Who Killed...... The Zutons?

What a great debut! There's so much variety on this album that I kind of wonder if they were able to sustain the range and energy on subsequent albums, but I look forward to figuring that out (when this project is over, though). I enjoyed nearly every track (except maybe "Railroad"?), so it's hard to pick any real favorites; if I had to pick a few to call out, though, I particularly enjoyed "You will you won't" and "Nightmare part II", but I was also really impressed throughout how tight their sound is across a lot of genres. The only part that was a little bit of a bummer was in the Wikipedia and "1001 Albums" entries, where there are *lots* of references to how much they got compared to labelmates The Coral (and with whom they also shared a producer) . My group hasn't gotten The Coral's album in this collection yet, and we're nearly to the end, which likely means that an inevitable comparison between the two is coming soon. Sort of like a Black Keys/White Stripes sort of thing, Liverpool-style?

The more varied, bluesy side of indie sleaze, bit like the Fratellis. Zutons as a band never blew me away, but this is a pretty good album.

Surprisingly good album, really enjoyed the first few songs

Mildly interesting slightly eclectic Rock album

there was a lot of discussion in the 2010s about rock being "dead" because the presence of rock bands had waned relative to rap and pop. This has been mostly abated in the 2020s with the popularity of Geese, Fontaines DC, & others but there was a decade where that sound waned. People wondered how, why, and where the backlash came from. On an institutional level, I think it came from music blogs celebrating every band called The Vines or The Strokes or The Zutons like they were the next The Beatles. You get to reading enough of that and Chief Keef starts to sound pretty disruptive. This Zutons album is pretty good. I liked listening to it but it is completely insane that it is here.

Fun band with a cool style in search of a memorable song

good

Quite fun poppy indie rock, like the variety of styles, but nothing exceptional.

Kind of faded into background, generic pop music.

So indie rock, I really enjoyed it. Imo each song sounded different, with indie gems throughout the album.

Not memorable for me.

Wtf? Why is this so good??

This was a little forgettable but not bad?

Fresco, lo primero qye sale del rock de lls 70 que escucho de la lista me ha molado

At the risk of sounding repetitive. This is yet another record that, on its own, sounds catchy, reminiscent of the Classic Rock era, with the added interest of the saxophone. However, no matter how solid an indie record it is, I don't see the significance that would merit its inclusion. 7/10 [DROP]

No private session used for Spotify. I didn't know what I was getting into here, but turns out I had heard a couple of their songs. I listened to this a few times and I liked it good rock.

Ok in tra la kind of way some good tracks some treading water.

New to me and a lot of fun: the Zutons' sound is a mix of everything everywhere not quite all at once.

gostei mais do que esperava!

I suppose weirdly nostlagic is what I would say. Good, but weird.

I wish the Zutons were killed because then I never would have had to listen to this miserable fuckup of an album

Never heard of these guys - I've only heard Pressure Point a few times in passing. Listenable rock record but nothing special Best Tracks: Pressure Point, You Will You Won't Rating: 5/10

I think the Zutons did.

Obviously, living through this time, I was well aware of The Zutons though their singles Pressure Point and You Will You Won't, both of which were decent and seemed a cut above a lot of the indie landfill of the time. It still wasn't really enough for me to want to know more and whilst this was a perfectly fine listen, it's not going to encourage me to come back any time soon. Happy enough to occasionally hear the songs on the radio.

Not too bad, if it’s time

Zutons is a great name, decent album

Not as good as ToHA but still good

Bien

Hey I know this band! I haven't listed to this album, but Pressure Point was on MVP Baseball 2005 and as a result, I've heard it well over 100 times. Very reminiscent of older British rock, with a little garage-y vibe to it. Gets a little indie at times, which I didn't love. Thought this band sounded better leaning into the harder rock. The album starts off really strong with the first four tracks, then kind of tapers off into slower tempos. Didn't love that as much.

Not bad, but a lot of skips

I like it, without it being anything special tbh

Great album

#482/1001. Someone shouted who killed the Zutons when after all it was you and me (the reviewers here). It had some interesting moments, but after a week I don't remember what they were.

