Listening to your music is like getting home, away from the rest of the world and all its bullshit. Just you and your favourite things, your books, records, artwork, a fridge full of food. You provide a level of comfort that nobody else can reach. I am at home in your imagination and melodies!
After a very long time - something has comforted me like this. Makes you want to miss the mountains, the history of music and helps you hide back with your records while Grammy's are announced.
Ah, there’s only one artist that sings like that. So much attention to the little details. Your major minor transitions are masterful in a way that honestly I don’t think I’ve really heard as beautifully done by anyone else. This one’s going to stick with me. Very much so. Thank you Andy
I've never been tricked by an album before but this one tricked me into believing it was about a romantic sweetie pie named Norm. Then I listened to it a few more times. Jokes on me. Respect.
you are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated musicians working. consistently lovely music. this is strange given the theme of this album, but this album is cementing itself as a soundtrack in my journey towards sobriety. the melodies are so sweet and just radiate a comfort, i really appreciate your work!
@@thomasdupont7186 most of his stuff does not even get formal reviews by anthony fantano who is one of the more prominent and well known music critics of modern day (i would argue THE most famous music critic currently working in the United States). so yes, he is underrated.
Same! I can’t help but get emotional on the last line “wondering why you never arrived.” Presuming that the love he is waiting for was kidnapped and killed. Woof. So heart wrenchingly beautiful. The longing for a love lost who will never return. And the music compliments that feeling so perfectly. 😢
Norm really stands out to me. The subtleness in it's instrumentation, the brevity of the uterances, and the description all feel like we're peering into a deeply personal experience. Amazing album as a whole though. Thank you Andy!
I love the way the singles released for this album in order as they appear on the record! It really felt like I was slowly seeing the story start to unfold before I got the full thing. The singles had me wanting more and even after just one playthrough the full album did not disappoint.
seems to be a common way to release singles these days, dropping like the first 3 songs off an album, and i agree it's a great way to promote as an artist, or as the listener, learn the vibe of the album without it being ruined
I've listen to this excellent album by Andy Shauf a dozen times and I now feel ready to provide my interpretation: The album Norm is the estranged story of unrequited love and internal conflict as experienced by Norm. This masterful tale seemingly begins as a heartfelt bid for connection, but grows increasingly obsessive and delusional as his romantic attempts go unnoticed/denied (kudos to Andy for how he released his singles). I believe the narrator in this story is Norm's conscious which serves to pinpoint the incongruency caused by what his heart is telling him and what his mind is saying (as observed in the song Norm or Don't Let it Get To You). My mind instantly jumped to stalker vibes, however after a few listens, I personally believe there's an unidentified backstory to this sad tale of one-sided love. My favorite song remains telephone, and just a gentle reminder that if you've experienced hardship or isolation because of the Covid-19 pandemic, help is available💚
There’s definitely a story behind this record! A very, very sad story! A deep, true, but unrequited love is one of the worst things that could happen to someone! Is so hard to live with it!💔 Brilliant album, anyways!!! And one thing I know for sure- Norm is not Andy!
I'm finally going to get a chance to you in kelowna in march! I've been wanting to go to one of your concerts for 5 years now. So excited! I absolutely love your music. This album was much anticipated
I heard "Halloween Store" on the Sirius XM channel North Americana. They play mostly Canadian folk but some American stuff too like the excellent Pokey LaFarge.
“Your mind is as open as your eyes are closed. Thinking wishes, wishful thinking, unabound in a box without ignorance pointing out knowledge nor time to space.” ,dan’
Woah, an entire album on one theme and central story only? So different from his other stuff so far. In The Party and Bearer of Bad News, there were so many stories mixing around a central location. Then, in Neon Skyline and Wilds, there was one main story with multiple side stories and anecdotes. This one, though, is seemingly disconnected from the songs about characters we've known before, like Judy and Jeremy. I'm still trying to piece together exactly what happens in this new story. It seems like there was a stalker, but then another guy is introduced as well, and I'm still unsure which one is named Norm. Did the stalker kidnap the girl, or was the stalker accidentally thwarted by the other guy who gave her a ride? I think I'll have to see what the expert lyric interpreters say, because I feel like I'm missing a few details. Either way, I absolutely love the sound and theming of this album! I'll be playing this on loop for a while. Also really looking forward to the next one! EDIT: Andy Shauf had a really good interview on Stereogum where he explained everything behind the album. I recommend reading it, but if you're too eager, I also mentioned a lot of it in a reply to this comment.
That's pretty much my same initial experience with this album. The story was so easy to follow on The Party and Neon Skyline... this one is a little less clear. I'll give it a couple dozen more listens before I google an interpretation. Oh, and the music and production is spot on as always. Halloween Store was the standout for me.
The Tow Truck Driver doesn't get enough light on this album. Maybe there are scrapped songs about him or his character will be developed in the future. Andy is almost on to serial-novelist or TV-series level writing if he has me craving that as a fan / audience member. Pretty cool!
