Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Weird? didn't love it and didn't hate it.
Tried listening in the background… and had to turn it down it was so bad. I might like it if I had rounded glasses and a curled mustache… but I don’t 1.2
Unhinged. The vocals put me off most. They were actively annoying most of the time. The vocals in the final song are a great example. Just awful. The rest of it is insane but comes together pretty well. Less annoying vocals would have probably put it at a 7/10. 4/10 Acceptable
This is 100% my jam. I love Pere Ubu but with their first album, The Modern Dance already being on this list, I don’t think this second album needs to be here. But, since it is, this is more incredible post-punk. Even if this isn’t your cup of tea, you have to admit that A- nobody sounded like this when it came out and B- nobody sounded like this after. Think of all the albums you’ve heard on this list where you think, I like this, it sounds like “…”. It’s impressive and rare to have a band come on the scene with a sound so unique.
Blah blah blah
Review - I don't like this anywhere near as much as I'd like to. Wire for people who like bad music. Score - 4/10 Need to listen? NO
ahhhh...my project partner's reviews are just the best, aren't they? This whole 36-minute-long part of the project has been a delight.
I drove over 100 kms in the other direction while listening to this album 2.5 times. Even the undeniably grating portions of this record put me in a good mood. I was cruising along with a big dumb grin on my face. Bonus star for well and truely freaking out the squares.
This album will make you go WTF, and not in a good way.
by the third song I was already annoyed. I’m on a music discovery adventure, but respectfully this is not my taste. Straight noise to me. I’m sure it has some deep meaning, but the vocals are grating my ears.
I quite enjoyed this. Was thinking this was just going to be a Devo esque type thing. But then it ended up going places I wasn't expecting and I really enjoyed the experimentation.
Wild for 1978
I did not like this
Ehh. Thriller! was…. Something
Yea, this was different for sure. I didn't really mind it up to Thriller. Actually thought Caligari's Mirror was pretty enjoyable. After I heard Thriller and found it was just a bunch of weird songs and not a remake of MJ, it all seemed like a bunch of noise. Bonus points for the guy's unique voice!
2 I saw post-punk, I saw 1978, I saw a group of underground Midwesterners, and I was fully prepared to be introduced to one of this list’s best kept secrets yet. I’m not sure exactly what I had in mind, but whatever it was, it wasn’t this. Yeah, for the most part, I found this album pretty annoying. There are so many times when it almost does something interesting or catchy and then opts instead to devolve into an incoherent mess. I suppose you could argue that DIY, “no f***s given” type of songwriting puts the “punk” in “post-punk” in this case, but unlike, say, Dead Kennedys or Replacements, this didn’t have me feeling any type of charged-up or angsty way - I mostly just felt perturbed. Honestly though, I think I can chalk most of that up to the singer. Normally, I actually prefer a non-conventional vocalist, but it almost feels like he’s making it a point here to try and get under your skin (which is similar to how I often feel about fellow post-punk icon David Byrne). As such, the songs where he dialed it back at least a touch were probably my favorites, with On the Surface and Caligari’s Mirror being the two that stick out to me now (the “Drunken Sailor” interpolation on the latter honestly worked far better than it had any business to), but still, I would say this mostly ran together. I didn’t hate this, and I would definitely say there are moments of enjoyability, but those are packed in-between a lot of BS. Still, I’ll give it bonus points for its uniqueness - the only parallel I’m really able to draw right now is the one I made with Talking Heads, and even then, I wouldn’t call the two overly similar. But, then again… they’re both grating attempts at blending punk and funk with an insufferable singer, so maybe it’s not that farfetched. Bonus points deducted. These guys certainly are no Gang of Four.
Too weird for me.
Good music, terrible vocals.
I like it but not a fan of the singing voice. 3.5/5
Like the other Pere Ubu album on the list I actually liked it despite it's low rating. I guess people don't like weird and I do. These type of albums are the reason I did the challenge. Not to confirm Abbey Road is indeed a 5* album. 3.5/5. Raising to 4.
Absolute sicko shit. I love it so much.
Largely didnt grab me all that much and then Blow Daddy-o is just like one of the best songs ive ever heard? Love when that happens.
70s pop-rock muziek. Vind er niet veel aan.
Noisy. Sometimes the noise is good. Often it's just discordant and not so good.
Possibly the worst punk album I’ve ever listened to
He sounds like a high carnival clown singing in a different key then the song.
Not an enjoyable listen. 1/5
Very cool instrumentation, i liked how avante garde it felt but sometimes that doesn’t always translate to listenable music
Dude’s voice is quite possibly my own personal hell.
I love all of this - the rhythms, the spartan melodies, the wacky production. It's art. I would give this six stars if I could.
1978 post punk--I had to look up the definition because I was thrown off by the "post" part. Punk was still thriving in 1978. The web says post punk has more complex chords, experimentation, and "introspective lyrics." Ha. The singer's voice is distinctive, but unlistenable. I can barely pay attention to what's going on musically because the vocal is so cringey. Title track--third song--is instrumental so that helps. I skimmed the rest--really liked the bass lines. Really hated the singer. Not crazy about the rest.
Artsyä post punkkia, mutta taas erikoisuudessaan mielenkiintoista. Kappaleet on aika kokeellisia, mutta silti miellyttäviä tai mielenkiintoisia. Myös jännittävän tunnelmallisia. Laulu on mitä on. Parhaat: On The Surface, Caligari's Mirror
In the grand scheme of things, this is not a great album. It was very wonky and experimental. Interesting album for the 70s. Its called Dub but theres no reggae, only punk.
first album I got where I truly had no idea what to expect and had never heard of them. a little too out there for me to go back and listen multiple times. i would jam if it came on the radio though, but the whole thing sounded like spongebob on ketamine.
Eesh. Virtually unlistenable. “Apoplectic” is a work that comes to mind.
Well, it’s certainly original. Can’t say I enjoyed it though.
This was odd, but I could follow it and the high pitched delivery of the vocals worked for me.
Pre Listen: The album cover is a bit bleak for something from the 70's? Never heard of them, no expectations. Notable Tracks: Navvy - Why the fuck does the singer sound like a schizophrenic heroin addict. Skipped after 1 minute, dear god I hope the album isn't all like this. Thriller! - The album is all like that first song. Awful, just terrible. Skipped every song partway through, and ultimately decided to stop listening entirely on this track. Post Listen: What a miserable piece of work. The vocalist really outdid himself making the worst possible noises a human can make and pass off as "singing". The instrumentation was ok I guess, for the first 15 seconds of each song until they are entirely drowned out by the worst drunken karaoke you've ever heard. The vocalist sounded like a washed-up Temu-brand David Byrne wannabe. He completely took any merit out of any song within moments of making a sound. I couldn't understand 80% of the slop coming out of his mouth either. Just awful, truly. 99% shit, 1% post type album. 1/5
I gotta say most of this was pretty enjoyable. They’re definitely talented musicians if a bit too experimental at times. The vocals can be jarring (it took me out of the titular track right away) but I enjoyed a lot of what Pere Ubu was going for. I may listen to their other works sometime. Favorite Track: Caligari’s Mirror Least Favorite Track: Thriller!
From the band name I was expecting a Parisian Avant-Garde artist. Oh how wrong I was!... or was I? Good times were had.
43/100. Definitely different. It challenges you to see how much vocals are a factor in your enjoyment of an album. At times the vocals were so bad I started sweating. To be honest, I couldn't tell you what the album is about or any specific songs. I have no idea. I really liked some of the experimental instrumentation, I think it's excellent. What a wild album, its moments are like a heartbeat monitor, up and down.
376/1001 Pere Ubu - Dub Housing Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ One of those where I just can't get on with the vocals at all. Musically it can be interesting at times, but yeah not for me.
Musically quite o.k. but as soon he starts to sing I am done with this album. Furthermore I question why they even have two albums on this list!
Ehh.
Oof
I understand the importance but it was WAY to abrasive for me.
This would've been a great instrumental album.
