Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes (June 9, 2023) Album • Page 6

its very good but heavy subject matter

 

I listened to it once - great song, but I'm trying very hard not to listen to the prerelease songs on here too much so I can enjoy the album as a whole when it comes out.

I'm playing the hell out of "They Wait" though when I want a fix of some new* (to me) Jason Isbell.

 

Just seeing there's a new song now, and yeah, getting leveled by that particular subject matter was not something I expected so early in the work day.

 

Gonna sit this one out, the album is so close

 

release week!

 

Gonna have 8 days to learn every word of the new songs before I see him but I think I can do it

 

While we all wait for Weathervanes, here's a 10-year piece I wrote about Southeastern, an album I cannot believe is 10 years old. (Shouts to @DaydreamNation for making me check this album back in the summer of 2013!)

 

I’m in Nashville for work and am at a listening party at Grimey’s. Record is fucking great.

 

yooo king of oklahoma

 

I’m gonna go down undah and check this out

 

immediately recognized who “When We Were Close” was about and teared up

 

MAN I'm excited!!! Can't wait for midnight.

 

Yeah not sure I'm ready for that one. Still haven't been able to listen to his music really and got two songs into his dad's tribute album and had to turn it off. Too close to home.

 

Fortunately it’s one of the most rocking songs on the album but yeah for any JTE fan the lyrics are gonna hit

 

Who is it? Pardon my ignorance.


Anyway the album is incredible. First impression is it could be his best but it dipped in the 2nd half a bit and maybe could use some trimming there but i was blown away by the first 9 tracks.

 

Definitely seems to be about Justin Townes Earle

 

It's so funny you say this, because honestly for me the entire album was fantastic already, and then it was like they kicked into an even higher gear towards the end and it got even better.

I've only listened twice all the way through, and I am going to spend a lot more time with this tonight hopefully sitting beside a fire, but musically this strikes me as reminiscent of his earlier, pre-Southeastern albums in that it is a little more muscular and the band isn't being held back on quite such a tight leash.

Jason Isbell always brings his A++ songwriting in my book, and that certainly doesn't change here, but I am actually very happy that Dave Cobb wasn't the producer on this one. He is obviously a very technically proficient producer, and he captures a very clean, immaculate sound, but with the last two albums especially it has felt like the music and the sound has almost been slightly too clinical, and the 400 Unit is a damn murderer's row of insanely talented musicians, and they really get to shine on this one in a way that felt a little bit lacking to me lately, despite Isbell being one of the greatest living songwriters going.

 

I love all his albums but this is pretty much exactly what I've been wanting from him ever since Southeastern -- the songwriting style of "late Isbell" infused with some more of the energy of early Isbell. A few tracks remind me of either DBT songs or something off the JI&400 Unit self-titled record.

Think this will slide comfortably into my #2 spot behind Southeastern. Reunions might have higher highs but also has a couple tracks I don't connect with much at all, same for Nashville Sound. Just about everything works on this one.

When We Were Close & This Ain't It are my favorites so far and absolutely the two I most want to hear live.

 

This is extraordinarily good. I think I say this every time he releases an album, but there's really no one writing on his level right now.

 

can't wait

 

I’m camping up in the mountains this weekend, can’t wait to give this a listen on the drive up tomorrow.

 

Someone stop me from saying this is his best album because I swear I’m gonna do it

 

On first listen - It just might be

 

Very good first listen, definitely see myself playing this a lot this summer