Reviews (page 3 of 7)
"fROMOHIO" is the third album by American alternative band fIREHOSE. It was noted as a continuation of the acoustic and folky style of their previous album "IF'n" and a funk, jazz and Minutemen punk fusion. It sounds like a lot but it kind of makes sense after listening to this. I thought of a lot of other bands throughout. fIREHOSE was a band formed by bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley after the death of Minutemen guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, the dissolution of that band and combining with guitarist/ vocalist Ed Crawford. Drum cymbals and funky guitar highlight "Riddle of the Eighties." It's enjoyable. It's low-fi electric rock. I immediately think of the Meat Puppets. That's a good thing. Next, "In My Mind" changes things up with a idiosyncratic guitar, bass and guitar. "What Gets Heard" has a funky bass and drums. Angular guitar. A guy talking as vocals. OK, now I hear Primus. Oh no. Never worry, all of sudden we're going Irish folk in "Liberty for Our Friend." Actually 60's folk. Unbelievably, very nice harmonies. Where'd that come from? For me, this whole album really clicked with "Time with You." More straight-forward rock. Mike Watt really grooving with a funky R&B bass. A happy song. "Some Things" sounds so 80's indie. My favorite song on the album. More punk. Great melody. Hurley on drums killing it. Very heart-on-the sleeve and reminded me of The Replacements' "Buck Hill." Actually much better. The album ends with another good song in "The Softest Hammer." A classic rock guitar and the soft-loud-soft song dynamic. This album took awhile for me to warm up to but when it did. Wow! The second half of this album is fantastic....just classic 80's indie rock and that will get me every time. Well, most times. The rhythm section of Watt and Hurley is worth listening to this album alone.
For every moment that I didn’t like, or that I thought was weird, there’s another that I really like. Gets Daley near the end but I’m looking forward to listening again. 3.5
Alt-rock from before that was a thing
Another album I had never heard. This is a fun, genre-bending, late 80s album that I probably would have really dug back then if I had been aware of it. I had no idea that members of the MINUTEMEN went on to do other things, including fIREHOSE, but that explains the cleverness and amazing musicanship on this album. An interesting and hard to pin down piece of work.
first impressions : from ohio ?!???, 14 songs but only 32 mins so i guess the songs must be quite short which could be a good thing as some of the best ones are imo, band name looks cool and the cover is epic but i have absolutely no clue what im looking at in the first photo LMAO, the face looks very menacing tho >:) after listening : instant head bopping, very upbeat and head-boppy, cool drums and guitars, i liked that they gave each part of the band their moment with vastopol and let the drummer have some :DD favourite song(s) : riddle of the eighties, whisperin' while hollerin', vastopol (very nice guitar) !! BONUS !! : what gets heard (i like the ending part and the speak singing) rating : i liked it more than the last one style and sound-wise and think id be more likely to listen again so 4/5 i think :))
Perhaps there most even album by them.. What I do like is the great bass playing by Watt esp on songs like Mas Cojones and What Get's Heard. Some catchy tunes as well like In My Mind and Time with you. Good album and has a lot to offer.
Seems like an album i should have already listened to. With a band coming from the ashes of another, it's hard not to compare. Definitely more experimental then the Minutemen. Not sure if I'd listen to this over Double Nickels but a good listen regardless.
Not a band or album I was familiar with, at all. But this was really interesting and I think I liked it a lot!
How DIY should be – hooky and tuneful, with some likably raffish edges. "Riddle of the Eighties" and "Liberty for Our Friends" and "Time with You" and "Understanding" are standouts within a very coherent and consistenly strong set of songs. The melodic folkie bits passages are the perfect leavening to the grittier and punkier bits.
I saw them in concert back in the early 90s in a small club. They were awesome. I like Flyin' The Flannel better, but this is a solid album.
This album was new to me and required some repeated listening. Really liked it (it might not compare to the Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime, but that album is perfect and would be hard to match anyway).
This one really surprised me. Never heard of this band, but the mix of 80s new wave, punk, and folk sometimes sounded like a sonic bridge to 90s grunge. No song sounded that same but it was a very cohesive album.
Very fun album. Unique mix of prog, post-punk, indie rock. Always a big fan of a drum track
It’s folk punk, like violet femmes but cleaner sounding. I was actually quite surprised by this thing, fine there were no real stand out tracks but all throughout its half hour length I was kept interested! The only moment I would call weak is this really random track ( well there’s 2 of them actually) of just drumming for a minute, but eh wasn’t horrible. Overall it’s a 4/5 solid album very good in fact but no moments of much notoriety.
Loved that - a cracking rock album with lots of fun diversions, all tied up in 30 mins.
I'm sure my devotion to Minutemen is biasing my rating a bit, but this is a pretty fun listen.
The instruments all sounded phenomenal, but the singing was more hit and miss.
Cool alt rock. Most of the songs are awesome, some are a bit harsh but overall enjoyed it!
Inventive Indie rock. short, quickfire with some crazy guitar riffs. Liked it alot. 4/5
I love listening to these slightly more indie bands, it feels like "your favourite band's favourite band." This was a delight to listen to, with its postpunk/early alt sound.
