Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Shit sounds like if talking heads got much much worse
I understand the importance of this record due to its groundbreaking sonic landscapes, song structures, and overall concept, but I found the listening experience of this album dull and uninspired.
I got both of the Pere Ubu albums on back to back days, that also was part of a 5 album span that included both of these albums and then two albums from The Who. It was such a strange coincidence in the context of this website. I left that grouping of 4 in my blacklog for a little while to laugh at. This was the first in the series of 4, but as I waited a few weeks to get around to them I listened to both of the Pere Ubu albums in chronological order rather than generator order. That one I gave a three, mostly due to its role in developing the wonderful world of Post-Punk. This album confuses me though. It just is not good enough to belong, and did not have as deep of an impact. Not horrendous, just not great.
This is the second Pere Ubu album I've gotten on this list. And the best one so far, which isn't a huge accomplishment. I hated the first one, and this one isn't much better. On this album, the boys get their act together a bit and have some coherency going on. There are whispers of inspiration and genius, but it never really fully materializes. I'd love to jam over this album and see what comes out of it.
Not my cup of tea.
Noise.
Too Avantgarde for me
Nicht mein Ding und diese Stimme :-(
First impression - little screechy, maybe not for me? Grew on me as it continued... little modest mouse/talking heads. Overall - meh. 4/10 Probably wouldn't listen again
tbh unsure how i felt about this. would fs give another try felt super experimental and unique which i like but it was smth i would need to listen to more than once. didn’t like it but didn’t dislike either
Maso
Not really in the mood for this today, it's pretty hard to listen to
This feels like a Talking Heads fever dream. It’s not all bad, but most of it comes off as nonsense, making it a tough album to really get into.
Honestly can appreciate what they are trying to do on this album, and can tell how their sound has influenced some contemporaries and bands that have come after, but after a couple listens it is still not really clicking for me personally. Some positive moments and cool music, but overall i dont think its something i would come back to.
Musically interesting intros followed by the most absurd, grating vocals you can possibly imagine
nothing really stood out to me
I didn’t not like it…but I also didn’t particularly enjoy. A bit repetitive in spots - oh you think about me all the time? 2/5
The first two songs were ok. Not sure about the rest. Not for me.
I don’t think the singing is enjoyable. It’s groovy, but I just don’t understand why you would do that for the vocals
This is an abrasive listen.
well this sure is a weird album!! i like the instrumentals quite a bit but the vocals are crazy (but i suppose this is the point) and i do like sorta crazy vocalists from time to time. this seems a little too put on for me though.
I think the singing is pretty atonal and annoying, and the songs without lyrics also grate, verging on a noise-y sound. There are some tiny glimmers of good stuff in here, but if it came on a mix I would be bummed.
One of the best albums of 1978? Sorry to hear about that.
Hmmm...I don't think so...2
Appreciate the punk attitude but still not a fan of this album. Their debut album would've been a better selection.
Couldn’t get past the vocalist.
Weird, annoying, couldn’t tell if next door were having building work done or if it was this album. The last album I was given on here was purely instrumental and after 30 seconds of the first track of this, I was wishing this was too. Not the worst I’ve been served up on here but close to it.
Rating: 4/10 This singer might be the worst one on this entire list, which is saying a lot. But somehow this album gripped me even though I did not enjoy it overall. The song structures and instrumentation are so weird that it sometimes works and even sounds decent. This is experimental music which for me misses more than it delivers, but I respect it for what it's trying to do.
A bit jarring. I think there's value here and there, but it's not an enjoyable experience on the whole.
Wtf
I didn't really care for this album. It wasn't that it was bad but that it was an amalgamation of sounds and noises. If unfinished thoughts were an album this would be it. The listening experience was pleasant enough but I don't see myself listening to this at all in the future. Plenty of mid to go around though. Top 2: On The Surface and Dub Housing lots of mid that I don't care to type out 2.50/5
Caligari's House
That guy's singing is just terrible. Even I could sing better than him. It's no surprise that users consider "Dub Housing" to be terrible. I do like the rest of the band, though. "Blow Daddy-O" is my favourite from the album. 2 stars for "Dub Housing".
I can see where some people might like this, but I'm not one of them.
I can see what they were going for with the horns/sax and chaotic sound, but this really wasn't for me.
What a weird record. I couldn't make out anything that the vocalist was saying. Favourite Track(s): Dub Housing, I, Will Wait, Drinking Wine Spodyody Least Favourite Track(s): Thriller!
