California

Generic music from a generic band name on a generic album name. 4/10

Meh. It's fine.

If Bruce Springsteen wasnt for dads, but for alcoholic sad dads.

I was initially quite hopeful for this album because it starts rather strong, but then tails off significantly for me. I will say that it deserves credit for incorporating several different song styles and a mixing of some genres as well. It's not the same thing over and over again which is a plus, but it is rather boring in the middle and towards the end. Favorite tracks: Firefly, Somewhere, Lonely, Bad Liquor.

I know people who absolutely love this band - people who's opinions I rate. But it just does nothing for me. I don't like the vocal style at all, for example. Not for me.

Average in every metric. Yawn.

being hard to get made it better?

Boring!

This isn't on Spotify, so I had to buy it via Bandcamp (you can also listen to the album there): https://americanmusicclub1.bandcamp.com/album/california-digi-only-release And it was worth it! Reminds me of Radiohead and Talk Talk, and a little Elliot Smith. Digging those chord progressions.

This wasn’t boring, but it was listenable in a more interesting way rather than in an enjoyable way? I think it just wasn’t for me is all.

Tyvärr var inte detta album möjligt att komma åt så albumet får 2/5 stjärnor som något form av mellan-punkt.

could not find album to listen, so - too bad!

Loving Eitzel's song 'Johnny Mathis's Feet' I had thought I might enjoy more but his work as American Music Club has never quite got off the ground for me and whilst I am sure he has a loyal and dedicated fan base, there's just not quite enough there to excite the casual listener.

Pretty chill and well rounded music

Was it the smiths? Was it a precursor to nirvana? Was it a Bruce Springsteen tribute band? This album seemed to hold all of that. There were moments of greatness and Bad Liquor is an absolute smash.

*Listening note* Available on Youtube if not available on Spotify. This album sounds like much of what was to come in the 90s.

Actually bad. Generic and uninspired almost country. Nothing on this I haven't heard someone else do better.

I have never heard of this artist before. Although I wasn't a fan of his voice, the songs were mostly chill, which I appreciate. This was a pleasant listen. 3/5

i couldn't listen to this on Spotify

3.75

Couldn't load on spotify, but listened to it on youtube and thoroughly liked it

I tried to listen to this full ablyn but It was so slow I only got to track 3 kr 4 before switching it on my walk to work. Might be better in a more relaxing setting

A pleasant, inoffensive album

Fandt en udmærket version på Youtube men syntes sgu musikken var lidt kedelig! Western Sky var et rigtig godt nummer, kunne godt lide stålguitaren i det fleste numre men generelt eh

Måske lidt hårdere end jeg ellers ville have været fordi jeg var nødt til at høre den i svingende kvalitet på YouTube. Det var da meget pænt at høre på, men sagde mig ikke så meget

Singer sounded so apathetic I've hardly ever heard something as boring. Boring songs, boring instrumentation, boring style.

Couldnt find the full album, What I heard sounded folk indie which was an interesting mix 2.5

The uptempo songs sound like a great local bar band. The downtempo songs sound like a more boring Smiths.

Not bad. Nothing special.

- Not on Spotify which is a major L because the vibes on this are pretty good ngl - A lot of chill songs with emotion but Bad Liquor goes hard

When this came up, I remarked to myself that I was surprised I've never heard it. I mean, I was a senior in high school when this came out. But having heard it, now I see why. On paper, this is the sort of thing I might like well enough, but there's just not a lot of there, there. The vocals in particular are pretty amateurish, making an otherwise pleasant album kind of a chore to listen to. "Bad Liquor" is just kind of confounding, like a bad attempt at throwing in a Replacements-style rowdy rocker, but they don 't pull it off. There is some talent in this band, which makes me want to rate it more harshly. Like you're not technically bad, but you just couldn't be bothered to make a better album. Fave songs: Western Sky, Firefly, Highway 5

I'm very wary of why albums that have close to zero information on their Wikipedia page are even on this list. If this were a relevant, must-hear album, it should have had some impact. If it had an impact, shouldn't there be some information? That said, from the many albums on this list of which I don't understand why they're on here, this one stands out for exceptional quality. This is just a really good album that I've never heard of before, and I'll gladly listen to some more of this mysterious, doubtful-impact, exceptional-quality Americana rock band.

It’s not on Spotify so cant listen

Couldn’t get this album on Spot or Apple, so I listened to their top album as rated by AllMusic.com, 1991’s Everclear. Ugh. If California is anything like this one, pass. Don’t know why I must hear this album before I die, but I’m perfectly willing to give it a listen after I’m dead.

2-3

Nothing special

No disponible en Spotify

Really good!!

This was mostly a waste of time. Not terrible but I could have gone without listening. Everything about it was generic and boring.

I'm struggling to find anything interesting or significant about this album.

Crushingly boring, why oh why?

perfectly mid

Never heard of this band but liked what I could hear on Spotify!

Not BAD but very forgettable.

la fin a sauvé l'album

I was excited because I'd never heard of this before, and the thrill of the new was in me. What a shame then, that this sounds like Morrissey in a cowboy hat without the jokes.

Eh. Whatever. Super generic late 80s/early 90s soft rock. Nothing memorable or remarkable to it, really.

I feel like I’m supposed to love this. But I don’t. It’s not awful but I can’t see myself listening to this again..

a bit too depressing for me

Nah . . .

