Reviews (page 5 of 7)
I liked some of the lyrics, just not my cup of tea.
sort of fine but very forgettable
Fuzzy is an acoustic album that is an easy listen. I thought the lyrics were strong, especially for a debut album. Some songs were more forgettable than others. Some songs I was reminded of David Bowie. Bowie of course has more than his fair share of imitators, but Grant Lee Buffalo incorporated some Bowie glam rock aspects while making Fuzzy sound more modern. That modernity is what must have inspired bands like Oasis and R.E.M., because I can definitely hear some Oasis-like music.
I find it interesting that this is categorized as "alternative country" or even "gothic country". It really didn't strike me as that at all and instead sounded much like alternative rock of the 90s that came about in the aftermath of grunge. REM and Oasis both praised this album, for instance, and this album sounds like it would have been an inspiration for both of these albums. Another entry that probably didn't need to be here, but I enjoyed the listen, anyway.
I might like it more after a few more listens
good! almost sounds like dream pop or shoegaze in some areas
Bueno pero no memorable
A nice alt folk rock 90s release that I haven’t heard before. It’s got some Americana vibes with classic 90s acoustic blues rock. Great vocals and a sort of hard to nail down sound in terms of time period as vibes well with the Ryan Adams’s of the world.
Serviceable 90s Alt Rock. The Mid tempo songs with the acoustic guitar backed verses' followed by electric guitar backed choruses got a little stale by the end. I thought the singer's vocal were quite strong though. I think my opinion was negatively influenced by the cliche album cover. From now on I will be reviewing them as well. 3 stars.
Interesting and listenable as good energy background music.
So this is kind of the problem with 1001 albums to hear before you die. There’s a lot of them and I don’t always have something to write. There’s a lot of good ones and some bad ones that I’m like why are these on there and there’s a lot of middle ground ones. This for me falls under the middle ground level. It’s good but not great.
Wildly underwhelming, honestly. Not sure if there’s anything here I hates, but there certainly wasn’t anything that excited me. I don’t think it’s actually bad, personally, it isn’t for me. 3/5
Yeah, pretty good this. I had never heard of him, but you can hear that he's very much part of the fuzz/grunge scene from the early 90s. Interesting that old Tory Noel cited this as an influence as well, you definitely get the scuzz of early Oasis through this. Anyway not anything super special, but very nice.
I was actually not aware of this album until the 1001 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die generator suggested it to me. It brought the thrill of discovering a hidden (to me) gem and the wonder it evokes. Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo carves a distinctive path of early 90s sound that is a distinctive alternative to grunge while also building on glam rock sounds. The opening licks of Jupiter and Teardrop evoke Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and its cosmic referents evoke Bowie's sound and imagery while also paying homage to Jackie Wilson and Motown's legacy. Hints of glam rock are peppered throughout without being a derivative reproduction. Shades of Lou Reed are present here, especially in Dixie Drug Store. America Snoring is a piercing analysis and prophetic critique of American culture in the wake of the Rodney King verdict and its aftermath. Unfortuanely, the song is still relevant three decades beyond its release.
Kinda enjoyed it
I heard of this band long ago, but wrote them off based purely on the name. To me it screams country/Americana for which I am not the target audience. Recently I came across the title track "Fuzzy" as a Spotify suggestion and really enjoyed it. I do feel that is the highlight of the album but, overall, a pretty decent listen.
Pleasant but not outstanding.
An interesting collection, displaying a wide variety of styles and influences. ranging from Bowie, Warren Zevon and Jeff Buckley to Americana. Most tracks are listenable, but not many classics
There’s an oppressiveness to this album that put me off initially, it reminds me a little bit of Leonard Cohen’s darker stuff, but without the moral complexity and level of self hatred, or like a more critically acceptable Goo Goo Dolls (complete with an equally silly name,) or like if Peter Buck or R.E.M. couldn’t pick. I didn’t dislike Fuzzy at all, especially the second time I listened to it, but it also reminded me of artists I liked better and would honestly rather be listening to. And the oppressive nature of it did grind down on me a bit. I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight, but I am now. I need some sort of release
A fair album, but not that different from dozens of other Americana-Rock flavoured albums. Pleasant, but...
It was alright
Very medium
A little whiny but still pretty good
Really interesting to hear lot of 90s alt rock sounds from a band you've never heard of before (good name, though). The wiki confirms that they were an influence on more popular acts.
Ik moest even wennen aan de stem. Maar dat lukte me wel. Zo goed zelfs dat ik amper meer luister. Onbewust wel. Want na 20 minuten kijk ik al hoe lang we nog moeten. Dit album biedt een eigen geluid. Dus deze 3 is wellicht niet vergeetbaar. Maar meer sterren kan ik er niet aan geven.
De naam zegt me helemaal niks, terwijl je dat wel zou verwachten aangezien het uit de 90s komt. Als de muziek begint, klinkt het ergens wel bekend. Maar toch doet het geen belletje rinkelen, het geluid is soort van herkenbaar, maar ook wat blikkerig. Dan komt nr3 en dat ken ik gelukkig. Kan ik het toch een beetje plaatsen. Het is een soort alternative rock uit de 90s. Ik snap wel dat dit niet helemaal bij het grote publiek is doorgebroken, net niet catchy genoeg. De stem ligt me net niet lekker, iets te zeurend, ook al heeft het ook een randje schuurpapier. De stem staat ook iets te hard tov de rest van de muziek, het valt er niet in weg, het is niet in harmonie, maar het drukt de muziek juist weg. Wellicht dat het bij anderen beter in de smaak valt, of dat het op een andere dag bij mij beter zou vallen, maar vandaag deed het me weinig. Magere 3.
