Psychocandy

Way too noisy guitar with lots of feedback. Unpleasant

I had no idea they sounded this way. I think I got them confused with The Jesus Lizard. I dig it anyway though, fitting for the season.

A grungy version of 80s synth pop with soft, haunting melodies and harder, darker electric guitar work mixed in. There's a familiarity that I can't identify since I'm sure I've never heard these songs before. I will definitely listen to them again!

3 out of 5. Good effort here but Darklands comes ahead.

Noise pop, alternative rock, post-punk, indie rock.

band I've heard of but didn't know what they did. dreary droning it turns out. never again thanks.

More noise rock, although I guess this album predated shoegaze by a bit. I've honestly never cared for that genre or style of music production, but this album gets some merit for being a progenitor in that regard. It's honestly a bit more poppy than what shoegaze would eventually become too.

Forgettable. A clear pass for me. The album has a lot of noise and feedback wrapped around simple pop structures, but none of it sticks. After a few tracks the same wall of sound starts to feel tired and one-dimensional. There is a certain attitude in the mix of sweet melodies and harsh guitars, and I can hear why it mattered at the time. For me it never turns into something I actually want to return to. The songs blur together, the mood stays locked in the same grey place, and by the end I was mostly waiting for it to finish. The production is thick and abrasive by design. Everything is pushed forward and coated in distortion. That approach gives the record its identity, but it also makes the lack of stronger songwriting more obvious. Psychocandy is a pass. Historically interesting to some, but easy to forget once it stops playing.

If I'd wanted to listen to 38 minutes of feedback, I'd have popped on Metal Machine Music. The album goes downhill fast after Just Like Honey, which is still a banger after all these years. Screeeeeeeeeech!

This is one of those bands I've always heard of but haven't really heard, and this list helps me do that. I find them a little boring, though. It's probably sacrilege to those that were there at the beginning, but I prefer Raveonettes obviously-derivative recordings over the OG.

Was hoping to like this but was a bit of a dirge

7/10

basically a noise / post punk version of nickleback. play 3-4 songs at random and you've heard the album.

So this is one of those ones I couldn't find on streaming so I'm listening on a YouTube playlist. So I don't know if the videos harm the quality or if it just sounds like shit. Assuming it just sounds like shit because there are definitely parts of it that don't totally sound like shit. Like the first song is fine and then the guitar tone on the next couple is extremely grating at times. It's like somebody's using a buzzsaw or something. It's not pleasant. And when it doesn't actively hurt my ears, it's just mediocre pop rock. Not for me, man.

These guys can apparently do no wrong. I've heard three of their albums (two from this list) and they're all great. I did like this one slightly less than the other two, but I'm giving it a five anyway. 5

harsh!

Like taking candy from a psycho, and I’ll keep doing it!!!!

A sort of “mellow” punk, if that’s a thing; albeit with some screeching feedback or heavy overdrive in most songs, that just comes out as unnecessary noise that detracts from the rest of the track.

Solid album. Not necessarily memorable but an enjoyable listen. 3.5.

More enjoyable than The Cure since it was noiseier. 3.5.

A legendary debut that still sounds great. But it’s not perfect; there are a few weaker tracks and I do prefer the poppier sensibilities of Darklands.

Decent

Another 3. Nothing great, nothing terrible.

Nope

im so behind oh my god i need to catch up. This was ok. Just like honey Cut down

I didn’t really like it

I liked this a lot

Not at all what I expected from an album called "Psychocandy" (I was thinking higher energy and more punky), but this album surpassed my expectations and became a really lovely album to spend some time with. It's like swimming in honey and sunlight. It's got velvet underground influences. I like this just the right amount.

It was fine, nothing super great jumped out at me.

Melodic and quirky but nothing outstanding

I had heard of them, but never listened to their music. The dreamy voice reminds me of bands that came after, and te guitars are kind of cool most of the time, but sometimes there is too much distortion for my liking. That's why I am going for a 3/5.

Malo

Not bad new-wave-meets-noise-rock, but no real standout tracks.

Really interesting and creative, especially given the time period, even on the third time through.

10/9/26. Glad I had a weekend to sit back and enjoy this. At first I found it abrasive and noisy, but was able to enjoy the melodies and distinct sound after a couple listens. Hear a lot of Velvet Underground and dream pop influences.

Meget bra. Gitarlyden! A place to bury strangers har tatt inspirasjon.

