I think the last 1:30 of Grievance Merchants is the crest the whole album builds to. It's the fist pumping, head banging "fuck yes".

beantownbubba wrote:So nobody liked my awaiting resurrection - angels & fuselage analogy, huh? Damn, I thought it was pretty good.

i might like it. where? i looked upstream, but didn't see it.


ETA: found it. like it. patterson does big, sum it all up, punch you in he balls closers pretty well. long track record.

Yep, Awaiting Ressurection could easily turn into a 12+ minute monster closer

dime in the gutter wrote:

beantownbubba wrote:So nobody liked my awaiting resurrection - angels & fuselage analogy, huh? Damn, I thought it was pretty good.

i might like it. where? i looked upstream, but didn't see it.


ETA: found it. like it. patterson does big, sum it all up, punch you in he balls closers pretty well. long track record.

Thx for looking and responding and yes you're right about Patterson's "MO" on this kind of thing.

A few quick thoughts after about 20 straight through listens. I am most impressed by how different sounding “Heroin Again” and “Babies in Cages” are. Both I didn’t think I would like but I feel are the heart of this album. The dirty bluesy sound I just love. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the overwhelmingly impressive “Awaiting Resurrection”. It is an epic one. Love Jay’s keyboards and Matt’s driving baselines throughout the entire album. Just a few thoughts. Top 3 for me of their catalogue. Off to watch the Super Bowl now. Go Chiefs.

Zip City wrote:Yep, Awaiting Ressurection could easily turn into a 12+ minute monster closer

Saw them do a 15 minute version at a sound check 18 months ago. It was jaw dropping

Awaiting Ressurection is Grand Canyon's evil twin.

And I'm so up for 15 minutes of that shit.

Awaiting Ressurection is Grand Canyon's evil twin.

And I'm so up for 15 minutes of that shit.

From the Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/2/ ... -interview

boyyourself wrote:Nothing like a five hour drive on Friday for a hockey tourney to really dig into this record which I already love.
Then during Grievance Merchants my 12 yr old reaches over and turns it down and says “wasn’t there a Patterson song earlier about thoughts and prayers?” Yes sweetie there was. “ and now Cooley is mentioning thoughts and prayers?” Yup.
Needless to say it was an awesome moment for me.
Looking forward to the return trip this afternoon to let it all really sink in. One more game to go.........

Raisin' 'em up right!

305 Engine wrote: Initially I was thinking it's their most Neil Young album, but its also weirdly reminding me of Sly Stone and There's a Riot Goin' on. It's topical and unsettling in the same sort of way.

Good call 305.

Great analogy with a little less heroin use this time around.

rlipps wrote:From the Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/2/ ... -interview

Good one. Thanks Rodney

Jonicont wrote:

rlipps wrote:From the Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/2/ ... -interview

Good one. Thanks Rodney

Fantastic.

ramonz wrote:

Jonicont wrote:

rlipps wrote:From the Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/2/ ... -interview

Good one. Thanks Rodney

Fantastic.

Best one yet. That writer gets it.

If a 15 minute version of Awaiting Resurrection doesn't end one of the Homecoming shows I'm gonna be pissed.

A great review. Obviously she thinks the album is great, but I'm talking more about the review as a piece of writing/journalism. You just don't see writing like that as perceptive as that very often.

@305 Engine: Note the reference to Riot.

305 Engine wrote:Awaiting Ressurection is Grand Canyon's evil twin.

Nice.

beantownbubba wrote:
@305 Engine: Note the reference to Riot.

I knew I was right!

Thanks for posting that. Its an excellent review. Possibly first and last time I'll see Voltaire cited in a DBT review.

The author is pretty active on twitter and patterson retweets her stuff from time to time. Really insightful music writer and clearly loves the band.

Still need to go back and read through previous six pages, but here are my initial thoughts after 5-10 plays of the record. Been away from these forums for a while (life sure does get in the way), but hopefully I'll see some of y'all at HC (my first one!).

This album is DARK. Get strong ABAAC and BTCD vibes, both lyrically and musically. I'm not sure how many times I'll end up playing the whole record in 6+ months from now, but ABAAC remains one of my favorite DBT albums so could be wrong...

The opening combo of Rosemary/Armageddon is my favorite part of the record so far. Patterson really outdid himself and there are so many lyrical gems between the two songs in addition to just being plain ol' catchy. I also like the thematic transition from these two songs into Slow Ride Argument, but wish Cooley's vocals were louder (as others have mentioned on the FB group). Dig PH's backing vocals on Slow Ride and the general chaotic nature of that song.

Now onto the more political songs on the record. While I largely agree with DBT's politics, I never quite got into American Band save for Sun Don't Shine and Baggage. I'm not sure if that was due to my own fatigue with following the sh*t show that is politics today, or because the songs on American Band seemed less personal / more a reading of facts and observations. I think The Unraveling is a stronger record in this respect, although there are parts of 21st Century/Baby in Cages that seem like a laundry list of all the bad sh*t in the news. Nonetheless, it's easier to hear/feel how these topics relate to DBT on a personal level. Heroin Again seems like a darker sequel to Foolish Young Bastard... "you'll either prove them all wrong or end up a disaster".

