Reviews (page 2 of 7)
I genuinely don’t know what I just listened to…. Speechless to be quite honest. I just know that I don’t want to hear it again.
A really unique sound and some great lyrics. They really do the plodding sounds well. However, I never felt like the album had a breakthrough or release, just lots of build up.
I liked this one. I don't have much to say, but it was good background music and I found myself nodding along.
Oh my god. How have I never heard of them before?? This is why I love this challenge for myself - I learn about artists and albums I’ve never even heard of that just stick with me. This definitely calls for a relisten. 4.5, but I’ll say 5 here
5/10 This is my second go at TV On The Radio, having found Dear Science to be overly repetitive and fairly limited in scope, despite having potential to have done a lot more with its component parts. On this, their debut record, there are definitely more of those strong elements, and significantly more development of ideas, with more evolution and variety within each track to make it a more engaging experience. Unfortunately, for the first half of the album, despite those improvements, I found a lot of the actual musical composition to be pretty frustrating and unfulfilling. They would build nice grooves and tension, with the songs feeling like they were journeying towards a specific destination that just… never arrived. I appreciate unresolved tension in music to a certain extent, when it gives an uncomfortable, uncertain feeling, but this constantly signposts a direction and resolution that never arrives. It’s like being stuck in a permanent intro or pre-chorus. It’s a shame, because the sound design and direction of the grooves is pretty good, but for that first half, things just felt incomplete. In the second half of the record, starting with the step forward on Ambulance, which starts to develop more of a rounded structure, despite some slightly repetitive elements, and growing from there. We start to experience some more satisfying musical arcs within tracks, and when married with the atmospheric soundscaping, edge of funk and post-punk synth and guitar work, something pretty interesting and engaging starts to emerge. By the last couple of tracks, it really felt like things were kicking into gear, and I was actually slightly disappointed that it was coming to a close, something I wouldn’t have thought possible after the first 2-3 tracks. So colour me intrigued. I’ve heard that their strongest record is actually their second one, and the second half of the record has done enough to make me want to check it out, although the opening half didn’t do enough to make me lift this above a middling score. The Wrong Way - An intriguing start with a nice and fairly unconventional blend of tones and a groove that develops nicely. There’s a good swing and swagger to the vocals and sax parts that rubs well against the dirty pulsing groove. It never really feels like it emerges from the build and actually resolves, which is a bit of a shame, but if it’s intended as an intro to the album in that regard, it could still work pretty well. Staring At The Sun - Some more solid atmospheric work now that acts as a slow build up, with the hi-hats teasing that we’re going to launch into something more decisive. I appreciate the sound design and the harmonic blend, and again, it develops with a simmering tension that pulses along until the point where the beat slowly appears, but without ever really resolving that tension in a satisfying way or launching into the chorus that is hinted at. Which is quite frustrating. Dreams - There’s some squeaky-high falsetto here is quite off putting. It’s another song with a good sonic blend that promises a lot, builds ever on and on towards a resolution, but never reaches it. There are aspects of this that I really like, including the chorus, which reads as an excellent pre-chorus, but feels like it never arrives at its destination. But ultimately, I feel pretty unsatisfied. King Eternal - This reminds me a bit of Plantlife. The groove pulses along well and it feels a little less like it’s constantly promising a big chorus. The synth work is very nice and creates a cool, noisy atmosphere that the vocals float around inside. I don’t always need a chorus, you know, but one wouldn’t go amiss at some point. Ambulance - This actually delivers in a far more coherent way for me than the earlier tracks. They manage to build good atmosphere and groove, despite it being completely acapella. The ersatz bass line does start to get a bit draining after a while, but altogether, this is pretty decent. Poppy - While there’s still an unresolved tension to this, it feels a bit more satisfying for some reason. The sections are perhaps more clearly defined, especially when we pop into the acapella section and then build back out of it. This is tonally a decent mix of post-punk guitar tones and hip-hop grooves with pop-indie vocals that works pretty well. I can’t pretend to love it, but it’s certainly starting to deliver a bit on the promise that the early album showed. Don't Love You - Again, the atmosphere and vibe of this is really good, and there are nice moments of dissonance that drag it in and out of its comfortable centre. Dynamically, it is very unvaried, which is a shame, but there is an element of droning hypnotism to it, with the roaming synth and guitar work circling around the beat and vocal. But again, things are settling more into a consistent and more rewarding shape at this point. Bomb Yourself - I like the swagger and edge of funk to this, and the slight drag to the beat. There’s a nice, laid-back feel here, and it has a looseness to the playing that further settles it into that vibe. It’s got much more resolution and flow to the compositional choices, resulting in a track that is both aesthetically and atmospherically pleasing as well as musically coherent and structured. Pretty good. Wear You Out - Again, much better. It rolls along subtly and, while there’s still some tension in there, it feels more rewarding and musically fulfilling. The vocal work is really nice, particularly with the two lines taking routes through different registers. It’s a little meandering, but the vibe leans into that really well making it feel tonally and stylistically consistent. Things develop well, and we move through phases, instrumental switch-ups, and more to give it a nice, evolving texture. It almost leans into cLOUDDEAD territory, with an off-kilter hip-hop feel to it. It’s a shame this album took so long to get going, because by the end it’s pretty damn good.
I've tried to listen to this album three times and I had a whole review written but I closed my browser before I could finish the last few songs...I'm not starting over again. I feel kind of mixed about this album but I think it either gets better as it goes on or the style grows on you. Don't Love You is a highlight. Upon review, I liked it.
Not sure why, but this album did not grab me. It has all of the elements I usually go for. Maybe it's because the singer sounds like the Head of Femur guy and I like them more. I'll probably need to revisit.
Well that was something
A bit out of leftfield, though not too much. I really liked the first track, with its one note bass riff and the horns. The rest was pretty good, as well. Maybe not quite something I'd listen to much, but I enjoyed my time with it.
394/1001 TV On the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❓ Having previously really enjoyed Dear Science earlier on in this challenge, I was excited to hear more TV On the Radio when this popped up today. Unfortunately it didn't quite hit in the same way. Maybe it's because it's weirder and less accessible to my ears. I think this could be one that multiple listens are needed to get it...
