Listening to your music is like getting home, away from the rest of the world and all its bullshit. Just you and your favourite things, your books, records, artwork, a fridge full of food. You provide a level of comfort that nobody else can reach. I am at home in your imagination and melodies!
After a very long time - something has comforted me like this. Makes you want to miss the mountains, the history of music and helps you hide back with your records while Grammy's are announced.
Ah, there’s only one artist that sings like that. So much attention to the little details. Your major minor transitions are masterful in a way that honestly I don’t think I’ve really heard as beautifully done by anyone else. This one’s going to stick with me. Very much so. Thank you Andy
I've never been tricked by an album before but this one tricked me into believing it was about a romantic sweetie pie named Norm. Then I listened to it a few more times. Jokes on me. Respect.
you are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated musicians working. consistently lovely music. this is strange given the theme of this album, but this album is cementing itself as a soundtrack in my journey towards sobriety. the melodies are so sweet and just radiate a comfort, i really appreciate your work!
@@thomasdupont7186 most of his stuff does not even get formal reviews by anthony fantano who is one of the more prominent and well known music critics of modern day (i would argue THE most famous music critic currently working in the United States). so yes, he is underrated.
Same! I can’t help but get emotional on the last line “wondering why you never arrived.” Presuming that the love he is waiting for was kidnapped and killed. Woof. So heart wrenchingly beautiful. The longing for a love lost who will never return. And the music compliments that feeling so perfectly. 😢
Norm really stands out to me. The subtleness in it's instrumentation, the brevity of the uterances, and the description all feel like we're peering into a deeply personal experience. Amazing album as a whole though. Thank you Andy!
I love the way the singles released for this album in order as they appear on the record! It really felt like I was slowly seeing the story start to unfold before I got the full thing. The singles had me wanting more and even after just one playthrough the full album did not disappoint.
seems to be a common way to release singles these days, dropping like the first 3 songs off an album, and i agree it's a great way to promote as an artist, or as the listener, learn the vibe of the album without it being ruined
I've listen to this excellent album by Andy Shauf a dozen times and I now feel ready to provide my interpretation: The album Norm is the estranged story of unrequited love and internal conflict as experienced by Norm. This masterful tale seemingly begins as a heartfelt bid for connection, but grows increasingly obsessive and delusional as his romantic attempts go unnoticed/denied (kudos to Andy for how he released his singles). I believe the narrator in this story is Norm's conscious which serves to pinpoint the incongruency caused by what his heart is telling him and what his mind is saying (as observed in the song Norm or Don't Let it Get To You). My mind instantly jumped to stalker vibes, however after a few listens, I personally believe there's an unidentified backstory to this sad tale of one-sided love. My favorite song remains telephone, and just a gentle reminder that if you've experienced hardship or isolation because of the Covid-19 pandemic, help is available💚
There’s definitely a story behind this record! A very, very sad story! A deep, true, but unrequited love is one of the worst things that could happen to someone! Is so hard to live with it!💔 Brilliant album, anyways!!! And one thing I know for sure- Norm is not Andy!
I'm finally going to get a chance to you in kelowna in march! I've been wanting to go to one of your concerts for 5 years now. So excited! I absolutely love your music. This album was much anticipated
I heard "Halloween Store" on the Sirius XM channel North Americana. They play mostly Canadian folk but some American stuff too like the excellent Pokey LaFarge.
Loving this. Each listen reveals another layer to the story/another way of interpreting. I like re-listening and thinking of everything as an allegory for the relationship between God and humankind. God, as Norm, is a voyeur and stalker. He loves us from a distance, but ultimately can't control when something bad happens (the kidnapper), and when his creation doesn't go according to plan, he is left lamenting.
I have been listening to this album on repeat. I'm only just now realizing how sinister this Norm guy really is. The music is hauntingly beautiful and totally stuck in my head, while also giving me the heeby jeebies. As a cautious female who is hooked on true crime content, this story by Andy is unsettling, yet I can't look away. Some of his best work, which is saying something as he has an impressive repertoire.
