California

Another new one for me... never heard of AMC, guess I wasn't depressed enough. This album has a place and time.. I can listen to his voice and the music its very easy to listen to.

Doesn't exist on Spotify or Deezer, less than 10k views on Youtube, and somehow one of my favorite finds from this project. This guy's voice is like Morrissey on a good day, the guitar solos are great, and the different genres in here make it so fun to listen to.

I couldn't get this album on Spotify so I listened to their 1990 album Everclear. I like the vibe of this group. The vocals get a little repetitive, but enjoyable. I think I will dig a little deeper into their catalog.

Pretty middle of the road and unappealing to me.

Mix of country, R.E.M., punk, and the Smiths. Apparently this is a slow core album. I've never heard of that name before, but it sounds like the stripped-back, sad songs in this album.

Solid I guess, nothing special

Some of the most pedestrian pop I’ve ever heard. Boring, uninventive, and the lyrics seem wildly uninspired.

No encontré el disco, pero escuché otro disco de la banda. No está mal

I liked this for the most part. Although I absolutely hated Bad Liquor. It just felt so out of place. California felt like an album that was ahead of its time. If you would have told me that it was released in the early or mid 90's, I wouldn't have been surprised. But, that could just be because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to indie rock.

Available in Bandcamp (you can stream for free)

This is dollar CD bin at the record store core. Music that is totally fine but it just sorta blends in the background. I agree with that review talking about the Feelies. I’d rather a Feelies album be on here.

It's fine - frankly we've had worse albums on a Friday. 2 stars, wouldn't lose my mind if someone threw this one the stereo. But I'm not going out of my way for it.

IDK, in the first 15 seconds of the first song --- I don't think I am gonna like it. This is like alterna- Paul Anka with, misplaced, steel / slide guitar(?). Ok, fine the songs got a little better as the album goes, still not great though. I am not a huge fan of the lead singers voice -- he feels a little too breathy at times for me. This would be a great Sundays album though.....

Not going out of my way to track this down

I have one Mark Eitzel's solo album (The Invisible Man) but I probably haven't listened any American Music Club albums previously. This seems like a very strong album after the first listen.

LOVELY. WHY ISNT IT ON SPOTIFY

This was great! I really liked this! Will be going back! 3 stars for how unfamiliar I was with it. I expect it to go up.

It gets better towards the end. It’s almost as if Nick Cave came to visit the studio. I like the track Pale and Skinny Girl, Jenny, Western Sky and Highway 5

Not good

This sounds like the kind of band that was popular on the township or county level but never made it big in the province, let alone the country. They are talented enough that when you see them at a county fair when you are 14 you are impressed. However the intensity with which the lead singer emotes is a bit incongruous, and the dedication that the dozen or so dancers exhibit seems a bit forced. Anyway, this album has been removed from my version of the book, and I see why.

Suggested alternate title: “Morrissey as an American.”

A day after listening and it’s difficult to even remember what it sounded like. Good for those who need something uninspiring to fall asleep to, although they’ll never hear the end of the album. I’m a bit jealous of those listeners.

Ok

Rating: 4/10 So damn boring.

The most interesting fact about this band is that they seem to be the pioneers of "Slowcore", a style of music characterized for being, if it wasn't obvious, very slow. This album is in fact very calm, honest and sad, with the inclusion of a handful of more lively cuts, such as the folk and country songs "Firefly", "Somewhere" and "Lonely" with the addition of the rock track "Bad Liquor". All the other songs are fundamentally super slow ballads, with the ones closer to the starts being more folk inspired and the latest ones being only acoustic and voice. The thing is, most of the times, the songs come across as monotonous and lacking of interesting ideas, specially the ones that should add more energy. I think I preferred way more the pure sincerity of the ballad tracks, with my favourite the beautiful "Last Harbor", even though they also suffer from be a bit boring. I'm struggling deciding what score to give, but I think I have to give it a negative one, as I am not impressed about this project, even though I appreciate the sad and honest sound of it.

this is pretty much just the smiths without the glaze.

So earnest and doing too much. Unfinished demo vibes. Not for me. 2/5

niet beschikbaar

Rv

These tracks are not available on Spotify. But I listened to an album from a couple years later - based on that it's a 3 "sound."

I’m was initially really intrigued by this album. The opening track gave me a lot of hope for what was to come. Sadly it may have set the bar too high cause nothing on the album came close to that opening track. It has this really cool instrumentation that here it sorta plays around with country music sounds while being more a pop rock album. The whole rest of the album made no impression on me and was completely forgettable, honestly this is as bad as an album can be without getting a 1, it was just barely redeemable.

This is my third album not to be on American Spotify and the first since the Jungle Brothers at album #64. It is a fairly good alt-rock album with some guitar jangle. However, many of the lyrics feel rather stupid and trite, which is a shame as these are otherwise good songs. Basically, these guys sound like REM for hipsters who refuse to be caught listening to REM. The vocalist sounds like any new wave vocalist, and the rest of the band is only OK. Is it a good album? Yes. Is it essential listening? Not in the slightest.

This felt like a lot of nothing, didn't have much substance. It wasn't trout mask jarring but still wasn't enjoyable

2.5 stars I had it in the background and didn’t love it but would probably like more with more listens. That being said, I don’t think I’d ever love it.

- ok, doesn't hold up. Maybe I need more time with it but I came away feeling like the writing was middling, almost try hard ..... -

A decent album, not really compelled to finish it. I’ll give it a two, not sure if it’s something I would go back to, but it’s not bad. Not sure why it’s on the list.

Uneven, but I did kind of enjoy the vibe at points.

Definition of mids.

At different moments this reminded me of Bruce Springsteen, Gin Blossoms, and Counting Crows. Ugh. I mean, this sounds like a random band you might find at an open mic night in a medium-sized town in California. I didn't know that was the criteria for this list.

Solidly inoffensive

are you kidding me? this was so fucking boring!

3/5 is me being generous. This album is pretty mid.

