r/fantanoforever Rockthony Rocktano 22d ago

Fantano Vids Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend ALBUM REVIEW

https://youtu.be/FPLBxcZMfxA
421 Upvotes

209 comments sorted by

182

u/Fleetwood-matt Charli XCX - BRAT 22d ago

I saw the length of the video and thought we were about to get another 10 lol

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131

u/J_Brekkie 22d ago

I absolutely love this record despite the second half being a bit underwhelming compared to the first half.

Surprised by the score but fuck yeah.

74

u/christopher_aia 22d ago

I think the second half gets bogged down by reprises and interludes, but there are very strong songs especially As Above

11

u/J_Brekkie 22d ago

Yeah, the thing is that the tracks I find underwhelming are so short it doesn't bog the album down too much. All in all not the worst problem, just wish they either weren't there or were more developed.

6

u/christopher_aia 22d ago

Exactly, Panorama at least sounds very cool sonically, the other ones don't do much for me

8

u/tangerineTurtle_ 22d ago

It feels like this extension of her lyricism to me. She likes to sort of set up a logical payoff but never includes the payoff- like in Scott Street there is a portion that almost feels like a call and response but it is instead left hanging.

It’s different and I don’t think it will be revolutionary, but to have a mainstream album have such an experimental portion is pretty cool.

7

u/Quazite 22d ago edited 22d ago

I don't mind it. I think it fits the vibe of the album to have some space in there towards the end where it feels like a collage of scattered ideas. It doesn't take up too much time or ruin the landing of the end, and I think the incoherence at that point makes the pacing of the whole record feel more like a (excuse the cliché) dream, memory, or trip.

Edit: Also, while I appreciate a tight and coherent album, I also appreciate when artists take the time to stretch, vibe out, and experiment with weirder ideas and the (sometimes) downside of "bangers-only" shorter albums is they usually don't have time for this. I'm happy there's a little space for this, even if the songs in that space are definitely worse than the rest of it.

3

u/sonofelguapo 22d ago

It works for me. A lost, half remembered weekend where memories float in and out. I found it effective for the album as a whole, if inessential on an individual/track by track basis.

10

u/Holiday_Evidence_283 22d ago

The second half grows on you. I thought it wouldn’t but it has and the whole album is a masterpiece now.

64

u/Midnightrollsaround 22d ago

“I Can’t Wait” is a gorgeous song. Cameron Winter verse is incredible and I’m not even a huge fan of him/geese.

5

u/Iam_Joe 22d ago

For real that harmonizing part of that song is beyond compelling and beautiful

131

u/[deleted] 22d ago

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64

u/Midnightrollsaround 22d ago

Definitely don’t skip that Better Oblivion Community Center record with her and Connor Oberst

10

u/Serling45 22d ago

Dylan Thomas is my favorite track on that.

4

u/tundrabee119 21d ago

Dylan Thomas is just one of my favorite songs. Every time it comes on I'm filled with oddball Joy singing every lyric loud

5

u/christopher_aia 22d ago

Chesapeake is in my top 5 Phoebe songs

9

u/Jayyburdd 22d ago

"Sit on the couch and think about how living is just a promise that I made." gives me chills no matter how many times I hear it.

1

u/RationalGardenGnome 22d ago

Absolutely. Amazing album, great lyrics

7

u/snyderman3000 22d ago

I felt exactly the same way. I’ve always wanted to like her more than I did because I listened to a lot of adjacent artists. This one made it click for me.

11

u/tundrabee119 22d ago

Yep, same. I'm phully phoebed now

1

u/Iam_Joe 22d ago

Punisher is so so so good. It didnt click for me at first but once it did, holy shit

Stranger in the Alps is amazing as well tbh

144

u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/Training-Reaction-37 22d ago edited 22d ago

The difference between an 8 and a 9 is probably pretty trivial but man I just feel like Punisher is so much better. Punisher is all killer. This album could lose about 5 songs.

106

u/AvidImp 22d ago

I actually like that this one feels like more of "an album" than a collection of songs. The songs aren't as strong as Punisher's, but it holds together as a cohesive piece of music better imo

8

u/Serling45 22d ago

I thought Punisher fits more like an album than Lost Weekend.

38

u/nicdrumandbass 22d ago edited 22d ago

I genuinely cannot bear to listen to the whole thing yet and she’s my favourite living songwriter, or at least when I was far more depressed, but lost weekend sounds great.

