movieking

Track Listings

1. Man Against Machine
2. She's Tired of Boys
3. Cold Like That
4. All-American Kid
5. Mom
6. Wrong About You
7. Rodeo and Juliet
8. Midnight Train
9. Cowboys Forever
10. People Loving People
11. Send 'Em On Down the Road
12. Fish
13. You Wreck Me
14. Tacoma

This is his first studio release in 13 years.

Honestly had no idea this was being released this week until I saw a small ad on Amazon.com. I used to be a huge fan of his, but based on the cover alone, I'm not holding my breath for this. The Chris Gaines cover looked less ridiculous, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

EdTheRipper

I'll most likely pick it up at some point.

Sgtsnake

Big fan of him in the past as well. Seen him in concert also but this cover looks ridiculous. I'll judge it when I hear some of the music

madcougar

Is he fighting robots now!?

The Cow

The Title

Decker

This comes out tomorrow?

Yeah, I'll probably pick it up. But that cover is AWFUL.

Sgtsnake

Strange this isn't on itunes

My Other Self

None of his stuff is. He created his own digital distribution service just for his albums that you have to buy on his website. He's very anti-iTunes.

Sgtsnake

i thought I had read that somewhere. Just forgot I guess.

madcougar

And I guess that Billboard just has to take his word for it as far as sales go...

My Other Self

Probably why he said this:

http://www.cmt.com/news/country-musi...-machine.jhtml

covenant

He's running for Mayor of uncanny valley.

hanshotfirst1138

Sgtsnake

Anyone pick this up? If so how is it

covenant

I can see why he didn't go with iTunes where you can buy individual songs.
It's all so bland. Too many ballads, too many songs that aren't country enough. I see many reviews mentioning Chris Gaines, spot on, in my opinion.
The only one I like is Rodeo and Juliet, But I'm a big western swing fan.

Travis McClain

My first play through, I was put off by the engineering. The bass is way too heavy throughout the entire album, and it gets in the way of the musicians playing. I've played it half a dozen times now, and I think I've finally acclimated. That aspect is still clumsy, though.

I didn't have an instant favorite song like I've had on all his previous albums, though I also didn't find myself actively disliking anything, either, so there's that. Thematically and aesthetically, I feel Man Against Machine is more closely related to The Chase and Fresh Horses than the rest of his discography. Those albums were clearly influenced by 70's singer/songwriter and rock acts, and so is this.

I'm not even bothering to ask whether it's country, because nothing else in the current landscape of country seems recognizable to me as country music anyway. Garth wisely refrained from embarrassing himself by trying to cut Bro Country nonsense and instead just went in and did what he's always done. It was nice to play an entire fourteen song album and feel like this is an album meant for listeners my age instead of listeners half my age (I'll be 36 in just over two weeks); no love letters to tailgates, no "hey, girl" come-on songs, nothing about waking up hungover from an epic binge the night before, and no laundry lists of the trimmings and trappings of being "country" to be found.

I predict, sadly, that Country radio will yawn at Man Against Machine - not because there are no radio-friendly singles to be found, but because none of the songs here play the game the right way. Where Garth may find a welcoming home, though, could be an Adult Contemporary station...if such a thing even still exists.

Songs like "She's Tired of Boys" and "Cold Like That" sound as though they were written from conversations I've had with a friend of mine throughout the year.

I'm not as over the moon over "Mom" as Garth and a lot of others are, but whatever. The other parenting song, "Send 'Em on Down the Road", is much more my style and one of the strongest songs in this set.

I wasn't initially sure about the title track, but over the last few days I've found myself getting increasingly into it. Right now, it's probably my favorite of the album.

"Rodeo and Juliet" is fun, but one of the most obvious victims of the aforementioned engineering. A song like that should be breezy and fun, and instead it sounds too heavy for its own good.

"Midnight Train" is another favorite of mine, though that may be in part because the chorus lyrics keep evoking ThunderCats. It gives the album some thematic heft in the midsection. Perhaps more than the rest of Man Against Machine, "Midnight Train" is the one song that I feel can be traced directly back to last year's Blame It All on My Roots box set. You could throw this song in with either the Melting Pot or Blue-Eyed Soul discs and it would fit in perfectly well.

Oh, and as for the album art, it made me cringe, too. The Limited Black Edition, though, looks better. I'm still not a fan of the 90's daytime talk show bouncer posturing, but between the two editions, it has a bit more grownup aesthetic. The booklet itself feels surprisingly elegant. Maybe my second favorite booklet in his discography to date, next to Sevens [and excluding all the Double Lives].

BDB

He played a small low key show here in SF earlier this week - would have been neat to see, and would have annoyed all of my irish friends, because he fucked them over with his tour this year.

covenant

Ugh, I'm not ready to listen to Adult Contemporary, in any form. I'm 49, and found the whole thing a snooze.

I'd rather listen to some of the better examples of bro country than this. Because it's still recognizable as country. If you take away the fiddles and the flat steel, take away the accent, take away all the trappings and tropes of country music what are you left with? You're right, Adult Contemporary I guess.

Ah well, to each their own. and God Bless Jamey Johnson

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cdollaz

Well, there is that album cover.

dfdumb

There was commercial for this during last night's SNL. I wonder if he'll make an appearance on that show this season. I remember when he hosted and then appeared on an anniversary special.

Travis McClain

Someone asked him on the red carpet before the CMA's a couple weeks ago about SNL. He unequivocally said he would not host again, because it was simply way too demanding on someone like him who isn't trained in those things. He didn't say anything about performing, though!

hdnmickey

Just got though the full CD. "Got through" since all the songs sounds like leftovers not good enough to make the other albums, including the "Lost Sessions" release. Not terrible, but certianly not the comeback fans were hoping for. Reminds me a lot of the Van Halen comeback CD in that way.

Turd Ferguson

Garth did some good work early on, but this is just meh. If you want country music, buy some Sturgill Simpson.