2.5
Pretty interesting album overall. Weirdly feels like an album Dimery would leave off the list, and yet here we are. Feels a little too 00's alt rock for Dimery I feel. Some of the drumming is giving me Massive Attack vibes, but with post-rockish instrumentations in some spots. Definitely a bit of a vibe. The vocals aren't my favorite with the falsettos. Not really meshing well with the music where I would prefer those vocals more in R&B as opposed to alt rock. Unfortunately, a lot of this album is a little too vibey for me, so what I thought was a 4*, is a 3*.
not my cup of tea, it sounds like something that never gets relief
I thank Guitar Hero for introducing me to this band many years ago! Great album from one of the best “indie” acts of the 2000s, but not their very best - the noise coupled with the barbershop influence works very well and the sound is really there, though the songwriting did improve a little on their subsequent records. 8/10
Nah
Not my cup of tea. Too slow and some of the high pitch voice in some of the songs is a bit much.
Much like with the Bee Gees, I'm not a fan of most falsetto singing. Hence, I hate this album.
This is a really interesting album, very creative similar to arcade fire in how deep the songs are, musically
Pretty mid. Mediocre rock spliced in with awkward acapella, not funky enough to work.
2 out of 5. I remember liking that one song of theirs that got real popular sometimes in the 2000s but it wasn't on this album and this one was a bit lukewarm for me.
I wrote a review that didn't save. The album is not worth the effort to recreate. Hard pass on this album and this band.
Building a lot of hype through their debut record here, they would hit new highs with the follow-up. I have much more of a connection with that one and it just gets a bit more poppy and really gets them to the next level. Still a great listen.
I really didn’t like You Could Be Loved. Brings the album down for me.
What a curious album. What an absolutely scintillating blend of genres. I was skeptical when I got this, but it’s such an interesting fucking album that I can’t deny its placement here, regardless of its quality. At any given moment, you could hear a sound influenced by funk, rock, soul, psychedelia, noise, drone, jazz, electronic, I could go on. Even though each song sounds noticeably different from the next - surely the obvious indie hook of “Staring At The Sun” is completely alien to the funky, noisy, repetitive dance-rock of “King Eternal,” but both function under a strange, artsy, indie umbrella that brings the whole album together. And unlike many other artists who experiment through genre combination, the album has a clear point outside of just sounding interesting and strange - it is a clear compound of genres that the band loves, and knows exactly how to display their affection of, while sounding so different than anything I’ve heard elsewhere. Every song is a revelation in some way, and each one is one way or another worth the time it takes out of your day to listen to it. A truly inspiring album. 9.8/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: EXTREME GENRE VERSATILITY AND MUSICAL QUALITY
It was fine. Just not for me.
Bereits der erste Titel schreit mir zu: Schalte mich ab! Furchtbar! Das Grauen geht weiter!
I've heard Return to Cookie Mountain a few times and Dear Science several times and enjoy those records. Haven't heard their debut until now. This as interesting and eclectic as I anticipated. It's a solid 3.5/5.
This was okay. Nothing on here is nearly as good as Wolf Like Me.
Mycket stark trea, bara liiiite för sparsmakat. Deras hit:ar är toppen, hoppas det kommer mera!
Gillar dem och de bästa bitarna lyckas helt klart pusha upp det över medel.
Mid.
Having heard quite a few songs from TVOTR, it was really cool to go back in time and see how they debuted on the scene. I'm a bit obsessed with the early 2000's Brooklyn indie scene, and TVOTR is no exception. This album is experimental, droning, dark, and even hypnotic at times. I'm a big fan of Tunde's voice, so I'm definitely not as worked up about all the a cappella stuff as other people. Anyway, I really enjoyed this, and I'm hoping for more TVOTR on this list! Favorite tracks: Staring at the Sun, King Eternal, Don't Love You
Rough entry but they got me with Staring at the Sun. I also really loved the switch up at Poppy. The songs, individually, are probably a little too long for my liking and while I probably won’t be coming back to this album, I’m glad to have heard it.
Ok so these songs sound great and each one had little melodies or production choices that just scratched a particular itch in my brain. Staring At The Sun is a great ride, and also loved bits of Dreams, King Eternal and Poppy. But nothing quite reached the heights of Wolf Like Me (I know this album came first so arguably they were working up to that). Anyway still a great time!
interesting, although a little drab at times, and i do agree that the songs had a knack for overstaying their welcome. if not for that, it'd likely be closer to a 4.
tvotr is a band i've known of but never really cared too much for for quite a while now, so this is my first exposure to one of their albums. this album was overall pretty good; even though it isn't something i'd come back to it did have some parts that i quite enjoyed (staring at the sun and poppy most notably), though some songs were a bit worse. i'm not the biggest fan of tvotr's style as a whole so i didn't exactly expect to like this very much, but it was definitely not as bad as it could've been knowing that. high 3/5, not sure if it deserves to be here; i didn't like it very much but i can tell it is a very creative and interesting indie rock album, just something i didn't enjoy too much myself
4/7
Fav song: Staring at the Sun
I didn’t get it
yeah wow kinda bad
3/10 Didn't care for
i've listened to this before and thought it was good, nothing exceptional but good. Upon relisten, I think the same.
mid 2
Really good - I thought these guys were like annoying indie pop for some reason but they’re very minimal and intense. I don’t know if I will listen to it very often because almost none of the songs were catchy but Staring at the Sun is great.
Somehow I've never heard of TV on the radio though looking into them their album Dear Science looks familiar. Love the weirdness of it. This is what I like to see on this list, stuff that I haven't heard of before, whether I actually like it or not doesn't matter it's nice to learn of new stuff.
Overall: 7/10 I appreciate this album for how different it feels. I feel like there isn't another band that sounds exactly like this, and that uniqueness is something that we shouldn't take for granted. I don't love everything about this album, or the band as a whole, but I'm glad they exist and I think both of their albums are worthy of this list. Fav Song: Poppy
I like the songs, I like the sound, and I love the weird vibes but every single song was too long by at least a minute if not more and it started to feel indulgent. If there was any self-editing, this would have been great.
*41 Spild af talent. De har masser af ideer og evne til at udføre dem. Det er bare nogle virkelig udmattende ideer. Den var tough.
Fedt nok. Det synes jeg at jeg skriver meget for tiden :)
Det siger mig ingenting. Jeg gider dog ikke rigtig høre a cappella 2.2
Noget er fedt, en del er ikke
I liked the second and third from them at the time but never went back to this. Should have done.
Dear Science is better, but this is a solid debut. A good and unique sound.
Great album! Love these guys! Very good debut
this was interesting, i enjoyed this more than their other one, good to be fair
Pointless hipster music. Buzzsaw bass, random synths, silly lyrics. Why?
I couldn’t get in to this at all.
I thought it was alright with a nice enough sound.