I only liked the first two songs and only kind of. Points for creativity. But also, its ok to make your voice sound good! Its like jack white but only the bad parts. Instruments were very interesting on some of it but those vocals man, those are awful. I was in between a 1 and a 3, and I don't want to give it a 2 if that makes sense. Like either a 1 or a 3. So 2 will have to do. Highlights Navvy (Best) On the Surface
made the nastiest face when the "singing" started. made me want to throw up but not necessarily in a bad way? pere ubu is lucky this is only 35 minutes because I think that's all I can handle also - the pere ubu song that autoplayed after the album was much more enjoyable than anything on dub housing :(
This was good and weird. I liked it better than some of those rock albums but not the greatest thing ever
God damn this was a weird one. The honor of being in the bottom 20 is not an honor granted to most, but out of 1089 albums, some of them have to be the worst. And you know what?? While this was dreadfully awful, this is the first album in the bottom 20 that I’m not going to give a 1. Behind the worst vocals I think I’ve ever heard in my entire life, there’s some cool audio effects and funky riffs going on. I don’t know why this was as bearable as it ended up being, but I managed to spend the day listening to this one, which isn’t something I manage to do to even some 3 star albums. But seriously, I want to know what the hell this dude is doing trying to sing, and what the background is that anyone would think it was ok to continue doing. Even worse, there are 2 of his albums on here, and the other one apparently just BARELY avoided being in the bottom 20 itself, although it’s never too late for that. Despite, again, the singer just sounding dreadful, I was able to tune him out surprisingly pretty easily. This album might be terrible, but there are a few that I’ve heard that I believe were even worse. So somehow, some way, Dub Housing by Pere Ubu feels like it should be a 2 to me. Is that the correct decision?? I really don’t know. But after a while it grew on me in a very strange way, and I grew to, at the bare minimum, find it unique and bearable to get through. Again, the same couldn’t be said about a handful of other albums I have endured so far. My favorite song on this one was almost the titular track, “Dub Housing”, but I like the way the song before that one opens a little bit more, so I’ll give it to “On the Surface”. Did I really enjoy any of this? God no. But it was unrelentingly strange and pulled me in, in a way it definitely shouldn’t have, so I won’t complain. It gets a low 2. Very low. Very, very low. This album caught me on a good day and is liable to be given a 1 star review at any time. I think if I listened to this on any other day, it probably would end up getting a 1. I might change it later. Who knows?? On to the next one.
2.5 - ok
#210 Heard Before? Yup, although I was very late to the party. Notes: - I'm a born contrairian, so as soon as I hear challenging vocals and unconventional musicality my ears perk up. - love all the saxophone work, the keyboards, the extra noises, and the longer, more abstract songs. - "Thriller" especially captures a perfectly odd creepshow groove. - as surprising as it must have sounded at the time (and it obviously still alienates the unadventurous), there's careful structure here - to me it never feels weird-for-weird's-sake. - "Dance Party" lives up to the title. Let's bust a move! Verdict: A burst of absurdist prankster fun with lunatic vocals. Listen Again? Not soon, but I do have a Pere Ubu playlist that gets regular attention.
This pissed me off. DNF
Well. That's different. I can't say I wasn't entertained But some tracks entertained me more than others. Some stuff was catchy. Other bits were a real chore. Nothing really grabbed me enough to bother listening again
Fun enough! ★★★
Not a dub step album lol. It's like drunken sailors from the deep south having a good time. My ears didn't have a good time though.
It must be some sort of gimmick and I don't like it.
Meh... just messy.
Considering that I barely enjoy their first album ("The Modern Dance"), and that this project has a lower score, I though I was not going to like it. Turns out I do in fact have some fun when listen to it. The first half of the album contains some really charming and catchy tunes, blended with their characteristic experimentation and the super extravagant and peculiar voice, but not in such a way they are as irritating as in their previous album (from what I can remember). I genuinely have a good time listening to "Navvy", "On the Surface" (with its nice synth melody), "Caligari's Mirror" (and its chorus in high spirit), and also "I, Will Wait". The rest of the tracks focus way more on the experimentation, combining super dissonant sounds, weird noises and ominous atmospheres. They can be interesting to listen to, like "Dub Housing", "Thriller!" or "Codex", yet I do not like them as much as the more uplifting sounding ones. Nevertheless, I also can't say I dislike them. At worst, some of these songs do not really mean much to me, which is way better than saying they are tedious or irritating. So in the end, I do quite enjoy this very unique sounding album that blends nice melodies with some very weird experimentation.
3.5/10
What the fuck is this?
This was just okay.
I already listened to this album because I had Pere Ubu’s other album come up a few weeks ago and I was intrigued enough to give more of their music a listen. I really loved this album. Weird and avant garde. Initially off putting but then it draws you in and once you’re on the album’s level it just all makes sense. It’s a little disappointing that this has one of the lowest average scores on the list. It’s odd yes, but it’s wholly original and interesting to listen to at least
This one didn’t impress me. Sounded like they wanted to be LCD Soundsystem, just not as good
I don't know why, but I really like this music. At least when it is music. The parts that are just noise I could do without.
Loved this but remember hating the other one. Will revisit. This is weird, interesting and fun.
Possibly interesting but just too grating for me
Wild that they have two albums on here (or are there more?). I had these guys pegged as an artist I had highly over rated, but after hearing this one - especially amongst the so-so stuff we've gotten lately - I'm still kind of into it. Maybe not 5/5, but so original and fun. Love the layering, and the bass lines especially.
I don't hate it. I think it's interesting that it came out in 1978 because it sounds like stuff that came much later. Not a huge fan of the lead's voice and like quiet yelling monotone. Talking Heads did it better. Also some of it is just straight up spoken word poetry over music. Again, I don't hate it, but I wasn't prepared. That being said, I really need to be in the right headspace to enjoy music so jangly. A Wednesday while working is maybe not it.
actually enjoyed this quite a bit! love stuff that's a bit weird
Again it's weird but i like that. A decent listen. Nothing negative to say about it
Overall rating : 1 / 5 Favorite track : "Dub Housing" (3.5 / 5) Least favorite track : "Thriller!" (0.5 / 5) (can you even call this music????? it's just random noises????) ------- Okay, so. I do listen to a LOT of post-punk and experimental subgenres. But what the actual hell was that?? I don't want to be rude but really, this has to be one of the WORST things I've listened to. I feel like I've wasted half an hour of my life... Sloppy instruments, messy rhythms, and I really can't stand the vocalist's singing. I get that it's supposed to be "avant gardiste", but there's a line between this, and just mashing random noises in a hesitant way into your recorder and call it a day (or a good track). I have "appreciated" a song or two though. "Dub Housing", "Caligari's Mirror" and "I, Will Wait" were quite enjoyable actually. They felt a bit more like a finished product. I do not understand why the rating is so high on RYM. What the HELL? It's like, 3.68 / 5??? It was such a pain to finish. I had to skip the last song because I already knew I didn't like it. At the very least, each track is a bit different from the others, but they all are repetitive themselves. I can't decypher where most of them are trying to go. Maybe I'm not into "underground" subgenres enough, or am I simply not this enlightened "avant gardisme"-wise, but I can't consider this a release that I like. Will not listen to it again. The cover art looks cool tho.
No thanks.
Not bad, but I think I liked the other Pere Ubu album more.
I wish I would have been starting high school in the late 70s rather than the late 80s. This was such a great time to be discovering music and going to shows. So much experimentation ... love it!
Sometimes, things just aren't for you.
I think I need more time with this one
Ik was zeer enthousiast over het vorige album van deze band; die gaf ik een welverdiende 1 ster. Omdat dit een ironische kut band is, tenminste daar ga ik dan even van uit. Nu ook meteen, het eerste nummer is eigenlijk gewoon nauwelijks muziek te noemen. De muziek is vreemd, de lyrics zijn niet te verstaan maar doen me vaag denken aan David Byrne van Talking Heads, maar dan na zoveel ketamine dat hij geen normale volzinnen meer kan maken. Eigenlijk doet de muziek me daar ook een beetje aan denken, het is niet dansbaar, het is traag, het is vreemd en soms klinkt het echt alsof ze maar gewoon op een drumstel slaan en hopen op het beste... Word dit weer een 1? Ik moet zeggen dat ik sinds het vorige album een stuk opener naar muziek ben gaan luisteren en echt mn best doe om zelfs de meest vreemde muziek een kans te geven. Merk dat ik dit al schrijf om echt een excuus te hebben als dit een 1 word. Meestal zijn dat namelijk albums die niet serieus te nemen zijn of juist zo ontzettend matig dat er niets uit te halen valt. Dit is muziek die niet goed moet zijn, dat is het hele doel er van, maar ik vind dat zo lastig om mee om te gaan. Omdat als muziek slecht is, maar het is ironisch slecht, is het dan weer goed? Missie geslaagd? Of mag je het dan nog steeds gewoon slecht vinden, ongeacht het 'doel' van de makers. Nee, ik haal hier ontzettend weinig uit. Denk dat het iets meer luisterbaar is dan het debuut album, maar eerlijk? Daar is dan ook wel alles mee gezegd. FAVO:
It’s OK without really standing out in any way
I don’t understand where / when punk and post punk started and end. Not awful. Not great.
