Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Mid tier
Interesting sound, quite like
Sounds like Peter Gabriel. These lyrics are wild. Some of them made me laugh. It’s like he is just naming stuff he sees walking down the city street. I liked track 8 I love this Life.
New discovery for me. Not bad “Tinseltown in the rain” is kind of a jam
Tinseltown is still amazing but as a whole album don't enjoy it all that much
Some were good and some were meh. Maybe i need a second go
A pleasant enough listen. Nothing more, nothing less.
Nah
Not very special. But some tracks were interesting.
I actually liked this. Pretty good artsy pop.
Not bad.
They put the sophisti in the sophistipop
Moody and simplistic. Not bad, if I’m in the mood for their sound.
I enjoyed this overall.
i should preface this with saying that i absolutely ADORE new wave. if you put talking heads, depeche mode, DEVO, or men without hats in front of me, i will eat that shit up. but this? eh. frankly, this made me sleepy. i can enjoy certain bands that have songs that make me tired (the cure), but for the whole album? c'mon, wake up, man; this is mostly directed to the vocalist. all in all, this was fine. not AMAZING new wave, but ok. the title track was kind of enjoyable though; put me on edge a bit and could be put to good use in a horror film.
3.5
It sounds like early Peter Gabriel.
Bowie influenced jangle pop, so derivative that even the bonus point for being Scottish doesn't help much. Very lush and chilled, with one classic 80s single, but just not very exciting or engaging. Background music for a flashback scene in a drama, when they want to hammer home the "80s-ness" of the situation.
It's interestingly uninteresting. For a Scottish band, they sound "American". Like I can understand the lyrics. Their version of Stay sounds nothing like Lisa Loeb's version.
Seems like an adult-contemporary synth-pop without any meaningful melodic hooks... it kind of just ambles and drifts all over the place. Pleasant, but unremarkable. Tinseltown is the strongest.
Pretty good
This was Bowie meets Peter Gabriel. It didn't overstay it's welcome.
This was fine. Not really for me. I’ve already started to forget what was on here.
I like 80s synth pop but with perhaps more emphasis on the pop.
Unremarkable background 80s
Wow. Really liked it. Never heard of them before. Little bit sounding like Peter Gabriel at times. This is a gem. 3/5
short but good
Decent album, songs that are nice to listen to. Not super memorable, but not bad either.
Not bad.
Peter Gabriel meets “Let’s Dance” era Bowie with hints of Duran Duran. Not bad.
Solo escuché uno de sus discos en los 80 y como 20 años después al escuchar la versión que incluyó Craig Armstrong supe que era él. ¡Qué voz! Tiene muy buenas canciones así que merece la pena escucharlo.
Pretty bland 80s era stuff. Nothing special. Completely forgettable.
Decent, but I wish some of the melodies were less random and jumpy
Easy to listen to, doesn't stick in the mind. Felt generic early eighties.
Sparse sythn-driven slow-burning 80s sad-guy pop - a bit like Killing Joke or a less exuberant Peter Gabriel. The vocals are the dominant element; slightly hoarse, plaintive, searching, and introspective, operating within a fairly narrow range but using volume dynamics to shift intensities they convey loneliness, loss, and a sense of life happening elsewhere. There's a lot of lyrical repetation, emphasis on choruses and individual lines rather than extended verses. The synths are more upbeat: shimmering and arpegiatted with bright tambers. The bass and very reverby drum machine tracks are very synth-sounding too, giving the whole thing that pure-plastic post-modern sound. There's the odd bit of very compressed-clean guitar that comes in as an accent in key moments to build up tension (like in Stay). Easter Parade is a slow piano ballad and big change of tone. Heatwave is another ballad, but much more interestingly arranged, with a very layered bed of synth and keyboard parts as chill and inviting platform for the singer to float over. Favorites: Stay, Heatwave
Really good. I liked it a lot. I think it sounds similar to Peter Gabriel - which is great.
Pop elegante y tranquilo. Ligeramente instrumental. Voz melancólica
It's 80's and enjoyable.
Pleasant background music with a mix of jazz and a hint of electronic.
This album is more interesting to me than it is exciting. It's not my scene, but I kind of appreciate what they're doing with it. The actual musicality and skill are there, and I admire the amount of different ideas and experimentation they've thrown at it. There's some interesting things happening with the instruments, with brass, violins, weird kind of soundscapes, synth... It's just a bit floaty and unassuming for me.
Solid
A Walk Across the Rooftops feels familiar. I think I must have started to review this at one point... Really pretty song with a very 80s sounding (Victor Wooten-esq) bass tone and orchestral flourishes. This was a fine way to spend 40 minutes. Enjoyable, but not enough to get too excited about. Just nice spacious, but warm instrumentals with his calming voice over top. Somewhere on the 3-4 boundary -- going 3.
This was the one i meant to call LCD out on not throwing muses
I know an alternate version of my really, really digs this album.
Two songs into Glaswegian band’s The Blue Nile’s self-titled debut, I wasn’t convinced at all. I was ready to write a dismissive one line review: “Nice bass, shame about the songs.” This band are unhurried, understated, and appear unfussed with making any impact on the charts (the most obvious “single” here is “Tinseltown in the Rain”, and even that is a stretch). I don’t have many frames of reference for their music, but my own personal one is that their “sophisti-pop” mirrors The Police’s more downbeat, mellow offerings (think “Tea in the Sahara”) and is stretched out into ethereal vapour, by way of Talk Talk’s jazzy experimentation. There are only seven songs here to fill the runtime, and each one unfurls delicately and gracefully, in its own time. It’s the bassline that got me first: the more upbeat songs have show-stealing performances from Robert Bell (not to be confused with the Kool and the Gang bassist, which threw me when I went to Google). But then with a little more time, it was the gentler tracks which began to stand out. “From Rags to Riches”, “Easter Parade” and “Automobile Noise” might be my favourites: they’re the most subdued, but also display the strongest sense of melody. There’s a yearning in these songs for something distant and forgotten, and they hum in the silence: sparse, solemn, subtle. It’s not my favourite record I’ve heard lately, but I can appreciate “The Blue Nile” as a pensive, thoughtful listen.
