Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Bit to whiney for my money
I found this a bit boring, to be honest. Reminded me of late night TV informercials. This is not what I want to see on the radio.
Meh
Not sold.
4/10
I've run out of things to say about albums like this. The vocals are dreadful, the rest is medicore, who hears this and think its MUST be included on a list like this?
I've met a couple of these guys at Union Pool in Brooklyn a few times. Really nice guys.wush I liked their music. But I don't. D'Angelo died today. I'm gonna listen to Brown Sugar now.
I knew and liked the song Staring At The Sun but I don't know how. The songs that had more straightforward vocals were fine, the ones with the ... experimental ... vocals were hard to listen to. 2.5
some standout moments, but literally put me to sleep twice
Couple songs were ok but the singer’s voice was shrill and could not stand it through most songs.
I got Joy Division’s debut album earlier this week, and I can see some attempt at a similar style in this. But whilst that was obviously catchy as heck, this is just a bit boring. Perhaps if I spent longer with it I might like it more. But I just couldn’t get into it.
Extremely experimental / random.
Pretty much every song is just annoying mumbling. 1,5/5
Alternative… as in an alternative to real musical talent. And by the way… dumb album name pairs well with dumb band name. But they get 2 stars… cuz 1 star is hate, and I don’t feel it today.
Meh
Very forgettable for me
not really my thing. i really don’t like that post punk-white stripes vocal effect thing they do. some cool music here and there but overall not my favorite
Another album I really thought I would like more. I really respect the unique sound of TV On The Radio, but a lot of the songs on this record felt so monotonous. Best Track: Staring at the Sun
Haven't heard their music before. It had something intriguing about it at the beginning but then it became quite boring 2/5
I didn't really get on with this.
Started okayish but honestly got really bad halfway
I am getting a little Rainbow Kitten Surprise, just more experimental.
All the 2004 albums on this list suck
also quasi super un/hörbar. schwieriges unterfangen das album von A-Z zu hören.
I honestly can’t tell the difference between these guys and the xx. It’s pretty obnoxious music.
2.5 - very unique album but that’s a double edged sword. Some was good and some was bad
Guitar distortion, multiple voice tracks, shoegaze "Don't Love You" Very rich sounds coming from everywhere, but feels dull Love the voice texture, softness "Wear You Out" good instrumental "You Could Be Love" good closing track
Was ok until that really shrill shite at the end
I was excited when we got this album because I’ve heard two of their records I really enjoy. I did not really enjoy this. Listen to Seeds or their debut album, this is not a good representation of the band
Familiar with Staring At the Sun, and I like a few of their songs (like Killer Crane from 2011), but just not a big fan.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is indie rock, but it's pretty weird. The acapella elements and the use of non-standard instruments are interesting to hear. There's a little too much dissonance in the sound for my liking, however. I am glad to have heard it once, but I doubt I would listen to it again.
perus
True friends would warn their friends that this album sucked.
Started off badly, the first song is discordant and a lot of noise. After 3-4 songs it got better, for a while, then dipped again. I'd describe it as erratic. The mix of sound is epic but I prefer songs with more structure. It felt like a ramble rather than coherent songs. Ambulance is a bit dull again because of the rambly, unstructured nature of it. I can deal with the acapella but it was repetitive. Staring at the Sun is the only song with real development, although it was still droney Was prepared to give it a 3 since it's just not my jam, but then You Could Be Loved split my eardrums. The song is a powerful idea but the vocal is awful. Are people impersonating sheep at the end?
Falsetto was annoying. Instrumentals were pretty interesting, I guess
It’s as though most of their time and energy goes into designing and programming sonic pallettes. The musical ideas buried in these elaborately constructed soundscapes are occasionally interesting but underdeveloped and overly-repetitive. What's more there is minimal to no harmonic progression. To create an interesting listening experience from modal exploration requires extraordinary musicianship. These guys may be note-worthy as sound architects or computer programmers; but they don't evidence any noteworthy musicianship on these tracks.
2.5? Annoyed me
I don’t like this band
Repetitive riffs, vibe-ruining a capella breakdowns, and also pretentious. There was a lot of hype around this band back in the day and I never really got it, but I thought it was I never really gave them a chance. Well, I just did, and it didn't change my mind.
Weird
#674. This is just a bit pretentious and uninteresting. 2/5: yawn
This just didn't do anything for me. I know people rave about them but I didn't get it.
I didn't really enjoy it, not my taste.
2.22
Well that was mostly irritating. Didn't completely hated it but it did not want me to listen to it ever again nor to anything else this band has made.
Just not my cuppa tea, to be honest. I appreciate the skill invovled, but... eh, not for me.
J’ai attendu tout l’album que ça parte avec un peu de folie C’est pas arrivé Pour moi c’est non même si pas nul
J'aime pas les voix funky. I'm sorry
Early 2000s alternative rock should be right in my comfort zone, but this didn't really click with me. Maybe it was a bit too weird or experimental. A couple songs strayed very close to being likable, but not enough to make me enjoy the album.
This was a just miss for me. Tried twice but both times ended up being tired of it before it was done. Alternative sound is cool; the prog art rock additive not so much.
This was better than I expected as I thought they were just some indie punks or darlings that got a little attention then disappeared. But apparently they made more than a couple of albums and have somewhat of a following. I always appreciate it when people take chances and do experimental things as long as they keep some sort of melodic or memorable beat/riff/motif or something. Avant garde is good, but weird for the sake of weird is a usually waste. This is on that thin line for me. Most of it is listenable and interesting. Some cool bass bits and harmonizing. (But even that goes a little off-key sometimes.) "Ambulance" is annoying. It would be OK if the background people did a bit more, but it's just a horrendous roundabout that drives me bats. This is the most common problem on this album: they find a sound and just overdo it repeatedly. While a lot of it is fun or different, there's almost always one bit that is overdone. Most songs have a drone and it's OK when this is background music. But as an active listener, really looking for interesting bits and bobs, the drone somehow becomes more apparent and distracts. So, it's ok, but I don't think I'd ever just pull it up for a spin.
