Reviews (page 5 of 8)
This album had me feeling a lot of different ways. Some of the songs were so eerie it was lowkey freaking me out. Overall I enjoyed it even though I don’t think it’s for me
Fav: The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter Notes: I surprisingly enjoyed this 70's classical shit. Played on repeat yesterday on the disc golf course and it was quite right.
Surprising chilling and pleasing, a bit boring though.
Interesting and unexpectedly varied in its emotional expression, this album is subtle and catchy with its musical motifs.
I found this complex and intriguing. think I need to listen to it a few more times
Not to my taste, but love the album name and cover
Nice background stuff
Penguin Café Single 3.4 From the Colonies (for N.R.) 3.3 In a Sydney Motel 3 Surface Tension (Where Trees Meet the Sky) 3.1 Milk 2.2 Coronation 3 Giles Farnaby's Dream 3.3 Pigtail 3 The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter 3.2 Hugebaby 3.2 Chartered Flight 3.3 Score: 3.090909091
Bara fínt. Ekki mikið meira en það. Aldrei heyrt um þetta áður.
Áhugavert og fín vinnutónlist. Aldrei heyrt um þessar mörgæsir. Augljós Eno áhirf.
3 cute faves: suface tension, penguin cafe single
что-то интересное но довольно какофоничное и местами на расстроенных инструментах, пришлось выключить
So weird. Pleasant enough, but much is unremarkable/good background music.
#95 - I wanted to like it and there's some good stuff here but the experimental bits are painful
nice enough but also who gives a shit
3.4
Was a very interesting album, sounded almost like some recent indie music. Crazy this released in 76
Þetta var áhugavert. Mér fannst lögin án söngs mun betri en hin. Það er eitthvað þarna sem daðrar allsvakalega við að vera gott en mér finnst samt vanta herslumuninn. Ég ætla að reyna að hlusta á fleira með þeim.
This was interesting. It went sideways a couple of times, but overall this was a fun entry.
fun, un-classifable music
I'd definitely give it 7 out of 10. As far as "Eno-related" instrumental music goes, I like this a lot. If I were better versed in the genre or could see that this influenced others, I might round up, but I don't believe it made much impact, and while I like it, I don't think it belongs with other 4 star albums, so I'm rounding down.
Een album met oprecht goede instrumentale nummers, vooral de lange nummers zijn highlights. Persoonlijke favoriet is 'the sound of someone you love going away and it doesn't matter' Ik was van plan dit album een 4/5 te geven maar de zopf tracks zijn aanzienlijk minder in kwaliteit. zopf milk was zo slecht dat ik het een punt minder moest geven. Het klinkt ergens een beetje als muziek die k/ms zou maken
Some real gems here like The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter and Chartered Flight. Also quite a bit of experimental stuff that doesn't work for me. An odd one.
Variety like this has been much needed! It’s the spice of life! I love their take on an album, and of course this has Brian Zeno’s fingerprints on it. There’s no frills and no adhesion to genre or hopes to land a radio hit, just a thorough front-to-back listen. The way the opening track slows to an end is so smooth and so pleasant! I have a bit of personal bias in liking “Surface Tension”, the rhodesy keyboards sound just like something off zedd’s Clarity album, both in their sound and chord structure. Probably my favorite off the album for that little nugget alone. Lastly, "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter" has such a sensible little guitar riff, it’s so placid and perfect. While this album may not blow your socks off, it might help you ease into a morning or ease into bed. Give this one your time :)
Interesting
Rating: 3/5 | Favorite Track: Penguin Cafe Single --- I can understand the appeal as this album can be both whimsically quirks and eerily strange. I can definitely appreciate the musicality. However as a whole, this album isn't for me and didn't hold my attention throughout.
Penguin pubes! This album was okay. Some of it was nice, some of it was annoying. Those penguins can diddle a fiddle though!
Really wonderful interplay between the organic and synthetic. Warm lush strings work with cool synth and keyboard tones to create a vibrant, gently thrumming, peice of neo-classical music with shades of ambient experimentalism and jazzy psychedelia. Weird and whimsical, but expertly composed and crafted.
Odd, but good. Nice background music.
The editors of the 1001 site classify this album as simply "Pop", but that designation falls short. I would have gone with something like "avant-garde Indie classical-leaning folk music". And compared to some of the other more unusual and "avant-garde" entries on this list, "Music From The Penguin Cafe" doesn't take musical experimentation too far. Plus it's a welcome respite from all the Shoegaze and Britpop bands this site keeps sending my way. One track might hold the record for longest song title: "The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter".
Fuck. Brian. Eno. Favorite songs: The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter, Penguin Cafe Single, Chartered Flight Least favorite songs: Zopf: Milk, Zopf: Coronation, Zopf: In a Sydney Motel 3/5
The sort of music Brian Eno would have made if he wasn't on drugs.
