Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Standouts: The Mother We Share, Gun, Recover, We Sink, Lies, Under the Tide, Lungs. 3.75
I have not been doing the album generator for long, but this has been the best album I have listened too so far. Surprising to me given some of the names and bands listed previously, but this was killer.
interesting album, would have liked it a bit more edgy, but certainly better than a lot of other albums on this list.
had kinda low expectations for some reason but this was actually super good. kind of like if KNOWER went more synth pop instead of jazz.
Loved this when it came out and I still do.
Idc about this. Gun is the only song I kind of liked.
i got bored 15 minutes in. the mother we share has a little spark of something.
Decent
Bright and uplifting. Never listened to them really. Not essential, but it's all good modern pop and a fun listen, I have to give that to them. I'd probably still reach for M83 or Sky Ferreira if I wanted to hear this updated 80s sound which abounded particular in the '10s, but I like a lot of this too. I stuck Saturdays=Youth on afterwards for the first time in yonks, and had a lovely old time. So thanks for that. Faves - We Sink, Tether, Science/vision
I found this to be well done and solid synth pop it’s not something I would go back and listen to again. It doesn’t lead anywhere for me.
Album 383 of 1001 CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe Rating : 2.5 / 5 Electronica Pop. For me, it is listenable. Probably a favorite of some. I can see the appeal but it just doesn't hit for me.
Wow, I used to listen to this album when it came out when I was a moody teenager. I probably wouldn't to this album much nowadays though. 4/5 just for nostalgia's sake (don't make fun of me for being nostalgic of something that came out in 2013, I am just a baby and these were my formative years).
how on earth did this make it on the list
This is an essential part of my college soundtrack! Jammed to this so many times walking between classes. This just hits that synth-pop itch for me, so it's an easy 5/5.
This album is an expertly constructed synth pop record. It may sound dated in a few years, but it perfectly encapsulates the time it was made. There are obvious 80s synth influences and more underground shoegaze drone like sounds as well. I love layers in music and this album leaves a lot to be unpacked. Overall, a great and accessible album.
Big synth pop. I like it.
I listened to this twice because I felt like I didn’t give it a fair shake the first time while I was driving. There’s a few on here I liked, but having listened to a lot of recent CHVRCHES but not this, id say they were discovering who they are. I’m really happy this is on here but I’d also trade this for another of their albums if it’s the only one we are getting.
Didn't expect to get this on here, but I'm not complaining! CHVRCHES is a really cool band, they've got an indescribable magic to their sound, and it comes through on a lot of these. Especially "The Mother We Share," that will probably be their top dog hit forever. It's a pretty great album, enjoyable ride. Will be saving quite a few. Favorite tracks: The Mother We Share, We Sink, Gun, Under the Tide, Lungs. Album art: Spirally logo with what I assume is the V that serves as their U? Colors are great, design is bold. It's a strong cover for sure. 4/5
Great!!!
Good surprise!
This kind of mvsic is so sovlless and BORING. Both “The Mother We Share” and “Recover” were nice trips down memory lane for me. I remember hearing them all the time on my local alternative radio station a decade ago. I’ve grown a lot. For me it’s a 2.
I’m glad to see this album on the list. I once bought what I thought were tickets to see the group in NYC, and it turns out when we got to the venue, the concert was actually a “CHVRCHES DJ set” despite what the tickets said. Well… the DJ didn’t even play ANY CHVRCHES, so I don’t know what the fuck we bought or what I even went to see. Had a reasonably good time, but this album is definitely better than the DJ set which definitely wasn’t CHVRCHES.
I enjoyed this one a lot. I liked her voice and the music did not seem too over the top with electronics.
Was there a lot of repetition? Yes. Did it change each song? Kind of. Was her voice good? Yes. Was it good? Yes and no that’s why it’s a three. It is neither good or bad
Aight I need to apologize to Mason for all the crap I gave him about electronic music back in middle/high school. I thoroughly enjoyed this here album. I loved the lyrics, they did a good job of telling stories. I felt that the sounds were different on each song so the whole album didn't sound monotone. I also very much liked that they had different vocalists (granted it was only for two songs but still that's more than most bands). Very nice album.
again-why is this on the list? it's just very "meh". I will forget this in another hour. 2.5 stars
Flawless synth pop.
frekar gott gáfumannapopp. rafskotið. á aðra skilið. 3,5.
oh wow I'm tempted to give this a 5 its so good synths are amazing and that voice!
I listened to the hell out this album in the mid 2010’s. Still holds up as a great electro-pop album.
Couldnt really get into it, and I forgot it relatively quickly. Maybe I’m being a little harsh though
I listened to this a lot today for no particular reason. I guess, at first, I just kept going back to re-listen to the first track—an undeniably good song with a lot of (good) nostalgiac baggage. And each time I went back I made it further through the rest of the album, which doesn’t impress me in any particular way, but doesn’t much bother me either. It’s like an FM radio station that plays the sort of musical white noise I can shut off too when I can’t decide what to listen to myself. Every now and again I’d think this sounds like the stadium-filling version of what the Postal Service did. Or that it’s like Passion Pit, but U2ier. All-in-all, some 10 years on and CHVRCHES has kind of wound up one-hit-wonders. Which is a shame coming from a bad I really want like more. Unfortunately, no other moment on this record does much of anything at all for me beyond allowing me to tune out. That, and it’s too long.
