Infected

What a great song to open up the album with. The drumming, the trumpets, everything. I loveeed sweet bird of truth. Just a groovy album

A couple of cool New Wave songs!

I've never purposefully listened to The The before and ... man, it's really good.

This was a surprise visit from an old friend from college I’d forgotten about.

Cool drum sounds great guitar tones.

Title track is, dare I say, infectious? Great bass work. This was super groovy.

English post punk is super bizzare to me but I fw this 8/10

Intro to Slow Bird of Truth went crazy. There were other cool moments too. I felt like it wasn’t consistently super entertaining, but definitely a good listen. Creative and unique. 7.5/10

Always been a fan of The The since I head the Mind Bomb album (to me, their best). Standouts: Infected, Heartland, Out of the Blue, Slow Train to Dawn, Sweet Bird of Truth. 4/5

First three songs were great. Also liked The Mercy Beat. Great sound

Loved this album back in 1987 but haven't listened in quite a while.

Matt Johnson strikes it again. I don't think it's as "infectious" as Soul Mining, but it's certainly better produced and mature, with R&B influences including a guest appearance from Neneh Cherry. I just reviewed Soft Cell's Non-stop Cabaret Show a few days ago which had an accompanying movie album, and it turns out Tim Pope also worked on a movie album for this one too. Great videos with some crazy stories associated with them. The same strengths I had with Soul Mining are here. I love his deep expressive vocals and the atmospheric industrial synths and hollow drum beats. He definitely embodies Tom Waits, especially in "Sweet Bird of Truth". Every track is a good, and a few stand out as classics. A couple weaker tracks, but nothing I'd cut, which is fine considering there are only 8 of them. Favorites: Heartland, Twilight of a Champion, Mercy Beat

Je m'attendais à un album absolument de metal atroce au vu de la pochette et du nom d'album, il n'en fut rien, un joli tour de passe passe de la part de The The.

Not what I expected at all? Maybe I don't hate post punk lmao?

This band really plays hopscotch between really interesting me quite a bit and fading to background noise. I guess that's to be expected with highly experimental groups like this. What's also to be expected is their exploration and mixture of many, many, many different genres. Slow Train to Dawn is a huge example of this working out very favorably; Heartland is where it felt more forgettable. I really think this is the type of album whose rating will vary based on the day in which I listen to it. I will say I'm very glad I listened to it though and will certainly add some bits to my rotation.

Mezcla de rock-pop-punk. Un 4.

I actually liked this one a lot. Other than the last album, this is the first one where I haven’t heard of the artist or any of the songs on the album. They also sound like a combination of a lot of different good bands which is cool.

The The fílingurinn er frábær.

Yes yes to The The.

Judging by the reviews on this one people either love it or hate it. I was totally expecting to be part of the latter but i am not. Really loved heartland and angels of deception

Surprisingly really well. The instrumentals are great. 3.5 going to 4 for surprise fun

When I was a teen, we frowned on 80s sounding music. Too old to sound current, too recent for retro appeal. It’s now very rewarding to go back and discover how much absolutely sick stuff was going on in the new-wave-adjacent world. This rocks! It’s weird and aggressive and sweaty as hell. My understanding is that The The covers a lot of sonic ground over the years. I’m going to check out more, but I sure enjoyed this one at least.

Loved this.

3.5/5

A nice post punk record that gets going in the 2nd half after a bit of weak start.

Enjoyed, this guy always does what i dont expect!!!!

Easy listening. Reminds me of David Bowie (based on my limited exposure of DB).

Like it

Nice album, dark pop that reminded me a bit of Depeche Mode or The Cure. I'll be coming back to this one soon.

Favourite tracks: infected; heartland; angel of deception; mercy beat

One of the biggest gaps between how good the band is and how much the name of the band sucks

I enjoyed it,sounded cool the whole time.Good

Insanely better than Soul Mining. Does not even come close to being comparable in my mind, and something about this record came across as truly genuine.

I like that 80's sound

Toffe plaat. Niet onmiddellijk meezingers of zo, maar wel leuk

legal o som, pós punk, bem instrumentado

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Infected

One of the most energetic, lively albums of the 80s

Stonking album. Every tune counts

Ovo je dobar album, dosta, nije čista četvorka, ali tu je.

Very 80's, musically quite interesting and as an album quite enjoyable.

Can listen to songs like Heartland for a long time. Bit weird at time but giving it the benefit of the doubt

man, I feel like I really should love The The, but it just sounds weak compared to most of the other punky new wave bands I like it’s still really good, just not as good as the rest 8/10

Really good

Gave me 80's Brit pop vibes for sure. Had some kick to it

Good 80's vibes

Great 80s synth pop. Will be listening to again.

So many of these songs have incredible intros (Sweet Bird of Truth & Angels of Deception) and production and arrangements are ambitious, giving the more classic songs an epic feel. The back-up singers were well used, especially Neneh Cherry. At times the drum machine gets in the way. I don’t like saying that something 30+ years old sounds dated (it should) but I thought the drum intro to Infected sounded dated when I first heard it. Matt J is a genius and he’s not afraid to tackle heavy subject matter. His voice when he gets angry is not the best.

Love the the’s vibe! This album is a fiesta and all the misfits are invited. The rhythm and thematic is delightful. Most songs have great arrangements and try to enhance the musical experience. The two the the’s albums I have listened are great. Keep ‘‘em coming!

Solid

nice cover!

