for me, it's about context. i haven't listened to the record in years, but you have to understand the time it came out. it was late 2008, shit just leaked. we were all listening to strawberry jam, sung tongs and campfire songs in preparation. this record comes out and is an earworm from start to finish. it's got all the appeal and accessibility of a pop record with the esoteric technicality and far-out attitude of a regular anco record. chillwave was in full swing. this record was icy cold during the winter when it mattered, and breezy warm 6 months later when we all put it back on to cruise around and listen to.
in the end, it's not anco's best. is it close? abso-fucking-lutely, for the reasons i just mentioned. the critical acclaim of a record doesn't just come from how you, a high schooler, interpret an LP that was recorded when you were 8 years old. the context of its release matters a lot to. you have to remember, this was a time before let's play. it was when spice was still legal. this record is steeped in nostalgia for a lot of Sup Forums users, and i wouldn't be surprised if the majority of folks who disagree with the album are just young OR just really started digging into music recently.
Zachary Wilson
Any album that is so acclaimed is inevitably going to be overrated from some people's perspectives.
Aiden Jones
It still moves
Xavier Cruz
It's more like meshed together. It took a simpler pop vibe, the dynamic is more flat.
Levi Johnson
IT STILL MOVES WTF
Caleb Diaz
i would also like to add that there was a time before this record was a meme. before it joined the ranks of hospice and itaots as an album cover you post just to grab someone's attention. that informs folks' opinions about the album these days more than anything, i'd reckon.
Zachary Johnson
The history of hype with the release says nothing about the album at all. Why are you talking about let's plays and synthetic marijuana? Is this in the liner notes?
Carter Bennett
it has a lot to do with the album. if an album has the capacity to represent a specific point in time for a large swath of listeners, is it not worth knowing? this was the record that made anco a household name. that's pretty fucking significant imho.
and like i said, the record is versatile. it's just a comfy listen while still being classically anco.
Noah Foster
Sup Forumscore existed to establish a cultural mentality here, and perpetuate it. The board has outgrown these things, even itaots isn't that important anymore, just the meme it's-self was.
