Who Killed...... The Zutons?

Fun listen but nothing really stood out. Someone referred to this as "Scooby Doo music" and that feels accurate.

I listened twice, and this one is making it to my rotation for sure. What a fun album! 9/10

Hmm ok.. wanted to like it, moments of semi-relevance interspersed with moments of WTF ? Some sonic pop brilliance does emerge occasionally.

I can't imagine why this is on the list. Seriously. There's just no feasible reason. No matter how high the quality of the music, a post-Y2K record with so few listens is just not influential enough to justify a spot amongst the 1000 greatest. Now, that being said... the quality is better than expected. Another reviewer was bang-on-the-money by calling it "Scooby-Doo music". Every track emanates this bizarre, tiptoey, faux-espionage mood, and is about as cheesy as one can imagine while still technically being produced and performed well. Zuton Fever is pretty much what you'd expect of a quirky 2000s spin on glam, if maybe a little simplified. The melody is cliché as heck, and the MIDI-esque sax sounds like it was taken straight off MuseScore 4 – but the tune as a whole unironically slaps. A little bit. You Will You Won't makes for a more convincing "hit" track, incorporating glitzy (yet musically very simple) elements you might hear from Iggy Pop or T Rex (that chorus could easily fit in on Electric Warrior). Confusion is aptly named because it sounds like a completely different band, with only the horrendous saxophone noises remaining consistent with the earlier songs. I do love me a good chill acoustic ballad. Speaking of which, Railroad does something similar, yet also stands out as the first track that omits that extremely bad MIDI horn I've been complaining about the whole time. (Frankly, I'm surprised more people aren't talking about it.) Nightmare Part II (where's Part I?) is overwhelmed by its boingy sproingy sound effect. But it's kind of a groove, so I'll give it a pass. Later on side 2, Remember Me has a hook that's almost too catchy. And little effort is given to making other elements of the song more interesting. Ah, well. It's still good. 3/5 Key tracks: You Will You Won't, Confusion, Railroad

Nope.

3.5/5

À réécouter

2 sterne

When I first listened to this album in 2021, I had no idea who the Zutons were. I thought "Who Killed...... The Zutons?" was a weird album. Even then, I thought the album art was cool. Nowadays, my opinion on "Who Killed...... The Zutons?" has been more favourable. "Railroad" is a great song for some reason. 4 stars for "Who Killed...... The Zutons?".

1999 until about 2014 marks a 15-year window in which I was more in tune with what was happening in the music world than ever. This is especially true of non mainstream music. Alternative rock, edm, folk music, I was into it. In fact the more popular it was, the less likely I probably cared for it, but I still generally had an idea what was going on. So, when I see an album from that time period that I've never heard of, especially a band I'd never heard of, I am immediately skeptical. So far on this website, when that has happened, my skepticism has been warranted. Those albums haven't been good. Many of them I at least knew the artist or band and just wasn't familiar with that release, and still couldn't understand why it would be included in this list. For others, the artist somehow escaped me, the album definitely was something I had never heard before, and I realized that was for good reason. Furthermore whenever I see something I haven't heard of and it's some British Rock band, I have come to assume that it's some band that's the curators of this list loved, but not one that necessarily needs to be a must listen for music fans. I say all of this because with The Zutons, I am fully expecting this to be a waste of my time. Not to say I won't like it, I might, but I'm wary of The Zutons being a band that I'm wondering where they've been all my life (or at least the latter half of it). My immediate impression is that they sound like a lot of the bands from this era that were going for that post-strokes raspy alt-rock feel a la The Hives or Jet, except they added horns. This isn't a bad thing. I love a lot of that particular style. As I got more into the album, I realized their sound was a bit more diverse than that. Reminded me of Spoon somewhat and the Eels. Either way, I think even though I really dig their sound and there are a few standout tracks for sure, and nothing so bad that I'm just waiting for it to end, but I can't help but feel that there are just many better and more worthy albums for this site, even if we only were counting obscure, hidden gem alternative rock albums

Väldigt middle of the road

Vågat att ha en sån fråga i titeln, när det omöjligt kan finnas någon som bryr sig om svaret. Kändes som en lite oseriös kopia av många tidigare band, som jag hellre lyssnar på då.

Helt ointressant

Skön och lite annorlunda!

I should like this but I find it irritating.

Ok. Right. So that was ... The Zutons. A slightly retro sound, even for 2004, and perfectly acceptable. Just Mid.

Couldn't listen entirely

Interesting but something I would not listen to again.

Vapid, forgettable 00s indie.

Fun early 2000s indie vibes. Can hear their influence on a lot of bands I like, but not blowing me out of the water fully.

Ganske kjedelig

Had this album. Likeable stuff. Feels a bit like the US Kinks for the noughties.

Un disco alegremente retro, no parece de su año 2004 si no de 30 antes. Buen descubrimiento, aunque no merece estar en la lista.

Quirky indiesque rock with a remarkable depth ranging from dreamy-proggy Radiohead stuff to straight ass White Stripes galore. awesome addition!

I’m not sure why this is on the list. Maybe if this was a UK-specific list… I mean, it isn’t bad but it isn’t particularly good either. Nothing particularly stands out on the album. This would be good background music, particularly for a time-passing montage, I think (particularly songs like Not A Lot To Do). Album 10, March 8, 2026

Have reasonably fond memories of this but haven't listened to it in over 20 years which says a lot. Songs are pretty good, quite quirky and a lot of variety, has a lot of ska elements from early noughties albums.

not on spotify

Tout à fait mon style, je réécouterais !

That was a perfectly fine album, but I have no idea why it's made this list.