Not for me
The wrong way acaba como el despertador de Bob esponja
It was fine but I like their later albums much more
I wasn't a fan of this one. The vocals I found annoying and the instrumentals weren't anything special. It didn't work for me
Not bad. A bit to artsy for me
Good but nothing grabbed me
Another 2000s alt rock album that blends into the rest. It’s got that moody, artsy vibe that tries to feel important but ends up just kind of meandering. I kept waiting for something to jump out or grab my attention. It never did. Nothing was outright terrible, just very forgettable. If you’ve heard one alt rock album from this era, you’ve basically heard this one too
Was okay until the You Could Be Love song, what a dumpster fire of a track. Critic-bait ass album. 2/5
Got bored and tired
Mid
Complex vocal arrangements. Low key shoegaze type musical arrangements.
Not very moving. Ok for background music.
Das Debütalbum der US-amerikanischen Band TV On The Radio entstand im August und September 2003 im Headgear Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Produziert wurde es von Multiinstrumentalist David Andrew Sitek, der für seine dichten, experimentellen Klanglandschaften bekannt ist. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album im Grenzbereich von Avant-Pop, Dark Wave, Post-Punk und Indie-Rock. Dabei zeichnen sich Stücke wie „Staring at the Sun“, „Poppy“ und „Dreams“ durch markante Basslinien, verzerrte Gitarrenloops und vielschichtige, teils mehrstimmige Gesangsarrangements aus. TV On The Radio, bestehend aus den amerikanischen Bandmitgliedern Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone und David Andrew Sitek, wird ergänzt durch Gastbeiträge wie Nick Zinner (Gitarre) und Katrina Ford (Background‑Gesang). Diese Beiträge vertiefen das Zusammenspiel von rauem Post‑Punk mit hypnotischer, fast dubartiger Produktion. Der Song „Staring at the Sun“ wurde als Debütsingle im Juni 2004 veröffentlicht und entwickelte sich zu einem prägenden Stück der Band – maßgeblich geprägt von seiner treibenden Bass-Fuzz und der verzerrten Gitarrenstruktur. Auch „Dreams“ und „Poppy“ gehören zu den bekannteren Tracks, die den charakteristischen Klang des Albums definieren und sowohl experimentelle als auch eingängige Elemente verbinden. Das Album zeichnet sich durch seine stilistische Vielschichtigkeit aus: Es mischt organische Instrumente wie Saxophon und Flöte mit elektronischen Loops und einer dichten Studioästhetik, die introspektiv und zugleich rhythmisch wirken. In der abschließenden Bewertung: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes ist ein überzeugender Einstieg von TV On The Radio, der ihre Fähigkeit zeigt, experimentelle Klangräume und Songstruktur zusammenzuführen. Das Album wirkt zielgerichtet und prägnant, und es lässt sein Potenzial für spätere Entwicklungen erahnen. Bewertung: Ein gelungenes Debüt, das die Band als originären Beitrag zur zeitgenössischen Indie-Szene positioniert.
I was surprised at how much I liked their other album on the list but this one sucked. Rating: 1.8
I think the thing with this band is that I've heard them hyped up by a lot of my favorite musicians and I can't hear what they're hearing. The singles are the only impressive thing that I come back to with this band and that's why Staring At The Sun gets a pass from me. The rest of the album feeds into these dirty loops that I feel would be better materialized into stronger ideas but then it gets paired with these layered acapella tracks and overall weirdness. The unbearable kind of weirdness. Sometimes it sounds like a complete shitpost with loud and proud falsetto storming through my ears. The only reason why it's not a 1 star is because I could see some parts of the vision, but it's not the way I would have it. It's kind of a blessing that this band has Wolf Like Me to win me over. Otherwise, I would think they were shit. (4/10, 2/5 on this scale)
Bowie was a fan of this band, I can see why. TVOTR fused all sorts of influences and covered genres including shoegaze, post punk, rock, jazz and an interesting approach to harmonies and production. Very art-rock. But that doesn't mean I necessarily have to like the album, right?
At times it was boring, generic indie. Some songs threatened to be more interesting, almost giving Beck or Young Fathers vibes. But the interesting bits were too few and far between. The first bonus track was just awful.
Not my vibe
Not what I expected but not my thing
It was ok. Kinda strange.
From what I have heard from these guys they seem alright. It's that type of band where their music randomly shows up in a TV show, and you're not surprised at all. That's my main exposure to them at least. Think I've heard one album by them all the way back in like 2016. Got no real expectations heading into this. The Wrong Way Weird in a slightly abrasive way. Has a very cliche mid 2000's writing style. The instrumental is a bit overpowering. Don't love the vocals. The background piano is pretty alright. Not my thing. Dislike. 2/5 Staring at the Sun The non falsetto vocals are pretty good. Don't mind the chorus. Instrumentally it's a bit sparse. Don't love the electronics here. Average. 2.5/5 Dreams I kinda like the synthy atmosphere. Hate the whimpery falsetto vocals. Ruins what would otherwise be a decent chorus. Sounds a bit muddled. Doesn't really go anywhere. The verse melody does grow really stale after a while. The lyrics have a pretentious aura to them. Dislike. 2/5 King Eternal I like the noisy elements in the instrumental. The rest of the track is complete crap. Terrible lyrics. Annoying electronic bass. Hollow sound. Aimless and unstructured vocals. Garbage. 1/5 Ambulance Extremely unlikable. Hate the acapella. Pretentious and irritating. A struggle to get through. No thank you. 1/5 Poppy Okay guitar. Terrible vocals. Muddled production. Lyrics give me an aneurysm. More terrible vocal fuckery. Never seems to end. Rough. 1/5 Don't Love You Don't mind the instrumental too much. Quite like the organ. Decent vocals, has some character to them. I like the guitar on the outro. Fine. 3/5 Bomb Yourself Manages the rare feat of being both boring and unpleasant. The guitars are pretty cool I guess. They contrast well against each other, and build decently upon the bassline. Dislike. 2/5 Wear You Out Kinda don't mind the vocals that much on this. Their style fits this tempo a lot. I like the largeness of the track. I like the flute. The extended outro is pretty alright I suppose. It's at least a pleasant listen if nothing else. Fine. 3/5 This was difficult to get through. Truth be told it's mostly just forgettable, with some moments that are just unpleasant. The main selling point on this thing is probably the vocals. Consisting mostly of layered harmonies I could see them being beautiful to some. However I find them sort of grating. I don't like the production. I think it sounds dated and watery, putting way too much emphasis on an electronic bass sound which honestly just overpowers everything. The instrumentation mostly sounds original, having some experimental elements that end up being really hit or miss. There are some moments that are great and some that are genuinely difficult to listen to. To me this album comes of as obnoxious, overly theatrical and unpleasant. However I do recognize that there are elements of talent spread throughout it. Paring that with how unique it sounds I can't really say that it is terrible. It's just for a specific audience which I'm not a part of. 2/5
This album had a few bright moments, but I felt it dragged on too long.
