Just having heard this today for the first time, I can say with a little space that it basically has no precedent in terms of previously released material by this band in ANY incarnation, be it Jeremy's solo material, or any of the three previous LPs. It sounds unlike any other SDRE material ever, and in fact sounds quite different from 9 out of 10 bands out there right now in terms of musicianship, songwriting, intelligence, and forethought. I will say boldly that this is without question the "best" SDRE album in terms of production quality, quality of the songwriting, and hands down destroys any myths and aspirations to any "emo" culture or music. It is unlike anything I've ever heard. I can be more specific later, but right now I'm trying to soak it all up, which is impossible in one sitting, but suffice to say it's going to blow some minds out there. It also has a chance to become (ugh) very popular on a mass scale. I hate to make comparisons, but I've been noticing since "The Ocean" and "One" were available that they sounded pretty mid-60's melodic-poppy, almost Beatles-ish. The rest of the album only furthers that feeling. Bravo, so far...
