Cupid & Psyche 85

Another one from the "why is it even here?" album pool. Sounds like the music you'd get shopping in the mall in the 80s.

Surprised. Not my typical cup of tea - super dated but creative and interesting.

most 80s shit i’ve heard in my life

Yeah 80s British pop sucks so hard

I dont think anyone lab grown petri dish 80s band could be more 80s than this. Crispr the 80s into a baby's dna and it would fall short of how 80s this record is. Its kinda insane. Well that being said, im not that big of a fan of the 80s. At least this kind of 80s. The mainstream stuff. When I was a kid I thought that we could skip from the 70s to the 90s in regards to music. Im not that against the decade these days but I think you have to dig somewhat for the good stuff. The stuff like this that was on the radio and playing in the tj max was not it. Its just too much. Bashing me over the head with the brick cell phones and strangling me with leg warmers kidn of too much. It also feels like this dude found micheal Jackson and just decided to do that. But it turned out worse. I like mj so id rather just put his stuff on than this cheap knockoff. I just cant get behind much of anything here. Just annoying and grating. It makes me think of better music and ill go to that 10/10 times. Pretty rough one today.

Good album

If you ever wanted a Wish version of Wham!, then this is your group! Holy hell is it underwhelming.

Look y'all. The 80s was a corny time. Some of the best music ever made came from the 80s underground scenes that paved the way for the much more interesting 90s music landscape. But most of the synth driven pop music of the day was downright horrid. SP must've been a bigger deal in the UK than in the US. I really don't remember any of this. I don't downright hate it. There are some cool melodies and neat textures here and there. But I got no plans to ever revisit this or dig deeper into their catalog.

Very 80s sound, so a bit dated now. Still, it is a decent quality.

Man this list loves some 80s Britain. Every time. I try, like a couple songs, then it devolves into the same 80s pastiche for the rest of what feels like the eternity of the listen.

I was instantly transported to high school 1985 in the best possible way. A lot of delightful mid-tempo bops, though so slower bits mid way pull the whole thing down.

I really didn't enjoy this album. 80's slop pop.

This was ass. 1.

Personal enjoyment: 1/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

249. ok

Did not like this at all.

cant quite wrap my head around this... it's mystical and confusing and kind of addicting. Absolute is an undeniable banger tho

A fun little slice of 80s music. More intelligent than a lot of it a wonderfully produces. Worth a listen on headphones to get the sense of space it creates. The first song for me is the best but it doesn’t drop far.

Interesting

Ейтіс вьор бед ту зе бббббоун(бед тіпа ю ар е бед гьорл вотча гонна ду нау) Перша солідна 4

Not for me

classic 80s new wave / pop

Weak

4/10 - Most the album sounded the same

Incredible Prince imitation! Jokes aside, pretty good.

was expecting some jazzy samba got 80s genesis rip off Nice.

Nothing that bad about this, but I just don't want to listen to someone who desperately tries to emulate a George Michael wannabe and fails miserably. Also, Scritti Politti sounds like a place where you eat the worst pizza and the owner comes to you saying that you are stupid and you don't know pizza cause he is italo-american and he knows it all.

It might be hard to imagine a time when this sort of mindless fluff was actually popular. But that was 80s teenage pop, much to the dismay of music fans everywhere.

Feels like I'm listening to bootleg Michael Jackson.

Had a few hooks in there

0 keepers in 9 (0%) 1 klunker (11%) Started off poorly, never got better. “Perfect Way” is the best on offer? Hard pass. Truly the beigest of beige albums. Can’t give zero stars, unfortunately.

Just an 80’s snoozer for me. Nothing really worth a repeat listen.

A bit dull

4 / 10

Quite boring 80s pop

This could potentially be in contention for the worst thing I’ve ever had to sit through. What they’d use to torture prisoners.

Back to the 80's we go... this isn't all too bad, it's actually quite nice as I do love R&B, quite a lot actually. The melodies do pop, there is definetely plenty of emotion in the craft, and I can see why it is an inspiring record for those who came after it. But, it does have that 80's sound I just don't like. That bland, cold touch. Every note feels played without spice and sung without warmth. I just hate that about the 80's, and I'm kind of sick and tired of how overrated this era is, purely because of nostalgia. I know all of these reviews are turning more into 80's slander and are less reviews about the album itself, but the website keeps giving me 80's records even though I'm clearly asking for some better stuff, so.. what else can I do really?

Groovy its like if michael jackson was in high school musical but also stoned. If that makes sense. yes... yes that makes sense

I don’t know… sounds just like it should probably

SHITTI POLITTI

Not sure what to think of that one. It starts as reggae then goes into a Michael Jackson like?

not an 80s pop fan

sort of typical new wave pop stuff from the late 80's. Ok stuff, but nothing memorable. One of those albums that I won't turn off but also won't put on myself. A solid 2

This album was definitely unusual. It felt like an SNL comedy sketch at times and at others was charming. The lyrical compositions was pretty rudimentary and odd. It is hard to put my finger on exactly why it didn't work for me as an assemblage of traits? It just felt off-beat by one the whole time. Out of phase. So close to being something really special but because of that I actually found it pretty frustrating to listen to. I was glad that it was a fairly trim album in terms of length. I wish this was the album it could've been and I don't know what would fix it but I get a whiff of something real cool in the mix.

nice lil 80s vibe nota 5,5/10

When I was a sophomore in high school my English teacher assigned us to read *The Wizard of Oz* by L. Frank Baum. She justified assigning it based on what she claimed was an extended allegory in the book about 1890s Populism and the gold standard. I suspected at the time, and suspect even more strongly now, that she was just a massive fan of *The Wizard of Oz* and wanted some reason to make the class read it, William Jennings Bryan be damned. What's more, I still have no fucking clue what the whole "free silver" thing was about. I remember she handed us a sheet that matched up aspects of the gold-standard debate with supposed references in the book. I don't think any of us found it comprehensible. *Like, maybe it's just a kid's book.* I'm told this album is about Green Gartside's frustration with the limitations of Marxism, and his fascination with deconstructionism and "music's transgression and abuse of some of the rules of language." And unlike Frank Baum I get the idea Gartside actually means that shit, as when he calls his latest sidepiece "a new hermeneutic" on "Lover to Fall." But all I hear here is the same uber-Eighties synth palette used on the same mid-tempo ersatz pop songs over and over, sung by the same low-in-the-mix, faux-Motown croon that was in fashion at the time. It's Culture Club, only with the "culture" to "club" ratio turned up too high. As a pure curiosity, this sound is perfectly fine - but forty minutes is a long time for that sound to go nowhere and for lyrics that end up "transgressing" by just failing to say anything (a sample, from "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)": "There's nothing I wouldn't be, oh, that's the gift of schizo"). I hate the whole "the curtains are blue" discourse; I think that critical theory is a generally worthwhile pursuit even when done badly, and that much of the resistance to it is just intellectual laziness with a couple extra steps. But this album is a shit argument in favor of the idea that pop music means, or can mean, anything more than just cars and girls. I suppose Derrida would appreciate the irony. And I'm sure Gartside would claim this is what he meant all along.

