Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

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zoid
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by zoid »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Ha! It Takes a Lifetime is a near the top for me. I like the 70's country schmaltz feel.
For some reason I keep hearing Alabama's Dixieland Delight when I listen to this tune.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Smitty »

rlipps wrote:
Duke Silver wrote:

I haven't listened to it for a few weeks, but in my head I remember "If It Takes a Lifetime" kinda sounding like this. Anyone else hear it?
"If It Takes a Lifetime" reminded me more of this:

Joe wouldn't mind.

E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

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lotusamerica
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by lotusamerica »

So it's not the Jason Isbell record I would have chosen. Now to see if it's a Jason Isbell record that chooses me.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by headhunter »

Not a bad album. But certainly not Jason's best.
Or 2nd best.
Or 3rd best.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Vincent »

After quite a few spins, I don't see myself going back to it very often. I'll buy the album as a fan and for a better source than a web rip.
Dave

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Zip City »

I've heard "24 Frames" twice, and not another note of it. I'm in no big hurry
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New Jason song lyrics (album spoilers ahead)

Post by nowigotworry »

These might not be perfect, but they're close.

"To a Band That I Loved"

Though everyone tried to ignore us
We'd scared them all off by the chorus
There you stood looking back
What was left of the crowd at our show
and I was 22 backwoods years old.

You were singing that night by yourself
And I thought I was the only one left
From an old southern town
New ideas bouncing round in my head
And I thought everyone like me was dead.

And somehow you put down my fears on a page
When I still had nothing to say
And how I miss you today
May you find what you gave, all that hope
Somewhere down at the end of your rope.

Now I know you'll be fine on your own
And your families all need you at home
And the dream was just smoke
At least you all got the joke of the band
And you were alright with that.

And somehow I'm still out here burning my days
Your voice makes the miles melt away
I'll be guarding your place
In the lights on the stage of my heart
I guess we're all still finding our parts.

And somehow I'm still out here seeing your faces
In likely and unlikely places
Somewhere playing too loud
Or in what's left of the crowd at our show
Hanging out when it's past time to go
Hanging out when it's past time to go.

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Re: New Jason song lyrics (album spoilers ahead)

Post by nowigotworry »

Guys, I can't read and missed the giant thread on this album. Any mod care to move it in there for me?

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lotusamerica
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by lotusamerica »

A few weeks of listening, current take.

There are some very good songs, none that strike me so far as among his very best. It's along the lines of a Southeastern II - he's fully embraced the singer-songwriter, adult contemporary mode and the 400 unit could be anybody really for the most part other than some killer bass in a few songs. I hope this is his last turn with this producer, it's just not sonically exciting and the arrangements are straightforward and generally not terribly interesting.

All that said, he's among my favorite songwriters and some of these tunes are echoing around in my head. I like 24 Frames better than some it seems, and on the beach the last several days it really hit me as a strong summer tune (reminding me some of When the Well Runs Dry, which i always really liked). As has been the case for me with his last few albums, the less interesting songs hover mostly toward the end of the record, and after six songs that I keep chewing on, I really only find one song of the second half to ring around in my ears much so far. I'm not done listening, so we'll see if that changes, but that's where it's at now.

The saddest part for me is that if he stays true to form and these songs make up most of his live act for the next year or two, it will be hard for me to get very excited to go to many shows. He and Sadler are two really strong guitarists and he has a strong and now pretty deep catalogue to choose from, but the sameness of these solo strummers just leaves me less than excited to do more than experience it a couple times. Maybe he'll stop neglecting the rest of his songs live one of these days, but I suppose he'll tour behind this record similar to how he toured behind Southeastern, with the same few Truckers oldies featured (not that I'm complaining about those) and little else. But here's hoping...

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Shakespeare »

ive hardly come back to this at all since it leaked (though i did order a copy anyway) but based on my early impressions its starts off really strong (i love 24 frames, personally. really surprised so many folks on here are lukewarm or worse on that one. its just an effortlessly great pop song, and thats not something id considered jason's bread and butter before) then falls off hard after children of children. lots of ground covered in the first half, and not just a southeastern rehash, but the entire second half is forgettable, and thats a shame. shuffle this thing up a bit and itd still be a very uneven album, but it might be easier to get through in one sitting, or maybe help some of the lesser songs grow on me. i guess i should appreciate jason loading all the good songs up in a row so i can skip the second half entirely, but i dont play music that way so i dont see this album getting much attention once the buzz wears off, unfortunately.

im also surprised so many people like to a band that i loved so much. i appreciate the sentiment there but i find the song incredibly clumsy. maybe its just because i cant help but compare it to danko/manuel, which covers similar ground with far more poetic grace, but yeah. it feels like a songwriting exercise, and the fact that its sequenced as this sweeping emotional epic closer doesnt do it an favors. really ends this thing on a sour note for me.

this will surely continue jasons career success, and im genuinely happy for him, but ultimately i think its a big step down from southeastern (which, for the record, i thought was also uneven but hinted at jason finally carrying an album by himself with minimal filler).