Great album

The album is fine enough, but it seems to be designed to impress the person who says "They don't make any good music these days," and has forgotten that 2004 was 22 years ago. Listenable, well played, but not particularly inventive, memorable, or meaningful. A pastiche of bygone styles. I have trouble seeing how it made the list, so it's getting rounded down on that basis. I certainly could have missed this one before I die.

Var helt ok, helt til slutten av platen. Remember Me er noe av det mest daterte mølet jeg har hørt. Dirty Dancehall er knapt noe bedre.

Behagelig og variert. Kjempe søndagskive:)

Fin plate, men føler det kunne vært gitt ut en plate som heter 1001 album fra 2004 som høres akkkurat lik ut som denne.

Snerten indie. Nok en gang litt forvirra over valg av plate, men men!

Hørt til og fra jobb. Hmm. Litt kjedelig? Hyggelig bakgrunnsmusikk. Fant også ut at Amy Winehouse har covra, det er jo interessant!

Et veldig hyggelig bekjentskap. Kommer til å høre mer på dem.

Unfortunately, this obscure post-2000s alt rock ska album was not super impressive, other than a few moments early on that sounded like Jack White. 2/5

No idea who this. Opening line sounded like surf. Now it sounds like an alternative Americana. “Pressure point is an amazing song”. I’m not even sure how to categorize this, but man I like it. Ok. I love this album. It reminds me of a local Pittsburgh band called Bear Cub. Just good songs. And I can’t nail it to a genre.

The only thing I know about the Zutons is "Valerie" (which isn't on this album). And Amy Winehouse did that better. What is on this album are 5 singles I've never heard of. So I'm not expecting much. So how wrong am I? Very. There's nothing utterly killer on here. But it's all very listenable and catchy. 3½

Good fun; the sax adds a lot of energy

This album had it's moments. Thought first 3 tracks were the best with Pressure Point the stand out song. This is how I feel at work the last several months. Downloaded this one right away. Times he sounded like Jack White, especially Pressure Point. This was a decent album. Seemed to get pretty generic by the end, but overall pretty good listen. 3

3 Like many others I’m sure, the only song I knew by The Zutons going into this was Valerie, though funnily enough, it was during my time with the group here that I learned Amy Winehouse’s version is the cover and not the other way around. Either way, Valerie is a great song. Unfortunately, Valerie is not on this album, and there’s nothing to be found that rivals it. Ultimately, this is another one of those albums that I would say I generally liked but have no clue why it’s on a list like this. It’s such a typical slice of the early 2000s alternative rock scene that it almost feels like a boiled down amalgamation of the more popular bands that defined it. The most immediate line I can draw is to The Coral, but on any given track, I feel like you can detect traces of White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Strokes… hell even a dash of early Radiohead here and there. It results in perfectly listenable music but not something that feels like it really has an identity of its own - I’m going to chalk it up to this list’s British bias again. You can tell they were trying to go for some variety in the songwriting, but despite their best efforts, it never resulted in anything that felt memorable, noteworthy, or, again, entirely like their own. I’m happy to have grown more familiarized with the group, but this also feels like the kind of thing I’m going to be upset with when we reach the end of this list, and I realize some of my personal all-time favorites didn’t make the cut.

3⭐️/5 02.24.2026

Actually pretty solid

Pretty decent listen

This was nice but I would be lying if I said by the end it wasn’t just going through one ear out the other. Everything is well constructed and I actually enjoyed all the vocal performances, but sadly this feel into the trap for me that a lot of British Indie bands do, that is that all the songs begin to sound the same, and the album overall has no real identity. Still fairly nice tho.

Definitely on the high side of a three

Eh

Don't know that is a must-hear album, but I enjoyed it compared to some of recent stuff I've been getting

Es un disco entretenido. Con una producción vacía de las que se lleva jade unos años, todo fingidamente crudo... Lo de siempre, les falta verdad. Aunque realmente las canciones están bien.

A little bit surfer rock, a little bit Jack White, a little bit Harry Nilssen, a little bit B-52s, a little bit Fratellis. Not bad!

I really enjoyed this album

I like a band that isn’t afraid to rhyme home with home or sing about killing your friend’s girlfriend because he isn’t spending time with you anymore.

Love this! Had never heard it before.

Take it or leave it

Pressure Point is a bop the rest was pretty mediocre

I dunno what a Zuton is, but they should’ve stayed dead.

Who Killed The Zutons? I don't care, what I want to know is who included them on this list? I mean its not bad but it certainly doesn't do anything interesting enough to be one of the 1001+ on this list

Competent album. Nothing outstanding, but decent guitar songs. You Will You Won’t was probably the standout. The follow up album was better, with the excellent original version of Valerie’s.

Quite a mix of vocals. Weird in places, some tracks were forgettable, but others I quite liked. The album is fun. I'm not familiar with this group.

Strange, eccentric—an interesting package. Definitely a surprising one.

I really wanted to love this, but it felt like the singles then some forgettable filler. Pity as the singles were great!

This album is incredible and very underrated. It's incredible hearing so many different sounds on a rock album, and something new happens in each song which only makes the whole album even better.

2/15 Pretty good

This was an interesting one. There are some moments here (especially at the beginning) that are very reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age/Desert Sessions. But then it settles into a modern-Kinks sound. Everything here is totally fine, but the songs just don't stick. They should! There are some fun melodies here. Maybe this one needs some time. Anyways - for right now it's THREE STARS

Definitely that 00s indie sound that I’ve never really got along with that well. The albums decent but I struggle to give it more than 3 stars.

3/5 inoffensive

Meh, sasvim ok indie rock i apsolutno ništa posebno.