Yeah, these guys are kind of fun. I honestly can't say I will be playing this album often, but listening to it this one time was certainly not a painful experience.

it annoys me that it’s so easy for men. especially in the 2000s indie scene but frankly always. this is what this list is teaching me. that you can be an extremely mediocre, possibly even Bad vocalist and people will still take your album and tell others they must listen before they die. i’m so over it. can we get something actually good on this list??? some evidence of craftsmanship or talent???????

Hopefully someone who can put a better album here. 2/5

some cool stuff but otherwise forgettable

You’re surprised this album is on the list? Me too! Listened to it a lot when it came out, and it’s still a fun listen now. Favourite track: Pressure Point

Very impressed by this album. Love the garage rock sound. Not too loud either.

I thought this album was somewhere around fine. I give it a 3 because I liked it better than exile on main st. Instrumentation was very good

Very fun album, combining the 80s and early 2000s vibe for some groovy rock

Mostly just unremarkable. This felt like a filler album. It’s almost like The Zutons couldn’t figure out what genre they were, and not in an intentional way. The use of saxophone throughout the album (especially in Confusion, Havana Gang Brawl, and Dirty Dancehall) felt haphazard and out of place. I could not stop thinking of Pingu or the Jetsons during those songs. It's quasi-Hanna-Barbera music. 5/10, deduction for being forgettable and for the dumb bits of saxophone sprinkled everywhere

4/10

Didn't expect much of anything going into this album, but color me surprised. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a super easy 5. A little higher, honestly. I mean, is it really an essential listen in the grand scheme of music? No, probably not. Is it a good time? You’re damn right it is. This is 40 minutes of quick-paced blues rock with a loose ska/country lean & a wide variety of subjects. There’s a lot of influences at hand here, taking from the garage rock revival that was ongoing, a bit of a Rolling Stones flair, and a lot of R.E.M. in the general pacing / structure of these tracks. The lyricism gets a bit eerie (yet still lighthearted) at times, but I think it works. It’s not shocking stuff; it’s just framing these scenarios with a bit more fear to make their points feel a bit weightier. It works really well. Of course, that weight is buoyed by the instrumentation, which is kinda just fantastic throughout. There’s a nice variety to everything, but the thing I like most about this album is just how tactile the recording feels. There’s an authenticity to it all that feels like you’re rocking out with them; you can hear the bass strings, every drum crash, every breath in Dave McCabe’s vocals, and something about it lifts up the album even more. It’s got just enough of a rawness that makes listening to it even more fun. I think my favorite track here is probably “Pressure Point”, but you can’t really go wrong with any track here. I do have little nitpicks, like “Railroad” being a little slow & “Long Time Coming” needing a bit more clarity for my tastes, but those barely matter. Every track has something cool going for it, whether it’s in a great solo, a cool vocal structure (there’s plenty here), or a super interesting concept (“Havana Gang Brawl” & “Dirty Dancehall” really won me over). When it’s not going too out there, it just knows how to strip back & be more relatable; “Not a Lot to Do” & “Remember Me” are a nice 1-2 punch of local, slice-of-life stuff, with the former being a glum Sunday & the latter being about trying to get a friend some time with the guys. I don’t know who killed the Zutons, but I know the Zutons killed it here. This is right down my alley, and for 2004, it feels like a really nice balance of the late 2000s to come, the indie rock scene at the time, and all the inspirations they clearly wear on their sleeve, all of whom are bands I like a lot. You could call it safe, and that’s fine. The floor is very much a 3 if it doesn’t click like that, or if you can’t get anything more out of it. For me though, it was just a lot of fun. I think there has to be a careful balance to not confuse safe with boring, as this is anything but boring to my ears. It felt like a serotonin hit to me, and I’m glad I heard it before I died. I think it’s a 5, if not a little higher, at least to my brain.

Money voice

In remember this era of indie music being rife In the charts, I hated a lot of it. The zutons came along with something a bit different. Just a bit though

Surprisingly good this! I say that as I never bothered with them given they wrote that Valerie song. Not their fault I guess that it got so overplayed. But aye, I was expecting landfill indie, but it’s better than that. Starts off surprisingly garage rock, even bluesy at times. One song near the start screamed of Jimi Hendrix too. Tails off to more quieter songs, which are still canny if a bit like a better Coral, but I preferred their more garagey numbers. Probably wont come back, but still very good

Love this album, very nostalgic. Feels like the best mix of that Scouse take on 60s psychedelia with 00s indie pop. They rightly released about half of it as singles and id say there is a slight drop in quality in the second half but would have been very hard to keep it up the whole way through. Havent heard it for years and while I don't think I'll be back anytime soon it's top notch.

