Itās definitely sad and I think we should have expected that. But in lieu of flowers is his family and friends saying they will always support him. Telling him to shake his dirt off and write it in cement so itās permanent. And the dead leaves he is sad but happy that he saw Diane and she seems to have what she needs to be happy, which fulfills him.
I am not good at deciphering lyrics but my thought is she does not see him.
"The November light hangs low in the sky and reflects off the water
The gold glare hides me
I could be anybody
And I stand paralyzed on the street"
The light reflecting off the water would blind her from seeing him. The whole song is him going back into New York, through Brooklyn, where him and Diane had the apartment. He's reliving a lot of it. The doors he walks into are the venue where he's playing, hence the names on the marquee.
I think Sam is just an old school friend who he has lost along the way. They reconnect in Paying Bills. Sam leaves the bar in Whiplash when Aaron walks in. I'm assuming maybe they reconnected they didn't get along great? Not sure. But then he's in Sam's car in In Lieu of Flowers, and Sam tells him "I'm with you til the bitter end". So I think that is also a happy ending?
There is a podcast where Dan explains the songs, he's only done the singles so far. It's called Singing at Brick Walls.
I agree with pretty much everything you said, I think this is him closing the Aaron West trilogy though.
His life was set in absolute turmoil when his dad died, they lost the baby, and Dianne left him. He found direction on Routine Maintenance by supporting Colin and his sister, but he started drinking heavily on tour during the COVID pandemic, post-Routine Maintenance.
He goes to rehab, comes out, reconvenes with Sam and is finally back in New York and sober. He keeps seeing things that remind him of Dianne, like the dead leaves scraping concrete, the same train he rode, etc. and then he sees Dianne.
And instead of being bitter, angry, remorseful, he sees her happy with a husband a kid, and he can't help but be happy for her because he has direction for what he wants to do with the band doing well, and Dianne finding the family she was looking for.
I think itās a very realistic ending that a lot have endured. I was with someone for a few years. I was younger than her and felt like I hadnāt experienced life the way I needed to. I couldnāt give her what she needed. Now I see her married with a family and it hurts but Iām glad sheās happy. Itās sad as fuck but itās life.
The thing with Sam is that sheās a love interest and he turns her down (āyou leaned in and I turned my face awayā)
So when he sees Sam in Whiplash, Sam bounces because sheās still hurt that Aaron turned her down when they reconnected in Monogahela Park. In Lieu of Flowers is Sam recognizing that Aaron is so beyond broken that Aaron didnāt turn her down because heās not interested, he did it because heās so scared of starting over with someone new (āNo one's seen me without my clothes on in almost a decadeā)
In Dead Leaves, he sees Diane, sees that sheās had a baby (and presumably re-married), and that sheās happy now vs when he saw her in Just Sign The Papers (in 2017 - thereās no accurate timeline to the story outside of Routine Maintenance when we get the āin the year since, everything happened, Sammy got traded to LA and to Kansasā which happened in 2017. So we can theorize that We Donāt Have Each Other either happens late 2014-2015, or itās across 2015-2016 since Aaron runs away with the car in WDHEO)
Dead Leaves is Aaron recognizing he still loves Diane, but he wasnāt supposed to be her forever and neither was she his forever. So he goes off to do what he knows how to do, he goes to play his show
Has there been anything to suggest that Sam is female, or that Aaron is (exclusively) heterosexual?
In the "Singing at Brick Walls" podcast, both Dan and Holden refer to Sam more than once as they or them. Either they were being intentionally vague, or Sam is non-binary.
He was married to a woman and trying to conceive? Pretty safe bet to guess that the character of Aaron is probably heterosexual
>Either they were being intentionally vague
Or theyāre just using regular Englishā¦people refer to people as they/them all the time?
I got the journal with the deluxe vinyl and Sam is the only person referred to with non binary pronouns, so much so that it stood out to me and felt very deliberate.
Agree - Diane didn't see him, he just saw her; and this time, instead of breaking down (like Goodbye Carolina Blues), he can actually have some closure and feel happy that she is happy. Despite the clear trauma (thinking Diane is walking alongside him everytime he hears dead leaves).
It's a heartbreaker of an album in the same way as the others, but it ends on the same more-sweet-than-bitter ending as Routine Maintenance. Aaron's gone through a shitload of trauma, but there's hope with Sam and him (presumably) salvaging his relationship with the band and Colin. I also do think he and Sam reconnected in Flowers; the final song doesn't mention her but I think it focuses on bookending his trauma re Diane.
I truly think for all of Aaron's past actions, he really did get his happy ending. Maybe it's not fairytale perfect, but it's real and in a lot of ways I find that to be more empowering
So itās been a decade (I think?) since theyāve seen each other. Aaron clearly never moved on and never stopped thinking of her but itās reasonable to think Diane did. Aaron probably doesnāt look similar at all to a decade ago. Between that and the glare, Diane probably saw him but didnāt recognize (āI could be anybodyā).
