Bandwagonesque

pretty good. a little twee

Okay enough but I've already forgotten it

I liked it. Esp for it's time.

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, this didn't do much for me. It has a lot of elements of rock music that I love but the energy and enthusiasm doesn't translate through the production. Not bad but not my thing. Fav Song: What You Do to Me Least Fav Song: Guiding Star

This was good

Something for the 90s. Some good, some ok.

Not really moving the needle one or another for me on this one. Perfectly acceptably fine performances but not really adventurous enough for me to pay any close attention to it.

While it doesn’t do a whole lot to differentiate itself from much of the other British alt-rock of the late 80s and early 90s, it’s still an enjoyable listen. I kind of giggled when the 2nd track came on and sounded more metal and I looked and saw the title was “Satan” Going in the only song I was familiar with was “What You Do To Me” which is a good song but also blends in with the era and could pass as a Lemonheads song or something. Good but unremarkable. I would probably listen again and maybe certain songs would grow on me. Probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me

pleasant rock songwriting in that this could have come out any year from like 1972 onward. never gonna argue with some fun power pop influenced stuff even if it isn’t doing much to stand out my reviews will not be as detailed while i’m in school :(

Falls in to PAIR (Perfectly Acceptable Indie Rock) territory. It feels very Oasis-y. But the fact that it precedes Oasis and the whole Birt Pop exlosion is quite interesting. Not as mad as Spin making it the 1991 album of the year. (Ahead on Nevermind and countless others)

It's not bad. Better than Britpop which is basically unlistenable. At least they sing well.

Quite an easy listen. Points for nostalgia and how much it sounds like it would be used in a 90s film.

Its OK. Listenable, but not outstanding IMO. Sounds like Toad the Wet Sporket meets the Smithereens, but not as good as either.

This was surprisingly good for an album I still don’t know why it’s on the list. I could listen to this more regularly. 3.25

Wow, going through the popular songs from these guys and I gotta say, “Fallin’” with De La Soul off the Judgement Night soundtrack is still a bop. That album was a game changer. As for the rest of the band’s catalog, I vaguely remember “The Concept” from some moderate radio play? Maybe? “What You Do To Me” sounds familiar too. Maybe I’ve listened to this album before? I know the band name more than the music is what I’m getting at here. At times they remind me of Matthew Sweet. Lots of 70’s vibes mixed with early 90’s faster tempos and song structures. “Guided Star” almost had a My Bloody Valentine - early Shoegaze quality to it which I really liked. Overall it’s a great record that did about what I expected while delivering some fun 90’s pop rock. 3.5

Straightforward pop rock. It isn't bad, but it isn't inspiring either. I don't hear anything that sets them apart from any other run-of-the-mill pop rock band, except maybe better guitar than most. Star Sign was my favorite, mainly because of the opening spacey guitar. The last track asks, Is This Music? Yes it is. This gets a 3.

I'll be honest. I listened to this album for this project sometime ago and made the mistake of not reviewing it right away. Days passed, then weeks. I saw it here on my list with no review but the thing is, I cannot summon any memory of this album in order to describe it. As I recall, it was neither offensive to my ears nor memorably pleasing. It was just sort of there. Good enough. Satisfactory. Perfunctory, like these listening notes I'm writing now. I could go back and give it another listen to jog my memory, but I've got a backlog of like 80 albums at this point, so ain't nobody got time for that.

Dead average. Am I tripping or was it oddly quiet when the music itself felt like it shouldve been loud?

I enjoyed December a lot. The rest, didn't do all that much for me.

Nothing special. Yet another one of those UK inclusions that leave me shaking my head.

Nice enough, but didn't really do anything for me.

3.5

not bad, some fun songs, some a bit boring

To be so for real, The Concept sounds like the music on a Saved By the Bell dance. To the extent that I’m pretty sure it was featured on Saved by the Bell. Perfectly fine tunes.

This is the kind of “mostly sterile but also just gritty enough to feel gritty” kind of stuff that would fit right in to the soundtrack of a Tony Hawk video game. I liked it just fine, but, fully embracing my naivety, I couldn’t tell you what separates this from any other alternative stuff coming out of the early 90s. IF they were the ones to pioneer this sound that would become pretty ubiquitous, then I guess that’s cool.

Enjoyed it, but after a while felt it kind of blended into the background so as to become less memorable.

Slightly earlier version of sound I grew up on once branching out from what siblings played. Early alternative rock. Light, goes by quick.

Fine. Some good stuff here.

I like a lot on this album. The rock sound and the mellow singing are highlights. A lot of the songs become samey to me though. It feels like a lot of the album from 1991 and the comparison to Nirvana seems fitting even if the vibe of the songs are different.

Sounds like it helped shape the Brit pop sound of the 90s. Nothing exciting, nothing awful. Struggling to pick out a real highlight - probably I Don’t Know at a push? Probably more of a 2.5 than a 3 for me.

Musically pretty good if a bit predictable but couldn’t decide whether that’s because it preceded other bands of similar genres

Heard of Teenage Fan Club but never listened to them so didn’t know what to expect. The album opens with high gain guitars and feedback and the launches into a mid tempo pop rock song which is a little underwhelming. The rest of the album sits at that middle of the road level with the occasional increase in urgency/grit. It’s not bad but it’s not great either.

Decent, better on the second listen

Somehow never heard this band. Pretty decent.