It was hard to track this one down -- it's not on Spotify so I ended up streaming it from random YouTube uploads, not exactly the best way to listen to something new. I was impressed! I liked the tunes, found them reminiscent of Wilco, and then looked at the year, and wowzers, this was way ahead of its time. Definitely a great inclusion on the 1001 and a band I'm going to have to check out more thoroughly.

Not on Spotify

Liderado por el compositor y cantautor Mark Eitzel, el grupo American Music Club alcanzó con su tercer largo la madurez de un grupo que cultivó con maestría el pop-rock con influencias country y folk. Destaca el pedal steel en su primera canción, "Firefly", así como la brillante "Western Sky", el tema que más me gusta del álbum. En "Blue and Grey Shirt", las memorias de la muerte de un amigo a causa del sida, demuestra la profunda carga emocional que tienen algunas de las mejores composiciones de Eitzel.

Bluegh

Not on Spotify

Not available on spotify

Belle voix, belle écoute. Un album en subtilité, qui appartient bien aux années 1980 sans faire daté et sans verser dans la surenchère propre à cette décennie.

Can’t find it easily. Gets 1 star.

Good enough that I should have heard of it before, but never heard of them before.... 5/5: Blue & Grey Shirt, Jenny, 4/5: Firefly, Somewhere, Laughingstock, Lonely, Pale Skinny Girl, Now You're Defeated, Rating: 4/5

Incredible album which sounds well ahead of its time (I'm starting to realise that my favourite 80s albums are ones that don't sound like they were released in the 80s). Seems like they've had far reaching and significant influence on everyone from Elbow to Brand New and Slint. Even a bit of REM (see Western Sky) but I suppose they lean more toward contemporaries. Strong blues attack mid album breakdown in Bad Liquor demonstrates solid range. Outstanding song writing goes without saying.

It had an interesting composition but mostly didn't stick

Couldn’t listen, it’s not available on my spotify :(

Not on Spotify, had to find on YouTube.

A little too country for how I like my indie. I'm more a fan of the stuff that came out the next decade. It's pleasant enough but feels like 100 other indie rock albums I've heard.

Intriguing but not sure for me

cann't listen to

I'm imagining a pub band who nobody really likes. Maybe they realise the people in the bar they play in want to talk and aren't hear to listen to their rather drab music. They got together as something to do after work, but none of them are particularly talented. One of them has a friend who can get them time in a studio, so they record an album. They don't want to record covers, so they record their own material, but they all know it's no good; there's something missing. They release it anyway, knowing that they still have their day jobs to rely on. Extremely boring and "bad liquor" was really just plain bad. This is the definition of "instantly forgettable". I couldn't even remember the name of the band when I got to the end of the album.

No time to read up on this one however I did listen. Some good songs. I’m a huge fan of singer songwriters and this gave that vibe.

Can’t imagine being a music producer and listening to a million songs like these to find a good one.

Ok

Never heard of them. Apparently they were pioneers for slowcore, a genre I also had never heard of. Now I know why.

Not sure about this, it completely passed me by the first run, and then I put it on again, but now I can't remember a thing. That can't be a good sign. I think it was pretty decent, but also left no impression whatsoever except maybe being a bit pretentious sometimes. Think this will have to a 2 star.

Feels like generic coffee house music. I would guess it was recorded a lot later than it was so that is something I guess. I found the mixing was uneven maybe due to having to rely on youtube for the songs. Anyway it was ok but nothing special. Something that I would've loved in my early twenties maybe. Now it just passed me by, there are a plethora of bands with similar sounds which I think are better.

The label or band must have had some falling out with the Powers That Stream, because this album is nowhere to be found on 21st music listening services. That said, its not good anyway. 1/5

Chill 80s alt rock with jangly, spacious reverb-heavy guitars and Springsteen-style Americana vocals. Feels a bit like budget Replacements. They're all fine songs, low key enough to be enjoyed in the background for good vibes. But it's nothing special, and I sorta wish I was listening to this live in a barren saloon sitting alone and sipping on rye. Got more forgettable in the second half, and with tracks like "Bad Liquor" which cuts the flow but at least is a cool idea. Favorites: Firefly, Laughingstock, Highway 5

never heard of the band, but had a good vibe. the older albums were better than the newer.

Difficult to find to listen to. Didn't like this.

Dne

Clearly, the curators here got desperate as they were trying to make it to 1001.

Hard to find, not on Spotify. Nice easy listening. To me it’s good but not amazing, middle of the road. Would listen but probably wouldn’t seek it out.

Sadly not on the streams where I am (at least not any more). AMC feel like a band that time forgot. They're so good, but never got their due credit. First time listening to this album and it's really good.

I must say, I don’t think you’re able to get more average. 3/5

It was ok country music, some good songs

Not on Spotify…fail

This music felt very much like the comfortable indie music played in the mid-mornings on my public radio station. It was nice to listen to, but nothing really stood out (except for "Bad Liquor," in a bad way). It probably deserves another listen, but I wasn't very anxious to do so.

This album was fairly easy to listen to, but didn’t really touch my soul in any way. I think that if this was from a band that a friend was in, then I would be more keen because I would have a connection to it. But, alas, this was not the case.

I did not find this at all remarkable.

