Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Stark start! Det händer ganska mycket och det känns som det testas lite olika saker, men det är väl inte ovanligt för Post-Punken som jag förstår det. Jag gillar soundet dom lägger fram. Första låten ('Definitive Gaze') har en återkommande melodi från en synt (antar jag) som är riktigt i min smak. Bitvis kanske det blir en aning "körigt" för min smak, där "körigt" betyder att det endast skriks och spelas hårt. Men å andra sidan finns det värre saker än det, hyfsat genomgående har musiken ändå en framåtkänsla, även under "köret". Känslan att stå och stampa på samma ställe når mig aldrig riktigt men vad det är som ger mig den känslan kan jag inte ge ett säkert svar på. Kanske är det för att den variationen jag nämnde tidigare också gör att det inte känns repetetivt? Musik som ger mig denna känsla kan jag i alla fall tycka är väldigt medryckande! Det slängs in lite sliriga gitarrsolon här och var. Inte det bästa jag hört kanske, men ändå oftast ganska passande med resten av bilden som låtarna målar upp. En låt som jag inte riktigt förstår mig själv på är 'The Great Beautician In The Sky'. Först tänkte jag att "äe fan vad oinspirerat och sämst", men sen hände något och det blev plötsligt intressant lyssning. Från en sekund till en annan förändras låten helt och hållet och jag börjar plötsligt gilla låten. Men det sjuka är att det är första delen jag känner mer värme kring, den som jag till en början tyckte var tråkig. Fattar ingenting. En sida sak om soundet är att det ibland påminner mig lite om BD, vilket såklart inte är en dålig sak att göra. Bäst: Tror öppningslåten 'Definitive Gaze'.
It was ok - a bit samey, hasn’t really made an impact.
Fun art-punk with a lot of energy. At times they sound like someone put The Clash and Talking Heads in a blender. I definitely enjoyed the first few tracks the most.
I really dig the experimental sounds in the first track. The weird panned reverby piano is super cool. I like how it also doesn't linger too long and doesn't stray TOO far from it's original sound. It goes back pretty quickly to the regular track. "Burst" is great and sounds like an edgy Bowie song. Even more so when you get to the end of the track and hear that great haunting repeating fade out. "Motorcade" has a super impressive guitar solo. I really like how foreign and otherworldly it sounds. Hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it does to get this.. I think it's just playing an arpeggio that is in a different key than the rest of the track. That's really unique and right up my alley. I love the pace of "The Light Pours Out Of Me". I think most rock albums should have at least one track like this on it. It's a nice change of pace with a meandering drum and guitar part that just hangs out and lets the vocalist do their thing. Good position in the flow of the album too. Enjoyed this album. The edgy Brit rock sound isn't always my favorite but I had a lot to like in this one.
I had never heard of Magazine before. I thought it was above average, has a unique sound, though there were hints of other bands sprinkled throughout, like Queen and Bowie. "Shot By Both Sides" was my favorite track. I wish Apple Music labeled the album as the extended version, as I prefer to listen to just the original for these ratings, and that version had four bonus tracks.
Yes. Banging. Interesting. The light pours out of me.
Great 70s rock. Pleasantly gnarly
Interesting & surprising. Got me hook line and sinker. A bit rough around the edges, but a good thrash. Favourite Track for me was: My Tulpa
Interesting. I can't really see it catching on. But has taken up a bit of time in this flight, so I guess it's all good.
Yeah, I liked this
It’s alright
Post punk hasn't fared well in my ratings so far. There seem to be a lot of not very good albums in this genre. Fortunately, this isn't one of them. The songwriting and melodies are appealing. Much of the record is a bit softer and less fraught than other post punk albums. I particularly like the synths. As usual, the vocals are the weak point and this would have benefited from the band recruiting someone who could sing. Pop on a fun, female vocal and it would be almost as good as the Go-Gos. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Definitive Gaze Date listened: 22/06/23
Ongeveer de 14e keer dat ik één van de eerste post-punk albums voorgeschoteld krijg: wat zijn er daar stiekem veel van. Het zou aardige (wel wat gedateerde) muziek zijn, ware het niet dat er een aantal nogal pijnlijke keuzes op plaat zijn vastgelegd. De gitaren klinken vaak wel lekker, maar een aantal andere instrumenten zijn een beetje armzalig (met name die spooky klinkende circus synths). Qua zang is het redelijk belabberd en met vlagen zelfs kut. Een beetje dat typische postpunk/artrock ik wil klinken alsof ik er niks om geef af en toe doorgetrokken tot in het bloedvervelende. Op track 7 loopt de zanger opeens Down-syndroom op. Er zitten wel aardige stukjes in, maar het is steeds maar kort genieten. Huismerk Bowie komt nog wel even langs op track 5, voor de liefhebbers.