Never heard of this, since I spent this era watching Yo MTV Raps. I was surprised by the overwhelming impression that I'd heard every song before. The music is good and goes down easy, but it tastes like a mayonnaise and lettuce sandwich on Wonderbread.

this was not the best album of 1991

What you do to meeee, what you do to me, What you do to meeee, what you do to me, What you do to meeee, what you do to me, What you do to meeee, what you do to me, Alcoholiday and Is This Music are the best songs on the album. I enjoyed the instrumentals overall but some songs were too repetitive for me. Overall, I liked it. 3/5

Cool rock album, consistently good and doesn't overstay its welcome

After the first listen I kinda hated it, thought it was generic and found the lyrics to be repetitive. I want to be clear that repetition in song can be awesome but I’m not sure the delivery really worked on Bandwagonesque. I did end up listening thru a second time and what did hook me was the opening track, which is a solid slacker rock jam. So anyway, I went thru it again and this is far from awful, reminds of Sloan a bit if Sloan was lazy as fuck, ok maybe i should ease up. There were some decent tracks here for sure. 3 stars

This is exactly the type of record I would have read an article about in Spin magazine circa 2007, in which some Gen X writer referred to it as a Certified Classic™️, before turning the page to a review of the latest !!! record. Then, about 3 years later, I would find it used for $2.50 in Newbury Comics, so I would’ve bought it, remembering it was supposedly a Certified Classic™️, and after the first listen, I would’ve found it to be okay, but very much not my thing. Still, I’d proceed to force myself to listen to it every day for the next 3 months, concerned that I was Uncool™️ and confused what exactly I was missing from an album that, to my Millennial Emo ears, sounded like pretty standard-fare ‘90s post-Nirvana indie hipster shit, until one day I moved on and loaned the CD to one of my more pretentious high school hipster friends. It’s pretty fine for what it is, but I don’t find it to be ✨magical✨ in any sense of the word. It’s got some high points of solid power pop songwriting, and it’s got some low points of 2cool4skool eye-rolling pretense. Taken as a whole, the good sandwiches the hipsterness, but the balance is iffy as a result. In some ways, I can see how this is seen as influential, but that influence is on an entire group of artists I personally find annoying. More annoyingly, it feels too try-hard with its punk and art rock attempts, and I think I’d respect this a lot more if it was more focused on fun, fuzzy power pop songwriting. One of the better records on this list to represent the early ‘90s indie rock boom, and while I do like it, I never love it. Probably a taste issue, to be honest.

It's alright. I liked the instrumentals more than the vocals, who seem to be run of the mill. There's a bit of experimentation here and there, but far too little to make this album stand out as influential.

Sounds like every indie-pop band of the 2000's, which doesn't do much to me. Being first in that style of music will onpy give you the same grade which is: ok, not offensive.

Alright

Has a nice sound, but the songs soun way too similar for me.

I would classify this as "cool kids" 90's music. It's good, but not great, and some hipster will have some reason this is the greatest 90's rock album.

Fun shoegaze indie pop.

Day307 - they’re a good indie rock band. they might not be popular but they have put out some good stuff. even though it’s not on this album counting crows covers “start again” and it’s a good one

I enjoyed this album for the most part, and may give it another listen; hadn’t heard of the band before. 3 solid stars for me.

Ok pretty much

A decent album of very unoriginal sounding original music. 3 stars or C+ for me.

Controlled and noise-like, I wanna say. That's just what I'm left with here. And it's not as bad as I feared from the first few tracks.

I like Teenage Fanclub but for me Grand Prix is a far better album. This one is pleasant of course but a wee bit lacking in melody and hooks. Two Scottish albums in a row though 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Not completely terrible

A good album that really seems to have set the tone for much of what came out of the UK in the 90s

A few too many sad beach boys songs, but overall a good album. I'd listen again.

It’s fine

I thought it was fine, nothing that really made me groove along.

Nothing makes me feel like the old man yells at cloud meme like feeling nostalgic for guitar driven pop music but here we are again. I didn’t think I’d heard of these guys until I recognized “what you do to me”, just classic early 90s 3-chord formulaic pop, but dammit I like it. The album wore increasingly thin for me as it went on but I had a good time for the first 20 mins.

Will come back to it and keep listening. Some tracks I really like, others kind of blend in to one. 3.5.

Blandwagon.

decent! I liked “Metal Baby” for its goth gf yearning

Spin magazine named this Album of the Year over Nevermind, and Kurt Cobain once called Teenage Fanclub “the best band in the world.” Meanwhile, I’d never even heard of them—though to be fair, I was 12, in peak mullet mode, and deep into my ’80s hair metal phase. Lofty title or not, I’m not sure I’d crown them world’s best off this album alone.

I'm a fan of these 90s pop rock bands. This isn't the best example however.

Not too bad, definitely didn't hate.

Ok

it was easy to listen to

Never heard this before. In theory I should be all over a hooky band with jangly guitars and Alex Chilton copycat syndrome, but this seems "just okay". It all seems quite derivative, which isn't bad if they were great songwriters. "And say, there's a black cat on the floor. Big deal."

Had never heard of them. Liked a few of the songs, but didn't find anything really memorable.

Not bad, pretty mediocre.

3.5/5. Last track is titled "Is This Music?" and I am happy to say yes it is, pretty decent too.

There is a lot to like about this album but I think that mainly comes down to how accessible it is. It’s just some good ‘90s rock that is definitely NOT better than Nevermind.

I never heard these at the time as I was a straight ahead metal head. This is OK, probably as good as any of the Brit Pop fare that followed it, but it really is not memorable.

Teenage Fanclub is as Teenage Fanclub does, musically stuck somewhere at the precipice of 90s rock'n'roll and britpop, deliberately never embracing either fully.