I have listened to one song from American Music Club - a cover of The Carpenters’ Goodbye To Love that appeared on a tribute album in 1994. It was a fantastic cover that I have loved ever since. I never looked into the artist. What took me so long?! These guys are fantastic. I love the music. The steel guitar. The rock guitar. The acoustic guitar. The deep lead singer’s voice that cracks at all the right moments. The songcraft. Everything about this album is fantastic. It took a bit of effort to find somewhere to listen to this album. My first listen was to a YouTube playlist a friend found. I loved it so much that after that first listen, preparing to listen again, I decided to go use the Bandcamp link said friend provided and pay £10 + tax to be able to download MP3s to my Music app. A fantastic keeper! So many great songs, picking a favorite is tough. But Western Sky just keeps haunting me…

Já já, þetta er ágætis plata.

Certainly not bad but pretty unexciting. It all just kind of chugs at one of two speeds (mid-tempo or slow) without much melody or variety. The random injections of "YEAH! GUITAR TIME" are more strange than anything. Didn't do much for me. Best song: Firefly?

Indie rock, americana. Rollo. Un 2.

Indie slowcore.

Beautiful in many different ways. Definitely a slow burn, but satisfying when you warm up to it

De va nog rätt swäg

Fine in a relaxing way but not particularly memorable

Bit dreary and samey

forgettable

Pas un album foncièrement mauvais, mais ce n'est pas tellement intéressant non plus et c'est vraiment à se demander pourquoi eest-il inclu dans les 1001. C'est un peu un snoozefest pour être honnête. 4/10

Never heard of this group before. It was just ok for me. I imagine for some this album is pure nostalgia and others are wondering why it's on this list.

I get a sense that if I listened to this 5/6 times I would end up liking it.

Finally, something from the pioneers of Slowcore! A reviewer said they became more commercial after this, but I think they were well on their at this point. I was snoozing along to the country-indie-pop vibe, then WTF!!! "Bad Liquor". That one sounded like a cross between The Cramps and early Kings of Leon. They should have saved it for another album.

I'm a sucker for Indie music so I tried, Lord knows that I really made an effort to listen carefully to this, but alas You-tube isn't the best streamer for music so it was plagued with ads and interruptions so it didn't go well. The other issue that I have to mention is that American Music Club must be the least imaginative band name I've ever heard, but perhaps that's fitting because the music was enormously uninspiring also.

Couldn’t find this one on iTunes

Our first from this band I've never heard of, and unfortunately it isn't on Apple Music or Spotify, not sure why. I listened on youtube, and I actually quite enjoyed this album. A nice, laid back alt-rock type of album. Nice melodies, good lyrics. Nothing too spectacular, and it's never a great sign when the only note on Wikipedia is that the album is included on this list. But dang, this one's pretty good. Favorite tracks: Firefly, Jenny. Album art: Black and white shot of maybe a highway support. It looks like it's decaying, or maybe it's just some paint or other markings. As far as photos go, this one's solid. The framing is pretty nice too. Fairly forgettable, but it's easy on the eyes. 3.5/5

HL: “Last Harbor”, “Firefly”, “Somewhere”, “Blue and Grey Shirt” The alt-country selections in this list (almost) all come straight out of left field, but I’ve enjoyed (almost) all of them. California imo veers between “fine” and “very good”, with not too many outliers (the rowdy “Bad Liquor” is probably the biggest surprise) If this was the Canadian Music Club you wouldn’t stop hearing this on 80s/90s radio stations December 30th, 2023

wow, to think I delayed the list so I could listen to this on YT. this is utterly and completely meh... 1 star down for not being on streaming services being it such a meh album.

Oikeastaan pidin tästä! Ei-kaliforniainen mutta hyvin amerikkalainen viba, luonnollisesti. Tavanomaista mutta omaäänistä countrylle kumartavaa indietä. Loppua kohti meinasin kyllästyä, mutta vika biisi on kaunis

Koukkuskeptisiä dynamiikka-addikteja.

Solid indie-rock from Mark Eitzel and his band. An easy listen that is straightforward and low key, though not terribly exciting, has some fine moments with above average songwriting. This style of music isn't something I would normally rate high, but it's so much more satisfying that a majority of the albums that made this list. Nice to see it recognized.

Musically, wonderful. Vocally? Unbearable.

Raw vocals. Some rootsier, southern rock bleeds through here occasionally, a la Allman Brothers, but overall ends up reminding me of proto-Counting Crows (not a knock, I like CC). I could imagine, with multiple listens, getting more into this record, but the first impression leaves me with just a "fine". Favorite tracks: "Pale and Skinny Girl", "Highway 5"

Such a bland and unengaging LP for one of America's most storied and vivid states. The songwriting and instrumentation never rose above what felt like a hollow murmur, and the vocals left a lot to be desired.

Wasn't sure what to make of this, never heard of this band before. But going in to the first few songs it became obvious they were one of those indie rock / country-esque bands. The vocalist was not very distinctive, very easy to tune out which is not good. The lyrics weren't remarkable to me either. I just didn't feel like it moved me much. But it's funny because the next thing that queued up was Neil Young. I could tell he was someone they were trying to channel. Just not well. Next.

This is why you gotta use the links to read up on albums and bands. I did not know there was a genre called slowcore, which these guys helped pioneer, that developed about the same time as grunge but as a counter to it. I think the only bands I recognized under that banner are Low and Mazzy Star, both one hit wonders to my knowledge. And I can honestly say I prefer grunge and not her sister slowcore. This album is okay, and I do enjoy sad songs. But something about the minimal musical stylings or the slightly alt-country sound just doesn't take hold of me. I could definitely let it play, probably on repeat. But I'm not sure I'll pay attention to anything in particular. Kudos to AMC for blazing a different trail though.