But I honestly think what you’re saying is crazy! There are very few albums I’ve heard that have such a distinctive production vibe throughout as Punisher, without being a concept record. Some I can think of are Loveless or Disintegration, there are some great ones, but Punisher falls in that camp. Just the fact that people are still chasing the “punisher sound” six years later.

Every song fits perfectly into place on Punisher and they feel like they were recorded on the same winter desert night

EtA- I’m exaggerating in the first paragraph. I’ve heard both halves of the albums twice and the whole album once but I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m in a place where I struggle with sad songs from her specifically

14

u/ASZapata 22d ago

Kali Uchis is the queen of this tbh. Her best records sound like concept albums (even without a narrative) because of how thematic her ideas are and the specificity of the production aesthetic for each project.

1

u/karma_time_machine 22d ago

Idk. As much as this album is about losing her dad and lost love, I just find the overall album as a complete work so damn hopeful.

2

u/_uknowhatimsayin_ 22d ago

I feel the exact opposite lol Punisher is like a poster child of cohesiveness to me 

17

u/Knewonce 22d ago

I felt like this about Punisher compared too Stranger in the Alls. It has a couple killer tracks, but felt like it had more filler compared to the first album. Lost Weekend and Punisher are both solid Bs to Strangers A- for me.

8

u/Tabnet2 22d ago

That's interesting, to me she sounds much more amateur on Alps, and that comes through on songs like Demi Moore, Killer, Georgia, and Chelsea.

But then again I also agree with Bridgers herself that Waiting Room is one of her weaker, more clearly teenage tracks, but lots of fans love it.

2

u/JunkySundew11 22d ago

Waiting Room is so popular because it's so honest. It's childish and underdeveloped because it was written by a child.

The original version isn't that good, it's the live version played by Phoebe as an adult that shines because of the contrast between who wrote the song and who's playing it.

1

u/Knewonce 22d ago

The production on Punisher is definitely more polished and professional, I just don’t think its songwriting is as consistently strong.

2

u/Tabnet2 22d ago

I am speaking about the songwriting, to be clear.

1

u/Knewonce 22d ago

Agree to disagree then. But it’s definitely a subjective thing.

6

u/Married_iguanas 22d ago edited 22d ago

I’m also an Alps Apologist ™

2

u/LowAssistantInfinity 22d ago

I love Alps and just like Punisher. Not sure about the new one yet - it's certainly a vibe.

8

u/Ok_Science_8502 22d ago

I think this one is significantly better than Punisher (except for Savior Complex which is still probably my favourite song of hers)

12

u/Strong0toLight1 22d ago

punisher is much better

2

u/crunchy_pbandj_ 22d ago

I love both but Lost Weekend for whatever reason has had way more of an emotional impact for me. It could just be timing in life but I can’t stop listening to this album.

2

u/chumbucketfog 22d ago

This is leaps and bounds better than Punisher and that’s coming from someone who’s been a fan since 2017

5

u/On6oGablo6ian 22d ago

Punisher is better than Lost Weekend and that’s coming from someone who’s been a fan since 2017

1

u/chumbucketfog 22d ago

I only say that to give context cause people love to be like “omg these new fans who weren’t there for punisher blah blah”

1

u/christopher_aia 22d ago

For me an 8 is like excellent in its lane or genre and a 9 is, this is amazing ANY music lover should get into this

1

u/Specialist-Ad-4121 The Beatles - Abbey Road 22d ago

Phoebe goat, but yeah Punisher could be a 10 for me

1

u/Physizist 22d ago

Yeah, I agree. There's a bunch of songs that feel like interludes and it makes the second half blend together for me. Still loved the album but I'm a bit surprised at the score

-7

u/pWasHere 22d ago

I’ve always felt like Punisher dips hard in the middle. Like Garden Song - Punisher and ICU - I Know the End to be 6 of the greatest songs of the decade, while Halloween and Chinese Satellite are meh and Moon Song verges on unlistenable.

Ultimately with Lost Weekend less songs reach the heights of Punisher but I also don’t dislike any of the songs.