Had never heard of Grant Lee Buffalo before and ended up quite enjoying this. Unique vocal style and a few really solid songs that made me want to listen on. Shades of Neil Young but also can hear similarities with contemporaries like R.E.M and Smashing Pumpkins. Some of the vocal delivery also reminded me of Lana Del Ray strangely enough. Maybe it's the tone/intonation, who knows?! Highlights are The Hook, America Snoring and You Just Have To Be Crazy.
Kind of a mid-point between Lana Del Rey and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Two artists I already consider quite mid.
Not bad, likely won’t listen again
I had America Snoring on an NME compilation CD from the early nineties, so have a soft spot for this. But aside from this its a little like the Waterboys without the folk instrumentation, a little like the Violent Femmes and a little like...well a thousand other alt-indie-Americana bands of the time. Not really doing enough distinctive to justify its place here, though its an easy enough listent.
The first track and the front cover artwork gave really strong Smiths vibes so I was positively inclined. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t fulfill the Strangeways promises of the cover art. I think the bookends of the album are my favourite bits. Jangly indie alt-country. It’s pretty good and worth being saved from oblivion which is where it likely sits for most.
Pleasant enough sound.
Fairly forgettable but pretty enjoyable.
Almost there, but not quite. Good vocals, writing, and composition. Not great.
Title track is good, but ultimately it’s pretty generic.
Pretty good. I dug the vibes on this one.
This album isn't bad. It isn't your traditional 90's alt rock. It's like alt rock mixed with Americana or roots rock? It's interesting. Apparently these guys were popular with critics and their musical peers, but never broke through to the mainstream. Michael Stipe of REM stated that this album in particular was the best album of 1993. Favourite songs: The Hook, Soft Wolf Tread, Dixie Drug Store, Fuzzy, The Shining Hour, Jupiter and Teardrop Least favourite songs: Stars N' Stripes 3/5
I find this particular era/style of music to be inoffensive, but rarely ever exciting. Something about the production is distinctively 90s -- its like the vocals are left "raw" but the instrumentals are very clean. Feels like background music for a cool cafe from that time. I actually really like Fuzzy a lot. It feels wonderfully off balance throughout with well-applied affected falsetto. Something in it makes me think of modern indie acts such as Alex G. There are other glimmers of brightness on this album. The Hook is a solid acoustic stomp. Stars n' Stripes is a trudging melancholy number that pulls the falsetto back out effectively along with tasteful slide guitar and bells. Dixie Drug Store is a (relatively) upbeat plonk built around a lulling, deep-throated bass line and following acoustic guitar that is rewarding. America Snoring and Grace both feature compressed production that restrain otherwise climactic electric guitar work. But my resounding impression is that this is largely forgettable 90s indie rock. I doubt I'll be back, but I did enjoy the ride. Very high 3 (like a 7.8).
This album was a perfectly fine album. Good-to-great guitar work. Little bit down tempo, almost country-esque. Otherwise it never really hooked my attention. mid-low 3
Not an album I was aware of. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. A bit forgettable
This is a really good album, but I can understand why it wasn’t embraced by the record-buying public three decades ago. It’s solid but rarely reached greatness for me. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-fuzzy-by-grant-lee-buffalo?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Heard of them, but had never listened. Pretty good - favourite track probably the first one The Shining Hour.
They owe a bit to Bowie, no?
solid album. would listen to again. 7/10
Enjoyed it
Pretty good
He has a nice rasp to his voice but the music is a little generic. Songs go on too long with nothing changing them up so they become repetitive. 5/10
It was decent, but I feel like I have listened to different versions of the same album a dozen times before
It’s OK
Some shades of Kurt Vile, Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, etc. (or vice versa....I'm not sure). This is a pleasant enough album: even if his vocal style and the acoustic strumming gets a bit monotonous after a bit. The songs are longer than they need to be, but that's nitpicking. I really enjoyed this music, albeit only 2 tracks at a time. "The Shining Hour" and "Jupiter and the Teardrop" were the two standouts, and ironically, the first two tracks on the album. The other nine were just variation on the same theme. This may be the most negative 3-star review I've ever written.
Some good songs
This is the early 90s, all right. It would make nice driving music.
better than most of the shitty albums on this site, but objectively just ok
Favorite Track: Dixie Drug Store
This is pretty solid jangle rock. I don’t thing I’ll be revisiting it.
I don't often hear the term Alternative-Country, though this lightly grassroots punky album definitely fits the bill. It sounds exactly like you'd expect the slightly more country, melancholic, early 90's ALT fest would.
This was good but doesn’t really stand out amongst other great music.
It was ok.
Really good for what it is - I'd probably listen to this again. Nothing spectacular though.
2.8.
Ihan toimiva kokonaisuus. Ei mitään tajunnanräjäyttävää läheskään, mutta kelpoa
I dig the vibes and instrumentals, not too hot on the writing, I could take it or leave it. Overall very fine.
