The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form (May 22, 2020) Album • Page 346

My wife (a casual fan through me) and I (massive fan) listened through this whole album yesterday evening having drinks on our porch and a few times she made comments like "Wow, is this still 1975?" and a few comments "How is this the same band that did that first song?"
Aside from People, she really liked it though and was stunned at the range of music in one album.

My first listen was yesterday on my run and I hadn't even heard a single note from the singles. The Greta song I was thinking "I really hope they don't pander this much the whole record" and then People came on and I broke into a big smile (probably looked insane) on my run knowing that this band is still completely in their own lane. I personally love the album. It's only a day old so impossible to rank these but this can easily best ABI in my eyes.

 

Look I think climate change is an existential threat to humanity, that Greta is an extremely important public figure, and have no dispute with any of the policy statements made on the intro but goddamn it's a drag on the beginning of the album

Also pretty certain they don't mention climate change again for the rest of the album lmao cmon

 

Matty saying "Roadkill" sounds like Limbeck makes me super happy too. Loved that band

 

the “waiting for yoouuu” in roadkill just perfection

 

I don't think the lack of references to climate change throughout the rest of the album invalidates having Greta feature on the intro. It's a long speech and I think it says everything that needs to be said on the subject.

I'd argue People kind of touches on attitudes around engaging with something like climate change though. The verses have an urgency in their references to politics and economics before they literally say, "fuck it," recognising that most people opt for personal comforts and convenience over change and confronting difficult issues.

I wouldn't be opposed to having more overt references to the climate throughout the album but I think Matty knows that his lyrical strengths come from introspection rather than trying to interpret objective truths.

For me, the intro and People make enough of a statement and an impact on their own.

 

Yeah I get that. I'm not saying I wanted this band to make a climate change album, to be clear.

Probably gonna get roasted by the diehard fans for this but what I'm saying is that the intro does not work even if it was well-intentioned and it's a weird way to start the record.

 

Roadkill sounds exactly like pinegrove to me ngl

 

I think that it's so jarring and a bit weird is kind of the point? It's supposed to draw attention away from the form (I think) and bring awareness to something bigger.

I get it though, and I don't think being exhausted by the intro is in any way a dismissal of the issues they're raising. I probably won't listen to it in full every time I listen to the album. I really respect them for sharing their platform to raise awareness of climate change though so for that alone this intro means more to me than any of the others.

Also, I'm sure Matty's said in interviews that Greta approached other artists who've spoke out on climate change who declined her the opportunity to work with them. If that's true then the fact that they've done this when no one else would makes me respect them a lot more than I already did.

 

Roadkill really sounds more like a radio country song I'd hear on my school bus in the early 2000s that I can't exactly put my finger on lol

 

Roadkill is probably my favorite. It changes hourly.

 

how. fucking. good. is. the. birthday. party.

 

Fixed

 

Yeah I Know FINALLY clicked. I just didn't get it at first. But I am loving it. Fucking VIBE!!!!

 

I’m pretty amazed at how much more I like Birthday Party in the context of the album than I did as a single.

 

Definitely agree. That into people feels like it’s setting the album up to be something completely different imo. Feels like a mission statement and then they don’t follow through on it haha

 

Frail State of Mind is so good. I was pretty lukewarm on it on arrival. The rest of the record adds so much context to that sound. It’s maybe a top 5 1975 song for me now. Gorgeous.

 

10th listen. This is my favorite album from them at the moment. It's confounding and long and scattered and imperfect - but damn I am just vibing to everything.

 

Frail => Roadkill makes for excellent pancaking making on a weekend music.

 

I think, even tho I really like this album, I’m impressed with it more than I like it. There’s so much going on but it honestly doesn’t feel scattershot or messy. Wish they’d trimmed it a bit still of course but I’m really happy with it

 

I mean the packaging of this new album is made from recycled materials, they've made changes to their stage show to be more sustainable, they've planted trees for every ticket sold for their concerts (and albums, I think? But not sure). I get that those two songs in isolation stand out against the rest of the album but I wouldn't say they haven't followed through on their mission statement.

 

In a parallel universe I’d be seeing Phoebe and the boys tonight. I miss live music so much.

 

I’m strictly talking about in terms of the content of the album. Those two songs set it up to be something that it doesn’t really ever become

 

Oh, why am I always cold?

 

Got my refund :(

 

That's fair, they definitely stand out from the others. From the interviews they gave before the album was released it seems that there wasn't really any intention to make an album with a theme. Probably contributes to its disjointedness which, personally, I appreciate but I can definitely understand why it doesn't work for other people.