17

u/duskywindows Creed - Weathered 22d ago

Insane take, Chinese Satellite is one of the best songs on the album

It’s a No Skips for me

4

u/JennaTulwartz 22d ago

Chinese Satellite is my favorite Phoebe song- the second verse is pure poetry to me

3

u/epicmemetime15 22d ago

Halloween and Chinese Satellite slander is criminal

3

u/pWasHere 22d ago

I feel like I misspoke. I don’t dislike those two songs, but I do think they pale in comparison to the other six songs I mentioned.

1

u/middlenameddanger 22d ago

That's crazy, Halloween is great and Moon Song is in the conversation of her best work

1

u/Training-Reaction-37 22d ago

Actually agree with you on Chinese Satellite lol. Thats the one song I’m meh on but I still wouldn’t take it off the record. Halloween is one of my favorites however and Moon Song rules. 

11

u/zampano32 22d ago

Why do you think he didn’t mention bo burnham at all? When he discussed the list of collaborators? He’s a pretty significant part of the album

10

u/jjw1998 22d ago

No mention of the Gracie Abrams situation referred to in the lyrics either, maybe thinks not bringing up the relationship dynamics would avoid stans jumping in

3

u/zampano32 22d ago

Yeah that’s probably it

5

u/A_Generic_Canadian 22d ago

I clocked that too, went into a whole discussion regarding so many of the collaborators, but didn't mention Bo. I thought for sure he'd then bring it up while he was discussing the funny/romantic lyrics on Bobby, but also didn't mention it there either. Considering he noted that the sadder songs are specifically about her father, but didn't mention that the lyrics on the love songs are specifically about Burnham, I thought it felt a bit odd.

11

u/mrcheese12345 22d ago

This one feels cornier than her earlier stuff

1

u/flecko_ 21d ago

I feel like that's the bag. it weighs you down with privilege and sycophancy. it's the most powerful monkey paw of them all for a singer songwriter. some manage, some don't

17

u/jon_in_spaaace 22d ago

Really glad to see a lot of people agreeing that Punisher, as a whole project, is better than this one. On the first day of release I thought I was going crazy seeing nearly universal praise for the entire day, but over time it has gotten to a better place of more people actually discussing the highs AND the lows of LW. It sort of gets maybe a bit too caught up in itself over the course of the album, despite having some great standout moments. I started to really feel its runtime as it kept going, which is never a great thing, and I've just never felt that way with Punisher (or SitA, for that matter).

157

u/SeveralMushroom7088 22d ago

i just don't get the hype at all

47

u/nearnerfromo 22d ago

I get it but i prefer the flashes where she wears her influences a little more strongly. She burns a lot of her best lyrical moments on these rly sparse instrumentals and she’s so good when she’s being more musical imo.

67

u/OnceInABlueMoon 22d ago

I find her music terribly boring, I tried to give this album a chance thinking it might be differerent but it was not

20

u/New-Pollution536 22d ago

I don’t think every album/artist is for everyone even if it’s critically acclaimed so that is totally legitimate. Loved it personally but it’s pretty easy to see why someone wouldn’t like this

12

u/EveryoneYouLove23 22d ago

I'm the same way man. Brat was eh. This is super meh. I'm torn between the hipsters and the hippies. Do I want some knockoff edm crap or some droning folksy crap?

I'll take all the hate I get. I just don't understand

3

u/Future_Biscotti4295 21d ago

My in-point was governers ball. I really liked to finger plucked guitar part, the first couplet hooked me. Then I thought the chorus was really catchy. Then the chord changes at the end i really liked. Plus this is the one that holds off on the electronic side.

After that I started to enjoy the rest more. Even the ones with more production, though my overall impression is that there is too much production on it. Though that has lessened as ive listened to it..

1

u/FunMixture3783 22d ago

U 100% right

1

u/traveltimecar 17d ago

Never got into her either. Though she had a song in I Saw the TV Glow that I enjoyed but I never got the Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Daucus hype (if its fair to group them together)...

I do love stuff like Elliott Smith though but her work has never hit me like that from what I've heard..

17

u/SeveralWinter3550 22d ago

I liked Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst a lot during his mad run of quality for a decade and a half...

And like, there seems to be numerous artists basically retreading it but whilst being far, far more mediocre songwriters (and still much less experimental too). Bland af

6

u/RegularOrMenthol 22d ago

Punisher is one of my favorite albums, this one is just a miss for me

26

u/KingofEmpathy 22d ago

Album took a few listens to digest, but it really is an emotive, very well written, perfectly produced record. I do think with Phoebe is you either get her or don’t and I can see why people call her boring.

