I haven't listened to the whole album complete, instead, i've listened to the first half twice - and it def sounded better the second time round.
For me, a problem is that I don't particularly like just rock. I like rock that has something else to draw my attention as well; the guitar of Duane Allman, the sinister mood of The Doors, the unexpected ramblings of Sonic Youth. With Matthew Good, rock was all there seemed to be.
"Less Is More" is a kind of Zen koan from the design industry I believe, and I feel that the corollary, "More is Less" applies to a lot of MGB's material. Giant, Hello Time Bomb and Failing Rorschach start out promisingly, but when all band members kick in and play for all they're worth, the individuality of the tracks disappeared under the onslaught of generic hard-driving rock.
I welcomed Strange Days with it's change of pace, but even there the vocalist couldn't resist straining to deliver emotion to the max and left me thinking fondly of the sedate Leonard Cohen, who truly absorbed the aphorism, "Less is More".
So, my apologies, Music Collector; I'm very happy that you have joined the album club, but I shouldn't let that consideration affect my vote, which is 5/10 I'm afraid.
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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953
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