Post Orgasmic Chill

Goodness, the songs on this album slide off my ears like teflon. Theoretically, I should really like this album; loud alt rock, black feminist political singer with great voice and significant charisma, tight and punchy band... it hits all the right notes, but I just find it unmemorable. I went back and listened to their first album (which I remember much better), and it is front-loaded with 4 or 5 really killer tracks. And I went down a rabbit hole of live performance clips, and they are terrific and compelling. But this album is just aggressively mid.... I've been thinking on it, and I blame the producer, Andy Wallace. Andy Wallace is responsible for the sound of hard rock int he 1990s. He was the mixer for most of the biggest and most influential heavy albums of the decade, especially heavy alternative albums. You can't deny his skills. He can craft a huge and compelling sound. And by the time be produced this record, he had his methods down pat. And the record sounds perfect; it's a big loud cinemascope sound, with not a note out of place. Maybe too perfect. I am now going to write the most pretentious thing I have written in ~750 reviews on this project. I am going to quote Umberto Eco, from his Paris Review Article 'The Cult of the Imperfect' (https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/10/28/the-cult-of-the-imperfect/). He is talking about what makes cult films and cult books, but I suggest that this can also be extended to albums (substitute 'album' for 'film' when reading: "In order to transform a work into a cult object, you must be able to take it to pieces, disassemble it, and unhinge it in such a way that only parts of it are remembered, regardless of their original relationship with the whole. .... This means that even a masterpiece, when it comes to haunt the collective memory, can be made ramshackle. But in other cases it becomes a cult object because it is fundamentally, radically ramshackle. ... To give rise to a cult, a film [or album] must already be inherently ramshackle, shaky and disconnected in itself. A perfect film [or album] ... remains imprinted in our memory as a whole, in the form of an idea or a principal emotion; but only a ramshackle film survives in a disjointed series of images and visual high points. It should show not one central idea, but many. It should not reveal a coherent “philosophy of composition,” but it should live on, and by virtue of, its magnificent instability." And this is, I think, my problem with Post Orgasmic Chill. It is a perfect album, with a cohesive and coherent philosophy of composition. It is like a smooth, polished sphere of marble, with no cracks, faults or fissures that I can grasp, work my fingers into and pry apart. It is stable and it will not break into memorable parts. My youtube research shows I like them much more as a live band, where they are loud, fast, powerful and charismatic, but not perfect. I wonder if I might have found this album much more compelling if it had been recorded by Steve Albini instead. He understood the power of imperfection (although his records still sound powerful). A missed opportunity for a really great album. But I would certainly much more happily listen to this than much of the overly blokey middle class white boy aggro metal that pervaded the late 1990s.

Never heard of them before and really enjoyed. Killer vocals.

So I discovered this band last year. I don't know how I slept on them. Instant love and this album is great.

- I am somewhat astounded that I have never heard of this group before. A hard rock/punk/metal band with a queer black female lead singer (who describes the group as "clit-rock"), interesting guitar work, a black bassist, that (on the whole) does not shy away from experimenting, going headfirst into political themes, or punching their critics in the mouth? I am disappointed that I could not worship Skunk Anasie at 21 and now am learning to embrace them at 35. Seems like they did not expand from Britain very well. - Do I love every track on this album equally? No. "Secretly" is divine. "On My Hotel Tv," "Lately," and "Cheap Honesty" slap. But even the tracks I am not thay invested in are great to have on. I think "Charlie Big Potato" is a bizarre choice for an opening track (and a single for that matter) but whatever. - First group that feels like a gift delivered to me by this list.

Wow! Another point for the 1001 list. I had never heard about "Skunk Anansie," but I'm glad to discover this fantastic voice and great songs! Awe-inspiring work!

Never heard of this band, but they rock pretty hard. They remind me of Foo Fighters in that the style can change a lot between songs, but it sound like the same band still.

In general, I liked it a lot, it has that touch of the nineties and those choirs that remind me a little bit of the African-American churches in the United States.

yea, evanescence, no thank you

A great album by one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. Classic.

finally some good fucking food

Absolutely fire from start to finish. The vocalist is incredible and the constant attention grabbing soul behind the songs makes up for what would might pass for average instrumentals in today's scene. The skank heads, lately, and secretly were some of my favorites.