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Re: New Jason song lyrics (album spoilers ahead)

Post by Sirk »

Two corrections...

1. There you stood looking proud

2. At least you all got the joke off the bat

Also, thank you for "makes the miles melt away." My ears kept hearing it as "makes their mouths melt away" even though I was absolutely certain that wasn't right. So you solved that for me. It makes perfect sense now.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by adiantumpedatum »

Shakespeare wrote: im also surprised so many people like to a band that i loved so much. i appreciate the sentiment there but i find the song incredibly clumsy. maybe its just because i cant help but compare it to danko/manuel, which covers similar ground with far more poetic grace, but yeah. it feels like a songwriting exercise, and the fact that its sequenced as this sweeping emotional epic closer doesnt do it an favors. really ends this thing on a sour note for me.

this will surely continue jasons career success, and im genuinely happy for him, but ultimately i think its a big step down from southeastern (which, for the record, i thought was also uneven but hinted at jason finally carrying an album by himself with minimal filler).
I totally agree about "To a Band" sounding like a songwriting exercise-- actually, now that I think about it, that whole weaker second half of the album feels like exercises. Character sketches with not enough context to really work.

If Jason has a weakness as a songwriter, it's that. His songs often tell just part of a story, not the whole story. They don't stand on their own so well. Obviously there are killer exceptions to that-- ahem, Outfit, ahem, Decoration Day, Elephant, Alabama Pines-- but by and large, he needs more than just 3.5 minutes to tell a story, I think because he's stuffing in so many wonderful concrete graphic details that other songwriters don't mess with.

There's a reason Stopping By and Daisy Mae are next to each other on HWR. I've always seen them as two halves of a similar story. Sort of a before and after, even. And the brilliance of SE was, for me, that it told one story ten different ways with the added perks of Elephant and Yvette thrown in. The nuances of the story he was telling were all in there, taken from every angle, because he really unpacked it, because he could, because he'd lived it.

The stories in SMTF don't feel unpacked enough (exceptions: Children of Children, Flagship, 24 Frames) I think because they're more fictional.

You can't take a song that's as quirky as Hudson Commodore or Palmetto Rose (speaking strictly lyrically here) and plop it into the mix of an album that doesn't ever touch on those themes again. Even Speed Trap Town-- there's no resolution at all. What the hell?

Sonically uneven, lyrically uneven... it's catchy and listenable, and man, there are some real pearls, but overall I am not impressed. It'll be interesting to see how the reviewers treat it. The first one from UnCut magazine was positive, and thoughtful, along the lines of "approaching greatness, approaching the pantheon." But man, he was so poised to just stomp up the steps of the pantheon after SE. This one doesn't get him there the way I thought it would.
Steel guitar and settle down.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by jh13 »

adiantumpedatum wrote: Even Speed Trap Town-- there's no resolution at all. What the hell?
After driving all night he has a cup of coffee a thousand miles away from that speed trap town. That feels pretty resolved to me.
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Clams »

First review is up, from Uncut. There's also an interview that sheds some light on a few songs. (I don't think there's a link to the article, just a .jpeg from the magazine. Apologies for the size of the .jpeg, too.).

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by jh13 »

Has anybody seen the vinyl pre-order anywhere for less than $29.99? I still love the album but that seems pretty steep for a single disc.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

It seems my take is quite a bit different than most. Maybe I like To a Band That I Loved so much because I felt those emotions firsthand at the Centro-Matic farewell shows. It was one of the best and most painful concert experiences I've ever had and the song conveys that in spades, at least to me. Possibly you had to be there, I don't know. As far as the rest I simply don't like 24 Frames or Flagship, they're both catchy, have some interesting hooks and some nice wordplay but ultimately feel like songs someone is trying too damned hard to get me to like. 24 Frames in particular sticks in my head for days and it's unwelcome there. I'm sure I will see it live on Friday night for the 2nd time and maybe it finally clicks. I'm not hopeful though. In addition to To a Band... I really like Speed Trap Town, If it Takes a Lifetime, Children of Children and Palmetto Rose. All good solid songs. I think this an OK record but if I were to knee jerk rank it I'm sorry but it would be last on the list. That's still better than most music but below my expectations for one of my absolute favorite songwriters and musicians.
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:As far as the rest I simply don't like 24 Frames or Flagship, they're both catchy, have some interesting hooks and some nice wordplay but ultimately feel like songs someone is trying too damned hard to get me to like. 24 Frames in particular sticks in my head for days and it's unwelcome there. I'm sure I will see it live on Friday night for the 2nd time and maybe it finally clicks. I'm not hopeful though.
Interesting. That's the only song I've heard from the record and it kind of blows me away. I'm jealous of the chorus.* I'm not hopeful for the whole record from it because I was hoping for something a little more rocking. That's about me, not the work.