2:5

Groovy, funky, synths

took one look at the cheesy guys on the album cover and knew I was in for it. Not my kind of music!

Lover to Fall is simultaneously the worst professionally produced song a I’ve ever heard and the one I want to hear on repeat for the next ten years. I mean, they’re going to run away *and* steal her boyfriend/husband’s car? And Wood Beez. Am I having a stroke? “Be Easy?” This album is making me concerned I will have horrible brain worms I’ll never be able track down. I do not know how this album made this list. I can’t even hate it. It’s just the most 1985 album I’ve ever heard and I can’t imagine anyone “lovingl it.

Sounds typical for that time, with a little reggae thrown in. Nothing special.

Scritti Politti sounds like something that needs a salve or an ointment to clear up.

Holy hell why is this album on this list. Even with “Perfect Way” this is terrible.

Why isn’t 0 an option

God that was aweful.

80' shit

Pop de los ochenta felizmente superado. Bonito nombre y poco más.

Give me Michael Jackson, but make him Welsh and shit

That was kinda like some sort of bargain bin Culture Club knock off crap. Plus 1 for being under 40 minutes.

For some reason i thought Scritti Politti were like Deacon Blue/ Aztec Camera and was expecting something earnest and 80's in that vibe. Was not expecting cod reggae/ soul funk / pop. I can appreciate the tunesmith / catchiness but really not my bag.

Cupid & Psyche 85 When I was a child I always got Scritti Politti and Milli Vanilli mixed up, and then I never really got round to listening to Scritti Politti even though I thought I would like them. The reggae lilt of The Word Girl on first listen feels a little unconvincing, but it is a real grower, and it isn't immediately indicative of the quality the rest of the album, which is apparent with the synth pop sheen of Small Talk and the excellent Absolute. There’s a lot of MJ across the album, and A Little Knowledge feels a lot like a Jackson 5/Off The Wall era ballad, and is another great track. The new-wave-synth-pop-soul continues with Don’t Work That Hard, Perfect Way and Lover to Fall, all excellently crafted and melodic songs, particularly Lover to Fall. Wood Beez is probably the stand out, with more of an angular accent with the bass and synth but with another excellent melody and hook. Hypnotise is another excellent soul-pop song to round things out. I thought this was excellent, it’s similar to Haircut 100 in its pop and soul polish. It has a lightness and deftness but it’s definitely not lightweight, the art school intellectualism (and irony) alongside the sense of craft and precision gives it substance. And it's also a superbly produced album, it sounds excellent, the synths and guitars have a bright punchiness, and I really like his vocals as he duets with himself. A real gem of a record, a great discovery for me. 💘💘💘💘💘 Playlist submission: Wood Beez

This fits the brief perfectly for the Alpha Papa soundtrack with its slapped basslines and twee pop sensibilities. They've really nailed saccharine and feeble singing so prevalent in late 80s US pop. He sounds like Janet Jackson half the time - no, LaToyah Jackson. On 'Hypnotize' the female vocal is infantilised to levels that would make even Disney vomit. The lyrics are rendered secondary by the saccharine goings on, but reading them on the page it's clear they are a step above your typical 80s pop boy meets girls schtick. Also to its credit is that literally any song on this album has the inherent pop-quality to be featured in 80s films such as Soul Man or Back to School or Revenge of the Nerds. But ultimately I found it over-sheened, and pretty soulless, in spite of some annoying earworms.

In what world do we need to hear this before we die?

I love pop, but I could not listen to this.

A weirdly overhated album. I wouldn’t call this awful by any means. Yes, it’s unoriginal, inessential, and VERY of its time. But it’s also kind of fun.

Pedestrian

This shit sucks but not in an offensive way. There’s good 80s pop and this isn’t it.

Okay.

Wowee zowee, the 80s shouldn't be allowed to escape the 80s

I’ve never asked myself, “What would a group of white men from England trying to imitate Prince sounds like?” And yet, I had this very thing foisted upon me.

yeah, this is terrible

A lot of reviews here are negative for this. That kind of blows my mind. People here seem to really hate the 80’s! I’d never heard of Scritti Politti, although I did recognize the song Perfect Way. I was a child in the 80’s, so this transports me right back to my earliest understanding of what ‘cool’ was. It seems like a lot of reviewers here think this synthy pop style is so incredibly out of fashion that it should die forever, but all I get is liquid comfort from these songs. This is one of those albums that can transfer you to a sunnier place. I’ll be getting this on vinyl.

Has the elegance of a Sade record, the pop sensibility of MJ and the production of Pet Shop Boys. Very interesting and stylistically diverse. Why the low ratings?

Pop divertido e dançante, sem muitos embaraços. Direto ao ponto. Simples e cativante. Mas há, como sempre, a falta de empolgação. Disco típico e pouco notável. Mediano porém sonolento. 2.5

This was ok. Not bad, but not exciting. I’d be fine not listening to this again. 3/5

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❌️

Pass.

Odd album. Wasn't anything I was too interested in but not completely offended.

I am unclear why this is on the list

It's sugary to the point of diabetes and the vocals are a little one-note, but I had a good time. Maybe it's my long hours working to the sound of city-pop, but this production just hits for me. I found myself bobbing my head to the synths the same way.

Y'all piling on this album as if most 80s pop doesn't sound exactly like this

Bit cringe at times, but good at others. Little bit overhated imo

generic.

5.5/10

Es lo que te generaría una IA si le pidieras música de los 80s. Wood Beez y Absolute son las únicas "decentes" Apenas rozando 2 pero muy cerca del ≤1.5

if michael jackson was in new kids on the block? but worse?

