@@ 186,3 186,280 @@ Hard And Soft_.
Tangent: If I had a nickel every time an artist stylizes track titles in
all caps and mentions the French word "vie", I'd have two.
+
+## Album dropped!
+
+On 2024-05-24, the first thing I saw when I opened YouTube was the
+official audio for "Paladin Strait". I checked further, and all 13 tracks
+dropped. Living in UTC+8, I was hours ahead of the America folk.
+
+But then I remembered that the music videos weren't out yet. So I waited
+until 11:45 when they began a music video premiere stream. I watched every
+one of them, although internet was kinda wacky and some were glitchy.
+
+So, what's new?
+
+## Track-by-track
+
+### Midwest Indigo
+
+Another school-themed song about going home over winter break. I can
+confirm that winters in the midwest are, indeed, cold. The music video
+features Tyler skating on a frozen lake while playing bass. Josh, as
+usual, drums, also on the lake. I love how Tyler had to sit on the cargo
+bed of the pickup truck because Josh is in the cabin with his dog Jim in
+the passenger seat.
+
+The synth is chiptune-ish. Vessel-like.
+
+The drums are _fast_. I tapped on my metronome, and the backbeat (snare
+hit) comes at 116 bpm — even faster than "Shy Away" (96 bpm). It might be
+the fastest song in terms of drums, until I counted "We Don't Believe
+What's On T.V." (120 bpm).
+
+### Routines In The Night
+
+Despite some fans' speculation that the song was about Jenna and Tyler's
+"routines", it's actually about bad dreams. I've had dreams where I killed
+my grandfather by accident and then I died, so it's relatable.
+
+The piano outro reminds of me "Serendipity" by Vincent Rubinetti, from
+_The Music of 3Blue1Brown_.
+
+The music video features Tyler and Josh roaming around in a house and
+performing in random rooms. They literally moved Josh's drums everywhere.
+
+### Vignette
+
+Finally, tøp wrote a song about zombies. I thought this was a MCR thing.
+
+The "crash cymbal + kick four times" thing reminds me of "Whatsername" by
+Green Day.
+
+Tyler's falsetto is amazing. The synth solo might be better if it was
+Tyler shredding his guitar, but I like the way it is given how cheesy and
+cliché guitar solos can sound.
+
+No idea why Tyler felt the necessity to comment "denial" after "no no not
+me it's for a friend". It might be he's aware that he's in denial.
+
+The video features Tyler sketching out Josh's face on the snow. Josh, as
+usual, drums.
+
+### The Craving (Jenna's Version)
+
+The night before the album dropped, I had an unpleasant conversation with
+my parents, in which they talked about the struggles of maintaining their
+marriage, and it involved an outbreak of emotions. This conversation
+totally changed the vibe of the song.
+
+The difference between Jenna's version and single version is that this one
+is acoustic, just Tyler and his baritone ukulele. And that made it even
+sadder. That also makes it the first completely drumless track since
+"Truce", the ending track on _Vessel_ (2013), or the third of all time.
+
+The video for the single version is Tyler decorating a bullet and Josh
+carving a wooden box for the bullet. They present them to a guy with
+a rifle, who misses the flying target. It's about work and devotion ending
+up in waste, which has a lot in common with my mom's words.
+
+Jenna's version is just clips of her and Tyler on Josh's phone, taken over
+the years, probably before they had children.
+
+The most sentimental track on the record.
+
+### Lavish
+
+"The Craving" sets a sensitive, mellow mood, and "Lavish" totally kills
+it. It is rumored that every band has at least one song about a luxurious
+lifestyle (cue P!ATD).
+
+If you showed me the lyrics I'd be like, nah, no way it's tøp. Like what
+the fuck. These lines got me like 💀💀💀
+
+> Keep it cool, keep the mood androgynous
+> I see your problem is your proctologist
+> Got both hands on your shoulder while you're bottomless
+
+This song has nothing to do with the lore. No way the bishops had
+a proctologist…
+
+The video features the bois riding around town dressed in suits in a limo.
+I guess some dreams came true?
+
+
+
+### Navigating
+
+Finally we know what's the sound at the beginning of the "Next Semester"
+video. The track sounds like retropop. The bridge acknowledges that
+everybody dies, which made me ponder for a while.
+
+Similar to "Routines In The Night", Tyler is "navigating his head". I find
+it interesting that he used this metaphor twice.
+
+The video is the one of the only two (except possibly Paladin Strait,
+we'll see) in lore. In a typical configuration, Tyler plays bass and Josh
+drums in front of a fire.
+
+### Snap Back
+
+I'm sorry, but this is the weak track of the album. The meaning is clear
+though. It's about breaking a streak and losing progress, and references
+backslide. It's pessimistic.
+
+It's the third time Tyler got a haircut in a music video ("Car Radio" and
+"Levitate" being the first two) and honestly he looks better before the
+haircut. Also, I can't really tell if he's clothed underneath his barber
+gown.
+
+### Oldies Station
+
+It starts off like a happy commercial jingle, but the chorus and bridge
+hit hard. The track is about "pushing on through" depression and
+hardships. It's like a response to "Snap Back", only more optimistic.
+
+
+
+It's the second time Josh was coerced into forced labor for a video shoot.
+He had to constantly carry PVC pipes to keep the camera rig rolling on
+a plank for the video, and this one is thus his least favorite. The camera
+guy ended up falling down a cliff, and Josh just… drums over his dead
+body??
