I like it, I think I’m a fan. I’m curious to see how it’ll sit with me because by the last 3 (of 12) albums I was starting to… not even enjoy it less, that’s not quite right. I wasn’t as compelled by it? It felt more stale to me, more one-note, and right now I really could not say if that’s a feeling that will stay or if it’s a feeling I’m getting because I’ve been listening to the same band for hours two weeks in a row. I think my ideal discography is somewhere between 5 and 7 albums. Less than that and I don’t feel like the band’s quite established themself—or if they have, it’s not enough time for them to establish themselves in my own head on that first listen, even with double listens. More than that and I start to lose focus, the music starts to blur together.
Which is to say, we’ll have to see how I feel about Collective Soul in the coming months because maybe my favorite thing about them is how uncomplicated they are—they’re very straightforward, they use very standard rock instrumentations and sounds and stuff. Yet, it feels really well put together and very… aware? Well read? I feel a lot more like my dad listening to this than I normally do, I feel like I’m listening and thinking, “Oh, this is so [band], and that’s so [band].” It’s using a very established language. It’s not reaching terribly far outside of that language. That language is not particularly complex or sophisticated. But, it’s very competent in the language, it gets a whole lot out of it and I really appreciate that. I liked it decently on first listens and liked it enough more on second listens that I gave several albums thirds.
And yet, that same thing that I picked out as a reason to like it, as something to praise, is the thing that made me start losing focus by the last couple albums. Is it using the language so well, or is it just replaying a safe formula? Or were those last three albums just not as good? I dunno, I couldn’t say. The more music I listen to, the dumber I feel about ever calling anything good. Like, I just put Lauv at a D because I found him, frankly, distastefully simple—simple to the point of blandness. Collective Soul isn’t complex or intricate, and yet here I am enjoying it very much. I know it’s not about simple/complex, and I know I’ve never made the claim that it is, but it still eats at me a little. What does the stuff I like do that other stuff doesn’t? Is there really anything at all, or is it just me, making up my little stories of what I like more and what I like less? I dunno. How could I know?
Anyway. All that to say, I do like Collective Soul. They won me over pretty hard and fast, despite my whinings about the last couple albums (which I’d still put at like, a 7/10, I just didn’t like them or feel they stood out like the prior albums did). I think it’s an easy A-
Collective Soul complete, now listening to: Grim Salvo
tunafruitsandwitch 