Reviews (page 7 of 8)
This is more pseudo-classical than pop, imo. Kinda surprised it’s on here. I like their unique and experimental style, though.
Too weird for me
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
Wasn't the worst thing I have heard but that doesn't make it good.
good music for a hip brunch
Não percebi o conceito relacionado ao nome, que de fato é maravilhoso. E o som é bem legal.
Great avant pop sorta shit
Not what I expected from an album with penguin pubes on the front cover
This album was absolutely phenomenal. Its perfect for a cafe setting or for the end of a party at around 3-4 in the morning. This album is a must listen!!!!
Haunting at times, beautiful at others. Conveys a great mix of emotions throughout while using a plethora of sounds.
Weird funky little vibe
I had never heard of them but wow, excellent album. Different!
Loved this! Found it interesting and uplifting to listen to.
There’s a section of the first track that was 100% ripped off by Huey Lewis and The News in “Heart and Soul”. Excellent band, innovative compositions, great musicians, and an enduring influence on avant garde (and even 80s pop) music. Some parts run a little noisy, but overall this was lovely. It’s nice to have something other than hippie shit.
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
This is a strange one! But a worthy inclusion, I think? This was a pleasant listen, one that truly sounded like the soundtrack at a penguin café! Atmospheric music that verges on the bizarre, but actually just stays pretty chill, without ever doing anything all that weird at all. Whimsical, avant-garde coffee shop vibes here, and I am here for them.
Some parts were weird but overall not bad
Not for me.
Interesting.
Best Songs: Giles Farnby's Dream Listen Again: Yes
This is exactly the type of weird experimental shit I signed up for. I've never heard of this group or any of the musicians involved, but this album really clicked with me. I love the fusion of genres and styles, some of it sounds quite folky, other parts more prog rock or classical. I can see how this might have influenced quite a few modern indie and art rock bands too (particularly thinking of Neutral Milk Hotel, Arcade Fire and BCNR). I'll definitely be on the lookout for this on vinyl, and will be giving their other albums a listen too.
p366. 1976. 2 stars. Sounds like the incidental music from failed BBC sitcoms of the 1970s. Background noise for cheese and wine parties. Technically well done, but insipid and dull.
Unique approach and enjoyable listen. I found this amazing for background music while working, but also interesting as a focused listen.
I can’t help giving this adorable album 5 stars! ⭐️ it’s so peculiar and at the same time easy to listen. I definitely want it on vinyl.
With a name like Penguin Cafe Orchestra and song titles like Hugebaby, I thought this would be some weird avant garde stuff. It wasn't. It was just boring. Unfortunately, there was really nothing here for me to enjoy.
very relaxing music
Sounds like the soundtrack to Bluey. I really enjoyed it. A few off putting songs that I guess I don't get.
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.
One has dug the PCO ever since one got wind of them in early '00s (one guesses) or maybe late '90s on (one suspects) Prairie Home Companion. Somehow not listened much in recent years. Love the floating neo-classical with a wink, and the noodling, light-hearted and light-headed vibe. A freshness, too, one still hears. Even rather timeless – certainly lacks that stale '70s aroma so common to innovative/experimental efforts of that era. It almost seems if it ought to belong to a new genre – Le Neue Musique Concrete, or something. Different, original (if not quite sui generis), unmistakable, contemplative, inventive, enjoyable – what more to say? And if it's good enough for Eno, it ought to be good for the rest of us.
another listen will probably make this a 4
Loved this album but wish it had pushed its experimental nature a bit further
I didn't mind most of this, though I don't particularly enjoy when an otherwise good if not weird song descends into noise making for no good reason in the middle. I am ten thousand percent positive that wayne coyne lyrics and vocals would make every single track a certified banger. i think i expected the flaming lips to show up on every single track.
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 actually really loved this and didn't expect to! it had the perfect amount of slight weirdness for me
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.
I dunno how I discovered this band in 2019 but I did and I've loved them ever since. It feels like a little hidden gem that no one I have ever talked to has heard of. Great stuff and happy that others have discovered them through this.
