•This, in my opinion, is the most standalone effort of the band’s career. Filled with sonic idiosyncrasies, a raw but equally imaginative production style that poignantly recalls the flair of other popular acts including Sparklehorse, The Pixies, and Radiohead alike, and an arrangement of songs that is made irreplaceably diverse by the quality of the players, producers, and studio that defined the band at this time, it’s clear to see that this album’s greatest strengths are at their most pronounced when adam and the band are trying something new. But what exactly are the record’s greatest strengths? Well, for one, instrumentation plays a key role in bringing to life each and every track on this record, that is, to an extent much greater than on their previous release Recovering The Satellites, and yet even more significant is the gap between August And Everything After and TDL in this same regard. As Rick Beato might say, this album sounds truly phenomenal, and that is in almost every way the result of the band’s use of distortion on their guitars, compressed vocals and harmonica mics on select tracks (such as “I Wish I Was A Girl”), spacey-sounding mellotron(s), lap steel guitar(s), especially great harmonization on songs including “Hanginaround” and “St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream”, and a fuck ton of drum beads~note: “Mrs. Potters Lullaby”. In all seriousness, who else at this time was making records that, from their previous work, deviated so heavily whilst maintaining this level of commercial success?

•Before ending this off, I wanted to point out the tasteful organization of solemn ballads like “Colorblind” and “Speedway”, intense party-rockers such as “Hanginaround” and “Kid Things”, elegant long-form numbers including “Mrs. Potters Lullaby”, and hypnotizing day-dreamers like “High Life and “Amy Hit The Atmosphere” across this album, as such a specific combination of songs leaves very few stones unturned over its 56 minute runtime, such that it remains distinguished as one of the most beautifully unique records of the past 30 years. With that being said, I must say that Adam’s voice is the piece that ties it all together on this one, as although I do believe that his best vocal takes are vested on Recovering The Satellites and Hard Candy —as albums— respectively, it’s no question that, by 1999, his voice still possessed all of the same qualities that made it so lovingly emotive on the two aforementioned records; his performances on songs like “All My Friends”, “Hanginaround”, and “St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream” more than evident of this being the case. If you’ve ever been a victim of living, then this one’ll surely speak to you, because it’s more about life captured at its most human of moments than nearly anything else that tries for this very thing, moments that I’m sure we’ve all experienced for better or for worse, or for longing that they may come back to us once again; sooner or later. Take some time to lay in the sand with this one, because it’s more than a dignifying listen.

•Standout Tracks: “Hanginaround”, “Mrs. Potters Lullaby”, “All My Friends”, “I Wish I Was A Girl”, and “St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream”.

•Overall Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5 Stars)