'Sleepwalkers' - album discussion & poll

Don't think I've been this enthusiastic about a new BF/TGA release since Elsie. Loving the sound. Also, so many lyrical references; think I caught Beatles, Stones, Clash, Dylan and Elvis Costello on the first listening. Sure there's even more that I haven't noticed yet.

I haven't even finished my first full listen through yet, but I'm already really excited and happy. Maybe it was because I had already heard versions of most of the songs from it, but Painkillers definitely didn't hit me like Sleepwalkers seems to be. It kinda feels like the first time I heard Gaslight? Gonna be fun to dig into the music and the lyrics more.

Would it throw off the poll if I practically check off each of the songs ? I have listened Friday, Saturday and Sunday now and each time I listen to a song and think that this one is my favorite, the next song follows and I love it just as much. I am giving up
So many lyrics that make truly worthy life companions.
This entire record is a beautiful love story - Happy Valentine's Week everyone

Incredible album. So hard to choose favourites, I think there is a lot of variety with tempos in this album. Love Come Wander With Me and Etta James is very deep. Really love Little Nightmares! I guess the song I don't feel so much is the 'oddball' one 'Sleepwalkers'. I still really like it though. Proof of Life is definitely one of my highlights, surprised it's not popular in this poll. Neptune reminds me of Meet Me By The River's Edge and is another highlight for me. I love that bridge breakdown and I think lyrically it's one of the strongest on the record. Another great album from my favourite artist!

Christophe wrote:

I think there is a lot of variety with tempos in this album.

This is what keeps me coming back to the album so far, because other than that I'm not too impressed.

The intros to Come wonder with me and If your prayers don't get to heaven are glorious. I'd love for him to experiment more with delicate guitar riffs, and various tempos, like that. The former (intro) makes me think of Have mercy.
Other than those two parts, my favorite part of the album is the bridge of Neptune.

For the most part, though, I'm kinda getting tired of how he keeps rehashing old chord progressions for nearly every song. His melodies aren't too innovative either. Not that he has to be, I mean, he has his thing, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that for a project that allows him to really do whatever he wants, he could branch out more and try to challenge himself in that regard.

Overall, I have to give him credit because clearly he HAS branched out in several ways and it's cool to see more sides of him than we have so far. It might grow on me.

5.5/10

Yeah, I think musically the album is very varied and interesting. The bridge breakdown in Neptune is unexpected and it's the kind of thing that works amazing live - a bit like when they introduced a bridge breakdown playing 'A Wonderful Life' live. I love the jagged effects on Little Nightmares and there are a lot of other moments that were unexpected to me and I really enjoyed. I think the Ted Hutt production is spot on again. In some ways I would love to have heard how Handwritten would have sounded with Ted Hutt producing.

A few reviews seem to be putting down Painkillers a bit in comparison with Sleepwalkers too. I loved that at the time and I still do. I think both solo albums are very strong and sonically and production-wise different. Brian Fallon is my favourite songwriter so it's hard to find many songs I don't like to be honest, and Sleepwalkers is a great album in my opinion.

Christophe wrote:

The bridge breakdown in Neptune is unexpected and it's the kind of thing that works amazing live - a bit like when they introduced a bridge breakdown playing 'A Wonderful Life' live.

Well that's why I did not find it particularly unexpected. I also thought of the live bridge of A wonderful life. In addition to that, they're essentially just slower versions of the bridges of (the songs, not the albums) '59 Sound and Handwritten.

That being said, it IS a beautiful bridge.

Christophe wrote:

In some ways I would love to have heard how Handwritten would have sounded with Ted Hutt producing.

I agree!
My biggest beef with that album is how "muddy" the drums sound. Given how grand the overall soundscape is, I think the drums could be a bit punchier.

Agreed re the sound of Handwritten. I think I generally prefer the more intricate production style of Ted Hutt rather than the 'wall of sound' Brendan O'Brien style. I feel like Biloxi Parish would have sounded so much better and less 'muddy' like you say.

Yeah re those bridges, I guess you can't have them in many songs or there would be too much, but for me they really add magic to the song/album/live performance. Blue Dahlia as well has a really delicate bridge which I absolutely love. I think it's in these moments that Brian's poetry really comes out.

Harbortown wrote:

Christophe wrote:

I think there is a lot of variety with tempos in this album.

This is what keeps me coming back to the album so far, because other than that I'm not too impressed.

The intros to Come wonder with me and If your prayers don't get to heaven are glorious. I'd love for him to experiment more with delicate guitar riffs, and various tempos, like that. The former (intro) makes me think of Have mercy.
Other than those two parts, my favorite part of the album is the bridge of Neptune.

For the most part, though, I'm kinda getting tired of how he keeps rehashing old chord progressions for nearly every song. His melodies aren't too innovative either. Not that he has to be, I mean, he has his thing, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that for a project that allows him to really do whatever he wants, he could branch out more and try to challenge himself in that regard.

Overall, I have to give him credit because clearly he HAS branched out in several ways and it's cool to see more sides of him than we have so far. It might grow on me.

5.5/10

Gumption wrote:

Harbortown wrote:

Christophe wrote:

I think there is a lot of variety with tempos in this album.

This is what keeps me coming back to the album so far, because other than that I'm not too impressed.

The intros to Come wonder with me and If your prayers don't get to heaven are glorious. I'd love for him to experiment more with delicate guitar riffs, and various tempos, like that. The former (intro) makes me think of Have mercy.
Other than those two parts, my favorite part of the album is the bridge of Neptune.

For the most part, though, I'm kinda getting tired of how he keeps rehashing old chord progressions for nearly every song. His melodies aren't too innovative either. Not that he has to be, I mean, he has his thing, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that for a project that allows him to really do whatever he wants, he could branch out more and try to challenge himself in that regard.

