Calenture

I'm not even sure this album was in the 1001 top albums of 1987.

why is this 80s wannabe record-store-shitstack album on the list

I totally get why everyone seems to hate this but I was IN THE POCKET for it the whole time. I loved this! Heck yeah. Triffidshead 4 life. Reminded me a lot of the underappreciated Irish Band "A House", so maybe that's why I dug it.

Was there a typo that resulted in this album getting on the list? I fail to see any aspect of this one that merits it being in a list of 1001 albums I must hear. The whole thing feels over thought and way over produced. Given the pay counts (or lack thereof) on Spotify, I get the feeling that I'm not the only one this hasn't connected with. I wonder how many of those plays are purely generated from this site recommending the album. The worst part was that track had so much reverb and chorus on it that I was effectively forced to listen to every song multiple times at once. It was like each track was actually multiple instances of the song being played; each instance's timing slightly offset from the next. I could only get through track 6 (Open for You) before I had to call it.

What a load of shite. It's like they were 6th form students asked to do an impression of an 80s Christian rock band at Eurovision. I started finding it funny though due to how bad it was, like they can't have been serious. I suppose I can't give it 1 star, because I did take some enjoyment from it, but absolutely not in the way they intended.

Calenture is a misleading album. It opens with a pillowy, power pop ballad that belongs more in the opening montage of a Disney movie about some orphaned animal adopted into an interspecial family than it does the opener of a post-punk Australian outfit's LP. However, as the album progresses, cracks appear in the facade of this simple, straightforward, sickeningly sweet pop. “Kelly’s Blues” is peppered with indecipherable lyrics that sound like the scrawlings of a maniac in love with his hostage; “A Trick of the Light” reinforces this image of mania by recounting the story of a man who sees some lost love, perhaps, but it also hints at something much darker (with lyrics like “I was beating on her Iike an anvil…With that same old panic caught on her face”); “Unmade Love” seems to narrate scorned love gone wrong; and on and on. Suddenly, “Bury Me Deep in Love” sounds more like a warning covered over by its pillowy instrumentals. It isn’t just the story being narrated by the band that chips away at the album’s first impression. The sudden shift to the dark, uneasy instrumentation in “Unmade Love”; the strings that linger off-kilter in the background of “Blinder By the Hour” are almost anxious-making; the pulsing percussion of “Vagabond Holes” paired with the McComb’s vocal performance produces a song that feels desperate (although I wish both the vocals and the instrumentals in the chorus were less polished, rougher like they are in the verses of the song); the title track is an incredible punctuation of the album. My biggest complaint is the closer. The album overstays its welcome with “Save What You Can”. Not that it is a bad song (although I don’t think it is a particularly good song), but it ruins what would have been an amazing closer with the title track. The album can also drag in some places. I find my attention begins to wander when I listen to songs like “Hometown Farewell Kiss”, “Open For You”, and “Holy Water”. I also think “Jerdacuttup Man” lasts a beat longer than I wish it did (although I really love most of the song). I would give it a 7/10. It would almost certainly be a higher rating if the album ended with Calenture, but it probably wouldn’t be too much higher of a rating.

Excrement. I'm embarrassed it's in my Spotify history.

This is clearly a band built around the singer, David McComb. He has has an interesting voice, a bit like Lloyd Cole on the mellower songs and like fellow-Aussie Nick Cave when he gets wound up. The melodies do grow on you, but overall, the song-writing isn't that strong and the arrangements are pretty straight forward.

Never heard of these guys. Interesting story behind the band and David McComb. I liked the album so much I listened to another one. I'm not sure how to characterize it. Maybe alternative pop with a side of melancholy?

Huh…I didn’t know the church band from The Righteous Gemstones had put out any albums.

