They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Chaos and witches and drums, oh my! Is it the best album ever? No. But it was exactly what I needed when I needed it. It triggered something in my creative brain, and I am thankful for it.

Noise. Make of that what you will.

Forgettable

Not a fan, but I'm not upset by it.

It insists upon itself.

Wow what an incredible boring thing.

I don't know what to say about this .... noise.

It was a real struggle to get through this. Almost unlistenable, though I did hear a bit of Radiohead in it.

Noise rock can be a tough listen. This is not. Songs are generally cohesive with rhythms and feels. A lot of good energy is captured. Not sure Inwould revisit this but seems like a high for the noise rock genre in that it didn't sound entirely like random playing but more composed. 3.5, I round down. 1=Crap that shouldn't be here 2=I didn't like it but get why it's here 3=I thought it was ok or even like it, get why it's here, but won't revisit 4=I like it, will revisit 5=This is some of the best music I've ever heard and will continue listening to it

A real mixed bag for me. Firstly I was not in the best mind space as I was too stressed and this didn’t help. Some good some bad. The bad was really bad IMO. The opening track sounded like a parody of a college kid trying to be deep. Can’t go higher than 2 here

Idk I didn’t hate it. It was fun and never that offensive. I probably wont revisit it over other albums similar to it but it’s nice to know that it exists.

Ok

Fun music. Good excuse to come back to it. Makes me want to cut off some jorts, hop on a fixie, and smoke some American spirits.

sometimes it works, sometimes the wheels spin. sometimes hypnotizing, other times monotonous. gets better as it goes. favorite track is “hold hands.” give me that caustic guitar.

Maybe it’s being in bands and knowing that groove that you get into when it’s just you and your band mates and the song that you were playing has made a wrong turn somewhere or a right turn and now you guys are just ripping and jamming in the song that was supposed to end after three minutes has now become an hour long And it weaves in and out of different parts becomes just this drone filled with a chance and thundering drums and quiet ambient moments and nobody knows exactly where you’re going to go next you’re not listening to each other anymore. You’re feeling each other. You’re not looking at each other anymore all of you are connected directly into the music. The drums dictate the emotion the guitar rips through the melody base haunts our dreams and sits behind the shadows while the vocals boil their messages down to a handful of words this is a liars for me. Great album not my absolute favorite from them. Their first album is always a great place to start in the albums that list below. I would also check out, but this band is incredible. They’re always changing. They’re always evolving as they progress and get older. They got more into electronic And synthesize sounds but at their core this drowning hypnotic trance is what I would say is their signature weird fucking band and they are amazing.

Solid record some new weird ideas, but ultimately falls short of putting something truly interesting together for me. I like where the liars are going, and I’m excited to check out more of their disco

Not as noisy or challenging as I thought it was going to be

Sardonic, danceable anxiety may be a good fit for the precariat, and I admire a chant of “blood blood blood” that verges on hysterical laughter, but irony must draw blood to move me. See Suicide and the Sun City Girls for sublime, occasionally hair-raising comparison. This doesn’t have the hooks to be pop, its other leaning, though it’s consistently adequate listening. Simon, the string of adequate records continues...

I don't mind me some featureless noise rock, but this wasn't very noisy or rocky. Gimme some Swans please

Whoa… this is the shit you hear as the Elon machines take over your brain and body. Conscious yet unable to speak, your existence is now suspended in eternal hell as they slowly harvest your cells. The machines have been programmed to placate their subjects with sound and drug. As is typical of all new government software, they only got it half right.

I typically use music to separate myself from the chaotic racket of life. Rarely does that noise create anything resembling music, but occasionally the thunk of an air conditioner does match up with the splat of a dripping sink. So I appreciate it when a band chooses to focus on wrangling the chaos into art

Not to my liking -could have skipped this one for sure.

Difficult is an understatement

OK, from the beginning of the first track I really thought I'm going to hate this. But weirdly, from the second track on, this album grew on me in some strange ways (like the strange, disgusting beauty of some funky molds, perhaps). It's somewhere between noisy post-punk and dance-punk, which are both very weird (and not my favorite) styles to begin with. These guys do some aspects of both of these styles justice, for what that's worth. So what's the verdict? It's horrible, but also catchy. It's annoying, but it works. It sounds bad, but it feels good. First I wanted to give this a 2 for sounding bad, then a 3 for causing mixed feelings, but now a 4 for making me think deeply about music. And ultimately, that's what the 1001 albums project is about.

I'm definitely not going to listen to this again, but I didn't hate it? I can see myself adopting 'there's always room on the broom' into my vocabulary. Probably more like 2.5 stars, but since I have to choose...

Well…I can understand why the global rating on this is so low. I didn’t care for it but for the most part, it wasn’t too egregious. It kinda sounded like if Thom Yorke had a younger brother who was deeply envious of Radiohead’s success and wanted to make it big too, except that he had no talent.

No, just... no. This music gave me a headache.

Music you only hear when you're about to be graphically butchered by a serial killer in the woods.

Dug considerably. Like a moth to a strange flame, my ears drift to expiremental punkish tuneage.

Liked it a lot upon first listen so worthy of another go

If pop music is a Marvel movie, this is an A24 folk horror short with no dialogue, made on a grainy VHS camera.

Not my thing, not enough of anything for me. Not boppy enough for electronic Not loud enough for noise Not fast or interesting enough for punk I feel others have done this a lot better. it is definitely weird, some credit for that

-huh this is pretty interesting. quite reminiscent of some of Radiohead’s later electronic work to me -had a few good tracks but otherwise it was kind of a bit too meandering for my taste? idk it struggled to hold my attention but it wasn’t bad. i might like to check out some other stuff by this band -Favorites are There’s Always Room On The Broom and Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway

Ok for what it is, but didn’t really warm to it. Sort of like LCD Sound System…come to think of it. Complete different genre wise, but the two do seem to have a similar energy.

I'm so bad with music that has no rhythm.

point0.

3.5/5

i like the elements, i feel i could like this if they were used in different ways.. but better to listen to something this weird as another unmemorable american or british rock band from the 60s/70s

1.5

Yesterday, I had one of the highest rated albums on this list, with Pet Sounds, and today, I get one of the lowest rated albums. However, there have been a few low-rated albums on this list that I’ve enjoyed, like Kollaps and Junkyard. Others like Scum and Wonderful Rainbow have been more middle-of-the-road. I’m not terribly sure what to expect on this effort from Liars, but a little bit of noise rock never scared me! I enjoyed listening to this album, and I thought it had a unique sound that I found entertaining and fresh. I liked the overall lyrical concept, about witchcraft on The Brocken, and it sounded like Liars really allowed the concept to completely consume the album, and it worked really well. My favorite songs on the album tended to have a really strong, pulsing bass that I thought was fantastic. This album could have sounded like a jumbled mess, but the production gave it an atmosphere that I found really cool. For an album that I would describe as dissonant, it was still pretty accessible, and I think that’s due to how the sounds were layered in a way that somewhat resembled typical song structure. There was quite a bit of variation in the sound on this album as well, but everything still felt incredibly cohesive. As far as favorite songs from this are concerned, I really enjoyed "There's Always Room On The Broom,” "We Fenced Other Gardens With The Bones Of Our Own," and “They Don’t Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids” (good God, these song titles are a pain to write out). This isn’t the type of album that I’d probably come back to, but I still enjoyed listening to it, because it was fun to branch out and get weird for a bit.

