gepman wrote:I feel like I should play the lottery or something...
My cd /lp combo arrived in the mail today.
Coupla nice surprises included with the vinyl...
I guess I can't talk S about the MusicToday / DBT pre-order for once...
My order is in North Carolina..... The problem is that I am in Arizona.
I am on my second turn of the album on DBT YouTube channel. Holy shit! What a record.
Regardless of how it ranks in the DBT canon, this has to be one of their most sonically interesting records. Just so much going on at once, and yet it almost all comes together completely. My biggest early takeaways:
1. Rosemary is an awesome opener. At first I was concerned with the record starting with a downer, but the arrangement is fantastic and like others have said, it sets the mood for the rest of the album nicely.
2. Armageddon —> Slow Ride —> T&P is a great stretch. By the midpoint of the album pretty much all my anxiety over this record not living up to their past work had dissipated.
3. I’m going to be honest, I don’t like 21st Century USA. Maybe it’ll grow on me after a bit, but it feels like the sole miss on this record for me.
4. The back half of the album is where things pick up. Obviously would’ve been nice to get just one more Cooley track, but Grievance Merchants is stout, to say the least.
5. I’ve seen several people say The Unraveling lacks a real standout song, but I think that’s overlooking Awaiting Resurrection. The guitar work is sublime, and it feels like the most unnerving song DBT has ever made, and I mean that in the best of ways.
Just finishing my first listen through, although I’ve heard many of the songs live previously. First impression is while I can quibble with Patterson’s song writing direction the last few records (love the politics, dislike the fading from humanistic storytelling to the metaphorical word salad a number of songs have taken ie darkened flags and Armageddon) , sonically at least this one is beautiful. With regards to being Patterson dominated it reminds me of Big-to-do but I find myself liking it much more consistently than that record. Also as much as Cooley may feel like he’s in a slump, as far as I’m concerned Ramon Casiano and Grievance Merchants may be two of the best, most socially important songs of the last decade. So quality over quantity. Can’t wait til homecoming!
gepman wrote:I feel like I should play the lottery or something...
My cd /lp combo arrived in the mail today.
Coupla nice surprises included with the vinyl...
I guess I can't talk S about the MusicToday / DBT pre-order for once...
My order is in North Carolina..... The problem is that I am in Arizona.
Mine shipped from Raleigh, I live in Winston-Salem... 90ish miles away. I'm still not getting it until Monday.
gepman wrote:I feel like I should play the lottery or something...
My cd /lp combo arrived in the mail today.
Coupla nice surprises included with the vinyl...
I guess I can't talk S about the MusicToday / DBT pre-order for once...
My order is in North Carolina..... The problem is that I am in Arizona.
I am on my second turn of the album on DBT YouTube channel. Holy shit! What a record.
I have a buddy that lives in MD. My order looks like it shipped from Crozet VA.
I live in PA, got mine on Tuesday. His is currently in NC...
I love the album, it makes for a nice trinity for me with English Oceans and American Band, the three records that have come out since I began following DBT in 2013. And in my mind, the band's most consistently solid stretch - there really aren't any skip songs for me on these three records.
I wish the album were a little longer, say 12 songs. Just when I am really getting into it they are winding it down, it seems. I wasn't a big fan of Armageddon when it was released as a single but I now like it in the context of the album. Slow Ride Argument might have some of the best lyrics on the album but I like the live version better. I seem to be in the minority on 21st Century USA. I like it in part as I have a connection with Gillette, having passed through there a few months before DBT on my way to see the 2017 Solar Eclipse. So I know exactly where they are talking about. And it has a nice pacing. Thoughts and Prayers is the What it Means of this record. And, yes, Grievance Merchants is a strong track. All in all, kudos to DBT for another solid album.
Ive played it several times now. Its completely unlike any other DBT album. Even on American Band, there was a sense of fun. Even on GoGo Boots you had a couple of tracks to shine a light through the darkness.
There's no Thanksgiving Filter on here. It's stark, unnerving and often sounds like a different band.
Initially I was thinking it's their most Neil Young album, but its also weirdly reminding me of Sly Stone and There's a Riot Goin' on. It's topical and unsettling in the same sort of way.
I'm tempted to take credit for this* because Scotto has suddenly become a shy and/or lazy bastard, but I cannot tell a lie. Believe it or not, scotto actually wrote this:
The starting point for most reviews of DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS' "The Unraveling" is that it's a protest record. And it is. With songs like "Babies in Cages" and "Thoughts and Prayers," how could it not be? But rather than the usual progressive vs. conservative protests or even the basic Trump Sucks protests, these are the protests of a parent who's tired, worried, and angry.
