Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions (May 15, 2020) Album • Page 9

Even with multiple warnings from a lot of places "Letting You Go" had me a blubbering mess.

 

This album has some capital-G Grooves too, "What've I Done" and "Running" especially come to mind

 

I think the placement of that one on the tracklist really helps it.

It sounds like they spent a bit more time playing around in the studio and tinkering around on this one, to make sure they were getting the arrangements right. Cobb has a reputation for recording very quickly (generally a take or two, I think) which can lead to some great, spontaneous-sounding records, but also occasionally results in albums that sound a little bit like demo tapes.

 

Yeah well whatever it took they absolutely fucking nailed it

It's a shame I have no excuse to leave my house right now with quarantine because this record is begging to come ripping off a car stereo on a warm spring night

 

Okay listen two, let's get it

 

"Dreamsicle" feels like a prequel to "Stopping By" (they even both have baseball references), am I making any sense

 

On first listen this may be my favorite since Southeastern. “River” and “Overseas” are tops for me so far.

 

Only listened a few times so very preliminary but:

Top tier: "Dreamsicle" "Only Children" "River"* "Be Afraid" "St. Peter's Autograph" "It Gets Easier" "Letting You Go"
Second tier: "What've I Done To Help" "Overseas" "Running With Our Eyes Closed"
Third tier: N/A






*paid for by TCFMPIJIS (The Committee For More Piano in Jason Isbell Songs)

 

i like him and am excited to listen to this album, thanks

 

After a couple listens, “Only Children” and “Overseas” are probably my 2 favorites. “Dreamsicle,” “River,” and “Letting You Go” up there for me as well. But I honestly don’t think there’s a dud on here. I’m not AS crazy about “What I’ve Done to Help” (mostly because I’d rather it not be the opener) and “Be Afraid” (even though I think it’s well-sequenced), but I still like them well-enough. Overall, I think this will have more staying power for me than The Nashville Sound.

 

So this isn’t a letdown after all huh?

 

Would like to hear this story?
Also, away to have first listen, veeeerry keen.

 

This is a combo of stuff from interviews and Reddit but Isbell bought a very famous '59 Les Paul sometime in the last year or two that was owned by Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd that was very very expensive. Some person on a guitar forum who knows guitars/the collector's shop in Nashville and seemed legit said it probably sold for upwards of $500k (maybe as much as 650; although a lot of that was trade-in value for the guitars Jason gave the shop, he didn't just hand them suitcases full of cash.) Anyway, Jason said in an interview that he called his accountant before pulling the trigger and his accountant told him it was foolish (lol) and so to make sure no one from his band/crew/family/etc suffered from his lavish purchase he said yes to his manager for a few weird solo performances at celebrity private birthday parties that he wouldn't normally do, to rake in some big cash.

So the guitar has featured prominently since then in his live shows. Here he is playing it at the shop the day he decided to buy it and then a live video where he plays it and sounds fucking awesome. Also pretty certain he plays it on "Overseas" on this record--he did in a live vid I saw from several months ago.

 

This bit has to be one of my favorite Isbell verses ever:

The river is my savior
She’s running to the sea
And to reach her destination
Is to simply cease to be
And running ‘til you’re nothing
Sounds a lot like being free
So I’ll lay myself inside her
And I’ll let her carry me

 

Go for a drive! An album like this is worth the gas

 

Ed King's strat used on Sweet Home Alabama is in the same shop for $450K. i'd be a little surprised if the LP is more than that, but maybe it was in better condition or something

 

Was legit just typing pretty much the same thing. Once I hit the “Running til you’re nothing sounds a lot like being free” line I just shook my head with a disgusted expression like I’d just heard a rapper drop the sickest punchline ever.

Same goes for the murder ballady parts of that song — “the neighbor who asked questions ‘till he washed up on the shore”. Isbell’s pen game is just god level right now.

 

Yeah I wondered that too but regardless it's several hundred thousand dollars worth of guitar

 

Yeah, I said "Holy fuck" out loud the first time I heard that line.

 

two weeks late but here's my ranking. obviously haven't heard the new one yet:

1. danko/manuel
2. last of my kind
3. 24 frames
4. if we were vampires
5. elephant
6. anxiety
7. super 8
8. goddamn lonely love
9. outfit
10. if it takes a lifetime
11. decoration day
12. cover me up
13. dress blues
14. hope the high road
15. to a band I loved
16. the life you chose
17. cumberland gap
18. flying over water
19. alabama pines
20. daylight
21. dress blues
22. stopping by
23. TVA
24. children of children
25. something more than free
26. songs that she sang in the shower
27. brand new kind of actress
28. easy on yourself
29. when the well runs dry
30. molotov

 

Finally someone else puts TVA on their list I mean goddamn

 

it's a beaut. love how it tells another side of the story from uncle frank

 

Production on this record reminds me a bit of A Deeper Understanding at times, high compliment coming from me

 

oh wow

 

A few more thoughts after several listens.

This record is great and I already almost certainly already like it more than The Nashville Sound--not a knock on that album but it hasn't aged quite as well for me as the three that came before it. This is for sure a hot take but I think the only song on here that is "just okay" to me right now is "St. Peter's Autograph." Tracks 2-6 in particular is a pretty unstoppable stretch. I love the sound of this record as I mentioned before, and I continue to be more and more impressed by the band. Derry's keys are excellent throughout and damn Chad's drums are great but I'm even more impressed by the slight, slowly building percussion on some of the more subdued songs ("Only Children" and "Running" come to mind right away).

There's only one or two songs that Jason's every written that I'd put ahead of "Only Children" at this point (maybe not even that many) and that's not even fair when I've been singing along to "Outfit" for fifteen years. "Overseas" isn't far behind either.

Great record, super excited to see where this phase of his career takes him. Wish tours were a thing right now because I'm sure the show I would have been going to in June would have been an absolute goddamned ripper.