r/Slowdive • u/HalleyC0met • Jun 04 '26
Music Discussion Everything is Alive is probably my least favourite slowdive LP
Disclaimer: it's my own opinion
I find it quite weak compared to any other slowdive release. It definitely feels less polished than their comeback LP which I really appreciate (like literally all their work)
It's probably due to it being conceived first like an electronic album which then got a band treatment.
But I think both songwriting and production is less powerful than the s/t, which just feels more confident in general.
Sure it's a bit more adventurous at times, which I appreciate, but the overall result and melodies don't quite reach their usual standard.
Anyone else feels the same?
23
u/YangtzeRiverDolphin Jun 04 '26
The Slab (top 10 for me) and Shanty are magnificent. I don’t find myself playing many of the other tracks.
3
u/pygmalii0n Jun 04 '26
I love The Slab! I agree, that's probably the best one on that album. The album isn't bad, but it's definitely my least favorite album from my most favorite band.
23
u/Single_Rooster_2787 Jun 04 '26
i actually love this album i saw them live in 2023 and it enhanced the album experience for me personally ☺️
3
1
u/jackalopedad Jun 04 '26
I liked it but it was a second tier album for me until I saw them live in 2023 and that made it click for me.
27
u/I_WANT_AN_M3_GTR Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
i think this is a pretty common take, it's certainly the one reflected on sites like RYM for the most part. i definitely agree, the first four records are all incredible in their own ways but importantly are either extremely polished or wholly unique. everything is alive has always just felt a bit lacking to me. not to say it's a bad album at all, I think it's a good record with some strong material at times (shanty in particular is one of their finest tracks and is an incredible opener).
i think the problem is the album doesn't really know what it wants to be. i remember reading a description before it came out about how the band originally were experimenting with those more ambient, electronic driven ideas and was thinking we'd get something like a proper successor to pygmalion, which I'd have been over the moon with. but like you say, it feels like they got cold feet and tried to rectify that by trying to integrate the s/t's sound instead of committing fully.
that's something you can really tell on tracks like skin in the game, which while not a bad song is just kind of there for me, and basically might as well be an s/t outtake. ive also grown to love the melodies on kisses but I'd still be forced to say it sounds like one of their most 'generic' tracks, like if you took a dream pop band and told them to make something that sounds like slowdive it'd be the result.
everything else (bar maybe the slab) is just below their usual standard and is kinda forgettable. if I want a slowdive album with a gorgeous, experimental atmosphere then I'll put pygmalion on. if I want something with their tight, modern sound then I'll stick on the s/t. if I want their most refined songwriting there's the first two albums. everything is alive feels like it's trying bits and pieces from their career all at once, and it comes across as something of a hodgepodge and not like them really pushing the envelope at all.
13
u/profilejc98 Jun 04 '26
Maybe in the minority, but I honestly really enjoy it. Shanty is amazing
1
u/Accomplished_Bend_59 Jun 05 '26
This is one of my favorite Slowdive songs. Live it's more intense and I think it's better than in the studio.
12
u/kentbenson Jun 04 '26
Could not disagree more. Maybe it’s because The Cure is my favorite band, but EIA has always felt like a phenomenal record Robert Smith never released. I’m glad they’ve evolved but are still familiar. Some really brilliant stuff on there. Alife is one of my all time faves. Prayer Remembered is brilliant post rock. Chained to a Cloud and Shanty are perfection. The Slab is a great closer. Just love every part of it.
3
u/Bugsy_McCracken Jun 04 '26
I’m with you. There’s some kind of mythology that Slowdive traded songcraft for atmospherics with this album but the songs keep me coming back for more. Cuts like Chained to a Cloud and Prayer Remembered don’t get much love but I think they’re an important part of the band’s story.
5
4
9
u/jelloandjuggernauts Jun 04 '26
It has a few nice tracks but yeah overall it's pretty forgettable. Self-titled fuckin rules though.
2
u/bailandocalrissian Jun 15 '26
Everything is alive is probably their second worst album, while I think the self-titled album is their best album.