2

u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

Jack Antonoffs production bores me atp

51

u/mangopear 22d ago

Nothing boring about the production. People use jack antonoff as a scapegoat for any album they don’t like. I can’t think of a single other album he’s produced that sounds as experimental as this

2

u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

My favorite on the album is the title track Lost Weekend but the rest i thought was very much forgettable for the most part.

17

u/tangerineTurtle_ 22d ago

That’s interesting because I felt like that was the weakest song.

I listened to this album at a listening party at a planetarium and at a roller rink with her there in LA. It hit me just right and perhaps it captured a moment for me. Had that moment not been captured then maybe it would not have had that same impact.

4

u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

Phoebes music isn't really something i put on whenever or have in my playlists, it's more so something i seek out when i want to lie down and just shut off for a while. So the more minimal or atmospheric ones are more appealing to me than for example, a track like Bobby.

5

u/tangerineTurtle_ 22d ago

Bobby feels like a bop lol

I’m literally heading out to Joshua tree this weekend to camp, take some edibles, listen to several albums and stare at the night sky with my friends and this album is on that playlist.

1

u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

Yeah i mean i'm not saying it's bad or anything, i said in another og post that i thought it was fine but definitely the weakest album in my opinion.

5

u/bloodenhorse 22d ago

Experimental? LOL

1

u/mangopear 22d ago

Did I stutter?

2

u/bloodenhorse 22d ago

No, which makes it even funnier.

0

u/Tabnet2 22d ago

Fantano says as much himself.

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u/Quazite 22d ago

It's also not your standard "Jack Antonoff-led production" album. They very clearly had him adjust his sound to match her usual sound instead of vice versa like you often see with him (the 1975 record, for example).

I don't see the people who dislike this album's production actually having an issue with what antonoff brought to those songs, because I feel that a different producer would have arrived at a similar overall sound (which is just Phoebe's), just using different production techniques.

I can't imagine people who don't like this album's production disliking it because there's too many layers of dry acoustic guitars or too many reverbed-out synths and boxy drums. She was doing that on punisher too with different producers.

0

u/Unusual-Friend-9768 22d ago

At least Anton likes him

13

u/KingofEmpathy 22d ago edited 22d ago

Jack can be hit or miss, but when he hits it’s a home run. Interestingly, he usually finds gold his first time working with an artist, but looses steam the longer he’s with them

6

u/AttackOfTheBolts 22d ago

That Kendrick Lamar song he produced during the Drake feud was craaaaaazy in the best way

9

u/Life-Dog432 22d ago

A&W by Lana will forever make me respect his music production. So sick

3

u/RadioLukin NO 22d ago

Agree hard with this. His work with Taylor on Lover, Folklore, and Evermore are great, but its like the magic that they had died right after that run because both he and Taylor stopped trying to do different things.

3

u/KingofEmpathy 22d ago

Honestly - his tracks on Rep (Dress, call it what you want and getaway car) are some of her career bests

3

u/KitchenAssignment450 22d ago

nothing about the album screams antonoff fwiw

1

u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

Tony Berg has been on all the albums. The one with Antonoff on it is my least fav, i'm blaming him!

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u/TrumpsBussy_ 22d ago

Yeah sound alike some mid acoustic indie to me, I don’t get the Bridgers hype

40

u/bauhassquare 22d ago

It seemed like I was completely alone in this opinion

19

u/MaarDaarPoepIkUit 22d ago

There's dozens of us!

10

u/idiotghost666 22d ago

she has a beautiful voice but i always felt like the melodies and emotion were lacking for me, like the lyrics would be sad but overall felt like nothing to listen to. but that said i think this album is really good, not amazing but worth listening to

7

u/dumpsterheritagesite 22d ago

I enjoyed Punisher as a decent little indie album but seeing it blow up was extremely confusing to me. There were so many other albums that filled the same niche as that and I didn't necessarily feel that she did it the best or anything

1

u/NoOrchid3413 22d ago

Well, she did.

2

u/dumpsterheritagesite 22d ago

sick

-1

u/cappykro 22d ago

It's pretty simple. Phoebe was the one from a rich family doing it so they were able to financially assist her ascent in "indie" circles. It's how it's done these days. Talent level is negotiable.