7/10. Didn't love it from the get go, but started to get more into it as I listened. Could end up liking this a lot after a while, I think

The beats of new wave but with the grunginess of post-punk, delightful Angels of Deception was a fav

Genuinely a good album, but I will say that I enjoyed the instrumentals more than the vocals. All songs were unique and caught my attention Fave track(s): Infected, Heartland, Slow Train to Dawn

I have loved the song Kingdom of Rain (not on this album) since I first heard it in the early 90s but never explored the band further. And I think I knew at one point that Sinead O’Connor sang on that song, but today I was pleasantly reminded. I started listening to the album this morning without paying very much attention to it but was drawn in by the big sounds and interesting lyrics. I then did some googling and watched all of the videos for this album and I think that today will not be the last day that I listen to The The. I learned a lot of interesting things about this album and the band today, but that can all be read on Wikipedia. The one thing that stood out was that there were, I think, 61 instruments played. Similar sounds: Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, Wall of Voodoo and Morphine

Enjoyed this one, despite the 80s production.

A good example of a record with unmistakeably ”80s” production that makes it work for the music. Very enjoyable

Bang

Quite innovative, Good sounds

J'aime l'énergie, un échantillon représentatif des années 1980, sans toutefois mal vieillir, ne verse pas dans la facilité.

Awash with political overtones and instrumentation indebted to the mid-80s, Infected is The The is the band at their most straightforward and to the point. While not as epochal as their debut, there are still moments where you are reminded of why The The were one of the more underrated and fascinating bands of their era. Not too long and full of noteworthy bangers, seek it out. Favorites: Infected, Heartland, Angel's of Deception, Slow Train to Dawn, The Mercy Seat.

Mon premier album du groupe. Je suis resté agréablement surpris. Je m'attendais vraiment plus à un band marqué par l'époque, ressemblant à un autre band New Wave et pas tant que ça finalement. J'entends du Siouxsie And The Banshees dans les guitares par moment, une façon de chanter qui rappelle Mike Patton quand il n'est pas trop extrême. J'aime bien les explorations et la diversité dans l'instrumentation. J'étais dans le bon mood pour écouter ça cet après-midi. Je vais sûrement y revenir.

Brilliant songwriting, building on their stylish debut to explore ever deeper topics, fizzing with rage at thoughtless politicians and careless society. The production is excellent and shows a surprising depth of use for synths throughout. The energy is infectious throughout and a duet with Neneh Cherry is a welcome surprise.

I was scared to listen to this album at first, mainly because of the cover, which is silly. I was also a little scared because of the reviews. I should have known I would like it when I saw the genres though. I didn't like it enough to give it 5 stars, but I really like it for what it is. It definitely has a distinct sound. My favourite song was Heartland.

Very 80s but if you plopped into AAA rotation and said it was new I'd believe it

Ok

Synth punk, sometimes catchy surprisingly entertaining.

Never listed to a record by them before. Well worth the listen.

Original, calm, good lyrics

I hate to admit how much fun I thought this album was. I would have really enjoyed dancing to these songs live.

Loved it, they sounded great even then. I wish I could have known these bands back in the day.

Man, Debbie Szyskowski was the coolest. She was the older sister of a friend. Debbie turned us on to so many different things in the 80's. Only a few years older than us she had the inside scoop on underground style and music. Sadly, she died of cancer in 2003 but she left an indelible mark on us younger kids by turning us on to bands like The The, Men Without Hats, Til Tuesday, Depeche Mode, and Yazoo. She was such a positive person and role model. She eventually left our small town for the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and we / I lost touch with her. I've got love for this album because of Debbie. Out of the Blue is great. This album capitalizes on white space, the lack of 'singing' the stripped down songs are a welcome change from tons of in-your-face lyrics and sounds. Less is more on this. . It's important to note the album Soul Mining, which emerged a few years before Infected. That has 'This is the Day, which for me, is timeless 80's nostalgia and possibly a better album.

Very 80’s sounding, had some great tracks, especially heartland

I can’t decide to give this album a 4 or a 5. I love the band name, infected and heartland are super good, and it’s a standout post-punk album. However, I don’t see myself remembering this in like 2 days

Fuck yeah! I'm into it because I already know and like The The. But I prefer Soul Mining because it is the superior album.

grew on me on 2nd listen.

Another band I'm unfamiliar with. Love discovering new stuff. I'm finding that with unfamiliar bands, I'm reflexively comparing them to bands I am familiar with (a pretty common impulse, I'm sure). The cover had me expecting punk, but I was way off. This album is '80s to the bone; my best comparison is INXS meets Oingo Boingo. They've got a full sound, with plenty of horns, some harmonica, and even the occasional violin (I think), all mixed with '80s staples like synthesizers and drum machines. I dig it. My pile of new bands to explore continues to grow.

The The is such a unique band. They don't fit into any of the traditional 80s genres, and they are not an easy listen - I think that's why I like them so much. Kudos to Matt Johnson for creating great music. I love his voice & the band's videos are strange af..into it!

Didn't exactly know what to expect here. Liked it quite a bit.

I was a big fan of this record when it first came out in 1986; bought the album and a couple of the singles. I really liked the sound of the record, which sounded contemporary without being plastic, and I liked the songs, which were a strong mix of the political and personal. Political without being straight polemic (of which there was quite a bit at the time. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan had a bit of blame, there), and personal in a way that was angsty and self-lacerating, which fit with my world outlook at the time. Listening to it now, the lyrics are maybe not as mature and sophisticated as I thought they were when I was 16, but that is to be expected. The album has some cracking tunes and catchy rhythms (it's got a good beat, and I can bug out it), and the mix of electronic and acoustic instrumentation means that it still holds up now. It sounds of its time, but not really dated. The presence of Neneh Cherry (and few other noted backing vocalists) certainly injects a spark, and stops it from being too blokey. I enjoyed re-visiting this old favourite, and I feel that I should play it more often.

The The are great. I think I might like this one more than Soul Mining. Not sure. Obviously the production has way dated now, but they're still great. Mrs sat next to me says it really shows how much INXS ripped them off and by god she's right.