This one really didn’t land for me. They Were Wrong, So We Drowned feels like an album caught between wanting to be an unsettling art piece and actually crafting songs worth revisiting. I get that it’s meant to be chaotic, tribal, and thematically steeped in witch trial hysteria, but for me, it just came across as noise with little payoff. There’s ambition in the concept, but the execution left me cold. I can appreciate experimental music when it still offers a hook or some atmosphere to latch onto, but most of this just felt like being stuck in a room full of clattering pans and cryptic shouting. Tracks blur together in a way that isn't immersive, just exhausting. I’m sure some will defend it as bold or challenging, but I personally found it more frustrating than fascinating. A few interesting textures, but not enough to make me want to go back.

I didn't think this was great, but it is WAAAAY better than its overall rating would lead you to believe

Interesting exploratory techno in a genre started by Moog and Eno

I…don’t get it

Wow, what a unique album. They really loved their synth and sound effects. Not my speed but good on anyone that can listen to this one straight through, I had to take it in segments

Didn't get past the second song, just wasnt good

Si pudiera no le daría estrella. No tiene sentido alguno todo lo que se presenta en este disco y ni siquiera tratan de mantener un tiempo coherente. Sirve para entender que no hacer.

I quite liked ‘Flow My Tears the Spider Said’ other than that really wasn’t a fan.

nope. this is some arty shitbag nonsense I have no time for or interest in. Not at all required listening.

Why?? This was beyond awful!! At no point in their rambling, incoherent music were they even close to anything that could be considered a rational song. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it!! If I could have awarded no points, I would have.

Wow, that sucked! I’m guessing this is what they must play in hell.

Nice

I guess this was supposed to the be album that actually killed you on the list of albums to hear before you die?

What the fuck, man. I get it, it’s moody and spooky. Pretty rough listen if you actually like music

Very rough. Some songs almost had song elements that made them redeamable. But some were just obnoxious (like track 2: steam rose). This is a pretty low 2 for me.

Maybe only a strong 3, but want to reward stuff that gets my attention. The songs don't always come together, but when they do, I'm into the "LCD Soundsystem songs recreated by a post-apocolyptic cult" vibe. All clanks, creaks,pencil scratches and chanted lyrics.

First song made me think of Bloc Party or TVOTR. ‘We Fenced other Gardens’ almost had Radiohead vibes. ‘They Don’t Want Your Corn’ made me wonder what LCD Sound System would sound like with Wesley Willis as the lead. Even if some of the purely instrumental tracks or circus punk sounding songs weren’t really my thing, it kept my interest.

Fucking torturous....

I don't hate it, I don't even dislike it, and I kinda enjoy it, but it's also sorta boring? It's an album, that's for sure.

Neither as bad as the 1 star reviews or as awesome as the 5 star reviews make out. An interesting if unconventional listen. Some decent melodies and riffs amid all the clangour.

Very interesting with a cool backstory. Not my normal jam but it on me

If you think this is anything but complete shit you're a pretentious ass and I will never take you seriously.

This was a rough listen

This is genuinely awful. Even the bad stuff before I thought at least it had been influential, but there was loads of bands doing similar stuff to this at the same time with much better results.

A masterpiece of shamanic ritual urban apocalypse chant that devastates with its chaos of noise and poetry, laying bare the existential wreckage of late capitalism. JK! This sounds like some bros set out to make a "confrontational" and "off-putting" piece of "art" and having now listened to it in full, I can say this tedious and insipid grind of a record put me off. You did it, guys! (I actually kind of love Drum's Not Dead, so this was a revelation--and not the good kind)

Was not ready for this one. Listening, I feel like I had just taken 3 shots of Fireball, and desperately needed a palate cleanser. Intellectually, I see where they are going with this album, but I am just not cool enough to appreciate.

Full agreement with everything already said on this one

5 stars for originality. 0 stars for accessibility and enjoyment. That averages out to a 1. 😂 Maybe I would understand and appreciate better with repeated listens, but I have no interest in doing that, I’m afraid.

pretty cool, felt like a god introduction to experimental concept albums, very witchy

Well, I loved the track names. Not so much the music. It was very weird and too abstract for my taste - it felt like a really bad NIN. I can't recommend this one. Rating: 1

An okay album, not really my style though I did like Flow My Tears The Spider Said.

Kept waiting for something more to happen in a lot of these songs, pleasant enough but seems surprising this is considered one of the 1001 to listen to in my opinion.

Good.

Semi-interesting concept album. No need to listen again, might share with someone who identifies as a witch

This is not music

I tried!! Hated the beginning, was bearable in the middle, was annoyed again towards the end.

No

Not sure if this is one of the albums “you have to listen to before you die..” or “albums that will make you die” They should though charge per letter used in their song titles.

Art is in the eye of the beholder so who am I to judge, but this one ain’t it.

If you really want to give yourself a migraine listen to this - irritating and tuneless. Like you gave some four year olds some guitars and a drum kit. In fact their repetitive "lyrics" sound like they were written by young-uns.

Once I saw experimental/noise rock on the Wikipedia, I knew I'd be in for a tough one. I'll admit there were moments where the rhythms weren't too bad, but can't ignore how dreadful it was otherwise.

Had a few bits I enjoyed, but overall was a bit too out there for my mood and tastes. I will not be going back to this one.

Très cool...........I have to admit, I was put off by the negative reviews, but I can confidently declare they are all wrong. I love how this barely melodic musical concoction sounds like a bunch of anxious guys banging scrap metal together at a construction site - it totally works somehow. I do have to say that my expectations were set a little too high from the banger of an opening track, Broken Witch, but the rest of the album was still enjoyable. In conclusion, noise is cool, give it a whirl

This feels like one of those 'if you dont like it, you aren't cool'. I do like it, it do think its aggressively battling against being even slightly catchy, a bit try hard. But its clearly good

I just started laughing in the middle of the intro for just how goofy it was getting and imagined the rest of the album must be similar, I'm bot shocked I was right. I'm not usually a fan of experimental stuff like this but I totally appreciate the effort and risk taking aspect of it. Like in There's Always Room on the Broom can be an incomprehensible mess, and the background vocals sound like a mosquito stuck in your tent at night, but its SOMETHING. They couldve easily copy+pasted the formulaic stuff od their peers. The noise genre sucks, dont get me wrong, its annoying and hard to pinpoint anything relating to melody and its just awash with, well, noise. This wouldve been perfectly suited as a soundtrack for an indie student horror film.

