Reviews (page 4 of 8)
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
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.
Perfect soundtrack to a 1970s Open University zoo trip.
забавная инструментальная музыка, порой есть слова, действительно атмосфера пингвиньего кафе
experimental instrumentals, really enjoyed it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
quirky
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...
🥸
This is the most chill prog-rock album I have ever heard. I like it. 4.4/5 stars
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 was fascinating and a really interesting departure from the recent music.
Interesante álbum, experimental. Creo que debió ser muy vanguardista para su tiempo. Es bueno haberlo escuchado pero no sería música que escucharía seguido.
Not like anything I've listened to before. Enjoyed the final few tracks. Will probably seek out more of their back catalogue
Delightfully weird album. Enjoyed this a lot.
Enjoyed it, I'm glad stuff like it exists
Really liked it. Peaceful music
Very Cool Album!
Pretty good
Innovative
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.
I liked this one actually. A nice instrumental album that is pretty good to work to.
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.
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
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.
some good tunes here, but it felt forgettable and just blended into the background
Very good!
Música de ambiente. Bastante agradable.
I liked this. Some tracks excited me, others quite sombre and sad. Good variety and experimentation, but perfectly listenable.
Beautiful music, folk style orchestral mixed with 70s electric sounds and some improv, produced by eno, very pretty and soothing.
Strange, but beautiful.
Fresh
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"
This was pleasant, didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it. The album art and title seem entirely appropriate. I got what was promised. 3 stars.
Weird little record. Perfect for traveling today.
7/10
Enjoyed listening to this multiple times as ambient music but none of it was too memorable.
Weird
3.5 it was interesting and different. I liked the first two tracks a lot.
5.5/10
It's fine, much prefer the instrumentals - enjoyed it more with headphones and interesting how contemporary it still sounds 50(!) years on
Penguin Cafe Single - 4/5 Zopf: From The Colonies - 2/5 Zopf: In A Sydney Hotel - 4/5 Zopf: Surface Tension - 3/5 Zopf: Milk - 2/5 Zopf: Coronation - 3/5 Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream - 5/5 Zopf: Pigtail - 2/5 The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter - 5/5 Hugebaby - 4/5 Chartered Flight - 5/5 Average score: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it was a strange listen at first, but it definitely grew on me toward the end. i think this has potential to be a 4-star album, but i there were a few tracks i didn't care for that set my score off a bit. i would still come back to quite a few tracks here in the future though
calm & relaxing
Not a record I would normally listen to or even seek out, but it wasn't terrible.
This a very minimal album, it does not overwhelm the listener whatsoever. It's quite subdued and low-key. The "Zpof" suite sounds quite a lot like a OST you'd hear from a video game. I love all the beep-boop electronic noises that are quite present, it's always a delight to hear those sounds. I probably won't be scrambling back to hear this, it just isn't THAT interesting. However it's good for what it's worth.
I enjoyed whoever performed it!
3 sterne
Overall chill background/ soundtrack type music. Liked it more than I'd expected.
This almost sounded like the soundtrack to some film. It was alright to have in the background, but I wasn't particular to this album.
Rätt trevligt!
Rätt spännande ändå. En, två lyssningar till och det kanske blivit något annat. Men har några plattor att ta igen.
This is not at all what I expected to stumble across on my first Monday in June, but here we are. Music From The Penguin Cafe was an unexpected journey that came completely out of left field and proved to be surprisingly digestible, at least in terms of its musicality and overall enjoyability. The whole Zopf run on this record definitely feels like their attempt at some sort of concept piece, and while not all of it completely lands, I dug it for what it was trying to do. And this is exactly why I’m doing this album-listening project with my friends: so we can either revel in a great discovery or commiserate over how terrible an album turned out to be. This one lands squarely in the middle. It’s strange and unconventional in some ways, yet calming and beautiful in others. I’m glad I listened to it, but I can’t imagine making a concerted effort to explore much more of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s catalog.
That was.... Interesting. Not horrible by any means, but it's inclusion on this list is questionable.
OK for background spreadsheet work.
Really liked this one. The ethereal gutural chants are a little off putting but otherwise great ambient music, and that cover is amazing.
Mostly melodic, avant-garde-ish chamber music that is a nice change of pace for this list. Have heard other work by this group that I liked better.
I have only heard Perpetuum Mobile (which is one of my favourite songs) so this was a nice surprise to see this album. It's interesting and experimental. I don't see myself coming back to it but it was quite calming and nice.
somehow this made for great “packing up the classroom for summer” music
Mellow listen. Suitable dinner party background music. 3/5
This is very interesting. Mildly avante garde chamber music with modern flourishes, staccato rhythms on guitars, music concrete, it's like progressive pop classical music. I see how this influenced a lot of indie. A very pleasant, interesting listen. Certainly more of a background music album in parts.
