Excellent article, I loved this album as well and quite surreal reading it given the fact I was in college at the same time (99-02) outside Philadelphia, a Cleveland suburb transplant, Browns fan, 9/11, etc. Also dealt with a lot of the awkwardness of that period of life. I look back now with a lot of grace. We were all doing the best we could.
On the album-opening/closing track, I think there's still a fear that if we hold a real whomper back on the end of a record, it'll never get played. People like openers, and will maybe check the next 2 songs if you're lucky anymore.
You know, there's some merit to that line of thinking these days. I think I'm showing my age from when spending money on CDs was a commitment to listen to an entire record. Hell, being in my 40s, I can remember going to CDs and feeling incredulous that we didn't have to rewind and could just skip around a disc. :-)
There well may be. Unfortunately, it continues to perplex and dismay us musicians, who grew up in a time when finding the "hidden gem" on a record and sharing it around was a joy of the culture.
Excellent article, I loved this album as well and quite surreal reading it given the fact I was in college at the same time (99-02) outside Philadelphia, a Cleveland suburb transplant, Browns fan, 9/11, etc. Also dealt with a lot of the awkwardness of that period of life. I look back now with a lot of grace. We were all doing the best we could.
On the album-opening/closing track, I think there's still a fear that if we hold a real whomper back on the end of a record, it'll never get played. People like openers, and will maybe check the next 2 songs if you're lucky anymore.
You know, there's some merit to that line of thinking these days. I think I'm showing my age from when spending money on CDs was a commitment to listen to an entire record. Hell, being in my 40s, I can remember going to CDs and feeling incredulous that we didn't have to rewind and could just skip around a disc. :-)
There well may be. Unfortunately, it continues to perplex and dismay us musicians, who grew up in a time when finding the "hidden gem" on a record and sharing it around was a joy of the culture.