Unique and interesting. 3/5
Nice and relaxing
Fascinating record. Part chamber music, part psychedelic like Pink Floyd, part minimal music like Philip Glass, part plain weird like Zappa. But it all sounds smooth and gentle. Even the weird dissonant parts. Favorite song: Penguin Cafe Single.
A shame that the best track here was the last one - Chartered Flight - the rest of it was fairly grim.
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.
Interesting and playful pop music. This definitely feels like something that would be on Eno's label, and that's a compliment. I like how tough to describe or pin down this music is. It really feels otherworldly.
Weird
Penguin Café Single- 5/5 Zopf - From the Colonies (For N.R.)- 4.8/5 Zopf - In a Sydney Motel- 5/5 Zopf - Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet the Sky)- 3.7/5 Zopf - Milk- 4.1/5 Zopf - Coronation- 5/5 Zopf - Giles Farnaby's Dream- 5/5 Zopf - Pigtail- 4/5 The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter- 4.8/5 Hugebaby- 5/5 Chartered Flight- 4.8/5 Total- 4.7/5
Weird. I had only heard one of their songs before
lovely and strange!
Ved ikke engang rigtigt hvorfor jeg synes det er så fedt at høre på. Hyggelige strygere og gode vibes. I just think its neat!
It's really pretty. It's happy and relaxing, like a farming video game OST but much more engaging and unpredictable. Has pop hooks with short fluid tracks but is derivative of modernist classical music in terms of how instruments grab your attention then transfer that spotlight to other key players. Also the emphasis on the avant-garde as it shows its wacky surreal side, but never anything too uncomfortable. You have a borderline of different genres to the point where you never know what you're getting next. "Coronation" is romantic, "Giles Farnaby's Dream" is (British) folk, and "Pigtail" is ambient (the most obvious of Eno's presence). You could even make arguments about how some of this could be considered prog or post-rock in how it seems to only vaguely resemble rock music structure. Hell, the opening reminded me of King Crimson's Larks Tongue.
I think I might have seen this album cover before, but I was completely unfamiliar with the artist or the sound of this album. This was very pleasant to listen to, and some of the songs sounded somewhat familiar; maybe I've heard some of them in a movie. I thought the arrangements on this album were fantastic. None of the songs were boring, and even the longer songs managed to keep my attention. I spent a good amount to time today wondering why this album made the list. Sure, it's a good album, and it's nice to listen to, but these albums all have some sort of cultural impact or significance, and I couldn't for the life of me think about how this album was influential. I don't think this album caused an explosion in popularity of bands that played mostly instrumental music. Hell, the only other band I can think of that is anything close to this is Explosions in the Sky, and that's honestly kind of a stretch. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered about this album's influence on popular music. And then it hit me: I think this album probably had a huge influence on new wave artists in the eighties, especially sophisti-pop artists. A good number of artists in the eighties started incorporating more strings and more orchestral sounds into their music to give them a more 'elevated' feel, and I would imagine that this album made that idea more palatable. I'm not sure why I included this thought, other than the fact that thinking about this after listening to this album was fun in a way. Now that I'm done rambling, I thought this album was really well made and full of great musical arrangements. It wasn't my absolute favorite, but I'll definitely revisit it, since it's just a nice album to have on.
Interesting album, original, some unexpectedly familiar tunes I didn't know where they came from. This is the sort of album that this project should be uncovering.
Found to be very boring and not very good driving music.
I don't know. It was different, and I get why people would like it. It's good music to ignore in the background. To me it sounds like the soundtrack to a lost Mario video game where all the main characters are just standing around because they stepped in a glue trap...and that's the game.
Delightful! Playful!
Struggled to capture my attention
This album started off alright. The first song was a classical instrumental that was enjoyable and had some nice rhythm. It dragged on a bit and seemed to repeat itself but still okay. Then the second song hit. The singer and lyrics really blew me away at how quickly I could go from liking something to disliking it. So morose and tone deaf. Everything after that was just meh too. A shame since it started so well. 3.9/10
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.
had some really cool parts and some parts that felt like absolute wank but given the time it came out that's fair enough
Chilly
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.