First impression was that this is the Wario to Talking Heads Mario. A lot of talk about this album being intentionally performed "bad", and I think that's selling it a bit short. There's lot's of wild expressionism in the manic, disjointed delivery of lyrics. There's a clear and intentional devolution in the tracklisting, with the last two songs feeling like hallucinations as much as they feel like music. Not much to say because it's not my jam. But this certainly has it's place as thought-provoking art. 2/5
I hate when avant-garde means "unlistenable" and not "predicted future musical trends". This isn't quite unlistenable, there are some good tracks, but it was mostly a rough slog
I don't hate it. I don't *like* it, but I don't feel the hate that I imagine this is going to get in the reviews. This is one of those times that I really wish I had the book, so I could understand exactly why this was chosen, but it just has the sound of some kind of trailblazer/precursor to a genre/band/movement. It's a 2.5, but I'll give it 3 because I'm feeling generous.
The title of this album is very misleading. It's quite hard to describe or even really review this piece of music as its intentionally trying to challenge you with its experimental nature. It doesn't fully work for me. I think the more experimental vocals are interesting. But that's about as far as it goes for me. It's OK. I don't really gel with this, and if I'm being honest, I don't really understand what the album is trying to communicate with me, so I don't really connect with it in any way. Fav Track: On The Surfaces
This was weird holy smokes. Weird isn’t bad. It can sometimes be fantastic (Kid A). This wasn’t really either of them….
Look, this is probably up there with Cap Beefheart or some shit, but i find stuff like Tom Wairs & Captain Beefheart listenable to some degree, i get the experimentalism behind this but it's not as listenable to me as the others. Sucks to suck
I think this is what Benadryl feels like when the Hat Man starts to come
Not my music!!!
Modern Dance front loaded all of the best songs with four absolute classics in a row. This album saves the best songs for side 2. Another classic set
It's not that bad if you can get past the ridiculous vocals; which, admittedly, is difficult to do. I feel like this album is daring me to like it in spite of all the dissonance.
Fun album, very hyper. Vocals were... interesting. Caligari's Mirror was my favorite. 5.4/10
I have a problem with people singing/playing out of tune, even if on purpose. The album has its moments, but it does too good a job being annoying. 5/10
I had heard of them but thought it was a singer called Pere Ubu. So of to a good start then. The 1000 is brillant I had Nancy Griffths yesterday who I thought I would like but gave a 2. Then this today and I think it is brillant. I would have never have listened to this on my own.
What a strange album…some tracks I quite liked, and others that made me want to vomit. Gotta be a 2
Axe that nails on a chalkboard vibe some of these tracks has and it gets a higher score
Got a little weird at the end but this was a pretty solid listen.
I’m an intellectual, so I’m bound to like Pere Ubu. A couple of listens was probably enough. And now I know where David Byrne got it from.
I like the idea of it more than I like the album
Interesting, didn’t totally blow my mind, but still liked it.
Great
Its. Good album nothing I cant live without
I don’t care for this. I Will Wait was a solid track but I don’t care for this record.
Dont understand this album at all feels uncomfortable 1.1/10
What a bizarre record. Splashes of Television and Talking Heads, then veers way off into experimental wilderness. Not bad.
Two days two absolutely disgusting albums At the very least I think this album is a touch better than the other one on this list, The Modern Dance, only because the parts where there’s no vocals aren’t quite as bad, just not exciting by any means. Also thankfully a short album clocking in at 35 minutes The lows are just horrendous on this album though. I really think David Thomas has one of the worst voices I’ve ever heard for a lead vocalist, genre be damned. It’s like it takes everything that makes a bad singer (no range, no touch, no ability to stay in time, no tone) and combines it into a voice that would be horrendous even for a band of elementary schoolers. The instrumentation sucks and actively makes this album worse, just screeching, chaotic, and basically just noise to fill out the tracks length. I really just despise this band and I’m beyond glad I never have to listen to this piece of shit group ever again. Getting this in and captain beefheart in back to back days only ensures me more and more that experimental “bad on purpose” music is without a doubt my least favorite genre; I’m not listening to music to engage with it as a challenging piece of art, I’m listening to it to make me feel emotions (usually positive ones).
bruh i listened to this and i cant remember it the curse of 1001 is talking hold where music is starting to become noise. is it pushing the boundary of the art or is it just bad. what defines the value of music. is there a way to objectively rate goodness. i think there is. its called me wanting to finish the album faster so i can listen to the same video game soundtracks over and over instead
I don't know what to say about this album. I was thinking of giving this a 2-star rating because but the singing absolutely ruins everything that is happening, and then I came to realize that the instrumental is mostly not that great either. Everything is a complete mess. I don't know what purpose this music serves because usually when an album is relatively bad, it is still decent for background listening. This is annoying playing in the background even, but the one redeeming thing is that there are only 10 songs and the whole length of the album is 35 minutes. I wish we could have skipped this album in the first place, but now we were blessed with this "wonderful" 1 star experience.
There are elements of good songs scattered throughout this album. I just never felt like they put it all together.
Started off ok, but by the end I was completely over it.
Not unpleasant
Lovely stuff, one of their best
I found this interesting without totally loving it… maybe meds a couple of listens?
Enjoyed this a lot, felt like it grew as the album went on. The penultimate track was a highlight.
Blimey RGP, I was not expecting this, fantastic album and now hoping for a duplicate too!!!!! 4 lovely stars. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Tom.
Never heard of this band before. Quite enjoyed it but don't think I will revisit.
Listening to this album after a long and tiring day filled me with a very particular and unsettling form of despair.
I can see how the sound this band created influenced music - whether directly or indirectly. Made me think of Modest Mouse and TV on the radio. While the vocals can be off-putting at times - I recognize that is the point. Love the music
Alternately very interesting musically and annoying. Enjoyed listening to this just to hear which direction they would go next.i don't think I'll be listening to this again, but it was a very fascinating listen.
Zero idea about album or band going in. Always interesting. If there IS an audience for this album, I do suppose I am it- future me. 1978 me was a baby, though it does seem the perfect soundtrack to throw your puréed carrots and bananas onto the wall to. It did make my dogs leave. Always the first sign that the “music” is less than harmonious. Rating it. Now there’s the rub. Said rating is going to be completely arbitrary. I love the weirdness. I love that this got made. I would never, ever throw this on. But I may mix a track in a playlist. Codex. That would go nicely in a mix. 4 Boolean: True
Not bad
What a treat. As a record collector Pere Ubu was one of those bands that was on everyone list of bands that you needed in your collection. This is the second of their albums and you can kind of tell that they are still trying to figure out their sound.
Nothing on this was either enjoyable or interesting. It's not even bad enough to hate.
Idk how to rate this, it's weird and interesting in some aspects but then unlistenable to in some places like thriller. Their goal was never to make something listenable. As a project however it isnt very cohesive or well done 3/10
Felt almost deliberately terrible.
Found this a grower and I liked the creativity and a lot of what the band is doing. The singing is mostly pretty dreadful but by design I guess and I didn’t mind it (the tuneful backing vocals provide a nice contrast too at times).
I can’t think of a greater chasm between singer and band than this. There’s some really interesting, groundbreaking work here, but hearing it is like trying to focus on a piano recital with a car alarm going off.
It's like the Talking Heads crossed with Captain Beefheart. I was only familiar with their debut album. This is more less punky and that doesn't lend well to his vocals sometimes. Unhinged, slightly irritating at times, but truly original, fun and inventive.
Weird. But better than their other offering on here. Best not be a third. Some good beats. Terrible vocals.
The first five seconds were promising, and then the lead singer started ... "singing" I saw the Talking Heads comparison and while I get it, I am offended on David Byrne's behalf. This feels more like the Wario version of the Talking Heads used to torture prisoners.
