Reviews (page 6 of 7)
At times, Wild Beasts feels like the Temu version of Tame Impala. This feels like "We need to put a modern album in this book." This album felt pretty inconsequential to me, other than the fact it won a prize (Mercury Prize). Not bad, not good.
Not really
I liked the music but didn’t like the lyrics or singing
Okayyy. I was ½way through the first track before I realised they might not be a Japanese band! Not that there is anything wrong with that. As the album continued it became obvious that they weren't and yeah it was sort of ok. Nothing amazing, but nothing bad either. It's a high 2, but definitely not a 3.
I wasn’t too sure about his falsetto vocal but got used to it. The album was pleasant enough as background noise but it just rumbled along without anything exciting happening. Therefore a mid 2 star.
Sounds like the artsy, 00s indie side project of a coked up Rick Astley. I'm glad he found his calling as the likeable alternative to Morrissey instead
not rly my thing but he has an interesting voice!
An interesting mix of genius and absolute crap. Personally I found this too pretentious to gel with.
# Album Name: Wild Beasts # Artist: Two Dancers # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Underwhelming. Not very good. Bang Average. Not a single song that. clicked. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? Nah
It was fine.
"Girls from Shipley" me for 1 hour a month when I get a 12-min train to get my nails done. 2/5 - I don't resonate with this and was waiting for it to finish. That being said, there are some songs that were nice e.g. Two Dancers (i) Some of the vocals are a little jarring.
The voice alone took it down from a 3 to a 2. Every time I caught myself enjoying it, the voice alone reminded me why this album sucks.
Probably wouldn’t listen again, but not BAD; it was great for zoning out in the car for a while; a solid 2.5 i think? Faves: hooting and howling, we’ve still got the taste…
Getting whiplash from this album. At times brilliantly forward thinking, at others the most boring sludge that would pollute indie music for decades to come with so many dime a dozen bands that clearly ripped this sound off. final track is a banger. First 3 or 4 are pretty unique and good. Rest is a snooze
Det er mye å like ved produksjon og det instrumentelle. For meg ødelegger vokalen som til tider er tam og andre ganger direkte dårlig. Helt grei bakgrunnsmusikk.
De hipstergreiene her kan du beholde for deg sjæl.
Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: ♊💋⬜ Production: 😐🙂👌 Music: 🎤🫗😦 Rating: 💋(💋)/5
O começo era promissor, depois tive que parar no meio do caminho porque estava difícil.
Another depressing Indie Rock / Art Rock / Dream Pop album, made worse by the annoying grating vocals, especially on "All the King's Men" - a shame because the music isn't bad.
This just completely washed over me - not unpleasant but nothing stood out.
never heard of them, two lead singes, male/female preferred the male's EMO songs. added empty nest to playlist - ok, empty nest song starred
Oh my god, who the hell cares? Here we have yet another insanely forgettable British indie rock album that has no business being on a list called "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die." Look. I know that, objectively speaking, Two Dancers isn't a bad album. I just couldn't care any less about it. I am going to forget about this album by the end of this next week. The writing isn't bad, but it doesn't speak to me either. The singing is kind of annoying sometimes. The instrumental style is alright. "All the King's Men" is decent. The other songs merely exist. That's really all this album does to me. It exists. I'm sure some people like, but not enough for this album to have the impact necessary for a list like this. High 2/5.
OK.
Meh
I really didn't like the singer's voice. The constant falsetto was grating to my ears. He was much better when he sang lower. The music itself was ok at best. 2/5
Not a bad album but I didn’t like his high vocals. Swopped and changed too much just when I was getting into it.
Forgettable album for me.
My thoughts as I listened to this were, “I don’t like this,” and “I don’t care,” mixed in with a little, “what are they on about with this song?” Not sure this needs to be on this list. Did enjoy a bit of the weirdness, though.
It’s not weird but it’s definitely not captivating or that interesting.
The Good: I actually like the album cover, very nice! The Bad: Wishing the music on the album would reflect the cover… The Ugly: Vocals… Fucking Vocals… I need to be fair, I’ve given bands like The Associates great reviews, but that’s because I got the impression that the vocal abuse there made sense. Here, most of the time, I am just trying to figure it out. Hooting and Howling, is basically that phrase repeated over and over again… and this drilling into one’s unconscious, can either bring you into a trance, or make you wish you were sitting in a dentist chair instead. Yet, there is something here, and it’s difficult to point out exactly what it is. I guess I am a masochist? Allow me to reserve judgment till the album is done... Judgement is left at 2 1/2*
Just Ok. Music was good, but didn't care for singer's style.
Pretty indistinguishable 2000s indie with slightly annoying vocals
Not as good as the Beatles
Not listened to Wild Beasts before. Another mixed bag. A bit like Foals in places a bit meh in places. Not particularly bad - but doubt will come back to it...
5/10
Some 2000's jangly, synthy, hipster, indie pop with a lead singer who aspired to sing opera but couldn't hack it. I find myself enjoying the music and then wincing when the guy starts singing. I get their draw but it's not for me. 2.5 rounding down
Ensin ilahduin laulajan suht persoonallisesta tyylistä, mutta ei se lopulta ollutkaan niin kummoinen. Fiilistelyä, pari ihan hienoa nostatusta. Ei jää kuunteluun, sen verran oli tylsä.
