u/cchihaialexs

I love Reflektor, but I think if it was arranged differently it could've been a PERFECT album. This is my personal opinion based on the songs I love and the themes I've interpreted and resonated with from this album. I'll first write my ideal tracklist and then I'm going to explain my choices:

1. Here Comes the Night Time (6:30)
2. Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice) (6:13)
3. It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus) (6:42)
4. Reflektor (7:34)
5. Afterlife (5:52)
6. Porno (6:02)
7. Joan of Arc (5:24)
8. Get Right (4:41)
9. Here Comes the Night Time II (2:51)

Total Length: 51:49

To me, the album represents judgement. Being judged by 2 sides: the human side and a higher power.

I think Here Comes the Night Time is the perfect opener because it's energetic and it explores both human judgement and the judgement of a higher power, setting the tone for the album. It also has a sister song that makes for the perfect closer.

I also feel like certain tracks tell a cohesive story through the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice: 2,3,4,5. 2 is the taking, 3 is the journey, 4 is the reckoning and pleading and 5 is acceptance and regret.

When listening to Reflektor, I always thought the perfect followup would be Afterlife and I just cannot understand how they missed the opportunity when they flow perfectly into each other in both sound and theme.

4,5 and 6 create a strong middlepoint for the album and make for an amazing 3 track run.

I put Porno and Joan of Arc together because to me they represent " the whore " and " the martyr " which is a strong contrast that I personally love.

Get Right is a banger (underrated?) and is a final message to the listener before the closer.

I excluded other songs that fit the theme perfectly because I just don't think they're as good at conveying their message and feel more sarcastic than serious and cohesive (I just hate fun)

Would you listen to this album? Would you hate it? What song that you absolutely love have I removed and do I deserve to be crucified? How does your ideal Reflektor look?

https://preview.redd.it/rt1wbkxi2y2h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=176a54dbcabe27007e7d1da851d3247c9615a544

You get like 5 years of action when you're off truce with all your neighbors. Then you have to wait 20 years. What do you do? Cabinet is always full, micromanaging trade is tedious, buildings take 15 years to feel impactful, annexations now take 20 years even for minor countries, events are boring, religious actions are boring. And even when you're at war conquering feels meaningless when it takes decades to core those lands and post early game levies warfare you're genuinely unbeatable and the game becomes sit on siege simulator until the ignore zone of control advance (VERY late game).