Written after the breakup of Jeff's original Ska-Punk band The Arrogant Sons of Bastards. Album Minus Band is an album that just kind of happened. After the breakup, Jeff started experimenting with some samples from other bands then randomly started recording stuff. Not wanting to forget a song lyric, he quickly recorded the song "Sweet Home Cananada" on his mac. This was the start of the band Bomb the Music Industry! This continued with Jeff having an idea, then recording it with his mac and a $100 microphone. Eventually these tidbits came together to form "Album Minus Band". Jeff was already known for having firm beliefs in the DIY mythos. This ideology would take full form in his new band. Bomb the Music Industry! would later become "famous" for being one of the true DIY experiment bands. Only playing less than $10 all ages shows, burning their cd 's for fans at no cost, spray painting t-shirts, allowing fans who knew the songs to play onstage, and releasing all their music for free long before it became a trend. This album was the start of all that. The album doesn't seem to have any connective themes, but is rather a messy, weird, spastic, awesome journey, filled with great unlicensed quotes from tv and movies.
This song could arguably be called the mission statement of Bomb The Music Industry! The song talks about the fans and corporations that put the scene of the music over the music itself.
Jeff also brings up something in this song that he will have to confront over and over again. The idea of becoming a sellout."Someone the other day was telling me about marketing
And how it's so important for a band to sell a t-shirt
I told him that the money goes right back into the same thing
And now we're just a breeding ground for more and more consumers"
This song takes aim at the people who make music for reasons other than the enjoyment of making it."Sellout, shmellout, it's not about that
But all my problems seem to stem from cash
I got my beliefs and I don't care if they're right
Like I mentioned above, this was the song that started the whole band. Jeff didn't want to forget a lyric for this song, so he went home, recorded it and ended up making a whole album after this song.
Actually written by Laura Stevenson, who would become a main member of Bomb The Music Industry for quite a bit. She would then later go on to make her own solo stuff. This song talks about the feeling of singing music for jerks in bars, biting your tongue, then taking the money and leaving.
The vocals for this song were recorded after an ASOB show. They handed out a bunch of lyric sheets and had about 80 or 90 kids screaming and clapping the lyrics. It gives this song that loose, group of rowdy friends singing together feel.
Written almost immediately after Jeff finished Album Minus Band, "To Leave or Die In Long Island" is a product of being stuck with your parents in your twenties, working for minimum wage, and feeling like you don't relate to what is happening around you. This didn't start as an album, but rather an EP. It ended up somewhere inbetween, so it's on the shorter side with only 8 tracks. Most of the songs are about Jeff's frustration with the daily grind and the idea of what growing up and success really mean. In general just working a crap job in a crap town and feeling like there is no point to it all. This is all summed up perfectly by the last song on the album "SYKE! LIFE IS AWESOME!" in which Jeff admits that even though he feels he's mostly wasting his time, every once in a while life gives you something truly nice, which sort of makes it all worth it. The last song brings the themes of sadness and existential depression together and leave the album on a bittersweet note. The feel of the album is similar to Album Minus Band, but a little bit more polished, and a little less spastic, with each song feeling like a complete song, rather that short spurts that make a whole. The album keeps the same sound with synthesizers, saxophones, and drum machines played stupid fast.
As I mentioned above, I love this song, and think it is possibly Jeff's best song. The song could be used to sum up Jeff's whole life philosophy which is that life is mostly frustration and disappointment but every once in a while a moment comes along and you recognize that life isn't all bad. That there are quite a few things in your life that you wouldn't trade for anything. That a lot of the bad things in your life, led to the good things. The song incorporates multiple different genres and rushes from one to the next feeling like a mad house theme song. The crazy frenetic music, combined with the lyrics, make this a perfect ending song for the album. If anyone asked me why I love Jeff's music, I'd point to this song.