“Your mind is as open as your eyes are closed. Thinking wishes, wishful thinking, unabound in a box without ignorance pointing out knowledge nor time to space.” ,dan’
Este disco es hermoso, una verdadera obra de arte, gracias Andy Shauf, lo digo humildemente como un conocedor de la música ya que la colecciono, me encanta el rock, grunge y metal, pero Andy de verdad me llega a mi alma.
Comparemos gustos 😊 Favoritos - Pink Floyd - Radiohead - Red Hot Chili Peppers Rock - Led Zeppelin - Deep Purple Grunge - Nirvana - Pearl Jam - Jane's Addiction Punk - The Offspring - Blink 182 - Green Day Metal - Metallica - Marilyn Manson - Rage Against the Machine Nu Metal - Korn - Limp Bizkit - Linkin Park - Incubus Indie - Andy Shauf - Men I Trust - Tame Impala - Still Corners - Nature TV Trip - Portishead - Massive Attack - Bjork Pop - Beatles - Oasis - Blur - Ocean Colour Scene Electronic - The Prodigy - Chemical Brothers Español - Héroes del Silencio - Hablando en Plata Squad - Elphomega - Violadores del Verso - Morodo Hip Hop - Mobb Deep - Group Home - Camp Lo - KRS ONE - Black Moon - Cypress Hill - House of Pain Reggae - Bob Marley - Peter Tosh - Groundation - Capleton - Sizzla Compositores Clásicos - Vivaldi - Debussy - Albinoni - Bach - Chopin Clásicos contemporáneos - Nathalie Stutzmann - Philippe Jaroussky - Andreas Scholl
Woah, an entire album on one theme and central story only? So different from his other stuff so far. In The Party and Bearer of Bad News, there were so many stories mixing around a central location. Then, in Neon Skyline and Wilds, there was one main story with multiple side stories and anecdotes. This one, though, is seemingly disconnected from the songs about characters we've known before, like Judy and Jeremy. I'm still trying to piece together exactly what happens in this new story. It seems like there was a stalker, but then another guy is introduced as well, and I'm still unsure which one is named Norm. Did the stalker kidnap the girl, or was the stalker accidentally thwarted by the other guy who gave her a ride? I think I'll have to see what the expert lyric interpreters say, because I feel like I'm missing a few details. Either way, I absolutely love the sound and theming of this album! I'll be playing this on loop for a while. Also really looking forward to the next one! EDIT: Andy Shauf had a really good interview on Stereogum where he explained everything behind the album. I recommend reading it, but if you're too eager, I also mentioned a lot of it in a reply to this comment.
That's pretty much my same initial experience with this album. The story was so easy to follow on The Party and Neon Skyline... this one is a little less clear. I'll give it a couple dozen more listens before I google an interpretation. Oh, and the music and production is spot on as always. Halloween Store was the standout for me.
The Tow Truck Driver doesn't get enough light on this album. Maybe there are scrapped songs about him or his character will be developed in the future. Andy is almost on to serial-novelist or TV-series level writing if he has me craving that as a fan / audience member. Pretty cool!