Whinge singing. I get enough of that at home
Twitchy but engaging
I would like it more with a different singing style I think. But overall still very enjoyable
A little crunchy but in a good way
Not like it
Ärsyttävävimmän kuuloinen laulaja vähään aikaan. Eikä musiikki muutenkaan oikein kolahtanut
No
# An In-Depth Review of Pere Ubu's *Dub Housing* (1978) Released in November 1978 on Chrysalis Records, Pere Ubu's second album *Dub Housing* arrived less than a year after their debut *The Modern Dance*, yet it represented a significant leap into darker, more abstract territory. Recorded at Suma Recording Studio in Painesville, Ohio, the album emerged from the same post-industrial Cleveland landscape that shaped the band's aesthetic—bleak, decaying, and fiercely independent . Now widely regarded as Pere Ubu's masterpiece and one of the most important post-punk recordings ever made, *Dub Housing* remains a challenging, rewarding listen that continues to influence experimental rock decades after its release . --- ## Track Listing | Side | Track | Title | Length | |------|-------|-------|--------| | 1 | 1 | Navvy | 2:43 | | 1 | 2 | On The Surface | 2:40 | | 1 | 3 | Dub Housing | 3:40 | | 1 | 4 | Caligari's Mirror | 3:48 | | 1 | 5 | Thriller! | 4:35 | | 2 | 1 | I, Will Wait | 1:46 | | 2 | 2 | Drinking Wine Spodyody | 2:42 | | 2 | 3 | (Pa) Ubu Dance Party | 4:47 | | 2 | 4 | Blow Daddy-o | 3:38 | | 2 | 5 | Codex | 4:56 | **Total length:** 36:46 --- ## Lyrics: Fragmented, Cryptic, and Psychologically Charged The lyrical content of *Dub Housing* represents a significant departure from conventional rock songwriting. David Thomas's words function less as straightforward narratives and more as fragmented transmissions from a distressed consciousness—poetic, abstract, and deliberately elusive. ### Themes of Isolation and Internal Chaos The title track exemplifies this approach. The "house" functions as an extended metaphor for the human mind—a structure filled with "a thousand voices talking," where "the windows reverberate" and "the walls have ears" . This isn't domestic comfort; it's psychic claustrophobia. The relentless repetition of "All I hear is... talk" suggests an overwhelming internal dialogue that cannot be escaped or quieted . The reference to Babel—"about how Babel fell and still echoes away"—connects this personal chaos to something biblical and universal: the fundamental breakdown of communication and understanding . The listing of actions ("syllogize, theorize, idolize") suggests intellectual activity undertaken "in the dark, in the heart," indicating a disconnect between rational thought and emotional truth . ### The Body as Trap and Vehicle "Navvy," the album's opener, presents one of Thomas's most memorable lyrical moments. His yelped declaration—"I've got these arms and legs that flipflop flipflop / I have desire! / 'Freedom!' / I have desire / Somewhere to go!"—captures the absurdity of embodied existence . The repetition of "flipflop" reduces human agency to something almost mechanical, puppet-like, while the shouted "Freedom!" rings with desperate irony. As one critic notes, when Thomas howls "I have desires," the line lands "almost like a punchline to a surreal joke" . ### Black Comedy and Absurdism Despite the album's dark themes, Thomas's lyrics frequently display a grim wit. The treatment of "What Became of the Drunken Sailor" within "Caligari's Mirror" exemplifies this—the traditional sea shanty is distorted, dismembered, and reassembled into something genuinely unsettling, yet the recognition of the source material creates a perverse sort of humor . This tension between horror and comedy runs throughout the record, reflecting the band's debt to Alfred Jarry's pataphysical theater—the absurdist tradition from which the band derived its name . ### Abstraction as Intent Crucially, the band refused to interpret their own songs, leaving meaning entirely to the listener . This isn't obscurantism for its own sake but a deliberate creative stance. By refusing to provide explanations, Pere Ubu forces active engagement. The lyrics function as stimuli for "intense visions" rather than as messages to be decoded . As Thomas himself suggested, this music requires work—"in the head and in the belly"—with the payoff being genuine, earned revelation rather than passive consumption . --- ## Music: Controlled Chaos and Virtuosic Dissonance If the lyrics suggest psychic disintegration, the music of *Dub Housing* provides its sonic equivalent—yet beneath the surface noise lies extraordinary discipline and instrumental skill. ### The Rhythm Section: Foundation of the Madness The band's secret weapon is the rhythm section of bassist Tony Maimone and drummer Scott Krauss. Described as "a pair that rivals Sly and Robbie for tightness and propulsion," Maimone and Krauss provide a stable foundation even during the album's most chaotic passages . Their playing keeps the structure intact when the music threatens to fly apart, creating a crucial tension between order and entropy. On tracks like "(Pa) Ubu Dance Party," when the band locks into a conventional groove, the result is "as sharp and tensile as what you'd hear from any funk or soul band of the period" . ### Tom Herman's Guitar: From Riff to Assault Guitarist Tom Herman delivers a performance that ranges from polished riffing to assaultive noise. His playing on "Navvy" is urgent and driving, while elsewhere he deploys sheets of distortion and feedback that push toward free jazz territory . The guitar solo on "Blow Daddy-o" has been described as "a stream of industrial guitar scree presenting itself as if it were a free jazz sax solo" —a comparison that captures the instrumental role-shifting that characterizes the album. ### Allen Ravenstine's Synthesizer: The Unpredictable Element Perhaps the most distinctive instrumental voice on the album is Allen Ravenstine's synthesizer work. Eschewing the melodic roles typical of late-70s keyboard playing, Ravenstine treated his EML synthesizer as a noise-generating device, creating "ominous whooshes of distortions, blips, and blurbs that sound like a sped-up Pong game" . His approach owed more to avant-garde composers like Edgard Varèse than to any rock or pop tradition . On "On The Surface," his keyboards percolate bizarrely, "at times sound[ing] like interference from the very radio the lyrics evoke" . ### Song Structures: Deconstructed and Reassembled Unlike punk's three-chord minimalism or prog's extended virtuosity, Pere Ubu's song structures on *Dub Housing* feel both fractured and intentional. The songs are often short—"I, Will Wait" clocks in at just 1:46—but within those tight constraints, the band packs remarkable complexity . "Thriller!" functions as "a near incomprehensible collage of stuttering sound" , while "Drinking Wine Spodyody" has been described as "careen[ing] like a compressed spring set loose in a padded cell" . Yet remarkably, as the German review in *Musikexpress* noted, the band is most disciplined precisely when they seem closest to collapse: "When the group is closest to chaos, to the edge of collapse, when the music is full of squeaks and whimpers—then the band is playing most disciplined" . This paradox—controlled loss of control—is the album's essential musical achievement. --- ## Production: Space, Echo, and Industrial Atmosphere The production on *Dub Housing*, handled by the band with engineer Ken Hamann, represents a significant evolution from *The Modern Dance* . While the debut was relatively straightforward, *Dub Housing* is "denser in composition" with "more space in the mix" . The title's "Dub" reference is instructive. Although the album isn't reggae, the production incorporates dub's characteristic use of echo, reverb, and spatial dislocation . The voices on the title track echo and reverberate as if bouncing off the walls of the titular housing complex. The bass is more prominent than on the debut, providing a physical anchor for the more abstract elements . The cover photograph—showing the actual apartment building at 3206 Prospect Avenue in Cleveland where band members lived during recording—extends this thematic concern with housing as both physical and psychic space . The darkened building against a stormy Cleveland skyline visually communicates the album's atmosphere: bleak, industrial, and slightly menacing . Yet for all its darkness, the production is notably brighter and clearer than on *The Modern Dance* . This isn't lo-fi murk but carefully sculpted space, with each instrument occupying its own sonic territory even when the overall effect is one of controlled chaos. --- ## Themes: A Comprehensive Breakdown ### The Psyche as Haunted Architecture The recurring image of the "house"—whether the titular Dub Housing, the "house" of the title track, or the cinematic references of "Caligari's Mirror"—presents human consciousness as a structure that can be entered, explored, and found disturbingly occupied. The "thousand voices" represent not schizophrenia but the universal condition of internal multiplicity—the competing thoughts, desires, fears, and memories that constitute selfhood . ### Communication Breakdown From Babel's fall to the "jibberty jungle" of insect voices, the album obsessively returns to the failure of communication . Voices talk constantly, yet nothing seems to be understood. Thomas's own vocal delivery—with its hiccups, yodels, and word-fragments—enacts this breakdown at the level of performance. Language is present but broken, recognizable