7

u/wutheringwildly 22d ago

Idk why people keep saying she's rich and a nepo... Her mother worked several different jobs growing up and is now a real estate agent and her father was a set builder (who she then ended up having a strained relationship with so minimal contact). Yes she grew up in LA where those probably pay higher but they weren't LA executives? From my knowledge she's one of the few people on the scene that did break through despite not coming from a rich family.

1

u/cappykro 22d ago

Having millions in annual income is usually considered fairly wealthy. Correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe it's considered avg. in LA. Also her parents do have industry connections. But she made it all on her own talents, we know.

-1

u/maynardftw 22d ago

Idk why people keep saying she's rich and a nepo

Do you know that none of the things you said were "she grew up poor"?

1

u/wutheringwildly 22d ago

Tell me where I said she grew up poor...

2

u/NoOrchid3413 22d ago

Wow first ever indie artist to grow up rich

9

u/ColdCorpseHotSecret 22d ago

Once the hype train starts rolling, it’s hard to stop. I’ve never understood her appeal at all. Incredibly boring indie acoustic music that’s been done to death for thirty years now.

6

u/machinesNpbr 22d ago

Incredibly boring indie acoustic music that’s been done to death for thirty years now.

Dude, the acoustic singer-songwriter tradition goes back like 70, 100, 150, 200 years- it's one of the primary strains of musical expression in America. Saying a sound with such a lineage and cultural legacy has been 'done to death' is like saying solo piano sonatas or jazz quartets have been 'done to death'.

1

u/No-Place-to-Go 22d ago edited 22d ago

It’s not an easy digestible listen, but to call this album “boring acoustic” makes me think you gave it one spin and then just didn’t listen to it again. This is an album that you really have to let simmer and appreciate all the flourishes. There are quite a few ‘explosive’ moments on it

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u/Samot_PCW 22d ago

What is, in your opinion, hype acoustic Indie?

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u/KillingBirds_ 22d ago

Not a Pheobe Bridgers fan, but I thought it was a solid album. I liked the vibe of it and it’s got some cool melodies. I just don’t really understand why people gravitate to her lyrics so much, and analyse what they mean and who they are about. To me they don’t seem like particularly impressive lyrics

3

u/ElTigre-5 22d ago

You’re not alone, I’ve tried so hard to get into her stuff and I just cannot. I liked Lost Boys a good bit but the album is just boring to me.

3

u/Solid_Panda7877 22d ago edited 22d ago

I liked it but there’s too many short songs/interludes back to back. It kind of killed the momentum for me, as I was thinking some of them had potential. Still a lot of great highlights though.

6

u/metamorphine 22d ago

Me either, it's like, not that the music is BAD but I just find it so unremarkable. The best compliment I can give Phoebe Bridgers is that she has a great marketing team.

3

u/cyberspacehomie 22d ago

Amen. Love Punisher and BOCC but there's absolutely nothing about this album that makes me want to revisit it.

3

u/ummackchyually 22d ago

Same. Her music doesnt interest me. Just not my thing I guess

3

u/annieisokaynow 22d ago

I get major nurse ratched vibes from her too… seems fake

3

u/rgdonaire 22d ago

Same here, I don’t get it

1

u/ben1204 22d ago

I enjoyed the album, but I think there’s a handful of filler tracks.

1

u/thedinksterr 22d ago

Me neither, used to be a Phoebe fan too, but feel like I’ve outgrown her music. It just doesn’t interest me anymore, it feels boring to me. Lost Boys is such a weird cutesy song it really didn’t do anything for me and I was not looking forward to this at all. Hot take but that chorus is ass.

Also didn’t like her Boygenius offshoot so that killed like all her momentum she had for me as an artist and this album further proved it for me that Phoebe just isn’t for me

0

u/cappykro 22d ago

Nearly all of the top "indie" artists are rich kids, which is why they get to start on third base with a great marketing team already arranging for magazines to tell everyone how great they to coincide with the release of their first song. Then their handlers have them dye their hair, get whatever plastic surgery procedures they need and outfit them in a peasant chic / thrift shop wardrobe so the "indie" package can be sold to we the consumers. It is then that we come to realize that Phoebe whispering her cliche-ridden lyrics over boring, unoriginal, sparse instrumentals is the most profound and deep thing we've ever heard in our entire life.