Written after Jeff moved out of his parents and into a nice apartment in an upper middle-class neighborhood in Queens, NY. With Jeff once again feeling isolated. Though for a different reason. Caused by living in an area of a demographic not your own, a lack of nearby friends, and no money to visit those friends. The album was almost completely recorded in Jeff's Apartment which, due to the area, meant he could only record between 5:30 and 6:30 PM. Just like AMB and TLODILI, this album was also solely recorded on Jeff's Laptop with a cheap microphone. This album uses the same style of instruments as the first two, with the frenetic fake drums, synthesizers, piano, and guitars. On this album though, you can hear Jeff start to experiment with the genres, not just making messy punk rock, but injecting some pop and melody into his songs (Side Projects are Never Successful, Sorry Brooklyn Dancing Won't Solve Anything, Anywhere I Lay My Head). The resulting sound is probably his weirdest album of all, with his trademark chaotic sound mixed with more traditional pop piano, horns, and synthesizers, creating a sort of mad-scientist, twisted fun-house album. The lyrical content is similar to the last album, with most of the songs being about isolation, depression, disappointment with the human race, and frustration with the music business. This is also the first album that was released for free on QuoteUnquoteRecords.com. The (possibly first?) donation based record label founded by Jeff. I consider this to be the most eccentric, bizarre album Jeff has produced, so if that is your thing, I'd give this one a listen.
One of Jeff's most cynical songs about corporations, all camoflauged with a poppy, cheesy, piano rhythym. Jeff sings about the clausterphobia he feels in the modern world where the only shade in cities are billboards. How the roads are covered with fast-food litter. How even revolutionary bands like fugazi sold their albums. Jeff attacks all these different entities, but then admits that as much as he rants, he is no different from them.
"And when I finally got to work today
I ate my Subway sandwich
and I drank my Coca-Cola Classic
and then I ate my Sunchips
and I thought about the weekend
when I'd fill up my Ford van
with Mobil brand gas
and drive to the Clear Channel venue
and I'd drink myself a Budweiser
and play my Fender guitar
through my Fender amplifier
and tell the kids with a straight face
through a Shure microphone
and JBL speakers
that corporate rock is for suckers
uhhh yeah"
One of Jeff's most depressing songs. A song that was created because 5 of Jeff's friends + family died around the same period. Jeff felt terrible not only about their deaths but about the way he views death. So Jeff wrote this song apologizing for his selfishness. This is possibly one of his most nihlistic songs. The music contrasts the depressing lyrics by being largely upbeat and fast-paced.
Actually a cover of Tom Waits song of the same name. I just feel this song needs noted for it's bizarre almost baseball park like theme music at the end. The original song already had a weird trumpet part at the end that worked to contrast the depressing lyrics, but Jeff's version makes it even stranger by adding a cheering crowd and upbeat synth. This works as a great weird end to this bizarre album.
Written during a 6 month period in Athens, Georgia. Get Warmer is the first BTMI! album that marks a transition into a more professional recording process. Recorded with real people, using real instruments, in a real recording studio. Almost all the instruments were recorded live by a large group of different people. The band was still considered a "collective" at this point and had not boiled down to the five band members it would later become. The album still has the traditional BTMI! sound that the previous 3 albums had, but the real instruments give it a fuller, less synthetic feel. The new production also makes the songs a bit cleaner, well formed, and more deliberate in their sound. It's also the first BTMI! album that has a specific theme behind it. The songs all take place in a single story arc in one location. Jeff says he tried to keep the songs about specific experiences (riding bikes, washing dishes, moving somewhere new), and using those specific experiences to elaborate on larger emotional issues and feelings. Some songs in particular nail this idea (Bike Test 1 2 3, Unlimited Breadsticks, Soup and Salad Days, Get Warmer). While this album is a great Rosenstock/BTMI! album I still would put it near the bottom as in my opinion, none of the songs really stand out for me when compared to the rest of their discography. Although this album does have their most popular and most radio-friendly song "I Don't Love You Anymore". This album is important as it starts the transition of BTMI! from a scrappy, one-man-with-a-laptop band, to a more traditionally produced band with consistent members, real instruments, and a grander, more anthemic sound.
In this song Jeff uses the theme of riding a bike to convey the struggles and joys of life. The struggles uphill and joy of speeding downhill.
"And it gets easier as I ascend my bike uphill on foot
'cause last time I kicked it into first I broke a gear by going too hard.
And it gets easier, as time goes things can only get better
R-I-D-E. I wanna ride."