but not fully functional . ### The Absurdity of Desire "Navvy" and other tracks present desire as both fundamental and fundamentally absurd. The body has arms and legs that flipflop; it has desires; it wants freedom and "somewhere to go." But the cartoonish presentation—the Tex Avery reference is apt—suggests that these urgencies are also ridiculous . Desire is real and comic, driving and pathetic, all at once. ### Industrial Decay and Post-American Landscape The Cleveland setting matters. This isn't New York art-rock or London punk; it's music from the Rust Belt, from a city of collapsing industry and grey skies. The "bleak soundscapes" of tracks like "Codex" evoke "an expression of emotional malaise" that feels specific to a particular time and place—late-70s America, post-industrial, post-hippie, pre-Reagan, uncertain and angry . --- ## Influence: The Album That Wouldn't Stay Underground *Dub Housing* sold almost nothing upon release and effectively ended Pere Ubu's relationship with Chrysalis Records . Commercially, it was a failure. Yet its influence has proven extraordinary and enduring. ### Critical Reappraisal Within months of release, *NME* named it the 8th best album of 1978, and *Sounds* placed it at number 13 . Robert Christgau famously admitted that while the album initially seemed abrasive and difficult, it eventually became essential: "not only is it abrasive and visionary and eccentric and hard-rocking itself, but it sent me back to *The Modern Dance*, which I liked fine originally and like more now" . ### Legacy in Post-Punk and Beyond The Quietus has called it "the best post-punk album of all time" and noted its kinship with the Residents' *Duck Stab/Buster & Glen*—released the same day in 1978—as twin peaks of American experimental rock . Novelist Steve Erickson, in his novel *Zeroville*, captured the album's strange power: > "It's like the first time I heard the second Pere Ubu album and thought it just blew completely, I thought anyone who liked it must be stupid and full of shit – and then for about a year it was practically the only album I listened to... It sets something in motion, some understanding you didn't know you could understand, it's like a virus that had to get inside you and take hold." ### Influence on Subsequent Artists While direct commercial influence is difficult to trace, *Dub Housing*'s DNA can be heard in countless later artists. The combination of avant-garde noise, rhythmic discipline, and theatrical vocals anticipates everything from post-punk bands like Mission of Burma and Gang of Four to art-rock acts like The Fall (Mark E. Smith was certainly listening), to noise-rock bands like Sonic Youth. The album's treatment of the synthesizer as a noise instrument rather than a melodic one prefigured much industrial and experimental music. More broadly, *Dub Housing* demonstrated that American rock could be as intellectually ambitious and sonically adventurous as any European avant-garde music—without losing its rhythmic drive or visceral power. --- ## Pros and Cons ### Pros | Category | Assessment | |----------|------------| | **Innovation** | Groundbreaking fusion of punk energy, avant-garde composition, and dub production techniques. Unlike anything before or since | | **Instrumental Performances** | Rhythm section (Maimone/Krauss) provides extraordinary foundation; Ravenstine's synth work is sui generis; Herman's guitar moves from riff to noise seamlessly | | **Lyrical Depth** | Cryptic, poetic lyrics reward repeated listening and active interpretation. Themes of isolation, absurdity, and industrial decay remain resonant | | **Production** | Clever use of space, echo, and separation creates immersive atmosphere while maintaining clarity | | **Influence** | Essential post-punk landmark that continues to inspire experimental rock musicians | | **Cohesion** | Despite stylistic variety, album maintains consistent atmosphere and vision throughout its 36-minute runtime | | **David Thomas's Vocals** | Uniquely expressive instrument—part comic foil, part mad prophet. Unforgettable and inimitable | ### Cons | Category | Assessment | |----------|------------| | **Accessibility** | Extremely difficult for first-time listeners. The vocals, dissonance, and abstract lyrics are actively off-putting to many | | **Second Half Energy Dip** | Some critics note the album "loses some steam on the second half" after the intensity of side one | | **Production Limitations** | While effective, the 1978 recording technology and budget limitations are audible compared to later reissues and remasters | | **Vocal Acquired Taste** | David Thomas's singing style—described as "strangled-penguin" and "whacked expressiveness built around hiccups, yodels, screeches"—is a deal-breaker for many listeners | | **Lack of "Hooks"** | For listeners accustomed to conventional songwriting, the album offers few entry points. Melodies are fragmented, choruses are rare | | **Commercial Failure** | Sold "next to nothing" upon release, limiting its immediate impact and leading to label troubles | --- ## Conclusion: A Difficult Masterpiece *Dub Housing* is not an easy album, nor does it aspire to be. It demands work, patience, and a willingness to surrender to something initially uncomfortable. Yet for those who make the effort, the rewards are substantial. This is music that reveals new depths over years and decades—an album that can become, as Steve Erickson suggested, "practically the only album I listened to" for months at a time . The tension at the heart of *Dub Housing*—between chaos and control, horror and comedy, noise and groove, abstraction and raw physicality—is precisely what makes it so compelling. Pere Ubu pushed rock music to its breaking point on this record, but they never let it quite fall apart. The band's extraordinary discipline ensures that even the most outré moments serve the song rather than mere shock value. For listeners seeking comfort, melody, or straightforward emotional expression, *Dub Housing* will likely prove impenetrable. But for those interested in the outer limits of what rock music can accomplish—in its capacity for genuine strangeness, for intellectual ambition, for sonic innovation that serves emotional truth rather than technical display—this album remains essential listening, nearly five decades after its release. As one critic concluded, "*Dub Housing* won't be for everyone... But it's also one of the most original albums you'll hear and a must-listen for post-punk fans who want to explore its outer fringes" . **Rating:** Essential for fans of experimental and post-punk music; approach with patience for all others. --- ## Further Listening If *Dub Housing* connects with you, explore: - **Pere Ubu** – *The Modern Dance* (1978) – The slightly more accessible predecessor - **The Residents** – *Duck Stab/Buster & Glen* (1978) – A kindred spirit released the same day - **This Heat** – *This Heat* (1979) – UK experimental rock with similar intensity - **Captain Beefheart** – *Trout Mask Replica* (1969) – The obvious touchstone for this approach to rock music - **Wire** – *154* (1979) – UK post-punk with similar structural adventurousness
Weird men ballt
Första intrycket var inte så bra, men som helhet hade det ändå mycket eget och kreativt som höll mig intresserad.
Lite muppigt men kul!
Gek doen om het gek doen. Het is slechts 35 minuutjes en dat is het enige positieve aan het album, dat het niet langer duurt. Het is niet grappig, het is niet mooi, het is niet baanbrekend. Het is gewoon een beetje triest. Aandachtstrekkerij. In kunstzinnige kringen zal hier wel heel bijzonder over worden gedaan o.i.d. Anders heb ik geen idee waarom het in deze lijst staat. Ik kan hier niet meer dan 1 ster voor geven. Wat een onzin.
fav songs: dub housing experimental, unconventional, tense 40/100
this shit was not good
Not very good
It's so UGLY, I love it. Its weird, yet melodic. The exclamation point in Thriller! means you're in for a fucked up ride. Noise! Noise! Noise! In a bizarrely satisfying way. 3
hmmp. I don't hate it.
There's a reason I've never heard these guys before...their music is atrocious.
This is an interesting album of alternative punk and by interesting I mean not that good. In my opinion, Pere Ubu's version of Thriller! is much better than Michael Jackson's, so it's got that going for f it.
This is bad. I don't like it.
Thursday, 3 June, 2026 Amazing. Strange. Haunting. Silly.
After listening to this, I was curious if this album sold well. According to Google, it did not and was a commercial failure. And it was years later that someone saw this album as a 'missing link' in the evolution of music that made way for experimental acts like Devo and Talking Heads. It's not that they saw this as good music deserving laud... but rather saw it as a waypoint in the history of pop music. That said, I'm having a hard time seeing this link as Devo and Talking Heads created music that was far more successful than this. All this raises the question for me; does this album belong on this list? Sure there were a few cool moments here and there, but nothing that I would find myself itching to hear down the road. Right now in June 2026 the music world is all a buzz about the French Canadaian Duo Angine de Poitrine. Their music utilizes microtones and is very much on the cutting edge of musical innovation. And they are selling out concerts because the demand for tickets is so high. It's definitely possible to be innovative without alienating listeners.