Not great but fascinating: a band I never literally listened to, flipped past a million times in the bins, and now can put in late-70s-ish context. Reminds me of the acts I did listen to that were fusing noise and melody - Mission of Burma, for one, though I don't like this nearly as much. Can't say I will listen to it again, but there were moments when I shifted it out of the background to find out what I was listening to (like the "chorus" in Caligari's Mirror). Kind of wild to listen to it right after the Velvets, who, at their least formal, seem like a direct ancestor.
Oh god damn it, these guys again... Last album was a 1 so my hopes could not possibly be lower. Oh great, I just learned the lead singer of this band is a Jehovah's Witness. As if this group couldn't get any weirder along with their music. 3 songs in and while the music still sounds weird, it at least has more flow and cohesion. Dub Housing kind of jams. Alright well the rest of this stinks. It remains an improvement over the last album, so let's graduate Pere Ubu to the 2-star tier. A low 2 at best. If they appear on this list again I am boycotting them.
I was very scared going into this one. Much better than the last Pere Ubu album so that's something.
Just another absolutely brutal album by Pere Ubu. Did not need a second album by them in a week. The instruments and singing all sound like they were recorded without the knowledge of what the other instruments were going to do.
Never heard of these guys and then we get 2 albums within a week of each other. Sick, considering I did NOT enjoy their debut. Feel exactly similar to my last review about their last album.
God damnit. I'm supposed to love this kind of shit, but I just can't stand them. Too bad!
Didn't enjoy this
A second Pere Ubu album. Really? Does this album do anything that Modern Dance doesn't? I know each of them - only a year apart - ended their respective recording contracts. Dave Thomas' yelp generally does the heavy lifting in escorting people out the door. And he is in full voice here. Still better than Steely Dan.
eh
2/5. I can appreciate the experimentation of it all, and it has that David Byrne sound, but it just isn’t my sound.
Haven't heard of this band or their music previously. Hard to get into but some interesting sounds! Some songs I'd listen to again but others I happy to have listened to once.
Not my jam.
I'm not saying this is a bad album it's just not for me, I tried to listen to it years ago when I read Clinton Heylin's From the Velvets to the Voidoids but I just couldn't get into it and I still feel the same way.
Well, this was certainly something. I kind of dug the band, but what the hell was that singer up to? Does that cunt really sound like that or was he just trying to be “artistic”? This is like a K-Mart version of a Talking Heads album.
I don't even know, man.....I'm not giving it a 1 because I kind of want to listen to it again to figure it out. Some of the music and effects are cool - I like when I hear some organ in this kind of music....but the vocalist is something else. Most of the time I'm not totally sure what he (they?) is blathering about. Track 9 - I thought my nine year-old daughter was crying in the other room and had to take the earbuds out a couple of times....If that's not a perfect summation of this album, I'm not sure what is.
yay! finally the first dub album on this list. . . .oh, nevermind
Loud and attention grabbing. Haven’t heard much like this before and probably won’t need to listen to this again. Not sure how to feel about it. Definitely different and strange.
Wieviele Punk Alben kommen noch? Gar keine mehr? 10? 20? Es muss aufhören. Ausnahmsweise mal 2 Sterne (Hätte sonst einen gegeben), weil der Anfang eigentlich noch ging
Not really, no
Generally fine Bit try hard Bit boring Fine
A very odd but intriguing album. They were one of those bands doing their own thing. The vocals are very way out there, which does make it a difficult listen. I can't dismiss this out of hand. There is a lot going on instrumentally too, so I shall have to give it another listen to see if it's worth my time.
Probably influential, not especially pleasant
Though I wouldn't listen to this again, it was a fun listen because of its experimental nature.
I like experimental music, but one thing about it is that sometimes it hits and other times it doesn’t, this is one of the times it doesn’t. Favorite Track: Caligari’s Mirror
No thank you.
Random geluiden. Enig ritme niet te bekennen. Zonde want de stukjes waarin wel muziek gemaakt wordt is veelbelovend. Ach. Geluiden der mensheid kan dit album ook heten
Meh
Another garbage album. I'm really not into experimental type shit. 2/5
This was genuinely this first album that I have no idea how I feel about. The parts I liked, I really liked but some of the experimental bits were just weird to me and turned me off from entire songs. Interesting to say the least
Never heard of this band. Outrageous vocals. Interesting music. This band, and the vocalist, clearly influenced Oxbow. Sounds like if Tunde from TV on the Radio took too much acid and smoked crack then tried to sing underwater. The vocals are too much for me to rate this higher than a 2.