Flirttailee voimakkaasti ykkösyyden kanssa: mieti vaikka oo oo o-o oo -huudahduksia ja muita käsittämättömyyksiä sekä ihan vain levyn koukutonta perussointia. We Still Got the Taste on kuitenkin niin hyvä, että se innoittaa antamaan uuden mahdollisuuden muillekin biiseille.
An incredibly distinctive and strange style, with the focal point being the operatic vocals. In my opinion, the wavery falsetto gets a little annoying after a few tracks, and songs which give the ears a temporary rest end up being highlights as a result. All The King's Men switches between falsetto and a more pleasant tenor. (Two Dancers (i) and (ii) do the same thing, but the backing instrumental is worse. Darn.) The drums are generally poor throughout the album. They're mostly electronic drums, or are acoustic but do an excellent job at imitating electronic drums. Either way, their sound isn't promising. My favourite instrument showcased here is probably the piano, most noticeable in We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues / Wild Beasts. The echoey repeated guitar strums (in most tracks) are also worth a mention, if only because they're a key part of the spacey, post-psychedelic atmosphere. They're fine, but nothing special. The production is also worth a mention. It's bad. Gives me '00s flashbacks, and I wasn't even self-aware during that decade. 2/5 Key tracks: All The King's Men, We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues / Wild Beasts
Interesting melding of voices, but it's a little too pretty and melodious for me
qué
This is a booty call. One where you shouldn't answer the phone.
This album left no impression on me, which is in some ways worse than a bad impression.
This just sounds like a watered down foals album, lead singer voice doesn't go with the rest of the sound of the band. Very inoffensive album but it's also makes it wishy washy. Firdt time hearing wild beasts and I won't be rushing back. Mid 2.
Very late noughties indie this isn't it. That weird time back when Bat for Lashes, Foals and British Sea Power were seen to be the savour of UK guitar music. It's fine but I find the singer's voice quite grating after a while. At times he reminds me a bit of Guy Garvey mixed with Thom Yorke but not in a good way. The lyrics are all about sex apparently but I blocked most of it out. Not because I'm a massive prude. He's just well annoying. Really liked the musicality on show here. I just find this style and pace of British indie music a bit lacking and dull but that's personal taste. It's not a bad album and I can why people like it. It's just not for me. It's well made though. Highights: All the King's Men Two Dancers (ii) Empty Nest Through the Iron Gate Lowlights: The warbly singing.
Its the same song just being repeated....isnt it ?
Bruck
First track started well enough and then the high pitch “sensual” vocals came in and ruined it. This was the theme for most of the tracks. It got annoying quickly and I struggled to keep listening to it. A couple of the later tracks with lower pitched vocals were a tad better but by then I’d had enough and was just waiting for it to end.
Landfill Indie i believe is the term!
Never heard this before, liked the first track but from then on it just got a bit same-y and not so memorable
I liked the melodies, the vocals less so. It all started off well, then drifted into nagging annoyance.
Pari hyvää biisiä ja muuten aika turksaa.
Vähän meni jouto-osastolle
Imagine if you were talking to someone and they said this was their favorite album.
All The King's Men is great but otherwise it's like an opera gone wrong
The intro to the first song got me excited and I thought I'd come across something I was really going to be into, but then that feeling quickly fizzled. It's very theatrical. Don't love the voice. All told, not the worst, but not for me. 2.5
Cool sounds musically but I just could not get past the overdramatic/ overdone singing. I'd still be interested to hear a different album though.
I’m glad that Tiny Tim was able to get his indie band project started. If only he could find an audience for it because it sure as hell ain’t me. To be honest, I almost feel like I could have enjoyed this album. The ambiance isn’t bad. Actually the atmosphere is pretty good. But then the Tiny Tim vocals come in and threaten to tip-toe through those fucking tulips. If not for that, the album is mostly boring. It just comes off as repetitive and I lost interest near the end. Such a shame. Favorite track: All the King’s Men Other hits: We Still Got the Taste Dancing On Our Tongues, Two Dancers
This album has a pretty wide range for me. There were a few groovy songs that I definitely vibed with. There were other songs that were forgettable and I don't need to hear again. Overall I think Wild Beasts brings something different and unique to the table. There's a good variety of indy electro pop sounds in it that I appreciated as a change of pace from some of the more traditional entries on the list. Glad I gave it a listen but probably nothing I need to follow up on. I tended to like the music more than the vocals though the falsetto voicework is certainly an interesting choice. 2.22 stars
Not for me
Just not my thing. A bit too Tiny Tim with the vocals with a dash of pretentious U2-like sound. The production was great though. I just didn't enjoy the music very much.
Seemed good not for me though
Did nothing for me, the sort of stuff you’d hear in an inner city cafe. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could record this and feel proud of their work
Not horrible but not interesting in the slightest. Frequently found myself zoning it out
Yeah nah I am not enjoying this
Idk man it was pretty lame
2.5☆/5 11.10.2024
man, this shit sucks
I can’t really grade it because it was not interesting at all. Like a dish without salt.
#389. Am I going to get in trouble for listening to this without a man bun and a warm IPA? 2/5: dumb
interesting. not my jam but thats probably jsut cause i missed the bus.