What the hell did I just listen to. This album is the epitome of "there's a fine line between genius and madness". The album can be categorized as art/avangard classical pop, don't think I ever listened to something like this. Most of the songs are classical pieces, with various other instruments dissonantly coming in and breaking the balance. This gives the album a unique, progressive and uneasy feeling. What it manages to do perfectly though, is set the mood. This does feel like cafe music, but just not for a cafe on this planet. You are completely transported to a different reality, like in a dream. The dream being somewhere between blissful, most of the time, and a nightmare which comes from intermittent dissonant passages. The cover is genius, somehow, it manages to explain the album perfectly. It's a nice, casual, day, and a naked man with a penguin head is talking to a penguin, not weird at all. Really interesting album, one of the reasons all of us started listening to a list like this. You don't just bump into stuff like this. Wasn't sure whether to rate it a 3 or a 4, giving it a 3 in the end because I'm unlikely to listen to this again, I can't imagine a situation when this will come to mind.
Very unusual orchestra! Very string heavy (violins and guitars) with few to no lyrics. 1970s and drug influenced but not overwhelmingly so. I did get unnerved by discordant notes but it matched the title themes quite well.
This was a strange one but weirdly enjoyable. I’d certainly listen to it again!
Very good. I thought it was sorta vanilla at first but I am totally willing to listen again and sort of figure out what's going on, especially with the longer tracks and the really popular one. I'll circle back.
I'm torn, because I'm a longtime PC(O) enjoyer who literally got Arthur Jeffes to sign my jacket, but this feels extremely "debut album produced by Eno"? A lot of the tracks here could have used a bit more time to cook and get some more of the expansive sound I love this group for, although The Sound of Someone You Love... is a delight. Also, the vocals jumpscared me like damn.
really thoroughly enjoyed this will not be adding it to anything but it was 'nice', for a lack of another positively bland word
This was interesting. Not bad, but nothing I would return to. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I wouldn’t choose to throw it on.
Favorite Track: Giles Farnaby's Dream
Weird aber interessant
Sounds more like a score than an album. Listening to it is often deeply beautiful but it feels very much like it's missing the visual component it was meant to accompany. I would love to see this used to score a film someday.
Pleasant enough but I had no strong feelings about this.
It was ok. I remember not being annoyed and being kind of interested in parts, but now that it's over I can't really remember anything about it.
I liked this quite a bit more than I expected, it was enjoyable background music. I don’t think it was quite engaging enough to go to 4 stars, but a solid 3, I would not be opposed to hearing this one again.
Interesting. Different, but not entirely off putting. Kind of relaxing. I don’t know, think it needs a couple more listens, but I’m not sure I’m up for this again.
Not really my thing but a good album nonetheless.
I’m not sure what I made of this. It felt a bit twee and whimsical to start with but it grew on me as it went on. I might give it another listen.
weird. nice artwork. not an easy listen :)
3 stars
6.5/10
По мнению А: 3/5 По мнению С: 3/5 ИТОГОВАЯ ОЦЕНКА: 3/5 (08.02.2025)
Interesting. The conceit is almost more entertaining than the music itself. Feels very Cage-ish. I wouldn't be surprised if Neutral Milk Hotel had been influenced by this.
This was a very unique listen. I figured it was going to be unorthodox and musically challenging (which it certainly was, and not in a bad way), but it also had some solid melodic moments that honestly made me want to hear a whole album that was more mainstreamed. I appreciate the boundary pushing, but I just want more excellent simplified music that the group is obviously capable of creating. Top tracks: Penguin Cafe Single, In a Sydney Motel, The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter
Rocked up classical strings - pleasant listening if not my jam.
I want sure what I made of this so I wasn't at all surprised to find out that Brian Eno was involved with it. Some tracks made me want to give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐, some tracks made me want to give it ⭐. Overall, I quite enjoyed it, and I'm going for ⭐⭐⭐.
Lovely to work along too, with the exception of a couple of tracks
pleasant
Some really beautiful stuff hear, though sometimes marred by less successful sound experiments.
“the sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter” was incredibly emotional and beautiful. it made me cry.
3/5
3.5
If you like to lisent to intrumentals then this song would be for you. I like this album because its instrumental, and no lyrics. It has a smooth rhythm like a jumpy happy feeling and I can imagine it being played in like a cafe or library. I would recommend you lisent to it when you're studying, or just want to relax as you do something.
i like the music i would listen to it more if it had lyrics because mostly tie up a song all togeter and it was kinda fast you could say. the second song is kinda just not cool sounding to me overall i woudnt listen again
for the first song it's good i guess because it has music but i don't like how it's so long i kinda like this because of the music and the way it sounds. the second one is better than the first one because it sounds the same and I like it because there is no lyrics the last song sounded kinda sad at the start but I liked all of these
It was weird, generally enjoyable music, I like the classical vibe to the tunes. It added just enough pop elements to keep me going. Everything about this music clicked when I checked the release date as 1976, jives well with the drugs I assume they were taking when this was made. Well done penguins
A bizarre follow through that still has an avant-garde approach to the common listener.
I enjoyed this. Never had heard them before
Nice and chilled
Odd music. Some pieces were good and sounded concerto-like. But too many odd tracks
Unique in the mid 70's for giving more space for classical / folk music in a rock and funk dominated world, this was a good start for the Penguin Cafe! Not my favorite work from them, but a big step in the right direction.
2.7 3x
At first I thought this was the new greatest thing, but it devolved into a somewhat experimental and indifferent thing after a while. The orchestra parts were fine, the lyrical bits... I don't see the connection so well. They try to bring you on progressive journeys through the music but I am a HUGE prog fan and have ten thousand techno and rock songs that do this better. It is not that they are a bad band or have no good qualities! They are quirky for sure, and interesting in their own right. But outside a couple of songs, I am likely to not go too nuts with buying their albums...
