The Modern Dance

tiene buenos temas pero no me cautivó

4/10. Fun sound not too memorable for me

578/1001 2026.03.25

Pretty fun! The scattered sound and rambling lyrics make this stand out- but the full package is just fine

Wtf is this Pretty cool Weird af

I guess there are more bots here than i thought

A strange precursor to postpunk and new wave. I've never heard any of this before, but I can feel it's influence in later albums. I don't exactly like it, but I also feel like I need to listen to it more. 3 for now.

Dear god not them again. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as their other album from the list but it still was just not really good 2/5

Wtf

I was pleased to fill in this gap in my post-punk (avant-garage, according to them) knowledge, having only been dimly aware. Mostly, great. The vocals got a bit much from time to time (Life Stinks) but I can definitely recognise why this would have been influential on some of the great stuff that followed, and it entertained me. Side Two went a bit weird, but the ending of the final track brought it home.

Let's do some crimes. Yeah, let's get sushi and not pay.

Iconic post-punk album from a very influential band. First half is great, but trails off sharply towards the end with nonsense filler in the second half. It's on my shelves. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 263 Already owned : 61 Purchased : 15 To buy list : 1 Nope : 186

was kinda sick Will I listen to again: 95%

eh, some good songs but mostly weird

I swear, punk music can have decent vocals. Not here. Nope. What do we say to the god of good music? Not Today. 1 star (I mean, what is this awful sound?)

No

Honestly, this was terrible

Lowkey abrasive.

Although I liked it, I am not sure if the album is for me completely. I could hear where there have been influences on other music since this album.

VERY FUCKING GOOD I just didn't like the vocals in some parts

There are many albums on this list which include incoherent noises, weird idiosyncratic vocals, or are otherwise just grating and unpleasant to listen to. At first I found some of these interesting in that it could be fun to write a scathing review, or I felt that by enduring them I might be challenging myself intellectually to understand what people of a more artistic bent see in such pieces. But the more of these that come up, the more I simply find them tiresome. There's a reason the mainstream is mainstream, and it's mostly because it's good. That statement might be anathema to an a lover of the avant-garde with niche tastes, but I find it hard to believe that that crowd isn't just kidding themselves. Why subject yourself to tuneless singing and weird recorder noises when there's so much music out that that's actually pleasant, moving, danceable, or any of the other qualities that stuff like this lacks? I've made peace with the fact my tastes are basic, this is simply not my thing at all

This album is what I'd hoped a lot of this project would be. "The Modern Dance" is a totally new discovery for me, and I absolutely loved it. It sounds more modern than it's 1978 release date. I can hear the influence they had on bands that came later. Much of the album has an energy that reminded me very much of Husker Du. I want to give this album a 5 but a few tracks linger a bit too long. It's a high 4 then, and this is one I'll def be revisiting again!

avantgarde and not really entertaining

Sigh. Honestly who is deciding these are on a list of albums you should listen to before you die? An extra star bc this album legit had some interesting sounds.

I didn’t connect with this one, quite the opposite.

The first song on this album was such an F U to my ears. What a prick- absolutely HATE that noise nonsense. Didn’t give the rest a listen because it’s clear this is a guy who is trying to hurt peoples’ ears, music should sound GOOD.

there's a lot in here where they are trying to piss you off- and it worked!! And then something would come through that was completely my shit and I'd be all over it. Had to reckon with the annoying parts getting my attention to really here the cool shit. It was a close battle but they got me. Also gotta give points to this album clearly having a huuuge influence on the 90s

Good art rock/ jittery noise punk. Dave Thomas’ singing can get a bit much, but this band is just as seminal as Wire.

Seems a divisive album with listeners having great love or dislike. For my part I find it a very interesting album. A great post punk record

Relentless bass, weird singing

Didn't get to this yesterday. Let's see what this is all about. Hm, a little punky this first track. This came out a year before I was born. Alright it's not for me. LOL

Too weird for a re-listen.

Good effort, but I'm not into this. I felt like they heard a few Talking Heads songs off 77 and began there and riiffed other tunes from there.

Quite enjoyed listening to this, I didn’t have much knowledge or expectation but post punk / art rock and slightly weird albums are usually up my street, so I will come back to this one for sure.

This was like listening to a chemical reaction

I feel like this is what I would hear if I was locked in a padded cell. Not a fan.

This is fucking awesome! I can’t imagine many of my favorite modern bands existing without this. This is a little more direct and less abrasive overall than Dub Housing. Favorite songs were Non-Alignment Pact, Modern Dance, Laughing, Life Stinks, and Over My Head.

Abrasive for the sake of being abrasive. It has its moments, but seems to revel in irritating the listener.

Interesante, distinto, pero no es ninguna maravilla.

what

Listening to this album was one of the longest 30 minutes of my life and ruined my morning.I was not in the mood for this fucking album #ass.

Between the first 20 seconds of ear rape and one of the last songs where he just breaks glass for 30 seconds. Honestly everything between this also sucked

I can't with this one. It's like they went out of their way to find the most grating and irritating noises they could possibly find, then broke that up with the most garbled and incomprehensible vocals imaginable. Everyone involved with this abomination should be ashamed and should be legally barred from calling themselves musicians. It's actually crazy to me that someone could listen to this fetid pile of noises and think this belongs in a list of 1001 albums you should hear before you die. No one should have to listen to this, and I wouldn't be surprised if they used this album as a form of torture at guantanamo bay.

Yet another example of bad music that doesn't deserve to be lauded just because it's "avant-garde". This music is bad, disorganized, and oppressive to the senses, and, even though it influenced future more successful musicians, it doesn't deserve the distinction it received by being included in this project. With that said, most of the instrumental arrangements are tolerable at worst and interesting at best, which strongly underscores the way that the shrill and poorly produced vocals ruin every song. The 9th track of the album, Sentimental Journey, was the exceptionally cliche track of the album, featuring random and monotonous noises for over six minutes - the kind of thing that I have come to expect from bands like this.

