New Album: Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future (March 18, 2016)

[pandamagic]

I'm quite glad I shelled out the $$$ for the Japanese release - I seem to be one of the few people who actually prefers "twenty three blue" as the last track. "nylon strung" is a very uplifting, sincere track (almost basic, even) so I appreciate how "23 blue" just comes along and undercuts all of that with its dark descent into the abyss. It really problematizes the whole experience of the album and makes it a less straightforward listen, which I find intriguing. It's like "nylon strung" is the euphoric climax and "23 blue" is the ruthless comedown, leaving you a bit unsettled but satisfied in knowing that you made it all the way to the end of the journey.