I was not sure what to think of this. It is definitely in that experimental sort of genre area. It is hard to choose whether it is really cool or just kind of unique. It was sort of exciting to hear because of its unusual sort of eclectic mix, kind of well... I don't want to even say exactly, it might be best just to sort of listen and decide individually. It may have been a wash for me once I settled in, and I still don't know where I would put it, say in a comprehensive playlist. But that does not mean I wouldn't! My uncertainty here does not mean to minimalize it.
oui pourquoi pas
Well, it's not incredibly musical, but it's unique, it's creative, and it's fairly interesting. Very lo-fi and reminiscent of shoegaze at points. It's between a 2 and a 3, but I gave buena nueva a 3, and this is easily below that, so I'll go with 2, but a strong 2 for intrigue and being unique.
I have a vague sense that this band is (supposed to be) cool and hip, or at least were when this came out just over 20 years ago. I don't hate it, but I don't love it, either. Part of it is that (here I go again) I don't love the singing. Musically speaking, it was sporadically interesting, but didn't really grab my attention very often. Except for "Ambulance," which I've heard and liked before. Otherwise, some of the sounds were interesting, but the music overall just didn't grab me. Between a high 2 and a low 3, and I'll be generous and go with the latter.
It's a pretty unique sound: choppy drums and guitar, sparse arrangements, layered vocals and a capella sections. The final product isn't amazing, but I'm glad I listened. I'm happy this list exposed me to this band. The highs aren't that high, but the lows aren't low either. It helps that there's variety in the song structures. I think it really helps to have a completely a capella song as an intermission in the middle
Starts strong but lost me by the second half
Hard to listen to, has glimpses of some good stuff!
had me for some songs lost me for others
This is wayyyyyyyy better than when I first heard it around the time it came out. Like psychedelic a cappella at points
😎
I truly believe they don't care what you think Put this on trying to make a dent in my backlog and then listened to Staring at the Sun 75 times and now I'm a further two behind
I like some of this, and yet, the album reminds me too much of all of the whiney men I've had to endure in this life
Ambulance is an all timer
North Brooklyn in a can
It turns out all I need from an album are powerful beats, interesting guitar textures, and beautiful vocal harmonies. Favorite track: "Wear You Out."
I was lucky enough to see Tunde Adebimpe a few weeks ago. If I hadn't had that opportunity, I don't would've appreciated this album as much. He's such a talented and creative vocalist. I loved "Staring At The Sun" (like everyone else) but "Ambulance" was really enjoyable for me too. This was a good listen. I probably won't go back to the entire album, but certain tracks are stuck with me. 3.5
This was pretty good. I’m not familiar with it but by the end I wished I was more familiar with it because I feel like moving along with it is pretty rewarding.
Very cool
Listenable.
2/5
I did not like this one.
1.3/5 I really don't like the high vocals on this album and I've never liked it on any singer. If this band had a different singer I think id like the band more as the music was interesting.
This was a really weird one. Lots of songs that felt like the intro to a song, but for their entire duration. Then later, some more abstract stuff that I found pretty offputting. Just as soon as it felt like it was about to really get going, it ended - and that's about the feeling I was left with after this album. Wouldn't listen again.
I'd heard of, but never heard TV On the Radio before. Definitely some solid Indie music. Love the lead vocalist's voice. Deep and soulful. I actually thought the barbershop type songs were great.
In terms of their sound, I think they’re WAY ahead of their time but then at the same time also heavily influenced my Radiohead so I guess maybe still in their time? I guess that’s just what “Art Rock” is when it’s meant to push boundaries. Sometimes I find art rock a bit pretentious. How I usually encounter it, is some weird music happening with the vocalist mumbling slowly and it sounds like they try too hard to be different. I don’t get that vibe from this record at all. It sounds effortless and everything seems to work and have a place in these songs. It’s always strange when an artist chooses to have a super distorted, or as I call it, a “fat” sound. The bass guitar honestly sounds like it got turned up to 11 and is just constantly peaking, but it somehow works in the context of this music? Because the vocals are delicately placed and well balanced and tie in the entire sound. I think this is a wonderful hidden gem. At least for me, I’ve never heard of this band.
Meh. Another band that for some reason I do want to like more than I actually do. This time I do think it would make me cooler. They have all the tools to be a band that I like but their songs generally seem to pass me by without incident. Especially this rather aimless collection. Even their own catalog shows that they aspire to making more coherent, interesting songs than these meanderings. Probably the most interesting time in here is a sorta demo quality vocal number that has to be unperformable. Guess I’m not as cool as I could be.
Interesting. A good mix of ideas, recording and production techniques that lead to a fairly unique album.
5/10
Didn’t enjoy this at all.
Liked it more than I expected, kinda like a modern alt-pop before it became popular
I think I liked it? It’s an odd album to say the least.
I try to avoid 1 star ratings where I can because I feel that most albums here, even ones I don't personally like, have something to offer that I'd give another star for. Unfortunately that's not the case here. Maybe there's something I just don't get - but the songs didn't do anything for me - and the weird unique stuff they were doing (such as the a capella sections) just didn't land. I found this boring and couldn't say I enjoyed any of it.
I’ve tried a few times to listen to this and I just give up. It’s not that I think it’s bad. I actually think it’s pretty fun and interesting at times but it just. Lingers. It’s like humidity.
No fui especialmente fan. Me gustó una que otra canción, pero mentiría si dijera que recuerdo una sola cosa de este disco. Mientras lo escuchaba pensé que tenían cierta ondilla, pero lo olvidé de inmediato. Le voy a poner tres estrellas porque volvería a escucharlo a ver si pega mejor en una segunda vuelta.
This was a fun listen. Had never heard of this group before. Staring at the Sun made me stop what I was doing and just be impressed and vibe out for a minute.
I enjoyed listening to that. The high notes were a bit strange at times. But overall a decent album.
Did I like it? Nope. Was it unlistenable… not really. Guess it’s a 2 😂
I had a thought that this was quite wonderfully weird early on in the album. It *is* pretty weird, but it also really dragged and mostly left me bored by the end. 5/10 Decent
TV On The Radio are neither overrated nor underrated. They are rated exactly as they should be.* This is what Radiohead would sound like if Reggie Watts replaced Thom Yorke. *Apologies to Mr. Klosterman
Solid.
⭐⭐ Indierock. Intressant ljudlandskap det är flytande, drömskt och med nedtonad produktion. Det finns något här men jag är kanske inte är mottaglig för jag blir aldrig riktigt engagerad och sliter med att ge det flera lyssningar. Det blir en 2a. Bäst är Ambulance
I never listened to TV On The Radio before, so I was moderately surprised. They have a Wilco type of vibe. I like the occasional beatboxing/verbal instrument they do. Plus having multiple songs with paper-thin veiled referencing sex is a pleasant surprise.