Fine
Nearly unlistenable but also, it "sounds" so much more recent than 1978 so it seems fundamental. Like Caligari's Mirror has some Rolling Stones vibes and is kinda fun, but also, a nightmare. The back half of the album sounds like an untalented circus. This is a generous 2
Is there a reason beyond Kurt Cobain name dropping these guys that would warrant them being on this list? I didn't mind the first one, but this is awful.
All of the experimentation of Talking Heads with none of the good music. The first few bars of guitar seemed promising, and then he opened his mouth, and all hope was lost.
Short at just over half an hour. Light punk, old from the 70’s. Like hippies tried to do punk.
Normally, I’m fine with unconventional vocals, especially in punk. This was not one of those cases.
As with their other album on this list, the instrumentals can be good, but the vocal is too distracting and annoying to warrant a second listen.
2nd album of this guy/band. Similar stuff. Irritating mostly. Some moments of interest.
ugly sludgy screeching, sigh
a resounding meh overall. starts out ok with some jangly guitar and actual melodies, like a blend of (and i know most of these came afterward) talking heads, R.E.M., sonic youth, pixies, big dipper, and the like. that synth riff from "on the surface" is gonna be stuck in my head for days. unfortunately for the listening public, the train derails after three tracks and gets cacophonous and residents-y. basically just experimental, avant-garde random noise and unintelligible yelling masquerading as "post-punk" (though the yelling is a near-perfect david byrne impression). while i appreciate how this has clearly influenced other bands i actually do like, it's gonna be a no from me, dog. favorites: on the surface, dub housing
It's an absolute fuckfest, but it's not the worst.
Interesting to learn about but not really my favorite
I didn't care for this album. I love punk rock, but this album was a miss. Didn't feel like there was any real substance to it. I won't come back to it.
Interesting, bit of an oddball. Starts pretty strong but tapers off. Fave track is “on the surface”. Off kilter vocals are a bit grating at times, but some fat bass and out there guitar licks.
I had to laugh, really laugh. Is this some kind of "Pogues" on steroids? I don't know why I thought of "Pogues" in particular; maybe I just had "rum, sodomy, and the lash" in my head. This is a real blast. I listened to the whole thing, and I have to say, I really don't know. I didn't know the album, only "The Modern Dance," and I like that much better. 2 stars, that's okay for me.
Even though artists love them they were still too niche for me
Would’ve probably liked this in my 20s because it was so random. Heard pieces that I liked (garage rock, punk).
2.5
What is happening on Thriller? I don't know. This is how the project ends? not with a bang but with a thud? oh well. Codex isn't the ending I wanted but I suppose it is a goodbye.
Album 726 of 1001 Pere Ubu - Dub Housing (1978) Rating : 2.5 / 5 The album is known for its experimental sound, blending avant-garde elements with catchy post-punk rhythms. The experience was just so-so. One track brought Phish to mind.
I just don’t like the vocals which is maybe why Blow Daddy-O is my favorite track.
I didn’t like this but didn’t completely hate it.
2.3 2x
#529. The vocals are really off putting here. This could be fine otherwise, but I just can't get past that. 2/5: nah
Hmmmmm. Bit squeaky for me.
This one caught me completely by surprise. Based on the name of the artist plus "Dub" in the title plus the presence of 2 prior Fela Kuti albums, I expected something more like world music / reggae, and for "Pere Dubu" to be the name of a person from a part of the world where that's a totally normal name for a person. Not so. This is basically proto-Talking Heads sans a couple coats of polish. The guy even kind of sounds like David Byrne. I'm not really sure what to make of this. It's kind of like Zappa or Captain Beefheart, the sort of album that's deliberately weird for the sake of being weird. I didn't really enjoy it per se, but it was kind of interesting to listen to. They are at least doing something different, if maybe not in the most pleasant way (a lot of the difference is just that they play tons of "wrong" notes). I was pretty much set to give this 3 stars, with the 3rd star for "unique", but then I listened to it a second time, and liked it even less on repeat listen. It is just really quite bad in terms of being something that one can listen to and enjoy.
nope thanks
Mekkalaa.. vai onko? On. Jollain tavalla kiehtovaa sellaista. Kuuntelisin toiste.. ehkä.
I appreciate the originality of this album and why it was influential. That said, not sure I would listen to it again.
I did not really enjoy this at all.
Duck stab/Buster & Glen yesterday and this today!! It’s a bit too much. Perhaps if it was listened to a few weeks after yesterdays I might have been kinder. Just strange.
2.
Вроде звук интересный, но у меня ощущение что мне накакали в уши
The quirkiness was kinda cool to start but find another voice man
mostly not enjoyable. I liked some of the more punk moments, but not a fan of the "post" parts
Wow if it weren't for the vocal styles, I'd be in the 3 range here, there's some really weird and interesting things going on. It's a bit too noisy (and I love noise) for me and the squawky vocals take this down to a 2.