This album has potential, the music is catchy and sounds good...The vocals though. My god the vocals. So much weird falsetto yelling and British garbage. Could've been a good album otherwise. 3.25/10 (1.625/5)
I could not get past the voice. All the King’s Men did it for me. When he came in all “ahhhhh ahhhhh”, I was done. WTF
Ihan passelia musiikkia, paria kappaletta voisi kuunnella uudelleenkin.
Just more of the same old question- why is this on the list??
Bad Kate Bush vocal hysterics for this indie/dream pop band that were big for about 2 minutes in the late 2000s. It’s trying too hard to be arty that it ends up sound like a generic indie landfill victim that was destined to be found in bargain bins and 3 for 6.99 sales. Best Tracks: The Funpowder Plot; Hooting & Howling; All the King’s Men
There is something in my head telling me I’d heard of Wild Beasts before today. However, I didn’t recognise any songs on this album so perhaps I’m wrong. The singer’s voice reminded me of the guy from Elbow, but the rest of the music didn’t really hook me in as much. I found this album to be fine for the most part, but I definitely found myself growing bored as it went on, leaving me with little interest to hear more. I feel like this album will end up being a very forgettable one for me, where I’m a couple of months I’ll have no memory of any of the songs even if hearing them again.
ok
I had never heard of this band or this album. I hope I never hear them or it again. Music like this makes me consider having my ears surgically removed. However, they deserve 2 stars for trying. Not sure how this made it onto this list.
okay
The sounds are ok. The voice is sometimes bad. The atmosphere basically good. Missed the 3. 2,4
Really forgettable listen. Nothing blatantly offensive but not much to make me turn back.
started out good but could not keep the level
Ok but it’s pretty wild that most of the newer albums on here are British. Can we get a cross section on that? How many albums post like 2003 or something. It’s crazy. We did also get maybe 3 kings of Leon though. After listening, I stand by my first-thing-in-the-morning reaction. This didn't need to be on here.
I don't hate this style of indie music, but Two Dancers doesn't give me anything interesting to work with. Add in that one of the vocalist's voice is kind of annoying and the whole album feels like a slog to get through. It's a short 37 minutes, but I found myself checking to see how much was left multiple times through out my listening. There are plenty of other indie pop records from this era I would have rather listened to.
Some ok-ish moments, but I have no clue why this is on the list.
This one's mostly forgettable, and I had to listen a few times just to get the whole thing in my brain. The second half drags a lot. I feel like The Fun Powder Plot and All The King's Men are my favorites, but even those are pretty forgettable too.
Did not like the first half of this album at all. I found the vocals obnoxious and the instrumentals forgettable. The second half starting at Two Dancers was a notable improvement, but not enough for me to want to return to this album. The best songs were Two Dancers (i) and This Is Our Lot.
didn’t enjoy
This is a rather confusing work. It’s fairly good musically, but the singing is pretty erratic, veering from a deep Bowie drawl to an unpleasant screeching falsetto within seconds. I was ready for it to be over before the end.
Two Dancers by Wild Beasts is a sophomore album that showcases the band's unique blend of indie rock and art-pop. While the album's intricate arrangements and poetic lyrics are undeniably impressive, it can also feel somewhat inaccessible to casual listeners. Tracks like "All the King's Men" and "Fun Powder Plot" are undoubtedly highlights, but the album's overall tone can be quite challenging. For those who appreciate experimental music and complex song structures, Two Dancers is a rewarding listen. However, for those seeking a more straightforward and accessible rock experience, it may not be the best fit.
Eye roll. So dumb. I think this is the first one I paid as little attention to as possible. Not as bad as some other stuff but I can’t give it a three. It would be insulting to the other threes I gave.
Two dancers, half an arse
Ummm, I don't know. Certainly well executed, but but really attractive to me.
could i write poetry to this? n
A more boring animal collective. But it wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.
Weird. 2.5
Nothing outstanding about this. Became background music and I stopped paying attention. Vocals were a bit off IMO. Not a fan.
Alternative, modern, chill
Tiny Tim meets Kate Bush and they go on tour as lounge singers. I'm sure this touches somebody's soul somewhere. Somewhere far away from this planet and out of touch with the sensibilities of the vast majority of humans. Hell, probably the vast majority of living creatures.
Det börjar inte bra. Men sen blir det lite bättre med Two Dancers och This is our Lot. Jag stod ut. Kanske borde lyssna igen för att gilla det mer men det finns ju sånt man genast fastnar för och vill lyssna mer på. 2a eller 3a? Blir en 2a
Stupid lyrics and annoying vocals over background music
A bit everywhere in terms of sound but couldn't get into this 2.5*
Not too bad as a background listen, but when you actually focus on what is happening throughout the album, it feels very weird and not too satisfying listening to it. There are some good rhythms but overall a bit meh. It can definitely be worse though, so not too bad.
Not good
Listened Before? N This one isn't for me. The author of this list seems to be deep down the hole of early-2000s British indie rock. I did not need to hear this before I die anymore than any other album of the same genre and time period. Added to Library: N Songs added to playlist: All The King's Men
Beautiful trash
When this started I expected to like it, but then the singing started. It’s not that he has a terrible voice, but it clashes with the sound of the band. The band sounds a bit like The National otherwise, who should probably be on this list instead of this album.
