The Ides of March

[scarecrow]

also, definitely best elvis production in FOREVER

not perfect but much improved (for example the dynamics in worried mind)

All tracks score a DR5 on the Dynamic Range Meter, which means it's heavily compressed.
If you're not familiar with it, 1 means it's just a wall of noise, and 20 means it's insanely dynamic.
Most modern albums score a DR5 or DR6.
25 years ago, you could find CD's with a score above DR10.
Classical music and jazz album can reach a DR15 or DR16.
On the other hand, Death Magnetic scored a DR3.
Here are the AB scores if you're interested:
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list ... ter+Bridge

thank you, this looks like a good resource but i'm not convinced it's scientific. the new lana del rey album has some insane compression on its first track yet the cd scored a dr8 (seemingly a great score by today's standards). but maybe vocal compression isn't everything?

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

I wish that part from 3:44 to 4:00 in Tell It Like It Is was extended more before it transitioned to the final riff.

[MaraCarr]

I listened to it all day today. It’s very healing! I love “Wanderlust Begins” and “Worried Mind” ! It’s a beautiful album... all of the tracks are great. I just connected personally with two of them! Thankful! Listening actually helped me heal!

[Kreuger]

Im enjoying the album. I dont get the complaints. Especially the lack of solos. More than one song contains 2. Theres plenty here.

[nagpo]

So I just finished my first listen of the record. The music for the majority of the record is great. It's eclectic and not at all a repeat of his previous record in terms of sound. It sounds like a mixture of his entire career almost. It's solid.

Vocals: I have mixed feelings about his vocals on the record. Sometimes he'll hit a high note and it really adds so much. Other times he's harmonizing and it sounds great. But myles kind of has a strain to his voice that he's had for a few years now when he reaches higher notes, the stronger ones, that kind of irks me. It's similar to a slight 'nails on a chalkboard' effect. Also, there are times where instead of singing a melody clean, he'll just speak it almost. Like in Moonshot on the lyric "Never asking why". I must also say the chorus' on most of the songs are not really catchy. That's kind of what I look for in a chorus is something to make me want to sing a long with and remember the lyrics... But that brings me to the next point

Lyrics: This album pretty much just confirmed to me that myles kennedy has run out of stuff to write about. Almost the entire album is about how shitty 2020 was. I know how bad it was, everyone does. I wonder how many bands are making songs about covid/riots/elections? Probably a lot. My issue is that recently he mostly has been writing lyrics about current social or political issues and I've never been a fan of that type of lyrical writing. It ages quickly, not everybody will necessarily share his opinion on the matters which limits the audience as well.

Another issue I have is some of them are kind of dumb, lazy or they aren't catchy. I won't probably remember much of these lyrics. And ultimately, I didn't find myself emotionally connecting with most of the songs for any sort of the various reasons I've said above. The music was the best part of the record, the lap steel, the genre swaps kept it interesting. But I think a lot of these songs are better than their lyrics and even at times, their vocalist.

I really liked wanderlust begins, worried mind, love rain down, moonshot. And I think That's the peak of the album. I really wanted to include the ides of march but I don't like the lyrics. but the music is good. The rest of the album I could do without.

I think his last album was better overall.

[scarecrow]

Interesting bit here about how Mark heard the demo for the title track and commented that it could've worked for AB (in a different form) at the 11:45 mark:

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

[nagpo]

Interesting bit here about how Mark heard the demo for the title track and commented that it could've worked for AB (in a different form) at the 11:45 mark:

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

also get to see the legendary wooden guitar he practiced on as a child which was cool

[Mr. Slash]

Interesting bit here about how Mark heard the demo for the title track and commented that it could've worked for AB (in a different form) at the 11:45 mark:

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

They could cover this song with AB. "The Ides of Mark"

[Kreuger]

So I just finished my first listen of the record. The music for the majority of the record is great. It's eclectic and not at all a repeat of his previous record in terms of sound. It sounds like a mixture of his entire career almost. It's solid.

I dunno if you could say its not at all a repeat. Wanderlust Begins sounds an awful lot like One Fine Day. And apparently its like 20 years old.

[nagpo]

So I just finished my first listen of the record. The music for the majority of the record is great. It's eclectic and not at all a repeat of his previous record in terms of sound. It sounds like a mixture of his entire career almost. It's solid.

I dunno if you could say its not at all a repeat. Wanderlust Begins sounds an awful lot like One Fine Day. And apparently its like 20 years old.

read the sentence after that

[gbruin]

Sigh.

