I'm so glad you are enjoying it! It's turned around. It was a rough start at first, but it seems like people for the most part are enjoying a place to just retreat into some celebration! I know I am
That's a great way of explaining it! And I think that's part of what makes the whole thing so dynamic to me. It helps that I really didn't know any of the songs other than Carousel. All of these are new to me and I didn't have any expectations of how they would sound. But I really like the mixture as you described because it feels like some insight into his process!
I have no idea what the released version of "Behind the Mask" sounds like, but this one is just a wild ride to me. I think the imperfections of it add something! I've always felt that way about demos.