I had this on my iPhone in 2012 during a summer in NYC as a sophomore. Just sounds to me like, exciting times, big city! It was very in the air at the time. Everything was starting to have this 80’s synthpop / M83 sheen to it. This must have been one of the albums that I mistakenly downloaded only half of the songs, because I know half of the songs super well, and the other half are unfamiliar. Which leaves us with a natural experiment: do the ones that I randomly didn’t have downloaded, and now get to hear with fresh ears in 2024, give me as much of a boost as the ones laced with nostalgia, romanticism, young college love? The answer is no. No, I think the other “new” songs to me are kind of lame and not interesting. So that should tell me something, but in spite of that still have a vague fondness for this! So I’ll go 3. By no means as earth-shattering as those first few singles promised, but still a pretty good time. 3/5
Decent listen
Yeah, it isn't what it was 10 years ago - feels a bit tepid in places. Influential, but also culpable. And a million miles away from the magic that is proper 80s synth pop
obvs sounds like a parody of 2013 synthy indie pop. so incredibly samey and boring. feel like you had to be there to get it.
Pretty damn good! Suprised by how much I enjoyed. Very solid production, performances and songwriting
Int riktigt min juttu men helt bra
Classic 2010’s indie electronic pop sound. Not always my thing but they had a few gems. Mother we share was my favorite.
This over-produced and overblown sound is most of what I hated about 80s synth pop. Sadly more Howard Jones than The Human League. This has taken the generic bits of that style and ditched any of the rough edges that made it interesting.
I'm not the target audience here. I don't dance. I could appreicate the production, but that doesn't mean that I like it. It sounded like the soundtrack for an American Candy Store.
A more popular and poppier Purity Ring, who did it a whole year earlier. I'll stick with Purity Ring.
I guess it’s alright for synth pop, synth pop is just really not my thing.
Incredible album front to back. I remember hearing CHVRCHES the first time with "We Sink" on FIFA 14. That led me to hearing "The Mother We Share" and ultimately this album. Glad to see this included in the list.
Pretty chill synth pop, really enjoyed the leads vocals it led this album pretty heavily. 3.0
Lots of 'catchy' pop hooks. Like the female's lead voice. Maybe a bit Synth-heavy for my tastes but still enjoyed listening to this album
too poppy and synth techno even more me.
Some serious teen drama vibes here. At times I could have been listening to Charlie XCX. Quite twee at times but perfectly harmless. Tether is the one that sticks with me - or tied me up, maybe.
One of the radio stations I listen to played the shit out of the song ‘The mother we share’ when it first came out. I never got sick of it. The rest of the album is equally unobjectionable. Very polished production and catchy pop tunes.
When this began, I was feeling OK about it — not my genre of choice, way too synthesized for my taste, but I was smitten with the sounds they were producing. By track 4, I was really tired of the sound. Seems to me there's nothing under the sheen. My dissatisfaction only grew from there.
Given the name (and styling of that name), I was not expecting this kind of music. I guess I expected something harder, darker. Having said that, this was fine, though nothing really stuck with me.
Didn't love. Didn't hate. The synth stuff sounded elementary and lacked the sophistication I hear from Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, etc.
Good synth pop album. didn't strike me as spectacular but maybe just caught me on the wrong day.
cleanly produced electro and synth pop nothing groundbreaking, but still nice to listen too
An album of its time, with the same production choices and vocal inflections that seemed to get every pop station itching for more of the same you could argue this era of music has permanently left a crack in the pop industry, one that didn't really start to heal until the last couple of years. It just feels like every song from 2013 sounded like this, and if it didn't, it was trying to. This specific attempt is inoffensive most of the time, with decent moments buried under what feels like heaps of overproduced beats and synths, only feeling especially eye-roll worthy when the male vocalist appears and it becomes a cheese fest. I know this era is trying to emulate the 80s in its design, but the 80s has a charm to it that this lacks, and I say that as someone who did not grow up in the 80s at all. That isn't to say all 80s music is free from the issues here, because its far from that, but nothing from this brand of synthpop seems to have that memorable quality to it, only leading to me asking if I know any of the music here, or if its just the flavor of the week. Anyway, I've gotten a tad off topic. There's some neat things near the end (although not that final track, yuck) with scratchy bass lines and neat soundscapes that I could see getting one pumped in the right mood, but otherwise I feel this earns its way as memories of a bygone era more than something to still listen to today, and if I'm talking like that about an album from only a decade ago, then who knows how poorly this could age in another ten years?
I've heard of this band but had never listened to them. I really liked this electronic pop dreamscape and the manic pixie singer. Her voice is on the higher and lighter side but packs some emotional power.
This was good! Never listened to this group before but I liked it, great melodies and production.
2013 seemed like ripe enough time for CHVRCHES to make their presence felt with The Bones of What You Believe. Melding 80s synth with modern flair, the trio hit the ground running and never let up. Further planting their flag down is the clarion call like vocals of Lauren Mayberry, one of the more distinctive voices of the 2010s synth-pop renaissance. Although Martin Doherty shares lead vocal duties as well, if anyone else had sung the songs without Lauren's flair, the whole enterprise would have sunk. Alas, this is a pretty good bedrock to start things on. Favorites: The Mother We Share, We Sink, Gun, Tether, Under the Tide, Night Sky, Lungs, By the Throat.
Pretty good
Pop, synth, Scandinavian, she can't sing
Shovldn't the songs be named, Gvns, Vnder the Table, Lvngs, and Yov Cavght the Light? I keep thinking of Haley Williams.
I love the lead singers voice and the buzzy poppy funky electronic sounds... it can build and rock at times that really has good energy. The Mother We Share is included, though I also find Recover really strong.
Eingängiger Pop, absolut radiotauglich, wieso habe ich nie zuvor davon gehört? Vielleicht höre ich die falschen Sender? Nur die Stimme der Sängerin ist mir zu kleinmädchenhaft.