Weird, cool, funky, fun. Production is a bit jarring at first (it's the 80s), but quickly grew on me. Standout tracks: "Infected", "Heartland" and "Sweet Bird of Paradise". Obscure post-punk keeps on giving. Probably my favorite genre at the moment. Good good work work The The!

This album seems to serve as a neat bridge between the post-punk and alternative music movements. The band they kept reminding me of while I was listening was Faith No More, though it's hard to describe why. Regardless, it's a very interesting album musically, as it leans heavily on digital instruments while still having a rock feel to it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It reminds me of Love and Rockets by a bit, actually. Had that 80s new wave alternative feel to it. Honestly, I had heard of the band back in the day, and I knew one or two people who wore a t-shirt of theirs, but it always seemed kind of odd for a name, so I never took that step to try them out. This album was a real unexpected treat, and I would say if you are a fan of that style of post-punk, this is definitely a band you should check out.

I first got into The The through their 2000 album Naked Self (great album BTW). One thing I’ve noticed throughout all their albums that I’ve listened to is Matt Johnson seems to have humorous way of depicting bleak situations. It’s like his lyrics are saying that the world’s shit but what can you do but laugh about it. Infected is no different. It does suffer a bit from that 80s sound but I think the songwriting makes up for the production here. “Sweet Bird of Truth” might be my favorite track on here but the whole album is a solid listen.

The music is very 80s, yet unique at the same time. Very harsh lyrics - Infected is apparently about STDs or AIDS more specifically, Heartland is about the decline of England, Sweet Bird of Truth about Western military action in the Middle East, The Mercy Beat sounds like it's about alcoholism. So, under the 80s pop sound, a dark subcurrent. Calling it a 4 - very good, worth hearing again, but the dated sound is the main thing keeping it from a 5.

Enjoyed this more than I expected

Very good, terrific in places, but I still prefer Talk Talk in terms of London bands with repeating-word names.

A dense forty minutes of post-punk will always be welcome. This has touches of synth brightness at the moment that I felt were rather weak, but the album as a whole was certainly a grower. The nihilism of certain cuts was sadly fitting for the day: That's probably informing my opinion somewhat, but I can tell a revisit won't be unhappy.

5/2/2022 Today's Album: "Infected" by The The - Looking at this album from the name and cover, I really had no fucking clue what to expect, but as it opened up, it really blossomed in front of my eyes. This album is great fusion of two common genres of the 90s, being the synth-heavy new wave and the birthing post punk movement. Usually, this sort of thing really wouldn't be my thing as a lot of 80s projects like this have left a sour taste in my mouth for being generic and uninspired and post-punk has often been overdone by a lot of groups in my opinion with explicitly poor songwriting. However, this album does not take on any of those attributes as far as I can tell. The instrumental soundscapes all sound really lush and the vocalist really matches the aesthetic of the album well. There are songs where the vocalist experiments with strange and creepy vocals similar to many post-punk outfits, but it always feels really tasteful and like it's serving a story-telling purpose. Even if the vocals do end up feeling somewhat standard for a new wave outfit on a few tracks, it really doesn't matter because the ability for this band to just tear up a great tune outshines any clichés it may be exhibiting. Some of the solo's on this record are just straight up memorizing with how unique and innovative they are. A great example is the trumpet solo near the end of the opening track because of the incredibly articulated double tonguing technique the soloist uses to trill the last note. The recording of each instrument feels so clean and separated in the mix and the layered sound effects over top the band often builds up this great sound into this enamoring sonic experience. Maybe I'm just opening up to these stranger musical ideas more than I have in the past, but I really don't think that's the case. I really feel like this is some of the best execution of these kinds of sounds I've heard thus far. The new wave aspects of this album are able to spice things up and keep them interesting enough to take on the stranger post punk ideas and the post punk edge helps to stop these new wave songs from sounding too polished and clean. The flow feels great, the production feels great, and although the mix could probably use some tweaking, it's great as is. It's honestly just a great combination that I never would have thought would work but it does so so so well. Overall, this is both a great new wave album and a very listenable post-punk project and the fact that this band can pull together such solid tunes elevates these possible generic tracks to insane heights. Give this one a listen if you like 80's new-wave or some very clean post-punk and I promise you won't be disappointed either way. Highlights: Infected, Out Of The Blue, Heartland, Angels Of Deception, Slow Train To Dawn, Twilight Of A Champion, Score: 7.5/10 Inventive new-wave post-punk

Great post pink album no honest complaints I just don’t like post punk. I respect it though 🙃

Good backstory around the album being made. Solid 80's synth pop. Nothing overly memorable.

This one's going viral

Wild. What is this? All over the place but I enjoyed it.

Bit of a surprise, I didn't know what to expected but really enjoyed it

Forgot about The The! Liked this one!

Levoton kansi, tykkään kyl! Samoin levyn sisältö oli yllättävän melodista ja aika nautittavaa. 4/5.

Not familiar with this band or album, not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this and I liked it a lot more than I expected to as well. I needed to give the lyrics better attention than I did, missing a lot of the political commentary (though there is always that weird mirror-world familiar/not familiar to UK centric writing of that nature: “this is the 51st state of the U.S.A” hits differently to a Minnesota boy.

Zanimljiv album, drugačiji nekako. Uspio dat malo spooky vibea, malo i romantike na neki drugi način. I na trenutke me podsjeća na Bowieja? Sve u svemu, lajkam.

I think I like their sound

Best Song: Infected. Bombastic and actually lyrically interesting. Worst Song: Heartland. Not terrible, but it really feels like the author is performing a monologue in an amateur theatre on this one. Overall: Liked it much more than I expected. Feels like what the B-52s want to be, but cooler and more true-to-self. Rare that I like 80s music like this.