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is bluesy and derivative in ways that frustrate me, but weird enough to stand out. At the end of the day, it’s middling alt-rock that doesn’t inspire
high 2, kinda like suicide but more boring and less offensive
Pre-listening thoughts: uh oh 2004 indie this could either be really good or really bad Post/during listening thoughts: I'm leaning on the bad side for this one. Very discordant and empty, sort of like if that Suicide album were listenable and not absolutely terrible. But this was still not my cup of tea. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Dreams Least fav tracks: all the ones with weird acapella elements. yes i was in acapella, yes i can still hate it
It’s fine. Not great. Not gonna think about it again.
There is nothing here to interest me. Should not be required listening for anyone.
First time listen for me, and there are some decent noises on it, but it could have been a bit more interesting and a bit less wearing. I’m sure it’s all very innovative and arty but most of it is discordant and occasionally shrill. Maybe it’s a grower, but it isn’t something I have any interest in hearing again. Overall it was nothing better than fine, but I won’t listen to it again on purpose and I don’t think it is (or was) essential listening before you die.
It has that kind of typical 00s indie sound. Dated, boring, I didn't like it.
Not really feeling this one. There were no moments that really stood out and one of the vocalists bugged me a bit.
I didn’t enjoy this very much.
not good
No ha estado mal, raro a ratos, pero no es desagradable. No en profundizado en por qué este disco es importante más allá de la música. No creo que sea más de un 2**.
I didn't hate it but would never seen it out again
Buena percusion pero no es escuchable
Another where I like the ingredients but the final outcome doesn't land well with me.
Thought I would enjoy this more than I did. Don’t really have anything else to say, I was underwhelmed.
Empieza prometiendo ser una especie de jazz rock a lo Morphine, con una instrumentación sencilla y, sobre todo, el saxofón como protagonista. Luego se vuelve más drone, con guitarras distorsionadas tocando melodías muy simples y sostenidas. Pero no se queda ahí: luego las armonías vocales toman el protagonismo (aunque las guitarras con drone grave y la percusión marcada siguen dominando). Otras veces ese sonido drone lo sostiene un órgano de atmósfera eclesiástica. A veces se intuye algo de dub, y la percusión en general es muy interesante. La voz también cambia a menudo: a veces los falsetes dominan, otras veces es más grave y sostenida, aunque no tiene mucho rango. La guitarra solista va un poco a lo suyo, pero solo a veces. Y al final parece que esté cantando un rebaño de ovejas. Un álbum extraño. Largo y ruidoso, a la vez que downbeat, melódico y cohesivo. Buena muestra del rock noventero más ecléctico, pero no creo que lo vuelva a escuchar en un buen tiempo.
Schiint mer relativ rechtigslos ond oni woörklechi Melodie wasi scho no wechtig fände. Es ged aber en Entspannti Atmosphäre was ehm no e Stärn verdient
Looked forward to this album. Never previously heard it but had heard good things about the band. Very disappointed on what I heard. Usual US indie band rock. Nothing to see here. 2.1/5 20/4/25
I like TV On The Radio but this album just doesn't draw me in and keep me locked in place. I can't say I enjoy any song particularly so cant give this a great score.
Not sure what the hype is on these guys
Random Geräusche + goofy ah Gesang/a capella
Very stomp, clap, hey of grungy drone music. I do appreciate seeing how TVotR clearly influenced Alt J, who I really love. I also love a drone. And a discordant vocal harmony. So why is this music so boring to me?? I think it's the lack of dynamic and overall lack of energy. Alt J has a lot of pop composition and production and I think that's one good way of balancing the chore that TVotR drone is and frankly drone as a genre can easily be. I love a gnarly drone with discord and repetitiveness but it has to have dynamic and some kind of punch. Doesn't necessarily have to have pop production like Alt J. Go listen to some Russian Circles, Cloudkicker, or Elder and you'll see what I mean. I'm halfway through the album and finally seeing a small bit of dynamic on Wear You Out, but that song still managed to wear me out with its repetitiveness and sleepy energy. I do like the way that song ends though, so discordant in a jarring and discomfiting way, I wish the rest of the song was as interesting. Some other cool weird endings on songs like You Could Be Love. Do the start and middle of the songs next please. When looking up more about TVotR on Spotify, in the recommended artists you can find a dozen other artists on this list who make very similar music in a similarly mediocre way (Silvesun Pickups, LCD Soundsystem (sorry but they are mediocre), Arcade Fire (I swear to god if there's an arcade fire album on this list!!), Spoon, Beck). This list is just what some Gen X white dude heard on the radio when he was young enough to be at the skate park. this list is just a man wanking over James Murphy and Thom Yorke and writing a book documenting his wanks for some reason. It's not the worst thing I've heard on this list but I definitely did not need to hear this before I die. They have the exact same drum beat on every damn song. Possibly even the same bassline. Mercy please
Why a second album of this band? This album says nothing to me (nothing good, nothing bad). Just perfect for the elevator in a stylish hotel somwhere in the world.