Pre-Listen: I have never heard of this band, and can't tell by the cover art what I'm about to get into. But I'm excited to get into it. Overview: AHHHH, so THIS is who influenced Evanescence. This would be something I would play on a road trip about an hour and a half in when the nostalgic/emotional vibes start to kick in. Instrumentally, it plays around within a similar vibe but expresses it in different ways. Her voice is beautiful. The rasp in Tracy's Flaw? Ahhhhh so good. Favorite songs: We Don't Need Who You Think You Are, Lately, Secretly, Good Things Always Come To You (that bass thoooooooooo), Cheap Honesty Oddly, Charlie Big Potato (being the first song on the album) was my least favorite, but still crankable.

Unaware of this group and their work till now. To sum up my listening experience - dying and passing on to the next world — WITHOUT LISTENING TO SKUNK ANANSIE— would have been my biggest regret — TY 1001Albums !!

Me before hearing of the sub-genres "clit-rock" and "Black feminist rage": "what are clit-rock and Black feminist rage?" Me after hearing of the sub-genres "clit-rock" and "Black feminist rage": "I'll take all of this you've got"

Forgot how good this is

Weird at 1st, but I actually liked this album. I got some Paramore vibes from some of it.

Completely unexpected from the name and album photo. A trip back to the 90s when things were LOUD and busy. And what an incredible vocalist.

Best Song: On my Hotel TV. The intensity of the lyrics caught me off guard, and the vocals were phenomenal. Worst Song: I'm Not Afraid. Not terrible, but weak compared to the rest of the album. Overall: Good instrumentation and sampling turned great by the addition of powerhouse vocal performances on every track. This album lives entirely on the strength of that killer voice, where each song is sung with a passion and intensity that is uncommon.

Solid album out of left-field. Going into my regular rotation.

Unique, technically proficient, interesting message. A big surprise for me.

What even is this? Electrorock? I love it! Reminds me of PJ Harvey in the best way. The first couple tracks go the hardest, but the rest of the album is still good.

A really interesting album, even if it's hard rock it never abuses the sounds of that peculiar style, instead it uses a lot of electronic sounds and mixes really beautiful and natural instruments and artificial sounds. The voice is strange, it isn't something you would expect from that kind of style but definitely give it a lot of uniqueness

good alt rock album, doesn't bore out and uses tempo alot to keep the listener interested

Couple heavy riffs, pissed, melodic vocals. Really liked this one.

Whoa. What a fascinating mix of genres and styles. Love feeling the pain and anger. Really enjoyed this.

Great album. Really likes the music but the name of it was misleading haha.

It seems Skunk Anansie is REALLY big across the pond but I'd never heard of them. Though not terrible, the album is largely forgettable today. The doom-laden sound juxtaposed with Skin's undeniably strong voice surely worked well in the mid-to-late '90s. And though I appreciate the unique tempos, thick bass and boundless energy, this isn't something that I'd willfully turn on today. If I had discovered this at the turn of the century, I probably would have listened and enjoyed this on more than one occasion. And, if I were to do the 90's all over again, Post Orgasmic Chill would be right next to Ednaswap's Wonderland Park in my Sony 6-disc CD changer.

Hello! Fuck yeah! I had seen Skunk Anansie in here, but would have thought this is surely the album with "Weak" or "Hedonism" on it (from two different albums, actually) just thrown in because of those two surely nice enough hits, which also sum up what I had consciously heard of this band. Wait, scratch that. I've heard "Lately" and "Secretly" before, in passing. Anyways. This caught me by surprise, in the most pleasant of ways. Filthy, angry, deep and rich. And a wonderful throwback to 90s post grunge rock sounds, again, in the best of ways. Superb. Enjoyed this a ton.

