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ok there's a lot i like here. i love the LINER NOTES! the album was written as part of a song-a-day project that seeks to have been iteratively happening over 12 yeaes. It does feel like music that gets written when someone has refined their instincts. I feel like good iterative musical practice is as much about learning to steer impulses, and there's SOMETHING here that sings that. It feels like the gentle and magical result of doing the right thing because you've walked these paths before. idk. i love it. it also just sounds incredible!!!
Dec 3, 2024
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a year ago, a girl i was going out with recommended this album to me, after i heard the song "Insecure" while we made out in her car. a year later, we don't really talk anymore, but i finally listened to this album all the way through... and i loved it so much that i felt compelled to text her and thank her profusely for the recommendation. i kept my text to her short and sweet, but i have a lot to say about this special album.
i'm jewish, and though i'm not a religious person, i've been thinking a lot about religion lately and what it means to me. growing up, i went to synagogue with my family for the high holidays, and i didn't particularly connect with any of the scripture in this sterile environment. throughout college, i was involved in an alternative jewish space that welcomed everyone as they were and centered social justice, and we hosted events where we got to share food, space, songs, hopes for the future, etc.
now that i'm not in college, and not living with my family, i'm figuring out what religion means to me at an individual level and how it affects the way i interact with the world around me. it's been years since i've been to a synagogue, but i try to go to concerts as much as i can, because music means the world to me and experiencing it in a live setting, in community, is sacred... and by sacred, i mean that it commands your full attention, it swallows you whole, forces you to let go.
i haven't experienced this album in a live setting, and because northern picture library have since disbanded, i likely never will. but the other day, after smoking some weed, lighting some candles, laying on the floor in almost complete darkness, and playing this album on my noise-cancelling headphones, i saw god in my room.
every sound on every song envelops you completely. the vocals, the harmonies, the organ, the field recordings, the synths, the guitars, the lyrics... everything is perfection in its purest form. the mix makes it sound so close to you, yet so far away. the overexposed album cover feels incredibly fitting, with every song making up a sliver of a bright and beautifully blinding heaven. and it doesn't surprise me at all that the length of this album is an angel number (1 hr 11 mins).
i can't remember the last time i was this moved by an album. it solidified my desire to, one day, go to divinity school and do extensive research on the many religious qualities of music; i still have loans to pay, life to live, and lots of music to listen to, but i'm excited to go down this rabbit hole one day. it's kind of funny that i've come to this conclusion honestly, considering that the girl who recommended this to me is majoring in religion, and i never thought i would want to study religion at an academic level. i guess this is just a testament to how everyone you meet, and especially everyone you care about (or have cared about), are woven into the fabric of your life, no matter how long they're a part of it. what goes around comes back around... life is a spiral!
i hope you take the time to listen to this album and let it move you. i can't promise you'll see god (we're still getting to know each other), but i guarantee it'll restore your faith... if not in god, then in yourself <3
Oct 1, 2024
The standout hits are Slugs (my song of the summer) and Yard (truly a song worth sitting and crying to).
I wouldn’t say they’re sad rock, but their songs are very reflective of past love / mistakes / recognizing your limits as a person / a long to change who you are; you can relate to the album regardless of where you’re at. They also have a little midwestern hint to their sound, and they sneak a harmonica & some banjo into Broadview, which is a nice little change of pace.
I like albums that make you feel things and this one brings a sense of understanding & acceptance whenever I listen to it. Like yes, I can relate to the feelings & the pain & regret in the songs, but they’re almost written (and meant to be listened to) from the other side, once you’ve made it through those life moments and can look back at them understanding how they’ve brought you to this very moment. That’s this album for me.
Apr 19, 2024
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Stuck overnight in the empty halls of John Lennon International airport, I read this a couple of times and drove myself effectively insane, having significant ramifications on the following months. Great story.
Dec 3, 2024
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This album feels like playing a banjo on a tiny spaceship made of 2x4s that runs on vegtable oil. If you've ever played The Outer Wilds, this will scratch the itch
Dec 3, 2024