This was a relatively bland early 90s attempt to be an "alternative" album. It was sub par. Was it bad enough to be ranked a 2? Probably not, but it's nothing memorable in any way. And they almost deserve to get a 1 just for how terrible their album artwork is for this record. It screams, "Hey! I made this with my ClipArt Program. What do you think?"

As popular as the book and Wikipedia make this album sound, I never heard this growing up. I'm guessing this was due to the overwhelming scope of Nirvana's Nevermind. Listening to it now, it's just very pedestrian '90s alt rock.

It's aight

Didn’t do much for me but its relation to Creation records is pretty cool. I was even getting a Weezer vibe every now and then which is cool since this would’ve predated it Rating: 3.1

3.5/5

Seemed alright but I'm not that into it.

Solid stuff, closing track the one track I’ll regularly listen to again (I thought it had rolled into auto play when that baseline kicked in)

3/5

Pretty good for something I’ve never heard of.

Nice indie record, love the fuzzy guitars.

It started strong but afterwards it blended in. I liked it though

Was a two start, but I loved the last song enough to go to 3.

Aside from a few standout tracks this was a pretty meh to average rock album. 3/5

Bandwagonedque is a softer, a time more melodic version of grunge. When the melody hits, it’s very good, when it doesn’t it’s mediocre. Alcoholicday is an example of it working 6.8/10

3.5/5. Pretty consistently solid with a few standout songs. I enjoyed it, but I’m not deeply impacted by any of it. Would listen to again though.

fun! i like this genre of music a lot, good example of lo-fi grungy pop, reminds me a lot of the big star-inspired bands of the time like the replacements. might like it a bit more after a couple more listens, idk.

solid album, nice rock style, sounded really good but songs didn’t really stick much, decent album overall i’d say around a 6/10

Þokkalegt alt-næstumþvíindí-rokk.

This was actually quite high-quality production-wise, I really rate the guitar parts and it generally sounded like my kind of thing. Although nothing stood out in particular, I imagine that it would be enhanced by a second listen.

I mean, it's THE Indie record but it doesn't really excite me. 3 stars because it's so bloody 90's , like a mash up of being in an episode of This Life and Game On. It also came before all the rest and Kurt Cobain loved it too. Also, the bloke who said the British compiler of this list probably begrudgingly put this on here as they are Scottish. The Scottish ARE British! It's really not that difficult.

Nice background music

# Playlist Track - What You Do To Me # Notes - Not a bad album, but there's no way in hell this thing beat "Nevermind" in any Album of The Year that is not hosted by "Scottish albums with Covers Made in MS Paint Magazine".

I’ve been listening to this album for years, just a homage one though. I think I enjoy this more than the other, very memorable. 3.3

alright early 90's alt rock

Although I know Teenage Fanclub isn't quite as obscure as some of the other Scottish bands featured in this collection, it's kind of funny how many Scottish bands seem to show up in the rotation, and often without too much to distinguish them aside from their Scots-y-ness. An OK album, but not all that distinctive, and a little hard to tell exactly what sound they're trying to achieve (although at times I was reminded of Dinosaur Jr).

The fuzzy quality to the sound made me question my headphones. I appreciate their consistency more than I do their music, which is solid, just not for me.

Great discovery - they might not be a new favourite but I'd listen to it again. The album cover needs work tho

I’m sorry, but this is NOT better than Nevermind, I don’t know what Spin was on. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s not transcendent.

Casually enjoyable but nothing special.

This was ok, certainly nothing special but pleasant enough. Hard for me to wrap my brain around the apparent fact that Spin thought this was superior to Nevermind. That position has certainly not stood the test of time.

...

Nice. Never really locked in on anything but an enjoyable album overall. 3/5.

Ironically I really liked this a lot more the first time I listened as teenager.

Nice. Nostaligic for GenX

Par for the 1001 course

another average indie album

AI could have written this album. Good background music. Uninventive.

I quite liked this album. I'm just not a fan of the distortion used in the first 2 songs. Thankfully Satan is short. My favourite was "Is This Music?"

meh

3.5 Perfectly fine but nothing exceptional. What You Do to Me is catchy as hell. I am sure I have heard it in a commercial at least. Half a star for being a fun 45 minutes and for naming your last song of 12 "Is This Music?"

Ok - or better: just ok

Agreed that this definitely sounds like it could've been Big Star's 4th album and overall the music is better than much of BS's material. Great melodic guitar pop rock. What always held it back from truly sticking out for me was/are the lead vocals. Preferential (isn't it always) to be sure but he always fell into that early 90s not-quite-but-approaching-slacker vocal style. This is better than the crappy Pavement-style leads as he's in tune but maybe *lackadaisical* is the best word to describe it. Love the harmonies of course, this album/band just could have used a much more-interesting lead singer for me. I like this album, but dull vocals bring it down to merely real nice for me rather than what would have been a favourite. 7/10 3 stars.

Great guitar. Cool lyrics.

My first impression is that it sounds like the soundtrack to a 90's teenage rom com. After a few listens through I find it ok, but nothing extraordinary. I guess it's on the list for being early for this sound.

Really not too bad at all. Not sure why it is on this list - but I guess it beat out Nirvana in 1991? 3 stars for me

Kind of standard light alt rock

Ganska basic men gick att lyssna på

Not bad. They must have been the first to sound like this to make the list. 3.

Not a big fan of Nirvana's "Nevermind" but there's no way this generic alt-rock effort can be better than that.

Was listening in background and wasn't too bad

Yes did enjoy

Decent

Pretty surprised, I was expecting something…less. It’s decent enough that I’ll give it another few listens for sure.

ok

Pop Rock Slow going, good background music for the summer

I didn't recognize this band or album, but I realized I'd heard "The Concept" before. Overall an ok listen for me.