Eclectic. Not overly my thing but not entirely to far away Rating: 5/10 Favorite Song: Zopf Milk
Enjoyable enough but becomes repetitive
Quirky, fun and had a second listen
Egentlig meget fedt, men det bevæger sig lidt tangerende til det kedelige baggrundsmusik. Alligevel er det interessant nok. Produktionen er der jo heller ikke en finger at sætte på. Jeg synes, det er den milde 3'er.
Der er virkelig lyden af noget familiar i det her, selvom det ikke umiddelbart siger mig noget som helst Gode highs, ringe lows Meget svært både at kategorisere og rate Jeg hader det slet ikke Det kræver nok et genlyt eller to 2.8
Chill music to study to
mostly instrumental, very nice background music
The more experimental parts were great, but I can take or leave the pastoral-cello-for-gamboling-spring-lambs moments. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
incredibly unique. theres some good stuff on here buried beneath the weirdness. this definitely earned its spot on the list even if i wont walk away from this wanting more from them
Muy cool!
There were a few interesting moments, but nothing I'd return to. I wonder if this kind of mostly instrumental music stood out more in it's day.
I'm not the biggest fan of orchestas but i think it's pretty
This was weirdly interesting and many things form the 1970’s are
playful and meditative! fun to listen to. pace is very fluent. stream "zopf: from the colonies" absolute tune...
Started to enjoy it more as it went on, would listen to it again.
The original Penguin Orchestra was better when Opus was a member playing first violin, however, when the Orchestra played a tour date in Bloom County, Opus became smitten with Lola Granola (which ultimately became an unrequited love affair) and dropped out of the group. Nonetheless, they still play pleasant music.
Pretty interesting album! I didn't love it like some others on the list, but definitely a pleasant listen.
First Listen; 3.5; Alternates between songs based on strange loops, noodles, and instruments, and songs that are more symphonic and emotional. Some of the songs feel uplifting and take you to another place, while others are odd enough or include strange/dissonant sounds that leave you a little unsettled. Overall, I really enjoyed this album and found it both interesting and enjoyable. Not surprised to learn that this was produced by Brian Eno. This is the type of album that I think should be included on this list and one that I will come back to. Favorite Track: Chartered Flight
Delightful! Probably not one I'll return to all that often, but lovely surreal... chamber music?
Hmmm, so much of it is obnoxious, a lot of notes going all sort of ways but when it slows down it becomes more interesting. I need to listen to this again and maybe revisit my score.
Runs the gamut from pleasant to odd to downright grating, but I didn't hate it.
This was really interesting. I like how much music was produced by so few instruments. It seemed like each song told a story. Very interesting.
Nice. It, just, murmurs away, kinda cutesy?
This album feels like a complete fever dream, which I find admirable, but happened to listen on a day where I feel pretty sick, so safe to say I wasn't fully appreciative of the typical Brian Eno weirdness on my initial listen.
Intriguing
This was an interesting change of pace and I thought side B was really good, it took a little while for me to get into though.
Two standout and genuinely good songs on this album. Sound of Someone... and Chartered Flight. Other than that, it's very much a British middle-class public school poncy dinner party experiment with way too much cello. Given a 3 but only because there are two actually good tracks, other than that it's a 2.
게임 사운드트랙 같다
Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I don’t know anything about it but I’ve seen it talked about on the subreddit a few times How do I feel about this artist? I don’t know these people, but I like penguins Favorite song(s)? Penguin Café single Overall Thoughts: This was weird but kind of fun. Very whimsical at times but other times honestly a little annoying.
Combination of nostalgic, fun and retro all at once, really loved the sound of this album (I would say it is their second best) very creative
What a weird little album, Brian Eno as executive producer. But it certainly has those Eno vibes in places. Maybe just because I was pottering around the house and garden in the sun whilst listening but I enjoyed it!
This is a weird one. I enjoyed it. And It’s completely deserving of being on this list for how unique it is. Yet I’m just not blown away by it at all. It felt almost…unfinished?
This sounds both familiar and off-putting, like a musical uncanny valley. Really interesting experience, glad I listened to it
Strange stuff. There were some instrumentals that I adored.
At least this is unique. Overall, decent background music with the occasional shift into something weird. 2.5
Ah, yes, the two extremes of minimalist orchestra: beauty that transcends the boundaries of space and time similar to Philip Glass's soundtrack for 'The Truman Show', and my sleep paralysis demon whimpering "milk" every eighteen seconds.
#904. This is pretentious in the best way possible. 3/5: good, I think.