A lot of drama queen reviewers for this one. Let me break it down Does this album suck? Yes of course Is it the worst album on the list? No of course not Were they at least doing something different and interesting…whether they succeeded or failed? Yes! Is it more interesting than the glut of boring British indie rock albums this list is inundated with? YES Overall it’s a failed experiment but at least it’s interesting and I’m glad I’ve heard it once and never again

What a great album, lt needs to be listened to in one go and not treated as a traditional LP with tracks. It's really fun. Think of it as a movie.

Awful

#589. Mildly annoying noise rock. The first song isn't too bad, but it only gets worse from there. 2/5: nah.

Went in with low expectations, but actually enjoyed it. 4/5

Calling this interesting would be an understatement bordering on falsehood. This is unhinged, lunatic, clean, bizarre, vivid. Fever dream - the album. Listening enjoyment: 1.5/5 Deserves to be on this list: 5/5

Never heard of this one. I don't think these guys were sober when they wrote these songs. 2/5

They don't call it noise rock for nothing. Working from the concept, it's not bad. Just not a concept that I'm necessarily into. I do appreciate something that requires a little more pretentiousness to enjoy haha

I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything by them, or anything from this album, so a nice addition from the mystery bag of the collection. And from the outset it's definitely a different sort of sonic experience (especially compared to my previous album "Green Onions" and its instrumental bar snacks). I'm not sure their sound and this album is really to my taste, although I have to admit there's something a bit appealing about the industrial-adjacent tones of the opening track "Broken witch" and a few other tracks. A few other tracks sounded strangely reminiscent of Radiohead, though, which was kind of a fun contrast, especially "We fenced other gardens with the bones of our own", and the whole horror story and industrial/experimental noise aspect kind of reminded me of Marilyn Manson. I probably wouldn't have realized there was any sort of storyline or thematic unity to the songs, or the references to a German mountain called The Brocken, or an apparently pervasive element of horror storytelling throughout, without reading about the album in Wikipedia and the "1001 Albums" entry, so I'm not sure the concept album aspect is all that strong to the uninitiated. Regardless, though, it's hard to argue with their choice of a great album title (I also loved the Philip K. Dick reference with the final track title "Flow my tears the spider sais), and it definitely feels like this could have been a soundtrack to a horror film like "Blair Witch Project" or even "The Ring" at times.

I like the album more when I moved from headphones to speakers. Also, felt a little like a cult initiation ceremony.

Not bad actually, something completely different.

Track 1 abrasive noise Track 2 the sound of a panic attack Track 3 standing outside a school music within which a collection of kids are doing there own thing I decided to wait for something positive to write but that never came. This only serves value in making you appreciate how much better most of the list is. It is more likely to be the sound i hear at the point of death than something you need to hear before it

This album should be grateful I can’t give less than 1 star. So bad, it made my dog’s ears pin back with fear when she heard it.

They can certainly come up with a fun song name. Its a toss up between "If You're a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?" and "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" for me. But sonically, it's 99% noise and nothing much else. It sounds a bit like it should be playing in a dark basement in a Blade movie. A rare: 1/5

yeah i could die without listening to this a few tracks reminded me vaguely of radiohead but yeah not quite that good

Strange band. Strange music.

Interesting at times, but not really for me.

they are yet to cross the threshold that makes.l noise music.

I am very conflicted about this one. I used to think that they are an unique and amazing band, but I didn't fully enjoy the album.

A surprise for sure- and not a pleasant one. I appreciate what they were going for stylistically, but it wasnt pleasant to listen to and it really wasnt for me. Still- there were a few spots I enjoyed more, but it mostly was rough Overall- 1.5/5 to 2

not for me

GARBAGE!!!

no

Love some of their other stuff much more but this is good

Lots of noises meant to put you into a trance and feel like you’re at some sort of primal ritual. Unfortunately that isn’t a sound I enjoy.

Vamos hoy martes con una banda que desconozco por completo. Gracias como siempre de antemano por estas presentaciones. Dicho esto, estamos en presencia de algo experimental. Recuerda inevitablemente como todo el noise a Sonic Youth pero un poco menos punkie: mucha guitarra disonante y batería hipnótica, voces oscuras que interpelan y generan ése mismo estado de cuelgue. Nuevamente, gracias por las rarezas. Hasta mañana.

It was interesting. Liked it more than the average here would accept lmaoooo. Its cool (2.5/5.0)

Not as bad as I was expecting after reading the reviews.

10/10 huge fan of the psychotic post punk scene that came out of NYC in the 80s very similar to one of my alltime favorite bands, Swans

Not something I'd listen to on a regular basis but I like how experimental it feels. They may not have struck gold but they really tried some stuff.

That was pretty trippy. I am will be checking out their other work

Not a good album.

Is it as bad as people say? Not really. It is a little boring, though.

Yeah, quite liked it

Man, I just don’t get noise rock. It’s hard for me to think of this as music.

I couldn't get on board with this one. I like making noise as much as the next guy, but I'm not a Noise guy.

What kind of reaction this record elicits might depend on your headspace and general patience in life, but if nothing else I thought this was a welcomed dissonant deviation from the norm.

Never heard of this band before. This album is wild. The first 3 minutes of the opening track are off-putting. It's a weird stop, start, repetitive to the point of annoyance, and then it stops and the drum beat kicks in. Awesome use of tension and release. The droning tribal parts are where it's at for me. An entire album of tracks like "We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own" and "Flow My Tears, the Spider Said" would be in heavy rotation for me. If you only listen to the first few minutes and dismiss it, you'll be missing out on a groovy album. It's as weird as can be and will really push your comfort zone. The generator did me a solid today. Nice Sunday morning listen.

Bit of a weird one. I don't know how to feel about it, but it was pretty cool. Nothing stood out really though.

Hmmm

I was right, so I didn't.

Had never heard of these guys! Cool discovery that could maybe become welcomed into my normal rotation in the future.

Not for me too experimental just noise too chaotic

Interesting

I swear to God, the people on this site are an enigma. Y’all be like “Why does Neil Young get like a billion albums here” and “Oh my god, there’s so much white boy rock”. Then you get a weird unique album like this and rate the damn thing to near oblivion. Don’t you like actually want to like explore past your comfort zone because if not, why are you here? Ok for real, I get why people would dislike this. It’s weird and sometimes loud, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. But like, this wasn’t that bad. Not one of the lowest rated albums certainly. I actually liked this one. It certainly feels experimental, but like in a structured way. Through all the weird elements and loud guitar noises, there some strange, groovy bangers. Broken Witch is a great starting track, while There’s Always Room on the Broom transitions the sound into borderline creepy territory. Also, I love the ambient tracks like Steam Rose from the Lifeless Cloak and Read the Book That Wrote Itself, as well as the latter half of Flow My Tears The Spider Said. To be honest, I’m not even a quarter done with this project, but it’s weird that an album like this gets ravaged while there like a hundred forgettable albums on here that came and went for me. Honestly, it’s worse to have no impact than it is to make people squirm. Maybe I’m the kind of freak that enjoys shit like this, but that’s on me. Long story short, this was pretty good. You’re all just mean. Favorite track: Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway Other hits: Broken Witch, Steam Rose From The Lifeless Cloak, We Fenced Gardens With The Bones Of Our Own, Read The Book That Wrote Itself, Flow My Tears The Spider Said

Och man. Door omstandigheden moest ik dit met oortjes luisteren. Het zijn de stoute zonen van Captain Beefheart, die dachten 'wat pa kon, kunnen wij ook': pesterige, aanstellerige baggermuziek maken om luisteraars van de top-1001 te tergen. Mijn oren tuiten er nog van. Pleur toch op.

