Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Nun too crazy but you can't ever hate that. The strokes comp is there (ironically, the frontwoman's dad was also the head of a company), this one got a rawness to it. Would listen again. Fav song Stutter
i already listened to this a while back on my own. i remember not enjoying it all that much, but i'm willing to give it another spin for rating purposes Line Up - 4/5 Annie - 3/5 Connection - 4/5 Car Song - 5/5 Smile - 3/5 Hold Me Now - 3/5 S.O.F.T. - 5/5 Indian Song - 2/5 Blue - 5/5 All-Nighter - 3/5 Waking Up - 4/5 2:1 - 4/5 See That Animal - 4/5 Stutter - 5/5 Never Here - 4/5 Vaseline - 2/5 Average score: 3.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ admittedly, i had a somewhat better listening experience the 2nd time listening this wasn't too bad. solid in some portions, but same-y in others. while i appreciate the shortness of tracks (considering this is a 16-track album), i think that's part of why my rating's a bit lower. some tracks were also so short that i just couldn't justify giving them more that 3 stars, if even that it was fairly enjoyable, but i don't think it packed enough punch to round up to 4 stars for me
Not bad but I got bored
90s Grunge in essence, simple and straightforward. It is very much of its time - and I mean that as a compliment, this is the blueprint for what 90s alt-rock was trying to sound like. Catchy, fun lyrics, abrasive but not punishing. There are points where it feels repetitive, like if I was listening to this at a bar I'd be thoroughly enjoying myself, but I'd probably grab a shot around "Smile." It's far from a bad song, but drags a bit (which I very much appreciate that it's only a minute and 40 seconds) There are other points where the album feels shy "S.O.F.T" builds up instrumentally but the vocals stay at this same sleepy yell that I'm left a bit disappointed. 3.5
Good
Outside of the weird burp/throw-up sounds in the background, Line Up is a cool opener. Definitely have heard Connection before (maybe in a commercial?) -- also really cool song. Car Song has a fun progression to it that is nice to bob along to. S.O.F.T. is a standout to me -- solid jam. For me this album stands along the 3/4 divide. There are some interesting sounds and themes explored throughout, but ultimately I found myself losing focus through much of the second half.
Sure! Good energy, good voice, seems like it influenced alternative rock that followed it.
Weird sounds happening in this first song... but otherwise I'm kinda digging it. Went into this with not very high expectations but halfway through and I'm surprisingly loving it. Reminds me of some Paramore and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. End of S.O.F.T. bangs! Some songs kinda went nowhere and started sounding alike, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. High 3.
Decent
I'm not sure how it got onto the 1001 albums list, but it's worth a listen at least. I found it to be a decent mid-90's britpop/rock record that doesn't really stand out all that much. I'm glad I listened to it but wouldn't have noticed it otherwise.
Fun but sounds very generic
Quite a good slice of mid nineties Brit pop. A good listen.
My favourite was Car Song
This is a weird one. Solid. But nothing really rises above. It's good all the way through. No real impact but a good enough listen. The catchiest riffs are not their own but in the end - who cares. Are we holding Led Zeppelin to this standard? The difference being LZs wholesale stealing reached incredibly lofty heights that often exceeded the humble intentions of the original - at least sonically speaking. Elastica just amble along for 16 songs. Perhaps the most solid 3 on the list - at least thusfar. And maybe there's a greatness in that.
First listen
Connection was a familiar hit, interesting 90s-esque grunge guitar driven femme rock
Not very outstanding. Fine for once
This is a positive 3, not a coward's 3 or a negative 3. This album is Fine. I'd like to hear it again, maybe. But nothing about it stands out - it's a bridge from the 80s post punk, a rebadging and re-sounding of something to meet that modern 90s sound! It's got some fuzz, it's got some of that 90s guitar noise (like garbage, maybe?) and a slightly hidden but still intelligible vocalist. It has all the pieces, it puts 'em to good use, and it would fit perfectly with a 90s mid-20s gen-x make-it-in-the-real-world movie. But it doesn't do anything that, looking back, makes me go, "oh whoa they did that." Sometimes I get an album like this and I go, "it's fine." This is fine, too - a little bit better than that but nothing I need anyone else to get on board with. Given the choice, I listen to Wire.
Wasn't expecting to know a song Knew connection it's the trigger happy theme Punk rocky female band Car song is cool
I’d never heard of Elastica before but I love lady punk rock moment. Would give this a 3.5, I think this is the type of album that’s nice to listen to but that I would love if I saw it performed live. Need to see the aura of the performers to really get it! Super solid tho. Also hats off to the singer for keeping her voice pretty silky over punk sounds.
Please god no more british rock bands. 🙏Put me out of my misery. Anyway, I always love to ride for a badass group of gals making some interesting music. But this was just okay. The production of the music itself didn’t stand out much, with the exception of 2:1 and Vaseline which were a very welcome vibe shift near the end of the album. The lyrics weren’t much to write home about either. This wasn’t as bad as Paul Simon (I’m excited to see who might one day top him in disaster), but they were largely forgettable to me. Shout out for this one string of very relatable lyrics though: “I'd work very hard, but I'm lazy I've got a lot of songs but they're all in my head”
I looked up the reviews for when this dropped. They’re all like 8 out of 10 or higher. I think 30 years later I can say aside from certain aspects of the guitar playing it’s pretty Mid and both forgot I was listening to it and didn’t have much interest in finishing it.
Elastica was an interesting album - quite frankly not because of the album itself, but because of the day in which it was "dealt" to the group. As of this week (October '25), The Last Dinner Party released their second studio album "From the Pyre". Listening to these two albums back to back has been a surprising delight. You can clearly see the influences of this early britpop/alternative on a band that's making and producing music in 2025. For that alone, this was worth a listen. The album itself - I thought it was fine. I enjoyed it overall, but didn't find it particularly memorable. I take away from this an experience of listening to pioneers pave a path from which new British outfits (like The Last Dinner Party) can walk. We stand on the shoulders of giants etc etc.