Penguin Cafe Single - 3/5 Zopf: From The Colonies - 3.5/5 Zopf: In A Sydney Motel - 4.5/5 Zopf: Surface Tension - 4/5 Zopf: Milk - 3/5 Zopf: Coronation - 4.5/5 Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream - 3.5/5 The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter - 3/5 Hugebaby - 3.5/5 Chartered Flight - 3/5
Just meh.
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra must've had quite the imagination for their instruments to talk so sweetly here. I mean, who knew violins could sound so.. aquatic? Lovely album art. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Penguin Cafe Single - Zopf: In a Sydney Motel - The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter
Its more so a 3.5. The last track is outstanding. Their band name might actually earn them 4 stars.
ich wollte es noch lieber mögen, aber am ende wollte ich, dass es mal vorbei ist
Lovely album. It doesn’t break ground for someone like me who loves modern classical music like that of Kenji Bunch. It was very relaxing & a great discovery! Eno has a golden touch!
Now this is the right amount of obscure weird music. I love it so far!
half sounds half bliss
Not really classical but close. Not really disliked but close.
Loved the tracks without vocals. Did not care for the track with vocals.
This album was super cool, even as someone who doesn’t gravitate towards instrumental music. Some of the sections were a bit grating on the ear, but overall it was a pleasant listening experience. My favorites were Penguin Cafe Single, Zopf: From the Colonies, and The Sound of Someone You Love…. Bonus, I listened to some of their other songs and found several gems: Lifeboat (Lovers Rock), Music for a Found Harmonica, and In the Back of a Taxi
Interesting. You can’t really hate it but I don’t see how someone could love it either.
Hmm, not quite sure how to rate this. I didn't disklike it, though I doubt I'll honestly listen to it again. I liked the purely instrumental bits more than the ones with vocals, on the whole. Erm, three it is.
This is a sort of boring modern classical type album, The Sound Of Someone You Love is an amazing song though, carrying this entire album on its back
Really chilled. I preferred the longer songs as they fit this type of music better
Un disco bastante experimental, al principio parece soundtrack de alguna película.
Much of this is music only but quite a nice vibe to it. Experimental
Exactly as strange as I expected. (11 songs, 45 mins)
Before I knew this was produced by Brian Eno, I was thinking to myself just how much this sounded by Brian Eno. Make of that what you will.
Music to chill to
Reminds me of a sound track to a movie Ive watched. Couldn't tell you which though.
I guess this would be music playing in a Penguin Cafe?
This is a cool instrumental album. I really enjoyed the first half of it but it kinda fell off and lost me in the second half. The first half was filled with so much personality and had me vibing and grooving. The second half kinda felt like background music that sounds good and will catch your interest at various points of the song. Overall I think it’s a solid album and would be great to throw on when you want music and don’t want it to be too distracting.
I don’t fully understand why this is here, even after reading the entry in the book. It’s a sort of random soft-pop-jazz mostly instrumental album with some bizarre and some really quite pleasant passages of melody. Never really lets you get comfortable before it does something weird or out of tune. I can see myself listening to this again though.
Best Track - "Penguin Cafe Single"
Surprisingly decent. Very well recorded. A bit chaotic, but I understand it's experimental.
Interesting
A classic. Incredibly modern sounding for the time it was released. I couldn’t really pick a Penguin Cafe Orchestra album out from a crowd, they all sound very similiar, but they're all great.
I liked this album. Went in blind and was happy I did. The standouts for me are Giles Farnaby's Dream (which is a fun little instrumental) and The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter (which is also a fun instrumental - albeit much longer and describing it as fun doesn't really do it service). Overall I'm very happy to have heard this album and I'm sure I'll listen to it again.
I don't even know how to review this lol. It's definitely a mood. Surreal, minimal, strange, and maybe brilliant? I think if I gave it more listens it could be a four
Elements of Zopf bring this down for me but otherwise a really peaceful and fun listen. Likes: Penguin Cafe Single, The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter
saved one song off this so unfortunately not a showstopper but! cute and serene and nice album art
Enjoyed this
Wonderfully eccentric in places. Interesting stuff, not the worst thing I’ve ever heard but probably won’t revisit anytime soon.
It’s kind of pleasant, and rather like listening to the soundtrack to a Mackenzie Crook comedy series.