Another album that is a great experience through 1001 but one I would never listen to again

They really wanted to be like Michael

Michael Jackson version Temu

A unique style of 80’s pop. 2.5/5

80s pop would've been my weakness a few years ago. Glad I can hear an album I've never heard of around that time with fresh eyes. After getting records that have expanded my musical knowledge, it's nice to have something more in familiar territory. It sounds crafted and polished, which is a far cry from their post-punk background upon glimpsing the band's bio on Wikipedia. The singer has a breathy voice that pairs with the production, and sings a lot about love and girls as if those are the two things pop music is known for. The record definitely sticks to the 80s blueprint: lush ballads, funk tunes, and new wave SYNTH. Reminds me of Sabrina's most recent album (3.5).

Super 80s but other than nostalgia this isn't really interesting. Some cool songs, doesn't sound bad.

It's like they heard Michael Jackson and decided to make a worse version.

I feel like something was missing… not sure what though

No private session used for Spotify. I remember this band from "Perfect Way" getting a lot of air play. I liked that song, but I didn't have a lot of options. This album is full of keyboards and drum tracks, it's straight out the of 80's. I thought I would hate it, but I just didn't like it that much. Hearing that song did bring me back some.

Kids: Can we have Michael Jackson? Mom: We have a Michael Jackson at home Michael Jackson at home: While I digged a lot of the synth beats, the album as a whole fell a little flat for me. The singer didn't have a bad voice, I just felt it did not match the rest of the music. Nothing feels unique about this. Everything done here has been done better by others. Favorite Track - Don't Work That Hard Least Favorite Track - Small Talk ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#175/1001 🇬🇧 Picture this. Its 1985 and you are sitting on a bus next to somebody listening to their walkman, you know the one with the orange foam headphones. Well the music that you can't quite decipher bar for some twangy bass, synths and tinny vocals sounds exactly like this played normally. Maybe it is that music.

Gag me with a spoon

Slogging through another 80s pop album, though unlike Frankie this one was definitely landfill of the genre. At times this album reminded me that Michael Jackson was talented because when other people try the same approach it sounds ridiculous. Can't remember any other specifics but I really wasn't a fan, though as it was short and not memorably terrible we'll say 1.5.

Unpleasantly bland, loads of ideas thrown together to conjure something pretty dire. I really don't get it, had a most disgusting time listening.

Sometimes this list throws up some really surprising entries.... Is this something I must hear before I die? I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, it was awful 1

Remember those others 80's albums that I didn't shit on despite the younger version of myself generally hating "that 80's" sound. This album pretty much defines that sound and it turns out I do still hate it. The ultra-produced pop that has no genuine feeling at all... It just feels like it's trying WAY too hard. Occasionally the bass line stands out as interesting but that might just be me trying too hard to find something consumable in this ultra-processed wasteland.

Ich kann mir das definitiv geben, aber ich finde den Sound von anderen Bands in der selben Zeit und in einer ähnlichen musikalischen Nische ein wenig ausgeklügelter. Es ist trotzdem ein fun album tho.

This is absolutely dreadful. Saccharine and goopy

Not a fan

Yes, I enjoyed this. I think I should have been more into them at the time.

good

I’m laughing because if someone were to ask, “What is 80s music?” I’d say this album. This is literally the sound of the 80s in a nutshell.

Patrick Bateman would love this album.

Another generic album. I got all bangers last week, this week nothing great. Why are these very mid albums on a list if must listen. 2

There are three distinct Scritti Politti periods... Late 70's and Early 80's Post Punk living in a squat in Notting Hill. Mid 80's Major label sophisto-pop stars. 2000's Dalston bedroom producer chamber pop superstars. The post punk stuff is collected on a fantastic compilation called Early - you should check it out. The 2000's saw a brilliant album called White Bread Black Beer. Somehow they moved from hip west London in the seventies to hip east London in the 00's by touring the world. The successful period, from which Cupid and Psyche comes from is their worst and the 80's production and electronic crashes from the drums don't help when the singer is as understated as Green. But look at what their contempories made around this time - the wretched George Michael solo albums, True by Spandau Ballet, 7 and the Ragged Tiger! This is clearly better.

Hey Robert Dimery, there are things that exist that were made by people who thought of those things, and then there are lame versions of those things made by lame-ass British people doing soggy, bland copies of the things made by people who actually made the things. Why do you always think the latter are the ones that must be heard? I am not the biggest fan of eighties R&B-influenced pop, but if I am going to listen to eighties R&B-influenced pop then I want to listen to Michael Jackson, Prince, DeBarge, Atlantic Starr, New Edition, Cameo, etc. I don't want to listen to a weird British communist punk have a nervous breakdown and do a soulless copy of that music. Jesus.

Great things came from the '80s like velcro, big hair and hypercoloured t-shirts. Alas, this album was not on that list.

Like many others I am baffled as to why this is rated so low. It is very 80s but there are some nice wee songs on here. Green’s affected baby voice does staff to grate after a while. 3.5 but rounding up because it d serves better than its dismal ranking

Smooth 80’s synth pop.

What are we doing here

2.5 - so generic zzzzz

Yeah, it does feel a bit derivative of acts like Prince or WHAM!, but it's got that clean 80's sound I enjoy. 2.5 bumped up to 3.

I’m at a 2. Look, I can see why people enjoyed this one. It’s got a fun enough soundscape to it, it’s got some good bouncy melodies, the lyricism is fine enough, and the vocals are so buried in the mix that they only feel like a guide to push towards enhancing the instrumental atmosphere. If you can turn your brain off enough to enjoy this, more power to you. I can’t turn my brain off enough, at least for this one. It’s just so aggressively average compared to its contemporaries. My best compliment that I can give here is that, with the heavier use of synths / soundbank-heavy instruments, the production work here feels like a natural precursor to what Pharrell & The Neptunes would later integrate with actual instrumentation (or at least, far better MIDI soundscapes) by their production run in the early 2000s. Something like “A Little Knowledge” feels like a track The Neptunes could clean up and try to let Justin Timberlake salvage with a good featured partner to riff off of. A lot of these tracks share that sense of potential. There’s only two of them that really met it to my ears, being “Perfect Way” & “Lover to Fall”. 2 tracks out of 9, however, do not make an album. The other 7 tracks here are totally, utterly fine, so much so that I’m willing to say I’m closer to a 2.5 than a flat 2. However, I’d still be going down regardless, as the flaws of this album just overwhelm most of the light positives that do exist. The production work here is fine enough as a loose hybrid of 80s synthpop & shades of the New Jack Swing era to come, but it’s so utterly drenched in big brass, gated drums & reverb that it makes the vocals nigh impossible to break through. When they do break through, Green Gartside’s vocals are somehow enunciating every word & stumbling through them at the same time, leading to a mismatched effect where I can’t understand a fucking word he’s saying unless I have the lyrics in front of me. Even then, I’m just not very moved by the lyricism, as I have no idea what the fuck most of these tracks are even trying to say at a deeper level. There’s concepts here, certainly, but nothing feels lived in or legitimate. Even with something like “Perfect Way”, you just can’t convince me he’s actually got the charisma to pull this girl & or any girl in the way that he’s bragging about. I can believe it when MJ is singing “Baby Be Mine” at the top of his lungs with passion. I can’t believe it when Green Gartside has “a perfect way to make a justification”. Hence, a 2. More of a 2.5 bumped down to a 2, but still. It’s just an uninspiring 39 minutes that barely go anywhere as an album to my ears, and while I respect the opinions of reviewers at the time, I think the Spin review that says “no disco was ever this sublime” is one of the most batshit insane sentences I could possibly imagine in response to an album like this. Disco was already dead. You didn’t need to lift this up to piss on a grave buried 100 feet deep, and even then, if you were calling THIS better than Earth, Wind & Fire or Kool & The Gang, I might just straight up call you racist. It’s a 2. I don’t think it needed to be on the list.