Bubblegum punk? I suppose that's what I would call this wonderfully 90's affair. Favorite track: Connection
Fun 90s throwback punk(ish?). "Connection" was the radio hit I remember, and "Stutter".
Ok
Well that’s nice enough. 3/ 5
I got this album the day after I got The Clash's first album, and I pretty much have lumped Elastica's first album into that category: This is the music I don't mind listening to between the music I want to listen to. 3.31 / 5 Interesting enough, I rated the Clash's first album at 3.33 / 5 so I find the two similar. I know that sounds sacreligious because THE CLASH, but comparing the 2 albums, it's true. The Clash got better, I've never heard anything else from Elastica, that's the difference.
Solid album, not quite The Plasticines:)
good, no highlights tho
Iha jeba
For some reason I thought this was an Electronica band. Its not, they are a fantastic alternative rock band. Various different song styles not be bored. They remind me a lot of Garbage but not as creative. This is very high 3. 3.8
3.4 Connection carries this otherwise mid album. still pretty good though.
Fun brit/punk rock album. Fun and high energy, but a tad bit bland at times.
Not anything to write home about. An interesting pop-punk album that I don't totally vibe with, but I can see would have an audience. 3/5.
Great 90s alt rock
Les morceaux sont trop ressemblants
Elastica's debut is one of those albums whose reputation was boosted by riding the wave of the Britpop trend. It's not a bad album, but I doubt it would have been as well recognized if it had been released at another time. The album is filled with decent pop songs, but nothing that would lift them above the other brit pop 2nd tier bands. Special mention and bonus point to the pixieslike bass sound!
Un poil trop générique à mon goût mais ça reste cool d’entendre du post-punk féminin
6.4/10 very listenable. i enjoyed a handful of songs, but its just not my preferred genre. but definitely not horrible. found it interesting how short all the songs were. can’t tell if i liked that or not
Decent enough pop/post punk.
Oh, of course... another 90s British alt-rock album. Who could've seen that coming? And would you look at that? It's a combination of post-punk and britpop. How surprising. Yeah, I'm being sarcastic. This is a good album, but it's certainly not the most original album on the list. In fact, it might be one of the least original albums seeing as some of this album's songs got Elastica sued for alleged plagiarism. Here's the thing. I can see why that is. Take this album's biggest song as an example. The main riff of "Connection" is literally the exact same riff as Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba." That's not even an exaggeration. It's the same riff. However, Elastica here do manage to change things up with the riffs enough to feel like different songs. While the riff may be an exact copy, the song in its entirety is not. Things are done to make "Connection" feel like a different song that some have even called better. They're kind of like Led Zeppelin in that regard and in literally no other. Anyways, I'm talking about this album like it's boring, but that's not really true. I actually like this album quite a bit. I wouldn't say I love it, but I had a good time. The instrumentation is strong, the writing does the job, and the fact that most of this band is women makes Elastica stand out from their mostly-male contemporaries. I've got to give respects their. Still, the moments of unoriginality do kind of hold this album back from a higher score. This album's alright in my eyes though. Good stuff. High 3/5.
A little bland at times but not bad. Quick poppy songs with some punk influence. Connection was immediately recognizable to me, definitely heard it a bunch before. Nothing really great to stand out here but solid at times. Not likely to revisit much, I listened through it twice.
Liked it. But not something you MUST hear.
Better than most punk-inspired works on this list and I recognized one of the songs from the depths of my history but ultimately it was merely ... fine.
This album has everything it needs, but somehow never really clicks and becomes really good. It’s fun to listen to in the background but nothing really comes through as very memorable. Definitely a nice break from endless 70s rock though. Honestly it probably deserves a 4. It’s totally enjoyable. I just don’t think it should be in the same category as other albums I already gave that rating. Standout tracks: Blue 1/5 deserves to be on this list
Surprisingly enough, I didn't hate it, but don't really understand why it was chosen for the list when there is a lot of much more interesting britpop records
Highly influential, post-grunge electro-rock. Those singles were everywhere.
Pas mal, du rock sympa
A very good album with some catchy tunes, but by 1995 this was pretty well-worn territory. It does get some bonus points for the bass tone 👌
What sucks about this album: it has too many songs. What's good: the songs are short. Some of them are good. btw Waking Up really sounds like No More Heroes
This was actually pretty cool. Nothing super special but I enjoyed it. Solid alt-rock album and I’m a sucker for female vocals. Guitar work in this was great too, it just got a bit generic too be on here
This album could be the soundtrack for a Buffy episode that is set in Bronze, which I’m not mad about. It’s quite a mix bag, and certainly an interesting listen. Some songs are super bland and forgettable, and feel half finish (Annie, All nighter, Blue) but some are really awesome and I really enjoyed, like Car Song, Smile, Waking up, 2:1. I think there is a all-time great record in there, but its not quite, cause it’s tight enough and I liked 9 out of 16 song. In terms of pace, the middle in particular drags a little, but only one song is really messing me up. Biggest grip is that See that animal is really weak and uninspired, it should not be there IMO especially within the end of the record, which is otherwise very very strong. That leads to my main point, which is that it feels unpolished to really be to my liking, but I guess it’s the “punk” edge to be messy. I don’t really mind it in the end, it is mostly a fun listen, not tedious in the least since the meh songs are so short (and inconsequential for the most part). The fun part really stand out and it is overall solid.
It was alright, but unfortunately I don't remember anything else from listening to the album. Maybe that's because I had a busy day and didn't pay enough attention, or maybe it just didn't leave a strong impression other than it was generally alright. Standouts - 3/5
This album was fun, but looking back I can’t remember a single song off of it aside from Connection, which I already knew going in. An overall alright post punk album, and a decent intro to the genre, but not one I’d seek out again.
Now this is a good one! I knew the singles, but I can't believe I never listened to the album fully. It totally fits in my 90's wheelhouse. I liked it a lot, but at this point, I'm going with 3 stars, with a solid chance at it going higher with re-listens. Good stuff!