Not available on Apple Music

Boring

3.5 Quite enjoyed that, some slightly meloncholy American rock, like a few of the grunge era bands but without the heavy side (well apart from one song, which was shite and cut out half way through, not sure if my design or the person uploading to YouTube gave up with it!). Shame it's not on Spotify as I'd add a couple of tracks for sure. As it is, nice to know you, but I'll never see you again..

This is one of those bands I'd heard of, but never actually heard any of their songs. This is also an album I should have liked, based on what I read about them. I didn't dislike it, but there weren't any standout songs or even standout moments. It was a perfectly fine record. The only song I kinda liked was Western Sky, but even that was more of a "oh here's a pretty cool song." I feel that this is an album that doesn't belong on the list, and based on the reviews on the site I am not alone in his belief. It's a 2.5 for me. We'll see which direction it goes when I give my official rating.

This sounds like the band you hear at the local drinking spot on a Saturday night in which you think they sound pretty good because you’re enjoying drinks and chatting with friends, and keep mentioning “these guys are awesome, can’t believe they aren’t bigger”. Then you buy their album burned to a CD-R on the way out to support, and once you wake up the next day and put it on and give them 100% focus, only to come to the realization of how horribly wrong you were.

Beautiful playing on this album and interesting enough compositions. However the vocals are distracting and overall take away from the experience unfortunately.

Nice chill album. Deep ass lyrics. Nothing special really.

Exactly what I expected from a band names American Music Club. The fact that you can't make 0.5 rates it's really bothering me more and more, it's a 2.5

Wow this is just straight up not good, dawg. Was waiting for the album to really start, then saw I was halfway through already. And then it got bad.

The 1,001 book quotes hyperbole-prone Melody Maker saying that American Music Club was "the most criminally underrated band in the world." Personally, they neither under- nor overrated for me, because I only knew the band's and Mark Eitzel's names. But California makes a powerful case for digging into their discography, because this is great. I'm a sucker for sensitive-guy Americana, and I appreciate how this dabbles in a few genres while still feeling distinct. More please.

Had this album been in my life when I was like 19 I would have loved it. But I was into depressing stuff like that back then. I do feel like there is something I'm missing given the critical acclaim, but I'd still take Wilco, Ryan Adams and their ilk over this. Sorry.

So this one is definitely a new discovery for me. I had never heard of these guys until they popped up on the album generator, and I ended up really enjoying the album. It actually starts off sounding like a country album, but shortly after, you start to pick up on some subtle undertones of indie and even grunge influences.Even though slowcore as a genre hadn’t really developed yet, this album definitely feels like a precursor. It’s slowed down, emotionally grounded music, but filtered through an Americana lens. I’m glad it ended up on my radar.

I'd like to shake the hand of the guy that thinks this is better than all Weezer albums.... and freaking BREAK IT!!

would not join this club

7/10… heartland / alternative rock / *1988

Not my style unfortunately and just generally didn’t enjoy the album

I've never heard of American Music Club nor this album before, but my initial assumption was that this was a jazz album, like Buena Vista Social Club (apologies to Timex Social Club). However, I see that this is an alternative rock album. While not all early alternative rock strikes a chord with me, even the albums I'm not wowed by have been really interesting. I listened to a ton of FM alt rock throughout the nineties, and my favorite part of listening to rock albums from the late eight eighties, is trying to guess who could have been influenced by a particular album. I have no idea what results that little game is going to yield with this album, but I'm curious to find out. This album wasn’t particularly good in my opinion, but it was interesting because it sounded like something from the mid-nineties, instead of something from the late eighties. Listening to this album, I picked up on hints of Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, and even Brand New. While hair metal was dominating the airwaves, American Music Club went the other way, crafting a gentler and more melodic sound to support their deep and sometimes soul-crushingly sad lyrics. While I thought the lyrical songwriting on this album was pretty strong, musically, California didn’t have much to offer me. The album started off with promise; I thought “Firefly” was a really nice song, and I really enjoyed the inclusion of the pedal steel guitar. But from there, the band never really fleshed out a full sound, opting to stay the course with some safe melodic choices, which resulted in this album not really having any identity to it. I appreciate how far ahead of their time these guys were, but I just wish they would have had a better vision when crafting their sound. This album wasn’t unlistenable, but it faded from my ears very quickly once it ended.

Ok, didn't really stand out.

Actually quite enjoyed the album, though I understand why some reviewers have said it sounds like listening to your mate's band. I think I would listen again if it was easier to stream.

Bit difficult to locate this lp on streaming services. It’s not one of the American Music Club albums I own a physical copy of. I found it to stream on bandcamp. This is a perfectly fine AMC / Mark Eitzel lp. I’d have preferred San Francisco, East or Love Songs For Patriots. But the difference in quality between any of their albums is small. I think AMC’s standing might have declined since the book was published. Part of the problem is Mark Kozeliek seems to fill the space that Mark Eitzel used to dominate. Perhaps his the more obviously personal songs fit this cathartic century better. Wiki tells me that MK’s first band Red House Painters were signed by 4AD upon recommendation from Eitzel. Good work!

Good mellow rock - nice for work background. Not on Spotify but on YouTube.

Not available

both college rockish and indie rockish in a detestable way. did not enjoy my time here.

It's always a little extra annoying to have to listen to a full album upload to YouTube for an album in here but this one was so pretty I didn't mind as much. Some of it was just kind of Rock Music Okay but some of the melodies were hitting for me and instrumentation flowing

Groupe inconnu. Certains morceaux s'apparentent à de la folk/country, sans intérêt pour moi. D'autres sont un peu plus Rock ('Somewhere' par exemple), ou plus 'Alternatifs' ('Pale and Skinny Girl'). Ils sauvent cet album de la note minimale mais ne me donnent pas envie d'écouter l'album une seconde fois. =>2/5

A soft and mellow feeling throughout the album, as if you're watching a sunset in the mountains. Tells a consistent story throughout, liked it.