🥶
Sofistipop. Ni fu ni fa.
A Walk Across the Rooftops is the debut album by Scottish band The Blue Nile. It wasn't a hit at release, but it slowly gained sales through word of mouth of pleased fans. This synth-pop album took a lot of work from the band because all of the sounds on the record had to be created/played physically, since it was produced before digital audio effects became commonplace. The downtempo, elegant, effortless feeling music on this album has a relaxing and romantic theme to it. It flows calmly and seductively from start to finish to soothe your ears. I believe this album is sorely underrated and could use some more fans.
I'm liking this strong baseline. Great to listen to on a rainy morning. I appreciate the emphasis on the singing, but I think Paul Buchanan's voice is *just* good, not great. I also really like another early adopter of synthesizers/electronic elements, especially these chime-y, whimsical sounds. It must have been so cool to listen to these sounds in the 80's. Really pleasant album. I would like to give it a 3.5, but I'm rounding down to 3 because I don't feel like I'll listen to this one again for any reason.
The singer sounds a lot like David Bowie I really liked the beginning of the album with the strings/synth and whatnot through the first couple songs Really slowed down too much in the second half of the album
This was interesting. I think I sorta like the sound of any one song, but the problem is that all the songs sound the same to me. So any one song would be like a 3.5/5 or so, but overall the sameyness brings it down to a 2.5/5. 2.5/5
Liked the first song. Rest of the album might grow on me the singers voice is just a little out there
I only know this beforehand because Destroyer cites Blue Nile as a big influence for Ken and afterwards. I hear the influence, and I must thank them.
Sommige nummers prachtig (rags to riches / automobile noise) sommige erg kut
When the Seinfeld bass started I feared the worst. The production throughout makes it sound a bit dated but there are some very strong songs in there.
feels like early new wave and diluted The police
Who is this vaguely new wave / new romantics band that I've never heard of before? Their slightly The The, Aztec Camera, Style Council, Fine Young Cannibals, Yaz fronted by Scott Walker meets the mellowest side of Comsat Angels spooning the Pogues vibes has me intrigued. My enthusiasm for the album slowed around the Easter Parade (though quite a timely listen here in April).
I could see this album really growing on me. It was a cool experimental sound that wasn’t overly so and had a certain appeal
Part elevator music, part a welcome exercise in *restraint* when it comes to eighties aesthetics, this record has aged miraculously well, all things considered. The title track opening the album has subtle instrumentation, "Heatwave" has interesting and addictive percussions, and "Stay" is a heartfelt cut. I also have the feeling Kate Bush most probably took a page out of "Tinseltown In the Rain" to create her legendary songs "Running Up That Hill" and "Cloudbursting", relelased in the next year (you certainly have common synth sounds and vocal ideas here and there). So does that mean I will include this album by the Blue Nile? Er... Nope, sorry. As interesting as this curio from the past is, the vocal parts are decidedly too whiny and/or bland in too many places, and most of the songs sound only half-formed to my ears. You'd need a few more "dynamic" tracks in that LP to give it the impetus it cruelly lacks as it is. Yet I'm feeling generous and will even give this one a 3/5 grade. Not enough to make it to my list. But that doesn't mean the thing is utterly bad either. Number of albums left to review: 627 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 183 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 85 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 112 (including this one)
Nothing really caught my attention, but it was a relaxing listen. An easy-listening album, if you will. I am interested in hearing more from this band, though!
Kind of liked this one.
First time listening. Very smooth, comforting, soulful late-night music. (Art) Pop music that moves at a pace of ambient without becoming overly repetitive. It has a distinct sound better reserved for the night hours, I'd say at any time other than between midnight and 5 AM.
This album is almost pretty sweet. A lot of the songs sound close to different things that I do like quite a bit. I do think the instrumentation, particularly some of the synth stuff on this record are really cool and ahead of their time. The vocals I could completely do without. It's fine, but I will probably never listen to this again.
Interesting but didn’t particularly fire me up
Favoritas: -Tinseltown in the Rain -Stay
Well this wasn't as bad as many of the reviews made it out to be. I didn't enjoy it hugely, but then I don't think I was "listening to it right". I probably should have fed this through some hilariously expensive speakers. At least this is all kinds of better than Thundercat or Sigur Rós, another couple of artists wheeled out by the audiophile crowd when they want to stroke themselves off over the equipment rather than listening to and enjoying the music. I would actually be moderately tempted to listen again, just to see.
Pop self-consciously elevated to Composition: That's appropriately pretentious and reflects the potential and realized mess. A Walk is ultimately cohesive and emotionally indulgent, and I dig the experiments it's willing to perform to get there. Massively dated sound, though.
Never heard this. But I’m a fan. Sort of Talking Heads style. 3/5
So much overlooked or ignored music from the 70s and 80s. This I never heard. Its has that sparse "less than zero" sound of ultra smooth 1980s. Tinseltown is good. Its atmospheric and beautful but doesnt make me feel so good. They need to subtract some of the bleak or detached feeling. Stylish and herribly depressing.
3 stars, like the production
3.8/5
Niet erg speciaal
weird electronic pop with a heavy 80s vibe. A lot of the songs reminded me of CSI intro lol Saved tracks: Tinseltown In The Rain, Heatwave
This one was like someone told them they could make really long songs but forget to tell them to make them interesting
Enjoyable electro pop without any stand out songs but still a decent listen
It never quite pulled me in. Sounded pretty and breezy enough but never fully won me over. Picked up the pace at times, I thought Tinseltown was an interesting track. Overall thought it was a nice album, I guess I wasn’t necessarily in the mood for a dreamy album. 3 stars
ha un po' la voce di Sting e un po' lo stile del Boss
Definitely has the early to mid-80s feel to it. I vaguely remember hearing "Tinseltown In The Rain" and "Stay" back then. There are some interesting aspects to certain of the tracks on this album, courtesy of the synth-heavy compositions. Their sense of melody is a little different, too, which I like. Although I can't say I am really into this album, it's better than I thought it might be when I started listening to it.
