Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Interesting but it sounded like they were trying too hard to be weird
I wanted to like it more.
Pere Ubu’s previous album Dub Housing was one of my favourite finds of this project - an urgent and noisy post punk project that sounded like Talking Heads’ aggressive older brother. This follow up was less enjoyable, and in places just felt like it was being noisy for the sake of being noisy (especially the tinnitus-inducing introduction) rather than adding anything to the songs. There’s still a great attitude throughout it and some solid grooves, but not as exciting as the earlier record
At times Devo like.
Had not heard of this band before, and I don't think I'd heard any of their music before, either. It's quite wild and rough at times and it seems to me that's exactly what they meant to do. The bass and drums are great. Guitar is solid, too, and interesting. I get that vocally they were trying to be outlandish, or something like that, and I can appreciate what they were going for, but as a listener, it's not my thing. Overall, though, quite good.
3
Jodå, ganska hygglig stundtals.
Nice
The last time I listened to a Pere Ubu album was much earlier in this project, over 700 albums ago. Although there are times where it still sounds like an unsupervised middle school band room, I am wondering if I have developed more tolerance for such cacophony or if I liked this one better. I think it may be tolerance. For God's sake, the thing starts with what sounds like a smoke detector going off. Not a great way to start a groggy morning commute. My spouse later walked into the room with the sounds of glass breaking and some shrill reed squawking and wasn't impressed. So, the fact that I didn't hate this must mean something has happened to me in these two years. Mind you, I still didn't like it. But it was certainly remarkable and quite unforgettable.
I recall that my first encounter with Pere Ubu was not well-received, so I wasn’t expecting much this time. Maybe that low expectation helped, but I found myself kind of interested in what they offered in this album…really enjoying some moments. By the end I was barely hanging on though.
I didn’t hate it. After reading a couple reviews, I thought I would. It was interesting and I can see why people like it. Once is enough for me
I know of Pere Ubu from back in the day, and I have the 1976 single “Final Solution” on a compilation album. But this album will be new to me. I’m pretty interested to listen to this. I “warmed up” by playing the aforementioned Final Solution, which I like (rated 3/5 stars on my iTunes). So on to the album. I like the overall sound here, a little “unpolished”, good driving rhythms. Not a huge fan of the vocal stylings, but reminiscent of Television. And some of the more experimental passages aren’t my favorite. But this isn’t boring, it’s different, and there’s several high points that take me right back to 1978. Really, this is the kind of album I came to this project to hear. That said, this is certainly niche, and not something I expect to purchase. Solid 3/5 for being ambitious, and interesting.
Unique but nothing id come back to. Rating: 2.7
Interesting. But not something I'd listen to everyday.
The first Weird album! I was vaguely aware of this band's existence but never bothered to look into them. Quite listenable for something more 'avant garde', I liked it.
This was an absorbing listen and while it's not my speed, I could understand why this would be so influential.
I don't know why this group has another album on this list. It was weird and just ok. I made it through the whole thing and give it a rounded up 3
I appreciate the craziness and the uniqueness of this whole album. Wild. Just don't think I'll need to relisten though 3.6
Yesterday I found out my son, who is in his 2nd year at university, has been suspended from school because he's failed most of his classes. So now he's coming home to try and sort things out and figure out where to go from here. Then last night my wife was taking down Christmas decorations and for some reason she stepped in the kitchen sink to try and reach something, and the sink separated from the granite countertop and collapsed. So I've been spending today dealing with both of those things. Anyway, on to the music. It's alright I guess. I feel like I'm a little sick of everything these days. 3 stars.
Almost infinitely better than the follow-up, Dub Housing, which is almost unlistenable.
Rode the Street Waves in the Real World on this one. Kind of like Chinese Radiation.
As before, the impact of what this was at the time is lost to me, certain songs drag on too long even for a short album, when it gets going it's pretty good. can appreciate, will never listen again.
Una lliçó sobre com retorçar el rock, trepitjar les estructures habituals del génere, innovar en les composicions, i sonar rellevant i interessant, conservant el sentit musical. Una lliçó mal apresa per la majoria de grups que han tractat de fer quelcom semblant
Punk.
Bof c'est correct pas plus. Je n'ai pas mit mon review le jour même et je me souviens de rien donc pas très marquant mais pas mauvais 3
Delightfully odd! A mashup of TV On The Radio’s singer and Fugazi’s music. A few moments of brilliance.
Tough album to rate on one listen. I really dug some parts and others were skippable. Overall, I’d give it another spin at some point, so I’ll round it up.