Loved this! I know a little Penguin Cafe Orchestra, pretty much the same stuff everyone knows, but I will be digging in further for sure.
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.
Oi. Dette er et album som krever at man lytter godt, tar seg tid. Det er i tillegg et album jeg kunne tenke meg å høre gjennom flere ganger.
Maybe too experimental for my mood today. Very unnecessary on this list.
Albums like this are the reason I love this project so much. I had absolutely no clue what to expect and had never heard of the artist or album, but both the naked penguin man and the fact that Brian Eno was the producer had me feeling hopeful. This just hit right today. Slightly bizarre and utterly beautiful, I've got nothing to complain about.
6/10 Very nice background music Highlights: Giles Farnaby's Dream The Sound of Someone...
Like a walk through SFMoMA
Did I really have to listen to that before I die? It couldn’t have waited till after? Boring pretentious shite.
Fun
man, i didn't know what to expect from this one. i'd never heard of the album or the artist, but looked it up on wikipedia and saw brian eno's name. with that all the information i had, i plunged in and, boy, i suspect that this album is not going to be everyone's bag, but i really enjoyed my time with it. very serene and chill, a bit avant-garde at times, some really enjoyable play with dissonance. definitely feels like a small chamber orchestra at times. just a really cool vibes album.
Pretty but no personality.
Strange, Brian Eno production, why is it on this list?
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
One beautiful track in "The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter" is not worth the price of admission alone. Much here consists of exercises in 'listenability' - is this pushing the envelope? Maybe. Do I want to listen to it? Maybe not.
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
sounds like a wes anderson score kinda all over the place stylistically.
silly
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
What a treat! This sent me down a rabbit hole of discovery. The Penguin Cafe Orchestra is perfect for almost any mood.
Really enjoyed this, and certainly didn’t expect to. Influential, I can hear Kid A in this record. Were Thom and Jonny secret Penguin fans.
very soothing background or reading album i will enjoy this again!
I can see it's contribution to music and I can listen and it's enjoyable but it doesn't move me.
Good
The kind of random, weird album this exercise is ideal for.
Well that was....different. Interesting mix of haunting and uplifting. Favorite track: Penguin Cafe Single
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.
Orchestral chamber music that paradoxically sounds both proggy and baroque. There are moments of experimentation and moments of serenity. Not much stood out on the first half. “The Sound of Someone You Love…” is very pretty. It takes some interesting turns in the second half of the song though - almost sounding like a horror movie score for a bit. That’s that proggy side of the music coming out. Not bad but didn’t do much for me.
This is hysterical in some weird vague way to me. Penguins are adorable and for some reason I hear this music and I want to giggle. What and where is The Penguin Cafe? Why does it have its' own orchestra? I love the middle section of the first song, "Penguin Cafe Single", around the 2:30 mark. It's a stark contrast (while still living in the same musical world) as the first two and a half minutes, and it's such a perplexing direction that I can't help but wonder more about the context for it's addition. The vibraphone at times sounds atonal. I wasn't expecting vocals! That was a nice surprise. I love the experimenting in "Zopf: Milk". Very interesting. At this point I'm really along for the ride and it's picking up steam. I really enjoyed this. I think it hit on a lot of things that I like when it comes to an album's construction and the overall sound is something that I will gladly come back to.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Penguin cafe single, Zopf: from the colonies, The sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter
Very interesting. I enjoyed it for sure, and it is hard to place (which I like about it). Apple Music calls it "rock," but it is certainly not that.
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
This isn’t bad! I listened to Preludes, Airs, and Yodels by them and I like it better
What an amazing album from Brian Eno's label. The music is strange, varied and experimental but they manage to do it with a deep sense of calm and a lack of pretentiousness that's unusual in the avant garde. Very refreshing listen.
Weird name, weird music.
I can certainly appreciate this, and enjoyed large parts of it. At other points it really got on my tits.
Nice enough!
Lovely instrumental! Provided a great Christmas gift idea for a penguin loving friend
Didn’t really get this one. A measly 2*
I enjoyed this one a lot. No one is more surprised than me.
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
Love that weird Brian Eno stuff
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 hate this.