This one grew on me
I find it a bit odd that some people classify this as Britpop. While nice, it's more punk and misses the certain light way of dealing with things. There are some bangers on this that are good fun, but overall it's not my cup of tea.
3 1/2 Stars: Honestly, I don't know if this is an album you MUST listen to before you die, but by the time you hit 'Connection' queues up, I'm glad it kinda is. Tight little 2.5 minute pop-punk ditties. Great vocals and tight production. A one-hit wonder with an album full of other gems.
I remember this album. I didn't realize I knew them until I started listening and remembering a party I was at so many years ago. This is a weird description of the album as well. It doesn't stick with you. Once it's over you vaguely remember it but not enough to want to listen again. It's not terrible, I think it's well done, it's just not memorable.
Elastica is a sharp, hooky blast of Britpop energy that does not hang around longer than it needs to. Most tracks are under three minutes, built on jagged guitar riffs, clipped rhythms, and Justine Frischmann’s cool, detached vocals. Songs like “Connection” and “Stutter” still sound immediate, with choruses that stick after one listen. There is a nervy swagger to the whole record, and it nails that mid-90s mix of punk bite and pop accessibility. The downside is that the minimalism can start to feel a bit samey by the end. The band rarely lets the songs breathe, and while the brevity keeps things punchy, it also means some tracks blur together. It is a fun, tightly wound album that captures its moment well, but it does not always offer much beyond the initial rush.
This is a record so naughty nineties that part of me can’t look at it directly. Like a dog-eared copy of the novel Come Together, a late night repeat of an episode of Bottom or practically any film starring Keanu, I half expect to be moved along promptly by an adult who wants me out the way pronto. As no parental authority materialises to mush me along – though listening is interrupted by my own children; the more things change… – I’m finally left alone to enjoy this buoyant collection of pleasure principle-friendly indie and pop punk songs. And enjoy I do. There’s a classic on here – “Connection” – and plenty of interesting songs besides (“Line up”, “Never Here”, “See That Animal”) … but all told I struggle to fully get on aboard. Just as many songs (“All nighter”, “Car song”) feel disposable; perhaps by design. It was the 90s. Fabulous, absolutely. But perhaps part of it will always be withheld from me.
I didn’t mind this, even though I knew that it wouldn’t really be my thing. Bonus points for sharp, non-rambly songs that show you can get to the point in under 3mins should you desire.
If you played this album for someone with no knowledge of Elastica and asked them the nationality of the artist and era of release, there's not a cat in hell's chance they'd get it wrong. It's extremely of it's place and time... But then so am I. I surprised myself by knowing more of this than I expected, and weird Kula Shakerish song aside, the tracks I didn't know did not sound particularly different. I expected to like but not love it, and I like but don't love it. Perfectly pleasant. 3/5
Kratke jednostavne pjesme, opet. Ali unutar ovog ograničenog raspona dosta zanimljivo i kvalitetno.
Wire rip off
good but the songs are quite short and none of them have REALLY stuck out to me yet. Doesn’t mean it’s not good but maybe not just for me.
Pleasant album, nothing I'm like crazy about but it has the kind of fun energy I look for in britpop
Could've enjoyed it in another mindstate, feels similar to Siouxsie & the banshees, has a little dream pop vibe. Just maybe not the right time.
i have heard of elastica before but have never listened, i was pleasantly surprised. wanted to rate this a 3.5 but after a few more listens might upgrade to a 4
This is the first album given to me that I thought I'd take to very quickly. I knew the era, the I knew a little about the band, I thought I had an idea of what the band would sound like... However, this album didn't really do much for me on the first listen. The guitar sound felt like I'd heard it a hundred times before, the bass sound identical to a hundred punk records I'd listened to years before. I have since read a review that claimed it could be the 'blueprint for Britpop albums going forward'. Halfway through the album, I was disappointed, struggling to find a groove it. Yes, there is attitude! I can see why it would have been popular at the time, but the flame didn't burn particularly bright for me. I could often predict the chord changes, a lot of songs sounded like I'd heard them before by other bands. I enjoyed the 'Indian Song' (not sure if we would still be able to call a song with a sitar vibe with that title). 'Vaseline' was a jaunty way to end the album. 'Connection' felt like a staple of Britpop, and probably my takeaway from the album. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it. But, it while a solid album, it didn't make me want to explore the band further or add it to my permanent rotation. 3 Stars
3.5
3.5/5
not super into it
it’s got some bangers, but i’m not crazy about it? not sure why. still a good album though 3.5
Very nice
decent
Brings back those grunge-pop memories hard.
sounded decent, but it’s kinda just generic britpop, songs were catchy but it wasn’t very distinct and lacked personality in aspects
Eh.
Kind of fun if not a bit dated.
Nice! Hard to categorise it, its punk sounding, grunge tones, somewhat poppy. Connection was the big hit off this one but Line Up and Waking up are familiar too. I enjoy Elastica far more than its genesis, Suede.
This could be about five songs shorter & a whole lot stronger. The best songs are great ("Connection," "Stutter," "Never Here") but there's plenty of forgettable stuff on here. And they only wrote "Connection" by shamelessly ripping off Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba," then having to pay that band for doing so. FUN STORY: I bought this in the summer of 1995 at Best Buy with Sponge's Rotting Piñata. When the clerk looked at my ID (I must've paid by check?), she goes, "You used to be so cute. What happened?" Then proceeded to talk to me about Jesus.
