Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

i had some high expectations for this album. i had the opportunity to see the crows play live last august on the minor league baseball park tour, which was absolutely incredible. adam duritz is an amazing performer. during that show, he played a couple of songs from the new album and then described to us the theme around which their then upcoming album was based around. the album, released back in march, is a concept album. the first half, called saturday nights, duritz said was about the sin and the debauchery and just about screwing up, and then the sunday mornings is more about dealing with the effects of those saturday nights. and he said that the music of each would fit with its corresponding theme. one of the ways they went about achieving this is by having two different guys produce the separate halves of the album. gil norton, who produced the foo fighters most recent and jimmy eat world’s futures, did the first six tracks (saturday nights) and the closer. and then brian deck, who produced iron and wine’s most recent and josh ritter’s animal years, did the rest (sunday mornings). so obviously i was really excited about this idea, especially about the sunday mornings part, because i typically like more sad and melancholy songs. but saturday nights wasn’t quite as rock n’ roll as i expected. and i expected saturday mornings to be more stripped down and to have a more somber tone in sound. and so far i love the saturday nights and have been slightly disappointed with the sunday mornings, which is not the reaction i expected to have. but if my past experience is any indication of how i will respond, i’m sure i will grow to love the sunday mornings just as much if not more. because some of my favorites, such as anna begins and raining in baltimore took many many listens before they became my favorites.

i was surprised though as i listened to the lyrics to see the way that duritz decided to portray the different times. i just assumed that he had bought into our culture and would see the fun, and the fulfillment that goes along with the saturday night lifestyle and then not until sunday morning did i expect him to deal with the reality and the loneliness of it all. but i think the characters living in this saturday night world are dealing with the despair that they are succumbing themselves to by seeking fulfillment in all the wrong places. and then sunday mornings they are looking back with regret in a more raw and subdued state of mind. in no way can this album be described as cheery. there is no hangin’ around-like pick me up track. but that is ok with me and i think that this is definitely going to be an album that i will enjoy for years to come.

counting crows – los angeles (lost during a site crash 7/23)

Related posts:

1. RW: Since You’ve Been Gone One of These Nights
2. RW: Lisztomania
3. 3 Song Thursday: Anti-Valentines Songs