Cooler Sound. Da haben sich Kings 8f Leon wohl a bissl was abgschaut
New band to me, really enjoyed this one, will listen to again.
I thought this was an interesting album, though I feel like I'm going to have to listen to it a few more times before I give an informed opinion. It kept my interest, though (which is good because it's a short album). The sound quality could be better, but apart from that it's an album that feels ahead of its time based on when it was released
It’s a fun rock album…
The ryhtmsection is great. The songs are fun. Don't really have something to complain about. Good album.
For the first two songs, I couldn't really tell what musical language these guys were speaking. Once the bass kicked in on the superbly titled Whisperin' While Hollerin', I started to understand what we were doing. And then came the spare and lovely acoustic guitar instrumental Vastopol which is completely unlike anything else on the album but doesn't feel out of place. There is more great bass, funky guitar, and playing with time signatures in Mas Cojones, What Gets Heard, Time with You, and If'n. There are a couple of drum solos, which are good if you like that kind of thing. Some Things is fast and catchy punk-lite (in a good way). I came away thinking that these guys are decent musicians who like having a good time and I had a good time listening though I don't know how often I'll come back to this.
Really good stuff here.
Strange music based on cover, but I overall enjoyed the folksy and punky elements here.
Really digging this alternative gem
tbh it made no real impression on me, and i already can't entirely remember what it sounded like. But I do remember being pleasantly surprised.
Surprisingly a great rock album that blends many different sounds from country to punk, and sounds very modern considering the number of bands in the 2010s in the indie and garage territory doing the same thing.
Super Album sehr überrascht
Short, Sweet, Fun
didn't know this band at all, it was a good surprise
Nice band, happy to discover them.
First time I hear this band. Really good album! I was pleasantly surprised.
I thought I was going to like this more than I did
June 9th, 2021 1.RIDDLE OF THE EIGHTIES- Awesome opener that let's me know that this will be my kind of album. 2.IN MY MIND- Sort of "island" vibes with the guitar. 3.WHISPERIN' WHILE HOLLERIN'- Heavier than the previous songs. Good stuff. 4.VASTOPOL- Instrumental interlude, overall a very quiet track. 5.MAS COJONES- Kind of an unusual track, but that's what makes this album so versatile. 6.WHAT GETS HEARD- Reminds me of something from DEVO's 1978 debut. Pretty awesome stuff. 7.LET THE DRUMMER HAVE SOME- Oh, he got some alright. 8.LIBERTY FOR OUR FRIEND- The whole damn band sings "all together now..." 9.TIME WITH YOU- Good drum and bass in this track. 10.IF'N- Real mellow stuff at both ends but a rocker in the middle. 11.SOME THINGS- Another one of the more rocking tracks on this album. Good stuff. 12.UNDERSTANDING- Overall, my favorite track. 13.'NUF THAT S*** GEORGE- Once again, the drummer had some. 14.THE SOFTEST HAMMER- Great slower-paced closing song >In Review: Overall, a great album. I had never heard of fIREHOSE before being recommended this, but I really enjoy their UNIQUE sound and I look forward to checking out more of their material. Even for the country/folk fans like myself, it's real solid stuff
I liked a lot Hearing some early XTC vibes
Great Album
enjoyed that. sounded a hell of a lot more modern that it is. i listen to a fair amount of new crap that sounds like this album.
Good rock, kick ass groovy basslines. Had not heard of them before.
Not bad, kind of Pearl Jam
Enjoyed, 80s rhcp-esque
Ésta es la razón por la que decidí empezar con este proyecto. Encontrar grupos o discos que no conocía de antes. En este caso, no sabía de la existencia de fIREHOSE y no puede ser más lo mío. Qué maravilla. El disco creo que es bastante mejor en la primera mitad que en la segunda, pero estupendo de cualquier manera.
I liked this quite a lot— lot of cool guitar work & I thought it flowed well from one song to the next. Had never heard of this band. “In My Mind” is really cool. I also kind of strangely liked “Liberty for our Friend”
A really interesting move from Watt's Minutemen output. Sounds like they're creating the college-rock blueprint.
Bon album classique rock
Never heard of the album or the band but I really enjoyed this. Short and Sweet. Would listen to again.
Disco ameno y ligero, con un rock alternativo con reminiscencias de punk en el que se pueden notar la influencia del folk/country americano en algunos temas.
7/10. Great Album
Pretty good. Short. Guitar riffs go crazy
I guess I had mixed up Minutemen with some other band, because looking back I really enjoyed the earlier band's output as well. Good, short songs with enough instrumental goodness to whet my appetite, but not long enough to wear. Post-punky bass passages were certainly the highlight. I look forward to listening to the rest of the discography, which I hear is a bit different.
fIREHOSE is on the list? This is okay, I seriously hope Minutemen come up at some point, because while I love Mike Watt and appreciate pretty much everything he's been involved in, including a deep cut from the early 90s is a stretch.
3.8/5 mike watt laying it down
3.1 First couple songs sucked. Stay with it if you can, gets a bit more charming as it goes
Imagine trying to follow D. Boon
Strongest three I can give. I prefer 'Flying the Flannel' to this record, but oh well...