American Music Club - California (1988) WHAT I ENJOYED: dreamy pedal steel on the opening track, general dark, hazy, dreamy feel on the whole album GRIPES: Not on Spotify, the vocals feel a bit monotonous. Bad Liquor sounds like something that would be blasting out of an angsty neighbor's garage during a Dads' Night Off jam session. RECCOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Third Eye Blind (but less edgy,) the National, shoegaze, the Cure (but less jangly) #374 revealed / #499 rated

Genre: Indie rock, slow-core Americana 1988 Standouts: Jenny, Laughingstock, Pale Skinny Girl, Firefly, Somewhere, Blue and Grey Shirt, Now You're Defeated Really need to hear more of this! 3.5

Not bad but very unremarkable.

Poistettu spotifystä...

They sound like a Counting Crows cover band but they don’t play the hits, because “The hits are too mainstream man”. Get off your high horse and play Mr. Jones already. That being said “Bad Liquor” and “Pale Skinny Girl” have their moments.

Sound like Psychedelic Furs, crossed with Bare Naked Ladies, crossed with Bruce Springsteen. Quite enjoyable.

pleasant enough and chill but not really anything remarkable here for me. just okay. nice acoustic country/americana-inspired background music, but nothing more.

Reminds me of the Trashcan Sinatras. This isn't a bad thing.

Pretty great background music. I appreciated it, even if I didn't really "like" it that much.

Didn't hate this but it didn't much for me either. A very neutral 3.

This album was great but oh my god it was so annoying to find

Discount Don Henly, wanna be morrisey. Pass.

this album was pleasant but didn't seem particularly notable or groundbreaking, unless I'm missing something... the music sounded like a more subdued R.E.M., and the vocalist was kind of like a cross between Michael Stipe and Bruce Springsteen. certain songs like bad liquor were just annoying and since the album's not on streaming services, some of the tracks were terrible quality rips from youtube. now you're defeated was particularly bad, with noticeable artifacting on the cymbal hits. favorites: somewhere, pale and skinny girl, jenny

Indie Rock with a touch of country. 1988 The songs that stood out to me: Jenny, Laughingstock, Pale Skinny Girl, Blue and Grey Shirt, Now You're Defeated, Highway 5, Last Harbor It's nice...mellow mostly. My first impression of it is favorable, but it would take time to get to know it better to really judge it properly. For now, it is a 3/5

Upsettingly boring. This sounds like the type of album I would have picked up on CD at the thrift store 10-15 years ago, and been upset over the 50 cents wasted.

Just ok stuff honestly.

Only know the albums Everclear and Mercury from AMS. This one is presumably the best AMS album, but I hear little difference with the other two. It is well made, contains a couple of truly great songs, but also quite a few I do not care too much about.

Well, this was rather disappointing: rather flat, only a few reasonable songs.

This album wasn't on Apple Music which is a shame. I did find it on YouTube music but it was a fan playlist. I did really like this album and wished I could find it easier.

It’s low key and gentle, mostly. Not much accent in his singing, which is pleasant to hear against the usual Americana twang or gruff rock vocal. A few pretty songs (notably Western Sky).

This was actually not what I was initially expecting. They kinda sound like a proto-emo/slowcore type band, but bring a pretty chill 80s indie vibe. It was kinda hard to find this album tho, not on Spotify and I eventually found it through a youtube playlist with varying audio quality from song-to-song.

Never heard of them or this album before, but the music is really interesting. I'd listen to it again.

Certainly nothing special, but inoffensive. Makes me think of what music AI would generate if they wanted background music for a Friends-like show where folks were 20 years older and their favorite style was "adult contemporary". Boring. Don't love the lead singer's voice.

Aburridón, pero lo toleré.

Painful with the exception of one song. I'm not sure if that song was great because it didn't sound like the rest of their dumpster fire music or because for one fleeting moment, I thought I had reached the end and was onto another band. Either way... only one song worth listening to.

Kind of boring to me. But we’ll made. A mood you have to be looking for.

Vond dit zeer verrassend en aangenaam. Kudos.

Hier had ik nog nooit van gehoord maar beviel me heel aardig. Flinke Lemonheads vibe, zelfs qua stemgeluid. Ga nog eens wat meer van deze band luisteren.

Ik kende dit nog niet en vond het erg aardig.

Can’t find it I ain’t got time for this

Sure it's safe, but at least it's boring

They're like a more annoying version of REM. Did not enjoy.

I don't want to join this club.

Not a huge fan of REM and this is worse.

I listened once and decided I wouldn’t listen again, however, I relented and did give it another go and is was better than I thought, 3*

Struggled to find the album but what I heard was underwhelming.

Once again, took a long time to finish the album via youtube and it not be all together stellar. its ok for me.

Boring AF.

This one is really special, I can feel that It's bot on spotify sadly, but it is at least a strong 4

Fairly middle of the road Americana. Didn't finish the album

Just some dudes in a band singing some songs.

3/5 I liked the range of the different styles.

This stinks and is boring.

No me aportaron nada...

Pleasant Americana - but not much more than that for me.

Maybe it’s great but it’s not on Spotify so I’ll never know

It’s OK

Un clàssic perdut entre les obres de culte del rock alternatiu nordamericà. Va ser publicat al 1988, però no pot sonar menys associat al seu contexte. De fet, sona totalment atemporal, una petita joia a conservar fruit del geni de Mark Eitzel, probablement en un moment personal força obscur, però a la vegada en el seu moment artístic més brillant

Да неплохо. Не потрясает воображение, некоторые песни даже чуть раздражают, но в остальном слушать было приятно. Спокойно.