Very odd stoner album, pretty experimental for when it released, wasn’t terrible but not something I’m interested in listening to more than once. 2.2
Something of a tough listen but grew on me a little towards the end...even liked one of the songs (Ubu dance party) in "almost* it's entirety..
Way too underground for my taste. A couple of tracks I could see fitting into a John Peel show but most of them I found tuneless and drab to the ear
Experimental for sure, although my Spotify auto-played a different Pere Ubu song after the album finished, and it made Dub Housing sound mainstream.
Painful listen, the instrumental being ok in a few songs saves this from a 1, although the horrendous vocals tried their hardest.
Boy, not sure what to make of this one. A bit of a slog to get through. Not quite a 1 but darn close.
Lot of nonsense. The dance party track was kinda fun.
The cover artwork of Pere Ubu's album Dub Housing is a striking yet somewhat uninviting representation of urban life. Featuring a stark photograph of an apartment building in Cleveland, it captures the essence of post-industrial decay, which aligns with the album's themes. However, while the image effectively conveys a sense of isolation and bleakness, it lacks the vibrancy or creativity that could make it truly memorable. The monochrome palette feels overly drab, and the composition does not engage the viewer as much as it could. Overall, the artwork serves its purpose but falls short of being visually compelling, earning it a modest two-star rating. Album artworks rated: 11/1001 Music's pretty weird lol
Post-punk ain't my thing, Dub Housing ain't my thing either. Last time we had Pere Ubu I gave it a 1 and hated it; this isn't as bad, it's quirky enough in places to catch my attention, just not good enough to keep it. 2.
At least it was short. Sounds like the music you'd like if you thought David Byrne's voice was a bit too tuneful and not strained enough, and that the music could do with being a bit more jerky and weird. 2/5.
Go easy! It's nice when rock bands decide to "test the water" of experimental stuff, but there is a thin line between being a genius and being a strange that sings alone yelling to the clouds with no one to pay attention to.
Kinda weird. Some ok tracks but fond of sound
Dub Housing is the second album by Pere Ubu, originally released in 1978. Wow, this is some weird shit right here. It really highlights the difference in the post-punk movements between the US and UK. I always felt like the US bands got way weirder. This is a prime example of that. The instrumentals themselves are great. I definitely hear some influence on later bands such as the Pixies. These guys shift all around genres, from alternative rock to rockabilly to ambient and avant-garde. The vocals are a whole separate story. They're almost anti-music. They're so atonal and crazy but it fits the music somehow. This would probably be so good when performed live. This wasn't exactly enjoyable but then again it wasn't made for mass consumption. I can definitely see the historic significance of this album.
Interesting lol
Jesus Christ it’s weird. So I’d never heard Pere Ubu before but I had heard of Pere Ubu and forgive me, I hadn’t realised that they were from Cleveland. That doesn’t help with my reconciling how goddamn weird this album is; it probably compounds it.
Umm... what, now? Eclectically irritating.
A few songs were very odd and skipped.
I really don't know what to make of this. Sounds like an audial equivalent of what I expect a snuff film to be like.
Bit strange 4/10
I could get around some of the music and found it enjoyable to some extent but his voice grates on me. 2
Trying to be weird and random for attention and also trying to add a veneer of depth but it doesn't work
Não curti mutio a sonoridade. Fiquei surpreso com várias reviews positivas. Talvez eu não compreenda o artista.
Chickens cannot speak human words. They can respond to our voice, and will make noises in response. But if they could speak human words, or sing, I imagine a chicken singing in our language would sound just like the lead singer of Pere Ubu. The vocalizations REALLY distracted me from the music, which was a bit chaotic, but could have been interesting. It's just... not good. Not awful, but not good either. NEXT.
A little gag / line / meme from Family Guy that I often use is "everybody gets one". But for this list, it often seems like everybody gets two and I just don't get it. I thought Pere Ubu's debut album was tough to listen to, and this is not a step in a better direction. So if you want to include them on this list for their sheer weirdness in the post punk genre, fine. But give them one album, not two. Maybe this album could be better than their debut. But I don't really care to put in the time to find out. I'm giving it a 2 because I'm annoyed having to hear them again. Almost gave it a 1 because I really didn't care to finish listening to the album.
Harsh listening, not repeat listening vibes
I wouldn't have listened to it if it were not for this exercise. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.
There was an inkling of optimism initially but this just rapidly descended into something that I don’t think I could ever describe.
Kind of interesting.