Synth-pop garbage

Not good. Like if the characters in a cheesy after school show like Saved By The Bell, but worse, started a band, this is the kind of throw-away music the producers would have had made for them to be their songs.

Unlistenable for me

Normally I feel like even a 1 deserves to be on here. & honestly, based on the reviews, thought this album was going to at least be memorable... There isn't anything special about this album.

At first glance Cupid & Psyche is a moderately successful pop album, but if you look deeper there's so much more to it. Scritti Politti's blend of intelligent wordplay, saccharine sweet pop hooks, and blue-eyed soul elevate this record to the top shelf. As if that wasn't enough to convince you, the band brought in jazz legend Arif Mardin and his production is flawless. Don't be fooled by the conventional trappings, this is anything but throwaway pop trash.

Totally pop. No thank you.

It feels like a high-school movie songs and surprising they were English and the time they made it feels like 2000s begging 5.8/10

Awful vocals! It sounds like he tries to sweet talk his girlfriend with a baby voice. The rest is just boring 80’s beat sounds. Defintely not an album everyone needs to hear, more like a very small segment of all people in the world.

i hated it.

"After witnessing a show by The Sex Pistols. The Clash & The Damned while at university in Leeds in 1976. Green Gartside formed Scritti Politti. A clutch of singles and EPs followed before culminating in the band's debut album and the peginning of their relationship with Rough Trade Records." Imagine my surprise to find Scritti Politti is nothing like the aforementioned bands...

Kind of a mixed bag on this one. I thought this was going to be more new wave-y, going on the name and knowing the approximate time frame of when the band existed. There is no mistaking the 80s era on here due to the production choices, but the blue-eyed soul vocals and composition were an interesting surprise. That said, not all the songs hit the same. At best, this dude tapped into Hall and Oates and George Michael-levels of songwriting richness, and at worst, the songs sounded like rejects from A Goofy Movie. Not terrible by any means, but probably not something I'll return to. I'd give this a 2.5 if that was possible, but I'm feeling generous today.

For some reason I had thought Scritti Politti were a punk band and went into this without reading any reviews or the wiki page. Couldn't have been any further from punk if it tried. Bland 80s synth pop, Wham without George Michael and a whiff of Michael Jackson instead. Awful shite altogether. 1 star

This does not age well. Kind like Grandma’s plastic cover her couches.

siento que buscan una onda similar a michael jackson pero les falta la potencia de michael

Yeah this was cool

interesting of these british guys to make a prince album

Like some sophisto-pop, could have been more eclectic.

Couldn't finish the album, really not my cup of tea. If this is the best that the 80's got to offer than it s a good think we left it in the past Really not for me, but willing to change my mind if a fan were to talk to me

This album consists of annoyingly synth-y, cheesy 80s pop. You could say it's high-energy and groovy, but it's a kind of music I dislike. Synths and bass have to be used a certain way for me to receptive to them, and this is just not it.

Instrumentals are pretty cool but wow that voice ruins it for me unfortunately. 2/5

Having never heard of this artist, I read the reviews and was prepared for an ordeal. However, it was not at all unpleasant. Definitely an '80's sound. I was visualizing Michael Jackson and Miami Vice

Fun and upbeat

garchita.

6/10 - this is like the soundtrack to a cheesy 80s action film, i like it

Scritti-Polliti Sophisti-Pop...Sub-Par!!

At the age of 13, I thought Scritti Politti were absolute scrote. All these years later, I now know that to be true. WTF are those overproduced vocals with that faux American accent? I have zero idea why this would be considered for inclusion on this list. It’s sugary 80’s pop which hasn’t aged at all well.

Pretty good pop vut def bot the most memorable album ever, has some cool synths though

why is this in here

A well produced and creative new wave project with fun energy and a lot of charm. Wears out its welcome near the end, and while the ideas are good they don't always feel like a complete product. A few songs feel like they're missing something, like they sort of just peter out at the end. Really something you gotta be in the right mood for, especially with the lead singer's over the top presentation. Still there's a lot to like. The album doesn't take itself too seriously, and the instrumentals are danceable and earwormy. A fine record, if not a bit unremarkable. 3/5

80s New Wave. Cheesy 80s pop. Jackson Lite.

Say what you will about the tenets of Italian Marxism; at least it’s an ethos, dude. A whole lot of nothing about nothing and 80s synthpop never did it for me anyway.

not my vibe. Sounds like it wants you to throw your hands up and bump hips with someone

a sterile attempt at rnb

Wow, this is so 80's. I love it. So poppy. The beginning of Absolute sounds a lot like Michael Jackson. This is very much poppy 80s synth vibes, but not in a cheesy “mall montage” way. It’s more precise and glossy — like someone took funk, synth-pop, R&B, reggae-pop, and new wave, then polished every edge until it sparkled. The whole album has that bright digital 80s studio sound: tight programmed drums, clean bass pops, shiny synth accents, and vocals that feel almost weightless.

Ehhhh I didn't like this one very much. Just kind of bland and boring.

Never heard of this album before and never heard of this band either. I was expecting based on the name some sort of Italian music. Instead I got some very catchy 80's euro-pop. Not my usual thing but I was nodding along eventually.

I'm not sure I liked this, really hard to tell. At points interestingly poppy, elsewhere just thin gruel.

Peak 80's fodder, and as a consequence, like similar albums from the time, its 95% sh*t.