Weird album. Post punk with a mix of singing and talking. It has just enough screechy/random/annoying sounds to put me off.

It loses me a bit in the final third of the album, but the first 2/3rd feels like a precursor to bands like the Pixies and Violent Femmes, in a way those bands were precursors to the grunge and alt music that were so formative to my youth.

I get Sonic Youth crossed with Ramones vibes on a few songs - especially the openers (Non Alignment Pact, Modern Dance) - then things fall off a noise-for-noise's-sake cliff with Laughing. & it feels like much of the rest of the album walks that line - sounding almost accessible and listenable, sometimes all within one song (like Chinese Radiation) - where I'm sure I accidentally added Daydream Nation to the playlist...before the instruments and/or vocals go totally dissonant and honestly borderline unlistenable. Kind of fee like the band is making a point with this approach, but it's lost on me.

Pensé que iba a ser un fiasco por el nombre y terminó siendo todo un viaje musical. Mil disculpas, Pere Ubu.

Noise Rock is the perfect label for this album as it features a tone of weird and jarring noises like dissonant guitar and horns, chaotic rhythm sections and rambling singing. While I think all this elements makes the record very unique and even interesting, in reality, it doesn't evoke on me any real emotion. Well, I certainly did feel uncomfortable sometimes, but I'm having a hard time trying to understand what type of emotion or message they want to portray. Fortunately, cacophony is not the only thing this album offers. There are some nice rock riffs and some catchy choruses in here that blend very well with the noise. Some great examples are the opening "Non-Alignment Pact", "Modern Dance" and "Street Waves". However, there are some pure chaotic and jarring moments that I can't say I really, specially the horns in "Laughing", the never starting "Over My Head" and, most notably, the anarchic "Sentimental Journey". Overall, this projects may be a bit of a mess, but there were some decent moments and interesting ideas.

it's 3.75 and todat i'm feeling fine

The Modern Dance was genuinely atrocious. It definitely isn't your typical kind of album with it trying to do all the things it does but i kinda wish it was since while that would have been a little boring, at least it would have been infinitely more palatable than this garbage. The two worst parts of this album are two of the most important parts of any album, those being music and vocals. The music barely has any cohesive structure which is already bad but combine that with sounds that feel like someone is drilling a hole into my brain as well as vocals that were incredibly whiney and grating and this becomes an album that made me want to rip my ears off. Best Song: Over My Head Worst Song: Sentimental Journey

What a crazy album!

It has some great bits and some more challenging bits, certainly feels ahead of its time, overall enjoyed it, probably not something I'll listen to in a hurry though

Ugh, only made it through 2.5 songs

Un peu trop expérimental peut être, il y a tout de même des bons moments plus accessibles

Weird, garage, meh. Top track: "Modern Dance"

This is completely new shit to me. I have no clue what this is, who this is or what it's going to be. Exciting! *listens to album* /Jay Sherman voice IT STINKS!

points for being different, I guess. ******************************************************************************* --Non-Alignment Pact...fun bass groove --The Modern Dance...see above. a little repetitive --Laughing...I'm not laughing --Street Waves...chaotic. good chaotic --Chinese Radiation...I don't get this --Life Stinks...Tony Maimone's bass elevates it --Real World...feels like bad improv --Over My Head...we slow things down. it's fine --Sentimental Journey...heavy sigh --Humor Me...Maimone back to save us again

I wanted to like it. Some songs I did kind of enjoy. But I disliked it more than I liked it. 2.5 rounding down.

"warbly" singing over punk-ish instrumentation

first listen low enjoyment

Enjoyed this! I can definitely see why some might find it irritating sonically with the sometimes *interesting* choices. Faves were "Non Alignment Pact" "Modern Dance" "Street Waves" and "Life Stinks"

Interesting listen a little different from other punk bands of that era.

I guess I can see the beginnings of punk rock in this album, but it was mostly just random noise to me and I didn’t understand it.

No. 368/1001 Non-Alignment Pact 2/5 Modern Dance 3/5 Lauging 2/5 Street Waves 2/5 Chinese Radiation 3/5 Life Stinks 2/5 Real World 1/5 Over My Head 2/5 Sentimental Journey 1/5 Humor Me 2/5 Average: 2,0 Didn't get this at all. Not an enjoyable listen, way too out there for me.

top 3 - Sentimental Journey, Non-Alignment Pact, Chinese Radiation.

poo

Kinda manic and chaotic, couldn't tell you what the hell the singer is saying, but i like the overall vibe

just fuck off please

this was funky junky … very WXPN. maybe i’m turning into my mom but i enjoyed!

Some quite good experimental post-punk stuff. It's very weird but in an actually very enjoyable way and it is rather memorable. First song is nuts

Some really, really great stuff in here. Also some misses. A band I would like to get to know more.

Courtney: I wanted to like it more but it’s too clanky Craig: didn’t really impress me

Sehr geil! Das wird definitiv wieder laufen.

:|

Pere Ubu was exactly the kind of band that rock critics in magazines would rave about as groundbreaking and essential. For me, that's usually a warning sign, I tend to steer clear. So I put off listening to them for way too long. What was I thinking? The moment the first track kicked in, I was hooked. This was something genuinely different, fresh in a way that caught me off guard. Right away, I picked up on echoes of Captain Beefheart's wild, off-kilter influence coming through.

Not bad, I don’t think I would have ever listened to this album without this site

Drit å høre på. Som å ha tinitus i 36 min. 1/5, skulle gjerne gitt den mindre. (Savner noe bra fra denne lista nå..)