2

Interesting project but the blasting guitars and incomprehensible vocals just didn’t do it for me

I really enjoyed this album and can hear its very strong influences to indie and shoegaze. I did find that the songs were really strong at the start with good variety but then started getting a bit boring and samey by the end

It's no understatement to say that this was one of those life-changing, formative records for me. The intensity, those deeply buried but hypnotic melodies, the fact that it sounded absolutely NOTHING like anything I'd ever heard before... It blew the 15-year-old me to bits, and it sounds every bit as magnificent today as it did back then. It's one of those records that if you clicked with it back in those more 'tribal' days of music fandom, it literally sent your life in a different direction. Admittedly, I was at just the right age when it came out for it to have that impact - right time, right place, and I count my blessings for it.

This is more like it. No idea the impact on the wider musical world really but in the backwood I grew up in it nearly melted my mind. Huge walls of noise alongside great pop assemblages. They were also very cool. Never Understand up there as one of my favourite songs which also had a huge impression on me. Listening now, sure it's a little dated but it is still very cool.

This is the debut from the Jesus and Mary Chain, a Scottish rock band. The music on the album is rock/hard rock/alternative rock with lots of feedback and distortion. Critics praised the album for its blend of 60s pop melodies and wall of sound. I suppose this was case when it was released, but it did not impress me.

Another band I've heard of but have no concept of. Now that I think of it, this is a weird name. Wiki suggests it comes from "an offer on a breakfast cereal packet, where customers could send off for a gold Jesus & Mary chain". Fine, except what in heaven's name is a breakfast cereal PACKET? Is Scottish cereal like Canadian milk? Anyway, they sound a bit like Echo and the Bunnymen and The Cure, which I guess makes sense. At first I was in the 3-zone, but either they got noisier or I got crankier; either way I think they've fallen to a two. Lowlight: 'Never Understand' (my reaction to extended guitar feedback)

Discordant at times but enough in there to get on board with

It was alright, might need to have a listen again to this

Just an hour of noise

Pretty cool good vibes never properly listened before.

This album is packed with good, melodic pop songs wrapped up in noise. Lots of noise. But instead of burying the songs in noise, they strengthen them, giving some much needed edge to the recordings. Alas, after sitting through the entire album, the songs start to blend into each other. A few tracks less wouldn’t be out of place

Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution

Holy mother of noisy reverb, so obnoxious.

A cool debut, well ahead of its time for 1985.

2.1

This album got progressively worse at it went on. It's not very interesting at all.

i've known the jesus and mary chain for its contributions to shoegaze, and while i recognize its importance and history to the genre, i really see it more as a prototype from a a branching of shoegaze with too much punk or rock for my taste, the songs in this are merging together to sound very similar and there is not stand out apart from the first track.

Sounds like the background of a John Hughes movie.

not my type of candy. No me gusta mucho eso, y creo que escucharla sin auriculares hace que sea peor la exp, not gonna lie. me irrita un poco esta musica como que nose, son ruidos mas molestos.

꽤 괜찮은 느낌의 곡도 있었지만 전체적으로 평범한 느낌이었다. There were some tracks that felt pretty good, but overall, it felt ordinary.

The Reid brothers ask the question, what if instead of the Wall of Sound there was a Wall of Noise. Short, simple pop songs filtered through fuzz, reverb, and feedback.

A week ago I had the album "Darklands" by the same band. And can I only repeat my words from there: "It's a mysery to me why this album is on this list. What did they do or in what kind where they so special. For me this is typical 80s pop/rock. Nothing, nothing and nothing at all is special about them. I am not saying that they are bad but simply an average band from that time."

warm fuzzy freaky, very distinct divide between those who can handle textured noise as a driving force in music and those who cannot

First song I was thinking oh this could be cool… but then it was again and again and again. Under all that, I could’ve actually really liked the album I think

Dripping with reverb and noise but tightly structured power pop songs.

Noise rock is one of those genres that absolutely does not work for me, until it does. There are some decent moments on this album. Unfortunately more moments that fall very short. A couple of okay songs and a shorter runtime do help, but not enough to overcome the overall roughness. Top tracks: Cut Dead, Something's Wrong

Started off decently enough, but quickly devolved into ear-piercing screeches, terrible mixing, and unintelligible vocals. 1/5.

This artist isn’t available on YouTube music. Will have to figure out how to listen over the weekend. ETA: listened and enjoyed. Fave song was Cut Dead

Meh. 2/5

Meh

Very cool but holy shit that like crunchy whine got on my nerves

There's good shoegaze, and there's this.