I enjoyed this but I don’t thinks it stands out much
Interesante para interpretar música que no tiene letra. Para meterte en una e imaginar lo que puede estar pasando solo a través de los instrumentos. Lamentablemente no me agarró en el mejor día para poder hacer eso. Pero se sintió interesante. 5/10
I was fairly enjoying this but track 5 (Zopf: Milk) just seemed weird for the sake of weird, it felt like Don't think I'd listen again but I see the artistic merit
I am kinda mixed when it comes to Music From The Penguin Cafe. This album has a very unique sound, probably something that i would hear in Animal Crossing or something that feels like it would go on to influence Sufjan Stevens. In terms of the music it's basically music with a very relaxing feel and probably would have worked much better on me if i didn't have the day off work when reviewing this but i still appreciate the sound nonetheless. My problem with the album though is that sometimes it can get annoying. It has a bit of a tendency to pick some odd instrument choices in some songs that really don't sound good. But when i consider that was mostly just for two songs, the good outweighs the bad here so it's an alright album. Best Song: The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter Worst Song: Zopf: Milk
Perfectly fine, perhaps something I would listen if I had a mansion and a room exclusively for birds… an aviary? Idk but it had some cool experimental bits… pigtails? Pretty weird vibe.
Nice and interesting. Mostly good with some bad. You won’t catch me bumping this but they’re talented
Some really good moments but also some weird ones. I kinda liked it tho
Idk what the hell went on in the middle there for a bit but the intro and last 3 are great
Really liked it surprisingly. 3.5
A mixed album, not a standout but not awful. A delicate balance between the experiments of the 70s and the fragility of the orchestra. A good way to see out an afternoon.
Pretty hip music for a dentist’s waiting room. Nonessential
Liked the final three tracks after being cold on the first three quarters of the album. Sound of Someone had a bittersweet vibe that was my favorite
Easy to listen to, calming, and relaxing. But didn't really care for the singing in the middle.
I want to love it just based on the album cover. What an absolute trip of a listen. At no point did I ever know what was coming up
3.2 I had a really pleasant experience making a large batch of Thai green curry with this on in the background. But it feels like that's kind of all it would be good for. Rightly or wrongly, i can see almost every album on this list has had at some point someone saying to their mate "you *need* to listen this album!"... Has this ever had it? It feels like a strange inclusion. I guess the genre is a bit different to anything else, but it's too closely connected to other things to warrant an inclusion due to that. If we're going to allow orchestral why is there not a single famous composer on this list? If we're not why does this get a nod?
Pastoral… uhhh… chamber folk? I was thrilled to have something I’ve never heard generated this morning. I think that’s the true test of whether or not an album should even be on this list. I wonder how many people listening to this are familiar with bands like Wurld Series and Hermit Thrushes at their quietest? Anyway, I enjoyed it. The interplay between the guitar lines and the Rhodes piano is quite spellbinding at times. The longer tracks particularly stand out with every musician having the opportunity to (gently) come to the fore on some level. I would listen to this again, probably will. Best: Penguin Cafe Single, The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and it Doesn’t Matter Worst: Coronation (yes one of only two songs with vocals. I can handle a warbly violin line but not when paired with a warbly vocal)
Mistenke da e verdt et gjenlytt eller to
-i very much enjoyed this album - favourite song was probably "in a sydney motel" - very underlying emotive
A mostly interesting and enjoyable art rock + classical fusion soundscape. I feel like it's very close to being perfect, but tracks 5, and 8 didn't land for me at all. I do, however really love the unique sound from this band, and i think i might delve into their other albums soon!
Very minimalistic, yet rather "quirky."
This is the kind of album you buy on vinyl to be unique and know that it's has complexity to it's many layers... Then one day youre having friends over for drinks and one of them asks why this album is still wrapped in plastic and should we put it on, and you give a hard pass as you know it's not the right time or place to put it on... It's never the right time or place. 3 Stars
chill. mellow. background.
Soothing. It feels adequate as background music for a children's story, but not the nonsense quick fix we're getting used to today. Instead it's sophisticated, it's thought out, it's peaceful and it feels complete. This piece of work is great for moving slow, breathing steady, partaking in a bit of playful mindfulness. I'd listen to this again, but for that very specific mood. Makes for a great physical purchase, would love to stare at this album art on a 12 inch release. Sounds like you're entering a cozy café where all the baristas wear penguin masks. It's surreal in a relaxed way. 3.3/5
This certainly was an experience. A mostly pleasant one at that. One songs or at least parts of that song were a straight skip since it actually hur my ears. That is why it feels so wrong when the majority of them are really well made and good. As a whole a really good album and a great experience.
All instrumental, and a wide variety of moods and styles. Plus, what's not to like about a penguin orchestra?
A whole lot of noodling that never really coheres
I appreciate this it’s just not something I would go back to personally
Good to listen to with headphones on during a rainy day. I had preferred a little more experimentation tough.