Geil

Wow I forgot about the the, very '80s but clearly very talented! an interesting listen but only "liked" one song for later listening. The man clearly had a lot of talent and energy.

A pretty ineresting record. It's cover gives other vibe, but it's vibe is groovy and positive! 4/5

Power pop!

Very interesting pop rock!

I think I have it somewhere on the shelf. And I like it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I had heard of The The back in the day, but never really gave them a listen. This album was slightly punky, slightly alt, and over-around good. 4 stars!

Pretty good! Weird band name.

Enjoyable. Doesn't have a song with a hook like "Uncertain Smile" off of the first album, though.

This was very good. Going to revisit this. Looking forward to doing so.

Never listened to The The yet, as far as I know, but I love the band name. The album was really good too. Quite gripping, fairly varied instrumentation and quite a lot of depth in songwriting. My favorite tracks were Heartland and Slow Train To Dawn. Both of those were really dope.

Pretty damn good but not stellar.

This is just what you’d expect; politically scathing but beautifully melodic!

Really enjoyed this, great synths, powerful messages still relevant today alas.

never heard of this, which is cool. I like this mostly quite a lot. Heartland is good.

this this album album has has some some good good tunes tunes fr fr

So familiar … had this on vinyl … no idea where that has gone … Enjoyed going back

Álbum solido de Art Pop con Synthpop. Este es quizás el segundo mejor álbum de la banda británica después de su debut, y aunque ninguno de los dos es totalmente de mi agrado, es innegable la personalidad que transmite ya sea desde su impecable producción como su excelente lirismo. Para mí un sólido 7/10

Super! Genomgående stark upplevelse. Många sköna basgångar och riff, samt trummor som ofta ligger precis lagom hårt. Det här gillas! Bäst: "Infected"

Definitely grew on me, once I got past the vocals and clangy... everything. Heartland was a good one

Interesting 80s punk. Slightly pop-y

Good Britt pop, 1986. Very 80s sound, a bit dark.

Infectious first track, into a stable album throughout. I really enjoyed it and will be listing to more of the the in future

a bit weird but it’s good. it says it classified at post punk

Bettered by several other The The albums, this is still a masterpiece. What lyrics!

An excellent album. Stand out tracks, homeland, sweet bird of truth and slow train to dawn. Loved it when first released and enjoyed reacquainting myself with it now

The The. Good Good

Cool and sexy and fresh even now

Mezcla de rock-pop-punk.

silly and biggish 80s British post punk pop fav track: infected

Just really solid post punk record.

2/23 Infectious energy. Disco Culture Club. Standout Tracks: Infected, Heartland, Angels Of Deception, Slow Train to Dawn

It's not Soul Mining but it's fun, missing the exciting time-tested singles, overall a more consistent sound, if not as pretty to listen to

ENDNU et band jeg ikke lige havde forventet to gange på listen. Jeg kan godt lide det, meget teatralsk

New wave |---X------| Post-punk

And a thrill I did not get when I had to listen to this album. Honestly, this album was just really boring. Going in, I kind of expected it to be some kind of metal album judging by the fact that the album cover looks like a hurricane made out of human flesh, instead, I just got another one of these middle of the road 80s new wave albums. I didn’t really find too much here that was really worthy of note. If I had to pick standouts, it’d probably be the last four tracks, Sweet Bird of Truth, Slow Train To Dawn, Twilight of A Champion, and The Mercy Beat. I think the second song on that list would probably be my favorite, though. Honestly, this album just kind of falls through the cracks for me, it doesn’t really feel like anything I couldn’t find in another album of that decade. I thought that the textures used on the album kind of felt stale, and I didn’t enjoy the singing all that much. The post punk style didn’t really work because it just didn’t feel like it had anything to set itself apart besides different uses of synth effects. Overall, not really my favorite. I’m hoping this isn’t the twilight of this project, and that I find a better album next.

3.5

It's interesting. Nothing about it is particularly good, but at least its not boring.

There’s something superbly strange about how this guy puts a song together. He used some of the same sonic elements of more mainstream bands like Duran Duran, but uses them to make singularly unique songs. That’s not to say I liked it but I’ll admit that somewhere about 2/3 of the way through I was convinced that it wasn’t bad.

legalzinho mas faltou um molho

Meh

Weird. Its nice tho

I liked this. It's fun, creative, and musically upbeat. Lyrically, I appreciate the social and political commentary.

It was solid, very classic 80s rock. Not so much for me but still decent. 5.1/10

I went into Infected knowing very little about The The, and this was an interesting discovery. The album is dark and politically charged, and I was surprised by how relevant songs like “Heartland” and “Angels of Deception” still feel nearly 40 years later. This definitely isn't an album to listen to when you want to escape reality for a while. Musically, I enjoyed it. There’s a funky element running throughout the album that I wasn't expecting, and there really wasn't a song I disliked. “Infected” was a strong opener, and “The Mercy Beat” was an equally strong closer with a beat I loved. I was sitting at three stars for most of the album, but the opening and closing tracks bumped it up to 3½. I enjoyed discovering The The and would listen to them again, but I wouldn't buy this one on vinyl. ⭐ 3½ stars

3.5

Не знаю що це, але виглядає цікаво. На реддіті було обговорення про альбоми музичний вміст яких не відповідає обкладинці. Так от цей альбом туди б зайшов. Обкладинка досить агресивна, а музика - попсовенький і досить веселий нью-вейв. На скільки я зрозумів, то музика доволі весела, а тексти ні, тому обкладинка, типу, виправдана.

Esse álbum tem muitos elementos bem executados de gêneros músicas diferentes. É um álbum legal. QoA Adonis New.

