Thanks a million for sharing, sittingduck! And thank you Mafu for making me laugh out loud with your 'version', haha. Man, I am really digging this album! I was a little afraid for a while that the album was going to be more along the lines of Debris, Cuckoo, and Locomotion and less of Radiotelegraphy and Stroll and Roll, which were my two personal favorite tracks from the 'leaked' songs, but I am really happy that only one of the other 5 songs (I Riot) was like that, and the other 4 were something different still! And I cannot even describe how refreshing it is to have no engrish track. Here's hoping the upcoming B-sides will be Snoozer quality!

Debris is still trying to work on me a bit. I do like the style of the lead guitar during the verses, but the choruses are a bit too strained vocally in parts for me to really dig into the song. I might get past it as I get more used to the song, I guess, but it's mediocre to me at the moment.

One Flew Under The Cuckoo's Nest is surprisingly growing on me. I think it's that chorus bass, or maybe even the Kono Yo No Hate Made-esque guitars during the verses... Still, I don't think it'll get too much more than another mediocre rating from me.

I Riot is fun, a little unique in that it plays with that siren effect, but that's not enough to carry the song. Very predictable, I think, and kind of feels like a Horn Again song that didn't even make that cut or something, haha.

The Sun And Rock And Roll: I fucking love this. I haven't really heard anything of this sort from the pillows. I'd say the last time they were really trying the surf rock thing was back in the Penalty Life era, but the overall tone this time around is much - I don't know - more savory? It's less gimmicky (not that I minded it in PL, just that I feel like back then, they may have shot for that style and only managed to pick up on a stereotyped version or something).

I am definitely on board with the rest of you all for Subtropical Fantasy. More of that same surfery inspiration, or at least it feels inspired by the same beachfront setting during a sunset or something. Really love this one. I like how they seem to be playing around a bit more with choruses (this and Blagodarnost are what I'm talking about), though they still don't stray too far outside their comfort zone.

The Tragedy Of Eliot is rocking in just the kind of way I like. Just as far as the music goes (guitars especially, maybe), I kind of get a sense of a more desperate Lesser Hamster In Blue, with the difference in the tone and the similarities in the structure (their guitar riffs just keep on going throughout the bulk of the songs). I'd really like to know what the lyrics are for this one and see a translation.

Then comes Blagodarnost, with it's not-quite-typical choruses and airy guitar lines. Compared to other songs in recent albums that fill a similar 'slot', like Brilliant Crown or Moondust, Blagodarnost really stands out to me. The Sayonara Universe comparison was a good one, but I like this song way more than I like Sayonara Universe.
Also, this song seriously feels like a solo project Yamanaka song.

Radiotelegraphy is catchy as fuck. No complaints here! It does kind of feel odd coming after Blagodarnost - everything up to that point kind of felt like it led into the rest really smoothly (I might have switched up tracks 2 and 3 for flow myself - maybe), but I guess they needed to break out of that sub-groove and get on to the rest of the album somehow. May as well thoroughly remind listeners that this is indeed the pillows, haha.

Stroll And Roll is damn catchy as well. Like I said, this one and the previous were my favorites by a long shot of the ones we knew beforehand. It's got a nice beat to it - that pre-chorus really gets me feelin' it.

And then there's Locomotion, More! More!, which is not my favorite. Like I said before, to me it feels like a Predators song. While I like the energy a lot more so than, say, I Riot, it's still mediocre to me.

Overall, for me, this album totally blows Moondust out of the water. I am one of the folks who really liked Trial, but this might just give it a run for its money. Will definitely be interesting to see how it holds up over time.

