Spin It! The Record Ranking Podcast

The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path - The Early November | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 225


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The Early November came out of nowhere in 2001, and after a strong debut in The Room's Too Cold, frontman Ace Enders got ambitious. Their sophomore record, The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path, is a three-disc concept album that pushed every boundary. It's the longest album we've ever reviewed and scored, clocking in at 2 hours and 12 minutes, with more than 45 tracks that tell the story of a broken family and a boy who's afraid to follow in his father's footsteps... and make his father's mistakes. It's all told in their quintessential 2006 emo-punk sound, over the course of hits like Decoration, Hair, and 1,000 Times A Day. Whether it's a big hit or a big miss, you can't deny it's a big swing for this new band.


We'll talk about the band's debut in the rock scene and their acoustic re-workings of their early songs that help develop their softer side. The Mixtaper introduces us to a record-breaking Conga and a new adrenaline sport, as well as the art of van-flipping. We do have a Mixtober tie to break in Fact Or Spin, after all! Then we'll work our way through the album disc by disc by disc, sharing our favorite moments, our impressions of the story, and more. Which disc will reign supreme? Will Connor be able to overlook integrated dialogue on The Path, a section that feels more like an audio drama than an album? If there's A Bigger Meaning to this record we'll Figure It Out this week!


What did YOU think about this self-indulgent album? Does the unique storytelling structure justify the immense length? Which of the three discs was your favorite? Reach out and let us know in the comments or on social media, and be sure to follow for more!


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Thanks for listening!


0:00 Intro

8:31 About The Early November

11:18 About The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path

18:29 Fact Or Spin

20:21 They Have An Impressive Conga

29:38 They Had A Tarot Interpreter

32:07 They Wrote A Hit While Desert Surfing

35:37 They Might Hold The Record For Most Replaced Equipment In A Month

42:18 Album Art

43:33 Doing Things A Little Differently

44:41 Disc 1: The Mechanic

46:28 Decoration

47:33 No Good At Saying Sorry

49:24 Outside

49:55 The Car In 20

50:10 Figure It Out

51:09 Disc 2: The Mother

52:00 My Lack Of Skill

52:23 A Little More Time

53:11 Hair

55:13 The Truth Is / 1000 Times A Day

57:18 Disc 3: The Path

1:04:43 Story Content

1:07:33 Standout Disc 3 Moments

1:07:42 Long Talks

1:08:20 Guess What

1:09:56 Runaway & Runaway II

1:11:31 Final Spin

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Spin It! The Record Ranking PodcastBy James & Connor

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