Passed me by a little at the time - was probably a little too young to appreciate - really good album and can see how they have impacted indie bands that have come since

It is a seminal album for artists who would employ noise in ways that I would enjoy, but it is not an album I particularly enjoy. I think part of the problem could have been fixed by leaving the distortion and noise the way it is on the album but simply mixing the vocals forward in the mix. It seems a daft choice to me to present the 'I'm standing outside the venue listening through a thin warehouse wall vibe'.

Ever since John Lennon accidentally leaned his guitar against an amp in 1964 and fell for the sound, feedback and distortion have been a vital part of rock music. That distinctive high-pitched squeal really makes the electric guitar stand out from everything else. Musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Lou Reed took things even further – Lou Reed’s notorious Metal Machine album is almost entirely made of hypnotic feedback loops, almost (but not quite) to the point of unlistenability. For me, it arrived at just the right moment in the 80s, sweeping away all of that overproduced, plastic dance music with a brilliant blend of classic 60s tunes hidden in a glorious wall of noise. A friend once said that playing it loud enough felt like standing on a cliff in a storm – buffeted by the wind but coming out feeling wonderfully alive. I’m a bit more careful with my ears these days, but it still brings back great memories and sounds just as good 40 years on. Tinnitus-tastic!

no skip album.

Uma das coisas mais pavorosas que eu já tive o desprazer de ouvir. O legítimo ruído sonoro

Far far too much screatching guitars on some tracks. Shame, I was looking forward to listening to it.

I had the other J&MC(?) album many albums ago and thought it was good, so I have high expectations for this one. Also, I've heard that it uses a lot of distortion, so that could be interesting. It was interesting, almost sounding like the "desert blues" sound in 1990s America. While the reverb was off-putting to many, it actually made me enjoy the songs more, giving them an almost metallic quality. This is an interesting album that contains plenty of good songs and few duds. This album is ranked #11 of 16 albums for 1985. Other 1985 albums rated by me: Brothers in Arms(2/16)-5 Hounds of Love(3/16)-4 Low-Life(5/16)-3 Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash(6/16)-3 Hunting High and Low(8/16)-3 Steve McQueen(10/16)-3 This Nation's Saving Grace(12/16)-3 Picture Book(13/16)-2 Fear and Whiskey(15/16)-2

Just stop winging about the fucking noise already It's not as if this is even that loud or if there's so much feedback being used that it becomes impossible to hear what's underneath. It's certainly not Napalm Death or Slayer or anything like that. And if you can't hear what's going on in terms of melodies then there's no hope for you – there's some proper gorgeous stuff here Now, if you want to complain about the vocal style then by all means do so. I can understand that, but if you think there's a lot of feedback or use of noise I'd suggest listening to the band's live album from Barrowlands Personally I enjoy the noise, but then I've been at Sea Power gigs in small rooms and survived to tell the tale. Although it turns out my hearing is starting to get worse apparently... This is pretty damned good. Loud but with plenty of swagger and style behind that noise, and makes me wish I'd have got into the band when I was 18. Although for the sake of my hearing it's possibly a good job I didn't

Unlistenable level of distortion. I'm taking a few days off so my ears can recover after this.

Pretty good, but the other reviews promised me more distortion.

It's fine? I grew up in the 90s hearing about this band but never seemed to hear many of their songs, and I guess the ones I did hear didn't stick because I couldn't tell you one thing they've done. I think this record is fine. I know they were massively influential, so I understand why this album is not his project. For me, I think the singer is pretty monotone so the album starts to drone after a bit, but it's not a bad listen.

Didn’t blow me away, but I enjoyed the blast from the past. TJAMC were a staple of my late 80s music world.

Better than I thought. I figured this would be another post punk slog but was more on the noise/shoegaze side most of the time. Not something I'd go back to but ok while it's on. 3/5

A band I don't think I'll ever really get into but ordinarily I should. They're just too... airy. And I don't like the production. An inevitable 3.

okay this is a tricky one. i absolutely love the atmosphere of this, but for some reason most of the songs aren’t really catching me. i’m siding with a 4 anyway because i this will grow on me as i listen to it more.

I listened to this a lot and generally enjoyed it. Just like honey is incredible, but listening this time and thinking a bit more critically the rest of the album isn't incredible. The guitar sounds are all very white noises, which I guess is the I mention, but the tunes for the other tracks didn't hold my attention in the same way, so I'd have to knock it down a bit for that, but I still enjoyed it and it is more than a 3, so a low 4 I guess.