Noiserock: Standaard een 1. Wazige geluiden: standaard een 1. Matige zang: standaard een 1. Algemene waardering: 4 Noiserock: Midden in de nacht geluisterd, dus op zacht volume. Wellicht ervaar je de herrie dan niet zo. Onverwachts komt de jongste beneden en begint hard op en neer te wippen op de muziek. Cachy noiserock dus. Of moet ik me zorgen gaan maken? Het is ook wel noiserock uit 2004, de grensen van een genre worden met de tijd wat opgerekt. Dit heeft zelfs een beat als basis. Wazige geluiden. Ok, eerlijk is eerlijk. De hoge piepjes irriteren me. Toch weten ze veel van het wazige geluid om te buigen naar muziek. Matige zang. De band waust soms wat over de muziek heen, soms is het meer schreuwen wat gemuzikaliseerd wordt. Algemene waardering. Dit album biedt een unieke beleving. En al worden veel a-muzikale ingrediënten bij elkaar gevoegd, er onstaat een muzikaal geheel. Zoals sommige mensen met alleen groenten best een eetbaar gerecht kunnen bereiden. Het is toch een prestatie. Het heeft zelfs iets pakkends. Dance-noise-rock. Of misschien noise-techno? Ik hoor soms ook wel iets van artiesten als Aphex Twin of T.Raumschmiere. Ga ik het nog eens luisteren? Denk het wel, sorry buren.

Voor problemen met je 28k8 modem kun je normaal gesproken het beste contact opnemen met worldonline. Deze gasten hebben hun oude modem aangesloten op de opgeblazen speakers van opa. Onsamenhanged geluid waar ze af en toe wat over heen mediteren. Ik heb niet vaak last dat het te schel is, maar dit is soms een aanslag op de trommelvliezen. Ik snap niet wat er zo leuk kan zijn aan dit soort muziek. Niet om te luisteren, maar ook niet om te maken. Als je dan nog miljoenen verdient, dan kun je het nog als werk zien. Maar dit zit in zo'n onbeduidend hoekje, dat ik me niet kan voorstellen dat ze hiermee in hun onderhoud kunnen voorzien. Of Robert Dimery moet dit bekostigen op persoonlijke titel. Op een of andere rare manier heb ik het nog helemaal uit kunnen luisteren. Het zit qua sterren dus iets boven de 1, en het is niet het allerslechtste album, er is simpelweg nog kutter gemaakt. Afgerond is het alsnog een 1, hier zit weinig luisterplezier in. Het enige plezier dat het geeft, is als het album afgelopen is.

Going into this having read two reviews which are very polarising. Don't know what to expect so hopefully this will be fun Broken Witch: A little odd but honestly I quite like it. Scratches my brain nicely. It's a little too repetitive for me though so I'll give it a 3/5 Steam Rose From the Lifeless Cloak: Kinda just noise. It's nothing amazing. Just noise getting louder. 1/5 There's Always Room on the Broom: I like the witch/witchcraft imagery on this record. And we get vocals this time!! Exciting! It's scratching my brain aaaa 3/5 If Your a Lizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?: 1/5 just for the incorrect pronoun. Also this noise isn't even nice noise its just too loud. We Fenced Other Gardens With the Bones of Our Own: Long title damn... I found it very boring so I skipped it They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids: The noises in the back remind me of video games. Weird title. My opinion on this is going down. Honestly, I don't want to finish this album. The songs are very similar to one another and I'm not enjoying it as much as I expected to at the start, as my ratings are just going down and down. From what I've listened to, it gets a 2/5, which is generous honestly

noise rock?

Easy 1 Star, next.

Alright "experimental". Would like to listen to again in a better setting, not doing anything else. But it wasn't ear sharing noise like some other experimental stuff

My husband always insists that I need to stop calling myself weird. It appears that my genuine enjoyment of They Were Wrong, So We Drowned may be a good counter, because I'm pretty sure this is an album for weirdos.

Broken Witch

You know, sometimes you see that an album is in a genre you dislike (in this case noise rock) and after listening you're pleasantly surprised. Other times, the album justifies why you dislike that genre. In this case, it was the latter. Couldn't wait for this to end.

Very weird listen... I like it though.

Sounds like an ear infection

What the heck was that

i'm a notorious hater of Weird for Weird's sake music and have 1 or 2 starred many other noisy, colloquially "bad" sounding albums on this list. so why did i actually kind of enjoy this one?? i have no idea. honestly, my biggest complaint is that 1001 albums picked this album instead of the better-known Drum's Not Dead, which i remember passing around my very pretentious friend group in high school. there are actually a few listenable tracks on that one! this wasn't, like... good, per se, but it tapped into the part of my brain that likes droney repetitive music and repeating/overlaid vocals. i felt like i traveled to a cave in the middle of the woods and witnessed a ritual i shouldn't have seen. 3 stars?

interesting concept for an album but ultimately not that enjoyable to listen to. i listened twice through and wanted to like this more than i did, but alas... favorites: broken witch, steam rose from the lifeless cloak, flow my tears the spider said

Not a huge fan of industrial or noise to start out so it was at a bit of a disadvantage already. There is definitely something to it that I like though. It's kinda fun in a goofy lyrics sang deadpan way. It's unique and that isn't bad. Self-indulgent, but that's expected and almost required for experimental. Sounds a tiny bit like it could be in Scott Pilgrim as well.