Na
The sound here is heavily electronic, with the only obvious "acoustic" instrument being the vocals for the vast majority of the album’s runtime. The singing, to be fair, is pretty good. I enjoy the falsetto backing vocals that appear in just about every track (though in some cases it sounds odd and slightly out of tune - see the songs Dreams, King Eternal, and You Could Be Love). I feel that the lack of acoustic percussion (excluding Bomb Yourself), or even the lack of clear/rhythmic percussion in general, really takes away from the record's energy. The album moves very slowly and takes a cool 60 minutes to finish if you include the bonus tracks. It might be better to have this in the background than to commit to the close listening this project normally requires. And then there's the bonus track You Could Be Love, which is so bad it's no wonder it was left off the original album. Fortunately, the groovy one-two of Bomb Yourself / Wear You Out makes up for this. Staring at the Sun, as a vocal-only track, is also worth shouting out. Reminds me a bit of Homeless by Paul Simon - though Simon’s song is better. The 00s decade had so much great and influential material to offer the world, so it's pretty surprising that something like Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes made it on this list. Some of the music has merit, but for the most part it's just not interesting or fresh enough to compare with artists like Aphex Twin, Muse, Radiohead, or Green Day. TV On The Radio doesn't have the influence (judging by info on their Wikipedia article) to justify being on the list at all. The album only barely charted in France and the UK, and didn't chart anywhere else. Once again I question the metrics used by Dimery and his musical goons. 2/5 Key tracks: Staring at the Sun, Bomb Yourself, Wear You Out
Found their sound somewhat grating.
The myriad of creative sounds wouldn't be wasted if there were any good songs to go along with them. Alas, there aren't. 2/5
очень странное дерьмо
Listened Before? N NO. Stop with the "art rock". Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Staring at the Sun
Canción destacada: Poppy
# Album Name: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes # Artist: TV On The Radio # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Pretty underwhelming to me. I didnt enjoy it. There was one track which i recognised. Otherwise i didnt connect with this album. # Top Tunes: Staring at the sun # Would I listen to it again? No, except the one single.
One of the most pointless albums since Houmous and Chutney released their purposefully pointless album ‘This is Purposefully Pointless’ back in ‘64. 1.8
Tämä on #päivä897 #1001albumiasinuntäytyykuullaennenkuinkuolet-haasteestani, ja olen jälleen iloisesti pettynyt tästä listasta. Olen kuullut vain bändin nimen, en koskaan kuunnellut yhtään kappaletta. Tarkoitan ei koskaan. Joten olen iloinen, että tähdet ovat linjassa, enkä vain löydä TV On The Radio -ohjelmaa heidän debyyttistään, vaan myös kuuntelen sitä nyt, 20 vuotta sen ilmestymisen jälkeen. Nyt tämä on monimutkaisen outoa musiikkia. Ja vihaan oudosta! Pari muuta nimeä tulee mieleen TVOTR:a kuunnellessa: Pink Band ja Radiohead. Kaikilla kolmella on yhteinen ydin. Sielu. Mutta kun ensimmäinen bändi yhdistää sen industrialiin, darkwaveen ja hip-hopiin, toinen - shoegaze, TV On the Radio - post-punk, noise ja kaikenlaisia kokeellisia äänitarvikkeita. Se oli todella mielenkiintoista. Tästä syystä annan sille 2/5. Odotan innolla #päivä898. ambulance
Day424 - i guess it’s fine. their moms and girlfriends are probably the only ones demanding tv on the radio gets two albums on this list
First and last song save this from a 1. Ambulance... blimey that was struggle. The vocals felt incredibly monotonous on that track and others. I really enjoyed the sound on the first track and had expected I would like this but the rest was quite different.
so boring
kann ich nicht wirklich was zu sagen
Meh. Curiousity value alone. Ok, not fair. They were adventurous and must have had a way with words to have succeeded in getting a major label to engage with this. But. Not all art rock is pretentious… ‘Wolf Like Me’ changed everything b
some really great hooks too far and few between eccentric singing pushing the limit of listenability.
Although TV on the Radio have a number of songs I really like, I just can't appreciate this entire album. Not my thing.
Too much noodling. Not in my wheel house.
Too out there for me. Some of the vocals made me laugh out loud with how annoying they were.
This took me a while to get through. For all its clevermess and layers, and even though its right in my wheel house, i couldnt get onboard. It seemed too pleased with itself at times.
Different but not good. They sound like a low budget Imagine Dragons, but with a singer who came from a Beach Boys cover band.
Fairly obvious indie stuff. Am not a fan of the voice, but some of the noodling was interesting. None of the songs grabbed me especially, but it wasn't offensive.
The brass section saved this from being indie shite landfill. It's actually quite thoughtful in places. The acapella is a nice touch, with the songs building up from the bottom. Not my usual genre of choice, but there's plenty worse. I thought I would bail, but I stuck it through until the end.
This was so disappointing!! I only knew one of their songs before hand - Wolf Like Me (not on this album but a banger) so I went in with high expectations But jesus this was so boring and repetitive!! 😪 2 ⭐️
More mid indie noise
Ehh, not my cup of tea. Alot of it was kind of noise with some good beats. Did not care for the large use of falsetto singing. 2/5 won't come back to.
I'm really struggling with this album. It's playing in the background right now, and I'm on about track 4 or 5, but it's not really enjoyable. It's not 'pull your ears off' bad, it's just laborious and boring. It feels like I've been listening for about 3 hours.