Groupe inconnu. Sympa les sax (trop rares finalement dans l'album), mais je n'apprécie pas le chant et les morceaux sont très répétitifs. Pas de seconde écoute envisagée. =>2/5 Finalement non, je lui met 1/5 : je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. Le chant est vraiment trop désagréable.
It sounds like good music to underscore a movie scene, but I wouldn't listen to it on its own
Nasal, whiny indie rock. Better than much of the same but nothing that stands out.
Nice
TV on the Radio took a completely different approach to indie rock than most of their Brooklyn indie rock peers. Their music focused more on throbbing bass and synths than on guitars. Their vocals recall soul and R&B, swirling slowly around the fuzzy sounds underneath them. On their debut, these sounds are reined in and focused on their grooves. It's a great sound, but the band does very little with it. "Starting at the Sun" finds the best hooks, but its construction isn't all that different from the rest of the tracks. The band shows a willingness to experiment with the a cappella "Ambulance," and the closer is an exhilarating one. But much of the rest is too similar and not exciting enough. The band took bigger swings on their next album, which is full of the pay-offs this one lacks.
I really enjoyed this. The playing is fairly simple but they show a lot of restraint in how and when they add layers, resulting in a some great grooves. The vocals are definitely very late 90s/early 2000s but, personally, I'm into that.
I don't think I like this band
I liked one or 2 of the songs. I can see people loving and hating this album equally.
Dark and almost drone sounding. I liked it more than Dear Science, but I think it has to grow more on me. For now, I can say I liked that it was more unusual in an interesting way.
Sweet lyrics and interesting sound, i wasn’t super into a fair bit of this musically but i feel this could grow on me in time. Standouts are Staring at the Sun, Dreams, Don’t Love You, Bomb Yourself and Wear You Out.
I found the album to drag and each song being repetitive.
This was fine. I didn't hate it, but it didn't blow me away. Solidly average.
Interesting, but not for me
I started listening to this, it reminded me of that wave of early 2000s indie. Then I started thinking about how Modest Mouse blew up then and nobody was asking for TV On The Radio in the record store, they just wanted Modest Mouse, so instead I turned on the new Modest Mouse album, which is great.
Again, just anything we run across at a yard sale gets on the list? -1
Not bad music but it was a drag to get through on a drizzly Saturday afternoon. I’m left with little curiosity to discover more of this band.
A bit of a mixed-bag I think. I like how they craft mood with their use of instruments, including guitar, keys, drums and synths. I even quite like his high-pitched vocals. I was less a fan of the acapella bits, when it started to sound like it should be in some twee indie film, and other tracks that are just a bit awkward and drawn out.
The beat and music was good but I just didn’t connect with the lyrics
I'm not sure it is a 5 but I loved this. Best new to me album I can remember hearing for a long time. Paul told me to check them out a year ago but I'm lazy. Sorry, Paul. 4.5
Este tipo de rocksito, que no conocía, es como pa' tenerlo en un CD y cuando sea viejito ponerlo a gente y decirle: así sonaba el buen rock cuando estaba joven.
Pretty much a total miss for me. I tried to keep an open mind and find something complimentary to say but this one's a dud. Sorry to anyone who is a fan. Not for me.
I had heard of this band but hadn’t heard the music. Interesting.
It's pretty good, but there are better TV on the Radio albums. It's not a 4, really, but it's definitely not a 3
Never heard of this band and my expectations were pretty low given how badly a lot of the 2000's album on this list have aged. Was therefore very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the album as it was way left field of what I was expecting. I like the experimentation / variety and even the a-cappella break down on Poppy. Was going to give it a 4 but I think it just squeezes a 5.
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes * I listened to the original 9 track release rather than the 20th anniversary edition Initially I felt like there was a fair bit to admire with this, although not necessarily much to love, and after Opus Dei I found it rather characterless in the way I do a lot of mid to late 00s US indie - lots of tom toms, droning guitars and horizontal melodies. However it definitely grew on me on repeat listens, although it still feels like it has a big dip in the middle. The Wrong Way has a nice fuzz-crunch to the bass and a bluesy Jack White-ness to the vocals. I’m still not totally sold on Staring at the Sun although it is a grower, but I do like Dreams, particularly the more verse-like parts. King Eternal, Ambulance and Poppy is where I still struggle, with nothing really grabbing me, and I’m really not keen on the vocalisations in Ambulance and acapella parts of Poppy. But the final 3 songs are probably the strongest. Don’t Love You recalls Kid A with its rippling keyboard and is probably my standout song. Bomb Yourself has a strong Down by The River feel, it’s unhurried groove is great. And Wear You Out has some Midnite Vultures to it, I love the sax and flute giving a slight note of jazzy chaos, a little like Fun House’s final track. are the final 3 songs, and Wear You Out It pretty much started off as a 2, but ended up on the edge of a 3 and a 4. I think it will continue to grow on me, or at least The Wrong Way, Don’t Love You, Bomb Yourself and Wear You Out Will, but due to that dip in the middle I don’t think there's enough to make it a 4. 📺🔛📻 Playlist submission: Don’t Love You
This has a positive energy and alternative approach, including the excellent use of brass, interweaving jazz with traditional indie rock. It very much falls in the Microshift, Metronomy, Foals etc camp, which is a naturally bright and interesting sphere of music to listen to. Like 'Think Tank' though, it can be interesting without being absolutely captivating. As the album continues it feels more and more like a minor variation on a theme. 'King Eternal', 'Dont Love You' and 'Poppy', don't particularly go anywhere. They suddenly sound like a band trying to be clever and forgetting the hooks. So the great start, and enjoyable sound, is ultimately alleviated by the acceptable but lackluster offerings peppered throughout, which restrains it at a very respectable high three.
not really, my interest
Meh
😊🥐
It’s good, it’s cool! I don’t have a lot to say.
Man, what is with the crappy experimental music lately! I could MAYBE see this being interesting in a live setting, but that's not why we're here. There's really nothing compelling or daring here, nevermind ear-catching. All that's left is typical 2004 modernist scraps that constitute the death rattle of proper rock music.
Every song starts really cool and then goes nowhere and lasts too long
3 stars - a few decent songs pushed it up from 2 stars
Slow, bass-driven rock with lots of influence from downtempo. It was a bit too slow and repetitive for me and it felt like each song just got into a groove and meandered along. There were a few interesting moments but not enough to keep me entertained.
