Two Dancers

lots of unintelligible moaning and mumbling over repetitive, droning instrumentation/electronic beats. for the first few tracks, i could see through the banal slog at what could have been interesting--part kate bush/peter gabriel synth driven artpop. but as it wore on, it wore me down. fuck this album

That was really hard work. The voice hurts my ears, my brain, and my sense of decency. It's awful! Musically the album isn't horrible, but damn that voice is all over the place, off-key, out of tune, trying to be all unique, and just ending up as a big pile of nastiness. Someone should be locked up for making me listen to this!

What. The. Fuck.

This is a confusing pick for this experiment into must listen to albums

2.5 unoffensively forgettable

Two Dancers by Wild Beasts (2009) Here the listener is subjected to artless, conversational, non-metrical, and underdeveloped lyrics written by some guys who clearly haven’t heard enough hip hop, metal, punk, or classic rock (this list could go on and on). They want so badly to be bad. But they choose the wrong métier. They write and sing (and sound!) like kids. They’re not old enough to be reprobates. Their swagger is weenie. The misogyny is ambiguous. And now is not the time for ambiguous misogyny. With such a sad poetic foundation, their music is even sadder. It’s hard to imagine a greater distance between sonic ambience and discursive meaning. The groove is cool enough, until lead singer Hayden Thorpe opens his mouth and starts ‘singing’ airy and lacy falsetto anti-melodies. “We’re just brutes”, he sings (“Hooting and Howling”) in a lilting, faux feminine lilt. It’s almost funny. No, it is funny. No, it’s damn hilarious. And Tom Leming, who takes on lead vocals in four of the eleven tracks, tries this same trick, and the results even more (is it possible?) laughable. Where’s the gong? Chris Talbot’s drumming is good. Look, folks, this album would be worth listening to if you took away the lyrics, compositions, arrangements, lead vocals, backing vocals, and most of the music. I’m being generous. 1/5

Holy fuck that was terrible

Awful. Hated it.

God, that voice is lovely. I understand people not liking androgynous vocals sometimes, but this is like a mix of the lows and highs of famous androgynous artists all rolled into one voice, and it hooks you pretty quickly. That being said, I did check out the first run of this album, so I thought the album was repetitive and could use some more change-ups. However, I decided to re-listen to a good chunk of the tracks and... I love it even more! Sure, the production is very of its era, but you come to appreciate the little, danceable intricacies, and that voice just gets more stellar! Its a very relaxed album, but it still has that persistent drumming to drive you tapping your foot, bobbing your head, and having a good time. I just find this to be an incredibly solid release, and a re-listen only solidified it. Man, that voice, so pretty.

7/10. This sounded pretty nice overall, and it worked both as background music and when I paid more attention. Still, it wasn’t super engaging, sounded rather droning and I didn’t really care for the vocals

This dreampop by Topman mannequins is as vapid as it comes. If these dorks have something to communicate, they don't come anywhere near communicating it with their affected shrieks and chants. I'm 182 albums in. This is possibly the worst yet.

9/10. Quite good. Hooting and Howling and This is Our Lot stood out to me, but all of the songs had unique sounds to them that made listening to the album engaging throughout.

I like this.

Absolutely fantastic! I love the vocal performance on this a LOT, and this is my favorite type of indie pop. Great!

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: the fun powder plot, Hooting & howling, All the king’s men

Nice background music

I found this to be incredibly. Eautiful, calming, atmospheric

Really tweaky. Liked it.

Odd at first but it grows on you

Loved the music; voice was different, weird at first but got better and better as the album went on. Fantastic album

Music is transcendent, vocals sometime err on the side of comical. Still…

Similar to the XX but didnt bang as enough will probably listen again

Got excited to hear a new indie band especially on the domino label. Turned out to be disappointing with the vocalist sounding like a poor man’s Vitas.

i really wanted to like this. i'd never heard of them, and was psyched for something new and interesting coming from the comparatively-recent past. that feeling lasted approximately halfway into the first track. by the last third, i found myself wondering when the last time was that i'd been actively angry at an album. i thought i'd found some relief at one point, but when i looked up, i saw that, in fact, this album had ended, and spotify had moved on to its suggested plays. in short, i did not like this. which is a shame, because i generally love spacey, reverb-ridden guitars, and i genuinely loved the beginning of the first track...but then homeboy's singing started, and that was kind of the end of it for me.

