"can we talk about bruce springsteen's new album?"
comes out tomorrow.
streaming in full on a bunch of sites.
checked it out this morning. some really good songs on there. "rocky ground" especially. that song is friggen incredible. i feel like the album as a whole is gonna be a grower too and just get better the more i hear it.
3. "RE: Heven't heard it but I really like the single" In response to Reply # 2
the rest of the album is a lot different than it. i like it too but it almost sounds out of place. it's the opener. i feel like the album didn't really start for me til track two. but maybe that's because i had already heard it and been familiar with it too though.
8. "RE: these descriptions sound great. Think i'll give it a listen" In response to Reply # 6
re-listening now, "we take care of our own" is almost more like a mission statement of sorts at the beginning than it is an opening track that fits with the rest.
it's almost like "here's where we are thematically...now let's begin." on some preface kinda tip.
plus it's an obama political campaign song so there's that too. haha.
7. "Checking it out." In response to Reply # 0 Tue Mar-06-12 03:22 AM by denny
Not a huge fan of Bruce but always like to check out what he's doing.....
First few songs I listened to were a little underwhelming....there were several times I felt the urge to revisit 'the rising' album instead cause I think it's one of his best.
First song that caught my attention was 'The Depression'. Some great changes there. Unexpected curve balls in the structure. You can tell they spent alot of time trying to make the drums sound like Led Zep's cover of 'When the Levee Breaks'. Is that what Bruce is saying when he claimed this album has a hip hop influence?
Listening to more songs and more on that hip hop influence....'Rocky Ground' is pretty interesting. Good tune. I'm convinced that Bruce has been specifically inspired by the Roots on this album. It mostly doesn't work imo. You can hear it with all the experimentation in the tone of the drums from song to song. But the swing and groove of alot of the songs sounds plodding to me. Like he wanted the tones of hip hop drums without the hip hop swing.
Other than that....'land of hope and dreams' got that epic Bruce thing and it works. Same with 'We take of our own'. But I'm mostly indifferent to the majority of the songs. And there's a couple that are horrible.
9. "RE: Checking it out." In response to Reply # 7
yeah a lot of the drums are definitely on the questlove kinda hip-hop steez.
second half of the album is much more experimental and loose sounding. but i always love it when they try new things so i was with them the whole way. i can def see why casual listeners just expecting bruce anthems would be turned/thrown off.
13. "Maybe his best since Tunnel Of Love?" In response to Reply # 0
I've had it for a few weeks now, and I've been listening at least once a day since it leaked. It's his strongest, most consistent set in more than a decade, and he hasn't sounded this energized and engaged in a long time. Early favourites would be "Easy Money", "Rocky Ground" and "Land Of Hope And Dreams" (so good to finally get a studio version of that one).
It's been interesting to see a lot of the hardcore fanbase rebel against the samples, the beats and the celtic/folk influences. I've seen it suggested that Bruce has somehow "betrayed" his fans with this album.
16. "Just got through my first listen. Bruce has done it again" In response to Reply # 0
He always finds a way to do a little something different with each new album. Parts of this have a sort of Eddie Vedder solo acoustic feel to them(I'm thinking of "we are alive" specifically) Love the celtic influence that you're hearing in a lot of the songs. Not sure how I feel about the R&Bish/hip hop feelings in it, but it may grow on me
I'm loving it so far. Can't wait to see it live in a few weeks.
17. "i didn't even think about it but it's def eddie vedder-ish..." In response to Reply # 16
i'm jealous you get to go see him live. i only did once. it was one of the final ones at giants stadium. he did the born to run album in its entirety and then played for like three more hours. it was amazing.
18. "you gotta go see him in a dusty old arena, like Brendan Byrne or Nassau" In response to Reply # 17 Tue Mar-20-12 04:16 PM by Bombastic
or (in my case) The Old Spectrum (RIP) where I caught his 50th Birthday show back in '99 or '00 or now that I'm out west the Pond in Anaheim (where I saw Tom Morello's first appearance with the E Street Band on 'Ghost of Tom Joad' with that second solo melting my face off) or the LA Sports Arena (upcoming).
He apparently opened Staples Center but won't play there now, that place like many of the newer more cavernous arenas are horrible for sound/vibe.
Bruce likes to get that old preacher shit on & reach out/touch the people while the band plays loud.
Those made-in-the-late-60s-early-70s-era arenas seem to be the best fit for it.
No bells & whistles just good acoustics with an eager crowd to feed off.
As for this album, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Definitely more initially than the one before with 'Lonesome Pete'. I really dug the Magic album a lot when it dropped so maybe more on par with that & eventually having the chance to be better to my ears.
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