This is background music. It rolls along without a cringe. Moves ahead without a smirk. That’s it. That’s all.
Arty, experimental rock with some pop leanings - mostly catchy vocals. There’s plenty of quiet space and plenty of noise here. It’s well crafted and has a unique sound, but it’s also not as grabbing as their album Dear Science.
This sounds like one, long, continuous song. It's interesting, but not my cuppatea.
Maso
It has its moments but I wouldn’t choose to listen to it again.
59/100. TV on the Radio continues to be hit or miss for me, and this album leans more toward the latter. Some of the textures and instrumentation are genuinely interesting, but the whole thing feels like a bit of a slog. A few tracks are okay, but nothing really stood out as great.
Some tracks are very interesting while others are kind of meh. Not bad overall. Favourite Track(s): Staring at the Sun Least Favourite Track(s): King Eternal, Don't Love You
There may be one good song on this album. Don't know how these albums keep making the list but it's more random sounds and melodies just jumbled together.
This guy has a terrible voice.
Si la memoria no me falla hoy miércoles, esta banda ya ha aparecido en éste reto. Como sea, nos sumergimos en el debut de TV On The Radio, quienes escuché por primera vez en un Guitar Hero/Rock Band. Entre un rock/blues sucio y algunas canciones más tranquilas pero igualmentes colgadas, con voces a lo gospel (en el sentido de buscar un estado de trance, de espiritualidad, desde las voces múltiples), es un gran comienzo para esta banda. Gracias y nos vemos mañana.
Not the kind of rock album I expected from the early 00s but I enjoyed listening to it!
Absolute banger. I've listened to TVotR before but only here and there. This is the first time I've listened to an album of theirs the whole day through and I'm surprised I've never done this before.
This was wild. Very interesting and experimental. I really appreciate the fearlessness of their style. Not exactly radio ready. But some of this has got to be thrilling live.
I like weird. 3/5.
I slept on these guys when they were big, and I kind of regret it. This was good, but Return to Cookie Mountain is better. 3.5/5
It's never a good sign when the book is mentioned in the top paragraph of the Wikipedia.
Good. Like scissor sisters + muse + some diving synths. Wide ranging. Kinda fun.
Al principio pensé que podía estar aceptable, pero ya a partir de la 3ra canción quería que se termine el disco. No me gustó.
Really unique, will definitely be listening again
Wow, never heard this before but it was great! The sax and flute antiphony on the fade out of the last song was terrific!
This starts strong, with both The Wrong Way and Staring at the Sun kicking ass. But then, somewhere in the middle, the album leans into a weird acapella thing around Ambulance and Poppy that I mostly just found annoying. The album does end strong, Bomb Yourself and Wear Yourself Out are pretty good, but it never quite hits the highs of those first two songs again.
A bit of a miss for me. Several good songs, but overall there’s a vibe musically that isn’t quite my taste.
This is not at the level of their other album I listened to on this list. The last few songs salvage a 3 star or C+ rating for me.
electrificante
When a band is primarily categorized as art rock, caution is always advised. TV on the Radio is no exception, and their album *Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes* is truly exhausting to listen to. This is due not only to the vocals - which I find rather unpleasant - but also to the overall repetitive arrangements and the very monotonous mood of the songs. Sure, in art rock, this is typically tied to the lyrics in some way, but in this case, the lyrics just aren’t good enough. Not trash, but overall on the annoying side - that earns it two stars.
This is clearly part of the early 2000s indie rock boom - dandy Warhols, strokes, vaccines, Arcade Fire - that filled festivals as the physical units dropped and the iPod ruled. It is less one dimensional than I envisaged and does have some different moods but it meanders around with not a great deal of stand out in terms of songwriting. I'm sure someone will disagree but we're not getting TOO many 5 star reviews for post millennial albums.
Not a fan of. 2 stars
I couldn't make it through. I really tried.
Love me some TV On The Radio, but oddly this is my first listen to this album and I went into it skeptical from reading other's reviews of this album... It's good, REALLY good, but only 4.5 stars good.
I love TVOTR so I was stoked to be given an excuse to run their excellent debut. They really did show up and say, “now here’s something different” Threw a bunch of ideas in a blender and oh boy does that pour well. Led by Tunde Adebimpe and his fantastic pipes, this is a band that needs to flow well together and they manage to do it flawlessly. The harmonies on this, had an anyone mentioned the harmonies? Fantastic stuff. 5 stars
hell no
Dit produceert hetzelfde geluide als die oude TV's die geen goeie verbinding hebben en zo een grijs scherm tonen. Het is gewoon een constante ruis op de achtergrond en wat gewauwel op de voorgrond, ni zo wauw ze, ni zo wauw (2)
mouais rien de fou
solid 4. this was a discovery for me. certainly lands in the intent of this collection. i may not return to it often, but i have a new appreciation for it
It was cool and weird
no me gusto mucho
Some of the lyrics are a little disturbing so it ends up being cringe. I actually like this style a lot, was not expecting to like it based on the reviews. For 2004 this feels ahead of its time. Eventually though it became too much of the same thing and too low quality. It’s a no from me dog.
I didn't know what to expect of this. First song got my attention in a good way, thundering bass and sparse arrangement on top. Next song didn't totally appeal, I started reading. Wikipedia included a link to a short negative review by Christgau, with this comment: "Intelligent, honest, and original ought to be enough. But in fact there are acres, tons, and years of bad art that share these virtues, especially if 'original" is interpreted generously, which it better be with the world's hundredth or thousandth guitars-and-loops outfit." While digesting that, I was still happy to be hearing tracks 3 and following – art grunge was a refreshing change from my recent listening. But track 6 was a shocker (awful acapella section, turgid second half), track 8 also half-baked, at least track 9 (closer on the original album) has a plan and some discipline (works as a song not just filler, not sure about the lyrics but they're not boring). Conclusion: this album is A Mix of Good and Bad, 5/10.
This almost sounded more like Kings of Leon than the KOL I listened to 3 albums ago; at times a little more o sure-sounding.
Odd
It never really picks up
Good beats, good lyrics but nothing drew me in more than a slight shoulder bounce every once in a while.
This wasn’t painful to listen to or anything, but it was very lacking in hooks and I found it pretty boring despite some interesting moments of creativity. 2.5
Liked this. Not every track hit me, but overall it’s pretty good.
this wasn't enjoyable to listen to
love it!!!!!!!!! reminds me of the neighbourhood
TV on the Radio released two really solid albums in the 2000s. I get why the debut album in on this list instead of Return to Cookie Mountain, but honestly I think it's a mistake. Nothing from this album truly put them on the map; "Wolf Like Me" propelled them into the indie rock stratosphere. This one was definitely unique and had some great tunes on it, I just don't think it has quite the impact and staying power to warrant being a "must listen".
