Reason for Listening:
New release recommended by Spotify
I'm really not that familiar with OneRepublic. Prior to listening to this album, I last listened to the band in May 2019 (according to my scrobbles). From 2009 to 2019, I had 114 scrobbles for the band with 17 scrobbles for "Secrets", 15 scrobbles for "Counting Stars", 15 scrobbles for "Apologize" (combined counts for the version with and without Timbaland), and 15 for "Stop and Stare".
Released 20210827.
12 songs. 34:51. Human (2021)
12+4 songs. 34:51+15:45. Human (Deluxe Digital) (2021)
12+6 songs. 34:51+18:33. Human (Target)/(CD Deluxe) (2021)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20210831--
First listen. Deluxe Digital.
First ten tracks while driving. Technical difficulties.
I suspect I had trouble getting into the album because I was driving somewhere new and there was a lot of talking going on.
Used last.fm to determine where I left off.
Completed the album starting from track ten.
Second listen.
Not fond of the combination of the wild west sound with whistling, specific to this track; I'm pretty sure the wild west with whistling has been implemented before, but I recall it being good; "Old Town Road" doesn't have whistling but that song is good
Hmm. Something about the inflections implemented in this song sounds weird ("Distance")
I like the beat and the falsetto (?; maybe it's just a digital effect) in this song ("Forgot About You"); the track reminds me of Maroon 5, specifically "Memories"
Reviewing the "2"s: "Someday", "Rescue Me", "Forgot About You", "Somebody to Love", "Wanted", and "Someday" (Acoustic).
Moved "Rescue Me" to a "3".
Moved "Somebody to Love" to a "1".
The lyrics of "Wanted" leave something to be desired. "I just want to be wanted." and "I just need to be needed" form the core of the song. The repetition sounds nice, but "want" and "need" have separate meanings - though they're often confused. I suspect that is the case here.
Songs in bold are the bonus tracks on the deluxe editon.
3: "Rescue Me"; "Better Days";
2: "Someday"; "Forgot About You"; "Wanted"; "Someday" (Acoustic); "Lose Somebody" (with Kygo);
1: "Take Care of You"; "Somebody to Love"; "Wild Life"; "Ships + Tides";
0: "Didn't I"; "Savior";
-1: "Run"; "Distance";
Summary:
Not a great first impression but I gave the album a second listen. Still not impressed by the album as a whole. I think the first half of the album sounds too loud. That is, it's being too harsh in grabbing my attention. Meanwhile, chunks of the album have a very similar sound to them which makes it hard for me to distinguish the songs from each other. From a different point of view, it feels like the band applied the same formula and/or sound to several songs.
The deluxe album has some good bonus tracks. But they also add to the length of the album. Personally, I'd split the album into two halves of eight and eight, either two EPs or like an A-side / B-side album.
I went back to all the songs I gave a "2" and tried to separate them into "2"s and "3"s. When the dust settled, I had "Rescue Me" and "Better Days" as "3"s and I couldn't choose between them. So it's a tie.
Overall Rating (Standard): 2.8/5
Overall Rating (Deluxe): 2.6/5
Favorite Songs: "Rescue Me" and "Better Days"
20210901 Comment:
It occurred to me that "Lose Somebody" is a bonus track on this album because it primarily appeared on Kygo's album Golden Hour. I also gave it a "2" on that album.
New release recommended by Spotify
I'm really not that familiar with OneRepublic. Prior to listening to this album, I last listened to the band in May 2019 (according to my scrobbles). From 2009 to 2019, I had 114 scrobbles for the band with 17 scrobbles for "Secrets", 15 scrobbles for "Counting Stars", 15 scrobbles for "Apologize" (combined counts for the version with and without Timbaland), and 15 for "Stop and Stare".
Released 20210827.
12 songs. 34:51. Human (2021)
12+4 songs. 34:51+15:45. Human (Deluxe Digital) (2021)
12+6 songs. 34:51+18:33. Human (Target)/(CD Deluxe) (2021)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20210831--
First listen. Deluxe Digital.
First ten tracks while driving. Technical difficulties.
I suspect I had trouble getting into the album because I was driving somewhere new and there was a lot of talking going on.
Used last.fm to determine where I left off.
Completed the album starting from track ten.
Second listen.
Not fond of the combination of the wild west sound with whistling, specific to this track; I'm pretty sure the wild west with whistling has been implemented before, but I recall it being good; "Old Town Road" doesn't have whistling but that song is good
Hmm. Something about the inflections implemented in this song sounds weird ("Distance")
I like the beat and the falsetto (?; maybe it's just a digital effect) in this song ("Forgot About You"); the track reminds me of Maroon 5, specifically "Memories"
Reviewing the "2"s: "Someday", "Rescue Me", "Forgot About You", "Somebody to Love", "Wanted", and "Someday" (Acoustic).
Moved "Rescue Me" to a "3".
Moved "Somebody to Love" to a "1".
The lyrics of "Wanted" leave something to be desired. "I just want to be wanted." and "I just need to be needed" form the core of the song. The repetition sounds nice, but "want" and "need" have separate meanings - though they're often confused. I suspect that is the case here.
Songs in bold are the bonus tracks on the deluxe editon.
3: "Rescue Me"; "Better Days";
2: "Someday"; "Forgot About You"; "Wanted"; "Someday" (Acoustic); "Lose Somebody" (with Kygo);
1: "Take Care of You"; "Somebody to Love"; "Wild Life"; "Ships + Tides";
0: "Didn't I"; "Savior";
-1: "Run"; "Distance";
Summary:
Not a great first impression but I gave the album a second listen. Still not impressed by the album as a whole. I think the first half of the album sounds too loud. That is, it's being too harsh in grabbing my attention. Meanwhile, chunks of the album have a very similar sound to them which makes it hard for me to distinguish the songs from each other. From a different point of view, it feels like the band applied the same formula and/or sound to several songs.
The deluxe album has some good bonus tracks. But they also add to the length of the album. Personally, I'd split the album into two halves of eight and eight, either two EPs or like an A-side / B-side album.
I went back to all the songs I gave a "2" and tried to separate them into "2"s and "3"s. When the dust settled, I had "Rescue Me" and "Better Days" as "3"s and I couldn't choose between them. So it's a tie.
Overall Rating (Standard): 2.8/5
Overall Rating (Deluxe): 2.6/5
Favorite Songs: "Rescue Me" and "Better Days"
20210901 Comment:
It occurred to me that "Lose Somebody" is a bonus track on this album because it primarily appeared on Kygo's album Golden Hour. I also gave it a "2" on that album.
Date/Time
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
@
1:17 AM
No comments :