2,5
Enjoyable background
Synthpop r00lz
Did not like this.
Not my jam.
Good vnabashed slabs of synthpop. We Sink really slapped on the FIFA 14 sovndtrack and TMWS is a modern classic. Just between yov and me I think Chvrches are more of a singles band - there’s vsvally a bit of filler on their albvms. But they’re also my girlfriend’s favovrite band, and natvrally there’s an extra star on offer for that sort of thing.
2013 Genre: Synth-pop, indie pop, electropop, dance-pop Standouts: The Mother We Share, Others: Recover, Gun, Lies, We Sink, Tether, Under the Tide, Lungs 4/5
Really liked it, will listen again, and seek out their other output. Thought I might find the vocal off-putting, but I didn't mind it. It stayed just dark enough. Reminded me of Ladytron and occasionally LCD Soundsystem, both of whom are even cooler. Probably a 7 out of 10, but I'll be generous as I do love a synth.
Nice to hear some 80s vibes again, but nothing really stood out for me.
Wasn’t at all sure what to expect and it’s a real mix. Some poppy, some more alternative. Liked it and might even listen to it again.
a bit too pop for me, and not in a good way...
Listen. This album dropped in my first few weeks at university, with the singles popping up throughout my senior year of high school. I was very much an indie boy at that time. So yes, I've heard several of these tracks many times. I doubt I could even separate the sound of songs like "Recover" or "The Mother We Share" from those memories. What surprised me the most about this listen was how many tracks featured male vocals. While Lauren Mayberry's voice is CHVRCHES to me, I did really like the mix. This is a fun little electropop record that I think would be hard to resist even if it wasn't tied into my halcyon days.
Cool vibes. I like the 80s bubblegum pop energy. Hope to find time to listen to more.
Je ne m'attendais pas à ça. Si j'avais écouté un très court extrait, j'aurais plutôt associé la voix de la chanteuse à une gagnante d'un quelconque télé-crochet pour ados. Mais c'est pas mal.
Very much a product of its time. Not really my thing.
not my thing
1 - I had heard of these guys but never listened to them, and was surprised to see them on the list. I was excited to see if I’d been missing out all this time…I had not. This album does not belong on this list. Every song sounded the same, there was nothing ground breaking in it. Against other albums in this list it lacks any maturity.
This album is very nostalgic for me, I listened to a lot of CHVRCHES around 2013. There are some phenomenal remixes of some of these songs. I thought I would find it dated and cheesy, but actually I still really liked this. That being said it’s another one where I don’t really understand why it’s on the 1001. Fave Tracks: The Mother We Share, Gun, Lies, Recover 3.8/5
Brings back fairly vivid early-mid 2010 memories. I quite liked Chvrches, and their sound is distinctive.
Bitvis intressant men ...
I didn't find anything special about this album, for me it felt like every song that would be a classic of the 2010 but with no "personality". It's not a bad album, i expected a bit more.
nice
It’s fine, it’s not great, and in fact is neither good nor bad, it’s just….okay. At least it didn’t make me feel angry, but nor did it make me feel anything positive. It’s just ….there.
One of my favorite high school bands, this album mostly holds up
Unique sound
Ethereal and beautiful, plus a Scottish bonus point - makes a surprising (to me) five stars!
Ну что ж, я люблю электронику. Ребёнок нулевых, не умеющий ценить текст вечных песен и звучание вечных инструментов, могущий лишь кайфовать от музыкальной синтезированной синтезатором наркоты. Lies, Night Sky, Science/Visions особенно хороши.
I started interested but it faded int background pretty quick.
I tried, but I just cant 1
not bad
It was fine. Nothing terribly interesting or terribly annoying.
Didn't really like the style and didn't like her voice.
Get the fuck outta here with this
so enjoyable. great addition to the 1001 albums list!
damn, there are a lot of haters in the comments here. this album bangs and only really dips in quality when you get to the bonus tracks at the end. the mother we share is an absolute banger (and the only one i knew ahead of time, this time from the Harmonix game Dropmix) and the energy and vibes carry through the next six or so songs easily (which were apparently all released as singles? wild). more of this please!! favorites: tracks 1-8, you caught the light
3/5 good but not enough
Quite boring synth music. Doesn't really get me.
Really enjoyed this
Okay to listen to but nothing really sticks
Doesn’t do it for me
Beautifully produced album with a pleasant sound and a good energy. I could see why someone would love it but it’s just not for me. Between the sugar-coated synths and the lead singer’s cutesy voice, the music is a bit too precious for me. I find it a little grating. I remember when this album came out and hearing friends rave about Chvrches. For my money, I preferred Purity Ring, whose debut album came out around the same time. They have a similar style to Chvrches but are a little more spare and melancholy and have some hip-hop drums. I actually just put on that Purity Ring album and I’m enjoying it much more. Anyway, Chvrches aren’t my speed but I see the appeal.