This was fine background music
Thoughts before listening: Well this is...interesting I guess? I have never heard of this before and I have no frame of reference. Maybe jazz...maybe some sort of early electronic influence...maybe prog rock? Not really sure. Review: So I guess its actually none of those things. This is experimental classical chamber pop music. Something like that. This probably would have gone over well in the 2000s when indie rock singer songwriters like Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Barnhart were making all the critics' best albums lists. Instead though, this sticks out like a sore thumb being released in 1976 during the height of prog rock, disco, and punk. This is certainly an interesting listen. I'll give this 3-stars.
First listen
Quite the album art. Liked it more than I expected it to.
Exactement ce qu'on attend de quelqu'un qui mange du poisson avarié et fait un album. Ou est le penguin cafe ? Un sejour au penguin cafe eveillerait tout nos sens, allons au penguin cafe
Had to chuckle at the title and this gave me absolutely no idea what to expect, but I rather enjoyed this.
Interesting
Enjoyed this one, it had some similarities to some post-rock stuff I listen to, though it's a bit more upbeat
Interesting..
Very good ambient
-this was.. interesting. haven’t heard too many albums like this on here at all. i’d say that’s a good thing, but i wasn’t exactly blown away by this. had some very pretty neoclassical / ambient moments, but for the most part i’ve already kinda forgotten it -the good moments were very good, however. the first song on the second disc is absolutely beautiful -Favorites: Zopf: Pigtail, The Sound Of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away And It Doesn’t Matter, Chartered Flight
Both sides open with wonderful tracks but unfortunately I didn’t care much for the first side. I would give this a 4/5 for how good the second side is but the first drags it down too much for me. Highlights: Penguin Cafe Single, The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter
Erikonen nimi! Ihan jees taustalla mutta ei herätä ihmeellisemmin tunteita muuten 3/5
Kivan chilli loungelevy!
Penguins are pretty cute. I imagined these Penguins went on a journey to outer space.
An abstract, mostly instrumental album that's good in the background. Top tracks: "Penguin Cafe Single," "Zopf: Milk"
--Penguin Cafe Single...huh --From the Colonies...I'm scared? exhilarated? mostly confused --In a Sydney Motel...uh --Surface Tension...a more traditional orchestration. which makes this entire enterprise even weirder somehow --Milk...avant-garde stuff --Coronation...dark --Giles Farnaby's Dream...this one is fun. harpsichord? --Pigtail...now we're in a spacecraft or something --The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter...this is genuinely beautiful. well, the first four minutes, at least. We take a weird left turn in the last four minutes but it feels earned. I like this one --Hugebaby...pretty basic arrangement but slightly alien. hard to nail down what exactly this album is trying to accomplish, but there's something compelling about it --Chartered Flight...nice but the first one that kind of bored me
Like, a light three? Some tracks I really enjoyed, some I didn’t care for. But the whole presentation is really pleasing and fun!
I loved Penguin Cafe Single and it really set the tone for a great time with this album. There is no chance I would have heard this on my own, glad to be here.
who’da thunk penguins could convey such emotional depth!? i knew they could write but who knew they could compose and play!?! i was going to give this album a 2 until about the 7th minute of ‘the sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter’ and something just clicked. it’s more tender and bittersweet than i expected an album written by penguins could be.
Not super my vibe but 3 stars as my fam played a lot of My Friend the Chocolate Cake growing up, who seem to be inspired by these Penguin folk. Penguin Cafe Single really reminded me of build mode in The Sims, and I would probably enjoy it more in that context
At the age of 9 I tried to sell penguin facts to fellow students for 50c, so I speak with expertise here. I don’t think these people have ever met a penguin. This album is weird, and interesting, and feels at times like a group of people trying to see how many different sounds they can make. Which, all things considered, isn’t a terrible artistic endeavour. I am glad I listened to this album. I probably won’t listen to it again. I listened to this album when walking home from the pub. I was going to give it 2/5 because it didn’t interest me. Then, ‘the Sound of Someone…’ started playing. The slow, beautiful interplay of instruments nearly made me bump it up to 3/5. Until they started introducing beeps and boops into it. No need! Allow your melody to exist unencumbered by sound effects. Maybe it’s still a 3. Who am I to give this a failing grade.
Sometimes really beautiful, and sometimes really, really odd.
Listens: 1 Standout Tracks: Zopf: Milk This was quite off the beaten path as far as the List is concerned. I am struggling to come up with anything, mostly because I only got in one listen. Is this an actual orchestra (what constitutes an orchestra?). What is the genre of this? Experimental jazz? Not able to form an opinion.
Eno produced chill piano music? Sure, I’m into that.
Didn't love it ... Didn't hate it!
Very interesting and not what I expected.
I liked songs 7,9,10 and 11, especially the violin. Not really my thing, but glad I gave it a listen.
Background music that’s pretty forgettable but they add some crazy flare up sound every now and then.