Perhaps I am biased in this review, since I had to go looking for who these guys were and why this album is here, because my first impression is: ok, it's listenable, some tracks caught my attention, but is it really an album you have to hear before you die? Hence my 3. In practice, it's something I can and do listen to, and even enjoy, but it undoubtedly falls into the category of thousands and thousands of others like it. And that's it, tomorrow I won't remember them :-(

This just sounds like “Novelty Indie” to me…. But the novelty wears off after one track and is replaced by an intense tedium. 1.4

Utterly awful album. The best songs are the ones which are mercifully just unoriginal and boring. How on earth this is considered to be an album that must be heard before dying will remain a mystery to all who have to retrospectively endure it as part of this challenge. If only someone had actually killed The Zutons before they had a chance to create this.

Strange ... this made it on the list, so it's the arguably one of the best albums the release year had to offer, and yet, I don't recall 2004 being such a boring affair.... 2/5

3.5!

The boggest of bog-average. If only the songs on the album were as memorable as the actual cover

I actually thought this as great. Cool band.

bien as fuck

😼😼

Removed Album #26 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) Cool. Another ex-list album. I've noticed this album while flicking through the book simply because it has an eye-catching cover, though I have very little idea as to what genre this album could belong to. It's either indie rock or something jazzy, though given the year release I'm confident in hedging my bets on indie rock. May as well get into it. Heyo, on the money. This was a somewhat disappointing listen, especially since the first track was pretty cool. Great vocal melody, and I like the twisted, surf rock instrumental. The rest of the album has some degree of variety, but for the most part it felt like the album was trying to re-capture that lighting in a bottle and falling flat on its face. The instrumentals from track two and onwards sound pretty flat, featuring only a handful of instruments and a prominent dead air which lingers in the background. The result is a two-dimensional sound and instrumentals/vocals that don't really mesh with one another. Overall, I was pretty bored by this, though I hold "Zuton Fever" in high regard. Book time. Added to the 2005 edition. Removed from the 2008 revision. Diverse musical influences. "...one of the year's finest debuts". Wikipedia says this album sold well and garnered a modest reaction from critics, though it only had chart success in the UK. So, why was this album removed? Lack of notability, I'm guessing. This is pretty identical to many of the other 2000s indie picks on this list, which is to say that it's pretty unremarkable and pretty British. I can agree with the removal, frankly. In place of this album, I humbly submit "Oranges & Lemons" by XTC for inclusion on the list.

Sort of fun!

⭐⭐ Underhållande med annorlunda arrangemang och instrumentering för gengren, som framförallt saxofon men även violin och slidegitarr. Tycker egentligen albumet är helt ok men saknar spår som fastnar och tror därför det är osannolikt att jag kommer lyssna på detta album igen. Därför känner jag inte att jag kan ge mer än en 2a. Bäst är Pressure point, Remember me.

Fun, I don't know if this is something I will throw on but myself, but I'm glad to know it exists. This is a 2.5 for me, but I can't give half scores...

Fun album

Sounded much like a second-rate White Stripes at times. Sounded ok on track seven. Almost fell asleep towards the end

Some good tunes, but overall largely forgettable

eh... not my thing I picture a guy with a top hat on and some gears.

3/5. Não tenho muito a dizer. Ouvir isto meio a dormir depois de um dia cansativo. Mas mesmo meio a dormir gostei.

Do not judge an album by it's cover. I expected reverb or noise chaos but that's not what delivered. I really enjoyed this album and added two songs to a playlist of mine full of Indie essentials. I'm not sure I would call this indie overall but a few songs definitely were. Definitely a genre trip but I loved every moment.

Never heard of this band. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Not worth another listen.

3/10

I really enjoyed this vibe

Kul album! Många trevliga detaljer. Gillar saxen. Stark trea

Kul tidstypisk noughties-retro-rock både i ljudbild och grafik. Var väl lite småtrevligt och ganska bra ibland, men inget som kommer fastna i mitt minne. Och om man ska vara ärlig har man väl inte riktigt fastnat i världens minne heller. Stark tvåa.

Roligt och quirky sound. Ibland lite spretigt men det gör det inte dåligt. Gillar sångarens röst, känns för mig som en mjukare variant av Jack White, gillar också saxen. Mot slutet blev det lite väl gulltralligt kanske. Kan tänka mig att det är bättre live än på skiva. Kommer nog lyssna mer på dem. Gillar omslaget. Stark 3a!

Det här är EXAKT det jag vill ha av den här listan, kul saker jag aldrig hört talas om! Genremixen är rolig, retro men samtidigt inte lök-nostalgiskt. Kul texter också, kommer återvända!

Helvete va sångaren låter som the cult i sista låten. Hatas ICKE! Gillade detta skarpt. Bland övriga brittiska rockband som av oklara skäl finns med på denna lista (super furry animals) är det här skoj, svängigt och soulful. Gillar sångaren och charmas av hur de använder blås. Extra plus för mungigan i nightmare part II. Som sämst är de när de countryfolkar i moons and horror shows. Trök. Men, sen blir som sagt avslutningen the cult-sång med blås-glad-rock vilket är najs. 3an är återigen urstark.

Det passar så bra med saxofon och rock asså! Men blir väl lite tråkigt som helhet detta. Vilken överraskning med mungigan haha

Rätt kul lyssning! Det är classic Devils tritone som ger spooky scoobysound va?

ta bort

Köper Scooby Doo-referensen, går ändå in i ena örat och ut i det andra utan att jag registrerade mer än ett eko :P

Leuk en lang niet meer gehoord. Maar voor mijn gevoeg niet super baanbrekend of heel erg interessant...

A pretty good and unique indie rock record, but I'm kind of confused why it ended up on this list? They seem like kind of this tiny little band that made a good record and broke up. Maybe whoever was making the list was just a big fan and thought they needed to have a little bit more recognition.

Ändå bra, tror jag

Good, not great. I suspect this is here because of the UK bias of this project... though it wasn't even that popular in the UK.