Oh man "The Mother We Share" was such a college song for me and my friends. Listening now, 11 years post release and it's still a banger. The chorus is infectious, Lauren Mayberry's voice is so endearing and cute? and also soars above the synths under it. I melt a little bit when her Scottish accent cuts through like on the lyric "proud". The downside of the song is that it feels like compositionally it's just moving towards the chorus and whenever it's not the chorus, there's a gravitational pull that grabs everything and tugs it closer and closer to it. I don't really blame them, because that part is so good, but it feels like all of the non-chorus sections are super short, and they don't provide enough tension for me to crave a resolution. The rest of the album is definitely listenable and even enjoyable, but I can't help but feel a contrast between that song and the rest of the album. I kind of feel like the band knew this too as they put that song as track 1. I think part of my issue with the album is that there's not enough different sounds throughout. The synths are all pretty similar sounds/patches and when they change things up, it's usually to add space in the form of reverb, or to change a function like add an arpeggiator. I've had this idea in my head that I came across in a Pearl Jam interview years back where someone in the band said that after they record a song for an album, they tend to turn all of the knobs on the amps, change the amps, change the guitars, and move the mics around just as a reset. It makes it so that every song sounds different and has it's own sound, it's own sort of vibe. Since I heard that I tend to look for it in albums but it's a double edged sword because now I hear an album like this and I can't help but be a little let down that the songs are all TOO consistent and close. Which is unfortunate, because when writing with synths there is such a smorgasbord of instruments out there. Even by decade there are so many variations of the same instrument that have their own quirks and sounds and it's a super fun space to work with, but I don't hear it here. Here, I hear a "yea that synth worked well on tracks 1-6, let's load it up again for track 7". Regardless, it's a good album, but kind of middle of the road for this list (or more specifically, for my personal 1001 list).
Pop worth a listen Dreamy kaleidoscope sound Dance in a synth trance
A very hypnotic electonica with feminine vocals that provide a good musicbed for study and focused work.
I have never knowingly listened to Chvrches, just a general thing about a lot of modern well-known music that doesn't overlap with my tastes, but from The Bones Of What You Believe I feel like I've been missing out. This is great fun, it's pulsating, it's cute and whimsical, it's soaring, it's infectious, and it constantly makes me think of bits of other songs I've heard from all over the place over the years (the singer's voice is great and is also often uncannily similar to one or two female-fronted pop-punk bands I've enjoyed). Lots of times I wasn't immediately taken by a song early on but the way it's built to a bigger finish works well and clearly by design. Only real knocks I have on it that stop it getting more than a 4 are that a few tracks are generally not very memorable (especially the last three tracks), and they all sound somewhat similar, but very glad this was on the list for me to find.
This is a really cool sound - have heard the first track at least before without knowing who did it or where it came from. It's got great energy, her voice isn't the best ever but it's notable, but the thing that brings it down is that there's only one trick to it, so it gets quite samey. Keen to hear more of what they've done to see if the sound has evolved at all. 3/5 for this one, but a lot of potential.
Extremely enjoyable album.
It’s got good energy, the Mother We Share is such a great track and the album itself is electro pop goodness. The highs are highs but there are some lulls. Mayberry’s vocals are crisp and meld with the electronic tones well. It starts really strong and ends up feeling long and isn’t as consistent as I recall from when I fist listened. The good songs are very strong though and there’s enough strength in those tunes to make this a good album overall. 3.5 stars
What a delight! I’ve always liked the singles I’ve heard from this band, but truthfully, I would have never got around to listening to this album if not for this project! This was just my type of thing! I can’t even figure out what my favorite track off the album is, I loved them all! Perfect electro-pop, I wish I could be slightly drunk in 2014 dancing to these tracks at the club!
Overrated band
Been a fan of them since I found Love is Dead a few years back. This album leans a lot heavier on the electro, and does so with an extra dose of distortion. Love the sound and the energy, but didn’t connect with it as much. Still rocked… but you just never forget your first.
Didn't really listen to the whole thing. Wasn't vibing
Pleasant listen. Nothing really stood out, can’t remember any hooks. Kind of wallpaper music.
I listened to it but couldn't tell you anything about it
You ever listen to some YouTube video that plays a song you love but in a major key and it sounds really wrong? I kept having that feeling while listening to this album. Take synth arrangements I love, recast them in an upbeat, happy key, overlay them with saccharine-sweet vocals. This is just really really not working for me. Feeling generous giving it a 2.
It went on a little too long, but it's good overall and there's some real bangers
This was fun synthpop! I especially liked “Tether”. It had so many cool levels and was so high energy! I could definitely see myself listening to more by CHVRCHES.
Look, I listened to this album a TON when it came out, and it's no longer fun for me. That being said, it's not *bad* but it's got that quality where It Feels Like All The Lyrics Are Capitalized and that bugs me. Lungs was my favorite song at the time, but really enjoyed You Caught The Light this time around
I just like this album a lot. it's not my favorite of theirs so it's really like a 4.5 but I can't put that so (screen violence is just better because laura sings everything, sorry)
Hm I tried multiple ways of saying I love Lauren Mayberry but they all read back in a creepy way. I don't really care for their slower songs on this album or the male vocals (sorry, gentlemen) but the hits are HITS. Also, tumblr nostalgia. l
Very fun album, was not expecting Recover to be on this because I only knew it from their EP
A hypnotic and stunning synthpop jaunt from start to finish. I listened to this album on repeat for months when it first came out and was so happy to revisit it today and have it hold up. I also love seeing how much fun Chvrches have touring and engaging with their fans - it’s a refreshingly positive approach.
Bubblegum music-nope.
Jaren 80 vibes in een duidelijk modern jasje. Dromerig en toch dansbaar
Fun album!
opens with a banger, then loses interest for me
ikke helt min greie
Topp 3 favorittband, og kanskje deres beste plate. Easy 5/5
Synth pop
Pretty
The airline food of music. It's perfectly fine and neatly packaged. The perfect accompaniment to gazing vacantly out of a little window as the distant world drifts by. But it doesn't stand up to a comparison with the real thing with your feet on the ground.
I was surprised by this one. I enjoyed listening to all the songs but none of them really jumped out as amazing or anything like that.
