23. The Best Of Times -
Black Clouds And Silver LiningsThis is sure to generate some controversy. The opening is just perfect. Jordan playing piano with JP's acoustic guitar is just sublime. The guitar riff after that is definitely reminiscent of The Spirit Of Radio, except that this song is much, much better than The Spirit Of Radio.
Now, some people have problems with the lyrics. I don't. I think if you're expecting them to be beautiful poetry, you have the wrong idea. It's just Mike talking to his dad, which, to me at least, is very touching. I can't say I really relate to the lyrics (my dad's still alive), but I feel Mike did a good job saying how he felt. Also, JP's outro guitar solo is transcendent, though it's not particularly flashy.
22. The Silent Man -
AwakeTo be honest, even after I started really liking
Awake, I never thought much of this track. I don't mean I disliked it, I simply didn't think of it at all. I was aware of it's existence, but I couldn't really recall anything from it, nor did I care to. Then, sometime fairly recently, I was listening through
Awake and I realized how gorgeous this song is. It's not often you hear a DT song played entirely on an acoustic guitar. The melodies are really lovely, and JP's
backing vocals are really good. I think a lot of people may be like I was for a while, not really paying much attention to this one. If that's you, go ahead and try it again. You may find something new this time.