Sam Fender

[Johndenis]

Due to enthusiasm on here, gave Sam a proper listen a few days ago. Was very underwhelmed. I thought "hypersonic missiles" was a big tune but theres far too much whooping, like a Lumineers song from a decade ago. Drop off in quality from "seventeen going under" to anything else feels quite severe

[Superscally]

Big fan of Something Heavy...

Edited February 21, 2025 by Superscally

[NorthernSoul52]

Crumbling Empire might be my early highlight beyond the title track. 

[aident93]

48 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Crumbling Empire might be my early highlight beyond the title track. 

I'd agree. None of the album tracks jump out other than this. 

Edited February 21, 2025 by aident93

[sisco]

8 hours ago, Superscally said:

Big fan of Something Heavy...

Agreed

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, aident93 said:

I'd agree.

The guitar figure and shape is curiously reminiscent of Follow You, Follow Me by Genesis, but it builds into something far more melancholic and lovelorn.

[NorthernSoul52]

At first flush, if he's sticking to less than a dozen and a half songs, I'd assume this summer's shows will roughly look like:

 

1 People Watching

2 Getting Started

3 The Borders

4 Nostalgia's Lie

5 Spit of You

6 Dead Boys

7 Crumbling Empire

8 Spice

9 Howdon Aldi Death Queue

10 Wild Long Lie

11 Get You Down

12 Will We Talk?

13 Arm's Length

14 Seventeen Going Under

 

15 Remember My Name

16 Hypersonic Missiles

 

Still really not sold on Remember My Name over The Dying Light yet. The latter has that full E Street rush to it that seems like it would clear hurdles better live.

[danbailey80]

26 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

At first flush, if he's sticking to less than a dozen and a half songs, I'd assume this summer's shows will roughly look like:

 

1 People Watching

2 Getting Started

3 The Borders

4 Nostalgia's Lie

5 Spit of You

6 Dead Boys

7 Crumbling Empire

8 Spice

9 Howdon Aldi Death Queue

10 Wild Long Lie

11 Get You Down

12 Will We Talk?

13 Arm's Length

14 Seventeen Going Under

 

15 Remember My Name

16 Hypersonic Missiles

 

Still really not sold on Remember My Name over The Dying Light yet. The latter has that full E Street rush to it that seems like it would clear hurdles better live.

Please can we lose Howden f**king Aldi. 
 

it’s one of his weakest songs. Surely he needs to move on the Spice and Howden duo. He has other rockier songs he could play. 

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, danbailey80 said:

Please can we lose Howden f**king Aldi. 
 

it’s one of his weakest songs. Surely he needs to move on the Spice and Howden duo. He has other rockier songs he could play. 

Oh, in a month of Sundays, he should toss both. I'd rather ditch them, keep The Dying Light and toss in something else with a bit of propulsion, given the two together are basically one five-minute throwaway.

[Mr SnoozySquid]

I think TV Dinner is a real standout that pushes the album somewhere new

[NorthernSoul52]

Yeah, a second listen does a nice job there.

 

I'll say this - for me, it is his best album. I think, if you said name the ten best Sam Fender songs, only two or maybe three get in the conversation.

 

But as a top-to-bottom long-player, there's pretty much no skips and even the softer tracks are still good. Remember My Name is the weakest for me so far, and I think a lot of that is because it's the only one that feels a little overproduced and it compares unfavourably to The Dying Light.

[Superscally]

3 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Crumbling Empire might be my early highlight beyond the title track. 

Not a big fan, but that's because it basically is a rehash of "In The Living Years"...but not as good

[Justcalledtosay]

Fender's new album hasn't grabbed me at all on first listen. Weak and sounds very War on Drugs.

Edited February 21, 2025 by Justcalledtosay

[49Lawson]

25 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Yeah, a second listen does a nice job there.

 

I'll say this - for me, it is his best album. I think, if you said name the ten best Sam Fender songs, only two or maybe three get in the conversation.