This is spunky and fun - and very short!
This was a fun listen and short. Somewhat lacking in memorable songs but the energy makes up for it.
American music is usually divided into two broad categories - west coast (hippies and surf guitar) and east coast (NYC gangstas and hipsters), without much thought to anything in the middle. So, it makes a pleasant change to hear an album that is literally from Ohio, and a fine listen it is too. It has a bit of post punk energy with some nice riffs, solid drums and bass lines, but what sold it for me was a brief cover of Vastopol by the great Elizabeth Cotten which just felt right slotted in with everything else. This really does feel like a group of young people getting together to play music for the fun of it, and acknowledging influences from all over the place. Not earth shattering, but reassuringly life affirming.
Very raw energy, without being aggressive. Not a sound for an entire album for me.
...huh? Why this one? I haven't been doing this for very long, but it's possible this might be the least noteworthy album on the list. I had never heard of this band, which is apparently a side-project including two members of Minutemen. It's not even the most popular album by this very band. The Wikipedia page includes the phrase "It's called that because it's from Ohio." Beautiful. This feels almost completely unremarkable. I mean it's fine, but it's got a nice sound, but the lyrics feel so stream-of-consciousness, that Liberty song kinda just sucks, there's two whole drum solo songs, I guess that's kinda funny...why in the world is this tagged post-hardcore? This is just, like...boring indie rock. What the hell.
Never heard of them before; not bad at all!
I kinda liked it
This is a tough rate. I thought this was an nice collection of short and interesting tracks. At the same time, I wasn't overly wowed as a whole. It's a definite 3.5 album, but which way do I go?
The unusual punctuation in their name is a signal that this group isn't going to be normal. Not sure what my long-term feel will be on these guys yet..,
Nothing really memorable...
Objectively a good album. Unique style, great instrumentation, and a good run-time. I just didn't really like it that much. I can't deny the skill put into it-- the drums, bass, and guitar are all spectacular and really shine throughout. I think "Liberty For Our Friend" was my favorite.
Had no idea what to expect but I like it! Midwestern garage rock? Here for it. Understanding is my favorite song, and even if it's the only one I revisit, that's fine, I enjoyed listening to this.
A cool album that has a very 90’s sound.
not too bad not too bad
I tried to download this to listen to in the car and only the first two tracks downloaded - so listened to them about ten times each and really enjoyed them - lively sparky college pop reminded me of vampire weekend - so was looking forward to the rest of the album.... Not quite a crushing disappointment but sadly the it did not live up to the opening two tracks. There are some nice moments - but its quite messy - a mix of styles so fairly loose jams and it just doesn't really hang together or deliver on the promise of the two openers.
pretty fun but mostly unremarkable
This is exactly why I signed up to this challenge. An album I've never heard of from a band that is totally unknown to me, in a subgenre I wouldn't usually go for. Whilst not a classic in my opinion, it's still a fun listen. Short but sweet, just as it needed to be. Favourite track: What Gets Heard Least favourite track: Understanding
firehose walked so angine de poitrine could charge 72 dollars a ticket at history. this gave me anxiety in a good way musically and kept me interested but unfortunately the lyrics and singing were boring :/
This was well executed, but it seemed like they weren’t quite sure what vibe they were going for. There were really drastic shifts, sometimes mid-song, and it kinda took me out of it.
Ihan hauska + hyvät bassoilut
Meh
alright
in its own way, this band has a unique style. But i don't think that means, that this style is something that everyone likes. I find it interesting, but not appealing. and ok.
Average. 2.5/5
Great energy and a very quick listen. I love the early garage punk essence that this gives. I dig it!
Pretty good. A bit quirky.
Here's the latest album that has left me scratching my head, wondering what it did to deserve a spot on the 1001. It's grown on me more over 3 listens, and it does get better as you go through the songs - Time With You and Understanding are good songs that seem out of place with some of the inconsequential noise at the beginning of the album on tracks such as Mas Cojones and Riddle Of The Eighties. There are decent riffs in What Gets Heard and it closes nicely with The Softest Hammer, but there is nothing jumping out and grabbing my attention or moving me to feel something. I played it enough for it to grow to a low 3 stars.
Kende ik totaal niet. Leuk om naar te luisteren. Afwisselende liedjes
Weet het niet goed, niet super, ook niet saai, maar wel heel kort
3.0
Needs another listen
Me gusto
first listen dogwater
Creative. Surprising. Sometimes nutty.
7 / 10
instrumentals are ruined by like everything else highlights: what gets heard 2.5/5
The instrumentation was fantastic on a lot of songs but some failed to fully deliver when the vocals kicked in. A fun listen and lots of great drum beats and guitar licks to keep you interested. It made me giggle when their songs did what they said on the tin like “Let The Drummer Have Some” and “‘nuf That Shit, George”.
Undeniably stylised, I like the blues-y folk thing they have going on. It's not something I'd have chosen for myself, but it didn't overstay its welcome. "Whisperin' While Hollerin'" is probably my favourite song here, the bass is very driving.