It might not be an album I'm gonna come back to, but it's not bad really. If you're really into early 2000 indie rock, you're probably gonna like this! It's a bit generic but at the same time I hear plenty of sounds that I like anyways, I can hear a bit of Franz Ferdinand on the dancier track for example like I can hear Idk The Doors maybe in the melodies of another. Shouldn't be on here, but it's ok. Best tracks: Zuton Fever You Will You Won't

The Zutons are the new Kinks. Discuss. Good album. I bet they're great live too.

This was a surprisingly funny and cheerful album, definitely a revelation since I was not familiar with the opus of this band 👍

I went in with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised

Not one I'd listen to again

Very fun. 70s style imo

Album #32: Who Killed…… The Zutons? Genre (W): Folk, garage rock, indie pop Singles: Pressure Point, You Will You Won’t, Remember Me, Don’t Ever Think (Too Much), Confusion I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts: I don’t know what to make of this music yet, it sounds kind of like a more reserved Franz Ferdinand or The Killers. However, the lyrics remind me of a different kind of album, a more radio-friendly version of Flight of the Knife. This album isn’t doing anything for me. Favorite songs: You Will You Won’t, Long Time Coming, Not a Lot to Do

I am gladly surprised by the trip on the different styles in this album is exploring, takes me from dancing to the country-style peace of the soul.

Why have I never head of The Zutons? This is fantastic and fun.

- good fun record. -

Yawn. I guess there's a reason these guys are most famous for a Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse song

This was so boring. Very unrequired. listening. Good name for a band though

I don't think I hadn't heard the Zutons before, but I see their big thing is that they wrote "Valerie," which is more famous as the Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse cover (and also is not on this album). So thanks for giving some of our friends a Karaoke go-to songs, Zutons. Zutons are sort of a retro sounding act, but not in a bad way. Is this what British people meant when they talked about "Landfill Indie"? I like this album ok, but I don't think I am going to come back to it much. Edit: Originally gave this a 3. But I have edited this to a 2. 3 is too generous for an album that I thought was fine, but made no real impact on music overall and I don't plan on coming back to.

Their debut album was so good, that whatever came next had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately for me this does not match up.

Who Killed The Zutons? Certainly wasn’t me, because they put me to sleep! I mean it’s ok? Doesn’t really do anything really interesting, and the quality of tracks really seems hit and miss. Just felt like another standard indie rock album.

7/10 Favorite: You Will You Won’t

This was a vibe we enjoyed it especially the first couple of tracks. Just good quality early 2000s indie pop/rock

Pretty amazing. Much better than most albums people on RYM suck off.4.5

Who cares? More bland, generic alt British music that just isn’t that interesting

Always dismissed them so was surprised how fun this album was! Like The Coral with Sax and some female vocals.

Pretty not bad. 3/5

The first song scared my cat.

- Can’t judge a book by its cover but can I judge an album by its cover? Gorge. Something about the album felt very familiar but I couldn’t place it. Some points of the album I was so obsessed but then others I was not so much which is why I’ll give it a 4 instead of 5. But the times I was really enjoying the album would get a 5 star. - Standouts: Confusion, Railroad

Who are the Zutons?

This was great, very much a feel good album, I don't think it was a fantastic listening experience since I was trying to lock in on some work and my brain kept tuning out the songs, but I'm just gonna take that to mean there wasn't as much consistency as there probably should have been (and there wasn't, some of the songs that I was clearly hearing fell flat). Still, quite good!

This was a pleasant album. More listens might make it a great album. I had never heard of this band (or album) so didn't even know the genre before listening. A day later I don’t remember anything about this album… I wasn’t annoyed by anything but nothing stood out as “I have to put that on repeat.” Need to relisten to become more familiar with this album.

Another incredibly unremarkable album. So very bland. I didn’t hate it, it just didn’t stand out at all. There was no special little something that made it catchy or memorable. The lead singer had a nice voice though. Don’t think I’ll ever listen again and even if I did I’d probably think it was my first time hearing it 🤷‍♀️

Who Killed....my memory of the Zutons, blast from the past to your eardrums.

This was a surprise for me, really great songs and really amazing vibe. Connecting classic rock to the 2000s, very cool sound and good songs.

This was a fun album to listen to that grew on me the more I listened to it.

Hm, fairerweise muss ich sagen das laut Youtube in der Playlist zwei Songs fehlten. War ganz okay, halt wieder so n Folk Album was zum Schunkeln und Bier trinken einlädt, aber auch keins was aus der Masse, die wir hier schon gehört haben, hervorsticht.

Sehr angenehm zu hören, aber auch nicht mehr. Solide.

Noch nie von gehört. Solide 3, mehr aber auch nicht, mit 1-2 Highlights

The instrumentation was really entertaining/unique and captured my attention! I really enjoyed this album and had never heard of the band before.

Hmm not my kind of thing

Started iiff brilliantly then tailed oiff but enjoyable listen

This band sounded familiar and then I realized they did Valerie. But this album does not have that song, and none of the songs really stood out to me. Low 3.

Sounds like a modern indie slop precursor. Even had some stomp clap bullshit in there. Obviously this take comes from a place of ignorance and hatred, as do most of my reviews; but it does kinda sound like it opened the door for a lot of the formulaic overproduced "indie" shit that's so popular today. Much more interesting than a lot of that stuff, but still

This was boooooooooring

I only knew these guys from being the original writers of Amy Winehouse's Valerie, so I was kind of blind going into this. On one hand, it's a 2004 british indie album, the epitome of what people despise on this site. That said, this was a fun listen. Never felt boring, had some unique songwriting and was all around a pretty fun listen. The sax was noteworthy too. Very nice to see a 2000's indie album that is actually fun and upbeat. Still not really my thing but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

One good song

7.5/10

4/5

this album isn’t bad but for me just didn’t have any standouts. i tried to actively listen to it but ended up just having it in the background while I did other stuff. no song really made me sit up and get back into it. like I said not bad tho… -favourite track: YOU WILL YOU WON’T

Me? I’m the damn fool who shot ‘em!

