ tune on there. Sorry to all die-hards, but the track is no poorer for their absence. 9.5/10
PWF – Wasn’t overwhelmed early on, but listen to this track at volume in the dark on great headphones. Haunting, acheing and perfectly emotive. 8.5/10
WISIS? – Takes the album in a different direction. Fun, playful, but doesn’t degenerate into kitsch or cheese. A fantastic lyric, and Brandon really shows his vocal range. 8/10
Magdelena – My least favourite, which shows the strength of the album, rather than the weakness of the track. 7/10
Crossfire – The perfect pick for first single, opens the door for JLABH or HE to explode on radio as a follow up. Infectious chorus melody. 8.5/10
OTF – Along with Magdelena, probably could have been a bonus track, with The Clock Was Tickin’ a stronger cut for the album. 7/10
SI – A nice closer, without being as memorably epic as it could be, but definitely a satisfying way to close a wonderful, cohesive and well-planned album. 8/10
Overall 8.5/10