Overall, I have to give him credit because clearly he HAS branched out in several ways and it's cool to see more sides of him than we have so far. It might grow on me.

5.5/10

What?

Christophe wrote:

Agreed re the sound of Handwritten. I think I generally prefer the more intricate production style of Ted Hutt rather than the 'wall of sound' Brendan O'Brien style. I feel like Biloxi Parish would have sounded so much better and less 'muddy' like you say.

Yeah re those bridges, I guess you can't have them in many songs or there would be too much, but for me they really add magic to the song/album/live performance. Blue Dahlia as well has a really delicate bridge which I absolutely love. I think it's in these moments that Brian's poetry really comes out.

Blue Dahlia's bridge is fucking amazing! Those lyrics are some of my favorite of his.

Harbortown wrote:

Christophe wrote:

Agreed re the sound of Handwritten. I think I generally prefer the more intricate production style of Ted Hutt rather than the 'wall of sound' Brendan O'Brien style. I feel like Biloxi Parish would have sounded so much better and less 'muddy' like you say.

Yeah re those bridges, I guess you can't have them in many songs or there would be too much, but for me they really add magic to the song/album/live performance. Blue Dahlia as well has a really delicate bridge which I absolutely love. I think it's in these moments that Brian's poetry really comes out.

Blue Dahlia's bridge is fucking amazing! Those lyrics are some of my favorite of his.

Absolutely! It's perfect!

I was thinking about the song Watson and I googled images for Angel Station and outside there is a mural that says 'Do what you love'. That's so cool that Brian used that in the song!

magnificentdreamer wrote:

The "you're just too good a ship to wreck" line in Come Wander with Me seems like a reference to the Florence + the Machine song "Ship to Wreck." That song is also on his spotify playlist, so I'm guessing it is.

Also thought that, fairly sure he has said he is a fan of Florence and the Machine at somepoint as well.

Neptune has the lyric "And what did it mean for all these years I spent chasin' them ferris wheels", surely a little nod to The Patient Ferris Wheel from 59 Sound.

Harbortown wrote:

For the most part, though, I'm kinda getting tired of how he keeps rehashing old chord progressions for nearly every song. His melodies aren't too innovative either. Not that he has to be, I mean, he has his thing, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that for a project that allows him to really do whatever he wants, he could branch out more and try to challenge himself in that regard.

^^^ This.

I like the album, and it has some new sounds, but it definitely feels familiar, maybe not in the best way.

I'm also growing tired of the amount of references that he throws in, which I used to love but now feel like they're too much on the nose maybe. The wild horses reference for example seems like it would have been cool to make in the live shows, not on the actual record, because it's not so much a reference, it's the whole line verbatim. And it's on one of my favorite songs, so it bugs me a lot.

cdala wrote:

Harbortown wrote:

For the most part, though, I'm kinda getting tired of how he keeps rehashing old chord progressions for nearly every song. His melodies aren't too innovative either. Not that he has to be, I mean, he has his thing, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that for a project that allows him to really do whatever he wants, he could branch out more and try to challenge himself in that regard.

^^^ This.

I like the album, and it has some new sounds, but it definitely feels familiar, maybe not in the best way.

I'm also growing tired of the amount of references that he throws in, which I used to love but now feel like they're too much on the nose maybe. The wild horses reference for example seems like it would have been cool to make in the live shows, not on the actual record, because it's not so much a reference, it's the whole line verbatim. And it's on one of my favorite songs, so it bugs me a lot.

Oh boy, you guys have high standards...

Ehhh I don't know about high standards, haha.

I think it's more that I have great expectations (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!) from an accomplished, brilliant songwriter. I know he's capable of going beyond his formula, so I just personally want him to do more of that.

Harbortown wrote:

Ehhh I don't know about high standards, haha.

I think it's more that I have great expectations (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!) from an accomplished, brilliant songwriter. I know he's capable of going beyond his formula, so I just personally want him to do more of that.

Haha, good one!
I understand what you mean, though. He definitely has his favorite progressions. I guess it depends on ones personal taste how much that bothers you. To me, Sink or Swim, Elsie, Get Hurt, Painkillers, and Sleepwalkers sound different, even though the chords are similar. There's so much else going on. I mean, compare that to bands like Motörhead. But again, personal taste... There's no sense in arguing about that.

crsmsi wrote:

Harbortown wrote:

Ehhh I don't know about high standards, haha.

I think it's more that I have great expectations (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!) from an accomplished, brilliant songwriter. I know he's capable of going beyond his formula, so I just personally want him to do more of that.

Haha, good one!
I understand what you mean, though. He definitely has his favorite progressions. I guess it depends on ones personal taste how much that bothers you. To me, Sink or Swim, Elsie, Get Hurt, Painkillers, and Sleepwalkers sound different, even though the chords are similar. There's so much else going on. I mean, compare that to bands like Motörhead. But again, personal taste... There's no sense in arguing about that.

I believe it was Nikki Sixx who said something along the lines of “People complain that every AC/DC song sounds like the same song. Well, they do ... but you what? I really like that song.”

Gumption wrote:

I believe it was Nikki Sixx who said something along the lines of “People complain that every AC/DC song sounds like the same song. Well, they do ... but you what? I really like that song.”

I remember Angus Young himself saying he always got annoyed when people said they’d made the same record ten times. Because actually they’d made the same record eleven times!


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I'm glad everyones enjoying. For myself, sofar not that much. A few tracks standout for me. Hopefully it grows on me!

Lots of love for it, but if I’m honest I preferred the instant hit of pain killers. Few too familiar sounding songs on this