*Fun fact about ME: It may be the reason I didn't pick up on the three records with Jason until after I saw DBT on the Rock and Roll Means Well tour is because I saw an ad in the Oxford American for Decoration Day and was intensely pissed off someone had gotten to that title before I had. I'd been trying to write something to that title for a long time and then those sonsabiches, who had already achieved something I'd never dreamed of and admired immensely with SRO, stole my thought.
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

John A Arkansawyer wrote:
Tequila Cowboy wrote:As far as the rest I simply don't like 24 Frames or Flagship, they're both catchy, have some interesting hooks and some nice wordplay but ultimately feel like songs someone is trying too damned hard to get me to like. 24 Frames in particular sticks in my head for days and it's unwelcome there. I'm sure I will see it live on Friday night for the 2nd time and maybe it finally clicks. I'm not hopeful though.
Interesting. That's the only song I've heard from the record and it kind of blows me away. I'm jealous of the chorus.* I'm not hopeful for the whole record from it because I was hoping for something a little more rocking. That's about me, not the work.

*Fun fact about ME: It may be the reason I didn't pick up on the three records with Jason until after I saw DBT on the Rock and Roll Means Well tour is because I saw an ad in the Oxford American for Decoration Day and was intensely pissed off someone had gotten to that title before I had. I'd been trying to write something to that title for a long time and then those sonsabiches, who had already achieved something I'd never dreamed of and admired immensely with SRO, stole my thought.
You probably already know this but the original title of the record was Heathens. They changed it at the last minute because of David Bowie's Heathen album.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
John A Arkansawyer wrote:*Fun fact about ME: It may be the reason I didn't pick up on the three records with Jason until after I saw DBT on the Rock and Roll Means Well tour is because I saw an ad in the Oxford American for Decoration Day and was intensely pissed off someone had gotten to that title before I had. I'd been trying to write something to that title for a long time and then those sonsabiches, who had already achieved something I'd never dreamed of and admired immensely with SRO, stole my thought.
You probably already know this but the original title of the record was Heathens. They changed it at the last minute because of David Bowie's Heathen album.
I did not know that! Great. Now I've got a grudge going against yet another of my favorite musicians.
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Iowan »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:It seems my take is quite a bit different than most. Maybe I like To a Band That I Loved so much because I felt those emotions firsthand at the Centro-Matic farewell shows. It was one of the best and most painful concert experiences I've ever had and the song conveys that in spades, at least to me. Possibly you had to be there, I don't know. As far as the rest I simply don't like 24 Frames or Flagship, they're both catchy, have some interesting hooks and some nice wordplay but ultimately feel like songs someone is trying too damned hard to get me to like. 24 Frames in particular sticks in my head for days and it's unwelcome there. I'm sure I will see it live on Friday night for the 2nd time and maybe it finally clicks. I'm not hopeful though. In addition to To a Band... I really like Speed Trap Town, If it Takes a Lifetime, Children of Children and Palmetto Rose. All good solid songs. I think this an OK record but if I were to knee jerk rank it I'm sorry but it would be last on the list. That's still better than most music but below my expectations for one of my absolute favorite songwriters and musicians.
Not all that different from my thoughts after awhile. Our favorite songs are pretty much the same, but I would put 24 Frames in that top tier.

To A Band That I Loved is a cool sentiment and I dig it lyrically, but don't care much for the arrangement/melody. I don't know if I'd put it last, but it's definitely behind Southeastern and Sirens, and probably behind Here We Rest. Tied-ish with Self Titled, depending on the day.

I do think it's more consistent to Here We Rest, which is the album with the most skippers for me, but HWR has higher highs.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Cole Younger »

I find myself warming to this record more and more. It is a bit like a Brighter Than Creation's Dark was for me. I'm not saying it's as good. But imitially, I loved Three Dimes Down, Ghost, The Man I Shot, and Riteous Path. Beyond that my reaction was, "huh. Well. This is different." But over time I have come to love it. And it stands just outside my top three.