Spotify does not have this album, I hate that. Had to listen on Youtube which cut up the flow with stupid ads every so often. Despite that, I quite liked this album! It felt like a perfect blend of indie/alternative with little splashes of country and blues throughout. It did not feel like an album from 1988, that's for damn sure. This could have very well been released in 2010 or 2014 instead and it would have fit right in. They were either lightyears ahead of their time or genuine time travellers who decided to go back to the 80's to enjoy life again at a simpler time and just chill, making music. And if that's the case, please SHARE YOUR BACK TO THE 80'S TIME MACHINE WITH ME!!! I wanna go too.

whiny indie mixed with country, horrible

I'm a little uncertain whether or not I heard the whole album on YouTube, but what I heard was melodic and pretty characteristic of a classic Indie album. Small production, not a lot of frills. Lyric heavy and harmonious.

Music for stepdads trying to appeal to newly acquired teenage kids in the '80s. The singer sounds like Evan Dando and Bruce Springsteen with a little of that guy from Morphine, the band with the saxophone thrown in. This is the stuff that your stepdad throws on after setting up his new hi-fi stereo equipment in the living room late on a Sunday afternoon while the rest of the family ignores him. When Bad Liquor comes on, he turns up the volume just so people know he's there and he's cool. In reality, his mind is wandering and wondering why he decided to marry into this existing family and how it's much more difficult than he thought.. but at least he's got a new stereo system. Tomorrow, he'll go to Peaches store and pickup the new Go-Betweens album and a copy of Juggs.

I put off American Music Club’s “California” because it was hard to find. Their 80s albums are not streaming on Amazon or Spotify. So I finally sought them out on Youtube. And I wished I hadn’t waited. With the exception of the vibe-killing “Bad Liquor,” the album is a welcome entry into the world of the slowcore genre they pioneered. I can see how this could lead to dream pop and Low, which should be on the list. Good on someone for adding “Things We Lost in the Fire” to the user list.

The album (maybe its the band?) is a little all over the place. Bad liquor is punky but transitions to Now You're Defeated which is in the ballpark of bad country. Occasionally he sings in a very 80s moan-y way but generally I can't place this as 80s which is maybe the nicest thing I can say about this album. I found Lonely to be particularly annoying. But I guess that makes sense, no one likes being lonely.

Surprisingly offensive for something so inoffensive sounding. Couldn’t wait to skip tracks, except Jenny and Bad Liquor.

We zitten weer (of nog) in de jaren '80 hoor. Buiten het feit dat deze niet op Spotify staat, hoeft dat van mij ook niet. Waarom ik deze moet luisteren voor ik doodga, is me ook een totaal raadsel. Het is wederom niet onluisterbaar, maar ook absoluut geen goede muziek. En ik denk dat ik voor platen als dit iets strenger ga zijn in het vervolg. Als het niks te zoeken heeft op deze lijst, krijgt het gewoon een 1.

It's pretty good. There's nothing I can point out not to like about it, but for some reason it didn't connect with me that much. Something about his voice - it just kind of drifts past me without making much of an impact. I could see growing to like this, maybe just need to listen some more, but for now it's 3 stars.

Perfectly serviceable countrified alt-rock with occasional glimmers of psychedelia, yacht, what have you. Not sure it stands out particularly.

# American Music Club - California While not my favorite style, the fact that this came out in 1988 is incredible. I can see this band's influence and paving the way for bands like Nirvana, Wilco, Radiohead and Gin Blossoms. The the country-rock with some blues thrown in for good measure are strong. The vocals are too pitchy and the production are distractions to me, so I rate this lower than I would if it were more polished. Overall Score: 3* Favorite Tracks: - Lonely - Bad Liquor ## 1. "Firefly" 2:49 2*. Vocals are not my favorite, a bit off-key and lacsadaisical. Too much slide guitar. ## 2. "Somewhere" 3:01 2*. Good guitars, but the levels are a little quiet. Vocals are pitchy. ## 3. "Laughingstock" 4:17 2*. Sounds like indie rock, but the vocals are too pitchy for my liking. ## 4. "Lonely" 2:42 3*. Like the driving bassline here. Favorite song on the album so far. ## 5. "Pale Skinny Girl" 3:33 2*. Haunting guitars but vocals and levels are distracting. ## 6. "Blue and Grey Shirt" 3:33 2*. Decent, but just not my style. Too slide-guitary and sappy for my taste. ## 7. "Bad Liquor" 1:57 3*. Bouncy, blues-style jam. ## 8. "Now You're Defeated" 2:28 2*. Pretty rough recording, vocals are pitchy. Bassline and chord progression are okay, but the song isn't moving me. ## 9. "Jenny" 2:38 2*. Interesting. ## 10. "Western Sky" 3:28 2*. ## 11. "Highway 5" 3:49 3*. Sounds like Radiohead. ## 12. "Last Harbor" 4:35 2*. Sounds like Nirvana, Kansas, Radiohead

Harddd pass on this one. Another one of the "why is this album on the list" albums. Not sure what is redeemable about it. I guess it sounds sincere, but it doesnt sound good. I cant sing, and neither can the vocalist of the band.

вау!

