“The Maybe Man” album was released Nov 10 and is the newest album for the alternative rock band AJR. This album is the fifth album released by AJR and is sure to feature some of their best sounding songs to date. With that being said, here is how the songs rank up:
#12: Turning Out Pt. iii
This song was very slow and never quite built up to a true climax worth waiting around for. It does carry some novelty as it is part of a series of three songs now stretching across three albums, but hopefully if they make another “turning out” it will be better.
#11: Hole in the Bottom of My Brain
This song was a little bit better aligned with the feeling of the album as a whole, but once again it just fell short. The song felt more like a filler song to play when the band needs a break from its usual high-energy songs that have got them to where they are.
#10: I Won’t
This song had a rhythm that was worth sitting through and a beat of a song someone could put on during a workout. It fell a little short as it felt like the lead singer, Jack, never really got into it as much as on other tracks. This was one of the first songs which felt like it built to something, even if it was a little lackluster.
#9: Yes I’m A Mess
This was the song AJR chose to play on the Jimmy Fallon show and is arguably one of the most popular songs in the album. However, it just didn’t feel like the best song stacked up against the others. It was played a lot on the radio and had a catchy whistle throughout the song but ultimately just didn’t feel like a reflection of the album.
#8: Touchy Feely Fool
We’ve now reached the part of the album where any of the songs could be listened to on repeat without any complaint. Touchy Feely Fool is a fun song with a clap along beat. Jack really starts to put some power behind his vocals followed by some good harmonies with the other singers. There aren’t really any complaints, but it didn’t have a super part of the song to propel it up in the list.
#7: God is Really Real
This song was one of the songs in the album that was released originally as a single. It was a beautiful song to commemorate the loss of AJR’s dad right before they had the chance to release the album. It painted a beautiful picture of how they were dealing with the situation and could hit home with any person in a similar situation.
#6: The DJ is Crying for Help
This song feels like you’re floating through life. It is one of the songs that really embodies the style of the album and AJR as a whole. A medley of different instruments are used throughout the song, but the use of the violin really stands out. It sets the tone in the biggest moments and helps with an amazing build up to the end of the song.
#5: Steve’s Going to London
This song carries good humor, joking about random events and making fun of songs about writing songs while “Steve’s Going to London” is essentially about writing songs. Overall, it has a great build and uses the tempo of various parts of the song to build its appeal. Once again, an instrument which sounds like a sped up trumpet helps steal the show around the most fun parts of the song.
#4: 2085
The final four songs just feel as if they are on a different level compared to the rest of the album. 2085 is the conclusion to the album and it is written to wrap up a show. The first half of the song is a little slower and feels like it is just wrapping up a night out. But when it reaches right around 2:30 left in the over five-minute song, the whole vibe changes. It shares a very similar ending to the first song in the album giving the listener the perfect closure to end the album.
#3: Maybe Man
Maybe Man is both the introduction to the album and the name of the album itself. It has a constant sense of building up and with both the vocals and background ticking it builds suspense. It is a song about struggling with going through life and living in your dreams. As the song comes near the end, it sounds as if Jack has reached an understanding which gives way to pandamonium and the best ending to any of the songs in the album. All the lyrics also act as a table of contents for each of the songs in the album, as the band wanted to use it to give context to the album as a whole.
#2: The Dumb Song
The Dumb Song is anything but a dumb song. It is a very funny song, but it is a song you can’t help but dance to every time. Everything in this song just works, and the more you listen to it, the better it gets. It utilizes every tool they have in their bag from harmonies to instrumentals of all sorts to just their energy in general.
#1: Inertia
This is without a doubt the best song in the album. It was a track which AJR admitted was almost not even going to make the album. Thank goodness it made the album. There is just something about how much energy there is behind this song. It is one you want to crank up to full volume to listen to. It does a great job of having energy throughout, but then reaching a climax and letting all of the strings come loose. It will without a doubt be one of the loudest songs sung whenever they perform.