Kva er greia med alle ulydane som meir eller mindre konsekvent kjem i høyre øyra gjennom heile dette albumet? Mogleg det hadde vore tåleleg om eg hadde høyrt heile med kun venstre, men det gidd eg ikkje å sjekke. Nokre låtar starta lovande i to sekund, og så kom det ein ein eller annan helvetes lyd.

Punk rock, Irgendwelcher Rock, Vewrstehe diese Musim nicht

never make an album again xoxo

legit unlistenable. gets 2 stars because the instrumentals are ok

2. is mir bisschen zu crazy aber geht live bestimmt Hard

Oscille entre l'acceptable et l'inaudible.

Not always an easy listen, you can hear how this chaotic and discordant record was a massive influence on the emerging post-punk scene. The loud drone of the synthesizers can make this challenging to listen to. The unhinged vocals are certainly an acquired taste. Dude sounds like he's having a severe mental health episode. I can hear a lot Geordie Greep in the vocals actually. The guitar and bass work here is top notch. When they get locked in a groove, its easy to forgive the more challenging aspects of this and you can roll with the chaos that these guys bring to the table. In these moments, everything come together in an ugly little package and you realise the album wouldn't be the same without the schizophrenic vocals and droning of the synthesisers. With its big chorus, 'Modern Dance' is the closest thing you'd find to a radio single here. 'Sentimental Journey' is the most inaccessible track, with the six minute track featuring smashing glasses and disturbing instrumentation. Although it may be a touch too weird for regular rotation, but I will always admire this for creating something so unique.

Steaming hot garbage.

3/10

Debut album from a band I probably should have taken more notice of over the years. Energetic post-punk songs with an undercurrent of screeching, whistling, howling keyboards that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hawkwind album. I enjoyed it.

O álbum tem elementos musicais interessantes e uma dose grande de experimentalismo. A arte da capa é muito bonita. Tangzu Wan'er SG.

This album has been critically reviewed.

In my teens and 20s, I would have loved this band! Heard of them, vaguely, but never gave them a shot. They are weird and noisy, his voice sometimes reminds me of Black Francis, sometimes David Byrne, sometimes Lux Interior. And of course, often just his weird self. The tunes are great, but the noises and sound effects are distracting. To me, Sonic Youth figured out how mix distortion and effects without detracting from the music. On this album, especially on the right channel, the music kinda fades into the background. Overall great effort and I want to listen to more Pere Ubu!

Just learned of these guys 2 weeks ago and listened to this album! Totally in my lane and love the early pop punk influence

If Pete ubu was an artist, this album would be abstract, with attempts at bits of realism so you might want to listen. Two stars for trying

Pablo Picasso famously said "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." This album does that, using a pressure washer and the shards of several smashed bottles. Many of the songs would be pretty good if they weren't adulterated by discordant audio additions. I wonder if the band was having so much fun that they forgot to consider that they might need an audience. It's odd because I can tell there's a decent amount of talent at work here. But when the horn section sounds like a tortured cat, or they're blasting white noise in my right ear, or there's a frantic unrelated guitar solo in my left ear, I'm unlikely to enjoy it. I never heard this before. I don't plan on listening again.

WHY did it open like that?? i almost took out my right earbud. i can't listen to the rest of this album, that gave me the beginnings of a migraine.

Art punk album that influenced the likes of the Pixies, Husker Du et al. Mix of songs some of which sound a bit like British scene from 76/7. Couple of memorable tracks and one of the better albums in the Pere Ubu catalogue.

iViva la experimental! A lot of reviews at the time said the good outweighs the bad. But I think the "bad" is still good. It had major influence on other experimental, math rock bands.

Interesting but I like more tune

This album kicked ass

Samo zbog prve pesme automatski im smanjujem ocenu albuma. Taj početak me je toliko izbacio iz takta da sam odmah tog trena postao hejter ovog benda/čoveka. Ja ne znam šta nije uredu sa Perom i ko mu je finansijski omogućio da snimi ovaj album. Ova knjiga - 1001 album koji moraš da slušaš za svoga života - je bukvalno samo marketing za bendove poput ovog (sigurno je Pera platio da se nadje u ovoj knjizi) jer je ovo sve samo ne dobra muzika. Ko je bio u fazonu, eee aj da snimimo još albuma od Pere, ta osoba u zatvor direkt ide. Ima nekoliko delova po nekim pesmama što zvuči normalno i zanimljivo i to je možda sveukupno ceo minut dok ostalih pola sata samo nečije šizofrenično cepanje i bukvalno samo mučenje mog mozga i bubnih opni. Tekst nisam slušao jer su me ostali zvukovi previše ometali ali sumnjam da bi mi to promenilo mišljenje i ocenu. Isto kao i King Crimson, pokušavaju neki eksperimentalni zvuk da odrade ali hoće to dupe moje kad sviraš na raštimovanim instrumentima. I ONA GLUPA FRULA, BLOK FLAUTA ILI KAZOO ILI ŠTA GOD DA JE.....GETTFOUTWITHIT RRAAAAAAGHHHHH. Pero ubi me ovaj album, ocena je 2,5 ali svakako pišem 2. JAO KAD SE SETIM OVOG UBOGOG PERE SEME LI MU KRVVAVO. ZNAČI AKO JE GLUV BETOVEN USPEO DA NAPRAVI JEBEMO VANVREMNESKO UMETNČKO DELO KAKO SI TI ZDRAV I PRAV USPEO OVO SRAMOTAAA BREEE ZA TEBE I CELU TVOJU PROPDICU ŠTO TI NOSI PREZIMEE, JA DA SAM NA TVOM MESTU, PROMENIO BIH PRRZIME SVOJOJ DECI. MENJAM OCENU NA 1 ZAJEBI TI OVO

Na osnovu onih zvukova sa ovog albuma što mi je milijan pustio u parku mogu ravnodušno da ostavim ocenu 1

Some really cool songs and then some others that should have been left on the cutting room floor

This is some genuine weirdo music, everything the Talking Heads think they are.