“All the gear, some of the ideas” - So naff like a fishhook it bends around into being pretty good

Cerramos semana corta con otra banda desconocida. Me recuerda de a momentos a Prince, sobre todo en canciones como "Absolute" y "Don't Work That Hard". Disco ideal para poner de fondo y amenizar una mañana. Muchas gracias y hasta el lunes, esta vez sí con semana de cinco escuchas.

Nahhh

the disneyfication of wham was definitely unnecessary.

Boring

It's 80's pop. It's not even good 80's pop. It's filler 80's pop. It's the stuff they use in movies so you are fully aware what time they are in, and it's cheap because it's not the good stuff. Seriously generic artists like this shouldn't be on the list. There have to be better artists to highlight mid 80's pop.

Come on man

Had always heard about Scritti Pollotti - though they were going to be more Pixies…and they aren’t

Now what was that? I’m not sure I needed to hear this before I died. An extra star for the bassline on “Wood Beez” and the strangely infectious production of “A Little Knowledge.” Note after reading about the group: this is not what I expect Marxist music to sound like. It sort of gives me a begrudging respect for the band.

When I heard the first track I thought this album had the potential to be a guilty pleasure. Then I heard the second track. I respect and understand we all must take bits and pieces from heros and peers when trying to create our own musical identity but Scritti Politti might as well have named themselves Michitti Jacksitti 1.5

Fur burger

So 80s. Like so 80s.

Očekivala sam nešto još gore. Ne razumijem kako je ovo na listi a Milli Vanilli nije, tu su negdje kvalitetom ali Milli Vanilli barem zvuči prijatno. Više ljudi ima Milli Vanilli kao guilty pleasure nego Scritti Politti garantujem. Rimuju se i jedni i drugi zato su mi naumpali. Loše je ovo bilo ali ne pregrozno sve u svemu.

I’m more than 100 albums in now… Maybe 150 or so even… And this by far was the low point of this project for me so far. I feel bad for the one star albums I gave previous to This because I’d like to rank this lower. I definitely could have avoided this before I die. I felt like it was the soundtrack to some cheesy 80s beach vibe movie. One of the few albums I gently struggled to actually listen to so far.

Soooo this band clearly likes Prince. Definitely seemed right in his style. Should they be called Prince-lite? Duke, maybe?? Ahh I crack myself up. Still, a pretty good listen overall. Nice surprise too, had never heard of them before and this is catchy 80's funk that I think would've been more popular. Good listen!

Yeah, sort of nondescript…

It’s very 80’s. Synth pop with reggae influences to make white boy R&B. I didn’t dislike it but would never listen to this album otherwise.

oh hell nah

Surely this was only played in Hallmark stores in the 80's. I don't think music could be more uninteresting. Being incredibly tame means its not necessarily repulsive though? Review: 2/10 No fave songs

Nope

80s pop which was not really my groove.

Might be a grower but I'm averse to the very 80s, very pop production.

I was honestly shocked with how good Cupid & Psyche 85 ended up being. I went into this album with zero expectations considering a good majority of the users on this site absolutely hate it (in fact, as of writing this, it is the 18th lowest rated album on this site) so i wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. But as it turns out, this album consisted of some very good new wave music complete with cool synths, solid vocals and melodies that shouldn't work well but end up really working well. And there wasn't a single song that i really disliked. I know the reputation with bands like this being cheesy and being very much products of their time, but i found that if you come in with the right expectations, you can really enjoy this one. Best Song: Small Talk Worst Song: Lover To Fall

So this band was originally a marxist collective?? Alright man. Sure. Why not. And it's opening with reggae?? Yeah man. Oh hey so I actually don't like this. Ok so this is painfully 85. Cupid and Psyche is one of my favourite Greek myths. What tf is this. I really don't like it. The guys voice is annoying and it's like they're trying to do a stripped down 80s disco but what really makes disco imo is the magnitude and cohesiveness of sounds so this just sounds disjointed. It almost sounds like they have a soundboard and are just playing sounds in a big empty room. That's what this sounds like to me. I don't like it it doesn't all work together. And his voice is like a bad Michael Jackson impersonator. Fml. I'm glad this revolutionized music but I don't care bro. Like actually. Kinda feels like a caricature of 80s music. It's funky man. I can enjoy it I suppose. Favourite: Absolute Least favourite: The Word Girl/Lover To Fall

Very.....peculiar album. So shmaltzy, it reminds me of bad boy bands in the 90s and 2000s. But then again some of it is good despite that. The writing is kind of off putting, like this dude is looking down on the listener. There's something about the production that sets off alarms in my ears. I can hardly describe how I really feel about this. Because it's got some good songs, but I feel like if I heard them in any other context I'd have a visceral reaction to it

Fun listen from beginning to end. A lot of songs here can be replayed, 7/10.

No idea… that is such roulette. 85. That bodes ill. Yeah. Bad as I feared. Opened with badly used dub. And it didn’t improve. One thing I will say about this exercise is that it has exposed me to A LOT of mediocre and outright bad British pop and soft rock from the turn of the millennium. But so far the exposure to the unknown treasures from the 60s and 70s far outweighs the pain of whatever the editor of “the book” was doing to be relevant. But man… this is… yeah this is getting a 1. Maybe yesterday it was a 2 for effort and production but not today. Today it’s pissing me off. Man anything good about this was ripped directly from MJ. What’s with pop acts in the 80’s thinking it was cool to just imitate MJ? But I guess that continued…I mean God and I have three songs to go… 1 Boolean: no, definitely not

About as mundane, dated, and uninteresting as this style of music gets, it just made me want to listen to Michael Jackson or some other '80s pop artist who far excelled in this style. I just feel like it lacks a necessary boldness; the vocals feel so restricted, like the melodies here aren't sticky or sharp at all, they just sort of exist. And the production left a bad taste in my mouth because while it is lush and ever-evolving at times, it also just reeks of its time in all the worst ways, just super clunky and screams FM presets. Most definitely not for me.

It sounds like any pop song from the 80s. A weaker version of something Michael Jackson did. Some of the songs even sound like porn soundtracks, the kind you only find on VHS. It's not bad, but there's no reason for it to be on this list. 3 stars

OMG. Horrible. Sounds like a really bad Michael Jackson. And I don’t like Michael Jackson.Awful. And Long.

This is hideous. Save the 39 minutes of your life to do anything else.