@@TimGreen87 @mugmandrew I got tired of waiting for someone to post a story summary online, so I looked at an interview he had recently on Stereogum. He explained a lot of the story for the album. I recommend reading it for sure. As we know, there are four characters: The tow-truck driver, Norm, God, and someone only referred to as "you." The tow-truck driver was some kind of ex to the "you" referred to in all the songs. He narrates Daylight Dreaming and Long Throw. He only wanted to play a prank on his ex by towing their car. A prank he'd done before, only this time it led to trouble with Norm kidnapping "you." Norm is the stalker, following "you" around. Although most of the album is about Norm, and refers to him by name, he's also the narrator for Catch Your Eye, Telephone, Halloween Store, and Sunset. Both he and the ex pray/talk to God, talk about "you," and refer the "blue car." So I think that's why I originally got confused on who was talking in each song. Then there's God, who narrates You Didn't See, Paradise Cinema, Norm, Don't Let It Get To You, and All Of My Love. He also has a conversation with Jesus on Wasted On You. Apparently, Shauf wrote God as a character who doesn't really understand what love is. He apparently was originally working on a disco album, but became sober and decided to drop that idea. Some of the songs on the album were originally disco songs that he reworked, an example he gave being Halloween Store. He also at one point wanted to write songs about Bible stories from God's perspective, which is where those parts for the album came from. Again, I learned all this from the Stereogum interview he gave and I totally recommend reading it. The interview is super good. He talks about all of what I said here, as well as his inspirations for the songs and the journey the album took. There's a lot he said that I didn't mention here. I hope you guys enjoy this information as much as I did!
@@cargnome Super interesting and informative!! Appreciate you spending all that time summarizing the interview which I will definetly check out now. Kinda makes me wish he did write a whole album about religion though. When he released a single called "Satan" I was so happy. Then I saw the music video for "Wasted On You" and the song right away starts mocking religious ideas (or at least poses some pretty blaring questions about the nature of a Christian God).
“Does it breathe? If it does don’t kill it. If it doesn’t did it live, was it slain? A tree falling speaks not a word, a tree felling has ears to see, eyes to hear what the pain has to say. An emplore unmuttered, muted, dissuade.” ,dan’ (icy everything)
“There is only one instance when judgment is good for you and that is in deciding if something is bad for you, otherwise put it down and step away from it, it belongs to God.” ,dan’
“Postserved. Guard, protect and cherish your soul for there is no afterlife, no destination posthumous without it, only darkness, silence, no light to toward to or fro. Be nice, show kindness, the alpha talks loudest but the omega laughs last.” ,dan’
“Blessed are the forsaken for they shall see nothing which in and of itself is impossible, making that a feat of feats, a miracle’s miracle. They should be so lucky it strikes pride in their hearts before their endless days slumbering.” ,dan’ (proxymoron)
“Words give points to the arrows and I bet the natives would lay their bows down to keep Cupid himself in constant supply so all this hurt the world is feeling could at least know love and lay beside it before the future came for their tears and the past for their desire of tomorrow.” ,dan’
“If it’s stones for my pockets, keep them, the ocean is blind to me and don’t let them get your knickers down Lovely. Even if they have you’re still beautiful to me.” ,dan’ (glass houses kill more birds than buckshot and envy combined)
“Swimming in the sky, we fish, we sigh. The mermaid sat and laughed at the golden silver calf and how he was black and white and grey.” ,dan’ (here me now)
From what I gathered from the lyrics, this album is about God observing this regular guy named Norm. The opener (Wasted on You) is a conversation between God and Jesus about humanity. God wonders about humans and if his love was ultimately wasted on them, as they don't seem to act the part. Seeking confirmation, God decides to follow Norm's life. Norm is apparently in love with this woman, though he has wicked ways of chasing this love. He wants to get to know her (Catch Your Eye) and pictures a love life talking to her (Telephone). However, Norm stalks her (as in You Didn't See) and follows her to the movies, though never striking up any conversation with her (Paradise Cinema). God eventually tries pointing out to Norm that what he is doing is wrong (in Norm) and promises a better life if he stops doing so. But he ultimately ignores God's wishes and insists on stalking the Blue Car Lady and imagining a life with her. Even though he and the lady meet once and talk (Halloween Store and Sunset), Norm still stalks her and does weird things like towing her car and creating encounters. However, life happens, and she meets someone else, leaving Norm alone and feeling like he wasted his time (Daylight Dreaming, Long Throw, Don't Let It Get To You). Norm, representing humanity, ultimately leaves God disappointed. He wonders again if he wasted his love on us on the album closure (All My Love). idk, just had some theories and felt like writing them down
Norm kidnaps/kills her in Sunset and the next two songs are her ex who used to tow her car as a joke (and the reason Norm gave her her “final ride”) wondering where she is and pining for her. Last two songs are God again.