Vocals are too incoherent for my liking, but I enjoyed this far more than expected. The pre-punk mythos is present but less abrasive than it would evolve in to. Has an almost neo-Western (as in cinema) flair to the sound. Listened to: at Denargo. Favorite tracks: Non-Alignment Pact, Chinese Radiation

borders between worst ever and maybe ok on a good day

Þetta var bara mun betra en reviews segja til um. En það er nú oftar en ekki. Hresst og gott post-punk.

Gott pönk.

20 years in, I still find something new to like about this album with each spin.

punky and cool enough to get a good listen. I'll be happy enough to never put this on again though.

Non-Alignment Pact - 5/5 The Modern Dance - 4/5 Laughing - 2/5 Street Waves - 4/5 Chinese Radiation - 2/5 Life Stinks - 1/5 Real World - 4/5 Over My Head - 3/5 Sentimental Journey - 1/5 Humor Me - 5/5 Average score: 3.1/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ whether or not i enjoyed this or not, i'm really not sure. all i can say right now is this was an experience i hear influences from the like of Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention for sure, or maybe Captain Beefheart? idk, this was some weird shit. not quite The Residents-level of weird, but still quite odd. maybe this will grow on me with more listens i do think this is something you should hear before you die if experimental is your thing, or to test your tolerance

So I was going to give this album a 2 because I enjoyed the drums and the bass. But then sentimental journey came on. I absolutely loathe “noise” songs. That immediately took away any love I had for this album. I’m convinced they were trying to add the most annoying awful sounds to piss people off and it worked. And don’t get me started on his voice. Truly an unpleasant listening experience.

Un peu trop chaotique et expérimental, toujours sans lire les lyrics j'ai eu du mal à apprécier

Strange

Too out there

There’s a fine line between weird music that’s good and weird music that is godawful to my ears. I recently gave Metal Box by Public Image Ltd 5 stars on here, but if that album was just a teensy bit zanier it would’ve been a one. I regret to say this album starting with a noise that would kill my nan on the spot is a teensy bit zanier.

Didn't like it at all

Can see why it's popular with some people. Some real miss songs. The hits didn't grab me. But pretty good all around

pretty meh for me,

Not gonna lie it was not my favorite… but it was cool. It was different than anything I’ve listened to. Lots of screaming chickens and stuff

great art piece! not a great music piece though

Weird, and I don’t love a lot of the noises, but I like when this list gets weird and it settles into some nice grooves eventually.

Wack did not enjoy this. Doing too much

Jeepers creepers, what to say about this. It's actually sort of okay for a very short time, and it's got good atmospherics in some songs. The problem, as it was with the last Pere Ubu record, is the extraordinary vocals. And I do not mean that in a good way. I sometimes wonder what possesses people who, with all due respect, cannot sing to become singers. I don't mean cannot sing in a Bobby Dylan 'acquired taste' sort of way, I mean genuinely weird tone deaf honking like this guy. What life choices led to this? Who told him to pursue it? Anyway, despite all that, the rest of the music creeps it into the twos.

are you kidding me? are you serious? i have one life on this shit-ass earth and you give me this? a toaster falling down the stairs while a half-drunk man warbles and alarms blare? NO!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JE REFUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i normally reserve the 1 stars for criminals but this was a crime against me. ugly, assaulting, not a single redeeming sound on the entire album. go to jail. i'll kill you

this is captain beefheart without the charm. this is the clash without the insight. this is t rex without the ability to play any instruments. this is david byrne trying to sing while at the dentist’s office without them using the suction tool to get all the extra spit out of his mouth.

Post punk garage rock.

Yeah, this album isn’t that good. Singer is terrible. Not sure how this was ranked as one of the top albums of its year, or how it’s on this countdown. Below average for sure. Not unbearably bad though, so going with 2 stars.

One of these albums where you wonder if this list is not a waste of time ! Can't wait to hear the second album !!! Voice 0/5 Music 1/5 Guitar 2/5

The first listen at 7 am on a cold winter morning made me dread relistening to this. When I eventually did get around to giving it another chance, I actually really enjoyed some songs. Can't give it more than a 3 though because there is a 6 minute song of glass smashing on top of unbearable dissonance.

2.5

-this was a really interesting album. definitely need to listen again at some point bc idk how well i absorbed it, but i liked what i heard -big fan of the more experimental instrumentation, i can imagine the impact that made on the post-punk scene this album helped establish -Favorites: Non-Alignment Pact, Street Waves

People who hated this immediately probably had their volume up too high for the screeching in the first track Modern Dance: undeniably goat-like vocals

Man, they really just let anyone sing in the old days.

This feels like it’s TRYING to piss you off, and I kind of love it. It’s chaotic and super weird and interesting and a bit scary. I love that it’s NOT for everyone and yet still has a beating heart to it. Will be great to torture friends with in the car.

Weird quirky album but I like it. Fans of both post punk and psych rock will enjoy

not really my kind of punk

Love the songs in the first half, get less interested as it gets more experimental but this is absolutely Me Music.

3.7

I’m sure there is some hipster somewhere that thinks it’s great

Groupe inconnu. Les bruitages sont désagréables, presque autant que le chant ... Dommage car le reste est plutôt original (+1), mais dès que le chant (-1) revient c'est un vrai calvaire à écouter. =>1/5

This album improves with multiple listens. Sometimes the vocal delivery is similar from track to track. But I'm generally not looking for good vocals in my punk rock. I'm looking for high energy and attitude and this delivers.