This isn't even that bad of an album to listen to, it just feels like "one of the many" on a list dedicated to "the few" - it feels like a "perfectly fine" pop album. It's very consistent so if you like one song you should have a good listen on your hands, the hard, blunt synth sounds and the sorta loveschlock lyrics At the most positive, I would say this album at least feels a couple years later than it is, I'd put it at 1987 or 1988

Wimpy, cheesy and generally a waste of vinyl. I do remember my childhood best friend purchasing a 12-inch dance mix of Perfect Way when that was charting, and it was a catchy tune, as I recall. There were multiple 80s sounds on this one but nothing memorable.

Not cool man

Meh zzz

This Scritti has a ditty! --Vibes-- This album has a mix of "bring back boy yearning" and commercial pop thing going on. I can see some of these songs going triple platinum at H&M and JCPenney in the 80s, if those stores were around back then. The mood is bright, and the rhythms are groovy enough that I can see myself catching one of these tracks while browsing a Forever 21 and making a mental note to look up the song and the artist later. However, would I download any of these and keep them on repeat? Probably not. This album's pleasantly easy digestibility is its very own double-edged sword. Nothing sticks. Nothing strikes me as memorable. In fact, I have to go back and give it a second listen to try to discern which song stands out to me. These will probably make good movie tracks. I can see some snippets being played over a high-school-themed movie shopping or back-to-school montage sequence. In fact, I can picture this being a Powerline song in the Goofy movies. --Melodies/Instrumentals-- The instrumental composition is ok and well-combined to build the sort of catchy, clearly structured flow that mainstream pop music thrives on. I dig the synthy disco elements. But again, everything feels very safe and surface-level, which, ironically, mimics the underlying themes of love/lust and the murky waters of learning someone's depths and seeing whether those hidden layers will make or break the relationship. Maybe it is intentional, and I am just being overly critical? Maybe. --Vocals-- Green Gartside's vocals somewhat remind me of a UK version of MJ with their androgynous, light, airy, smooth pop quality. I will give him kudos for being consistent in his performance because staying in that higher head voice part of your register is generally difficult for male vocalists. I do wonder if this choice is made for comfort or style, since Green did not utilize his lower register much on any of the tracks. I would have loved to see him show more diversity in his singing. And emotions! I adore emotive vocalists who make their audience feel things, and Green did not do that for me. --Final Rating-- Overall, I give this album a 3/5. It is a decent compilation of tracks with a cohesive theme of love, yearning, and disillusionment. Musically, nothing is outstanding to me. As I said above, I wouldn't personally download any of these songs, but I wouldn't advise anyone against listening to them either. --Stand-out Tracks-- The Word Girl (surprise reggae??). Perfect Way

this shit is so boring and ass 1

Pre Listen: Haven't heard of these guys before, but the band's name goes kind of hard. "Scritti Politti" just kind of roles off the tongue. I think they were ahead of their time with a name like that, especially the "Scritti" part. Inspiring. Notable Tracks: Small Talk - Favorite track on the album. It's fairly catchy, the bass is thumping, the electric guitar sounds great. I'd argue this song is where all musicians playing synergize the most, creating the best harmonies and melody. A Little Knowledge - Least favorite song on the album by a wide margin. Almost skipped it. Why is he whispering in my ear, why is his voice poorly layered with a female singer, why are both of their voices vaguely distorted? This song is one pitch-shift down or slight distortion away from feeling demonic. Perfect Way - I could've sworn I've heard this song before. Maybe it sounds really similar to Michael Jackson, or maybe it's the keyboard part that sounds like a Mario song, idk. Feels very familiar. Post Listen: Overall it was alright. The highlight through all the tracks was the electric bass for me, absolutely groovy. The synth work was fairly solid, but had some random shifts in quality, both good and bad. The sound effect additions in several songs were more distracting than complimentary. The lowest point was the vocalist, his breathy-singing and high-pitched voice just made him feel like a Michael Jackson cover singer to me. This album overall feels like foundational 80's Girl Pop. Regrettably I'm not a girl, nor was I growing up in the 80's, so I don't think I was the target audience here. It's decent enough quality I can see some women in their 60's grooving to this in the modern day. Scritti Musik, 3/5.

SCRITTERS MENTIONED!?!?!?!?!?!

Really wanted to 5 this one man. I just don’t like synth keyboard and I don’t like this falsetto voice that just feels like a worse Prince. There were like two songs that were solid (and one that fit the mold I described above but just seemed to “work” for me). Just not great but I gave Lou Reed a 2 and I enjoyed this considerably more than that.

1/5 could not listen

Just barely ...

The 80s were a rough time, huh?

Terrible, juste terrible.

This was a bad 80's flashback for me. From the "baby man" precious vocals to the drum machines to the vapid songs, I didn't find much of anything I liked about this. Supposedly political and left leaning but I didn't hear that, I was just annoyed by the whole package. Even the so-called hit, "Perfect Way," didn't ring a bell for me, it's long forgotten and buried in my memory like this album was as soon as it finished.

So reading about these guys, I guess they were like, communist Wham? I'm not big on the 80s pop trappings or the overly saccharine vocals, which feel put on, but none of this is straight up bad by any measure. Lyrically, it's more interesting than a lot of similar stuff I've heard from the era. Would like to hear arguments for why it's essential listening though

4 stars I had never heard of Scritti Politti before a reference on a podcast earlier this year. I thought the name sounded ridiculous, but my (much cooler) older brother told me they were a good band. I thought nothing more of it until getting this album for this project. The album was a genuine surprise. Poppy, soulful, new wave, reggae, it mixed things in perfectly. I’ll definitely be revisiting and the rating may climb in my book. But my first impression was quite good and that doesn’t happen often on here, so glad I got this!

Boring boring boring

I don't think this is bad per say, but after listening to my fourth new wave / Brit pop album, it's starting to get stale; the instrumentals and production become predictable after a while. Maybe it's not fair to compare but it doesn't have that interesting variety and creative manipulation of sounds I look for in other pop genres (especially modern alt-pop).

I really do not know how to feel about this album.

dit was echt echt heel slecht en ik heb t niet afgeluisterd

dit is echt ass wrm kan hij niet zingen

This is a band I know by name only. At least I think I’ve never heard them. The first track does not sound like anything I’d have listened to in 1985. 1st track is ok so far. This opening track makes me think of UB40. So it’s possible I heard this band and thought they were UB40. 🤣 Apparently track two is forgettable as I’m now on track three. Track three is really good. Track 6 is pretty good. So the album ended and went into other songs. The songs piqued my interest more. This album is a three at best for me. But I didn’t hate it.