I was completely unfamiliar with Magazine, so I went into this one blind. This is weird, cool, highly catchy and an absolute post punk weapon. The speed and aggression of Recoil, the spooky circus motifs of The Great Beautician In The Sky, the general implementation of synthesizers throughout, it sure had enough variety to keep me listening the whole way through. Definitely among my favourite post-punk records I've heard so far. Favourite: Recoil
I had to remind myself that Howard Devoto was a founding member of the Buzzcocks and only recorded an EP with the band before forming Magazine. You can't deny they sound a bit like the Buzzcocks, but more new wave sounding rather than punk. The keyboards and more pop oriented sound help distinguished themselves from the Buzzcocks and they released an impressive debut. When I heard them years ago, it didn't do much for me, but listening now, I like it a lot more than previously.
Proto-post-punk, diggable.
Nothing special. On its own, this would be a two star album at most, but since it has no business being on a list of essential albums, I'm giving it one star.
Fine but not inspiring. I didn't have the history/nostalgia to go along with it so that might have made a bit of a difference. I got big Franz Ferdinand vibes from a few of these tracks which was interesting given the amount of time in between when this record was released in the late 70s and when FF came out in mid-2000s.
Fine
Not a big fan of this one. Mostly the lead singers voice and instrumentation always had something that turned me off. It wasn't awful, just always something that made an otherwise good song not that enjoyable to listen to and kind of grating. I really don't think the synth work fit in with the music in particular. Standout Tracks: Recoil, The Light Pours Out of Me, Touch and Go* * 'Touch and Go' doesn't look like it was actually on the original release, which is too bad. It's definitely my favorite song of any on the album.
6th June 2023 Listened on the way to meeting Harry at the Park Theatre to see Shape of Things. Enjoyed this, moody and edgy indie punk record. 3.5 if I could.
Awful
Meh. Not bad, but also not great. I never heard of this band or album before, and they're OK. 3/5
big shrugs sorta new wave punk. there have been 3 other bands on this list that sound basically the same and honestly not really my jam
This is excellent
Energetic, a landmark new wave album. Howard Devoto was at his peak here.
Only listened to half of the album. I didn't hear too many singles. I'm not a deep-tracks guy. So I'm lame.
One of my favorite albums from one of my favorite genres. You love to see it. Only 9 songs and 40 minutes and no dull moment to be found. "Definitive Gaze", "Motorcade", "Parade", and of course "Shot By Both Sides" and "The Light Pours Out Of Me". It makes me want to clap my feet together like a baby. Nutbuster Ultimate. The better proggy post-punk 70s album between this and Marquee Moon, although I owe Marquee Moon an apology for giving it a 2/5 and calling it "generic" - I was a stupid ass.
Short and intense.
Worthless like all post-punk
I really enjoyed the first song, and the 2nd was alright as well, but after that, and especially from the second half of the album it just got worse and worse
Great. Love "Shot by Both Sides." Definitely feel that nihilism and how it rubbed off on bands such as the Manic Street Preachers and Mansun.
Wow, they are so cool, "Shot by both sides" is epic!
Spiky brilliance.
2.5
probably really different and cutting edge when it was released. now (shot form both sides aside) it sounds fairly tired.
🪭
It's pretty bad, but in this case that's a good thing.
New wave. Ni fu ni fa.
2.5/5
Pas si mauvais que ce que cette ignoble pochette laissait entendre.
Par pitié qu'on ramène une cargaison de coke à Robert, rien ne va plus depuis qu'il est sorti de cure de désintox.
Meh
My first impression of this album is that it predicts early 2000s British alternative rock. It incorporates electronic elements, garage rock influences, and surf rock elements to create dark theatrical music. The guitar work is very melodic, but the album also showcases a sparseness and bleakness that sounds like Joy Division like at times. Other moments sound almost like circus music. The use of mirroring the vocal melody in the instrumentation also stood out to me.
Pós punk que me agradou pelo instrumental e não incomodou pelo estilo do vocal. Valeu conhecer.
blegh
It's your typical post-punk affair, and a little bit derivative. That's the downside of being a genre pioneer, you spearhead an entirely new sound only to get left behind by those you influenced. Oh well. I'm sure this is still fantastic to post-punk enthusiasts. Personally, would've enjoyed the record better if it leaned more into the weirdness of The Great Beautician in the Sky.
OK. Middle of the road.