I had heard of them, but had not listened to them that I know of. I almost gave up on this one, even stopped it for a wile, but kept going just to see. And finally - 'You caught the light' came on. Nice, slower, not so poppy or synth-y. Really liked the dreamy tone of it. After that there were a couple more good ones, but most of it - not for me.
Stand out track for me: Recover
Love this band and album. Hard to believe it's one 10 years old.
Taylor Swift without whatever makes Taylor Swift great and I don't know what that is.
The name of the band strikes me as incredibly pretentious but the album art is pretty cool so I'm trying to keep an open mind. Yeah this is bouncy and fun, It feels to me that Chvrches is satisfied to be a lyrically competent, well produced, and cleanly executed version of bouncy and fun and is not, in fact, insufferably pretentious. Good enough to be included on this list? I'm a maybe leaning towards yes.
Meaningless background music that the radio plays on your way home at 9pm that makes you want to kill yourself
Familiar with this album and seen them live. That being said, I think I appreciate what they're doing more than I am enjoying it at times. I'll probably go back to get more of the electronic textures. Listened while driving around with Mia so I wasn't listening as close as usual. Still had a lot of tracks that just grabbed me, but also quite a few I couldn't really hone in on.
I liked this a lot.
No cabe duda que el poder de la música atrae buena energía muy enérgico disco me gustó a pesar de algunas canciones muy pussys
Wonderful debut record from a great band.
I am so wrong for this
TMWS is an absolute banger - but in my opinion, is held down by the rest of the album. I can absolutely imagine the person this would appeal to, but it wasn't hitting for me. Shame, because again, I really love TMWS.
After hearing The Mother We Share in 2012, this was one of my most anticipated albums of 2013. I love this album so much. 5/5
Fucking great.
Some of this is way too catchy and I don’t want to like it but it’s hard not too. It’s interesting how it kind of bridges alternative and electronic for the time, but really is just pop. As a naive pop listener, it seems to me like a lot of mainstream pop for the decade after is just this. Probably won’t listen much again, but can’t deny this is a good album.
Hört sich an wie ein Synthpop Vorläufer von Taylor Swift. Hat zwar nicht weh getan das anzuhören, war aber auch nicht bereichernd. Komplett austauschbar. 2,7.
This is a new album/band for me. No loss to me missing this the first time around - it is pure cotton candy. Looks pretty at first glance, but there's no substance and it evaporates into nothingness.
Gear: Nectar Bee Mische: Sub-Bass schiebt teils ordentlich, Vocals und insbesondere Pop-Chorus überpräsent bis unterträglich Mugge: Schade - wesentlich mehr Pop und weniger inspirierte Synths als erhofft Wertung: 2/5
2 - Nothing here really impressed me. I genuinely can't tell if I've heard some of these songs before or if they just sound like something I would have heard on the radio at some point? I think I don't really like production like this, which made it harder to enjoy the music. It had moments that I could enjoy, but nothing amazing. I wasn't crazy about the vocals either, especially the male vocals. I don't know, just not for me.
Interesting
Somehow I'd never really listened to them before. And i enjoyed every moment of this album. 4/5 will listen again.
Sort of boring, sorry :')
this album was alright. it had its moments, although i do think it was a bit samey to its detriment. pleasant enough indie synthpop, but not anything to write home about for me.
Not doing it for me
"Facebook brings you Your Year in Review 2013"-type music. I can't take this shit seriously, man. All I can imagine while listening to this is a slideshow of images of a middle-aged woman on the beach with animated transitions between pictures. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Actually a really fitting final album for the year. Weird to think about how 2024 will be my last year on this site - only 349 days until the finish line!
I've seen Churches and Metric live. With the exception of a little guitar, completely interchangeable. The start of this record is a synth drenched soundscape that's boring but fine. By then though it's all boring 808s and a Casio piano. I don't know what happened here. But the end of this is wildly lazy.
This was a masterpiece when it came out! Still sounds good!
Meget habilt
I like a lot of synth driven music and have heard enough hype about this band to give them a listen a few times prior and it just never grabs me. Singer probably could’ve had a mediocre mallpop career in the 80s. I liked her voice more on Science/Visions more where she’s putting some punch behind it, but otherwise it just doesn’t grab me.
A unique and neat sound
I don’t even dislike the “sound” of this album, I’ve definitely heard and liked some of these and the band’s other songs before. In isolation, I can vibe with their songs. But a full album is very cloying for me. Sorry CHVRCHES.
This is very boring and the lyrics don't scan well. I have no idea why it's on the list.
I like this but I don't think its particularly memorable. By The Throat is the best song here - it sounds like Let's Eat Grandma (though this came first)
3.7/5 Best Track: The Mother We Share
Another band I've only heard in name only and wound up enjoying a good deal. I would describe this as solid synthwave with maybe some chillwave undertones. At times, I wanted the songs to push a little harder or be a bit darker, but still, they remain catchy and are very beautiful in places. I particularly like the synth sounds that mimic distorted guitar. It's either an actual guitar getting filtered in or it's something manipulated and placed in a bank. Whatever is going on, it's put to good use. The bonus tracks are very good, and I would highly recommend listening to the 10 year anniversary remaster.
Never had heard of it previously. It was unremarkable. No need to revisit.
I fell in love with this album when it was first released. I still groove with these Scottish musicians. I understand the criticism that it begins to “sound the same” after a while. But I like the sound and never get bored with it. “Recover” and “By the Throat” are my two favourite tracks. 4.5/5
ok. some nice dance tracks but nothing ground breaking for me.
