Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
1976
Album Summary
Music from The Penguin Cafe is the first studio album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It was recorded between 1974 and 1976, and released in 1976. The artist credited for the work varies with different issues. Upon original issue, the label credited the artist as Simon Jeffes, while the cover gave the artist as "members of the Penguin Café Orchestra". The line-up for tracks 1, 9, 10 and 11 consisted of the original "Penguin Café Quartet" (as they are referred to in the liner notes): Simon Jeffes (electric guitar), Helen Liebmann (Cello), Steve Nye (electric piano), and Gavyn Wright (violin). Tracks 2–8, meanwhile, were performed by the ensemble "Zopf", which includes all four members of the quartet as well as Neil Rennie (ukulele) and Emily Young (vocals). Reissues from 1987 forward generally credit the artist as the Penguin Café Orchestra. These later reissues have mistakenly listed pieces 2-8 as though they were movements of a suite entitled "Zopf", instead of 7 separate pieces performed by "Zopf". The executive producer for the album was Brian Eno, who released this album on his experimental Obscure label, with catalogue number "Obscure 7". The original cover was by John Bonis. The reissue cover painting was by Emily Young. The album was later released on CD by E.G. Records in 1991 and later in remastered form in 2006 - both using the reissue cover instead of the original. The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
WikipediaAlbum number 99. For what it's worth, the Spotify link here takes you to a version of the album that's missing a track. I doubt that will matter in forming your opinion one way or the other. Me, I went and listened to that missing song. I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me. That's just something that I enjoy. The naked dude just chilling on the album cover isn't fooling that penguin or me for that matter. He's just a guy who stayed a little too long at an "Eyes Wide Shut" orgy and now refuses to take his mask off. There are parts of this album that would fit right in at one of those orgies as long as an actual penguin is involved. A good chunk of it sounds like it's trying to be weird just to be as Avant Garde as possible. But I'm guessing Stanley Kubrick loved this album. It made me think a little too much about Penguins and the actor's who portrayed the Penguin in Batman's world. My favorites are Burgess Meredith, the naked guy on the album cover, and I guess Danny DeVito. Honorable mention to former Dodger and Cub great Ron "The Penguin" Cey, who might have been the greatest Penguin of them all. Now that I think about it, that penguin looks like he's the one who stumbled into an orgy. My favorite song, that I think sums up the entire album, is called, "The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter". It's almost 12 minutes long, but that thing takes you on a JOURNEY. Ultimately you end up back to staring at that album cover, wishing you were at an outdoor orgy.
Cannot understate the dread and delight of this album. The chirpy bright notes are ominous when juxtaposed with the frantic tunes following. Feels like the end of the world.
Quel bonheur de faire respirer le générateur avec un documentaire animalier. La voix de Pierre Arditi donne aux images de drones volant au-dessus de la banquise une poésie qui ravira petits et grands.
Je n'ai pas trop compris ce que cet album venait faire dans cette liste, quand des artistes comme Céline Dion se sont vus refuser l'accès à ce cercle de petit privilégiés. Néammoins, l'album débutait sur de belles notes, un début d'écoute plutôt amusante, moi et mes camarades procédant à une bataille de polochons. Toute cette petite troupe était hilares, hurlant des phrases en allemand n'ayant pas le moindre sens sorties de leur bouche. Quand tout d'un coup, l'ambiance change du tout au tout. Jurgen fait son apparition dans la pièce, et jette immédiatement un froid dans l'assemblée. Il fixe de ses yeux de glace le denommé Ludvig, tenant une chaise en plastique entre ses deux mains, et le sermonna immédiatemment d'un "Die Stuhle musst mie die Stuhle sein". S'en suivirent de pénibles heures pour notre joyeuse troupe, bien moins guillerette qu'à l'accoutumée. A suivre donc
This was a real winner for me. I don’t know why it resonated with me so much. But the intermingling of the instruments was great. Definitely on the list to pick up.
superb album cover. perfectly apt too, i've never heard the penguin cafe before but i saw the album cover and knew what i was getting, some oddness. fucking brilliant eccentric shit.
Very pleasant listening. It's an interesting combination of instruments and genres they normally aren't heard in. Some of the songs remind me of songs in the style of Apocalyptica (who came much later, but I heard first). I wonder if these people were an influence.