There's a lot of good stuff here, and maybe I'm biased for having come up around this time, but this is a particular type of indie that will always feel forgettable to me. Play Valerie from the second album if you must and move on, 2.5*

Ordinary, I couldn’t get halfway through

I really didn’t care for this too much. I found the vocals a bit grating, didn’t care for the ska type of instrumentation (were the horns necessary?) and I was pretty over this album 3 songs in. Not the worst album I’ve heard, but I could have died without listening to it.

I killed the zutons

Feels like abit of the farm vibes with hay bales like im on the banjo I didnt really like maybe if I own a cow it would make me think differently also can we talk about when the put the vr on the cow crazy stuff

zuton fever is so funky and silly i like it i like pressure point tooo woah you will you will very peak song i likey i added most songs this album is abit of me 7/13

Never heard of them, but really enjoyed the listen.

Kjedelog ville ikke hørt på det igjen

It was ok? Really liked the songs but just aren't my type of song.

Not terrible but not great. Sound like a British Strokes (might be a stretch). Enjoy the use of a broader range of instruments.

Jefferson Airplane and Sublime

Fun album. Different but still easy listening. Didn't realize this band sang the original Valerie.

I liked it! It was like white stripes and black keys ish - classic 2000s rock. Would have played on KJEE.

Gjorde ikke stort inntrykk denne.

Pretty good

It was nice. Putting "Pressure Point's" on the playlist.

If I walked into a bar and this band was playing, I'd mention later that it was a pretty good band - kinda quirky and fun. Did I buy anything from their merchant table? No. Do I remember their name? No.

The bassist is crazy and in some songs who ever played the sax went dumb

Good fun and much better than I thought it was going to be.

What an odd album, punk, emo, ballad all in one.

Loved it! Great music. Good melodies.

Fun but didn’t do much for me.

I was aware of the Zutons but never listened to a whole album before, and this is great! I was surprised by the richbinstrumentals and I can tell this influenced a lot of indie bands in the 00s, I really like that they try different genres and sound menwhile keeping the supernatural theme of the album. It is really refreshing to come across a good, enjoyable and fun album like this, the 00s offered so many of these albums.. good times. I think it does belong to the list, and it is a 4/5

It's fine. Nothing really noteworthy, but never annoying either. It's a decent pop-rock album. Certainly nothing I'd share or include in a book of must-listen albums. They sound like a good bar band that got a chance. Musically it's fairly well constructed and they add in some interesting bit, but again, nothing really sticks out. Sounds like a decent album to have on in the background of a mellow party where people are just standing around talking. If they would have spent more time making something very interesting, I'd have spent more time writing an in-depth review. It's a 2.6 album for me and I'm going to generously give it a 3 because there really isn't anything terrible on it.

This felt like a gwar without as much fun?

Never heard of these guys but was pleasantly surprised

why is this on here

Decent listen

Meh, it's ok, not something I would put in rotation.

Funky n groovy I liked it

it was pretty fun to listen to

This album is exactly my vibe. Maybe it's not very inventive but I enjoyed it so much!

This was fun, especially some of the instrumentation, but nothing about it really stayed with me.

This was a good way to end off 2025. I quite enjoyed The Zutons. I thought I only knew them for their Amy Winehouse hit but I realized I also knew You Will You Won’t, which has since made it onto my list of faves. Altogether some top British rock.

first song def gives a opening scene of a movie based in the 60s & i love the vibe.

Fun.

Good.

Bop and a half. Never heard of this group before but they’re added to the rotation.

Not sure how/why this ended up on the list as I can’t really see this as being influencial, there’s no hit songs/singles. It’s better than Mylo’s Destroy Rock and Roll though, so spared from a 1 star.

I was willing to give Who Killed the Zutons a chance, coming from the tail-end of the golden age of Indie Rock, surely it would have at least a taste of something special on it? Unfortunately not, as this album is incredibly underwhelming. It's a very stagnant experience, with the songs really not feeling all that different from one another. The album lacks drive as a whole, with a lot of the songs feeling really empty. It really does feel like a bunch of tracks thrown together with very little care as to making them sound cohesive. More than anything though, the album is just boring. The instrumentals are very safe and generic, and the vocals are weirdly off-putting. It's definitely to this album's detriment that it was included in a list like this, as it is by no means a classic album, and if I hadn't gone into it with that expectation I may have given it a little more grace.

Origineller Indie-Mix aus Ska, Soul, Rock und Pop. Es wäre schön mal das Album in Gänze zu hören statt nervender Video-Streaming Fragmente.

As a fan of 2000's Indie Rock I am required to like this, even if the British-ness of it got to me at times. 7/10

Not rallye outstanding

This is one of those albums that just has no business being here. It's very average, but not average in a particularly cool or interesting way. Let me clarify: there are some albums that I don't particularly enjoy but I respect their influence and how they tried to push boundaries (Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum). There is also albums that I technically don't enjoy much, but are still fun to listen to because they're kinda absurd (GnR - Chinese Democracy). This one is neither. It's just watered down radio friendly indie rock without much bite.

I thought it was just okay. This sounds like something that a performative male who smoked weed would listen to in the mid-2000s.