Incredibly boring. maybe if i was young when i first heard it but it feels dated and dull now

Eh I thought I enjoyed it. Did a workout while listening to it, but the only song I really really enjoyed was, Is this music? Was a dancing around to it.

A perfectly adequate representation of mid 90s alternative rock. Also a perfect representation of why I dislike the term “alternative rock,” since the sameness of it means there wasn’t much of an alternative.

Their sound kind of reminds me of the (early) Foo Fighters. I like the music and vocals but I found the lyrics a bit lacking, though I'm not sure how well I heard them.

Pretty meh. Can't quite give it a 2. Good candidate for 2.5, though.

good listen. would give 3.5 starts if able. I do think it would grow on me a bit.

Not bad but nothing really grabbed my attention

My 12 points go to »Star Sign«.

Had a moment or two of interest. Overall the sound is thicker than deep and the lyric is flatter than full.

I'll take some of the songs with me into future listening, but all in all an inoffensive album that's quite similar to what I would have expected from a melancholy guitar band in 1991.

Haven't heard this album in decades. Always sorta like it. Good vibes. Some songs get repetitive or lack lytics.

meh

Yeah, alright, I vaguely remember this.

Not a fan

some standout songs but generally just good

Would give 3.5 if I could. Enjoyed a to an alright good degree, but ultimately the songs start to become a collection of guitars and drums. Nothing wrong with that, but not sure if it offers anything new

Solid early grunge rock. Reminded me a bit of You Am I. 3.25 stars

Nothing special, but enjoyed the listen. 2.5/5

listening to this reminds me that the early '90s had a genre of its own. Alternative rock at that time seems to follow a familiar sound. I enjoyed some of the songs, where others didn't click as much for me 1st listen 2.5

For me it's a relatively easy going background listen. Nothing too spectacular.

I wish Pavement hit at the same level as these guys for me.

Good

Soso indie Britpop, absolutely fine but nothing in it to draw me back.

Grungy with a little more melody than Nirvana.

Not bad.

Not going to jump on the bandwagon or join the club, but the guitar work on this record really captured my attention even if my overall interest waned over time.

Fine 90's post punk rock.

This was pretty good, easy to listen to and I enjoyed the guitar.

It exists yes.

It's distinctly average, I think I enjoyed the last track the most.

meh

have never heard a teenage fanclub album. it sounds exactly like i expected. early 90's indie rock. fine

Good album with a nice tune to it. I liked What You Do To Me, Star Sign, Metal Baby the most.

Low 3

I'm pretty sure I saw Teenage Fanclub a few times live. One of those 90s acts that were just there, without being on the top of the pile. A nice listen with a few memories.

6/10 - Good rock songs Decent Rock album - NOthing to write home about though

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this album more if someone didn't tell me it was one of the best albums of all time before listening to it. Got over-hyped and I was disappointed. That being said, it was a good listen. There's just other bands with music from this era I'd rather listen to.

3.6 - Sunny, alternative rock inflected with shoegazy guitars - the stuff that was buzzing before Nirvana blew up. Easy pop ballads like “Metal Baby”would’ve fit snugly onto a Maxell XL-II C90 mixtape, perhaps in the middle side B.

Never heard of them before. This was pretty good. 3.5

It's OK. Didn't really stand out to me as having anything really distinctive for the era.

Un band genre de STacys mom que je me soubiens pus du nom, mais très Teen. 3

I don't mind this, but I'd rather be listening to Guided By Voices

The melodies are solid but nothing I haven't heard before, and the lyrics are thinner on substance than anything I've heard in a long while - like icing without the cake. I liked the muscular riffs on muddled guitars, don't get me wrong, but after a little reading I still just don't see why Kobain himself called them the best band in the world when they toured together. Nevermind and In Utero blow this out of the water by every metric. Besides the song Star Sign, I felt myself wishing I was listening to Big Star or the Raspberries instead, both of whom did this style earlier and to greater effect. Whatever their 'it factor' is here was entirely lost on me. Even the hooks of tracks didn't grab my attention, felt sleepy if anything. If I had to guess, the late 80s were starved for anything like it so maybe it felt like water in the desert in 1991. Now it just feels like an also-ran. Totally fine but no tracks made their way to my 'liked songs'. Very light 3

This band was fine but I was a little bored listening to it. I think it was pretty dynamically static. Perfectly fine music but nothing really caught my attention

Listened Before? N This was a nice indie rock piece. It didn't stray into some of the wierdness indie rock does at times. It was pretty safe and the themes were funny. I liked it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: What You Do To Me

Listened Before? No Album Art: 4 / 5 MS Paint at its finest. I approve. Never heard of these guys. The Concept is pretty center of the path 70s inspired indie rock material. Dense guitar, sort of sadboi sounding singer, with tight uninteresting drums. Guitar noodling was unexpected and crisp through the midsection. Also was not anticipating the tempo change that follows. This is a nice spacious jam -- I can dig it. Satan is an old school thump-a-dump intro that gives way to a short rock jam. Kind of odd, and wish they had done more with it. December goes back to some falsetto singing over a tender, loping bassline and strummed guitar. Comes together into a stomping, head-nodding song. I can dig. Had this on in the background for the rest of the playtime. I enjoyed it for the most part and didn't feel any need for it to come to an end. Would I seek it out again for a relisten? Probably not, but I enjoyed it for what I heard. 3 leaning 4 here. Added to Library? No Songs Added to Playlists:

Garage band sound. So far first few songs are pretty catchy. Fave song: Is This Music

Very 90s, staple of the indie nights. Sounded fresh at the time but apart from nostalgia it doesn't seem very relevant now, somehow lacks the enduring appeal of some of their contemporaries

After reading the review in the 1001 book, I still can't work out if that album is parody or genuine.

