Even if The Astonishing was terrible - i'd rather they took a risk once in a while instead of putting out safe album after safe album.
Yeah, really, really good point. And it
wasn't terrible by any stretch, so it is a risk that largely paid off by just about any standard you want to use. Great post.
I'm very, very pleased with this album. It has been a total trip to listen to.
Same here. I
still have a difficult time ranking the album. And I
still feel that, because of the different nature of the album as well as its length, it may not have the staying power for me in the discography ranking. But here's the thing...I fully expected that I would really like the album for a few months, and then it would gradually start to fall off my radar and fade away as I began looking forward to the new album. That is the complete opposite of what happened the last two album cycles. When the s/t came out, I was still spinning ADTOE constantly and couldn't get enough of it, and I could hardly believe a new album was almost upon us already when I wasn't even remotely tired of the previous one. When TA came out, I felt the same way about DT12. I fully expected that to NOT happen with TA, and expected that it would be slipping by now. Actually, quite the opposite. I am loving it now more than ever, and that honestly surprises me.
To put it another way, I was thankful for the grand experiment that was The Astonishing when it came out. And as a grand experiment so late in their career, I recognized that it is a huge accomplishment and a significant milestone. But beyond that, I did not expect it to have a lasting musical impact on me. Or at least, I wasn't sure that it would. I am pleasantly surprised to find that I feel it is an important part of the musical landscape of DT's career, and I am hugely thankful that they composed this album for us to listen to and enjoy.
Also somewhat unexpectedly, one of the things that pushed it over the edge for me was the second time I saw the live show in Reno. That night was so unexpectedly magical. Oddly, talking to the band after the show, I'm not sure they felt the same way from the stage. But everyone around me in the pit and those I talked to afterwards back in the seats all thought it was a fantastic show. I still involuntarily think back on that show when I listen to the album, and that gives a new dimension to the songs.