Interesting but not really my thing.
Nile est un garçon très timide, il le prouvera tout au long de l'album en baragouinant quelques phrases dans sa barbe. L'album reste par conséquent parfaitement inintelligible.
okay
Het nadeel van Bowie is dat ie een inspiratie was voor velen. Bij het eerste twee nummers wilde ik afhaken. Gelukkig werd daarna Bowie nog even verdund met wat The Cure, Sting en Kraftwerk. Ik ga positief zijn. Er zijn er leuke geluiden of soundscapes te horen of hoe je het zou willen noemen en de meeste nummers zijn ondanks het experimentele en de huismerk Bowie leadzanger goed te pruimen. 3,5 ster waard omdat ik verrast ben over tracks 3 t/m 7 (het einde). Duurt met 38 minuten ook niet te lang allemaal. Afgerond een 3.
It invokes a lot of the classic Dunedin (NZ) sound of the early 80s - minimalist synth chords on the backdrop of heartfelt lyrics designed to make you feel slightly uncomfortable. I liked it; I would’ve been more impressed if they’d noted the Antipodean version of this (i.e. The Chills, The Verlaines).
Its full of beautiful tracks but it doesnt really stir me otherwise
3.5
I think I just found the missing link between Tom Waits’s early work and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
3.5 One of the more unique albums I’ve heard thus far. The singer’s voice, the electronic beats, and the heavy synth/strings are all so distinct that it feels like one shouldn’t pair well with the others, yet somehow it blends beautifully. A lot of sappy themes and lyrics about love (I swear the word itself is mentioned in every song), but it worked for me in a kind of new wave, arthouse way that makes me think of a pretentious Perks of Being a Wallflower-esque mixtape - the song Stay specifically if you’re trying to win someone back. Speaking of, I really enjoyed Stay and all the tracks leading up to it, but it felt like the back half of the album descended into slower ballads that started to lose me. Heatwave wasn’t bad, but Easter Parade and Automobile Noise were a bit of a slog. Still, the album worked for me as a whole, so I’ll likely listen again - if not the full thing, definitely a few songs. I’m also curious to check out their supposedly critically acclaimed followup Hats. Favorite songs: Stay, Tinseltown in the Rain, A Walk Across the Rooftops, Heatwave
Pop aburrido
Låter som en Talk Talk x Bowie collab vilket är en bra sak och helt bra album också men talk talk o bowie e båda bättre
Erhöll gllfbdoqkwögbeöwbf
Listened Before? N I've only vaguely heard of these guys in passing from hardcore new-wave people. It sounds like a sleepier, slower version of Talking Heads. I enjoyed it alright but it was kind of mellow for me. Sounds like alot of modern pop. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Stay
Competently played and occasionally lively, but a bit too cold and sterile to be truly enjoyable. “Tinseltown in the Rain” is the obvious standout.
Shades of Let's Dance era Bowie, I'm guessing some of the curators of this list might have been Gen X with Scottish heritage.
It was just ok.
Lyrical nonsense, music was okay, pretty forgettable, not sure I'd ever listen again but it was pleasant enough
That's an interesting and quite original album on this list. The Blue Nile made an unusual choice of creating a record almost fully with synthesizers, but still keeping the tone of the early 80s post-punk and alternative group. Instrumentally, every two songs are really different from each other - the band uses a lot of gimmicks and methods to bend the sounds in new way to their will. There is a big "but" however, in this case it's about the vocalist, whose voice and style of singing is so phlegmatic, I just couldn't do it longer than a song at a time. It really brings the whole experience down to the level, where I am not even interested in giving it another chance. I'll give it a 3/5, but only because I actually like the instrumental parts.
The lead singer catches your attention early. He's like a cross between an angry and desperate Frank Sinatra and Peter Gabriel. The production is also interesting, with a bank of synths creating a faux-string section that takes center stage and a guitar that’s hardly ever heard. Not very 80s. Some of the more sparse and gloomy songs remind me of Peter Gabriel’s Security Album. The song-writing falls short of the innovative production.
It was fine.
The further you get from that diabolical "Rooftops" song, the better it gets. "Stay" has a nice groove, while "Easter Parade" sounds like a Tom Waits song, sweet and melancholic. Then it loses steam when it gets to "Automobile Noise." It should be renamed Dull Noise. A couple of four star songs drag third album into three star territory. Just.
Felt like this was a pretty good pop album from the 80s. The Scottish band had similar sounds to U2. The synths and instrumentals did seem a bit dated but the singer and song style makes this not feel too old. The singer has a way of making the songs seem relatable. I could listen to this album again. 6.8/10
I really did not like this very much - that however does not mean that it is bad, just that it is far from my taste in music. I actually have doubts as to whether it is music at all, given that I understand rhythm as an essential component to all music. This has no rhythm, it is a collection of sounds generated according to some kind of internal logic and with very definite time signatures - it is creating a soundscape certainly but I am not sure that I would call it music. Having said all that I can appreciate that there is something here that some people will like. It appears to be well produced and competently performed
Surprised by this one, got some real Animal Collective vibes. Ended up enjoying it for the most part but probably won't revisit.
Very 80s, kinda slow but not too bad
I completely missed this at the time. Music was so much more regional at the time. I enjoyed the overall sound here, synthpop with actual guitars being played as well. Stay was my favourite track.
As I listened to this I thought it's good but something was nagging in the back of my brain and it was on "Heatwave" that it hit me, if the singer had more power and range like Peter Gabriel these songs would have a little less 'sameness' to them...like, all good, nice sound, and the lead singer's voice is nice but there seems to be no pushing past a same singing range.
3/5. Some goofy ass songs with car noises but the normal songs were alright.