Quite a few of the songs on this album are about moving and the idea that everywhere you move to is essentialy the same. If you are expecting a move to fix the personal problems in your life, it likely won't work out. The problems are going to be there no matter where you go, until you face them. I think this song expresses this feeling best, and one of the best lyrics about this idea is:
"Even when locations change
the imbalance stays the same
And you just run out of cities, states and countries you can blame.
So you just keep running away."
Written because Jeff wanted to record a record that cost $50, Which actually meant that he wanted to make a big record with a big sound. They had never spent that much on a record before. Luckily when you have a lot cool friends, you can do this. The record was created bit by bit, by different people in many different states, reworked and reworked until the album had the big sound that Jeff was looking for. They manage to hit their $50 mark. The album has a grand feel to it and while there is no major theme to it (besides the usual depression and existential dread) it feels like a complete album that flows well with a slow-burning opening song, and a climactic ending song. The album uses similar instrumentation to the last album with live drums, guitars, horns, and pianos. In this album though every instrument has it's role in the melody as they move away from the messy chaotic sound that made up most of their previous albums. The lyrics are the best they've been yet with Jeff practically writing essays on certain subjects, experiences, and opinions. This has got to be one of his best albums. Not necessarily because it has any unique gimmick or idea driving it, every song is just really really good.
Jeff claims he wrote this song because He wanted it to be in Guitar Hero or Rock Band. All of the swearing probably prevented that though. This is a really fun song that has a great fun feel to it. The lyrics are about ignoring what everyone else says is fun, and doing what you enjoy doing. Sailing your own boat. This is a great intro song to anyone new to the band or Jeff.
Lyrically this is one of my favorite songs. The song is about how the punk movement was originally about liking what you liked, allowing others to like what they like, and not letting anyone else define who you are. But the punk movement has become fashionable and cliquish.
Jeff is saying that punk has become another brand, and is not about the music or the ideology anymore. If you're not this or that you are not a true "punk"."I know it’s hypocritical to point fingers at the people who point fingers;
But when we all march to the beat of the same different drummer;
Yeah, the steps start to come off like clockwork;
I guess I’m saying we could stand to be nicer!"
I don't want to just post all the lyrics to this song, but I think this song is not only relevant in punk culture, but any subculture that is exclusive. Too many subcultures are founded as a haven for people with weird interests and they end up becoming exclusionary and saying if you don't x you're not y. This could all be summed up in the lyric"I think it’s dumb when you take the inherently fun
like riding bikes and singing songs and say they’re not for everyone
As if for your whole life you were cool as shit"
This is a great song. Give it a listen and read the lyrics!"This non-conformity looks like conformity
Like boring, nice people pose threats to your authority
This positivity is negativity"
Written originally as an EP, I would argue this is more of a mini-album similar to To Leave Or Die In Long Island. Adults was recorded, mixed, and released in 5 days with no notice or announcement. There is not much to say about this album. They just kind of threw it out there and moved on. The album is arguably the most 'fun' BTMI! album, with a ton of horns, claps and rowdy vocal harmonies. If I were going to label any BTMI! album as a party album, it would be this one. The music is catchy and upbeat, plus the lyrics aren't too challenging or weird. Quite a few of the songs from this album are on Spotify's top 10 if you look up BTMI!. I don't mean to take away from the songs though. Often the upbeat music distorts the darker lyrics giving them some real depth. Plus All-Ages Show is one of my favorite Jeff Rosenstock songs, with one of the best female/male harmonies. But at the end of the day. This feels like a collection of random songs. Which is not a bad thing and shouldn't be discouraged, but it also isn't why I fell in love with BTMI!/Rosenstock.
1 of 2 duet songs Jeff has done. I don't have much to say about this song other than it's great. The female singer (Laura Stevenson) doesn't come in until halfway through the song. The song builds and builds until it both the female and male voice are singing and alternating the same chorus
This is a very powerful and emotionally moving song. It also has one of my favorite verses about relationships"Let's start a conversation
I'm tired of arguing
It isn't fun for me
Reverse psychology
instead of just listening up
that always seemed stupid to me"
"Can you stay here?
Can we blast the Descendents?
Can we turn our phones off and get lost in The Simpsons?