Evan Dando was certainly taking notes before he decided to make the Lemonheads more country/punk/pop. Anyway, this is a great album; little sadsack teenage freshly dumped me would have probably loved this album if I'd heard it then AND it sounds like it was leading the way with the alt-rock/alt-country/Americana genres AND I was wrong to just pick on Dando; to be honest it sounds like many bands that became big from the alternative community were listening and taking this lead and running with it. Though many probably haven't heard this album before (me included), and it doesn't really keep up the quality as there is a bit of a dip in the middle, I can definitely say you should listen to this as it's obviously a touchstone for many, many albums and artists that followed. Best Tracks: Firefly; Somewhere; Last Harbor

No.

Nice listen. 4 stars

This was pretty cool! Weird to describe this as "ahead of its time," because in execution its playing with a lot of old timey elements; folk, country, Americana. So by nature, it feels timeless. And in a lot of ways, it is. I could listen to almost any one of these songs at any time and be okay with it. The reason it feels "ahead of its time" is that it feels like The National, or Wilco, or even Death Cab for Cutie. There's also some really cool punk elements that feel like Joy Division. I was a little distracted listening to this, because I had to listen on YouTube, so I couldn't jam out while cooking breakfast or working out. But I really did enjoy this record thoroughly.

Country-tinged alt rock, eschewing electric guitar riffs for folky chords and jangles - at its best when it gets dark, but is too often unengaging. Favourite tracks: Pale Skinny Girl, Western Sky (Springsteen rip off, probably why it stands out as a decent song!)

This sounded rather lovely but I think I'll need to give it a second spin to be sure

It has certain moments, but on the whole the album is a little bit insipid, and I feel like they are not sure what genre they want to be in. I did not mind it, but it certainly did not make me want to go find out a bit more. Standout track was Pale and Skinny girl. 3 stars

Cantfind

This is super cool, slowcore with almost an alt country vibe

Feels conceptual. The album starts strong and confident, the second song "Somewhere" is a rocker. Then it gets a bit tenative and introspective, finally ending with this dismal character breaking up or losing "Jenny" (possibly and just leaving the world behind, hitting the road,. Feeling sad. A bit of a trope, especially layering in the Americana feel instrumentation (slide guitar, slow tempos).

Never heard of this band in my life. Didn't impress me.

This was quite lovely, actually (especially "Laughingstock"). I don't know why this album isn't available on Spotify but the entire thing is streamable on YouTube. "Bad Liquor" is a miss on an otherwise soothing collection. There wasn't anything particularly special happening here but it was pleasant and a nostalgic walk down an auditory memory lane. The last track is simple in its sadness.

A nice mellow indie-Americana vibe. Liked it.

I remember this lot making an appearance and the music press saying how good they were, someone played it to me years ago and I had the same opinion than as I do now. Nothing special.

started off decent, became grating and annoying as it went. too long

Was not familiar with this band. Really dug the vocals and sound of this band. Solid 4.0

A range of styles. Very talented songs. Great lyrics. Want to listen to this again.

Had to listen to it on YouTube. It's alright.

This is definitely divorced dad trying to reclaim his glory.

Didn’t listen

mid to crap

New to me Not for me. Not on Spotify - found on YouTube 0:00 - firefly 2:52 - somewhere 5:56 - laughingstock 10:15 - lonely 13:00 - pale skinny girl 16:34 - blue and grey shirt 20:07 - bad liquor 22:05 - now you're defeated 24:35 - jenny 27:17 - western sky 30:35 - highway 5 34:35 - last harbor

3.8/5 I think this has great potential to be a favourite. I can't believe its not available on spotify so that means i won't be able to easily listen to it. I will have to remember to listen to it on youtube.

Bad Liquor was fun and the rest is totally fine but hard to imagine coming back to these days.

Nao tem no spotify, sorry mate

this is pretty great! reminds me of counting crows, but ten years earlier. great music, that is unfortunately not easily available, but that makes in honestly a special experience to seek out, which is pretty much lost with the regular streaming service use.

It was fine.

I feel bizarrely ambivalent about this. I mostly hate it but a couple of tracks draw me in and I find them rather beautiful.

Sounds really modern, ahead of its time... but in a bad way somehow?

Was okay. I feel like I should be more into this than I actually was. Late 80s (1988) indie style rock. Had to go to YouTube to listen to it.

Slow, acoustic, melancholy indie rock with influences from country and folk. I can see why people would like this because it's emotional and sparse. But it's a bit too slow for me and none of the songs really stuck with me.

Oh, this is directly in my wheelhouse right now. I have heard bits and pieces of this band, but not this album. Can hear potential influences on a lot of the alt-country and downbeat Americana stuff that came later, and its pretty amazing on first listen. Occasional missteps (the loud bluesy tune in the middle, some unavoidably 80s production in spots) aside, this is a definite re-listen for me.

A couple of songs reminded me a little of You Am I. Would probably rate it 3.5 stars if I could. Not bad but not really special either

Sad boy alternative cowboy rock. What else can you ask for on a cold, December morning?

The fact that this isn't on streaming is indicative of how forgettable this is.

American Music Club was a new discovery for me. My reaction to their album "California" was ultimately a bit flat. It wasn't offensive to the ear, but it didn't grab my attention either. It was a tad bland and was largely an unmemorable experience, earning two stars. Note - This album isn't on Spotify. It's on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmXZEPwsTE 1 "Firefly" (3/5) 2 "Somewhere" (3/5) 3 "Laughingstock" (2/5) 4 "Lonely" (2/5) 5 "Pale Skinny Girl" (2/5) 6 "Blue and Grey Shirt" (2/5) 7 "Bad Liquor" (3/5) 8 "Now You're Defeated" (2/5) 9 "Jenny" (2/5) 10 "Western Sky" (2/5) 11 "Highway 5" (2/5) 12 "Last Harbor" (2/5) Total - 27.00 Average - 2.25 194/1001 107/194 albums reviewed were new to me.

It's not bad. 2,8

Boring.

20th album with group. Very basic and forgettable. I’ve probably heard 40 other albums on this list just like it. Good Songs - Firefly and Bad Liquor. Bad Songs - Somewhere, Laughingstock, Lonely, Pale and Skinny Girl, Blue and Grey Shirt, Now You're Defeated, Jenny, Western Sky, Highway 5, and Last Harbor.

