Album Rating: 3.7

album is overproduced, rehashes too much of their formula (can only complain so much bc Honeysuckle is probably the song most guilty of this but also the chief highlight), has way too many whingy alt metal choruses, has a corny closer and weak pop-adjacent tracks compared to all previous Greg albums

highlights are great, but the signs that they'd reached the end of the road (with this lineup anyway) are all over the shop

Album Rating: 5.0

The only thing I vehemently disagree with is the alt metal choruses part.



Aside from Symptoms of Terminal Illness (which I’ve already said is by far the weakest track here and one of the weaker TDEP tracks in general), I don’t really recall any “whingy (fucking brits) alt metal choruses” at all?



Maybe Nothing to Forget with the “please let me be myself I don’t need anything”, but I really think Greg is a good enough a vocalist to sell that lyrical low point. There are repeating lyrics for sure but I don’t think I would refer to them as choruses at all, let alone “alt metal choruses”

Album Rating: 5.0

Again, and im saying this completely seriously, Johnny you clearly know more about music than I do so I really would be fine with you proving me wrong, but im not so sure on this one chief

Album Rating: 5.0

I also think the production is pretty much perfect. I usually hate production that sounds this clean but I think it was very necessary for this kind of project. You can clearly hear every instrument at any given moment and that’s a huge plus for a record like this

Album Rating: 4.0

I still like this album even though I rarely listen to it. However as time has passed and the aura around this being their swansong has faded, I'd be lying if I said I didn't agree with everything in Johnny's comment.

Album Rating: 4.0

Low Feels Blvd still has my respect for being the most unpredictable track here

Album Rating: 3.7

re. choruses, Symptom and Nothing are up there for sure, but is also count Apologies, the Wanting... bridge and most of the t/t (basically anything that shows how much Greg took from Patton, though I don't mind this as much other records, maybe for prod/grit reasons?) -- this is a preferential crit for sure (ain't they all), but I don't like how much focus there is on his maudlin lyrics on this (Nothing to Forget probs the worst example). Realise this is a slippery slope given that my second fav Greg album is Miss Machine where he was p much undeniably at his worst lyrically, but something about this one's blockbuster sheen makes it harder to look away

and on the note of production, I agree that their sound benefits from clarity as much as chaos but think OP and Killer had already nailed that balance in away that seemed to accentuate each and every jagged edge they tore out of their instruments. this one feels more than a little smoothed over by comparison (though credit where it's due, I do love how lush Low Feels and Fugue play out as such)

think that's about the scope of it lol, but can still fw most of this when all's said and done - just never bought it as a final high watermark. appreciate you man, even though we disagree on like 75% of threads lol

Album Rating: 5.0

oh yeah I hate your opinions most of the time but you the homie Johnny. Any time I think you have a bad take I almost can’t respond because it’s usually so well thought out and descriptive to the point where im like “maybe he’s on to something here…”

Album Rating: 5.0

Anyways, I think Patton was most definitely the best thing that ever happened to this band, I really wonder what this bands’ trajectory would have looked like had Irony not happened.

Album Rating: 5.0

Realistically, they probably would’ve put out another Calc esque album but it would’ve sounded worse and been much less inspired, and then they probably would’ve broken up.



Just to end up in the books of amazing but short lived early 2000’s acts