Wow...it's great to see people talking about this record. I only just found it about a week ago, but yeah...completely blown away. I think it comes out for real in Feb...Can't wait to get an actual copy...Streaming does not do it justice!

It's not bad, but "Flume" and "Re: Stacks" are much stronger than the rest of the album. They are really great songs, but the middle seven songs are borderline filler for me.

If I'd gotten it before I posted my best of 2007 lists, it would have been top 30, probably.

I think the whole album is a bit short, but all of the songs are different. I agree that Flume and Re:Stacks are the best songs on the album. Skinny Love is the catchiest maybe, but those other two are just really well done.

Honestly, on first listen I wasn't too impressed. However, about ten listens in it's beginning to sink in and I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit.

The variety of styles used helps it not become boring over time, which as Shadrach said, is very important. Top 20 perhaps.

quote:

Originally posted by Frosty the Shadrach:
I think the whole album is a bit short, but all of the songs are different. I agree that Flume and Re:Stacks are the best songs on the album. Skinny Love is the catchiest maybe, but those other two are just really well done.

I also agree with Shad and LR. "Flume" and "Re: Stacks" are tops on this one.

"Creature Fear" is probably my favorite on this album. I'm still going to count this in my 08 list though, 07 is way too crowded.

I'll agree that the first track is one of the best, but I think several of the middle tracks (such as The Wolves and Creature Fear) are just as strong, if not more so, than the closer.

I like all of it a lot and am counting it as this year, since well, it was released this year and I heard it this year.

With more listens, I've decided that the middle seven tracks have more merit than I originally thought, but I still wish that they were as good as "Re: Stacks" and "Flume."

"Skinny Love," "Creature Fear," and "For Emma" are all pretty good, though.

I agree with the reviews of this album; the ambiance of the recordings is stunning. Every sound is perfectly rendered. Moments like the shuddering single guitar notes in "Flume" and even the quiet breaths before vocal phrases draw me right into the room.

Undoubtedly one of the top albums of 2007. Remarkably consistent and beautiful. "Skinny Love" is probably my favorite track on the album and every track (with the exception of "Team") has its moments. It also is one of the rare albums that gets better with each listen.

quote:

Originally posted by DrAwesome the Red Nosed Reindeer:
It also is one of the rare albums that gets better with each listen.

Yeah, I said top 20 before but now it's looking like it might find its way into my top 10. Very good album that has really grown on me these past few days/listens.

This thing doesn't stop getting better. If I'd gotten it before posting my '07 list, it would be in my top 5 or 10.

Since I got it after my 2007 list, I guess it'll go on my 2008 list. It's my prohibitive favorite for number one for '08, as I'm not really looking forward to much from this next year (with the exception of the new Of Montreal).

I agree about it getting better and better. After nearly four months with it, it is still hands down the best album of '07. Every single song is stron in my opinion. I can't wait till February 19th, when I can get my LP and listen to it in all it's analog glory.

Bump.

Just got it, anxious to listen. I'll let ya'll know if it's any good.

I hope you agree with me.

I am predicting that this album is one of the best of 2008. Simply amazing!

This is my first post on this site. I don't have too much indie knowledge under my belt. Just the usual stuff like NMH, OM, Andrew Bird, Grandaddy, Caribou, The Mountain Goats, The Decemberists, Built To spill, Jens Lekman, Blonde Redhead, Arcade Fire, etc.. Those are all awesome magnificent godlike musicians/bands. So my taste does go that far into the realm of indie music.

I am willing to listen to albums multiple times to catch the jist which I will need to do with this one. It seems very commonplace to me. Not very innovative. Like its following trends or "conventions" like someone else said. I have only listened to it once. I will give it at least a couple more listens and update you all on whether my opinion has changed. I had the same problem with The National's Boxer but I did eventually start liking it. Not so much that I thought it was Phenomenal though. I probably still have to listen to that one a few more times as well.

I also wanted to throw in a slightly negative review on a page full of praise. :P

3/21/08: I like it now. Skinny Love is bomb.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: qwertyuiop,

This album is a grower and for me required an extensive amount of listening before "getting it".

Obviously not all great music is overtly great, meaning that not all music which captivates does so in an immediate "holy-shit-this-is-amazing" kind of way. More meditative, ambient, or subdued music has a quiet intensity often lost upon the first few listens, or at least until the listener is willing to invest in the "sound world" of the disc. Qwertyuiop (did your cat walk across the keyboard when you signed up?) brought up Boxer as an example of music that didn't quite "snap" into focus. I had the same attitude, but there was a night of smoky haze around the city where my friends and I enjoyed some cigs and all of a sudden I heard "Slow Show" in my head...conjured out of nowhere. Since then I have loved the National and they keep getting better. I think Bon Iver is the same way. When Jack X first made me aware of the album I was impressed for the slight experimentation (the ambient intros or interludes...the rustic nature of the recording) but I wasn't quite blown away. Since then the record has grown, the lyrics have taken on new dimensions of meaning, and the whole beautiful longing of this album really has gotten to me.

I'm late getting this compared to many of you, but damn this is a really great album. I love how much soul it has. The TV on the Radio comparisons to Justin Vernon's voice I've read on a couple of reviews are spot on. Especially with the double tracked falsetto harmonies. Without a doubt, head and shoulders above anything I've heard from 2008 so far.