This was kinda interesting but feels like the kind of album that needs a few listens to get into. I'm not doing that

Bit shite innit bit nick cave and even late black keys but yeah still meh alright shite 2.5

Echte 80s disco. Ik vind het wel wat hebben.

I enjoyed this more than I expected! Didn’t light me on fire on the first listen, but one I want to revisit. Standout Track: The Mercy Beat Rating: 3.5

Me gusto. no es mi estilo prefe, pero se disfruto.

Fairly typical. The last track, Mercy Beat, is probably the best. And what a great play on words.

не так себе представлял звучание the the, был удивлен, звучало даже хорошо, это 3.5, но до 4х все таки не дотянуло

This was fine. It was pretty good. Probably not as good as Soul Mining. Good eighties pop, pretty smart lyrics.

Review - decent album, need to listen to this band more. Only ever heard their debut before this. Still think the debut's a better album but this is good too, some interesting industrial vibes at times. Score - 6.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Cool but not that remarkable.

The cover led to believe this would be a punk band, but it ended up being 80s pop/new wave with a grunge/punk esthetic. it was alright, but not super memorable.

Well, it may have been nearly 1000 full days since I last listened to an album from The The, but my opinion on their name being kinda dumb has not changed whatsoever. I still think that The The is a goofy band name. However, I think my opinion on the band's music has changed a bit. I don't like it as much. Well, okay, maybe Infected is just a worse album than Soul Mining. It's very possible. I mean, it's definitely worse. I'm giving it a lower score, but I'm not entirely sure if I would still feel as positively about Soul Mining if I re-listened to it as I did in December 2023. Oh well. That's for future me to decide when I eventually re-listen to it. For now, I'm here to give my thoughts on The The's 1986 album, Infected. It's fine. It's not bad at all, but I don't vibe with it that much. The production feels pretty dated. I'm not huge on it, but it could be worse. Matt Johnson's vocals aren't great, but they're not horrible either. His songwriting is definitely better than his singing though. The songwriting here isn't as good as I remember Soul Mining's songwriting being, but it is not bad either. I think "Heartland" is a pretty good song, but the rest of the album didn't impress me that much. Overall, Infected is a perfectly fine album, but it's not one that I was amazed by. I wouldn't call it a must-listen. They probably should've just kept Soul Mining and left it at that. 3/5.

Hmmmm, tead, mulle meeldis see, et kõigil lugudel oli pandud mõtet sõnadesse ja ilmselgelt peaartist tegi mõttega muusikat. Meloodiad ei hakanud kuidagi eriliselt kõrva, sest ta on oma ajastu muusika kõlaga, aga tegu polnud unelauluga. Kuulasin kudumise taustaks ühel mõtlikul reedel.

My previous reference point for whether I would like The The (still a terrible name, by the way) didn’t bode well, but I surprisingly rather enjoyed this. Most of the songs were an appropriate length, and I liked both the main vocal and the female backing vocalist. I wouldn’t actively seek them out to listen to again, but I found I liked quite a bit of this.

On the previous The The album I said it sounded aggressively 80, complained about unnecessarily long intros and got angry (again) that some - extremely deserving! - bands get zero albums on this list yet this band get two. However, while some of that summary remains extremely accurate, I started to enjoy this The The album. Heartland and Angels of Deception were massively cheesy, but I kinda liked them. I can't really explain it. Maybe I was just in a funny mood. This is getting a surprising: 3/5

3.5/5

Something remind me of oingo bingo, or someone like that. It sounded familiar in a way that I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of bands I currently like are familiar with this band.

Infected is hard to categorize. I hear a bit of George Michael-inspired soul-lite pop music on some songs. Some moments stand out but mostly these songs go pass over me without sticking.

I enjoyed Soul Mining and love This is the day. Did not enjoy this as much. I was trying to write a couple of tricky emails and it was really getting on my tits as its just a bit too in your face with its jaunty 80's production. When I could concentrate on it more fully then enjoyed it a lot more as generally liked the lyrics and his delivery. It does lack killer tunes and is a bit too 80's pop so scores a solid 3.

Never listened to these guys before but enjoyed the attitude, intensity and delivery.

I misjudged this. The album title, the artwork - I was expecting either thrash metal or noise rock, and I was so pleasantly surprised, I think maybe I might have enjoyed it more than I should because my expectations were on the floor. Goes to show you can't trust an (album?) by its cover.

Not bad. ★★★

Ambitious, interesting. Soul mining is a bit better. High 3

The The get a solid to high 3, i prefer Soul Mining but enjoy the production on this record and I think the vocalist is consistently interesting if not always to my taste.

This was a tad better than Soul Mining. Still don't like the voice.

The album cover put me off. Never judge a book by its cover, evidently. Great album, high octane and bonkers.

I enjoyed this more than I thought. Fun, upbeat album.

# Playlist Track - Heartland # Notes - Perfectly enjoyable, but nothing to write home about. - I knew nothing about The The before starting that, and I REALLY liked "Soul mining" so this is kind of a letdown.

Between New Order, Bronski Beat, and these guys the 80's in the UK must've been confusing with how many bands sounded very similar. This album was kind of all over the place. They made choices that I didn't necessarily like. The overall messages in the songs were pretty forward thinking. I wish there was more horn in them, because when that got thrown in it really added something to the songs. I enjoy that UK 80's sound, and this had a lot of it. Overall, it was fine. Didn't really grab me in any meaningful way.

Gostei. Um álbum com pegada new wave, mas sem aquela tristeza chata característica, e sim mais energética, bateria bastante presente e sintetizadores bem colocados. E o cantor me lembra bastante ao mick jagger. Achei bem descente.

the inclusion of this one and not Dusk is wild. if you found this one underwhelming try Dusk.