Ah! Another Scottish rock band! (ala Fratellis and Proclaimers, except this one has a highly recognizable 90's sound) "what you do to me" is nice. It's the only one on here that I might want to perform on my own.

Definitely some good songwriting, but didn't engage me. The singing is not great. Probably an album a little ahead of time, but not one I'll listen to again.

The album was a bit hit or miss for me, I think a trimmed down version of this album could easily be a 4 for me.

That was pretty good! I bought that when it came out but only listened to it a few times. Brought back some memories!

These guys sound like a Dollar store version of Sloan. Very "of the time". Early 90's soft rock/indie pumped out so many bands that sounded like this. Admittedly, this is one of the better Scottish acts I've heard on this generator. This music is so generic, I keep drifting off and losing focus on the album. There isn't much here that sets these guys out from the droves of similar acts. This album cover is terrible. This is something that any computer literate individual could recreate in MS Paint in about 3 minutes. Favourite songs: Star Sign, Metal Baby Least favourite songs: Is This Music? 3/5

This is pretty good. Kinda samey throughout, but definitely one of the better albums I've heard so far in the 1001 journey. Reminded me of Rooney (who obviously came later). It's garage pop-rock, but slightly polished. I don't think it says much or stands out, but it's not a grueling listen at all, like some of these have been. The first track is the best, and the last track is an interesting way to end an album. Kinda just a breezy instrumental jam to cap it all off. Not bad.

Good album. 90s Alternative. Familiar with the name but never heard their music. Why aren’t they more popular? Lots of overdriven fuzzy guitars and good pop sensibilities. Very catchy. Can hear the Beatles and Byrds influences. Totally underrated band. Will give another listen!

Perplexed and a little perturbed by the power pop produced in this presentation. Not perfect, not particularly profound. Pass.

early 90s indie rock. It's ok, kind of poppy and fun.

This album was okay. Definitely was picking up on some mid-90s alternative British rock (Oasis, for instance), but before Oasis. I had never heard of this band, so was intrigued to see a possible inspiration for bands like Oasis. Overall, just okay, and I don't know if it needs a spot on here, but fun to hear some probable history/inspiration. Almost a 3, so might as well.

Listening to this album is the equivalent of eating plain toast. It's fine if that's all there is but there's plenty of other types of toast I'd rather eat. Generally I like this type of music but there's nothing here that interested me at all.

This album was ok. Nothing really stood out.

Enjoyable if not underwhelming at times. It really grows as the album goes on. British Pop-esque vocals mixed with 90's light alternative music. Lyrics don't really say anything, kind of generic. Nothing bad about the album, just doesn't jump out at all. 3/5 Would maybe listen again.

I quited liked Bandwagonesque, it's not polished or really good but it does sound authentic and has hints of what some of the better parts of the genre would become later in the next 10-15 years. December is the best track.

I've listened to this album a few times and thought it seems like it's right up my alley, it's never connected. There no song on it but The Concept that stays with me,. Still, there's a lot that broke through today even though I wasn't giving it my full attention. This is a bit of indie college rock that keeps growing on me.

I didn't really love this album but I think it has promise as something that would grow on me with more listens. I'm sure the nostalgia element is strong for those that listened as teenagers. I can hear a similarity to a 'local' band I love called Sloan. I absolutely cherish their first real release Smeared which came out in 1992 - I actually have a vinyl copy signed by the whole band which Rob helped me acquire! To the un-initiated first-time listener would there be anything more special or ‘better’ about Smeared (or Twice Removed etc) over this Teenage Fanclub record? That’s a hard question for me to answer personally. I’m so close to that Sloan music… it’s hard to disassociate enough to imagine a world where I listened to it for the first time as an adult. And def Smeared is not on this list (though it might be on my personal list haha) so 3 stars it is - maybe i'll come across this again some day and reconsider.

This was good, not great. Definitely not 1991 album of the year.

I liked this a lot. It gave me Lemonhead vibes.

it took me 3 attempts to get through this album not because it was bad, but because it was largely forgettable. it sounded like something that would be playing in the background of a grimy coffee shop run by cranky gen x'ers in a B or C list US US city (you know, where they have multiple cold brew and gastropub options but probably not matcha or someone who you can pay to administer legal psychedelics) i found myself enjoying the two songs spotify auto played (by Sebadoh and The Clean) after the album and im not sure if it was because it was better (bc they were both similar...) or just different enough to catch my attention. If you're into elliott smith and weezer you'll probably like it.

This sounds like an evolution of 50s rockabilly music. Kind of like how kpop sounds like what boy/girl bands from the 90s would if they hadn't died out in Western music. This sounds like what I imagine 50s rockabilly would sound like in the 90s if the genre hadn't died out. Though, I can say as a 90s kid, I've literally never heard of this group, album, and recognized none of the songs. Also, Spin magazine must be run by the same folks who voted for Jethro Tull.

Good, but bland. Hard to believe anyone could put this ahead of Nevermind

It wasn’t bad, but it got a bit repetitive and faded into the background.