As I listened to the first track, Charlie Big Potato, I thought what kind of music is this? It starts techno, then its heavy metal, new wave, some reggae, maybe No Doubt meets Evanesence (which came along later)? It's like they tried to cram everything they could into one track. Then, after listening to the rest of the album, I realized this hodgepodge of a song reflected the whole album--made by a talented group of musicians making bold sounds and a bold statement that they won't be defined by a genre, that they can and will do what they want, and we, the listeners, get to enjoy the ride. On the second track they smack us with On My Hotel TV, lyrics filled with rage and a driving energy sound, then surprise on the next track We Don't Need Who You Think We Are, which begins like a ballad and then resumes the energy drive with more rage and anger. Suddenly they switch to Tracy's Flaws (with hints of Janis Joplin emotion). Liked that? great, now we switch gears again with The Skank Heads, a head-on power rock that would appeal to RHCP fans. Liked that power drive? Then there's Lately, which could be a Top 40 Kelly Clarkson hit; Secretly, a power ballad to rival any 80's & 90's hair band; followed by Good Things Don't Always Come to You, and later You'll Follow Me Down, and I'm Not Afraid--emotional tracks that display the range of the lead singer. Then back to the driving heavy metal energy with And This Is Nothing That I Thought I Had. The album ends with a bonus title track which again drives home the power of this group. I'd never heard of Skunk Anansie before, and now I can't stop listening to them. That's the best part of this 1001 album roulette.

My 13 year old angsty self would have loved this. My 27 year old angsty self likes it pretty much too!

Starting with a casual shot at writing their own "Kashmir", gamely blasting out a handful of tracks that nod to The Jesus Lizard, and throwing down a few auditions for James Bond theme, this was much more fun than expected.

Amazing vocals and guitar riffs. Had never heard of this band before, but I love their sound. Also love the album cover. Fave track(s): Tracy's Flaw, The Skank Heads, Lately, Cheap Honesty

Only clue I’d previously had of this band’s existence was from the great underrated cyberpunk thriller Strange Days. This was really great, much smarter than average hard rock with nice speed/metal edges and a unique and pleasing sound and sensibility.

I experience a moment of dread every time a British band that I've never heard of from the 90s-00s comes up on this list, because the author of the list seems to have a particular weakness for dogshit of that vintage. This album was a nice surprise. I don't know that it's something I'm ever going to listen to again, but I can at least understand why someone would point me to this album and tell me that I should listen to it. The music isn't unique, but it's a blend of a couple genres and it's well executed. There is also some kind of alchemy present when female vocalists front metal bands. It just works and I'm not sure why. There's a decent amount of variety in the album as well 4/5

With a name like Skunk, I didn't think I'd like this. Because, you know, the connotation is that it would stink. I apologize and promise to do better. This sounds really good. I want to listen to more.

Some of the best alt metal ever.

Brilliant album, loved that.

Before I looked at the year I thought “90s Brosnan Bond meets The Matrix soundtrack & 90s alt-rock like Eve 6. 1999 release, I was spot on. Self described as “clit-rock,” heavy metal meets black feminist rage…. Yeahhhhhh this shit hits.

Adding this to my music rotation. Loved it.

🔥 Post Orgasmic Chill is like getting slapped with eyeliner and feelings. This album is all loud whispers and soft screams. Skin’s vocals? She could sing a lullaby and make you cry and punch a wall. The production is clean but gritty, emotional but composed—like if Alanis Morissette fronted a metal band during Mercury retrograde. Rating: 4.5/5 Favorite Track: “Charlie Big Potato” – It opens like a Bond villain entrance and ends in full collapse. Consistency With Me: 9.2/10 Why: Because it’s dramatic, jagged, vulnerable, and not trying to impress anyone.

grazie, mamma e papà, per avermi fatto ascoltare gli Skunk Anansie durante tutta la mia infanzia, e per avermi portato a vederli in concerto due volte. vi sarò per sempre debitrice. è strano che mi piacciano così tanto, dato che non è solitamente il genere di musica che preferisco, ma Skin ha indubbiamente una delle voci più belle della storia del rock e sono certa che abbia influenzato band come gli Evanescence, e per quanto mi riguarda, Secretly mi fa sempre piangere mentre Charlie Big Potato mi fa venire voglia di spaccare tutto. adoro adoro adoro, nonostante il mio loro album preferito sia Wonderlustre, che è un po’ meno metal è molto più accessibile, ma comunque dare meno di cinque stelle a Skin mi sembra un sacrilegio.