Perhaps their ultimate statement, Calenture sees The Triffids rhapsodizing about varying obsessions, be it they love, hallucinations and spirituality. A sprawling collection that looks to satisfy whatever corners of humanity it reaches, Calenture is one of many hidden gems from the Eighties. Do not be put off by the amount of songs accumulated here, there's plenty to tickle the ears. Favorites: Bury Me Deep in Love, Kelly's Blues, A Trick of the Light, Hometown Farewell Kiss, Unmade Love, Holy Water, Vagabond Holes, Save What You Can, Baby Can I Walk You Home, Bad News Reminds Me of You, Everything You Touch Turns to Time.

i hate it so much it's hard to continue listening. It's like christian rock, but somehow cheesier. It sounds like it should be on a kids show, like Romper Room or Barney, with kids sitting around singing about being nice to each other.

Bored to tears

I’m a huge 80s music fan. But I have no use for this album.

Man, this is good. Shades of Nick Cave and even The The. Lush, theatrical chamber-pop with real scale and depth of imagination.

Not a bad album, easy listening

We can breathe easy, Simon: this was a happy playthrough, and I will go round a few more times when I’m not having the sort of day I’m having now. It’s all very romantic, isn’t it? Sings its intentions straight of the gate, grand gestures set-off with cute, clever little fluorishes, music that has you listening carefully one moment, singing along full gas the next. Blinder by the Hour swept me around the ballroom before I was pulled into the disconcerting outro, strings off and ominous: you’ve had your fantasy, now hear love going wrong. The macabre content and singing of Jerdacuttup Man brought a too-easy comparison to Nick Cave; the conceit appealed to me, my ambivalence to Cave notwithstanding.

I'll admit upfront: I *love* The Triffids. However, I've always thought this album a bit over-produced and over-long. I didn't even transfer my CD copy to MP3 back in the day, but a few years ago I had a cheeky listen on Spotify and discovered, to my shame, most of these songs were *great*. You just have to accept that e.g. "Holy Water" is simultaneously fabulous and cheesy as hell. If you prefer it dialed back a bit, "In The Pines" has some stripped-down demos/early versions, but they all gained something from the kitchen-sink approach here. I guess McComb et al. were chasing the big hit, but didn't quite make it. No disgrace, they were on "Neighbours" after all - indelible and eternal. Reading the reviews here - eat shit, monkeys: go sit in the corner, listen to Kid A and think about what you've said. If it's not on here already, I'm adding "Born Sandy Devotional" to the list when I'm finished to show you fuckers.

Vocals reminiscent of another good Aussie band The Go-Betweens and occasionally Tim Booth of James, fairly accessible indie pop. Very listenable and enjoyable. Another 80s Australian delight redeeming this list’s overindulgence of Nick Cave.

Struggled through this one.

💩

what? who? why? WTF is this? If anyone recommends the Tiffids to you, tell them to fuck off.

Just boring. Nothing was overly terrible but there's not much else to say about it.

Is this not just super generic? Why is this here?

Shit was ass

I loved this album. Not the most innovative but the songs were all a ton of fun to listen to myself. Had to stop working to get up and dance for a few of them! This is a really impressive album musically, too, I think. I added every single song to my liked playlist.

A wonderful album that wraps sad and sarcastic text into lovable music. Imagine The Smiths being a bit more playful and you have this classical album of The Triffids.

Discovered this album a few years after it was released and it was the first Triffids album for me. Not sure if that is why I like it the most (the other Triffids albums are also great) but apart from the so-so production, this is a 5* album in every other aspect, introspective guitar rock that sounds very Australian, David McComb was one of the best singer-songwriters ever.

A really beautiful complex accomplished album - for me it captures something essential about growing up in Australia in the '80s. I'm surprised at the harshness of the reviews here - it doesn't translate?

This is a hard one as I am always conflicted about the needless tragedy of David McComb's death (and life). This album is one of hopeful hopelessness, of loss and longing. Backroom ballads for the disaffected. All the while having pop friendly polished edges that let the Triffids skirt the edges of the Mainstream

I thought about giving this four stars and then thought 'I'm only not giving it five BECAUSE of Bury Me Deep In Love' which is really punishing them for Neighbours. So, for the songs, the playing, the vocals. 5 stars. A high-water mark of eighties Australian music.