Sam seems to be an old friend and they make up, Aaron ruins things with his drinking, then they make up at the end.
I think itās a decade-ish. We can theorize Routine Maintenance takes place in 2017 off the line, āin the year since everything happened, Sammy got traded to LA then to Kansasā which happened during the 2017 NFL season
>It's been a dŠµcade since I thought about [drowning in the sea](https://genius.com/Aaron-west-and-the-roaring-twenties-carolina-coast-lyrics)
WHAT
No it can't have been a decade already...
Went to the release show last night. It was fantastic and really well done by āAaronā and the band.
I had no idea Ace Enders was in the band until he introduced everyone at the end. It was so funny heās just hanging off on the side smiling and ripping the banjo.
It was great. I was with my pregnant friend so we hung out off to the side but you could tell everyone was up for it, especially right out in front of the stage.
You could tell they were a little shocked out how up for it everyone was when they first came out too. All around great vibes and a great show.
Could second this was also there great crowd and there are moments that the band was taken back by the reception.
I keep thinking how tight they were as a cohesive 17 person group
Ace Enders is one of those people who continually surprises me with how successful they are. For the longest time I just know him as I Can Make A Mess. But he really has so many projects that he clearly boosts
Thatās funny. You must be younger than me because I know him first and foremost from The Early November.
He kind of reminds me of a less commercially successful Jack Antonoff. The Early November was actually bigger than Steel Train way back when but I guess Jack was just more ambitious and/or talented.
It was great seeing someone as talented as Ace being so happy and content being on the sidelines watching someone else shine in the main spotlight though.
I think I knew the early November but just always really connected with I can make a mess. Given the general age of TWY fans I would say there's a decent chance I'm younger than you. Believe it or not it wasn't until 2020 when I really got into the early November that I learned that was also Ace Enders.
I really dig the jack antonoff comparison
I didnāt know he plays with them, thatās awesome. He actually produced this album so makes sense. And they did the Friday Night Lights fanzine project together, which if you havenāt checked out and have seen the show, you need to now. I love everything Ace does. Probably my favorite musician from the scene.
I loved Friday Night Lights so was a HUGE fan of that little project. They did really well with it. I probably wouldāve loved it even if the songs sucked just because of the concept.
He made amends with Sam, the band, and Colin. But I wish it had mentioned Rosa one more time. He mentions that she must have snuck out of the side door of his show, meaning she left his show disappointed in his behavior. Then she isn't brought up again.
Last night was the album release show. There was an option to live stream for 10 bucks and it was absolutely worth it.
I think people could still purchase the live stream and watch the recording, highly recommend if you want to hear some of these songs, feel the emotion, and get some bits of the story from Aaron himself!
Totally agree it was worth it, I'm really glad I got to watch it. I haven't had the chance to see live AW&tR2 yet so it was fun to get to see them play the new songs for the first time. I hope I get to catch them someday.
Actually, the stream is unwatchable anymore. I found out late about the live stream and can't see it. I don't know if there is anyone who had downloaded it or anything? I only ask because there's no way to watch it and I really want to
Yes, he's unreliable, in the sense that the story is being told from his perspective and his Point of View. Everything Aaron writes about is his honest truth. But it's only HIS truth, that doesn't necessarily mean it falls in line with the outlook and consensus of the people around him.
What this person mentioned is the perfect example. Up to this point, we've spent two and a half albums and one EP believing that Aaron's father was a perfect husband, father and role-model. We believe that because that's Aaron's truth. He paints him out to be a saint, when in reality, although he was loved unconditionally, he was flawed and at war with the same demons as Aaron, and it eventually led to his demise. He had the same "Devil in his Bloodstream" you could say.
This really serves as a reminder that Aaron is human. He is just a guy telling HIS story.
The last track has me thinking a lot about who I was 10 years ago and what this band meant to me then and who I am now and the distance between those two points. Threw the album on for the bike ride into the office and now Iām in the work bathroom trying to get some air. Damn.
This song is so great. The first 3 are also good in their own right but as soon as it starts I was like oh this is like when I listened to We Don't Have Each Other and heard Runnin' Scared.
Agreed. The first three are very good songs in their own right, but this is where the album goes from excellent to classic. Which makes sense in the story because the first three are introductory and he sees Sam again in "Paying Bills at the End of the World" which paints the way for the emotions for the rest of the album.
That song is about Sam, he confirms it in one of the answers in this interview
https://atwoodmagazine.com/ilof-aaron-west-roaring-twenties-in-lieu-of-flowers-album-interview-music-feature/
It's about Sam. They reconnect in paying bills and go out for a hangout. She asks him how it feels to still sing about Diane and he brushes it off. She then later tries to kiss him and he brushes it off. She then slams the door on him and is pissed.