Dig the music. Dislike the vocals. Yeah. I don't like this. Bad poetry sung in a way that annoys me.

8/10 super cool alternative album! nice vibe! really love it!

More like 3.5 stars for being good but after a while it turned into background noise

Not my type of genre, the music is good it just the vocal isn’t my thing but not a bad album

oh my god

Wow!

Pleasantly surprised to see this one made the list. I love me some Wild Beasts.

I liked this more than I thought I would, especially after hearing the guy’s voice. The instrumental parts were better.

I liked it, cool indie album. Nice sound. Not really sure what my favorite song is but I think I'll revisit. 6/8.

This was unexpected. Liked the mellow vibe but it also has a weird intensity that made it not boring.

Two Dancers, Wild Beasts, 2009 -I'm ready for this atmospheric, plucky jam to crack this album open. Sounds very art-pop/experimental. Nothing wrong with a little playful off-key falsetto to keep you awake as the instrumentation competes to draw you into a trance. "This is a booty call", sure, how fun! -Hooting and Howling builds up and out beyond the first song, both instrumentation and vocals get a bit more serious and the overall composition of the song is soaked in emotion despite the repetitious and frivolous lyrics like the previous song. You really do get a sense of rolling toward the meat and cheese of the album in this song. -Love how playful the vocals continue to be in the third song, All the King's Men. I'll say frivolous again to describe the falsetto bits, which feel like a delightful frill against the grain of the somber and deep vocalist. This kind of juxtaposition is nothing new, but satisfying all the same. Who doesn't love a little contrast between two halves of a whole? -By song 4 I'm understanding that this is kind of their whole "thing", at least for this song. I think of 2009, and remember being smitten with MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Washed Out, Faust, Passion Pit, Blur, the Kooks, Of Montreal... and on, and on... admittedly this album was not a particularly original take when it was released - but I'll bet their songs were all over 8Tracks playlists. -We Still Got the Taste Dancing is so dreamy and easy to listen to. Nothing amazing but no complaints. If this album were a sandwich, we'd be at the cheese and it would be melty. -Two Dancers (i) and (ii) continue this vibe but more dark-mode in lyric and tone, which frankly, at this point, is necessary to hold my waning attention. -This is Our Lot is a nice come-down as the album wraps up - the vocals remain the main source of emotion in this tune as they did with prior songs, which is to say the instrumentation leaves something to be desired. I did get a kick out of the way the singer occasionally sounds like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. -Underbelly lifts us up and wakes us up and transitions smoothly into Empty Nest which cleanly wraps up the album. The instrumentation is consistent with the rest of the album and the vocals shift between melancholy and optimism, and not much else is going on. Nice little album. They secured 3 stars in my books early on for making great little tunes, but I struggle with giving them a 4th. I'll do it, but begrudgingly because I was not blown away.

Something more recent now, eh?

bit of a weird one - im stuck between giving them a 3 star and a 2 star depending on which song i listen to

Once you get past the god awful lyrics, it's a pretty decent album.

J'ai écouté très attentivement cet album, mais je suis au regret de vous annocner que la liste de Robert ne me fait actuellement plus bander. Les albums insignifiants s'enchaînent à une vitesse éclaire, et l'on commence à douter des réelles motivations de notre gourou suprême à tous.

Indie fluff, not sure why its on the list. Sounds like a worse version of the xx, which is fitting since they were nominated for the mercury prize but lost to the xx

the grooves are good but the singer's weird falsetto singing was grating. meh

This was great!

Surprised to find what I considered fairly obscure on this list. It’s a wonderful album that I have a huge amount of love for.

The Wild Beasts were, together with These New Puritans, one of the most interesting bands in the UK from the last 15 years. Bought every album when it was released (except for their last one). It is not immediately clear to me which one to choose for a 1001 list, but Two Dancers is an appropriate choice given its impact in 2009-10. One could argue that due to the vocals of one of the two singers and synths they sound a little bit too much like The Associates and that band is of a completely different level, but still.. the songs and production.. it is all great. Art rock how art rock should sound: 9/10.

