I think we all tend to view all artists' albums through the lens of how we first heard them, in a lot of cases. So I get that.

I also totally understand your preference for music as an "escape" rather than a reminder of the difficulties of adult life haha. I still gravitate to music with a message but not to the extreme that I used to. In my old age I certainly gravitate to simpler music sometimes myself, for the same reason ... just looking for something breezy and enjoyable rather than dense and, say, political.

Personally, I found that Game Theory provided both for me. It was political and deep but still banged so hard musically that it was enjoyable even if the lyrical content was a little denser than we were used to from them.

But again I can understand how you may have viewed it from the perspective you speak of.


>Some people think that GT is their best or in the top 3 in
>their discography so the album must have really connected from
>the beginning with you.
>
>I think the three big songs (Don't Feel Right / In the Music /
>Here I Come) worked for me from the beginning, but the other
>songs took more time to sink in.
>
>Every album after Phrenology has been 'dark' or moody in some
>way and while I've come to appreciate them in their own way,
>my image of the band is still them in their DYWM and IH days
>where they were more vital and less reflective in their music.
>
>
>So, when the new albums come out I'm still filtering the new
>music through that old lens. Probably isn't fair to the group
>but that's what ends up happening.
>
>When I was younger, I preferred music that was more reflective
>or 'soulful', so I ought to be all over the new direction of
>the band. But it just hasn't clicked. I guess with adult
>responsibilities I look at music with more of an intent to
>escape. Not necessarily right probably, but that's where I'm
>at.