Sadly didn't live up to the promise of the cover art
I absolutely love Penguin Cafe Orchestra. I would have given 5 stars for their second album, which I much prefer. It's got lovely melodies, eccentricity, musique concrete found sounds.
I can't recall when (or why) I'd heard this before, but I like the random eccentricness of it all.
Happy to have some stuff like this on the list. Not sure about the genre assignment. Anyway, loved some of it, like From the Colonies, did not enjoy some of it, like Coronation. Most of it I liked, Giles Farnaby's Dream and Hugebaby are quite lovely. Overall, interesting listening, four stars.
Penguin Cafe Single - 8.5/10 Zopf: From the Colonies - 8/10 Zopf: In a Sydney Motel - 8/10 Surface Tension - 8/10 Zopf: Milk - 8/10 Zopf: Coronation - 8/10 Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream - 8/10 Zopf: Pigtail - 8/10 The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter - 7/10 Hugebaby- 7/10 Chartered Flight - 8/10 TOTAL - 86.5/110
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
Had never heard of this project before, but this album is absolutely magical. Beautiful, colorful, and whimsical chamber music that feels way ahead of its time. The kind of album I could listen to forever. 4.5/5
Varried and interesting and whimsical and fun
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
In het begin wil dit CKV album even wat mensen afschrikken, maar daarna is het genieten. Aan ons als luisteraar om vooral in het begin met wat geveinsd zelfvertrouwen en een zelfingenomen lachje met ons hoofd te knikken alsof we het begrijpen en dan komt de beloning vanzelf. Ik vind het onverwacht mooi. Een keer wat anders, veel afwisseling en het wordt nergens echt verschrikkelijk; het is geen jazz. Zo heeft 'Milk' wat Aphex Twin-achtigs, 'Coronation' is van die Aronofsky-film-muziek en 'Giles Farnaby's Dream' neemt je mee naar een bekend park in Kaatsheuvel. Dit album had ik zonder deze lijst nooit geluisterd en het was zeker interessant. Vooral daarom 5 sterren.
This is so good I wish penguins were real
Weird
1. Creating a new apartment in the Sims 2. Just some random *twang twang twang* 3. My head hurts 4. Sudden teleportation to a classical music concert 5. Is that a museum of contemporary art in Dusseldorf? Someone left the kettle on at the end! 6. Why is it in here? 7 & 9. Those are actually nice! 8. Aliens are visiting or dialing a number on an old phone. 10. Looped sample. 11. And once again we're playing the Sims. Overall - I'm confused. That's not pop music!!!
Not gonna lie, they got me with the cover art and band name already
Well.. yeah... The only exceptional thing about this album is it's oddity. Beggining was promissing but next songs went all over the place. It almost does not feel like album.
A breezy, folk-indebted classical spell for the ages, Penguin Cafe Orchestra (awesome name, by the way) make their presence felt with whimsy mixed with moments of seriousness, as noted by the twelve minute epic of The Sound of Someone You Love... Whether people want to embrace them or dismiss them is completely down to how they perceive them. Penguins? From a cafe? In an orchestra? Gee whiz... Favorites: Penguin Cafe Single, Zopf: From the Colonies, Zopf: In a Sydney Motel, Zopf: Milk, Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love..., Hugebaby.
Dope
Very chil, perfect for a small cleaning session !
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.
an eno project, and it really sounds like it. there’s something here but it all feels a bit like a mediocre movie soundtrack. you can tell exactly who it inspired (big thief i’m looking at you) but on its own it’s a bit lackluster
Folk instrumental. Interesante.
I wasn't thrilled to draw this. The cover art is not appealing. I expected it to be weird, and not weird in a good way either. I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy this a lot. I will probably come back to this one someday and might even peek into some of their other stuff.
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.
Boring jazz
Love this
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.
Brian Eno music continues not to be for me. Didn’t enjoy the listen
What a whimsical enjoyable listen. The only real misfire was "Pigtail", but still, when considered as a whole piece, the album is great.
I liked it, but it was definitely "experimental"
What a weird but fun 70s listen!