This isn’t the California I know.

Another introduction to me. Nothing unique but solid in the best way. I really enjoyed it.

This was okay. Definitely got boring. Vocals were a little too "dark" for me. The end was BAD. Liked Songs: "firefly" , "somewhere" , "laughingstock" , "blue and grey shirt" , "now you're defeated"

Good 3

This is fine. I can hear creativity, which is nice. But the sound is reminiscent of British Indie pop, where the singer treats us to his self-loathing inner dialogue. Not my thing. A 2. (Though, in fairness, it could probably be a three if I listened again. But I don’t want to). A 2.

1.4/5 Honestly, I wouldn't put this in the top 10,000 albums of all time, let alone the top 1,000. I'm not sure what people hear in this. If someone put this on and didn't mention it was on this list I would have said it was a college band's first and only album from the early 90's and it had less than 1,000 listens on Spotify. The only half decent song is the first track "Firefly". I could barely make it through the rest of the songs.

This felt familiar and enjoyable.

‘California’ from 1988-ish was not available so listened to ‘Everclear.’ A little more rocking Cure sound.

Forgettable

I was ok with the first few songs, they were reminding me a little of The Smiths, but then things got a little weird through the middle of the album and ultimately I was a little bored.

¿?

Never heard of this band before. Didn’t warm to it. The country style guitar sounds didn’t help convince me that this was an indie record.

Couldn’t find this on Apple Music.

Meh

Pretty standard

I liked this song about "another party .." Why is this album nowhere to find?

New one to me. Was solid enough but not as good as other contemporary "indie" types. 3/5

surprisingly good - never even heard of the group

Apparently, this album is not available from my provider. Instead, I listened to another album by the band. That gave me an impression of the band. The music was okay, but it didn't really stick in my mind. 3/5

Nirvana and the Wallflowers had a baby and it's this band.

Fint! Men en del trista låtar

Var är min spotify-länk?? Nämen faktiskt ganska najs, är inte riktigt min typ av genre men känns som dom gör allt rätt!

Lite sömnigt.

Listened on YouTube. Liked the first song, but most felt fairly forgettable

Beautifully dull. Got to one song with higher energy, (Bad Liquor?) and just as I was becoming hopeful that things were changing, it ended and boring returned.

Should be an exclusive club only for americans. Like the USA its a copy of British rock music scene from the 80s like the smiths and others. Way too similar so its mehhhh

Liked 2nd half of album more.

Cool album

It almost made me appreciate steel guitar. But it felt like boring Counting Crows/Nine Days

Chris Isaak meets mark kozelek which I would think I would really like but it didn’t really grab me and I can’t put my finger on why. Somewhere between 3 and 4

Respectfully, why is this one of the 1001 albums I need to hear before dying? What was so interesting about it? Who says this album is the soundtrack to their life? Probably at least one Midwestern guy, but still.

There's a few songs on here I like but - and I'll give it to American Music Club, they presaged a lot of the bands I was thinking of - it mostly feels like a worse version of a band I already like, especially REM & Red House Painters. Some Nebraska era Springsteen vibes on here too. Songwriting is good on an individual level but this doesn't really hit together as an album. They seem like a singles band...or a college radio band. Actually definitely the latter. Favorite Songs: Firefly, Laughingstock, Western Sky

Decent. Matchbox Twenty-core.

Not on Spotify and the Youtube upload wasn't great so didn't listen in depth to the album. It sounded good for parts of the album, but other tracks were not interesting.

No longer available on Spotify. No worries. Full album on YouTube. I actually bought this record when it came out. Seem to recall some tie to Game Theory or perhaps because it was on Frontier records. I had bought Engine and thought that record was great. It was in the sweet spot of college rock at that time. They had started to incorporate the country rock sounds that were all the rage then. This record is quieter - like John Doe of X but mellower. You can definitely hear it on track like Laughingstock which could have been lifted from a late period X record. Bad liquor has a little Reverend Horton Heat/Supersuckers edge to it. Overall this is an engaging record brought to life by Eitzel’s rich vocals and clever lyrics. Check out Lonely, Jenny and Western Sky. As an album in a period where this particular guitar sound and composition were common, it did stand out a bit. I’m not sure it belongs on this list but it is certainly an underrated gem.

Pretty dull. Inoffensive, at least.

Started out strong but kind of struggled to find its genre. Decent listen

Ugh not available on Spotify. Off to YouTube. I’m always intreaguwd when it’s something I never heard of during the time when I was very in with music. No clue what to expect. This as a good little acoustic based rock and roll record. I’d listen again. But can’t.

I can’t get California on Spotify. I listened to Everclear instead. I liked it. Strong 3.

No están disponibles las canciones en Spotify

Out of left field, never heard ofnit. I loved it.

Not available on Spotify so I don't know

Not bad can’t go wrong w indie rock

Nothing remarkable imo

i was bored, too quiet and monotone (shoegaze?) blues elements were fun overall 2.5 wouldn’t relisten

I read a review on how this sounds like the band of that co-worker who keeps inviting you to their shows in the local bar, and then when you go, you nod along, and slap him on the shoulder afterwards. This really sounds like that. Nice.

It's technically music but definitely just here to make up the numbers.

another one that was just fine

it could be in top 3 rock albums i've listened in this list so far. it's a shame that you can't play this on spotify, I definetely have some favorite picks. something I definetely wanna go back someday. 4/5

This project is really helping to check off the list of all the bands I’ve heard of but never got a chance to hear. Although this album came out at a time when I was fully immersed in the act of listening to music, I can tell just by the sound of this that I would not have encountered this because I was in high school and I didn’t have any friends that listened to stuff like this at the time. I bet I would have heard it though if I was in college and into listening to campus radio. It’s a real nice mix of some sort of folk, country, and rock. Yeah I’m digging this more and more as the album goes on. It would have been cool to see them live back in the day. Ok I’m sold on these guys and I’ve gotta check out some more of their albums! ps I love the photo on this album cover! I would like to know more about it but came up empty online however I did get to do a bit of a deep dive on the photographer Bobby Neel Adams and his stuff is great! Now I want to find some of his photo books if they’re available anywhere. Ah art! So tough on my wallet!