@@asagoldstein1669wow thanks man, up until this point, I didn’t know the ending had so much irony. With the ex towing her car as a joke and it ultimately leading to the woman’s demise. Him not being aware of that even tho he actually caused it. That’s heavy. Actually completes the story for me in a way. Anyway thanks
I need help badly. I cannot stop listening to this. I fall asleep to it. I work to it. I run to it. I have a problem.
I am the same!😃
Hard to blame you, this album is amazing
Seems to me that your problems just found the solution… bless up.
Sleeping to it is fine, so long as you don't awake to a voice telling you to stop these wicked ways.
It's ok to experience great art.
Listening to your music is like getting home, away from the rest of the world and all its bullshit. Just you and your favourite things, your books, records, artwork, a fridge full of food. You provide a level of comfort that nobody else can reach. I am at home in your imagination and melodies!
After a very long time - something has comforted me like this. Makes you want to miss the mountains, the history of music and helps you hide back with your records while Grammy's are announced.
Andy ______⏩⏩_______ The musical pharmacist.
Wishing you everything in this world man. You give so much to the world with your work. 💛
Ah, there’s only one artist that sings like that.
So much attention to the little details.
Your major minor transitions are masterful in a way that honestly I don’t think I’ve really heard as beautifully done by anyone else.
This one’s going to stick with me.
Very much so.
Thank you Andy
The clarinetist and band nerd in me thanks you for the diversity you present in your music. Beautifully done, as always.
Thank you Andy for your music ♥♫☯
I've never been tricked by an album before but this one tricked me into believing it was about a romantic sweetie pie named Norm. Then I listened to it a few more times. Jokes on me. Respect.
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
The magician strikes again… well done my friend. Blessings and Respect
Long Throw ! What a masterpiece !
you are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated musicians working. consistently lovely music. this is strange given the theme of this album, but this album is cementing itself as a soundtrack in my journey towards sobriety. the melodies are so sweet and just radiate a comfort, i really appreciate your work!
In my opinion the most underrated of all time...
Underrated ? Everybody loves the guy...
@@thomasdupont7186 most of his stuff does not even get formal reviews by anthony fantano who is one of the more prominent and well known music critics of modern day (i would argue THE most famous music critic currently working in the United States). so yes, he is underrated.
Such a feeling has come over me. I can close my eyes, awake. I can never do this. Thank you for this gift
Had a nice toke and sipping a cider upon first listen. I love this mans songs: He's like the new Paul Simon
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
“Long throw” is the perfect description of the tragedy that an unrequited love is.💔 My favourite from the album!
Mine, too. Can't stop listening. Sunset is also really really good
Same! I can’t help but get emotional on the last line “wondering why you never arrived.” Presuming that the love he is waiting for was kidnapped and killed. Woof. So heart wrenchingly beautiful. The longing for a love lost who will never return. And the music compliments that feeling so perfectly. 😢
What a joy to listen to you from beginning to end. Here's to you Andy!
Norm really stands out to me. The subtleness in it's instrumentation, the brevity of the uterances, and the description all feel like we're peering into a deeply personal experience. Amazing album as a whole though. Thank you Andy!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
The second song on this album is everything.
Thank you Andy! You’re the best musician ever! You’re my favourite musician ever!✨🎶❤️ PLEASE don’t ever stop making music!
same
he is the best musician since the beatles!
I'm such a huge fan, any new Andy Shauf is a red letter day for me
I love the way the singles released for this album in order as they appear on the record! It really felt like I was slowly seeing the story start to unfold before I got the full thing. The singles had me wanting more and even after just one playthrough the full album did not disappoint.