It's a 3 today. I was bored listening which is a huge bonus. Id say I enjoyed listening to half of the album. I have no clue what genre any of it was it was all over the place. there were songs where I hated the verse and loved the chorus because they seemed like different genres. I wouldn't listen again, but it wasnt shit.
Honeslty a fun little album. I like the sound and how it feels like theyre just playing what they want to play in the moment. I think Riddle of the Eighties captured me more than the rest of the songs but I think this was a good album.
Rock that I would have considered myself agonisingly cool to have listened to as a teen 3
Ok but just eminently forgettable.
Never heard of these guys, but i see they're formed from the remnants of Minutemen. I didn't like this quite as much as liked Minutemen, but it was reasonably close, and a fair bit better than the name and album cover led be to believe it would be. I think a strong three; almost a four.
I really don’t know what to think about this album. It was constantly meh, with some good moments here and there 2.5/5
I had absolutely no idea who this band were and, even having listening, still have no idea. This album was bizarre in its length, and a bit incoherent, so it was hard to get a read on them. Large parts of it were fine. I even quite liked “Time With You”. And then it had weird, totally unnecessary instrumentals which were over by the point I realised that’s what they were. This is probably a 2.5* album but it’s a spring morning and the sun is out, so I’m rounding up.
This album was a surprise. They're definitely punk, but there's a prog quality to it. I can't quite get to 4 stars with it, so it lands at 3. But this was definitely one of the few punk albums I've enjoyed listening to.
Pretty awesome sort of folk/indie rock album from the midwest. Enjoyed it all, maybe dragged a little towards the end. Fun album
Soft hammers hit hard nails. Let the drummer get some, and the bass rolll. And they're not from Ohio, hm.
It was... unexpected.
This is exactly why I signed up for 1001. Glad this album was in their line up. It will be a nice addition to my playlist. No standout song but clocking in at 31 minutes, I'll listen again.
Great band, this record is so so.
Nice enough indie rock with some good bass playing. Didn’t really like the vocals though and wasn’t tempted for a second listen.
Uneven but a couple good songs
Interesting late 80's jangle rock from the Midwest. They'd have been buds with the Connells when they swung through North Carolina.
Fav song: Liberty For Our Friend
Sounds like a thousand other indie pub bands. It’s fine but not anything to write home about
I really like this style and some of the instrumentation here is really good. I just think this never does quite enough to push it over the edge. Band I had never heard of so I am glad I listened. Favorites were Riddle Of The Eighties, Mas Cajones, Liberty For Our Friend, and If’n.
I prefer Ragin', Full-On (which I was listening to when I had a stomach bug like three years ago so I associate it with that despite liking it), this one feels a little more ramshackle, but I still like their sound and they're great instrumentalists.
I can't hate this, it's a group of dudes just having fun, but it is very much not my jam. The first couple of tracks are aight.
A nice and quirky little piece of rock (30 minutes.. let's call it a music pebble then). Not going to be one of my favorites, but certainly a good record for a day.
I don't know why, but in places it reminded me of the early Red Hot Chili Peppers. Though without the Red Hot Chili Peppers' talent.
I was able to listen to this album. It didn't particularly appeal to me or leave a lasting impression. I forgot about it right away. 3/5
few good songs but mostly unremarkable
nothing special, didnt hate it just forgot it was on
Only in Ohio, euuuh hawk tuah man
Primarily familiar with these guys from getting them confused with the sub shop. Not bad, feels like an outtake/b-sides album. Guitars a little tinny for my taste on a lot of tracks but some worthwhile stuff here for sure.
Never heard or heard of this before. Reminds me of the Minutemen and a little of R.E.M. A pleasant enough listen.
God energi.
It's fine. A lot of different stuff on here, and most of it sounds just fine without really standing out to me with a few notable examples. I'm missing some energy or purpose to really capture me. Standouts Mas Cojones Liberty For Our Friend 3/5
The face on this album cover will haunt my dreams for the next year
Iwie random aber eig no nice gsi
Gets better towards the end
The guy singing is not articulating its almost like mumble rock, I also do not like his singing. The instrumentals tho! That's a whole other story. They are the highlight of this entire album. They are hampered by the terrible vocals.
Bizarre and totally abstract, blending a multitude of genres into a complete, borderline schizophrenic package. No idea how it ended up on this list but I'm glad it did.
Always wanted to like this on principle but it’s not for me
Non mi è dispiaciuto, non ho capito però che genre è
Some nice moments to this, but it started off with more promise which wasn't really sustained through out the rest of the album.
perfectly listenable, just not very interesting
I like this. Was not familiar with them, which is a shame because their punk-adjacent ethos combined with great guitar work, sick bass and adept drumming sound great together in this album. Can’t wait to hear more, including this album a few more times. For now it’s a 3, although I can see this growing on me.
I really enjoyed this and I’d never heard of them. I did listen to minutemen but this was totally new. I will listen to more of this- it’s right in my wheelhouse of folk punk or acoustic punk. Solid album! 3 1/2 would be my vote
There’s undeniable musicianship here, especially in the up-tempo tracks where the rhythm section really locks in. The bass work stands out, and when the band finds its pocket, the energy is tight and intentional. That said, the vocal delivery didn’t resonate with me, and some of the tempo shifts and structural turns felt chaotic rather than compelling. It’s clearly a thoughtful, skillful record—but not one I connected with on an emotional level. I respect it more than I enjoy it. A solid three.
