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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Not a bad album, easy listening

Struggled through this one.

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

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

💩

Shit was ass

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

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.

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.

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 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?

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.

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.

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.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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

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"

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

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.

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

Amazing home town music.

***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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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

Atrocious

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.

Sleepy and boring

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

I love how chill this group sounds !

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

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.

3.6

Great Aussie record that's been stuck with me since the first time I visited the list. A tad too long perhaps, but I can't really find a candidate track to omit.

Nice storytelling with a consistent sound throughout. Yet, the sons are different enough that I would be able to tell them apart.

Something about the group and the music really impressed me.

Трябва да го слушам пак

HL: "Bury Me Deep in Love", "Trick of the Light", “Blinder By the Hour”, “Jerdacuttup Man” Things I know about the Triffids: -they’re Australian* -people seem to HATE them on this website Idk, I liked it quite a bit 🤷‍♂️ Warm, slightly woozy sound (befitting the title)- some tracks resemble shanties, one has uileann pipes which is like a cheat code to get me enjoying a song. 1987 pop trends threatened to drown it, but Calenture remains seaworthy *3rd band in a row not from UK or USA, a rarity

Never heard this before. Good example of the value of this list. I really like this album and this band has never been on my radar. I feel like this album has "classic" status hidden somewhere in it. Unfortunately, the arrangements often overwhelm the songs, and the lead vocals, while strong, don't always work in the various styles of the album. But at its best (Trick of the Light) it's great 80s pop music with good lyrics.

I liked this one more than I thought I would.

Thoughtful, jangly rock and roll. I'd never heard of these guys, and I've seen some loooow ratings, which are inexplicable.

They have an interesting sound that sounds retro and current at the same time.

A nice album from an early 2000s Aussie band. A trick of light being my favourite song.

Wow. This was a totally unexpected, but welcome, surprise. Has a little bit of a 80’s country twang that feels very nostalgic for me, but with that 80’s pop/alternative quality. There’s a few misses (Open For You, Holy Water) which detract a little, but overall a great album. 4/5 Highlights: Bury Me Deep in Love A Trick of the Light Hometown Farewell Kiss Unmade Love Vagabond Holes

The most questionable aspect on this thing is the production. Even if you put the album back to its eighties context, some of those horrible gated drums have aged like milk, especially when they're supposed to support folk-rock, country-rock, jangle pop and traditional-inspired, bagpipes-enhanced shenanigans. Producer Gil Norton -- later to be known for producing classic indie-rock jewels for Pixies -- is probably to be blamed for that choice: what would work for the Bostonians later on sounds a little clunky for the Australian band. Probably because Black Francis's music was so idiosyncratic that not even the eighties trend of gated drums could ruin his songs, actually adding to their endearing, catchy weirdness. In comparison, The Triffids sound like a less original, more "derivative" animal. And as such, they can't fully redeem Norton's sonic aesthetics. As far as music compositions and other arrangements go, there are quite a few salvageable parts to be found in *Calenture*. Synth-laden, subtly understated "A Trick Of The Light" is a small gem that has aged surprisingly well, for instance. "Unmade Love" is an effective abrasive cut, hearkening back to the band's post-punk beginnings. David McComb quite often sounds like fellow Aussie singer Nick Cave treading a more commercially viable path many years before the latter would do so. Emotional highlight "Lay Me Down" and its *perfect* string arrangements, could have found their way in *Let Love In*, and I don't think anyone would have batted an eye. We have seriously good songwriting going on in many parts of this LP, and it's kind of a shame many users of this app didn't recognize it. Guess the quaint, borderline-cheesy nature of album opener "Bury Me Deep In Love" misguided a lot of folks here. I suspect too many app users rarely go further than one track or two in their daily listening of the albums suggested. Their loss... 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) Number of albums left to review: less than 70, I've temporarily lost count here. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately. Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately.(including this one) Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter.

Listened Before? N Seems these guys were doing something pretty similar to some American artists at the time: i.e. Tears for Fears style new wave pop. I really enjoyed this one. It's like an undiscovered album for me. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Bury Me Deep in Love

I had heard of this group before but hadn't heard their stuff before, I really ought to check out more. It reminds me of both The Waterboys and Leonard Cohen. It sounds awful, but whenever I find out a musician has died young, it sort of makes me look at the music a different way, and that definitely happened with this. RIP David McComb.

Brand new band for me - pulling at least one song from it into my mix: "Save What You Can"