I feel inches away from getting swallowed by darkness
And I know that you're tired
but can you draw back the curtains for me?"
If Get Warmer was the match, Scrambles was the flame, then Vacation is the explosion. This is their magnum opus. Everything they have been building towards culminates perfectly in this album. The themes, the lyrics, the songs, all come together to form an album that flows tonally perfect from start to finish. With each song contributing so that you must listen to the album from start to end to appreciate it's grandeur. The Album was mostly written when Jeff was on a free trip to belize, and it has the sound and feel of a summer-soaked surfer punk album. Where most of BTMI's past work is upbeat with negative lyrics, Vacation is sort of the opposite. The music is still fun, but there is a thread of melancholy through it all. This matches up with the lyrics, which see Jeff trying to be positive and happy, but still experiencing the typical fears and worrys even while he is on vacation. The album rides this balance of hopeful sadness. This gives the album a very unique sound, like if Weezer and the Beach Boys got together and just got real sad/emotional and made a record. This album sounds big though, and it truly feels like you're experiencing the wave of relatable emotions that Jeff was on when he wrote this album. With the slow burn opening, expressing a desire to get away, the fun and excitement experienced upon first arrival, the crash and resumation of old feelings and fears, the acceptance and appreciation of what you have, and the climactic ending. I could be making all that up, but the point is that this album has a FEEL to it. You can feel the plot of the album with it's highs and lows. Once again you must listen to it from beginning to end to truly appreciate it. This album completes the metamorphosis the band has been on from the messy, spastic, all over the place sound, to a carefully-crafted sound with anthemic vocals and grand themes. Many people think this album was too indie and thought it lacked the chaotic sound of past BTMI! records, but I disagree. It still retains the rough, on the verge of a breakdown sound, but it only comes out when the song's theme dictates. This album will end up being the swan song for Bomb the Music Industry. Having accomplished what they set out to accomplish. At this point in the band's mythos, the band had become a consistent group of 5-ish members, touring the country in their spare time, making some pocket money, and releasing the music they made for free. Jeff created the band as an attempt to 100% pursue the idea of a DIY band that never compromised their values, and they succeeded at that. The band members were going through some different personal stuff at the time, and so instead of going on hiatus, they decided to finalize it and call it quits. Thus Vacation becomes the perfect finale to the band's musical trajectory and evolution. BTMI would play their last show at the Warsaw in NYC to an uproarious and loving crowd. A fan-made documentary would be made about BTMI call Never Get Tired. You should give it a watch.
A 6-minute song about how the world doesn't care about your problems. Jeff starts the song singing of some mistake he made, and how it didn't seem like a big deal at the time. After all there are much bigger issues in the world. Why is he being hounded for such a small issue. He goes on to sing about how you can't run away from your problems or expect pity. "And nobody cares. We all got sorrows So hold onto your home and onto your hope Sorrow don't answer problems" The song builds and builds repeating the same lyric over and over again "The shit that you hate don't make you special" The lyrical content is pretty minimal for a 6-minute song, but the way the song builds and amplifies is pretty special. It's hard not to scream the lyrics at the end along with Jeff
This song manages to perfect that summer-punk sound. Yet the lyrics are, as usual, about something darker. The result of constant procrastination. Putting off the boring things to do the fun things, again and again, until even the fun things have lost their luster. You are left wondering why you don't do anything anymore. There's not much more to the song than this, but I think if I was to pick one song that represents this album, it would be this one.
This is a great opening song, but I put it here because the video of BTMI playing this song at Warsaw in Never Get Tired demands a watch. It will show you how much love there is for this band out there. How many people this band affected and how emotional their finale was, not only to the fans, but especially to the band members.