I have had a really great run of albums lately. I had heard of the Zutons but never heard a single note of their music. This isn't music that will change the world but with the horns and less serious aspect of the lyrics it does differentiate itself from bands in 2004 who were part of the post-punk revival. The album cover probably should annoy me but it does not. Interesting album and I'm enjoying this hot streak of music. My favorite songs were: Zuton Fever Pressure Point You Will You Won't Confusion Long Time Coming Remember Me Don't Ever Think (Too Much)

Pretty decent, although not great

sehr kreativs album het mengmol nocj white stripes mengmol noch CCR tönt has sehr gnosse. geg de schluss simf es paar tracks chli abgflacht.

zuton fever iwie gaaanz komisch aber es gfalltmer na hahah d drums fühled sich nöd immer glich tight ah aber iwie no cool es ischso nervös aber geeiil confusion isch chli chilliger I like hmm es het denn schochli abgno aber ich han au nümme so zueglost glaub es knapps 4i?

Dirty Dancehall was neat, and the rest wasn't bad, but it didn't strike me as particularly noteworthy. I feel no desire to return to this album.

A mixed bag, which is to be expected on an album where they're intentionally going for a variety of sounds. Some songs are quite good, but I kinda dislike this as an album. I wish it were more cohesive and consistent. 2.8

I had forgotten about this record. That was a mistake.

Versatile and interesting. One to go back too. Iiked it

I found this to be a solid indie record, but not one that I particularly thought “I get why this is on this list” after finishing. There is some British bias in the list and I think this is a prime example.

Snooze. Boring and pretentious

Haven't heard of them and listening to them changed nothing in my life. Deeply unremarkable, there must be 50 other similar albums from the same era. I've learned that they wrote Valerie but it's not even on this album so what's the point 2/5

Mostly pleasant; the sax was occasionally grating. But decent enough.

Quirky, grungy, musically interesting, I liked this a lot. It's going into regular rotation for me.

Couple of good solid music I like 3/5

Album ok. Entre country i rock, no m'ha encantant.

This album always feels like it should be more exciting than it actually is. On paper, it has all the ingredients of a great mid-2000s indie record: funky basslines, scrappy energy, a bit of attitude, and songs that clearly want to be catchy. In practice, a lot of it lands in that frustrating middle ground where nothing is bad, but very little really sticks either. It rolls along pleasantly enough, but rarely grabs you by the collar. There are moments where the band’s personality shines through, and you can hear flashes of something sharper and more distinctive trying to break out. The problem is consistency. For every track that hints at character and swagger, there are others that feel underwritten or just oddly forgettable. The album never quite decides whether it wants to be gritty, quirky, soulful, or straight-up indie pop, and that indecision dulls its impact. And then there is the elephant in the room. Let’s be honest, the album’s legacy is completely overshadowed by what happened next. “Valerie” escaping this record, being reworked, and then absolutely flattened into pop history by Amy Winehouse feels like the final nail in the coffin. In that sense, the answer to the album’s title feels cruelly obvious. Valerie killed The Zutons, with Amy Winehouse performing it. The album itself is not awful, just a bit meh, and forever remembered as the thing that accidentally gave the world something much better.

Radiohead without as much detail. Very nicely built album. Enjoyed.

Surprisingly Good. Shoutout to the song from MVP 05

I loved the Zutons when they burst onto the scene, mainly because I've never played a saxophone, but I'm 99% sure I play saxophone at the same level or better as Abi Harding... Anyway, back to the matter at hand, who killed The Zutons? Their record label dropped them in 2008 some 4 years and 2 more albums after this, pretty much right after Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson made their version of the song "Valerie" a bigger hit than Zutons could ever dream, so lets say them... Still blows my mind that they did "Valerie" originally.

6.4

Banger

Maso

I should like this (Scouse Liverpool Indie fan), but I do not. Better tracks; 1. Havana Gang Brawl 2. Railroad 3. You will you won’t

Playful classic rock vibes.

I'd never heard of this band before, but they felt very familiar.

Ahhh the early 00's where nearly every indie band started with The. Honestly, apart from Valerie (which is on the follow-up) I have not heard the singles from this debut since then. Honestly listening to this, its not a bad little album, but apart from the singles, there's not much else that sticks with me.

The sort of mid-00's anonymous pop-rock that was ultimately so milquetoast it allowed someone else to lift their best song and effectively make it their own.

Inoffensive rock music from the UK. I liked some of the songs, but the album's overall blandness made me kinda bored. 5/10

More Jack White sounding than I imagined. Some nice bluesy rock tracks but nothing hugely memorable.

502/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

This list has me so jaded against British indie groups from the early 2000’s and the title is so stupid I was prepared to hate this. But it was pretty fun! I’m not mad.

Half decent music and vocals.

Love this!!!!!

Simply crap

I've never heard of The Zutons before, but these reviews making fun of the album's name are pretty great. I have no idea what this album is going to sound like, but one the reviews says "This is like if the Black Keys wrote interesting songs," and as someone who owns seven or eight Black Keys albums, I take offense to that. Regardless, I'm interested to see what my last album from 2004 has in store for me. Well, I don't think I'll be checking out any more albums by The Zutons anytime soon, because I was pretty underwhelmed by this album. There were a few fun moments on this album, but I thought this album was pretty forgettable. The saxophone was a nice touch on some songs, but other than that, I didn't think there was anything particularly unique about The Zutons' sound. I don't understand why you have someone in your band dedicated to the saxophone if you're not going to utilize them that often. The other aspects of The Zutons' music was pretty bland in my opinon. The vocals were pretty middle of the road, the guitar playing wasn't that interesting, and the bass and percussion rarely made their presence felt. I really don't get how this album made an impact when other rock bands like The Killers, The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, and Green Day were all putting out some great work at the same time. Even though this album wasn't my jam, there were a few decent songs on here: "Pressure Point" was fine overall, but the bridge was particularly excellent. The cowbell percussion was excellent, and it really sucked me into the groove of the song. "You Will You Won't" was really fun, and easily the best song on the album. The vocals were really catchy, and the main guitar riff was infectious. The a capella bridge was really fun too. "Confusion" was pretty good, and like the other two songs I've already mentioned, this song also had a great bridge, punctuated by some good saxophone playing. I think my biggest problem with this album is that The Zutons don't really establish any sort of identity on this debut album of theirs. They tried to do a lot on this album, but they didn't do anything particularly well.