Probably my favourite album I've discovered in this so far, I don't even like metal

I like this. It's very queer and subversive and gorgeous.

Love this album and previously never heard of this band. Can’t believe this came out in 1999

I’m not usually a fan of hard rock / metal but when a black woman is speaking, I sit my white ass down and LISTEN.

Really enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Would listen to more from them

Really great hard rock/metal album that's surprisingly dynamic and melodic. Ultra-saturated guitar/bass are great with some really cool solo sections, and drumming is hardcore and blast-beat, but the real standout on this record are the vocals. Skunk Anansie brings a powerhouse of a female vocalist to the record, and her melodies and harmonies are lush and soulful. She can go hard into scream, or pull back into clean soft head voice, and everything in between. Really dug this album as a whole, and appreciated the genre variability across the tracks to keep the experience fresh.

On first glance, I figured it'd be some indie album. I'm really pleasantly surprised. Younger me would've been *all about* this shit, and older me still really enjoys it. It's something I signed up to find: a band I'd never heard of, that I immediately want to find more out about. I think the last three tracks cause the album to falter on the landing, but otherwise it's just a huge fucking record. Call it 4.5. Favorite tracks: "We Don't Need Who You Are", "The Skank Heads", "Tracy's Flaw"

This album started out sounding like early Evanescence but didn't stay there. Absolutely sublime singing and enjoyable enough music. Not what I expect but definitely a fun ride for me.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Skunk heads, Lately, We don’t need who you think you are,

Absolutely solid rock record. They have a really nice variety of tempos and energy and definitely finds it vibe throughout the album. There are a few tracks that are the higher energy / staccato delivery that don't do as much for me, but We Don't Need and Tracy's Flaw are great. Really enjoyed.

Skin is a great vocalist but there isn't enough variety outside the nu metal/power ballad dynamic to keep me around. This album sounds the same as the previous two to me, I don't get the alleged distinction. Decent singles band though!

Some of the language surprised me, but I liked the energy.

I was looking forward to this album... Skunk Anansie was part of life when I was a student and I saw them live, and liked it them. However I didn't enjoy this album. I was actually really happy when it was over, musically not bad but not genius either, a bit monotonous and I found Skin's vocals (which I used to find interesting, and I like Skin as a person and role model) quite tiring and shouty. They have even thrown in an operatic voice at some point, which was lost on me. This has unfortunately not aged well for me.

2 - I was interested at the start, but this album was pretty all over the place, and there wasn't much I cared about. The vocals were nice, but none of the songs were my thing, so. It's certainly something, but it's something I'll forget about.

This band makes me feel like my girlfriend is really, REALLY mad at me.

5, all day long. I previously reviewed this 6 months ago, but I'll review it again. Having listened to SA throughout my teens, this is far from new to me. Each of the songs are amazing, nothing is below greatness. "Charlie Big Potato" is a massive hit with big sounds and thought provocative lyrics. Just that song alone is enough to obtain a 5. Can't go wrong with this album!

I was pretty stoked when this popped up, didn't expect them on here! Only knew the songs from their previous albums when they would show videos on MTV and also knew some of Skin's solo songs - this was a great opportunity to hear a full album. Pretty good, and I'd rate it 4 or 4.5, but I'm giving it a 5 because some of the other reviews are insufferable and also we need a more varied artist list on here instead of the same Neil Young drivel.

I love clit rock

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

This is one case where the clear leaning to the UK is completely justified. That this band didn't hit big in the US is a god damn crime. Every album in the discography is a banger. Skin is electric! Front to back amazing. I love this album and this band. Candidate for best album on the list and I am confident saying it only 400 albums in.

This is one of those albums that makes me glad I'm doing this project. Because I've never heard of this band. And even the first sound didn't hook me, but just minutes into the album and I get it. Their sound is amazing, mostly clean vocals with a bit of rage on high quality metal tracks. No idea how I hadn't found them sooner.

Very impressed! Never heard of this band, and the mix of heavier and softer songs on this album makes for a wide, enjoyable range of music! Will listen to them some more

Amazing discovery! I'd never heard of Skunk Anansie before but I love their sound! The album tapers off in the part that wasn't in the original tracklist but I won't judge it by that. Very solid album.