Seems more influenced by British rock and pop than their other albums. Highlights: "Jupiter and Teardrops" (David Bowie vibes in the singer's phrasing and the wall of guitars backing him up), "Wish You Well" (dramatic vibe with chiming guitars and strident vocals), "You Just Have to Be Crazy" (simple guitar and vocals song) Notable: "Dixie Drug Store" (trying something different with a piano-based song. Maybe a Tom Waits thing based on the lyrics. Well, they tried...)
A little bit boring
blandly pleasant
Good listening experience, but it didn't stand out enough to me to make me wanna return to it as a whole. Favorites: "Fuzzy", "Stars n' Stripes", "America Snoring"
Really dug the Dixie Drug store. Rest was pretty ok too
I thought this started out really strong. I was into it. Jeff Buckley vibes and weirdly at times Radiohead. But then it petered out for me. Lost interest. Came generic and a bit boring
It was good and I loved the voice and genre etc but I don't know why but I got a bit bored. I wonder if the mixing makes it sound less punchy and involved that it should do. A weird one.
Idk, 90s fringe. Seems like you woulda had to be there. I don't hate it. A generous 2.5
This album is fine, but it reminds me of a guy that's singing at a bar on a Saturday night as background music. 6/10.
This album encapsulates the music of 1993. A safer mellower take on on grunge and the 1980s underground sound. Not to say it is a bad album and it has some absolute gems, namely Fuzzy which is perfect in its drawling melancholy.
Pretty good listen 3.5/5
Great little tunes, nothing special, but nothing bad
This is probably a 2, but I actually really like the song Jupiter and Teardrop. I have to give a bias whenever the albums have an awesome standout song that I’ll definitely listen to again. Glad to have listened to it!
I was a little more excited for this one than I should have been. Usually I’m a sucker for the singer songwriter/soft rock stuff, and it started out strong, but this one was a little lacking. Great for background music but when you listen to some of the lyrics they don’t work that well (can’t say I’ve ever heard a song start with “oh, jambalaya”). The composition is really what saves it for me, a mood music three.
3.5★. Tapers after the first three tracks but it’s consistent good, though rarely superlative.
Not bad.
I think the quote on the first song that really stuck with me: It kills me to think, that I'm no longer living just looking for excuses to drink. It hits especially hard coming off of a bender from this past weekend.
Not a bad listen, but really couldn’t get into it. Good background music though
S'inscrit dans la tradition rock classique, avec guitare, parfois piano. La voix me semble influencée par celle de Bono, elle m'y fait penser à l'occasion.
This album is fine - it's not particularly ambitious, but that doesn't mean it's a bad listen. At times it feels like a more subdued Smashing Pumpkins, and unusually the album starts to pick up towards the end.
Feels very Americana
3/5 You definitely don't need to listen to this album before you die. It's decent though. Listenable for sure when you're drunk. The Shining Hour 4/5 Jupiter and Teardrop 4.5/5 Fuzzy 3.5/5 Wish You Well 3.5/5 The Hook 4.5/5 Soft Wolf Tread 2.5/5 Stars n' Stripes 4/5 Dixie Drug Store 5/5 (FAV) America Snoring 3/5 Grace 2.5/5 (LEAST FAV) You Just Have to Be Crazy 5/5
Enjoyed this, but then I'm a huge REM fan so I suppose I was always going to. Probably one of the only many bands REM mentioned that I didn't dig into at some point in the 90s. Title track has obvious Radiohead similarities. I'm also reminded of Red House Painters (Sun Kil Moon) in places. Really decent mid 90s Rock/alt-country. I will be honest though, it went a bit dangerously close to U2 occasionally, so they'll want to watch that.
The echo machine was prevalent on this one. Liked Dixie Drug Store the most.
It was fine
Never listened to this band but it was decent.
Never heard before good sound.
Something folksy and upbeat here. It's neat.
I gave this three listens so I could afford it a proper chance but it just didn't leave that great and impression on me.
Definitely a stronger 3, but it didn't feel like a 4. There are a couple really cool songs on here but the back half of the album felt sort of flat to me.
This was a surprisingly beautiful album! I had no idea what to expect going into it and I’m pleasantly surprised.
It was there. Nothing really stood out about it in any way. I'm torn between a 2 and a 3 because it's really the definition of 2.5 I guess I'll give it a 3 since it at least had a decent run time and didn't piss me off.
Totally new to me. Feels like one I’d need to listen to a few times to really get into. Didn’t really like it on the first try.
New to me. Spend a little time listening to Jim Morrison over and over and over and over and over and......???
Peak 90's radio butt rock. If I even slightly enjoyed this style of music this would be the peak whiny, tribal armband barbed wire tattoo, white guy butt rock.
Not bad. First half is pretty good. Kinda reminiscent of Ace Frehley. Second half tires.
nirvana meets neil young
aight
not a huge fan
Unremarkable and derivative American rock
Not very fuzzy
I liked it. Good album
The vocals in the first song were really bad, but eventually it was not that bad to sit through.
Really liked the vibe of the opening track, but the rest was unremarkable
Pretty good rock music. Nothing stood out, though.
p710. 1993. 3 stars. Decent voice and lyrics let down by a lack of memorable tunes. Interesting rather than essential.
Pretty good. Got a little distracted so I couldn’t enjoy it fully but I wouldn’t be against listening again. Really liked Jupiter and Teardrop.