HL: “The Concept”, “Is This Music”, “Star Sign”, “Alcoholiday” May 27, 2023 3.5 Not really sure what’s keeping me from just throwing a 4 at it. Listening to it while eating some Vietnamese rice was a pleasant experience; there were a few times about midway thru the record where I didn’t realize one song had ended & and another started. It’s good, I’m not head over heels for it, will gladly keep some songs to listen for later

Baby like woo

Started off pretty compelling with "The Concept" but didn't really hold my attention. It seemed to encapsulate an early indie sound, I was surprised it was released in 1991. Can definitely hear the influence on subsequent bands (according to Wikipedia Death Cab for Cutie was heavily influenced by it, and yeah, that tracks). Overall happy I listened to it before I die.

Cute little album. Reminded me of a bunch of different bands like Weezer or Pavement. Although I can't say I agree with Spin magazine on this being better than Nirvana's Nevermind, but to each their own.

Very mid album. No bad songs, but no great ones. Just average

I had never heard of this band or album before. It's not bad, though the vocals are a little mellow and laid back for my taste. There were some decent tracks like Metal Baby. The last track "Is This Music?" was interesting, it had a different sound than the rest of the album. I kinda wish it had lyrics though. The album artwork is atrocious, which should go without saying.

Not actively bad, but not actively good, either. I guess I'll be nice and give this a 3.

Straightforward 90s sound. Enjoyed it mostly, but not moving mountains for me either. Favorite track: Alcoholiday

Solid 90s grunge, though nothing too special. Also, what the actual HELL is that album cover.

This one was completely new. Had not heard it before today. Not as bad as I initially thought it was, but not for me. Favorite songs: Alcoholiday, Is This Music? 3-3.5/5

It was kinda cool. Still fresh after 32 years.

This album just sounds like the 90s. I enjoyed listening to it. Favorite track: Alcoholiday

Ride ripoff

I’m metal baby

Review express: Tal y como se esperaría por el nombre de la banda, es extremadamente adolescente, si es que eso tiene sentido. Algo que critiqué de Daydream Nation es que era extremadamente disonante, pero, escuchando esto, no estoy seguro de si eso es malo, o de si es tan único que lo hace bueno. Me gusta en su mayoría, pero hay que aceptar que es demasiado "normal"

Enjoyed

You know what, I was a fan. Sounds like the precursor to the Lemonheads with a smidgen of Flaming Lips in parts, but that's cool with me. Like a dairy milk you forgot you had - a simple delight.

Not too bad

okay...I got tired of it after a while.

3.5 Jangle pop meets fuzzed noise. A bit too much on the pop side for my liking overall though.

This kind of melodic scuzz should be up my street but I didn’t warm to it at first; it sounded a bit samey and a bit wishy-washy. But on further listening I can confirm it provides a nice, breezy soundtrack to a sunny day’s walk.

Anodyne pop. Sounds like Gin Blossoms. I know this was supposed to be a big deal record, but it still hits the same today as it did when I first listened to it in the 90s. What am I missing?

three stars

Melodic and noisy Kinda like Sonic Youth, but more poppy upbeat and more pleasing vocals. Has a nice sentimental feel at times I wonder if my mom would like some of these songs

Pretty damn good

Don’t agree with this album beating out Nevermind, but it’s a fun alt rock album. Enjoyed the listen.

3.5

I have to admit I've been a little busy/distracted tonight, but I did have it on. I just didn't get to pay too close attention. However, I didn't hear anything bad enough that made me want to go change the song (which was happened before lol). A few songs I didn't think were too bad. I'd give this one a go again sometime where I can listen more closely, but for now 6/10.

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Nothing too special, but it was a fun listen while driving to work. There were a couple kind of annoying parts, but really not as bad as i was anticipating. Nothing saved, but I will be listening to the album again soon to dissect it a little more closely. 6/10

Weird and good, rocking fun.

Enjoyable guitar pop. Would my life be worse if I hadn’t heard it? Probably not.

Fine. Completely forgettable

Quite liked, but didn't stick much. Needs more listens maybe.

Sympa mais peu parlant

Un album parfaitement correct n'en déplaise à certains rageux PREFS : The Concept, Star Sign, Metal Baby, Pet Rock, Guiding Star, Is This Music? MOINS PREF : Satan

echte 90's vibe, leuk maar niet wauw

Is this music? Yes it is. Love that outro

I've never heard of Teenage Fanclub before, so this was a new experience for me. This was an enjoyable album to listen to, but I'm not sure I would have included it on this list. I really enjoyed the guitars and the drums, but lyrically and vocally, there wasn't a lot going on for me. "Satan," "Star Sign," "Metal Baby," "Guiding Star," and "Is This Music?" were the best tracks of the album in my opinion, but nothing else was really that noteworthy for me. I was hoping that this album would impress me, like The Charlatans did, but it just wasn't meant to be.

26th. First rainy day of the trip. Jenna is allowed to come to Shakeeb’s. Sunday.

Where was I when this came out? So much in common with everything I was listening to at the time that I can't believe Ive never heard of it. I do wish I could hear many of the albums from this time again, for the fist time, and Bandwagonesque was kind of like doing that. That said, either this one doesn't quite stack up against my favorites, or my interests are not really here anymore. Maybe some of both. I want to come back to this later. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

It’s ok.

I think they reminded me of FASTBALL. Gonna keep listening to this album but give it a mediocre rating because life ain't fair.

Is this music? Only decent track ironically. Never appealed back in the day, lazy vocal style over grunge backing doesn't appeal. Recognised many tracks, think gave this a fair crack but didn't hit the spot.