Wait they were cool? Also wait what she seems real? Also wait what is going on at work, I’m not thriving, honeymoon period baybeee
Nothing special
My first thought was "I wonder if Natalie knows this band". She was always into cool, niche bands in the 80s, not to mention David Sylvian whose rainy-day albums (my phrase) share a lot in common with the overall vibe as well as the singer's voice on this album. Anyway, sure enough, she did. As for me? I might add it into the David Sylvian rainy-day mix. Just the sort of thing to drift in and out of paying attention to. Mostly the lyrics are artsy and obscure anyway, though the melodies and arrangements are sometimes genuinely engaging. (Mind you, "Heatwave" could be reinterpreted now as a climate crisis song: "Are we rich or are we poor? Does it matter anymore? In a heatwave...")
This sounds great. If anything, the tracks are a bit samey, but there’s no doubt the band know what they’re doing. Not particularly my cup of tea, but definitely a polished effort.
Toffe eenmalige listen
5/10. Not bad, but not really for me.
Very meh. 5/10
Pretty solid mid-80s album that I'd never heard. Little Talking Heads, little U2, little somthin' unique to them. Kudos, gents.
It was fine. Made me sleepy listening to it. Short album though. Might listen again.
Unusual new wavey stuff, albeit a bit pretentious
Sort of a fascinating album with 80's Peter Gabriel vibes. Really really like the track Heat Wave. Totally palatable album with outstanding vocals.
Хороший синти-поп. Без явных хитов, но с интересным и местами экспериментальным звучанием. Напоминало некоторые альбомы Боуи 6 из 10
A good idea, but way too repetitive.
Uusi tuttavuus. Hyvii kasarihenkisii bassolinjoja! Vaatii uuden kuuntelun mutta tällä erää 3/5
Sasvim dobar album, u nekim dijelovima po glasu i instrumentalu me podsjeća na solo albume Davida Byrnea. Bilo bi ovo dobro po kiši slušati, tak mi se čini.
Meh.
I'm finding it so hard to know what I think about this! I love the opening track I think it's super unusual and interesting and I like the passionate almost wailing in his voice. I have quite the aversion to his voice in the slower songs for some reason maybe it's too whingy? Very mixed feelings.
This reminded me of a Bowie style, I enjoyed part of it but hasn't left a huge impression
Quite enjoyed this, felt nice and boppy and fresh. Didn't like the guy's voice much but some of the bass lines were really cool. Can't imagine I'll go back to it but glad I heard it
Some of the instrumentals are nice, really not a fan of the singer though. Kind of corny
2.5 stars
This guy has a great voice and the song sound very different from each other.
The first listen made me prick up my ears, since I am quite fond of what I know of the synth-art-pop genre. But after a third and fourth listen, is really does not leave a lasting impression. The opening two tracks form the highlight of the album, and it goes a little bit down from there. The melancholy that people seem to like from this album sounds a bit too dreary to me after a while. 3,5*
I don't think I'm in the right headspace for this band. I may have to circle back.
Not very memorable. 1 or 2 stand out tracks, the rest faded into the background.
Pretty decent Peter Gabriely art pop. A little meandering sometimes.
Really funky, uh, pop? Is this pop? Wikipedia tells me it's "sophisti-pop" which sounds both made up and accurate. Almost 4 stars but a bit not quite.
Legal, mas chato. Boa instrumentação, vocais bacanas.
cara não sei pq mas isso me bateu muito errado música de gente q sofre no apartamento usando heroína, sei la
This was pretty interesting. About as close as you could come to listening to a Peter Gabriel album without listening to a Peter Gabriel album. But at the same time it didn't feel like they were copying him, just definitely influenced by him. 3 stars.
Je mets 3 sinon ça fait trop de 4 de suite
J'ai pas noté de suite du coup j'ai oublié mais y'avait du potentiel je crois.
Smooth instrumentals undone by pretentious lyrics, but I found it pleasant to listen to in the background even so
Mjög næs örlí 80s.
Casual strolling high
2.5/5 I Like the singers voice. Some of the songs are okay, but nothing special. Favourite songs: - A walk across the rooftops - Stay
Jag gillade det, det hade nåt lite mysigt ultrapretto, som jag kände att jag kunde få nåting av. Speciellt de Långsammare låtarna på andra halvan var tunga. Kommer nog inte gå in i nån form av heavy rotation, men känns som låtar som skulle kunna växa på en
Låter extremt mycket som Peter Gabriel under So-eran. Svag för soundet, men tröttnar lite över en hel platta på dude-försöker-låta-som-Peter-Gabriel-som-försöker-låta-som-Sting-soundet. Kändes som samma låt många gånger! Men det var en bra låt.
I didn't hate it. 2.5/5
liked the ambience
This was a bit of surprise, as I was expecting a regular 80s pop album that I've heard in a hundred different other artists, but it was actually pretty enjoyable! The first track was my favourite with its kind of dreary and dark feel. Throughout the whole album there was a lot of depth and feeling that I really appreciated. There were moments that felt a little repetitive or unexciting, but overall I enjoyed it. I'd probably give this a 3.5 if I could, and a 4 if it was a bit more consistent.
6/10
The singer sounds a bit like David Byrne, which is good.
Never heard of this band before - interesting album, happy to listen to it while working
Fills the same niche as sleepy-time 80s easy listening Bowie. The vocals are calm and soft, the lyrics are shoe-gazey and poppy. At it's best when it combines these with hard snares and bells. It's hard to get excited about it, but it's not bad and is actively good in some places. Good - Stay, Heatwave. Bad - Tinseltown in Rain Artwork - Sets the mood of the album. The black and off-white suggest a deceptive simplicity. The men are staring at something I can't see, interested in something I can't quite lock down and that is how I feel listening to the album. It feels as if there is a great deal just out of reach from me.
very slow
I adore their followup album, Hats. This one not so much.
56 A walk across the rooftops - The Blue Nile 7 tracks. I'm surprised I have never heard of them as this was released in 1984. 1st impression is I love the music but not the vocals. Maybe it will grow on me, (it didn't), There are hints, (musically & in the writing), of Deacon Blue, (a compliment), but the vocals just don't fit. Put a different vocalist on this & it could be great, (but isn't). 3/5
Vellydende og godt mixet pop rock. Bliver dog lide kedelig i længden og er lige lovlig langson
The album is essentially a proof-of-concept, sketches for their later work. What we have is an establishment of The Blue Nile's aesthetic: meticulous, melancholy and songs given space to breathe. However, one can also criticise the mildly haywire arrangements. Also, one can find The Blue Nile generally overproduced and a touch too cold to love. I have spent the evening listening to this and their follow-up, 1989's Hats. Hats is obviously the better album, and I am puzzled as to why it wasn't the book's choice for their Blue Nile album. That said, two Blue Nile albums are a bit too much for one evening. I can grasp the appeal, but I can't concur that The Blue Nile are one of the great forgotten groups of the 1980s.