This is nothing more than list filler. Influence 1. Quality 3. Intangibles 1. Hits 1. It's not objectionable? 3. Round to 2?

It was okay. I don't think it was particularly transformative so I question it's inclusion on this list.

Really fun unexpected find for me.

Not great

Some reviews are I think are quite harsh. It's not a bad album. I mean, it's not a particularly strong or notable album - I don't know why it's on the list - but it's not bad. It feels kinda generic, with average songwriting, average instrumentation, and predictable style changes as the album bears on to keep your attention. It's like if your cousin who loved R.E.M started a local band four years ago who have played two shows. This is that album. There's a lot worse influences than R.E.M, and it's listenable to the point of lasting through it without any strong feelings. No negative, no positive. An album.

Pretty good

Eigenlijk is het wel een geinig album. Het is vanalles door elkaar. Het begint met een Amerikaanse country variant van Britse jaren '80 New Wave en daarna krijgen we nog wat Morrissey, U2, R.E.M., misschien zelfs een vleugje The Cure en weet ik wat nog meer allemaal. Vooral de zanger geeft het een nogal Brits randje, met z'n overgeacteerde dramazang. Ik erger me vreemd genoeg niet echt aan hem. Vandaar m'n conclusie 'wel geinig'. Maar die woorden geven ook wel een beetje aan dat dit na één keer luisteren in de grote vergeetbak met een flinke lading andere 3 sterrenalbums gestopt kan worden. Dit blijft bij mij niet plakken. Ik ben dit over een uur al vergeten. En het is voor mij dan niet leuk genoeg om het nog een keer aan te zetten. Maar wel drie sterren dus, gewoon een oké album.

Ok 2/5

So this one is definitely a new discovery for me. I had never heard of these guys until they popped up on the album generator, and I ended up really enjoying the album. It actually starts off sounding like a country album, but shortly after, you start to pick up on some subtle undertones of indie and even grunge influences. Even though slowcore as a genre hadn’t really developed yet, this album definitely feels like a precursor. It’s slowed down, emotionally grounded music, but filtered through an Americana lens. I’m glad it ended up on my radar.

It's alright. The only memorable tracks for me were Western Sky, Firefly, and the closer. Bad Liquor seems out of place. 5/10

3.5

I'm actually finding *California* kinda dull... Not bad, just dull. (6.8) ★★★

Nice blend of americana, pop/rock and slowcore. 4 stars

I was somewhat familiar with American Music Club, though I'm not sure I ever listened to a full album before. I thought it was a pretty cool album that was kind of ahead of it's time -- they remind me a lot of Red House Painters, who wouldn't surface until years later. "Firefly", "Laughingstock", and "Blue & Grey Shirt" were some of the highlights for me. 3.5 stars.

3.5

A little chunk of Bruce Springsteen, some Byrdsy Beatlesy Beach Boys pop and REM jangle but it’s all mainly homeopathic as this is still mostly bilge. Not welcome in my 1001 club. 2.5 stars.

After the opener, Firefly, with its irritating country styling, things seem to improve. But still this doesn't seem a particularly momentous album. In fact I found it rather bland.

Better than I expected.

Pretty mediocre to my ears. I don't particularly hate this late '80s soft-rock sound, but a good chunk of this thing just bored me. The vocals and melodies seem to meander too much and come off as almost directionless on some of these songs. And the band does little interesting with all the country and other genre fusions here, the acoustic cuts were the worst offenders. It's not all completely awful, I do think the opening track, 'Firefly' was cute for what it was. And 'Pale Skinny Girl' is just leagues above anything else here, a generally melancholic and evocative little tune with an incredible stuttering instrumental interlude. This song gave me Slint vibes almost. 'Western Sky', I also really enjoyed the sentiment of, despite it falling into the same uninteresting instrumental lane as many of the other songs here fall into. So, yeah, those are my brief thoughts; not my thing, and I think many were doing this sound better at this time. Not god awful or anything, though.

first listen twas good

Oh good, more indie rock where the guy's voice sucks. This was Wilco levels of boring for me. It wasn't completely unlistenable, and thank god it was a shorter album. Most guys like this don't know when to stop singing and have these epically long albums. But honestly, it feels like I've heard this before, and not in a good way. This doesn't need to be on the list.

Started off strong, but by the end, it was a bit too slow and emo.

I couldn’t find the album anywhere:(

He verdorie, we moeten weer van de Spotify af. Opzich geen ramp, bijna alle muziek ooit staat op YouTube,dus ik kan gewoon door, maar mn FAVO en 1001 lijst is zo incompleet en dat is wel even pittig. Wel een nadeel; ik verwacht dan ook altijd wel iets van een album als ik er extra moeite voor moet doen. De muziek dan, want daarvoor zijn we hier; Het is prima I guess? Het voelt allemaal een beetje als middle of the road rock. Denk dat als je dit aan zet in een bar dat iedereen het prima vind, zonder zich echt te irriteren aan de muziek. Je zal weinig mensen hebben die puur voor je muziek blijven komen, maar ook niemand wegsturen omdat jij zo nodig krautrock moet draaien. Tenzij Bad Liquor op komt, dan zal je hele bar wakker schrikken en misschien toch weg gaan. Wat een ontzettende clash met blue and grey shirt daarvoor! Een nummer dat namelijk net zo spannend is als een shirt met blauwe en grijze kleuren, gaaaaaap... Nee ik ben hier niet helemaal weg van, maar moet toch zeggen dat het niet een irritatie album is geworden. Ik heb me eerder echt kapot zitten irriteren aan matige albums, maar bij deze viel me dat mee. De zang is prettig en instrumentaal is het prima. Alleen alles bij elkaar vind ik het gewoon niet zo heel erg spannend. FAVO: Lonely

Pedal steel guitar couldn’t save this one. Every song is so slow and the vocalist sounds like he’s doing a bad Morrissey impression.