Written after BTMI! was disbanded, I Look Like Shit unceremoniously became Jeff's solo debut. Jeff describes the reasoning for this album best: "A handful of them were demos for a Bomb the Music Industry! EP called I Always Dread The End Of Summer, but shit got busy and that didn't end up happening. And then a bunch of them was for a slower record I was working on called I'm Serious, I'm Sorry, but it wasn't really coming together terribly fast and who the hell knows if that'll ever happen. However, I do know that if leave a bunch of food on your kitchen counter for too long, that shit is gonna get moldy, start attracting flies and smell like shit. So instead of having these jams just sit around doing nothing, here they all are along with some more new songs and some covers in full noisy drum machine shitty vocals glory." I Look Like Shit helped set Jeff's solo stuff apart from his former ASOB and BTMI! work as most of these songs don't really sound like either of those. It's a very personal album, with less punk, more piano, and lyrics that sound like they were ripped straight from a diary. These songs are depressing, like nihlistic, there is no point to anything why bother, depressing. Jeff considered not even releasing them because he thought they might be too much. He eventually released them because his friends reminded him that: "it's okay to release songs with lyrics that I may think are too dark and reminding me that those are actually the only lyrics I ever want to listen to" The album serves as a great start to Jeff's solo career, distinguishing his newer style from his older style, allowing him to make whatever music he wants without being beholden to a genre.
This song starts off with a great piano riff that turns into a bizarro ben folds song. Like something early goofy Ben Folds Five would have made. Except the song lyrics are very depressing. They are about the paranoia Jeff experiences after knowing that a friend of his got killed in her home during a robbery. The song is about the constant fear Jeff experiences in his own home. The fear of living in a world where such a terrible thing could have happened. Per typical Jeff style the depressing lyrics are overshadowed by the fast paced, fun piano and guitars. He even throws in an 8-bit breakdown near the end.
I don't have much to say about this song, other than it's my favorite on the album. It's more of an indie song than it is a punk song. The lyrics are solid. The song builds up really well and explodes during the emotional climax of the song. It's also my favorite song I've heard them play live. You can't help but feel emotional as Jeff belts out the last two verses to this song.
This is a pretty unique song coming from Jeff when compared to the rest of his discography. This is a slow-tempo 6-minute song that deals heavily with religion. This is another one of Jeff's extremely depressing songs. Possible top 3 in my opinion. It's a very impressive song, but definitely not for everyone.
This is just a really really fun song. The song was originally by the Ging Nang Boyz, and Jeff doesn't do to much to make it different from their version. The song is just 4 minutes of Jeff singing Japanese except the chorus during which he screams "I don't wanna die!" It's a very silly song and a great song to end this largely depressing album on.
Written 2-ish years after I Look Like Shit was released, We Cool? is Jeff's official intended debut solo album. It is also Jeff's first record with the record company SideOneDummy. SideOneDummy acts more like a traditional record company, compared to the DIY/donation based labels his music had been released on in the past. SideOneDummy was cool enough to allow this album to continue being released for free on QuoteUnquoteRecords while SideOneDummy was selling it on their website. So anyone could still download the album for free, but they could also now purchase a physical copy or buy a tshirt. When Jeff was running BTMI! many fans complained about the lack of merchandise as they wanted to support the band, but felt they had no way to do so. Jeff has since moved on from the extreme DIY views and now allows himself to make some steady money from his music and merchandise. Something he had not been able to do for quite a while. Some may view this as selling out, but I think that's absurd. Jeff has spent most of his life making music, pleasing fans, and rejecting money. He deserves to live a comfortable life at some point. Anyway, We Cool? if a phenominal album. The goal as described by Jeff was to make: "pop songs that got real weird and gross". I think this is the perfect way to describe this album. This album picks up and improves where I Look Like Shit left off. The songs on this album are messy, melancholic, self-reflective pieces of pop punk. The lyrics are the best he's written yet with songs like Nausea, I'm Serious I'm Sorry, Polar Bear or Africa, and Get Old Forever, all about Jeff confronting who he is, what he wants, and how he treats others. These are the most relatable songs he's written yet. Not even considering that these songs fun as hell, with catchy melodies, anthemic choruses, and solo's that will make your adrenaline rush. The album was also the first of Jeff's to get any recognition by charting on a couple different billboards. An experience that was new to Jeff. Despite being a prominent figure in the DIY/Underground scene, Jeff hadn't (and arguably still hasn't) reached much fame in the mainstream crowd. So charting was a unique experience. This is one of his most fun records, and with the more straightforward punk sound, I'd say this is probably the best starting point if you're new to his music.