This is a strange pick. While I respect the attempts to experiment and innovate here, aside from a few moments, it’s not well-executed. If it’s influential, that’s only from a handful of picked pieces of ideas. All due respect, but why is this considered to be something particularly important to listen to beyond those who are really into this style, specifically? I worry about what kind of albums missed the cut for this list to make room for one like this. 1 listen
Expectation: -> No idea. Not going to research. Just going to tap play. After listening: -> Insert big eyes emoji here. I'm truly going to wait to see how the rest of this project community feels about this album. Are there people who like this? That prefer this over say… anything else? How did it make this list? This is our 73rd album and I've yet to give a 1 rating, though in retrospect could have given that to a couple. With some I refused to do so out of respect to a well known band with better songs elsewhere. That would not apply here. This was a tough listen and though my brain is slowly getting used to the sounds, most of this is some combination of abrasive and bizarre. Looking forward to taking a peak at ratings from friends and this community.
This showed promise but fell really hard really fast. I can’t quite give it a 1 but it’s extremely close
I was familiar with Pere Ubu so I knew what I was in for. Yep. It was that.
Good
The thing about ugly aesthetics in art, particularly in art that requires audience engagement over a period of time like music, is that you need some kind of anchor to keep the audience’s attention while still conveying whatever feeling you were trying to. There are few things motivating me to try to care about what’s going on in the music here, so “bad on pupose” becomes just “bad”.
Truly something. Would be a lie to say I enjoyed this, but at least I guess it gets points for being different than some of the other things on this list
I see this has lots of haters but I really enjoyed the album. First time I’ve listened to it and I can see how it influenced Peter Murphy/Bauhaus and Joy Division and can even see how Pete Ubu influenced R.E.M.
It sounds like they were looking for hooks for a lot of their songs, mucking about until they found one but never actually did. They’re clearly talented musicians with some good ideas but for me it never coalesced into anything enjoyable to listen to. I have no doubt there are people who will love this and give it 5 stars as an ‘incredible new discovery for me’ etc. but I’m not among their number.
Some flashes of brilliance in amongst the sound of someone hitting pipes with hammers.
Never heard before, sounds like a lot of fun actually
What even was that?
I experienced a row of experimental albums and I am getting tired
Rare case of a singer impairing a good band for me
Very unusual with elements of a bop but I can't move past the voice.
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 Once again dumbfounded by how much this album upset everyone listening. From the reviews you'd think this was ten hours of chainsaw revving, orgasms, and chewing noises interspersed with dissonant choral harmonies. With the exception, I gotta admit, of "Thriller!" (which did not earn its exclamation point) and "Blow Daddy-O," this wasn't really all that avant-garde. Squirrelly, maybe, but really only like 20% more than, say, Television (which I think is the missing soundalike to balance out everyone's Talking Heads take). Much as I feel that reactionary urge, I'm not gonna give it five stars or anything to balance everybody out—I thought it was cool, fun, and inventive, but it's not something I think I'd revisit. There were three or so songs I liked where their groove cut through the dissonance, and there were also songs I actively disliked because it felt like they were trying too hard to be obnoxious (whatever that drunken sailor business was). Absolutely worthwhile inclusion, and not something to get anyone's feathers ruffled over. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
Better than expected!
did not like again
cool music as is, voice custom engineereed to piss me Off
I dig it
Some truly odd shit going on in this album. Scratches and wails. “Thriller!” could’ve been written for an A24 horror flick and fit right in. Weirdly catchy in parts, despite the chaos
What in the fresh hell is this???? Imagine you took Tiny Tim, gave him three singing lessons, backed him with Tom Waits' band with actual instruments, and then armed them with a songwriter who took cues from the Talking Heads, Napolean XIV, 10cc, and Robert Wyatt. I get being an artist, but this is not my thing. It shouldn't be your thing either. You can do better. My Rating: 1/5
Experimental and fun
Vage hippe punk ofzo
I still haven’t really grasped what I listened to. I just know I’m not a fan lol.
A mixture of interesting tracks and unlistenable stuff. Not enough to make me listen again unfortunately.
The infamous Pere Ubu album. The intro started on the first song and I thought, sounds pretty good, what’s the big deal? Then, the singer started singing and there it is. I sense a bit of David Byrne in the vocals, but if he decided to just shout his way through every song in a falsetto. It’s a really interesting album that I probably wouldn’t listen to again, but I don’t think it warrants the negativity. There’s a lot worse on the generator.
Music is interesting, but these vocals…
Some of it is cool, Talking Heads-y, most is too weird.
Very experimental, voice wasn't in tune anywhere. I could appreciate some parts of what they were doing, but some parts of the music and voice where too distracting to really enjoy it. 1. I, Will wait 2. (Pa) Ubu Dance Party 3. On the surface
I didn't have the patience to listen to this whole album. It all sounded the same, and when I checked to see how far along in the album I was, it was only the second song. one star.
Oh no. Ohhhh no. This is one of THE most hated albums on the site. I understood why, at least I thought I did at first. It's noisy, it's hectic, it's unpredictable and downright scary sometimes, and it's got a whiny singer. All your least favorite things for most of you, right? That's part of what drew me to it. I love noisy, I love weird singers, I love unpredictability and being so taken aback and astonished by whatever it is I just heard. I was so ready to sing my praises for the album before I even heard it, because it seemed so in line with everything else I usually like! And then I heard it, and you were all proven right. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get into this. Many of my friends are early Pere Ubu fans, so it might need a bit of time on my end to appreciate. But I just...this singer, man. He's a bit too whiny, even for me. If I felt the songs were stronger, I'd probably appreciate him more. But I don't even think the songs behind him are that great. Caligari's Mirror I found to be just too bizarre for my tastes. The songs aren't even boring, I can say that. Nothing about the album is boring. But to me, there's not enough to latch onto. Not enough legitimately pleasing musicality. The amount of times I felt like I was listening to a ringtone, or listening to my dryer cycle being done... Maybe in a few years I'll grow to love this, just like I did with some other favorites of mine. But now is not the time. As of right now, I don't want to come back to a single song on this again. I have to give it a 1 just so I can laugh at my ratings in five years time when I end up loving it.
A new one for me, and I doubt I’ll listen to it again
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
I think this is just about the right side of odd. But my main question for the artist is: are you ok? Have you recovered? It was mainly just weird vibes and interesting, experimental post punk sounds but then you got the occasional jarring song and “Codex” was all a bit much. So I applaud it but I can’t see myself ever seeking it out again. I think it deserves its place but not for me.
We have had albums on here that mix sound bites (DJ Shadow) into music, and we've had the synth playground (Kraftwerk) as well and now there is this! I remember on those former albums, it was somewhat of a challenge to absorb at first, but ultimately welcome. I think the reason they can appeal is if the musicality comes out and the silly sound doesn't. Bending notes and hitting keys that seem chaotic just to jolt you seems to be the main aim of Dub Housing. "Drinking Wine Spodyody" that was a little odd and a little too far down the demented garden path for me (giving it the beans on the haunted, strained vocals). Like those other albums mentioned, I came to really enjoy this and appreciate the musicality in its unconventional form. All the things I like about deeper music are there; they have just found the manic fringes to leverage for their vision of it. Nice one, I quite enjoyed flirting with this one and a true 1001 classic I hope for along the way. I think I and the rest of my house are pleased it leans more instrumental than vocal!
Ok so this is one of the weird ones. But the question is, is it good weird or bad weird? My first thoughts were pretty positive. It's not all just weird noises and and self indulgence, there is something more in this that warrants a closer listen. It is a bit of a fever dream and puts me in mind of "The Prisoner" and other physiological thrillers. There is some jazz in there and some rock and roll, potentially even proto-punk. I didn't find it a very pleasurable listen, for the most part, and can't see myself returning for many repeats. But it's the sort of thing I quite like listening to once. It's like a piece of modern art you stand and look at in a gallery and then shudder and walk away.
People might say this is avantgarde. I pretty much say it's shit. I didn't enjoy this at all.
Enjoyed some song, disliked others. The definition of a solid 3.
These guys were on some shit I think.
I see the name, I think ahhh fuck it’s going to be some French bullshit. Side note, I hate the French. Then I see the album name and I think, dub music? Ok I can handle that. Then I go onto Spotify and I see the band photo of a bunch of old as balls people and I think, fuck me, this is going to be some folky trash. Nah It’s like kinda punk Kinda experimental pop. Sort of Talking Heads sounding. I mean, so far. This is just weird enough to work for me. Is it a greatest album of all time? Hell no. Should I be expected to listen to it? Yes, I’ll give it that. This is a weird album. There’s no radio friendly hit. Nothing to catch your attention other than the oddities of the album. Sort of off key singing and topics that don’t really matter. I’m ok with this. It was not a time waster.