It isn't quite enough to call this folk, but it's a bit tricky to describe it with its electric instruments, ukulele and spinet. It was really a joy to listen to. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
There was something familiar to me about this album, at least a track or two, but I can't figure out why. Can anyone tell me??? I totally dug it! Please sir, I want some more.
I am completely charmed.
The cover and the name of the album and band had me predisposed to loving this. So what a relief to find that the music lived up to the expectations. It took me through a range of emotions, but mostly I just found it terribly interesting to listen to!
I have watched Penguin Cafe Orchestra's appearance at the Tiny Desk concerts, but that might be the extent of what I've heard. I enjoyed Music From The Penguin Cafe. There is a mix of acoustic instruments, some more orchestral in arrangement than others, and tracks that are centered around electronic instruments and sounds. There were a couple of tracks that had some noise to sort through, but were still interesting. with a mix of acoustic and electronic music. "Giles Farnaby's Dream" was the track that I rated the highest, which has a great combination of string sounds with a mandolin or ukulele, cello, harpsichord, and guitar. I really liked side two (composed of the last three tracks of the album) as well. The tracks on side two allowed for some development and movement through the music that I enjoyed.
Pretty awesome find.
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.
Pleasantly surprised by this album, was grooving to an eclectic mix of instruments
There is some excellent stuff in here, but it is scattered in with a whole bunch of garbage.
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.
Weird and Strange, rather than good music
This was an interesting album. A little bit jazz, a little bit pop, a little bit Kraftwerk. I was driving around town while listening to this and it was super pleasant.
Background music at best. Heard it for the first time today but will not live long in the memory.
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 me.
I enjoyed parts of it. On track towards the end reminded me of an instrumental version of ‘Annie’s Song’
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.
This is great stuff. I highly recommend most everything on Eno's early Obscure label imprint. My favorite being Gavin Bryars' "The Sinking Of The Titanic," with this being in the Top 3 or 4 albums released on the label.
A bit dreary. I don't mind the idea but it wears thin quite quickly.
Not sure about this, it's pleasant enough on the ears but it's experimental without being at any point exciting. Feels like it's been made by people who aren't quite as clever as they think they are (or maybe are just so much cleverer than me that I've missed the point). 2/5.
Monsieur Eno toujours dans les bons coups
je suis tres partagée mais bon mood donc 4
Listened while walking around the airport, it was nice!
felt like a soundtrack to a period piece movie but there is no movie so I’m left confused
That was a lot of fun. From cover art to closing track. Quack! (Do penguins quack? I'd say no)
Hmm yeah okay. Not a fan.
interesting listen. liked to classical direction it took
innovative but a bit weird for my tastes
This is actually kind of dull. There aren't any tracks that I would save or any theme that would make me want to listen to the entire album again. It's just Brian Eno-style "experimental" fucking around for 45 minutes. 2/5
Listened while walking around scenic Albany, was pleasant. Dunno why penguins are involved though. 3.5/5
Well that was freaking weird
great walking experience inquisitive music
Really solid music- felt like I was on a journey.
It sounds good but the pure instrumentals just doesen't grab me that much.
koja bomba od albuma zopf: milk il kak vec se zove pjesma - jako uznemirujuce
I mean it's nice, feels a bit pointless, doesn't do a lot for me. Generous 3
som bem específico, mas bem rico
the fuck is this shit?
разнообразно и интересно музыка очень своеобразная точно стоит внимания
Я слышал о них много раз, но так и не доходили уши послушать. Очень интересный эксперимент фолка и джаза и каких-то синтов. Чувствуется одновременно и умиротворение и напряжение (уверен им это выдал Брайан Ино)
Очень сильно напомнило саундтрек к какой-то adventure игре. Типа Зельды... Вайб неопределенности, загадочности. Что-то такой плывущее вокруг тебя, иногда возвращающее к жизни при помощи ассонансов и случайных звуков. Забавна конструкция альбома: внутри есть отдельная многочастная история, сыграная как бы отдельной группой, Zopf. Причем это не просто расширенный состав участников, а можно даже сказать - альтер-эго. Стиль разительно отличается. Там прям как будто какая-то кельтская сказка или что-то вроде. Камень в огород этому альбому - всякие неожиданные дисгармоничные звуки. Как-то я видимо ещё не смирился, что я не фанат такого, и что надо просто потерпеть. Но... несколько треков меня немножко вывели из зоны комфорта.