More influence. The album seems to have been lauded for its clean and atmospheric production, perhaps a sign of the digital times creeping forth in an analogue world. One or two tracks stood out. I think the problem with influential albums is that to fully appreciate them, it requires digging into history, to know the context of things at the time the album was released. And that takes time. Ain't nobody got time for that. And sometimes, all the history books in the world just aren't the same as having lived through it in the first place.
I've always found this a nice but also a bit boring album (some songs and the way of singing remind me of slow Peter Gabriel songs). Hats, the follow-up album is quite a bit better.
Pretty, moody, melancholy songs. A rainy day album. I remember when this album came out. It seemed tonally out of place with what was going on in music at the time, but has aged really well. It sounds rather timeless now. The pace is mostly slow and lingering, which some people will not like. It has elegant, deceptively simple-seeming compositions, full of layered sounds and experimentation with percussion and electronic noise. I've visited this album a few times over the years and it never really clicked with me until today. I enjoyed listening to it. Fave Songs: Heat Wave, Automobile Noise, Tinseltown in the Rain
A solid 3. Great bass lines in the first few songs, this is a trend that I seem to really like
Pop agradável
its alright, nothing special though
It was alright,
not my thing
First track was just musical anxiety, 1/5 Rest of the album was decent enough, 3/5
Enjoyed this album. Not as good as pulp. Short listen
Kinda sounds like Peter Gabriel, dece album
I rather like this. Its definitely got some Bowie & Peter Gabriel influence, which could never be a bad thing to me. And I get hits of David Grey’s self-produced White Ladder, which I had on repeat for a while in the 90s. Some of the synth & sequencer sounds are a bit dated. But the sound is complex, the mood is contemplative, and the overall feel is sophisticated w/o being full of itself. I likely would have liked it more had I discovered in in the 80s, but I look forward to giving it some more time to grow on me and analyze it further.
Eh, was okay. seemed generic to me personally.
It was cool, although it was a bit of a tough listen. I really like how experimental the album felt. There were a lot of things I've heard, but so much that I haven't heard before. As a result, I feel like I'd listen to it when I'm in a mood for inspiration. What I really found interesting was how jazzy the instrumentals got while keeping this mellow atmosphere, which at times really peaked my interest while at other times, felt challenging. I only saved a few songs that really caught me, I think it was just the singles.
Nothing stood out to me, only listened to disc 1
me hizo pensar en la escuela de frankfurt???!?!
Nothing bad, but nothing great either. Somewhat forgettable really.
Great little drifter
This was very enjoyable! Sometimes I felt as if the vocals were a bit shadowed by the overbearing instrumentals, but other than that it was perfectly fine.
Interesting but all very similar.
A little different but ok
1 nummer kende ik al, dat is een mooie klassieker. De rest viel wat tegen, maar toch prima album
Really liked this. Would go back
Tinseltown in the Rain heb ik altijd al een prachtig nummer gevonden, en die sfeer wordt doorgetrokken op dit hele album.
I quite enjoyed this. Some nice 80s numbers in there. Sounded quite a lot like bands such as Prefab Sprout and Orange Juice...not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
Yllätyin positiivisesti. Laulajasta tulee mieleen semmoinen köyhän miehen Roger Daltrey. Biisit nyt ehkä vähän höttöä, mutta taustalla menee. Yllätys2,5->3.
ehhhhhhh, this is a cool defy genre kind of piece, but its just not my vibe. From Rags to Riches is weird and cool. meh just not my style
Too 80s and too ballady for me, but I think the lead singer has a great voice.
A beautifully picturesque album. Synths are my jam. Tinseltown in the Rain is glorious. Falters in the middle. "Are we rich or are we poor, does it matter anymore?" 6/10
Ok. Not bad, but not my favorite. Bass is pretty badass.
Can't say I loved it, but it seemed unique, and I liked the deadpan moodiness of it, an entanglement of cynicism and beauty. Enough to pique my interest anyway.
Grand. Seemingly simple but not, sophisticated pop. Almost a 5.
Good album. Electronic sounds are great, reminds me of the depressing sounds of New order.
I was really hoping to enjoy this, but it ended up feeling more like nothing than I expected. It's intentionally obtuse and repetitive in a way that doesn't bode well for anyone that isn't looking for exactly that. Walk Across the Rooftops is probably the best song off the album, but apparently Tinseltown in the Rain is their most popular song? Kinda weird if you ask me.
I liked it for a bit, then the content and execution fell a bit flat. Lyrics are too cheesy for me but it sounds alright.
This reminded me of the band Talk Talk a lot. Complicated, well-produced pop music. The song structures are something I haven’t really heard before. I like the first half of this record quite a bit. And Hoo boy those basslines. Favorite song: A Walk Across The Rooftops Least favorite song: Easter Parade
Never heard this before, but it was pretty good music. Not too intrusive, but perfect for the early evening.
Todella mielenkiintoinen uusi tuttavuus. Tykkäsin kovasti levyn tunnelmasta ja äänimaailmasta. Biisien laatu ei ihan riitä korkeampaan arvosanaan mutta täytyy pitää tämä nimi mielessä.
