Take Back Thursday – Anthony Green’s “Young Legs” LP
Released in 2013, Young Legs turns 10 this year!
As a big fan of Anthony Green’s, I must talk about one of his solo albums that has an important milestone this year – Young Legs. Released back on November 12, 2013, this record is turning ten years old, and it continues to be a completely fantastic piece of music in his discography. The father of four and frontman of quite a few impressive bands also has a very distinguished collection of solo records, somehow finding the time to balance everything.
Green’s third solo studio album consists of eleven tracks and is a very different sound from his work in the other bands he was active in at the time (Circa Survive, Saosin, and The Sound of Animals Fighting), although still being mixed and produced by Will Yip.
It opens with one of my favorites on the album, “Breaker”, which was also first released as a single in the September month prior to the LP release. This track originated as being part of an outro from a live version of a song on his previous album – Beautiful Things (2012) – and thus he found it easy to work it into the final version we hear on the album. Later on in 2018, Anthony Green played a small acoustic set at Yip’s Studio 4 and opened with a somehow sadder version of “Breaker” – but it remains one of my all-time favorites in his discography. Losing the full band and having it just be him an acoustic guitar adds another layer to the profound lyricism and is hauntingly beautiful.
The title track of the album, “Young Legs”, Green describes as being for an old friend who he was no longer in touch with and held things he didn’t think he could say in person. You can absolutely hear the anger and the passion in the song, between the repeating “What did you see…” lines and the powerful instrumentals throughout the entirety of the track.
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Following the track list in numerical order, “100 Steps” is another one of my favorites off the album. Green describes it as being about a friend of his who lived in his insecurities, but for me this song has a more positive tone. Instead of hearing it from a lonely perspective and asking why these changes are happening, I’ve always listened to “There's always one hundred steps ahead” as a reminder to always keep pushing, fighting, and growing through life and with the people you love.
The haunting “Too Little, Too Late” is what follows next, and it was inspired by a friend’s breakup. It’s a simple, short track but does not hold back with the emotion and is easily relatable for anyone who has experienced the hardship of a bad breakup.
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Ruled by acoustics & Anthony Green’s powerful vocals, this track is rated very highly on my list especially due to the simplicity being a bit experimental for the musician. When paired with “Stolen”, a song inspired by the same events, “Young Legs” holds very strong emotions both in lyricism and instrumentals and is executed flawlessly by Green.
The track “When You Sang” to Me was written in the studio, and it came from a different song that was scrapped. It was a new experience with writing a slow ballad, Green goes on to say that the title of the record fits the new writing style he was trying out at this point in his career. “Conversation Piece”, similarly, was recorded in the studio on the date it was written and very quickly became a favorite, even replacing a different song that was originally going to be on the album.
The title of the happiest track on the record very sweetly goes to “Anytime”, a song written for Green’s young daughter Lucy. Following James’ Song on his previous album, this is Lucy’s Song; it’s about always coming home, whether it be from tour or other business, but that he would always be coming home to her, and his other children.
“I’ll Miss You” is a beautiful song about loss and accepting it happened but celebrating the joy you had with that person. It’s a feeling that we all surely know on some level, and certainly helps you find some shred of happiness on a tragic occasion.
“Shine” is one that Green calls the second happiest on the record, and even associates it with Circa’s Blue Sky Noise (2010) sound-wise. It holds an energy that he admits he had been trying to capture for a long time and is very happy with the final version. “You Have to Believe It Will Happen” is the closer of the album, and is another message he felt was more powerful to sing than to say it.
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This is another song that I resonate with the message of hope it holds, “Love will come again when you need it most” and “When you're out of luck, know everything you want, you have” are two lines in particular that have left a very long lasting impact. Green is an individual I look up to very much and have always found a lot of inspiration in, and I hope any readers who are new to his music are able to find the same. I’m fortunate enough to have had some very meaningful conversations with him, and there are some words of wisdom he gave that I’ll never forget.
Jessica Yurko Photography, LLC © 2022
Anthony Green also recently announced limited anniversary merch for Young Legs, and it can be found here! Young Legs 10 Year Anniversary – Anthony Green (anthonygreenmerch.com)
The album cover was redrawn in some beautiful blue, pink, and cream shades – and it’s paired with some new (also very limited) vinyl variants! There’s a Collector’s Bundle of both new variants, but also some super cute apparel as well. I already got my copies of everything, so don’t wait too long to get yours! Young Legs is a timeless work of art – amidst his other incredible & versatile albums – and it’s a must-listen to if you haven’t heard it yet!
I know I’m excited to see what Green plans on releasing, whether it be more solo work or the upcoming releases planned with his newest band L.S. Dunes – single “Benadryl Subreddit” being recently released and the next single Old Wounds tentatively set to release on September 1st, 2023!
Jessica Yurko Photography, LLC © 2022
Images used from Jessica Yurko Photography, LLC © used with explicit permission from the photographer.