#16

It’s all quite interesting though

#17

Is it still worth seeing them live? I never have

#18

They’re wildly inconsistent. Sometimes they’re great and sometimes they really aren’t. Because of the size of the band these days as well they’re often at the mercy of the soundman

#19

I think there’s an old DiS interview where it’s mentioned. And I think it’s what Paper Thin Walls is about.

#20

Seen them twice. Once on the we were dead tour in Manchester and they were fantastic. Saw them again at Shepherd’s Bush a couple of years later and it wasn’t great. They didn’t tour the last album here did they? So don’t know what they’re like nowadays.

#21

I think a key difference between this and other cases that have surfaced is that it’s been very publically brought up and Isaac has been very open about it in interviews. Enough to make me think that there is credibility in his claims of innocence but if it were to come up again though with more information coming into light on the other hand…

There is simply not enough information out there for me to hard fall on any side of the fence though, to be honest with you.

1 Like
#22

Only time I’ve seen them was in Manchester touring the most recent album, and they were incredible, one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen. I’d had tickets to see them at that Manchester date of the We Were Dead tour but got mugged earlier in the day and had to go to hospital, then at Leeds festival (possibly the same year) I downloaded a dodgy programme off the internet and turned up about 5 minutes after they’d finished, then had tickets to see them again in Manchester and Latitude festival a couple of years after but they cancelled the tour. After all those near misses I was really excited to finally see them and I loved it. It was way more baroque than I’d expected them to be, but that actually worked really well, the sound was very clear, the crowd was really enthusiastic all the way through and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

1 Like
#23

saw them in 2009 and 2010 and both were great. saw them in 2015 and was fairly disappointed. a few lineup changes, a lot of the mediocre new album stuff, but also shit sound in a not-great venue (though Sufjan sounded great there a couple of months later, very different kind of show though). some of the other setlists on the same tour looked pretty good so they might have been better then. i saw they were playing Grey Ice Water at a lot of the other shows </3

#24

he kept trying to talk to the audience last time and seemed confused he was getting no response, cos he was unaware we couldn’t make out a word of it.

#25

this is probably the album I’ve listened to the most this year. it’s pretty much perfect to me. what’s everyones favourite track on it?

I’ve never seen them live but they’re pretty high on my list of must sees.

#26

Probably Trailer Trash for me clive.

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#27

I was always a Trailer Trash or Polar Opposites kinda guy but the more I listen to it the more I fucking adore Doin’ the Cockroach. Dunno what the general consensus on that one is but I listen to it whenever I wanna get a bit fired up. Can’t think of any others song that have the same balls to the wall levels of manic energy as that one. Plus it’s pretty fun to shout along to.

#28

the first 3 tracks are the peak for me.

Doin The Cockroach seems to be a popular live one but i’ve never seen them play it, shame.

#29

Every song is amazing but I have a lot of time for Truckers Atlas, which is a good thing because you need a lot of time for it

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#30

I was about to say this actually, love the drums on that one. Endless groove

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#31

Just checked the set list and they did tiny cities into doin the cockroach at the Manchester 2007 show. With two drummers it was epic.

#32

got to say Cowboy Dan is my favourite, closely followed by Trucker’s Atlas

#33

Saw them do Truckers Atlas in 2009, which was also great with two drummers

2 Likes
#34

I have to go with “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”, which to me remains the most brilliant introduction track ever written. Usually I like intros that build up, but the way it just explodes out of the gate and immerses you in the world of the album instantaneously is unbelievable. It’s like waking up suffocating. Then that second half, I’m not even going to bother attempting to describe it. And just when you think it can’t get any more intense, that bendy lead comes in. I’ve never heard a song more accurately or effectively convey that combined feeling of intense frustration, hopelessness, and powerlessness.

7 Likes
#35

There really isn’t. I think out of every album I’ve ever heard, it might be the single most irreproducible one. It feels like one of those lightning in a bottle moments, where no matter how many bands attempt to capture individual components of it (the sound, the theme, the energy), the end result won’t feel as natural or genuine.

A lot of my favorite albums, especially angry ones, pull off some sort of suspension of disbelief trick where I can’t picture the band sitting down and writing the songs and then recording them - it feels like it just naturally came out of them on the spot. This album manages that more than any other one.