After finding out that this album was produced by Brian Eno, I'm not surprised that I liked it right away. What I am surprised about is that I've never heard of it before. It's really cool for a mostly instrumental album. Laid back, if not quite ambient, with a really cool sound to it. I think I'm going to try and pick up this album on vinyl based on my first listen. This was a great palette-cleanser after having to review a fucking KISS album yesterday 4/5
Apparently I had to hear this album once before I die, so I did. That was plenty...1 🌟
I honestly... Just what can I say? It was awful, I didn't vibe at all to this... The worst album I've heard so far. It is now my benchmark for 1's.
No, just no. This is terrible, and I have no idea why I had to hear it at all. Anytime it started to get almost (and almost is a loose term here) listenable, it went in some weird ass, left-field direction and totally pulled me out of it.
Wow, dette var deilig musikk! Elsker lydbildet, føler jeg blir dratt inn i en behagelig sinnstilstand, nesten til å drømme seg litt bort i. Minner meg nesten mest om spill-soundtrack enn noe annet. Er en del sære, alternative seksjoner inni der, men det bidrar bare til stemningen og gir litt variasjon. Herlighet, hvis ikke den kombinasjonen av clean gitar og fiolin ikke er det deiligste man kan høre, så vet ikke jeg. Beste sanger: Penguin Café Single, The Sound Of Someone You Love og In A Sydney Motel.
Gostei, muito bom para estudar. Destaque para "Zopf: Milk" e "The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It's Doesn't Matter", sendo que a última me lembra muito "Espatódea" do Nando Reis.
HAVE YOU EVER FUCKED A PENGUIN IN THE ASS? HAVE YOU FUCK! HAVE YOU EVER FUCKED A PENGUIN IN THE ASS? HAVE YOU FUCK! HAVE YOU EVER FUCKED A PENGUIN, EVER FUCKED A PENGUIN, EVER FUCKED A PENGUIN IN THE ASS? HAVE YOU FUCK!
This is such an strange yet earnest album. The orchestration is beautiful and expertly oscillates through moments of beauty, strangeness, and dread. Simply put, it is an avant-garde masterpiece. The use of traditional orchestration within an experimental folk framework packaged as an album of popular music manages create something that stands out among the experimental and progressive music of the 70s and that says an awful lot.
I kind of assumed it wouldn't be some boring gift shop music and boy was I right. I like the subversive name and cover, and really enjoy the minimalism. Good background music. Favorite tracks: "Surface Tension", "Milk"
Beautiful music, folk style orchestral mixed with 70s electric sounds and some improv, produced by eno, very pretty and soothing.
I liked this. Some tracks excited me, others quite sombre and sad. Good variety and experimentation, but perfectly listenable.
В принципе, слышу тут старый прог- и артрок. Но Вики говорит, цэ - авантпоп, значит авантпоп. Атмосферная музыка, прям чувствуешь, как сидишь в пингвиньем кафе, а они носят мороженку в высоких стаканах этих. Баланс между интересным оригинальным саундом и душной какофонией порой немного отклоняется в во вторую сторону, как на треках From the Colonies, Milk, Pigtail, но остальное - неплохо. Даже хорошо. Залипательно. Авангард, который мы заслужили, так скать. Да ещё и печать интеллекта на яйце есть. В общем, одобряем.
наконец-то действительно новый для меня арт-альбом. ну ладно, музыка не то чтобы совсем ломает воображение, но время от времени удивляет, а когда вокал добавляется — вообще кайф же, прям из разряда чилла переходит в адекватную песню. Единственное, что немного смутило — собсна первый трек, который сингл. Мне кажется, или основной мотив пизжен откуда-то? Хотя, учитывая год выхода этой пластинки, вероятно шо пиздили у них. Но всё равно тема странная, и я всё никак не могу вспомнить, где эту мелодию уже слышал, немного напомнило Don't Stop Me Now королевы, но не совсем то. Вот, а в остальном вообще кайф, охуенное музло на подумать именно, т.е. не то чтобы совсем фоновое, а задающее определенное настроение, но и не сильно отвлекающее. 8/10
It’s a very unique and pleasant album this. Mostly instrumental pieces with some avant guard flairs to it, that helps to keep it interesting.