It's fine. It's chill. Nothing more, nothing less. Already forgot about it
The album was fine. Nothing really grabbed me, so it is not an album I'll be purchasing, but there wasn't a song that I really hated either.
So this is kind of fun. Certainly don't expect anything life-changing, but there are some decent hooks, and no song seems to overstay its welcome.
I read in other reviews that the drum and bass players are from Minutemen, so it probably fits that I generally enjoyed the backing again, as I did with the Minutemen album that came up on this list for me just 2 albums ago. In contrast though, I found the vocals on this album much better (still not my favourite, but preferable to Minutemen). This album was also a sensible length, so I didn't get fed up with it part way through. Pretty decent background music with some nice guitar, decent hooks and actually a fair amount of variety in sound. I saw people in other reviews complaining that there are "2 drum tracks" - they total less than 2 minutes, and they blended into the rest of the album to the point that I didn't even notice they were separate tracks. Not in a rush to seek out more by fIREHOSE but perfectly happy with the listen I've just had. Solid 3.
Never heard of them, but I like them! Kind of a proto vampire weekend
Okay, fun. Stoked that I was introduced to this. 3.5
Pretty good and unique album. Kind of sounds like a mix of The Minutemen and The Meat Puppets. A lot of groovy bass lines. In My Mind, What Gets Heard, Liberty for our Friend, Time With You, and Understanding are all really good songs. There's a lot of experimentation going on here though, leading to dull parts. Not really a positive or negative here, but songs just abruptly end a lot. Just a random observation there. I can see this album getting better the more you listen to it, but it's a solid 3 off the bat.
Good
2.7
old timey rock. im more of a 2000s rock but im still curious enough to want to listen to this a bit more (and thank god i did, cause this one got some beats on it). songs are very short in this album. In My Mind intro got a stank face just from listening to all those instruments. Overall 3 (in a good way)
Reminds me of what I liked at 14
A rather short album in spite of having more than a dozen songs. Nothing stands out greatly, but the energy is there. I bet they are better live (as in the flash, not a live album). 7/10
kind of feeling a firm 3. Not bad, but I am not sure at all why this is on the list. Relatively boring album though the tunes are decent.
Krijg dit album direct na Tina Turner. Dan hoor je wel een kwaliteitsverschil. Ik kom van een doordacht, tot op de puntjes uitgewerkt album, dat zijn respect ruimschoots verdiend heeft en beland nu op een album dat vooral een band met potentie laat horen. En het is niet eens een debut. Het is best aardig af en toe. Maar dat is het dan ook. Waarom moet iedereen dit nou weer horen? Ga gewoon eens naar je lokale poppodium voor een streekbandje. En je hebt waarschijnlijk dezelfde kwaliteit en meer plezier. 2,5 ster.
IndIe aF
I like the bass and drums. In my mind is my favorite track. Also liked what gets heard and some things. Reminds me a little of moe, more Ike Moe is like them I guess
Different
Seemed to be a good album, especially on the back end. But I did not have a chance to give it as much of a review as I'd wanted. I might return to it some day.
2.5 stars. Short (30 min run time) early alt-rock with a folky feel. Experimental punk/jazz sounds (a la The Minutemen) that understandably never got popular but is an interesting bit of history, if not a super grabbing album. Standout is "Time With You".
Du rock avec des bonnes instru
C'est sympa, sans plus
A bit of a shame that this album came so close to the Minutemen album--I think I would have enjoyed this more without having just heard a longer and more dynamic and rougher (in a good way) version just a few albums ago. Ed Crawford does an admirable job filling in D. Boon's sizeable shoes, and I liked it that they clearly had branched out by this album away from just ersatz Minuteman stylings, although the hooky jazz/rhythm aspects are still there, thankfully, but this time in a much more folk/indie oriented cast. Some of the more quirky tracks midway through kind of reminded me of a great Portland band from around the same time, Slack, which of course made me wish Slack could have taken fIREHOSE's place, but I know that's not fair to this album or band. A largely entertaining album overall, though, and nice to see/hear that Mike Watt found his groove after D. Boon's death, and kudos to Ed Crawford for orchestrating this comeback and getting to play with his idols for several years, plus a great ending track to the album ("The softest hammer", very Jane's Addiction-esque).
A little too rambly jangly for me but they are solid.
An interesting listen. Surprising at every moment. I enjoy an album with so much on it. That being said there wasn’t any single track that stood out for me.
First half felt too 80's cheesy rock to me. Got better the second half of the album when it felt more 70's.
Nice mesh of styles for the late 80s/early 90s with a Midwest chip on its shoulder. These guys were tight in their playing and succinct songwriting made it a nice commute listen. Grooves, folk, and abrasive stabs kept the attention on point. However, as an album statement it was a little forgettable in the noise. Probably won’t come back to it much.