Такое надо слушать, когда на улице дождь
A bit like Bowie, but less exciting
Interesting album. Strong atmosphere
TO ME this sounds like an unfinished demo that desperately needs more layers and to be handed to an accomplished lead singer. I understand that for a lot of people the vocal style is what they are drawn to. I would like to have a sit down with the person that thought this needs to be on a list of albums you need to hear before you die so they can explain exactly what about this I needed to hear. Melancholy synth/pop/folk? I've heard 20 artists on this list that do it better and 100 others that didn't make this list. 2.5, this exists and I am no better or worse from having heard it and never need to hear it again.
i can’t tell if i’ve hit some sort of mid-1001 burnout or if this project is actually making me more critical of music. this album made me open up spot*fy and wistfully glance at other, better albums i could be listening to. i’m not cut out for sophisti-pop.
This felt kind of meh to me, which sounds harsh but it’s just not my sound and the singer almost seemed dispassionate and uninterested
Overall, nothing too exciting, just alright leaving it in the background.
Oei, ik hoor eigenlijk al meteen iets waar ik niet zo vrolijk van word: Een zeikerige zanger. Muzikaal zit het verder wel best interessant in elkaar met strijkers enzo. Maar ik merk dat ik eigenlijk meteen al de zanger niet zo goed vind. Goed, we geven het , zo neutraal mogelijk, toch een kans, misschien valt de zang me toch mee? Het is wel duidelijk new wave, en dat vind ik ergens nog wel geinig, maar dit hele album is zo ontzettend pretentieus. Je hoort gewoon bijna dat de zanger een driedelig pak aan heeft tijdens het zingen en continue sigaretten aan het roken is ook al mag je niet roken in de studio. Dat hoort nou eenmaal bij zijn creatieve proces, want net als Vincent van Gogh wordt hij niet begrepen bij leven, maar zal iedereen er later achter komen hoe geniaal hij was. Ugh, ik krijg een nare smaak van dit album, gelukkig duurt het maar 38 minuten, maar het zijn wel 38 ontzettend lange minuten zo... FAVO:
Whenever I review an album, I really try my best to give my thoughts in a reasonable amount of detail, without just writing a straight up entire essay. And I guess technically that is what I'm doing with this review too. To be fair, I am writing this a good few hours after having actually listened to the album, but even then I feel like I should still remember *something* about it. Was this good? Was this bad? Honestly I have no idea, all I can tell you is that it was forgettable, since I genuinely can't recall anything on this entire album that stuck with me.
Archetypal 80s pop of a certain type. Spiky bass, drums machine, swirling synths. It hasn’t aged well stylistically and it doesn’t help that the songs (despite sounding quite portentous) are pretty mundane in content.
2/5
Klingt wie eine schlechte Version von etwas, das ich sehr mag
This wasn't bad bad, but it wasn't for me. I'd love to know the criteria that got this on the list and meant I simply had to hear it before I died.
Despite the difference in number of listens, I actually really like From Rags to Riches more than Tinseltown In the Rain. The latter is pretty generic, in my opinion, but Rags to Riches hits a really cool fantasy sound.
It definitely occupies a unique space. It was pleasant enough but I have no urge to listen again. Rating: 1.8
The town is abuzz with excitement over the new installation down at the art gallery. You go in, and see a crowd of people around the new exhibit. When you make your way to the front, you see a blank canvas, and upon it is a broken bicycle pedal, a popped latex balloon, half of a soda can, and a banana. You take a deep breath, blink hard a couple of times, and take it in. No matter how many artsy folks in berets talk about how amazing it is, you just don't get it. It's just a bunch of shit on the wall. That's the visual equivalent of this album. The singing is so wistful, I hope that guy eventually found happiness, but I doubt it. I certainly didn't listening to this album.
The Good: We get a different view from the city! The Bad: The police thought we were cat-burglars… The Ugly: Falling off the rooftops, realizing we are no cats… When I was introduced to The Associates, or Orange Juice, I was grateful to this journey. The Associates, due to the rawest of energies, while Orange Juice just embodies ‘80s fun perfectly. Blue Nile, The Blue Nile, well… this one’s a head-scratcher. I am certain that, should I have been one of few to listen to this back in the ‘80s, then I might be a massive fanboy. Defending the off key singing as a perfect way of showing one’s feelings… But I did not listen to Blue Nile in the ‘80s… I gave The Human League 3* yesterday… in all fairness this means that this album should get 1 1/2… Not my cup of tea… keeping my fingers crossed to see what kind of odd ball I am presented today. 2*
Snooze fest.
Although the tracks were harmless enough, I found the album a tad boring.
Some good music, especially in the synth textures. The tone chosen by the singer is a bit too whiny.
Not to my taste felt pretty droney where songs kept going and i didn’t know where in the song I actually was
I feel like I have some disease, as a result of this challenge where every new album sounds like a derivative of some other artist. The singer here is an art rock crooner who sounds like an imitation of Bowie with a heavy dose of Peter Gabriel — a cheap imitation. He can’t sing as well as those two and the musical backdrop is not as interesting. A 2.
The sleepy crooner. An album you forget you're listening to while listening to it
Too 80’s for me
Felt like a wannabe bowie
sounded fine but I didn’t care Why it matters: One of the earliest and best examples of atmospheric synth-pop, replacing 1980s excess with loneliness, space, and mood. Its influence can be heard in artists from U2 to The xx, yet it remains largely unknown outside music-obsessive circles, where it’s regarded as a cult masterpiece.
liked some parts, but some sounds where not there, started off kinda weird, then it came back, idk... i have mixed feelings
Just completely unmemorable. Nothing bad, but ten minutes after listening I don’t think I can say one thing in this album that I had an actual reaction to.
Another Talking Heads, Genesis sounding wannabe band. It gets two because I didn’t absolutely hate it but man, it wasn’t great.
1 aardig nummer. De rest vind ik niets.
Not great.
Dunno, it was meh or mid, I actually forgot how it was 24 h later
Its not awful, but at the same time I wasnt sad when it ended.
No, not really.
Too much moaning on the album. Bascially a boring sound.
A slice of David Byrne, a little Peter Gabriel, plus a whole lot of nondescript synth and moaning.