The Zutons existed before Valerie. And I was in love with their saxophonist. I think I might have had this on CD. Jangly bluesy indie. Better than I remembered.

Dad rock. Decent but I got bored not long before it ended. I can probably play all the sax parts and that's not a compliment to anyone involved.

Day 112 I’ve tried to avoid looking at what albums are on this and seeing this one caught me off guard as I had no idea why it’s on here despite being a fan of The Zutons. Don’t get me wrong they’re a cracking local band, I’ve seen them live several times and always had a great time but I wouldn’t really call this essential listening. 6/10 Highlights Remember Me Dirty Dancehall Moons and Horror Shows

I know this track "pressure point". Cool stuff. Not for me.

Interesting sound but a bit too 60s/70s for me

Pretty good 6.5/10

Hmmm.

So often in this challenge, I find myself thinking "Was the editor scraping the bottle of the barrel here looking for more entries?" It feels especially true of post 2000 albums. And I want to be critical and rate it low. But more often than not, the album wins me over in the end. It's certainly the case here. The Zutons mix indie with blues rock and punk, among other genres. They're sort of dime a dozen but I actually really enjoyed this and the wide variety of sounds. I'm not sure it deserves a spot on the list but I'd happily listen again.

I loved this album when it came out and turns out I still do. I always felt they were the happier version of The Coral and love how they weaponized the saxophone.

Fine

Intriguing, my big sister would like this

The Zutons should have killed this album.

Garbage

No

faixa favorita: Railroad letra favorita: "Then I dream of moons and horror shows / And then I'll wake up fresh and new tomorrow" - Moons and Horror Shows como me senti: Numa trip de cogumelo resumo geral: Um indie rock desgrenhado que mistura energia caótica com um charme meio sujo, meio divertido, sempre flertando com um som urbano, noturno e um pouco bagunçado. reação pessoal: Eu gostei, tem qualidade sombria que me lembra filmes com edições frenéticas e 007 dos anos 60. Fora do tema mas a identidade visual é marcante e cabe perfeitamente com a banda.

Que álbum divertido de ouvir. A primeira impressão que tive foi a de estar escutando a trilha sonora de um filme extremamente cômico e imprevisível O disco carrega uma leveza deliciosa e uma teatralidade tão espontânea que, honestamente, eu nem percebi o tempo passar. Precisei de três escutas para realmente me situar e não me perder no fluxo das faixas, que correm soltas como se estivessem se divertindo tanto quanto você. É um álbum cru — e talvez seja exatamente isso que o torna tão bom. Ele não parece ter a pretensão de criar uma obra-prima, mas na minha opinião, acaba se tornando uma simplesmente por ser o que é: jovem, divertido e incrivelmente gostoso de acompanhar do início ao fim. As músicas surpreendem, as ideias são vibrantes e há sempre algo acontecendo que te puxa de volta, mesmo quando você acha que já entendeu o rumo. Eu valorizo muito quando um álbum consegue me surpreender — e esse aqui faz isso lindamente. Faixa favorita: Zuton Fever/Dirty Dancehall

This does not seem to belong on this list. It's fine, I just don't hear anything unique or groundbreaking at all. Unlike UK only artists like Suede, Blur, etc, these guys just don't seem like they're doing anything meaningful enough to warrant their inclusion. Still... it's not bad, but kind of meh.

This was OK. Not bad, just not great. I am not unhappy to have listened to this album.

Fun and inventive!

Never heard of them, but not bad.

It's fine, but it doesn't belong on this list. 2/5, it doesn't belong on the list of shame either.

New band for me....not bad

It was ok

I intended to be pretty standoffish about this, but I’ll be damned if the saxophone didn’t start winning me over 45sec. into the first track. Sadly, the sax is only a part-time contributor on this record; I guess a little bit is better than nothing though. I'm not sure I absolutely needed to hear this album, but it was fun. It's predominantly early 00s indie rock (think Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, The Strokes, etc) with some heavy nostalgia for classic rock of the late 60s and early 70s. IDK whose friend the saxophone player is or how they got involved, but it's an endearing addition to the sound. They seem to wander around from hard rock to folk rock and everywhere in between. That approach is probably useful when you're playing small clubs and trying to win over as much of the audience as possible, but it doesn't lend itself to a totally coherent album.

There's no excuse for putting this out in 2004. Confusion is the only song I remotely cared for.

sort of franz ferdinand without the radio play, inject a little bit of instrumental kookiness. i think the only thing its missing is a chart topper or two with big pop appeal, but otherwise it's some really dope indie/alt rock vibes, that dips into a little folk sometimes. very consistent as an album. Zuton Fever is sick as hell as an opener, i also quite like Railroad and Remember Me

Rating: 5/10 The only thing I knew about the Zutons before this is that Pressure Point is one of the banger songs on the soundtrack of the GOAT sports game, MVP Baseball 2005. Otherwise, the rest of the album just started to get pretty boring for me as it went on. I think the album is another example of a clear recency bias the author of the book has for new albums released in Britain, as if he’s predicting these artists’ legacy rather than fitting in a deserving and proven essential album. Basically I’m asking this list to stop making me listen to 2000’s albums that no one has heard of or remembers just cause the author was completely wrong about them being fundamental or important

Great sound, fun listening, style variety, havana gang brawl gets the people going, it's only left me trying to figure out who tf killed..... the zutons? 7/10

I got the Zuton Fever. Pressure Point goes hard. You Will You Won't falls off. Confusion slows down and stabilizes. Havana Gang Brawl picks it back up. The slide back to chill songs with Railroad. Alright I don't think this album ever makes a comeback from there...hold in Dirty Dancehall though. Actually meh back half. 6 aliens out of 10 lizard wizards.

easy. tried a bunch of genres but others have done those sounds much better

Aside from the singles i dont think there is sny particularly soecial about this album. Yes it’s enjoyable. Plenty of brass etc but just a solid album. If i’m hobest i think yheir debut album is better

My knowledge of The Zutons extended only to “Valerie”, which I don’t mind, but generally I assumed they’d not overly be my bag. Which turned out mostly to be the case. The first 3 tracks of this album I really enjoyed, to my surprise. Had that level kept up, then this was maybe my first surprising 4* album. As it turned out, it didn’t keep up. By track 4, I began to lose interest and the remainder of the tracks didn’t spark anywhere close to an enthusiastic level.