@@TimGreen87 @mugmandrew I got tired of waiting for someone to post a story summary online, so I looked at an interview he had recently on Stereogum. He explained a lot of the story for the album. I recommend reading it for sure. As we know, there are four characters: The tow-truck driver, Norm, God, and someone only referred to as "you." The tow-truck driver was some kind of ex to the "you" referred to in all the songs. He narrates Daylight Dreaming and Long Throw. He only wanted to play a prank on his ex by towing their car. A prank he'd done before, only this time it led to trouble with Norm kidnapping "you." Norm is the stalker, following "you" around. Although most of the album is about Norm, and refers to him by name, he's also the narrator for Catch Your Eye, Telephone, Halloween Store, and Sunset. Both he and the ex pray/talk to God, talk about "you," and refer the "blue car." So I think that's why I originally got confused on who was talking in each song. Then there's God, who narrates You Didn't See, Paradise Cinema, Norm, Don't Let It Get To You, and All Of My Love. He also has a conversation with Jesus on Wasted On You. Apparently, Shauf wrote God as a character who doesn't really understand what love is. He apparently was originally working on a disco album, but became sober and decided to drop that idea. Some of the songs on the album were originally disco songs that he reworked, an example he gave being Halloween Store. He also at one point wanted to write songs about Bible stories from God's perspective, which is where those parts for the album came from. Again, I learned all this from the Stereogum interview he gave and I totally recommend reading it. The interview is super good. He talks about all of what I said here, as well as his inspirations for the songs and the journey the album took. There's a lot he said that I didn't mention here. I hope you guys enjoy this information as much as I did!
@@cargnome Super interesting and informative!! Appreciate you spending all that time summarizing the interview which I will definetly check out now. Kinda makes me wish he did write a whole album about religion though. When he released a single called "Satan" I was so happy. Then I saw the music video for "Wasted On You" and the song right away starts mocking religious ideas (or at least poses some pretty blaring questions about the nature of a Christian God).
Loving this. Each listen reveals another layer to the story/another way of interpreting. I like re-listening and thinking of everything as an allegory for the relationship between God and humankind. God, as Norm, is a voyeur and stalker. He loves us from a distance, but ultimately can't control when something bad happens (the kidnapper), and when his creation doesn't go according to plan, he is left lamenting.
Este disco es hermoso, una verdadera obra de arte, gracias Andy Shauf, lo digo humildemente como un conocedor de la música ya que la colecciono, me encanta el rock, grunge y metal, pero Andy de verdad me llega a mi alma.
“Does it breathe? If it does don’t kill it. If it doesn’t did it live, was it slain? A tree falling speaks not a word, a tree felling has ears to see, eyes to hear what the pain has to say. An emplore unmuttered, muted, dissuade.” ,dan’ (icy everything)
“There is only one instance when judgment is good for you and that is in deciding if something is bad for you, otherwise put it down and step away from it, it belongs to God.” ,dan’
“Postserved. Guard, protect and cherish your soul for there is no afterlife, no destination posthumous without it, only darkness, silence, no light to toward to or fro. Be nice, show kindness, the alpha talks loudest but the omega laughs last.” ,dan’
“Blessed are the forsaken for they shall see nothing which in and of itself is impossible, making that a feat of feats, a miracle’s miracle. They should be so lucky it strikes pride in their hearts before their endless days slumbering.” ,dan’ (proxymoron)
From what I gathered from the lyrics, this album is about God observing this regular guy named Norm. The opener (Wasted on You) is a conversation between God and Jesus about humanity. God wonders about humans and if his love was ultimately wasted on them, as they don't seem to act the part. Seeking confirmation, God decides to follow Norm's life. Norm is apparently in love with this woman, though he has wicked ways of chasing this love. He wants to get to know her (Catch Your Eye) and pictures a love life talking to her (Telephone). However, Norm stalks her (as in You Didn't See) and follows her to the movies, though never striking up any conversation with her (Paradise Cinema). God eventually tries pointing out to Norm that what he is doing is wrong (in Norm) and promises a better life if he stops doing so. But he ultimately ignores God's wishes and insists on stalking the Blue Car Lady and imagining a life with her. Even though he and the lady meet once and talk (Halloween Store and Sunset), Norm still stalks her and does weird things like towing her car and creating encounters. However, life happens, and she meets someone else, leaving Norm alone and feeling like he wasted his time (Daylight Dreaming, Long Throw, Don't Let It Get To You). Norm, representing humanity, ultimately leaves God disappointed. He wonders again if he wasted his love on us on the album closure (All My Love). idk, just had some theories and felt like writing them down
Norm kidnaps/kills her in Sunset and the next two songs are her ex who used to tow her car as a joke (and the reason Norm gave her her “final ride”) wondering where she is and pining for her. Last two songs are God again.
@@asagoldstein1669wow thanks man, up until this point, I didn’t know the ending had so much irony. With the ex towing her car as a joke and it ultimately leading to the woman’s demise. Him not being aware of that even tho he actually caused it. That’s heavy. Actually completes the story for me in a way. Anyway thanks
“Words give points to the arrows and I bet the natives would lay their bows down to keep Cupid himself in constant supply so all this hurt the world is feeling could at least know love and lay beside it before the future came for their tears and the past for their desire of tomorrow.” ,dan’
“If it’s stones for my pockets, keep them, the ocean is blind to me and don’t let them get your knickers down Lovely. Even if they have you’re still beautiful to me.” ,dan’ (glass houses kill more birds than buckshot and envy combined)
“Swimming in the sky, we fish, we sigh. The mermaid sat and laughed at the golden silver calf and how he was black and white and grey.” ,dan’ (here me now)
Such beautiful songs. Would love you to find a female to compliment your voice and have a back and forth love song. Might be a good fit if she had a deep and rich voice able to switch to soft.