Surprisingly accessible for the kinda avant garde punk that it is. Why is this working for me? I guess groove really is king, that's what is definitely present on all of the tracks.
Some elements of this album I kinda of like. There are some catchy basslines & fun guitar work at points. But unfortunately that's where the semi-praise ends. Everything else's is awful. I absolutely hated the vocals from the second the wailing started on track 1, and every time the record decided to go experimental I let out an audible sigh. Not good at all - 3/10.
2 songs in… can tell this one sucks. DNF. 1 star. I can’t stand this type of singing or instrument playing. It feels like the artists are just TRYING to be artsy. Or like if someone learned guitar and 1 year later started a band and was like, “we’re so good and so cool everyone listen to us.” And then their popular friends were like YEAH OMG ITS SO GOOD! EVERYONE LISTEN TO IT. And everyone pretends to like it bc they think it’s cool to do so. But deep down everyone knows it’s dog shit.
The songs were okay. The noise tracks were garbage and unnecessary. It just kind of faded unnoticed into the background, which is rarely a good thing for an album like this, where immediacy is key.
Yikes. A cacophony of sound. Not in a good way.
2/5
So much beeps and base
Ehhhhhhhh not so much for me.
I have found my tolerance for this kind of music to be wholly dependent on my mood because while I liked 'The Modern Dance' I found this album to be absolutely insufferable. Favorite Track: Caligari's mirror
Если бы не сумасшедший псих-вокалист, то музыка была бы вполне сносная (местами).
Badass album. Had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised with an album full of post punk goodness.
Trying to think of what is keeping this from being one star and honestly I'm not sure so you'd better stop asking
I mean this with all of my heart: ...meh?... It's quite a different album, which I have no problems with experimenting and doing things really differently. This album doesn't follow much form and is often meandering, blurring the lines of rhythm and cohesiveness. Even a few of the songs were really enjoyable! But ultimately, this album doesn't do enough to make me care about it. It doesn't make me want to dance, nor sway, nor listen to the words, nor sing along. It's just seems to exist for itself in the void. And I'm not really into that part.
I get why this album scares many away. It’s experimental, raw, and weird. I think Peru Zuni is better explored through one of their live albums or a compilation.
I really wasn't a fan of this if I'm being completely honest. It just seemed really odd and all over the place with no real direction or meaning behind it. It just sounded like endless noise to me... I couldn't even get behind the vocals at all; they were just slightly annoying. There were some tracks that stood out more than others, but I can't really say that I enjoyed them. Standouts: Caligari's Mirror Thriller! Blow Daddy-O
So I listened to it. I can say that about it. I can also say that my boss walked past while I was listening and went, "Drew the short straw on the list today huh?" I'm sure there is something good to say about it, I'm not sure what but I'm sure it's there.
It was fine
Against all common sense, I sort of liked it. Grating, out of tune (or maybe microtonal), and with vocals that make Dylan sound like Pavarotti, it was still fun and made me smile. Each track made me eager to find out what fresh hell they would send me to next. That’s something. Call it a palate cleanser between meticulously crafted Brit Pop albums.
Just no
Album #86, Pere Ubu, Dub Housing, ⭐⭐⭐ I’m a huge fan of The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu. I would say it’s consistently in my top ten favourite albums, which would fluctuate all the time, but that one is probably one of the most rock steady in my list. It just feels like a mesh of all my favourite kinds of music with a kind of punky energy. I listen to it regularly and rarely skip a track when it comes up. But I’ve struggled big time with their follow-up album, Dub Housing. It was released the same year as The Modern Dance, and it kind of feels like more of an outtakes album. I don’t think that’s actually true, but that’s what it feels like. Virtually every song pales in comparison. On its own merits though, it’s still good. It’s very, very weird. It’s like a less tuneful Talking Heads doing a few Can covers. Again, it’s a mix of styles, Beefheart, post punk, sea shanties, krautrock, and of course dub. It’s just odd. Some tracks are good, but it lacks hooks. The Modern Dance had a certain pop sensibility, but this doesn’t. I struggle to remember a lot of the tracks. But there’s a great drunken, chaotic vibe to the whole thing, and it does sound ahead of its time. It doesn’t hold a candle to its predecessor, but it’s still a unique and worthwhile album.
The first two tracks are electrifying. It sounds like a nightmare in the best way. You want it to keep going to see how crazy it gets. And then it doesn’t. It just sort of hovers between interesting and mind numbing. How many weird sounds can we do? Less! You should have done less!
nasty work. so chill.
Ubu was a band hell-bent on destroying rock and roll and rebuilding it from first principles, and they did just that with their second record. Everyone from Fugazi to Pavement to the jazz punks of today are all building from Ubu's blueprint which starts firmly in new wave and ends in utter sonic chaos. In fact the only reason it's not perfect is because of how far they push into noise or experiments - there's some songs that just can't sustain. But this is a truly powerful record, even if it's a bit off the rails.
This was… something. Kinda noise at times, kinda interesting at others. Not a fan of the vocals and definitely not one I’d return to. 2/5
nah this is too messy
another I don’t need to listen to give the 6-star treatment (what do you mean that's not an option?!?!). an absolute gem of noisy post-punk goodness. also one of the cherished few that i can listen to on vinyl
Ça change mais chéper un peu quand même
M’en souviens pas
Bof c'était un peu space
Meh
An absolutely chaotic and frantic album. Not entirely sure what was going on but whatever was going on kept me intrigued throughout. Favorite song ‘on the surface’ I think this song summed up the random chaotic world of the album perfectly. Worst track- ‘blow daddy O’ I think this is where the ideas had finally became too weird 😂 Not entirely sure how to rate it as I don’t actually think it was good- or was it, I can’t make up my mind but I’m edging on the side of like so for that it has to be a 6/10
Pere Ubu - Dub Housing My first Pere Ubu but not my last, I suspect. Started off with a riff that could have come from Keith Richards only for it to be assaulted by rogue synth sounds. And that is what this felt like. A deconstruction of rock that had come before and a rebuilding into a new chapter. Kind of like if this hadn't happened we coudnt have had the New York scene that gave us Blondie, Talking Heads, Television and others. Tracks all flowed and all had their way of pulling me in for a journey that wasn't wholly pleasant. Best Track - On the Surface but Blow Daddy O, Navvy and I Will Wait were close behind. Worst Track - Caligari's Mirror. I didn't need a deconstructed sea shanty in my life. 7.5/10
One of the most annoying things I've ever experienced
Very strange.
2/5
Definite two.
I guess bro
Some of it sounds like cats fighting; not cats fighting and dying like Yoko Ono, just fighting and then moving on with their lives. Some of it sounds like you're standing in an abandoned building and someone on another floor is banging on pipes. And yet. I can't give it 1 star for some reason. 1.5 rounded to 2. I'm sure it was influential or something
3.5 challenging in entertaining ways
I’m over these guys
Oh.... noise......
It felt like being in a farm surrounded by chickens.
This isn't as good as The Modern Dance but its interesting enough to be enjoyable for the short runtime.
Lots of good ideas. Some I like. Some I don't. Suspect it was more auead of it's time than I can give it credit for.
how to describe this? fun noise. don't know if I'd relisten but it's certainly different in a way I respect
Raw enerjetic. Emotional.
great band. enjoyed this
Some fun beats that cannot be enjoyed due to the heavy handed use of dissonant noises so ill-suited to the human ear that I assume the band had some sort of vendetta against it.
Once you get used to his voice it is great. More Krautrock than Punk.
Quite chaotic, bass driven punk. Struggling to get affinity with it
Oh cool, some atonal screeching over other atonal screeching layered over yet more atonal screeching. The bass kinda sounded like he knew what a key signature is. Kinda. I got through 3 songs and DNF'd, on to an album that won't make me re-think this whole list.
Tingiu bl
This is even weirder and more annoying than the last Pere Ubu album. Pretty difficult to listen to.
You know how the lead singer of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sometimes sounds like someone doing an imitation with more voice breaks and yelping? Well the lead singer of Pere Ubu sounds like someone doing an imitation of the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah singer, bit with more voice breaks and yelping. This is the second Pere Ubu album we've had, and the weaker of the two... and the first wasn't great. Sometimes it feels like it's on the verge of being interesting and enjoyable, but that usually collapses pretty quickly.
