Ross Gebhart

The first episode of The Bear season 3 rekindled my love for this album. Watching the episode and listening to Together on repeat was sublime.

What an incredibly emotive listening experience. Sean writes these low key acoustic ballads that explode into emotional fireballs. On the track More I See, that driving emotional tension starts with the first strum of the guitar and just keeps ratcheting up the feels until that first chorus bursts into life. This is also one of my favorite albums to throw on the record player and jam along with on my Martin.

What is it about this album that is so damn amazing? Maybe it is the sultry and atmospheric musical alchemy that Mark Hollis conjures up with every burst of guitar strums and erupting harmonica solo? Or maybe it's that 90% of this album is spent building up tension and 10% is glorious release?

One of my favorite adult bands soundtracks one of my favorite childhood cartoons. The beeps and boops on this album are head bobbing.

One of my all-time favorite records. I often imagine myself sitting in Emmylou's living room during the recording of this album and watching Larry Mullins track drums with Daniel Lanois while Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Neil Young are all sharing a joint and a guitar.

This album perfectly soundtracks an angsty and spiritually rebellious time in my youth. Not much chance for survival if the Neon Bible is true.

Not that this album even needed the extra star power, but the Emmylou and Bono tracks put this record into the upper echelon of lyricism and musicianship.

The highlight of this album for me is that emotive, dueling saxophone/guitar solo over a Yamaha DX7 chord bed.

I still think some of the lyrics on this album are hauntingly prescient of future events. Also, who can match lyrics like: I'm an American aquarium drinker, I assassin down the avenue?