I think Stone is C3PO, Matt is R2.

The bridge of Scared of Fear is ordinary in its structure and design, but in the context of the song it feels almost like a seance. It’s such a good way to open a record that contains these themes.

I don't have enough play throughs yet, but here is my current ranking:

1. Wreckage (5)
2. Waiting for Stevie (5)
3. Won't Tell (5)
4. Setting Sun (5)
5. Got to Give (4)
6. Dark Matter (4)
7. Scared of Fear (4)
8. Upper Hand (4)
9. React, Respond (4)
10. Running (3)
11. Something Special (3)

Nice. And confirms that is a growly Rickenbacker we’re hearing

those are Watt and Josh

I can see that. Josh seems more like a beep boop kinda guy.

Based on the strength of the W songs (not to mention the Wotman influence) I just might have to start referring to this album as Wark Watter

Gigaton kinda started to heal RM but DM brought us together right?
RM is united at least.

I listened again to both atmos and Spotify versions and tried to compare parts of songs to each other. Overall I hate that I have preferences with certain things in both versions. Within the same songs, there are parts of them I prefer in atmos but other parts I prefer in Spotify. Some songs are totally elevated by the atmos mix (Won’t Tell), some have specific parts that are better in each (Waiting for Stevie, Scared of Fear), one preferable in Spotify (Dark Matter), and few that are equal. It’s frustrating.

Atmos:
- drum and bass forward
- More spacious, more echo
- More fidelity/clarity
- More distinction between channels
- Cool effect with AirPods Pro where hear directional sound depending how you turn your head. Does not seem to matter in some songs.
- Overall I think I prefer atmos version. Generally feels less ‘loud’ than Spotify version, but there are parts of songs where everything is ‘pushed up the center’ and it becomes equally loud.
- Downside is some guitar parts are lower. Most noticeable on Scared of Fear.
- I’m hearing things Jeff is doing for the first time. There are also so many more vocal harmonies on several songs that I had not heard before!

Spotify:
- More guitar forward than atmos. The scared of fear verses and Waiting for Stevie guitar parts sound better, or at least, more pronounced, in the Spotify versions.
- Surprisingly softer than the atmos version. This I think works to the benefit of the slower and softer songs in the album. The flip side of the softness is a slightly more dampened effect on everything.
- More compressed. Interestingly, this works on some songs better than atmos. The more muffled sound accentuates the fuzziness of some guitar parts. This is evident on dark matter most; I prefer the Spotify version. But that may be due to how that song was specifically mixed.
- Overall a bit ‘brighter’ than the atmos version. I wonder if long term that will work against it.

Waiting for Stevie:
- clear distinction between the two versions with the drums and bass. I love hearing the bass line so much better. The guitars are crisper too. On the flip side, i like the loudness of the guitars in the Spotify version, and I can hear the single notes in the second guitar in the bridge much better in the Spotify version.

Upper Hand:
- something clicked for me with the atmos version. I’m really enjoying this one more now. I think quieter parts of songs do better in atmos. I mean, this is meant to be an atmospheric feeling song and the atmos version elevates that feeling. It’s really cool to hear the different instruments distinctly. Except at the end; it’s all up the center again (I don’t know if I’m using that term correctly; I’m just describing how it feels)

Dark Matter:
- I prefer the Spotify version! It’s meant to be loud, and that allows the guitars to take center stage. I thought I would prefer the atmos version because I expected the drums to sound better, but they don’t, they sound equally compressed.

Running:
- I prefer the atmos version surprisingly! I thought i would prefer the Spotify version like dark matter because of its mixing. But here I can hear the claps, backing vocals, and bass much better, and the drums are way more intense.

React, Respond:
- it’s a tie. I like that i can hear each instrument more distinctly in the atmos version, but the plinky guitar part before the chorus is lower, and the Spotify version feels more intense.

Scared of Fear:
- Overall I think I prefer atmos version. I enjoy the main riff and guitar parts on the Spotify version much more, but having the bass and drums accentuated on the atmos version is worth the trade off. They are fantastic. Jeffs work on this song is incredible.

Wreckage:
- I like the softer verse parts in Spotify better, but I like the louder parts and outro in atmos. Go figure. Or I’m just going deaf from listening to this song much and can’t really tell what I’m listening to anymore.

Setting Sun:
- very little difference that I can tell between the two. But I prefer the atmos version due to the directional effect.

very cool background vocals yeah, i presume those are Watt and Josh k?

It sure put a strain on the RM web server. Pages are taking forever to load today and yesterday

So many of these that I want/need to see live...Scared, Wreckage, Upper Hand, Stevie, Setting Sun. It's a collection of songs that should translate very well to a live setting.

I only got to hear three Gigaton songs live the last time I saw them. I'd be really happy if they played all of Dark Matter and Gigaton when I see them in Sept.

For real! Hopefully now that everyone has it, all of the lurkers here just for a leak will disappear and things will speed up.

this is the kind of post I needed!

yeah! RM is popular now, we are the cool guys

My listening is pretty varied, but I can't listen to anything right now but this album.

580 users currently online. I wonder how many are bots?

That was me. It totally does!

React, Respond - Ed's vocal delivery is perfect when he's singing "don't react, respond..." chorus. It's as if there's genuine fear in him and it fits the vibe of the song perfectly.

Ed, in general, deserves a ton of praise for this album. He's gotten a lot of criticism in recent years - much of it has been justified. It's easy to forget that he's one of the greatest rock singers of all time. I think even he at times has forgotten. But on this album, it's like he's reminding all of us that he's still here. Maybe even reminding himself.