ok, here is my initial impression after 1.25 listens.
i think the songwriting shows John is trying to explore new directions inside himself and see where it might take him. personally, i think most every song ont he record is weak. that being said, i also hear so many elements that i feel i don't understand or haven't let hit me right that my initial thought is just way to premature. this record shows a whole new side of John that i think a person needs to sit down and just let it hit them new and fresh and be absorbed into it.
lyrically i think John is shoving too much into too short a space. the story lines are wonderful, and i've tipped my hat to John multiple times for his ability to tell stories in such a personal way that leaves the listener wondering if it's about him or not, to which he always hugs me, says thanks, and then leaves the details a mystery.....which makes me love it even more. i think pixel revolt has moments where it's like listening to a person sing an actual short story. a lot of his metaphor and implication is gone and he's spelling things out. i don't like that so much, but i hope it grows on me.
production.
what can i say, i've been a scott solter fan for a while now. i dubbed him "tchad blake jr." a few years back and i'll stand by that now more then ever. his use of unconventional techniques, programming and odd sounds is only second to tchad. and scott's low end is just getting bigger and bigger......scott's records draw me into his world which is a characteristic of a recording i find absolutely magical.