It wasn’t very bad but also not very good. An average 90s rock album with some nice guitars.
Didn’t realize I heard a song from these guys before (saved in my Spotify- Mockingbirds)
It's not exactly country and not exactly folk and not exactly rock, and that ambiguity makes it widely accessible which is something quite a few albums on this list haven't been. The title track reminds me a bit of a Radiohead song that I can't put my finger on, but that is very much a good thing. The acoustic 6 and 12 strings throughout the album give it an nice expansive sound that I think is sometimes let down by the singer. He goes a bit too hard on the Eddie Vedder enunciation and vibrato, though (old man voice) That Was The Style At The Time. Starting at "Soft Wolf Tread" it got a bit slow and too country for my tastes. I did enjoy hearing about handicams again in "Stars N Stripes”, it's been decades. If they just kept going with the momentum from the first half I would’ve liked it a lot more, but it lost my attention half way through.
90s. Sounds like the other 90s. Sound, lyrics, everything was just 90s.
A pleasant enough indie rock album. Not a bad listen but I don't really see much significant about it, apart from praise from Michael Stipe and Noel Gallagher. There is indeed a 'fuzziness' as the title suggests but I hear much novelty to it. It's an alright album but one that's unlikely to stick with me.
Meh
A for effort but i’m probably never going to play this again
This was okay. I can see why people might get into it and I enjoyed some of the music…but it was only okay.
Pretty good, but pretty ho hum. There are no singles and it is just fine music.
Never heard it before. It had a great vibe
A lot of U2 influence but with an Americana vibe. Can see how this would go on to influence later bands. Really a 3.5 but rounding down because it's just not that memorable.
A very very well thought debut record. Epitome of 90’s alt, I really enjoyed the lyrics in this one, a softer and easy listen. Refreshing that we got 90’s that isn’t radio head pill I think there’s clearly filler in this album, and without doing any research, I’m willing to bet fuzzy was a single- song is an absolute banger. This really gives me Jeff Buckley vibes and I’m so here for it.
This album surprised me because I didn't expect this sound for something from the 90's. I like his twangy voice and the 12-string guitar. Overall it doesn't feel as deep emotionally as I think it could be for this vibe but I liked it well enough. I listened to "Stars n' Stripes" a few times because of his mention of a "handycam" which I absolutely dug. I think once you warm up to this it gets better. It's a bit sublime and melancholic but also grungy somehow.
It was good and pleasant.
Not bad Was good on gilmore girls
Not bad
в моём сердце Грант также не нашёл отклика, как и у широкой публики. но он норм!
Don't know if I'll reutrn to this but I enjoyed it for what it was.
This should not be enjoyable as it includes most of the tropes of this kind of music that I dislike, but I have to admit I enjoyed it. It bounced around from Americana to classic rock radio to slightly harder and did it well.
Not half bad. Got into it more and more as the album went on.
Pleasantly surprised, get glimpses of early Radiohead, quite enjoyed Would make a great darts name aswell Grant "The Buffalo" Lee 3.5 / 5
wäre besser ohne die pearl jam stimme jeff buckley aber cheesier america is snoring, pfff..
Medio medio, algunos temazos, un poco grasun
Another one I started off thinking would bore me but grew on me as I went along. Solid but I think not enough high points to bring me back.
I appreciate this, but didnt love it. Maybe it was my environment - trying to work and listen simultaneously. Seems like it might benefit from multiple listenings. But there are 1000 other albums!
Enjoyable and forgettable. If the song ‘Spring Release’ were on here it would have been a four.
A few interesting ideas, but never really got going for me.
The album was fun. It was nice to have heard it. But it's not one of my favorites.
Need a re-listen, pretty good though
Solid.
This is a name I have heard before, but never listened to their music. It was alright; seemed like pretty straight forward alt-rock/alt-country. Nothing I would poo poo, but also not something I'm going to reach for often. 3/5
Enjoyable enough alt rock, but not something I see myself really remembering even if I get why this would be someone’s favorite kind of music. Feels like a band I’d check out at a festival sandwiched between other acts I’m more buzzed for. C… maybe +?
Quality soft alt rock, slight country style I think I ought to return to this one someday, could grow on me a bit so I feel a bit hesitant with my rating I liked it more at the beginning
Better tunes than I thought. Not really sure why it's on the list though
Like 90% of this list so far, this album is perfectly mid
Took a few listens to get into it, but now I want to hear more from them.
Not exactly my other genre, but pretty entertaining listen
Good country rock sounds
3 - I really like a couple songs on here, Fuzzy and Stars 'n' Stripes, so I'm disappointed that I didn't much care for the rest of the album. The vocals on those two songs are great. Oh well, I'm glad I enjoyed something off of it.
Seems like this was very influential to most 90s pop rock bands. At its best this was a cross between the verve and manic street preachers, but there were a good few bland songs and a terrible country song I think about banging a ghost. I think commercially it would have been better off sticking to the bland side of things, going the train/toploader route, or it could have leaned into the darker vervey stuff and been a better album. As it stands, it was okay and as I understand it not very successful.
Have read that it was very influential in the genre. I think more that other bands (Oasis, Radiohead) probably took the best ideas and stylings and improved upon them, binning the shit bits. Didn't blow me away. Title track was my favourite. Got old fast, but not in a way that irritated me. 2.5 stars.