This sounds like it would have been really popular in 2013, but has not aged well. These fake deeps lyrics and melodramatic synth sounds just don’t do it for me. It has its place and it isn’t awful. I think this singer sounds like a child. Also, it doesn’t even reach 50 minutes, but it still feels so long. 3/5
I love Chvrches in small doses. Lauren Mayberry is a rockstar crush of mine. Swoon
Very 80s, very tuneful, very emotional - it hits some of the right spots but not all of them. A solid effort though.
Música alegre y dinámica. Pop con toques de baile. Electrónica continua. Temas un tanto parecidos entre sí
This is a top 1001 album?
Yassss! I love this. One of my fave running albums. Thank you 1001 albums
Dance music. The vocalist sounds a lot like a young Madonna. Not my favorite genre, but they do have talent.
Electronic rock, bland, vocalist Lauren Murray is good but unspectacular. She sounds very similar to other currently female vocalists. Lack of guitar really takes the soul out of the music for me. 5.7/10
so pop but it was eh
Did not at all feel like an hour long
Dance-pop. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
What a fantastic album!
I'm not sure how to really rate this. Or review it for that matter. Her voice is pleasant. Very pretty. Music is all digital, electronic, drum machines, backing vocals are distorted in most songs. I like electronic music when it's not all in your face and more of a medium to the over all piece. In this album, I'm assuming in the releases too, it's forced down your throat. I don't really care for it to be honest. It sounds like it's made in the dorm of a college girl. That's not necessarily a bad thing... But it is all similar sounding. The album drags on at only an hour WITH bonus tracks that I skipped. As I don't care for extras when reviewing this. Unless the album is a 5/5. Lyrics are clearly targeted towards a younger crowd. I can see highschool girls loving this! And that's awesome! Everyone needs something. But as a 35 year old male with a constant crave for guitar riffs, impeccable production, and a tight and explosive rhythm section... This is just not for me. Moving on.
If someone played this and said it was Taylor Swift, I would have believed it. Granted I know very little of her music, but I think it’s similar type of synth pop right? Anyway it’s not my genre, but it wasn’t bad. I preferred the female lead songs to the couple with the dude.
Just shy of a 5 for me I think, the great songs are absolutely banging but there are a handful that don't really do anything for me. Still a great album though, I throw this one on pretty regularly when the mood strikes.
See the review for 2 albums below - essentially the same. More of a pop sound to this one and less reliant on the synth and more on the vocals (some nice duets), but overall not super interesting.
Dance-pop. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Synth-pop, indie pop, electropop, dance-pop.
Surprised to see this artist/album on this list but definitely enjoy it
one of these bands I've known of the past few years and definitely heard many times on the radio but never sought out. The first track had me thinking "oh this has some cool 80s vibes" which was immediately backed up in by the spotify bio. But the bio also calls out that mash up of a Depeche Mode/New Order sound with EDM-influenced sounds and it's that really poppy, EDM sound that put me off through much of the album. I'm definitely conflicted on this one. At one moment I'd be really enjoying and a couple minutes later I'd be thinking "why am I listening to this shit?"
Everyone knows the first one and that always creates an expectation for the rest of the album. Of which mine were exceeded with this dream-pop debut. The synth style mixed with a little new age phase beat is a nice mix. I like several songs and wouldn’t mind listening them again.
I was quite intrigued from the art, and I did quite like the first couple of songs, but then the subsequent songs all kinda sounded the same.
Nothing particularly wrong with it. Just dull, forgettable and very uncharismatic
That surprised me, wasn't what I expected. good pop/electronica, didn't hugely stand out as either though.
This was such a phenomenal album. Real coming of age vibes. I could see myself listening to it while on a nostalgic drive
I LOVE THIS ALBUM
This was a really good album. Kind of a blend of 80's/90's Depeche Mode meets Europop meets Atmospheric electronica. Definitely pleasantly surprised by this, and will quite likely seek out other albums of theirs to listen to, which is rare in my book.
The Bones of What You Believe is the debut album by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches. This indie pop/synth-pop album received critical acclaim for its songwriting and vocals. The album charted around the world, but it has only been certified gold in the UK. This was a good album of great songs that have a mix of pop and electronica. There's not much to dislike about this album, and you'll find new things to love on multiple listens. Now I need to listen to more CHVRCHES albums.
Someone teach the kids how to use compression, yikes.
Overall inoffensive listen, but I just don't think this style is for me. Vocals and synths sounded nice. 5.9/10 Fav song - Lungs, (The Mother We Share was a close second)
I’ve certainly come across the name CHVRCHES before, but I’m not actually sure if I’ve heard them. It’s odd that we seem to be going back to Olde Worlde spelling. I recently listened to PVRIS too. Power to the V, I guess. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: We Sink, Night Sky, Lungs I liked this album a lot. It reminds me of the more upbeat MGMT synth-pop songs, or maybe even the more modern Depeche Mode tracks. It definitely seems inspired by 80’s music, and that sits well with me. I will say that I’m glad that the Glaswegian accent is easier to understand when sang. It seems to sound like a whole different language when I’ve had conversations with Glaswegians before. Anyway, I digress. This album is very good!
cool
Have not heard of this band so I was really excited to dive in! I ended liking it but it didnt really have a standout tracks for me. Will check out their discog tho!
The Mother We Share may be my favorite Chvrches song, and the band is always of quality, but a lot of the album tracks here are a bit more throwaway (not Science/Visions though). It's good, but I prefer Every Open Eye. 7/10
This is one of the better indie pop albums since 2000. Thankfully the two males brought in the female because she is what makes this album significantly better than many other electronic pop albums that are filled with synths. Her singing pairs perfectly with the instrumentals of this album and it has several good hits. This is a very good modern album. 7.8/10
great album lots of party bangers
Got that pop to it would like to relisten
Not my style but it had some good songs.