Not so bad
Connection is a banger, otherwise just ok really
british and unimaginative
decent post punk album, kinda one note
Punk music. Not my exact taste. I am indifferent to this genre. Good background noise.
pretty good, got that 90s angst sound
I think the only elastica song I know is from the Trainspotting soundtrack. So we will see how this goes but first track sounds good so far. Mid nineties sound which is where I live. I’m sad I’ve never listened to this before because this is right up my alley. I like this a lot. There’s the Trainspotting song. 2:1 While I really enjoyed this, I think if I listened to a few more times I would rate it higher than a 3. It’s a 3 Im sure would improve.
brit pop but girl version
Una especie de Britpop más agresivo, o una especie de Grunge más pop. Aunque la duración tan corta de los temas le llega a dar un aire punk. Una amalgama a priori interesante, pero que cumple menos de lo que promete. Al final no deja de ser otro álbum de "rock rápido" (por llamarlo de alguna manera) de los 90. Un álbum que además, por lo visto, plagia bastante a otros grupos de la época como Wire, y que llegó tarde a la ola de popularidad del Grunge y el Britpop. Además, las letras dan vergüenza ajena a veces. "You need to go siesta in your Ford Fiesta"? lol. Pues lo de siempre. ¿Es un mal álbum? No, para nada. De hecho me ha gustado bastante. ¿Hay que escucharlo antes de morir? Solo si crees que Robert Dimery es el mismísimo San Pedro.
Enjoyed this album. I don't know if I'd actively seek it out, but I'd be happy to hear it again.
Ech fends emmer loschtig wenn e Band basicly eis albom usebrengt ond das grad e Hit werd, sie aber nochär nüd gross meh usebrenged. Musikalisch esches äbe eigentlech no relativ guet, tönt eifach ned so noch metti 90er johr. Es esch rächt guet gsonge ond au t Rockgitarre guet gspellt. Obwohl sie relativ velsiitig igsetzt werd, esch sie au de Ponkt woni ned so fühle. Dör das, dass es eigentlech emmer Rockgitarre, Schlagzüg ond Gsang esch, werd schnell es bez langwiilig. Osserdem geds vel stelle vo de Rockgitarre wo sie ohni wörk e Melodie oder öppis gspelt werd ond das vel z luut. Das öberdeckt alles andere was mega schad esch.
Way better than expected
Average pop/rock with a grungy vibe from the mid-'90s. While I acknowledge this is a standard record from that age (it could have been OST of a FIFA game, you know what I'm talking about), there's something super cool about this record. And I think it's the punk-ish approach, with short songs, energetic vibe, and a nice crunchy guitar tone. Cool! Straight to my "Discos para conducir" playlist, yeehaaaa! Also, I don't mind if one of the songs is plagiarism; I like this one better than the original, and I was not familiar with either.
Good Album !
bem all over the place, as vezes parece uma evolução natural do new wave nos anos 90, outras parece qualquer coisa noventista tambem mas tem algumas bem post punk bacaninhas d+ tome 3 estrelas. mediano mas tem potencial!
Feels influential. I’ve heard a lot of later bands that sound pretty directly like this (in a good way). In the interest of being less of a hater I’m inclined to round up to a 4… but also the big single on this song sounds so much like it would have been menu music on an NHL video game, that I will instead round it down. Maybe it WAS. It’s got the familiarity of a riffy pump up song that I’ve passively heard a thousand times. I’m not going to look it up.
Yeah it's alright.
Fun, energetic female lead 90s alt rock with punk roots. I enjoyed it!
Straight up 90s. I liked it then and now.
Only ever heard Connection before from its heavy rotation on 90s FM radio, but the rest of the album is similarly good.
Enjoyable, would listen again. Fav tracks - Waking Up, Stutter
Not a ton to say about this one. I’m glad there’s a female-fronted rock group. The shape of the vocal melody in “Smile” might be my favorite part of the record, very catchy, very memorable. “Waking Up” is really well-performed, I could see this being a lot of people’s pick from the album. “Stutter” as a closer is perfect, I love when albums end on a fun, explosive note. Another record that I could see being huge and impactful if you were an impressionable age upon its release. Tight performances, good vocals, and the right amount of (post)punk to (brit)pop. 3/5
A lot of the buzz when this came out seemed to be that Justine Frischmann was Damon Albarn’s other half. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and not much has changed really, although it’s better than I remember. It’s not quite punk enough, and is a bit smug but it’s ok.
The album was okay, I can feel the grunge era of when this album came out. Great album just not my cup of tea personally.
Halfway between Blondie and Bikini Kill.
Cool!
Pretty decent!
Fine
Punky viby
solid rock, kinda punky
Didn't really know about Elastica, but had heard "Connection." Angular and melodic, poppy British (?) post-punk.
3.5 decent post punk
connection is the stand out track - everyone would get behind the sentiment of waking up - worth a listen in its entirety
3.5
Not bad. Post punk, earky pop punk is what it sounds like to me.
Tiene un hit y buen rollo
Post-Punk Brit-Pop from a mainly female group. Vocal style on some songs reminded me of Fuzzbox. Most of the tracks are less than 3 minutes in length. Nothing special.
Not as exciting as I remembered from the time. Solid record though
👍
Some nice nostalgia hits. Don't think I ever heard the entire album before; glad I now have.
6/10 im sory women
decent
Da Da Da
3.5
Quite cool girl rock with a punk edge, but nothing very inventive. 3.5 stars
Some really good songs -- "Line Up", "Connection", "Stutter", "All-Nighter", but also some filler. I do give Elastica credit for having a different sound among all the Britpop in the mid-90s. High 3.5.
Pretty cool. A bit like Blur but with chicks in. Also a bit of Breeders, a bit of Blondie and apparently a great train robbery of Wire although I’m not going to go out of my way to listen out to Wire to find out until they appear on this list. Whilst it all sounds pretty cool, alty and fresh for the often super stale Britpop era, the riff to Connection was the only thing to snap back to my memory once the album ended. The rest simply bounced in one ear and out the other. For one actual catchy song it’s a bit of a stretch to add this one to 1001 albums. Boing boing!
i love women in men's fields! (britpop vocalist). good shit. annie and car song went straight on the playlist. why did we skip straight to 2000s revival? we need cool girls to be making music like this again
Típico rock noventoso. Nada para destacar.