5/5. A strong and powerful love album, a lost or distant love. There is passion in the voice and although everything is over the top, I feel the emotions coming from a man who has been hurt and damaged. It is essentially pop but they feel like old tales of love on the sea. The title of the album is about a hallucinatory sickness that sailors got from being out on the sea for long periods of time. The music evokes that feeling so well, it's hard to not see the pain and sorrow from the lyrics. I don't even remember most of the album but I remember feeling enraptured, like a siren on the sea, so it gets a 5.

I'd never heard of the Triffids. Turns out, I love the Triffids.

80s cheese to me, not bad but def. not my thing.

Uninspired, boring. A chore to listen to.

If god is real why did he make me listen to this? Come back, Electric Prunes, all is forgiven

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wow what a great album. I fucking love every arrangement, and sound, and lyrics in every song. Never would I have thought such praise for a work titled "Calenture by The Triffids"

***to be read in the voice of Harry Redknapp*** The triffic Triffids. They do seem to have sparked some controversy in the Spackers judging panel, do the Triffids. Harry Redknapp also caused controversy by successfully swerving tax evasion charges by claiming he had secret bank accounts in his dog's name because he couldn't read. So there you go.

Amazing home town music.

I’m intrigued by this album. It combines 80s elements of power pop, folk music, country music, and new wave. It is more conventional than most new wave artists and can be quite symphonic.

Alternative and inoffensive, but there are songs worth coming back to!

It reminds me of Edward scissor hands especially the song jerdacuttup man. I really liked the album especially the sounds on it. Didn’t love all of the love songs as they were a bit cheesy. Overall it was a win and grew on me as I listened. Low 4

4/5 - I had never heard of this guy, but good for him, he's fun.

This is a pleasant surprise. Don't listen to the haters. We have a fine piece of new romantic music here. The musicians hip and vocals are all of good quality and the writing and production make it soar.

This may be a prime example of ‘you had to be there’. None of these songs reached our shores but there are so many elements that 1987 me would have loved. I kept being distracted by how similar they sounded to other Australasian bands that were more well-known- Crowded House, Midnight Oil, Men at Work. At times I could hear a more global peppering of J Geils band and Deacon Blue and Cherry Ghost. But nothing that made them unique or stand out on their own. Maybe that’s why they didn’t find a British audience at the time. The songs are easy to listen to, oftimes pleasant and sweet even. There were interesting themes but the madness and delirium never quite made it into the music. The Jerdacuttup man gave an interesting perspective but the whole thing smacks of powerlessness. A symbol of the whole album - it could have delivered on a much more dynamic, punchy level but reached only the heights of ‘nice’.

Plus qu'une vingtaine d'albums, l'esprit commence à s'allèger, la joie de vivre revient petit à petit dans ma vie. Bientôt la fin de ce calvaire.

Quite Irish. I listened but it didn’t hold my attention. I guess it would be ok if you’re looking for classic rock background music.

The singer reminded me a bit of Bryan Ferry crossed with Dave Vanian from the Damned. But in a good way. I can see how they got their popularity. The singer's charisma really came across in the songs. Obvious post-punk influence there. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this band before. Nothing from the songs stood out for me, though. All I can muster was an "it was okay." I wasn't blown away by it.

I liked Kelly's Blues and the driving beat of Unmade Love. There are other songs that are somewhat catchy, but the lyrics don't really flow well... Vagabond HOLES? really? Hoodoo Gurus are more entertaining from this era and style.

surprised they filled two discs. I was not familiar with their work. OK, but nothing stands out for me.

This was surprisingly not bad was a very long album but might have to check out some others later on.