+
+### At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb
+
+Starts off like circus music, but I feel it's the most serious song on the
+record. It tells you to check on your friends' mental health, no matter
+what they say — even at the risk of feeling dumb.
+
+It's also the track that "sounds like them" and "feels like them". They
+spread a message, like "Neon Gravestones". The strongest track, and
+energetic as well.
+
+The video features Josh drumming in the most random places. The album
+features Josh drumming in random places, sure, but out of 21 that
+I counted, this video has six (the last six):
+
+
+
+One of my favorites.
+
+### Paladin Strait
+
+Paladin Strait is a fictional place in the Dema lore. If you cross it, you
+reach freedom.
+
+I expected a gentle drumbeat that gradually rises into the climax, just
+like the closing track "Leave The City" from _Trench_ (2018), but it was
+upbeat and "Level Of Concern"-like. However, it only lasted two sections
+before the drums stopped, before catching on at a slower meter. Epic is
+the only word I had in mind. It reminds me of their closing track on
+shows, "Trees".
+
+This is the longest song they have ever made, lasting 6:28, although one
+minute was just bird noises. (Even longer than "Taco Bell Saga" on Tyler's
+solo project, _No Phun Intended_ (2008).) Not gonna spoil the song, but
+the plot twist at the end was bone chilling.
+
+## Overall
+
+_Clancy_ took elements from all the records they've made, yet sounds
+different from any of them. The departure is real.
+
+### Song structure
+
+All the songs have a clear hook, and most have an "above-ground",
+danceable feel to it, as opposed to the deep, repressed, underground
+_Trench_ sound. It feels like Clancy is finally out, free, chilling with
+the banditos.
+
+Out of 13 songs, 5 begin with the chorus, which is supposed to be
+a reasonable amount compared to 4 out of 14 from _Trench_, but I just
+don't feel this way. I feel _Clancy_ has a much stronger emphasis on the
+hook, or motifs, in every song. The good thing is they're coherent and
+short, and might get more radio time. The bad thing is the lack of
+structural diversity.
+
+Notable "diverse" tracks on _Trench_:
+
+- "Levitate" is just nonstop rapping
+- "Chlorine" has an extra slower section at the end
+
+Notable "diverse" tracks on _Clancy_:
+
+- "Overcompensate" has long intro and interpolates "Bandito"
+- "Paladin Strait" is made up of two parts
+
+I was hoping for time changes and tempo changes, but all I got is a time
+change in "Overcompensate". "Oldies Station" seems to feature mixed 2/4
+and 4/4 in the chorus though. Sadly, no odd time signatures.
+
+### Sounds
+
+Compared to prior albums, _Clancy_ is very heavy on synth; the dominant
+example is the synth solo on "Vignette". I can imagine Paul Meany working
+day and night on these. As usual, Paul pulled an awesome job. When I saw
+his name in the "Producer" field I knew it can't be bad.
+
+There was no crazy bass work that I know of, but that's fine. I can hardly
+hear any guitar; did Tyler even play it after SAI?
+
+### Lyrics
+
+Another difference is their lyrics; it all started with Tyler's "Adidas
+track jacket". Tyler's gotten a lot more confident in bringing up specific
+brands, like Dom Pérignon and Kawasaki. It might be a hip hop reference,
+and I don't believe it suggests that tøp has grown more materialistic.
+Also I'm still not over the proctologist line how did it happen 💀
+
+_Clancy_ has very few explicitly in-lore tracks (Overcompensate, Paladin
+Strait, and if you count the MV, then Navigating), compared to _Trench_
+(Jumpsuit, Levitate, Morph, Neon Gravestones, NATN, Bandito, Leave The
+City). Makes sense since it's been 6 years since _Trench_ and you can only
+make up so many stories about nine bishops and their wacky religion.
+
+### Track listing
+
+I will die on this hill: swap "Vignette" and "The Craving". "The Craving"
+does not belong with "Lavish". You're at the verge of tears, guess what?
+Here's a song about banquets, champagne, and a dick up your bum. This is
+the single worst mistake.
+
+On the plus side, I'm glad Tyler chose Jenna's version in favor of the
+single. Also, "Oldies Station" right after "Snap Back" is a nice touch.
+
+### Tier list
+
+Here's a ranking of all 13 tracks, based on my scale. The standards are
+extremely high (or every song is S or A).
+
+- S tier: Overcompensate, At The Risk
+- A tier: Paladin Strait, The Craving, Oldies Station
+- B tier: Next Semester, Backslide, Midwest, Routines, Vignette,
+ Navigating
+- C tier: Lavish, Snap Back
+
+For reference, here's a ranking of some other songs on the same standard:
+
+- S tier: Morph, Car Radio, Ode To Sleep
+- A tier: My Blood, House Of Gold, Choker
+- B tier: The Hype, Guns For Hands, Message Man
+- C tier: Cut My Lip, Mulberry Street, Fake You Out
+
+## Verdict
+
+Rock sounds with hip hop and punk influences. Lyrics are more of personal
+introspection than there is lore. Unfortunately, _Clancy_ did not surpass
+_Trench_, but it's a close contender. But as my music taste shifts, this
+might change.
+
+On a scale of _Trench_, I'd say _Clancy_ is 90% _Trench_.