The last three songs on the album are still growing on me, but I expect them all to be quite cathartic when they're played live. The whole band is really grooving on these songs, but I know the live versions are going to be more explosive. Cooley's vocals are a little clearer on Grievance Merchants, but I still wish they were boosted a little bit during certain parts. Have a feeling this song's a grower, but currently enjoying Slow Ride Argument more. Really hoping they use Awaiting Resurrection as a pre-encore closer at HC, but could see them saving it for the encore closer ala A&F or Grand Canyon.

LL, great to see ya! How was HS graduation? Are you 20 yet?

I think you're not alone in finding TU a bit difficult to, ummm, unravel. Of course plenty of people jumped all over it from listen 1 but I think plenty are going through an evolutionary process w/ it.

Just FYI, the Truckers no longer do encores except on exceedingly rare occasions but in case you didn't see 'em there are a couple of references/comparisons to Grand Canyon and A&F in the previous comments (including by me).

You better introduce yourself at HC. I'll either buy you a beer or buy you a beer, depending on your status.

I will definitely take you up on that offer Bubba

23 now and out of college working in NYC... guess it's been longer off these forums than I thought! Surprised to hear about the encores, but hopefully they make an exception for HC. Last Truckers-related shows I've seen are them opening for Tedeschi Trucks, then PH solo, and Dimmer Twins in Asheville (GREAT concert!). Been a while since a true rock show from them.

When "Heroin Again" started showing up live, I had somewhat conflicted feelings about it, for much the same reasons I had conflicted feelings about "Do It Yourself" (and "When The Pin Hits The Shell," I suppose). All three songs take just a little bit of a moralizing stance toward subjects that don't lend themselves to easy moral judgments, in my opinion: "Thought you knew better than that," "Sorry thing to do to your sweet sister," "...the same god you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell."

My mixed feelings aren't enough to change my attitudes toward the songs themselves. I don't skip any of the three, and probably never will. They're all extremely personal documents about things I've been lucky enough to avoid in my own life. In other words, who am I to tell Patterson or Cooley that their anger toward a friend in the wake of a suicide isn't justified, or even a normal part of the grieving and healing process? How would I know what conversations they had about heroin with another friend who ended up, later, overdosing on heroin? I'm sheltered in the sense that I've never lost a friend to an overdose or to suicide, so this is a purely academic exercise for me. It's also no doubt true that heroin has a different connotation in his world/industry than it does in my little corner of the nonprofit sector.

I think putting "Heroin Again" directly after "21st Century USA" is a brilliant stroke that softens a bit of my queasiness, in the overall context of the album. That's thanks in large part to a particular resonance of "Heroin Again" with the line "prescription pills to make the pain hurt less." As we know, legitimate prescriptions (with lots of assistance from the pharma industry, of course) can often foster dependencies that spiral into heroin abuse and addiction. In the media blitz I've read/listened to, Patterson talks more about the allure of heroin as a way to block out the world, deal with dark times, etc.: drugs as a coping mechanism. Something to make the pain hurt less. I think in the immediate wake of that song, we've demonstrated some empathy for people struggling with substance abuse or addiction that helps the less understanding tone of "Heroin Again" land much better than if it were presented in isolation. That penultimate verse of "21st Century USA" is the most vital part of that song, to me. We've become so alienated from ourselves and our labor that even something that should be as straightforward as love becomes challenging. The sorry state of our material conditions--getting screwed over by the kinds of big companies mentioned at the beginning of the song--has destroyed our ability to be there for the people we love, which we then internalize as personal failures. How could we not self-medicate?

Probably overthinking this. This concludes "MM's Notes on Sequencing" for today. Love this album and love this band.

Patterson acknowledges in the lyrics of "Heroin Again" that it's tempted him, so he's showing some empathy IMO.

Mundane Mayhem wrote:When "Heroin Again" started showing up live, I had somewhat conflicted feelings about it, for much the same reasons I had conflicted feelings about "Do It Yourself" (and "When The Pin Hits The Shell," I suppose). All three songs take just a little bit of a moralizing stance toward subjects that don't lend themselves to easy moral judgments, in my opinion: "Thought you knew better than that," "Sorry thing to do to your sweet sister," "...the same god you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell."

My mixed feelings aren't enough to change my attitudes toward the songs themselves. I don't skip any of the three, and probably never will. They're all extremely personal documents about things I've been lucky enough to avoid in my own life. In other words, who am I to tell Patterson or Cooley that their anger toward a friend in the wake of a suicide isn't justified, or even a normal part of the grieving and healing process? How would I know what conversations they had about heroin with another friend who ended up, later, overdosing on heroin? I'm sheltered in the sense that I've never lost a friend to an overdose or to suicide, so this is a purely academic exercise for me. It's also no doubt true that heroin has a different connotation in his world/industry than it does in my little corner of the nonprofit sector.

