I absolutely adore the album and think it's their very best yet, but most of the songs leave me wanting more... and very much more.

 

It all started with Violet Hill for me. Such a mind-blowing track, and yet over before you know it. Live it's amazing how quickly that oh-so-delicious moment's been and gone like a wafer-thin mint (must be said in a faux-French accent!) :(

 

It continues all throughout the album, almost like a theme: LiT is only half the track that (hopefully) we'll one day get; CoL finishes soon after it finally starts to soar as high as it always threatens to; Yes likewise, when it almost screams for an extended outro a la Fool's Gold or I Am the Resurrection...and I could go on and on.

 

I know - or think - or think that I know!! - just why the songs are all like this, and that that's one of the whole points of the album after the slight - and very slight - 'bloat' of x&y. And I love how you are almost forced to listen to the whole thing to get your fill of our beloved band.

 

But still, I wonder, what songs people feel are 'complete', as long as you'd ideally love them to be?

 

For me only Lost! and Viva work like that, and Strawberry Swing comes close...

 

looking forward to reading your thoughts!! :)

I don't feel the same except for on 42 which is a minute too short. Ending the same way as it began is a bit of a bummer too. Would a 4 parter have killed them. Maybe a longer mid jam when they peform it live. It would be ripe for a 15 minute jam.

The only one for me that really sounds long enough is Viva La Vida, most everything else would have benefited from a bit more, especially in the lyric department. I understand wanting a shorter album after x & y, which I loved every min of, but I think they should have just had less, but slightly longer songs.

Good post!. There are many songs that could and maybe should have been fleshed out a bit more... I wouldnt mind hearing a longer 42, DAAHF, The Excapist, LIT, CSC....

 

42 and DAAHF both especially seem too short. They are both very good songs that, had they been fleshed out and completed could have been GREAT epics.

42, death and all his friends and life in technicolor.

I want more!!!!!

i only think LOST did finished pretty good..................but i want more lyrically of THE ESCAPIST,DAAHF,42,AND MAYBE COL..........but especially the escapist and daahf:(

I think LiT is plenty long... a 2 1/2 minute intrumental? If it weren't instrumental obviously it would be longer but I think it's the perfect length. I have thought though how I would like the songs to be a bit longer, mainly CoL, Violet Hill, and DaAHF, but I admire that for a band who could easily milk every idea until you're sick of the song after hearing it twice, they chose to be concise. That can be a difficult thing for a band to do (especially when they're on such a creative flow), and there's only a couple cases for me where I think a song would actually benefit from being a minute longer, which is CoL and Violet Hill (DaAHF/Escapist could definitely be longer, but I've come to like that song short and sweet as it is)

Cemeteries, Violet Hill, CSC and I think perhaps Yes, Reign of Love and Lovers in Japan were alright length. I just want more Strawberry Swing to sing along to :P but alas, I treat SS the same way I treat Don't Panic.

 

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVhateVVVEEEEEEEEE!

Thanks a lot for your comments guys, all very interesting for me :)

 

I've thought about this a bit more, and I have to add Reign of Love, Chinese Sleep Chant and Lovers in Japan to my list of those that feel like fully-realised songs for me - so that is almost half the album now!

 

I do still crave extended versions of the others, and probably always will. 42 feels, always, far too short, but it's just such a perfect moment of music I could never change it. The rest of the tracks, though, are heart-breakingly short. I crave that official release of an extended Yes and CoL with a crazy jam at the end (which we'll never get :(), and will probably have to remix Death myself to add an extra switch back and forth to/from the head-bopping Status Quo-esque part if no-one beats me to it...