I don't have much to say about this album, other than that I really, really like it. It's just a very stylish, fun album to listen to. Love the vocals, love the brass, really enjoy the whole feel of it. It feels weird giving such a high mark without a long explanation as to why I reached that conclusion, but it's just my kinda thing. 5/5

A different sound than other rockbands from the 00s, but nothing mind-blowing

Just an OK album. A bit country but not overly so.

Great energy, catchy hooks, and fun lyrics.

Interesting mix of styles.

An assembly of similar-sounding, skiffle-inflected catchy singles filled with kitsch hooks. Ends up feeling a bit of a 1 trick pony and a retro rehash without the overwhelming power of Oasis or even Ocean Colour Scene. Well-made but lukewarm and a bit damp

Artistically wanting. A rough album to start my journey on. Favourite track is 4. Confusion. 1/5

Funky album, but nothing that stands out for me

Confused by this albums inclusion at all. Pretty forgettable. 2/5

Good rock-y album. Classic indie rock reminds me of the strokes/the coral

Aa

Really enjoyed this!

What a fun album, not what I expected, but I enjoyed this. 3.5/5 stars

goeie

Álbum muito legal e que passeia por alguns subgêneros de Rock. QoA Adonis New.

Surprisingly enjoyable! Would be a solid 3.5.

Who Killed...... The Zutons? was an incredibly fun album. As i was listening to it, i was kinda teetering back and forth between giving this album 3 stars or 4 stars as there were both good and mediocre songs here. But as i kept listening, I began finding that the good was heavily outweighing the mediocre. I really liked the folk and blues elements combined with the garage rock sound that this album was mainly going for. The songs in general here just have this really fun vibe that i just can't help but really enjoy. I can't really think of anything to complain about other than said mediocre songs so i'll say its a very enjoyable album. Best Song: Havana Gang Brawl Worst Song: Long Time Coming Side Note: I love the music videos here too, they all provided something different but were all very fun to watch no matter what.

did they die? because I'm still a bit annoyed. This album is all over the place. I've listened to it probably 12 times and I keep forgetting it's on. There's a weird cadre of different music styles from like....ska? to rockabilly? it all sounds a bit much.

Decent variety. It's quite fun

Not bad, but not necessarily memorable or what I would call an "essential" listen. Has some decent indie rock vibes for the early 2000s mixed in with a bit of a retro rockabilly sound. The sax gives it an interesting twist too. Solidly middle of the road.

Intriguing. Liked parts of it.. 2.5

I ended up enjoying parts of it.

A solid album from a band I've never heard of before. Will definitely be listening to again.

A delicious blend of old school dad-rock with the groovy, upbeat sounds of noughties indie rock bands. Really interesting melodies and harmonies throughout.

Meh.

This was a fine album, but ultimately forgettable.

Not a bad album, but not overly interesting either. There is one song that was kind of familiar, but I’m not sure that warrants the album being on the list. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

Wait why do I like this so much It’s also very fifa core So much versatility; such good riffs (and basslines of course) Man they got some wild blues stuff but also some sad sad songs (shout out to everyone I’ve led on) Holy shit I need to call in sick because I got Zuton Fever A fucking saxophone in an indie band is wild I don’t think they do anything revolutionary but every song on the album is executed really well Standouts: Zuton Fever, Pressure Point, Confusion, Not a lot to do, Dirty Dancehall, Moons and Horror Shows

Surprisingly good. Surprisingly scottish. Scottish?? THREE!

I really enjoyed this! It's got a great energy. I haven't really listened to the Zutons before today, the one exception being "Valerie" (of which I hold the wildly unpopular opinion that the Zuton's original version is better than either of Amy Winehouse's covers, despite how insanely good they are. This is not a diss against Amy, those covers are phenomenal). I'd happily listen to this album any day of the week - in fact I probably will.

Not as good as I’d hoped

Better than Coldplay

Didn't really like this much. The writing all feels a bit insouciant and goofy with a few exceptions.

Very unremarkable. I assume what killed the Zutons was giving Dimery all their money in exchange for a place in the book.

It’s alright, pleasant enough have a copy of it somewhere, couldn’t remember a thing before played again today. As said pleasant enough listen but now still can’t really recall anything. Not sure it’s got that thing, any excitement to be essential listening. Since early 50s literally millions of records, must hear top 1000?? Subjective and all but. Straight up it’s ok rock from 2004, probably won’t be listening again for another 15 years, but it’s an ok 40 minutes if not too memorable. 3 Star

120 Con aires a Franz Ferdinand a mi gusto. Estuvo entretenido, pero al final me aburrí un poco.

This should be in Scooby Doo, or any ghost/monster hunting cartoon. It was pretty generic but it would fit in that context.

There were small bits of a couple of songs that I somewhat liked, but for the most part - proper shite His singing and that saxophone can fuck right off

Bello, molto indie rock dei primi anni duemila. Approvato dopo una serie di album poco convincenti