По сути альбом чизкейк. С большего очень мягко, но есть какая-то нотка местного фрукта, которая не позволяет сказать: "ну альбом как альбом". Но как и обычно в чизкейках, этой штуки всегда не хватает. Так что не 5
This was such a perfect mix of weird minimalistic vibes for me. Inject more of this directly into my veins, please and thank you.
I love this. This is what my mind plays when I am in POLITE COMPANY.
Really great Peaceful and pensive, a bit avant-garde
yes. finally.
First of all, I like the name and the cover, very funny. Secondly, with some songs I can even imagine Penguins walking by with their little steps 😂
Did not know what this was, but really liked it. Interesting backstory.
Album 11 of 1001 Penguin Orchestra Cafe - Music From the Penguin Cafe Favorite Track : Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream Rating : 4 / 5 I like my orchestra music. This was fun orchestra music. Some of it is way out there. Were it not for this list, I would have never heard this. Glad I did.
Just a bunch of dudes dicking around on instruments with no clear direction
Really interesting mostly instrumental music. It flies by and carries you along with it while you float on the penguin. A great sound to have on while you float.
Challenging at times but captivating and effortless. A great example of an album I never would have even heard of before this project.
What is this. I did not enjoy it. Best song: Penguin Cafe Single???
Parfait avec le café du matin
Sympa mais en même temps peu marquant
PREFS : Penguin Cafe Single, From the Colonies, In a Sydney Motel, Coronation, Giles Farnaby's Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter, Chartered Flight MOINS PREF : Milk
Alternatingly jaunty, melancholy, unabashedly weird, at times uncomfortable. Pleasantly odd, with strategically employed moments of dissonance. Ahead of its time musically. Not an artist I was familiar with at all, so this was a nice surprise. Fave Songs: The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter, Chartered Flight, Giles Farnaby's Dream, Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet the Sky), Hugebaby
Ce ne vuole a rendere interessante un progetto solo strumentale, non male.
Just so boring
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.
Did not know PCO, but realize they have been quite influential and recognized some of their better known later work. This album: liked the accessible, melodic parts, less keen on the more experimental parts, and might prefer their later work.. In any case, nice 1001 discovery!
Very interesting album. Always down for some fender rhodes and violin. Some parts reminded me of a very soft Mahavishnu Orchestra. Overall, the album did feel a bit uneven, and my attention started to wear off a little toward the end. I'm curious about their other albums.
Intriguing stuff, it got me captivated.
I'm going to have to get back with the Pumpkins and knock some of these others out while out work. I did listen to this entire album. Just because I committed to giving every album a listen from beginning to end and I have to admit, I am blown away at what people put out there and make lists, like this one. I'm not sure what I just listened to today. I'll make it a point to go back and read some reviews. I'm sure there a few people who probably think this is great music. I guess more power to them. Love what you love, I suppose. I know I'm rambling here so I'll get to the point. Did not like. Won't revisit. But Power to Music! 1 Because I cannot give a zero
Everything about this could be a Wes Anderson movie soundtrack. It's quirky and fanciful and sometimes a little shocking. I was originally going to compare it to like, Blue's Clues' music but that felt harsh. Idk too much for elevator music but not enough to keep my attention. Sick Scooby Doo reference, Luke. 1
1.5 “Ok gang, let’s see who’s really under this penguin mask” *gasps* “Brian Eno???” “Grrr, and I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids” Look, I’m not going to deny Eno is a talented musician and producer - he was a major contributor to Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy after all - but man I don’t get this ambient stuff. I guess this was slightly less repetitive than his Airport album, but overall I still didn’t find it that enjoyable. It has moments where it feels like it’s about to hit a point of cozy background music, only to then be interrupted by some weird tangent or piercing violin. At one point I had to check Spotify to see how far I had made it and was pretty relieved to see I was eight songs in, only to then learn the last three songs are actually the longest and take up over half of the album’s runtime. I was pretty checked out from there. It’s a shame, because I feel like there are some decent moments as far as ambient music goes, but it’s almost always ruined by some bullshit. Don’t see myself re-visiting.