I had never heard of them or this album before, I really enjoyed it, I can imagine The Strokes playing it none stop !

1. 4/5 2. 5/5 3. 5/5 4. 3.5/5 5. 5/5 6. 4/5 7. 4/5 8. 5/5 9. 3.5/5 10. 5/5 Average: 4.4/5 4 stars

Hmmm. I think I’ve had enough of punk and post-punk now. I think you need to be aligned with this genre and a real fa to appreciate this. I’m neither, so didn’t.

Sounds more modern to me than year would suggest. Good soundscapes and moments. Would be good background music as well. Unsure what to think of this one.

Noise.

I’ve heard worse

Poeh, dit is dus weer zo'n album dat sarcastisch is. Een album dat 'als grap' slechte muziek maakt. Ja sorry, ik vind dat dus toch echt een beetje onzin. Want als een nummer als Laughing op komt, dan mag ik dat dus niet kut vinden. Want HAHA ZIE JE NOU NIET DAT HET IRONISCH IS!?!??!? HAHAHAH JE NEEMT HET ALLEMAAL VEEL TE SERIEUS!!! Hilarisch. Noem me dan maar een zeikerd die muziek te serieus neemt, maar als ik 1001+ albums ga luisteren, ja dan verwacht ik dat het daadwerkelijk albums zijn die de moeite waard zijn. Niet ironisch bedoelde hihaho muziek. Waarom staat er anders geen Schlager op deze lijst? Is iconisch, invloedrijk en de bedoeling van de muziek is een gezellige tijd. Of Happy Hardcore? Stuk invloedrijker dan dit album, dat durf ik wel te zeggen. Nope, Sentimental Journey is gewoon bagger. Ik krijg hier echt niets uit. Soms klinkt het best prima en dan begrijp ik ook wel een beetje wat ze willen doen, maar dit is grote stukken veeeeeel te experimenteel en dan gecombineerd met het 'ironische' vind ik dit gewoon ontzettend matig. Durf te zeggen dat er 1001 albums zijn die ik liever zou luisteren dan deze troep. "Its just a joke man!!!!" Fair, its just not very funny...

I listened to this once a while ago and didn't care for it, played it twice today and it's growing on me.

Ugh

Holy shit this was awesome

Previously rated: #1,018 - Dub Housing (3/5) ******************************** Album #1,019 I randomly got their two albums back to back. Makes it easier to compare the two, at least. This one seemed a bit jazzier, and maybe a little bit better overall. Still, those vocals can really get on my nerves. I'm glad it was on the short side. I'm glad I heard it, but I probably will not listen again.

Pues ya había escuchado otro que hay en la lista y vamos, serían muy innovadores, pero hoy en día resultan un poco insufribles. El arranque del disco es curioso y la canción que da título al disco está bien. Poco que añadir.

Gostaria de entender quem escolheu os álbuns dessa lista. Experiência divertida. Me lembrou Cap n Jazz.

1/16/26. Meh, thought it was a bit noisy and all over the place. Wasn't a fan of the vocals either; typically I like obscure and uncharacteristic singing styles, but this didn't work for me.

Ok I guess...

Pretentiously annoying

God awful. 1

This is just bad. It tries to be good, and it's bad. There's not much more discussion. Gives you a headache by the first song. Occasionally a good musical idea or riff, then immediately laughs at you for getting your hopes up and goes back into the unbearable. It's bad.

idk what's going on

Was really not in the mood to listen to weird music today. Will have to give this another try when I actually want to listen to something weird.

No me gustó

Weird music. Not 1 star bad, but also not something I'd like to listen to again

Its clearly okay, some great riffs and bass lines, but at times it seems like its making noise that is designed to be annoying. Glass smashing, not to be a sound to illustrate a point or to be a specific moment but more in a "less just smash bottles and record it". A bit try hard Difficult for the sake of difficult

Not my type of sound.

Hectic

Can't believe I didn't hear this sooner.

Interesting

Great. Now I have a headache. DNF Best Song: N/A Rating: 1/10 Stars: 1

Odd, clattery, and frankly a bit of a faff to sit through. More racket than revelation. Not for me, cheers.

Guys can be experimental if they want i guess but if they’re gonna make bad noises they BETTER be funny…. Pere Ubu you live to see another day

Damn... Make me feel like a hypocrite after I just slammed a similarly "outsider"-type album. Oh, well... my house, my rules. Hypocrisy be damned. This is an amazing album. So much of what came after it owes its success to this weird little outfit from right here in Cleveland, USA. Kurt Cobain famously said that Nirvana was essentially a Pixies cover band. The Pixies were somewhat less famously a Pere Ubu rip-off (multiple quotes from David Thomas and Black Francis confirm their friendly back-and-forth on that point.) Therefore, without "The Modern Dance", there would be no Foo Fighters and Courtney Love would probably be lead singer for No Doubt. Oddly, we already reviewed Pere Ubu's follow-up to this album, which presents a redundancy. As a replacement for "Dub Housing", I would suggest Ubu's most accessible record, "Cloudland", or a more contemporary act like Squid or Black Midi.

A gem from this list. This compares favorably with Talking Heads and I even like the lightbulb song.

feels like Im listening to slop. Wth is this bruh? How am I suppose to enjoy this? Waste of electricity. 1star

Punky, chaotic, and weird. Has a lot of experimental aspects but is a very energetic album with angsty vocals. Love the call and response in some of the songs and works great to give that energetic feel. 7/10, Favorite Song: Modern Dance

I can be short, I don’t really like this… Stand-outs - Humor Me - Over My Head

This was a bit too much for me - just felt a bit disjointed in its proto-punk / new wave elements. A bit of a slog of a listen as well at times.

70s new-wave. LOVE [esque]. Again, another possible grower.

