first thoughts following receipt on Saturday - so I've played the vinyl & listened to the cd in the car on repeat. I also listened to the ripped cd while walking the woofer, always keeping the tracks in sequence. By late Sunday I put them on random & found I could recognise the tracks beyond the singles.
Sunday evening, I spent with the lyrics clips on YouTube, I could feel those hooks beginning to connect, especially at bedtime & I started to think of 1st thoughts & track comparisons.
MAGIC PIANO- This is a beauty - a mid-tempo song with a dreamy melancholy start that gains momentum as it flows to a very satisfying climax, similar to Pour le monde?
I love 💕 this song - what a great opener🎶
The singles on this record are spot on, & if this song had been released in the 90's it would have been huge. I can't hear the Simon & Garfunkel comparison 🤷♀️ , but in terms of tension, release & momentum, it feels a bit like When you Come?
This is magnificent, it would easily have been at home on Together Alone with Distant Sun. I particularly admire its lack of a chorus. My Favourite single by a country mile.
This is a really sweet song that takes flight with a stunning middle 8, similar to Anthem or maybe Don't Stop Now? It also has some lovely lyrical phrases.
This is a sugar lump of a song, this version is better than the demo Neil put out, but only in small doses and over all I think I prefer the acoustic live versions I have heard.
Neil said this is a Mr Pye song but with the lyrics changed, which makes me wonder what it was like before?🤔 It's a really good song, I like it a lot but maybe it feels a bit out of place on this record?
A brief word about sequencing on this record. I'm not married to it ATM. They did the same on Dreamers, putting the singles all on side 1, for some people that may not help flow, side 2 being a good but less commercial set of songs.
Before I chat about side 2 - some thoughts on the packaging. The artwork is brilliant & I have no problems with the Beatles homage, but why the jewel case cd? I thought Neil hated them & the more recent cd's haven't been in them. They crack & break, I'm not a fan.
Black Water White Circle - having said side 2 is good (it is) I am struggling with this song - there are things about it I like, touches of Sinner? But I'm also not sure 🤷♀️ anyway I can't pin down what's going on here, maybe this one needs more time to grow? Or maybe it's a song that's not for me.
Blurry Grass & I can't Keep up with you -
I've put these 2 together because they are both fast paced hooky bangers. Like Fames is or Tall Trees? But in a more Indie grungy less pop style. Definitely growers, really fun tunes🎶
Thirsty - any song with greyhounds in the lyrics will get my attention and this sweet little love song is definitely a grower for me 🎶
Night song - so you are slightly pissed but nicely chilled out having had a brilliant evening - this is how this song starts, but it also feels a bit like 2 songs welded together? which isn't a bad thing - it works - imho it a great closing track.
Btw one of my twitter friends shared this link, this seems to be the demo for night song.
https://www.neilfinn.com/journ...1/12/24/xmas-message
Well these are my views so far, I like Dreamers but I think this is a better record - looking forward to listening more - discovering more nuances in the music, thinking this will be a long player🎶
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