3.5 . Post-punk in the middle of the punk rock movement. Theres alot of elements that I recognize as being influential to others, and theres some stuff that doesnt quite work. Bonus points for lineage to Rocket from the Tombs and Dead boys. I will say the recording sounded pretty good considering its a low budget (i assume) avant garde album
Honestly? Dub Housing is better. They sound like they are really having fun there. Here just feels like a warmup.
Really enjoyed a lot of this
I enjoyed this! Felt like something that would’ve sounded contemporary 25 years after it was released, aside from a few of the more discordant for discordance’s sake tracks.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. The vocals sound like they could be from recent series of south park. Pretty fun
It's avant-garde punk rock, and pretty good for a first album. Some of the songs work, some don't. The band would improve over the years.
Vähän kokeellista dressman rockia missä on hiukkanen elektronista seassa joissain kappaleissa. Lievästi kaoottista myös
It was kind of great but leaning towards OK
Way more interesting than I thought it would be
Kind of a Dead Kennedys meets the Pixies with a sound machine vibe.
It's like being in a drunken bar brawl with Talking Heads: you're never super sure where the next punch is going to come from. It misses more than it hits, but the hits feel solid enough. Call it a 2.5. Favorite tracks: "Life Stinks", "Street Waves"
A strange arty punk/rock album that I'm not too sure of what to make of it. There were lots of weird sounds and beeps that I'm not sure what Pere Ubu was going for, but modern dance, I wouldn't have picked that from the overall listen. There were some glimpses of goodness, but overall a little lackluster. Best: Modern Dance Worst: Laughing 2.5 Stars
More interesting than awesome. There are some bits that are engaging alternative rock with a challenging edge, but there's also enough experimentation that doesn't work.
Is it weird I’ve never heard of this band? Sounds like the kind of thing I used to listen to a lot.
Can't blame anyone for not making it past the first few seconds. I guess that's how they let you know what you're in for. That opening is probably the worst part though. Not that the rest is really amazing, it's just not that bad.
A classic art-punk record which I listened to back in the late 80's, because a few friends used to be into them. Not revisited this since mind you. Not a lot like it back then or even now. Seems odd listening to it in perfect clarity instead of what was probably a very old worn LP! It's pretty good, best tracks; Street Waves, Real World . It gets a 3.
Not the finest thing punk has to offer
Interessert å høre på men ikke noe behagelig å høre på 3.5
Whenever I see an album tagged as "art rock" or "art punk" I reflexively lower my expectations a bit. As expected, this one shows promise at times, but more often is off-putting, I suspect simply for the sake of being inaccessible. It's a bit like early B52s or Talking Heads, but more abrasive.
Noisy and ridiculous, in the best ways. I used to really dislike Pere Ubu, but they've kind of grown on me over the years. Not everyday listening, but I appreciate this band's fearless creativity. Fave Songs: Street Waves, The Modern Dance, Non-Alignment Pact, Humor Me, Real World, Chinese Radiation
I'd swivel between a 3 & 3.5 depending on my mood. Decent punk/post-punk.
Simultaneously charming and off-putting. Seems more intentionally weird and difficult than their debut "Dub Housing," which I prefer.
Boy I know the name but I did not know the music. Vocals are very unique... I can see people absolutely hating them and I am not sure how I feel. I bet live this would be killer though. Definitely has avant-garde fuck you energy that I can get behind. I may need to revisit later.
Frantic, cynical and fun. I really enjoyed this album. Can't believe I've never heard of this band before.
Congratulations to anyone who got through the first 20 seconds of this album. You either weren't paying attention, or you're now clinically insane. The lead singer sounds a little too much like Pete Townshend. If you weed through the garbage, there are some gems here, moments of which are enough to push it up from a 2 to a 3. But Jesus Christ, do you have to kiss a lot of frogs. So many that it's almost not worth it. Avant Garde doesn't always mean "listenable". Oh well. I'm sure Yoko Ono is found of this.
It’s fine
Kinda weird but not bad
Oh god what the hell was that feedback noise at the beginning of Non-Alignment Pact!? That was especially horrible over my car speakers. Might not have sounded so bad in 1978. This ended up being okay, some neat early post-punk. Will I listen again? Probably not. Generally this wasn't my thing. It was just too unhinged with no real substance or direction to justify it. Seems very creative for 1978 though. Favourite: Modern Dance
Short angular dirty grooved funk rock. Bit like Talking Heads dirty uncle.
Knotty, spiky and interesting at times. Bonus points for originality and willingness to experiment. Points off for lack of melody or anything remotely pleasurable.