Dirty, cinematic, this is definitely one of my favorite albums I've been suggested thus far. General production of this is a highlight but the vocals being so powerful and often times haunting had me coming back to this album repeatedly.

Impressive album!

Alt title for this album is Post Nut Clarity. This album is kinda like 2 different 6 song albums stitched together where you have harder and softer songs mixed that fit well together.

I’m at a 4.5 that I think I’ll bump up to a 5 on the “I just enjoyed it, what can I say?” criteria. It really is that simple; sometimes, I just happen to really like an album. Oh, there’s flaws here, don’t get me wrong, but as a 50 minute package, I’m just surprisingly pleased by how much I enjoyed it. Much like seemingly the entire rest of the site, I have never heard of “Skunk Anansie” until this moment, but I’m glad this album’s in the list to at least give them a showcase. This album jumps around from style to style; in the broadest definition, I would say it’s what would happen if Alanis Morissette had gotten to lead an Evanescence album, but that undermines some of the vocal & instrumental variety here. There are some genuinely softer ballads here that feel a bit more adjacent to Janis Joplin’s ability to shift the power of her vocals on a dime, though with an R&B touch that’s slightly understated, but very present. Instrumentally, there’s some tracks that feel like Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garbage (yes, the band), and occasionally, Radiohead, as weird as that sounds. The variety that’s present here keeps the album fresh, and while it’s mostly lead by the power of her vocals guiding the emotional lean of each track as opposed to a real instrumental showcase (only a handful of really strong solos), I think the band is more than serviceable to capture the mood. So, what exactly are the “flaws” that have me hesitating to give it a flat 5? For one, a few tracks have disconnected outros that don’t really seem to add anything to the album, since there’s not really an overarching narrative here. Secondly, I just think the band’s “serviceability” starts to really show for the final 2 tracks – they’re technically sound, but it’s clear that her vocals & the lyricism are guiding the tracks a bit more than they are. It makes the album end on a slightly flatter note, since the passion just doesn’t feel reciprocated (ironically, probably the overarching theme of the album) and while that’s not the worst thing, signs of it start to pop in by “Good Things Don’t Always Come To You”, so the last 4 tracks do slowly let off the gas on their way to the finish line, though I did enjoy all of the tracks here. In all, even with a slight “genericism” lingering over the whole album (which I think the top review is trying to get at, albeit in a mildly pretentious way framed as trying to achieve perfection), I think this is the sort of female-led rock album that just appeals to a lot of my musical sensibilities. The floor here is a 3; if the “genericism” feels more overwhelming to the ears, then I wouldn’t blame someone for going there. If you can fully buy into what they’re selling (which I think is rather easy), then it’s probably somewhere between a 4 and a 5, and I just think I enjoyed it too much to want to bump it down, even with the flaws this thing has. It’s far from perfect, but I found it surprisingly enjoyable, and I think it earns a 5.

GOD DAMN. That is absolutely not what I expected to hear from this album - or even on this list. This is a wild discovery. Such a good album I played it again the same day. The vocalist is full of energy and has quite a good range but the instrumental part makes it so good. Groovy alt metal riffs and sick basslines are all over this album. A little bit of Deftones feel here and there. That is a band I will be getting into very soon. I'd really recommend anyone to check out this album.

Surprenant! Wow de la musique très intelligente avec des rythmes et mélodies variées, je n'en reviens pas que l'album date de 1999, ça sonne encore très actuel.

Wow, quelle surprise! Je n’avais jamais entendu parler d’eux avant. Les voix étaient incroyables et la mélodie absolument géniale. 5/5

I'm not even sure if I've ever heard of these guys but wow what a glorious surprise. Seems like something I need to get a little more familiar with.

Great punk album. I have never heard of this before, but I am really enjoying it.

Oh my God. I am so into this. You have no idea. I will definitely check out more Skunk Anansie.

This just works for me.

I had a absolute joy listing to this and I'm so glad to discover them as it's right up my alley.