Pretty good, I especially enjoyed the last 3 tracks where the orchestra gets more emotional, the rest is fun too but it's a bit all over the place
When I saw this album inspired the entire genre of advertising music I understood why Carly was drawn to it
First song was nice, rest was kind of boring but not the worst thing to listen to at work. Low 3.
Kind of weird and moody but not bad. Favorite: Zompf: In a Sydney Hotel
Žavinga.
Kind of weird, but I suppose that was to be expected given that album cover 👀
Hmm, well, I have no idea what the fuck this is. That cover art, and that band name, and that album name sure are arresting. I honestly don't know exactly what I was expecting, although if you forced me to guess at gunpoint, I would have said "weirdo prog rock". And I would have been close, at least in spirit. I think this is like contemporary classical/avant-pop, and as it turns out, that is a combination of things which, at least superficially, resembles prog. The more I investigate this, it feels like the less I know. I guess Eno was involved in producing this: on some level that just makes sense. But Who's Zopf? I guess only a few tracks here were by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra proper, and some truncated form of the group wrote and perfromed a lot of the material. I've even seen conflicting info as to who even made the cover art. And this is all on top of the music sounding the way that it does. But is it good? Yeah, I Think so. A lot of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra songs end up kind of lounge music-y, but it works on Penguin Cafe Single, and The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter pretty well. The avant-garde slant is still there and the lounge feel ends up colliding with some really discordant ideas, and it's really interesting. However, I think that Hugebaby and Chartered Flight are a slog, and this could have done to end after The Sound Of Someone...It Doesn't Matter. This album to me is honestly kind of cemented by the Zopf stuff though. Most of side 1 is the Zopf material, and it consists largely of short audio experiments and compositional ideas. The rapid fire nature of this part of the album, coupled with its weird and wonderful nature is pretty compelling. A couple of (admittedly pretty beefy) slogs aside, this is a really cool piece of lesser known 70's avant garde stuff. I don't known if it's the sort of thing that everyone needs to hear before they die, but it did enhance my life. Definitely check this out if you like Eno too, he produced this, and he's got some fingerprints all over this thing.
I dont know what i was expecting from this. It is slightly jazzy, groggy. Overall it is a good album.
I'm just going to say that this isn't anywhere near my wheelhouse. It was interesting and yet confusing to listen to. I like being challenged and am glad I've heard this once. I don't forsee revisiting it anytime soon. Or ever.
Great Songs: Good Songs: Penguin Cafe Single, Zopf: Surface Tension, Zopf: Giles Farnaby’s Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Awat And It Doesn’t Matter, Hugebaby Mid Songs: Zopf: From The Colonies, Zopf: From a Sydney Motel, Zopf: Coronation, Chartered Flight Bad Songs: Zopf: Milk, Zopf: Pigtail
Batter than Coldplay
Interesting evolution from classical to something that resonates w a modern listener.
Relatively calm background music. Interesting enough to not get dull but not exciting enough to hold your attention full.
Never heard of this group before, and this is certainly different from anything I've ever heard before or anything on this list. It's really cool when this list actually throws some curveballs and not just the usual '60s-'90s pop canon. I don't even know how to describe this. It's very experimental, sort of like European folk and classical music mixed with early electronic music? Kind of feels like the score to a sweet and innocent cartoon? I don't know. Definitely something different. Not sure how much it fits into what I listen to, but into it!
Complex, experimental, easy listen and great guitars.
5/10…new age / orchestral
I really wanted to like this but it didn't happen.
Another 2-4 star type album. Some good stuff, some not so good.
Later
Reminded me of the music from Bridgerton, which isn't a bad thing necessarily. Other than the song with vocals I would willingly listen to this again especially while working or reading or something.
vibe
Well, this was delightfully weird. My upper limit is lower without lyrics, unfortunately, but this is close to it.
Приятная музыка, чтобы ехать в поезде, и просто смотреть в окно. Лучшая пенся - The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter.
Pourquoi pas mais j’aurais plus été touchée en étant un pingouin
Avant-garde pop is a strange beast, but I enjoyed this listen, even if it's not exactly my thing.
Its interesting! Plays with the soundscape, very quirky. Probably wouldn't listen through it again though. I very much enjoyed Giles Farnaby's Dream
track 9 is great and a few others were good but overall its a 3
Fine but eh
It was ok
I enjoyed all the different sounds from each song and the genres seemed to be all over the place, which was a bit refreshing. Was each song perfectly executed though? No.
I'm finding it hard to review this one. It's mostly just a very chill time that plays nicely in the background. It kind of passed me by, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's pleasant, but kind of strange in places. Much of it would play well as a movie score. I didn't love it. I liked it in a very non-committal way.