Ok. 2.5
Loved the music but as many others think the vocals were yerrible
If Jonsi (Sigur Ros) sat in for vocalist Dave Bayley on a Glass Animals album, it would sound like this: better than Sigur Ros, but ruined by that damned falsetto. I struggle to understand what's so exceptional about this album besides its utter banality.
Eigentlich gute Sounds, aber diese Stimme. Anstrengend.
Musically quite nice, the voice is terrible
slightly annoying voice and pretty boring
There are moments where I can hear the potential but it falls apart into a mess of indie rock, electronic, androgynous wailing, and ridiculous limits. The missed potential is almost as annoying as the vocals. 21/06/24
Wasn't crazy about the vocals but a musically sound album.
embole
Obscure. How do you even know this exists Most irritating affected lead vocals
Boring
Now this is a weird one to rate. On the one hand, there were some great moments of really brilliant songwriting but I still hated the execution of it. I also found myself being quite annoyed by a lot of the lyrics. What is this and why is it here? Why couldn't they have put some of the great moments to better use? I don't know, man... Not for me.
This is really didn't stand out for me.
The singer’s high register is unpleasant to listen to and the melodies are formless. No thank you.
Starts out promising with some good songs sprinkled throughout. I like some of the ideas and layering of different textures but it lacks some bite and the vocals don't really land with me. A serious mixed bag.
not quite my thing. in a lot of respects, this reminds me of arcade fire's music, but seems a little less accessible. the instrumentals here are fine and i liked them, but i had a hard time getting past the vocals. they sort of sound like a cartoon vampire. idk, i know it's supposed to be ~artsy~ but it sort of falls flat to me.
Album 421 of 1001 Wild Beasts -Two Dancers Rating : 2 / 5 A tad bit too electronic for my taste. Easily forgettable. A couple of tracks caught my ear but I couldn't tell you about them now.
not a huge fan of the vocals. it’s bearable for a track or two, but wears out its welcome when you hear it on an entire album. good instrumentation tho
2.5/5
I don't remember anything about this album; I listened to it 12 hours ago.
That fucking falsetto makes an already tedious album even less enjoyable to listen to.
2.8
Not really thinking much of this. I find a lot of the tracks to be quite forgettable and in the absence of anything catchy I feel like the tunes aren't that delicate or interesting either. I like the vocalist with the deeper voice more than the falsetto too - feel like he has much more going on. Best Song: All the King's Men Worst Song: Hooting & Howling
Best Song: We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues Worst Song: Underbelly
The vocals on the first few tracks…whoever’s voice that was needed to stop. Absolutely obnoxious. Whoever’s voice that was on most of the remaining tracks was awesome. This band seemed to be one of those bands that wanted to be too clever, just so we could all see how clever they were. Some of the grooves here are great, but they falter because they tried to get too cute musically, or else the lyrics were too cute. I can see why this is on here, I guess. The author’s bias toward English bands keeps rearing its head and it’s starting to piss me off a little. Here again was some niche English band that most out of England probably haven’t heard of and it makes a list of what is, in reality, the 1,001 best albums of all time? I mean ok I guess but who was this guy’s editor? Anyway this was fine and it gets 2 stars. Half the album was good. The other half was fine. Standout tracks: All the King’s Men, Two Dancers (ii), This is Our Lot, Empty Nest
it has potential but just doesn't land
Two Dancers doesn't do much for me, more of that dream pop indie style that is too whimsical and repetitive to generate much interest, especially the vocals, they're not good imo. If I'm holding up CHVRCHES as an example of an act that does this sort of stuff and that did actually impress me, this doesn't come close, although We Still Got The Taste... was alright. 2.
Not for me, this. You could make a lot of unkind comparisons with similar styles of album that we've had repeatedly on this list, but I'll settle for giving it a 2/5 and moving on.
2.5 maybe? Nothing spectacular here. Forgettable.
Kinda vibey but not amazing
Interesante, pero no es de mi gusto
The falsetto really does stick out like a sore thumb here, coupled with the insufferable lyrics. The instrumentation is decent enough and some of the music is pleasant if you remove the vocals.
Nope
There are some great grooves and moments that are unfortunately interrupted by the godawful vocals
There were a lot of times during this I thought "What the fuck did he just say"
Sounds like filler for a list that shouldn't have filler. Just was a meh listen
I didn’t care for this at all
What are we even doing here? I didn't mind this, some of it was rather pleasant. I'm just trying to suss out why or how it landed on this list. Again, it's fine. But it's the sort of album my wife would give me a confused look about while hearing it, and I'm not even married.
Broody indie rock, felt like it dragged on for a while
Not as pleasant as it wants to be. Lead singer's voice grates.
Generic indie rock that band that is lucky enough to have a unique singer.
Very 2009 indie: in the high end you get shimmering glossy textures from the guitars and synths, in the low end there's a head-bobbing groove but too slow to really get you moving, this leaves middle open for a spacey ethereal feel. The bass keys guitar and vocals swap interlocking melodies in a round in this room. The sense of drama in this spacey pretty vibe comes from the vocals' operatic delivery. Perfectly fine in design and execution but hardly an essential must-hear album.
Didn't mind the music, hated the vocal styling. Felt like a weak facsimile of other better singers
Nowhere near as bad as some if these reviewers would have you believe. The music is generally pretty good, vocals are hit and miss but that's just personal preference. I'm glad I listened but probably wouldn't again.
