I love Tusk and see it as a truly remarkable record. However, my concerns with it are more than mere nitpicks (unlike whatever unreasonable complaint I might have about some aspect of either of the the previous two).
1. The track sequencing is bizarre. That might be part of the point. But it does get in the way of the flow. To start the album with the ultra conventional "Over and Over" and follow it up with music from another planet ("The Ledge") never sits easy with me. I get that Lindsey might have wanted to juxtapose those two worlds--California industry-pop with garage band punk. That's a powerful statement. But it doesn't make for enjoyable back-to-back listening. The result is a fascinating yet frustrating sense of fragmentation.
2. No Christine song on side two is simply wrong. She should have written and performed one in place of "That's all...".
3. Stevie and Christine should be singing harmonies on a number of Lindsey tunes, especially "Save Me a Place" and "Walk a Thin Line." The three harmonies only sound apparent on Christine's songs, and on "Sara" and "Beautiful Child."
4. "Storms" and "Over and Over" give off a strange, echoey vibrato that makes the songs feel chilly when they should feel warm.
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