The songs grew out of songwriter and cofounder Patterson Hood watching his kids go through active-shooter drills and trying to help them navigate a frightening political climate and wondering how they'll fare in an uncertain future.
As a previously child-free adult who only married into parenthood on the downhill side of 50, I won't claim to fully understand: I can't imagine what it feels like to read the news and then think about your babies. But I have gained some perspective and a somewhat different take on how world events can hit home.
The cover shot--Hood's son and a friend staring out at the immense and disquieting beauty of the Pacific--nails the mood: Are they safely within reach or about to be swallowed up by the menacing unknown? It's a beautiful shot with an undercurrent of angst. And the music is equal parts righteous anger and determined aspiration. Agree with them or not, these protests feel genuine, personal rather than ideological.
Ultimately this record is a protest against dwindling hope.
Plus it rocks.
*As you can tell, I did get ahead of the game by stealing scotto's conclusion anyway.
All opinions and commentary in my posts are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity.
Speaking of "Grievance Merchants," can I just say that I find the development of the incel thing (group? movement? self-identifier? whatever) to be perhaps the most puzzling thing to come out of the culture wars. I mean, seriously. As I understand it, declaring one's self to be an incel is to violate pretty much every rule in the unwritten rule book of male behavior/culture passed down by tangible, intangible and mysterious means through the generations since at least time immemorial. Well, you might say, the male rule book needs some serious rewriting, which it does and which it has been undergoing for some time now. But the incels aren't re-writing the book, they're simultaneously clinging to the book as their own while admitting that by its standards they are total losers. What man, operating under virtually any set of rules much less the traditional ones, would ever say "I have really, really tried to get laid but I am so pathetic I can't find any woman willing to sleep w/ me and I'm too poor to pay for it"? And proclaim this loudly while marching in the streets? I really don't understand anything about this. In any case Cooley certainly nails the whole thing, including but not limited to incels.
All opinions and commentary in my posts are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity.
beantownbubba wrote:I'm tempted to take credit for this* because Scotto has suddenly become a shy and/or lazy bastard, but I cannot tell a lie. Believe it or not, scotto actually wrote this:
The starting point for most reviews of DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS' "The Unraveling" is that it's a protest record. And it is. With songs like "Babies in Cages" and "Thoughts and Prayers," how could it not be? But rather than the usual progressive vs. conservative protests or even the basic Trump Sucks protests, these are the protests of a parent who's tired, worried, and angry.
The songs grew out of songwriter and cofounder Patterson Hood watching his kids go through active-shooter drills and trying to help them navigate a frightening political climate and wondering how they'll fare in an uncertain future.
As a previously child-free adult who only married into parenthood on the downhill side of 50, I won't claim to fully understand: I can't imagine what it feels like to read the news and then think about your babies. But I have gained some perspective and a somewhat different take on how world events can hit home.
The cover shot--Hood's son and a friend staring out at the immense and disquieting beauty of the Pacific--nails the mood: Are they safely within reach or about to be swallowed up by the menacing unknown? It's a beautiful shot with an undercurrent of angst. And the music is equal parts righteous anger and determined aspiration. Agree with them or not, these protests feel genuine, personal rather than ideological.
Ultimately this record is a protest against dwindling hope.
Plus it rocks.
*As you can tell, I did get ahead of the game by stealing scotto's conclusion anyway.
Not shy, just not much of a self-promoter. But lazy? Oh fuck yeah.
Actually, I only hesitated to share this because I originally wrote it for my personal FB page for family and friends. The combination of experiencing parenthood and this kind of family scene for the first time at my age makes this album really resonate for me in ways that previous favorites never could. I don't pretend to experience the hopes and fears that Patterson did and I surely don't pretend to have a hotline to his musical motivations, but I definitely wanted those I hold dear to know about this music and how it and them and you heathens have affected me.
But I'm glad you liked it.
Cheers.
beantownbubba wrote:Speaking of "Grievance Merchants," can I just say that I find the development of the incel thing (group? movement? self-identifier? whatever) to be perhaps the most puzzling thing to come out of the culture wars. I mean, seriously. As I understand it, declaring one's self to be an incel is to violate pretty much every rule in the unwritten rule book of male behavior/culture passed down by tangible, intangible and mysterious means through the generations since at least time immemorial. Well, you might say, the male rule book needs some serious rewriting, which it does and which it has been undergoing for some time now. But the incels aren't re-writing the book, they're simultaneously clinging to the book as their own while admitting that by its standards they are total losers. What man, operating under virtually any set of rules much less the traditional ones, would ever say "I have really, really tried to get laid but I am so pathetic I can't find any woman willing to sleep w/ me and I'm too poor to pay for it"? And proclaim this loudly while marching in the streets? I really don't understand anything about this. In any case Cooley certainly nails the whole thing, including but not limited to incels.