The album finished and I could barely tell you anything about it. I found it was very middle of the road, didn't hate it but didn't love it either.
This was ok, but ultimately forgettable. I think Jupiter and Teardrop was my favourite track. 2.5
Decent. Some good songs in here. Not perfect but I can see why they opened for Pearl Jam in the 90s. This one might grow on me.
It was decent. Felt like one of those artists that pretentious music snobs insist everyone should listen to, while I just smile and nod my head and try something else.
me gustó más de lo que me esperaba. letras pegadizas y me encantaron las guitarras.
Get some Supergrass vibes from this band. Wouldn't be surprised if they were an inspiration to Supergrass' sound. Pretty neat but I don't see myself coming back to it.
Music style is all over the place. Some country, some rock, some ambient. Love some songs with lofi feel though. 3.5
Mighty Joe Moon was better.
It was right up there with every other early '90's rock band that wasn't doing Grunge. Nothing extraordinary IMO. Good, but there no WOW factor.
It was okay. Nothing I'd listen to again.
01) The Shining Hour - 7,5 02) Jupiter and Teardrop - 7,0 03) Fuzzy - 7,0 04) Wish You Well - 6,5 05) The Hook - 7,5 06) Soft Wolf Tread - 7,0 07) Stars 'n' Stripes - 7,0 08) Dixie Drug Store - 7,0 09) America Snoring - 7,0 10) Grace - 6,5 11) You Just Have to Be Crazy - 6,5 TOTALS: 6,95 (70/100) Never heard of the band. It's not bad, but nothing I would remember in a few days.
Surprisingly good especially at the end
Gilmore Girls is all I know about this chap. Some nice use of bass in a few tunes. Not enough to make it stand out though.
Interesting. I’ve never heard this one before. The lyrics were really good. Very gen X!
The overdriven acoustic guitars on this are such a great sound. This hits the right amount of country for me where it doesn't turn me off at all but still has that vibe. The recording is fantastic and really elevates it.
Good indie rock from early 90s.
folksy echoey soft-spoken country that kinda blends together. not bad road trip music tbh. 3.5/5
Ended up digging this a little more than I thought I would. Nothing particularly incredible, but it has a nice spin on the classic 90s alternative sound that happened to hit the spot for me. A lot of it is pretty standard fare, but the few tracks that more creatively worked in the diverse set of influences happened to really elevate the otherwise unimpressive album for me. Top tracks: The Shining Hour, Fuzzy, Soft Wolf Tread, America Snoring
Fine. Boring, not much to write about. Twinges of something cool, then it becomes forgettable
Pretty good I wanted to like it more than I actually did.
Really did enjoy this album.
Going off the name and cover I was expecting a country album. This proves the old adage you can't judge a book by its cover.
Non offensive easy going 90s grunge. It's fine, but fairly forgettable.
Inoffensive.
Great 60s folk rock vibes. Cool guitars, the voice totally fits. Still sounds like rock from the 90s, but has a very different sound.
I feel a bit ambivalent towards this album as a whole, but I did enjoy a few songs. The lyrics were way more exciting than the actually sound of the album, which was a shame. If I could I’d give this 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed the beginning of this album quite a bit, but something happened around the third-to-midway point. I think it was something like listening fatigue, but that's usually an issue when you're in the homestretch of some 60-minute LP. So what does that say about 'Fuzzy'? I like his voice; his diction could be better and some of the melodies seem limited by his range. Many of the lyrics that I could pick out seem socially-conscious in a pretty on-the-nose manner. I wish the rhythm section had the same verve and attention as the guitars and vocals do. "Serviceable" is a descriptor that comes to mind for this record, which feels more deeply insulting than "bad" or "okay." Funnily enough, I came around to it more during the last few songs. Highlights: The Shining Hour, Fuzzy, The Hook, Dixie Drug Store (who could hate on a classic "I fucked a ghost" tale?), You Just Have to Be Crazy
Sounds like a gentle bar fight
Album 254 of 1001 Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy Rating : 3 / 5 Good album. Nothing that is going to leave me wanting more. Wouldn't be reluctant to listen again. Sounds like one that could grow on some. ---------------------------------------- Fuzzy is the debut studio album by American rock band Grant Lee Buffalo, released in 1993 by Slash Records. According to the band's website, "Fuzzy would galvanize the sound of Grant Lee Buffalo, i.e., the acoustic feedback howl of overdriven 12-string guitars, melodic distorto-bass, tribal drum bombast, the old world churn of pump organs and parlor pianos."R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe praised Fuzzy as "the best album of the year hands down".
Ok
Alternative Gothic Country just about sums it up. Slow and brooding.
Pretty interesting.
Another new artist for me. This album didn't stand out much. It has a strong 90's grunge vibe, but it wasn't anything distinct for me. I also think the songs all ran together.
Boh, ok i guess?
A fine rock album.
Listened twice, solid Americana and I'd never heard of it.
Not really my type of music...
Not bad but nothing stood out for me
I don't think I've heard any of their music before, and I'm glad this project introduced me to them. This is a solid album. Nice style here, a little different in a few ways: melodically, harmonically, and the way they use their instruments. I like it.