3.75
I'm delighted that Dimery's list has weird art-rock records like this. It's important that all sorts of music are represented, in spite of all the reviewers in here grumbling about this one and giving it low grades (I'm talking about music from the "western" world and using the album format, at least). Besides, Pere Ubu is an act so bizarre that it literally can't age. Some reviewers talking about the two Pere Ubu albums selected by Dimery referred to recent groundbreaking bands like Squid or black midi so as to give their opinions and try to explain what those LPs are all about. And I'm also glad about this. There's definitely an affinity between Pere Ubu's own off-kilter sound in 1978 and the one played by quite important rock bands that don't want to fully rehash the past these days. The good news is also that, contrary to *Dub Housing*, *The Modern Dance* more or less manages to keep momentum for the duration of its ten tracks. "Non-Alignment Pact" and the title-track offer great moments right off the bat. David Thomas' frantic voice, somewhere between Jello Biafra and David Byrne, is an acquired taste, of course. But once you find your footing with it, it becomes quite fascinating. After that great start, "Laughing"'s deconstructed, sax-enhanced shenanigans are a bit of a letdown, yet Thomas's voice does a good enough job getting you hooked in spite of the overaffected free-jazz surroundings. And then "Street Waves" quickly surges anyway--with one bridge containing a classic guitar solo that will easily rock your socks off, and another bridge where eerie wind sounds will suddenly keep you on your bare toes as you force them to walk on ice. Funny how those two bridges actually epitomize the two sides of the word *art-rock* all by themselves. Following "Street Waves", you have "Chinese Radiations", another "deconstructed" cut going from a slow ambient mood to a more lively conclusion. Yet this time, said "decontructed cut" is fortunately far more efficient and evocative. Thomas then goes totally bezerk on bonkers "Life Stinks"--the rhythm section is on a full punk mode here--before centerpiece " Real World" ensues--some sort of dub track that goes off the rails to become far more at the end: a mesmerizing-yet-hectic plea and a proto-Talking Heads gem all at the same time. After that, calm "Over My Head" and its haunted background vocals provide a welcome respite--with another lovely guitar solo for its bridge. Concluding the album, you have "Sentimental Journey", a self-indulgent, seemingly improvised number where the most recognizable pattern comes for the sound of breaking glass (the studio's floor was notoriously littered with broken bottles after they recorded that cut). And then, you have the mock-reggae of "Humour Me", with fun clapping hands helping you digest all the guitar and synth harmonies around them--weird ones for sure, yet also poignant, oddly enough. That last guitar solo, short but epic, is a major plus to turn that closer into a highlight. Voilà, to put it in a nutshell. *The Modern Dance* is a mid-western, no-wave version of Roxy Music. As such, it's "out there" and sort of a mixed bag, but it's still a fun listen if you open your mind and try to forget the usual expectations of run-of-the-mill rock and punk-rock. It sure won't send you to the highs that Wire or Gang Of Four can aim at (two bands that Spotify's algorithm played after *The Modern Dance* ended--which was highly predictable, lol). But it's still a success in its own (admittedly bizarre) terms. After all, you can find other admirable players in second leagues sometimes. Number of albums left to review: 442 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 260 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 133 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 168
Had some real chaotic energy, was mostly fun to listen through. A 3.5
Interesting sound. Never heard them before. 3/5
Didn’t know this band. Lots of interesting stuff going on. Probably needs another listen or two to land on proper rating.
Niet slecht.
This list is a real treasure trove of experimental rock and early punk. There are a lot of bands I'm learning about for the first time. The sort of bands that your favorite bands probably listened to. Pere Ubu sounds at times like a less polished B-52's. A little more wild and out there and experimental. Something I've learned by going through this list is that punk and post-punk basically happened around the same time. The name 'post-punk' can be misleading because it suggests that it could have only happened after punk became popular. But it seems like almost right away, a lot of experimental bands picked up on the energy of punk and twisted it in new directions. ("Chinese Radiation" is a good example of post-punk on this album.) Maybe post-punk is a good descriptor of bands that were influenced by experimental 60's rock and just happened to be continuing those sounds alongside punk rock. I also read something recently where a music critic argued that bands don't think about genre as much as fans and critics do. They just make the music they want to make and it gets labelled after. That seems right. Pere Ubu is a band that clearly made whatever crazy music they wanted to make. I don't think they thought a ton about music history when recording this album. The first half felt more focused than the second half. A few tracks lost me in the back half, particularly the nonsense noise of “Sentimental Journey.” 2.5
Cool sound. The immediate drastic panning of instruments is very annoying. I've written before about how I think it's very easy for panning to hurt a song's overall production and how frequently this kind of stark/heavy handed panning was happening in records from the 50s up to the 80s. I am enjoying track 2 "Modern Dance". It's got this cool repetitive riff and yelping vocal part that I find attractive. Track 3, "Laughing" is cool too. I like how improvisational it feels. That is a musical concept that I feel like this list has been avoiding. Overall I give it a 3.