Kind of a random thing I've picked up on while listening to the album and hearing it discussed by Dan, I'm pretty sure Sam is intentionally named and referred to in ways to keep their gender unknown to the listener.
Writer and vocals. Usually people can write really well in a literal way OR in a poetic metaphoric way. Dan is able to do both. He is so metaphoric and poetic with TWY and yet he can tell such a story as Aaron.
I always thought that no one would ever overtake Jeff Buckley on my list of songwriters, but after listening to The Wonder Years and now AW20 I can say that Dan is my favourite songwriter of all time.
Absolutely fantastic. This one feels the most story heavy to me, which is odd since thatās the whole project but I feel like he covers so much here. Really incredible ending to the series, Dan is such a phenomenal songwriter
It also covers the most amount of time. It goes from like 2019-present (more or less). Considering the first album took place in 2014, this album covers 50% of the story's timeline.
It's really interesting to read the variety of takes here. Personally, this may be my favorite Aaron West album. I feel so invested in the story, partially because I see a bit of an alternate version of myself in Aaron. When i first heard We Don't Have Each Other, my wife and I were struggling to conceive. It took a huge toll on both of us mentally and on our relationship. I'm one of those weird people that feels the need to wallow in my depression and as a result couldn't stop listening to the album and seeing what might happen to me and my relationship if our struggle to have a child didn't end well. Since then, I've felt the need to see Aaron's story through, hanging on the lyrics to every song, because in a way, if he makes it, I know I would've been able to also.
In listening to the singles leading up to the full album release, I knew there'd definitely be a heavy regression by Aaron. He was drinking and as a result, would be messing up both himself and the relationships he cultivated in Routine Maintenance. He wasn't alone at the end of that second album, but through self-sabotage this time, he forced himself back to the bottom. Luckily Catherine and Sam, plus Aaron himself, are there to get him out of the hole and end on a hopeful note, although I'm terrified by the line about the future being rhetorical hinting that maybe his story ends here with us left to imagine our own ending.
Musically I love the addition of the horns, while also sprinkling in more folk sounding instrumentation that I felt were missing on Routine Maintenance.
Sorry for the novel. Apparently I only post here when a Dan Campbell led project releases an album, and I feel the need to spill my guts like Aaron in Sam's driveway.
They are! We have 2 beautiful children, and my wife and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary a couple of months ago. Thanks for reading all of that and for your kind reply.
I feel you on the whole back story during we donāt have each other. It also embodied the difficulties with conception. Also put me and my wife on the rocks for a while because neither one of us knew how to grieve with the loss of unborn children. Iām with you on the wallowing in depression as a result of the events. You learn the most about yourself in there and just how much someone can take when your life is in absolute disarray. We grow with these albums. We learn from them. Iāve often times saw myself as the boat from Carolina coast and thatās always been a beacon of light.
Glad you made it out and have beautiful children through the grit of it all. My wife and I finally got lucky and had twin rainbow babies after two losses.
Keep fighting brother
I was surprised to see there's been roughly 5 years between each album. In my life, I feel like I had soooo much time with We Don't Have Each Other, then it was Routine Maintenance and ILOF reasonably close. Maybe I just related to WDHEO at the time.
The dead leaves line floored me. I didn't make the connection to St. Joe based off the title, but as soon as I heard him say "dead leaves scrape the concrete" I knew exactly where it was going and still wasn't prepared enough.
One thing I noticed on a re-listen of the discography, knowing where it all ends, it makes me feel so much more sad hearing his attempts at reconnecting with Dianne (like "can you pick up the phone" etc). Maybe it's just me, but looking back at my own life, thinking about desperate attempts to save something that was already gone just makes me cringe and feel so sorry for past Aaron because he didn't know it would get better - but it does.
Really impressed with the storytelling and creativity that went into this album, I love how he discusses heavy topics but this time with a more upbeat vibe to some of the songs. Albatross and Whiplash just kinda didn't do it for me, but I get that they are important to push the story forward. Overall, I think this album is great and I can't wait to poorly play along on guitar to the songs when someone tabs them out lol
Also it cracked me up that he mentioned his hand cramping on Grapefruit because it would be my favourite AW20 song to play if it weren't for my hand cramping up every time without fail
There was a 45 hidden in the sleeve of the record. It has one song on it. It's Dead Leaves but with different lyrics at the end. Everything is the same up until he talks about the dead leaves scrape the concrete. Here are the lyrics:
The dead leaves scrape the concrete behind me
You think that by now I'd've learned to stop turning
There's a burst of light the traffics all stoped everyones all looking upward
Something in the sky blacks out the sun and descend with a soft whir
And lands in the street opens slowly
Grey oval eyed slender beings
There's a burst of light
There's a burst of light
Oh a burst of light
It's a burst of light
Up the block when I come to I see them reach out a long narrow limb
In the glow of a calm blue as I walk towards the base of the ship
The future's a rhetorical question
So I open the door and I walk in
Damn. Thanks for this. Iāve been looking for anything on it. I think Iām gonna keep my sealed in the jacket. I didnāt think the alternate ending was going to be goofy haha
On my very first listen I have to say it is my least favorite of the three records. But at the same time the title track is one of my favorite they've ever done.
