I think Morning Phase is terrific

I like the new album. I'm glad he did something different, and it's catchy. Morning Phase is nice and all but it's just Sea Change Pt. 2.

Because I'm boring and predictable, I'm picking this as my top album of 2017 so far:
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/vV...e8deec0223ab88

Yeah I love Sea Change so I was happy about that.

I love Sea Change. So... I just listen to Sea Change instead.

I prefer to hear a band evolve even if sometimes they misstep. Like Everything Now is a garbage record, but at least Arcade Fire did something different. I respect that. The next album will be different too, and I love that about them.

I put Sea Change and Morning Phase on one playlist and run it at random.

Some musicians are built to change and evolve and some aren't. It's case by case who can pull it off. Beck has pulled it off before but not this time.

I mean, it's just not a bad album. I just can't say it's bad even if it IS commercial / poppy / whatever. It just isn't bad. It's not his best, and it's tough to compete in such a great year as this, but it just isn't a bad album.

And for those artists who can't grow... I probably am not gonna ever listen to more than whatever their best album is. I'm just not interested in hearing the same album over and over again.

My tentative list for the year, in no particular order.

Everything I've heard about Ayreon has made me think they're the new age Dream Theater and Frown's assessment makes me want to avoid with an elephant gun. They even have James LaBrie? Jesus. I guess I'll probably listen to their supposed classic album eventually, but I won't pretend that I'm in any way looking forward to it. But you never know, right? I even like a Dream Theater album.

This was the original artwork for the album.
http://www.whitby.ca/en/residents/re...te_garbage.jpg