🏎️
so technically it’s a mixtape but the way it’s constructed as a mixtape definitely furthers the image & vision of the whole (& what’s the difference between a mixtape & an album these days anyways 🤷♀️) .
a collection of (previously) unreleased songs & snippets & recordings from 2010-2014 , unearthed & reexamined in a period of rest after the band was involved in a pretty serious bus accident .
it was released as a single 43 min track & i love the way it all flows together , with songs & half finished ideas cutting in and out , studio conversations & spoken word segments give it a lived in feel with how they’re processed & edited to fit in the mixtape framework . musically it spans the more dreamy indie pop of his earlier forget work to the early versions of the arena rock grandeur he was striving for on eclipse . highlights for me are the more subdued demo version of the littlest things [(which wouldn’t see a studio release till 2018’s caer) the stripped back arrangement really give his voice centre stage & it’s a beautiful & emotive performance that closes out the project perfectly , crazy [4:58] & the preceding spoken work segment that leads directly into it [4:02] which is a big dramatic hit !, to buffalo [10:31] that features a stunning marriage of acoustic & overdriven electric guitars , & discover me [18:03] a little synthy snippet that’s gone too soon .
it’s as perfect for a night drive as the name suggests , almost giving the impression of flipping through the radio dial as you’re speeding down the highway .
as a final aside the accompanying tour also had great merch featuring this poster & mesh motocross long sleeves
Aug 20, 2024
Related Recs
Big rec here
I was initially drawn in by the album art (always judge a book by it's cover) and ended up completely obsessed with the hypnotic chorus & atmosphere of this one.
Had no idea it was isaac from Strange Ranger's new project until 3 minutes ago.
If love and only love can break your heart
What's this tearing mine apart?
Oh yeah
Oh baby
The years flying faster all the time
I lie awake and dream all night
Oh yeah
Oh baby
So good
Jan 27, 2024
Here are three! Wildly different vibes here, sorry for the whiplash
Hospital Bracelet is Midwest emo, kinda angry, less romantic yearning. More like yearning for better things.
wished bone is ethereal. I had super intense fever dreams to this album one time. pollinate me and spring time lover still have the power to stop me dead in my tracks.
Medium Build just gets it. I listened to this album for the first time on a road trip to see the eclipse this last year and my partner was asleep in my lap. It made me tear up. Love love love
Feb 25, 2025
⭐
In March of 2023 I was on tour with my band Trophy Wife. We had just played a set on the second date in a dingy hardcore bar in Philly that was selling microwaved White Castle sliders and packs of American Spirit for cheap. Ahead of us was a 17 hour drive to New Orleans that would have to be made in one day.
I woke up in the backseat somewhere in between and leaned my head on the window beside me. It was pitch black but before sunrise. The road becomes something different when you're traveling for that long, resembling more of a habitat than a construct with its own set of strict rules and guidelines. In the dark, protected by the shell of a Honda CRV, I would watch the trucks pass by like behemoth steed; big iron whales, and I am so small.
'Wooly Mammoth's Absence' became gospel during that drive. I found it before we left, sometime during our day in Philly when I was getting ready for the show. I listened alone at first, the woody nylon guitars and hushed words of Phil Elverum were a trusted secret for my ears only.
Once I showed it to them we discovered multiple versions of the song that were released over the years, my favorite of which is the first one I heard, from 'Seven New Songs'. It was a perfect companion; something wiser than me that kept me moving forward, like the only torch in a dungeon.
"Quickly forgotten was this forgetful way of life, when I left home and I lived as if I had died" he still sings quietly, and only for me.
Jan 26, 2024
Top Recs from @seiji
〰️
there’s that little jolt of joy when you discover that you’re having the same experience as another person
Mar 8, 2025
⏲️
it’s the perfect length for me to watch after work , i can start a movie at 11 or even 12 & get to bed at the (mostly) reasonable hour of 1:30 at the latest . sometimes i will extend this to 100 or 110 min if i‘m feeling indulgent or ambitious .
i could watch an hour of tv but this gives me a whole story in only a little bit more time .
Sep 11, 2024
Jul 6, 2024