Literally only yesterday I hadn’t heard of Pere Ubu before, and now today I’ve been generated another album by them. Unfortunately, a lot of what I felt about The Modern Dance can be reiterated by Dub Housing. It wasn’t bad, by any means, but it definitely doesn’t leave me wanting more or have me particularly engaged. There isn’t really much to write about with this one. It feels like a bit of a copy paste of yesterday.
Not for me ://
In a nutshell: abstract, bizarre avant-garage Sounds like Fear of Music era Talking Heads, Public Image Limited and Captain Beefheart smooshed together. Cherry picks post-punk, krautrock, avant-garde and garage rock into a package John Peel would’ve frothed over. The surf guitar in (Pa) Ubu Dance Party was cool. I don’t think two Pere Ubu albums on the list is necessary. Overall: 3/10
I am not sure where I am at with this one. It started okay (kind of liked Caligari's Mirror) but then it just got weird and borderline painful to listen to. I didn't hate the content and meaning, just too much of everything. Maybe I am getting old but half the time I couldn't even understand him.
It seems like post-punk is an entire genre of musicians making purposefully bad music. While this is not the WORST post-punk I've heard... it's still not that great.
A couple of the earlier tracks were tolerable, and this wasn’t awful overall. It had some interesting variety and creativity, but it’s not my thing.
Smartschoolboy9 core Reminds me of The Residents, except The Residents are both weird and listenable
honestly, would be super fire for a halloween party one day. Title track is the only one i fully remember adding to my playlist though.
Obviously intentionally discordant and weird, which I'm fine with. But the grating off-key vocals are really off-putting, so whilst it's not necessarily unlistenable, it's not a record that gave me any pleasure or enjoyment to listen to.
There were definitely several moments of, "Wait, What is this?" As the music changed from banal post punk screeching over guitar to something more lucid or interesting. The singer could do one, but the rest of the band had their moments. Not enough to make it good, or even worth the listen, but there was something there that they could've worked on.
So three days ago I had the adverts, and I described it as generic 80s alternative music. Was meant to sound edgy & punky but just sounded like many other bands. This on the other hand, from the same period, was clearly pushing the envelope. Innovative but still fun, noisy but nice. Would I listen to it again. No probably not.
when i was a teenager i admired everything weird, off kilter, noisy, or absurd, now that i’m older i find most of it facile and annoying
Not worth the time to listen to. Slightly better than the other album. 2.2
🙂↔️
I liked it better than the other one but not by much
I realize this is another one of those bands that were probably very influential in music history, but it's just not for me.
Wat een troep
Not my cup of tea
Points for originality and experimentation. Points for being unique and not caring what anyone thinks of them. I think they’re difficult to listen to. 2/5
It's certainly something. Probably nothing to seek out on your own, but living the experience while you're already in is worth a try.
Another one of those albums that is a collection of sounds.
weird fuckin voice ruined this.
Noise.
Reminded me of Mclusky, so I went and listened to Mclusky instead.
My second and hopefully last Pere Ubu album
Eh. Not for me
This shit was weird
This album is full of skips. Grating vocals.
Punk rock dos dinossauros antes de 80. Meio esquisito
I can hear the influences this album would eventually create. Doesn't mean it's good, or worth listening to itself. 1.5/5
From what I read this is an influential band but I do not enjoy listening. Very dissonant and warbly vocals which I can get past if the music grabs me somehow but it just didn't.
i can definitely appreciate it, but phew it was a tougher listen than i was anticipating. the vocals were a little too much for me.
Musically it's actually kind of interesting but the singing is truly awful.
1.5 - This... I dwelled on for a while. I probably should've just relistened to it, but man did I not want to listen to it again. I really dislike the vocals on here. His voice is upsetting, which is probably the point, given what their music sounds like, but it's not my thing. It just constantly sounds like he's off key. Gahhh! But yeah, my cat was not very happy that I was listening to this. I could definitely see this being something I grow fonder of as time goes on and I get used to it, but for now, I'm scared of it :)
2-
This album has some ideas. But I don't get all of them. Dub Housing among most of the albums on 1001 is like abstract painting among those with more traditional content. It may be important for the development of music. But it doesn't change the fact that I don't like it.
Wow this is awful but I kind of like it. 2.2 average.
I really did not like Thriller! Probably because I am such an MJ fan and you can’t be using a good name for bad music. The rest of the album wasn’t really great either. However being on the road drowned out some of the noise so I don’t think It was quite as bad as it should have been , 5/10 ca->pa rating #6
Talking heads if they had no idea how to make music? Not a big fan but points for creativity I guess
This album frustrates me. There are so many pieces of good songs here, but then they take weird turns in random places and become strange, but not in a good way. I really wanted to like this, and there are parts I did, but it’s a big mess overall. I am surprised this is one of the worst rated albums on this entire list, though. I can guarantee there are so many worse albums than this.