I can see myself coming to like this record a lot more over time than I do right now even though this record isn't as good as that one. After a listen or two I was pretty middling about it. But I've come to like it. I figure I'll like it more over time. But I doubt I'll ever love it. It is most comparable to Here We Rest to me but In my opinion, while the high points on HWR are higher, this one is more consistent.
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Sub »

I like it a lot. It was a bit of a grower... I'm not nearly articulate enough to break it down like some of you are capable of, so I'll leave it at "I like it a lot".

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by lotusamerica »

Sorry if this is already posted, I didn't see it anywhere. Making of 24 Frames.

TC, no lead guitar to invade your brain yet, but Dave Cobb is starting to hum it at :48 in and says "we'll make a real definitive theme..." Then the second segment focuses on starting to build it, with the payoff at the end.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by lotusamerica »

Cole Younger wrote:I find myself warming to this record more and more. It is a bit like a Brighter Than Creation's Dark was for me. I'm not saying it's as good. But imitially, I loved Three Dimes Down, Ghost, The Man I Shot, and Riteous Path. Beyond that my reaction was, "huh. Well. This is different." But over time I have come to love it. And it stands just outside my top three.

I can see myself coming to like this record a lot more over time than I do right now even though this record isn't as good as that one. After a listen or two I was pretty middling about it. But I've come to like it. I figure I'll like it more over time. But I doubt I'll ever love it. It is most comparable to Here We Rest to me but In my opinion, while the high points on HWR are higher, this one is more consistent.
I'm with you on it building, and might even love it someday. We'll see after some shows. This record builds off of Southeastern, has some HWR thrown in, and has some song structures that require the same kind of patience that the ST record did to sink in. I'm on board with almost the whole record now. Still working on Band I Loved. Someone compared it to Danko and I'm still moving through that comparison because it doesn't seem to fare as well, though it does make an interesting update from asking are you the man I want to be to saying thanks for helping me become the man I am.

It's obviously less focused than Southeastern thematically, but seems to me to pick up some of the same themes of making life changing decisions and rounding into the corner in songs like Speed Trap Town, Hudson Commodore (male and female variations on a theme) and The Life You Chose. Then there are themes about coming out of the corner and looking down the straightaway ahead, sorting out how to keep moving forward - If It Takes a Lifetime, 24 Frames, Flagship, How to Forget and Palmetto Rose. Then the others are mostly appreciation songs, of motherhood and parenting (Children), of having purpose (Free), and of soul connections (Band).

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Duke Silver »

lotusamerica wrote:Sorry if this is already posted, I didn't see it anywhere. Making of 24 Frames.

TC, no lead guitar to invade your brain yet, but Dave Cobb is starting to hum it at :48 in and says "we'll make a real definitive theme..." Then the second segment focuses on starting to build it, with the payoff at the end.

Cool, thanks for posting that. Interesting to see how the "hook" or theme developed. I wish they would have shown more of how it went from Jason's pretty, chimey part to the overdriven, hair metalish part on the final track.
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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by olwiggum »

I still haven't gotten the leak. I'm kinda proud of myself. My first listen to SE was when they pre-releaesed the vinyl a couple of years ago, so I'm gonna hold out until next Friday for the vinyl release of this one as well.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by lotusamerica »

Duke Silver wrote: Cool, thanks for posting that. Interesting to see how the "hook" or theme developed. I wish they would have shown more of how it went from Jason's pretty, chimey part to the overdriven, hair metalish part on the final track.
To me, the lead always sounds like soaring 70's radio guitar with all that sustain, similar to Well Runs Dry. Cobb does say to Sadler in the clip, "Now I'll let you channel your inner 90s" or something like that... Anyway, I like the final product much better than the picking stuff Jason was playing in the video.

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by zoid »

Here's the full album on NPR's First Listen.
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/08/420588068 ... -than-free

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by heartbreaker1976 »

on first listen...this album was a disappointment. I kept waiting for the rock to bust out and it never did...I read a review that said on "band that I loved" there were Neil Young like guitar solos...nope...nothing of the such...

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Re: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

Post by Duke Silver »

heartbreaker1976 wrote:on first listen...this album was a disappointment. I kept waiting for the rock to bust out and it never did...I read a review that said on "band that I loved" there were Neil Young like guitar solos...nope...nothing of the such...
children of children is the one with the ny guitar, from what i've read. don't know because i haven't listened to it yet.
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