I have to be in the mood, but when I am I like them.
Late 70s was an interesting time for music. The cool musicians were leading the charge to trying to get run away from disco as fast as possible. This coupled with economic woes resulted in an environment ripe for creativity and change. This album was one of the results. Sure there is a lot of noise and at times it sounds like a novelty act but it’s still a good example of the creativity that came out of that period.
This album has a much more Ramones-y, rock&roll feel to it than their other 1001 offering, Dub Housing. Yet there are still a few avant-garde pieces thrown in to please the lovers of noise.
Pere Ubu has always one of those bands that I struggle to "get into". They're similar to say The Residents or Captain Beefheart with Kraut Rock sensibilities. With no discernable melodies and purposely ugly vocals, its a challenging listen. But I guess this is intentional as they're reflecting the angst and chaos of their apocalyptic world.
Some of it was interesting some of sounded like a bratty 5 year old with a toy trumpet
HL: "Non-Alignment Pact", "Street Waves", "Humor Me" Listening to this made me go back to Surfer Rosa, for two reasons. One, I underappreciated it the first time, plus this generator has blessed me with a tolerance for noisier rock I may not have had then. And two, there has to be some of Pere Ubu's David Thomas in Black Francis's vocal stylings. This isn't an easy listen, but it's surprisingly catchy at times. I actually liked the spooky synth, but I was less enthused when it was isolated in my right ear. Just put the damn oboe down 3*, I’m feeling generous August 3, 2023
Hämmentävä levy! Laidasta laitaan matskua niin postrockia kun reggaetakin. Jotenkin sellanen popedamainen versio talking headsista tulee mieleen. Täytyy kuunnella uudelleen myöhemmin jos sit vaikka hiffais onks tää birdy vai fisu 3/5
Vinksahtanut ja ihan hauska levy, alku vahvempi kuin loppupuoli joka menee jo vähän kikkailun puolelle. 3/5
I tried to be impartial but this album is near unlistenable. I liked maybe one song on this but it is so frustrating to listen to. I don't think I could listen to this again, 1.5 (2) stars.
Certainly an album
Similar feelings after listening to PiL and The Residents... Not mad it's on the list and I'm glad I listened but will definitely never play it again and generally think it stinks. In the songs that are actually songs and not just avant-garde weirdness, I like the rhythm section and guitar. The vocals and everything else ruin it. I added Street Waves to my 1001 playlist because it's the most listenable track. Oh, the album artwork is spectacular!
This album sounded like an ode to alcoholism. I'm not entirely upset that we got another album from this guy, but I am a little upset. The first song starts with an unbearable screeching sound that leaves me asking why. I think that set the tone for an album that was overall a little more unpleasant in its experimenting than the last one we listen to. Again, I appreciate some of the sound design and creativity, and it's cool when there's actual music mixed in, but I strongly dislike his singing. Sometimes the messaging was appealing to me, but others I found it overindulgent in its nihilism.
Huh, this is funny, since we already reviewed another Pere Ubu album. These are the 2 albums by Pere Ubu that I remember hearing about (and that they were good, if not great), when I was in college (ca. 1981-82). I'm glad for the chance to finally hear these 2 albums (which I'd always meant to check out), and to realize that I wasn't really missing all that much (that I would care much for). My review of this one is the same as the other one: 2 stars. (See previous review for add'l comments - or not!)
Too "modern" for me
Occasional cool guitar bits saved this from a 1 star. Pretty shite.
"oh man when i get home i HAVE to listen to "Sentimental Journey" again. It's such a banger" -no one ever
This is a rock album for dolphins. The squeaky unintelligible lyrics are for dolphins. Recorded by a dolphin man. The vocals put me all the way off of this album. The sound overall is kinda meh but not altogether horrible. It's fine. 2 stars. I think the modern dance is me scrambling and running away from this album.
3/10 Generally terrible, only saved by the first couple of tracks
At least it is a short album. The vocals and sounds are just not good. I’m being kind and rounding up to 2.
It blurred together
Started off ok-kind of Talking Heads vibe. But that was about it. After couple tracks, vocals were unintelligible.
Awkward listen, it sounds dated and far less interesting than their bio suggested
i was waiting for it to be over the whole time
Ett par balla riff här och där men tyvärr få låtar jag kommer minnas. Har inte tålamod för 5 minuter glaskross.
Kan ändå förstå att någon kan gilla det här, även om jag själv inte gör det.