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.
i enjoyed this. it was fun that it had penguins in the name because it made me think of little dancing penguins the whole time, lol. 7/10
I figured this would just be a fun name/cover, with average/bad music - boy, was I wrong. I really loved this one for a number of reasons. Wide range of instruments help create a diverse vibe, jumping between orchestral rock and psychedelic experimentation. The title track is my favorite, but I enjoyed every song on the album, and added 2 total. I actually listened to this on the way to work, and then again on the way home, and have a feeling I will be listening to this one a lot in the future. This album is exactly the type of stuff I came into this project searching for. 9.3/10
Dog shit.
No thanks, not for me.
Nice
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.
I'm unclear as to why this album is one that I needed to listen to before I die. It's a quirky enough (mostly) instrumental album, I suppose. But is it really that impressive? I guess it's avant-garde enough to be annoying so maybe that means it's important to someone? I see that Brian Eno got his hands on it and things make more sense now. Low 2-stars.
I’d only heard one song of theirs from a different album, and this was solid mood music.
Mest instrumentellt album, frontat av Simon Jeffes och utgivet av Brian Eno's experimentella skivbolag. Vissa låtar är Brian Enoskt "ambient" och stämningsfulla. Medan andra, de flesta, är gitarrplonkande, experimentella, och lite knasiga på det där störiga sättet. Känns som meningen är att det ska låta lekfullt och lättsamt, men blir i stället bara ploj. För det kan låta bra också, som de tre låtarna på B-sidan gör. Bäst och vackrast är 11:46 långa'The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter', som är precis vad det låter som. Ett album som hade varit bättre om det tagit sig själv mer seriöst. Men, i ärlighetens namn är inte topparna skyhöga heller. Bästa låt: The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter.
Classic music? or??? I like how it is experimenting with the various instruments. A bit weird though.
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.
Mostly instrumental, sometimes chill, sometimes spooky. Nice. Soundtrack potential.
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.
Eclectic and folky, sometimes slightly off-kilter. Interesting stuff.
Way ahead of its time.
extremely weird. love it
Strange psychedelic 70s moments. Good to work to Fairly unforgettable Decent classical music with a twist
Why why why?
This record should be renamed, "let's fuck around for an hour playing same sounding songs." It's not bad actually. But there is nothing here.
This is the background music of a gallery opening for a friend of a friend. You're attending to support your original friend, but you're desperately hanging out near the open bar and waiting for it to be over. Thankfully, you only have to be there for 45 minutes, and your alarm is set. Also, they have canapés.
I don't have much to say about this. Hardcore background music.
A strange little album that works both as a whole and when considering each track separately. Somehow both folk-tinged and coldly experimental.
Not my cup of tea.
Some interesting stuff in here but there’s definitely some intonation/ tuning things that bothered me
Some ok moments but very forgettable
There were parts I really liked (see: Hugebaby) and parts that were weird (see: Pigtails). Don't have to listen again. Special shoutout to song name: The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Away and it Doesn't Matter.
That's something truly beautiful. The beginning of each track was splendid, unfortunately it is a bit too repetetive, so that's not a 5
Boring
Soft and reassuring
Interesting.
I was intrigued by the strange name and cover, and the wiki info and initial sound very much lived up to the strange expectations. This is the type of album I love seeing on this list: strange novelties and oddities. Music is only solid, but I have to give a full five for exemplifying what I want to see out of this list. Would love to stumble upon this at a used record store.
Background music without a doubt, but it was a fun listen.
Soundtrack for a film never made, or instrumental music meant to accompany a Snoopy and Woodstock B-story. Nice, light listen.
My experience with this album was similar with that oxygene album I got where I was completely pleasantly surprised by a mostly instrumental soundtrack. The first song was amazing and the rest wasn’t as good as oxygene but I still really enjoyed listening to all of it
Enjoyed big chunks of this but it often got a bit distracted. Can music procrastinate? If so I think this album does that a lot (and I know a thing or two about procrastinating). Can definitely tell Brian Eno played a part in this. Nice background music with some really good parts and interesting sections, if you knocked about 15mins off I think this would be a 4 for me. Will probably listen to it again but mainly to try stop me procrasti
Well that was odd, there were some elements I liked but it was a bit all over the place, seems an odd choice for this list.