This album's seemingly infamous on this site, it's one of the ones with the lowest scores, many of whom I enjoy lol. It's not gonna be the last time I will have to say it sucks that more people don't enjoy an album like this, but I do get it from the perspective of the average person and not someone like me who's a dedicated music listener whose favorite genres line up with this and many of the albums in the bottom rated. I think if anything the fact that albums like this get so rated so low is more indicative of how flawed the book is, while it is a fine resource for "expanding" your musical palette and getting you out of your comfort zone hypothetically, I think it can only go so far especially since the albums would be presented with only a small blurb describing their contents but not really much more about them or HOW to approach these albums, there's no real organization to how to approach some albums or genres besides the chronological style it's presented. I guess one can also argue that this site's challenge being random only makes the problem worse because you are just served an album daily with mostly zero context unless you look them up, maybe if you were going thru the book at your leisure you'd check off the music that interests you (made easier by online resources) it makes it an easier time, hell maybe the hypothetical copy of the book will be one without this album because it only lasted for one print of the book. Despite all that though, it still doesn't help the fact that you, hypothetical person who just gave 1 star to this album, have little contact with music like this prior and probably gave a bad impression of music that decides to go for something so rhythmic and sparce in a punk context instead of the typical melodies of your average rock album. So we are left with most people hating this than really coming away with something that's up their lane sadly. That's not to say the book or this site aren't a fun way to discover music, far from it, I think it's one very easy way to expand your horizons, but there's an obvious level to which this approach just winds up messing up how people find out about music that may or may not be too much for them. I could critique this all day but ultimately this is just an unique problem to the approach here, and plus there IS an album still which I've barely talked about: I had heard this album before when trying to check out Liars' discography which I never completed (laziness hit). This album is interesting as a 2nd album when you compare it to their debut which feels more in line with a lot of early 00s post-punk and dance punk, this one just hits an entirely different vibe, it's almost like they decided to have the barest essentials to making rhythmic and angular punk and made noise with the little they had; it makes for music that is so awkward and ominous on purpose and there's so much negative space yet I can't but enjoy the way this album feels so perfectly minimalistic and weird, especially when listening to Broken Witch and how it simply builds and builds all its elements into the weirdest punk thing to make me dance. The use of dinky synths to make noises which just can't help but make me curious as to what or where they are going with that like in "There's Always a Room on the Broom". It's experiments that you don't know where it will lead but you just have to meet it where its at, they become rewarding the more you dig into the little rhythms and noises do come together into songs that while not your usual idea of enjoyability it still manages to hit something in me, like an itch for music this absurd and weird that create this awkward atmosphere like I'm seeing these guys mess around in a basement that smells of cigarettes work out these songs for hours. If there's a flaw with this album is that I don't really care for the interludes going on much, they are fine, but they have little that interest me when the other songs have more going on and aren't just ambient interludes, I do think closing the album with something like that is effective as a sort of comedown. But yeah, is this album the best noise-weirdo-punk thing I've ever heard? Not really, but I do think it is very good and enjoyable for my tastes, in a way that I think deserves far more credit or at least chances from people, if not now maybe some other time, maybe after really experiencing more stuff like this. I don't think this sort of review sort of rant will convince anyone to reconsider all those weird albums they disliked but I do hope that at least the people who found this album interesting but are not quite at the point of full enjoyment can be encouraged to pursue more stuff like this, and who knows maybe coming back to it eventually to find it to be a favorite. Edit: I forgot to add this somewhere, but as a little addendum: if you didn't hate this but found it too minimal and would want more noise and dance, check their first album, it's very good and probably a lot more approachable sonically.

I am sure they did their best

Jeg kan godt lide når min musik larmer. Jeg vil dog hellere have melodi i min larm.

Wow for en oplevelse! Det her album gjorde helt konkret fysisk ond at lytte til. Jeg kunne mærke en uro og ubehagelighed i hele kroppen. Der er faktisk interessante elementer, men særligt rytmesektionens lyd er helt off for mig. Det lyder som om de har lånt Lars Ulrichs lilletromme fra St. Anger indspilningerne og den så har inficeret både trommesæt og bas. En oplevelse at lytte til. Men en jeg ikke har brug for at have igen.

I am insulted that trash like this is included on a list of noteworthy albums. Honestly in the bottom five of the 150 or so albums I've had to review thus far. Absolutely awful.

I get experimental but this was mediocre at best

Odd time signatures Lots of discordant noises Makes an eerie mood

Horrible

Noise rock band. That’s all I needed to know.

Well it was different I'll give it that!

"This sounds like Pikmin 2!!!!!! Epic underground dandorium moment or however the pokos are acquired" - My stupid ass prior to fathoming the full extent of "Broken Witch" Hmm. Hmmmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. No sir, I don't like it. I have a penchant for weird, unorthodox, wackadoo bullshit and this is some truly weird, unorthodox, wackadoo bullshit. By all means I should like this. Experimental rock has been good before and the way this album samples sounds is endlessly creative (especially in the case of "Read the Book That Wrote Itself"). I like the mystical/folklore element and the lyrics are stupid in an endearing way. These elements are good on their own, though they don't come together into something that I can confidently say I like. My favourite tracks were "Broken Witch" and "There's Always Room on the Broom". Many of the tracks are limited by how minimal and repetitious the music is when you strip away the reverberating, blown out instrumentals, though these two tracks are surprisingly quite dynamic. The bird songs at the end of "Flow My Tears..." was a very clever way of closing out the album. I'm surprised other "nocturnal" albums haven't used a similar technique as it provides a very satisfying sense of closure. The nightmares are over. This album belongs in the book purely for how strange and out there it is - stick the kooky witch bitches on anyone that disagrees. That being said, I'm curious as to why. Let's have a looksee. Fearful and alienating. The band smoked a lot of weed. Dense and doomy. Not popular in the US, but better received in Europe. Yeah, about what I was expecting. That one squeaky, electronic loop on "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives" was definitely sampled from "The Fucked Jam" by Ween. There's no way

They were wrong so so we drowned? Dudes, it's your album cover! Moving on. I like some pretty kooky shit, but this is borderline annoying. Maybe in a good way? .... Na not really. I'm not one to like weird stuff just because it's weird. I can't believe these guys have 10 albums released. I would never listen to this again on purpose. Still, better than Morrissey. Two stars.

Ja da simmer offesichtlich ned bi "1001 Albums you have to enjoy before you die". Wider nebe experimentellem geklimmpere, ufd instrument drufhaue, is mikrofon inebrülle und paar exorzisme durefüehre ned viel anders debii usecho. Ich chan das Album hüt aber schowider biz meh als Musig ahluege wie das Album gester und gibe darum zwei bluetigi dämonechöpf

Bonjour surprise zum Zweiten. So öpis wür mer ohni Album Creator nöd entdecke. Wobi tbh, soviel hät mir bi dem au wieder nöd verpasst. Interessant und experimentel, abe rhalt au nur grenzwertig musikalisch. Darum gemmer das mal 2 Colombus, wills na biz lässiger isch als gester.

hey huere geil mega hey super comback da, han scho denkt ezt hani da was verpasst wonis ein punke album gseh han aber da chunt grad namal eis füre da machi ezt grad eh prediction uf die ander site und seg da git namal es runds 1

hmmm ez wär ich doch gad zuefälligerwiis temporär wieder ih minere eher rockige phase ahcho und trotzdem hed mer das jetzt also rein gar nüt gäh en liechti steigerig zu gester isch allerdings haarscharf spürbar, aber heds es 2 verdient? – nei lol han gloge, hed doch es 2 verdient ih dem sinn: congrats ihr chline lügis!