I listened to it twice. I tried to really get into it. I can see how influential this would be to punks back then. The rhythmic grooves, abrasive guitar textures, and political content especially stand out in The Modern Dance.

Very unlikable with an occasionally solid drum or bass line.

Album 250 and not something or someone I have heard of before 🤔 Reviews have got me intrigued and when a magazine review says "listening through the failed stuff—the highs are worth it." I’m not sure it’s the best endorsement! Let’s see… Not quite as wild as I was expecting from the reviews, but clearly left field. Almost like Talking Heads meet Electric Six with a bit of experimentation thrown in for good measure. A sprinkling of Primus. I’m surprised, but I’m really down with this. Feels ahead of its time and I don’t usually like New Wave/Post-Punk. Glad I discovered it.

Ik vond het best wel muzikanten muziek. Niet helemaal mijn ding.

The high points for the album I actually kind of enjoyed, namely Non-alignment Pact and Humor Me, but the low points really dragged this album down. I’m fine with weird for the sake of weird, but when it’s actually unpleasant to the ears it’s hard to score this higher than 2 stars.

Dope

Not awful, but not really something I'd listen to again

Yeah, I don't know. I just didn't like it.

Sadly, more noise than music here.

Awful

If you were to believe the reviews on this website about this album, you would think that Pere Ubu stole someone baby and stabbed the mother with a rusty piece of sheet metal. Then you finally listen to it and it's... fine. I actually enjoyed this a lot, and it's crazy this came out in the 70s. I'm not denying that there are some more... grating bits to this album, but there are things on here I really enjoy and I don't understand the hate. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean it's bad.

not very easy to listen to

Still gets points for being one of the most notable bands to come out of Cleveland. But some of this stuff is a little inaccessible. Still - pretty badass in a lot of ways.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand why discordant noise with a rock backing makes me feel good - is it just that I can’t tune out of it and am forced to listen to the music? - but this is an awesome example of that genre. Strong 3.

84/1001 First listen. Never heard of Pere Ubu before. I played it a couple times. It was alright. I don’t think I need any more of this. The music was ok. The singing, not so much. 3/10

Started out alright but then turned super super weird

Thoughts before listening: I've always thought that Pere Ubu was a musician (or is it a band?) that I would enjoy. However, I feel like there was an earlier album in this project that didn't really work for me. Anyway, I'm expecting some post-punk weirdness here. Review: Nevermind, I haven't had a Pere Ubu album before. I pretty much nailed the sound though. Why is the bass always the most important instrument in these post-punk bands? It's certainly the case here, with the low end up front in the mix and lots of fun little lines through out. Some of these songs work well for me while others are on the wrong side of weird. I'm giving this 3-stars.

I’ve never heard of Pere Ubu prior to listening to this album. What sticks out the most for me is the experimental nature of some of the songs. For 1978, the loud synths and wacky solos seem a bit out there and I really enjoy it. There’s also a striking resemblance to the Melvins in much of the vocal delivery and experimental parts — and I can’t help but think that Pere Ubu lended some kind of inspiration to the Melvins material that came after. 3.9/5.0

I could hear early Modest Mouse and McClusky in these guys. Obviously Pere Ubu was hugely influenced by those two bands. I read somewhere that they listened to them all the time In their time machines

nice enough

not for me

Ouch! This album really tests you from the beginning by putting noise and chaos into the mix. If you get through the opening though, there are some okay qualities in the main core of the music. This is tough listen though, and I doubt I will put it on voluntarily later. I read a blogpost about the selection of this album regarding «1001 albums …» that suggested cutting out this record and do «The Police - Outlandos D’ Armour» instead. I think I will enjoy that more. I don’t think they have put a large segment of breaking bottles and other weird noises in their songs… Favourite songs: None

I don't know that I'd go out of my way to listen to this again, but I can appreciate it musically and for what it represented at the time it was released.

Панк артуха не живет вечно.

A handful of decent songs musically, had really goos bass throughout, but the singing was god awful. Incomprehensible babbling. Standout Songs: Modern Dance Street Waves

3.0 - Ok

dnf

Upon hearing the first couple of tracks, I began to think I was going to be one of the few who enjoyed it, and I wondered why so many listeners' notes were disparaging. However, I soon began to realise as the album wore on, and by the end, I knew that two stars was the most I would give it. If it wasn't for those first couple of songs, it would have been just one star.

One of those albums where it hits just right for me personally, but I also totally get the 1 star reviews on here

Shows potential but falls between several stools.

Yikes!

I couldn’t even get past the opening feedback noise, that was uncalled for.

Fuck that noise.

This album can just fuck all the way off.

Really enjoyed it

Jesus this album is weird. I can't believe it's 1977. It could be this year and I wouldn't think twice. This was pretty but also probably the worst album to accidentally get way too high to

Went into this one blind and was pleasantly surprised! It is avant-garage, punk rock. There is some great bass parts and synth work, I heard a bit of The Monks in some songs. There were maybe 2 songs that were meh, but the rest was really good.

He kind of sounds like a goat sometimes??

I cannot stand the way this guy sings at all. Occasionally I might stumble on a part I like only for it to be broken by either the vocals or random noisy bullsh*t nuh-uh.

6/10 They sound like they are having fun, so good for them. Wish they didn't do that tone on the first song. 12-19-2025

I didn't like this one as well as the other on the list. This was a little out there.

On their debut album Pere Ubu expertly layers David Thomas' avant-garde vocals and Allen Ravestine's unconventional synthesizer playing on top of a solid and sure-footed rock rhythm section, with Tom Herman's often-jagged guitar snaking its way through the middle. Together all of these elements create a variety of potent atmospheres and moods on this album, sometimes whimsical but at other times capable of cutting to the bone. In addition, even though Thomas's lyrics often have an aburdist slant, the songs are still infused with genuine human feeling due to his expressive singing.

weird post punky

What exactly is a point of having a track where there's a bunch of glass breaking and screaming? Honestly is that musical? Take a hard look at yourselves in the mirror and reflect upon your decisions, cause this is a joke.