[quote="Son Goshin"]Another random observation about the random notes: why is Kenji listed as a "guest musician" if the only reason the pillows were not naming their bassists as full members was out of respect of Kenji? Even though it's only two songs, I was really hoping to see Kenji's name under "the pillows are..." heading.[/quote]
I think it's a clear statement that The Pillows, in its present form, is essentially Yamanaka, Manabe and Sato. Refusing to officially replace Ueda always seemed to me to be a way of recognising the importance of his role in and contributions to the early band, but in the years since he left, The Pillows probably feel that the band they've become no longer includes Ueda. Hence the "support member" title seems more like a way of saying that The Pillows officially became a three-piece after Ueda left, rather than denoting some kind of of permanent place for Ueda in the band despite his absence. Anyway, the "support member" thing annoys me because I feel that both Kashima and Suzuki were integral to the sound of The Pillows as it was defined during their separate periods with the band.
[quote="Son Goshin"]What's with the band having songs with "sun" in the title in the 4th spot on the tracklisting?[/quote]
As long as we're talking about Pillows songs with the word "sun" in the title: "Crazy Sunshine" and "Heavy Sun (With Baby Son)". Sawao really seems to be keen on natural phenomena like the sun, moon, rain, rainbows, comets, stars, etc.

aww c'mon, someone else has to like I Riot! The sirens and piercing notes seem pretty rad to me. That song feels like the opener more than Debris. Cuckoo's and Debris seem like they didn't know where to put them in, so they just jammed them into the front. When Subtropical and Eliot come on, it definitely sounds like they were reflecting back on the golden era tones. This is a pretty trim album at 36.42. I feel like maybe Blagodarnost could have expanded just a bit? I don't know what to think of Blagodarnost quite yet. It's interesting but hasn't been able to leave a lasting impression yet. The Sun and Rock'n'Roll is delightful, a really fantastic two minuter. Stroll and Roll is just such a joyful song, I love it dearly. Locomotion doesn't really feel like the end for some reason. maybe track 2? I liked ideal affection a lot better as a closer. I know some people didn't like it but whatever.

The ordering seems odd to me at the ends, I would have ordered it like this: (music supreme expert coming through, STEP BACK)

I Riot
Locomotion
Debris
The Sun and Rock'n'roll
Subtropical Fantasy
The tragedy of Eliot [i](ONE L, mofos! lol)[/i]
Blagodarnost
One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest
Radio Telegraphy
Stroll and Roll

I Riot feels like the opener precisely because of the ear catching gimmicks and licks. Hit play, "aw yeah, we're listening to the album Stroll and Roll! Locomotion at track two sounds like a better use of it's content and flows better for me coming directly off of I Riot. And then Debris is the staple 3:40 pillows song that gets a music video. The momentum carries well just the same from the end of Debris into The Sun and Rock'n'Roll as I Riot presently does, so I feel there is no harm done there either. Later in the album, One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest seems like it could be a good bridge between the two songs before it and the end, and because it still stays in the more somber and emotive ballad tones but also has the faster paced rhythm, it leads back into the energy that the album started with for the last two songs. Stroll and Roll should be the close in my opinion.

[quote="Cloudy_One"]Hit play, "aw yeah, we're listening to the album Stroll and Roll!"[/quote]
Maybe so, but I think "Debris" lets you know that "aw yeah, we're listening to The Pillows," being that it's more stylistically in line with what the band has been doing lately as opposed to what they were doing during the 2nd Movement. The band also tends more to put songs like "Debris"--kick-ass, fun, mid-to-fast paced, and emotional (but not [i]too[/i] emotional) rockers--at the beginning of their albums which I can't fault because they do start the albums off with a bang. That said, "I RIOT" could definitely work as an opener as long as it has a really energetic song right after it, like "Locomotion" which is indeed track 2 on your proposed ordering. I just don't think "I RIOT" has the presence that "Debris" does because it's largely lacking in rhythm guitar, so it doesn't kick as much ass as "Debris" and hence might make for a less impactful opener, although I do think "I RIOT" is [i]such a great song(!!!)[/i].