Started ok, then last few were horrible as vocals were way off key.
Only a tad bit off key
Kinda expected more from this. I knew "Staring at the Sun" from Daredevil and I really like that song but a lot of it was just kinda boring and drug on and on in the second half.
the 1st few opening tracks were interesting, then the final few tracks just fell way off. I would be ok listening to start of album again, but not end of it.
This is exactly why I like this list. I’d never heard of this group before, and their sound is not ordinary. While I didn't care for every track and won't be putting them on repeat, it was a great discovery. Interestingly, I caught a lot of familiar elements - hard to say who influenced whom - and overall, it was a pleasant listening experience. A strong four stars.
Not a fan really
Just okay
Original but unconvincing except maybe for Don’t Love You and another track.
Most of this just kinda floats right on by me without any thoughts. Really liked the second half of You Could Be Love
It was not unpleasant but not really memorable imo. 3
ill swallow anything if its covered in sufficiently fuzzy guitars
cool stuff
I remember getting this album at the radio station and I was obsessed with it. Listening to it now, it hits just as hard - great album.
Me pareció excelente, me gustó bastante, lo escuché de nuevo
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑, maybe even 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (rounded up for emotional impact) For as much as I love TV on the Radio, I haven't listened to a full album of theirs save for their latest, Seeds, so this is as good a place to start as any. Incredible sound on this one, but it would've ranked higher if there were more individual standout songs, I think. "Staring at the Sun" could be a top 100 song for me, and is most certainly in my top 1001 songs, so it's a lot of pressure, but few songs felt like something I'd listen to separately, if that makes sense. Still a really fascinating atmosphere (I miss the moodiness of early TVOTR) and I will be listening again. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
I liked it!! Staring at the Sun was the standout but the rest was fun. I’d listen to more like this!
It was nice to hear something different and refreshing
Pitchfork probably drools over this. Its got some noticable Post rock elements to it and pushes the boundaries of what boring Indie rockers are allowed to sound like. I also really don't like this slop. I find it boring and unsatisfying and it seems way too far up it's own ass. Nothing of this album is gonna be remembered by me except the goofy vocals and the few incredibly awkward and unpleasant song parts.
I'm aware of this artist, but I'm not sure if I've ever heard anything by them, and this is definitely the first time I'm listening to this album. I don't hate this, but I don't feel compelled to listen to it again.
TV on the Radio got to that ominous buzzing and darkened atmosphere that's unique to their music really fast, but they've never really done much with it that I particularly enjoy, honestly (aside from "Wolf Like Me", of course). I can totally see how it would be hypnotic to some, but it's not doing much for me.
Experimental indie music that isn't awful nor engaging. The falsetto is bad.
This got tiresome as it progressed. I really liked the first half, though. Extra points because it is new to me and I found it interesting.
This is really matching our 'indie sleaze' Music League week quite nicely. It's also funny because in 2005 I saw TV on the Radio open for Franz Ferdinand and I had never heard of them and obviously they would have been playing this album. I'm curious to figure out when this became considered to be "one of the greats". Definitely a save for me.
ehhhhhhhh, Poppy was fun, but the rest was blah
Just ok? The vocals are a little weird and most of these songs were way longer than they needed to be.
it was a good album tbh
Have heard of TV on the Radio Had not heard Desperate Touth, Bloody thirsty Babes Had not heard the singles. I'd heard a little of latter TV on the radio and I kind of like it. It took a few listens to really appreciate it, but I wouldn't say I really connected with this album. It's probably interesting and off the tangent enough to be on the list.
Actually really enjoyable - actually because it was a bit unexpected. Will be listening again.
es mas un 2,5 creo para mi. no me gusto mucho el album, tiene algunos buenos temas que me guardo y por eso el 3. Pero no me genero demasiado la verdad, me gusta el experimental, pero tambien avees me da a musical que no es mi estilo
Decent
Although I didn't have time to see if I'd warm up to the more obtuse sides of this record, it was really inventive and interesting! Honestly debated a 4 and would have preferred a 3.5 but there you have it
Neat but didn’t grab me
Forgettable
An enjoyable blend of gospel, post-punk with touches of jazz, electronica and some slick guitar. All this, with a capella thrown in.
Not as good as Dear Science
What. Another one? Seems like only (checks notes) 24 days since I was treated to my first listen of a TVotR album. And blow me if someone doesn't think they deserve two (count them) spinners in the 1001. Probably a more interesting album than Dear Science. But I'd probably still rather listen to Alt-J. 3*
Får det ikke mer 2000-talls enn dette.
Really liked ‘Ambulance’. A good album and a good sound. Can’t recall all of it now but I really liked ‘Ambulance’ and I’m gonna look that up again right away.
Mellow and weird, but kind of hit or miss for me overall. I remember buzz about this band when this album came out, and I get it - it's cool, very different than the other music coming out in 2004. I'd revisit it, but sticking with a 3/3.5 for now.
Brought me back to high school driving around with friends
I wish I loved it :(
I can't decide if I love it, hate it, or completely feel indifferent about it.
I need to listen again maybe. Left absolutely no impression on me. Not bad not good. I’ll relisten and amend if I need to.
A really interesting album. Is it my favourite thing I've listened to? No. But it's engaging and varied.
Starting off pretty boring and uninspiring. Why is this album here? Then it doesn’t improve. Might be my first 1. Not a fan at all. I genuinely think this is overrated and bad.
Really enjoyed this but idk what art rock is as a genre
There are some hints of awesome music here, which you will eventually hear on Cookie Mountain and Dear Science. But the band is clearly figuring things out on their first album and doesn’t quite have it down yet, and the poor production doesn’t help. Still some cool songs on the first half though.
Not for me
I was ok with it until it hit that last note on the first bonus track. Me & my cats wanted to punch him because this was purposely annoying and this album isn’t good enough for him to do some shit like that!
Not the TV on the Radio album I would advise you start with. Genuinely miss the days where a band like this could just get picked up by a record label who wanted to take the chance because I assure you the best I'd yet to come! Thank you Touch and Go records for taking the chance on these guys. I think the investment paid off.
Never heard of this group guess i have to listen more blodrött but not my cup of coffee
Es ist atmosphärisch stark, voller rauer Elektronik und melancholischer Spannung. Einige Songs zünden sofort, andere verlieren sich im Nebel. Intensiv, aber nicht durchgehend packend.