нууу норм в целом. Firefly классная песня, остальное влетело слишком быстро, не зацепился

Кажется, что это очередной альбом "американской музыки"? Ну, вот той самой американской музыки, которую мы пытались услышать в альбомах Вилко? Думаю, это всё-таки про тексты, а не про музыку. Музыка не противная, но мы просто уже такие искушённые. Она... грустная? Ну знаете, как мы говорим про русские грустные песни: мне кажется, эффект от этих должен быть такой же. Только мы не можем по-настоящему оценить слог, рифмы, эпитеты и сравнения. Хотя на Last Harbour честно навернулась слеза...

Really, really nice. Soft and gentle, a little bit country, and reminded me of Band of Horses quite a lot. I didn't even mind that I had to scour YouTube for it. I was staggered not to have heard this album before, because it felt right in my zone. I'd hope to buy the record, given that I'm unlikely to proactively find it on YouTube again.

This was just really boring.

This indie folk album was rather bland. I wasn't able to detect anything terribly groundbreaking about it and also wasn't able to find anything terribly offensive either. It just washed over me and left me with no strong feelings either way. The whole thing just feels a bit safe.

A middling album that the blog author describes as "the sound of early onset impotence". Um. Okay. How does an album like this get a spot yet Gordon Lightfoot does not.

Sad-core, indeed. :(((

Poor

Ok, wasn't on Canadian Spotify so had to youtibe

I very strongly did not like this album. Weak wishy washy overall a massive MEH. It left no last impression other than disappointment

I guess it was fiiiiine but nothing more, just american man guitar music.

There are 1000 bands that sound just like this

I’m to understand this is a master stroke in indie rock but for me it’s simply another piece of the genre. There are some good songs here but nothing truly blew me away. It’s good indie rock just not revolutionary.

Not available on Spotify, so rated on expectation only.

This is not bad and representative of a particular movement. Dimery must have had an off day. It’s not the best Americana but far from the worst. It’s just sort of there. I’d rather listen to Steve Earle or Lyle Lovatt or even Fleet foxes. But in a pinch this is ok. 2.5 rounded up.

Saved from obscurity by this list it seems. No, Do Not adjust your set. The whining... this is not Danny Elfmans "Mars Attacks!" defence sequence, (where country music like "Indian Love Call", performed by Slim Whitman makes the Martians heads expode.) A hard album to stream. Its not on YT Music or Spotify, except as bootleg playlist. Coincept album stuff. mixing Pink Floyd late 80's atmospherics, with early Springsteen fireside intimacy, and some Counting Crows pleading and crooning. Feels like its posing too much while hoping its delighting... there's potential here, but its not greatness due to the wierd production and pacing. Maybe one for listing alone in the garage while rebulding a classic car with your favourite doobie? Its just overdone for me....

I had never heard this band before. Maybe I should have given it more than one listen here. It’s like there’s a stack of potential here but it’s unrealised. Maybe they were a really good band but I’m not quite hearing it. I really liked Lonely & Western Sky but I thought a lot of it was ragged. Sometimes amateurish. Sometimes boring.

This is like a pale carbon copy of the alternative music of the 80s; a bit alt-country, a bit Smiths, a bit RM, but not a patch on any of it. I found this bland and unmemorable. A SputnikMusic review states: "AMC slowly faded into relative obscurity and are now looked back at as a cult act, well-regarded also-rans. Clearly there was a limit to how much navel-gazing the public at large could take but it should still be remembered that AMC played their part in winning the war against ‘80s douche-bag decadence." Let's give a minute's silence for this fallen soldier in the battle against mainstream rock. They didn't achieve anything heroic, but they were there.

C'est assez Atmosphérique. J'ai des vibes the rock alternatif. 3.5

A lovely indie record. Sounds like lots of other things. A little bit country, a little bit folky, a little bit The Smiths, a little bit The National. Really nice. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Western Sky Date listened: 21/10/23

What a crock. Indie rock in the vein of Toad the Wet Sprocket, except slow, tuneless, and terrible.

It was difficult to hear all of it as it's not on any streaming services, which is a shame because this is one of those rare finds that I think I would like a lot. I might download it and listen properly.

Mostly dull

All new to me -- band, album, their music -- so as always I'm grateful for this project and the way it's constantly serving up music I'd almost certainly never encounter otherwise. This album is fine, nothing in it that I dislike, but through no fault of its own it's hampered a bit by the abundance of music that sounds a lot like it. That being said, the compositions and performances are quite good, and I like the style and sound of this album.

Whining. Uninspired. Thin vocals. The sound of low T. At one point I thought, “well this sounds a little catchier”, but it was only YouTube had cut to a grocery store ad.

Anachronistically evocative, this sure as sugar doesn’t sound like 1988. Slow/sadcore pioneers, eh? Maybe that’s why this sounds like the logical stepping stone between Husker Dū and Elliott Smith. Some of these tracks gave me goosebumps. That’s good, right? How have I never heard of them??

Feels extremely dated, like a band trying to play Toad The Wet Sprocket. I'd read a review suggesting this was like slowcore. It is not, and it it's Not for me.

A boring album that I had to sit through on YouTube. Very slow and everything sounded the same. Nothing else to really say.

pretty! minus one star for being hard to get on spotify so... 3?

Ok but unremarkable alt country rock. Tried many times to get into it but it just slips away like sand in the desert…

Boring, nothing special or memorable.