Well, that was different. Like a palate cleanser in a 50-course meal at a Henry IV banquet. 3 for audio refreshment. What’s next?
Some highs, some lows, but always interesting
Actually pretty pleasant background ambience
Okay. Not my taste
This was interesting, I did like some songs though. Funny album cover too.
Music from The Penguin Cafe is the first studio album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, originally released in 1976. This was a super weird one to find on this list, and I love that it was included. It wasn't a super obvious pick, yet it wasn't the token "British post-punk" pick either. This album is sort of a neo-classical, avant-garde journey. The band members play instruments you wouldn't expect to see in an ensemble like this: Fender Rhodes, Violin, Electric Guitar, Cello, etc. Each song sounds completely different. The songs can range from industrial avant-garde to minimal ambient. The recordings themselves have a very spacey feeling to them. I'm sure the Brian Eno production aided in that. Some of the song ideas feel a little half-baked, and I wasn't really feeling the vocals at this time - maybe listening under the influence of a leafy substance would make it better. Nonetheless, I'm really glad this was included on the list so I had a chance to listen to it. Would've never stumbled across this album on my own.
I had never heard of Penguin Cafe Orchestra and had no idea what to expect going in. Music tagged as 'experimental' sometimes has me weary because it's often either pure wankery or the creator was obviously trying too hard to make something unusual but this comes across as sincere, like they really were just trying things to see how they sounded. It's pretty bizarre, but there's a simplistic and sober beauty to parts, like Giles Farnaby's Dream, a jolly little ditty, contrasted with some quite awkward and maybe even unsettling moments (Milk and Pigtail come to mind) A challenging listen, but I enjoyed it. I can't imagine 'I want to listen to Music From The Penguin Cafe' will pop into my head too often so I'll give it a 3.5. Also, I love the album cover Highlights: Giles Farnaby's Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and it Doesn't Matter
Unlike any of the albums I've had so far on this list. I didn't totally vibe with it but I think it might have just been my mood. I'll be adding it to my list to check out again in the future.
Feels like a very earnest, very 1970s attempt to try and elevate elevator music. But if high concept muzak ain't your bag, your patience will be tested. However, as someone who enjoys David Vorhaus, the Plantasia album, Gryphon, David Grisman and many others working in what could be deemed avant-kitsch, I have time for this.
soundtrack
This one is a firm 3 1/2. I really liked it. However, that may not be represented in my collection
Super weird but enjoyable listen.
Never heard of these Penguins before. Strangely familiar for some reason. I’ll check’em out next time I go to the Zoo.
a chamber quartet that fell into bad company
I like some good ambient stuff so this was a solid listen.
Biisit kuulostaa covereilta, mutta ei taida olla… Itse asiasssa yllätin itseni viihtymästä. Humoristista sopivalla tavalla. Huomaa tosin elektronisen (klassisen) musiikin nousun, noi synat kilisee. Tarpeeksi vähän kyllä. Maija Poppasta mutta onneks ei fiftari.
Det var inte obehagligt. Det var helt okej. Säkert guld för en som gillar den här typen av musik. Jag kände bara inte att jag behöver höra mer. Fast det är kanske det som krävs. Några fler lyssningar sen är man fast. Lyssnade igen men det blev inte bättre.
Ok?
In the right mood, I could love this. I was not in the right mood listening to this the first time. Very funky though.
Well done avant-garde shit. Conceptually cool in how it ties in to the band’s ridiculous name as well, though it’s not something I see myself retuning to all that often
i wrote a long diatribe fueled by weed and wine that i accidentally deleted. i liked this album.
There was a time in my life when I preferred this type of music over all. Now I look for different genres, but I still like this.
Nyt onkin sit erikoinen teos, mutta Brian Eno on ollut tekemässä mikä selittää. The Sound Of Someone You Love Who jne oli kyllä tosi hieno instrumentaali. Levy muutenkin instrumentaalista, ambientsävyistä ja klassissävyistä elokuvamusiikkia :D Ja alku vähän vekkulimpaa. Parhaat: Tuo nimihirviö, Hugebaby, Chartered Flight
Laid back, relaxing, experimental, orchestral, instrumental and some lyrical. Will be interesting to revisit at some point in the future
I don't think I've ever wanted to like an album more upon seeing the cover. As I listened I imagined this peculiar, charming music being created entirely by penguins scraping their flippers up and down the instruments.
Good background music for working.
Dette ble all over litt for eksperimentelt for min smak, men de siste låtene var ganske fine.
Why do I have this strange feeling that I've heard the Penguin Cafe Single before? Not bad, just more Brian Eno..
Pleasant enough.
Generous 3... Some good bits, some bad bits, spme easy to listen to background music. Quite interesting though imho
Wes Anderson Music
Classical instruments in a different mode. Felt I should have enjoyed this more than I did but rounding it up to 3 because the name is great.
3 out of 5. In a weird week with this list this album was the good kind of weird. Slight lull in the middle but overall not bad. Exactly what I expected from an album cover like this.