The main reason I'm listening through the 1001 is to find stuff like this. Super chill, experimental and simply very well done.
Kanskje det er fordi jeg aldri har hørt noe som dette før, men det her slo virkelig ann! Bygger opp noen skikkelig fredfulle stemninger, men er heller ikke redd for å bli skikkelig sær (for eksempel på Milk, for en låt!), og det er mye forskjellige eksperimenteringer fra folk, jazz og klassisk her. The sound of someone you love... er nok høydepunktet, men hele albumet danner et lydbilde jeg ser for meg er akkurat det de spiller på pingvinkafeer i virkeligheten.
Not like anything I've listened to before. Enjoyed the final few tracks. Will probably seek out more of their back catalogue
Interesante álbum, experimental. Creo que debió ser muy vanguardista para su tiempo. Es bueno haberlo escuchado pero no sería música que escucharía seguido.
SUPER chill album. I have never heard of the album or band before this, but I really enjoyed the peacefulness of this album. It's really nice to wind down with before bed. I'll definitely be listening to more of PCO.
This is lovely. Not sure this is the PCO album I'd have picked, if I was only picking one, but sure, whatever. I'm a sucker for some instrumental ambient or indie chamber music or however you categorize this stuff. Fave track - "Penguin Cafe Single", perhaps, or "Chartered Flight". It's not the sort of album with standout individual tracks, is it? It's all about the overall experience...
Cool avant garde album. The only track I disliked was "Milk" (annoying). Standout tracks include the first track, Surface Tension, and The Sound of Someone... Can't call the album a 5 because I need to be in the right mood to listen - 5's are always great to me.
I can't believe I've never listened to this album before. I've heard tracks by them on samplers though. This was a great listen. Eclectic but still very approachable. I didn't know that Brian Eno produced it but I did know that they shared a label with King Crimson (which is how I've heard some of their material). I will be checking out more of their albums in the future.
Strange and wonderful. Of course Brian Eno was a producer - I didn't know much about him, Roxy Music or the Penguins but I'm learning...and that means eccentric. This album is like someone said "why don't you try to make classical instruments sound cool and modern?" It's all original stuff but for the all-instrumental pieces I find myself saying "this must be like an elevator cover of some song I know." Somewhere I read this group described as avant-garde. I still don't know what that means, but what a fun trip.
Avant garde meets classical and intersects with folk music artists? Or is this all experimental? Found myself intrigued by what they were doing on these tracks. Worth a listen or two.
забавная инструментальная музыка, порой есть слова, действительно атмосфера пингвиньего кафе
wow never heard of this in my life, yet there are a couple riffs that I've definitely heard before. Not something I'm going to listen to a lot but rather like it.
Really enjoying the sound for a collective I had never heard of. Will have to listen to the rest of the catalogue. The sound of someone you love... is a highlight. 4/5
I love these groups that are hard to categorize, I would say they are Chamber/Folk/Rock. I particularly like them in their later albums when they become more minimalistic, similar to Glass or Nyman, but always very melodic and fairly accessible. This was a great debut by the Penguins, and I really enjoyed The Sound of someone you love and when it becomes very dissonant at around the 7 min mark. I'm glad they got recognized by 1,001.
Odd but interesting orchestral type music. Mostly confused about the impact of this album. 7/10
This is the album I didn't know I needed. Love me some experimental music, especially when it's mostly instrumental.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Folky, orchestrally and a bit post-rocky (before post-rock was a thing).
Love the album cover to start with. Baroque fans is very fond of Giles Farnaby's Dream! I'm very happy meeting this album!
fozzie’s version of Simon Smith was a profound part of my childhood. Much to appreciate on this album
I love this band, and there's no better working music. Enough going on to get you through a large spreadsheet, slowly changing enough to not distract.
Bizarre and fantastic. I hardly know how to classify this, and it demands some context. But it is wildly enjoyable from start to finish. Way to go, classical pals.
This was the best album that I'll never listen to again. Some really cool stuff there, but not my preferred genre.