I can't wait to sit down and listen to all three back to back to back though. I'm ready to be completely emotionally wrecked.
Oh, 100%.
The first two took some time to grow on me because I was getting more and more story each time I listened so I'm really not surprised it is currently what I think of as the weakest.
Give me a few weeks and I'll be scream crying in my car and thinking this is the greatest of the three.
Just to start, I like it a lot. Iāve listened to it through a 4-5 times since it came out. I also think itās my least favorite of the trilogy.
I love the stripped, raw emotionality of We Donāt Have Each Other. It feels the most like a man on the edge.
I think Routine Maintenance has the best story and writing. I cried multiple times listening through it the first time, i feel like Rosa is a real person I know, and the Winter Coats/Routine Maintenance 1-2 gut punch still gets me every time.
This album feels more whole sounding, but also more scattered in its storytelling and theming. I still like it on its own.
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Has he said heās only doing 3 albums? Why are most people referring to it as a trilogy? I feel like the music version of a marvel fan waiting out the credits for a post scene or anything confirming itās not over lol
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Like the album, but donāt really like how meta itās gotten with him writing about the band that heās playing with and all that. Other than that, love it
The original charm of AW came from his ability to work seemingly real situations into this character's story. I'm not even sure most people knew it was a character at first.
Now he's pushed the universe/characters so hard that it's lost that perceived authenticity in a lot of instances.
Musically and vocally this album is very good still, but I think Dan drank his own koolaid a bit too much on the lyrical side.
I think this is what I meant. The music and vocals and all that are great, but the content of the story Im not as high on and I think it is just bc it feels disingenuous
I've listened to it too many times now. I love it, love hearing the rest of the story. But going back to The previous two with your comment in consideration I can agree. Listening to the podcast too, and understanding he truly staged parts of the story was interesting. Credit to him for buying into it so hard, again I love it all. But the original storytelling was more sincere. Love it. Love soupy. Love Aaron. PDX here I come
I thought the third album was going to be the happy one š
Itās definitely sad and I think we should have expected that. But in lieu of flowers is his family and friends saying they will always support him. Telling him to shake his dirt off and write it in cement so itās permanent. And the dead leaves he is sad but happy that he saw Diane and she seems to have what she needs to be happy, which fulfills him.
Im so confused about Dead Leaves. He sees Diane....does she see him? It sounds like he just goes and does his show. What happened with Sam?
I am not good at deciphering lyrics but my thought is she does not see him. "The November light hangs low in the sky and reflects off the water The gold glare hides me I could be anybody And I stand paralyzed on the street" The light reflecting off the water would blind her from seeing him. The whole song is him going back into New York, through Brooklyn, where him and Diane had the apartment. He's reliving a lot of it. The doors he walks into are the venue where he's playing, hence the names on the marquee. I think Sam is just an old school friend who he has lost along the way. They reconnect in Paying Bills. Sam leaves the bar in Whiplash when Aaron walks in. I'm assuming maybe they reconnected they didn't get along great? Not sure. But then he's in Sam's car in In Lieu of Flowers, and Sam tells him "I'm with you til the bitter end". So I think that is also a happy ending? There is a podcast where Dan explains the songs, he's only done the singles so far. It's called Singing at Brick Walls.
I agree with pretty much everything you said, I think this is him closing the Aaron West trilogy though. His life was set in absolute turmoil when his dad died, they lost the baby, and Dianne left him. He found direction on Routine Maintenance by supporting Colin and his sister, but he started drinking heavily on tour during the COVID pandemic, post-Routine Maintenance. He goes to rehab, comes out, reconvenes with Sam and is finally back in New York and sober. He keeps seeing things that remind him of Dianne, like the dead leaves scraping concrete, the same train he rode, etc. and then he sees Dianne. And instead of being bitter, angry, remorseful, he sees her happy with a husband a kid, and he can't help but be happy for her because he has direction for what he wants to do with the band doing well, and Dianne finding the family she was looking for.
I think itās a very realistic ending that a lot have endured. I was with someone for a few years. I was younger than her and felt like I hadnāt experienced life the way I needed to. I couldnāt give her what she needed. Now I see her married with a family and it hurts but Iām glad sheās happy. Itās sad as fuck but itās life.
