Released 2010 Release date 2010 | Label Lightning Rod | |
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Messenger(2010) Live at Lincoln Hall(2011) Similar The Great Despiser, Windfall, Live at Lincoln Hall |
Messenger is Joe Pug's first full-length album.
Contents
In contrast to Pug's first EP, Nation of Heat, a full backing band supplements Pug's guitar, vocals and harmonica, a change featured most notably on an electric version of Nation of Heat's "Speak Plainly, Diana." Reviewers, like Steve Kolowich at the Washington City Paper, noted that, with Messenger, in contrast to Nation of Heat, Pug turns from declarative and extroverted to reflective and introspective:
"His lyrics are less declarative, and sometimes quake with doubt: “Not So Sure” is a penitent ode to epistemology. “Unsophisticated Heart” is an admission of immaturity that literally ends with a whimper. “Disguised as Someone Else” is a fantasy in which the singer disavows his identity to hide from his regret. On the last record, Pug shouted, “I have done wrong, I will do wrong, there’s nothing wrong with doing wrong!” Here, he seems to tack on a meek amendment: “These days, I’m not so sure.”The album met critical acclaim, with Paste Magazine rating it 9.1/10, adding: “unless your surname is Dylan, Waits, Ritter or Prine, you could face-palm yourself to death trying to pen songs half as inspired as the 10 tracks on Joe Pug’s debut full-length.”
Joe pug messenger
Track listing
- "Messenger" – 4:23
- "How Good You Are" – 4:19
- "Not So Sure" – 4:35
- "The Sharpest Crown" – 3:58
- "The Door Was Always Open" – 2:49
- "The First Time I Saw You" – 3:34
- "Unsophisticated Heart" – 3:06
- "Disguised as Someone Else" – 3:34
- "Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)" – 4:07
- "Speak Plainly, Diana" – 3:17
Credits
Songs
1Messenger4:23
2How Good You Are4:19
3Not So Sure4:35