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
seems to be a common way to release singles these days, dropping like the first 3 songs off an album, and i agree it's a great way to promote as an artist, or as the listener, learn the vibe of the album without it being ruined
@@GettingHyphy honestly it depends on the artist, I think sometimes a song can give away the sound of a whole project
이렇게나 좋을수가! 마음이 차분해지고 달달해진다
So thankful for your music. ❤️
oh i'm so excited to hear the new album. thank you for posting it and even more for making it.
I don't know if you read these comments but this is one of my favorite albums. So thank you for that. Hopefully I can catch a show on this tour!
such a beautiful album, thank u for existing
can't wait to see u in toronto
I've listen to this excellent album by Andy Shauf a dozen times and I now feel ready to provide my interpretation:
The album Norm is the estranged story of unrequited love and internal conflict as experienced by Norm. This masterful tale seemingly begins as a heartfelt bid for connection, but grows increasingly obsessive and delusional as his romantic attempts go unnoticed/denied (kudos to Andy for how he released his singles). I believe the narrator in this story is Norm's conscious which serves to pinpoint the incongruency caused by what his heart is telling him and what his mind is saying (as observed in the song Norm or Don't Let it Get To You). My mind instantly jumped to stalker vibes, however after a few listens, I personally believe there's an unidentified backstory to this sad tale of one-sided love.
My favorite song remains telephone, and just a gentle reminder that if you've experienced hardship or isolation because of the Covid-19 pandemic, help is available💚
There’s definitely a story behind this record! A very, very sad story! A deep, true, but unrequited love is one of the worst things that could happen to someone! Is so hard to live with it!💔 Brilliant album, anyways!!! And one thing I know for sure- Norm is not Andy!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
Telephone brought me to tears, thank you Andy you never cease to amaze
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
In love with this album, hope you're having a good one Andy!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
This is amazing. I'm so glad I discovered it.
So grateful to see you on Office Hours to learn you were in town and playing that night. Really special.
This is beautiful
i know this hasn't been up even a month but it deserves so many more views. Norm def in top 3 of the year for me no matter what
I'm finally going to get a chance to you in kelowna in march! I've been wanting to go to one of your concerts for 5 years now. So excited! I absolutely love your music. This album was much anticipated
I love Andy Shauf, and this has to be his best album yet!! Im buying the indie store exclusive on vinyl tommorow!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
@@andrewmarcellis2007 Wow, i just listened to the garden, and wow, i like it alot. thanks man.
Every song is my instant new favorite.....till the next one. Damn it !
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
i love every bit of this album!!! such a magician this guy is.
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
@@andrewmarcellis2007 sure i'll check them out!
This is so beautiful, I can't put it in words. Andy, you're the best!!!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
@@andrewmarcellis2007 no
I heard “Halloween store” on my college radio station WXCI 91.7 and decided to check out the album! Thanks WXCI!
I heard "Halloween Store" on the Sirius XM channel North Americana. They play mostly Canadian folk but some American stuff too like the excellent Pokey LaFarge.
Curte aqui os brasileiros que adoram as canções do Andy. Vida longa esse mestre. Saudações de Mossoró (RN), Brasil.
Pode crer, do norte ao sul! Andy Shauf é massa!
Andy’s best album so far!!! My favourite album ever!!!✨🎶❤️ Andy is a real genius!
Loving this. Each listen reveals another layer to the story/another way of interpreting. I like re-listening and thinking of everything as an allegory for the relationship between God and humankind. God, as Norm, is a voyeur and stalker. He loves us from a distance, but ultimately can't control when something bad happens (the kidnapper), and when his creation doesn't go according to plan, he is left lamenting.
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
That was my takeaway as well! So spooky and sad. I can't seem to stop listening.
Andy!!! GRACIAS!!! 💓 Espere tanto tus nuevas canciones. 😄🔥 Saludos desde Buenos Aires.