I really expected this to be another ki d of lame 90s electronica album given the band and album names. But surprsingly, this was an absolutely incredible hard rock album. The singer is highlight throughout as the album dabbles in metal and some slightly lighter sounds, and I think the song that really pulled me into the fact that this was something special was Tracy's Fear, but make no doubt, this whole album is great. Not sure if they will have more representation on this list, but I will definitely check out more by Skunk Anansie at some point.

I thought this was super cool. Love her voice with these almost metal vibe.

I know Skunk Anansie from well before, but honestly, I couldn't recall any of their songs. After a quick session with Post Orgasmic Chill I can see what might be the reason - it seems like every song on this album is at least great. More than 25 years later this record sounds as fresh as in 1999. Amazing vocal work, with pretty hard rock instruments in the background, just underlining how great Skin is. One of the better contemporary albums on this list, straight to the record shop I go.

I did not know what to expect here. I am over the moon happy this album exists and is on the list. This is what the list is about. I likely would not have heard about this band through other discovery systems. Amazing album, soup to nuts. I'll be diving deep into their catalog, face first and full depth. The right amount of anger and soul. Calling them "clit-rock" feels a bit reductionist, though. They're a rock band. Full stop. My rating: 5/5

Immediate 5! "Charlie Big Potato" is enough for the 5. I almost wore my CD out of their "Paranoid & Sunburnt" album when it was released and I remember the excitement I got when they released this one. Back to back bangers! I've always loved Skin's voice, the vocals throughout are just fire.

Wow, to say I appreciated this a lot more on second listen is an understatement

This is an unexpected surprise, I was going in thinking that I would hate this album because of all the individual elements - but it's incredibly well done. It's the closest thing to metal that I'll truly enjoy, I believe.

Uhhhh?, no sabía de su existencia, vivía feliz en mi espacio confort, lo invadieron. Si, son ahora parte de ese mi confortable zona. Me gustó, voz, batería, bajo, lo hacen muy bien.

Two words: Kick Ass! This band is damn good, I'm surprised I never heard them before, and couldn't even find much written about them or this album. The singer is fantastic, there's so much raw emotion in her vocals. The band is playing their asses off. On every track they're all working in perfect hard-rock harmony. Most songs on this album would fit on a soundtrack to Tony Hawk's Underground, and I mean that in the best way.

Slaps

Skunk Anansie is such an underrated band. Skin's voice is so powerful and versatile and the band is so locked in together. They are one of the several bands that I discovered shortly before or after breakup, and I can't help but wonder if they would have become more popular in the US if they had stuck it out a little longer. Thankfully they're back together, and Post Orgasmic Chill has rightfully taken the title off modern classic.

5/5 Never heard about this band before. Definitivelly a diamond in the rough on the 1001 list.

Somewhere in the depths of my mind the name 'Skunk Anansie' sounds vaguely familiar, I'm sure of it. The guitar riffs are heavy, the bass is prominent and punchy, but the MVP of this album has got to be Skin. Her vocals are absolutely killer throughout the album. She can do it all and she can do it all very well. She grabs your attention immediately. 'Tracy's Flaw' is a perfect example. They slow things down and it gives Skin the perfect opportunity to sing with a bit more sincerity and sounds more heartfelt. But this track also shows off her powerful belts and raspy, growly shouts as well as her falsetto. A fantastic voice that matches the music perfectly. This was aggressive from the first track and also had its slower moments. Heavy yet melodic. Riff heavy. Such a good album and such a pleasant surprise. The vocals force an extra star out of me, they're that good.

11/03/2025 I'm surprised how much i liked this.

It’s so weird and dynamic and angsty and cathartic and I cannot believe I’ve never heard of this band.

This is an exceptional album. Listened to other albums based on it

Another new artist from the project that I really enjoyed. They really reminded me of Evinescense, and reading global reviews that seems to be correct. Will definitely be diving into their catalog now

So much better than the Beatles. Skin fucking rules.

Goes hard

Kick ass vocals. I enjoyed this quite a bit for a band I'd never heard of. This type of music was popular at this time, I'm surprised they weren't bigger.

Excellent. Finally a revelation!

Heavy and intense. I really liked listening to this.

Great!

wow! really really liked this one. something different and super funky. a joy to listen to!