At 280+ albums into this project, protecting listening time and energy for records that have a genuine chance of connecting is not laziness — it’s honesty. A few tracks of The Modern Dance was enough to confirm that this sits firmly in a sonic universe that has consistently not connected throughout this list. David Thomas’s deliberately unsettling vocals, the intentional dissonance, the controlled chaos — all of it points toward a corner of avant-garde post-punk that has earned respect and genuine admiration from the right listeners for decades. This listener is not among them. The historical importance is real and acknowledged. The point of diminishing returns arrived early. A 2 that reflects an honest triage rather than a full listen — sometimes that’s the most useful review you can write.
that's a no from me 2/5
4/10
rumore alternato a musica, cosa che filosoficamente posso capire, è un fatto però come album da ascoltare è pochissimo fruibile
Too much
4/10 I like the experimental and inventive sounds used, but it's just a bit too weird at times and struggled to keep my attention. Nothing profound here. Best track: Modern Dance Will I revisit?: No
Mostly this pissed me off but there were couple decent tunes
Liked the first couple of songs. Album went south for me pretty quickly after that.
Maybe it’s because I read about it first and had very low expectations, but — against all odds — I kinda like this goofy, oddball album. Some of it is absolute crap, but some of it clicked with me.
Well, don't need to hear that again. Although it sometimes reminded me of Talking Heads.
I appreciate the avant-garde boundary pushing for song structure and melodic composition, but there is a line where the music itself still has to be enjoyable. There are some good songs here, but that feels secondary to the pure experimentation. Which is not a bad thing, just not for me. Top tracks: Non-Alignment Pact, Street Waves
It’s like if punk rock was in a Wes Anderson movie.
Not interested
“ The Modern Dance has been critically acclaimed.” I felt like I was being yelled at the entire time I listened.
Weird. Not the worst thing I've ever heard
This album just kind of sounds bad to me. I don't really get what this album is about and I just couldn't really enjoy it. It wasn't the worst thing I ever heard, but that still doesn't mean I liked it.
Congratulations to anyone who got through the first 20 seconds of this album. You either weren't paying attention, or you're now clinically insane. The lead singer sounds a little too much like Pete Townshend. If you weed through the garbage, there are some gems here, moments of which are enough to push it up from a 1 to a 2. But Jesus Christ, do you have to overlook a lot of garbage. So much that it's almost not worth it. Avant Garde doesn't always mean "listenable".
This was mostly bad.
Raw Punk Rock Highlights: Non-Alignment Pact, Humor Me. 2.7
This thing is just weird AF hahaha. Not something i'd buy or listen to again. But not bad, it has strange sounds all over, panning, then there's this like punk voice shouting... not terrible but not a fan.
This may be projection, but I really recognise my adhd brain in this album - the occasional melodies are quickly disrupted (sometimes effectively, more often painfully) with all sorts of experimentation. A lot to admire but unfortunately too often obscured by chaos
70’s Punk
Pere ubu
Listening session: april 30th, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: too much noise for me… I almost fave up when the glass shattering started. There were Some okay moments in between though (for example Street Waves) Favourite track: Street Waves
2 1/2
The opening of the first track was much like my Tinnitus! I realise taste is subjective but I didn't hear anything that would mark this album out for inclusion within this 1001 albums list. Not to my taste but someone will love it. Two stars. 1 "Non-Alignment Pact" (2/5) 2 "The Modern Dance" (2/5) 3 "Laughing" (2/5) 4 "Street Waves" (2/5) 5 "Chinese Radiation" (2/5) 6 "Life Stinks" (2/5) 7 "Real World" (2/5) 8 "Over My Head" (2/5) 9 "Sentimental Journey" (2/5) 10 "Humor Me" (2/5) Total - 20 Average - 2 309/1001 169/309 albums reviewed were new to me.
Just too odd and noisy for my tastes.
I really dug like 65% of this. But the weird songs are… maybe too weird for me.
They were probably on something crazy while recording this. I appreciate the album but for majority of the songs they sound more gimmicky than anything Fav Song: 5.2/10
If it weren't for the screeching noises and various (sometimes annoying) sounds, this would have been much more enjoyable for me. I admire weird music, but some of the sounds were a little too piercing in my ears and made it tough to find room for admiration. There were cool grooves on some of the songs (thinking Real World), though.
Starts out with some good punk vibes, and then just throws it right down the shitter to be experimental. I get it, I don't have a fancy schmancy music degree. That doesn't mean I can't call out blaring caterwhauling when I hear it.
Jagged experimental post-punk built on abrasive guitars, off-kilter rhythms, synth noise, and manic, unhinged vocals jerks forward with chaotic unpredictability. Listening feels like being inside a malfunctioning machine that sputters, lurches, and suddenly sparks to life. The result is bold, unsettling, often deliberately difficult and disorienting
It was good at first, but then they started recording noises. 2 stars
I’m sure there are some merits to this but it just didn’t land for me
I had a reallllll hard time with a lot of this album. Maybe I am just not smart enough to “get it” but some of it was alright not an abject disappointment in my mind
Not for me...interesting sounds, though I wish the first track didn't nearly set off my tinnitus issues.
Much like The Birthday Party, this was a little discordant. Luckily the variety held my interest more throughout, and it eventually turned out to be a decent album. Wouldn't listen again, likely, but they...did a good job?
decent
At times I kind of liked this but many I did not.
I’ll admit, not my cup of tea. But I did enjoy Over My Head, and Life Stinks was fun.
Had to skip some songs.
Funniest album title compared to the music. I really want to give it a 3 for effort, it’s wicked and weird and there’s a song that just has primarily broken glass sounds. Streetwise is an actual good song, great rhythm part. But there’s a lot of nonsense.
The vocals are a bit annoying and the music is nothing special. I didn't hate it, but I have no intention of listening again.
4/10. Fun sound not too memorable for me
578/1001 2026.03.25
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
eh, some good songs but mostly weird
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.
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.
I feel like this is what I would hear if I was locked in a padded cell. Not a fan.
Abrasive for the sake of being abrasive. It has its moments, but seems to revel in irritating the listener.
what
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.
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.
Un peu trop expérimental peut être, il y a tout de même des bons moments plus accessibles
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
Interesting listen a little different from other punk bands of that era.
Courtney: I wanted to like it more but it’s too clanky Craig: didn’t really impress me
:|
Not bad, I don’t think I would have ever listened to this album without this site
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.
3/10
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.
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.
Interesting but I like more tune
borders between worst ever and maybe ok on a good day
Un peu trop chaotique et expérimental, toujours sans lire les lyrics j'ai eu du mal à apprécier
Strange
Too out there
great art piece! not a great music piece though
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.
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.
2.5
Man, they really just let anyone sing in the old days.
not really my kind of punk
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.
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.
Ok I guess...
Pretentiously annoying
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.
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
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.
Very unlikable with an occasionally solid drum or bass line.
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.
not very easy to listen to
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
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
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.
Shows potential but falls between several stools.
He kind of sounds like a goat sometimes??
I didn't like this one as well as the other on the list. This was a little out there.
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.
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?
This was simply not good.
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
An OK album. Some tracks were good, others not so good. Even annoying.
4/10
Had a difficult time finishing this one. Not a fan.
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
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.
Not really into it, but some of it was pretty cool.
Fortunately, the album is not very long. It is weird, but luckily not disgusting. I bet Luis will like it. :/
Unsettling and exhausting.
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
Ere Pubu
like a lot of modern dance, briefly diverting and then tedious
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.
Je peux comprendre le bail expérimentation etc mais j'ai pas kiffé
Vakte ingen sterke følelsa ved første gjennomlytting
Not quite my vibe, but I see the vision
A big portion of this album feels like if the Talking Heads got too drunk to play a show but went on anyhow after pounding a few more shots.
I can appreciate this album, but I don’t enjoy it.
From the first shrill notes, you know it. This is going to be a special listening experience.
This was some weird stuff. It lost me after about 1/3 of the way through. However, the last track (Humor Me) saved it for me just a little bit.
Interesting listen. As an example of post punk, I'm sure it's great. But I can't say I enjoyed it.
This was quite reminiscent of Pink Floyd.
Wilfully different, but then they always were. Got on my nerves by the end to be honest.
I’ve got Cleveland connections and had heard of Pere Ubu. I think I remember them as a reggae band. Clearly not that. Respect to Cleveland and its place in rock history. Not my thing.
Bit annoying, had high hopes.
Terrible album to listen to hungover, my god. I get the whole music conrète thing and my inner music student is yearning to pretend I love this just to prove I'm sophisticated conceptually, but man. Props to them for doing their thing, just glad I won't have to listen to it again
This is second Pere Ubu album on the list, and this one is better than the previous one (Dub Housing), although the bar is rather low. Or maybe I’m just in a better mood. I still get some Talking Heads vibe on some of the tracks. The noises are still here, but less annoying than the earlier album. I thought there were a few good tracks, but not quite enough for three stars.
I remember Pere Ubu being one of my first true clunkers of this list. No one does musique concrète like Cleveland's own Pere Ubu! (Or so Wiki tells me.) Ah, and it starts right off with some truly horrific high pitched alarm blee-ing. Singer Dave Thomas (not that one, alas) is the son of a professor, which makes me feel good about not having kids. Highlights: the song titles are decent; 'This Modern Dance' (are they saying "manda manda"?!); the lyrics of 'Life Stinks' (for the lols) Lowlights: the singing, the noises
A mix of punk and art. Lots of noise here.
Too much experimental noise add-one for my liking.
