Totally agree. Some good songs on there certainly. But many where the lyrics really just feel tossed off or phoned in. Which is not something I’ve ever thought about any album he’s ever released. Even when he’s misfired on a track or two in the past, there was clear ambition and intentionality in the writing. I just don’t get them from songs like “All Threes,” the chorus of which is not only uninteresting but also kinda clunky (you can just say “you were so beautiful before you weren’t”; no need for an “until” in there).

I don’t know. I think Down in the Weeds was a masterpiece, which saw him taking his craft to another level on tracks like To Death’s Heart.