One of Jeff's best songs and probably the best starter Jeff Rosenstock song. Just a solid punk song that is bursting with energy and emotion. The ultimate crowd song. Everytime I've seen Jeff live, people absolutely lose their minds during this song.
Another Bizarro Ben Folds song. I can't even accurately categorize this song as it's so bizarre. This is another one of Jeff's weird twisted carnival songs, with the upbeat piano, handclaps, and sing-along vocals, all being played over lyrics about depression, isolation, and turning away from those close to you. I think this may be his most popular song. Rightly so. It's hard to find music that has this unique a sound.
In the top 3 of Jeff's depressing songs. This is a song about a friend killing himself and Jeff regretting not noticing the signs sooner. This is one of the best songs I've ever heard on the subject. Jeff talks about how he and this person were never very close, and Jeff could have helped him out, talked to him, befriended him, shared experiences with him, but Jeff was to busy focusing on his own problems. Jeff wants to tell this person that he knows what he's going through, that he experiences the same feelings. But it's too late and Jeff can never get that opportunity back. Possible the best lyrics jeff has written. I can't help but feel emotional every time I listen to this song. The way the song slows down to a single guitar strum, than bursts with emotion when the chorus comes in, gives me chills every time. I can think of few songs where the sound and structure of the song match the emotion more perfectly than this one.
Written right around the time Jeff married his long time girlfriend, WORRY was originally supposed to be an album about love. It turned into something much bigger. Interspersed between the songs of love and growing old together, Jeff tackles a grand scope of issues that have been escalating in modern times. Corporate impersonations in the music industry, police brutality, the numbing effects of technology, and the selfishness of those in power. The combination of these themes somehow perfectly create an album about the absurdity of modern life, and the feeling of growing together with someone in the middle of such absurdity. The feeling of walking down a crowded street with clausterphobic thoughts about how everything is beyond hope, but then meeting someone and experiencing that flutter, that rush of excitement, but also the fear that this too will soon be beyond repair. Those hopes and fears are what this album is about. The album begins slowly with each song being seperate and isolated. But as the album goes on, the songs grow and grow and eventually the second half of the album explodes and each song flows breathlessly into the next, the pace never letting up until Jeff is screaming at the end of the album repeating the same line over and over while the band's instruments wail. You can't help but feel exhausted after the album. WORRY has been on numerous top x lists for Album of the Year, and was even ranked #1 on USA Today. A pretty huge feat for an artist that charted for the first time the previous year. It seems the world is finally taking stock of Rosenstock. The album is considered by many to be the best he's ever made. The term "magnum opus" comes up a lot if you look at the reviews for this album. But it absolutely deserves this title. This album is incredible. How he manages to combine so many different musical styles and yet have them all fit tonally is beyond me. As per typical Rosenstock fasion, Jeff humbly accepted the praise, and moved on towards his next project. Still playing free shows, still giving all his music away for free, still making the music he wants to make the way he wants to make it. Jeff has never listened to anyone who told him it shouldn't be done this way, and with the success of WORRY, I don't think he's going to start anytime soon.
Jeff wrote this song about the closing of the DIY studio Death By Audio, which was closed and turned into a VICE office. The song is loosely about how all these DIY spaces are closing and dying, making room for corporations that only pretend to care about whatever they're selling. The lyrics are ambiguous enough though you could interpret them a couple different ways. This is probably the best "single" song on this album. An album that rewards one-time ordinal listening. Solid fun song. Great for first time Rosenstock listeners.
Jeff wrote this song as a flashback to the time where him and his wife first met. The lyrics represent that butterfly feeling of meeting someone new and experiencing the euphoric hope and frightening worry that accompany such an encounter.
I think this song is more like what Jeff imagined this whole album would be originally. A story about relationships that everyone can relate to. The album didn't turn out this way, and I think it's for the better as what it became is amazing. But The sound and lyrics of this song are so fun, I wouldn't have complained."And if I see you soon
Will you want to see me?
Or will you just want to sneak away?
Did I creep you out like a scary movie?