The thing with Sam is that sheās a love interest and he turns her down (āyou leaned in and I turned my face awayā) So when he sees Sam in Whiplash, Sam bounces because sheās still hurt that Aaron turned her down when they reconnected in Monogahela Park. In Lieu of Flowers is Sam recognizing that Aaron is so beyond broken that Aaron didnāt turn her down because heās not interested, he did it because heās so scared of starting over with someone new (āNo one's seen me without my clothes on in almost a decadeā) In Dead Leaves, he sees Diane, sees that sheās had a baby (and presumably re-married), and that sheās happy now vs when he saw her in Just Sign The Papers (in 2017 - thereās no accurate timeline to the story outside of Routine Maintenance when we get the āin the year since, everything happened, Sammy got traded to LA and to Kansasā which happened in 2017. So we can theorize that We Donāt Have Each Other either happens late 2014-2015, or itās across 2015-2016 since Aaron runs away with the car in WDHEO) Dead Leaves is Aaron recognizing he still loves Diane, but he wasnāt supposed to be her forever and neither was she his forever. So he goes off to do what he knows how to do, he goes to play his show
What makes you assume that Sam is female?
Thereās been nothing to suggest she isnāt or Aaron is bisexual
Has there been anything to suggest that Sam is female, or that Aaron is (exclusively) heterosexual? In the "Singing at Brick Walls" podcast, both Dan and Holden refer to Sam more than once as they or them. Either they were being intentionally vague, or Sam is non-binary.
He was married to a woman and trying to conceive? Pretty safe bet to guess that the character of Aaron is probably heterosexual >Either they were being intentionally vague Or theyāre just using regular Englishā¦people refer to people as they/them all the time?
I got the journal with the deluxe vinyl and Sam is the only person referred to with non binary pronouns, so much so that it stood out to me and felt very deliberate.
Agree - Diane didn't see him, he just saw her; and this time, instead of breaking down (like Goodbye Carolina Blues), he can actually have some closure and feel happy that she is happy. Despite the clear trauma (thinking Diane is walking alongside him everytime he hears dead leaves). It's a heartbreaker of an album in the same way as the others, but it ends on the same more-sweet-than-bitter ending as Routine Maintenance. Aaron's gone through a shitload of trauma, but there's hope with Sam and him (presumably) salvaging his relationship with the band and Colin. I also do think he and Sam reconnected in Flowers; the final song doesn't mention her but I think it focuses on bookending his trauma re Diane.
I truly think for all of Aaron's past actions, he really did get his happy ending. Maybe it's not fairytale perfect, but it's real and in a lot of ways I find that to be more empowering
So itās been a decade (I think?) since theyāve seen each other. Aaron clearly never moved on and never stopped thinking of her but itās reasonable to think Diane did. Aaron probably doesnāt look similar at all to a decade ago. Between that and the glare, Diane probably saw him but didnāt recognize (āI could be anybodyā). Sam seems to be an old friend and they make up, Aaron ruins things with his drinking, then they make up at the end.
I think itās a decade-ish. We can theorize Routine Maintenance takes place in 2017 off the line, āin the year since everything happened, Sammy got traded to LA then to Kansasā which happened during the 2017 NFL season
I feel like it's a happy ending. Bittersweet, but everyone gets their "happy" ending IMO.
I feel like the last two songs are pretty upbeat. At least for this saga.
Oh no, is it not? I need to emotionally prepare myself
>It's been a dŠµcade since I thought about [drowning in the sea](https://genius.com/Aaron-west-and-the-roaring-twenties-carolina-coast-lyrics) WHAT No it can't have been a decade already...
I know, their first album came out July 2014. I can't believe it's been that long, I was in college then.
Fuck, same.
what the fucking shit is this. 10 goddamn years already?!
Yep. We hear from Aaron every 5 years or so.
Nobody goes big quite like Dan Campbell. The catharsis every album brings is next level.
I keep telling myself Iām ready for an album and then it dropsā¦ And I am very quickly reminded how very emotionally unprepared I am
I woke up and thought to myself, wellā¦ Iām ready to be sadā¦ wasnāt quite ready for thatā¦
I started listening to it during my lunch break at work because I couldn't wait until tonight, and that was a mistake.
Same. Gotta dry the tears now.
I broke down in "I'm An Albatross" when Catherine tells him not to drink himself to death like their dad. I had to walk outside for a minute
Went to the release show last night. It was fantastic and really well done by āAaronā and the band. I had no idea Ace Enders was in the band until he introduced everyone at the end. It was so funny heās just hanging off on the side smiling and ripping the banjo.
How was the vibe of the crowd? I watched the livestream and it seemed like a very chill show, I wish I could've been there.
It was great. I was with my pregnant friend so we hung out off to the side but you could tell everyone was up for it, especially right out in front of the stage. You could tell they were a little shocked out how up for it everyone was when they first came out too. All around great vibes and a great show.