I had to listen to this album a few times to get a good feel for it, but it was certainly worth it! Distinctly quirky but also pulsating and driving, a fantastic find!

I loved this. I've heard many vocalists attempt to pull off the vocal ranges and operatic falsettos performed on this album, but something about how Wild Beasts put it together totally works for me. Kind of reminds me a bit of Agent Fresco at times. Super into it, totally adding this to the list of "must return to" albums!

Why did I miss this album, even whole band? Beautiful voice and dreamy atmosphere. Played this one 10 times in a row! Music gives me same shivers like Billy Mackenzie/the Associates and (Anohni ) Anthony & Johnsons.

Uniquely bonkers! Wildly inventive musically and lyrically! YES! YES! YES!

fire

wow!

I liked the 2 mins I listened to in a car on the way to walmart

At first the vocals shocked me and then I loved them. The two singers(?) different takes on songs on how they went about the their styles was great. Fantastic instrumentals with some just fantastic drumming on certain songs. I fancied every song on here as they kept to their own style but varied the music enough that each new song was unique. 10/10

"Fun Powder". LOL.

Sometimes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Wild Beasts and their sophomore album Two Dancers are one of those examples when the expression is true. From beginning to end, this album is a sonic delight, making brilliant use of whatever there is left to innovate and hone to excellence. It is a shame that they've called it a day but at least they gave us this and many more records that came out of this jumping off point. There is plenty to savor here.

Another life-affirming gem from the 00's indie scene. Got a mixed reaction with the vocals but the ethereal instrumentals and the overall dreamy vibe made it a totally fun experience.

Mezcla de The National con Anna Calvi.

* One song down and I... like it??? Wasn't expecting the voice to be what it was. The "this is a booty call..." bit provided me with some genuine amusement. Really didn't see that one coming. * Enjoyed Hooting and Howling but it would've been served better without half the track just repeating the title. The verses were fun. Feel like Wild Beasts are gonna be similar in musical style/nontraditional storytelling to the likes of Sabaton. * Two Dancers (ii) is a good track barring the unnecessary "deserters" section, which just makes me want to place it down the rankings somewhat. * Underbelly is a song that feels like it'd fit right into the film The Devil's Carnival. * Upon further reflection, the "deserters" part in Two Dancers (ii) doesn't irk me as much now. -- Album Rankings -- 1. All the King's Men 2. The Fun Powder Plot 3. This Is Our Lot 4. Two Dancers (i) 5. We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues 6. Empty Nest 7. Hooting and Howling 8. Two Dancers (ii) 9. Underbelly 10. When I'm Sleepy... 11. Through the Iron Gate

Didn't expect good album, but, I'm surprised as it sounds so good! Falsetto and music is so good.

People seem to have really taken against the singer's falsetto here, but I have no problem with it at all. I enjoyed this a fair bit, a pretty solid 4.

-this album has nice production -the cover gives me vibes of a Duran Duran album cover (speaking of covers, the covers for the singles have the lyrics on the cover, just like Nine Inch Nails / Trent Reznor did with his classic hit, "Head Like A Hole") -this album was really enjoyable -it has songs that somehow can make me dance -this is underrated -it can get arty at times -favorite songs: The Fun Powder Plot, Hooting & Howling, We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ on Our Tongues (<3), Two Dancers i, This Is Our Lot -least favorite song: Underbelly

Not a fan of the high pitch voice

Instrumentals were very good, but I had no interest in the vocals whatsoever. Though the Spotify-produced radio station that was suggested after this album was very good.

Not bad, but really nothing interesting.

I got bored and his vocal performance was not my favorite. 5

Indie-pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Never heard of Wild Beasts before now. Sounds like a mixture of Talking Heads & Moby. Good mellow mood music.

Hm, strange one. I liked the instrumentation as pretty good ambient background music. The vocals were quite a mixed bag. Really hated the track with the high-pitched vocals. Can't say with that was, they blended together too much for me.

Had me in the first one, lost me in the last 9. Didn’t hate it, just hoped to have enjoyed it more.