484 /1089 - Sounds kinda like Prince. Some of the synths are quite unique but overall I think this is too clean and delicate sounding. I think adding grit would make it more interesting (distorted drums, raspy vocals, big sawtooths, etc.) although that's probably not what they were going for.

80s slop

This is music for an 80s twink who's trying to fuck. It's not good. I tried to find something here, but aside from the production not being horrible, it's really not good. I mean, unless you're a twink and you're trying to fuck and it's 1986, there's not a whole (hole) lot here. This should be relegated to the dustbin of history. To be clear: ain't no shame in being a Twink!

1,4/5

First of all, bad band name. Secondly, this album kinda sucks. It's like Party City Michael Jackson meets Savage Garden. Not a fan.

10 seconds into the first song I was prepared to give this 1 star. Synthy over bright over produced 80's pop - none of those descriptors have ever appealed to me, even back in the 80's. Well, I guess for a week in primary school I thought Transvision Vamp were good, but that passed. Scritti Politti were never on my radar then or since. So I started looking them up. "Leftist punk" was a word used to describe them, but alas, long before this album. They shifted to synth pop a long time ago. "Intellectual and political lyrics" which when I read this I was listening to the line "drowning in my teardrops (teardrops)"... OK then... (Jumping ahead here but having said all that, the lyrics to Lover To Fall were standing out a bit so I looked them up, and yes, despite the MGTOW vibes, there are some clever things going on there.) But by the time Perfect Way started, my head started to hurt. I shouldn't blame them - I'm lacking sleep, over stressed and I had a headache yesterday too - but still, I'm choosing to blame Scritti Politti for this one. But I promised my son I'd finish it. So finish it I did. And it remains 1 star. Oh, one last thing... The vocals are just terrible. It's like he's singing and mewing at the same time

The most charitable way to define this is as "lighthearted and silly 80s pop". 2/10

неплохо.

Rhymes with shitty.

Very eighties sounding, spaced out production.

using up a perfectly good fake dumb band name on this trash

Tough listen. I could swear someone was recently telling me these guys were good. If I remember who that was I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind

Absolute 80’s crap

I'm not usually a synth pop fan, but the instrumentals were actually pretty nice. Couldn't stand the vocals, though.

The Word Girl

I loved it.

great album

🤮I hated 80’s music, in the 80’s!!

tällaista regge, soul, michael jackson hybridiä

Ei mullekaan nyt ihan kaikki kasari lähde. Hyvä yritys 1001

Mitähän tästä nyt sanois.. Parin biisin musat oli kuin suoraan 90-luvun pc-flipperipelien taustoista. Ei kyllä tarttunut tämä

Kunnon kasarimeininkiä, mutta laulu jää todella heikoksi. Siitä ei oikeen ees ota selvää onko mies vai nainen, ehkä jotain siltä väliltä?

Saatiin ainakin täysin uutta tavaraa itelle. En tiiä onko näillä jollain muulla levyllä suurempaa hittiä. Vähän yllätti, että ovat brittejä. Ihan semmosta tarkkaan mietittyä tavaraa varmaan ja hauskaa tuotantoo, mut ei tällä kyllä kuuhun mennä.

No nyt oli paskaa. Ihan kun suoraan jostain huonosta kasarin Steve Martin -romcomista. 80-lukua huonoimmillaan. Tästä ei jäänyt mitään muistijälkeä yhdestäkään biisistä.

That's not my album. It's vibes are too soft.

Filosófico. O disco é interessante, pois enquanto escutava sentia uma satisfação enorme na forma que parecia claro os instrumentos, voz e ritmo, como se tudo estivesse em seu devido lugar. Achei que morreria de tédio escutando mas olha que não? Vi que era uma banda pós punk e que feio pra um pop moderno com esse álbum é acho que acertaram! O perfeccionismo do grupo realmente valeu a pena. Houve tecnologia de ponta para fazer, o que explica o som límpido e satisfatório de ouvir. Achei uma voz bonita! Gostei da forma que é cantada, me lembrou Michael Jackson por algum motivo, mas além disso, a voz dança muito bem com os instrumentos o que é LINDO. Minhas favoritas foram “Wood Beez”, “Lover to Fall”, “A Little Knowledge” e “Absolute”. Cupid & Psyche 85 me lembra aquelas músicas de rádio que são o ponto alto da escuta, que vc vai correndo pesquisar de quem é.

If you don’t like records that are improved by reading about them, this is not the record for you.

So good to hear them. I had forgotten all about them

Good

going to say something incredibly sacrilegious here and say I liked this more than most George Michael songs I've heard.

Possibly the most 80’s sounding album I’ve heard. More going on than the glossy veneer suggests.

I see why everyone clowns on this album. It's like white British Michael Jackson. I have to respect that this is only 38 minutes - if this was released today it would be 3.8 hours long!!!

The Good: There’s a Cupid involved! The Bad: The arrows were left at home… The Ugly: Shitti Pitti… I recall having a “best of something” album, way back in the mid ‘80s which included a Scritti Politti song… but I can’t recall the damn song… and I don’t know if I want to. Back in 1985 I was enjoying my teenage years, making out for hours with my girlfriend, and just generally sucking at school. I was listening to Prince, I was listening to Top 40 music. I don’t really recall this album on heavy play with my friends… or even play. The radio played Madonna and Phil Collins, or Dire Straits. Anyway, this is indeed ‘80s synth pop, and truth be told, if you’re gonna listen to that shit, then it might as well be this album. I will give it 3* for the memories, however, off to cleans my pallet with some of the greater albums from 1985...

Me es difícil este estilo de música. Encima medio que todas iguales. Es buen pop, pero todo edulcorado, muy digerido y empaquetado para pegar. 3/10

Nice

4/10

80's Yuppie trash... No thanx...

Gostosinho de ouvir.

Solid bit of synthy sophisti-pop, but nothing especially special to my ear, certainly after getting Pet Shop Boys recently. About a 6/10 or so.

This wasn’t bad! But it’s another case of a random ass 80s British artist that probably doesn’t need to be on the 1001 albums I must hear before I die

This album is straight candy. It sounds super dated, it's not as technically impressive as their notable contemporaries... and yet, I can't help but find it really charming. It's like some British City Pop. Standouts: The Word Girl • Absolute • Don't Work That Hard • Lover To Fall • Wood Beez

This album is like Prince without the instrumental swagger or the sex, and for that reason it makes me very angry.

Absolutely forgettable 80s chessy pop. Sounds like a watered down Michael Jackson.

