Put Your Back N 2 It, utterly ludicrous title and all, is one of the most wonderful records in recent memory.
With an overall feel that suggests an ever-growing sense of confidence and belief in his compositions, it presents an intriguing picture of where he may go in future.
While there are utterly heartbreaking moments throughout, they are usually balanced with enough optimism and hope to make every tear a little easier to swallow.
Mike Hadreas' work is not only satisfying on a purely musical level, it also feels of-the-moment and above all necessary
These compositions, from Hadreas' distinctive, fragile vocal through to the orchestration behind the compositions themselves represents a significant progression from the bolt-from-the-blue that was Learning.
Put Your Back captures that universal feeling love songs tap into, only to expand the scope of what and whose experiences are accounted for.
Put Your Back N 2 It shows how much Hadreas learned from Learning: it's more confident but still subversive, like the work of someone who's come through troubles stronger and can comfort others.
Hadreas, now with unfettered access to a studio, makes the best of his surroundings to bolster his raw emotions with affecting arrangements that have so much gravity that you can’t help but drift into his orbit.
Put Your Back N 2 It is essentially a conversation between a man and his piano, and letting us intrude into his deeply personal thoughts is his cunning way of seeking validation.
It's not that the album lacks any sort of immediacy, it will be loved from the first listen given the right context, but instead that most of what it has to offer is its emotion.
It’s a shame he doesn’t experiment more with a fuller sound, however, because much of Put Your Back N 2 It’s bleak mood feels calculated rather than organic.
Put Your Back N 2 It is lush and warm, wrapping just enough instrumentation around Hadreas and his piano to add accent and/or to drive home the lyrics' suggested pros or consequences.
Put Your Back N 2 It has the stereotypical pluses and minuses of a second album: an increased command of symphonics and mixing board tricks that dress up melodically crimped songs once again beholden to the verities of confessional rock. It assaults the listener with its not-long-for-this-worldness.
murder me :)))))))))
*cue the this is fine meme*
Serene beauty within a wintery soundscape of sadness and grief, Put Your Back N 2 It quietly shines as one of the most poignantly emotional albums in Perfume Genius' discography. Made up of 12 bare and short songs, the shortest being 10 seconds under two minutes and the longest being a little over three, this album manages to exquisitely echo feeling into sound.
The instrumentals presented in Put Your Back N 2 It make the album feel like it ... read more
Along with better recording equipment, Mike Hadreas ups the ante in terms of both the beautifully sad production and his songwriting capabilities. These are some truly heartbreaking and honest stories and song topics, ranging from mental health and abuse to sexuality. I read that he had a terribly non-accepting environment that was being hostile towards him for being gay during his younger years, so singing, in his beautifully delicate voice, about the pain he felt at that time must've taken A ... read more
EDIT 2: FML this album so tragic its perfect. Fuck it
EDIT: This has been the album I have been coming back to the most and it is very much becoming my favorite album of his. Michael has one of the best voices I have ever heard. So raw and painful. I honestly think the short and minimal nature of many of these songs is what makes this so fucking impactful.
Damn dawg this is the last album of his I have heard, and it is one of my favorites by far. Whole crap is this album an emotional wreck ... read more
Beautiful and emotional, with bare instrumentation that resembles the album's message and mood. Just like a "A Crow Looked at Me" I find this album more similar to a poetry book than a music album completely, at least focusing on the sections that really shine form this album: Lyrics, emotion, pacing.
Like a book, it is not an album that can be heard without it's full attention without the risk of not understanding it's full potential which I guess makes it a little less accessible ... read more
1 | AWOL Marine 2:47 | 88 |
2 | Normal Song 3:13 | 91 |
3 | No Tear 1:49 | 84 |
4 | 17 2:30 | 88 |
5 | Take Me Home 2:40 | 90 |
6 | Dirge 3:16 | 84 |
7 | Dark Parts 3:09 | 91 |
8 | All Waters 2:10 | 90 |
9 | Hood 2:00 | 93 |
10 | Put Your Back N2 It 3:09 | 88 |
11 | Floating Spit 3:14 | 86 |
12 | Sister Song 2:26 | 85 |
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#31 | / | DIY |
#33 | / | musicOMH |
#42 | / | No Ripcord |
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#60 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |