Reviews (page 5 of 7)
It's ok, I dont like the singer's voice too much.
There’s an engaging tension throughout between Pere Ubu presenting songs in the classic form and jagged jabs of uncontrolled energy and noise. The vocals have a compelling, anxious unpredictability that goes beyond post-punk’s typical form of expression. They can screech and yelp and laugh and lurch to places well beyond a conventional approach. It’s playful, artful music which is willing to stretch and contort itself. You can’t make music that engages in sound collage, or performance art that intentionally uses repetitive, monotonous, and unsettling elements, without people calling it pretentious. Ultimately whether this is pretentious to someone or not is just down to that gut reaction - did you enjoy it? I personally love it and love what it does to my brain. It makes me feel like I’m being turned inside out.
4/10
Yes
Pre-listening thoughts: I've had the misfortune of already listening to another of their albums on this list - Dub Housing - which was awful. I wonder if this will be more of the same... Track 1: Wow, this is actually not bad. The vocals are grating, as I was expecting, which does take away something from the track, but musically it's quite good. Track 2: This sounds a lot like track 1, in fact, I'll just double-check it is actually a different track. Yes, it is. It's not as good as track 1 , but no need to turn it off. Track 3: What the fuck is this? Is that a chicken screaming? No, I don;t think it is, but it's clearly someone that doesn't know how to play whatever instrument that is. Ok, we're 2 mins in and it's finally got going.... oh shit, I'm beginning to miss the strangled chicken sound. This is bad! Track 4: Slightly better, at least we're back to being just about listenable. Track 5: Another track that takes an age to get going, and is utter tosh to boot! Track 6: Fuck me, this bloke doing the vocals is off his fucking nut. It also sounds like, somewhere in the backing vocals, the chicken from Track 3 has managed to get back into the studio. Track 7: It's gone tits up again. Really fucking bad track. Skipping to the next one. Track 8: I had to keep checking I hadn't clicked mute. Fuck all happens for the first minute, then it sounds like an orchestra in the theatre warming up, badly! Track 9: They're not even trying now. I can't believe people bought this album. The best piece of music in this track was the smashing of glass near the beginning. Track 10: Dismal. I made it all the way through, which by my own self-imposed rules means 2 stars. I skipped quite a few tracks though, and a lot of the time I continued to listen beyond my usual switching-off point, in a perverse "how bad can this get" way, so it's 1 star only.
I bet these guys were wild live. Their singer is huge and it would have been very fun to see that voice come out of that body. I listened to the song Modern Dance a lot a couple years ago, but never dug deeper. I liked going back to the whole album. I wouldn't re-listen to every song, but I always enjoy that brand of weirdo Gen X punk adjacent music. Album cover: (B)
"Non-Alignment Pact" & "Modern Dance" are two great but similar songs. I'm enjoying all of the anthem-style singing sections, as well as all the experimental guitar and synth parts. The piano is sweet too. I can't really tell what's happening on "Chinese Radiation", but I do like it. The last few songs got a little too experimental for me. I think I liked this album, but it was all the place and very odd. I liked the first half more than the second half. 6/10
Listening to this from a punk lens made it a little more listenable, earning it a point over Dub Housing. I honestly liked “Life Stinks” as a punk song hahaha. The glass shattering, moaning, and other sounds throughout were pretty painful. But at least it was interesting!!
1. pact - 0 2. dance - 0 3. laughing - 0 4. ztreet - 0 5. chineze - 0 6. life - 0 7. uuorld - 0 8. head - 1.5 9. journey - 0 10. humor - 0
Like something Nick Cave would play after you get home from the pub at midnight. Each song sent me through a journey that went “what the hell?” to “okay, this is interesting” to “why are they doing that now?” Glad I gave it a try. Would not listen again.
This one's weird, but easy. Music is great. Real World being the standout, instrumental wise. If this album were instrumental, it'd be getting a 4 from me. It's just consistently let down by the really annoying vocals. I get that's the point, but I just can't. Dude sounds like a manic Peter Griffin, haha.
I went to Louisville to visit my best friend growing up. He doesn't live in Louisville nor does he ever or even ties to the city but in this situation he was living in z Louisville. I called a couple of people I knew from there from a long time ago. 20 years since I last seen them. But I got their answering machine. I get to the friend's house. The one who has zero ties to the city and he's drunk. Then we're at a Chinese restaurant but we are eating breakfast. He keeps drunkenly saying things to me and now across from us is a completely different friend that I know from another part of my life but they kind of know each other now. They are not friends. The three of us are sitting in a living room at this strange apartment complex. Strange to me but apparently it's where the first person lives. I'm trying to fall asleep in a recliner but he still keeps drunkenly make fun of me. I get up and pay for the food a d leave the apartment. It's a big complex and the couple I tried calling live right down at the end of the complex but on the way I drive and then walk. They are still not answering my calls or answer when I knock. Then briefly we are all in a car then I'm at the front door again and I let myself in. I try to fall asleep on their couch but it feels like I'm pressing my heels in concrete. Then they show up. Then my old friend shows up with the different friend. I'm still partially trying to sleep. They do mention how I got in but they mostly seem bothered by something else. The old friend says he was going to pay for the food but I had already paid. Now I'm on a recliner. The wife is gone. The husband seems distant then somehow. Maybe someone voiced it that the couple lost the baby and I tell them they'll have one eventually but this comment seems to bother them. We are all standing outside around the complex's pool. My heels still feel like they are being pressed in concrete. The husband mentions he's a doctor now and pulls out a zamboni with a bowl at the end of it packed with mud. They all hit it but I don't. The husband starts to walk on the pool which is now frozen. Then I'm next to him on a couch and he starts crying and tells me that their baby girl was dragged 2 miles before they noticed her car seat had fallen out but still connected to the car seat. We are now outside by a garage. I apologize for making the comment earlier about how they will some day have a baby. He said they were charging them with murder then he hit a much smaller bowl. He was wearing a nice smoking jacket. I asked how many years he was facing and he shook his head and said $63.
eu esperava algo mais insuportável desse
You can’t debate their influence - a lot of this sound carried forward. You can’t tell me the big New Wave acts had never heard this singing, for example. But the grating noises are just too unpleasant for repeat listening, so while it has my respect it doesn’t have a high rating
Some interesting stuff and cool tunes on here. The experimentation works well on some tracks, but isn't always consistently good
I don't know what this is (mating rituals for the modern age?) but I kinda like it.
It opens with piercing feedback in one ear and chuck berry riffs in the other and proceeds in an equally eclectic stapled together style. Punk deconstructed and reassemble in pieces, it's sparse and tense, twitchy, nervously kinetic, alternating between thrashing squall, angry free jazz chaos, and hushed reflective hungover meditation. It's not the best post punk album, but they take an early stab at most of the sounds the genre would develop, planting seeds that bloom on dozens of great albums.
4.49
On paper this should be something I’d like - raw unfiltered post punk - but somehow it didn’t win me over. Maybe more listens - but then I’m not one to force myself to like an album.
Not good. Very strange.
Probably quite influential on stuff i love (various post punk and art rock) but a bit too severe and sparse for me on one listen (is this no wave?) Could grow to a 4.
Great album, great post punk precursor
The funny thing to me about starting this album is that it made me realize that I could not remember what DUB HOUSING. And that's relevant because it was the entire reason why I was even worried about getting into this album. I mean, from what I could recall, DUB HOUSING was just a mess. Noisily unlistenable, and absolutely mono in the sense of variation. Even despite the 3 I gave it, it's always been one I've long thought of as "one of the worst my group has gotten," on a different level from stuff like DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE or CALENTURE. So that ended up being my expectation going in, and I'll admit, it worried me a little. Like, what if it actually meant I didn't like experimentation? If, deep down, despite the passes I've given to some other albums on the more avant-garde side of things, I'm actually one of those people who really only prefers classic rock? The worry that I'm secretly closed to broadening my musical horizons and that I'm just kidding myself; all that. And, well, I can safely say that that's not the case. I mean, of course; I'm the kind of gal who'll actively vouch for The Residents and KOLLAPS on the basis that they're weird and experimental. There were actually some parts of this album I found rather interesting, much to my surprise. There's a little bit of punk energy in this I could dig. No, my problem isn't with experimentation. My real is with albums that are fucking boring, and that's what THE MODERN DANCE is. Like, yeah, it's stranger than the average album, and it gets its noise on in a lot of parts, and none of it to me is, like... Off-putting. I'm not revulsed. I'm just waiting for it to **DO SOMETHING INTERESTING**. Especially during "Sentimental Journey", where I'm sure there was supposed to be some sort of point about... I don't know. Pulling out of my butt: familial abuse? But I really could not be assed to tell. To me, this album is just a damn snooze fest, where I'm almost tempted to make the accusation I make against a lot of post-punk bands where I think that they think they can be praised to the heavens and back if they make a bunch of uncommercial noise. I'm not gonna claim that level of insincerity, but the vibes are too strong of me to **not** bring up the possibility. So, yeah, it's fucking boring. I mean, what do interesting parts and a small dose of punk energy matter when the whole package can't support them? Like, jeez, I'unno. Early on I wanted to be kind because of those, but nah, man. No quarter. I didn't like this at all. Best I can really say about it is that it's just "boring bad" and not "morally offensive bad" like Kid Rock's album, or the worst of both worlds like Koffi Olomide's. But let's not act like that's a compliment, y'know?
There're interesting parts here and there, but otherwise these track just kind of feel meandering. 2.5 bumped up to 3.
I am somehow at a 4. Call it Stockholm Syndrome if you want, because it very well could be – I found myself utterly captivated by just how goddamn out there this one was. I had the same general feeling with “Dub Housing”, but while that album sounded truly, truly horrendous at certain points, the very worst part of this album is the egregiously awful buzzsaw tone that permeates the first track. If you can get past that, the rest of the album feels a lot nicer by comparison (save for the shattering glass on “Sentimental Journey”, although I think it’s kind of fitting, somehow), though it’s still a tremendously strange journey through some manically designed soundscapes. Honestly, I really did like everything from “The Modern Dance” onward, so if your first track is your worst track, I guess it speaks to the sort of people they wanted to weed out from the very top. I think this album is entertainingly strange, & it’s very intentionally designed to evoke the imaginative senses in ways that normal music may not be able to capture. There’s no heartfelt lyrics, there’s no beautiful string sections, & there’s certainly no mesmerizing vocals. This album evokes stuff like “fucked up jazz you might come upon in a dream”, “a crowd horny for propaganda”, “Donnie Thornberry-core”, “trauma dumping ASMR”, “being held hostage on a UFO”, and my favorite, “the first sentient android’s attempt to make Roxanne by The Police solely off a prompt”. Do the tracks actually reflect this at all? I dunno, mileage may vary, but solely based on my brain going to such strange & avant-garde places throughout the 36 minute runtime, and my belief that most of this is a genuinely competent (save for the first track) & intentionally designed album… I honestly feel captivated enough to give it a 4. Realistically, more of a 3.5 that I’m bumping up to a 4, but I think it’s actually earned it. Am I insane? Yeah, probably. Do I regret it? Not yet. Will I? Who knows. Either way, I’m giving it a 4 and you can’t stop me.
3/5. From the get go, with the high pitched drone, it was not great. As the album continued, I found myself appreciating the post punk scene some more, and realized that some bands I enjoy today definitely got influence from this band like Viagra Boys and Black Midi. The songs themselves have charm to them and there is a sense of curiosity involved which feeling confident in their musical choices. It does not always land but the confidence is there. The album is not a 5/5, like all these critics are saying, so if I could talk to one of them to ask what they are listening to, that would be great. It was still better than expected and might listen to it again once I mentally prepare. Best Song: The Modern Dance, Real World, Street Waves
This was a cool punk rock album that I've never heard of before, it definitely was good but peppered in with huh? And what am I listening to? Lol but over all good album!
Woke nonsense
Bland and boring, a struggle to listen to. 1/5 stars,
Art rock/post-punk from the late 1970s. It started off really strong but then the more avantgarde and experimental songs were harder to digest. I appreciate the unique sound, though, but perhaps I would need more listens to enjoy it more.
It started off OK. A nice DIY feeling. But I just found myself becoming increasingly irritated by everything about it.
Very raw. I didn’t love it.
I think these guys are probably cool but this sucks big time.
Oddly weird and jarring. I approve. This was quite good. Kind of fitting I got this album considering David Thomas recently passed away. RIP.
big wacky, more interesting cool vocals but chaotic
Fav: Street Waves Least Fav: Life Stinks By far the most unique album I’ve come across so far, and I actually somewhat like it? Maybe it’s because I listened to it whilst in a bad mood but the craziness spoke to me and I enjoyed it. Whilst I think it goes a little too off the rails in the middle, it pulls around for an overall satisfying experience. Very happy I listened to something this unique
Very raw - I wouldn’t go as far as to say I enjoyed it but I could appreciate it from afar. Overall - I would be okay never listening to it again
Were two albums really necessary?
I woke up this morning in a good mood and with no trace of hangover. Thank god for Pere Ubu to make things right again. Here is a retelling of what definitely actually happened: Pere steps back to admire his completed album, one hand on his chin. "Something's missing.." he muses. Then, inspiration! He unzips. "Perhaps some hot piss! Yes, that's what's missing" he crackles to himself. "I'm so fucking smart"
< the Beatles I will never understand the genre of music "what if I/we just fuck around in my basement and call it music and release it as an album as a goof." Like this, the residents and Radiohead
7/10…experimental rock / art punk
Reminds me of The Cramps.
Just not really my jam
A nice surprise. Raw punk with early electronic and random samples/atypical instrumentation. Will listen to more of these guys
Definitely interesting and unlike really anything I’ve heard before. Not sure how I’m supposed to dance to this though
Have on vinyl: No Fav song: Modern Dance Notes: Takes some getting used to. I was at one point at a 1, then a 2, ended with a 3 after more listens.
Initial impression was "that's gonna be a no for me, dog." And then I listened again. And again. And again, and goddamn if this one didn't grow on me Avant garde can work for me, at times, and "Over My Head" (oh, the irony) is a keeper, Street Waves is great.
That was just about music
+1 point for originality/craziness +1 point for being short That's about it. 2/10
Unlistenable. Why is god's name is this on the list?
Maso
The vocals were so so bad. Decent to average production couldn't save this.
non ho tempo per questo
There's some tracks with weird noises, detracts from the album as a whole
I wonder if albums haven't been added to this list just for their irritation value. Given the sound and the time period, this was probably an inspiration for groups like Devo and the Talking Heads, but it shows little of the musical skill and only some of the humorous charm of those groups. A six-minute noise experiment that serves as the album's penultimate track (and roughly one-sixth of its total running time) feels like time I'll never have back in my life now.
unsettling, from the very first piercing notes, the wild vocals - with panic rising - sometimes frantic, always intense. a great listen
Can see how this was influential
this grew on me a lot, its experimental and can take some getting used to but it did enjoy it over time... its def something im gonna have to revisit to "get" but i think ive seen enough quality
rammelende muziek, raar zangstemmetje, vreemde tempos... dat is smullen smullen smullen
Not for me
Weird nonsense mostly
Quite experimental and risky. Considering the year it was released, this band Instead of going full punk rock, which would be the easy option, they orbit towards other fields and in a way, commit some sort of commercial suicide. The record has interesting ideas, and they are definitely trying to explore new areas. Curious record and, for me, inaccessible due to the randomness that exudes. Some parts are In line with other acts of late 70's. The band, seems to be uninterested in catching a broader audience, instead, they are investing their efforts in a sort of artistic pursue. I can see somehow their influence on indie acts of the 80's. Some songs (may not be actually songs), are just sonic landscapes, cinematic in some ways. I don't imagine myself listening to them a lot.
Bad
A bit odd but kind of liked it for being different
Not great, but I like the energy
I’m a sucker for experimental post-punk/art punk, but I’ve never been able to get into these guys. None of those songs sounded interesting to me
I live for this kind of music, but I can't seem to get this for reasons unknown. It just feels like they're trying too hard.
It's usually my kind of stuff, and it's good... I think? But I just can't get the appeal with Pere Ubu.
Excellent
Like many of the other reviews on here, I just couldn’t get past the first whining noise, not music, not the kind of album I was hoping for the drive I was going on. 2/10.
I knew him from the 80th.
Riktigt bra pre-punk eller vad man ska kalla det. En fyra!
Rating: 3.5/10 This album sucks but it has some promising moments. Instrumentally, an interesting take on post-punk with some of the worst vocals I've ever heard.
meh like if devo/the pixies had a less talented kid together or something
Surprised two of this artists albums made the list
Started off feeling like a bad high school garage band -- and I like high school garage band sound! -- and then it just got worse.
He’s got a strange voice but quite enjoyable overall 7/10
Should you do an audience hostile track smashing glass in the middle of an album if you're a band today? Probably not. Is it hilarious when you do it in 1978 after rockin' for 30 minutes and just before rockin' again? Yes. I think this is the kind of impression Roxy Music wanted to make but they didn't have the guts to rock so hard or be so confrontational. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)
It was a mistake to not give Dub Housing a 5, and I’m making up for it now (although I think this one is also a 5 in its own right, if not a rounded up 4.5). These guys are aggressively weird in a way that most bands on this list would never dream of, and they still manage to let some really nice and interesting actual musical stuff slip through. Good shit.
… I guess? I mean, I think lots of people hate it, but it’s just … there. Yes, this is an album.
Should’ve been called Modern Noise.
That was a journey, sfx, horns, vocals musical madness at times
Interesting. Avant garde, slightly punky. Might listen again 3/5
Sux
Sorry, no. This isn't my thing at all. I'll give it a two for the okay music, but the singing and annoying noises throughout pull it way down.
This was better than dub housing, it had more rhythm to it and more structure in some areas, not the biggest fan of it but I might be more interested soon
Sounds like a bridge between music concrete and Japanese noise bands. I didn't know how much I could stand to listen to it, but I really enjoyed it
HOrrible
Für mich mehr Lärm als Musik
Fun
It was aight, but not sold
Messy.
Kind of okay.
Luke is a big Pere Ubu fan so I knew some of these songs already but I did enjoy the whole album actually. Gave it a couple of listens to truly appreciate it. A bit wild and off beat but I liked that!
I really enjoyed this. I could hear a lot of elements in this of things that are popular today in post-punk. IT wasn't all brilliant but I think the overall sound was cool. I also love the album cover.
One digs bands who do it their way, commercial consequences be damned. Pere Ubu is very much such a band. This is spiky and difficult-seeming but they create a rich and resonant complexity out of relatively simple approaches (see the opening of "Chinese Radiation"). And they don't have to ask one to humor them when they do things like unsentimentally – in fact, brutally – deconstruct "Sentimental Journey." Indeed, that and next cut make for a powerful, if bitingly staccato, ending.
Just goes to show, the trope of older folks saying 'Is that what you call music?' works in reverse too.
I would give this 4.5 stars for being so powerful, a great mix of styles, and very original and brilliant in so many ways - but I do think it lacks the final push to a truly 5 star album. However, I'll give it 5 stars here, since we can't give half stars. I've heard of this band before but never really listened to them or listened to this record, and this will definitely become a part of my digital collection and rotation!
There’s two terrible Pere Ubu albums on this list?! Best part of finishing this one: I don’t have to listen to this god awful band ever again.
funky and weird, but scratched an itch in my brain that i didn’t know needed scratching. it’s truly a listening EXPERIENCE 4.5 easy
Don't mind that it's weird, but the album never feels like it lands anywhere. There are many elements of something good here but nothing that would compel me to listen again.
It’s fucked up how many good punk adjacent bands come out of Ohio
A chaotic punk album with more hits than misses.
Weird on purpose. But I fucked w it. Laughing and Sentimental Journey are both awful but the good stuff is really good
So weird and stimulating
So much better than the other Pere Ubu album on this list. This one actually has melodies!
Trying to hard.
Proto jazz punk too far for me
Although not without its charm this weird genre of music that sounds out of tune and terrible has never interested me. This kind of music makes me feel like an idiot when I listen to it because if you ever look it up or talk to someone who loves music about this sort of music they say about how good this stuff is and it’s just really bad and I can’t convince myself otherwise
I didn't like it
Life Stinks ist iconic
Punky and kinda fun.
I'm scared
Lame.
Very cool. Did not know anything about Pere Ubu before having to listen to this!
A fascinating album for sure and I can see how it's pretty influential. It reminds me of a number of contemporary bands I listen to, so despite being from the 70's, it still sounds fresh. It's not a great listen though haha. (15 known/29 new)
Forget about the list for a second; how does this band even get a record deal????? Terrible singing, barely even noise rock. I fail to see how this is art-punk post-punk. 1.5 if I could.
It triggered my tinnitus but there was some good stuff buried in there it was just hard to pull out
What a great example of the adventurousness and innovation of early punk rock, especially early Midwest punk rock. Catchy and eccentric, I can't get enough of this LP or the following Pere Ubu album, Dub Housing. Highly recommended.
Like Talking heads but tripping balls
Another solid post-punk record from Pere Ubu. I like the combo of noise and experimentation of a lot of the post-punk bands, but I recognize it’s not for everyone.
A lot of really unpleasant noise there. They get a one for sure just for Track 3...so dissonant that it physically hurt my eardrums.
Avant-garde punk rock, but unfortunately, not interesting
…What the actual fuck is this?? And why is it on this list? 5 Burnt Out Anti Stars if I could.
I had to listen to this a few times to “get it”. It didn’t help that they start the album with an evil noise for the first 33 seconds. WHY?? Once that is over there is wildly inventive music and some good beats, but it is challenging at first listen. And in the case of the track Sentimental Journey, it is challenging every time. But man some of the other tracks I know I’ll want to listen to again! A three star rating from me usually means the album is very middle of the road. This album is anything but that! But it has some high highs and low lows, so this is where we end up.
I've heard the opening Non-Alignment Pact before and I quite liked it. Starting on this high I enjoyed the next couple of tracks as art-rock before the whole thing went modern art avant-guard with weird sounds, smashing bottles, mumbled vocals, etc. and completely lost me. Not worth a second listen. Two stars overall and Non-Alignment Pact is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for that rating. I do like the fact that I was made to listen to this instead of another band of four once-popular English guys from the 70s, though.
Yeah look I got two songs in and it just wasn’t hitting for me, really couldn’t around this
Let me just say that I feel like I dodged a bullet by listening to this one without headphones. It's an incredibly, incredibly ballsy move to start your album out with the infernal screeches of the guitars of the damned. I can see why it turned a lot of the people here away, but it succeeded at hooking me in. For better or worse, it's attention grabbing. I quite like the industrial aesthetic that this album has going on. I have no clue how some of the sounds on this album were made, which makes the way in which they were utilised doubly as impressive to me. I had absolutely no clue what any of the vocalists were saying, but in all fairness who can understand a britbonger-they're American???? I listened to this one twice and I don't really have any opinion on it other than that I liked the opening track and thought that Sentimental Journey was funny. There just isn't nearly enough meat on the bones of these songs to justify their long runtimes, and the entire thing feels like it drags it's feet as a result. This is yet another album where I wish I had the documentation on why it made the list.
70’s…what?…rock jazz experimental. Not my jam.
Unlistenable. I tried
Right from the beginning screech I hated this. Could not get through it.
I liked it, couldn’t say why but yeah I’d listen to this again
Sounds like they were drunk when they recorded this haha I liked the first half
Ya no se puede hacer música así de distendida y bizarra hoy día. Solo por eso le pondré un 3.7 pero con 4 estrellas.
super punk. Lil too punk for me.
Really like this one - another band I've heard of but never listened to. It's pretty put there for punk at the time, I can see why they managed to avoid being pigeon-holed. I can hear their influence on both REM and Fugazi pretty clearly, but also more modern bands like black midi. Will definitely be getting a copy of this one for myself, can see it growing on me even more. The only criticism I'd have is that the lyrics are a bit impenetrable - I don't really have much of an idea what these songs are about after 2 listens.
Really enjoyed this album. Weird and interesting
OK.
The quirky, jagged and unrestrained side of postpunk. Not particularly engaging or impressive, and verges on the downright annoying. Vocals are shaky and incomprehensible, and rest of the instrumentation does not make up for that. Avant-garde sure, but not good. Best Tracks: - Humor Me Worst Tracks: - Sentimental Journey - Laughing Rating: 2/10
Complete twaddle
Yeah, not a fan at all. That was hard to sit through.
Two albums in one year? As with the other one, I appreciate it.
I almost want to give this album 5 stars, not because it *is* a 5-star album, but because it's so weird and unique that I don't want to forget it (hard as it is to imagine forgetting such a thing). It's like a wacky version of Television channeling future Mr. Bungle or something. I could've done without the tinnitus at the beginnig, or the glass breaking monotony towards the end, but otherwise this is a fun, challenging record.
Not my thing, sorry.
LOVE this! I don't know why I always heard the name Pere Ubu and thought they were a crappy Pet Shop Boys clone. This album has a great post-punk sound with a LOT of artsy experimentation. Really fun first listen, that inspires replaying for sure.
Some sense of alright music but it’s accompanied by some horrible “noise”
The first two songs are straight heaters but then when you get into the third track "Laughing" you get into some free jazz nonsense that is off-putting. "Street Waves" gets things back on track and offers some sweet guitar licks. "Life Stinks" features the record's most unhinged moments that's for sure. "Over My Head" is an absolute snoozer of a song. The worst song off this record with "Sentimental Journey" not too far behind. That song absolutely sucks. By the time I got to the closer "Humor Me" I was already checked out with this album.
Mixed feelings on this one. Some absolutely great songs (Non-Alignment Pact, Modern Dance, Humor Me) mixed in with some garbage (Laughing, Sentimental Journey)
Ovo je vojkecu jedan od najdražih albuma. Slušam ga redovito skoro trideset godina
Reminds me of the birthday party. Interesting, but not something I'll listen to again.
Weird, but interesting. I'm a little surprised that I hadn't heard this before, given the general time frame and the overall genre.
Been in a rut for a while now with the seed in this list, having more bad and mediocre albums than usual. Was hoping for that trend to change soon, but with this album we plunge right back into the deeps of the garbage can. What an absolute terrible album. There are sometimes cases with albums where there's one or two songs that are really bad, so much that they draw down the whole impression of the album. Imagine finding an album where all the songs are like this. Enter 'The Modern Dance' by Pere Ebu. There are songs on this album that resemble "normal" songs, but mostly it is quite experimental with various weird and atonal noises. The album makes me think about Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps, which is the lowest rated album on this list. This is a bit better, but not by much. A real 0/5 record if I could give that, but I can't. There's no positive thing with this album. Stay away.
First the positives, the album art is very cool, the general vibe is post-punky and works quite well, some songs are quite catchy with the saxophone playing. Second the negatives, the songs were quite boring, some were annoying and straight up bad. The intro was horrible and nearly made me turn off the album. All in all a pretty bad album. Weak 2 star.
Album opens up with an assault on my hearing - with the first track, I've had enough. A cursory listen to the rest of the tracks didn't produce anything revelatory. 1.5/5
Some great songs on here and they know how to get a bit insane and still keep the song short. I like it best when they are wild and raucous.
This was an interesting listen. I didn't hate it but some of it was challenging to listen to. This is kind of like a weirder Talking Heads sound to me.
This is super fine.
Yup, it’s a little bit weird, it’s sometimes grating (Laughing) but it’s also very alive and enjoyable (Street Waves). Kind of incredible that this record came out in 1978, I’m sure there was nothing else quite like it at the time. Just sonically all over the place, almost impossible to categorize.
I'd like to formally apologize to the albums I've rated 1 or 2. This made me understand what an actual 1 sounds like. The fact that anyone might say this is one of the top 50 albums of the 1970s tells us how high these people actually were back then.
Definitely the kind of music a guy called Crocus Behemoth would make.
A very difficult listen
It's weird and seems sort of hostile toward its audience. Being deliberately difficult is an artistic choice I guess. I'll give it more than 1 star for holding tightly to its own vision and for its raw energy.
thank god for weird guys from ohio
in between the cool indie rock/punk songs there were sounds like "Sentimental Journey" that made me think they actually hate their fans and were trying to punish me for listening
I appreciated this more than enjoyed it. The most interesting parts are the leats fun to listen to.
Listened Before? N A messy early punk album! I love it! Some crappy parts, and kinda died in the second half but mostly cool here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Modern Dance
This is very much my thing - probably shouldn't be 5 stars because of 'Sentimental Journey', but I really really liked this one.
I'm glad I have this one a second listen. There was a lot of noise and dissonance that was layered over some really interesting rock music. One of the lessons I've learned from this project is that if you are going to try to make a statement on an album, it's best to keep it under 45 minutes.
There were interesting moments of this album that felt exciting and like it would be in line with punk bands I've enjoyed, like the Pretenders or maaaaybe Ramones, but the glimmers of moments didn't hold up to the more frequent unstructured chaos.
An interesting album. Not sure if I retained anything, but it wasn’t bad to listen to. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Some parts were bad to listen to but that's beautiful, I do want to listen to their other stuff now.
Thanks, Bangs!
The opening track is an assault on my right ear, wtf? post punk silliness.
This is a great example of this project - I don’t consider myself a total idiot about music but this was a band I had truly never heard of before! I wasn’t expecting much but then the first half of this album ended up being some really fun punk/new wave/Talking Heads style songs with just a sprinkle of Zappa and acid jazz here and there. Definitely one of a kind. The back half of the album lost the melodic nature of the first and got weirder and more experimental, and I didn’t find that as interesting, so only three stars, but I’m glad I got a chance to listen to this!
OMG!! I gave the last Pere Ubu album 1/5 but this is really good. It's sufficiently inventive and fun and keeps it's roots whilst forging new ground away from the 'punk' ethos.
Jú, kannski eru þarna einhver áhrif á ameríska nýbylgju, en sorrý, mér leiddist þetta.
ahaa eli kaksi albumia tältä bändiktä! oli tarpeellista! kyllä. erittäin influe tiaalinen itseasiassa one of the american undergpdrund most infulential bands,pere ubu expresses the angst and chaos of their times with apocalyptic fervor... hei! Los Angelesissa on 491 kuukausittaista kuuntelijaa! Tältä bändiltä selvästi otettu niin paljon vaikutteita.. kun kukaan ei ole unohtanut.. ei ole mahdollista että kirjantekijä kännipäissään laittoi kaksi näiltä koska vittu keksi tuhatta albumia ssaatana laita joku vaan mikä se oli, mikä se ööö, se pere ubu,, mitä vittua niillä nyt oli.. laita yks semmone markku siihen listaan taas.. laita markku lisää niitä vaikka vittu päästään helvettiin tästä keilahallista non-alignment pact
I hate it, I love it. It is modern dance.
This isn't a one-star album. There's some pretty good stuff here, including the bass line on the opening track. But that screeching noise... I'm sorry, it drags the whole thing down into the mud. This album would probably get 3-4 stars from me if it just didn't have a few actually, physically painful sound effects. Favorite track: "Humor Me" (I didn't)
Yeah this is a lot more challenging than their other album on the list. More noise, less fun. Last song is pretty good, though. 2/5
I'm conflicted with this album. Clearly ahead of its time and very influential, but at the same time seemingly deliberately random and annoying
wasn't in the mood for this today
Wowwwww this one is not good at all. The vocals are bad, the sound is bad, the whole album is bad. It's like if your friends got together to make some music but forgot to learn how to play any songs together and are also drunk.
Was isch dänn das!? Rächt wirr, aber irgendwie au cool, experimentel. Was für droge sind da im Spiel?
find die erste zwei lieder bis etz seehr geil haha. NON ALIGNMENT PACT. au sehr weird aber gnüsses. laughng goht recht dumm mitem free jazz stuff aber finds reecht geil die stechend gitarre nocher isch super. street waves macht langsam klar dass er nöd andersch wird singe. aber s het alles mega drive und ich finds easy cool. chinese radiation? oge? aber jo vo mir us real world wird langsam chli ahstrengend. over my head au ehner müehsam zum lose, s lauft sich langsam uus. humor me au swirig. s album fangt definitiv sehr geil ah und hört schwaach uuf. de langsam stuff isch vieel weniger cool als de schnell.
ohh fun!!! han iwie nöd punk erwartet laughing arrsch jaa für mich ischs nachli zu unzämmrhängend? HAHAHAH LIFE STINKS SEEEHR FUNNY jaa sehr vill random gaggi, mengisch findis arsch, mengisch findis cool hahah humor me gitmer chli viagraboys vibes hahahah jaa paar sehr cooli sache, paar sache wo eifach da sind. 3
3 stars
Puh. Eher nichts für mich.
Dithering between 3 and 4 for this but ultimately I think it's probably a 3. I like this genre though. It's my second Pere Ubu album and I've been pleasantly surprised by both of them.
Man I heard this just over a week ago and don't remember a damn thing. OK listening . It is nice, doesn't sound like much else of the time. Nirvanish at poiunts.
This is a very curious record. Very out-there rock music with a very unique blend of dance-y groove and punk-y vocals. Not very accessible, but quite the unique experience. Great choice to include this type of experimental rock music Key tracks: Nonalignment Pact The Modern Dance
It contains the level of experimentalism in the fringe zone before becomes too strange and not enjoyable. I liked it, even though I'll probably forget it in some days.
How many glasses were broken during the production of this album? I really like the combination of punk and some Avant Garde elements in here. Vocals are nice but not very typical. Bumping it up half a star to compensate for all the low ratings.
Didn't really grab me.
Innovative, influential, somewhat painful.
I will never be cool enough to actually enjoy avant-garde punk. Some albums make me feel like I'm getting closer though. For my money there's a lot to get into here, but I truly struggle with the vocals. I can live with, and maybe even appreciate, the opening tinnitus whine. I find a lot to love in the rock solid drumming and bass lines. The weirder instrumentation choices are interesting, and some of the guitar riffs are fire. But that leaves the vocals, and nothing will save that for me.
I struggled a bit with Dub Housing when I listened to it a while ago, but this one was a lot more immediately accessible. I feel like I could like this even more on repeat listenings, and I’m interested to see how the follow-up hits me when we revisit it. “Non-Alignment Pact” is such a banger. 3.5/5
Another post punk classic and I like it. Never got around to listening to Pete Ubu but glad I finally did!
You know what? I enjoyed the shit out of this and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Sure, some parts of it were a bit too out there for me, but overall I enjoyed it a lot.
I've got an idea, lets form a band and wilfully make the most ugly, unappealing music. Bob on lead bagpipes, Dave on acoustic pots and pans, Rick on electric toothbrush and John on another planet. I'm not sure how much I actually enjoyed this experiment but kudos for the attempt at breaking the mold.
Yeah man shout it out
Didn't always work but there are sparkles of brilliance
Not bothered, mate.
Meh, no good, quite annoying.
I liked this one better than Dub Housing. This one just feels a bit more coherent 4/5
The Modern Dance is a fitting title, at the time it was the frontier of punk music. The album opens with almost unbearable feedback, the general mood of manic is non stop. Chinese revolution is a personal highlight. Requires more listens. 6.1/10
this guy sounds like his balls are being squeeze in a vise. there are some good riffs/musical moments on here, but they are few and far between. hard pass on ever listening to this again
3.5
There are aspects of this album I really dug. The post punk vibe of the rhythm section mainly. But between the singer, which I disliked his delivery throughout the album, andthe overwhelming artsy tinkering which quite frankly either didn't move me or in the case of the Musique Conrete "Sentimental Journey" just down right hated. This just isn't anything I'd ever return to and quite frankly felt like a waste of my time. (3.85) ★½
I hate the vocals, but kind of think the musical ideas are a bit interesting. Low 3 stars
The first half is especially cool. I really hear a lot of influence on 80s post-punk bands like Mission of Burma, the Minutemen, and Pixies. Highlights for me are "Street Waves", "Non-Alignment Pact" and the title track. 4 stars
3.5
Complete garbage. Nasty, screechy, plinky plonk, faux-experimental post-punk. At its best the songs sound like an inferior version of Television. At its worst it sounds like someone dropped a music junkyard off a Looney Tunes cliff. I couldn’t tell if the vocals were Peter Griffin, a brainslugged David Byrne from Talking Heads or a screeching Beaker from the Muppets. There’s a funny haywire moment on Life Stinks where it goes up an extra notch in intensity almost as if it was putting itself through a wood chipper. The ultimate nadir is probably Sentimental Journey which is like Joy Division’s I Remember Nothing but graced by the mumbly narration of Mr Plinkett and a thousand extra glass bottles and windows being smashed up.
the voice is EXTREMELY grating to me, taking an otherwise okay album and making it a not good album.
2/5
some songs were ok. some songs were meh. overall i don’t think i’ll be listening to this one again.
I like a few PU songs. They aren’t on this album. Not sure why this is on here.
This was weird, but there was a really cool groove behind all the weirdness. It's like they started with something and were like, "that's cool, but let's see what kinda crazy shit we can add to it" - and I appreciated it.
Edit: Giving my first 1. ̷B̷a̷r̷e̷l̷y̷ ̷a̷ ̷2̷.̷ It’s noisy and awkward. It feels like it’s trying too hard to be weird. The sound is all over the place. Some parts (basslines and drums) hit, but most just feel unfinished (lyrics) or tossed in for the sake of sound.
This is just not it.
if u give this less than 3 stars u a bitch
This was interesting but really started to grate quite quickly. Opening bars told me this was sime nice scuzzy, punky stuff that was right up my street and i was interested in. Unfortunately, this got swamped with the random squeaks, talking heads esque vocals. It just seemed to disappear up its own arse.
Trying to be punk, funk and psychedelic all at once. Little too much for me. Feel vocalist is all over the place.
Reading the reviews here, you’d think this was a Merzbow record or something. Sure, The Modern Dance is experimental and discordant art-punk, but it’s not so far removed from traditional rock music that you’re listening to blaring sheets of pink and white noise. It’s not a record I’ll find myself searching out often, but I’ll tell you this much: Albums like this one continue to be a welcome reprieve from the dozens of 90’s Britpop records on the list that all sound exactly the same. At least The Modern Dance offers a sense of unpredictability and individuality. That’s more than can be said for *a lot* of the records on the list.
i guess i should like this but meh
Not completely awful, but did not enjoy it.
This is like a straight up punk version of Devo. There isn’t a lot of variety on this album though. It’s just straight up Devo punk. I really can’t explain it any better. It lacks a stand out track. There is no vocal range. The music is simple but perfect for the vocals. Don’t ask me what the lyrics are about. It’s mostly noise to me but not ear bleeding noise. I could stand this, I just wanted something more out of it. Choice cut: Non Alignment Pact
This surprised me. I've heard of Pere Ubu but every time I tried to listen to them it didn't hit. This did. 4 plays today and I'll go back for more. Surprisingly emotional.
a white claw surge made this slightly more bearable but I could still tell it was dreadful
An utter slab of shit. Actual money was spent to record this. It really makes you think.
Porto Viagra Boys
The random sounds didn't feel necessary, the first track was almost unlistenable. Not for me.
Raw, atmospheric, a class of its own. I feel very much the influence on über-post-rock follow ups like Le Fly Pan Am or experimental Mr Bungle record „Disco Volante“.
At first I had no idea what this was. Then I began to like the post punk vibe, the way they use sound affects and goof around... It made me think of how I feel about overproduced, too perfect, calculated money maker style albums. Because this is the opposite. It may be well produced and designed and purpose built and all that, but it actually feels quite raw and open and just plain fun. Considering this album could be being made right now in some off main street venue dive, it has aged remarkably well. I think I may just listen a bit more to this band...
Honestly stunned that this doesn’t have a lower rating. Bollocks cacophony
Shite
I’m not interested in this. Did not have any fun with this. Mostly inoffensive. Wasn’t much to latch on to if you know what I mean. 2/5
I like most of it. The vocals are too loud in the mix, which makes them annoying. Favorite song: life stinks
Nah mate. Too jazzy.
not that into it.
Jaysus. Had just about enough to make it a high 1*, rounded up to 2*
Not for me. 1/5
OK I hated this. It's like everything terrible about "rock" music jammed into one album. Talented musicians aside, this audible dementia is garbage. Thank all that is holy that the entire absurd mess lasted less than 40 minutes.
It's not bad. Kinda dated but it's a vibe
Some good songs, unfortunately interrupted by periodic shrieks and an entry that's mostly just smashing glass. I don't understand why... this kind of thing... it's not art to me, it's irritating.
A little too artsy fartsy.
One of my favorite albums. Probably listened to hundreds of times. The tunes, the sounds, the pacing...all excellently conceived and executed out of the cultural cave that is Cleveland. Gets to places no other record does. Years after I got into this album I saw the 1973 Terrence Malik film "Badlands" (w/ Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen) and recognized that the dialogue must have inspired some of this album's lyrics, specifically "my baby says that when the devil comes, shoot him with a gun."
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed this album, but I really appreciate it that this project tuned me into the weird world of Pere Ubu and its avant-garage. (I'd rate this album up there with Laibach, Deerhunter, and John Martyn as a band and music-style that was completely unexpected and deceptively original.) It's hard to say that any of the tracks are favorites of mine, although "Laughing" and"Real world" kind of stuck in my brain for a while, and nearly all of the song titles are intriguing, even when the song itself didn't live up to its potential (here's looking at you "Sentimental journey"). David Thomas' voice is pretty distinctive, and the Allen Ravenstine's keyboard/synthesizer effects are equally odd and memorable (definitely contributing to the "avant" part of their garage). If nothing else, this album seems waaay ahead of its time musically, although I'm not sure there are many other bands or albums that ever really sounded like this, past or present. Thanks, 1001 Albums! (And thanks too for a nice review of the album, as Wikipedia's entry is abysmally terse and unhelpful.)
I love the garage intellectual blend that happened in the mid to late 70s, where you've got Pere Ubu chanting "merdre" from Ubu Roi and Patti Smith singing "go Rimbaud" instead of "go Johnny go" Pretentious? Don't know, don't care, I'm a sucker for it, even if I do think "Sentimental Journey" might have gone on a little long.
Once again, Pere Ubu shows up for me with another banger that I didn't know of. The Post-punk era has genuinely produced some of the best music of our time and The Modern Dance continues the trend. 4/5
I really enjoyed this, like Talking Heads without being boring, also a little like Hawkwind in places. I enjoyed the weirdness and actually wish it had been a little bit longer.
Falls into the same irritating zone as Talking Heads and Devo, a.k.a. my musical arch-nemesis. I can't tell you why this puts me in a state of primal rage, but it just does. Not a fan.
The first song was terrible but the album really blossomed after that. Decent punk album
I liked this more with each subsequent listen. Non-Alignment Pact, Modern Dance, and Street Waves are excellent. Recorder-sounding intro to Laughing takes me back to elementary school music class. Gang of Four, Joy Division, Pixies, Husker Du, Ween - I hear it all in Pere Ubu. This album is punk as fuck. *Added to library and shared with people who give a fuck about music.*
If I'm trying to get proggy weird...King Crimson/Yes is far more listenable. I give them credit for not being just bad punk--they are trying to do something different. Some of the songs are nonsense. "Modern Dance" is my favorite track. If I still lived in Brooklyn I'd pick up girls at Union Pool with "I know TV On the Radio is cool but have you listened to 'Modern Dance' by Pere Ubu....white guys did it first, heh". I would go home alone sad on the G train.
This is throwing shit against the wall and nothing sticking. At least half this band was disgusted by what they were playing. But that's the cost of trying to do something new - it might be ground breaking but likely it's going to sound terrible. (I was too easy on Dylan and I'm taking it out on Pere Ubu)
I appreciate the avante-garde ambitions of the band and the uniqueness of the sound (in parts), but don't individually like any song enough to return to it. Some of what they do is cool and interesting, but occasionally they go off the rails in ways that somehow feel predictable, almost rote. Like if you were reading out the song structure, some parts would just read (insert dissonance here). Some of it reminds me a little of some the Velvet Underground's most annoying songs (Venus in Furs). Definitely hear some Animal Collective and TV on the Radio too, though that's mostly in the vocals. Song for song, this is probably a 2.5 (a 4 for the first half, then a 1 for the back half where it starts to really drag), but I'll round up because they did manage to create a unique sound that works in places.
A mixture of “pretty cool” avant garde punk rock and senseless noise. Chinese Radiation and Over My Head reminded me a bit of the Velvet Underground. A bit of Can too. Songs like Laughing and Sentimental Journey were trying to go crazy with horns and avant garde sounds and are barely listenable. All in all, I love this kind of album experience. This truly is unique and takes a little work to love or even appreciate. Ill label with 3 stars because it has gotten better on a second listen (2.5 stars rounding up). Im seeing how it couldve influenced bands in the 90s, but not 80s 😂
This is some challenging stuff. It’s objectively annoying to listen to (the vocals on the title track and the intentionally shitty sounding instrumentals on ‘Laughing’ are good examples). Only got 4 songs in before I had to pull the ripcord, so someone please tell me if the back half really picks up. I liked reading their wikipedia page more than I liked listening to their music, which is always a bad sign. “Describing their sound as "avant-garage," Pere Ubu's work drew inspiration from sources such as musique concrète, 60s rock, performance art, and the industrial environments of the American Midwest.” I don’t know what any of this really means
This was weird and fun. Don’t even recognize the name of this band. Contemporary with punk, but ahead of their time - sounds more post punk like Talking Heads, early Modest Mouse, or, more modern, Parquet Courts. I love this stuff. Clean guitars, bass high in the mix. Messy and noisy, but finds a way to keep the wheels on - until the last few songs I suppose. Maybe a little too arty for me to return to super regularly or to play around the house, but it was great for a couple of spins with headphones on. Highlights for me are Chinese Radiation, Street Waves, and Over My Head. Great as a complete album piece. Also, newcomer Frank 2/Fascist Frank found this amazing rule book the band/collective wrote: https://www.ubuprojex.com/facts/uburules.html
Avant-garde, which I try and be open minded to. There is some good avant-garde out there, but there is a lot of bad. I find the genre difficult to penetrate unless you have an affinity for that particular artist before going into it. This is no different. Some interesting ideas, but mostly ruined by the shrieking vocals. Not the worst I've heard on here admittedly.
I did not know Pere Ubu. I liked the punk every. There were a handful of songs that I loved, but offset by a few things that were irritating. I'll come back to some of the good stuff, but I won't listen to the full album again.
Nice, ei harmittanu kuulla.
First time listening to a Pere Ubu album. I was anticipating something more off-putting, though way more avant guard than expected. Great album. Another reminder that I really like a lot of what would be considered strange music.
2/10 Really bad Favourite Song=Non-Alignment Pact Least Favourite Song=Sentimental Journey
Ah 70's punk. The head-bopping, driving percussive angst of a generation. Laughing and Sentimental Journey had me cringing, but Street Waves brings the album away from dissonance and back to fun. Basically a mixed bag of mosh and mess. Mostly mess.
Pretty amazing album for 1978 - it improved on repeated listenings, and I'll probably come back to it
At 466 albums in I have a pretty good feeling what an album is gonna be rated by the generator crowd. Before looking, I’m fairly certain this will be averaged in the 2.5 range which is criminally low, maybe I’m wrong. I was not previously familiar with Pere Ubu from Ohio but they got my attention. They display some chaotic energy to create a truly interesting post-punk album here. It’s noisy, it’s messy and it’s so damn weird. Love the weird vocal tendencies going on throughout and all the odd musical messiness going on in the back. Title track, Modern Dance was my fave but I also loved the following track, Laughing, with its wild horns and rousing vocals and sharp guitar. You get a good sense that their live set would have been a sweaty good time in Cleveland in their prime. Good stuff 4 stars
A 36 minutes long album shouldn’t have so much “failed stuff”. It has some good moments, but annoying the audience just for the sake of it is always a dumb and cheap choice.
A weird and noisy rock album that often hits all the right chords. The opener; Non-Alignment Pact is simply an amazing song. Straight ahead rock that chugs alog with a fierce momentum that bores into your brain and stays there. But the fun doesn't stop there; the whole first half of the album is amazing. Things get a little noisier and experimental in the second half but no less compelling. Great album 4.5 stars
Not much on my radar--too bad for me. Nice driving intensity. The grating subtleties nicely matched by the lyrical abrasiveness. Punk freed from the confines of song structure into industrial dance (see cover of oil rigs and factories). 1/2 hour or so of pure engagement.
Such a wide range of musical influences. An album that is still able to amaze.
More pretentious performance art than music. Although at times it veered into Nick Cave or the Velvet Underground territory, just not as good. Interesting but headache-inducing. Experimental but alienating. And way too much feedback.
While I rated them the same, I found this a much better listening experience than was "Dub Housing." This was less challenging, though still struck me as equally experimental and unconventional. But the songs, music, and vocals were more palatable and relatable. That said, I can't say I loved the album. This was a worthy inclusion, as an introduction to what appears to be an underground but influential band. So while this rose to a 3.5 on my personal scale, I'm not in love with it enough to give it the bump in the star rating.
I appreciate this album more than I like it. Their second album, Dub Housing, is a favorite of mine, but I could never really get into this one. Something about the production or the groove just kept this one out of reach for me. I enjoyed it more today. Well, "enjoyed" isn't quite the word, but I got it more. The first few tunes clicked with me better today than before. But it's still an unpleasant album to listen to, and that's saying something because I enjoyed Throbbing Gristle. So anyway, 3 stars for the concepts and the influence, but it's not one I'll be returning to. Not when Dub Housing and New Picnic Time are there for me.
This album sucked ass. I would genuinely like to discuss this with someone who is a fan. It just wasn't for me.
Ooohh. This slaps. Early premonitions of Drive Like Jehu or Mclusky or Future of the Left. Weird for sure, but good weird. And it's so cool to hear something so original here.
Oh no thank you. I just can’t get behind music like this that much, I don’t see its charm. I can possibly see how it’s popular- I respect the different style, but I just don’t like it.
The Cuyahoga River flows directly through Cleveland (OH, USA) and in the 1960s would actually *catch on fire* frequently due to how polluted it was. Crocus Behemoth is the moniker adopted by the "vocalist" in the band, who were founded in Cleveland. There must be some correlation here. 4/10 2 stars. (Stunning that not one album from Pere Ubu is here but 2. This is not as terrible as their followup - that's the best I can give it)
Better than expected, enjoyed the title song
If you didn’t like the first 20 seconds, you won’t like the rest. I hated the first 20 seconds.
The first song turned me off the rest of listening. Why would they start an album with high pitched feedback? What the actual is this?
Excellent
Awful
2 - Not really sure on this honestly. Didn't really resonate at all
This was the most losing my edge album of the losing my edge albums so far. 3/5
What a sad day to get another Pere Ubu album. As if one wasn't bad enough. This album sucks
Day 53 - October 20th, 2024 Meh. 3/5
8.5/10. This is so weird and unsettling. I love it!!! :)
Creative and funny! But in terms of music not so interesting.
I’ve been a part of some intoxicated jams where everyone switches instruments while some random friend who doesn’t sing gets on the mic and just gets weird, definitely some fun memories. I’m glad most of those jams weren’t recorded cause I’m sure they sounded terrible. This album reminds me of what I imagine those jams sounded like. That being said there’s some pretty interesting moments scattered through out the ten songs. There’s plenty of risks being taken through out and that freedom yields some really cool exploration. I wouldn’t say there’s anything here that I will revisit but I can appreciate what the band was going for. I guess I’d give it a 2.5.
Interesting. Never heard of these blokes. I'm hearing some Tunde type vocals there on Modern Dance. Maybe some Oxbow. Strange album, but I'm glad I've heard it. Humor Me was a good ending song, and my favorite.
I'd never heard of this artist before and based on the name, I was guessing it was an older African guy, lol (Père being the French word for father). How wrong I was! Like thinking you're about to drink water, but it's actually flat Sprite. This was pretty unhinged and felt quite experimental. I appreciate that they felt free to explore and take risks, and there were many cool and interesting moments, but the vocals often impeded my enjoyment. I'll give it a 2.5.
This one didn't do much for me. It was more digestible punk than other pink bands I think, but it just didn't grab me.
Mad this came out in the 70s.
Modern Dance is a strange album with a lot of weird background noises behind every song. Chinese Radiation has a lot of crowd noise with a somber ending. Real World is fun. Sentimental Journey = breaking empty 40s in a back alley. Overall, the album is a little too weird for me, but not a bad 70s debut effort. Definitely some musical instruments being used to create noise. (3.3*s)
This album took me off guard, what is it... art-punk, garage rock, anti-music, a recycling truck driving down a dirt road? I didn't hate it but it's pretty out there, the highs are high and the lows are low. It's short and interesting at points, not sure I'd play it again though. The garbled mumbling and drunk sound effects feel somehow very Cleveland. Not the worst, 2.0.
Well, this was an album out of left field. A bit noisy, a bit strange, a bit out of tune but wow, what a trip. I did not know what to expect from this but based on the band name and the Spotify pic...I thought I was getting some boring foreign instrumentals. Right off the bat I was surprised and annoyed by the ear piercing feed back but the album got wild and out there and I was all for it. Lead singer sounds like another artist I can't put my finger on (Gary Glitter?). Got some sax appearance that sounded like it was either John Zorn or John Estrella. Didn't think a band could influence the Butthole Surfers but Pere Ubu must have. This prob makes Mom's top (bottom) album from the list-list. For me it's getting a 3.47 and I will be exploring more from these guys.
Not sure what to make of this. At times its a fun romp with some weird alt-punk sounds. At other times it devolves into obnoxious vuvuzelas, honking and the ramblings of a seemingly drunk madman. For a 3- minute listen you can do a lot worse with some of the other garbage on the list. Not recommended but also not mad about it. 1.5 stars
Pretty wonky and strange, but at least unique and interesting at times. 4/10