You're the best Andy!
thank you for everything andy
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
I have been listening to this album on repeat. I'm only just now realizing how sinister this Norm guy really is. The music is hauntingly beautiful and totally stuck in my head, while also giving me the heeby jeebies. As a cautious female who is hooked on true crime content, this story by Andy is unsettling, yet I can't look away. Some of his best work, which is saying something as he has an impressive repertoire.
I would love to draw the cover for one of Andy’s albums someday! It would be so great!✨✏️🎨
i bet you would
Musical class is when you manage to make the triangle really add something to the story
Glad i found you man. I will listen to You the next days for sure.
“Your mind is as open as your eyes are closed. Thinking wishes, wishful thinking, unabound in a box without ignorance pointing out knowledge nor time to space.” ,dan’
"Tickled Pinkertons ate pickled Tinkerbell."
,dan'
just perfection
Love your groove, ASMR tingles.
mravilloso. thank you, andy 🙏🙏
Feels like Andy went into my mind and heart and wrote this album! Unbelievable!!!💔
BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE !!
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
GREAT NEW MUSIC ANDY !
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
Love you Andy!
So happy I took the day off from work, because I just can’t stop listening to the album! Andy is my favourite musician ever!✨🎶❤️
Great album
Este disco es hermoso, una verdadera obra de arte, gracias Andy Shauf, lo digo humildemente como un conocedor de la música ya que la colecciono, me encanta el rock, grunge y metal, pero Andy de verdad me llega a mi alma.
Comparemos gustos 😊
Favoritos
- Pink Floyd
- Radiohead
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rock
- Led Zeppelin
- Deep Purple
Grunge
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Jane's Addiction
Punk
- The Offspring
- Blink 182
- Green Day
Metal
- Metallica
- Marilyn Manson
- Rage Against the Machine
Nu Metal
- Korn
- Limp Bizkit
- Linkin Park
- Incubus
Indie
- Andy Shauf
- Men I Trust
- Tame Impala
- Still Corners
- Nature TV
Trip
- Portishead
- Massive Attack
- Bjork
Pop
- Beatles
- Oasis
- Blur
- Ocean Colour Scene
Electronic
- The Prodigy
- Chemical Brothers
Español
- Héroes del Silencio
- Hablando en Plata Squad
- Elphomega
- Violadores del Verso
- Morodo
Hip Hop
- Mobb Deep
- Group Home
- Camp Lo
- KRS ONE
- Black Moon
- Cypress Hill
- House of Pain
Reggae
- Bob Marley
- Peter Tosh
- Groundation
- Capleton
- Sizzla
Compositores Clásicos
- Vivaldi
- Debussy
- Albinoni
- Bach
- Chopin
Clásicos contemporáneos
- Nathalie Stutzmann
- Philippe Jaroussky
- Andreas Scholl
Meu favorito é The Bearer of Bad Knews.
Q grande
halloween store is soooo gooooood
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
Beautiful. Great songwriter ! The succession of Elliott Smith...
i feel similarly. its been a while since a songwriter captured my attention the way elliott did.
Woah, an entire album on one theme and central story only? So different from his other stuff so far. In The Party and Bearer of Bad News, there were so many stories mixing around a central location. Then, in Neon Skyline and Wilds, there was one main story with multiple side stories and anecdotes.
This one, though, is seemingly disconnected from the songs about characters we've known before, like Judy and Jeremy.
I'm still trying to piece together exactly what happens in this new story.
It seems like there was a stalker, but then another guy is introduced as well, and I'm still unsure which one is named Norm. Did the stalker kidnap the girl, or was the stalker accidentally thwarted by the other guy who gave her a ride? I think I'll have to see what the expert lyric interpreters say, because I feel like I'm missing a few details.
Either way, I absolutely love the sound and theming of this album! I'll be playing this on loop for a while. Also really looking forward to the next one!
