WRITE-UP:
Fear and Loathing`s third, and personally easiest to get into album.
While heavily retaining their distinct approach to song-writing, the band has created an album less tied to a genres feel, and more to a three-dimensional story told in vibrant color and many tempos as well as moods.
The tracks all feel like stand-alone adventures told sonically, with rock, layered with heavy electronics, harsh vocals and modulated soft, tender and youthful vocals interlacing. To get a feel for the album you can watch the PV`s, and listen to the songs released before-hand, yet that would only be a portion of the experience that the album presents to you. Each track is different, each one rides an emotional and musical roller-coaster, and each can go either way terms of whether you like it or not.
Numerous listens really changed my perspective of the album. At first some of the tracks attached to me, but others went right through me. After listening and listening, as well as going on a day of bike riding with the album on repeat, each track begin to take a hold on me in its own different way.
Tracks that instantly clicked:
Are You Ready to Blast Off? / Rave-up Tonight
Interlude
Virtue and Vice
Flutter of Cherry Blossoms
Tracks that had to grow on me:
Swing It!!
Thunderclap
Nail the Shit Down
Rain Inside Your Eyes
Counterattack by the Sesame Sized Bodies
Track that eventually became my favorite:
Stay as Who You Are
So I started with a couple I instantly liked, then I slowly grew fond of others, and eventually found my favorite amongst a track I had previously not completely clicked with.
One of the beautiful things about the song style, is that there are so many parts to a song, so many changes, different moods, sounds, and catches laden within what can be longer tracks, where your favorite part is three minutes in, and in the process of waiting for it, discover new things you like just as much or possibly more.
Listen after listen the album rose in my preference, and it soon became my favorite release by the band, as I found many things that connected with me, and appreciated the more overt nature of the emotion in this release, as opposed to their previous works.
Track Count: 11 (Two short instrumentals, and 9 full tracks ranging from standard to longer length, yet the album blows by fast for me).
Listens: 30-50
Production Quality: Great production, though my personal preference would be for an album with this range of instrumentation and tonality to have a bigger, clearer sound.
Overall Rating:
Worth the Purchase?
If you enjoy the sound of Rave-up Tonight, and Virtue and Vice, I would say this will definitely not leave you with post-purchase regret. An experience all its own that shouldn`t be missed if you like the band`s style.