I listened to Counting Crows' 2021 album "Butter Miracle Suite One"
For this week's Property Cousins stream, I was assigned as homework the 2021 Counting Crows album Butter Miracle Suite One. The following are the notes I took during a blind first listen:
Butter Miracle Suite One
Going in blind to this, not looking up the lyrics or theme ahead of time
-
The Tall Grass
- oops we forgot to mute the metronome track eh fuck it
-
Elevator Boots
- this one really picks up by the end!
-
Angel of 14th Street
- Fun and peppy but I really wish there was a second guitar tone on this album
- oh there it is, it’s fine
- This is like the Hazards of Love but with absolutely no discernible narrative
- trumpet solo! You have my attention
- this is clearly the big number, now we’re in a twin guitar attack at the end
-
Bobby and the Rat Kings
- that’s a reference at the beginning but I can’t place it! * teenage wasteland, no, something else
- listen I’m only human, any band-unison choochin is gonna get me
- “Bobby and the Rat-Kings” is a shitty hook but otherwise this is the best track by far!
- 2:33 okay now we’re in Springsteen mode, this is fun
- oh man if the Boss came out during this at summer stage that would own so hard
- I guess the rat kings are a band or a gang?
- Ziggy stardust and the spiders of mars playing at Margaritaville
Jesus the back half of this album is just the single edits of the same songs, shit. okay, time for second impressions:
-
The Tall Grass
- I keep thinking this is gonna kick into a big broadway major chord refrain and it doesn’t
- why are the Single Edits longer than the album version?
- [2:10] they don’t know why either
- this little bridge is very classic Counting Crows
- just a ball of souls revolving spinning circles round the sun, sure
- why am I starting to enjoy this
-
Elevator Boots
- this song has a more normal structure than The Tall Grass which is clearly some sort of overture
- the little bowie guitar stab in the pre-chorus is good, actually
- when I’ve got… T REX
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Terrible!
-
Angel of 14th Street
- still think this is the roughest hang because I’m a sucker for more classically structured songs and this feels very sung through
- normally I have a head for lyrics but all these words are sliding off my brain like a pat of butter on top of a hot baked potato
- okay, maybe there are refrains but at what cost!!
- do we need a light on? Are we moths
- that trumpet solo is such a fucking balm at this point in the sequence/song
- all counting crows need a sassy bright trumpet solo
- imagine mister jones just has a ripping trumpet solo!!
- am I imagining things or did the counting crows guy have a thing with Cheryl crow, why I am I suddenly thinking of Cheryl crow
- is it literally just the word crow is that why
- and now the guitar solo outro, such a shift
- this was better when it ran straight into the next track. Single Versions <<<<
-
Bobby and the Rat-Kings
- this song title is so out there I couldn’t remember what it was even though I just heard it 3 songs ago- had to check iTunes
- god this is so Springsteen
- that’s probably a compliment
- I hate bobby and his rat kings
- I will figure out what this riff is reminding me of
- “motor running”, they know EXACTLY what they’re doing here
- NGL I think counting crows doing Springsteen is better than the Killers doing Springsteen
- “fender-strapped” lol where’s clarence when you need him
- this song deserves a better chorus
- it’s one of the ultimate Springsteen pastiches and then the song title lets it down!
- maybe it’s fine, maybe I love bobby and his incorrigible posse of rodent royalty
- Adam Duritz you monster I might listen to this song on purpose
Other Thoughts
A PANDEMIC DFGKLJFDLKJFDLGKJFD
On a re-listen to Bobby and the Rat Kings, I heard this lyric and had to look it up
Z tried to edit Reddit, instead it said it had eaten her phone
She goes from tinder to cinder
’Til she remembers she’s a flame of her own
The Counting Crows exist in a perma-90s alternate timeline of dive bars and gray guitars, ever preserved in cigarette stained amber. They should never acknowledge the existence of the internet! This lyric sucks!!
Also I’m pretty sure the song I’m reminded of is literally just Born To Run lol
Conclusion
Listen, this isn’t entering any sort of pantheon, but it’s pretty good! downright fun in parts! It’s like it’s designed in a lab to be played on the Stone Pony summer stage (in particular Bobby and Rat Kings), so if you happen to have a chance to do that on August 6th, you should go do that. I’m going to go listen to Bobby and the Rat Kings again.
THIS JUST IN
Apparently Adam Durtiz does a cooking show on the counting crows IG. I just thought everyone should know that.