Don't know, don't care's a great quality for the odd album to have; In this case, the identity of Jupiter and Teardrop and what exactly America's sleep has to do with anything.
Absolutely no one would disagree that this is music that was recorded and put onto youtube for me to listen to as a part of this very long list.
meh
The Shining Hour - this is what i imagined indie to sound like. this artist looks like it’s on a lot of tv shows. breaks your piano. (1/5 fuck your piano) Jupiter And Teardrop - hmmmmmmtwinkpearljam. oh i heard the title. lowkey bored. (2/5 background music) Fuzzy - i kinda feel like i’m listening to another universe’s version of Cage the Elephant. it’s interesting enough. i do hear phussy (phone pussy) though which was funny the first few times. (4/5 phussy) Wish You Well - Actually honestly, this kind of bright guitar sound with a soft drum and harsh tambourine sounds nice. it unfortunately reminds me of christian rock like scarecrow and tinman. but i feel like this is a staple of the 90s/early 00s rock and Butt Rock. (5/5 butt rock) The Hook - Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down?? (see? early 00s rock) i feel like i hear a Bowie twang. (3/5 Hemorrhage by Fuel?) Soft Wolf Tread - The hard rock version of Float On by Modest Mouse! (4/5 finding all the little songs ion between is fun) Stars N’ Stripes - lalalalililalala or whatever (3/5 handy cane? a weird candy cane?) Dixie Drug Store - what (4/5 the title and tone are. so.) American Snoring - fuck using slave labor to produce our everyday goods! (5/5 heavy) Grace - this one is more Stone Temple Pilots-ish. oh and the song (5/5 that’s what she said)(also want to listen to Nevermind by Nirvana) You Just Have To Be Crazy - i dunno. this kinda sucked to end on :/ (2/5) 3/5 overall. a fun listen but not super stand out. very different from yesterday but. no hype.
Dit is een album. Van een band.
Good debut album! Pleasant to listen to, didn't get me too excited at any point.
Started out surprising, finished off kinda dull.
Meh.
It was a nice listen but I can't say I was too impressed.
meh.
It was okay. Nothing stood out.
Country alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.
I don’t really think the electric guitar solos fit that well with the acoustic bits but it’s a solid album I guess 3/5
Good!
I liked this more than I thought! I don't think you need to hear it before you die however. If you like 90's rock you'll love this.
First track was a little disappointing for me. Second track starts out like a Bowie song, but also has a very 90’s indie vibe with a great solo. Fuzzy is pretty good too. Songs really pretty inconsistent, in style and even in volume. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe praised Fuzzy as "the best album of the year hands down”… that’s a bit much. That year also had Siamese Dream, Souvlaki, Enter the Wu-Tang, In Utero, Midnight Marauders, Björk’s Debut…. It’s good. Probably a 3 for me.
I honestly thought this was going to be something different, like a 60s folk act. Probably because of the "Buffalo". Anyway for the most part it started off and it seemed like standard 90s alternative fare. But the the acoustic songs came in, and I liked those a lot more than the electric. It's just that the electric didn't have anything that made it stand out from anything else. At first I thought "The Hook" was going to be a cover of the Blues Traveler, but I found it pretty good. I hope that the band focused more on the acoustic side, because te electric stuff was just meh. So I can't really give a huge positive off of half of the album. 2.5 stars won't cut it, so 3 it is.
Yawn. Their song America Snoring seems to aptly describe this album. Nothing terrible, nothing overly special. Also, I'd like to think I know 90's rock but I don't know who these guys are at all. They're in that whole Wilco camp, which is more alt-country rock. Regardless, I'm not going to listen to more of their stuff. A 3 might be generous.
Hey! It's the troubadour from Gilmore Girls! Or, um, so I've heard. Very, very 90s. Not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to again.
Really good album from someone I’ve never even heard of! This is why we do this! It’s nothing you haven’t heard before, but it’s great!
3 stars
Very nice music, very nice voice. Lyrics weren’t very interesting.
I should listen to more of his stuff. My brother did when we were younger but never took off for me.
Solid but didn’t make an impression at all
I wanted to like it, but really didn't.
This was good. Not much else to comment on.
Alright
I did not expect to like this as much as I did.
Meh, not bad. Not gonna rush out and listen again, but found it enjoyable enough.
2.5
Couple good songs (the title track, really) but mostly forgettable.
Yeah, okay. It's definitely a slice of 90s music, I'll give it that. It sounds exactly like 85% of the rock of the time. But is there anything unique about it? Any standout tracks? Any singles? No, there's not. It's an utterly forgettable album sadly. Not sure why it's on the list other than to say, "this is pretty much what music sounded like in general in the early-mid 90s."
Country alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.