This album perfectly encapsulates most of the albums on this list: it's not bad for what it is, but that doesn't make it worth ones time. "Science/Visions" was the only standout and there isn't anything really memorable about it. There a saying that is something along the lines of, "That meeting would have been better as an email". That's a good descriptor of these 12 tracks.
Not sure if I don't like Indie Music or just am grated by this woman's voice.
Absolutely loved this album!! Very 80s synth sounding with good drum beats and vocals are unique 👌
Strong Pop with a tech feel. Haven't heard of them before.
Pop
I feel it's unfair for me to rate this. It's absolutely not the type of music I like listening to. I really hated having to listen to this.
I didn't personally expect to enjoy synth-pop as much as I did with this album
Big up Scotland
Superb stuff
Lose a point for their spelling mistake.
Fine but not my cup of tea
Comes out of the traps like an absolute rocket, but slowly gets more samey, and a bit boring by the end. Probably a 3.5 star, but I’ll bump up to a generous 4 because the first few songs are so strong
solid electronic album
Solid modern album
This is good stuff, but I think they will do even better with their later releases.
Wat een stel gladjakkers, die typo-churches! Maar echt slecht was het ook zeker niet.
Wel leuk, maar ook wel erg poppy
Boven verwachting ok dit plaatje. Lekker poppy, lekker glad, maar heel catchy.
Die stem van die dame lijkt op die van een andere dame. Taylor swift misschien? Enfin, best ok, maar ook nogal bubble gum.
A boisterous 80s inspired synth album but despite the intensity of lyrics it feels like it carries very little weight and flakes away once you’ve listened to it.
Good album I enjoy the chvrches style of music. I'd heard the song The Mother We Share before and already loved it so I enjoyed hearing the rest of the songs from the same album.
Lauren Mayberry has such a cute posh Scottish accent. This album is definitely a modern classic in both Scottish music and synth pop.
Me gusta este disco. Las influencias ochenteras se dejan sentir. Me sorprendió que la canción que más me gusta no fuese un single. Night Sky.
These synths were fucking inspirational.
A grungier synthpop than Abba, but I can hear the 70s and especially 80s influence. Feels like music I should roller-skate to, which is a compliment. At the VERY least it breaks down the front door of my willpower and demands dancing.
This album felt still very recent to me so I was surprised to see it was 10 years old already. Some pretty joyous electro-indie, a fine album although slightly surprised it's included in the 1001 list
Best Song: By the Throat. My favourite part about CHVRCHES is the way the play around crescendos, and this song does that particularly well. Worst Song: Tether. Something about the male vocals didn't gel as well here. Overall: Although the album starts to feel a bit formulaic over its runtime, something about that formula works for me. The groovy synths + the angelic, innocent-feeling vocals feels right. I prefer other CHVRCHES albums, but I still can't help but like it. Music to dance to alone.
I have never listened to CHVRCHES and honestly didn't really know what to expect. And they sounded super similar to what I was expecting. This was fine, perfectly pleasant, not really for me on a regular basis.
Very strong album. Well made electro-pop.
Nothing to see here or rather nothing to hear here.
Blije zuurstoktechno, je moet ervoor in de stemming zijn. Ben ik niet altijd.
Een plaat met een knipoog naar de jaren '80 en '90. Al zijn de klanken wat voller. Het is niet bijster goed gezongen, maar daar lijkt het niet zo om te draaien. Het is gewoon wat catchy muziek voor op de achtergrond. Prima om bij te werken.
Sfeervolle electro/synth-pop, die festivalrock mixt met synthdance als een soort the Killers, of misschien zelfs hint naar Depeche Mode in een modern jasje. Ik vermoed dat het over 10 of 20 jaar wel enigszins gedateerd zal zijn, maar voor nu klinkt het best (retro)verfrissend. Of het eeuwigheidswaarde heeft, dat valt altijd nog te bezien, maar ik vind het best aardig om dit in een 1001-snoblijstje te horen.
Yeah, this was pretty sucky. By the end of the first track I'd pretty much heard all I was going to hear. Retro-synth-pop for no reason I can think of, nothing new, nothing interesting. Just a dozen or so tracks that were almost identical, vapid, boring. Notably, the only track I half-liked (and the only reason for a 2-star rating) was the last track, where the female singer is either not present, or in the background. Maybe I only liked this slightly more because it sounded different? Not a good album by any means; they can't even spell properly!
I like this. Melodic, warm synth-pop tunes.
Nice. Not too bad. Listenable pop
I can't believe I haven't listened to this album in full, as a Chvrches fan, I am disappointed in myself. This album contains the signature sounds that we have come to know and love from Lauren's distinct vocals to their electro pop/rock sounds. Definitely glad this album is a part of this list. Best: Recover Worst: You Caught The Light
It was mediocre, but I'm bitter because I'm on a stretch of mediocre albums and I don't like bands that write their names with characters I don't even know how to type.
igrejas
Fantastic stvff, trvly, always a great band. 5 stars.
Album #42 If you like synth-pop, you should love this album. If you don't like synth-pop....what's wrong with you?!? CHVRCHES have been on my radar for about 10 years and I just hadn't gotten around to listening to anything other than an occasional single. After listening to this album, I'm planning on going through their discography. This was the kind of music that I felt all throughout myself and I didn't want it to end. 5*
Solid album, keep me interested start to finish.
Not bad. Not my bag either, but didn't hate it.
Compliant.