1.5 Scritti Politti has always been, like, a joke band to me. An awful name, and I’ve always heard their music is bad and embarrassing! Hey, the world was right! This is terrible and should not be on the list! Glad I don’t have to listen to it ever again!

Not my thing at all

Fun album personifying the 80s.

Nice little bit of synthy 80’s ballads, bit of a soft spot of mine but i think it’ll take me a few more listens to really appreciate, it’s fine as is though. Standout is Absolute, far and away the best track here imo.

one of the most boring album I’ve ever heard

It feels like the worst sins of '80s pop all thrown together.

A band whose sound truly mimics their name: lightweight, and sort of meaningless. The music wasn’t bad, but each track sounded the same.

Shows the lows of commercial pop in the 80’s.

None more 80s! Scritti Politti were an art-punk band, contemporaries of Crass and Spizz Oil circa 1979. You can still hear the arty influences in the references to philosophers and Greek mythology, but the music by this point was squarely aimed at Smash Hits readers and Top of the Pops viewers. You can't really blame Green for this. He was a good-looking, intelligent lad from Croesyceiliog who must have been fed up with living in squalour. He knew his way around a tune, so why not try to be a pop star? The weekly music press in the UK cheered him on and...yep, they made it to the top of the charts. I quite enjoyed it! Give me this over-produced, glossy 80s pop over authentic, beardy bores like Van Morrison any day of week!

Some songs were cool, but most of it sounded like a very washed out Michael Jackson cover. I felt I heard some influences to Jamiroquai though, so I digged that :)

He was inspired by the Sex Pistols?? To make THIS????

Very nice album! Would listen to this again

Quite enjoyed this. An obvious 80's production, quite snappy drums and clean top end. A couple of great songs, the rest a bit lost.

Is it reggae or is it Huey Lewis? Either way, I liked it

Pretty cool easy listening mash up of 80s sounds. No songs that massively stood out, but solid.

Each song sounds like it was created to be on a soundtrack of a terrible 80’s film

Nothing here warrants inclusion on this list. 1 star

Underappreciated

Why is this here?

A fine example of mid 80s pop with its synths and Fairlights but Green's voice is a little underwhelming.

80-tallets svar på KI-musikk.

Scrotum Politti. Should I be offended by something that is this soft?

Unbearable, hated everything about this.

Catchy

Yeah, no.

Was honestly expecting to hate this, but it ended up scratching a mid-eighties drums itch I didn't know I had. Also enjoyed the Mario theme sound-alike piano bit in "Perfect Way." I liked this a lot more than I expected, and will probably listen to more Scritti Politti in the future.

Did not enjoy. 80s plus baby voice is not a combo I would ever willingly choose.

Yeesh, idk why but this gave me like major weenie hut Jr vibes, not even sure what that means. But it kinda fits.. Sounded like that overly joyous person who enters your vicinity when youre pissed off. They did nothing wrong, but their joy just kinda grinds your gears. This album was that.

sickly sweet, bland, and stereotypically 80's. not for me.

👎👎

lowkey cooked

meh

4.0./10 Not digging this...

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Got a bit samey but the same was a cool sound.

Album #77: Cupid & Psyche 85 - Scritti Politti Genre (W): Pop, synth-pop, art pop, electro-funk, blue-eyed soul, sophisti-pop, R&B, bubblegum pop, pop-soul Singles: Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin), Absolute, Hypnotize, The Word Girl, Perfect Way I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: This feels so dated. I hate the way it sounds and the way it just imitates other, better bands from the 80’s that at least tried. I don’t know where the “art” is in this supposed art pop album. Boring and underwhelming. Favorite songs: None of them.

This is like 80s pop with all the excess wringed out of it, until all that's left is the bare essentials. Bright staccato synths make simple melodies, occasionally highlighted by shimmering accents. The songs are catchy if not extremely so, with "Absolute" and "Wood Beez" having the strongest hooks. The vocals are high-pitched, maybe artificially so, and while I don't love them they fit with the kitschy vibe the music gives off. There's a lot of similarities to Michael Jackson or Prince here, not to mention turn-of-the-millennium boy bands, but also a lot of simple bedroom pop that feels like it has to have been inspired by this. This isn't all great - the slow "A Little Knowledge" is a drag - and that plus the lack of true highlights keeps it at a 3. But it's certainly a fascinating, unique album..

Surprised by how much I liked this album. Listened to it three times. Sick synth pop.

80s corny cheese. Nothing wrong with that!

Classic music for an 80’s movie where our lovable loser hero is riding a bike

Interesting falsetto sound, just not mine

Plinky pop sung by a Welsh Michael Jackson.

Some reggae-inspired nonsense with MJ-wannabe vocals. But at times, it's undeniably fun to listen to. The Word Girl introduces us to this unwieldy mash-up of genres, and maybe it takes a minute or two to get used to... but dang it, at least it doesn't continue to contribute to the hypersaturated synth-pop or Britpop genres of the era. Scritti Politti hail from the UK, too. It must've been so tough for them, explaining why they regress back into synthslop in the next song, Small Talk. Maybe I'm being a little harsh – after all, Small Talk manages to be pretty catchy while still decent for background listening. And of course there will always be plenty of artists who pander to the masses. But for them to make the list of 1001 most important albums of all time, you'd expect something that somebody has heard of. (Side note: a quick squizz on Wikipedia reveals that they started as a punk band in – you guessed it – the year 1977.) A fat bass synth makes for a fun listen in just about any context, and the tracks Absolute and Wood Beez are no exception. The actual twangy (non-synth) bass in Don't Work That Hard, however, excels far less in my opinion. It feels like a relic of the disco genre, which is not only far out of fashion in 2026 but was past its expiry as far back as the early 80s. Perfect Way also heavily features that bass sound, but embellishes it with orchestra hits and octave harmony and other positive distractors. The singing is objectively poor in all tracks, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it. At least it isn't obtrusively poor. Most post-punk vocals can't boast the same thing. 3/5 Key tracks: Absolute, Wood Beez

Funky. Kam aber nicht so gut rein. Die Stimme gefällt mir gar nicht!

01) The Word Girl - 6,5 02) Small Talk - 6,0 03) Absolute - 6,0 04) A Little Knowledge - 5,5 05) Don't Work That Hard - 5,5 06) Perfect Way - 6,5 07) Lover to Fall - 6,0 08) Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) - 6,5 09) Hypnotize - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,00 (60/100) Current ranking: 690/881

3 stars - very 80s

a bit repetitive but I like it

I really love reading the history of this band, the punk influence, the Gramsci inspired name, should be awesome and then you get this very soft sad music.