Darren Hayes - Homosexual
- Thread starter mrp2910
- Start date
UK yeah?
It’s looking like outside of the Top 100 in Australia?
This is definitely a grower and I've been really enjoying this album over the week. I agree about the vocal criticisms but I feel like that's less of an issue as the album goes on. The subject matter for the songs is so varied and interesting and yet all fall under that 'homosexual' banner. It's a very well considered album. Overall I'm thrilled to have him back!
Inland Empire
Staff member
Threw this on yesterday morning primarily because I wanted a long album for the train. For some reason I didn’t think it’d be my cup of tea, but nah it definitely is. It's funny how even though I was born long after the 80s, this album reminds me of the kind of 80s-y synthpoppy throwback stuff I'd be listening to when I was a teenager (Sound of Arrows, Bright Light Bright Light, Niki & the Dove, etc.) before Stranger Things and Blinding Lights commodified that whole aesthetic way more than it already was.
Homosexual charts at #82 in the UK. I hope Darren isn't too disappointed, it's a great album.
Think he will be, he was tweeting for people to stream or buy to keep it top 40.
UK and Australia sales - he will be very disappointed.
He/him
It's not intentional...it's HOMOSEXUAL
I just had my first listen and it's really solid all the way through. I actually like the majority of the album more than the pre-release singles. Music Video would be so much better if he did not use that voice but that aside, Euphoria Equation and A Little Death are highlight thus far!
I've listened to Hey Matt about three times today.
It's a great album and I'm sad it's not selling well. It deserves better! Like someone else mentioned, the album is a grower, which makes me think it will gradually build up sales numbers due to great word of mouth. I wish the music industry (and the film industry) didn't put all the emphasis on first-week sales numbers. Not every album is made for that!
I can see a version of this album that sells better, with TikTok friendly radio edits and fewer ten-minute conceptual tracks. But that album isn't anywhere near as good.
When I first got to Music Video, I had to check that my music wasn't on Shuffle All. The vocals sounded like a pitched-down Gabrielle! Ultimately I do like the song, and the lyrics are beautifully evocative in a Mountain Goats way, but his vocals are for sure jarring.
It's a great album and I'm sad it's not selling well. It deserves better! Like someone else mentioned, the album is a grower, which makes me think it will gradually build up sales numbers due to great word of mouth. I wish the music industry (and the film industry) didn't put all the emphasis on first-week sales numbers. Not every album is made for that!
I can see a version of this album that sells better, with TikTok friendly radio edits and fewer ten-minute conceptual tracks. But that album isn't anywhere near as good.
When I first got to Music Video, I had to check that my music wasn't on Shuffle All. The vocals sounded like a pitched-down Gabrielle! Ultimately I do like the song, and the lyrics are beautifully evocative in a Mountain Goats way, but his vocals are for sure jarring.
#3 on downloads and #16 on physical.
I find it really interesting how Streaming absolutely decimates mid-weeks. I might sound like an old man about it but I still don't think they're gotten it quite right. How does it work for albums, it surely isn't capturing people listening to full bodies of work?
Anyway, it's a great album and he should be very proud.
I find it really interesting how Streaming absolutely decimates mid-weeks. I might sound like an old man about it but I still don't think they're gotten it quite right. How does it work for albums, it surely isn't capturing people listening to full bodies of work?
Anyway, it's a great album and he should be very proud.
I'd consider myself a huge Darren fan, Tension is one of my favourite albums of all time and I've generally enjoyed everything until this era. Although I'm super happy that he's released something that he's obviously very proud of, I'm disappointed that I feel so empty after my first full listen.
Some of the tracks are way too long with little to differentiate from each other, about halfway through each track I'm checking out how much time is left. Some of the production is interesting but it's lost amongst indulgent track lengths and questionable vocal choices, by the time some of songs finish I can barely remember the production flourishes I did enjoy.
Some of the songwriting makes me cringe too, "1990s no cell phones, if you wanted to meet someone you had to leave your home. We can dance or we can fuck" feels clunky and that's not really something I've ever associated with Darren's songwriting before.
Hey Matt is the track that grabbed my attention the most (I can hear Darkness similarities), I also enjoyed A Little Death and Euphoric Equation too. Maybe I need to live with it and invest some more time and perhaps witnessing them live will also help, but there's no getting away from the fact that one of my favourite artists has released a collection of songs that has left me underwhelmed.
Some of the tracks are way too long with little to differentiate from each other, about halfway through each track I'm checking out how much time is left. Some of the production is interesting but it's lost amongst indulgent track lengths and questionable vocal choices, by the time some of songs finish I can barely remember the production flourishes I did enjoy.
Some of the songwriting makes me cringe too, "1990s no cell phones, if you wanted to meet someone you had to leave your home. We can dance or we can fuck" feels clunky and that's not really something I've ever associated with Darren's songwriting before.
Hey Matt is the track that grabbed my attention the most (I can hear Darkness similarities), I also enjoyed A Little Death and Euphoric Equation too. Maybe I need to live with it and invest some more time and perhaps witnessing them live will also help, but there's no getting away from the fact that one of my favourite artists has released a collection of songs that has left me underwhelmed.
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Streaming accounts for nearly 90% of music streamed so I don't think the charts are too way off.
Like you said, it's a great album. I can't say I enjoy his voice too much but the songs are really good.
Maybe he's getting more money from low sales of downloads and physicals than top10 on streaming ! Lol
I get that, but how much of that is someone playing one or two hit or viral songs from an album then counting towards album spins? Or doesn't it work like that?
I saw a video of Steve Lacy trying to get the audience to sing the second verse of Bad Habit, and they couldn't. Seemingly because most of their interaction with the song is through 30 second TikTok streams. How much of that counts towards an album, and is that really indicative of an 'album play'.
Anyway, let me go get my zimmer frame.
