You know, this thread has thrown me into another Fate's kick.
Like others have mentioned, FW are one of those bands that have a few defined eras.
My first album was Parallels, and while I worked my way back to the Arch albums, I only consider myself a fan of the Alder albums.
To that point, it wasn't until APSOG that Fate's became one of my 'all-time' bands, and it's that moody, prog-tinged era (APSOG forward) that I consider their peak. Obviously, mileage varies, but for my money, the band has written a handful of Prog classics (Disconnected being a masterpiece in my book).
With all that said, I gave Long Day Good Night an umpteenth listen this morning during my commute. Now that it's been a couple of years, where is everyone sitting with this one?
Personally, I have struggled to connect with the record. While there's a couple of standout tracks ("Shuttered World," "The Way Home," and "The Longest Shadow of the Day" come to mind), I feel incredibly 'meh' about the rest of the record. I enjoy the variety, but there's simply no 'instant classics' like "The Light and Shade of Things" to be found. I'm also a bit down on the mix, which feels like a step back compared to Theories of Flight.
So, yeah, I'd love to hear what everyone else has to say.