The Maine - You Are Ok (March 29, 2019) Album • Page 25

I'm all in on this thing right away. Damn.

I haven't had many "love at first listen" albums this year. Maybe not any. This is one.

 

Yeah, this is okay. It’s clear they pushed themselves and threw a lot of ideas out there...some that work for me and a bunch that do not. Just in doing so I think they made it essentially impossible to have a record as cohesive as LLL, but I think realizing they couldn’t or didn’t want that, this was the perfect time to mix it up. Cohesion aside, I also don’t think there’s anything as immediately catchy on here as AC or LLL. Certainly these songs have more to unpack and that could quite possibly add to the experience, but I didn’t feel overtly drawn to one particular hook or find a track that was incredibly “fun” that some of their records tend to have. “Broken Parts” is still my favorite here (first part of the closer aside) While there are only two songs I just don’t really care for, there are still parts in nearly every song that take me a bit out of them and that will only get better with time or just grate on me, so we’ll see. Irrationally quick rating: while this is undoubtedly their most ambitious outing yet, this is prob going to end up my 4th favorite record by them. I’ll spend the entire day digesting it but at first glance I’m only slightly disappointed. Not be the effort, but by the execution and my response to it.

 

These are my exact thoughts.

I respect this album and I am really stoked that they did this. They needed to change it up. However, there are parts in almost every song that take me out out it...it's a little too "much" for me. My favorite songs by The Maine are the ones where the track itself is given enough room to breathe and I can really enjoy all of the different pieces that go into it - Lovely Little Lonely was incredible in the atmosphere it created for that exact reason. Many songs off American Candy accomplished this as well ( (Un)Lost is a great example ). I felt like the songs were really given the time and space they needed to connect with me emotionally.

On this one, at least on my first few listens, there is so much going on during every single song that I really am having trouble connecting with the actual tracks themselves. "One Sunset" and "I Feel It All Over" are great examples of this. I'm just not connecting with the flow of the songs and there are parts of both of them that take me completely off the rails. I would agree also that this falls solidly behind Lovely Little Lonely and American Candy for me upon first listen. Probably behind Pioneer as well.

With that being said, I respect what they did here and I think the songs are high quality. Big ups to the band for taking this leap. I just don't connect with them nearly as much as the prior two records and I feel a lot of that is because of all of the extra "stuff" that's thrown in to almost every track that takes away from the songs room to evolve.

 

My vinyl is out for delivery! Originally said Monday

 

This is fantastic. “Flowers on the Grave” is one hell of a closer.

 

the first 20 seconds of "Tears Won't Cry" is totally gonna be on an Apple commercial one day

 

Can't wait to hear this tomorrow! You guys have me stoked.

 

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm pumped

 

Is the 9 minute long song good? Like does it hold your attention the entire time and warrant more plays?

 

So who wants to help??

 

The first four minutes of that song are my favorite part of the record by far. The remaining minutes are my second favorite part of the record.

 

Ahhh, so yes. That's great to hear.

 

Very Yellowcard-esq string sequence flowing through the song, the sound is obviously different but the orchestral elements and the way they weaved them in is similar

 

Vinyl is out for delivery. I'm ready

 

UGH. mine still isn't.

 

"feel it all over" is becoming a favorite.

 

Good album. Not as gripping to me on first listen as either LLL or AC, but I can tell that it will grow on me. Will come back with more cohesive thoughts after another listen or two. Love the loop and parallels between Flowers on the Grave and Slip the Noose. Clearly a ton of thought went into this record.

Regardless, excited for the NYC show tonight.

 

Must
Listen

 

The second half of the chorus to One Sunset is that 3EB influence I always love hearing from this band.

 

This album is exactly what I want from The Maine. Nothing they've released has ever really stuck with me (LLL included), but they're always really fun, well done summertime albums for me (starting with AC, anyway). This is probably my favorite first listen of theirs.

 

Loving the record! Can't wait to get my preorder with the book! Deff less cohesive than LLL & lacking a bit in the verses compared to last 2 albums but DAMN I love this. The chorus on tears don't cry is amazing, I feel it all over is going to be a blast live, slip the noose left me shook, heaven is a bloody banger, forevermore made me feel things, the closer I wish was more lyric heavy but the first few minutes are brilliant, one sunset is fun and explosive (i wish the chorus melody was the same as the snippet in the process video) but I love the lyrics there, loved all 3 singles. I just really can't wait to hear this love. They are always surprising me. Deff took lots of risks and in some parts over produced but that pays off at some points such as the jittery vocals in heaven that throw you for a loop! Instrumentation on Slip the noose is absolutely bonkers

 

Oh fuck yes, Flowers on the Grave is it.

 

Acoustic in Forevermore reminds me of Alkaline Trio. lol

 

Yup. The two songs you mentioned specifically could be album highlights for me if I was allowed to take one or two jarring moments out of them.

 

Yup, I'm gonna need to get use to the flow of these songs and how they're structured. I agree 100% on parts in the songs that take me out of the song. I am having the same experience as I'm listening right now.