Kinda all over the place, just like 2024. Just not sure I'll be returning to this one.
What the hell is this like genuinely
I didn't glean much from this other than the observation it sounds like a more avant-garde version of the White Stripes and is also mainstream adjacent enough that it could ironically be played on the radio.
Experimental art-rock, very ambient. Sets a dark mood and gets into a really great groove by the end. I loved Bomb Yourself and Wear You Out. I will be listening to this one a couple more times.
What even is this. Never heard of them. It just sounds weird and most of the songs dont go anywere. The last track was prety cool. It just ends up being quite boring and uninteresting. And the vocals are annoying. His falseto sounds so fucking stupid. I cant belive nobody told them that making an acapela song was a bad idea. I just want to forget whatever that was. Migth be the worst song ive heard all week. But surely they dont have another album on the book right ?
This is why I had a love-hate relationship in my 20s.
This is not great at all. The opener was interesting, but the bad fasletto on the later tracks is horrendous. That screeching... All that brings it down to 2, whereas it could have been 3. It's too self-indulgent, too.
Not for me. 1/5
Good layered vocals with nice falsetto touches. Synth and guitar parts are great quality but there’s a noticeable absence of percussion or actual drums that could have added more depth. Without that, it feels just a tad unfinished. 3.1/5.0
Good
Un genre de musique étonnant : un « groupe de rock américain à géométrie variable » Je suis intéressé et m’attends à des structures musicales originales Pour l’instant ça me plaît plutôt Ça sent le 3/5, c’est pas mal ! Ah ! De l’acapella… mais finalement c’est pas si chiant Wear you out : bien !
Not my kind of music.
Delightfully weird, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting.
meh
I’ve listened to this project a couple times. It’s so weird and fun! I love it. Fav song: Staring at the Sun
I love this album.
They sound a lot like a 21st-century version of the band Suicide, I think? Vocalizing and jamming over an assortment of loops and short electronic percussion segments. It sounds pretty cool, sort of like it's missing something and yet unique enough that I accept that absence
There’s some interesting stuff going on in some of these tracks but overall I still really don’t feel these guys.
Much cooler than I expected it to be
This album is unique. Groove beats that just kind of flow together. I wouldn't say it's good nor would I say it's bad. It just kind of exists in my opinion. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again but I wouldn't turn it off either.
Good album! Not that much of interest to me but its a good one.
Strong 3
From the first note I knew I didn't like this. Boo! At times the vocals sound like Brett from Flight of the Cochords but not in a good way.
im not so in to what theyre going for, but it kept me interested for the whole run time which is saying a lot for this list
I've tried to listen to this album three times and I had a whole review written but I closed my browser before I could finish the last few songs...I'm not starting over again. I feel kind of mixed about this album but I think it either gets better as it goes on or the style grows on you. Don't Love You is a highlight. Upon review, I liked it.
I love Indie rock , I qas aware of TV on The Radio but never heard an album before...now I know why. I appreciate the experimentation but this was a really painful listen. The eletronic drone like sound is not for everyone and the vocals that can give really bad chills (like in Ambulance), reallybis not for me. A painful 2/5
It started off ok but some of the disparate sounds and weird wailing started to get to me, I never got into them as a band in earnest
Ya, this isn't my wheelhouse in a serious way. I just don't find much redeeming about this... it's drenched in production and the droning fuzz guitar/bass drown out any kind of melody that would make the songs good.
I really liked some parts of this, while some were terrible. But defenitely gonna steal a song or two for a playlist.
When white theater kids decide to play rock and roll, you get Arcade Fire. When black theater kids decide to play rock and roll, you get this. This wins.
I had to put a bit more effort into this one. There are no catchy songs or hooks, a falsetto that sometimes puts my skin on edge and accapella sections that sometimes bring The Muppets to mind. It's unlike anything I've ever heard before and after one listen I was prepared to pass it off as a bad experience and move onto the next one. But there is something rather beautiful and thrilling about some of the songs. Dreams was the first one to get under my skin, building up it's tension in such an unassuming way. Don't Love You delivers it's honesty in a straightforward, yet heart breaking way and there is a beauty to the bonus track, You Could Be Love. I'm glad i put the effort in, but I can't go the full 5 stars for something that I had to work so hard to firstly tolerate, and finally enjoy. 4☆ for my first exposure to TV On The Radio.
Solid 3.5. Despite the run of recent albums I haven’t loved, rounding down because I don’t think I’ll come back to this one.
Love these guys — was unfamiliar with this debut album. Quite liked it.
Fun- this isn’t my favorite record of theirs- but it’s good!
3/5
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is not exactly the kind of album name I was expecting for something this chill. I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I’ve never heard of this band before, and they have 2 albums on here. The biggest accolade they have on the Wikipedia summary for this album is that it was featured in this book. That’s always a not great start. The second not great start is that it’s got a low rating. So, yeah, this album happened. It’s got a ton of filler, but also a surprising amount to love. First and most important thing is that the singer sounds pretty cool. Like a chill dude I’d want to hang out with. He sings pretty well also. Not really unique, but for a debut album it shows progress. Going to be interested to hear what they followed this up with when I roll the other one. I could see why this has such a low rating. All these low energy, almost kind of listless, chill albums are a bit hard to get into for most people. Me, however, I kind of love them. Not enough to give it a 4, but it’s actually very enjoyable. My favorite song on this one was “Don’t Love You”. This album is, however, also very heavily Art Rock in many aspects, and it tries to do a lot of different things that all impact the album in different ways. Mostly positively, with one BIG exception. Some songs are very high energy and fun, filled with trumpets and loud, banging drums, like “The Wrong Way”, others are almost like they were meant to be listened to on acid, like “King Eternal”. However, I don’t normally criticize specific songs, but I need to talk about how much I hate “Ambulance”. The background singer in that song drives me absolutely crazy, and I just truly hate it. Luckily it’s just that one song, but man did I seriously skip that every time it was on after the second listen. This album is a dime a dozen, and sounds like a million other American indie bands before it. Luckily I’m into this kinda stuff though, so I dig it. Lot of filler with some gems sprinkled in. Am surprisingly interested in checking out the other one on the list. Until then.
Marge, I’m confused. Was this a good album or a shit album? It’s an album. That’s enough. 2.5⭐️
Kinda weird, but listenable.