Album 39 Top 3 favorites off the album: In My Mind, Time With You, Vastopol Initially read the title pronounced as you would Pinocchio. Realized it was From Ohio. Stared at a wall for a minute. Moved on. Goooo Midwest!!!! I think I've heard them before? They feel so familiar. Didn't expect that. After the first tune, the feeling went away. After a second partial listen, I think they reminded me of REM. I was surprised by the funk in some of the tracks. Excellent work on the bass in general. This was a good album!
Bien mais clairement pas dans le top 1000
This album was not bad, but not super. Compared to last week’s albums it seems great though. Lyrics were ok, but music play was solid.
It didn’t trip my trigger
they kinda reminded me of Squeeze. enjoyed the music, vocals were "meh". still best album we've had in a very long run of super bland listens. 3.5 stars
They sound like REM and then later sound like Grateful Dead. Interesting stuff here and probably needs another full listen from me.
Not bad. Sounded a lot different than I expected to based on the year/artwork.
An interesting album and not something I would have chosen to listen to, but am glad I did. Love the energy and expression.
the first few secs had me thinking this was going to go a completely different way but it was very 80s and fun 6.5/10
I don't know, pretty meh album for nowadays' standards because it seems a little bit too little is going on, although I feel like this was also the case when this album came out. If it was released 20 years earlier, it would've maybe been pretty big, but I feel like this just is not that exciting.
I remember one or two of these tracks from back in the day. Ironically when playing it was followed by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet which I enjoyed much more.
The most 3 star album that ever was. Perfectly listenable, if completely forgettable. The bluesy parts were nice. I recollect no choruses or lyrics.
Total background alt-rock music. Seemed nice but totally forgettable.
jangly, boring college rock. 2.5 rounding up.
This band has come up in random playlists for me so it was nice to hear and read up on context here. Interesting to hear how their sound shifted from The Minutemen.
Nice bass rifts
Hadn’t heard of them but liked it. Late eighties, early nineties indie sound with some solid writing. Could have easily played this in college radio at the time.
Weirdly before its time.
I was curious to hear this as I've heard of the legend of fIREHOSE but never heard them, and also because I too am (famously) Fromohio. And I currently live about 20 miles from where the rest of the band started in San Pedro. I was expecting something more punky like Husker Du, and was not expecting a garage band level Rush vibe. Which hey man that's cool in my book.
had some good ideas Will I listen to again: 50%
Closer to a 3.5. Fun album.
Mike Watt is just different. I'm sure independent critics think this is the greatest album of all time... next to the other albums you've never heard. This album is ok. It's listenable and there are some good songs but nothing spectacular. Wasn't really any songs that I thought "Oh, I need to play that one again."
I have never heard of this band before. Album is fine. Sounds good but not really hooked.
meh
Forward thinking and expansive album for 1989. Great experience for the challenge, but what came after i find to be much better. Thanks firehose for breaking the nu wave punk mold and allowing some midwest emo and garage rock to gain a foothold in american music.
Came across as good improv jamming, quite a tidy unit and pretty good
Slightly less spazzy, slightly less weird than the Minutemen. If nothing else, it’s evidence that good things can still come after a tragedy.
51/100. A pretty forgettable ride. Feels like a conveyor belt of mid-tempo punky alt rock tracks that never really lift off. Nothing offensive, but also nothing that sticks. Just kinda there.
on peut pas vraiment faire plus basique, c'est pas mauvais mais pas transcendant
En vrai sympa, chaque instrument a eu son moment de gloire mais c’était un peu trop freaky par moment
The band name looks familiar. Definitely have not listened to them. Don't even know what they're about. Noticing this is a late 80s release, I actually thought these guys were from today and were an indie-pop-dance type of band. way off. Interesting rock band.
À la fois catchy, mais expérimental également parfois, groupe inconnu mais qui mérite plus!! 3-/5
Ihan kiinnostava ja ei missään nimessä ylipitkä. 3.5/5, ehkä tsekkaan bändin muuta tuotantoa.
ja ganz cute but nothing special either. 3.5.
Overall pretty decent Alt Rock record.
I was happy to see the album length and song durations. This sounds like some other stuff on this list, parts reminded me of Kings of Leon. Also they have like 20k listeners on Spotify.
Fine
very average
Unique album, Ok, not much theme to it, some toe tappers. I liked the vibes of “in my mind”. Very Simon & Garfunkel meets vampire weekend song.
Well after a quick little search to see wtf this even is im surprised it didnt do all that much for me in the end. The minutemen are hands down the best new to me thing ive found from this site. No questions asked. I have not stopped listening to their record since I got it. But the magic isnt here for this. Don't get me wrong its still good just nowhere near the same impact. The perfectly concise songs are in a way still here but they more resemble short songs rather than quick punchy ideas. The playing is still great for sure. It just dont hit the same way in this package. I sound like i hated this but I promise I didnt. Maybe it gets better with more listens but only time will tell that one. For now its just OK
Love the Minutemen so I was a bit biased coming into fIREHOSE, and this did not disappoint, except for the pointless drum solo songs, which are throwaways. Take those 2 out and this album is a solid 3.5 / 5. BUT, I'm being fair here, they were included so they dragged the album rating down to a 3.39 / 5 stars. I do like the music and Mike Watt is really good on the bass. Nice and quick album too, 32 minutes is perfect.