I had heard "The sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter" which I enjoy quite a bit. I believe I listened to this album once before and it didn't quite live up to the feelings I had with this certain song. I'm not sure the inclusion of vocals helps the album, but I get the feeling they got a group of folks together and they just do what they want, which I can respect. Also if you told me Brian Eno was singing on the track "In A Sydney Hotel" I would believe you. I just looked it up and apparently he is a producer, ha. Also absolute banger of a band name. I respect the concept enough to but up from 3.5 to 4, but I don't wanna hear all the tracks, personally.
Was kinda disappointed each time the vocals came in throughout the album. I wanted to stay inside the instrumental landscape they were building. Might have been a five for me had it remained entirely instrumental, but still, gotta give it some major love and respect for daring to create something outside of typical genre boundaries.
With its appearance I was baffled but when I got to listen to it I found it pleasant albeit a little odd. The folk and classical marriage works well - and somehow the whole record feels very orchestrated and thematic.
Quite artsy. As expected of any album with "Cafe" in the title. King Krule type beats. Standout Tracks: Penguin Cafe Single, Coronation, The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter
listened to a few songs, typical first album stuff. Great concepts and song ideas but musically its not there yet. The debut is admirable, i wanna be swept away and then be cuddled by a handsome penguin. That was not the case we only got passed dinner and a walk to my car. night penguins
I like this. nice and chilled and good for working. Classical music for people who dont like classical music.
It has several enjoyable pieces, Chartered Flight, Giles Farnaby's Dream, but it also gets dissonant frequently and loses it's charm. An interesting listen.
Wish I could give a 3.5... Mostly quite fun and relaxing, but then some jarring shit towards the end
"The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass." - From their Wiki page. Would be good as background music
A surprisingly contemporary genre-defying oeuvre from 1976 that blends elements of chamber orchestral music, psych-rock and others. Reminds me of The Books.
You know, I actually really enjoyed listening to this whilst cooking, it lifted my mood. I found the bits where it was suddenly high pitched, and where is got kind of experimental, were too much for me. It was a bit spaceshippy at points which was fun, and I like that theres a song called hugebaby 😆
Not that fussed, but did prompt me to listen to their second album which is quality. Gave an extra star for that
Weird and not quite good enough to make it work, I think. I learned that Zopf means pigtail. I liked Giles Farnaby’s Dream ok.
Just not my thing I suppose. It's more like an interesting collection of sounds than music.
I'm pleasantly surprised that this album was included on the 1001 list. Most of the curator's choices are obvious, boneheaded or both; this is neither. Music From The Penguin Cafe is unique, both in The Penguin Cafe Orchestra's discography and more generally. It seems to me that the group's driving force, Simon Jeffes, was still trying to figure out what his group was all about. Seemingly irreconcilable elements fight for dominance, sometimes in the same song. You have feints at pop songs, pastoral violins, world music tropes boiled down to their essence, and avant guarde noodling, flavored from time to time with producer Brian Eno's effects processing. Adding to the strangeness is the prominence of Fender Rhodes (mostly used in jazz fusion) and electric guitar. Sometimes Music From The Penguin Cafe is awkward, sometimes it's gorgeous, but it sure as hell ain't boring.
Listenable but not super engaging for me. Very ambient and experimental in parts. Really disliked the songs with vocals. Progenitor of bands like Air, who I like better, but I recognize the Eno influence and respect the vision to make a record like this.
Huh. I think this took a while to grow, but it did grow on me. A variety of musical ideas swimming about but the trade off is in coherence. Still, it gets better after the first track. Favourite track: "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter"
Including The Who below here. I wish I could like them but just can’t. It always sounds like generic rock to me. Keith Moon’s drumming is definitely distinct and noticeable but doesn’t add anything for me. Opening with Baba O’Riley and ending with Behind Blue Eyes is iconic but the rest was forgettable. Penguin Cafe was interesting. I guess i would describe it as more interesting background music. In particular liked track 3.
A relaxing and pretty yet also perplexing orchestral album. I especially enjoyed the string work on this album and while I found some very peaceful, beautiful work here; I was also left scratching my head more than once. It's an interesting look at what 70s orchestral music was dabbling in, but I'm not sure if it worked well enough for me as a whole piece (even if a few of the tracks will be definitely going into my ambient/insttrumental playlist).