I definitely agree that "Cuckoo's Nest" is hard to place on the album, although I think "Debris" into "Cuckoo" feels kinda nice? Maybe "Cuckoo" should go as the second last track, in the same way that "Moondust" was the emotional climax of the last album before it closed out on the upbeat hootenanny that was "Ideal affection"? (loved those two tracks as the ending of [i]Moondust[/i], btw)

Last thing I wanna say about the tracklist is "Stroll and roll" and "Locomotion, more! more!" as the last two tracks feels like just a little too much carefree silliness to leave the album off on; doesn't leave as much of a lasting impression as the brutality of "Moondust" followed by the exuberance of "Ideal affection". Although I do think "Locomotion, more! more!" does work as a closer [i]because[/i] of that touch of open-endedness that Cloudy is kinda talking about, I think--again in agreement with Cloudy--that "Stroll and roll" would probably make a better closer; it does seem like, somehow, the song has a sense of finality to it.

The title track's length is actually really nice. I feel like a lot of these bouncy western jangly rock songs are very short and don't get a chance to explore being anything more than that - Stroll and Roll has a nice 4 minutes with which it does a bit more than, say, Pumpkin and Atrocity.

And you're definitely not the only ones who dig I RIOT, my friends.

Thanks Duck!

..but, erm "The file you’re looking for has been moved or deleted."

(found another link though: http://pokehunter.com/music/view/434431 ... and%20roll)

that link looks terrible but if it works it works

also: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0t4GHjjtTk[/url]

[quote="Ashinow"]Thanks Duck!

..but, erm "The file you’re looking for has been moved or deleted."

(found another link though: http://pokehunter.com/music/view/434431 ... and%20roll)[/quote]
fixed I added "flac" to the end of the dropbox folder name to differentiate from the new mp3 folder I made for my friend who wanted a copy. I had no idea that would change the url!

[quote="dimsim3478"]that link looks terrible but if it works it works

also: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0t4GHjjtTk[/url][/quote]

This looks so funny! I wish these video's had subs.

*sigh* Them indonesian noob file sharing sites.

I was let down by this album..
I really wanted another Brilliant Crown type of ballad...
Tragedy of Elliot is probably my favorite so far.

I wish they would go back to their american west coast indie experimental feel like in Horn Again and OOPARTS..

Oh well..I give this album a B-

I wish I had remembered to bring my CD back home with me from work on Friday so I could work on Eliot's lyrics. Brought it in so I could read lyrics and forgot to put it back in my bag, along with the book I'm reading right now, so I won't have it back in hand until tomorrow.

Lyrically, it actually reminds me a lot of Century Creepers - narrative about loneliness with metaphors for being some sort of creature in a desolate place. CC is about a blind lizard in a dark cave searching for light, Eliot is about a spiky cactus (standing still, alone? ;D) waiting for the rain in the desert.

Great, great, great song.

Edit: JK did find the lyrics online, getting the romanizations knocked out first.

I just didn't feel this album really. I liked Moondust more tbh.

Mare are you doing all the lyrics trans + Romaji ?

It's so interesting to me to see everyone's opinions and how polarizing they can be, but I mean, that's music in general I guess. But seeing some wish theyD go back to their Horn Again days while others detest that Era is so interesting. Cool to read what others didn't really like about this new one, as well.


Interesting point on the track listing, I admit I felt the same, but in a different way...I felt it opened just ok, had a strong middle and a kind of weak ending. Your "remixed" track list is pretty good cloudy, though I would not personally put I Riot and Locomotion together, especially at the front. I'm sure we have different opinions on those tracks, which if you like them it does make sense, but to me, two...."fun" tracks, aka filler to me, together is not very fun. And especially as an opener, Itd feel to me like a Bsides collection or something. But maybe separating th3 strong run of songs in the middle and spacing them out wouldve been more effective so it wasn't such a bell-shaped curve of an album.

Anyway, still listening to it and really liking it, nothing has changed for me yet as far as initial review though.

[quote="Bebop56210"] I liked Moondust more tbh.[/quote]
Me too. I do like some things on this album, but it could be my least favorite pillows album.