Probably important and groundbreaking for creating post-punk but too abrasive and eccentric for me. Some irony in that the town the album was recorded in is called Painesville, though that might be a bit harsh.
Gahhh there’s some stuff I like here, but it’s just not doing it for me on the whole. 2.5/5
This reminds me of my workplace. I work on a psych unit.
This really feels like something I should like based on my other tastes, but I found it grating. A few good moments (the end of caligari’s mirror, ubu dance party) but mostly a drag.
This album has its momemts - very short ones.
I dunno about this one: take out the vocals, and this hits that good good post punk weirdness from this era. But it's hard to take seriously with all the warbling and boop boops etc. etc.
It was technically music yeah. Not a big post punk kinda person
Although I admire the originality and creativity of this album, it’s simply just not for me.
A bit too exotic.
Unique. Odd. Intentional. Occasionally groovy. Overall, meh.
Couldn't finish it
Simultaneously bland and catchy. The vocals are more nonsensical than Electric Six. This sounds like bar/party music, but you don't know anyone there and you're having fun anyway. I think I was too sober for this album.
Tää on niitä levyjä, joiden hyvyyden kyllä kuulen ja pystyn arvostamaan, mutta en vaan keksi, miksi kuuntelisin itse. 2/5
Post punk album which sounds quite original and surprisingly, not dated at all (I had to double check if this was really released in the 1970s). Still, musically it was too bizarre to enjoy it, even if I often like far out, experimental music. It reminded me a lot of Talking Heads, especially the singing, but a worse version of them. I can't really give this more than a 2.
Very random and quirky noisy post-punk type stuff. Pretty bizarre but I feel it warrants more than a 1 because it’s sort of innovative and original in a way and not boring. Can’t see myself coming back to it but it’s something learned that I’d never heard of, and I can see where it led to things like Pavement, Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem.
While having some bright spots here and there, this just ain't it, chief.
Not into it. Not that it’s bad, but I just don’t get it
1.5
I don’t like his voice. Some pleasant music
eh
Might eventually merit more stars with more listens. There is something good in there. But in a format where you listen to and review an album a day, that ain’t happening. I think The Pixies and Throbbing Gristle might have been listening to these guys.
Stressful. Very, very stressful. What's wrong with this guy's voice? It feels like one of the muppets is being forced to sing a punk song at gunpoint. The bass playing is absolutely stonking though, so that's something, and it wasn't David Gray or Norah Jones, so won on that front.
I don’t like his voice
I would have been fine not listening to this in this lifetime.
Complete love/hate. Some good (4 points) and some argh (1 point). So I split the difference and lowered again. 2. Sorry.
A pretty challenging album. Though the vocal delivery is certainly a bit unusual and offputting, the album does get a decent vibe and execution for On the Surface and Dub Housing. Even Caligari's Mirror is mostly sane. But at some point, it does become a bit of an art project, and other than Ubu Dance Party, most of the rest is a bit noisy and sounds less focused. It is a bit interesting, but I really only found promise on a few songs.
I guess I don't like post-punk. It all just feels thrown together Most if the songs are just passable with yelped vocals.
Not my cup of tea, sorry
It's alright
Pixies' like wanking alt \"credentials\" blech.
Weird album
The singers voice is really annoying, even for a punk band.
Vreemde tonen hier en daar. Onprettige stem om naar te luisteren. Goofy ahhh
Redelijk onprettige stem wel en überhaupt niet echt leuk om naar te luisteren
Very chaotic, not necessarily my taste but very cool!
Þetta voru langar 35 mínútur, en slefar samt í tvær stjörnur því það eru þarna áhugaverðir sprettir.
Hmm this was a little annoying? It was interesting but I am not sure I will be drawn to ever listen to it again. I think I appreciate how annoying it was though lol
Different. Interesting. Not my thing.
Weird album. There’s definitely some DNA that leads to 80s post Rock here. But not my jam.
Eh I didn’t find it so great
Surprised by the comparisons to The Talking Heads on this one. Quirky singer but the content isn't as good.
I recognized the name immediately as one of the albums from the worst ranked albums list. I’m always curious to see what brand of annoying these albums are going to possess. This isn’t the first time I’ve asked myself how on earth someone who can’t sing got a record deal and wound up on this list. This would have been a lot better with another singer. I enjoyed the keyboards and the instrumental songs but that was about it.