I don’t really have room in my life for these guys. All the best. xo

Top track: Firefly

3 out of 5. This was a comfortable album and I agree with others on here that it seems like a precursor to college radio rock.

3.2

Interesting

Actually loved this. I tried YouTube because you can’t stream it and bad liquor was the first song for some reason. At first I thought it was some sort of Lou reed adjacent thing, wasn’t grabbing me, but then Jenny came on and I was hooked. I went back and found it’s actually more of a Springsteen meets smiths Americana thing and I loved it. In context bad liquor isn’t all that bad, just a weird way to start. I think there’s a bandcamp high quality download of this, I’m gonna get it and give this another go. It was good.

Folk rock flavored slowcore, on the more upbeat side as opposed to the more popular anemic, droney subgenre. A lot of songs tell some kind of story, with a lot of them having a bittersweet quality about the breakdown of the human spirit to the different burdens in life. Eitzel's voice sometimes seems directly broken with only a faint whisper to convey the message, but sometimes jovially depressed. His tone to some is annoying, but I find his voice comforting in a sense that it's familiar and not bombastic or unique, which fits the aesthetic of an everyday man down on his luck in a world that's changing in an unfathomable speed. I think it's the best AMC album. Mark easily paints pictures of the world, and the songs flow seamlessly into different moods.

Wow, another band I never heard of before, would it then finally be the gold nugget that I have overseen in all those years collecting gold dust? The pragmatic answer is, once again, no. In fact, this doesn't even come close to gold dust. It's most of all, plain, dull and boring. Fine musicians, sure, but who's waiting for Tom Petty meets Dave Matthews Band-style country/folk rock, well executed, but all but inspirational? And on top of that, I don't even like Tom Petty and his heartbreaking whiners, so, no, not me, and probably with me, quite a few others on the other side of the Atlantic. Too American, too boring too, let's just hope and pray Tom Petty is not on this list. But yeah, I get it - this list was compiled by (an) American(s), so I shouldn't get my hopes up... 2 stars because as background music or a film score it wouldn't be that bad, and my one star albums really deserved it, but I can think of a hell of a list with better inclusions than this though! 2/5

It sounds like a mash up of REM and the Smiths, only slower, and not as good as either. Perfect music if you think watching paint dry or grass grow is just a little too exciting.

2.5 rounded down

I owned a Mark Eitzel solo album at one point, not sure why. This was just ok.

2,75

A bit of a struggle to find this, but it is on YouTube. It is a strong 3, verging on a 4.

Meh

Sure. This didn't wow me, and its always a little disappointing when an album isn't available on a streaming service (I found an Youtube playlist with the album here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUohHmj0S8O4AN4YgKVmQOMEX942Xs1C&si=GtlYwP-AS3uTAKLA)

2 - ok but it was so inoffensive that it became boring

pretty forgettable

Das Lied „Jenny“ hat es mir sehr angetan. Es hat mich inspiriert wieder einen Text zu schreiben.

Perfectly pleasant. Bit basic but fine

It got more interesting near the end, but overall just not that exciting to me.

4/10

Alright. Nothing stood out to me. Quickly forgot all the I heard

No standouts

Always a negative if I can't get your music on Spotify damnit. First time ever hearing these guys and found this album to be pretty generic. Wasn't terrible, but nothing I would seek out. For this listener, Bad Liquor was the best song by a wide margin. Really liked it and wished there were more tunes similar. Other songs I thought were decent include, Somewhere, Lonely and Now You're Defeated. Most of the other tunes were a little slow and boring. 2.5 - Mainly for Bad Liquor

3 Something about the singer of this band really reminded me of Matt Berninger of The National. Hell, even lyrically and thematically this felt reminiscent of the group - I guess this is like their folksy, alt-country equivalents. That said, this didn’t grab me quite like The National’s music does, and I don’t really have a strong reason as to why - this just feels sort of lacking in comparison. Like, each song is pretty good, but I feel like it’s almost immediately forgotten as soon as it’s over, which leaves me without much to say here. In some ways, I could get behind an argument that this kind of thing is the natural evolution of Bob Dylan’s style of music, but it doesn’t contain quite the same charm for me. There’s some sort of charm here for sure, but it’s not a very strong or distinct one - but I guess what else can you expect from a group that goes by “American Music Club”? TL;DR Pleasant, but forgettable. The best part was the guy’s voice. Though I’ve gotta say, one of my listenings to this was at nighttime during a heavy rain, and I’ve gotta say, based on my limited time with this album, that is almost certainly the best way to experience it. I almost bumped up a half point because of it, but after listening again the next day… nah.

The album wasn't available but I did listen the band. I'd like to find the album to listen to

Rather boring, a bit monotonous

Had never heard of this band before. This was a pleasant and easy listen.

2,5

Honestly, this list is really getting to me. Another in a long line of "fine, but I've heard better". It's not as good as Madvillainy.

2 in a row not on Spotify :( didn’t give it a fair listen I should come back and relisten

Tämmöistä leppoisaa sunnuntain aamupäivän kahvittelu countrya. Ei oikein iskenyt muuten kuin taustamusana

Kun edellisen Blondien Sunday Girl toi hymyn huulille, niin tämä albumi toi melkein lievän masennuksen. Vitsit sikseen, aika tylsä albumi enkä kuunnellut loppuun asti, osittain siksikin ettei tätä ole spotifyssä tai tidalissa. Vähän yli puolet kuuntelin. Tämä levy pyörii siinä ykkösen ja kakkosen tuntumassa, mutta annetaan heikko kakkonen, eli aika paskaa mutta ei ihan täyttä paskaa (niinkuin koko homman aloittanut scum-albumi). Menettelee taustamusana.

Ihan tuntematon entuudestaan, mutta kivan positiivinen ylläri. Hyvää folkrokkia. Pari vähän erikoisempaa biisiä oli levyllä, mitkä ei sopinut kokonaisuuteen imo. Vaikka muuten todella ajatonta folkkia niin kivasti laulusta silti huokui kasari. Aika keskipätevää matskua.