Nothing really stuck out to me
Not really something I'm looking for. Kinda interesting but that's about it. Will I listen to again: 5%
No
Couldn't finish it. Too repetitive, over-the-top, show-tunesy, musaque-sounding. Kind of an '80s throwback feel, but then I'd rather just listen to classic '80s pop. 2 stars just because it's well produced and mostly inoffensive.
The music just drags on. Along with the lyrics
I should give it another chance, but I was kind of bored. Clearly from the era when indie rock exploded.
Occasionally interesting indie/art pop rock, but this one mostly misses for me. Vocals seem to be a decent quality but I just don’t particularly enjoy the dramatic sounding style. General music has some entertainment value (some cool guitar sounds), but not enough to make me particularly enjoy this album or want to return to it. Not particularly bad or annoying, just not really my thing.
Stupid, banal, totally unexceptional in every way. Sounds like a shitty Roxy Music, and Roxy Music is already shitty enough on its own. It also reminded me of all those recent bad Arctic Monkeys albums where they are trying to be space lounge singers. Just a waste of an album pick.
Too arty for me
Annoying
this kinda sounds like a band took a bunch of discarded songs by The Police and tries to make an album out of it. Indie music is already such a mixed bag I wasnt expecting much, Two Dancers being in two parts made me laugh at least, but this seems like a band some pretentious music dickhead would shame you for not knowing or bail on them after they gained more than a dozen fans.
This album was the pits but it reminded me of Foxy Shazam so I listened to them instead and I gotta say, Foxy Shazam is a pretty good band!
This had a lot of potential - the instrumental aspect of this music is pretty awesome actually. The singing/lyrics really let the rest of it down - to the point where I didn't really enjoy this as a result.
The start seems to be interesting. The music is dominated by vocals, but I don‘t like the voices. In the end everything sounds similar. This is not mine.
I mean it's OK
It's fine, but I'm not sure why it's on this list
Fínt .. ekkert sem stekkur á mig
Generic indie rock
Gave it a shot. While I can endure falsetto generally, in this instance it became intolerable and reminded me of Mrs Miller. After the first two songs, I skipped around a bit, but didn't settle on anything that pulled me back in.
At first, the female vocalist sounded like a cross between Kate Bush and Toyah. At first. By the third song, she was just annoying. Her vocal... limitations in "All The King's Men." Yikes. The music in itself wasn't too bad. But the singing was just not good. Really took me out of it. Trying to reach notes that they shouldn't try to reach. Probably the first and last song on the album were decent, but the rest was not. Mainly because of the vocals. Next.
Never heard of this group before and it’s kind of like a less-exciting version of Alt-J. No particular song interested me and the whole album was slow and slightly dull. I don’t know if this is bad enough for 2 stars or good enough for 3. Let’s give it 2 stars.
After the first 2 songs I really wanted to turn this off, vocals as mentioned are pretty bad. Somehow it got better, mildly but I made it through. However there is nothing interesting about this at all, another choice I'm puzzled by. It's a 1.5.
Never heard of this band/album before. A pretty middle of the road and forgettable 2000s indie rock record. Fades in to the background and I'll likely never listen to this again.
The German album I just finished listening to was more intelligible than this one. Reminded me of the XX but with a fraction of the talent. The instrumentals weren't bad but the vocalist totally ruins it all. Couldn't wait for it to be over, to be honest. 3/10.
BL: I know the track “hooting and howling” but no other tracks off of this record. Will be interested to see what this is like AL: I didn’t really like this record. I still find “hooting and howling” to be an incredibly insufferable track. I find the vocalists annoying, which is a shame when the instrumentals are often very good and inflict a similar simplistic depth that the first “The XX” record did. The instrumental breaks pick up the slack for what otherwise is a band with two horrendous lead singers. I didn’t mind the opening track though. FT: “The Fun Powder Plot”, “Two Dancers Pt.2”, “Underbelly” 2/5
So I think it's safe to say this group is greatly influenced by Bowie. It was a good listen but I don't think I'll come back to it. When I'm in the mood for something like this I'll just listen to Bowie.
I liked a few of the songs in the middle of the album, but I disliked this one on the whole. Not a fan of the vocals, and the music was largely repetitive. Presumably this works for some people since it's on the list, but I am not one of those people. 1.5.
This album didn't really do much for me. It felt like if Jeff Buckley was the lead singer of Coldplay, but not nearly as engaging as I'd want it to be.
Lite sådär - för flummigt till och med för mig.
Didn’t like it
Pretentious.
Ei huono muttei myöskään överihyvä. Se mitä jäin kaipaamaan oli ehkä se että tää olis kallistunut selkeesti enemmän popiksi tai rockiksi. 2/5
I didn't hate this, but I wouldn't have chosen to listen to it, and I really don't understand how it's on this list.
