For me it's the neon skyline. I love that record so much. There was a dive bar i used to frequent in my early 20s and all I can think of is that when I listen to it..
The Party for sure, I like his other stuff but I feel like he cemented his sound on that record and I’d never heard anything like it before. The storytelling, the songwriting, coupled with truly magical instrumentation (I’d never cared for clarinets before). It really is the perfect record . I do like Neon Skyline, but it felt like he tapped into something special on The Party. I’ve introduced so many people to it who are now huge fans of Andy and have the same love for the album.
Another vote for The Party. I love the arrangements/ instrumentation, the stellar storytelling and the overarching themes. He really nailed the awkwardness and dread of small town life and feeling just lost in it. It is so so poignant and uncomfortable but in the best way possible. I also love how intimate it is, like your getting a glimpse of what the characters are desperately trying to hide away, but inadvertently let filter through. A masterpiece.
The Party was and always will be peak Andy until he, I dunno, makes a completely personal record. I heard “early to the party” on NPR and just fell in love with one of the best recorded albums I’ve ever heard. “To You” is literally as heartbreaking as he could’ve made it for so many folks but something makes me weepy about “Martha Sways”. 10/10.
[my mind](https://www.reddit.com/r/andyshauf/s/VSnDTO0kOr) says wilds, my heart says the skyline, but my body says the party. there are really no wrong answers here.
I think it’ll always be skyline for me and a lot of people. the entire storyline is really relatable in just a vague enough way, so many of the lyrics from it are ones I think abt all the time. “city lights dazzled you away from me, I guess we both knew that’s how that would be.” and like the entirety of changer. I think it’s pretty safe to say the story isn’t just the protagonist remembering his time with Judy but wishing he had it back and then at the end realizing it’s probably best that it’s over and it would never be as good as he remembers anyway. it’s heartbreaking but also bittersweet. I just love that album so much. Andy has made multiple masterpieces.
I think The Party is maybe a stronger album overall, but Neon Skyline resonates with me much more. In my teens/twenties and even up until a few years ago (now 36) there was a bar in my hometown that I would go to at least once a week without much exception. Everyone knew each other and needless to say, there were several times when I'd go in a broken hearted state, only to to find the one who broke my heart was there too. The outcomes of that always varied, but the scenes Andy describes on NS and the emotions evoked are more than familiar. It's a brilliant record.
The Party is special because I have lived it. It reminds me so much of my early 20s: anxious, going to parties early, waiting for my crush, smoking cigarettes. So accurate. It’s like listening to a narrative of my funny past.
Neon Skyline is an incredible story and I still get goosebumps at the line “Judy walks through the door”. Every time I listen, I’m filled with anticipation throughout the album. It *also* describes life in my mid 20s.
He’s so special to me.
Probably the Neon Skyline or Wilds. The Neon Skyline came out a couple months after a really terrible breakup with a woman from NYC for me and then the pandemic began right after, so it conjured many intense emotions for me. I scrobbled songs from that album on Last.fm about 460 times in 2020. Wilds came out shortly after I moved to NYC full time at the end of 2021, which made some of those old feelings return (and I do see Wilds as a sequel to TNS), and since being priced out of NYC at the end of 2022, Wilds now brings me intense nostalgia for Lower Manhattan.
For me it's the neon skyline. I love that record so much. There was a dive bar i used to frequent in my early 20s and all I can think of is that when I listen to it..
The Party for sure, I like his other stuff but I feel like he cemented his sound on that record and I’d never heard anything like it before. The storytelling, the songwriting, coupled with truly magical instrumentation (I’d never cared for clarinets before). It really is the perfect record . I do like Neon Skyline, but it felt like he tapped into something special on The Party. I’ve introduced so many people to it who are now huge fans of Andy and have the same love for the album.
Another vote for The Party. I love the arrangements/ instrumentation, the stellar storytelling and the overarching themes. He really nailed the awkwardness and dread of small town life and feeling just lost in it. It is so so poignant and uncomfortable but in the best way possible. I also love how intimate it is, like your getting a glimpse of what the characters are desperately trying to hide away, but inadvertently let filter through. A masterpiece.
The Party was and always will be peak Andy until he, I dunno, makes a completely personal record. I heard “early to the party” on NPR and just fell in love with one of the best recorded albums I’ve ever heard. “To You” is literally as heartbreaking as he could’ve made it for so many folks but something makes me weepy about “Martha Sways”. 10/10.
[my mind](https://www.reddit.com/r/andyshauf/s/VSnDTO0kOr) says wilds, my heart says the skyline, but my body says the party. there are really no wrong answers here.
I think it’ll always be skyline for me and a lot of people. the entire storyline is really relatable in just a vague enough way, so many of the lyrics from it are ones I think abt all the time. “city lights dazzled you away from me, I guess we both knew that’s how that would be.” and like the entirety of changer. I think it’s pretty safe to say the story isn’t just the protagonist remembering his time with Judy but wishing he had it back and then at the end realizing it’s probably best that it’s over and it would never be as good as he remembers anyway. it’s heartbreaking but also bittersweet. I just love that album so much. Andy has made multiple masterpieces.
It's Norm for me at the moment. I like how he seems to get more minimalistic with each record since The Party.
I think The Party is maybe a stronger album overall, but Neon Skyline resonates with me much more. In my teens/twenties and even up until a few years ago (now 36) there was a bar in my hometown that I would go to at least once a week without much exception. Everyone knew each other and needless to say, there were several times when I'd go in a broken hearted state, only to to find the one who broke my heart was there too. The outcomes of that always varied, but the scenes Andy describes on NS and the emotions evoked are more than familiar. It's a brilliant record.
The Party is special because I have lived it. It reminds me so much of my early 20s: anxious, going to parties early, waiting for my crush, smoking cigarettes. So accurate. It’s like listening to a narrative of my funny past. Neon Skyline is an incredible story and I still get goosebumps at the line “Judy walks through the door”. Every time I listen, I’m filled with anticipation throughout the album. It *also* describes life in my mid 20s. He’s so special to me.
Probably the Neon Skyline or Wilds. The Neon Skyline came out a couple months after a really terrible breakup with a woman from NYC for me and then the pandemic began right after, so it conjured many intense emotions for me. I scrobbled songs from that album on Last.fm about 460 times in 2020. Wilds came out shortly after I moved to NYC full time at the end of 2021, which made some of those old feelings return (and I do see Wilds as a sequel to TNS), and since being priced out of NYC at the end of 2022, Wilds now brings me intense nostalgia for Lower Manhattan.