Here's my review. No half scores... rounding up or down only.
1) Middle of Nowhere 2/5. Almost feels like they put this song first because Jeff sounds so much like Scott here. Very, very reminiscent of Sucker Train Blues... which annoys me (and I like STB). I do like Dean's guitar work overall on this one, but other than that this doesn't impress much.
2) Guilty 4/5. Hearing that fuzz on the guitar in spots some of you have mentioned. I can't tell if they meant to include that or not, but it's a bit distracting. Anyway, this song is a standout to me... totally dig Dean's work on this one, especially the bridge where Jeff says "realize, you're gonna pay the price"... the music (not the vocals) remind me of the guitar tone from Tiny Music (e.g. Seven Caged Tigers).
3) Meadow 3/5. That low-fidelity sound at the beginning reminds me of some lame Kelly Clarkson song that I can't remember the name of right now. That bothers me a bit. Other than that I think the vocals are pretty cheesy... "killin time and havin fun here in the sun". By the way, this is the first track on the album that reminds me of High Rise (and there are a lot of other points on this album that do as well).
4) Just a Little Lie 2/5. Feels like another High Rise song. This one doesn't really do anything for me, but I don't hate it. Every time I hear that twangy intro riff I think "ugh, here we go again... this ain't over yet". The chorus melody saves this from being a 1.
5) Six Eight 2/5. Jeff's vocals show up well here. I'm not so sure about the music. It's weird but other than Kretz this doesn't sound *that* much like STP all the way thru (it does in the bridge to the heavy chorus). I know a lot of folks here have been big on this one but it doesn't grab me. Dean's solo lifts this one a bit though.
6) Thought She'd Be Mine 5/5. Super clean sound. Love the slide guitar floating around in the background... Dean crushes it when he does that. This is def a bright spot on this album. Jeff fits this song really well. Part of me would kill to hear what Scott's treatment would be here but oh well.
7 ) Roll Me Under 3/5 . I get why this is the next single... doesn't mean I like it. I will say this though, I love the crunchy yet simple riffs in this one. Some of that fuzz sound creeping in here again. Music reminds me of Hazy Daze (which I like) and All in the Suit a bit (which I like too).
8 ) Never Enough 2/5. Bluesy groove with a Beatles-esque Weiland Blaster feel to it. Pretty cool. The bridge and chorus *totally* bring back AoA memories which is good stuff. Overall this isn't a very cohesive song to me, but it's not bad. I hear the Billy Joe stuff there a bit but, there's no way Jeff is channeling him. At least I hope not.
9) Art of Letting Go 5/5. Excellent track. Nuff said.
10) Finest Hour 2/5. Intro sounds like something off of No. 4. Cheesy lyrics... "I know because it's true". For some reason that bothers me. Couldn't have come up with something better than that? Big time High Rise vibe here and I guess that's fitting given who this song's supposedly about. This just doesn't do anything for me but I totally get why others dig it and I respect that.
11) Good Shoes 5/5. Love this one. That bass is nuts and Robert should play that way more often. Reminds me of Cake's version of War Pigs. That breakdown they do a few times during the song (like at the :33 mark) is beast. This is one of the few songs that listen to on the regular.
12) Reds & Blues 2/5. Another track that feels like it didn't make the High Rise cut. I dunno, it's ok.
In all all nothing blows on this album, but only a few stand out and keep me coming back for more. I also know a lot are saying this is better than 2010 ST. Respectfully disagree. 2010 is a much more cohesive album that I can listen to front to back (including the extras) and not skip a track. Overall... this album gets a 3 from me. It ain't great, but it's got some good stuff. Hopefully they keep gelling and make more.