"Noise rock". Well, that seems to discribe it quite well. I feel like the author of the book puts these albums on the list as some sort of weird prank.

Noise rock with almost all of the emphasis on “Noise” Experimental music like this isn’t always bad, but there’s a line between something being experimental music and it just being noises, and this album crosses that line several times.

This one’s a nope

Tästä tykkää hän

Terrible. I could've died blissfully ignorant that this album existed

I like this. I didn't necessarily pay much attention to the lyrics, instead I decided to focus on the instrumentals-- it was right up my alley. I had a good time.

Noise rock? Ugh. Sure enough, there were a lot of random noises here. I felt myself losing my patience and getting increasingly restless while listening to this. 1* Song titles are great though

This is something, I'm not totally here for it, good for a change though Will I listen to again: 1%

Please drown instead of recording this crap.

These are the kinds of musical risks I enjoy. Not knock out great but it delivers a solid artistic musical statement the rides the edge of popular music while building something all its own. Engrossing at times.

this band was in the studio like “this shit is trash. drop it”

40/1001 I don't know who I've pissed off, but getting Suicide, then this back to back? Look, I'm genuinely going into this with an open mind, and am hoping to find hidden gems among genres and artists I might not usually consider listening to. I know people who enjoy sound collages, and experimental stuff of that ilk, and I can even see how that kind of thing is probably a lot of fun to produce. But this is beyond niche for me - it is bordering on anti-music (and I also get that there is not necessarily anything implicit in "1001 albums" which says they have to be albums of music). There is, I must confess, craft to what Liars are doing here, but that does not change the fact that the end result is an absolute chore to listen to. ZX Spectrum loading noises? I love them, but not in a song. Why?

Nope

I do not care for this at all.

Dark and intricate. Love the layering. Cool concept. Will return.

Award for worst album thus far

Tough listen

Not a huge fan of the album. With that said, it has opened the door to this band... And I like some of their other material!

absolutely insane. very scary. it was alright. i don't think i was in the mood for it.

Great, noise rock. Why the hell did we need this category of music. Another one of the few albums on this list where I couldn't bear to listen and skipped some tracks, especially early on. It's kind of like industrial but bad, takes out any of the melody etc. of say Nine Inch Nails or something. It does get a little better as the album goes on--the first three tracks are just like a warning. Last track is kind of cool on a sailer shanty/industrial/Tom Waits level.

Just not our vibe at all. An unpleasant sound. We made it halfway through but just could not finish this one

It was better than expected. Not really my thing though

Experimental. Noise.

Fairly okay! Def the most unique I’ve heard so far

Damn this sucked. Three seconds in and I knew it’d be a struggle to finish and I was right. Just bad sounds mixed with other bad sounds. No thanks.

What the actual everliving shit. Not only is this hot garbage with no musical talent whatsoever within, it also sounds horrible. Bonus! They're insulting you. 1/10 1 projectile vomit 🤮

Experimental noise rick that gives texture if very Fer memorable songs. Interesting.

1 point for the song titles 1 point for the attitude Do what you do guys.

что это за безумное в блендере перемоленное говно?

There are a few Liars albums I enjoy quite a bit. This is not one of them.

Lärm. Und auch noch nerviger. 0

3/5. A mixture of Thee Oh Sees and Nine Inch Nails, psychedelic witchy alternative indie tribal. Not sure exactly how to feel about it but it is new and it's not annoying honestly, compared to post punk. It's eerie, like I stumbled upon something I wasn't supposed to see. I wouldn't want to put this on while walking alone in the dark but it feels correct there. In the daylight, it's interesting enough to be enjoyable. Best Song: If Your A Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?, Broken Witch, Flow My Tears The Spider Said

I've never heard of this noise rock before. An interesting experience. In the end, however, I found the music a bit too exhausting. I probably won't listen to the album again. Nevertheless, it's good to see music like this on the list. 3/5

I'm way more up on this than I thought I would be when I read about it, but then of course I did have super, super low expectations. Just the fact that it wasn't ear-splitting noise was a nice enough surprise. I would say it's more 'experimental music' than outright noise, but I didn't find it particularly challenging to listen to, and it's at least interesting. 2.5 rounded down.

Took me a few songs to get into the vibe but I was enjoying it by the end. Definitely echoes of Throbbing Gristle. Favourites: 'We Fenced Other Gardens...' and 'Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway'.

I really loved listening to this. The start is a bit rough, but after a while you really get immersed in the soundscaped and it becomes an almost transcendental experience. I love the haunting African rhythms and percussion here, gives the album a very ominous feeling. It's amazing just how groovy this album is with its minimalist approach and harsh noises, you can hear that Liars once made dance-punk. Really enjoyed this one and the low global rating on here isn't justified.

I could not make it halfway through this hot garbage. Repetitive vocals that just say the same thing over and over agin through each song. Noise that sounds like outtakes of studio noise while recording an actual album. I could feel a migraine rising if I would have kept listening to this. 1/10

Noise Rock straining my ears from the first minute on.

Here's a reality check... A banana taped to a drywall is not art, and neither is the noise on this album. It sounds like a bunch of random people who had never played an instrument or sung in their lives were let loose in the studio to try and record an album.

Usually I appreciate experimental stuff, but this was a bit too unnecessary.

I get downright giddy when one of the worst rated albums pops up. This did not disappoint. Utter dogshit.

I think the only Liars here are the people who said we have to listen to this before we die! What an absolute load of shit! I tried my best but just couldn’t take any more after 3 tracks and I’m pretty open minded, it was so bad I deleted it!

No

Good

Noise rock is not so much my thing, so it's hard to evaluate this album objectively. It might be a great example of the genre, but I can't tell. I did like the bird sounds in the last track.

This album is LCD Soundsystem if they recorded in a Medieval dungeon. Hilariously funny song titles, and unexpectedly groovy tunes that forbode the uneasiest of atmospheres. Love the integration of birdsong and animal noises on certain tracks. Bleak, raw, and uniquely experimental. Best Tracks: - They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids - Flow My Tears the Spider Said Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 7/10

I'm being generous because at least this album is something different, but if you want to listen to experimental noise rock there is just way better stuff out there than this.

I would like to think the global ratings are way too harsh for this album, and maybe they are a bit, but music is subjective and not many listeners would give this the time of day. I thought it was actually kind of fun and a diversion of the typical albums found on the project, and like to hear some things that are way out there. 3/5

Цікавий альбом, щось нове для мене

Sounds like an experimental album which my be why I was put off from it, difficult to understand

What the fuck is this. Some parts are A LITTLE catchy but I’d never add this to my playlist. Was this made to scare kids?

Enjoyed it.

Feels a little unfair to rate _this specific_ album because I suspect noise rock just isn't my thing, so I'm just going to give it a "meh" and move on with my life. On a 5 star scale it should be 2 1/2, but I can't do that on this site, but 3 is too high, so it's a 2.