Такое чувство, что я пропустил много талантливых школьников и нам решили показать их здесь. Очень школьно звучащая группа, где иногда гитарист самородок делает соляки. Такой закостеневший альт рок 90-х - 00х

С обложки я конечно поржал, цветовая гамма - жесть)) Ничего особенного здесь вообще нет. Прям совсем. Здесь можно найти отголоски разных групп: Nirvana, Beatles, возможно даже Metallica. Ну то есть, эту музыку тяжело именно выделить из потока и сказать: "Да, вот это мои любимки Teenage Fanclub". Но, как минимум, альбом не звучит противно. Это реально слушать, некоторые треки действительно нравятся, но в них нет ничего обычного. Всё такое... наивное. Это как самопальная школьная группа: вроде играть умеете, но не что-то сильно выделяющееся, всё обычное. Переслушать можно, мне кажется, это вполне себе саундтрек под домашнюю или общажную тусовку. Не перетягивает на себя внимание, не заставляет думать о глубоких текстах. Скорее создаёт тёплую атмосферу фильмов про школу. 3/5. Nothing special, но и не Smashing Pumpkins

Meh

Songs all sound the same. No variation to the vocals. Discordant at times. Very bland really, nothing groundbreaking. Generic.

Cool and an interesting backstory. I liked the pop punk style vocals and the easy listening nature of the band’s sound. Made them sound more contemporary than Nirvana, but the album is definitely not better than Nevermind.

Unspectacular and quick forgotten Alt Rock album

Good - felt like beach boy indie early 90s grunge vibe. 10 things I hate about you soundtrack

Un album très intéressant dans lequel on suit un groupe de collégiennes faisant la queue pour le concert d'un boys band. Les textes parlent essentiellement d'appareils dentaires mais on s'y retrouve sans problème.

Absolument inintéressant, l'indie est décidement bien l'un des pires genres musicaux n'en déplaise à Robert qui pipe les dés afin de permettre à ce genre de bien trop figurer dans ce générateur.

Simple but very recognizable (almost iconic -- figuratively and literally) album art. The harmonies are no doubr Beach Boys-esque. Overall, it's a decent album with some solid alt rock tunes. It's a noisy album, but it's by no means a difficult listen. I can see the appeal to Bandwagonesque, as it is a precursor to 90s Britpop, but this album doesn't do much for me.

Alt Rock band from Scotland. This was their 3rd album and only album on the list of 1001 albums... Singles: Star Sign (#4 US Alt, #44 UK Singles) The Concept (#12 US Alt, #51 UK Singles) What You Do To Me (#19 US Alt Airplay, #31 UK Singles (OCC)) First Impression: Thumbs up. Standout Tracks: The Concept. What You Do to Me Others: December, Star Sign, Metal Baby, Sidewinder, Alcoholiday, Guiding Star. 3/5

Some early 90s alternative rock. It wasn't bad sounded a bit like Oasis.

3 Not too bad. I like instrumental solo part.

While it is fundamentally a rock album, and there were a few stand out tracks, I feel as if the entire album sounded as if the band were playing the same song over and over again. 3/5. Favorite Track: Is This Music?

I’d never heard of this band before, but I have to say I enjoyed what I heard. Wasn’t a slog to get through which is the case sometimes when listening to an album of a band you don’t know. While I’m a more direct rock ‘n’ roll type chick I liked this alt side to it.

Well, the fact that the good people at Spin Magazine listened to both this album and Nevermind and somehow thought this album was better is a mystery that I would really like to see explained. This album is fine and groundbreaking in its own way, but it's not exactly an all time great. Historical mockery aside, this album is interesting, though mired by low quality production. I'm not sure if there is a good version of this album out there, but every copy I found on YouTube was muddy and indistinct. I think a better quality copy may have given me a more positive opinion of this album. As it is, it's an alternative rock album from the period right before that subgenre became the biggest thing on the planet. It's more of a poppy, indie type of album than the grunge rock that came out of Seattle. It's good, but the recording quality makes it hard to appreciate 3/5

The music has a rough, alt-rock edge in the production but underneath the songs are good-hearted power pop. I enjoyed the music but didn’t love the lead vocals, but I think that’s just a matter of taste. Awful album cover 😬 😂

I really find this MSPAINT-ish album cover to be interesting. It's so grotesquely intriguing. The music was OK and didn't really grab me too hard. I think i'll give it another listen but it's sitting just under a 3/5.

It was alright, everything was the same 90s alt rock feel, nothing special

Kind of OK

Ça nous a fait penser parfois à Eels, parfois aux Foo Fighters. J’imagine que c’est un album fondateur pour plusieurs. Je préfère les chansons aux accents plus rock

I was not sure what to expect, I honestly thought I would hate it, but the band has a cool vibe, very chill -- retro and I like it.

good one

"Is This Music?" rescues Bandwagonesque from a charge of sentimentality. But maybe I'm the one being sentimental. I can't hear the song without thinking about smashers by Hasselbank, Yeboah, Cantona, Bergkamp, Ginola, Ferdianand, Asprilla...God. I miss football.

I just remember Teenage Fanclub from their collaboration with De La Soul on the 'Judgement Night' soundtrack which is phenomenal and if soundtracks were on the list it would have a slot there. Bandwagonesque is an easy listen to an alternative to what would become the Alternative sound of the 90s. 3.5/5.

A lot of it felt kind of generic, but I didn't dislike any of it either really it just kinda did nothing for me.

Very solid britpop / powerpop / UK indie / alt rock. Nothing too special, but a very enjoyable listen.

This is decent. Not something I would regularly go back to, but certainly nothing to object to.

Fine. I think I won't remember it at all.

A few tracks worth remembering, and then a lot of generic 90's sound.

Every song sounds like it belongs in a 90's teen movie. 3.5

It is a pretty solid rock album, but I feel like there is nothing unique about it. Felt a little generic and boring to me.

