Customer Reviews

Nothing Feels Good

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard for me to nail down exactly what it is about this album that affects me as much as it does. I'd like to talk to all the people who say this is happy, bouncy music and tell them to sit still and listen a little bit 'deeper'. No, I'm definitely not a music snob, I just think that this album has *so* much more to offer than what's found on the surface.

First of all, this is the best Promise Ring cd to date by far. Beyond that, it is probably one of the five best albums I've ever heard. There is so much emotion and energy packed onto this disc that it's almost overwhelming. There is not a single throw-away track to be found here, which unfortunately is a rare beast these days. There are, however, some outstanding tracks to be found: "Forget Me" and "Why Did We Ever Meet" being my two favorites.

Anyway, I'd love to meet these guys and get a chance to say "thanks" for pouring themselves onto tape and into my head ~ it's music like this that makes music SO great.

i'm tired of hearing this album described as happy, bouncy pop. it's not. this is a beautiful album with magnificent poetic lyrics. if you honestly listen to this album, you will hear a lot of very sad undertones to the music and all sorts of powerful emotions (yearning - raspberry rush, desperation - nothing feels good, memories - forget me). this is my favorite album in my collection.

I think most of the other reviews nailed it, but I just can't help but rave about this record. It's easily Davey and Jason's best. Start to finish this record is amazing. Hook after hook after hook without sounding MTV or mainstream. This CD jumped up into my top 20 of all time after a few listens. The emotion and honesty is there and the poppy, catchy vibe is there as well. A genre shattering release. No doubt in my mind that the Promise Ring hit their highest point with this record. Buy it yesterday.

I first got this CD from a friend who didn't listen to it anymore. (Now he wants it back... mwahahaha...) I heard of TPR before that, but i only heard one of their songs before. Is This Thing On? got me hooked right away. This album is good to listen to in a mellow mood, and it's so powerful that it WILL put you in a mellow mood. Perfect Lines has a good melody and the drums fit in perfectly with the guitar. Even though Red And Blue Jeans has one line of lyrics, they managed to make it almost 3 minutes and it's very soothing. But, no song on that album can beat Why Did We Ever Meet? It is... just amazing. The song is so catchy, and the guitar riffs remind me somehow of Bad Moon Rising. The CD pulls off great and ends strong with B Is For Bethlehem and Forget Me... two great songs. This CD is just mouth-gaping good. Anyone would like it. I Promise.

If you don't have this album, you have been missing out for the last three years. This is one of those rare cds that does not have a throw away track on it. From "is this thing on?" until the final track ends in grand indie rock power chord fashion, this cd grips you with intricate drumming, grooving bass lines, and delicious interwoven guitar parts. For a reason that I can't put my finger on, this album has the ability to make me equally sad and happy at the same time. Few cds have ever had that ability, and that is why this is among my all-time classics. If you have ever listened to this record alone at night while remembering old friends, good memories, or your childhood, you know exactly what i mean. "Red and Blue Jeans" is probably my favorite indie rock song of all time. Just try to listen to it without humming the seemingly happy "doo doo" and yet feeling your heart break over that special someone. These guys are getting bigger and better with every release. Those of us who have had this album since it came out know why. For those of you who have just discovered the Promise Ring, be sure to make "nothing feels good" a part of your collection.

Anyone who has listened to the Promise Ring understands the complexity of their music. Their upbeat tunes have a hidden sadness that keeps you coming back for more. Nothing Feels Good is one of the sadest songs I have ever heard. Other sparklers include Why did we ever meet? and Make me a Chevy. Buy this and you won't regret it, ever.

Awesome album, either this one or "very emergency" is the best. Lots of the lyrics are weird and make you think what the hell are you talking about, but I think it's pretty funny. TPR always have had messed up lyrics and I think that's one of their charms. The song "red and blue jeans" consist of only a few lines of lyrics and last almost three minutes, hey it may sound lame, but it's not. The song is one of the catchiest songs ever.

The music is said to be less "emo" by Indie kids who are fans of the first album, but I find the first album to be not as good as this one. The latest album wood/water isn't too bad, but it's really weird and isn't for starters. The reason I'm saying that is, because this or very emergency should be the TPR album you get first if you're looking to get into TPR.

R.I.P. TPR.

Alright, there are few things that are as aurally fulfilling as this album, but you'd be hard pressed to find them. I bought this album after i read some outstanding reviews by just about every critic i could track down, save a few who just didn't understand why the promise ring changed their sound. I think that reason lays in two words: Musical Maturity. Sure, 30 Degrees From Everywhere is outstanding in its own right, but this album is my favorite of the entire year of 1997, possibly of the last five years.

Many people are irked by the moniker 'emo'. They are speaking of the faction of pop/punk which has been stereotyped by containing emotionally charged lyrics. To be certain, i love this album's lyrics. They are virulantly catchy, and this is not a problem when they are simultaneously witty, and wonderfully original. Who else sings about their own character traits being compared to interstates?

Nothing Feels Good is, however, a short album. I would wish this album was twice as long, but if and only if all of the songs were the quality of those found here. 'Forget Me', the last track, is my favorite, followed closely by 'Make me a Chevy'. If you buy this and enjoy it, also take a listen to The Get Up Kids 'Something To Write Home About'.

I have over 1000 albums in my collection & I have never had one effect me like this one. The Promise Ring's "Nothing Feels Good" is an outstanding work of haunting emotion. Upbeat rhythms and driving guitars shine a deceptively bright light on the sad longing, regret, loss, helplessness & dissapointment expressed in the lyrics. The songs on this album had me feeling like I do when I think back to emotional times in my childhood... a sort of dreamlike pensiveness that is melancholic though not exactly depressing. Weird, because I can find no reference point to explain why these songs make me feel this way. This is echoed in the cover art of a closed oceanside, boardwalk arcade lit by bright morning sunlight. You can tell it is morning (instead of afternoon) by the angle of the sun, despite the lack, again, of a directional reference point.

"Nothing Feels Good" is an emotional masterpiece!

The very first time I heard the Promise Ring, about 5 years ago, I was really into Pop-Punk and Third Wave Ska. To put it simply: I hated them. Their music was dissonant, the singer sounded like he was out of key, it wasn't fast enough. Then someone told me it was called "emo." So therefore I hated emo, too.

But I've matured since then, and as many punk fans do when they mature, they start appreciating much more complex and thoughtful music with talented musicianship and deep lyrics, i.e.: emo.

One thing you must understand before getting this CD, though, is that Promise Ring's "emo" isn't anything like Hey Mercedes, Further Seems Forever, or (pre-bleed american) Jimmy Eat World. Davey vonBohlen has one of the weirdest voices in the world ever used for singing and takes a little getting used to, and on top of that his lyrical style is just as strange. He has some fascination with geography and colors. The musicianship is also amazing, and the beats get you jumping up and down uncontrollably, especially on the songs "A Broken Tenor" and "Pink Chimneys." The songs are so bizarre but so creative and fun. 90% of this album you can't help but imagine the four members dancing around each other while playing with huge smiles on their faces. This is a great CD for a change of pace from typical Pop rock. Definetly worth it.

Unfortuneatly for me it's in my old car CD player that I can't afford to get installed into my new car just yet, and I really wanna listen to it. Life just sucks.