This is great. Really enjoy the use of extremely distorted and messy guitars over the top of otherwise quite catchy and melodic songs. The start of Taste the Floor is one of the few times I've audibly reacted doing the generator Highlights: In a Hole, Taste the Floor, Never Understand

I absolutely love the way these songs are drenched in distortion, reverb and… noise. It might sound odd, but it‘s done quite tastefully. I don‘t think it‘s overwhelming -although it‘s definitely a lot on tracks like In A Hole- but it‘s also not undercooked. Some songs are harsh in sound, yes, but other songs are like a soft and warm blanket. Just Like Honey as the album opener is simply amazing. I guess the vocals aren‘t anything to write home about, but it doesn‘t really bother me. Overall, the album sounds like a lighter version of Sonic Youth. What a surprise, i fell head over heels for Psychicandy!

It’s good, not great. I did fade in and out of it a bit, didn’t keep me interests throughout.

This album is really polarising because on one hand, it sounds amazing and is years ahead of its time, but on the other it's kinda repetitive and sometimes a bit grating. Personally, I love it and I think it's great; noise music is seriously one of my favourite genres, however I can understand the other point of view. My advice: don't listen to it with the volume cranked all the way up, it's a quick way to go deaf. 9.5/10

they're calling anything shoegaze man wtf i like the vibe of it but my god my fucking EARSS!!!! STOPPPP it's alright but i like appreciate its influence more than i like it . yurp . just like honey is goated tho even if they reheated will toledo's nachos

I love this album. While I respect it's not for everybody, the way it strips down and at the same time overloads these fairly simple songs makes it feel like kind of warm blanket. I love the feedback, the shrill tones, the distortion that are all used not as a way to show how hard they rock but as a way to dissolve and resolve the edges of sound, like when you draw a picture and you're not very good so you have to use 20 lines to kind of approximate the shape. I've listened to it countless times and barely know the lyrics. Couldn't tell you the track order. As with a lot of shoegaze, I kinda just let it wash over me. It's different in headphones and on speakers, but in both cases should be listened to with the volume turned up; no surreptitious listening after the kids go to bed here. But of course, its relative anonymity wears after a while and when I'm done taking my bath, I wanna get out before it gets cold. Even at 40 minutes, the album's about 10 minutes too long.

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? I've heard the name before but haven't listened to them. Thoughts: - I don't think I'll ever be into shoegaze or similar styles. I just don't understand the appeal of fuzzy noise. - There are a few songs I really like here, and several others I think I'd really like if they were done in a different style where I could actually hear the vocal/melody. - Overall not my thing but I get why it's here. Favorite track(s): Just Like Honey, Sowing Seeds (for being the least noisy) Least favorite: "In A Hole" made me turn down the volume

I had higher hopes for my enjoyment on this one. Just Like Honey and the tracks that sounded similar were good, but the harder ones I did not like. It felt a little like tonal whiplash jumping between those sounds multiple times throughout the album.

Behind all the feedback and white noise, is 1960s melody and lonely, broken hearts. Beautiful, if slightly too long to be perfect.

nothing phenomenal

Okay. The last four tracks were nonsense & in my mind were detractors.

Listened before?: maybe once? if i did, it was a loooong time ago and i remember nothing about it Just Like Honey - 5/5 The Living End - 2/5 Taste the Floor - 3/5 The Hardest Walk - 4/5 Cut Dead - 3/5 In a Hole - 1/5 Taste of Cindy - 4/5 Never Understand - 4/5 Inside Me - 3/5 Sowing Seeds - 4/5 My Little Underground - 4/5 You Trip Me Up - 1/5 Something's Wrong - 3/5 It's So Hard - 3/5 Average score: 3.1/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ headache-inducing. honestly, the production is the biggest thing i have issue with. i know some level of fuzz/distortion is commonplace with shoegaze, but this is distorted to the point of being nearly unlistenable depending on the track. i'm sure this kind of noise tickles someone's fancy, but i'm not particularly fond of it this is their debut record so i can't find it in me to complain too much. the potential was definitely there. i personally feel they definitely could've benefited by dialing back some of the fuzz on some tracks though, but that's just my opinion. they definitely seemed to sound better by the time they released Darklands, thankfully

++: Just Like Honey, Taste the Floor, Cut Dead, In a Hole, Taste of Cindy, Never Understand, Inside Me, My Little Underground, You Trip Me Up, It's So Hard +: The Living End, Sowing Seeds, Something's Wrong +-: The Hardest Walk 8,5/10

1.8/5 I know this is classed as noise pop/post punk/shoegaze but if there was less distortion and a bit more polish I would have enjoyed this a lot more. I could hear some great riffs and songs but unfortunately for me it was all covered by a heavy dose of distortion.

Pase muchas canciones por ser muy como psicodélicas