It was ok I’d give it a high 2 but it’s not something I’d go back to
A couple of tracks here were ok (Over My Head, Non-Alignment Pact) but most were dreck, especially the longer tracks (Sentimental Journey, Laughing). Screechy singing, too weird instrumentation.
Fuuuuuccckkkk... I have to listen to Pere Ubu again? I hate Pere Ubu! I was dreading this when I saw it pop up on screen. I gave Dub Housing a 1/5, but do I feel the same way about its predecessor, The Modern Dance? Well, I still don't like it, but I can't say that I'm as angry about this. Maybe I would just feel bad for giving Pere Ubu two 1s. I don't know. I do know that I like this more than Dub Housing, even if I still don't like it. The instrumentation is better. The instrumentals on Dub Housing had some horrendous moments. The Modern Dance also does, but the I feel that good moments are better here. There are some instrumentals here that are actually quite good. Songs like "Non-Alignment Pact" and "Street Waves" would actually sound pretty cool... if it weren't for those god-awful vocals. Yeah, I still hate David Thomas's voice. To go from Aretha Franklin yesterday to this today might be the biggest case of whiplash I've experienced in this entire album project. I don't have any issues with him as a person, and it sucks that he died earlier this year, but I still don't like hearing his voice! It just pisses me off to hear it. I don't have an issue with weird-voiced frontmen named David. Talking Heads are one of my favorite bands ever. It's just this one vocalist that I can't like the voice of. It honestly kills the album for me. I get that this is important to the development of post-punk, but it's just not for me at all. Am I upset I listened to this? Maybe a little, but not really enough for me to give this a 1 like the other one. Low 2/5.
Non-Alignment Pact: Starts off ruining the senses. Do not like. Once intro is over the beat is better. Is that horse neighing? Can’t understand a word he’s saying but I’m bobbing my head. If the whole album is like this yikes. I do not enjoy. Modern Dance: sounds like it’s saying madder, madder which is how this album makes me feel. But the chill part is good Laughing: Spooky intro. Not in a good way. Like the drum beat. Gotta love the dying owl
I just wasn't a fan
Not for me
Experimental but not in an appealing way
Big swing and a miss. Too off the wall and experimental.
меня хватило на одно прослушивание, слишком фьюжн
the actual rock component of this album is fun... but the lyrics and some of the stylistic choices aren't really my cup of tea. not terrible to listen to, but truly not a lot here for me to want to go back to.
This was the 11th best album of 1978? Must have been a slow year. Fine, nothing special at all, or sure why it makes the list.
Strange, eccentric, borderline-noise but … not necessarily bad through-and-through? Truly, a weird one.
strange instruments add unnecessary noise to otherwise ok songs. At least the album was short
what a weird record. bass lines were cool but at the end of the day i could see myself never playing these songs again i fear
Still better than Kanye West
Predictably terrible, but this list has had me listen to worse. At least it wasn't a solid wall of screeching noise!
i respect it and there are some cool experimental things here and there. but it doesn’t really do it for me overall. absolutely wild that this is my 1000th album!!!
Opening with that loud of feedback should be illegal. I like soundscapes. I like experimental albums. This is not great. There are a lot of little moments on this album that I really love, cool riffs, expressive sound design, really killer vocal performances, but there’s like 1 and a half songs on here that I like all the way through (life stinks, real world). I want to get this up to a three but I don’t think I can.
Nope... WTF was that?
Unique
2.75
Album No. 0019 on my list. I've had my troubles with this album to be honest. I've really been trying to like it, but that didn't really work out. It's not necessarily the avant garde nature of Pere Ubu; its rather the songs themselves - most of them just didn't catch me. "Non-Alignment Pact", and "Modern Dance" are both solid songs that I'll listen to again, whereas "Sentimental Journey" is mostly an arrangement of noises. I get that these more experimental aspects are important, but I'm afraid then this is just not my cup of tea. 2/5 stars.
I think getting Throbbing Gristle quite early has spoiled me for "transformative" journey-based albums that are more of an experience than pleasant listening, which means any others following it will be seen as doing the same thing and just being unpleasant to listen to. It would have been fairer to have them ramp up in their eccentricity so they could be perhaps rated more fairly but unfortunately that didn't end up being the case. Luckily, this album did have two decent songs towards the end with "Over My Head" and "Humor Me" which will pull this album up to a rating of 2 and have it avoid the the lowest scale, but overall this was not a great listen with the start already being painful.
One of those seminal works that I do not get.
This is an example of a musical decision that I can't follow/agree with. Many of the sounds were quite weird and came across as noise. This album was personally hard to get through.
