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It goes without saying this record is the high water mark for early 2000s guitar rock. Though often imitated or complimented by works from Bloc Party's peers, this record was never fully matched by another artist with its biting post-modern commentary on consumerism, isolation, and early internet-age anxieties. This album absolutely rocks while distilling fear and contempt for the fractured reality we live in. Oddly prophetic.

This record is the result of the most potent rhythm and blues necromancy ever to flow through the veins of a human being. Stoneking effortlessly resurrects a long lost miasma of jazz inflected jump-blues and early rock 'n' roll with a holler of a voice that holds more than a candle to that of Howlin' Wolf. The narratives of each song are steeped in the mythology of a wandering bluesman who successfully entertains his following outside of the confines of conventional space and time.

This album is a brilliant introduction to Copeland's lush instrumentation, anthemic melodies, and touching lyricism. Its songs are inspired by personal loss and convey it to listeners who have experienced it in varying degrees. Often written off as an angsty heartbreak record, this is what grief expressed through a young and talented voice should sound like. I love that the songs strike a balance between fragility and exuberance.