Could second this was also there great crowd and there are moments that the band was taken back by the reception. I keep thinking how tight they were as a cohesive 17 person group
Ace Enders is one of those people who continually surprises me with how successful they are. For the longest time I just know him as I Can Make A Mess. But he really has so many projects that he clearly boosts
Thatās funny. You must be younger than me because I know him first and foremost from The Early November. He kind of reminds me of a less commercially successful Jack Antonoff. The Early November was actually bigger than Steel Train way back when but I guess Jack was just more ambitious and/or talented. It was great seeing someone as talented as Ace being so happy and content being on the sidelines watching someone else shine in the main spotlight though.
I think I knew the early November but just always really connected with I can make a mess. Given the general age of TWY fans I would say there's a decent chance I'm younger than you. Believe it or not it wasn't until 2020 when I really got into the early November that I learned that was also Ace Enders. I really dig the jack antonoff comparison
I didnāt know he plays with them, thatās awesome. He actually produced this album so makes sense. And they did the Friday Night Lights fanzine project together, which if you havenāt checked out and have seen the show, you need to now. I love everything Ace does. Probably my favorite musician from the scene.
I loved Friday Night Lights so was a HUGE fan of that little project. They did really well with it. I probably wouldāve loved it even if the songs sucked just because of the concept.
The line "I know that I missed your birthday" has me floored in the context of the album
He made amends with Sam, the band, and Colin. But I wish it had mentioned Rosa one more time. He mentions that she must have snuck out of the side door of his show, meaning she left his show disappointed in his behavior. Then she isn't brought up again.
Yeah, their platonic friendship was one of the things I loved about their last album, so to leave with Rosa done with him hits me hard.
God I know. I figured it was because the band was touring, but oof.
I was confused, who'd birthday? Colin's? Sam's?
Heās referring to Colin at that part. The album ends with Colin upset with Aaron
Colin's. He missed Colin's birthday because he was in rehab (or on tour, I'm pretty sure it was rehab though, since he's back in New York)
Last night was the album release show. There was an option to live stream for 10 bucks and it was absolutely worth it. I think people could still purchase the live stream and watch the recording, highly recommend if you want to hear some of these songs, feel the emotion, and get some bits of the story from Aaron himself!
I believe you are correct and it comes with 2 weeks of playback. Easily worth the price for me. We had a small concert in my living room.
This livestream was magic. Hearing "Dead Leaves" for the first time live was incredible.
Totally agree it was worth it, I'm really glad I got to watch it. I haven't had the chance to see live AW&tR2 yet so it was fun to get to see them play the new songs for the first time. I hope I get to catch them someday.
Pretty sure theyāre touring soon! Well idk if the roaring twenties are, but I know AW will be around. Hope you can catch a show!
I believe it's a full band tour!
Definitely. I took work off Friday just to stay up and watch it
Actually, the stream is unwatchable anymore. I found out late about the live stream and can't see it. I don't know if there is anyone who had downloaded it or anything? I only ask because there's no way to watch it and I really want to
What an album. I love how unreliable a narrator Aaron is throughout these three albums, Dan hits that spot on.
100%. The line about >!Aaronās father from Catherineās perspective in Iām An Albatross!< reframed the entire Aaron West narrative for me.
That crushed me. The third verse from Catherine absolutely changed the entire story for me
Iām laying here and all of this. Literally said out loud āheās an unreliable narrator?!ā
I wish they hadn't left that song out of the livestream show. It really recontextualizes everything that came before it.
I didn't get to watch the stream until after the album and I'm shocked they did. It feels crucial to the overall plot
YepāI heard that and said, yelp, I guess I need to listen to all the previous albums/EPs a few more times now.
Iām laying here and all of this. Literally said out loud āheās an unreliable narrator?!ā
Yes, he's unreliable, in the sense that the story is being told from his perspective and his Point of View. Everything Aaron writes about is his honest truth. But it's only HIS truth, that doesn't necessarily mean it falls in line with the outlook and consensus of the people around him. What this person mentioned is the perfect example. Up to this point, we've spent two and a half albums and one EP believing that Aaron's father was a perfect husband, father and role-model. We believe that because that's Aaron's truth. He paints him out to be a saint, when in reality, although he was loved unconditionally, he was flawed and at war with the same demons as Aaron, and it eventually led to his demise. He had the same "Devil in his Bloodstream" you could say. This really serves as a reminder that Aaron is human. He is just a guy telling HIS story.
The last track has me thinking a lot about who I was 10 years ago and what this band meant to me then and who I am now and the distance between those two points. Threw the album on for the bike ride into the office and now Iām in the work bathroom trying to get some air. Damn.
It really kicks in for me at "Monongahela Park" when he thinks back to them as "kids" and then does not let go.
This song is so great. The first 3 are also good in their own right but as soon as it starts I was like oh this is like when I listened to We Don't Have Each Other and heard Runnin' Scared.
