KID, LOOK OUT

Everything after Garlands was a drastic shift. It's a bit difficult of an album to get through if one is not in a complete chainsmokingly-and-lackadaisically-filled-with-hatred-and-gloom kind of mood. I have to agree with most modern mainstream criticism about Garlands since it essentially becomes unlistenable after the first couple of plays.

However, Head Over Heels? A stroke of genius. Okay, not quite, but close. Really, really close. It's such a leap from their original point of departure (there are melodies! and rhythms! and beats that vary from song to song!) that it bears reminding to oneself that the same band made both albums.

The differentiation is particularly distinct in comparing both the most intensely mood-damaging tracks and the most upbeat, respectively:

At any rate, I fucking love them through and through.