Some of this was pleasant as background music, but it was forgettable. Sorry penguins, should stick to swimming and fishing.
Did not like this at all, was almost a mess of incoherent sounds. Perhaps this album did something revolutionary when it came out in the 70s but it just doesn't hold up.
This was different! I found it a bit weird to be honest. There were parts of songs which I thought were really nice, but then other parts that were hard to listen to and abrasive. They are probably telling a story or something and Im too basic to appreciate it. The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter (quite a title) was really nice in for the most part and the best track but again it got weird towards the end and I thought it ruined it.
Amazing.
completely instrumental, at some point it grabbed my interest and didnt let go
Quirky, whimsical, oh Eno produced. Got it
A cool mix of folky music that blends in a lot of Eno's ambient ideas. Would get a 4, or maybe even a 5, from me if not for the few times that it veers into "1970s New York Performance Art Piece"; this trend is at its worst on "Milk" P.s. Happy #700!
I did not like this album. I can barely call some of the tracks on this album music, and those I do call music are weird and off putting. Definitely not my cup of tea. Favorite song: The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter Worst song: Milk or Pigtail
I was pretty confused about what this was when I first got it, but I ended up liking it a lot. As I've said before, I like orchestral music, so this album is pretty up my alley. It's an odd one, but I like that. My favourite songs were Zopf: From The Colonies, Zopf: Coronation, and The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter.
It's a nice album. Not really sure it belongs on this list, but I did enjoy it. The best elevator music ever. :) 3/5
Yeah, no.
I'll be listening to this again.
Interesting. I’ll admit I’ve never heard of them.
Well, it's different. Not sure I'd bother to listen to it again.
This was superb.
Nice melodies and a nice album to work to. A pleasant surprise!
Had not heard this before but really loved it, perfect for cheering you up if you're in an odd mood. The vibe reminded me of the first Sigur Ros album, although this obviously pre-dates it, and is not hugely similar musically . 4 stars now, will probably become a firm favorite over time.
Wonderfully chilled, no where near as wierd or abstract as some of the reviews on here suggest. Really liked this.
What in hell? alrighty then. The opening track loses its way about half way and then finds itself again. Great now these weird assholes are now singing about milk. Produced by professional weirdo Brian Eno. The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter is a pretty soothing song 3 minutes in and so far its my favorite on the album. you know the last 3 tracks were quite nice and pleasant. Zopf can fuck right off a bridge.
A little box of surprises.
Noodley, interesting in parts. Fun instrumentation. But generally didn't really grab me.
'The Sound Of Someone You Love Who Is Going Away And It Doesn't Matter' is the clear standout on this album and also its redemption. It's no wonder at 11:46!! That keyboard is just a delight tickling all the keys in your brain and 'strings make everybody feel everything'. It's a gorgeous and lush song--until they drive it off the god damned cliff 7 and a 1/2 minutes in. Hugebaby is also good and they manage not to fuck it up. Chartered Flight is fair. I could do with less standup bass plucking.
Johnny Greenwood came to mind while listening to this. I love it when I'm surprised. I really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Great discovery.
A group of penguins on land is called a colony, a rookery, or a waddle. A group of penguins floating in the water is called a raft. As far as I can tell, there is nowhere in which a group of penguins is called an orchestra. Even ones whose anthropomorphized depiction includes pubic hair. For superior penguin music, check out the soundtracks of classic films "Happy Feet" and "Surf's Up." The penguins in those pieces of cinema history also haunt my dreams less than the ones on the cover of this album.
That was nice, penguins are cute. This album is a joke. and play time is over now.
Cute little album
lovely!
Quite a departure from most of the typical styles and genres. Most of the tracks caught my ear, and I must admit I didn't really get into whether I liked or didn't like it. A good signal of how different it is. And some of it is really beautiful.