Self-conscious "return to form" albums

[surfndestroy]

I would say Green Day's American Idiot maybe?

Does Demolicious count after the pop outings Unos!, Duos!, Tres!? The demos definitely re cast many of the songs on those albums in a much more mainstream Green Day sound.

[verb_to_trust]

Also, wasn't Wilco's The Whole Love kind of this? I didn't get into it too much but I vaguely remember track 1 "Art of Almost" feeling kind of like the band going "don't worry guys -- we can still get weird!"

Hard disagree. I don't know that they've ever made a return to form album, because each album is its own animal. Only Wilco (The Album) feels like an attempt at crowd pleasing, but it fell in their discography more as a collection of everything they'd done before rather than an attempt to gain back lost fans.

Pretty sure strat is the only Wilco fan who's been disappointed since Nels joines.

Jay Bennett over Nels any day and twice on leap year

[verb_to_trust]

Wasting Light by the Foo comes to mind

[swan]

Cat Power - Wanderer

This album still regularly goes on our turntable, usually on weekend mornings. A beautiful piece & I still can’t fathom why the label rejected it.

[LetMeSleep]

Also, wasn't Wilco's The Whole Love kind of this? I didn't get into it too much but I vaguely remember track 1 "Art of Almost" feeling kind of like the band going "don't worry guys -- we can still get weird!"

Hard disagree. I don't know that they've ever made a return to form album, because each album is its own animal. Only Wilco (The Album) feels like an attempt at crowd pleasing, but it fell in their discography more as a collection of everything they'd done before rather than an attempt to gain back lost fans.

Pretty sure strat is the only Wilco fan who's been disappointed since Nels joines.

Jay Bennett over Nels any day and twice on leap year

Thirded.

[Mike]

Also, wasn't Wilco's The Whole Love kind of this? I didn't get into it too much but I vaguely remember track 1 "Art of Almost" feeling kind of like the band going "don't worry guys -- we can still get weird!"

Hard disagree. I don't know that they've ever made a return to form album, because each album is its own animal. Only Wilco (The Album) feels like an attempt at crowd pleasing, but it fell in their discography more as a collection of everything they'd done before rather than an attempt to gain back lost fans.

Pretty sure strat is the only Wilco fan who's been disappointed since Nels joines.

Jay Bennett over Nels any day and twice on leap year

Thirded.

Count me in, even though I'm not sure it's mainly due to Jay and Nels. A Ghost is Born features neither and that was the last great Wilco record for me. I'd love for them to work with Jim O'Rourke again.

Regarding the topic: I think Tom Waits' Bad As Me feels similar. A sort of "best of" of his former styles.
The recent Flaming Lips record also feels like going back to a Soft Bulletin/Yoshimi sound.

[Anders]

metallica - Death Magnetic

Good pick, and good thread.

[VinylGuy]

I would say Green Day's American Idiot maybe?

Does Demolicious count after the pop outings Unos!, Duos!, Tres!? The demos definitely re cast many of the songs on those albums in a much more mainstream Green Day sound.

to be honest i never heard any GD album besides Dookie and Warning. But it felt like with AI success every release has been a "return to form" in the media.

ugh do you guys remember the last single?

[i got bugs]

Nas - stillmatic

[i got bugs]

Rancid - indestructible

[tragabigzanda]

[Jorge]

Rancid - indestructible

For Rancid I think it was the 2000 self-titled. They were both returning to their hardcore roots and scaling back after the sprawling, eclectic weirdness of LIfe Won't Wait, which was seen as a bit of a bellyflop after ...And Out Come the Wolves

[Jorge]

Which reminds me. After Bad Religion hilariously ventured into the proggy, synthy sounds of Into the Unknown (which was derided by fans and sold very little) their next release was a self-conscious "return to form" EP called Back to the Known.

[Strat]

Also, wasn't Wilco's The Whole Love kind of this? I didn't get into it too much but I vaguely remember track 1 "Art of Almost" feeling kind of like the band going "don't worry guys -- we can still get weird!"

Hard disagree. I don't know that they've ever made a return to form album, because each album is its own animal. Only Wilco (The Album) feels like an attempt at crowd pleasing, but it fell in their discography more as a collection of everything they'd done before rather than an attempt to gain back lost fans.

Pretty sure strat is the only Wilco fan who's been disappointed since Nels joines.

Whole Love definitely fits this thread cateogry. You're so into Wilco you can't see the significant decline you fool!!!!!!!

Star Wars rules though

[Jorge]

Lol the Huffpo review headline is literally "Wilco Returns to Form With The Whole Love" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wilco-th ... e_b_984256

[tragabigzanda]

[i got bugs]

Rancid - indestructible

For Rancid I think it was the 2000 self-titled. They were both returning to their hardcore roots and scaling back after the sprawling, eclectic weirdness of LIfe Won't Wait, which was seen as a bit of a bellyflop after ...And Out Come the Wolves

I think that 2000 was a little TOO hardcore where indestructible sounds more like wolves or let's go

[Kevin Davis]

I'm torn on RHCP's Californication. It came after the heavy rock - psychedelia of One Hot Minute (made w/Dave Navarro on guitar), but it still pushed some new boundaries while welcoming John Frusciante back into the fold

I've been thinking about this one and I have a hard time putting it into this category. The personnel change kind of complicates matters, but I'm more inclined to hear One Hot Minute as a sort of forced diversion, and Californication at once as a regrouping and a natural move forward, picking up where BSSM left off.

[Anders]

What form do you guys think they’re returning to on that album? The deconstructionist experimentalism of YHF/AGIB? Or the alt-country vibes of AM/BT? Because apart from a few specific songs, I don’t find any of that stuff to be overwhelmingly present on TWL.

Aren’t we talking less about the result, and more about the marketing?

Sky Blue Sky is the better album.

[tragabigzanda]