Not my type.

No

Ahead of its time, groovy, oddly catchy - and totally up my alley. It adds a level of slickness to punk that I just don't think was super prominent at the time of its release - I'd say songs like 'Street Waves', 'Haunt Me', and 'Non-Alignment Pact' are the perfect examples of that. In the bass specifically here, it's super melodic and reminds me a lot of the style guys like Mike Watt would go on to adopt later on in their music (I hear a lot of Minutemen in this album in general). The song structures are twisted and unpredictable, often bursting into these experimental non-sequiturs, most egregiously on 'Laughing', which has this absolutely piercing, shrill saxophone (or oboe?) going bananas for a solid chunk of the song. It makes a grand return on 'Life Stinks' where it's also coupled with this weird, trippy bubbling noise in the right channel. 'Sentimental Journey' is all over the place, like a free jazz, post-rock monster that just trudges along over David's light, nonsensical whispers. It's the most batshit insane thing here. I want to say the song 'Chinese Radiation' is the most ahead of its time here, sounding straight out of a '90s alternative rock song in its first half at least. 'Over My Head' I feel similarly about, and it's maybe the most Talking Heads-sounding thing here...though a bit more psych. It's a challenging record for sure, but discovering great music like this is why I keep going with this list. An absolute all-timer record that I'll have on repeat for the foreseeable future. Very few gripes here.

Don't really 'get' it. Not interested in what I do to look deeper.

Wow... noise and stuff. Im gonna give it a 2 for making me think a bit more than I normally do when listening to music. Like.. what is that sound? A beer bottle rolling across pavement?

A perfectly cromulent post-punk album

Wonderfully weird. Sentimental journey was unnecessary but other than that this was a cool album. Loved the use of dissonance.

This highly influential album sounds like punk meets art installation. There’s a lot of musique concrète style found-sound and abstract atmospherics which sometimes seems at odds with the punk ethos which otherwise pervades this record. The lyrics evoke the love songs of the last couple on earth, living in the debris of a collapsed civilisation. It’s bleak, as proper punk was meant to be. It’s instrumentally assured and lyrically clever which was always problematic for the punk pioneers, for whom unpracticed immediacy was a hallmark of authenticity and a large part of the charm. They do have an admirable indifference to pop appeal - there are no ear worms here. More a historical artefact than a must hear album in its own right.

This was simply not good.

This one was ok. Pretty interesting. 3 stars.

classic and sometimes funny

If you told me this was TV On The Radio’s first album, I’d believe you. And then I’d tell you that their other albums are better.

I thought this one was actually a hard one to rate. There's a couple songs that I really enjoyed. But the avant-garde stuff is really not my thing

quirky brilliance

An OK album. Some tracks were good, others not so good. Even annoying.

4/10

1978???????? completamente a frente do tempo puta merda disso isso pere ubu influenciou parte considerável de bandas que eu tenho como favoritas, e eu entendo 100% pq brabo

EBA finalmente o santo bateu com pere ubu. sempre quis curtir mais, mas não conseguia encontrar um momento bom pra ouvir. acho que agora foi, viu. post punkzada de 78 super experimental, bonito demais de se ver. os cara era BÃO de serviço, hein, pqp. barulhada de altíssima qualidade, cê tá maluco. dei 5 estrelas pra wire por serem pra frentex, logo esses aqui merecem também. tudo que eu curto de BARULHEIRA veio daqui, graças a deus. (((o ouvinte médio desse site é burro e tem mal gosto. morte ao rock de papai)))

Haven‘t heard this for probably ten years… and actually saw them live even longer ago. So I totally forgot how great this record is. A blueprint for all the great Post-Punk albums to come.

I hope I never have to listen to this again

once again we have a problem because truly this is a 3.5 album. the issue really is how i gave other earlier reviews a 3 that they were not in fact deserving of. i have to now speak my truth and admit both the fall and the manic street preachers deserved a 2. i’m sorry to say it but that’s how i feel. this album is the one that deserves a 3 (really a 3.5). particularly enjoyed chinese radiation and am on my third listen of that. how can i give an album a mere three if i am currently replying one song for the third time? easy. that song just happens to be the best. the rest are good but not in a life shattering way. the instrumental in this is beyond though. that twang of the mmmmmmmh … mmmmmmmh. you’ll know it when you hear it. non alignment pact is also good but nowhere near close to chinese radiation. what the hell the lyrics mean i don’t know, don’t ask me.

Had a difficult time finishing this one. Not a fan.

I think this list has had more post punk than actual punk albums. Most of them are terrible as well. This album, which I've never heard of or the band, is the exception. It sound like I'd hope post punk sounded. It still has the energy and speed, but just adds some experimental instrumentation and such like horns. Still pretty much punk but with some extra elements. Digging the vibe on this. 4/5

This reminded me of wire but in a captain beefheart way.

Sort of like a bad Talking Heads album. 2 stars or D.

Not quite my thing.

I would like some music that sounds good

04/12/2025 This just wasn't for me, I found it quite annoying. Spotify listeners: 29.2k

A couple of OK parts but not enough to salvage the rest of the shouting and dissonance

Overall vibe: LOUD NOISES!!!! Notes: It’s loud, it’s noisy and it’s seems like… well the noise just exists without intent, without cohesiveness. The only consistency is just a smattering of noise and for what? I dunno. I hate it. The drugs must’ve been next level in the 70s. Thank god it was only 35 minutes.

Pretty good, in an odd sort of way.