This was pretty. Naturally, nothing with the word orchestra is ever going to make me personally jump for joy however this album was medic and peaceful and I quite enjoyed it.
Definitely more like the noise-scape noodlings I expected from Brian Eno. But enough of this was purely orchestral that it was largely pleasant listening--with the occasional distracting bee boop thrown in.
Weird but good for what it is. Nothing particularly memorable
Do these guys have two albums on here? This one is interesting but lacks the innocent and wondrous spirit that would inform the next album and beyond. A soundtrack to an unproduced film the be watched on a rainy day
Unexciting but not in a bad way; it's experimental but at least it's music, I guess? (Looking at you, Einstürzende Neubauten)
a little weird.. but different
This was interesting and pretty. Nothing I’d listen to again, but I appreciate the talent and creativity.
Bookended very nicely but goes a bit wonky and weird in the middle.
This is hard to rate. At first I wasn’t sure if I like it his at all and after I had listened to the whole record I still wasn’t sure. But some songs were really good and I enjoyed them. Hard to say if I like it or not.
I liked ths songs with instrumentals versus the ones with lyrics. Overall, this was soothing and relaxing.
This was a nice, chill way to get through the work day. I kinda liked it.
Refreshingly quirky, but sometimes a little lacking - experimental and free to a fault
Reminds me of that Robert wyatt album but more likeable.
how lovely
Obscure indeed
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised based on the cover art for this record, but there were sections of this album that were a little bizarre for my tastes. I do find some of the free-form jazz stylings mixed with psychedelic rock of the day to be intriguing though. In a way it's also surprising to me that this album is from 1976 since a lot of the experimental portions of this record are reminiscent of sounds that didn't really come into vogue until the 80s. While I don't particularly go out of my way to listen to that kind of music, I appreciate when artists take big swings like that. Aside from the more jazz-like sections, the more Grateful Dead-sounding portions were very pleasant and beautiful. And I will say that if nothing else, this record certainly kept my attention which I cannot say for every album I've listened to for this project. Overall, I have no regrets in taking the time on this album today. Notable Tracks: - Penguin Cafe Single - Zopf: Surface Tension - The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter - that's a Fall Out Boy-ass title; also first 2/3s of this were good, then it got weird, then back to pretty-sounding - Hugebaby 5/10
In the course of listening to this album, I ran through a wide gamut of emotions ranging from partially relaxed, to ambivalent, to bored, and back to relaxed. 3 penguins out of 5 🐧🐧🐧
Interesting, eclectic new classical. Some of it’s very out there, some of it’s kinda blah, but it’s all a chill, well-rounded, listenable attempt.
This was good, nice, and completely inoffensive. I enjoyed parts, but there is way too little going on to give it anything higher than a. 3/5
Whew I don't know what that was but I dug it! 3.5 and on the "to buy" list
Very interesting.
I liked the first couple songs a decent bit. The rest still didn’t do much for me besides a few pretty sections here and there. Still a great album to start your morning with. Not surprised at all Eno produced this. Rating: 3.2
What interesting, experimental song structures and productions... aaaaaand of course Brian Eno was involved.
Slightly more sophisticated but just as avant as its successor, Club Penguin.
Easily the best album cover I’ve seen so far. The music is a mixed bag. I like a good chunk of it, the opening song rules, but then it’s got that zopf part that’s kinda lame and boring. Probably 3 stars tbh.
nothing much, jusr decent vibed
It's weird, it's unique, it isn't making my daily playlist despite being more deserving of being on this list than a lot of albums so far. 3.5
Not my thing but was decent enough
Might not be my cup of tea but cannot deny it’s well done
Completely new to me. Was really nice to work to, interesting but not dominating. More of a background album IMO - but I've found myself going back to it a few times already, especially while I read or work.
Not bad. Interesting parts Standout song The sound of someone you love whos going away
Pleasant
Very enjoyable! 3.5/5
Nice instrumental, it exceptional
Hahahahaha
No sé ni por dónde empezar. No es que sea un mal disco, está lejos de ser ese el caso. Es una propuesta brillante, divertida, inteligente, bien ejecutada. Pero siento que el alma de esta obra está en su brillante ejecución (un alma muy intelectual), pero le falta algo de emoción (al menos eso siento yo). Tiene piezas buenas, que realmente logran ambientar el nombre que se les ha dado, pero por eso mismo es un disco un poco inconexo. Es distinto. En particular, no creo que sea malo (sin duda es bueno y valioso), pero creo que no logró conectar mucho conmigo.
Very interesting. Sometimes pleasant and sometimes strange. Liked it enough to buy the CD.
Definitely kept thinking of this one as “Club Penguin Orchestra” and not its actual name… The longer pieces really standout from the shorter ones here. The compositions are best when they have time to build and layer, to really create a feeling or mood. The shorter ones are fine, but honestly feel like filler at times, like a vehicle to release the longer tracks on a full length album. They aren’t bad, just not nearly as interesting. What’s good here is beautiful. Really thoughtfully and genuinely put together pieces of music performed by a group of obvious talent. My only reservation is, as it has been before with debut albums, I wonder if this is the best it gets for them. I wish this book didn’t have so many debut albums because I refuse to believe so many artists peaked right away. But we’ll see. Three stars. Standout tracks: Penguin Cafe Single, Zopf: Giles Farnaby’s Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love Going Away And It Doesn’t Matter, Chartered Flight
Really interesting. Not an everyday listener. More of an indie film soundtrack, I guess. Excellent writing.