I don’t hate it, it’s listenable and I would finish the album, but probably will not listen to it again because it’s not memorable
Good but boring
First off, I have never heard of this band or album. It came out in 1984, so I believe I’ll take a stab at the band being new wave? By that point, new wave and post-punk had taken over, especially on MTV. I’ll also guess they’re English. Track 1 is A Walk Across Rooftops and it builds slowly up to a fat bass groove with plucking orchestral strings and a snare hit. The production puts it in the 80s for sure. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, The Blue Nile are known as sophisti-pop, ambient, synth-pop and blue-eyed soul. I’m not sure they can be all those, but we’ll see. The song is a love song, but sonically hasn’t gone much past how the song opened. The singer is good. He sings with passion. The band is Scottish, rather than English. A piano has now joined the song. And a trumpet solo of sorts to close the song. It has a harp or chimes or something playing in the background that gives it this dream-like quality. Not blown away by this first track, but it gives me an idea of what to expect. Chill vibes, love songs, and no rock. Track 2 is Tinseltown In the Rain. Oooh, this song starts out a bit peppier with a nice groove. You’ve got another bass groove, electric piano, the whole drum set, and some Nile Rodgers-like guitars. I’m not sold on the lead singer, Paul Buchanon, but he’s giving it his all. I hear the synth now. The band uses synths to essentially create an atmosphere, so you don’t really pay attention to them. This was the second single released from the album. It seems it never charted in the U.S. and barely did so in the U.K. According to my good friend, Wikipedia, this is Blue Nile’s debut album. And the reason the songs are so sparse is that Buchannon wasn’t a great guitarist. So, to hide your deficiencies, you play up your strengths, which were synths and the ability to create a mood. And the bass playing of Robert Bell, the only other member of the band as The Blue Nile are a duo. By the time they got around to recording the album, they added drummer PJ Moore. I like this song. Track 3 is From Rags To Riches. Again, very sparse beginning. Synths and someone whacking a hollow log in the background. There are synths in this song that sound like the synth riff from The Who’s Baba O’Riley. No matter what I think of the album, it’s barely 37 minutes long. The good old 80s, where songs were barely over three minutes and albums were almost always around 40 minutes long. This song is boring to me. Maybe it’s the caffeine I’ve ingested. I want to chair dance or at least shake my knee 100 miles a second. This album seems to be more for winding down after a long day, maybe for taking a nap. It’s not appreciably bad, it’s just not….Oooh, I like this breakdown at the end. The song is six minutes long, but this band is experiential, so I don’t fault them too much. When the singer dips out, and you’re just left with all the synths and bass, it’s a pretty good song. From a review in Sounds magazine when the album came out, “The Blue Nile's stunning debut album seduces the emotions as well as the senses, and instead of fighting its effect, the sensible thing to do is relax and enjoy it ... There's a mesmeric quality in this music that makes you want to savour every track with the respectful appreciation of a connoisseur.” I’ll agree with most of that. Stunning? I’m not sure. I’m beginning to think this is an album you need to hear a few times before truly understanding what it’s trying to be. Though I do catch glimpses. Track 4 is Stay, which was the first single off the album. I like this song from the start. It has a good, catchy chorus. It’s the first true pop song on the album. I can find no info on how it charted or if it did, or Wikipedia has no info. I will say the chorus does sound familiar. It does have a nice, simple guitar solo in it. It fits the song perfectly. Not all solos need to be high wankery like Steve Vai. I’m adding this song to my singles playlist. It also has a timelessness to the production. It doesn’t give 80s vibes off of it. Track 5 is Easter Parade. The song starts out with both a piano and an electric piano with soft vocals. I like it. The singer reminds me of someone, but I can’t pull it out of my brainpan. He doesn’t sing with a deep Scottish brogue, but you can hear his accent subtly in there. Okay, here’s another one going on my singles playlist. I don’t know if it took me four songs to get into it, but I love this song. Still basically just piano and vocals. Synths kind of wash up every now and then, but for the most part just a beautiful, soft song. Buchanan described the song as a “Sunday song.” It has a quitness and almost sacredness to it. It’s a waking up on Sunday morning and just sitting and finding peace in the hustle and bustle. Loved it. Track 6 is Heatwave, and I’m expecting this to be a bit more uptempo. Nope. I’m not sure what’s playing the melody in this song. I assume synths, but they sound like wind chimes. Now we have a piano and a guitar joining the music during the chorus. Back to the wind chimes. I don’t much care for this song already. The last track is Automobile Noise and again, this song seems to be about living in the city. After listening to every song and doing some research, it seems the whole album is about living in the city, both the highs and the lows. The song is a lot of beating and banging, or synths programmed to make it sound like beating and banging. It sounds more like construction noise than automobile noise. After thinking I was getting into the album, it closes with two songs I dislike. This album is one of those albums on the list that I have no idea why. I’m not saying the album stunk, in fact, I quite liked it, at least the first six songs. As I said earlier, this may be one of those albums you need to hear a few times before it sticks with you. Though I’m doubting I ever listen to this again. If you like chill, ambient, synth pop, this is probably for you. Otherwise, you can listen to Cheap Trick At Budokan again.
man I get it that you're in love but most of the songs sound exactly the same
got nothing out of this
..
Tenía poten, pero no me terminó gustando. Muy triste se volvió al final, muy estático todo. No conecté.
the name rings a bell I can't quite place. I think an internet friend recommended a song from these guys? nothing on the album is connecting unfortunately so I think this is one of those half-remembered things that wears at me for weeks until the right neural connection sparks. oh well. anyway it mostly sounds like if Duran Duran were forcibly infected with The Smiths-itis and they weren't fun anymore, or if Dead Can Dance had an ill-advised Bowie period, or if someone engineered an unfortunately coherent version of The Pogues and gave it depression there's a version of this album I'm into but this isn't it
A poor man’s David Bowie. Good vocals on the album, despite lacking stimualting lyrics, and the music itself was never more than simple beats in the background. Nothing extraordinary here.
The syntheeist of synth pop muzak sung by the ghost of the 80s.
This did nothing for me
Ну вот как то вроде изысканно, но все равно что то не так. поп музыка не может быть шестиминутной
Wow, an absolutely forgettable, uninteresting, uninspiring, lacklustre, non event of an album. To be fair though it’s listenable, doesn’t mean it’s good
Music to make you want to take a walk off the rooftops.