A very odd but quite fun album, that unfortunately doesn’t have too much in terms of substance that makes it memorable. I really enjoyed the last song actually and was veering towards raising this to a 3, but figured I’d stick with my overall feeling
I just couldnt get into this one. The vocals are my main gripe it just sounds weird in a boring kind of way.
sort of arcade fire sounding without the emotion couldnt get into it
Love the vocal range, reminds me of Jack Stauber
I think this is an album that if I gave fans my review, they would tell me I just don't get it. And I don't get it. The singer has incredible range and can change their timbre as well as their pitch, but they switch these aspects without warning which stresses me out. It's also just more horny than I am, like, ever. Favorite track was through the iron gate
boy, this one is hard to rate. on one hand, i really liked the music. 4-5 star instrumentals here, super cool late 00s indie vibes. however, the vocals were like a 1-2 and the lyrics were absolutely a 1. what the heck was happening with these lyrics...? "disowned us daddies like the poopers of the party" really says it all. and that's from the same track talking about putting a boot up your asshole and a slipper in your bits. what favorites: the fun powder plot, hooting & howling, all the king's men
4/10 - The vocals sound like a ghost moonlighting as a Thom Yorke impersonator.
Terrible falsetto and boring Radiohead-esque instrumentals that are much too pretentious. The hole album is dripping in pretentiousness. Rhythm and percussion was okay on some tracks, especially Through the Iron Gate. Best song was All the Kings Men because the vocals were not falsetto and it was actually somewhat enjoyable.
Some of it was okay but mostly meh.
Partly heard before (I think?) Saved 2/10 Top track: All the King's Men
I enjoy the instruments and overall sound, but not a fan of the upper register of the vocals. Points for trying something different though! High 2
Strange haunting vocals but forgettable music.
- I don’t have many thoughts about this one - just meh
This one was very weird and different The vocals is either the SpongeBob "dancing in the sunlight" or sort of normal and that will randomly switch for no reason
Unique instrumentals, odd vocals.
Decent music. The singer has a grating voice. The lyrics are bizarre at best, and stalkerly at worst. While I find the music interesting, the content will keep me away from this group’s work.
I really enjoyed this album for the first minute and 29 seconds. Then the vocals came in. I’ve said before that I don’t mind bad vocals, as long as they fit the music. What I dislike are pretentious vocals, and there’s something really pretentious about most of the vocals on this record. I don’t mind the other guy with the lower range, he sounds a bit like Guy Garvey or the Bon Hiver guy. But the main singers inflection just seems so put on. There are points, two that particularly stick out, where he puts a bit more grit in his voice and it sounds fantastic, very early hard rock. On the other hand, I did find myself kinda getting into it later on. It wasn’t a hard album to listen to. I may come back to it at some point, see if my opinion of the vocals has changed. Rated two and a half but rounded down to 2
Landfill indie, but from the poorer and later end of the spectrum. Not very good, but not actively offensively terrible. Lacks any real emotion or artistic merit, but still orders of magnitude better than nico, abba, or morisey. Two dancers, two stars!
I can appreciate the soundscapes the band creates with the guitar effects, drum loops and bass lines, though none of the songs really stick.
The instrumentation was very well done but I did not enjoy the vocals on most tracks. Overall, not really my thing.
Just not for me. His voice grates.
I basically forgot I listened to this as I listened
Pretty boring, drab "indie" music. Incredibly annoying singer.
Not really something I enjoyed, I couldn't even get through the whole album. The music itself isn't that bad, unremarkable at times, with some fancy, baroque-like melodies, but what brings it down is the vocal. Hard to get through the song, if vocalist is exposed like that, firmly standing in the first row. I will just calmly forget about this band.
Honestly this had a lot of potential for me. I really liked the first song until the voice which kind of ruined a little but not totally. I would be open to hearing more but it was on and off.
Love the music. Diverse in terms of instrumentation focus, good variety in moods, this could bear repeating.... BUT. EXCEPT! Once again, I'm having considerable trouble with the vocals. I'm being kind. More-than-considerable. They're awful. I don't know - maybe I just don't like singing much or at all and it's time to admit it to myself? I realize the biggest reason I don't like most of modern pop music isn't actually the over-production and perfection-to-boredom aspect of the repetitive 3-4 chords, but it's the ~90% focus on vocals for every artist. That doesn't or wouldn't seem to apply here as this music is very much not-poppy, but my terrible point is that I suppose I hear vocals as an instrument not to be placed up front and on top of everything but as an at-most 20% engagement with the rest of the music. Which doesn't entirely apply to this (again) as the mix isn't really the issue here - it's the actual singer/s (I looked. there are 2. I don't like either of them) and vocals themselves. They're terrible and distract me to the point where I don't like the song. Songs. Falsetto howling, low moaning, god it's like a bad opera or musical. It's frustrating OKAY!??!? leave me alone. fk. I don't know... 4.5 on the music, absolute 1 on the vocals ... eh I was gonna compromise (or be generous) and give it a 3 but thought about it during the last song and realized I'll probably never listen to this again which means 2. Make me an instrumental version, someone. 5/10 2 stars.
Just boring. Not awful, mind, but I that is the most positive thing I can say about it.
Wake me up when something interesting happens, like I get a coupon book in the mailbox or a re-run of the Sopranos comes on.
The instrumentation was good, even quite good in parts but the falsetto vocals were just a little too weird for me to vibe with.
Another example of the difference between what Dimery picked for the list from 2009 and what I would have included. There's some decent indie-pop here, but it's marred by the kind of vocals that ruined much of 80s British post-punk for me. So of course it made the 1001.