Another band I saw live once (Lollapalooza 95) but had almost forgotten. I remember their hit song (Connection) and the controversy surrounding their supposed ripping the riff from a Wire song. But I don't think I had ever heard this album before. It's not bad at all. Certainly sounds like the 90s indie rock of the day. As far as female fronted 90s indie rock goes, there were much better options. I can't believe the Breeders don't have one in this book. Decent album. Just not sure it's worthy of this honor. 3/5 Album 25/1001
Good album
Fun and fast.
Fun britpop albums , with 2 ripoffs
Girl punk. These bands always have the same issue. The backing music is so much louder than the vocals and you can’t understand/hear what they are saying. 6/10
Pretty good electropop, Nothing kicks like “Connection”, so they probably did steal it whole from Wire. But it’s fun, the songs are short and fast, and they sound cool.
Decent girl rock, hard to understand much of the lyrics. It was missing something, maybe better production?
I like Elastica. 3.3
Like it but didn't LOVE it
Alright
Hey I own this CD! Way better than I remember, but Stutter still towers over the rest. Also can we cool it on every British band? I like American music, do you like American music?
pretty cool album with lots of energy.
Bit strange but also a slay. I like the expressive vocals. Lyrics can be quite crude but also fun.
Like so many Britpop-era bands, a peak at the debut album and then a fade into obscurity. A short, snappy, and catchy new-wave revival album, taking in Blondie and The Stranglers on the way. What else do you want? Well maybe a bit more originality seeing as at least half of it is ripped off. I think an album very much diluted by filler, but with some nice energetic, derivative highlights - in fact a few absolute Britpop classics. And a modus operandi that generally means you finish the song after a couple of minutes. I like that. I think it all balances out.
I loved these guys when I saw them lose to Sex Bob-Omb at the battle of the bands.
Not quite as excited as Veruca Salt. Not as talented as Sonic Youth. Not as visceral as Hole. Not as loud as Bikini Kill. Unfortunately not as interesting as any of them. Just kinda bland? I don’t mind it at al just don’t get why it’s here.
There are two versions of Elastica here. There’s straightforward late 70s style punk and there’s post grunge. I don’t get why people call this art rock or compare them to the Stranglers. This is punk with pop sensibilities. Even calling it Britpop only makes sense retrospectively because you can hear what we’d now call a Blur-ish sound on it. But they have much more punk attitude than Blur or most of the Britpop bands. Most of the album is short, angry songs with blazing guitars and sledgehammer drums. The track Connection is the hooky song everyone knows. The slower songs like Hold Me Now have a more pop feel but the attitude is straight up punk. I was raised on punk so I like it to that extent. I’ve only given it three stars because what they’re doing here has basically been done; there’s nothing much original here really.
Better than I expected. Not something I’d listen to regularly but I liked the sound.
There is definitely a Pixies vibe to this. Connection is the hit. I'm not hating this. This sounds very mid-90s, Pixies, Primus, Garbage...there's something very time specific about them. Indian Song...that's super racist. This is deteriorating fast. This feels more like the discount Pixies than contemporaries now. I bet the xx love these guys. Vaseline is needlessly silly.
Wasn't bad, I listened to the whole thing. I did 'like' Car Song, and may have to come back.
90's pop rock that has a little edge, nothing special in any way but still a fun listen.
Connection was the hit and it’s a good tune but I prefer the rockers: Annie, Smile, Blue, All Nighter and the best song on the record, Stutter. Is there anything special here? Not really but some good quality indie rock with a bit of punk underpinning the better tunes.
If heard in a vacuum, this is maybe three or four stars for the punk gone pop being worked through like an interrupted therapy session about your imposter syndrome. Knowing anything about the overall music scene at the time or being a fan of the bands Elastica lifted their best work from (ahem, Wire) is surely enough to pull a star and close the door...and yet Stutter, Connection, Line Up, 2:1, Waking Up are perfect knock-offs. If you like the originals, their charms can be hard to resist.
Good
Pretty good stuff
No Doubt did it better
High energy and lots of fun: punk style and pop hooks. They're like a New Wave act for the post-grunge era with just the right amount of blur/pulp style britpop whimsy. Textbook 90s alt rock guitar sound - crunchy overdrive, compressed tightly to keep the chaos in order, scooped mids.
3.5 maybe? Need to listen again!
Started off decent but got kinda samey by the end. This sounds like music made for the tv show “Daria”. Obviously they had songs in the show but feels like it was written for it 3.5/5
Albumi #168, 07.03.2025 Elastican debyyttialbumi vuodelta 1995.
Connection is the stand out here, the song I know best from them. Solid BritPop from that era.
Jeden z tych albumów, które raczej znikną szybko z mojej pamięci. To nie jest zły krążek, ale nie wyróżnił się niczym na tyle, żebym chciał do niego wracać. Momentami miałem wrażenie, że to taka trochę bootlegowa PJ Harvey z gorszym akompaniamentem, a to były najlepsze momenty.
почему он такой знакомый? на фоне этого показался интереснее чем мог бы а ведь не мой жанр
Probably wouldn’t listen again but still a low 3; a nice little pop punk Brit album where songs are under 2 minutes and very 90s nostalgia. Faves: connection, car song, stutter, see that animal
Innovative and fresh.
Connection got the most airplay, but there are some other tracks on here that are great. I think that this album got buried underneath the mid-90s onslaught of pop-punk, alt, and second emo wave. That being said, some other female-led bands did it better - as you had Magnapop, Garbage, Belly, and the Breeders dropping solid albums in this time frame.
Oh yeah, Elastica were cool huh? Were they though? They were definitely ladettes in a sea of lads, and had a bit of attitude, but musically, are they good? The answer: they're OK. This is serviceable punk-lite mid-90s London Britpop, and if that adjective-athon hasn't put you off entirely, probably give it a listen.
I've never heard of this band, and I didn't expect to like them, but was pleasantly surprised. Solid album with very '90s sound but also a bit of precursor to the 2000's pop punk sound.