No me termino de convencer
I didn't need to hear this. Maybe thee algorithm has just given me too much New wave and post-punk music recently, but I just don't care about this genre anymore.
That's it?
Easy boy. Softly now. Gently put down the knife. It was all just a simple mistake. No harm done. Just walk away, pretend you never heard this album. I know, I know… it’s still burning your ears, but the knife won’t help. The pain will fade eventually. Time heals these wounds too. That’s a good lad. Let’s just move onto the next album.
I've loved to like this more. But its way to sparse, meandering, and downright boring. The opener and closer save it from a 1star
Boring. Monotonous
It’s kind of a 2.5 stars but I didn’t like it enough to round up to 3
This thing is pure, pulpy, 80s synthpop noir. All gloomy blips and bloops drenched in synth reverb. It's like a John Hughes movie achieved sentience and started a band.
1,8/5
I’m not mad about it, but it’s boring.
I feel like I should have loved this, but I was so, so bored.
Unmotivated & lifeless. 30 minutes too long.
Nothing special
In a nutshell, this was a snooze fest.
I enjoyed bits and pieces of it but for the most part, it felt pretty toothless. This seems like an important album for bands like Coldplay and Keane but neither one of those acts are really my bag. I thought the singer's voice was pretty interesting but outside of that, nothing else really was (at least to me)
It reminds me of music I like. But it lacks that real quality and catchy elements
It’s like talking heads, but make it weird and low energy. I guess you could call them a “vibes” band if you want to, better listened to on vinyl with a joint in hand. Fun for some, not my idea of a good time
Probably awesome in its day, but just sounds like pretentious 80s pop to me. I have more than enough of that, so I'll take a pass on this one.
This was not for me. I didn’t really enjoy the vocals and found the lyrics and music uninteresting. Hard pass
pretty short album, i liked it I just didn't love it, cone out in 84 but doesn't have much 80s fun and colour that I'm used to, fell a bit flat for me
Pretty generic 80s synth pop
No private session used for Spotify and no idea what I was getting in to. This was interesting, as in there was a lot going on with instrumentation, and the vocals added to that. I don't think I will put this on ever again.
I was born and grew up in Glasgow. So liking this album is meant to be in my DNA. I was also really like Paul Buchanan’s voice. But this just doesn’t do it for me. Very 80’s but not very interesting
Nice kind to background music to put on and pretend you're a cool uni student during the 80s. Otherwise kinda forgettable.
Första intryck, "hmm, vad är detta? 🤓" var lagomt förvirrad att läsa texten och höra instrumentalen av allting. I helhet hade jag ingenting emot albumet, det kändes kanske varierat låt från låt men kanske ingenting jag skulle lyssna på igen. De är lite bakgrundsmusik man kan om man vill vissa låtar iaf. 5/10
Dreamy 80s pop. Meh
Are the Blue Nile and Steely Dan the 2 most boring bands ever ?
meh, feels like Im watching paint dry
This is so painfully boring. And wtf is Folk-ambient? Sophisti-pop?
After a good week I seem to be back in the dregs of synth pop. Not terrible, but forgetable. 2/5
This was new to me. A bit bland on first listen (like Prefab Sprout without the tunes!) but enjoyed it more second time round. Heatwave was my standout track
Never heard before, quite liked it
I found it repetitive and there are much better albums at that time of a similar style and sound
It was fine, really don't have much else to say. Drifted into the background for me.
- Ok album, ikke noget sindssygt godt eller banebrydende, men kan godt lide et par af sangene - Mellem to og tre stjerner
Just fucking boring, non-descript 80s music.
2.07
Bad high school poetry set to milquetoast music.
Really meh.
it was fine..... as just some background music. 2.5 stars
I liked it well enough that I listened to it all the way through, but I honestly don't remember any of it a day later. I'll leave it on my phone in the shuffle for a while and see if it does anything for me again in the future.
okay?
Not as bad as I anticipated
Beautifully orchestrated - and feels very lead gray skies/Irish. Vocals give pogues vibes a bit.
Started out not so bad, but took a nosedive into mediocrity. 2/5
This is like if the worst soft rock you've ever heard, lo-fi, and Sting had an unfortunate love child who decided to make music. We as a society don't need this. I'm sure there is a reason why so many critics love it, but it is beyond me.
Kinda felt like a mixture of Sting and The Killers, but all the songs by these bands that I don't really like.
Mid
Random thoughts: * This was like 80s soft rock + The Wall. I felt like there was a theme or this was a concept album. * But after thinking about it more it was a less poppy Peter Gabriel. * I'm not sure I got this album and there was something else here but I didn't give it enough dedicated listening to really get this album. * I just went and read the AllMusic review and the backstory is even crazier. They "wanted a demo track to demonstrate the fidelity and versatility of their new recording console...To demonstrate the recording equipment's dynamic range and clarity, the song was arranged most peculiarly, with vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and full string and horn sections all appearing, but never at the same time." * I guess maybe this was good for demoing the newest technology but the music didn't hold me.
Trancy but boring. 2/5
Not exactly my cup of tea, but the music was quite good. The voice, ehhh
OK, so this is almost as if someone put together a list of early '80s artists for some sort of "That's What I Call Quirky Music" compilation - David Byrne, Bowie, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Japan, Bill Nelson - but then didn't get permission from the original artists to release the album, so they just hired a wedding singer to cover all of their songs.
It's got a very distinct 80's feel to it. Feels like a bunch of random noises thrown together at times. Fave track: Tinsel Town
This is like a worse and more pretentious version of the Police.
This passed me by fairly unnoticed. I should probably give it another shot, but then again there's loads of other stuff to listen to so why bother. Felt like a fairly decent 80s synth pop album, with strained and not-so exciting vocals. Overall not very fun, but not terrible either. Think a strong 2 will be alright.
Sometimes an album just pass you by and this was one of those. The only tracks that remotely stood out was "Tinseltown in the Rain" which i guess could be a standard if I listened to it a few more times. Not bad just not something that really left an impression. Strong 2.