Doo doo indie
Two Dancers is the second album by British indie rock band Wild Beasts. It is certified silver in the UK and remains their best-selling album. This indie rock / dream pop album was well received by critics and was a great second project by the band. I liked the vibe from this album and enjoyed listening to it during my workday. I recommend this to anyone that likes indie rock or that similar type of mood that chilled-out indie rock gives me. IYKYK
Album #: 213 first impressions: The guitars, percussion, and production are very in line w the indie sleaze of the time, but going for a (much) more polished presentation? Its like Bloc Party x Shiny Toy Guns with ANOHNI singing. after listening through: I don't think I understand why this album is on the list. It was interesting, I guess? post-reading reviews/wiki: Love that the wiki refers to how British indie is more buttoned up. This really does feel that way, other than the absurd lyrics and the dramatic vocals. I never know what "art rock" is, but I suppose other people labeling it as such makes that sound like a fitting genre. recommended for: shopping at urban outfitters; adding a (single) song to a playlist from this era. Not sure which one though.
I probably got up on the wrong side of the bed. Nothing here got me hooting & howling. I found this a bit on the pedestrian side. Reasonable background music.
Irrelevant and pretentious wallpaper. Was 2009 such a crap year for new music that critics had nothing else to praise but this tepid blancmange? According to Wikipedia,this is Wild Beasts best selling album, having shifted a grand total of 55,000 copies in ten years. Clearly, the punters know what the critics don't understand. Which is that this is dull and unimportant and no fun. You can happily go to the grave without having heard this.
Didn't notice it had finished for quite some time so i guess i blocked the whole thing out
Liked the music disliked the vocals
Who ordered the uninspiring indie again
Kind of ok here an there, but overall not hat special
The hardest part about rating albums is when an album is undeniably well-made, but for whatever reason doesn’t resonate with me. Often when i don’t like music that I can still recognize as good, I’ll go back to it periodically and eventually something clicks for me. Here, I only have one day to listen and rate it. The music reminds me of XX, the vocals are very different. I don’t love the high-pitched vocal parts, but I do think without them this album would be too bland; the vocals at least add a different element to it. I can see how polarizing the high-pitched part is to listeners, and I can’t figure out if I like it or absolutely hate it.
Não para de aparecer discos indies. Não incomoda, mas é passar o tempo sem graça.
Seriously, WTF did I just listen to?
I just couldn't get into it. I think I'm sick though.
Just ok. I don't really love the falsetto singing. My favorite parts were when they were singing in their chest voices.
weirdly reminds me of a lo-fi Talking Heads/David Byrne recording.
The falsetto gets cringey at some points but the music is not bad
Yeahhhh, I don’t know. The vocals take centre stage in this one, for better or for worse. It was more worse, for me than better though. Opera-like singing at moments left me feeling queazy 🤢 Some of the lyrics seemed forced (Underbelly). Decent riffs and rhythms. And overall ‘meh’.
Not bad, not great
Didn't stand out to me, not bad though
It was musically ok but the vocals are so inconsistent from track to track.
Ergh. This late 00s indie phase was not the best. I remember seeing these at Coachella in 2012 and mostly shrugging. I find it quite annoying really.
I don't like this record. The music is too monotonous for me and the singing is annoying, but it sounds completely intentional. I'm convinced they tried to sound like this and succeeded. Favorite song: All The King's Men.
Did not like this at all. The crazy vocal style was a major factor, of course, but also the songs overall felt rather pretentious to me.
Ik vond dit een beetje saai
I don't like this very much but it's okay but I'm just not really into it
Chill instrumentals. Not a great overall listen with vocals.
First time listening to this album - didn't love the falsetto, thought it was overused.
Lousy vocals on great music.
If the singer didn’t sing it wouldn’t be as bad. Maybe it wouldn’t be good, but maybe somewhat listenable. Rough.
When Kate Bush sings like Kate Bush it's cool and original, when this dude does it, it's super annoying. When he isn't doing that this isn't bad, it's kind of spacey and interesting but he kind of does it a lot.
File under “where did they dig that one out of” (apparently, this website does a lot of digging!). Also, what an annoying voice (sorry!).
If this isn't satire, it is painfully "arty" and pretentious. Like Yoko Ono levels of self-indulgence. The only reason why it is not 1 star is that the instrumentation is pretty good; too bad about the vocals.
It's ok. Indie isn't my favourite genre.
I would have liked this better if the falsetto vocalist didn’t take himself this seriously.
If Bjork had a back up band, this would be it.
The shtick gets old and this one sags in the middle. “Underbelly” is great and refreshing near the end but not enough to make up for the previous 4 or 5 tunes straight with no perceptible shift in tone.
Ok: it's from 2009, has a savage name despite looking wimpy... hipstery "dream pop" is my guess. And I've never heard of it before, so it's gonna be another "didn't chart outside the UK" pick from the clown author of this book. aaaand I was VERY close! Seems to be a mix of dream pop and indie. English, barely made a splash even there and totally unheard of outside the UK. Quite toothless, as was expected. You can tell it really wants to be taken seriously as high art, especially in the singing. But fuck that, this is hipster nonsense. Unknown, beige and forgettable, but here they are eh? 2/5.
A bit experimental pop music. I didn't find much memorable about it.
Never heard of wild beasts before. Can’t say I really clicked with this album. Similar to other more recent albums not sure why this is on the list over under albums around the same time.