Fine, but basically Muzak.
I was initially dubious about this one. But it's much better than many other albums on the list. A very solid 3 stars!
🎧The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter is stunning.
It was interesting. Did not mind the lack of vocals, but some of the songs had some interesting choices.
I was having fun in the Penguin Cafe and then they lost me at double suicide. Needs more cafe. 3.
Hit and miss for me but The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away And It Doesn’t Matter is a vibe.
Exactly what you would expect from the "Peguin Cafe". Chill, cartoonish, and artsy.
What the fuck is this album. It sounds like it's scores out of a movie about two penguins on the wildest acid trip you could possible imagine. The guys who made this seem musically talented but weird as fuck. I didn't mind listening to it and I liked the change of listening to some nice violin and other orchestra instruments but it's not exactly an album I would put on regularly. 3 stars.
I gotta say that this is a delightful album except for the discordant parts. I think I understood the back and forth, but I still don't really care for it. Probably tops out at a 4 for certain songs, but the lows are equal to the highs, so I think it averages right as a square 3.
Better than I thought weird music
Using classical instruments to play modern music is pretty cool. But I can't say I vibe with the sound too much, and the album doesn't appear to have any kind of theme. Their album covers are definitely interesting though (there's six including a compilation album and all have these weird penguin people).
Eh this was ok but I don’t think I would want to listen to it again.
Interesting project. Soothing to the ears at times, harsh at others. At one point it did calm my mind a bit which was much appreciated. I don’t love it but I definitely don’t hate it.
Perfect example of a band’s name fitting their sound. One can picture penguins performing most of these tracks, relentlessly cute, until one sort of tunes them out and forgets they’re there.
Taking ok music and making parts dissonant does not make any of the music better. Poor philosophy that others glommed onto.
Some lovely music interspersed with annoying noise.
3.5/4
I listened to this whilst making a pear crumble it was a bit intense but I enjoyed
Weird but actually quite good.
What the hell is happening. Why is there a penguin cafe, and why does it have its own soundtrack. Also can I go to the penguin cafe and meet one of the penguins for science. That aside, this was kinda cool. Weirdo classical prog? I dug it as like… background music but it had some unsettling moments lol. Gonna have to research this one a bit more.
Mostly this is the soundtrack to browsing one of those little boutiques in tourist towns, that are filled with "local" art that no one would buy if they weren't on vacation. There are some experimental moments peppered in here and there, and I really wish there were more. That seems to be when they are at their best. Nothing terrible here, just feels very "in the background" too often.
The first song was interesting, reminded me of Eleanor Rigby, but from there it kinda just didn’t work for me. Interesting concept though.
Albums like this are why I’m doing this project. I had never heard, or heard of, this album before doing this, but I am really glad I’ve now been exposed to it. You can obviously hear Eno’s influence on it, but I also hear some Tubular Bells-type sections, which is always nice. This is just avant garde enough to make you feel like you are cool but poppy enough to be listenable. Good stuff.
3.5/5. Keep your expectations low and you’ll never be disappointed, actually wasn’t that bad. I do wonder about which demographic this music is aimed for. Guess it doesn’t matter.
Definitely an interesting and eclectic album
Strange one
“The sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter” caught my ear the most here, spaced and reflected a little during it. Otherwise, kinda a mish-mash.
Loving the cover and didn't hate the album
This seemed fine. Interesting even. I was a little annoyed at the idea that this 'concept' was somehow so unique and special when it felt to me like it was clearly so derivative of the later Beatles stuff... maybe coloured my view of the record as a whole. Overall though I think I would listen to this again if I needed to but I don't think I'll seek it out again.
Cool stuff I thought!
Not bad but not my cup of tea
3.3 I kinda dug it. Will check out other albums. I think it might have been inspiring to indie bands throughout the years. Definitely hear some broken social scene, pixies, death cab etc in there.
Cause its cute haha, and weird, but not good? Lol this music
Interesting album artwork. Even more interesting sounds. I enjoyed listening to this record. You can definitely tell that it has Brian Eno’s hands on it, no doubt why it probably gained more attention. If this is the music featured in life’s cafe I’d definitely like to go there.
I didn’t mind this album. I appreciate the turn in genre from other albums on the list. That said, not sure why this is an essential album. My guess is Brian Eno’s involvement elevated its status and it wouldn’t be in this list otherwise. I could see myself putting on a station based on these guys. I’ll probably forget their name and look forward to asking Siri to “play a station based on that band with naked penguin/human creatures on the cover.” 2.75/5
Quirky with Eno production but likable
Very pleasant. Will spin again. 3.5
# Playlist track - Penguin Cafe Single # Notes - Super freaky and experimental, but with some nice, more accessible tracks to ease it off. - The opening track is kind of great. - Great instrumentation. - Only a couple of tracks are reeeeally hard to enjoy.
Folk instrumental inglés. Ni fu ni fa.
More enjoyable than I expected from such experimental oddity
3.5 - I liked parts but then it would throw me and I would question if I did or didn’t like it.