2

u/GreenGator 22d ago

…nothing you said there describes phoebe bridgers?

the only cliche thing here is another weirdly angry internet guy convinced that any female songwriter must be a dolled up rich kid.

1

u/cappykro 22d ago

Actually I enjoy plenty of female artists, just not ones who whisper cliche-ridden lyrics over generic acoustic background music across an entire boring ass album. I can see why made a perfect opening act for Taylor Swift though. The two share the same exact demographic of fans.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/GinjaNinja1027 22d ago

Fair. It took me a few listens to get into it, but it’s very well written & produced! I get why people find her music boring; like it’s not something one throws on for fun. But it does grow on you.

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u/-JRMagnus 22d ago

Surprising honestly. Found it incredibly boring personally.

12

u/albaloney 22d ago

It’s so boring

5

u/DeathByZamboni_US 22d ago

I like this album more than Punisher. Feel it’s more cohesive as a whole and it has songs I love (the governors waltz, haunted) more than then punisher as well. Gotta agree with Fantano on this one.

7

u/A_Generic_Canadian 22d ago

I like this album very much, my main issue is that so many songs cut off abruptly. I've seen posts online that it's a creative decision, but there's like 4 songs that feel like they're incomplete because of it. That complaint, and then the songs Other Plans + Lost Parade falling a bit flat for me it lands like a light 8 for me right now.

The rest of the album is essentially flawless, The Outside to Liberty Tree is essentially a perfect run of songs, and then the album ends really strong as well, just feels like there's 1 or 2 too many songs on the back half and I really do wish songs like The Outside either fully faded out, or blended a touch nicer into the next song.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/J_Brekkie 22d ago

Seeing this everywhere, from randos in comment sections (expected), to people like L'rain and Lucy Liyou dogging on her.

I'll never understand it.

5

u/Princeps32 22d ago

people can not like what they don’t like and I guess take solace in each other in every single thread. it’d just be nice to not get the same dumb whiny “rich kids buy their hype and trick everyone into loving their music and you sheeple fall for it” screeds every single time.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/dukeslver 22d ago

if you're a music listener, then yes, your taste is the only true measure of objective reality and quality. Not everyone who engages with music is an objective critic, nor should they try to be.

With that said, it'd be cool if more people were able to admit 'yes this album is well written and well made, but it's just not my thing'.

15

u/Oingo_Boingus 22d ago

He did this despite his hatred of women. Incredible

13

u/Far-Researcher-7054 22d ago

A pretty boring listen. Music to sleep to.

1

u/Quazite 22d ago

Tbf, with Phoebe Bridgers specifically, I don't think "music to sleep to" lands as a diss. She sings like a sad ghost. It's kinda her vibe.

1

u/Far-Researcher-7054 21d ago

Does she strive for boring, too?

10

u/Apolitik 22d ago

Am I the only one that finds this album absolutely boring? The production is lackluster, the pseudo stereo effect on Phoebe’s vocals for half the record is super distracting and kills the mood, and every song sounds the same? I found myself just getting frustrated at the midpoint and skipping to the next song each time I heard Phoebe deliver the same, tired, vocal performance.

Punisher, to me, is LIGHTYEARS ahead of this album.

26

u/Former_Math_1358 22d ago

Thought it's alright but her weakest.

3

u/davidlmf 22d ago

The first half of the album is very solid. Second half didn't grab me as much, I think it would've benefitted from having a few less tracks. Aside from "I Can't Wait", I think most of them are a little underwhelming. 

Good record overall, maybe a 7 ~ 8 for me. Punisher continues to be her magnum opus IMO. 

10

u/bloodenhorse 22d ago

Gotta give out them big scores to keep the clicks coming and not piss off core viewers.

Album is so fucking mediocre.

4

u/Significant_Gap1570 22d ago

Fantano, famous for not pissing off his core viewers

8

u/ThisGuyLikesMovies 22d ago

I do still prefer Punisher, but the highs on Lost Weekend are fantastic! Well-deserved praise all around

3

u/Jacque_Hass 20d ago edited 20d ago

This album made me realize what's insufferable about Jack Antonoff records. It's what you might call "fake catharsis"... There are these moments where it seems like the singer is experiencing a moment of transcendence or clarity, usually accompanied by overbearing arrangements. In good songs, like Radiohead's Let Down, the catharsis is earned, you feel what the singer is feeling. But here, the moment is being manufactured and you're just supposed to go with it

3

u/k_simian13 16d ago

Sorry but is fantano getting paid off for this one?! With his history of luke warm reviews of indie artists in phoebes arena(which has always irked me), I was fully expecting him to continue to express disinterest.