The meld of unsettling, mildly avant garde sonics, the upfront slow disco percussion, and the soulful, poetic singing convinces. Vocals aside, they remind me of Dead Rider, sombreness turned up, freakishness turned down. A couple of listens was enough to pick up some stickiness in the songs, a familiarity that suggests the record’s subliminals are on point. Slight, but intriguing.
The elements of their later work are being assembled here, but they sound like a mess at this stage. Stick with 'em..
I’m a fairly generous reviewer on this site. Normally, I can find at least a thing or two about an album that makes it not a one star. But this one is just offensively bad. After listening to the first song, I was hopeful because it was a little weird (we like weird), and also seeing that one of the “similar artists” to this band is one of my favorites, LCD Soundsystem. Their sounds are similar in some ways it’s true: the minimalist beats, falsetto singing. They were also both early 2000 bands from New York Coty. But I could barely stay awake through this album, and when I was, I felt like taking a sleeping pill to get through it. At least with James Murphy‘s falsetto, there was some energy and grit. Much of this album felt like torturous ASMR, where the singer would whisper nonsense in an extremely high-pitched voice. I was waiting for something to indicate that the people behind this album didn’t take themselves so damn seriously, and this was all a joke, but that never came. There’s no humor, lightheartedness, or energy at all in this album, and I was drained and pissed off after listening to it.
Beaucoup de morceaux semi-acoustiques, a capella, très indie. Pas vraiment fan de certains morceaux. Si ça se rapprochait plus de Staring at the Sun, ça aurait été incroyable mais malheureusement c'est loin du compte
Poorly mixed. Way too much heavy droning bass. Annoying lead singer. Dumb lyrics.
Origineel opgebouwd, minder fan van de stem.
It's the closest a 2* has come to a 3* without going over. Congratulations, you're the next contestant on the Price Is Right! But it is a 2*, so it should be replaced by Paramour's Riot which is the closest to a 4* without being a 5* album that I can think of (and maybe it is a 5*).
Not what I expected at all. Very, um, “eclectic”. An interesting listen.
I really like the sound of the distorted bass and the drum grooves, but every other part of this album is boring as hell. This is dance-punk without the dance or the punk. Every song feels like verse -> verse -> verse -> verse and then the song ends. They have an interesting sound, but don't go anywhere with it. I also don't really like the singer's voice, he sounds like the most cliche early 00's singer. Every song here also feels 2 minutes too long, like why is Ambulance 5 minutes, this should be a 1 minute interlude. There are some promising elements, but overall a pretty boring album. Low 3.
Überraschend gut
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes leaves a strong impression. Its rough, garage-like texture stands out, and the sound is far from conventional. The Wrong Way is my favorite, combining a gritty edge with slightly unusual sonic elements. Rather than following typical rock structures, the album creates a swirling, almost hypnotic atmosphere. At times, it even recalls the sound of Young Fathers, with a similar sense of rhythm and texture.
Meh, 3? Found this more weird than interesting
so unique their sound, that everything from them is distinctive when you hear it. In that sense, calling this a "dark" album is quite simplistic. Even naming the genres of this one, is not enough to conceptualize the music and sounds here. Like a faded polaroid. A gritty street. Electrical impulses. a shadow over the forgotten suburbs. brown-tinted suns and corrosion that cover us like a blanket. These are some of the ideas i get when listening this. It's not only the sound, but the lyrics are really evocative and their use of monster thematics, with such punctual and corporal words. It's hard for me to describe, but the feel of intertwining, of being engulfed by another and the force of that desire, of the relation with another is something that bleeds strongly from this band and i feel deeply.
Muy bueno, sonidos que no me esperaba y un estilo que no he explorado mucho
"Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" is the debut album by American art rock band TV on the Radio. Avant-pop, dark wave, experimental and post-punk are the Wiki-listed genres. Yep! The bandmembers included Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Kyp Malone (loops, vocals, guitar), David Andrew Sitek (music, guitar, keyboards, loops, producer) and Marin Perna (saxophones, flutes). The album was highly regarded critically with mostly very positive reviews. Saxophones and a roaring motor sound open the album in "The Wrong Way." Adebimpe with anxious vocals which eventually progress to gospel-like. Horn loops, a slow drum beat and an eerie sound set the tone in a song about racism. The only song I really can recall hearing before is "Staring at the Sun." Reverbing synth loops. Layered vocals including a falsetto. A song that appears to be about dread and death. A haunting mood pervades "Dreams." Pounding drum beats, whispering vocals and a dramatic high-pitched synth/guitar. I didn't see an a capella song coming but it does in "Ambulance." Deep vocals add to a soulfulness in this song. A couple trying yo save a relationship amist all the emotional wreckage. They employ the a capella singing again but only at the end of "Poppy." One of the few songs featuring a prominent guitar and in this case, a very post-punk one. This album is all about the music and vocals creating the mood and tone which is ominous, anxious, dreadful and haunting. Wiki nailed all the styles here of avant-pop, dark wave, experimental and post-punk. The music has synth loops, horns, echoing vocals with elements of post-punk and jazz. Their future albums would still be have an experimental edge but also have some pretty straight-forward pop/rock songs but not this one. There are only a few songs where the guitar is the lead instrument. Overall though, this was a very interesting and compelling listen. I would not recommend this for everyone but those wanting something more on the experimental and avant-garde side, this is worth your time.
They did some cool stuff with background vocals. Case in point, my favorite track was the demo for staring at the sun.
Yes please.
3 because I had to repeat Staring at the Sun because of coolness
4.5/10
I want to go back to all my other reviews and give them an extra star
A unique sound. 3.4/5
Was interesting
mucha cosilla turra, pero que 3 temazos para abrir un album, maemía
en la clínica de la ràdio i la televisió
Really liked the drone and loop aspects of this
I remember hype around this band in the mid 2000s, but don’t think they ever connected with me. I remember listening to some of the Dear Science album. Curious how I feel about this now. There’s an interesting sound. Not sure I fully love it. Staring at the Sun has a nice catchy indie rock sound to it. Overall, a lot of the songs have a background noise quality to them. Nothing is bad, but it’s also not fully grabbing my attention. There’s a soulful funky quality to some of the vocals here and it keeps it interesting with that noise heavy sound. Feels like a 2. It’s unique in ways that are admirable but it just doesn’t wow me at all. It feels like maybe an album and style that would grow on you over time. I wonder if I gave this a few listens how I would feel about it.
Gay 2.75/11 50%
I really like TVOTR's hits. Never listened to anything else. And maybe it would grow on me. But a first listen was bad... Wolf Like Me and Happy Idiot are great tracks. But they're not on this album.
This album is butt cheeks. Explain how I needed to listen to this before I die.