I can absolutely see my 18-year-old self El-Oh-Vee-Eeee loving this—fast, funky, indie-punk energy with that college-radio looseness. Today, though, it hits more as an interesting listen than a lasting favorite. I like the spirit and the musicianship, but the songs don’t quite stick, and the jangly, jammy vibe feels more nostalgic than essential.
This sounds like if AI created a 90s band. – Some Rusted Root, some Primus, some Chili Peppers.
English 80’s ish beat
Garage / grungy feel
Meh. The Minutemen were better. I'm totally gonna forget this in two seconds.
3.5-maybe 4. It was fine, maybe would enjoy more on re-listen
3.5 I quite liked a few of the songs, kinda an indie alt vibe. Some of the songs played with tempo and vibes, like up and down, and some were just a little too weird
Not my thing at all
This was alright, really good instrumentation throughout, singing and lyrics are fine. You can definitely tell there's a Talking Heads influence here, and it was quite interesting to dig into their history a little bit and appreciate where they're coming from. Not something I'd revisit but a neat lil post punk album
3.5
A fun discovery. Exciting, compelling post-punk. Not sure how essential it is, but a good listen nonetheless.
For a punk band this was better than I expected. Less discordant and more melodic.
Didnt know this project existed.. you can see the clear line from the Minutemen to this for sure, its pretty cool. A bit hit or miss for me though, while some songs like Time With You and Some Things were great, the kind of formlessness of a lot of the songs kind of took me out of it. Some great basslines and percussion especially, but it left me wanting a bit more. Maybe i just need repeat listens
Started out promisingly enough with Riddle of the Eighties and In My Mind. Of course the bass sounds good because it's Mike Watt. And upon re-listen, I feel less harshly towards it than I did on the first go. I'm rounding up with this 3. I can appreciate the playfulness when it occurs: two different drum solo tracks, their penchant for genre-bending.: jangly power pop, anthemic 70s arena rock (The Softest Hammer), some reggae-ish vibes on In My Mind. Sure, have at it.
Eh was fine
perfectly fine
Great guitar work, good sound, but ultimately forgettable.
Being from Ohio myself, I can attest that nobody there talks about this album. I’d never heard of it until today, even being a minor fan of The Minutemen. In fact, a good pal of mine, also from Ohio, is a tremendous Minutemen fan, and even he’d never heard of this! It tracks though, since we came of age long enough after this touched down to be forgotten. It’s subtle, low-production, and doesn’t foster enough to have ‘epic legacy’ status, but it is a fun and chill listen. It makes me want to skateboard, and that’s literally something I’ve never done before. I’m glad I got to hear this album, and learn the story of the little guitarist who could, fromohio.
Bass rules, otherwise there's really not much here to talk about. Definitely didn't deserve the spot on this list.
3.5. Totally a fan of Mike Watt, one of the best bass players not many know about.
The music is great, but I don't care for the vocals. You can tell they were having fun!
Actually, not too bad at all. Never heard of them but the music is tight and funky and heaps better than many albums on the benighted list.
Good, but A little lack of style
Not sure how to feel about this. It's boring but also kinda fun at the same time, the music style changes a lot throughout the album. I kinda.... like it? 3.1
Okay album. Never heard of it before. Nothing spectacular, but was a decent listen. 3/5 Might listen again
This was dogshit at times and nice at others. Don't really know how to feel about it, might need another listen. 5/10
It was alright. Liberty for Our Friend is a great song!
6/10… 80s Indie / College Rock
Interesting
Quite forgettable
interesting album. there are some moments on here that are really great power-poppy tracks and there are lots of more noise-y, harsher tracks. i appreciated the power pop stuff more than the more rough around the edges stuff. the vocals here are kind of all over the place. sometimes they're nice and sometimes it's like they can't hold a tune. a real mixed bag.
3.5 I owned this album and heard of this band ONLY because in the Marine Corp a buddy of mine meant to buy a Firehouse (glam rock band out at the same time, a lot of radio hits). He couldn't find the one he was looking for and bought this album by mistake. He immediately said, "what is this shit!?!" and, since I was known for eclectic musical tastes, it wandered down my way. I Liked it then - still do. Note - if you're a Firehouse fan - I'm guessing this isn't your project - just sayin' but I can see why Firehose ins't for you :-P
Las intros de las primeras canciones me han dado mucha esperanza, pero en cuanto empiezan a cantar, se tuercen. Mas cojones? La verdad que cuanto mas avanza el disco mas mejora, me ha acabado soprendiedo porque me lo esperaba peor, pero al final pasa lo mismo que al principio.
Short, poppy, folky, jazzy tunes adjacent musically to Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel, but only in their low-fi folky nature, not in artistic merit. There's a laid-back approach to polish in their songs that reminds me of the feel of Pavement's recordings especially. Switching genres every song or two, there are some catchy songs here, with some unexpectedly indulgent guitar solos, crazy drum fills, and the most rushed pronunciation of the word "Liberty" you'll ever hear. Decent enough, but nothing overly interesting.