Cool funky sound. The entire album was great to listen to and each song blended well into the next one. Gave me strong Blur vibes, especially on the opening track. Would listen to again.
i really wanted to like this a lot more than i did especially bc i think Justine is so cool and gorgeous....but honestly this was just fine. very britpop sound crossed with some punk influences but none of the songs really stood out to me that much except for a few. the overall sound is alright and it's good as background music but i don't really have strong feelings about it one way or the other. maybe i should listen again at some point cause i feel like britpop bands take a few tries for them to click for me but for a first listen it was just fine. sorry feminism!
Some would have you believe this is the great britpop album. They’re wrong Some would also have you believe this is derivative crap. They’re also wrong Are the songs shy about their influences? No, but if it’s not the most original collection of punk-rock it is performed very well and has a couple of bangers in Connection and Waking Up
Cool band, a couple of cool songs, but not enough.
heeey e wiblichi band zum d esther begrüesse lesgo. ha easy spass, geili churzi ersti hwei songs. was isch de spielzüg snythi scheiss bi connection jetz ah ok mit de gitarre machts sinn. hold me now meega cool. blue macht au wieder mega spass sie hend mega cooli stimme, s mixing isch chli sehr brick wall d gitarre sind chli luut. find etz scho mit de ziit dases sich chli usmauft au wenn d songs meega tight bliibed. never here seeeeehr cools intro. au meega cooli chords. oke vaseline etz eehner explizit hä.
Enjoyed it.
This is Hole with a better voice but more poppy. I can tell that Connection was the song they rode with to propel them into a part of the music stratosphere. It stands out high above the rest of the songs. That being said, you could do worse with your time giving this album a full listen. S.o.f.t and Hold me Now but can freely say that they share the limelight with a song like Connection. This is a much better album as it goes on. It finishes stronger in the latter half if you make it that far. Don’t expect any Mariah Carey, glass shattering vocals. This is pop punk with splashes of electronica. It fits it’s early 2000’s family of female edginess. Choice cut: Connection
Grunge? Punk? Vibe!
Né carne, né pesce
Someone said it could be background music for a 90’s movie. I agree.
While this album rocks to an ample degree, it feels a bit too polished for my liking. If I am to rock, let me feel like I'm living a little dangerously. I was familiar with that "Connection" song at track 3, which, to be fair, is a fantastic riff. There's some good nuts and bolts here but I'm not altogether memorable. There's some quality here but maybe it's landing better with other demographics.
Never really heard of this but Connection is a classic. A good listen!
Fun!
Pretty fun!! I have no thoughts
Ihan kelpoa alt rokkia, perus hyviä kappaleita. Parhaat: Annie, Waking Up,
Punky
im not mad i listened to it, i probably wont listen to it again. i felt the songs were blurring together after a while. but maybe i was distracted while listening.
A Very good new wave revival album.
Not bad but not especially remarkable. A soft and pleasant listen.
Connection is a great song.
It sounds a lot like Wire which isn't a bad thing. Pretty good even though it isn't original.
Couple of bangers. Otherwise kinda meh standard 90s
Decent. Some interesting ideas, but the songs just are t that catchy.
What impressively bad production. Overall with that aside, this drips with the 90s - not distasteful, but iconically generic of the era, down to a rip off best known as a theme for a forgotten prank show. Can’t get much more shitty British childhood than that.
Never heard of them but this was a pretty good listen
De dames en heer raggen vrolijk in het rond, hakketakdrums en denderende gitaren, het luistert leuk weg, maar niks valt op. Een tussendoortje.
This isn't a particularly exciting album. I mean, it's a nice enough album that revisits punk and post-punk stylings, but it shows its influences so strongly that I'm not surprised they got hit for plagiarism.
I’ve said before that one of Britpop’s strengths was that there was a good approximation of most styles of Rock from the preceding 30 years. Elastica is the genre’s attempt at Punk and if I’m being honest, I’ve never got the hype. There were a fair few of my cool friends at Sixth Form who swore that this was one of the best albums of the Britpop era, and I never got into it in the way I’d have liked to. Connection’s a good song, and I don’t think the rest of the album’s bad necessarily, but when compared to the heights of the rest of the Britpop scene, Elastica just seems a bit… I don’t even know. I think possibly a bit outdated. The great thing about the best of Britpop was that the classic styles were there, but with a modern twist, which is why Connection works so well. It has that modern update of ‘77 style Punk, but the rest of the album sticks pretty close to the formula. And as such, I don’t think it’s aged as well as a lot of the rest of the scene. It’s still fine, but just that
Interesting album...doesn't really fit into the Britpop cannon..definitely more on the "alternative" side of things. Decent though. 3.5/5
solid album - would give it 3.5
With the exception of "Connection" I had really not heard any of their work before. This was a decent album. Very much cookie cutter songs that sound the same...but they had a decent groove.
Connection // Car Song // 2:1 // Vaseline // 2.5/5
Doesn’t that sound just like…
Elastica
This is a lot better than I was expecting. Really enjoyed this.
me gusto
First impression: half of the album is kind of interesting.
#76 I like it, but it does not stand out.
I had heard the song Connection before & liked it, but never knew the title or artist name. Looking at reviews, a lot of people say they are wla "Wire" ripoff band. Never heard of Wire either?? But in this app/list of albums....most of the Brit bands are my least favorite. Enjoyed this one though...but got repetitive towards the end. 3.2
Punky grungy pop. It’s a very commercial sound. Good enough to not be annoying yet doesn’t stand out or warrant recognition.
No. 284/1001 Line Up 3/5 Annie 4/5 Connection 3/5 Car Song 3/5 Smile 3/5 Hold Me Now 3/5 S.O.F.T. 3/5 Indian Song 3/5 Blue 3/5 All-Nighter 4/5 Waking Up 4/5 2:1 3/5 See That Animal 2/5 Stutter 4/5 Never Here 4/5 Vaseline 3/5 Average: 3,25 Fun Pop-Punk record
While this isn't going to win any originality contests, Elastica manages a solid, tight post-punk homage that's more enjoyable than it probably should be.