Not a fan
I can't say this caught my attention in any meaningful way. I listened on a walk and found each track bled into each other. Until Ambulance and that was sounded liked a failed barbershop quartet. Its just not that interesting a I struggled to get through the whole album. Stand out tracks: - Poppy
altern. Rock, 2003 -> 2
Just when I thought the sub-3 star albums was where the good stuff was, I got hit with this one. I could feel the seconds of my life leaving my body as this album went along. Incredibly bone-dry instrumentals complemented by equally tepid vocals and lyrics. In all fairness it's not the worst thing I've heard, but it's pretty far from what I'd consider good.
Meh
I hate this. It’s like a strictly inferior version of Midnite Vultures. I have to admit the last few songs have a bit more room to breathe which is an improvement
Kinda happened, made no impression.
Interesting sound. I rather enjoyed it, though the vocals start to grate on my nerves after a while.
Sounds like this glee club from my alma mater known as The Cheezies, except cheesier. Favorite Song: "Poppy"
Nothing special really.
Weird and kind of whiny overall. Some songs were ok.
Improved marginally as album progressed, but sounded way too raw for my liking.
This album was slept on by me
I expected a bit more from a band that is named "TV on the Radio" but it was a bit meh, although nothing too annoying as a background listen. I would say that it was decent but nothing really happened throughout the whole album, it was just a bunch of stuff going on every now and then.
There’s something I like about it but I just couldn’t quite get there. 2
A little more out there than what I was familiar with. It was good, just maybe a little slower than I usually like. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Nope.
The ideas are there...the execution decidedly is not. Woof.
I really liked dear science, not as keen on this one. Doesn’t need to be on the list given Dear Science is the superior album.
Ei. Taidepaskaa. 2/5
Remarkably unremarkable. This left no impression on me other than it was not a bad album, just utterly unmemorable.
Dat bonus nummer echt een -100
How different this album is to Dear Science. In comparison it comes really flat - songs have more garage quality, which sometimes is preferable, but not in this case. Also, no distinguishable single or hit makes this album pretty basic. I still listen to DLZ or Golden Age, Staring at the Sun is just not on that level.
Nah just nothing here that needs to be talked about in my opinion. Pretty boring but I guess some lyrics and some sounds.
Oh brother, these guys STINK! But seriously, TV.O.T.R are so boring, please stop making me listen to them.
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is an intriguing and bold listen. When it's good, it really shines, blending atmospheric sounds with soulful melodies and sharp lyricism. However, there are moments when the album feels rambling and disjointed, losing focus in its experimental nature. Despite this, the uniqueness of the sound makes it worth exploring. At a time when much of the music scene was playing it safe, this album stood out for its willingness to push boundaries. Its fusion of indie rock, jazz, and electronic elements creates a fresh and unpredictable vibe. While it may not always land perfectly, the ambition and creativity are undeniable. For those seeking something different, this album offers a refreshing departure from the norm. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 2 STAND OUT TRACK - Staring at the Sun
I got excited when I heard the sax, I thought maybe this would be more like Morphine. It’s not, the album is okay, but not something I am likely to circle back to anytime soon.
Eh, some songs are fine, some are a little long… not my favorite.
Staring at the Sun
was not expecting the barbershop
It took me longer than expected to dig the vocals. Maybe it was the doubling with one in falsetto which irked me, I dunno. The production of the album seemed very... canny. Like they were playing a tin can or something. So the SOUND of the album, along with some of the vocals, kinda turned me off to it. Although a couple of songs I liked ("Poppy," "Staring At The Sun," "Bomb Yourself") it wasn't enough to make me like the album. Top Tracks: "Poppy," "Staring At The Sun," "Bomb Yourself"
meh
Well that was tedious. Musically I didn't mind it but by the end of the album, I just wanted the singer to shut up. I find his vocal style so grating.
I was going to give this a higher rating due to the fact that I am a casual fan of TV On The Radio; however, as the album dragged on, I realized that if I were coming into this without knowing their later albums, I would have been slightly bored. It's dour post-punk, minimalist as hell. The drum machine sounds don't work well with the recording. It only hints at what they would become, but if it were what I discovered them as, I probably would have given them a pass. Favorite tracks: "King Eternal", "Poppy"
Ive heard a couple of TV on the Radio songs before and have really enjoyed them, so I went in thinking I would really enjoy this album. However, aside from staring at the sun, im really not enjoying the sound of most songs. They seem to be going for a discordant sound that can be grating at some parts. The vocals can sound good but sometime feel like they are out of the lead singers range. The instrumentation is often really simple and kind of goes for a garage rock-y vibe. Still, I can see the makings of a strong band here, and imagine I would enjoy some of their later albums. The album ends better than it starts, and sounds a little more like their works i am familiar with
Started off ok, descending into a more annoying version of Bloc Party.
After I finished listening to Dear Science, I thought, “Hey, that wasn’t actually half bad”. What I didn’t think was, “Man, I really want to hear another album from that band”. It was much more a one and done thing with me. Much to my dismay, this popped up today. It’s just another one of the many examples of serious missteps in terms of what albums were chosen. There really did not need to be more than one album from this band. Just having the one was probably more than needed. We couldn’t even get one album from Godspeed You! Black Emperor or J Dilla. But instead, I found myself listening to this. Being that this came out a couple years before the other record, it was bound to be somewhat different. Safe to say it was. It was such a drastic switch just within the first song, that I actually went back and listened to the opening track of Dear Science. And the differences are staggering. This takes a much more experimental approach. And I’m really glad their music evolved away from this over time. Because there is so little genuinely enjoyable music here, it’s surprising. This is not experimental in the right ways. At least not in the ways I like to hear. It’s more like if some AJR fans who are also theater kids came together to make an indie rock album, and were like “Let’s make it really dark and weird”. What results from that is this jumbled mess. First thing I have to speak on. The amount of A cappella on these songs drives me insane. Because this is the last context it would sound any good in. I am not opposed to that form of singing at all. I am an avid fan of Smooth McGroove. But you do have to be able to sing well in order to make it work. Singing well isn’t something these guys mastered. I actually found their voices interesting and enjoyable on the other album. So they must have improved between this record and that. This is like “baby’s first experimental rock album”. And it’s not one I would recommend to someone who enjoys that kind of music. Rating: 3/10
Grating... not for me. 2/5
2.5
I'm not a fan of monotony in music, and so far, this album seems to feature monotony. Four more songs in, and it's unchanged. This does not appeal to me.