I enjoyed this alt-rock/Americana album from the first half of the 1990s. Nothing really stood out from it but overall it was pleasant, the production is good, the guitars and voices nice. I can see why Michael Stipe of REM thought this was the album of the year - its sound reminds me of REM quite a bit, though not as distinctive. 3.5/5
Pretty sure if I wrote my review after the first listen, I would have rated very low. While I didn't hear anything that blew me away, I thought my listen today was pretty good. Or at least it was nice work, background music. Songs that stood out for me include The Hook, Grace and You just have to be Crazy. It was a little mellow and slow at times, but not in an annoying way. I thought this was decent enough to give a 3. Nothing I downloaded but think I would recognize a few of these songs if they start throwing in my random plays on Spotify
3.5 One of the few things Wikipedia has to say about this album is that Michael Stipe once named it as one of the best releases of 1993, which is apparently all it takes to make a list of 1001 all-time best albums. Well, much like a lot of Stipe’s own work, I found this to be pretty good, but not great. I liked the acoustic, alternative rock sound, which seems to have some elements of garage, folk, and country sprinkled in there, but despite all of that, for the most part I thought it just kind of blends in with a lot of other alternative rock from the era. Not to say that’s necessarily a bad thing though - I tend to enjoy most stuff from that era of music, so even though I don’t feel like there was a ton of range or anything particularly unique going on in the songwriting, the overall sound was enjoyable enough to keep me mostly entertained for the duration of the album. It started wearing on me just a bit at Grace, but fortunately it starts wrapping up soon after that. I’m not sure how many individual songs I would return to (if any), but I can walk away saying I had a good time with the album, even if it didn’t blow me away by any means. In some ways I can see how it could be considered a precursor to the later, softer 90s alternative rock sound to come, in particular groups like The Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows, and Matchbox Twenty - all groups that I would classify as “solidly decent” and a step down from the earlier sound of the decade, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Cet album ne laissait rien présager de bon, la présence du terme "Buffalo" dans le nom de l'artiste nous laissant envisager un enième album de coutnry. Il n'en fut rien, Grant Lee Buffalo nous proposant un album relativement solide et agréable. Petit point un peu gênant en revanche, Grant Lee Buffalo ne cesse de chuchoter "Père où êtes-vous ??" ou en encore "Il va bientôt revenir ?" de façon presque imperceptible sur plusieurs titres, mais cela n'entâche pas trop la prestation globale de l'album.
It was ok, not bad not great
The first couple of tracks (give or take) have the promise of a bold, fresh Americana sound, but most of the rest of the album can't keep up. Feels like unrealized potential. Also, the singer pronounces words that end in vowels like a Brit, which is...distracting at best. Best track: Jupiter and Teardrop
An old CD friend, doesn't hold up as well as I'd have thought it might. Certainly not in my top 500
6/10. Whatever, dude
ok 3 stars
8/11
interesting
Quelques moments un peu faible, mais généralement un style de rock très solide et qui a une certaine originalité, sans sortir pour autant des sentiers battus. C'est une belle combinaison d'alternatif et de folk rock/americana. Ça sonne vraiment typique 90s, mais sans tomber dans les stéréotypes faciles. 7/10
3.5
Alright
Album didn’t really engage me. Ok, might listen again at a later date, rating 3 for now.
Pretty generic but fine. Voice a bit grating
There is a timelessness to the songs on this album. Obviously a gifted songwriter and musician. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
Cool, mais sans plus
Pretty chill stuff
Pretty solid
Hmm, this didn't really hit for me. It's not bad by any stretch, just didn't hit. I dunno, could use another listen maybe? Solid 3 so far.
not bad.
1993, le grunge était très fort d'après moi quand cet album est sortit. Es-tce que c'est bon, oui. Est-ce que c'est un bon album grunge/rock. Oui. Est-ce que comparativement a d'autre dans cette liste, c'Est vraiment moyen, oui. 3.10
It’s strange. So many elements of this music appeal, his voice is excellent and interesting, I love the fun backing vocals, guitar licks, acoustic accents, and soft rock vibes. It’s more that the music never fully hits a stride, it’s like a shadow of a good song, on repeat. So many foundations to make a hit, but they lack a certain element.
Mellow soft rock songwriting
The way this album started off I thought it was going to be a fun 90's record but boy did it drop off quickly. Nothing really stood out to me This led me to discover that Grant Lee Bishop was the troubadour in Gilmore Girls and turns out he was in the show a LOT and completely unmemorable 3/5
3.5
Enjoyable.
Music to shrug your shoulders to.
Reminded me of an American Oasis. Reverb was doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Overall felt like it was taking itself too seriously. Didn’t get much out of it but sounded fine.
It's pretty decent. I'd listen to it again.
3 may be a bit generous. Talented artist. Mediocre lyrics/melodies.
Fine alt country.
I’d never heard of Grant Lee Buffalo before today. Apparently, Michael Stipe from REM says this album is one of the greatest of its time. However, I’m not really a fan of REM so that doesn’t mean much to me. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: The Shining Hour There was nothing exactly bad about this album. I enjoyed having it on and had a pleasant experience listening while doing some studying. The only problem I have with it is that it is very much a background album. I feel that actively listening to it for the sake of listening would get quite boring, but it’s fine to have on in the background while doing other stuff. There wasn’t a single song that remained stuck in my head after the album finished.
This was alright. Inoffensive but nothing that really caught my attention. Not biggest fan of the voice but grew on me over the album.
Familiar with the name but not the music. I thought this was pretty good. As usual, I prefer the more rocking songs to the quieter ones but this record has a good amount of both styles.
This was fine. I have no real complaints, but why was it on here? I feel like Jeff Buckley does a much better version of the same thing but maybe I’m missing context?
I was surprised how much I liked the first song. Like other reviewers said, more alternative rock than expected. It was alright.
Solid album...despite never hearing I think I think a little higher hopes than what was delivered. 3.5/4
Never heard of this band before and enjoyed most of this album. Would not think of it as country music more rock. Not all songs were that strong for me. Overall good album and may try other Buffalo albums.