I think you're misunderstanding incels
a) I don't believe they self-identify as incels. It's a pejorative term placed on them
b) They don't think they are too pathetic to get laid. They think women who don't give them what they want are femi-nazi whores who are beneath them
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
305 Engine wrote:Ive played it several times now. Its completely unlike any other DBT album. Even on American Band, there was a sense of fun. Even on GoGo Boots you had a couple of tracks to shine a light through the darkness.
There's no Thanksgiving Filter on here. It's stark, unnerving and often sounds like a different band.
Initially I was thinking it's their most Neil Young album, but its also weirdly reminding me of Sly Stone and There's a Riot Goin' on. It's topical and unsettling in the same sort of way.
Yes! American Band dealt with some pretty heavy issues but they gave us Kinky Hypocrite to lighten things up a bit. Even the older songs managed to get the heavy messages across with a wink of the eye and a smile (President's Penis, Demonic Possession). But there's nothing on The Unraveling that will give you a laugh or even a tiny smile. It's bleak and unrelenting, but I guess that's the point.
Last edited by Clams on Sat Feb 01, 2020 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
305 Engine wrote:Ive played it several times now. Its completely unlike any other DBT album. Even on American Band, there was a sense of fun. Even on GoGo Boots you had a couple of tracks to shine a light through the darkness.
There's no Thanksgiving Filter on here. It's stark, unnerving and often sounds like a different band.
Initially I was thinking it's their most Neil Young album, but its also weirdly reminding me of Sly Stone and There's a Riot Goin' on. It's topical and unsettling in the same sort of way.
Yes! American Band dealt with some pretty heavy issues but they gave us Kinky Hypocrite to lighted things up a bit. Even the older songs managed to get the heavy messages across with a wink of the eye and a smile (President's Penis, Demonic Possession). But there's nothing on The Unraveling that will give you a laugh or even a tiny smile. It's bleak and unrelenting, but I guess that's the point.
It's why Armageddon is growing on me; sonically, it's nice to have a power pop song frontloading the record
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
dime in the gutter wrote:you just taught me something.
Seriously, I never even heard of the word incel until 5 minutes ago
Urban Dictionary explains the term well:
aka "involuntarily celibate", a person (usually male) who has a horrible personality and treats women like sexual objects and thinks his lack of a sex life comes from being "ugly" when its really just his blatant sexism and terrible attitude. incels have little to no self awareness; even when they see other "ugly" men with girlfriends, they consider these men to be tricksters who have somehow beat the system and can get women despite being cursed with unattractiveness (in other words, theyre respectful to women and women are attracted to their personalities, but incels cant comprehend such a phenomenon). they believe that women owe them sex, and many of the more extreme incels like to spend time in incel communities on the internet coming up with ways to make women have sex with them (often involving genocide of people of color, genocide of "Chads" (men who have sex), taking rights away from women, raping them, having sex with women's dead bodies, and other horrid, disgusting things. they cant understand that that is PRECISELY why women want nothing to do with them).
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
Clams wrote:But there's nothing on The Unraveling that will give you a laugh or even a tiny smile. It's bleak and unrelenting, but I guess that's the point.
Agree, but “bang each other like crashing cars” does elicit a bit of a smile.
Zip City wrote:a) I don't believe they self-identify as incels. It's a pejorative term placed on them
b) They don't think they are too pathetic to get laid. They think women who don't give them what they want are femi-nazi whores who are beneath them
Zip City wrote:aka "involuntarily celibate", a person (usually male) who has a horrible personality and treats women like sexual objects and thinks his lack of a sex life comes from being "ugly" when its really just his blatant sexism and terrible attitude. incels have little to no self awareness; even when they see other "ugly" men with girlfriends, they consider these men to be tricksters who have somehow beat the system and can get women despite being cursed with unattractiveness (in other words, theyre respectful to women and women are attracted to their personalities, but incels cant comprehend such a phenomenon). they believe that women owe them sex, and many of the more extreme incels like to spend time in incel communities on the internet coming up with ways to make women have sex with them (often involving genocide of people of color, genocide of "Chads" (men who have sex), taking rights away from women, raping them, having sex with women's dead bodies, and other horrid, disgusting things. they cant understand that that is PRECISELY why women want nothing to do with them).
