i'll admit to posting an overtly gushing review for this album not long after it came out last year.
those words are still valid, and to an even higher degree! i love all the songs now, bar two. but with this special edition with three bonus studio recordings (two i already owned and one new one) that makes 15 new songs overall, 13 that are are strong (around eight that are my personal Lacuna Greats) making this a superlative, near perfect release.
the bonus live tracks, and acoustic sessions, are powerful. my fave is the live version of 'I'm Not Afraid' which ia powerful and shows off how great these songs really can be. mass sing-a-longs ahoy! new track 'Leaving Alone' at first seemed to fail to make any impression, but alongside Not Enough, The Last Goodbye and Oblivion, heck, even I Like It, it has become part of my new faves, and for me i love the band even more for this more commercial slant. not because i think it makes them better, but because they took that risk, lost fans, hopefully made some new ones, but stuck to doing what they do best. which is to release quality songs and create haunting melodies.
to be completely honest though, at its worst this era for the band is drivelly. i cannot stand the dire repetitiveness of The Pain, the cringeworthy poor-poor me lyrics and bland harmonies of Underdog and i remain decidedly undecided on the positive or negative attributes of the maze. so there, two songs i don't have time for, and one i don't really care about. so that to me is brilliant.
shallow life on its own is worth 4/5, contrare to my previous review. with the bonus tracks its a full 5/5, because the good and great SERIOUSLY outweigh the bad!
if you're a fan, or just curious, buy it!