Nice nice love me some strings
What an interesting concept, I love the album art and it immediately drew me in. I just imagined the characters on the album cover performing the music, sitting outside at a nice café on a lovely summers day, with onlookers sipping on some gorgeous spritzes and nibbles. Best: Penguin Café Single Worst: Coronation
Wouldn’t have listened to this otherwise. Probably never will again.
3.4/5 Best Track: Penguin Cafe Single
Some great moments
I enjoyed what I heard, but I also didn't realize it had ended for about 10 minutes.
I’ve never dropped acid, but if I ever do I imagine this is how every album will sound. Both going up and then coming down.
Full of playful dissonance. Simple string arrangements often become hints of urban strife. Often memory of a good old Windom Hill Sampler or at a few heights memory of the cyclic pleasure of Philip Glass.
3.5
I've never been entirely able to get into purely instrumental music, but I think I can respect the composition of these tracks. It can't exactly keep my zoomer attention span piqued but I still think it's decent.
Cool but not for me 3/5
Favorite Tracks: “Penguin Cafe Single” “The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter”
Look at album cover say, "this is gonna be weird". Ended up not as weird as I thought it would be so a bit disappointed. The whole time I was listening I created a documentary in my head about a penguin named Zopf. As a score to that nonexistent doc this would make sense. Otherwise it was just chill background music. And I swear I've heard the track "Milk" somewhere before! But where the hell would that have been!? Oh yeah, of course this was produced by Brian Eno
first listen i found this extremely interesting, but not cohesive enough to rate highly
interesting - plötzlich isch e saite grisse haha
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music from the Penguin Cafe This album is why I'm doing this challenge. Never in my life would I have found this album on my own. However, if I had, I would of listened to it based on the cover alone! This album is what happens when a musician from the 70s isn't sure what kind of music they want to make and decides let's do a pop/classical album and get Brian Eno to produce it. Equal parts chill instrumental/ambient music and extremely weird sounds & lyrics. At the end of the day, I enjoyed this one as it both lived up to my expectations (based on the cover) and left me scratching my head wondering how it even was made (and released). 3/5
Not for me, but I'll bump to a 3 because it doesn't sound like '76.
Surprisingly dynamic and interesting
Went from wtf to on pretty fast. 3 stars
Ik hou wel van geinige instrumentale dingetjes, zoals Yann Tiersen en allerlei blije filmmuziek. En dit album biedt wel het een en ander van dat soort, helaas staat er ook nogal wat piepjanknor-muziek op. Ze moesten zo nodig kunstzinnig doen. Het verbaast dan ook niet dat ook hier Brian Eno er met z'n tengels aan heeft gezeten. Jammer.
Het begint als een soort psychedelische prog-folk, maar in plaats van met traditionele instrumenten wordt er geexperimenteerd met allerhande strijkers en toetsen. Vervolgens stapelen de experimenten elkaar op. Meestal mislukken experimenten, maar hier zit af en toe zowaar een geslaagde tussen. Deel twee heeft meer weg van sfeervolle filmmuziek, ik hoor af en toe ook wat Kraftwerk er in terug, Pink Floyd en zelfs Shocking Blue. Ik moet dit een paar keer luisteren denk ik om het op me in te laten werken. Het is sowieso best interessant om te beluisteren, al schuurt het soms. Ik vind de nummers gespeeld door dat Pinguin Orkest wel het beste, de Zopf nummers zijn mij iets te experimenteel. En ik schuw experimenten over het algemeen juist wel, dan heb ik liever gelikte en geproduceerde Taylor Swift countrypoprock af en toe. Ik had liever een hele cd van het Penguin Cafe Quartet gehad.
Very avant-garde with a sense of direction.
Not heard this one for years and it was really fun to revisit. I love the first half of this album but for whatever reason the second half just doesn’t quite do it for me in the same way. Was going to give this a 4 from quite early on but feeling more like a 3 by the end
good music for a hip brunch
Not what I expected from an album with penguin pubes on the front cover
Weird funky little vibe
I'm having a grand ole' time. The first song really is like I'm there, in a penguin cafe. The sudden tonal shift, it's like... you suddenly realize something's off... why are there penguins serving you in a cafe? What a fucking weird album. Milk was so offputting, in a great way. That will be the one I show people from this album. Love the discordant element of it. The slightly off note intoning "In a Sydney Motel." And then suddenly you're hit with the lengthy, complex "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter." And I gotta say... it sounds like at the end.... it does matter....... Really enjoyed the story of the last couple minutes there. 3.5- An album I enjoyed, but I won't necessarily listen to again.
Spoko ale nie do słuchania
Some parts were weird but overall not bad
Interesting.
Best Songs: Giles Farnby's Dream Listen Again: Yes
very relaxing music
Weird, calming music, nicely experimental. Stand-out: Giles Farnaby's Dream
Pretty nice instrumental album. Except that one depressing track. That one hits different. And hard. 3.5/5.
another listen will probably make this a 4
How unique! I really am not sure how to rate this. I thought that it was actually pretty fun, and I liked a lot of the more experimental tracks (“Milk” was a particular standout), but I don’t really think I could listen to it all the way through again.
I expected to like this more than I did. Overall I did like the instrumentals, except for when it got really beepy in The Sound of People You Love... or whatever that one was.