One of the most forgettable albums I've listened to on this entire list. But I didn't actively hate it, so a 2 it is

3.2 - Most of us have had that one co-worker who's always inviting the office to see his band perform. He's a nice guy and does good work. So, finally, a group of you decide some Wednesday evening to go see him perform. The gig's fairly close to the office and it's on the early side so it's not such a huge commitment. Plus, what else are you going to do on a Wednesday night? After the show, you offer him hearty pats on the back. "Good work, man! Didn't know we had a rockstar in our midst," you quip as you wave goodbye.

Ni una sola de las canciones disponible en Spotify

Not worth the effort to listen on YouTube. Blah.

Enjoyable.

Meh.

5/10. If this list doesn't have enough Neil Young for you, don't worry, this is basically the same thing with a different singer.

I guess the lyrics on this are supposed to be good? How come the only person with anything to say about this album is an Icelandic dude? 5/10

Huge merp on this one.

Wtf was this

Tears for fears gone country? For track one at least. Very interesting, not sure how i feel.

Some guy told me to not bother listening to it.

не всё поняла (особенно слушая с ютуба), но вроде норм

Couldnt listen on spotify found on you tube and fell off my chair... 30 minutes later when i came round youtube was playing a video about replacing a broken motor on a washing machine. Why? My washing machine was fine, washing better than ever, in that moment there with the warm dribble working its way down my chin i realised i was still on the floor. Moments later upright, alert I made my self a nice cup of tea and relaxed.

Not worth enduring the YouTube ads for.

This singer must be really nice. He sounds really nice. I expect he doesn't forget birthdays and he's the kind of guy who pops around when you've been ill or if you're low. I don't know why else he would be on this list as the album doesn't stand out at all.

Fairly middle of the road white guy dad rock. So yeah, it was okay, I suppose, maybe.

Not on spotify

This album sounds like a lot of other things (Elliot Smith comes to mind at certain points on the album because of the lead vocalist's voice), but it certainly doesn't sound like it came out in 1988. I would have put it at least 5 years later than that. I liked the album, but didn't love it, but it deserves a lot of credit for doing the folky alt-country thing much earlier than a lot of the other bands that ended up sounding like them in the decade after this 4/5

Not bad, but far from necessary. This was pretty sleepy all the way through and never particularly exciting. I feel that this is a high 2 for me.

Some folky/country music to start us off which I can totally get behind. Is the last 2 minutes of Laughingstock just silence? Lonely wasn't great songwriting. I feel like I am constantly changing the volume on the songs so I can hear. I am listening on YouTube though so maybe that has something to do with it. Blue and grey shirt was pleasant, but very much a white bread song. Bad Liquor is sporadic and loud all of the sudden? Doesn't really fit in. Overall not terrible music, but it really just seemed so lackluster and felt like they just wanted to appeal to 80% of white Americans. I don't think I would enjoy having a beer with these guys. I want to give this a 1 star so badly, but it is objectively better than the 1-stars I have given out. Soft 1.5

This is an interesting album I don't quite know what to think of it. It's like indie/country/folk mix. Not really a big fan of the singer. Bad Liquor does not fit on this album at all I thought it was put in the Youtube playlist on accident. This album didn't do anything for me I was happy when it ended.

Already knocking since I need to look this up on Youtube. This is pretty boring. Up until some wild harmonica in Bad Liquor. Honestly every single song sounds the same. It's not a bad sound just boring a lame. Should've known coming from a band named American Music Club. With all the words in the world they chose that?????? Lame. 1.5 and I'm going to round down on this one.

Laid back indierock.

I was not too fond of it from the first note to the end of the last song.

No esta en Spotify

Not really into slowcore

THTFDL

Hard to find, but I found most of it on YouTube. I had never heard of these guys, but this was a nice surprise. Really nice!

Probably my fav of theirs.

Never heard of American Music Club before, and that seems to be a mistake. California is a great showcase of songwriting and blending of americana, indie and post-punk with a great highlight in 'Pale and Skinny Girl'.

This came completely out of nowhere. Never even came close to hear about American Music Club. Beautiful, varied and never hiding even an ounce of emotion. This is not the last time, I have visited their discography.

Not on Spotify, but found it on YouTube. Thought it was going to be a folk album then it changed into more of a post rock shoegazy dreary rock album. Shite tbh

Arnar Eggert sagði í Mogganum að þetta væri "[the bands'] "definitive statement". Og svo var vitnað í hann í þessari bók sem við fylgjum. Gott og vel, en ég þarf ekki að hlusta aftur. Lítið spennandi rödd, og ekkert lag sem grípur við fyrstu hlustun.

Another album not on Spotify

Robert nous offre un festival de chialeurs en ce moment, il va très certainement mal mais tant pis pour lui.

Je ne pouvais pas rêver pire pour mon retour de vacances

This album isn’t available on streaming

Pretty good stuff maynard. 3 stars.

Bland

Not available in IL

Mediocre

Meh

I'd never heard of this band before. Amateur-esque roots rock only available on YouTube via user-submitted playlists. I don't mind a bit of roots/Americana style but this album was just kind of meh. I did like "Bad Liquor" which was a clear departure from the rest of the album.

Massa mas nada pra ligar pra mae contar. Tive que ouvir no YT porque provavelmente eles tem birra com Spotify

I really liked the songwriting, but only a couple of the songs really grabbed me. Best track: Firefly

It was okay. With the first few songs I thought it would be another same country album. But it wasn't. It's chill.

Rock indie

A bland review for a bland album

I'm on a streak of average albums on this list. This is another one, rather anonymous country rock band, that brings essentially nothing to the table. Its hard to point in any direction with praise, it's mostly just generic music probably created by Chat GPT, after feeding in the name of the band. Waste of time.