This was an okay album, not a bad listen, but also not super memorable. It starts a little slow, but improves as the album progresses. Fave Songs: Open for You, Unmade Love, Hometown Farewell Kiss, Blinder by the Hour, Calenture

This is amazingly of its time, right down to the terrible electronic drums on the first few tracks. He could go back and record those properly and they might be ok. After a few songs they decide to have a decent drum sound and it's all a bit less ridiculous. Oh wait, no back to hitting a wet tea cloth Summary. There's something here desperate to break out but it's just very uneven.

Becoming increasingly irritated with the repetitive 80s bs albums on this list. There is nothing unique about this album, really just more of the same.

This is the type of music they'd play in a DreamWorks movie as an animated horse looks longingly at the moon.

Warm & wonderful & enveloping...for half the album, then it loses all distinctiveness

Mediocre record - I think I’m getting the hang of this - albums like this are here to contrast actually good ones - so that one can appreciate quality when one hears it. This? Definitely not one of them.

Just incredibly dull. Giving this a 2 as the singing is pretty good, just a shame the lyrics are such dross

I usually love new wave music but this album just felt boring. Didn't stand out from other artists and didn't really capture my attention

Not even worth the time to write a clever scathing review, couldn't even finish this. It just has no place on a list like this.

This is just really bad poetry over really uninspired musicianship. There's no reason to listen to this in the first place. This has no place being on this list. There's literally an Australian album that was released in 1987 that is so much more important: Midnight Oil's Diesel and Dust.

Not sure why this must be heard before I die. It’s pretty straightforward, and somewhat bland, rock with some folky leanings and some dramatic flair. Nothing stands out to me here as innovative, notable, or even interesting. It’s just there and essentially had no impact on me. At first I thought it was just boring, but eventually it got frustratingly boring.

So at first it just seemed like a kinda boring, cheesy 80s album. But then as I kept going, it felt like it was just getting worse. By Vagabond Holes and Jerdacuttup Man, the lyrics were becoming nonsensical random stuff, the music got staler, and from then on I was just annoyed listening to this. How did this even make it onto this list?

Sleepy and boring

Why is this album so long? I didn’t even make it halfway through and thought it was over…. but no it kept going. And for what? This is music that’s played in public spaces to get people to LEAVE. I hope to erase this from my memory immediately.

It's bad. Like, really bad. No conceivable reason why this album would be on this list unless someone was being paid off. 1/5

I hated this so much that I tried punching the sound coming out the speakers.

This is terrible. Just absolutely terrible. Wanted to turn it off almost as soon as I turned it on. I cannot fathom why this album is on this list, at all.

I don't have particularly good reasons but I found this utterly dreadful today. Inexcusably mundane. Really, really, really did not like.

I don't really understand why I hate this so much, but I do. Unlistenable for me.

Atrocious

To the person that got paid off to add this album to the list: You're an asshole. I hope have have an itchy butthole and short arms.

this album was a good vibe, like wowowow i did like it!

I listened to this one twice, entranced by its odd allure. Stand-out/favorite track: 'Jerdacuttup Man'

Very enjoyable and unique mix of instruments

I've started this album at least four times over the span of the last 3.5 weeks, kept making it halfway, and then would get distracted by something and would forget to finish it. Finally, I've listened to it in its entirety, which feels like an accomplishment - not because I think the album is difficult to get through (I thought it was the opposite, really) but more because I actually listened to it in one go. The lead singer sounds like Phil Collins' disembodied voice singing on the Tarzan soundtrack (the animated Disney one), which I unironically love. (This is also a reference to one of my favourite video essays by Sideways on YouTube.) I love the emotion, passion, and sincerity of the songs, which I'm sure others would find hokey and cheesey, but Coldplay is my favourite band and I listened to late 90s/early 2000s American country music growing up, so of course I don't mind that. 4.5 rounded up Favourite tracks: Bury Me Deep in Love, A Trick of the Light, Hometown Farewell Kiss