I hope that we feel the same"
Lyrically this is not only my favorite on the album, but essentially summarizes the theme of the whole album. Jeff sings of all the trouble that these systems in the world have caused, the selfishness, the disconnect, the pride. Even though the world seems to be falling apart around him, Jeff is never letting go of the one he loves. She is all that matters to him in this world. Musically the song serves more as an interlude between explosive tracks, but lyrically I think it's the best on the album.
"And don't know anyone's name because I can't concentrate
Oh, I am never letting go of you
Whenever weeks slip away from being caught
In the wake of the American craze
the overtime, underpaid
These are the Amazon days, we are the binge-watching age
And we'll be stuck in a screen until our phones fall asleep
I am never letting go of you
Another song that summarizes not only the themes of the album, but the album title itself. On this track Jeff sings to his loved one, trying to tell her all the things he wishes to express before she dies. He mentions that when you die, people always say nice things about you, so it doesn't mean anything. Jeff wants her to know exactly how he feels while she's alive.
Jeff then mentions one of the core themes of the album which is that love is terrifying and beautiful. It's not always a warm, euphoric embrace. It can be an anxiety ridden nightmare caring for someone so deeply."When love is dead
We'll remember gentle nudges keeping us in bed
Or laughing at funerals, queasy at carnivals
Listening to heartbeats slowing down as we keep growing old"
"It's not like the love that they showed us on T.V
It's a home that can burn
It's a limb to freeze
It's worry
Love is worry
Yeah"
Jeff's latest album "POST-" was released completely unannounced on January 1st 2018. The album had zero promotional buildup from Jeff or his record company. A very political album, Jeff recorded most of the songs on POST in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Where WORRY speaks to Jeff's fears and frustrations of modern society, POST finds Jeff completely dumbfounded in the aftermath. Trying to make sense of how a man as manipulative and corrupt as Donald Trump could have been elected. Trying to understand the motives of the people he passes on the street everyday. The first words he speaks from the album describe his state perfectly: "Dumbfounded, downtrodden and dejected/Crestfallen, grief-stricken and exhausted". He is trying to make sense of a world that completely shocked him. Later on in the first track, a crowd of voices chants what could be considered the current anthem of the american people: "We’re tired! We're bored!". In an interview with Exclaim, Jeff said this about what drove his inspiration for the album: "I'll wake up in the morning [at a hotel], go downstairs and get breakfast, and the news is on, and I'll just look at the people around me and wonder, 'Which one of you wants that Muslim ban? Which one of you wants that wall around Mexico? Which one of you has that hate in your heart?' I think it's hard to not think about all the hate that's bubbling under America, since now it's seeped up to the surface." In typical Jeff fashion, the song is not only about his frustration with America, but also how he processes his emotions and tries to move forward in a new socio-political landscape.
The standout song from the album. USA perfectly sums up jeff's experience post-2016 election. The song is a 7-minute anthem where Jeff expresses all his shock and frustration. The song builds and builds until Jeff & Co are screaming "Et tu USA?" Jeff speaks to the emotional numbness we experience in America, and how we often ignore what's going on in the world because it doesn't immediately pertain to us. We are too comfortable and don't have the energy to care about the injustice and hate evolving in the world.
Later on in the Album Jeff speaks directly of instances of violence and hatred that make the news. How we see these acts and feel little. How the media fails to portray these acts with the emphasis they deserve."Clerk at the Midwestern service station
Striped uniform, giggling at catch phrases
Look in her eyes like we’re up to something
Oh, it doesn't matter now
Man in a crossover with his family
Sketched-in decals on the window smiling
Drivin' parallel in the lane beside me
Oh, it doesn't matter now
But please be honest
And tell me, was it you?
I won't hate you
I just need to know
Please be honest
And tell me, was it you?"
"At first he thought it was the undertow
But he was dragged to the bottom of the lake
By a couple of kids saying, "It's a joke"
Though he didn't know any of their names
As they held him down, the crowd got loud
And they cheered when they thought he had escaped
When the anchor needed something for the 10 o'clock
What could they say?
Oh, what else could they say?
Well, you promised us the stars
And now we’re tired and bored"
This is my favorite song from the album. It's a slow burn of a song, but the melody and singing style are quite unique (especially for Jeff). This song sounds like something out of a musical, which allows it to stand out on the album. It's worth a listen if you want to hear something a little different.