Sucks so much

Actual crap! Why is "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned" categorized as "rock music" when it is just noise? There is not one single good track. The album is flat out unlistenable.

"Noise rock". You're not wrong.

< The Beatles I didn't like this album at all... but i can't deny it's at least interesting.

theres no way radiohead werent influenced by the opening track when liars opened for on the in rainbows tour.. damn near spot on bloom

I've never listened to Liars, I know nothing about them, and I really like this album cover. Excitement is high going into this. Ok first track is out there. Really hoping this record morphs into something cohesive and it's not trippy experimental drum n bass the whole way through. Track 2 was a hard no. Nevermind. This record sucks. First one I can't get through. Maybe these guys needed to exist for The Books and TV on The Radio to be received as well as they were, but this sucks. Fucking terrible. It's like Blue Man Group spent the summer in London and decided they wanted to put out a punk record.

Another terrible "sound rock" experience

Yeah, this is not for me. It’s really annoying and unpleasant.

unique and interesting

Never heard of this band. Interesting so far. Reminds me of LCD Soundsystem. Very electronic. Not what I expected. Wonder if anybody has sampled these guys. So they're actually classified as noise rock. Don't have much history of "sampled". These guys can easily be sampled. Pretty cool stuff. Imagnie their live shows are pretty awesome.

loud

Liars are another darling of the early oughts post punk inspired indie rock. I remember liking them but not sure if it was that notable to merit inclusion on this list. Let's give it another go. This is different from their first album, which was much more post punk-y. This is experimental noise rock. I'm not one to shy away from experimental music so I'm giving it a try. The challenge with experimental music is how to make meaningful and interesting experiments while remaining communicative and engaging. Just making noise that doesn't connect to anybody emotionally is pointless. I'm afraid this is closer to the pointless side of the map. Compared, say, to something like Neurosis/Tribes of Neurot or Xiu Xiu who take this kind of music to someplace where the listener actually cares. I applaud the ambition but I think the result is unlistenable, and as somebody who does sometimes like music like this, I wouldn't say this is a notable work.

I expected this to be much worse. The 1 stars a bit harsh. I think 2.5 is closer. Rounding up.

Da e greit

Good that there seems to be a theme running and is stays just this side of the edge. Plenty of other experimental stuff to select to fit the title of the list. Hear it once and move on. Well it's done.

Some songs were quite jarring, others pleasant

Felt like a lack of melody.. all a bit too distorted for my liking!

Kind of atmospheric, definitely "experimental", wanders through rock, pop, industrial leanings

insane

I really liked this band. Used to listen to them quite a bit. This isn't one of my favorites by them. And I'm surprised that this is the one that's on the list. I really liked their first album. Their self titled album, Sisterworld, WIXIW and Mess. Honestly haven't really listened to much of their stuff since Mess. There's some songs off this album I'd listen to pretty regularly, but like I said, definitely not my favourite by them.

Wild, unconventional, interesting, though a bit too experimental.

Fun, experimental album, combining noise into pretty attractive. Maybe I wish it was just a tiny bit more than experimental. Can imagine myself giving it a higher score, and can imagine enjoying this album much more one day. Or in an alternative universe.

Nice vibe. Amusingly weird. There was one track in a propulsive 5/4, which I enjoyed.

Interesting but I don’t think I would listen to it again.

This was excruciating. Make the pain stop I'm begging you

I don't think I got it.

The wiki for this album describes the genre as 'noise rock'. I don't disagree with this but would add that it is definitely not 'music rock'. One thing it does have going for it is the possibility of having the record for most total words used in the titles of all the tracks...71, which is roughly 30 more than the run time in minutes of the album. Guinness Book, am I right?

Not for me 1/5

This is pretty good, a little scary, but good music.

Couldn't stay engaged. I'm sure if I was at an immersive art show or something it would have been effective but I couldn't not tune this out. Rating something like this based on one listen doesn't feel fair but all these albums are rated in the same environment so I gotta keep the baseline firm. Sorry, Liars. At least you're not Metallica.

Nope

3/5

fascinating soundscape, fun to learn about the (boring) creepypasta it birthed 8 years after

I'm not high enough for this

Noise. Crap.

A few interesting songs, mostly not my thing.

# 399 : CAN'T LISTEN - DON'T LIKE IT - another album in my 1001 albums to AVOID before you die.

Too many screetchy guitars noises with no reason... not my thing. I couldn't find a redeeming quality here.

Well, this was a challenging listen. I appreciate that they apparently are trying to overthrow conventional expectations and any pretense at normal song structures or melody. The names of the songs and album are interesting. The hypnotic rhythm was fine. The effect: restlessness, doom and resistance. One extra star for making me think about the noise. Won't listen again, willingly though.

Harold and Kumar record a soundtrack for the Blair Witch project.

Listened to this while driving from SLC to Vegas. After hearing the first song, Katie turned on her Airpods and started listening to a podcast. Wish I had done the same. Will be generous and give it a 2.

In 2004 I was going to Brooklyn clubs listening to music very much like this. I don't do that any more but I enjoyed this album a lot more than I had thought I would when I first opened it up. Weirdly melodic, creatively rhythmic, glad I gave it a listen.

A loose concept album for a raucous noise group, there's little information about the album or the band when they put this out. Further leans into Australians love of heavy, dark, and weird music

I heard this was a rough listen before I got to it and whoever said that was correct. So far, this was one of the toughest listens on the list. No idea what it is doing on this list but if you like abrasive noise rock, I would suggest listening to Melt-Banana instead and staying far away from this album. It's bad and it put me in a bad mood

I didn't like this album. It just sounded like noise to me, and I don't like noise.

Not good. The bad singing brings an amateurish quality that is already bluntly apparent from the scattered, tribal-esque percussion and extremely simple melodies and chords. With the exception of the album opener, Broken Witch, the entire album has a sluggish energy that it never really squirms free from. There's (almost) nothing exciting to let the album "pick up" from its lulls. And yet the songs seem to insist to the listener: "Trust me, I'm clever! You must acquire more delusion in order to see the truth!" I'm really trying to see the substance here, but it's just noise. Vaguely interesting noise, to be sure – but in the end, nothing more. I suspect this is the reason why They Were Wrong is far from their most popular album, and I wonder why the authors thought it should be included in a list of the 1001 most important records of all time, while Pink Floyd's Animals shouldn't. Insanity. 1/5 Key tracks: There's Always Room on the Broom, They Don't Want Your Corn They Want Your , Flow My Tears the Spider Said

Just not for me. Can’t really see a time where I would want to listen to this album. 2/5 Won’t listen again

i’m giving this 3 stars because i have a soft spot for art college freaks, but i’m probably never going to listen to this again because it’s boring

It's a mood

Nope

I found this really interesting, but far from great. It just misses the mark in so many ways. Trying to be sinister but sounding kind of goofy. Trying to be clever but coming across as pretentious. Fantastic concept that they struggle to convey. I could go on. To me this sounds more like a demo that needs to be hashed out.

I really liked this!

Noise rock was noisey.

Awful

Horrid - the drummer seems to be the only band member who actually knows how to play their instrument, and the singing is weird in a way only hipsters could enjoy

"They Were So Wrong, So We Drowned" is the second album by Australian-American noise rock band Liars. Noise rock, experimental rock and dance-punk are the Wiki-listed genres. Yep! The album is a departure from their post-punk inspired debut exploring a more free-form tribal sound. It is a loose concept album concerning witchcraft upon the Brocken Mountain during Walpurgis Night and tales of witch trials in the area around Harz Mountain in Germany. Good luck trying to follow that on this album. The album was produced by TV on the Radio's David Litek and the band. The band is Angus Andrew (lead vocals, multi-instrumentalist), Aaron Hemphill (percussion, guitar, synth) and Julien Gross (drums). This album had extremely mixed reviews from unlistenable to brilliant. "Broken Witch" opens with bells and electric interruption sounds which goes to a drumbeat. They go back and forth and finally combine. Chanting vocals come in. Wow, this is very industrial sounding. We get layered vocals and more chanting. A song about the Salem witch trials, I believe. Why not throw in some screaming and blood curling yelps. Hey, the third song, "There's Always Room on the Broom" actually has a melody, a weird one at that being an annoying electronic sound. Andrew is singing but there's layered falsettos and more chanting. It's a story about Brocken Mountain. I got to hand it to them, they have original song titles. "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" has a fast echoing synth, drum beats and a bass. Wow, this is danceable. I think it's about a school bus accident. "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway" adds a distorted guitar with feedback, a bass and drums. This might be the closest thing to a normal song. Bird noises, an organ and a slooooowww drum beat anchor the closing song "Flow My Tears, the Spider Said." Repeatedly singing two-headed bird, Andrew is commenting on powerful empires. I'm not sure what his comments mean though. After reading the extremely negative reviews before listening to this album, I was already to go to the Mars Volta's "Deloused in the Crematorium"-level hate on this album, but, somehow I found this annoyingly interesting. This is very industrial, weird and rigid. They love electric noises especially the electronic interruption sound. There's chanting, singing and layered vocals. I had troubled making sense of most songs so I didn't even try following the concept. And yet on the second listen, I liked it even a little more. I can't recommend to this anyone except those that like weird, experimental music and half of those people will hate this. Listen at your own risk.

Ooooo. We can chant scary words and sound ominous while playing in minor keys!

Ahh yes, "concept" albums that have less than 1M streams on Spotify. Surely this belongs in the list, it's a creepy "let's do witchcraft on a mountain" conceptual album! That said, it does deliver on the concept of creepy witchcraft mountain music. It’s noisy and weird, but not in a fun way. Feels a bit they they forgot to tune their guitars. There are flashes of something cool, but they get buried under all the chaos. It’s mostly just messy.

Nah, this is just bad.

I did listen to the whole album but I don't think it will be on my playlist.

Been a huge fan of Liars for years now. This isn't my favorite but it definitely laid the groundwork for the rest of their career. The tribal vibes and minimalist, dark beats are so effective at conveying a sinister vibe while still being groovy enough to make you bob your head.

Heavy drum situation

Cannot rate this. It is really not for me. I simply cannot hear it and pay attention to it.

really cool and atmospheric albeit incredibly dated as an artifact of mid-2000s williamsburg lmao

7/10

Not an easy listen overall, but it’s better that some of the other more experimental stuff on the list. Only just though!

There might be something here. It is, at least, a change of pace and unique from many other albums on this list. I'm unsure if I enjoyed my listening experience or not. I was engaged, which is something, so I can't hate it. I can't recommend it either. Some of the riffs kind of knock? There are interesting sonic ideas? A few songs are plodding instead of dynamic. "Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway" is probably my favorite. For what that's worth.

I think musical experimentation like this is important, but that doesn’t make it essential listening. Musically, it reminds me of some of the mid-80s No Wave stuff like Swans.

Usually I’m aware of a bands earlier works, and know very little about their modern releases. Liars is the complete opposite. I’ve been a huge fan of their newer stuff since about 2014, but I’ve never ventured back further into their catalogue. I’m glad this list gave me the opportunity and reason to. This record is sort of exactly what I was hoping for when it came to old Liars. It’s slower and less electronic than their newer stuff, but it has the exact same post-goth tinge to it that I absolutely love. The vocals are spooky and ominous, the lyrics ride the line between the occult and nonsense so well. There’s some really cool utilization in this record of the 60 cycle hum that I find really interesting too. I really enjoyed this one. 5*.

I mean, it's not the worst noise album I've ever heard, but why would I listen to this when early Animal Collective exists? Gives me flashbacks to college. 2/10

I tried, I can't.

Some decent moments on here, but overall it felt like a poor Nine Inch Nails imitation.

Hoooo boy, am I looking forward to the reviews here. I remember 'enjoying' this when it came out. Also for a completely different and beautiful sound check The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack off the follow up. They had a few decent tracks here and there in the decades that followed but not as consistent an album as this again. Broken witch and Room on the Broom are fucking bops. And absolutely guaranteed to clear the room of unlike-minded people. Also my ZX Spectrum appears to have materialised and spontaneously loaded a game in response. So now I'm playing Target Renegade. They Don't want your corn, they want Your Children is about as close to 'pop' as we're getting here. Ooh it got removed from the book. Incorrect, Dimery! Fully incorrect. I usually agree with the removals but they're usually stupid inclusions in the first place. A record this different and interesting should have remained. I think I enjoyed this all the more because I stuck it straight on after Elton John.

Nothing special..

I don't know why people pretend to like this kind of shit.

Noisy, discordant, and a little dancey. This is what would happen if LCD Soundsystem was weirder. Perfectly enjoyable. There were some passages where I would have enjoyed a bit more energy, but still enjoyed the album. The noisier bits were still fun.

In a nutshell: Part atmospheric industrial, part cult ceremony soundtrack. It's weird. It's conceptual. It's definitely experimental. I made the mistake of listening to the YouTube playlist, because when the video for "There's Always Room on the Broom" came on, I was convinced that the band made the album while on a bad acid trip. Yeah, nah. I couldn't get into it. There has to be better noise/industrial/experimental albums to put on the list. Overall: 1/10

Favorite Track: There’s Always Room On The Broom

Don't remember much about this one, just that I wasn't impressed.

bit to much of an soundscape album

An interesting listening experience. This was the first time I had listened to the Liars in particular and “noise rock” in general. The use of noise or samples as an instrument changed with the songs depending on how pleasant it was. Simple lyrics often used similar to the noise was effective. It will be interesting to see where this genre evolves.

There should be a rating for "unlistenable".

It’s not giving me the Christmas vibe I’m expecting this time of year.

industrial/noise, didn't get on with this

There must be 1001 better albums released in 2004 alone. Avoids one star because a couple of songs at least sounds like they are having fun.