saving the planet with prog-emo: the world is a beautiful place & i am no longer afraid to die's illusory walls (2021)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-V10ijYGc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXD3nf5TbXE

i think it was semisonic who said that every end of the world is occasioned by a new world's beginning or vice versa. that's what this album makes me think of, new worlds sprouting out of even the oldest and deadest ones, which then collapse on themselves so that further worlds can develop from that mixture of decay and anomie, an infinite gif that morphs into and out of other infinite gifs, evolution and stasis and regression all contained within the same movement. really solid ambitious rock album too

not heard anything by them before. this LP is way too long, but its also really enjoyable and imaginative. great drumming.

reminded me of Mew and Foxing, both good things.

I was a fan of Whenever, If Ever but kind of dropped off since then. This is sounding great though. Reminds me a bit of the Genghis Tron from earlier in the year. But more emo.

oh right, how did I forget this band, with that name. maybe that's why, actually, ha. i do like this, and i probably need to go back and check out what i missed since whenever. kind of a genre smoothie but i guess everything is

merch is amusing

https://i.imgur.com/6saWsaK.png

https://i.imgur.com/uUrGk0l.png

Ordered this one, waiting for it to get here before I chime in. I only just recently heard Harmlessness, but Brad's description has me super excited for it.

Finally got to sit down and play the full thing. Really excellent. The last 2 tracks are above and beyond. Truly enormous sounding. I hear a bit of Foxing, Brave Little Abacus, Glassbeach and The Anniversary throughout this.

I think this is their best album in almost every way (even Harmlessness which has my fave songs). More ambitious in sound and scale, but, more importantly, greater consistency in quality and sequencing. The production is full and detailed - the drums and vocals, are so much better sounding than previous releases. Really enjoying this on headphones.

It might feel like their masterpiece (if not, a masterpiece), but, like Brad, I actually think this points a new way forward for bands in this vein. Technical and grandiose but accessible. Excited to see what comes next.

Honestly, I hope the emo, prog, post-rock and metal references don't turn off the larger contingent of indie rock listeners, because I really believe this will appeal to fans of more commercial guitar driven stuff like Built to Spill, ATDI or Manchester Orchestra. I mean you don't need to love Circa Survive, Pure Reason Revolution, mewithoutYou, GYBE! or the aforementioned bands to get into this (though if you do...).

I also don't think you need to have heard the other albums to enjoy this (in fact, new listeners should def start with Illusory Walls), but the callbacks and interpolations are not just real treats for long time fans, but add emotional depth.

wow this is really really prog, quite a few levels beyond typical emo levels

this reminds me of Tao Of The Dead insofar as the proggiest bits are the earlier segues rather than the jumbo-length stuff at the end, impressive racket mind

Man I can't wait to hear this. Copy is supposed to arrive today. Holding out until I get it, but these descriptions are making my mouth water. The Anniversary! ATDI! Built to Spill! "really really prog"! Tao of the Dead!

i know there is a larger pitchfork thread but wanted to bring it up here. 6.8 is insanely low for how good this is. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-world-is-a-beautiful-place-and-i-am-no-illusory-walls/

i in fact hope most of my favorite albums of the year get a 6

I've yet to hear all of Always Foreign, but given the general fan reactions I've seen and read, I'm surprised that's the one with the highest Pitchfork score of the last three albums proper.

(or maybe I shouldn't be, but point being that doesn't seem to match up with the general vibe among fans)

I'm enjoying the two longer tracks on this - finding them warmly soporific. I caught a whiff of The God Machine on an earlier track, which kept me interested.

nah this is kinda bad, lads.

Nah, definitely v v v good.