Soothing and peaceful at times, experimental at other times, overall very enjoyable
An eclectic collection of instrumental pieces. "The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter" is the highlight.
This album is like a soundtrack of a quirky movie that you can only hope makes the music better than its raw musical form. This feels like someone else's project, and failed to keep me interested. It's well produced, and that moves it into the three (3) arena.
There were some tracks I really liked, and others I thought were just okay. I’m someone who really appreciates lyrics in music.
Not bad, nothing great. It gets a little boring. A once and done listen for me
It was a mix of odd and enjoyable. I would listen to it but wont keep it in my library
Good album. There were definitely slower parts that I didn't like as much, but most of the album was interesting and kind of captivating. 3.5/5 Might listen again
Fantastically enjoyable. Equal parts and joyous.
Weird!
sehr spannendi und au schöni musig. teils sehr experimentell, das gfallt mer. s sind mer aber zvill repetitivi muster.
Surprisingly calming and enjoyable.
Nice and relaxing. Chartered Flight stood out. 3.5/5
Pues sinceramente me ha gustado mucho. Es un disco delicado, con música casi ambiental y que merece una escucha tranquila y atenta. Tiene peso musical.
Half the songs are soft, pretty, lo-fi arrangements that I would describe as similar to the background music in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The other half of the songs are strange experimental pieces in the style of Zappa or something; lots of chanting, clanging, and noise. I was unsurprised to learn this was produced by Brian Eno. I really enjoyed the traditional lo-fi tracks, so I will give this a 3/5 based on those. Without the awful experimental stuff, this album would have been a 4/5 easily.
Album #1 - September 23, 2025 What an interesting start to my 1001 album journey. From the music itself to the cover art with the naked peng-man, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. As a casual listener who typically chooses rock, pop and various electronic genres, this one was a bit avant-garde for me. Regardless, I enjoyed it and would listen to it again. Pleasant performances, interesting compositions, and not quite like any music I've heard in the past. Would recommend.
80s dinner party music for pseuds but better than that sounds.
Entretenido. Conocía canciones suyas posteriores por una banda sonora y por el programa de radio Diálogos 3 creo. Me ha gustado cierto aire musical que puede que haya influenciado bandas sonoras modernas. Lo mismo proviene de algo de música clásica no tengo cultura musical para tanto. Aún así no sé que puntuación darle, si 2 o 3, pero iremos por arriba.
Curious to hear what an orchestra of penguins sounds like. And also the kind of music that fits the mood for a penguin cafe. This felt like a disjointed collection of recordings; ranging from classical to avant-garde. Seeing that this was executive produced by Brian Eno, everything sort of makes sense now. Was expecting there to be more personnel involved due to the fact that this group calls themselves an orchestra, but there was still an eclectic mix of instruments utilized. Everything culminates in the aptly named 9th track "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter". How elegant.
maybe it's the ear infection talking, but I kinda liked this
Is it weird after all my other reviews to say I wish this was more boring? I liked the more boring parts of it.
Chill
Fun and novel. 3.
The most backgroundy background music to have ever filled the background.
Neutrally cool, which could be a bad thing but in this case skews good.
An odd, very mood setting orchestral album. Enjoyed it but probably just the once.
Eens leuk om eenmalig te beluisteren, maar daar blijft het ook bij. Coole albumcover! 3.1
A calm little music to listen to. I like it
Feels like the roots of Ambient music. but I don't really love it. 3*
Somewhere between looney tunes characters sullenly walking away from a scene and a rotary phone falling down an elevator shaft lives this album. It's neat, but odd. Enjoyed it mainly because it is out of my wheelhouse.
I wanted to love it and there were some moments I loved, but they were too far apart for me to come back to this one anytime soon.
Here's an idea, let's try to make the least offensive jazz/classical/pop fusion album we possibly can! Anything else? Nope, just that.
Huh. Not so weird for avant garde. If I could play a string quartets worth of instruments and had a synth and a harpsichord I could probably come up with similar.
Overall, this is not a bad album. It is relaxing and could be relegated to background music. It would make for a great lazy day listening session while relaxing at home.
Willfully avant garde. Never dull. Then suddenly startlingly beautiful. Strong 3/5
Solid 3 for me, the zopf movements do a lot less for me than the other tracks, the 11 minute track towards the end is especially great, a bit crazy that this is from 1976
Mostly what it sounds like, background ambient pop with orchestra? Slight features of Kraftwork and The Verve
Well, it's a nice enough album, but I don't think it's a great album. It passes the time without intruding.
Feels like the first movie score on this list. There have been soundtracks but not scores. I have no idea what the penguin cafe is. Anyway I was listening to this in my car driving my son somewhere and he goes omg Travis Scott I think sampled this song. He played it and we compared and checked credits it was close but not exact. This is fine. I’d give it 3.5 but not rounding up.