I really like an album of theirs that isn't on this list, this was not good - all the worst bits of their other stuff
Didn't like this at all; not sure we needed two of their albums on this list really? Definitely preferred the other one we had (700 albums ago!), this one doesn't have the same edge to it. Staring at the Sun kind of gets there, but nothing other than that really moves me, it's really forgettable. Sounds like an album full of songs that Bloc Party didn't want. 2/5.
Interesting. Really needs a few more listens to make a great review, but it’s not something that really makes me want to listen to it again right away. So that tells me something. Just kind of meh! 2.5
only listened to 4 songs, it’s giving Beck if he was art pop and picked up the electric guitar.
this whole album sounded like the fake, intentionally crappy acapella versions of songs people make to not get copyright claimed on youtube when they're posting a tiktok
i like some art rock bands, but this album just did nothing for me. i think it's all the falsetto, it just sounds really annoying! it's bad! don't ruin your songs with it!! a few tracks were ok but the rest felt like they were trying too hard to be challenging and experimental. the atonality, the chaotic instrumentation, the seeming lack of song structure... it just doesn't amount to anything notable. i don't think I needed to listen to this (or the other TOTR album I got from this list) before I die. favorites: staring at the sun, ambulance
The first song was good and had me thinking I was in for a King Gizzard-style ride. The rest was tedious. I appreciated Bomb Yourself's shoutout to Japanese video game franchise Final Fantasy. Nobuo Uematsu would be proud.
Couldn't get on board with this, appreciated the weirdness but that wore off around the middle and overall a bit too much falsetto and humming
Wasn't my kind of jam, felt like a hippy funk vibe that went to a dark place, and wasn't fun music listening, but uneasy listening.
Is a member of TV on the Radio choosing the albums on this list? Two albums is excessive. I don't really get these, felt like a lot of musical choices were made to try and sound different as opposed to good. The highest rated song on Amazon was the acapella one which I really didn't like. By and large it was fine but shouldn't be on this list, or I'm missing something.
Better than Dear Science. My main issue is that it sounds like a collection of demoes. Not cohesive of finished. Ambulance was horrendous. Overall too weird.
Not convinced by this..... Like the last album of theirs we had, there are quite a few different styles going on here, but it's hard to know what exactly it is? I dunno. Anyway, nothing here made me think I need to come back and listen again really, although none was particularly offensive in any way. His voice reminded me of everything everything at times 2.5
Kind of weird.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Just couldn't get into it.
There's a spot here and there of things I like listening to this album but unfortunately I found most of it pretty grating. Medium 2.
Don't like this at all. 'Experimental' music, bordering on the avant garde.
Already mediocre indie with some unnecessary droning noise slapped on top.
Not my thing
I still do not get this band. It just feels kind of middling and boring to me.
Meh I just couldn’t get into this one.
Avant-garde ish sometimes too much, don't like the vocals here and there, anyway some tracks are cool
So much duller than Dear Science. Pass
Didn’t enjoy this at all
Felt that Dreams song, the rest not so much.
It was ok until it got weird.
Agradável sem chegar a ser muito interessante.
Was expecting much better from this one after reading the reviews. But this may be one of the worst thus far. 3/10 Top 1: 1. Dreams
I respect this album, I bet the people who made it are pretty cool. But fuck I did not like listening to it. It's overall sound just did nothing for me. No individual track stood out either. I got nothing :/ Fav songs: - none
i don’t even know man. it just was not it im at a loss for words
The album started off horrible before serving three digestable, if not forgettable, tracks (Staring at the sun, Dreams, King Eternal)... and then it went downhill again. Ambulance and Poppy are two of the most annoying songs I've heard recently (the monotone dun-dun-dun background harmonies were just awful!) and everything else that follows is just... meh. This album constantly bordered on unlistenable or mid to me, and mostly sounds like a pretentious art student's project. Also, side note, but I usually prefer to know what the artist's talking about, and in this case, the singer's mumbly vocals were nearly undistinguishable at most times. If it wasn't already obvious, I did not like this, although I will give two stars for the artist's effort to experiment (even if it's a failure in my opinion).
No idea why this album is anywhere near this list.
Indie rock, part very arty and creative, part very normy. I struggled to find an 'in' to this, their debut, and much preferred their third album, 'Dear Science'. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Staring at the Sun Date listened: 04/05/24
Het eerste nummer klinkt alsof het door de telefoon is opgenomen. Het is creatief, maar gelukkig word ik er niet van. Dan volgt de hit. Voor degenen die het nog niet geluisterd hebben. Toegankelijker dan die hit zal dit album niet worden. Ook hier wordt volop geëxperimenteerd. De zang is ook in die hit bijzonder te noemen. Alleen krijgen ze het in dit nummer aardig weg-geproduceerd. Het gaat te ver om elk nummer door te akkeren. Maar door al die experimenten bij elkaar is het wel een interessant album om één keer te horen, maar zeker niet een album om vaker op te zetten. Goed dat het op de lijst staat, maar een voldoende is er niet voor te geven.
