Red Mosquito

Sloppy Dupree wrote:Saw them on the It Still Moves tour. Proud of that

Yeah, they are a pretty amazing live band.

I like the new album

Pretty solid

Squid Ink, Out In The Open, Lemme Know, Die For It & half a lifetime were my favs on first listen

I gotta give it a listen tomorrow.

Okay, just started this. Out in the Open is of course a great album opener. They might be the GOAT of bands with great opening songs.

Half a Lifetime is pretty cool. I am enjoying the good ole MMJ formula of taking a basic riff and building layer on top to the big payoff. That’s how it’s done. 2/2 so far.

Everyday Magic I think is a pretty solid tune on first listen. My immediate reaction was MMJ by numbers, but it builds nicely in the second half to deliver little nuggets that I am enjoying. And it turns back to that chorus that becomes a good hook. 3/3

I Can Hear Your Love - post silo recording technique, really from Evil Urges on, there’s these songs that seem initially awkward like they don’t belong in the MMJ wheelhouse at all. Some of them grow from familiarity to become tracks that stick around, some don’t. Jury’s out on this one on first listen but I can see myself eventually finding this one through repeat listens.

Time Waited - I like this one. MMJ doesn’t have that many tracks like this, which is totally straightforward hit material. Easiest track to digest thus far by a wide margin. Not my favorite so far but probably pretty close.

Beginning from the Ending is the first song that could fit on one of their early albums. Real good stuff

Lemme Know starts off as quirky and awkward and then leans into that hook.

Squid Ink has a fat MMJ riff, and yet is the first song they really get weird, in a good way. This could be the winner here among a lot of really good songs.

Die For It is a later era tune for sure, reminds me of a Circuital or self-titled track that is a builder, but unsure if it should explode into a cacophony - this album in general exercises a lot more restraint in that regard than the self-titled, which seemed like one epic climax after another. These songs don’t seem to go there but consistently build nicely.

River Road on its face seems like a good album closer, a wind down but not a slog at all.

My first overall impression as a whole is that this seems almost like the flip side of The Waterfall, which similarly had songs that built but didn’t totally break into massive throwdowns, but where that album was as really depressing (in a good way of course), this is a bit more hopeful. I think this album 100% fits into their canon, and I’ll be along for the ride on this one for a while. I expect plenty of repeat listens.

liebzz wrote:River Road on its face seems like a good album closer, a wind down but not a slog at all.

My first overall impression as a whole is that this seems almost like the flip side of The Waterfall, which similarly had songs that built but didn’t totally break into massive throwdowns, but where that album was as really depressing (in a good way of course), this is a bit more hopeful. I think this album 100% fits into their canon, and I’ll be along for the ride on this one for a while. I expect plenty of repeat listens.

Great review

REALLY enjoying this! Pleasantly surprised after not caring for ‘MMJ’ that much. Impressed by what BOB got out of them and the production. The Waterfall is a great comparison with some Z vibes sprinkled in especially with the guitar tones and piano interplay.

But the production is an abomination. Almost whole thing sounds sterile, flat, especially the drums - are they going for the drum machine sound? Unnecessary fade outs.
WTF. BOB strikes again.

The BOB Oscars wrap it up fade out.

BDB wrote:But the production is an abomination. Almost whole thing sounds sterile, flat, especially the drums - are they going for the drum machine sound? Unnecessary fade outs.
WTF. BOB strikes again.

I like the album overall but agree I can't stand the production. The fade outs infuriate me to no end...classic BOB

Stand outs are Die for It (probably my fav on first few listens), Everyday Magic, Out in the Open, Half a Lifetime, Time Waited, and Squid Ink. Nothing really blows me away but enjoyable nonetheless

Not related to the new album, but: the Live at Terminal 5 show vinyl on Amazon is down to $32 for the next few days, with limited quantities remaining. Great deal!

liebzz wrote:River Road on its face seems like a good album closer, a wind down but not a slog at all.

My first overall impression as a whole is that this seems almost like the flip side of The Waterfall, which similarly had songs that built but didn’t totally break into massive throwdowns, but where that album was as really depressing (in a good way of course), this is a bit more hopeful. I think this album 100% fits into their canon, and I’ll be along for the ride on this one for a while. I expect plenty of repeat listens.

I drive the River Road in this song to and from work every day. It's an interesting stretch. It takes all of 15-20 minutes to get from one end to the other. Closer to downtown it's got a gravel company, metal recycling, and a bunch of other industrial stuff. Then it gets passes the sketchiest park in the city on one side and a driving range on the other. Then it goes past a literal swamp that was made into a "park" that looks like where you'd film the start of another season of True Detective. Goes past some high-dollar houses and a country club, then passes some blue collar houses squarely in the flood plain, a couple of restaurants, another boat club, a dive bar, and an import auto shop before it ends at highway 42 out of town to the county Jefferson County people flee to to get free school that isn't Jefferson County Public Schools.

The socioeconomic mashup doesn't exactly clear my mind, but you do get some of the best views of the river and the city and there are a couple of tiny houses that just dangle off the river bank that would be amazing to live in.

Not in love with the new one just yet... But the first couple of shows are up on nugs, and they sound really nice.

Sounds like an album produced by Brendan O'Brien by a band out of ideas. Or a band that is now overtaken by Jim James worst artistic instincts.

Second half is better than first half but otherwise....