Really surprising. Like a well performed score from an obscure soviet cartoon.
Weiß nicht, teils angenehmes Gedudel, aber da war auch einer dabei wo sich mir die Nackenhaare aufstellten, keine Ahnung wie der Song hieß. Aber das war wie ne Ohrfeige
Actually quite good, just will not return. 3/5
I usually hate weird but this was fun
New age-y
Instrumental, poppy, light
This was delightful and the kind of album I look forward to discovering on this journey
Nit to my preferences, but it sounds like real music people may appreciate this more.
Not bad considering I have never heard of this in my life. Chill background music.
First listen I absolutely HATED this one but on the second go, while it isn’t the best thing I’ve ever heard, it has it’s moments.
Fun and offbeat. Definitely got the Brian Eno vibes. Solid 3.5
internet-thumbs-up-kid.gif
Yea ok interesting find, but still a little boring at times.
1st song is great & memorable… the rest is too experimental for my taste
This is a really challenging one for me to rate because I think there was a lot to like here, but I don't really know what they did to leave an impression. It's a lot of music that feels classical with some modern, electric instrumental layered on top. It's got a lot of mood which I can appreciate but nothing is really blowing me away here.
A nice palate cleanser after Metallica. Can feel that this record is produced by Brian Eno. Lots of variation between songs and some have the ability to transport you. Listened to the remastered version and it was very much worth it.
M'eh
Penguin Cafe Single //
Had some interesting potential but got more unsettling than enjoyable.
Chill mostly instrumental. Enjoyed it a lot. Probably couldn't recall who it was if I heard a specific song again
Not sure what I was expecting from this one, but it definitely wasn't that. This kind of instrumental avant garde folk is not the sort of thing I have a whole lot of experience listening to, but I can't deny how much of an artistic vision there is here even if it isn't completely to my taste. As much as it does meander and go on and on, the writing and the performances are still just enough to keep me captivated at least consistently enough.
Chartered flight goes hard
Put it on and have a lil weird time. A nice listen.
The first track (Penguin Cafe Single) is fantastic! The next 10 tracks range from 'about as exciting as watching paint dry' to very good but none come close to equaling track one. Too bad. This is the only album I have by this band. I never play it but I can never sell it. Listening to the album this morning reminded me why. Just like it did when I first listened to this album a few years ago the first track made me want to buy their entire back catalog but by track 11 that no longer seemed like a good idea at all. Oh, well.
Kind of cool. I thought the album cover was really fun.
Just some nice relaxing music. Pretty minimalistic, but being chamber music, has enough texture to not be boring. Not much else to say. Nice, chill music, but nothing special. 7/10
This was interesting, pleasant and i'm always to hear anything Eno has been involved in, but it didnt really stand out for me. I couldnt really find a genre or an expectation for this, it just seemed "nice". Thought the vocals we unneccessary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo625D7pBfA - the Penguin Cafe Orchestra later provided the soundtrack for a modern dance video inside of a 1989 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episode. You really can't make this stuff up. I discovered this album in the last two weeks, by total coincidence. "The Sound of Someone You Love" has been on heavy rotation in my 'relax + focus' playlist at work and at home. It's a gorgeous song, an earworm, and we'd be talking about a masterpiece album if the other songs were in the same ballpark. Some of them are: Penguin Cafe Single, Hugebaby, and Chartered Flight. I loved the feeling of getting lost in their intricate melodies. But the other songs, the "Zopf" tracks (which had a larger lineup of musicians playing), were a bit harder for me to get into. Too experimental, too dissonant, even though I can appreciate the genre-bending between classical chamber music and sort of an avant-garde folk sound. The Zopf tracks feel like a separate album, one that doesn't mesh as well with the other four songs, which are more conventionally melodic.
Interesting but not for me. It was quite the mish mosh of music and I preferred it when there weren’t any vocals.
Experimental, eclectic, sometimes beautiful, and always intriguing. I'm happy to have heard this album, but I'm not sure if I'll come back to it soon.
Hyvää tausta ja opiskelumusiikkia, ei jaksanut kiinnostaa loppuun asti.
A lot of this album is fairly uninteresting to me, and then all of a sudden it hits The Sound of Someone... and I understand it. A deeply relaxing listen if nothing else, but one I'm unlikely to come back to.
a delightfully strange album
Super chill, but a little too goofy to be background music. classical ambient music mixed with some more experimental stuff
Dad- 5 Mom- 5 Mike- 4 Lori- 5 Michael- 6.5 Miles- 5 Cole- 5 Avg- 5.07
Herlige tracks men litt for repetetivt
Alright but weird
🚬
good instrumental album