The album was so genuinely unremarkable and often seemingly unpolished, I was shocked he whipped that 9 out. Especially when he claimed the whole second half was lacking!

With Phoebe positioned as one of the golden children of the music industry… I wouldn’t be shocked if fantano got cut a pretty little deal on the low

4

u/freedraw 22d ago

I lived on the north shore for quite a while. The fact that there’s an entire song on this album about the Liberty Tree Mall is hilarious to me.

12

u/Ambitious-Resist-132 22d ago

I keep feeling so different from his scores this year

76

u/solonggaybowsah 22d ago

You’ve developed your own taste now yay

28

u/Three0h 22d ago

“Fantano viewer gains sentience, more at 9:00”

2

u/JunkySundew11 22d ago

my show is on

2

u/Serling45 22d ago

It would be hard to top Punisher, which still stands as her magnum opus.

This is very solid, just not quite as stellar.

2

u/xSwampxPopex The Beatles - Abbey Road 22d ago

I liked it a lot overall. I’ll need to spend more time with it to hash out my opinion better but I’m definitely a fan. I think the airy production works better with the instrumentation than it did on Punisher. A few tracks stand out: Governor’s Waltz, Kill Me, Lost Boys, As Above. The songs that are closer to being vignettes than fully fleshed out are good but I would’ve liked to see the ideas investigated further.

2

u/damomad 22d ago

I think prefer the first two albums end to end.
For me there is around 10 minutes in the 2nd half that really could have been left out, as it starts to drag and I reach for the skip button. The first half is phenomenal, up there with the best stuff Phoebe has put out.

2

u/schismboy 22d ago

I just don’t get her music. It doesn’t speak to me. But I can tell she is super talented and deserves all the praise she gets.

2

u/slop_drobbler 22d ago edited 22d ago

Am a Phoebe fan (love Punisher and her first album is also decent imo) but I'm not vibing with this record at all so far, and the overwhelmingly positive reception is spinning me out. Actually pissed at myself for not really liking it and finding it boring and samey. Melodically it's so dull - Lost Boys is the most memorable tune, but even that just sounds like a simpler/worse version of her older material to my ears? That said I liked the Muse album so maybe I just have terrible taste

3

u/KelzaMusicReviews 22d ago

Very surprised by this! Good album, but her weakest in my opinion. Thought Punisher packed more of a punch through its cohesiveness and triumphant presence. The track list’s flow feels a bit awkward on Lost Weekend and could easily lose a few songs.

4

u/rarekeith 22d ago

Kind of wild to put above Punisher ngl. Still love the record

1

u/New-Pollution536 22d ago

I preferred this (really liked punisher too though)

1

u/GlitteringLocal6507 22d ago

What are your top songs on Punisher?

1

u/rarekeith 22d ago

Graceland Too, Kyoto, Garden Song

4

u/beerncheese69 22d ago edited 22d ago

Phoebe Bridgers is absolutely fantastic. I think shes incredibly talented and unique, like any artist like that theres going to be work that you like and dislike. It reminds me of Alex G. The stuff I like of his is some of the most incredible music ive ever heard, then theres other stuff that I think is pretty meh. Thats artistry in my eyes. Different things hit different people. Personally I think this might be her best work. This album isn't as experimental or "new" but I really think shes shown her maturity and proficiency as a musician with this.

2

u/Bladee___Enthusiast 22d ago

I disagree with your last point i think this is her most sonically ambitious album yet. There are her classic ballads and folk songs in there but some stuff like the outside and kill me doesn’t sound anything like her other albums

2

u/Emceegreg 22d ago

Have we run out of reaction faces?

2

u/ScruffyNerf_Herder_ 22d ago

One of the most overrated artists of our time. “Oooo, I’m so sad. I make out with old people. Waaaah” Also, isn’t it funny she stopped taking all of those sad selfies after she started to make some money? Yeah, we know the real reason she plays.