Blew me away. I think I enjoyed every single song. You can hear so many bands from before and after them, production and variation was excellent

This is #day23 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, which is also the last day of summer 2024. What a nice surprise this album was when I turned it on. I've never heard of the band, but (so far) this is a rare case when an entry on the list is some wonderful music. I love the sound. Grandiose, begs the description. An enjoyable combination of new wave, power pop, and alternative rock, underpinned by majestic vocals. And, compared to most albums on the list I've had to listen to recently (but not only—this one's genuinely a great record), I'm giving it a 5. It deserves more love and attention. So... be it. Looking forward to #day24.

I don't entirely understand how it made it to this list but I'm very happy about it. Every single song is so good.

Upon hearing Sgt. Pepper's for the first time, Bob Dylan is reported to have said, "Oh, I get it. You don’t want to be cute anymore." That transition started with Sgt. Pepper's (and maybe even a little before that), but it really takes force on this album.

I love how chill this group sounds !

McComb's explosive rage at the finale of \"Vagabond Holes\" should have been the Triffids' last gasp, an unsettling blast of scarred emotions that isn't easy to shake off.

When I first started this album I was a little disappointed. They are a very good band. They had a nice 80s feel, some good majestic choir, organ, bells, synths... so many elements that appeal to me. But the songs weren't grabbing me. I was ready to give this the lowest score of the week. As I listened further I'm not sure if the songs improved our my ear adjusted, but I started warming up to the band. After the halfway point I was enjoying this significantly more. Immediately after finishing I gave it a second listen and found myself singing along. I needed a couple of listens to this album to really appreciate it. Now I love it as a new addition to my 80s collection!

Typical 80's sounds with a lot of heart. The lyrics are heartfelt and the music does a wonderful job at creating an atmosphere. Typical for the 80's is that the music could sound upbeat while the lyrics and singer sound wistful, resulting in an album you can put on on a bad day and on a good day.

No, me neither? Not even in these listings of 'Best Australian Bands of all time' that run out at 8. But yet this is lovely pleasing blues gentle rock, and I rather enjoyed it.

Always hard to judge exactly how good an album is while I'm doing homework, but this one seemed quite good

Really rootsy jangle pop tho the production dates it a bit

A clear tune throughout and non offensive. Pretty cruisy

Really like this. Part Cult, Alarm, Prefab, Hot house all together. My 80' in a nutshell - simpler times and music.

Absolutely never heard of this band, but was pleasantly surprised! Reading the wiki about them, I’m not aline in thinking that they could have, and should have made it bigger than they obviously did. Each song kept me wanting to hear what was next and free me in. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: maybe Favourite Song: Kelly’s Blues (the Cure vibes!)

ett fint album ändå! lite som lloyd cole and the commotions fast inte riktigt lika bra

A little weird, the songs almost felt too disjoint to be an album? It was good and groovy if a bit aggressively 80s, and they had nice voices. A solid 4 stars.

Se parecen a James, pero más suaves ...

Had never heard of this band and this was alright! Nice, easy listening

Wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it probably wasn't this. So this album seems to be a mix between a much tamer version of contemporary darkwave and oldschool folk rock songwriting. While the album seemed unexciting at first, it started growing on me after a while. It's definitely a rounded up 4 for me, rather than a solid one. But I enjoyed it more than the last few 3's.

Quite nice, though softer than I usually like the music to be.

Un disco muy raro, de esos que no sé bien cómo llegaron a esta lista. Musicalmente me gustó; de hecho creo que de los discos de la época ochentera que nos han tocado, es el que más me ha gustado. Como si fueran lo bueno de The Smiths, pero sin la voz espantosa de Morrisey. Mi único problema fue lo largo. Y encima hay un disco que trae también los ensayos y se vuelve infinito.

Straight up eighties new wave. Solid album with no real stand out songs but no duds either.

Surprisingly good. Thought I knew most 80s bands but never heard of these