Gritty garage sound that permeates the brain

Strangely, although I didn’t have any memory of hearing this album previously, a few songs jogged my remembrance of being a very young kid listening to KROQ in Los Angeles in the very early 80’s. This is a good one that I’ll have to revisit.

I like the first song (after the shrill intro passes that is) but the rest sounds a bit amateurish and I don’t like the lead singers attempt at singing for the most part.

Lots of noise work and it sometimes kinda works but is all over the place. I'm having a hard time reviewing this because some parts I kind of even like but I think it's because of how much it's being abstract. Laughing was a good example where I doubt know if this is good but it leaves you adrift for a while and then regrounds and gives you a normal song for a bit. Worth listening to but I'm not sure on required. Strong 2 weak 3

I enjoyed this more than the other Pere Ubu album on the list. It had some interesting punk moments. Not required listening.

Classic album. The first four tracks are perfect

Nope.

Absolutely not for me.

Weird...I like it.

Nice surprise. Not what I was expecting but did enjoy it..... I think.

2.6 2x not great but background for Dog Star Man on plane to SFO

Not really into it, but some of it was pretty cool.

Yikes. Over My Head is the closest to an actual song, but yikes.

Pas du tout ma came.

Just not my thing

I had to listen to this album more than once and each time it grew on me. Some of these songs are brilliant yet bizarre. Really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Überhaupt nicht mein Fall. Ich höre nur Krach und Geschrei. 1/5

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 Bouncing between a 3 and a 4. Really enjoy the first half. Second half not as much. Currently listening to Street Waves so there you go.

Avante Garage! Love this band now, need to listen to them more. Best songs are tracks 1-3 (but especially Laughing) and Life Stinks.

Kul album, zanimljiv spoj panka, proga, na trenutke i psihodelije, a ima malo i Talking Heads vibe. Lajkam! 3/5, 6/10

Fortunately, the album is not very long. It is weird, but luckily not disgusting. I bet Luis will like it. :/

Unsettling and exhausting.

I'm pretty good without this. Purposefully harsh sounds.

Not mad about this.

Ngl they almost lost me with that recorder song. 2.5

6/10

Another Pere Ubu album? This is overkill. It's much the same as the other, i.e. someone who needs to blow their nose is singing, beginners on the instruments and songs that are held together by sticky tape. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good. I always thought they were a band people said they liked for kudos. This hasn't changed my view. Best Tracks: Non Alignment Pact; Modern Dance; Street Waves

Appreciate the energy and punk riffs, hard to stomach his voice at times.

3 - actually kinda liked it

Ere Pubu

like a lot of modern dance, briefly diverting and then tedious

Interesting band. Avant Garage:) 4.4 stars

"The Modern Dance" is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Art punk, experimental rock and avant-garde are the Wiki-listed genres. Yeah, that works. "The music draws influences from the avant-garde, garage rock, music concrète, performance art and the rust belt." The bandmembers included David Thomas (vocals, musette, percussion), Tom Herman (guitar, backing vocals), Allen Ravenstine (synthesizers, saxophone, tapes), Tony Maimone (bass, piano, backing vocals) and Scott Krauss (drums). The album was commercially unsuccessful but had critical acclaim for its influence in the development of post-punk. Piercing feedback opens "Non-Alignment Pact." A ringing guitar and the drums come in...very garage rock sounding. A melodic bass. Thomas' muffled vocals but very catchy backing vocals. "The Modern Dance" features field recordings by Ravenstine including water spraying and street sounds. Triangle ticks. Post-punk guitar. A more prominent bass. Echoing backing vocals. It's quirky. It's dancey. "Street Waves" proves the band can rock if they want to. Wind blowing and a guitar solo. Former guitarist Peter Laughner wrote "Life Stinks." Thomas screaming. A hypnotic guitar. Shuffling drums and scratching noises. The music goes chaotic yet they keep the beat. The band uses a fireplace to break glass (when all else fails) in "Sentimental Journey." Slow guitar strings and Thomas with haunting vocals. Thomas also plays the musette. This song was their anti-take on the 1945 Doris Day pop song. Mission accomplished. The music on on this album is quirky, dancey, experimental and catchy. Idiosyncratic beats. Post-punk guitar with lots of scratching and feedback. A melodic thumping bass. Thomas' annoying yet lovable musette. The random noises of course. Thomas' vocals are unique to say the least...yelping, chaotic screaming and mumbling. Performance art - Yes! This album is great. I love irritating noises and sounds when they start to make sense and that's what this album does after multiple listens. I don't know who to recommend this to other than those who are willing for a steep initial activation musical energy hump before the understanding comes.

Ok not my taste

Way out there album filled with oddities

*confused* the first two songs are your average punk song but when the goddamn awful noiseful bagpipes hit it become suddenly unlistenable. 3/5

I assume that this was alright back in the day but wow, was this an annoying album to listen to today... Some of the songs were alright but others just had very annoying off-tune sounds, the vocals were super meh, but some of the instrumentals were pretty alright at times.

Had heard OF these guys but never heard them. Don't care for the high-pitched noise throughout the opening track. There are moments and aspects of this album that I like but it is a little too noise/avant-garde for my current taste.

Pue la merde

Je peux comprendre le bail expérimentation etc mais j'ai pas kiffé

Vakte ingen sterke følelsa ved første gjennomlytting

I did not enjoy any of these songs. Not one.

This was funky! I liked it

Great vibes but uneven

Exactly what I’m here for, good stuff I’ve never heard of. Enjoyed it enough to go and listen to another of theirs.

Insane, cacophanous, and ahead of its time. I loved this album; though the lows are low, the highs are in the clouds. The screaming guitars, experimental instrumentation, unique vocal sound, and constant delivery of unexpected twists made this an instant relisten, and saying I'll come back to it is the highest praise I can give.

Very good