I think your quote from Urban Dictionary basically says that I'm right about (a) and in any case, in my limited reading on the subject it seems pretty clear that part of the culture is self-identification and seeking out like minded "victims".
I don't claim any specialized knowledge of incel culture but my guess is that both views you summarize in (b) are held by people in the group. I think you're probably right that the "feminazi" POV is more widespread. But I do think the pathetic self-image is present as well.
All opinions and commentary in my posts are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity.
Zip City wrote:a) I don't believe they self-identify as incels. It's a pejorative term placed on them
b) They don't think they are too pathetic to get laid. They think women who don't give them what they want are femi-nazi whores who are beneath them
Zip City wrote:aka "involuntarily celibate", a person (usually male) who has a horrible personality and treats women like sexual objects and thinks his lack of a sex life comes from being "ugly" when its really just his blatant sexism and terrible attitude. incels have little to no self awareness; even when they see other "ugly" men with girlfriends, they consider these men to be tricksters who have somehow beat the system and can get women despite being cursed with unattractiveness (in other words, theyre respectful to women and women are attracted to their personalities, but incels cant comprehend such a phenomenon). they believe that women owe them sex, and many of the more extreme incels like to spend time in incel communities on the internet coming up with ways to make women have sex with them (often involving genocide of people of color, genocide of "Chads" (men who have sex), taking rights away from women, raping them, having sex with women's dead bodies, and other horrid, disgusting things. they cant understand that that is PRECISELY why women want nothing to do with them).
I think your quote from Urban Dictionary basically says that I'm right about (a) and in any case, in my limited reading on the subject it seems pretty clear that part of the culture is self-identification and seeking out like minded "victims".
I don't claim any specialized knowledge of incel culture but my guess is that both views you summarize in (b) are held by people in the group. I think you're probably right that the "feminazi" POV is more widespread. But I do think the pathetic self-image is present as well.
Yeah, I think we mostly agree. My point was that while their self-image may be pathetic, they still blame the WOMEN for not seeing through their neck beards and poor hygiene to see the true gentleman underneath (and when they try to show what "nice guys" they are, and are then rebuffed, a flip switches and they become very NOT nice guys)
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
My copy is due Friday. Should I wait for the vinyl? Use the laptop to hear YouTube, maybe plugging it into my stereo? I'm getting tired, so tired, tired of waiting for it.
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be
gepman wrote:The Wes Freed drawing on the back of the CD booklet should have been the album cover...
Through about a dozen spins now. Love it.
I love Wes, but the album cover is fantastic. The perfect representation of the message.
Its good in its own right, but it just is odd NOT having Wes Freed artwork for a DBT cover. I may get over it, one day...
I'm with gepman. I used to really love Ted Nugent but after he cut his hair the music just didn't sound the same The last few albums without Wes didn't grab me, so when I saw this cover I thought nooooooo, but alas I'm really digging this one. I also think TC is right about what the cover represents on this album. It's about the kids and the shithole we are leaving them. As usual Patterson always manage to write about stuff I like, like Mexican food and banging like crashing cars(not exact quote)but at my age could cause broken bones. Also I'll get over the Wes less cover.
and that pussy Alec Baldwin blew that girl away, and speaking of pussy Steve got it all!
Nothing like a five hour drive on Friday for a hockey tourney to really dig into this record which I already love.
Then during Grievance Merchants my 12 yr old reaches over and turns it down and says “wasn’t there a Patterson song earlier about thoughts and prayers?” Yes sweetie there was. “ and now Cooley is mentioning thoughts and prayers?” Yup.
Needless to say it was an awesome moment for me.
Looking forward to the return trip this afternoon to let it all really sink in. One more game to go.........
-I’m moderately obsessed with what I assume to be some sort of keyboard effect that sounds like horns on the first verse of “Grievance Merchants.” Initially I thought it might be horns, then I thought maybe it’s some kind of pedal Matt’s using, but there’s pretty clearly clean bass happening simultaneously. Gotta be Jay, right?
-“Slow Ride Argument” is the only song on the record that has a chorus.
-Think I’m higher than the crowd consensus on “21st Century USA” and maybe a bit lower on “Thoughts and Prayers.”
-Holy shit, “Awaiting Resurrection” is incredible.
All it takes is one wicked heart, a pile of money, and a chain of folks just doing their jobs