I was expecting either stuffy chamber pop or elevator music. It's a small victory that this was neither. Some weird avant-garde stuff, but nothing too out of the norm. The best track features a reinterpretation of La Bamba, which was fun. Best track: Giles Farnaby's Dream
Ok this has a dumb name so I'm expecting something silly. Maybe prog? The timeline is about right... Ok, this is pretty spacey. Not prog, it's... avant garde? They weren't lying when they used the word orchestra, but it's way stranger than the name implies. I don't think I'd ever listen to this willingly, it drags on a bit and some of it heads into anti-music territory (at one point it sounded like R2D2 having a stroke), but I gotta give it a tip of the hat for being weird and unique without pissing me off too much. 3/5.
Interesting sounds, clearly pulled by Eno to an ambient direction. Was a good listen for exposure, but nothing to really return to again.
This was an album I'd always seen in my local record shop when I was at uni - it seemed odd just from the cover and the music is definitely skewed towards the odd even though it's using traditional instruments. Mostly instrumental, slightly odd and it's ok for that - still, I'm glad I didn't buy it. Best Tracks: Penguin Cafe Single; Zopf: From the Colonies; The Sound of Someone You Love Going Away and it Doesn't Really Matter
Teraz z calkiem innej beczki piczek, bo jesli pamiec mnie nie myli jest to pierwszy reprezentant muzyki klasycznej na liscie do tej pory, wiec oczywiscie jestem totalnym ignorantem w tak wysublimowanym gatunku, trzeba dodac ze jest to muzyka klasyczna w stylu contemporary, a zatem wspolczesnym, roznica polega przedwszystkim na tym jak bardzo wykorzystywane sa komputry w celu uzyskania boskiego dzwieku, wiec nie same klikanie klawiszy, czy pociagniecia smyczkow stanowia o brzmieniu calosci, ale wazna role odgrywa takze producent, a co do producenta, to jest nim nie kto inny jak pan Eno, ale tym razem tylko w wydaniu executivowym, wiec raczej za kompem nie siedzial przy minksowaniu materialu, co do samej plyty, to zastanawiajacy jest motyw pingwinowy na okladce oraz nazwach plyty i bandy, sama banda Penguin Cafe Orchestra sklada sie z 4 czlonkow Helen Liebmann na wiolonczeli, Gavyn Wright na altowce oraz skrzypkach, Steve Nye na organach elektrycznych i stanowisku inzynieria projektu oraz czlowiek orkiesta Simon Jeffes, czlowiek orkiesta, bo jego wikiowa lista instrumentowo wokalna zawiera electric guitar, bass, ukulele, cuatro, spinet, electric piano, mouth percussion, sheng, ring modulator, vocals, to jest orginalny sklad, ale traki od drugiego do osmego byly wykonywane w formacji zapisanej na trakliscie jako zopf, dochodza tam grajkowie ukulele i wokale, ale tych wokali jak na lekarstwo na albumie, bo przeciez to muzyka klasyczna, wiec jedynym trakiem od poczatku do konca okraszonym wokalami bedzie coronation, wokale brzmia jak wokale w muzyce klasycznej, ktora jednak nie jest grana na koncertach, ale w studiu, troche dziwne uczucia mam z tym zwiazane, jesli chodzi o brzmienie jakie najbardziej mnie uderzylo z tego 45 minutowego materialu, to polaczenie gitary elektrycznej ze smyczkami, zwlaszcza na otwierajacym penguin cafe single, jesli nazwa traczka nie jest przypadkowa i byl to singiel promujacy krazek, to zdecydowanie byl to dobry wybor zeby sprzedac ten album, bo kawalek zawiera skompresowana reszte albumu, nie ujmujac calej reszcie ten jest naprawde dopakowany, kolejnym traczkiem wartym uwagi jak dla mnie byla najdluzsza kompozycja calej plyty numer 9 na liscie liczacy ponad 11 minut, tutaj glownie za sprawa tego, ze czuc motyw przewodni kawalka z samego instrumentala, czego nie bylem w stanie doswiadczyc na innych numerach, ale tak to jest jak jest sie ignorantem w kompozycjach klasycznych, chociaz pewnie malo co taki album ma z muzyka klasyczna i bedzie to raczej instrumentalny folk, tak jak podpowiada wiki, dwa wspomniane traczki laduja na plejce, tym razem na plejce z instrumentalnymi klasycznymi ostami, bo nie wiem gdzie lepiej by byloby je zaklasyfikowac, a nie bede tak bardzo sie rozdrabnial w nowe plejki
Produced by Brian Eno. Something really good about this album. At first, I thought it was just another boring (mostly) instrumental album, but this one caught me by surprise. I really enjoyed it. Like to hear it again. 3/5 Standouts: Penguin Cafe Single
I was surprised to see that this was released in 1976, a decade (or two) before I had first heard of these guys. It sounds like a folk-tinged version of Michael Nyman, though Nyman and the big minimalist names were still pretty obscure in 76. Some pleasant pieces. I prefer side two with it's longer tracks vs. the shorter avant-garde tracks on side 1, especially the ones with weird vocals.