 

But as a top-to-bottom long-player, there's pretty much no skips and even the softer tracks are still good. Remember My Name is the weakest for me so far, and I think a lot of that is because it's the only one that feels a little overproduced and it compares unfavourably to The Dying Light.

Have just given it a spin and genuinely thought a similar thing about it being an 'album' vs 'a bunch of songs'. 

 

Think the album works, but it's maybe a 6/10 at best. Some of it just sounds quite samey, hardly any risks taken, and loads of the songs would die a death in the context of a stadium/outdoor gig I feel. Crumbling Empire or TV Dinner the pick of the bunch for me.

[Ayrshire Chris]

2 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

At first flush, if he's sticking to less than a dozen and a half songs, I'd assume this summer's shows will roughly look like:

 

1 People Watching

2 Getting Started

3 The Borders

4 Nostalgia's Lie

5 Spit of You

6 Dead Boys

7 Crumbling Empire

8 Spice

9 Howdon Aldi Death Queue

10 Wild Long Lie

11 Get You Down

12 Will We Talk?

13 Arm's Length

14 Seventeen Going Under

 

15 Remember My Name

16 Hypersonic Missiles

 

Still really not sold on Remember My Name over The Dying Light yet. The latter has that full E Street rush to it that seems like it would clear hurdles better live.

He might continue with the dying light as it allows him a shot on the piano with the atmospheric lighting. Certainly did it in Glasgow gig recently. I’d agree with losing the Aldi death queue .

[RossTC]

4 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Crumbling Empire might be my early highlight beyond the title track. 

This is a tune, stand out of the album tracks on first listen for me. 

[Superscally]

🎼🎶Say it loud....

Say it clear....

Crumbling Empire is just the Living Years 🎵

😄

[TheSheriff]

22 minutes ago, Superscally said:

🎼🎶Say it loud....

Say it clear....

Crumbling Empire is just the Living Years 🎵

😄

yeah getting The living Years vibes, but also getting The Ghost of Tom Joad vibes from the vocal delivery 

[thisisthesam]

Praying we don't get two hours of this in June. 

[MEGABOWL]

Very impressed. Strong all the way through. 

[thatTFBguy]

3 hours ago, danbailey80 said:

Please can we lose Howden f**king Aldi. 

 

Nah. Would happily see the back of Spice, but Death Queue is great live. I'll die on that hill. 

[TheBoz]

Anybody know if there are signed versions of the vinyl available anywhere? I can it see signed art cards on the official store

[JayDiesel]

4 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Yeah, a second listen does a nice job there.

 

I'll say this - for me, it is his best album. I think, if you said name the ten best Sam Fender songs, only two or maybe three get in the conversation.

 

But as a top-to-bottom long-player, there's pretty much no skips and even the softer tracks are still good. Remember My Name is the weakest for me so far, and I think a lot of that is because it's the only one that feels a little overproduced and it compares unfavourably to The Dying Light.

I appreciate it's about a subject close to his heart, but Remember My Name feels very Oscar-bait. Or 'Brit-bait', I guess

[NorthernSoul52]

4 hours ago, Superscally said:

Not a big fan, but that's because it basically is a rehash of "In The Living Years"...but not as good

Wrong Genesis-adjacent reference, I'd argue there.

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, JayDiesel said:

I appreciate it's about a subject close to his heart, but Remember My Name feels very Oscar-bait. Or 'Brit-bait', I guess

Remember My Name sounds like it might play over the final sequences of a sequel to Brassed Off. Think the sentiments are great, and I do love a bit of brass.

 

But the production is just a bit of a flunk.

 

Liner notes out - Adam Granduciel only credited with production on six tracks, which are People Watching, Chin Up, Wild Long Lie, Arm's Length, Crumbling Empire and TV Dinner.

 

A case of personal taste, perhaps, but they probably are the six that grab me most on a fourth spin.