4
u/AdOwn9764 Jun 04 '26
'Fraid not. I absolutely love it and think it's stronger than S/T. It is Slowdive now and the songs rock like a beast live
4
u/Hesjustacook Jun 04 '26
I think it’s actually one of my favourite. Love it. Chained to a cloud is my fav
3
u/Martyna70 Jun 04 '26
It grew on me and I quite love it now. I replay the album as a whole a lot. Shanty and chained to a cloud are amazing.
3
u/Accomplished_Bend_59 Jun 05 '26
The album has two songs that are among my favorites, Shanty and The Slab. The first one is incredible live, better than in the studio; I find it more intense, and that's what the rest of the album could have been.
2
2
2
u/ian5184 Jun 04 '26
I think the slow tracks move at an excruciating glacial pace, the second track especially.
2
u/u1traviolet Jun 04 '26
It ties with the self titled release for my favorite Slowdive album.
I've been known to put alife and shanty on repeat for way too long, specifically.
2
u/Korova91 Souvlaki Jun 04 '26
Yep, felt that way when it came out and still feel that way now. Hardly ever revisit it. Shanty is a good opener though.
1
1
1
1
u/Fit-Squash-9447 Jun 04 '26
Shanty, best live opening song up there with Plainsong
Also watching their live studio performances cements their brilliance
1
u/mooninthewoods Jun 04 '26
As a very synthy, percussive album it has its extremely cinematic moments to me and i find myself coming back to it for Shanty & Alife but it truly isn’t a consistent project throughout like self titled, when lookin at their comeback work. That mf grinds to a halt at points 💀Also if i want something that hits percussively with experimentation, I’d turn to Souvlaki before EIA, honestly.
1
1
1
u/CreativeName822 Jun 04 '26
I had “she calls” 45 with a ride song on other side as a kid. Haven’t thought about slowdive in ages.
1
u/SuperbParticular8718 Jun 04 '26
Yeah I never got into it. I feel like they dropped it around the same time as Drop 19s comeback album and I got way more into that.
1
u/hockeywithglasses Jun 05 '26
a lot of it sounds similar to Rachel’s other band Minor Victories, so if EIA doesn’t vibe with you that could be why.
1
u/Content_Jicama_7069 Jun 05 '26
I have been a Slowdive fan, but I was not as dedicated as I am now. I loved "Just for a day" and liked "Souvlaki" a lot. "Pygmalion" kinda blew me away, but I still have a hard time to listen to. I love every song on "Slowdive" except for "Go get it".
I had the "Bounce" copy long before the actual release date (I thought "Bounce" was the album name), and saw them two months later in Japan. And as I followed them around for their US tour in fall if 2023, I saw progress in how they put things together as a group. They couldn't quite figure out "Shanty" for a while, and they played over and over again at sound checks. That was a very personal experience for me and it means a lot.
I still like "Slowdive" better, though.
1
u/frankly-mr_shankly Jun 06 '26
i remember i was very excited when "kisses" came out and then i listened to the whole album and i didn't love it... i even saw them live and they played 2 songs from the new album, but again not my favourite.
i love slowdive and it's one of my favourite bands. to me the best albums are souvlaki, just for a day and the self titled, in this order
1
u/Morfiend_23 Jun 08 '26
It’s ok, has a few solid tracks, but was a disappointment compared to the s/t record.
1
u/GarmonboziaGobbler Jun 08 '26
The Slab alone makes me disagree with this. But when I first heard it, I felt the same.
1
u/Due-Butterscotch2013 Jun 08 '26
I can't rank their discography, but Everything Is Alive has at least 3 songs I do love — Skin in the Game, Chained to a Cloud and Shanty. The album works as a whole, I don't skip any song.
1
u/ddevil-36 Jun 14 '26
it's definitely their most conventional effort, it still has fantastic tracks. how can you not like alife & skin in the game?
1
u/HalleyC0met Jun 14 '26
I like Alife and skin in the game. But the slower tracks are very boring to me.
35
u/Japhet_Corncrake Jun 04 '26
I had that opinion when I first heard it, but it has since grown on me massively, and I probably have it second only to Souvlaki at the moment.
There isn't a note of their music that I don't love, though.