I think putting "Heroin Again" directly after "21st Century USA" is a brilliant stroke that softens a bit of my queasiness, in the overall context of the album. That's thanks in large part to a particular resonance of "Heroin Again" with the line "prescription pills to make the pain hurt less." As we know, legitimate prescriptions (with lots of assistance from the pharma industry, of course) can often foster dependencies that spiral into heroin abuse and addiction. In the media blitz I've read/listened to, Patterson talks more about the allure of heroin as a way to block out the world, deal with dark times, etc.: drugs as a coping mechanism. Something to make the pain hurt less. I think in the immediate wake of that song, we've demonstrated some empathy for people struggling with substance abuse or addiction that helps the less understanding tone of "Heroin Again" land much better than if it were presented in isolation. That penultimate verse of "21st Century USA" is the most vital part of that song, to me. We've become so alienated from ourselves and our labor that even something that should be as straightforward as love becomes challenging. The sorry state of our material conditions--getting screwed over by the kinds of big companies mentioned at the beginning of the song--has destroyed our ability to be there for the people we love, which we then internalize as personal failures. How could we not self-medicate?

Probably overthinking this. This concludes "MM's Notes on Sequencing" for today. Love this album and love this band.

I've had a similar thought process regarding Heroin Again. My understanding is that the rise in heroin usage over the last 5 or 10 years is largely due to societal issues such as opioid addiction, homelessness, mental illness and the like. In that context "I thought you knew better than that" can sound kinda harsh. Or maybe I'm reading the song wrong.

LastLawson wrote:I will definitely take you up on that offer Bubba

23 now and out of college working in NYC... guess it's been longer off these forums than I thought! Surprised to hear about the encores, but hopefully they make an exception for HC. Last Truckers-related shows I've seen are them opening for Tedeschi Trucks, then PH solo, and Dimmer Twins in Asheville (GREAT concert!). Been a while since a true rock show from them.

Looking forward to it!

Just because the last thing I remember is you anticipating your HS graduation doesn't mean that was your last time on the board, lol. I'm sure your memory is better than mine if you have a later date in mind.

So, the big city Living in Brooklyn? I was gonna say that if you're looking to meet people I could hook you up w/ my sons' friends, but they're mostly 30+ now which i guess is a different generation. Sheesh, where does the time go?

As you know, the Truckers know how to craft a set. You'll almost always know when the "encore portion" of the set arrives, The show is really the same as w/ an encore w/out the 5 to 10 minute wait.

Mundane Mayhem wrote:Probably overthinking this.

If 3dd is nothing else it is a safe space for the obsessed and overthinking.

I agree that many of the songs benefit from the context of the album (i.e. the songs around them). I wrote a little about this in my comments on, I think, p.5 of this thread.

Patterson alluded in one of the interviews that "Heroin Again" was about someone he knew that had worked for the band, so like "Do It Yourself" I think it's absolutely personal and deals with some anger that came from that loss. It's highly probable that Patterson had even personally advised this person not to go down that road and they did anyways. There is always an element of choice in drug abuse.

Anger would be a real honest reaction to that for most people, no matter how great your awareness of mental illness.

Iowan wrote:Patterson alluded in one of the interviews that "Heroin Again" was about someone he knew that had worked for the band, so like "Do It Yourself" I think it's absolutely personal and deals with some anger that came from that loss. It's highly probable that Patterson had even personally advised this person not to go down that road and they did anyways. There is always an element of choice in drug abuse.

Anger would be a real honest reaction to that for most people, no matter how great your awareness of mental illness.

For sure. I read that one, too. And again, I'd never tell an artist how to process those feelings or emotions, which are honest and therefore worthy of inspiring a creative piece.

Just thinking more about how the song will land to the casual listener, I guess. Assuming DBT has casual listeners.

Mundane Mayhem wrote:Assuming DBT has casual listeners.

I don't know why folks hear "I thought you knew better than that" as harsh. It's not the only possible response to the situation but I don't see what's harsh about it. It seems very real and honest and conveys more pain and disappointment than judgment, at least to these ears.

hold me closer, when I've had enough...thoughts and prayers

shout out to cooley?

The highway's humming in my head and it's hard to hear
Won't you read my lips if I pull you near enough
Could you read my fortune in the bottom of this coffee cup
Tell me how to tell when I've had enough...women without whiskey

Looking forward to seeing the lyrics/liner notes show up on the DBT website. All they have is a track listing

Iowan wrote:Patterson alluded in one of the interviews that "Heroin Again" was about someone he knew that had worked for the band, so like "Do It Yourself" I think it's absolutely personal and deals with some anger that came from that loss. It's highly probable that Patterson had even personally advised this person not to go down that road and they did anyways. There is always an element of choice in drug abuse.

Anger would be a real honest reaction to that for most people, no matter how great your awareness of mental illness.

I can’t remember the young man’s name but it came as a shock to everyone. He interned with and went out as a member of the road crew. He also performed with one of the Camp Amp bands at Homecoming. The Band’s run of playing “Tonight’s the Night” was in his honor as it was his favorite song.