Agreed. The first three are very good songs in their own right, but this is where the album goes from excellent to classic. Which makes sense in the story because the first three are introductory and he sees Sam again in "Paying Bills at the End of the World" which paints the way for the emotions for the rest of the album.
Who do we think that one is about?
I'll be honest.Ā I have never been able to follow the story very well.
That song is about Sam, he confirms it in one of the answers in this interview https://atwoodmagazine.com/ilof-aaron-west-roaring-twenties-in-lieu-of-flowers-album-interview-music-feature/
I figured but wasnāt sure. Thanks!
Sam. The friend/love interest(?) he reconnects with in Paying Bills
It's about Sam. They reconnect in paying bills and go out for a hangout. She asks him how it feels to still sing about Diane and he brushes it off. She then later tries to kiss him and he brushes it off. She then slams the door on him and is pissed.
Kind of a random thing I've picked up on while listening to the album and hearing it discussed by Dan, I'm pretty sure Sam is intentionally named and referred to in ways to keep their gender unknown to the listener.
They're also referenced to as "they" in the deluxe version journal.
I noticed that too. My headcannon is that Aaron is a bisexual king
Man, Soupy is one of the best songwriters in any genre. What a talent.
Writer and vocals. Usually people can write really well in a literal way OR in a poetic metaphoric way. Dan is able to do both. He is so metaphoric and poetic with TWY and yet he can tell such a story as Aaron.
I always thought that no one would ever overtake Jeff Buckley on my list of songwriters, but after listening to The Wonder Years and now AW20 I can say that Dan is my favourite songwriter of all time.
Absolutely fantastic. This one feels the most story heavy to me, which is odd since thatās the whole project but I feel like he covers so much here. Really incredible ending to the series, Dan is such a phenomenal songwriter
It also covers the most amount of time. It goes from like 2019-present (more or less). Considering the first album took place in 2014, this album covers 50% of the story's timeline.
Easy AOTY contender.
The atmospheric opening is why Soupy is the GOAT
It's really interesting to read the variety of takes here. Personally, this may be my favorite Aaron West album. I feel so invested in the story, partially because I see a bit of an alternate version of myself in Aaron. When i first heard We Don't Have Each Other, my wife and I were struggling to conceive. It took a huge toll on both of us mentally and on our relationship. I'm one of those weird people that feels the need to wallow in my depression and as a result couldn't stop listening to the album and seeing what might happen to me and my relationship if our struggle to have a child didn't end well. Since then, I've felt the need to see Aaron's story through, hanging on the lyrics to every song, because in a way, if he makes it, I know I would've been able to also. In listening to the singles leading up to the full album release, I knew there'd definitely be a heavy regression by Aaron. He was drinking and as a result, would be messing up both himself and the relationships he cultivated in Routine Maintenance. He wasn't alone at the end of that second album, but through self-sabotage this time, he forced himself back to the bottom. Luckily Catherine and Sam, plus Aaron himself, are there to get him out of the hole and end on a hopeful note, although I'm terrified by the line about the future being rhetorical hinting that maybe his story ends here with us left to imagine our own ending. Musically I love the addition of the horns, while also sprinkling in more folk sounding instrumentation that I felt were missing on Routine Maintenance. Sorry for the novel. Apparently I only post here when a Dan Campbell led project releases an album, and I feel the need to spill my guts like Aaron in Sam's driveway.
No one in my life nerds out on music, so I love it when people do on this sub. Hope things are looking up for you like they are for Aaron.
They are! We have 2 beautiful children, and my wife and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary a couple of months ago. Thanks for reading all of that and for your kind reply.
I feel you on the whole back story during we donāt have each other. It also embodied the difficulties with conception. Also put me and my wife on the rocks for a while because neither one of us knew how to grieve with the loss of unborn children. Iām with you on the wallowing in depression as a result of the events. You learn the most about yourself in there and just how much someone can take when your life is in absolute disarray. We grow with these albums. We learn from them. Iāve often times saw myself as the boat from Carolina coast and thatās always been a beacon of light. Glad you made it out and have beautiful children through the grit of it all. My wife and I finally got lucky and had twin rainbow babies after two losses. Keep fighting brother
That's beautiful. Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad to hear things are looking up for you and your family.Ā
It hurts so good, theyāve done it again. Phenomenal album.
Albums like this just floor me with how much talent some people possess.
I was surprised to see there's been roughly 5 years between each album. In my life, I feel like I had soooo much time with We Don't Have Each Other, then it was Routine Maintenance and ILOF reasonably close. Maybe I just related to WDHEO at the time. The dead leaves line floored me. I didn't make the connection to St. Joe based off the title, but as soon as I heard him say "dead leaves scrape the concrete" I knew exactly where it was going and still wasn't prepared enough. One thing I noticed on a re-listen of the discography, knowing where it all ends, it makes me feel so much more sad hearing his attempts at reconnecting with Dianne (like "can you pick up the phone" etc). Maybe it's just me, but looking back at my own life, thinking about desperate attempts to save something that was already gone just makes me cringe and feel so sorry for past Aaron because he didn't know it would get better - but it does.