EDIT: Andy Shauf had a really good interview on Stereogum where he explained everything behind the album. I recommend reading it, but if you're too eager, I also mentioned a lot of it in a reply to this comment.
That's pretty much my same initial experience with this album. The story was so easy to follow on The Party and Neon Skyline... this one is a little less clear. I'll give it a couple dozen more listens before I google an interpretation. Oh, and the music and production is spot on as always. Halloween Store was the standout for me.
The Tow Truck Driver doesn't get enough light on this album. Maybe there are scrapped songs about him or his character will be developed in the future. Andy is almost on to serial-novelist or TV-series level writing if he has me craving that as a fan / audience member. Pretty cool!
@@TimGreen87 @mugmandrew
I got tired of waiting for someone to post a story summary online, so I looked at an interview he had recently on Stereogum. He explained a lot of the story for the album. I recommend reading it for sure.
As we know, there are four characters: The tow-truck driver, Norm, God, and someone only referred to as "you."
The tow-truck driver was some kind of ex to the "you" referred to in all the songs. He narrates Daylight Dreaming and Long Throw. He only wanted to play a prank on his ex by towing their car. A prank he'd done before, only this time it led to trouble with Norm kidnapping "you."
Norm is the stalker, following "you" around. Although most of the album is about Norm, and refers to him by name, he's also the narrator for Catch Your Eye, Telephone, Halloween Store, and Sunset. Both he and the ex pray/talk to God, talk about "you," and refer the "blue car." So I think that's why I originally got confused on who was talking in each song.
Then there's God, who narrates You Didn't See, Paradise Cinema, Norm, Don't Let It Get To You, and All Of My Love. He also has a conversation with Jesus on Wasted On You. Apparently, Shauf wrote God as a character who doesn't really understand what love is.
He apparently was originally working on a disco album, but became sober and decided to drop that idea. Some of the songs on the album were originally disco songs that he reworked, an example he gave being Halloween Store. He also at one point wanted to write songs about Bible stories from God's perspective, which is where those parts for the album came from.
Again, I learned all this from the Stereogum interview he gave and I totally recommend reading it.
The interview is super good. He talks about all of what I said here, as well as his inspirations for the songs and the journey the album took. There's a lot he said that I didn't mention here.
I hope you guys enjoy this information as much as I did!
@@cargnome Super interesting and informative!! Appreciate you spending all that time summarizing the interview which I will definetly check out now. Kinda makes me wish he did write a whole album about religion though. When he released a single called "Satan" I was so happy. Then I saw the music video for "Wasted On You" and the song right away starts mocking religious ideas (or at least poses some pretty blaring questions about the nature of a Christian God).
Andy sos lo maximo, saludos desde argentina ✨️🥰
Finding out the video was 360 was a nice touch. 😊
“Does it breathe? If it does don’t kill it. If it doesn’t did it live, was it slain? A tree falling speaks not a word, a tree felling has ears to see, eyes to hear what the pain has to say. An emplore unmuttered, muted, dissuade.” ,dan’ (icy everything)
“I don’t envy the wicked anymore, I envy love more than anything.” ,dan’
First listen my favorite is sunset.
😍 yaaaay
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
“There is only one instance when judgment is good for you and that is in deciding if something is bad for you, otherwise put it down and step away from it, it belongs to God.”
,dan’
“May we all meet our matches and not strike them anyplace, anywhere, at anytime.” ,dan’
God I love you Andy
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
my fav yet. dig your stuff
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
“It is better to be enlightened than delighted,
harder too.” ,dan’
Espero que venga a Chile algun día.
“Is it harder to be the gold or the dirt.” ,dan’
“Postserved. Guard, protect and cherish your soul for there is no afterlife, no destination posthumous without it, only darkness, silence, no light to toward to or fro. Be nice, show kindness, the alpha talks loudest but the omega laughs last.”