Odd vocals, good tunes, relaxing, good for work

When the falsetto began I stopped the track immediately. What was that? But I later dutifully listened to the album and it really started to grow on me. A fascinating, quirky, stylistically different alt offering, trying to provoke the listener into a reaction. Both in your face and listen in the background. Lyrics were often awful! One to ponder.

Pour ceux qui n'ont pas bien saisi ce que faisait cet album indie dans la liste des 1001, il y a une explication toute simple. Entre 2005 et 2015, Robert a littéralement passé son temps à écouter de l'indie music pour accompagner son sentiment d'indépendance post-Erasmus. Doutez-vous bien que cette surconsommation a laissé des traces et qu'en 2015, plus personne n'hésitait à le désigner par le terme de "connard".

This one doesn't deserve the hate it gets but it also doesn't deserve a spot on the list. The music is pretty solid to be honest but the vocals are so comical that it's just a distraction. If you're going to go falsetto, you need to either do it really well or commit to being a bit silly. This album achieves neither, which is a shame because the compositions would have been great without that.

Overall s good album undone by some hard to take vocal choices.

I didn't like the lead singer's voice and didn't care much for the songwriting

damn. another boring ass album.

Didn't like vocals and bit samey. More like indie cock

Never heard of this before. Not sure if it’s a valid “album you must hear before you die”, but it was fine

Odd vocals. Good voice, but doesn’t fit the music.

It definitely picked up for me on the back half, but this just isn’t for me. This is one of those albums where I respect it more than I like it. Cool atmospherics in here, and some genuinely enjoyable songs, but it hovers too much in the same low key tempo. And that falsetto singing voice is the definition of an acquired taste

Music is OK. Vocals are dreadful. Very sure way to alienate your audience is by singing in a goofy falsetto.

Didn't really understand this album at all. Mostly inoffensive but bad, although there were a lot of parts that were miserable to listen to. Giving this 2 stars but it's really close to 1.

I believe that it's the kind of music from the 2000s that was made to win prizes and not to be enjoyable. "Indie rock" used in its worst connotation.

This is not modest mouse. Vocals are awful, too high and too low pitched.

The music beneath the vocals sounds amazing. Really cool drum stuff. But the extreme vibrato is not helping anything; it's extremely distracting. All the King's Men sounds like the band "Battles." Kinda makes me want to listen to them instead, since they don't have any singers as such.

I was excited to see that I'd be listening to an indie rock/art pop album, but as soon as I heard that voice, my joy quickly turned to disappointment. This guy's voice can be good when he wants, but everything falls apart when he starts singing in falsetto. It really sucks. I like the instrumentation here, but the vocals ruin it. The lyrics on this, as well, are straight-ass. I know kids that aren't even in high school that can write better shit than this. "My boot, my boot, my boot, my boot up your asshole" is how I feel about this album. Best - All The King's Men and Two Dancers (i) Worse - The Fun Powder Plot, Hooting and Howling, and much more that I don't care to list. 2.25-2.50/5

Bland, easily forgettable. In fact, I already forgot

UK indie shit, not good

it sounds like arcade fire but frontman is taking a tricky shit

This era of bland ass big stage indie was 100% the reason I got back into punk and hardcore after a few years of doing cocaine and listening to Ed Banger Records. To quote the immortal Jay Sherman: "It Stinks!"

awful fluffy

I love this a lot. Definitely going to listen to more from them.

I love this. Fantastic melodies and vibes. Right at home on an indie soundtrack.

omg love love love

They came up with a fun concept and implemented it well. Some alternative albums give me the impression that the artist is taking things music a bit too seriously. I don't have this problem with this record (this is, of course, very subjective). Also, love the chill new wave vibes.

Complex with a good bop. What I hear when I'm still dancing at 3am

Really cool Ethereal and dreamy sounds to me. I'd put this on in a heartbeat.

Surprised at how much I liked this one. Will definitely have to check out the rest of their stuff. Rating: 4.6

Why tf this slap so hard??? Like damn! I'm sorry Wild Beasts, I thought this was gonna be garbage.

9.5/10

Was not expecting this. Impressive vocals and creative use of the instrumentation. The use of two excellent lead vocalists makes it hard to guess where Wild Beasts are heading next. I was blown away for the entire ride and need to dive into their other albums in the near future.