6/10 don't think I'll listen again but it had some really pretty moments and was creative and well produced.
It’s fine for what it is, but it’s not for me. I’m glad someone is thinking of the penguins though.
Un album avec de la jusique et de super musicien. Pour le contenu je ne suis pas certain de ces quoi vra8ment. 3
Toen ik de albumhoes, de albumnaam en het terugkerende woord 'zopf' zag, had ik hoge verwachtingen. Jammer dat het sombertjes was. Zitten wel echt mooie stukken in.
After the previous classic rock posts, this one came as a surprise. I had not heard the Penguin Cafe Orchestra so this was a first time listen. At times, the music was fresh and uplifting and this sometimes came across as a experimental orchestral soundtrack score. I can't say I disliked it and actually it's very pleasant background music, but as a "must hear", I'm not so sure.
Well, this album was delightfully weird. I absolutely loved a lot of the instrumentals, but the tracks with vocals on just didn't land as well for me. From the colonies sounds like it could soundtrack one of the jokier spaghetti westerns and it will be a while before I can get it out of my head! A strong 3, but a 3 nonetheless.
What the fuck is this? P-p-p pick up a penguin. Erm...it was actually decent. 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧 Up the penguins.
The album floats along merrily with a few ripples but it never really p p p p picks-up.
Heel vreemde en opvallende hoes, en ook titel. Geen idee wat te verwachten, maar de rustige folkmuziek kon ik wel smaken. Maar de nummers met vocals vond ik minder
Quite different sounding - 1976, but seems timeless. Really different, but in a good way.
One Iv never heard of before, very weird and wonderful, glad I listened to this, but don’t it will make my frequent rotation, maybe for background music when I’m working.
-I swear I recognize like 5 riffs from "Penguin Cafe Single" -A lot of wonkyness but also some bass action in "Milk" -It was kind of interesting, but mostly weird. The strongest song was definitely "Penguin Cafe Single"
I liked this pretty well, and points just for being well off the beaten track... the pop got a little too avant- for me in several places though, shading well into annoying territory. But I’d be up to hear more from this project.
There is certainly something to be said for the way that the strings, in particular, are recorded. From the first track the slight scratch which is nearly inevitable in a performance is evident. But despite Eno's producing efforts, neither the experimentation nor the songs reach the heights of his other work. There is much better chamber music out there, and some of it is even well-recorded. And there is also much better experimentation with chamber instruments, better arrangements, less repetition and repetition and repetition of chords.
like it's all just instrumental but it's cool. not my cup of tea but i liked "the sound of someone you love who's going away but it doesn't matter"
It got better at the end. Not something I'll revisit. Experimental music to be appreciated as such- not as something you actually listen to
It was OK. Certainly not the worst album we've been given, but not exactly special, either. The musicianship is certainly good, but the experimental nature was really self-indulgent and makes repeat listening unlikely.
This album made me uncomfortable. Very confident I will never listen to this one again.