Ihan mukavaa rock and/or rollia. Ei nyt varsinaisesti mikään biisi jäänyt päähän soimaan, mutta parilla kuuntelulla paranisi varmasti. Vahva kolmonen.

Päästiin semmosen äärelle taas vaihteeks, joka ei ole ennestään itelle tuttua. Tässä on paljon elementtejä, joista tykkään ja tietynlainen melankolinen rockpoppi, jota varsinkin alkupään biisit edustavat maittaa. Jotenkin tästä on vähän vaikea saada otetta ja toki kun on täysin uusi tuttavuus, niin on vaikea antaa tuomiota puolesta tai vastaan. Mietin tätä kuunnellessa, että voisi kuunnella lisääkin, mutta se taitaa vaatia fyysisen rieskan ostamista (kun ei Spotify tätä tarjoile), joten eiköhän tämä jää sitten tähän. Sillain tässä nyt kuulee saundimaailmassa ja yleisessä ilmeessä samaa, mihin on 90-luvun indierokpopeissa törmännyt. Ehkä tämä siis toimii ja on toiminut niille jonkin asteisena esikuvana ja on sillä löytänyt paikkansa listalla albumeista jotka pitäisi kuulla ennen kuin viikatemies käy kylässä. Suorilta en innostunut kaikista levyn veisuista, joten mennään tasapaksulla arvosanalla.

Taas kategoriaan "siinähän tuo meni" Toisaalta kyllä nousi hetkittäin sellainen fiilis, että jos kuuntelisi enemmän tai sattuisi jotenkin lähtökohtaisesti nappaamaan paremmin, tällä voisi olla enemmänkin tarjottavaa kuulijalle

Ei oikein lähtenyt. Ei varsinaisesti mitään muuta vikaa kun laulajan ääni josta en tykännyt yhtään, mutta ei tässä oikein mitään erityisen hyvääkään ollut. Aika tylsiä biisejä, joista ei kyllä ainakaan näin kertakuuntelulla jäänyt yhtään mitään mieleen. Tässä oli vähän semmoisia Americanan kaikuja, mutta tarinat nyt ei vaan olleet yhtään mielenkiintoisia, tai ainakaan itseeni resonoiva. No annetaan silti kaksi tähteä, kun ei tää samalla lailla pistänyt ärsyttämään kun vaikkapa se Marilyn Manson. Paitsi että Lonely-biisi kyllä ärsytti ihan helvetisti. Ihan sietämätöntä valitusta, enkä ostanut yhtään laulajan sanomaa siinä. Vähän semmoinen hilpeä Morrissey, mikä sai kyllä vihamittarin punaiselle itselläni. Ai jumalauta kun tekisi mieli sen kappaleen perusteella pudottaa arvosana yhteen tähteen!

Never heard, really liked, rocky punky kinda country ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I can’t find it 3/5 because I don’t wanna judge

The more upbeat songs were pretty good but there weren’t enough of them. Nice vocals.

A fresh but unfortunately untoasted bagel. Fine, but could be a lot better. Second half was interesting, though, so maybe a half toasted bagel?

this is terrible.

Decent

American Music Club’s California is a fascinating listen — you can hear the early seeds of alt-country before the sound was fully defined. Tracks like “Bad Liquor” point directly toward what bands like Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt would refine a few years later. The steel guitar on the opener sets a great tone, and the record carries a certain raw, pioneering spirit. That said, the vocals don’t fully land for me, and the record feels more like groundwork than the finished form. I respect it a lot and enjoyed the listen, but it stays at 3 stars for me — an important stepping stone more than a core favorite.

Finally got round to listening to this. Had to borrow a mates CD. What a fabulous album. Really enjoyed it.

Nicht mein Fall

nice

Meh. Pretty boring album, honestly. Sounds like a 90’s pop rock band who desperately wants to sound like The Smiths but doesn’t have the talent to do so.

Meh, it's ok, but is average fare.

I liked it. Good songwriting, good music, a bit dark.

Had never heard of this band... Heard that it was Americana which sounds like something I would like. In the end it was decent but it didn't really grab me.

It's alright, but I would rather listen to R.E.M. than these guys if I had to pick between the two.

Delightfully crafted indie from an artist I didn't know. Excellent

yup, this sure sounds American, all right

I couldn’t find the album so I listened to some of their top tracks. I enjoyed it

Favorite tracks: Pale Skinny Girl (but I would just listen to Slint instead)

ok but kind of forgoit it 3/5

3/5

Interesting one, couldn't quite pin down a genre they seemed to shapeshift a bit from song to song, which I don't mind. Some good stuff, and a few that dragged on a bit, it's a solid album.

Enjoyed this, good mix of rock/alternative genre. Worth another listen and explore. 3.5/5 (if I can!)

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 blends folk, Americana, and proto-slowcore moods, but it doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression. Mark Eitzel’s fragile voice and the hushed arrangements create an atmosphere, yet the songs blur together and never really stand out. Not a terrible record, just one that feels more like a footnote than essential listening.

Lemppari: Pale Skinny Girl Vähiten lemppari: Bad Liquor

Pretty good album from an otherwise forgotten band. Certainly a pleasant listen.

Fireflies is a nice entrance. I liked the atmospheric ones. They are like songs you would hear on the radio just one time on the road. Western sky gives this vibe a more defined image.

wasn't impressed by this one

This felt like a weird inclusion. Fine, nice, not exciting. 3/5

Boring. Nothing special. Weird vocals.

i liked that. it didn’t necessarily stand out from the one zillion other bands that i already listen to that sound just like it but i enjoyed listening to it. i could hear a connection to the national in particular, and in that sense it sounded much more contemporary. fav tracks: somewhere; laughingstock; pale & skinny girl

I actually really liked this! I enjoyed his voice and how beautiful the guitar was. It felt a lot newer than nearly 40 years old. Favorite tracks: Lonely, Highway 5, Last Harbor

The music was good but I hate his voice. Like a mix of Springsteen and Jeff Richmond in the worst way

This album isn't anything too special - it's rock and does a good job at that. i feel like this slot could be used for many many other rock albums that got cut on the list - feels like one of editors loved this album to death and needed it on there. #justicefoaustralianrockonthelist

Didn’t honestly understand why this album was meant to be on here, like the first song was pretty good and then it fizzled out. The list guys need to look up Australian Rock because holy cow they make a lot more significant stuff then this random American rock band. Middle of the road nothingness.