- Na endlich wieder avantgarde. Aber dieses mal irgendwie ganz witzig. Im Gegensatz zu einigen Kandidaten vorher ist es noch etwas bekömmlicher und das Chaos läuft bei diesem Album gefühlt in geregelten Bahnen. - Songs wie Caligaris Mirrorund Navy fand ich ehrlichweise sogar ganz geil - Zum Ende wirds wirklich leider wieder etwas SEHR absurd. - Viele interessante Elemente, viele, bei denen man mit der Stirn runzelt. 2,5/5
Se comenta que es el mejor álbum del grupo, respeto el comentario y a las personas que les gustan..........
Did not get this one unfortunately
Interesting, but couldn't listen to all of it.
Echt schade, dass die Vocals so kacke sind. Musik: 4 Vocals 1
Interesting but not something I’d listen to
Insgesamt größtenteils zu nervig leider.
I'm sure this sounds exactly how they intended it to. I find some pieces that I really enjoyed the strangeness and could see myself giving it another listen when I'm in the mood for a serious appreciation session. But as background, going about your day music it was not a hit with me
Some cool stuff, but not really my style and a lot I really didn’t like
Not my cup of tea but found a few songs I could listen to again. Had Talking Heads vibes at times.
I'm not sure about this one
Varies between “pub rock” and more experimental, noisy rock. None of it is interesting to me and I loose energy when listening to it. The vocal is terrible.
These guys fucking love Pere Ubu
1.8 Didnt enjoy this one as much as The Modern Dance
Just too damn weird.
i was bored.
2.5
Reminds me of talking heads on acid. I liked some of the album, but a couple tracks were just headache inducing
Don’t remember this.
The good book says that after some time, Pere Ubu knew that they wouldn't be commercial. After listening to this, I can understand why. Commercial doesn't always equal good, but this is quite far from both. 1.5/5
This is on odd album. Sometimes the bad singing worked for me and other times it didnt. The instrumental backing was really well done. The songs range between 3 stars and 1 stars so I will give it a 2 star rating
Some of the music was fine. Not a fan of the singing. Way too sober for this album.
Ok så eksperimenterende, men problemet er de elsker sådan en skrattelyd, som er forfærdelig at høre på. Så ikke helt væk, men skrattelyden gør det så svært at høre på
Highly PMS and irritable and this didn't resonate with me unfortunately. Luke is a fan but did advise you have to be in a certain mood for PU. Silly voice
Meh, nothing special, bit annoying but oh wel
This was weird for the sake of weird or something. This was made by a bunch of guys from Ohio apparently, wasn't expecting that. Not great but had 1 or 2 interesting tracks
Listened Before? N What an odd little post-punk album. The first half was unique and new and somewhat rockin'. His voice started grating on me by the end of the album though. Added to Playlist: N Songs added to playlist: On the Surface
I can see why this one is rated so poorly. It’s a bizarre attempt at music, and yet, there is some inept charm here. I’m not gunna bash on it because so many people already have and I do admit that I found moments that piqued my interest. But overall, I really won’t be seeking it out again.
J'imagine que ça doit être perçu par certains comme étant révolutionaire par comment c'eest étrange et je suis sûr que ça a influencé plusieurs artistes de styles experimental. Mais ce n'est vraiment pas tant ma tasse de thé. Mon principal problème vient surtout des vocals qui sont tout simplement insuportables la majorité du temps. La musique est souvent intéressante, mais c'est gâché par les chants qui font n'importe quoi. 4/10
Experimental rhythmic music with a lot of yelling. 2 Stars.
We got Pere Ubu's album "The Modern Dance" a while back, and my take was "meh." Nothing on this album's changed my mind. A lot of it was just noise, or off-key sorta-singing. No thank you.
There are bits and pieces of songs that I like, but I'm not a fan of the way the lead singer throws his voice 90% of the time. Especially how high-pitched he decides to do it. I can sort of get behind the asyncopation and chaotic nature of the songs, but that only goes so far if the rest of the content isn't enjoyable. This is unfortunately a solid 2/5 for me. There are some good aspects of it, but I just could not enjoy any of the songs in full.
Avant garde to say the least with one of the most obnoxious vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Some cool instrumental parts, but yeah, very very weird and avant garde. For me it’s kinda hard to tell a good avant garde album from a bad one. But this one kinda sounds like it came out in the early 90s but it came out in the early 70s so that’s something.
I quite liked how this started. I do not like how it finished. Seemed to go from fairly nice, experimental but melodic right through to dissonant, cacophonic mess with a bad David Byrne vibe. It doesn't seem to go anywhere - like any old claptrap were shoved in with a "that'll do".