Maybe my expectations were low, but I hated this less than Deep Purple. Is it dissonant and experimental at times? Sure? Is it unlisten-able? Only in parts.
Occasionally interesting, but mostly noise with terrible vocals.
Unique and interesting but not enjoyable to listen to.
This album just has an unnecessary creepy vibe don’t think I’m ever gonna return except for track number four and it’s drunken sailor but other than that, I mean it’s a short album so it doesn’t take up too much time but it also feels like you’ve wasted a lot of your time especially the last song bro so so creepy something that would be played in a serial killers layer
In another time, maybe I could appreciate this. But right now, hot garbage. No redeeming qualities. Worst album so far.
It neither seems coherent, nor particularly structured to me, more of a chaos with non-descriptive and almost meaningless lyrics. Some of the musical ideas are interesting, but could have been better executed (i.e. the melody on the last track). Nothing really stands out from this album.
Chaotic lyrics. Sounds weird at times. I fail to see the point of most songs. Anyway it was great.
I hated this. Noisy. Bad singing. Not good!
J'adore Pere Ubu. Mon hypothèse personnelle c'est que Céline a toujours voulu imiter David Thomas sans jamais être capable d'y arriver.
Au risque de me répéter, l'avant-garde rock c'est pas trop ma tasse de thé. Je comprends l'intérêt mais ça me semble très noisy et aléatoire.
Dur à dire. Ça m’a laissé plutôt indifférent.
po esse aqui conseguiu ser (no meu gosto) ainda melhor do que o anterior, que já era do caralho pqp deus abençoe o post punk experimental pqp
eu frequentaria uma ubu dance party. pedrada máxima. mantém a qualidade do primeiro album, mas com um ritmo mais dançante. um art punk puxadinho prum new wave, mas sem perder a experimentação e a barulheira. dobraram a aposta e ficou um absurdo. essa banda ter nota baixa nesse site me deixa maluco, os mano moldaram metade do rock gringo """alternativo""" que tá aí até hoje. enfim, eh bão pra caraio, quem não gosta eh má pessoa!!!!!!!
Off putting vocals but dig these extended moody instrumentals. Codex and title track were great
Fuck it, throw Talkings Heads into a blender with Jazz players and season with psychedelic rock and jamming sessions to boot—as if any one of those weren't weird/singular enough on their own. Sounds nothing like anything before (or frankly after) it. Might be my favorite discovery on this so far (600ish albums kn), insofar that I would never have discovered it otherwise.
I was stressed listening to this
Ok for a couple of songs, then it gets annoying.
This music does nothing for me.
This is probably the strangest rock music I've ever listened to (if you can call it that). The vocal style is certainly an acquired taste (out of key, a lot of spoken dialogue). There are lots of weird sound effects and samples added in. In fact, "Thriller!" is pretty much just sounds and samples. It has some funky moments and plenty of lap steel guitar. It comes across as just an extended jam session to me. It did start out more cohesive and just standard psychedelic rock, but it got weirder as time went on. I think this album was a little too weird for me, but there were a few interesting musical moments I liked (like in "Caligari's Mirror").
This is terrible
This was slightly better than their previous album, because it's 1 minute shorter.
Previously unknown. Not for me.
There was cool, instrumentation, experimental sound design, and psychedelic composition elements, but sorry I don't like the lead singer very much XD The second half of the album wasn't bad I guess, I liked I will wait and Ubu dance party
I remember hearing (or reading) about this group, and this album in particular, when I was in college, and getting the impression that it was super cool, but somehow I never got it . . . and, well, I guess, good thing, cuz it kinda sucks, lol. Ok, maybe not exactly sucks, but just . . . not super musical or pleasant or enjoyable to listen to? I mean, I guess I can appreciate its creativity, and willful freakiness, but . . . life's too short? I have a slight feeling of failing, somehow (in not liking it more), but I think I have to give this 2 stars (an extra star, above just 1, in part for just being creative and pushing the envelope).
I think if you played this for a child they would likely enjoy it I also think a casual music listener would be put off This might be the first time that an album on this list actually strikes me as way ahead of its time. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that this album was contemporary. Their use of sound is creative. I think the vocals should be perceived as just another sound. If you try to analyze them as singing compared to Frank Sinatra for example, well. . . But the vocals are very innovative and reminiscent of Death Grips, Geordie Greep, artists that would come decades later I had fun listening and I think it warrants more listening, but it's certainly not something I would put on anytime
Rad weird stuff
This is just a weird amalgamation of noise, it is so hard to find a melody in some of these songs, and the vocals are just bad. I cant dig any of this. Its like they all just started playing their instruments willy nilly and hoped for the best. What a jarring experience.
This is what Talking Heads sounds like to people who don’t like Talking Heads
i was sooooo hopeful the songs would start out great but the singing? guys it sounded like a chicken was trying its best this is what i feel people who don’t like rock assume all rock songs are
What is this and why did I have to hear it!?
Started out pretty interesting. Some unique sounds. But got annoying by the end
This one felt a little aimlessly weird without enough substance.
What😭
Some fairly twisted post punk, as you might expect from Pere Ubu. Like their other music, this is slow burn and takes some time to fully appreciate. Despite claims that this album would make them pop stars, Pere Ubu exist firmly underground, probably too opaque to get much radio play or mass attention. But sit with the music for a while and it does start to make sense. "Dub Housing" even gives you a few accessible breaks, such as the sea shanty inspired "Caligari's Mirror", which you can actually sort of sing along to. Well partly. The whole album includes such a varied palette of sonic experiments that I think I'll need to explore this more in the future.
I had a girlfriend who liked Pere Ubu. She was pretty mean to me. That should have been my first red flag.
Partly great, partly just weird.
While reading about the album, I really wanted to like it. But it's just too divided for me. High and lows.
Pues no he conseguido conectar con este grupo. Vale que en el rock no es esencial tener una buena voz para transmitir energía y pasión, pero es que la del cantante aquí es continuo desatino de desafine y nerviosismo en la cuerdas vocales que exaspera a la segunda canción. Quien quiera, que lo compre. Le doy algo de crédito por el intento de post-punk alternativo, poco ortodoxo, si el punk alguna vez lo es, pero me exaspera.
I liked this more than I was expecting to. Enjoyed the music but I wasn't a big fan of his vocal style. I don't think I would listen to it again, I find the singing too difficult to listen to, but I did enjoy some of the songs. Fav song: (Pa) Ubu Dance Party Least fav: Codex
Don’t know if Talking heads sounds like a shit them or the other way around. Not a huge fan of this either way. Specific rating - 2.4 Fav song - drinking wine spodyody Least fav- thriller!
I think if my anxiety made an album it would sound exactly like this. It's definitely got the vocals right. A boy in my office got so stressed today that he climbed out of the window (we're on the ground floor but it still felt fairly drastic). This album makes me consider following. Favourite song: Dub Housing Least: Thriller!
I love this non-conformist oddity. Like a DIY Zappa without the disdain for his own audience. Or the pretension. Or pretending to be a jazzbo. Just way more listenable. Nevermind. This is nothing like Zappa. They did not take my advice about the brown acid from last time though.
Somehow a combo of Baz Lerman and Iggy Pop
I'm all for musical visionaries who strike on their own path, but there comes a time when the music can seem like introspective noodling. Even when it's as noisy and intense as David Tomas and Pere Ubu. The Modern Dance will always have a place in my heart, but Dub Housing....Meh. Listened to it today, and it just didn't inspire me.
Do not know if I really like it or really dislike it.
Another in a series of bands that were really important to bands that were really important to me. If new music today made by younger folks plays like music made for their peers +/- a cohort but not for me, the likes of late 70s bands are for a set alive before I was born and...does not always feel timeless. It’s like 1-2 standard deviations removed from me. Which is fine, I’m happy I have the Pixies, Wrens, etc.
Pretty cool, and very avante garde. I'm not sure I loved it enough to revisit, but it was impressive.
Noise, I tell you
I like how David Thompson always sounds afraid. I wish he had toned it down on some tracks.
Slightly chaotic
This album didn't really do anything for me. It was interesting, so I'll give it that. But I don't have much else good I can say about it. Overall: 1.4/5
gaajvi
intruiging with a David Byrne vibe