Pretty good. Another nice album that I wouldn’t have listened to by a band I’m not familiar with had it not been on the 1001 list.

I'm really glad this one wasn't available on Spotify, so I don't have to add it to my playlist. Super uninspired and boring

not my thing unfortunately

Not by vibe

I was surprised how much I liked this - I had it on whilst working and wanted to actively listen.

It’s not bad, but it isn’t that good either. Fairly forgettable. 2.5/5 Won’t listen again

Based on the other reviews I thought this album was going to be bad or at the very least boring. But it was surprisingly pretty good. A subdued and mellower album to be sure, but enjoyable nonetheless. I’m actually disappointed this isn’t on streaming so I can’t add some of the songs to my regular playlist. I will be checking out some of American Music Club’s other stuff to see if it’s as good as California

Never listened to this band, so going in totally blind. Overall this felt a little extra sad and had some songs that were a little too dramatic (Highway 5 & Jenny). Bad Liquor was also a sharp left turn from anything else on the album. I did really enjoy Firefly, Somewhat and Western Sky. Lyrics-wise overall they were pretty good and had some interesting sounds in the music. But breaking it down it is more specific songs I like, but not the overall album or band. They were just a bit too dramatic and sad overall to be boosted any higher.

Had to seek this one out on YouTube. I really like their sound! It feels like very down home comfort music. It didn't wow me into 4 territory, but it was a pleasant listen.

Nije mi ko onih par kasnijih ali mi je dobar

Oddly enjoyable! Listened to it twice.

So boooooring

Radio friendly, countrified Smiths

Ekki eftirminnilegt, þrátt fyrir orð Arnars Eggerts á Wikipedia.

Not blowing my skirt up. It's something I'd maybe listen to on day three of a four day bender.

Kan niet vinden

Eh, alright.

Very good mix of mellow tunes. Always heard of this band but never listened.

1988 This didn't get off to a good start as it wasn't available on either Amazon or Spotify. I did manage to find it eventually, lurking on YouTube. Anyway, as long as it isn't nondescript, indie... .. .. It is! Plus a whiny steel guitar sound 😞 for that 'authentic' Americana vibe that I love so much. What is this doing here and how did they manage to get a record contract? Seriously, this must be one of the most forgettable albums of all time. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 50% Revisit ❌️ Pointless ★☆☆☆☆ (2/10)

Like an REM Pink Floyd. Lol. Lots of potential here

Not bad

Really good actually, but not on Spotify!

really wish the entire album sounded like the last three songs.

jahas ei tiedä kuule muuta kuin hyvää kun bändin nimessä lukee demonyymi. amerikkalaista tuotantoa. amerikkkan morrissey. amerikan vastaus morriseymaniaan. smitsmaniaan. ehkä yksi kuuluisimmista ja tunnetuimmista ja influentiaalisimmista ja tärkeimmistä morriseymaniavastauksista amerikassa. kalifornia-albumia kuunteli yli kaksi tusinaa ihmistä aivan käsittämätön kulttuurillinen siirtymä... american invasion of britain.. kolme brittiläistä osti albumin aikanaan... kovia lukuja ja kovempaa käteistä... rikkaita nimittäin nämä... rahaa takonut kuin miekkoja sepässä konsanaan. jenny

Unavailable on spotify.

An interesting album that I've never heard of nor the group. I really enjoyed the alt-country tunes on this album, but the rest of it was very whiny-sounding singing. Music was pleasant enough. 3.08 / 5 Stars

There was some okay stuff but it was REALLY uninteresting overall.

Another album of perfectly cromulent music - a lot of it faded into the background or undershot my expectations based on the genre tags, though there were some standouts like Highway 5.

It was fine. Nothing special and no reason for it to be on this list.

I checked the wiki hoping to get some context for this album's inclusion, and what I found might be the most hilariously non-descriptive write-up I've ever read. It simply calls California: "the band's definitive statement". ....Definitive statement of what??!! Because I swear I might as well have been listening to brown noise with how little stood out.

Totally normal, regular album. There was definitely stuff on here I enjoyed, but I didn't feel that they did anything really adventurous or interesting. Perhaps bland but I did enjoy it for what it was.

Worth revisiting

I got a bit of a Replacements vibe on Somewhere, which isn't a bad thing, but sums up that this album is 1980s US alt rock to a fault.

First hidden gem feeling. preferred the softer tracks. 3.5.

This doesn't really do anything for me. There's some nice pedal steel guitar in places, but even that's not enough to really hold my interest through this album. The last song was really good, I'll give it that at least. 2.3/5

Didn't care much for this one. It was fine, but nah 2/5

On YouTube no spotify

Tego nigdzie nie ma, jeden upload na yt

I thought I would like this. But it turns out I didn't care for it at all. I'm not entirely sure why; it has components I like (and I'm not averse to "depressing" music). But it didn't grab me.

Couldn't find exact album

cool bridge between earlier styles and the underground rock that got big in the 90s. this is a good choice for an albums you might have missed list. seems like it was a big deal for a bunch of cool bands. it's uneven but the less interesting songs do something neat somewhere. lots of little moves I thought were original to later artists. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

This sounded like a band called American Music Club (in a good way) (I think?)

Very much a middle-of-the-road sad/indie rock album. Didn't love it, didn't hate it - it has solid energy, and Mark Eitzel's vocals are passionate and appropriately gritty. That said, it didn't really offer any amount of 'secret sauce' to make me want to revisit it anytime soon.

I listened to this album on youTube, which always gets things off to a bad start - extremely underwhelming. Another album whose place on this list is questionable.

I’ll be honest, I did skip through this one a bit, partly because YouTube is painful, but mostly because this music is painful