Oingo Boingo style music, a bit goofy, a bit 80s traditional sound, hard to pin down

Good but not as good as Soul Mining.

80'er med lidt tempo. Ok, men alligevel ikke noget, der hænger rigtigt fast.

The The, among the least googleable bands, is pretty give and take for me. They have some excellent songs, some interesting albums, but also a lot that is overwrought and more concerned with theatrics than craft. This feels like the latter for me. Dark and grimy camp, but camp all the way. I guess a light 3* but i couldnt really get into it enough to feel much

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Not really my thing, but the lyrics to “Heartland” and “Angels of Deception” hold up all too well.

Hmm. I always thought The The was a punk band. I was quite mistaken. It's alright for 80s pop, a bit of fun, but I must admit, I listened to this hours ago and I can't remember a single thing. Mid to good perhaps?

I always this they I like this one more. Not as dancey 80s as Soul Mining and not as moody in your face as Mind Bomb.

Much better than expected. I thought it would be a metal album... but it had some good funky songs.

Good one but not spectacular

High 3 for sure but I didn't love it enough for it to make 4. Maybe on a couple more listens but upon thinking that I was like... Hm idk if I feel like relistening to this ....

I'm conflicted. When the songs are good they are really fun and very 80s new wavey. But some songs are like the 80s in all the terrible of ways especially in production. I think a 3 is fair here.

Definitely on the weird end of things, but I liked it! Had me grooving, and had some great horns too. 7/10 Quite Likeable

i've put this record on a few times in the past but it never really stuck with me, and this latest listen proved that this just isn't really my cup of tea; good filler music for the background the cover art deserves better music methinks 3/5

This is a fairly good album, but I'm kinda surprised it made the list. Soul Mining making the cut? Sure. But this one, while a decent record, just isn't as infectious (sorry) as their earlier album.

Good summertime weird-rock

Enjoyed more than expected, but just an average record.

I always want to like the band more than I really do. This album just didn’t excite me

I thought it was rather interesting. The singer sounds a bit like Nick Cave in a good way. I do think the social commentary falls a bit flat.

Kind of boring to be honest

Tiene un sonido tan estereotípicamente ochentoso y que al mismo tiempo se siente tan distintivo que me genera sentimientos encontrados, pero dentro de todo está bueno. Se escucha más New Wave que Post Punk, aunque asumo que la segunda etiqueta deviene más que nada por las letras más políticamente cargadas de algunas de las canciones. No me veo volviendo a escucharlo más allá de alguna que otra canción. ↑: Infected, Heartland, Slow Train To Dawn ↓: Out Of The Blue (Into The Fire)

Lyrically very cool, musically wasn't super my vibe. Very 80s weird rock.

Album cover reminds of a collaborate art I’d make with the demons (highest compliment really). The The is also comedy. Love the opening track, Infected! I need an 80s movie marathon I think. Listened to and from the beach, drove through a thunderstorm. Really strong start and maybe fizzled a bit for me after the first few songs, but I’ll keep listening to them for sure.

Würde mir dieses Album glaube einfach für dieses Cover kaufen. Allerdings haben einige Songs wie z.B. Slow Train to Dawn echt gut angefangen aber man wird dann irgendwie enttäuscht von mittelmäßigen lyrics und alles in allem begleitet durch ein mittelmäßige 80er Band. Die Musik geht schon gut durch den Körper aber ich finde Music for the Jilted kriegt das besser hin. Also ja schlecht bis mittelmäßiges Album. Drei Sterne weil ich das Cover ansprechend finde.

Sounded a bit like Frankie goes to Hollywood in some ways

I mean it was alright

There are a few GREAT songs by 'the The', but this album doesn't have any of them. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a

Shermz: quite groovy! I actually really really like the titular track “Infected” Wenz: Hahaha, I have other preferences, I like “Heartland” the most in this album 🤭

Perfectly fine 80s pop

interesting. It has it's moments. Don't love it don't hate it.

Very mid, utterly forgettable 80's music 3/5

Not really what I was expecting, and not something I really liked. It was pretty cheesy 80s slop. Not really why this appeared in the book. I'm certain that no one is asking themselves "whatever happened to The The?"

Comes across as one part Scritti Polliti, one part Squeeze, one part Depeche Mode. There's probably more parts I'm not cultured enough to recognize. I'm good with that.

A strong three. Music Im certain would grow in my music taste scale.

7/10

A slow burn of an album with just enough funkiness and spookiness to elevate it above a lot of the new wave that we’ve been hearing. Some solid tracks like heartland and slow train to Dawn but ultimately this was destined to be a three..

Breezed right through this; a bit in one ear and out the other. I don’t know what’s supposed to be good about this, but also I didn’t think it was bad. Decidedly average rock pop.

Reminded me a little of INXS. Only without much melody. Or rhythm. Or Michael Hutchence.

Intriguing

Bit weirder than their other album on here, but I did enjoy bits and pieces of it

Didn’t expect this much funk! A few good tunes here

Fav song: Infected

Terrible band name, ok music.

I love his voice, but not the best of The The.

Not a bad album the title track is pretty good and i did like a fee other songs but overall pretty average

Never heard of The The before, This album was weird as hell but I kinda liked it tbh

Ganske midt på treet. Noen av låtene er virkelig bra, men det er noe med instrumenteringen som gjør at man plutselig befinner seg i en Michael J. Fox film. Det vil kanskje litt for mye. Dette er en treer jeg kommer til å høre mer på.

3.5 Like det her. Plata mangle bare en skikkelig banger.

Har ikke hørt på The The siden jeg var på konserten på Sentrum Scene i 2024. Ikke et udelt gledelig gjenhør, det her, men noen låter sitter godt (spesielt Sweet Bird of Truth). Tekstene og attituden virker veldig datert.