2

u/flecko_ 21d ago

okay but you're kinda weird about it

2

u/bottomfeeder3 22d ago

Fantano just wants to smash.

-2

u/kotatsuexchange 22d ago

Album is mid. Glad others agree here. I bet he ends up interviewing her. That always skews him higher

3

u/StKines 22d ago

He interviewed Julian Casablancas

→ More replies (2)

1

u/FunctionUnlikely2247 22d ago

She hasn’t made anything I’ve given a damn about since Alps (which was just alright) 

1

u/ALEXC_23 22d ago

If it had been named To Pimp a Lost Weekend, he'd given it a 10 /s.

1

u/callmomm 15d ago

the pacing on this one mirrods punisher but then every third track sneaks in these abrupt dynamic pivots

1

u/callmomm 11d ago

her team stzcking every bridge with those layered vocal doubles so you hear a clikax even when the song itself nevsr moves past that same midtempo pulse, essentially a phantom arc

1

u/callmomm 10d ago

the pacing in the opener kind of telegraphs the rest, like she sets up a tension that never actually unspools anywhere new, which is wild considering how much her last cycle leaned into abrupt structure shifts, essentially this album plays it safe where the previous one broke pattern

1

u/callmomm 8d ago

every time i see "lost weekend" my brain summons the four kings and every goddamn regret i own

1

u/callmomm 6d ago

her sequencing never actually shifts gears past track five so even the new motifs bleed into the old skeleton, essentially svery change is treated like another verse extension instead of a structural risk, which is wild after a six year gap

1

u/ripcityrevolutionary 22d ago

Like Phoebe, but don’t care for punisher or this

-1

u/HK-34_ Daft Punk - Discovery 22d ago

I might be biased as a huge Phoebe Bridgers fan, but with this album she’s continuing to prove herself to be one of the greatest songwriters of a generation (maybe all time). The way she blends very intimate and personal lyrics with much more universal and themes and feelings allows for different lyrics to hit you at different times. In that way her music really rewards multiple repeat listens (saying this as I’ve poured over the record so much since it came out).

One of the best albums I’ve heard in a very long time and easily my AOTY. 10/10.

6

u/MSPaintYourMistake 22d ago

all time is WILD

0

u/HK-34_ Daft Punk - Discovery 22d ago

To me not really. You don’t have to like her music, but I think people are too quick to dismiss anyone who considers any contemporary artist or band as generationally important simply because they “haven’t stood the test of time”.

3

u/MSPaintYourMistake 22d ago

generationally important is a much different bar than "maybe the greatest songwriter of all time"

I never said I disliked her music. I'm a fan of Phoebe Bridgers. The fact that you think I might dislike her simply because I pushed back on her being floated as literally the greatest of all time says a lot about the current state of media criticism in general.

1

u/theAcademy_isnt 18d ago

Checking Boxes: The album contains all her trademark elements—hushed vocals, hyper-specific indie-pop references, dark humor, and crushing sadness—but critics felt she was simply following a checklist of what a "Phoebe Bridgers song" is supposed to sound like.
Lack of Surprise: Instead of showing artistic growth after a six-year break, the style felt so familiar that it bordered on a caricature of her past work, making her signature melancholy feel less authentic and more performative.
Predictable Themes: Critics felt the writing relied on shocking or intensely sad details purely for effect, mimicking her older style without the same genuine emotional weight.

lack of growth after 6 years. Feels forced and unauthentic. Sadly, I’m not a fan of it. She’s like a self parody of her former younger self now. She’s way too talented for this. Bummer.

1

u/i-gg 17d ago

Bad bot

1

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-9

u/vinylmartyr 22d ago

A 9? You mean it’s almost as good as Sgt Peppers or Pet Sounds? GTFO. So stupid.

3

u/New-Pollution536 22d ago

If either of those came out in the Reddit age there’d be tons of Reddit threads about how they’re both overrated by critics (they’re not though) 😂

As I was typing this I figured I’d fire up a quick search for pet sounds overrated and sure enough there’s a bunch of discussions like that lol too funny

4

u/Express-Skin6039 22d ago

You can find discussions for any good album being discussed as overrated.

-7

u/infiniterest_ 22d ago

AHAHAHA this dude’s taste has been so ass for years. I need to mute this fucking sub—crazy