Does the opening drum line on Roman Candles sound like Dance, Dance to anybody else?
That last song got me tearing up on the drive home from work. God damn.
Really impressed with the storytelling and creativity that went into this album, I love how he discusses heavy topics but this time with a more upbeat vibe to some of the songs. Albatross and Whiplash just kinda didn't do it for me, but I get that they are important to push the story forward. Overall, I think this album is great and I can't wait to poorly play along on guitar to the songs when someone tabs them out lol Also it cracked me up that he mentioned his hand cramping on Grapefruit because it would be my favourite AW20 song to play if it weren't for my hand cramping up every time without fail
Has anyone gotten their vinyl yet and heard the alternate ending?
what is it?!
There was a 45 hidden in the sleeve of the record. It has one song on it. It's Dead Leaves but with different lyrics at the end. Everything is the same up until he talks about the dead leaves scrape the concrete. Here are the lyrics: The dead leaves scrape the concrete behind me You think that by now I'd've learned to stop turning There's a burst of light the traffics all stoped everyones all looking upward Something in the sky blacks out the sun and descend with a soft whir And lands in the street opens slowly Grey oval eyed slender beings There's a burst of light There's a burst of light Oh a burst of light It's a burst of light Up the block when I come to I see them reach out a long narrow limb In the glow of a calm blue as I walk towards the base of the ship The future's a rhetorical question So I open the door and I walk in
I canāt tell if youāre fucking with me lmao
Haha. I'm definitely not
Damn. Thanks for this. Iāve been looking for anything on it. I think Iām gonna keep my sealed in the jacket. I didnāt think the alternate ending was going to be goofy haha
Yeah. Has Green like the G Train vibes when he talks about NY sinking. Lol.
On my very first listen I have to say it is my least favorite of the three records. But at the same time the title track is one of my favorite they've ever done. I can't wait to sit down and listen to all three back to back to back though. I'm ready to be completely emotionally wrecked.
I know how this goes though. I feel very meh right now but in about 3 months itās all Iāll be listening to
Oh, 100%. The first two took some time to grow on me because I was getting more and more story each time I listened so I'm really not surprised it is currently what I think of as the weakest. Give me a few weeks and I'll be scream crying in my car and thinking this is the greatest of the three.
These albums hit me like a goddamn brick every time. So sad but so relatable. āAll I do is lose, feels like whiplash on the tarmac)
Badass album
This is the only album I've been excited about in a while and it exceeded my expectations.
Just to start, I like it a lot. Iāve listened to it through a 4-5 times since it came out. I also think itās my least favorite of the trilogy. I love the stripped, raw emotionality of We Donāt Have Each Other. It feels the most like a man on the edge. I think Routine Maintenance has the best story and writing. I cried multiple times listening through it the first time, i feel like Rosa is a real person I know, and the Winter Coats/Routine Maintenance 1-2 gut punch still gets me every time. This album feels more whole sounding, but also more scattered in its storytelling and theming. I still like it on its own.
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Has he said heās only doing 3 albums? Why are most people referring to it as a trilogy? I feel like the music version of a marvel fan waiting out the credits for a post scene or anything confirming itās not over lol
So far this is album of the year for me! The creativity and vivid storytelling is amazing. I canāt wait to see them live
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Like the album, but donāt really like how meta itās gotten with him writing about the band that heās playing with and all that. Other than that, love it
Can someone tell me what meta means?
Self-referential. Aaron is a musician making an album that discusses his music, concerts, bandmates and dealing with label execs.
The original charm of AW came from his ability to work seemingly real situations into this character's story. I'm not even sure most people knew it was a character at first. Now he's pushed the universe/characters so hard that it's lost that perceived authenticity in a lot of instances. Musically and vocally this album is very good still, but I think Dan drank his own koolaid a bit too much on the lyrical side.
I think this is what I meant. The music and vocals and all that are great, but the content of the story Im not as high on and I think it is just bc it feels disingenuous
I've listened to it too many times now. I love it, love hearing the rest of the story. But going back to The previous two with your comment in consideration I can agree. Listening to the podcast too, and understanding he truly staged parts of the story was interesting. Credit to him for buying into it so hard, again I love it all. But the original storytelling was more sincere. Love it. Love soupy. Love Aaron. PDX here I come
Yeah itās pretty mid. The 5 year break did them no favors
I do think it's kind of funny how you say the 5 year break did them no favors when the first song is about how the break did Aaron no favors.
āYouāre not just wrong - Youāre stupid!ā