Als het eerste nummer de toon moet zetten, dan ademt het gelijk al uit dat het vooral niet de bedoeling wordt, dat het lekker weg moet luisteren. Moeilijke beklemmende drum/bas/synth met wat afschrikwekkend expres vals getoeter eroverheen. Staring at the Sun klinkt wel enigszins bekend. Ook hier weer een beklemmend pulserende bas/synth. Er zitten sowieso wel veel elektronische invloeden in. Het doet me ook wel wat aan Bloc Party denken, al hadden die op het eerste album wel wat meer echte liedjes staan. En dat vond ik dan ook gelijk het leukste album, want toen ze gingen experimenteren ben ik afgehaakt. Experimenten zijn doorgaans niet aan mij besteed. En dat geldt ook een beetje voor deze muziek. Het is mij iets te experimenteel ten opzichte van andere bands uit deze periode. Al met al is het wel interessant om te luisteren op zich. In een goede bui geef ik er 3 sterren voor. Maar de muziek brengt je niet in een goede bui. Het is eerder vermoeiend.
not for me
# Playlist Track - Staring at the Sun # Notes - Starts out alright, but looses the footing and end horribly. - Could be a weird album but the tail end is absolutely horrible. Not recommended.
I didn’t care for this one.
This is another just meh album.
Me gustó Ambulance... Ya está, el resto son melodías disonantes
Intriguing instrumentation and style, I couldn’t get past the singer’s voice.
Not great
Staring At The Sun is a jam. The rest is mostly filler.
Mom
Insanely forgettable
It's not because you call your genre "art rock" that it's necessarily good.
This band tried to aim at 18 different musical styles while reaching absolutely nothing. Impressive.
Not a fan.
I could have got excited about this if I'd heard it at the time it was released, seen them perform and so on. Hearing it for the first time now, it sounds okay but nothing special. Some good sounds. Fave track: Wear You Out
Den var lidt lang i spytter. Tænkte i starten at der var lidt Black star over den, men med distorted elektrisk guitar. Jeg er virkelig ikke glad for den fals(k)et........ De 2 bonus numre var unødvendige. Især you could be loved. Den Er simpelthen for irriterende... Staring at the sun er sangen som er mindst irriterende.
I knew nothing going in on this one. Very art rock and experimental. It's not really my thing but makes for good background music.
emmmm slightly too much noise
Started out great but really dragged in the end. I loved the last TV On The Radio record I listened to on here but this one was definitely a miss. Favorites were Staring at the Sun and Wear You Out
Can’t say this one really grabbed me. It was creative. Favorite song was Staring At The Sun
I think I’d prefer the songs as singles. Hearing them all back to back as an album became repetitive to the point of grating
I could see myself liking this one more after a second listen but on the first pass, not for me
Felt like background music for a restaurant. Fine enough but probably won’t go back to
Sounded good, don’t know if I’d seek it out?
Eesh really didn’t like this one. I can’t totally pin point which parts I didn’t enjoy I just think as a whole there wasn’t any part that made me think hey this has potential. It didn’t hurt my ears listening to it but just not my thing.
I guess I see what they were trying to go for on here. Kinda like a droning, Sonic Youth type feel to it. The vocal parts can get annoying really fast. A lot of the lyrics were kinda lame too. Not that great.
Solid indy stuff, not worth a repeat listen though
M-m-m-miiiid
I was optimistic with the start of this album. It sounded unique, different, special. But as it went on, I just wanted it to end. Why produce an album if you only have one song with a couple of variations to it?
An interesting project that ultimately sounds incomplete.
Very 2004
Pretty disappointed by this one. A cool band from my high school days that I always wanted to get into ('Return to Cookie Mountain' era). I like the sound of this group a lot, just not the songs. The songs aren't good. The main redeeming piece of this album is 'Poppy', and that alone isn't enough to make me give it a 3 in good conscience.
Meh.
Occasional charm Choir pop rock might be tight live Bolstering needed
Much of it hard to endure. Some of it decent, but not great.
I like their latter stuff, but this is a bit slow and odd
This album was alright- wasn't my favourite, but some of the songs I enjoyed listening to. It was a nice mixture of some rock/bluesy/electronic feel that worked for some songs, but the more folk/pop/electronic sounds did not work well for me
Another filler album, just to get to 1001?
Trippy. Not in an unpleasant way. Maybe need to be high?
Massasta syntyviä melodioita, jotka soivat hetken, ja palaavat taas massaan. Osa hyviä, kaikki samansävyisiä.
Not for me.
Favorite Tracks: Staring at the Sun
It is like Pentatonix but bad... and when you're bad compared to Pentatonix...
dimenticabile
Just ok. Not spectacular. At times, too moody and annoying. To be honest the band has never really struck me as anything more than ordinary. Milk toast.
I really love the science, but this album is not essential
Meh
This is exactly my genre of interest, but I did not like it at all. A little too slow and sad. Could try to listen to it again when I'm in another mood.
This was a bit weird. Bit terrible but not great.
This is a worse than usual indie album. If you squint there’s a couple of sort of OK songs, the best being ‘Bomb Yourself’...but mostly this sucks.
I've tried this a couple of times over the last few weeks and I just can't summon enough enthusiasm to review it.
mon dieu, c'est juste poche à écouté pour vrai. c'est peut-etre trop éclaté pour moi mais je me suis presque endormi. C'est quoi le style ? 2.5
some good songs, otherwise not memorable
The ambient feel did grow on me, but I’m not sure I get the appeal
I like a lot of their more recent stuff, so I was excited for this.... sadly it just didn't do it for me.
Nojaa
Extraño sincretismo musical con dejes noise que no ha conectado en ningún momento conmigo. Y no será por falta de oportunidades.
Okay
I thought this was fine but it wasn't really my style. Started bad, got fine, and then got worse. 5/10.
A lengthy downbeat album that threatens to become interesting but never really does. The bass is pretty good and the doubling of the voices is an interesting effect. Beyond that it’s a kind of a snore. Best song: Wear You Out
Wasn’t really feeling this one. Similar to Jungle in a sense but not as smooth and cohesive. The acapella-ish sound , if that’s what they were going for, seemed a bit disjointed. The best was very repetitive and, at times, seemed like it was building up a climax of sorts but then the transitions usually fell flat. Not a fan.
Yeah I just couldn't get into it. Most all of the songs sound about the same
Fun album. A product of it's time. Not gonna return to this.
Quite Radiohead in its experimentalism. Textures and some surprising doo-wap. Bit boring overall.
