This album took a few listens to reveal itself to me, though since it was my first exposure to the band I think it was probably less the album itself and more just me needing to acquaint myself with how their songwriting works. Musically their songs kind of unfold one line at a time, so in the beginning the structures felt kind of indistinct, and the echo-heavy production that ultimately turned out to be one of the emotional touchstones of their music initially had an obscuring effect that just made it challenging to pick out the shapes of the melodies. But once I got a grip on all that stuff, the curve from "this is pleasant" to "holy shit, this is a masterwork and the only thing I want to hear" was staggering. It's one of my favorite albums of the 2010's.durdencommatyler wrote:Listened to Lost in the Dream tonight. The two songs that sound like Tom Petty were my favorites.
I will listen to Strat and Mickey's mixes soon.
A Deeper Understanding is an excellent follow-up, and "Thinking of a Place" might be their best song. There is a cleanness to this album that ever so slightly comes at the expense of some of the sense of mystery that made Lost in the Dream such a singularly special album, but that's an extremely petty gripe. If Lost in the Dream is an A+ (and I think it is), this is an A.
I've never managed to get super into Slave Ambient apart from "Best Night" -- it's enjoyable, but it feels like a prototype for what came after and ultimately makes me want to listen to those albums instead.