Started off great but fizzled out for me. Would not mind listening again though.
This was unmemorable and fine. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
This was fine
S'alright, decent vibes but overall pretty middling.
Kind of breezed past me. I didn't dislike it, it was just there
Yeah, OK. This isn't bad!
nOTBAD. Like a merging of early 80s indie rock like REM, The Replacements, and what not. Yet it comes at a later time and sounds different but the same - kinda the point of doing this list, no? 3.5/5
it was all right i mean it was all right
Pretty cool album. Reminds me of some older REM, but doesn’t grab me as much as they do.
This is all over the place. I was expecting a punk album. It's ok in places. Not great in others. Best song to me is Liberty for My Friend. 2.5-3 seems fair.
not bad!!
im listenin
It was really stanky (affectionate) but then half way thru it got stinky (derogatory in this case).
Another pretty random inclusion on the list (almost every song on Spotify had less than 100k listens). However, I enjoyed it and found it to be unique and interesting. A cool blend of different genres. 6/10 (3/5)
Wow what a find didn't even hear of them before while Watt seems to have played with almost every name of that era..
This is definitely one of those records where 'you had to be there to get it'. I feel like this is something I missed out on, or just briefly passed by in the record store while my buddy was looking for some Firehouse in the late 80's. I like it, and I am sure there will be future listens to improve my appreciation.
This was fine. 3
Rock. This is one of those albums that sounds perfectly fine when you’re listening to it but once it’s over, you can’t remember a single thing about it.
Bang average. 3 stars
The quality here is wildly inconsistent. Parts of this are good. But other parts fall off pretty hard.
271125 15:16 3 / highlights: in my mind, time with you
Funky
It’s unique, in a way that I like. But I don’t love it.
Got some cool bass/drum grooves. Not gonna jump to listen again but would be happy enough if someone stuck it on.
Some cool moments and a really good drummer. Nothing too exciting but quite enjoyed the bits I paid attention to.
There is more to this band then meets the ear. At first they seem a little hap-hazard and simple but if you really give this album a listen, it has depth and talent all around. Feel like these guys influenced Claypool from Primus with the odd-dark bass and ranting on some tracks (like "What Gets Heard"). A quick and easily digestible 31 min album. I'll check out some of their other records and maybe even their founding fathers the Minutemen. Fromohio gets a 2.9 star rating.
Pretty run of the mill indie rock album from what I could tell. It wasn't bad, but at the same time I'm not sure what it did to land on this list. It didn't do anything really unique, and while that isn't a necessary point of entry I'm wondering what the author saw in this to differentiate it from countless other indie acts. Not sure I'll ever find out but there are many worse ways to spend 30 minutes than listening to Fromohio. 2.63 stars
Classic tunes from the spigot.
nice. first time listening impressed
+ In My Mind
Surprisingly I liked this one. It was nice to have on in the background.
definitely makes sense these are guys from minutemen. A little more pop appeal in the songwriting for better or worse
Minutemen were better
It’s kinda fun. So is ping-pong, nachos, and Ryan Reynolds. But only in small doses. Not a daily player.
not bad! really good bass lines!
Musically interesting and well-written in parts, though I’m still not totally sure why he’s held in as high regards as he is. 3.5/5
It felt like old school rock in the 80’s, some tunes were good but a lot repetitive at times.
Good, but not as good as Minutemen. Unclear if this album should be on this list.
fun little album i enjoyed
Nice sound but samey after a while
The album features some nice instrumentals, vocals are slightly lacking. Overall, not bad. I would not have found this on my own but will not return to it. 3/5
Didn’t mind this. Some decent tunes and a nice runtime. Maybe something lacking to drag it out of the three though. Simpsons: No
The only way to describe this is as an inoffensive middle-of-the-road album.
Very fun sounding, especially in the first 2 tracks. Tracks to Track: In my Mind, Riddle of the Eighties
OK. Lots of guitar
First 2 songs were really good died down a bit afterwards though
3.5 08.07.2025
Nothing wrong with it just don’t really get why it’s on here
Pretty decent group, but nothing overly special. 2.5 I will round up.
Shout out to the rust belt
meh
Interesting….
This was better than expected. I'd listened to some album by firehose before and thought it was just screechy, maybe punk-folk. This was much better. Production is better and the singer has rounded off some of the shriekier bits. Mike Watt is a great bass player, no doubt. This seems like what an REM and Meat Puppets collab might sound like in their early days. No album really Needs a drum solo, definitely not two!
Nice album pretty uplifting. Maybe not memorable much, but I won't delete it.
This album feels a bit wacky and I'm here for it.
Sounded like a jam session between friends, which was charming in a way. It was fine, I enjoyed it but didn’t love it
This one straddles the 2/3 line for me. Some songs are classic 80s sound and enjoyable. Others are mindless and immediately unlikable and forgettable. Really inconsistent theme to this album.
That was an album of music
First listen
Sounds nostalgic even though it's new to me. Like something I would have listened to in high school or college. Not bad.