Wat een ongedefinieerd geneuzel. Bah.
Blehhh. This album was exhausting to get through and it annoyed me by the end of it. The vocals were grating and the music was nothing. It's a low two. Really hope the other one is better. I guess my favourite song was The Wrong Way, but I didn't like any of them.
There’s lots of interesting things going on here but none of them add up to a memorable song
Yea...I've got to get to some Blackberry Smoke prep, so this will be relatively quick. First couple songs had me interested and thought different, but OK. Then we got to Ambulance and Poopy and I started to get a little annoyed. About the time of Don't Love You and Bomb Yourself, I thought to myself, this dude sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel. In other words, the interest wore off and I was thinking about other things. The end of the album just seemed to be noise and chanting and I'll be a sonofabitch, but there was the damn flute. The flute! WTF and just wrong. Ran a little long too, but in reality, I was done once I heard the phucken flute. I was prepared to rate a 2, but given the flute factor, 1.5 it is. Scoreboard will show 2. 1.5
I liked the moody distorted bass songs more than the a-capella stuff which reminded me of when the Always Sunny gang does their joke a-capella stuff. 2
2 For a group I had previously never heard of and that I thought offered a pretty mediocre listening experience last time, I really wasn’t expecting to see these guys again on this list, but here we are… and it’s even less enjoyable than before. I’ll give them this, the group has a pretty unique sound, to the point where I have no idea what genre to even classify them as. Industrial easy listening? Noise lounge? Thankfully, I have Wikipedia to bail me out here, which classifies this album as “avant-pop” and “dark wave”, neither of which are terms I’m familiar with, but both seem apt. Unfortunately, it seems neither avant-pop nor dark wave are my thing - the songs here for me ranged from uninteresting to annoying (holy cow Ambulance might be up there as one of the worst things I’ve heard on this list so far). While I wouldn’t describe every song here as sounding the same, I would say they’re all doing the same kind of thing, and so I found this to be a really repetitive and uninteresting ride to the end. Not sure why the listmakers have such a hard-on for these guys - I really teetered towards a 1 here, especially with the inclusion of Ambulance, but I think the rest of the album is at least inoffensive enough to keep it out of that territory. Still, don’t see myself listening to any of this again.
White noise inspired. Sounds like to budding artists got together in a studio and recorded it. It's got potential though. A good album to drive back home to. Or listen to while you're being slow or about to sleep
4/10
Inte min grej. Alla låtar är likadana och inte på ett bra sätt. Tröttsam skiva att lyssna på.
I wish I could give this 2.5 stars, but alas that is not possible. So while I don’t think it fully deserves 2 stars, I will be giving it this. There were some parts that I liked, particularly some of the sounds at the beginning, but I have no urge to give it a re listen.
I never bought into the hype around the cohort of hipster bands that emerged from the New York scene (especially centered around Brooklyn) in the early 2000s. TV on the Radio weren't as (uncritically) over-rated and fawned over to the same degree as, say, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the Strokes. Pitchfork even described them as "soulless". This album is a bit cleverer (and more original) than most of the other bands on the scene (even if derivative of NY post-punk from the first go around), but it flatly does not rock. And you can't dance to it. It's really unfocussed and noodly. It could use a bit more drama, and a little less intellectual remove, or like the band are slightly sedated. It really just sounds like demos of what might have been a cool album. Two stars.
This album doesn't deserve to be on the list. While it is all right and has some character on some of the songs it is still meandering. Loops are not an adequate replacement for actual drums.
This is the second TV on the Radio album that I've gotten in this generator. The first, Dear Science, was a teriffic album. This one... Not so much. A lot of shrieking and random humming on this album. Also, really weird and experimental music and noises that just didn't hit for me. Super disappointing seeing how much I liked that first album of theirs that I reviewed. Dude has a voice that sounds like Prince by times. Favourite songs: Don't Love You, Bomb Yourself Least favourite songs: The Wrong Way, Ambulance, You Could Be Love 2/5
Nothing burger. But not awful.
Average at best
boring
Don’t understand the critical appeal of this band to begin with, much less this dirge of an LP. The last thing I needed today was TVOTR’s insufferable vocals over ambient drone sludge for an hour, maybe they got tired of pretending to care about writing interesting, dynamic songs.
The high vocals on TVOTR always sound like muppets singing to me. This album didn't change my mind.
It's like a mix of Pixies, early Radiohead and something else I can't really put my finger on. It's very experimental. This album was OK at best. I liked the first two songs but then it droned on.
I really tried to like this and I do think there are a couple of good ideas spread across the album. But mostly the music is just so extremely inconsequential. Why this would be included on here is completely beyond me.
Olipahan tylsä ja kaikin puolin laimea levy. Ei tuottanut mitään elämää rikastuttavaa kokemusta.
Vilahti vähän niinku ohi päivän aikana ku autossa ajeli. Ei jäänyt erityisesti mitään mieleen
Really disappointing. Probably the most overrated of the early aughts indie bands. 2/5
I remember the name but dunno if I ever heard these guys. Stupid hipster title in any case, even if it turns out to be great (it won't). eh, it's repetitive, minimalist indie rock. Was really bored by song #2 but it went for a full hour. Not a babe in sight. jeeeeeeeez. 2/5.
It's good but not great and also all the songs kind of sound the same.
It's an odd one.... nothing really exciting here. Might get better with time, we'll see. 2.5
No me gustó
the damage radiohead did…
ok
Nah.
What makes an album pretentious? I don’t know, but this one is. What a load of waffle, look at us trying to be unique and interesting. Well they succeeded at the unique part, but not in a good way. 1/5
Nah
Much like with the Bee Gees, I'm not a fan of most falsetto singing. Hence, I hate this album.
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.
Bereits der erste Titel schreit mir zu: Schalte mich ab! Furchtbar! Das Grauen geht weiter!
I didn’t get it
I couldn’t get in to this at all.
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.
Didn’t enjoy this at all.
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.