I’ve seen this cover but never listened to the album - average late 80’s stuff

Sharp as the tack which eventually burst the city bubble!

This was OK. Worth a listen but nothing snagged me.

Couple of songs great, overall too earnest.

This album is such a mixed bag. The opening track was a well-produced 80s hit, with fun elements. Meanwhile, the rest of the album lacked the same excitement. When they stuck to new wave, it worked, when they tried anything else, it didn't work. There's so much better British 80s New Wave that isn't on this list, I'm surprised they picked these guys.

Not bad

Only time for one listen wasn’t horrible might give it another spin

Pas fan de la voix dans cette album, sa manière de chanter à la pirate/méchant de Disney, puis les drums et les guitares trempées dans les réverbes des années 80 ça me cringe un peu je vais pas mentir. Mais à part ça reste très bien, les refrains sont cools c'est bien composé ça se sent que les gars sont bons ! Victimes du style de l'époque qui va perdurer dans leur discographie, malheureusement pour moi... Mais santé à eux cependant Plus fan de "This is the day", qui se détache un peu dans le style peut etre pour ça qu'elle me plait plus ! <i>J'éspère que cette review est à la hauteur de vos espérances </i>

Kitchissime mais il n’en faut pas plus pour me convaincre

Another fine album from this unknown, underground new wave sensation. I hear forward thinking influences on Indie, electronic and dance music as well as influence from Prince, ELO, and maybe even some elements of English ska in the meter and pacing. Lots of cool elements for an alright piece of music. Has charm and energy. I think I like this less than the other The The album on this list.

Didn't hate this, but didn't love it either. It's OK in a fairly obvious mid-80s sort of way that appeals to me simply because that was when I grew up.

Suena diferente a su época Combina sonidos de manera interesante No hay nada que destaque por si solo, pero combinado todo va bien nada desentona No estoy seguro de que más pueda destacar en este momento puedo decir que pensé que iba a ser otro álbum clásico que sonara igual a muchos pero no realmente, hicieron su esfuerzo por ser originales dentro de lo difícil que eso resulta

3.5

A rollercoaster of an album - full of twists and turns. There were points when I was really getting into it, then it would take a turn and lose me. I did enjoy the juxtaposition between the lyrics and music though. Probably needs more listens...but I know I won't revisit it.

I'm glad I heard this album! All I knew of The The before this was the song "This is the Day" so I am happy to expand my knowledge of this group and their songs. Lots of politically relevant and socially relevant songs for 2026 even though this is from 40 years ago.

Better than I feared.

I am partial to a lot of 80s music and this is no exception. I wouldn't say this is a standout album (I'm still waiting for the generator to throw me some Duran Duran) but I enjoyed it.

What a stupid band name. This is the same stuff as like oingo boingo and all that other weird haired 80s androdgeonius groups.

Liked this a lot more than Soul Mining. More than a lot of albums that sound this heavily of the 80s. Probably won't ever listen to it again though.

This was kind of surprisingly good, it suffered from some terrible drum tones and basically cheesy eighties.Production, but actually felt like the songs were good.And the concept was fun not something I would listen to again but not something I would rate poorly

This was fun. It sticks within its lane and does it well. I like how emotive his voice is at times. Favorites were Heartland, Angels Of Deception, and The Mercy Beat.

Lowkey paranoid.

Surprisingly decent new wave 80s stuff, kinda similar to The Cure and bands of that ilk. Went in wanting to hate it, but it ended up better than expected. Didn't love every song, but I liked enough to garner a 3/5

It was digestible and shined some at times but ultimately it was very forgettable.

Very experimental. Doesn't always make for a great listen. Parts of it are jaw dropping. The rest is sleep inducing

It’s okay

I’m conflicted. I can’t decide if I liked this or not. I think I did but then again I’m not sure.

too much synth

3.5

Because I like “This Is the Day” so much I’ve always hoped and tried to get into The The. Unfortunate there’s just no there there for me.

Wasn’t super familiar with these guy, but this a solid 80’s pop/rock record. Nothing groundbreaking here but an enjoyable listen and welcome on the list. 7/10 Favorite tracks- “Infected” “Angels of Deception” “The Mercy Beat”

Wasn’t really familiar with any of their stuff, but ok

2.5

Some were okay but don’t remember any of it which tells me I’m neutral.

They have an interesting sound and I appreciate how experimental and different they are, but none of the songs stood out to me on this. I think there are bands/albums that really define the post-punk era a lot better. Not a bad listen overall, but nothing amazing on here in my opinion.

I have other be honest, I've had trouble articulating my opinion about the albums lately. Part of me just thinks, okay, YOU listen and tell me what you think! This one was a prime example... the first time through, I expected a bunch of songs like "This Is the Day" then was surprised to encounter a fun take on darkwave with horns. But the next time through it all felt a little silly. At the moment it feels like one of those albums in the history of synth pop that I'm glad happened, but I don't necessarily need to revisit regularly. But what do you folks think?

"Infected" is a dark, densely produced alternative rock album, in which The The offers a commentary on their social and political context. Apart from that, and dark lyrics, there is not much to write about, good or bad.

I enjoyed this. Feels pretty fitting for the decade - definitely 80’s vibes here. Good beats, nice variety. Favorite frack was Infected. (3)

A bit of a step down from Soul Mining, but still pretty fun. Some tracks take a while to really get going, and the songs overall lack the punch of their debut. However, there are plenty of enjoyable moments throughout the record, especially towards the second half. "Sweet Bird of Truth," in particular, has some striking lyrics, and the Neneh Cherry's guest vocals on "Slow Train to Dawn" were a nice touch. Not too bad, all things considered. Standout Tracks: Heartland, Sweet Bird of Truth, Slow Train to Dawn Score: C+

nice enough

The grammatic skill needed to write about the band The The should not be understated

Kul men en klar nedgradering från Soul Mining

Märkligt, men väldigt varierande och underhållande.

