The Wonder Years - Sister Cities (April 6, 2018) Album • Page 138

I know it’s dumb that I’m thinking about this when the album isn’t even out yet but I feel like Pyramids could have worked as an opener with Kyoto right after.

 

I love the one-two of Kyoto and Pyramids. It’s a weird way to open to record but it works in context so well for me.

 

Imma wait til I get my copy on Friday, but man, I am so bloody ready.

 

can't believe im enjoying this as much as I am. i do actually really like it.

 

I didn’t listen to Pyramids of Salt pre-released, and when listening for the first time I thought the download was shuffled since it seemed like a more logical opener than Kyoto.

But after a few listens I like the idea of changing it up and starting out with a bang. Reminds me of what FOB did to open MANIA.

 

i actually also thought of stay frosty first listen weirdly enough

 

I don’t see pyramids of salt working well as the opener at all. Think they got it right.

 

ayyooo

I like having this gimmick as opposed to some of the others placed on me in my time here

 

listened 2 this in alphabetical order to get the full effect, i smell a grammy nomination on the horizon.........

 

Next you should try organizing by shortest track to longest. Really brings out a new side of the drum production.

 

Play the album in reverse and you'll hear a new record called Brother Suburbs.

 

After digesting the album a bit more, I’m confident in saying this is TWY’s most succinct album. Nothing feels remotely “filler”; every song has its purpose and stands alone.

I’d agree that Kyoto comes in a little hotter than you’d expect, but Nick already addressed it. The song ends so strong. Pyramids of Salt brings the intensity that Cigarettes and Saints did for NCTH, but earlier. It Must Get Lonely is fantastically different for TWY, reminds me of an Aaron West song taken to a 12. Sister Cities is the most familiar to older material. Flowers is an incredibly beautiful ending to the first half of the album. Heaven’s Gate absolutely roars, and I’ve been writing a song in my basement for a long time with that AMaj7 voicing, so like, send me dat royalty check? We Look Like Lightning works really well since it feels like this album’s Stained Glass Ceilings in sequencing and intensity. The Ghosts of Right Now has some really cool riffs and drums, Dan’s vocals soar, song has many spooky tones. When The Blue Finally Came is perfectly sequenced as the breath before the 1-2 finale, and feeds into The Orange Grove so well. The Orange Grove didn’t grip me much the first time, but continues to grow with me on each listen. As I mentioned before, The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me has that same massive stop that gives me spine chills as in And Now I’m Nothing. Great atmospheric work on the closer; can’t wait to see it live.

Seems like all songs (except Pyramids of Salt) were written a whole step down instead of half step like past albums. Any insight on what caused the change @nicksteinborn? Also curious to know which song was written first and gave a sense of direction for the rest of the album, and which was written last.

 

do we know who the person is that is sick thats mentioned throughout the album? i picked up on it when Pyramids Of Salt was released but its mentioned quite a few times throughout the album, being in a hospital, watching someone waste away, bringing them to the ocean to "free" them from the pain, im guessing its someone with cancer but idk who it could be specifically

whoever it is, i lost my father to cancer and its incredibly hard to watch someone wither away while their own body slowly kills them. once again Dan puts his lyrical hooks deep into my chest

 

real quick love the Chekovs Gun reference at the end of Heavens Gate, i love when artists mention literary tropes like that shoutout to A Gun In The First Act by Thursday

 

My aunt lost her battle with cancer and I’ll never get over watching such an incredible person go through that.

The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me hit home as my fondest memories with her were shared at the beach, collecting sea glass and having incredible weekends away. When she passed I drove to the ocean and just took it all in. Her ashes were also spread at the beach. So when hearing this song yesterday it really hit home.

 

im sorry to hear that, but it sounds like you had some really sweet memories. thank you for sharing that, i know it can be hard.

 

We started playing some of the set down a full step when TGG came out. Soup didn’t want to shred his voice on There, There. We usually just did the block of Passing Through a Screen Door and There, There. Then with NCTH, Cardinals was a little rough and then Bluest Things was definitely rough. I wasn’t about to deal with having up and down versions of the 3 guitars I need to play all of our songs and then also have to transpose my keyboard back and forth so we just went a full step down for everything.

We just kinda started writing this record a step down and then stayed there. I think we initially talked about doing it in Eb, but then we were too far along so we didn’t bother.

I want to say Orange Grove is the first song we finished. We had loosely structured demos of Orange Grove, Kyoto, and Lightning before we went to Europe last year. So one of those.

 

Thanks for the reply, and Happy Easter to you and the boys!

 

Isn't Raining In Kyoto about Dan's grandfather and missing his funeral since they were in Japan? Makes me wonder if all the references are about him.

 

How come you couldn’t put the keyboard and/or your guitars through a drop pedal? I remember Matt using one at least a couple years back.

 

They don’t work nearly as well with the baritone I play on cardinals/patsy cline or josh’s bass. So we’d still have to deal with guitar changes anyway. I can transpose the keyboard to whatever I want so that’s not the end of the world but it’s just so much easier with everything in the same general tuning.

 

Damn, this is a fantastic album full of epicness.

 

Thank you! And I’m sorry to hear about your Father. Cancer sucks.

 

Interesting that Kyoto, Orange Grove, and Lightning were three of the first songs written for the record, all three are definitely on the heavier spectrum. Orange Grove reminded me a lot of some NCTH stuff on my first listen so it’s not super surprising but guess the quieter stuff came later in the writing process.