I remember this well as a very cool album. Justine was dating Damon. The cover rips off the ramones. Short poppy tracks played by skinny people in black. I was interested to hear how it held up. 25 years on and its not bad but it seems a bit thin (see what i did there). Some good singles and a nice overall sound, but a lot of filler. An ode to vaseline is an aesthetics choice, rather than anything meaningful. Thanks for the memories
Ret fed plade, mere punket end jeg plejer at forvente af britpop!
I like the genre, no songs really stuck out, but they were all pretty solid
Large phone album
Its not bad but its kinda just alright
Good energy but nothing special
A surprising Brit pop sensation with a solid mix of punk to shake up the formula.
pretty neat
I like it!
The first pop-punk/rock album I’ve been matched to. It’s a genre I usually like, but I found this a little tame. I can see where the genre has gone since this album came out, but I would have like a bit more thrashing guitar and anger.
I did. Not hit her I did. naht
I didn't like the "Connection" song when it came out and is still probably one of the weaker saccharine sweet pop songs on the album, but there were some other pretty good songs on this album! I was pleasantly surprised!
Trypical 1990's grunge, which I like but this is just not the best. Not bad either, just a bit 'meh'.
Middle of the road album for me. Didn't think it was bad, considering all the brit-rock/pop we've had recently. but past the song Connection (which I thought I recognized from somewhere) nothing else really stuck out. Would have this in rotation again, but its not going to jump out at me.
This song is very much a 3 from how I have been rating albums. Solid with some edginess but largely average based on the list.
Knew a couple songs and it was cool to put some hits with the band that they’re attributed to. The opening of Indian Song instantly reminded me of the sand level in Mario 64. I only wish the sound mixing raised the audio levels so I could hear the vocals a little better. Solid listen.
I could see myself really liking these guys if I discovered them earlier. This album feels like it could really connect with me if I had to listen to it on repeat from a CD. As of now, my music library is too big to really fit Elastica in anywhere.
Sounded exactly as I expected. Enjoyed but not sure I'd go back
Britpop with a bit more bite to it. Elastica is perhaps best known for their song Connection which borrows the leading riff from Wire's Three Girl Rhumba. Say what you will about stealing, but it still made for a catchy song. Otherwise, this album never left much of an impression on me. I think if the band leaned more into a punk/hardcore sound similar to Drive Like Jehu then they would really take off.
Think I need to listen again and pay this more attention. Some good songs, overall didn’t do a lot for me.
Not bad
3.5/5
Did not know this band but certainly recognized "Connection". A great song that I always thought was The Pretenders or 10,000 Maniacs. A one hit wonder band? Not if you ever listened to this whole album. I thought the rest was good too. Lead sounded like Chrissie Hynde with a little more punk vibe. I like that the band went in multiple directions which kept it fresh. Good guitar work and song timing. They got a little abstract on "2:1" but it worked. All in all a hidden gem that I never would have found without the list...3.4.
My only prior tangential knowledge of Elastica was their proximity with Damon Albarn. It continues to be clear he has great taste as I enjoyed this Elastica album. Another example of some quick britpop tracks that hit the spot. Nothing too flashy but it works. 3.30 stars
2.875
This is a perfect example of why I find this list so confusing. Elastica is a decent band, and this is a good album that is definitely representative of a prominent music trend and time period (Britpop). But it’s also a band that doesn’t have an original bone in its body. Just because an album was popular doesn’t mean it contributed anything new to music. Line Up and Connection, Elastica’s two most famous songs, famously rip off Wire, and the whole album is an attempt at recreating a more radio friendly version of Pink Flag. S.O.F.T. is a blatant ripoff of Weezer’s Undone (The Sweater Song). Waking Up sounds like it’s trying to combine multiple Nirvana songs. 2:1 sounds like it’s trying to be Automatic by the Go-Go’s. Stutter is a retread of Kim Wilde’s Kids in America. Other than being notable for having a lineup of mostly women, there’s not a whole lot that’s influential about this band or this album. Did I enjoy listening to it? Yes. Should it be on this list? I’d argue no. Also, if someone hasn’t made a Deepfake of Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek lip syncing to Connection yet, someone needs to do that. 3.5/5 — I’d probably give it a 4 for enjoyability, but I have to deduct points for its derivativeness.
Surprisingly average album, even though it has some Damon Albarn influence. Not much to comment on, to be honest.
pretty good, like the sound. could see myself coming back to this
Kinda mid album 3/5
3.4
2.5 I started off kinda liking the vibe but as I started to listen to the entire album, it started to feel like it was ripping off a different band each song. Ok heres our breeders song, here is the Television song, heres a Go-Gos song. Dont get me started on Wire. I understand that everyone has influences but nothing stood out as original
Like a Brit rock pop? It’s good but short of great.
This is ok but really doesn't need to be on this list. A couple of catchy songs but not not unique.
I never need to hear this again. Im guessing they have good energy in concert.
Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Probably right on the fence b/w a 2 and 3. Gravity pulled in its favor.
I love the punk of this album
lots of filler but some genuine bangers in here. Favorite tracks: stutter, waking up,
would give 3.5 if could
Instruments were okay, nothing exciting, just another okay album.
Alright
enjoyed the guitar, tempo, & overall sound. but vocals just felt "meh" another album that's ok but I won't seek out to listen again
2.5 - 3 / 3
I’d never heard of Elastica until I started going through this list. I tend to enjoy Britpop though, so I think there’s a really good chance that I’ll enjoy this album. Overall, I thought this album was pretty good. The guitar playing and the high-energy sound stuck out to me as the best parts of the album. I found it refreshing that the album was pretty consistent throughout in terms of the quality of the sound and the songwriting; there really weren’t any songs that stood out to me as being filler at any part of the album. “Connection,” “Hold Me Now,” “Stutter,” and “Vaseline” were my favorite songs on the album, with “Stutter probably being my favorite. “Line Up” wasn’t my favorite, but I thought it was a really good choice for a leadoff track, especially with its gagging/barfing vocal sounds. From an objective or critical standpoint, I thought this album was really good. But based on my own tastes, it was pretty middle of the road, mostly because I don’t think it really stands out a lot from its peers at the time. I don’t think this album really did a lot for alternative music, and even though it’s well made, I probably won’t think about it much in the greater context of nineties rock music.