Unique and interesting. 3/5
What a delightfully odd LP - while it does seem to meander thematically, that definitely fits if we’re aiming for penguin vibes. Some of the more kooky, vaudeville instrumentation tested my patience a bit, but overall this was a wonderfully left-field album I would’ve never found on my own.
"Penguin Café Single" is the best track. Enjoyable but a bit staid and self-seriously absurd. 3.2 stars rounded down.
This album was very interesting. I’d never heard of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra but it hit the right spot listening during work. It was easy to listen to, a little bit experimental at times, but nice background music.
It's interesting. Is that... harpsichord? Some of these are really weird experimental and some are pretty normal-sounding background score.
Felt like I was on a Chartered Flight or In A Sydney Motel.
Interesting albun with every song being unexpected and coming out of blue. We've got some pop style, jazz, a bit of orchestral music, definitely a bit of folk and who knows what else. And as interesting, it was as confusing, with so many mood changes that it was hard to focus. Unusual position on this list, but otherwise nothing remarkable.
I love the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, but this album was too avantgarde for me. Great cello, though!
Hmmm... didn't mind it, but can't think of a reason to listen to it again.
Nice. Mellow vibes, but bordering on virtuosic navel gazing. Reminds me of music that would play during Mr Rogers segments where they would tour a factory or something.
Pretty good. I don’t think this is something I’ll revisit often, but it’s the type of thing I’d buy the vinyl of and put on during a game night.
6/10 Very nice background music Highlights: Giles Farnaby's Dream The Sound of Someone...
Like a walk through SFMoMA
Pretty but no personality.
Nr. 35/1001 Penguin Cafe Single 3/5 Zopf: From The Colonies 2/5 Zopf: In A Sydney Motel 3/5 Zopf: Surface Tension 3/5 Zopf: Milk 1/5 Zopf: Coronation 3/5 Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream 3/5 Zopf: Pigtail 1/5 The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter 4/5 (x2) Hugebaby 3/5 Chartered Flight 3/5 Average: 2,75 In some places really great, in other places really weird
Fine
Why would they give the Penguin Man pubes. Some cute chamber music, almost ambient at times. Made me think of Brian Eno, so I wasn't surprised to learn that he was the executive producer for this. This seems like really good background music for doing mundane tasks. I will be returning to The Penguin Cafe, they cook up some good shit in there. Just keep the Penguin Man away from me.
3.75
Not as good as preludes, airs, and yodels
This was quite strange and at times jarring but to be honest there was some really beautiful stuff in there
Pretty good. I liked it.
Penguin cafe Single is alright, everything else is passable
3 stars, some nice songs. A lot of weirder/experimental stuff that was not bad but also not my taste
I can see it's contribution to music and I can listen and it's enjoyable but it doesn't move me.
Good
I really like the first song.
I've only really listened to the first few songs on the album, it was mostly background music to me. I liked Penguin Cafe Single, quite a playful song. Zopf: From The Colonies was also fun. I noticed how there were often bits repeating for a long time, almost like licks. Sometimes it feels like an assortment of instruments loops arranged by a garageband beginner. Since I rarely listen to orchestra music, this makes it a bit easy to grasp what's going on.
Not sure how to rate this album. It's entirely instrumental, which is nice for a change, and some of the tracks are quite enjoyable. Others not so much, and the album at times tries a litte too hard to be Art (with a capital A). I guess, then, this might be 2.5/5.
I like penguins
I can certainly appreciate this, and enjoyed large parts of it. At other points it really got on my tits.
Nice enough!
HL: "The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter", “Surface Tension”, “Penguin Cafe Single”, “In a Sydney Motel”, “Giles Farnaby’s Dream” God I love penguins Oh the music- well, it can be unwieldy and slapdash, with a mix of very British strings with whatever “Pigtail” is. Kind of frustrating at first listen because of the sudden changes in quality, sometimes mid-song, but after the dust settling I’m already appreciating the absurd whimsy of the project a bit more. 3.5 / 5, at least October 1, 2023
Fav: The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter LF: Zopf: Pigtail High 6 to low 7
Love it when it's an album / artist that I have never heard of before in my life. Stuck it on whilst working, and almost didn't notice that it had finished which is ........................ mostly good I guess. Ambient background vibes with absolutely lunatic album artwork (and how much of a lost art is that these days too)
I can't recall when (or why) I'd heard this before, but I like the random eccentricness of it all.
I liked it as far as instrumental music goes.
Didn't check anything about this before listening, but turns out it's some mostly instrumental folk/jazz, well produced too. The album kind of meanders and can't find it's feet for a while until you hit the 12 minute epic that's the centerpiece of the album. What a beautiful song, but after that the album is almost over already. Definitely worth a listen, and probably some more in the future.
Top notch album art and name. Everything else is just fine. 6/10
What…is this
Well, I am sure if I spent some serious time re-listing to this I would get a lot out of it, but life is too short.
Not what I was expecting. My parents have a PCO album I used to listen to as a kid but it was completely different, it was more jangly and poppy. This is almost minimalist
This is the third album in a row that I’ve gotten with the word “music” in the title.
