You can tell they're running out of steam. I mean, they say as much on Wither. The best track on this song is essentially about the band being slightly uncomfortable during a house tour.
A Nightmare to Remember would be good, but the "DAY AFTER DAY" section and the mention of "beautiful agony" (for those unaware, it was the name of a popular porn series) just takes me out of it entirely.
The Best of Times is a beautiful ode to Portnoy's father and a true ... read more
I remember really liking it when it came out, but nowadays the only song I'd really call good is Illumination Theory. The Enemy Within feels like a weaker rewrite of The War Inside My Head, The Looking Glass is borderline plagirism of a dozen Rush songs, Enigma Machine is their most uninspired instrumental, and the rest just meanders without finding its footing.
I'll actually gladly go to bat for this album. Maybe it's pure nostalgia talking, as it was released around the time I started gaining an appreciation for the band, but I think there's some great tracks here. Even the clunkers are pretty enjoyable to me.
Utterly soulless, purely painting by the numbers. The band (or Petrucci rather) can try to act unaffected by the public response to The Astonishing, but the shame shows in how toothless the songwriting is.
Beautiful music marred by god awful lyrics. Seeing them play it live in full was honestly kinda funny, and I say that as a fan who kinda likes this album in a way. I dunno, it's not good, but I have a soft spot for it.
5 points deducted for Anti-Music song, the only Mountain Goats song I truly hate. Other than that, fantastic compilation. Going to Port Washington in particular takes me back to traveling to New York for the first time to visit my at the time long distance girlfriend. I've lived with her for 5 years now, but I still feel that same youthful passion and desperation whenever I listen to it.
I always felt this was particularly underrated. It was the first Mountain Goats release I got to experience in real time and one that resonated with me on a pretty personal level.
The one Bottom of the Hill show where he plays this in full gave me a deep appreciation for this one. It's not good and was slapdashed together purely because his friend offered to do it for the novelty. I find charm in the origin, but don't necessarily expect others to feel the same.
In my eyes, this is the best lo-fi Mountain Goats record. I really don't know what it is about it that I love so much, but it really just tickles my fancy in a way the others don't. It's both refined and unpolished, with a good bobbing and weaving of emotions throughout.
Twin Human Highway Flares is also the best love song of all time. I will not elaborate.
I almost feel bad for preferring Coroners Gambit and Full Force Galesburg...almost. But not quite.
Listening to this through the various stages of addiction has been an absolutely horrifying pleasure. I hope to never relate to these songs again.
When I discovered this album in my junior year of high school, I had never felt so seen. It was as if someone ripped my thoughts and experiences and translated them into sonic poetry. It dwells on the painful moments in rigorous detail, picking at them like scabs you refuse to let heal, all while keeping an air of optimism. To this day I have still yet to find an album I connect with on such a personal level.
I hope this record continues to find the downtrodden youth fighting their way through ... read more
As I've gotten older and lonelier, watching friends come and go (mostly go), this album has come to resonate with me more and more than when I was an adolescent. It's sheer loneliness distilled into music form. It's cold and hopeless, as if its surrendered to the inevitability of all good times fading.
I miss my friends, I miss my family. It's hard when you have only a couple people in your life. This album makes it easier to live with.
I knew this was a particular favorite of mine, but I was honestly stunned at exactly how much I love it upon relistening. I know The Sunset Tree is probably his objective best album, but if I had to pick a singular Mountain Goats record for the rest of eternity, this would be the one.
A beautiful album about survival through hardship. While I prefer the demo tape (All Survivors Pack) a fair amount more, this will always hold a special place in my heart.
Both this and The Sunset Tree almost singlehandedly got me through the tail end of the hell that was my high school experience. One of their best.
I don't give a fuck what anyone says, this is a fantastic album with some of their strongest songwriting.
Honestly the first Mountain Goats album I'd call bad (in my opinion)
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Recent Review Comments
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On DJDoesArt's review of My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (Deluxe Edition)
"@DJDoesArt I like both mixes for different reasons. It's a similar situation to the Bowie/Iggy mixes of Raw Power. Iggy for blasting and screaming, Bowie for intent listening."
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On Scheidhaus's review of Lord Huron - The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
"@DearApparition All this to say it's a very misunderstood and underappreciated album. If I'm gonna be honest, I feel like it's their first two that have become more overrated whereas the more fleshed out, personal, artistically impressive (imo) efforts they had going forward have been greatly underappreciated. That's just me tho!"
On Scheidhaus's review of Lord Huron - The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
"I definitely recommend revisiting Vide Noir. This album is very intentionally a spiritual successor to it. It was a deeply personal album that used metaphors seemed in cosmic horror to discuss the death of his sister, a difficult end to a relationship, and his struggle with drug addiction.
The concept is hard to piece together without the phone line. There was a phone number included in the marketing and on the wrapping to each album. When you called the number, it was an automated directory with a massive path of options/secret codes that would all lead to advertisments/messages that helped you piece together the world hinted at throughout the album."
On David_divaD's review of Lord Huron - The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
"@David_divaD as I said, you do you. You gave your opinion, I gave mine, it's all love. Best wishes to you my dude."
On David_divaD's review of Lord Huron - The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
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On mnartriam's review of Danny Schmidt - Parables & Primes
"@mnartriam oh no, your review was solid and I didn't think you were being harsh or meant it negatively. I always took that whole verse to mean finding faith/meaning in the world itself rather than turning to God ("Don't ask God, just hollar at the sky cause she'll tell it to you plainly in the clouds that whisper by"). That's just me tho, I like your take too.
And I do recommend a relisten. It's not the most thrilling album, but I find it to be a very pleasant listen with a few more notable teacks (This Too Shall Pass, Happy All the Time, Ghosts, etc). Happy All the Time was my personal favorite upon revisiting this recently."
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