I like it! I agree with the other reviews up here. This is an album full of well-played simple songs, but it gets a bit same-y after a while. It has a nice Oasis / Blur / proto-Real Estate kind of sound, and the album sort of blends together in the same way that a lot of the music from those other bands does for me. I never had an “Oh shit!” moment, but I don’t think that they were shooting for provocation. I really liked December, I’m not sure why that one’s not on Spotify. I also appreciated their use of bluesy major/minor interplay, and all of the diminished and augmented chords (NERD ALERT); all of these added a good amount of spice to the otherwise straightforward melodic main course. The kind of thrash-y electric guitar tones got pretty tiresome; I would have liked a bit more variety on the amps, recording techniques, processing etc. All in all pretty solid! Pleasant and inoffensive perhaps to a fault. 3 Stars.

Some nice jangly rock music to listen to while I made late night lemonade for my volunteer crew. The music is light and fun. It doesn’t challenge me or rock my world or stir up anything in me besides a slight head bop. Two favs are The Concept and December, the latter of which sounds like the beginning to that song in Shrek when they’re blowing up a frog into a balloon. 3.2/5

Teenage Fanclub! This is my first time listening and I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It’s nothing to write home from camp about, but most songs were totally pleasant and some were good enough! Metal Baby is great but repetitive to a nauseating degree. 10 less “Metal Babies” and it would have been great. Sidewinder was pretty but the lyrics sounded AI-generated from 1001 other love songs. Is This Music? totally slammed. It feels like the standout song on the album, even with no vocals. As one reviewer in 1001 albums perfectly puts it: “It's funny to me that the last song is called "Is This Music" because that's probably the best on the album. Yes, guys, THAT is music. Give us more of that.” I would have thought I’d have been turned off by the the sometimes minute-long guitar jams before the singer comes in, but I didn’t mind. I thought the band was tight and it was fun to listen to. Great driving music. It’s a 3.5/5 for me.

Sounded very 90s with hints of Weezer and The Foo Fighters.

notes - listened to this album for the first time not too long ago - kinda oasis, kinda weezer - power pop/noisy/jangly - on creation records, a pivotal britpop/shoegaze label - kurt cobain, liam gallagher, and ben gibbard are all big fans - enjoyable listen but nothing really jumped out at me other than 2 or 3 songs fav alcoholiday least fav pet rock 3.5/5

Brilliant band at greatest hits level.

Very Beatles influenced 90's alt. Not the most interesting music but not boring or bad either.

Pretty meh but I see the beginnings of a bunch of sounds that would evolve and become super successful on the radio during the mid to late 90s present on this album. Listenable but unremarkable. 3/5 cuz I can't give it 2.5/5

It's good I guess...

meh

I enjoyed this album. Difficult to choose between 3 and 4 stars for me. There were no stand out tracks for me but as a whole it was enjoyable.

The layered sound and variety of songs made this interesting and not at all terrible.

I love Teenage Fanclub. Their updated version of Big Star appeals to me and I just think they're a great power pop band. That being said, this isn't my favorite album by them. Sure, it has The Concept which is a fabulous track, but the rest of the album isn't as strong as Grand Prix, in my opinion. Still a good album, I was glad to see it here.

Pretty standard pop punk stuff that used to plague the 90s, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I liked it, on the line between whether it was actually interesting

Not bad retro stuff.

Guitar-forward brit rock, fun but nothing that stands out too much

Feels like 90's distilled to their core

I normally read the entire Wikipedia for an album, sometimes delving deeper into the band, when I'm listening to these 1001 albums. For this one, I wish I had waited until I had formed an opinion about it before I read that Spin put this as album of the year over Nirvana's Nevermind. Hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy to listen to Bandwagonesque and scratch your head as to how anyone could rate it over Nirvana. But, is that because of how great the Nirvana album is or more based on how iconic it's become or how clearly influential the album was? It was hard for me to separate these thoughts from my analysis of this album. The question kept remaining: is this an essential album? Is this an album everyone should listen to before they die? My overall consensus was that this is a good album. Some of the songs could even be called great. They open up with a long jammy "The Concept" before some much shorter, punchier tunes. I felt the album really hit a stride in the second half and finished strong with some of my favorite songs being "Alcoholiday" and "Is This Music?" I'll probably return to this album someday, but I'm in no rush to. It's just a good album, nothing great, nothing profoundly influential, nothing terrible deep, just fun indie rock. And there's nothing wrong with that, but is a must listen? Probably not.

Ganska bland indie rock album.

catchy but samey and a little smug

Nothing I thought was groundbreaking or innovative on here, but I liked it and it went down fairly easily. 3.5/5

Teenage Fanclub is yet another band from this time period I have absolutely no familiarity with. Bold cover art, though I don't love it I do think it is appropriately striking and memorable. I also appreciate the title of the record in much the same way. Starting out I immediately like the harmonies and the simple progression of the opening song though it goes on a bit. Satan is pointless, December is lovely, overall most of these songs are pretty enjoyable. None really stick out as my favorite but I'd be willing to hear the album again sometime. 3.5 stars. Having now read the description of the band and the album I have to say I have heard of Nirvana and think they are an objectively better band than Teenage Fanclub. So there's that.

I knew the name Teenage Fanclub but can't say I'd ever really given them a proper chance before and I was very impressed. A little bit indie, a hint of grunge, a little britpop its equal parts Dinosaur Jr, Pavement and Oasis. Not dissimilar to Ash who were coming from Ireland around the same time. A perfect example of that wonderfully carefree 90's indie sound but with enough interest and edge to keep it engaging.

Just seemed pretty average to me. It feels like I've gotten a lot of these perfectly fine but not special at all albums lately.