I enjoyed the first track and the dream one, but the Milk thing alone required one star to be subtracted. It was an eclectic mix of fun and strange.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. It's a bit of a curio. A cool artefact of its time, but not necessarily something I'll come back to. I appreciate the intent to bridge folk, classical, and rock ideas, but I can't say that it spoke to me in a significant way after a few listens. Favourite track: From the Colonies Rating: 2.5/5
Some of the tracks feel a little bit charming, but also completely baffling at the same time. So respect, definitely not my cup of tea but I can imagine this album being important to a lot of esoteric artists. 2.5/5
Ganske kjedelig egentlig. Er bokstavelig talt restaurant musikk. Ikke helt flat nok til å være heismusikk, men ikke noe man headbanger til. Ville spurt om skip hvis vi spilte sammen og sanger fra dette albumet kom på.
provavelmente mais interessante quando saiu do que hoje em dia. sinto-me insuficientemente cultivado para apreciar seja la o que for que se passa aqui. se tivesse de descrever em 7 palavras era literalmente musica de ir ao cu a passarinhos.
Intressant och rätt fint album. Men inte riktigt min grej och kommer nog inte lyssna igen. 2,5/5
Not sure why this album is on the list. It was better than others but not inspiring in any way.
What the hell was that? The 70s must have been fun. The hilarious conversations I've had about this album will not permit me to give it 1-star, so I'll give it 2.
Avant Garde. Unusual mix of classical and modern instruments. Some pleasant gentle music and some discordant. Very interesting artwork.
I have no idea what this is going to be but title and album art alone have me very excited to find out. A big let down based on naming convention to start. it's not bad, it's just kind of nothing, pleasant background at best. Track 4 had some very Chris Remo vibes running through it and made me want to listen to the Gone Home and Firewatch soundtracks instead. Nothing after there was really different. It tread a strange line between mostly being nice enough ambience before some violin kicked in and drew away from that. Very unsure why this has made it onto the list at all, even in albums so far I haven't liked personally I've been able to see why people might rate them highly, this I can't imagine anyone saying 'You MUST listen to this album', or even a single song off of it
so I found most of the album kinda pleasant, but it failed to really provoke any kind of emotional response from me, just kinda fell flat, album art is cool however, so bonus point for that
Very light music. It may have been innovative when it came out but I have to admit it left me a bit cold.
Penguin Café Orchestra is another art project. It’s weird and textured. But surprisingly enjoyable and playful at times. I wasn’t expecting to be pulled into the flow of it as much nor annoyed at the interruption of sudden stark sounds (which was the point, I believe, on “The Sound of Someone…”). In the age of Spotify sleep or concentration playlists, this album would feel defiant. In amongst every day, it felt like I took my coffee break at a museum’s cafe. Not revolutionary but something to talk about when I get back to work
Not as many whacky curios as the 1981 self-titled album, and noticeably more controlled than that one, which sawed and whirred and plonked and buzzed with an organic unpredictability. Pleasant but not thrilling.
Their later stuff is more interesting. 5 star if you're the music supervisor for an early 2000's indie coming of age comedy. 2 star for everyone else.
Love the album cover and the title plus the name of the band is sick, the album itself is pretty weird to say the least. Also felt repetitive at times. Quirky, but not interesting enough.
Un peu ennuyant pour être honnête. J'avais l'impression d'écouter un album composé uniquement d'interludes
Well this was a bit different. I enjoyed most of it but I doubt I'll ever to listen to it again.
Ummm... of course this would be in here. Why wouldn't it? Someone is trying to show how diverse their musical tastes are. Why wouldn't they?
This sounds like all the left overs from a recording session. Starts off very shit get marginally better.
Apparently I had to hear this album once before I die, so I did. That was plenty...1 🌟
Like bbc2 have used this for programs for years. Soundtracky, does nothing for me. A muso thing
Did not listen. I have heard enough before to know I don’t want to. I don’t get the hype.
A man lies on his deathbed at a hospice, a friend walks in his room: - hey buddy! How are you feeling today? - I am ok. I accepted that my life will be over soon. But I lived a good life, I visited many countries, I dated many girls, I tasted all types of food, ... - Dude, but have you ever listened to Penguin Cafe Orchestra?
Kei gezellig, zo'n Pinguin cafe. Geen QR code en zo en alles gemoedelijk. De muziek is er een beetje neppig, alsof het goedkope covers zijn op een illegale CD. Daarnaast zijn de gebruikte instrumenten niet mijn favorieten. *
Ik heb het afgeluisterd omdat ik toch niets beters te doen had, maar wat een vage toestand is dit joh. Kan hier helemaal niets mee.
I’m only Interested in songs about sausage rolls at this time of year. Who gives a shit about pingu these days anyway?