Good band. Took a lot from their influences and sound very alike the original punk gods. Still a good fun album but originalitywise it had alreay been done and better.
I have as many nostalgic feelings about this album as anyone, but there are way more worthy albums that belong here. Fairly generic, and often ripped off in the places that were not generic. I still enjoyed the album but I probably wouldn't if this was the first time I heard it. 3.5 stars
Post punk goodness
Never heard this, but it is kind of cool. Girl rock is always fun.
I. love. gritty. 90s. alt. rock. women. groups. I was not familiar with Elastica, and I wasn't surprised by that fact. So many 90s alt women acts fell off the radar and were not appreciated to the extent that they should have been, and have continued to be somewhat unknown by comparison to a lot of similar male acts of the time. They immediately read like somewhat of a British version of Hole or Garbage. And in my mind, that is not a bad thing at all. While I don't think they succeeded as sounding as sonically standout as the aforementioned bands, they still have good presence on this album. It's another album that I'm not sure needed to be included, but I'm not mad that it was.
A nostalgic journey that reminded me of a time where everyone either did or wanted to sound like Blur. I liked the singles, but the rest was meh
Suspected that the album may have been carried by the catchy, bad-ass track "Connection"... feels like a female-led blur with more punk. Great bass I guess... "S.O.F.T", instrumental was head-banging alright. Think I'd like to see them live, would be interesting to see if their energy would transfer over as well as it seems. 2.9, does a job and would've been fun at the age and time but not my cup of tea now.
Strong 3 Some great songs, but ultimately a little too derivative for me to rate it higher
Slightly better than I expected since it's more electro-pop or new wave-y than straight britpop which seems to be the bane of my existence. 5/10
Pop-rock ochentero.
The first song is awful (Tim: “Maybe they’re trying to establish their indie cred by putting the worst song first”), but after that the album improved greatly.
Fun and catchy with some cool riffs. Overall this was a pretty decent listen but nothing blew me away.
Contributors of this book: "What's that you say? British punk adjacent indie from the late 80s early 90s? Oh yeah, put it in. Don't even ask, just put it in." Everyone else: "So.. umm.. have you even to listened to this? It kind of just sounds the embodiment of the genre. I mean it's fine, but I don't really know if its like good." Contributors of this book: "Nah, its fine. Everything from that period is good. It's all 'FORMATIVE'. You don't even know." Everyone else: "So you would put this on the same pedestal as say The Cure, The Proclaimers, The Stone Roses, The Cranberries, Radiohead, Oasis. You know all that music coming out of the Hacienda in the 80s and 90s." Contributors of this book: "Yeah, its all the same. Just put it in." Blake's thoughts: Maybe 1001 is too many? IDK. This album has some fun songs, but I dunno. It kind of just sounded like the genre.
Shirley Manson? No? This is Garbage's long lost techno twin.
The other rubberband band
90s poppy punky, vibes.
Alright
Could have been the soundtrack to Scott Pilgrim. Great in parts but very generic. High 3. 70/100
Enjoyed it!
I always enjoy a grungy female-led rock and punk sound. There are a couple of standout tracks on this for me, but overall I prefer the heavier sound of their 2000 album.
Generic still not Bad Britpop. Relistend twice before being able to decide in this review.
Very recognisable and classic punk rock basslines, album has a more britpop feel to it at the start, especially with Connection (banger) but slightly fades out as album goes on.
There are some great hits on here, and it is very stylish. Some great personality to the lead singer too. But some of the songs are a bit forgettable, and they lose some points for ripping off old punk songs. However, they did some pretty cool things with the ripped off ones.
Classic 90s alt rock, definitely sets the vibe for the era
ok
Must have been a bad year for music if this broke records
This was a cool album that I still hit every couple of years. Hearing it here reminded me that it is alternative and almost punk, rather than Electronica, which is unfairly in my brain as it's genre. Reminiscent of the Breeders.
Not bad. Typical of the 90s.
More pub rock. This is the exact kind of music my favorite bar would play.
Pretty standard punk.
Девочки альтушки играют альт-рок. Вики, разве что, пишет, что это пост-панк/брит-рок. Ну ок! Жанры это кал, малые. В целом мне заходит, они мелодичные, гитары саркастичные.
Album 407of 1001 Elastica - Elastica Rating : 3.5 / 5 I liked this. Nothing earth shattering that changed the world of music but was a fine listen. Some poppy toned down British punk.
It was ok, nothing special, not much to say.
Very 90s.
here we have another inconsequential British band riding the coat tails of bigger and better bands. sure, this is a fun and catchy album to listen to, but it’s absolutely inessential.
It’s so weird that someone put the entire hot topic playlist onto a single album. I can’t shake the image of knee high converse boots, skirts over jeans, and RAWR XD when I listen to this. As a mid 2000s angst lord I do like the music, but it also sounds a lot like everything else that came out in this time span. I just don’t think it’s anything too memorable.
enjoyed it, felt like something i should have found in highschool and built memories with. Since i didnt it doesnt have that same level of nostalgia similar music does so doesnt hit quite the same way.
90s alternative rock. Edges and fun but still feels like an Apple ad spot to me.
Sort of sounds like an edgier Go-Go’s without the crisp harmonies, not bad but not super memorable.
Don't know anything about this artist. Interested to hear what they sound like. At first glance thought it was going to be 80s. But saw it was mid-90s. Right off the bat, definitely from the mid-90s. Typical rock from the 90s. Sounds like a poor-man's-Hole. I know the track Connection. Definitely remember this track. Pretty mid to me. Nothing spectacular, not my kind of rock either.
90's alternative rock band.
It was fine, but nothing really stands out to me.
A strong choice when you need an energy boost. But far from a daily driver.
Good! Love it, it was enjoyable
Much more entertaining and listenable than I was led to believe. A lot of fun, and an easy album to groove to.