Felt like I was being shouted at for most of this. 2/5
I got NOTHING out of this, and I really wish i had more to say. Just lots of experimental rock, but nothing to latch onto. Lots of interesting noises sprinkled in, but nothing to tickle my brain. A lot seems to be said about how this album reaches into spaces beyond just direct lyrical expression of discontent or protest, and I suppose I could see it, but I’m not stricken with awe by its avant-garde methods. Sounds a bit like a foundation for Protomartyr. 2/5
I didn't love the extra siren or screaming sounds that most songs seemed to have. The melodies seemed nothing out of the ordinary. Not one I'd look forward to repeating.2
Sentimental Journey sounded remarkably like someone smashing glass while playing a bag pipe. Which sounded remarkably like Houmous & Chutneys experimental album ‘Glasses & Bagpipes’ 1.9 2/10 Modern Dance
Like Talking Heads, but shit.
Punk with an Art Rock feel - think early Roxy Music doing Punk. At times they sounded a bit like Talking Heads. I'm still not sure what to make of this album: the Punk spurts are too polished and fairly boring, while the Art Rock veers from being interesting to grating on my nerves.
Most of that was almost music.
I listened to this but nothing stood out to me I think I will need to listen to it again
Trying to hard to be annoying. There is some decent punk rock buried in there, but it's too annoying to listen to all the other noise.
Hmm. Can someone TAKE THE DAMN KETTLE OFF THE STOVE?? Ok, once that is done, the first track is actually pretty good!. Same with the rest of the first side. But that second side? I am generally good with the weird, but I'm uncertain this even classifies as music. Dodging broken beer bottles is not a great time. I listened to this twice and still don't know what I'm supposed to get out of it. Not a 1 star, which is reserved for the truly heinous like Sheryl Crow, so I'll go with 2.
Didn't make a huge impact on me, I just listened to is yesterday and I couldnt tell you what it sounded like now.
experimental for experimentations sake, did NOT do it for me with the ugly bits
I recognized a track. Wouldn't listen to again though.
What a ride. Musically I loved, but had a hard time getting into the vocals. They kind of grew on me ….. and then grew off me. There were moments of 4, but overall it swayed between 3 and 2 and sometimes a 1 where I almost stopped. This is the highest 2 so far if that helps.
++: Laughing, Street Waves, Life Stinks, Over My Head +: Non-Alignment Pact, The Modern Dance, Chinese Radiation, Humor Me +-: Real World, Sentimental Journey 6,4/10
we've got more pere ubu now, this time i'm listening to their debut album. already getting a similar energy to the last one i've listened to, weird shrill synths, detuned instruments and funny sounding voices. i really can't get into these guys. i'm sorry, but between all the noise and wailing and shrill sounds... it's like nails on a chalkboard. a song or two i actually had to skip because i genuinely felt a little nauseous.
My level of enjoyement during listening to this album: close to zero. BUT I obviously still understand why people like this album. I will NEVER say an album is bad I will always say it's not for me. Because it's true: every album is for someone but no album is made for everyone. I almost feel bad giving bad rating to albums since it's not made for me. That being said, "1001 albums you must hear before you die" makes me realise how difficult I am in term of music. I feel like I hate absolutely everything. I either find albums too difficult, too experimental or either too blank and boring. This album is definitely in the first category. It's way too experimental for me, I don't find any melody nice on it. I always listen to the albums entirely, because why not, but this one was hard to finish. I was working while listening so at least I was 'forced' to listen. What did I just listen? Is it even music? Because it felt just like some random noises. And obviously I recently found out I'm not a big fan of punk so... Difficult for me. But anyways...! Maybe one day I'll like it. Who knows?
As one notable music critic once stated, “harsh and willfully ugly”
bueno se acabo el chiste, que vuelva lo bueno
Ok but ultimately pretty weird shit here
I wasn't dancing modernly to this one, there were moments where I enjoyed and other moments where I was checking how much longer the album had left.
Very strange.
Not quite as bad as the prior album, Dub Housing, but still not great. It’s a lot of noise, but the drummer and bassist seem to know what they’re doing. I’d say I would rather stand in a classroom full of third-graders blowing on kazoos, but I think that might have the same effect they recorded here.
A few too many songs with static as the overall theme. Diverting, but don't fancy returning.
Very very strange singing. This album was pretty poo poo
Really struggling to get into this one. Some interesting instrumentals on some songs but def had a noise aspect to it that I didn't enjoy all that much. That was not a sentimental journey at all for me.
Interesting. Not for me tho
Weird and not my style
So far, not my thing, I like experimental but overall just too much for me me. Cool that it came out in the 70s though? 25/100
it was ok to listen to but not really my jam
It was OK then irritating then even more irritating....then OK-ish. Just too much active listening.
Just not my vibe.
Ok. Not great. Fine in parts
Meh.