Dude, stop being hung up on Apologies. They don't even play their old shit live anymore except for about four songs. Nostalgia is great but to call their other two albums "directionless" is just ridiculous. That was the whole point of the arrangement. They are two distinctly unique songwriters and musicians and their individual songs have their own character. Then when they co-write a song, they get arguably their best live song in Kissing the Beehive. And the direction of the album? I usually listen to their live bootlegs exclusively anyway.
Don't get me wrong. I'd love to hear Secret Knives, Dinner Bells, Modern World, We Built Another World, Lousy Pictures, Same Ghost Every Night, Fancy Claps, the original version of Soldier's Grin (called Bed's Exploding) at a live show. But the band seems over Apologies and so am I.
Not trying to be a dick or anything, but I hate it when people get hung up on debut albums and brush aside the rest of the band's following work because it never "measures up." I.E. Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, etc.