I still don't have mine yet. Tracking says it's still in fucking Chicago.

It looks like more than a few have the same problem, based on FB posts. Pretty bummed after preordering from Myles's website the day the day presales went out. Guess I have to go find a Walmart...

[nagpo]

Sigh.

I still don't have mine yet. Tracking says it's still in fucking Chicago.

It looks like more than a few have the same problem, based on FB posts. Pretty bummed after preordering from Myles's website the day the day presales went out. Guess I have to go find a Walmart...

Sorry to hear that man. I think the delays have something to do with high gas prices, just a hunch. Hope it gets to you soon.

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

Sigh.

I still don't have mine yet. Tracking says it's still in fucking Chicago.

It looks like more than a few have the same problem, based on FB posts. Pretty bummed after preordering from Myles's website the day the day presales went out. Guess I have to go find a Walmart...

Im in the same boat, Greg! My tracking info has only told me the shipping label was created and nothing else After I paid for express shipping and preordering from Day 1 and here we are

[scarecrow]

yeah, i never order directly from the artist anymore if i want something by the release date

once in a while you'll get lucky but the vast majority of the time it doesn't arrive for days if not weeks after that

[anguyen92]

I made a few purchases on AB's (to get the honorary Roadie t-shirt and some other shirts) and Myles' website and I got my stuff on time. I got The Ides of March four days before the actual release date so I don't know what's going on.

[gbruin]

Sigh.

I still don't have mine yet. Tracking says it's still in fucking Chicago.

It looks like more than a few have the same problem, based on FB posts. Pretty bummed after preordering from Myles's website the day the day presales went out. Guess I have to go find a Walmart...

Im in the same boat, Greg! My tracking info has only told me the shipping label was created and nothing else After I paid for express shipping and preordering from Day 1 and here we are

At least I'm in good company. I'll probably email the company sometime and I'll keep you posted if I hear anything meaningful.

[MuffinMcFluffin]

One of the worst things Myles has started doing in some songs is write them so his singing notes and the guitar notes are identical and in sync. He's done it in the verses of All Hope Is Gone, Cradle to the Grave, and Dying Light... and now he does it in the pre-choruses and choruses of Moonshot.

What's funny is in any moment of Moonshot that he's not doing it, it's a pretty good song. Then when he does it, it just sounds incredible silly and almost lazy. There is even one single part in the chorus when he doesn't do it ("Take my hand") and the song automatically sounds better just in that very moment.

I wish he'd ditch this completely. It almost works in All Hope Is Gone because it's slightly deviated at the end of each line, but that's the only song I've really tolerated it at all.

[chtimixeur]

I like two thirds of the album:
1. Wake Me When It's Over: nice energy, great chorus, and I LOVE the soothing backing vocals. This should have been the album opener.
2. Worried Mind: a bluesy MF4 song. Great vocals that remind me of the early 2000's Myles.
3. Wanderlust Begins: enjoyable, even though it sounds too much like the previous album.
4. Love Rain Down: nice vibe all throughout.
5. Tell It Like It Is: is that the Motown song? Because it sounds nothing like it to me! Stilll a fun upbeat song to listen to, and it's gonna make people clap and dance when it's played live.
6. In Stride: it's grown on me.
7. The Ides of March: I should like it more, because I can recognize how ambitious it is. But it's too disjointed to me and it sounds like a bunch of parts that don't necessarily fit together. Also, the whole thing sounds like a subpar Blackbird clone to me.
8. Sifting Through the Fire: I like the guitar tone, but I hate the high-pitched vocals.
9. Moonshot: eh.
10. Get Along: how is that the album opener? That chorus is so cheesy...
11. A Thousand Words: probably one of the worst songs Myles has recorded in the last 20 years.

[Mr. Slash]

11. A Thousand Words: probably one of the worst songs Myles has recorded in the last 20 years.

Always funny to see how different musical tastes are. A Thousand Words is easly among my favorites.

[Mr.Vlado]

11. A Thousand Words: probably one of the worst songs Myles has recorded in the last 20 years.

Always funny to see how different musical tastes are. A Thousand Words is easly among my favorites.

I agree, for me it's probably the best song on the album and even easily in my top 5 if I count both of his solo albums.
I can see, though, how one could find parts of the lyrics weak ("they say a picture's more worth than a thousand words"...), but I think that is a general issue on that album. But of course - cannot argue about taste