The music is good but I really disliked the vocals, it really wanted to make me skip. 2 / 5
Heard it once and could not remember anything.... Started it again and to be honest the genre is probably the only good thing I can take away... It is not pop, it is no rock it is something I woild say pretty fresh but the execution is not what I like especially when compared to other artists.... 1.5 because it is OK to listen to... But let's move on....
Just about everything I hate about modern indie wrapped up in one package. Sterile, bland, ultimately forgettable navel gazing “rock”. You could put this record in playlist with a dozen other late aughts/2010’s “indie rock” bands and you wouldn’t be be able to differentiate this band from any of the others. That’s because “indie” has gone from being an ethos to a marketable sound. …and that sound is boring as fuck.
Maybe I'm too old but I just don't see the appeal of this semi electronic indie folk stuff. It's ok background music but there's no soul, no attitude and very little to hold my attention. With different (better?) vocals there might be something here but I will leave this in the listened and moved on pile. If it's your bag then enjoy it but I just don't see it. A very bored 2 stars.
I am usually a sucker for this sort of indie art rock sound, but man, this just didn't really hit like I wanted it to. The songs almost always started nice but never wanted to develop or change much throughout. Not to mention the singer really straddled the line between unique and annoying.... this was just didn't do it for me I suppose.
Beautiful background music but the singing is terrible. The vocals attempt to be overdramatic and powerful, where a subtle, soft voice would've been much more fitting
Sucks.
Instrumentation sounded okay until the vocals came in and... I definitely am not a fan, not my style at allllll.
Not a fan of the style of music nor the singing style. Indie rock is just not my thing.
I only listened to half of the Album and so far I have not listened to a song I would like to sing or dance along to.
favourite song: all the kings men least favourite song: when im sleepy... alright instrumentation, but shockingly poor lyrics and unbearable vocals.
I don't think this album belongs to the list of 1001 you must hear before you die. It got some Kate Bush-esque songs and is overall art pop/rock but doesn't bring anything interesting. The vocal style is shifting from good to annoying. I could barely make out the words but that is usually not a problem. Very forgettable in my opinion.
Fully unremarkable. It does nothing for me. I doubt I'll even remember it was even on my list in a few weeks time, it just has no resonance.
My biggest pet peeve with Indie music is how it sounds like the singer is singing poorly on purpose. This is no exception. Instrumentals are cool though. Favorite track: Two Dancers (I)
Weird but ok, not a general sit down and listen
meh 2/5
I can see what they're trying to do here, and I feel like I'd be down with all these elements. But together, it's a miss.
Interesting, but I don't like it.
Boring
Disappointing. Sounds a bit like reheated early Suede, but the theatrical (histrionic) vocals get annoying pretty fast and there isn't much going on elsewhere in the music that is very interesting. Nah
OK - similar to their other stuff, but not as funky or immediate. Won't listen again
Some bjorkish stuff with real strong love concept I just didn’t like it
Unsettling indie album. I could tell it was inventive, but I really didn’t like it.
Good to hear this again - still sounds different enough to be interesting.
I quote like the music, but not the singing. No desire to listen to this a second time
Not keen - one song fades in the next creating 40 minutes I just don’t care about.
Sounds like a Kate Bush drag act backed by a Foals tribute band... (This is not a good thing)
Decent band, laughable vocals.
Poo dancers
It sounds like they tried to come up with a bunch of songs that could be played over credit card ads or perhaps the end credits of Grey's Anatomy. Best track: Two Dancers (i)
Not terrible, but this vocal style definitely isn't for me.
All very pretty but not very interesting
Un memorable album
meh
It's not my kind of music I like.
There are some good grooves on this album, but as a whole it's pretty mid. It definitely doesn't feel important enough to be on this list, especially for such a recent album. There are a lot of indie artists (and mainstream artists) that seem to have been snubbed from the list that could take a spot like this. Highlights: 1, and 9.
It's interesting and enjoyable to listen to but not for me at the moment.
I did not care for the album. It is an indie album. I was not familiar with the band or any of the songs. Nothing about the songs are noteworthy.
This album is fine, and I appreciate that it is a more recent record, but that doesn't mean it is worthy of its place. While largely forgettable tracks, this is a prime example of indie, but with a British Bias for its "spectacularness".
Nope
Inoffensive, and I'm not sure it's a compliment.
Aika mitäänsanomaton levy, menee samaan kategoriaan kuin kaksi aiemmin arvosteltuakin. Ei tarttuvia biisejä eikä myöskään muutenkaan mitään erikoisuutta. Semirauhallisen tempon biisejä, konemaisia taustoja.
Aivan vieras nimi itselleni, mikä on hieman erikoista genren huomioon ottaen. Tykkään kovasti musisoinnista ja yleistunnelmasta, mutta laulajan ääni on vähän liian erikoinen varsinkin falsettiin mennessä. Varsinkin enemmän levyä kuunnellessa laulajan ääni alkaa häiritsemään enemmän ja enemmän. Myöskään kappaleiden laatu ei ihan riitä. Ensivaikutelma levystä oli kolmonen, mutta nyt joutuu kyllä pyöristämään alaspäin.
At first I enjoyed it a fair bit, with The Fun Powder Plot to All Kings Men being enjoyable. But as it went on I began to lose interest and it did get a bit repetitive in a negative way. It's alright but wouldn't listen to it on a regular occurance.
Seemed alright
sounded a bit like the cure - a bit less moody