'Come Tomorrow' Come Tomorrow

On Friday, June 8, the Dave Matthews Band released their latest album Come Tomorrow.  Hopefully, the day after I write and post this, I will be getting an actual physical version of the album.  I have been a fan of the band since I heard their debut single "What Would You Say" off of Under the Table and Dreaming.  I have yet to actually get this album though.  At the time, I wasn't as carefree in trying and buying new acts.  Still, I liked what I heard and was interested in their future.  I mean, how many rock bands have a saxophone, a cello, and a violin.  I also have never heard them in concert.  Unfortunately, I have been kept on a short leash and rarely get to go anywhere on my own.  Things really picked up for me with Crash, as it did for many fans, and the title track "Crash into Me."  This time, I bought the album on cassette.  I don't remember why I did so, probably financial reasons.  I since have lost or misplaced the original and bought the CD in replacement.  Their next album, Before These Crowded Streets, was the one I have most connected with.  I remember listening to the cassette and reading the liner notes on my way back from Lexington one summer day.  (I wasn't the one driving at the time, so not that a big deal.)  I was just starting to get into Mage: the Ascension as well, at the time, and I created characters based on each faction of the game upon each of the songs.  It was almost like the start of a possible television series, all the detailed stories that album helped me create.  "Crush" is definitely my favorite song off the album.  It is a song I would like to be played at my wedding reception, if I ever get married.  I still like "Crash into Me" better, though.  Their next album, Everyday, was the first one I got on CD, and the first one I got soon after it was released.  I still have to connect "The Space Between" with the September eleventh attacks, due to the fact I kept hearing this song at the time.  Leftover tracks from that album formed the basis for the next, Busted Stuff.  It was disjointed, but the songs were overall slightly better, more complex.  For some reason,  "Grey Street" stands out because of its message of hope in adversity, if nothing else.  Then came Stand Up.  I was able to purchase the premium version of the CD/DVD.  This is when I began to notice how their songs weren't being played on the radio as much, and how hard it was to find their videos on television.  They were starting to lose general popularity.  It didn't help that Dave made a solo CD at the same time.  Tragedy struck during this hiatus, as saxophonist Les Moore died in an ATV accident while starting to record new music.  As "Funny the Way It Is" says, 'somebody's broken heart, becomes your favorite song,' the band came back with the tribute Big Whiskey and the Grougrux King.  They got a new saxophonist, as well as a trumpeter.  A frequent collaborator on guitar also joined full time.  While depressing at times, this was their most critically acclaimed title yet, an appreciation I share.  I can almost see the album as the story of aliens, exploring Earth, only to get stranded here.  They don't interfere, but face a dire decision once someone finds out about them.  I don't know how I came up with these things.  Of course, after such heights, their next album, Away from the World, was somewhat of a let down.  I just felt that it was step back, just reliving previous motifs.  I am still waiting on what the new album will be like.  The promotional materials are all black and white.  Also, elephant imagery has been rampant, but that might not be directly connected.  When I do get the album, I am thinking of even reviewing it online.  But first, I have to get a copy and clear out an hour or so to listen to it.  And maybe a few more times as well.