Quite liked this one

A nice enough listen on a Sunday morning after Psychfest but I wasn't that upset it's not on Spotify because I probably won't listen again. Nothing stood out particularly, maybe the grey and blue shirt.

You can find this album on YouTube, but I don’t recommend you waste your time.

kinda neat

Don’t know who they’re pulling one over by not having their music available. Listening to this was not that great. It’s like having that weird uncle be in a band from the 80s. The folky songs were rather sad and depressing. It wasn’t upbeat enough to be classic rock. It was in limbo of both and wasn’t that great. 4.8/10

Pretty solid americana adjacent music. Weird mix of 80s style vocals and more countrified vocals. Like this alot. Reminds me of Counting Crows.

Couldn’t find this on streaming but it was easily available on YouTube If you’re looking for great songwriting, this album is a great example of it The slow and dense instrumentation also adds to the depressive atmosphere Favourite tracks: Laughingstock, Lonely, Pale and Skinny Girl, Western Sky, Highway 5

It was difficult enough to find a full album to listen to for this album, and believe me, I tried. Found a physical copy after a long search, and let me tell you. It was not worth it. Don't waste your time.

Another 1001 I'd never heard of and probably wouldn't have otherwise.

Never heard of these guys. A pretty okay slice of 80s indie, some nice vocals, pretty sounds. If you'd told me they were a MOR Aussie act from the time, I'd have believed you (excepting the band and album names)

underrated; should be on spotify

Moody and melancholic at times. It wasn't 'bad' but I didn't love it either. 2.5

It's not on Spotify so i''m not gonna listen to it. It's probably a 3 tho

I hate this middle of the road dirge.

So very dull and terrible lyrics... Only gets an extra star as it's nice enough as background music

American Snooze-ic Club

This album was hard to find. I was able to stream it on Bandcamp. So, not off to a great start, but hey, streaming this album is technically free, which is nice. To be honest, this album wasn't all that bad. I'm not a huge country music fan, and this is not country at all, but the steel pedal guitar added an extra layer of complexity. Was neat to hear that instrument in a non-country atmosphere. Other than that, the album wasn't all that original and at points I was a little bored, but there are WAY worse albums in this book than this. Lyrics are actually very very good, but the average music, combined with a good, but forgettable voice, leads to an album that is lost to obscurity. Probably forgotten to time if not included in this list. Fun fact, the lead singer was at some point in a band called "Toiling Midgets", so at least he has that going for him. 2.5, but rounding up to 3 because of quality, poetic lyrics.

Their alt-rock is more obvious and less valuable than the song architecture that stretches, emerging from words unstately laconic. So the songs get big and slow. American Music Club marks a thin and gritty lane for the record, which falls apart in the middle to be reconstituted. Home state advantage does work in the retrospective.

The singer sounds like the most boring version in the Evan Dando multiverse

Completely unnoteworthy

Modt of the album was extremely nothing, even starting to get annoying and bad near the 75% mark, but the last four songs were all really nice and bleak yet beautiful. Nothing crazy good, but earns a three for its troubles.

An intriguing blend of roots rock and Americana that would soon seep its way towards soon-to-be established hands for refinement, California by American Music Club is a signpost that would define most bands, but for AMC it is another pit stop on what would be a adventurous journey. Favorites: Firefly, Somewhere, Laughingstock, Pale Skinny Girl, Bad Liquor, Now You're Defeated, Jenny, Last Harbor.

Album available on YouTube

A pretty diverse indie offering that was nice to listen to while it was on but was ultimately quite forgettable

This album was not on available on spotify.

The most average album I’ve heard here. The only song I actually disliked was Bad Liquor. The first and last song I’d say are the best. Xtra half star for not being terrible.

average length. average album 2.5

Mostly boring

"California" is the third studio album by San Francisco indie rock band American Music Club. This music is an early example of Americana and alt country combining rock, punk, folk and country. All songs were written by vocalist and guitarist Mark Eitzel. The album opens with "Firefly." Slide guitar. Easy rock and you definitely get that alt country vibe you'd hear a few years later. He's losing a girl as she slips through. "Somewhere" is more rockin.' A great vocal chorus and a searing guitar solo to end the song. Eitzel delivers more sad, lonely songs in "Blue and Grey Shirt" and "Western Sky." More slide and acoustic guitars with the music creating a yearning atmosphere. They change it up a bit and go pyschedelic in "Highway 5." At this point, they needed to open it up and they did with some hard feedback guitar closing the final minute. I knew some Neil Young would show up at some point. This is a really good album. A lot of songs build slowly. It reminded me a lot of the Red House Painters and Silver Jews in that respect with the slowcore approach to songs. Very earnest, heartfelt lyrics and music. Maybe, they were a few years ahead of the Americana curve. But, who knows if this would have ever gained a widespread audience. Anyway, an album most everyone, I think, would like to some extent.

Full thing wasn't on Spotify, managed to find 4-5 songs on YouTube. Sounded pretty good, nice cruisy vibe. Vaguely Mark Lanegan sounding. 3/5 bc I couldn't hear the whole thing.

Eh.

Variety in albums can be good, but the variety in this album doesn't sit right with me. The genres they try to tackle, they aren't very exceptional in.

AMC bring back so many memories. Western Sky is a perfect song. I don’t hear too many references to them any more, so I’m glad they’re represented here.