Science/Visions is best track from this, Lungs and Recover close. But I can't understand how they choose You Caught The Light to be closing track - that's a big no no for me. Great album and Screen Violence (2021) is even better.
Ich kannte bisher nur einzelne Lieder vom Album, möchte es aber öfter anhören, damit sich mir Favoriten erschließen.
This is very 2013. I probably would have enjoyed listening to this on the radio at the time.
Electronic pop. Not great
Her voice is so dominant that I feel like their songs blend together in terms of overall sound. I enjoy that sound, however, so this was still a pretty good listen. 4.5
Absolutely horrible. Couldn’t make it more than 3 songs without needing to grab the sick bucket
Very meh. I like 90s EDM and EDM influenced music better
Pop sintético ochentero
I'm not sure why I was surprised this had vocals, but I liked it!
I know what you're thinking. The easy way out, this many albums in, is to make a hacky "buy a fucking vowel" joke and write it off. But that's not who Daddy is. Daddy puts in the work, because you never know. Overly pleased to proclaim there's no work here, only play. This is an absolute joy. Lots of Abba meets The Cardigans vibes with hints of Delores O'Riordan from The Cranberries and early Taylor Swift, long before she got involved with Travis Kelce. Overall it's a jolt of euphoria. This is synth pop done right. They should play this album as the on hold music for the Suicide Hotline. But still, buy a fucking vowel.
Vsvally, synth-pop albvms don't do mvch for me becavse of the pavcity of uariety. The bvbblgvm chorvses are not vnlike the vnceasing hvm in the backgrovnd of Christopher Nolan's Dvnkirk, except that I'm qvite svre he was actvally trying to make his avdience vncomfortable. Howeuer, this albvm was a departvre from the rvle. Best track: Recouer
Rating: 10/10
Synth pop with lots of hooks. It's superior pop, but instantly forgettable. This means nothing to me.
5/10. Felt a bit like I was drowning in an endless sea of synthesizers. But, I liked the dreamy sounding lyrics.
I hate this band name. Chvrches? CH-VUR-CHES? CHURCHES? 7/10
Synthwave for the 2010s. The tracks in the first half build to euphoric choruses. The second half is more mellow and downbeat which drags it out a little. I also wouldn't have bothered with the songs that the man sings. However this is still excellent overall. Another hilarious thing is to deliberately mispronounce the artist as shev-er-shay ((c) ASG). Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: The Mother We Share Date listened: 16/09/23
I saw this band
I don’t think this album is as good as other people seem to think.
I have a complex set of feelings about this album. I heard it around the time that it came out, and liked it but didn't love it. I still feel about the same, but my appreciation for synth pop has greatly increased during the intervening years. I think one of the reasons that I don't like this more is that I've heard lots of great synth albums since 2013, like Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast, that I like more than this. However, those albums benefit from the existence of this album. Anyway, this is solid synth pop. It leaves me a bit uninspired at times, but overall it's really good 4/5
Top shelf pop.
1.5 Synth pop. Not for me.
Aunque he escuchado a CHVURCHES ocasionalmente nunca me he parado a oír un disco completo. No está mal, me ha gustado "Recover", "The mother we share", "Night Sky" y "Lungs". Creo que está bien como regreso del sonido pop de sintetizadores de los 80. Interesante.
Garbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaage
Wow, this is dull. I can't even muster up the will to review it. I just want to take this space to apologize to Lightning Bolt. I should have just given you the 3 stars yesterday.
I actually loved this album - it just makes you feel alive and it's so full of energy. Great, unique, pseudo-futuristic sound. 9/10.
Quite enjoyed this.
I loved this album in in it's day. It holds up but isn't one I'd have on high rotation
Love Chvrches
That's about as good as synth-pop gets, friends. It's got so much vibe. The only fault I can find with it is that it's just a lot of synth-pop and, by the end, my ears were totally worn out by all the saw-wave synthiness.
This isn't my thing, but I didn't hate it. Upbeat, good mood music, but kind of too much to listen to all at once.
Enjoyed this one.
Great album. “Lungs” and “Night Sky” are my highlights
Definitely a lot of fun. It evokes a familiar feeling from the early twenty teens, when I still listened to Alt-Nation on satellite radio. If bands like Beach House are considered dream-pop, this feels more awake. I don’t love it, but it is absolutely danceable and there are a few songs that I love.
I liked this quite a bit. The music reminded me a bit of Arcade Fire. I really like the singer's voice. 4 stars.
Fun music but not special. Music and her voice sounds bit like Cardigans singer, but prefer Cardigans any time.
Okay
I saw this band at Bonaroo, maybe 2014, and I was a dozen rows back and one of the people she seemed to be making eye contact with, or at least regularly looking in the general direction of. I remember it being a soul piercing, intense, confident kind of look - which I speculate is one of the ingredients that helps her voice balance the very present synthesizers that cohabitate these songs. At its worst moments, this album is still listenable, even catchy, and at it's best is downright contagious.
Yuck. This is like eating a plate of candy for dinner. And not chocolates either, but the artificially flavored fruit ones that get stuck on your teeth.
I like all the synthesis sounds going on in the background and I can objectively say they are a "good" band making synth-pop that isn't super boring. However it's a bit too "bubble-gum pop" for my sensibilities. Definitely have seen videos of them in the studio on synths and I can respect that though.
Choonz
Love The Mother We Share and a couple of other songs.
Something a bit different, liked it
Great!
I tried so hard to escape this style of music when it was popular in the early 2010s. Now it comes back to haunt me.
I have not done any research on this but it feels like the kind of record that got a lot of hype when it came out but that people have now turned on and pretend they always hated it. For me it’s just solid comfortable synth pop, I kind of love it.