The Ides of March

[Mr. Slash]

Napalm Records even advertises this album on Spotify. Nice.

[Timotheus]

Tell It Like It Is, Wanderlust and Worried Mind are my favorites from the songs we hadn't heard before.

Worried Mind in particular in fantastic. Easily the best song Myles has been part of since 2013.

[Ubik]

First few playthroughs, think it's safe to say that my least faves on the album are In Stride and Get Along, which is also pretty much what happened with Year of the Tiger.

Wanderlust Begins sounds like it was taken straight off YOTT, and that's a special album for me so it's an instant favourite. Sifting Through the Fire's chorus vocal is so damn good. Last 90 seconds of Worried Mind are joyous, if he doesn't close shows with that I shall be disappoint. Wake Me When It's Over's riff is so very Ian Thornley, love it.

Also, just to antagonise Shea - I prefer Myles's leads on this to Mark's on A Dying Machine

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

Also, just to antagonise Shea - I prefer Myles's leads on this to Mark's on A Dying Machine

Wow Ubik why'd you have to go there No need to antagonize me. What have I or Mark done to deserve this?

[maximzub]

What is the most Alter Bridge sounding song on the album? I'll check it out.

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

What is the most Alter Bridge sounding song on the album? I'll check it out.

the title track

[RevenantGB]

Wanderlust Begins (that chorus holy shit) and Wake Me When It's Over are probably my favourite "non-single" songs, but other than that I'm afraid none of the other tracks stand out for me personally. The title track is still without question the best song on the record.

I'm not disappointed but I'm not amazed either, glad to hear others are enjoying the album though!

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

Ides of March
A Thousand Words
Love Rain Down
Moonshot
Worried Mind
Wanderlust Begins
Wake Me When It's Over
Sifting Through The Fire
In Stride
Get Along
Tell It Like It Is

[Blackbirddd]

What is the most Alter Bridge sounding song on the album? I'll check it out.

A Thousand Words

[chtimixeur]

My biggest gripe is the sore absence of guitar solos on this record. Nothing stood out to me at all lead-wise except for maybe some bluesy passages like in Worried Mind or Ides of March. Its mostly just a lyric/melody/vocal-centric record for me.

+1
I don't understand why Myles said it was a guitar record.
I was expecting some 80's shredding, but for the most part, it's a singer/songwriter album.

Wanderlust Begins & Worried Mind are early favourites for me. Anyone else get a Mayfield Four vibe from Worried Mind?

I 100% agree with your message.
I immediately thought about 12/31 when Worried Mind started.

[ToNsOFuN88]

so what's the "motown" song? that comment piqued my interest last summer.

Wake me when it’s over...catchy as hell!

Wait what? What about that song sounds Motown to you? I'm pretty sure the motown song didn't make the record, unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

I havent seen any proof of otherwise but its my understanding there's no true "bonus track" because Walmart listed it as Get Along which is an album song already not to mention a single So I think Walmart fucked up or it's just a demo of that song or an album song maybe? And I came across another website that advertises the bonus track as the demo for Ides of March....

[ToNsOFuN88]

unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

I havent seen any proof of otherwise but its my understanding there's no true "bonus track" because Walmart listed it as Get Along which is an album song already not to mention a single So I think Walmart fucked up or it's just a demo of that song or an album song maybe?

I could have swore a seen a certain preorder that a actual bonus track. Maybe it was a best buy exclusive? Idk but Google isn't helping me much, I could just be wrong totally lol.

[anguyen92]

unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

I havent seen any proof of otherwise but its my understanding there's no true "bonus track" because Walmart listed it as Get Along which is an album song already not to mention a single So I think Walmart fucked up or it's just a demo of that song or an album song maybe? And I came across another website that advertises the bonus track as the demo for Ides of March....

I got the CD that has the Demo for Ides of March. It's still pretty solid. Not too much difference to the official track, but it does leave a small hint of it being "unfinished."

[scarecrow]

What is the most Alter Bridge sounding song on the album? I'll check it out.

A Thousand Words

this is correct

[scarecrow]

so what's the "motown" song? that comment piqued my interest last summer.

Wake me when it’s over...catchy as hell!

Wait what? What about that song sounds Motown to you? I'm pretty sure the motown song didn't make the record, unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

there are motown elements to the song for sure

i wonder if myles is a daryl hall fan (i bet he is)

[ToNsOFuN88]

so what's the "motown" song? that comment piqued my interest last summer.

Wake me when it’s over...catchy as hell!

Wait what? What about that song sounds Motown to you? I'm pretty sure the motown song didn't make the record, unless it's that walmart bonus track. Has anyone heard the bonus track yet?

there are motown elements to the song for sure

i wonder if myles is a daryl hall fan (i bet he is)

Idk maybe I just don't fully understand what motown is? When I think motown, I think of songs like The Temptations' My Girl or something of that nature.

[Ubik]

I'm with TonsOfFun on this, he said it was a "full-on Motown" song, which I can't hear in anything personally.

[MuffinMcFluffin]

*sigh*

This album is... it's not good.

I've only played through it once (played through The Ides of March a second time), but my first time through I was unimpressed.

Myles is playing very unconventionally, which can work at times... but it's not something that I can engage with. It almost makes me feel like if he took a week off playing these songs for himself, he'd go: "Wait, how did they go again?" The arrangements have a bit of a complex layer, but it seems unfounded and unstructured.

I think I would be forgiving of all of this if the mix just wasn't so poor. Ever since The Last Hero, I've been really critical of Elvis's work. Myles has a beautiful voice, but it plays back in a harsh tone, he harmonizes with himself all the time, it gets buried with muddled instruments here and there, and Myles doesn't ever speak lower unless he's more in a whisper, a croak, or it sounds filtered.

The lyrics to the first few songs also feel really clichéd and plain at times, as well. He says what "they say" a lot too, like that a picture's worth a thousand words, it's easy come/easy go, take it all in stride, the more things change the more they stay the same, it's a shit storm, etc. Pretty trite. I was filling in sentences for him before I've ever heard the song. There are some good songs on here (The Ides of March and Worried Mind stand out most, with songs like Moonshot, Love Rain Down, and Wanderlust Begins falling short after their verses), but as a whole it was so forgettable.

I'll keep playing it, I'll learn some of the good elements of some of these tracks, but it reminds me of why Myles needs AB just as much as AB needs Myles, too. Anyway, for any other artist/band, a mediocre album can be tolerated much more. But this is Myles Frickin' Kennedy, so this really is a disappointment for me.

[Dan Dando]

But this is Myles Frickin' Kennedy, so this really is a disappointment for me.

The tricky thing with Myles is that it's easy to think... "This is only Myles' second solo album, why does it feel like the well has sort of run dry at times?". But you have to keep in mind, Ides of March is like his 16th record when you look at his whole career. Not many artists are putting out masterpieces when they're 16 records deep into their discography.