Rätt cool stil alltså! Men inte jättesvängigt.

Liked this more than I thought I would. Kind of enjoyed the weird contrasts going on, especially in the songs with the little synth pop drum tracks. May climb with more listens

Wild and wacky Really really decent. Track 1 and 2 are the highlight. Really enjoyable

Only knew The The for “This is the Day” and I liked. And I like this as well.

I'm a big fan of Matt Johnson. While I like the bleak, tense feeling of Infected (Heartland is a particularly great track), it's not my favourite TheThe album.

Misleading cover art oh my gosh. Super upbeat sounding 80's new wave music, complete with corny (but not unlikeable) synth horns and drum sampling. I recognized a few tracks having been raised on the SiriusXM station "1st Wave" growing up and riding around in my dad's car. The vitriol on this website is way too unnecessarily harsh- this record was alright!

6/10 – Decent

Much funkier than I expected. Very 80's funk-pop.

Inte deras bästa album. Ljudbilden är jobbig.

The The was mixed into my daily stream by my music provider. I liked the tracks quite a bit, so I remembered the name not only because of its memorable brevity. I was excited about the album. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. It's okay, but nothing more. Too bad. 3/5

It was just ok.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this album, but this wasn't it. There is a strong 80s sound in this album coming from the synthesizer/drum pad combination. The overall feel is like the indie rock of Ned's Atomic Dustbin or Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. Matt Johnson's vocals sound very much like Michael Hutchence in a smooth and easy to listen to. There is a mix of pop, rock and R&B influences throughout the album. Heartland sounds like a smooth R&B style song. With full on harmonica included too. Sweet Bird of the Truth has a revolutionary feel. With included sample of military aircraft radio communication. As a bit of a Neneh Cherry fan, it was cool to hear her on Slow Train to Dawn. (3.333)

7 / 10

I hate the off-putting cover art, but then I was pleasantly surprised by the Billy Idol-like sound of the opening track. I'm a sucker for horns.

Not really familiar with The The beyond “This Is the Day” and “An Uncertain Smile,” but I enjoyed this. Very ’80s post-punk, but also lively and melodic. Some catchy songs, strong vocals, excellent instrumentation, and the production sounds good too.

Interesting, but also not really that great. Those tend to me the most frustrating albums for me - when it feels like it’s close to being good, but just kind of drops the ball. It could be worse. Some tracks had a hint of a dark/spooky sound, which I like. Whatever it is that irks me about Roxy Music and The Divine Comedy - the pseudo-theatricality in the vocals, maybe - seems to be the issue here as well. 3

Okay, it has grown on me as I have listened to the entire record, but it's still quite grating. Imagine INXS, but with knives and teeth out.

# Album Name: Infected # Artist: The The # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Not bad. Feels like generic 80s tunes. One good song stood out # Top Tunes: Infected # Would I listen to it again? hmmmm, dont think so

Very nice.

I came to The The later so it was interesting to hear this much earlier work. There is a lot going on lyrically and sonically, both feel of the moment and ahead of their time (in good and at times unsuccessful ways). Somewhat related, I have had limited exposure to British music of the early-mid 80's, outside of the enduring pop standards, and as a time capsule, people were very pissed off!

Always get them mixed up with Talk Talk. A bit much sometimes. But fun and interesting.

3/5 - a fun punk/rock album but not blowing me away

Es ist ein ambitioniertes Album, das zwischen düsterem Pop, politischem Kommentar und experimentellem Sound pendelt. Matt Johnsons Stimme trägt die Songs mit Intensität, doch nicht jeder Track zündet. Die Produktion ist detailreich, aber manchmal überladen. Ein interessantes Zeitdokument der 80er – nicht makellos, aber mutig.

I listened to this multiple times and I still don't know how I feel about it. I think I like it? It's got a good groove throughout and is weird in an interesting, engaging way. There are some 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 80s sounds on this album, which I always have mixed feelings about, but I think it works in this case. My favourite tracks on the album were three in a row: Out of the Blue, Heartland, and Angels of Deception.

This was a weird one

Very 80s, Very new wave, but not terrible. Also really not my favorite. I was definitely not infected with the The The (that looks like a typo but it ISNT)

Гурт ніколи не чув до цього. Цікавий альбом. Тут такі 80ті, які мені скоріше до вподоби. Є якась грайливість в цій музиці, що мені імпонує. Дуже сподобалась Heartland, якщо було б такого більше, то це була б міцна 4. Натомість є деякі пісні, які мені здались не дуже вдалими. Серед таких варто виділити останню. Як закривашка мені зіпсувала враження від альбому.

Вже другий альбом The The слухаємо в цьому списку і загалом треба сказати, що для мене це доволі приємний досвід. Не можу сказати що їхня музика це щось захмарне чи нестандартне, але відчуття мелодії та груву мені подобається, а також оця енергетика притаманна пізнім 80м. 3.5

Infected is an album that i enjoyed quite a fair bit, quite a bit more than i expected to. 80s new wave can be pretty hit or miss as sometimes it can sound cool and can transcend being simple 80s music or it can be super cheesy and sound like a product of it's time. This album kinda falls into both and i enjoyed it for being both of them. The synths are super 80s sounding and i enjoy that but my favorite part of this album were the vocals. There is just something that i find so satisfying about Matt Johnson's voice with the way of it sounding deep but having it's own identity from other singers with deep voices. It can be a bit cheesy at points but its still a good listen. Best Song: Twilight of a Champion Worst Song: Heartland