I can’t think of a better album to commit double suicide to, but at least wait until the end or you’ll miss some delightful, clever, and, at points, experimental music. And then maybe you’ll decide to experiment a while longer with this delightful little thing we call life.
A lot of really interesting, underdeveloped ideas. Obviously a product of the minimal music of its time. Some moments of real beauty. I’m on the fence about this one.
Very interesting. I was not expecting this at all. Nice multi phased compositions. Always had Mr on my toes. It made me feel very anxious and on the verge of fear on my very dark nighttime walk. But also very happy at points. Wide range on this one. But I liked it 3*
This was a really neat album but some songs were really unsettling.
A calm picnic in the countryside where you and your partner imbibe in a massive dose of acid and gently feel the earth carry you over fields and dales through time itself and making you feel a bit more knowledgeable about the world.
I liked it, but it was definitely "experimental"
Great background music.
I'M BACK BABY. I listened to this while killing demons in Diablo IV. I would not recommend. The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter is a really beautiful and moving song.
Quirky, but I like it.
Produced by Brian Eno.....you don't say? I enjoyed this as some background working music. I don't know if I'd ever return to it, but it's pretty good. There's a lot of weird background noises at times and the sudden noises in "The Sound of Someone....." were abrasive but I will attribute that to some Brian Eno bullshit. The guitar and violin are beautiful. Not sure what Zopf is exactly but the tracking listing and structure of this whole album is interesting.
I really like the first track, but lost interest quite quickly after that. It's a shame because the album cover is awesome. Very original. Can't get enough of penguins, me. But the cool penguin cover can't persuade me to give this album anything higher than a 3.
me: "These guys opened for Kraftwerk, weird" me, the vocals on track 3 just started: "Ah" Not bad, typically don't do instrumental stuff but this was a fun listen. I really like track three, it reminds me of "Needle in the hay" or a song you'd hear in a Wes Anderson movie
not for mean
One of those artists where I know the name but don't think I have ever heard them. Am not big on orchestral stuff usually, but enjoyed some of this - the bits with more unusual instrumentation particularly. As much because it's not a genre / style that I would normally listen to. Put me in mind of a formal version of some of the more sedate Eno works, but some of it was too classical for me to want to play it through again.
I liked the idea of this album more than the end result. It's quite a pastoral album, painting pictures through the music. That sounds like arty farty shit, but in the absence of any lyrics, then the mind wanders. It gets a little paranoid in places with the jabbing from the strings. Not quite the early morning relaxation I wanted. But different, which is always good.
That was a lot of fun. From cover art to closing track. Quack! (Do penguins quack? I'd say no)
interesting listen. liked to classical direction it took
innovative but a bit weird for my tastes
Listened while walking around scenic Albany, was pleasant. Dunno why penguins are involved though. 3.5/5
I mean it's nice, feels a bit pointless, doesn't do a lot for me. Generous 3
som bem específico, mas bem rico
Sympa mais en même temps peu marquant
Ce ne vuole a rendere interessante un progetto solo strumentale, non male.
An interesting listen…not sure it will ever be on regular rotation
Strange. Like a hipster movie soundtrack. It comes across as both serious and silly. I feel like whoever is responsible for this does quirky stuff like wear wooden hats.
Boutade musical pròpia dels 70s. Barreja de música de cambra amb tonalitats de jazz, melodies pop i dos temes per conservar, l'inicial 'Penguin Cafe Single' i la llarga però suggestiva 'The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter'
I like this a lot. It was a nice background peace but I like that on its own.
Lovely noises and moods, but not a whole lot to say
Enjoyable and creative. Kept fresh with some unobtrusive genre bending. Top song: The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter Bottom song: Penguin cafe single
Advant-garde semi-ambient classical-but-not type stuff. I liked it well enough, but there's plenty of stuff in the same vein that I like a lot more. An interesting listen, probably won't return to it, but maybe I will. 🤷
Oddly enjoyable.
Pleasant music except for the intentionally discordant portions, that kind of annoyed me (as intended I'm sure). Interesting to listen to, wouldn't put it on as music to enjoy, but it gave me something to think about.
This album is not what I expected, which was some chill cafe music, instead this feels like something you would listen when the world ends
Orchestras typically employ the efforts of 70 or more musicians, but Penguin Cafe Orchestra is content with only having four. Typically when "chamber pop" is discussed, it is referring to pop songs that are backed up by a chamber ensemble. This feels like the opposite, wherein a chamber ensemble backed up by pop songs. At least, the first song anyway. Zopf seems content to explore avant-garde songs that test my patience. Truely this is a bizarre album that seems content to push the limits of any sort of genre. We're exploring as many ideas in as short amount of time as possible. We're taking the train to harpsichords; we're leaving the boat in the water. It's a lot all at once with no real patience to pace it properly. But then side B starts, and I'm whisked away again. Where was this after the opening song? How can two beautiful songs sandwich such a unneeded suite of experiments? The rest of the album carries on with these fantastic arrangements. I find it hard to put into words how much Zopf takes the wind out of Music From The Penguin Cafe. Strong start, strong finish, weak middle. Will have to revisit at some point.
Interesting, and not a bad listen. It was nice to have on in the background, but I'm not sure that it would ever be something that I'd listen to again. This sounded a bit like more recent string quartets, who recorded covers of classic rock songs.