Bit of a drop off for the second half, but all the singles in the first half were great. Zuton Fever, Pressure Point, You Will You Won't, Confusion, and Havana Gang Brawl is an exceptionally strong run. Lively, short, attacking guitar, playful drums, and "does the job" vocals.

Not sure I've heard this before but it felt very familiar. Hard not to draw comparisons with the coral, but that's not a problem as they're great too. Thought it was really good. First half probably better then the latter but enjoyed it all. At least a 4 but 4.5 for the Liverpool bias

Fine enough. Unmemorable.

I really enjoyed this album. Its easy to listen to with smooth beats and some memorable lyrics and songs. The bad is totally new to me but I will definitely come back to this album again.

3.8 A bit simple but at least it's fun.

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 😱☄️🏙️ Production: 🔪🚮💩 Music: 😐😑😵 Rating: 💥(💥)/5

Pretty good. 3.5/5

Całkiem przyzwoite. Nie jakoś wybitnie ciekawe ale takie 3 się należy

This made it on the 2005 edition of this list but not Discovery by Daft Punk what the hell are we doing here guys

Oh great, just what I wanted. Another 2000s indie rock "the" band that has absolutely no distinguishing features from literally any of the others. When are we going to admit that none of them were ever as good as The Strokes, and that including all of these albums while only having one of many great Strokes albums on the list is a complete insult to The Strokes. I am aware of the irony of The Strokes' latest album (released a few weeks ago as of writing this) is complete garbage, and does weaken my point slightly. But that doesn't change how amazing they were back in the day, and how utterly boring and pointless this album is.

Glad it was preserved for something else than "Valery" original... enjoyed it a lot.

another unremarkable album from a generic "The" indie/garage revival band. Nothing worth listening to twice

It’s an album full of songs that aren’t awful but not memorable. I’m guessing The Zutons were fans of The White Stripes.

british

Det begynner som helt ok garage pastiche men utvikler seg raskt til å bli noe mye verre. I tillegg til å ha gått til konkurranse på å være den mest forglemmelige revival-acten fra rundt millenniumsskiftet, innholder skiva noen utvilgivelige ræva låter. Remember Me på repeat må kunne klassifiseres som en torturmetode under Genèvekonvensjonene. Fy faen.

Dette høres ut som noen har trengt royaltyfree rockemusikk til en film.

I won't be able to properly explain this, but something about this strikes me as musically unsophisticated. I think it has to do with the way the vocal melodies are often sing-songy and also too similar to what the instruments are playing, sometimes even being identical. I'm probably being ungenerous with this rating but nothing about this whatsoever strikes me as belonging on a list like this. This just isn't a notable album in any way.

Who even are the Zutons? I've never heard of this group at all before, much less this album. I actually kind of enjoyed this, but I have no idea what it's doing here. It's fun, goofy, kind of Halloween-like music, but I have a hard time taking it seriously and it feels like it would quickly get annoying if there were any more here. In fact, I was ready to wrap up right at the end of the album and done by the bonus track. I could see myself listening to a few songs again, but I don't know that I would ever seek this album out to listen through it again. The singer's voice evokes older rock, but the sound of everything else is much more modern and leaves kind of a weird contrast. Favorite track: "Pressure Point"

I knew and liked a couple of tracks by the Zutons, but somehow never got round to listening to this album. The start is really strong, and right up my street. I think it runs out of puff a bit, and the second half is weaker - but I'd definitely listen again, especially the first five or six tracks which will probably make it into my permanent rotation.

This was fun. Some great music lines in here. Would put on in the background again.

What a charming record. Such a unique sound and each song stood out on their own.

Zum Ende hin ganz gut.

Who did it? Why is there not more music from The Zutons these folks are fun.

Probably a 4, needs a re-listen. Was definitely better and more unique than most of the English rock on here.