Een punt voor de invloed, verder slecht luisterbaar.
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I think I can hear the influence of some of this stuff in places like Bowie's Lodger and Scary Monsters albums. But he softened some of the rough edges and turned it into pop music. I'd generally rather listen to that. Still, this is interesting, if not always that enjoyable.
Nothing stood out.
Wcale nie dub
The gin of post-punk albums in that it's an acquired taste. It'll probably improve upon repeat listens, but the thing is, a lot of people still don't like gin, no matter how closely acquainted they get with it. Maybe gin just sucks.
Interesting, but not for me
thought i might like this. I was wrong.
Album #11 On paper, this album is a perfect fit for me. Post punk with electronic experimentation and an outrageous singer. Unfortunately, I could not get past the "avante garde" nature off this album. Dave Thomas' vocals are too distracting for me and take away from the rest of the songs. I understand that this is very influential, but it just didn't do it for me. I liked the instrumental songs more, but even those were a bit much for me. 1.5* rounded to 2 because I'm feeling guilty.
Not for me
God, that final song is terrible
Yeah, this is not really connecting with me. It’s sort of like the Talking Heads, but without all the things that make the Talking Heads great. I’m sure there is some grand creative vision behind it, but to me it just sounds like chaotic nonsense. 2 stars.
Interesting if not exactly listenable. Alternated between fun and weird (but still not all that listenable) and flat out disorganized noise. I respect the cojones of everyone involved in putting this album out into the world and am glad to have listened once. Also, once is enough. I find myself at a bit of a loss for how to rate it.
Huh kohtuullisen ärsyttävää kuunneltavaa. Onneksi oli edes lyhyt.
Mikäs tää olikaan. Muistan ulinaa.
Sounds like they were trying to explore and push the envelope. Seems like they achieved what they set out to do, but the album is better suited for music history enthusiasts. It's not particularly great music, at least to my taste.
Hated the vocals
Vanalega er ég all in í post-pönkinu en þetta er ekki alveg að ná mér á sitt band.
Sounds kinda like a trippier Talking Heads album. Starts off okay, but really overstays the fuck out of its welcome
The Modern Dance is usually in my top ten albums of all time, but I wasn't so keen on this. Some of it I loved - the loopiness of Blow Daddy-O, for instance. Call me old-fashioned, but this lacks the direction that the actual songs on their first album add. Probably warrants another listen, and some interesting ideas, but the quirkiness seems a little mannered here in a way that 'Dance' doesn't.
This was a bit of an early morning jolt in an attempt to overcome the hangover. Another album that I know I'm expected to like, but, but... It's too angular for me. All elbows poking you around with no smooth flow. Maybe I drank too much last night.
Mieux que 1 mais moins bien que 3
allez ne soyons pas rabat joie
another one i'm apparently too stupid to appreciate; I just heard this guy's very bad singing!
If it wasn't for the voice this could go way higher 2
is this haunted
Wow I really hate the vocals. Thrilller kind of sounds like a squeaky horror soundtrack.
They clearly didnt take it seriously, so why are we in putting them on this list?
Rather disappointing and unmelodic album
Interesting
Not my style but really cool to learn about it.
ummm, Whatnow?
Not my lane, but also not completely horrible
Ik heb ooit een album gehoord van Ubu wat ik tof vond. Dat was deze niet
Why??
Heu? Toch nog twee sterren omdat ik het ook wel komisch vond.
Did nothing for me really
oh god, that voice
This album made me think of Talking Heads except that they're better than Pere Ubu. It really went downhill when they started singing "Drunken Sailor"
3/10
3/10. I don't really get it.
This isn’t quite down there with my worst-rated albums but I can see why this is generally disliked on this site. At least it’s pretty short, though the last couple songs really drag on. 3/10
I can see what's going on here I guess but it was a chore for me. Maybe on a different day
jaja, ¿Pero qué broma es ésta? Y a estas horas de la mañana? Me ha hecho gracia, hombre.
En una època de cúspide creativa, semblava que innovar era obligatori, i això porta a intents fallits com aquest
Not good.
not for me
More avant garde atonal nonsense. Hints of tune.
Decent start, but lost me about halfway through.
Me no like
Partiendo de un tipo de voz un poco peculiar y sin mucho carisma, el resto de canciones me han parecido un nivel similar, con escasa melodía. Estilo algo de pop, aunque también un poco extraño
it's weird in both a good way and a bad way
Unable to find, listened to some other albums by this artist.
A lot of the album felt very drone-y and same-y. I did like codex tho
Bit too weird, won’t be returning.