A big, emotive style, that makes me think of the Waterboys with a dash of U2. The album grew on me as it progressed, but much of it was unmemorable. Fave Songs: Grace, Stars 'n' Stripes, The Hook, Fuzzy, America Snoring
I like the sound but I think the album as a whole fell a little stagnant and flat
This album sounds a lot like the 90's soft rock drivel that rides the line between real music and Bruce Hornsby. It's very similar to the band Live who appealed to a broad range of college kids studying to be lawyers and also to those who dropped out because it was too hard. Grant Lee Buffalo takes it's music too seriously and Fuzzy laces in angsty-dramatic vocals with inconsequential lyrics of banal stories. Fuzzy is in love with itself and plays too smart while simultaneously being ordinary. Regardless of all that, you may easily find yourself bobbing your head to the song Grace, and forced to declare it a guilty pleasure.
It's quite nice in places, but doesn't do enough to elevate itself beyond just pleasant middling listening overall. Easy 3.
Not going to lie, I couldn't get through this one though I did really enjoy Fuzzy and Jupiter and Teardrop. There was just nothing catchy enough to stick in my head for very long. It gave me some Gilmore Girls esque vibes though and the album would definitely work as part of a film soundtrack. At once point I thought they reminded me of Elliott Smith and in fact, an Elliott Smith track is included on the album radio on Spotify.
Not bad.
Never listened to Buffalo before and my first impression is that I enjoy the guitars, melodies and vocals, but it's a fairly standard alt-indie-rock sound from the 90's. The songs don't stand out to me as anything above average or special and though it's a competent effort and it sounds fine, I don't understand how it made the 1001 list. Not essential, just saying...
This felt somewhat similar to my last album but with a lil more rock instead of blues. Every song on this album seemed to start off pretty average and then turn into a banging powerhouse in the last half, Jupiter and teardrops + fuzzy being the best examples of this. Overall, I think this is either a really weak 4 or a really strong 3
Not bad
A pretty pleasant americana singer-songwriter album. Good musicianship, nothing to complain about from a technical point of view. But also shallow, hollow and ultimately, not interesting enough.
Never heard of this guy before. It was slick and 90s sounding production. Nothing to write home about. Pretty middle of the road. Completely forgettable.
Cozy and grungy. Low paced soft rock with nice overdrive.
I like this guys voice more than I thought I would. I went into it expecting it would be like super americana folky-western classic rock, but it's not. Maybe the name through me off. I thought this album was pretty good and I really went into it not being super enthused based off the album cover. I thought the songs were plenty catchy and the singer has some great vocal parts. He kind of sounds at times like Sonic Youth's singer (atleast in the first track). I wish the choruses were a little less repetitive though.
It was okay
pretty good indie-rock/americana. Didn't blow me away and I enjoyed some of the spotify mix that came after more than the album. But still, not bad.
An unknown album to me, but it's great.
Pretty chill. I like the one about New Orleans.
Nice folk/country jams with a rock style. Not a fan of the singer but overall easy listen.
i was close to liking this, but it went on a bit too much.
Fuzzy duck, does he fuck
I was not familiar with this band. None of the songs really stand out in terms of if I would recommend them to anyone. Overall the album was alright. At times it got close to indie music and a little bit of country but that was rare.
Not dinstincitve enough passable melodies but nothing to write home about
I had never heard of this band. Enjoyed the music although I don’t know if I would revisit it.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
I think I might have liked this album a lot in the 90s, but I don't feel like it has aged well. It might be that there was a lot of music that was influenced by this album that mimicked the sound and style, but this album sounds a bit generic. It's fine, but it kinda just played through without making much of an impression on me 3/5
I don't really know much about GLB, and if this is their signature sound then good for them. A perfectly acceptable album. Fuzzy is certainly a standout, Soft Wolf Tread, and Dixie Drug Store also caught my attention. Oh, and any mention of Chocolate Cake or Ice Cream always grabs me.
04/28/2022 Never heard of this dude until today. Pretty standard alt-rock. Nothing amazing and nothing horrible. Glad this was suggested, and that I know about it now.
Beter dan verwachte grunge
I liked You Just Have to Be Crazy. :)
This album is a big reason I’m doing this project: to discover an album/artist I didn’t know that is good. Great is better, but good is good, and I think Grant Lee Buffalo’s “Fuzzy” is pretty darn good. Major Bowie vibes at times, but set against more rootsy music. I listened to it once and then half of it again in the evening because I was still intrigued!
Very calm and nostalgic. Feels like a movie character in thier "sadness montage" just before the resolution.
Not bad although it tended to get a bit samey. As usual with albums, a couple of more enjoyable tracks, so an easy 3*
Fine album. Drags a bit for me, but good song writing. Very 90s.
I liked his voice and am interested enough to want to listen to more from this band.
Really liked Jupiter and Teardrop along with Wish You Well. The rest were a mixture of good and forgettable. Good vocals and guitar playing, appropriate drum, bass and keys too. Also has a nice acoustic feel to it which is pleasant.
Less fuzzy than stoner rock. More buffalo than fried chicken.
Yeah, I enjoyed some of this...was thinking it would be a country album so was pleasantly surprised.
Decent but not very interesting