Nothing groundbreaking, unique, or essential here. What you'd get with the AI prompt, "Album of mainstream Indie Rock. Like a lightweight, watered-down version of Jack White or Jet,"

ah 2004.... what a year... excited to hear some pop from the early y2k era. im bummed apple music doesn't seem to have a blurb about this album. overall this album was fun and has a nostalgic sound for me but no songs made the playlist but I did enjoy it.

Ihan kivaa ja viihdyttävää musaa. Mikään ei kuitenkaan jäänyt erityisesti mieleen.

It's very tolerable as background music, just kind of fine. Stand-outs - Pressure Point - Confusion

Vocals were very forgettable which is rough since, being pop-rock, the vocals play a primary role. Even on the songs where it took a backseat to instrumentation it felt pretty flat still. Okay, wrote all of that ^^ during side A but side B started growing on me? Maybe it's a good enough crowd-pleaser album for a road-trip. Favorite(s): Nightmare Part II (mouth harp referenced (*O*)) Least: Pressure Point You will You won't 2.5/5

Fav: Moons and Horror Shows L: You Will You Won’t 1.5 Very bland, this is one that I really don’t know why it’s on the list. It wasn’t annoying but I listened to this with nothing else going on and it was difficult to focus on it just because of how uninteresting it was. No disrespect but this feels like something lumps would listen to. To keep from zoning out on this one I was thinking Minecraft parodies and every song would translate really easily into one. Cover: 2 kind of immediately signaled I probably wouldn’t like this one Name: 1.5 they went way too far with the Zuton stuff without going far enough would be higher if they didn’t have a Zuton song or if every song talked about Zutons Minecraft Parody: Pressure Plate (Pressure Point)

It's fine, a little boring I guess. Jew harp spotted W: nightmare pt II, L: You Will You Won't, confusion 2/5

A couple of decent singles…and a load of bang average knock-off Coral. I don’t hate it, but it has no place on a list like this.

So many great indie artists emerging at that time - Modest Mouse, Interpol, The Killers, etc. And then what is this? I'm pretty tuned into new music and this, well I never heard of it before. First track: self-referencing "Zuton" lyrically is so lame. Cringe. Huge turnoff. Who approved this project?

I'm really sick of unoriginal, inessential rock records from the UK and refuse to waste my time with them

nah

I bought this at the time and can’t really remember any of it, but after one play through I remember why not. Because I already had The Coral’s first two albums. It’s probably unlucky on The Zutons’ part but every idea they’ve put to tape here had already been done first and better by their labelmates and fellow Liverpudlians just a year or two beforehand. In a vacuum I’d probably like it more but I still don’t have a reason to put this on over The Coral or Magic & Medicine.

had to double-check that this was in fact 2004 garage rock pastiche and not more contemporary pastiche of 2004 garage rock pastiche ... i would have liked this if i came across it back then but it didn't really hold my attention. 3.5

I should have guessed this was a UK garage band by the way I had no idea why it was on here

Delightful album. Easy 4 stars

6/10 - I think I had this album, I remember I was expecting more at the time and I think still stands true

ooo i like railroad a lot also not a lot to do idk i had to skip a couple - feeling very conflicted about this album

Decent album

Really enjoyed it, surprised it's here.

Eh?

Slower country/folksy numbers didn't do it for me but the rockier tracks make for a fun listen. Overall wasn't something I'd see myself returning to, but wasn't off-putting either.

It sounds like a lot of what the early 2000s rock was trying to do, Fratellis and Franz Ferdinand and the like. Good stuff, but nothing else was stood out to me. I’m not sure why it’s on the list. Some songs do have a Radiohead tinge though

Middle of the road guff. Bland, watered down and as safe as it gets.

I've never heard of this. I was hoping it would be zanier, but that's ok. It wasn't bad, but also not super memorable.

Heard of The Zutons, never actually listened to them. This is cool, admittedly much cooler because of the sax. Favourite tracks: Zuton Fever, Pressure Point, You Will You Won't, Nightmare Part II, Dirty Dancehall.

Brit pop that leans a little zany. Entertaining stuff.

I’m sure I’ve heard this before, but never really listened to it. It’s darker and deeper than it may seem. It draws from so many styles and specific artists for inspiration, yet still feels like its own thing. It somehow feels exactly of the early aughts and unstuck in time. This is going into the rotation (and it sparked nostalgia for other bands I was listening to in this genre at the time that I’ll go back to too).