,dan’
See you in Nash 🙏🏽
“Blessed are the forsaken for they shall see nothing which in and of itself is impossible, making that a feat of feats, a miracle’s miracle. They should be so lucky it strikes pride in their hearts before their endless days slumbering.”
,dan’ (proxymoron)
"I wish somebody was pleasantly awaiting my arrival."
,dan'
“Peace is as heavy as an unfolded fist making an open empty palm unempty.” ,dan’
“Promised land keeps it’s fingers crossed.” ,dan’
“Monsters danced with devils before great Satan laughing hysterically before the autumn ball.” ,dan’
Sometimes I like my music Saskatchewan style.
“I found it easier to believe in myself once I realized I was real. I think I believed in Santa for longer than I have believed in myself.” ,dan’
Banger
“How to look impeccably at something exquisite.” ,dan’
i love this
1st comment Saludos 🙋♂️🇲🇽
muito obrigado Andy. From Brasil.
“Hello, I am your future favorite poet.”
,dan’ (dig me out)
“I don’t need saved, just make me last.” ,dan’
“Fear the unknown, brave knowledge.” ,dan’
“Words give points to the arrows and I bet the natives would lay their bows down to keep Cupid himself in constant supply so all this hurt the world is feeling could at least know love and lay beside it before the future came for their tears and the past for their desire of tomorrow.” ,dan’
“If it’s stones for my pockets, keep them, the ocean is blind to me and don’t let them get your knickers down Lovely. Even if they have you’re still beautiful to me.” ,dan’
(glass houses kill more birds than buckshot and envy combined)
“Tears blur the light and make it run like mascara jaywalking briskly.”
,dan’
“Swimming in the sky, we fish, we sigh. The mermaid sat and laughed at the golden silver calf and how he was black and white and grey.”
,dan’ (here me now)
“Crawling to a stop.”
,dan’ (arms for legs)
“Dying writing something down.”
,dan’
“Will the Gods stop stalling or are they being stalled?”
,dan’
From what I gathered from the lyrics, this album is about God observing this regular guy named Norm. The opener (Wasted on You) is a conversation between God and Jesus about humanity. God wonders about humans and if his love was ultimately wasted on them, as they don't seem to act the part. Seeking confirmation, God decides to follow Norm's life.
Norm is apparently in love with this woman, though he has wicked ways of chasing this love. He wants to get to know her (Catch Your Eye) and pictures a love life talking to her (Telephone). However, Norm stalks her (as in You Didn't See) and follows her to the movies, though never striking up any conversation with her (Paradise Cinema).
God eventually tries pointing out to Norm that what he is doing is wrong (in Norm) and promises a better life if he stops doing so. But he ultimately ignores God's wishes and insists on stalking the Blue Car Lady and imagining a life with her. Even though he and the lady meet once and talk (Halloween Store and Sunset), Norm still stalks her and does weird things like towing her car and creating encounters. However, life happens, and she meets someone else, leaving Norm alone and feeling like he wasted his time (Daylight Dreaming, Long Throw, Don't Let It Get To You).
Norm, representing humanity, ultimately leaves God disappointed. He wonders again if he wasted his love on us on the album closure (All My Love).
idk, just had some theories and felt like writing them down
I like this a lot, though I wonder if the character Norm, in the song Sunset, kidnapped the lady or if it was another character narrating the song
if you like Andy Shauf you might like a band called The Doublejumps
Norm kidnaps/kills her in Sunset and the next two songs are her ex who used to tow her car as a joke (and the reason Norm gave her her “final ride”) wondering where she is and pining for her. Last two songs are God again.
@@asagoldstein1669wow thanks man, up until this point, I didn’t know the ending had so much irony. With the ex towing her car as a joke and it ultimately leading to the woman’s demise. Him not being aware of that even tho he actually caused it. That’s heavy. Actually completes the story for me in a way.
Anyway thanks
“That which does not become you is unbecoming should you be it.” ,dan’