First song instrumental kinda cool, vocals a little over dramatic for me. I can’t say I’m rocking with it. On “My Tulpa” the vocals definitely sound more at home, nvm “you can touch yourself anytime” is a weird thing to be repeating. “Shot by Both Sides” has a cool instrumental, but it’s he vocal style still ruins it for me. Vocals can be bad in an earnest and endearing way, but the lyrics and tone here are giving pretentious. Maybe he’s trying to do like a David Bowie thing? It also sounds like a cartoon vampire voice? Is this what WLR sounds like to people who don’t like it? Fans of this band must have been absolutely insufferable at an open mic night. Or like the edgy goth kid in a theater class that thinks being dark and moody makes something inherently more deep. The dissonant melodies on Parade are really cool, but again I just can’t get past the vocals here. I really like a lot of the instrumentals, but that just makes me so much more frustrated with the vocals for ruining each song for me. 👍: the instrumentals 👎: the vocals Cover art: 6/10 again the logo here seems weirdly off centered
I see why this would be on a list for influential albums cuz this is straights 80s post punk before that genre was invented. The instrumentals are the highlight of the album. The singing and lyrics are weird af but I can see why some people would get into that kind of sound. Good mix of tracks too with some fast paced buzzcocks type punk songs thrown in with the keyboard heavy songs. I’m hesitant to give this anything higher than a 3 cuz I only got to listen to it one time through but it’s a 3 I’m wanting to listen to again.
Better than Hüsker dü, I fucked with a few tracks like definitive graze and touch and go
Loved the dark sound on this one def gonna be listening to this one a bunch. Pretty good album with great energy. The first coupled of tracks were a little meh but it really picked up.
Created a pretty cool dark atmosphere. First 3 tracks were some bangers then kinda all fell together for me. I liked it. Another high 3 for me. Heard before: none 😄😄: shot by both sides, definitive gaze 😟: beautician in the sky starts with 3 minutes of carnival music but the second half kinda grew on my ngl. If the rest of the album didn’t already do it, this song is 100% guaranteed to scare the hoes
It's just okay. Not feelin' it!
Decent album. Somewhat jarring. Not 100% certain what to make of it. Might explore further.
114 (generated) / 447 (rated - 2024 May 20) first impressions: You know when you can tell something was supposed to sound "futuristic" but now sounds super dated? This is what the first songs sound like to me. At least the synths / keys. The vocals are extremely...British. The drums do sound somewhat oddly modern but I don't think they were part of the theme. This definitely feels like like one of those weird transition albums that bridge more definable sounds of eras (this one is like...somewhere between New York Dolls and Talking Heads) after listening through: It got better as the album went on. or maybe I just got used to it. post-reading reviews/wiki: I'm impressed with how good I've gotten at guessing recording dates for albums from the 60s-80s through this project. recommended for: People who want to understand the origins of New Wave.
Arty post punk from the man who ditched the pop-punkiness of the Buzzcocks, though a couple of the tracks are still co-writes with Shelley. Occasionally fun, quite often arch. Best Tracks: Definitive Gaze; Shot By Both Sides; Recoil
Pretty innovative for 1978. "My Tulpa", "Motorcade", and "The Great Beautician...." were the standouts. This was a pretty damn good album that has aged very well.
Idk, this was just okay.
bad
Not my thing
Punk, before punk was punk.
What a great album. Musically, the arrangements are idiosyncratic, well crafted and smarter than you might expect. Howard Devoto takes what he learned in the Buzzcocks and builds on that with echoes of Bowie, Iggy, Roxy Music. That said, this is very much the band's own sound, foundational to post-punk and one that probably launched a hundred bands. Devoto is also an impressive vocalist in a sly kind of way. He's all at once snotty, menacing and playful in a way few singers can pull off. Fave Songs: Burst, The Light Pours Out of Me, Definitive Gaze, Motorcade, Recoil, The Great Beautician in the Sky
Weird and wonderful.
fine, as far as post punk goes
Music was really moving at the speed of light in the UK in the late seventies. Released June 1978 only 9 months after Never Mind... and it sounds like punk is already in the rear view mirror. Sharp Shot (a legacy track from the Devoto/Shelley Buzzcocks) is both the best track and untypical of the rest of the album in its guitar thrash. Elsewhere it's jagged rhythms, Barry Adamson's moody bass, keyboards and shining through the first sighting of John Mcgeogh's luminous guitar work. An amazing album, and great though the other three Magazine albums are (until the first split) they would not recapture the consistency and quality of songwriting on here.
Honestly this sounded like generic late 70s punk rock. Didn't find much special with it - wasn't horrible, but nothing jumped out at me. It actually started out ok but seemed to take a weird turn towards the middle before returning to a better sound towards then end. 5/10.
I never thought that synthy punk can be this good.
I don't get what Real Life is meant to be, none of it works. Some of it is instrumental only and I'm not sure if that's good or bad given the singer can't sing. 1.
This is just not very good. The guy has a punk voice, but tries to sing in a way that only works if you have a much better one. The songs aren't particularly musically or lyrically interesting, and it doesn't have the energy and pace you need to carry a voice like that. 2/5.
Epic
Post-punk with heavy leanings into punk and some goth sprinkled in. Not bad but nothing wowing me. Favorite track: "Recoil"
1 or 2 stars. I like punk but this isn't even good. Didn't finish.
I feel like this one will keep growing on me. It's going on my playlist, but so far the only 2 that stood out were Burst and Shot by Both Sides. 6.5/10
I honestly didn’t expect this to be that good. I think I’ll have to listen to it again but seriously think this could become another favorite if I listen to it more.
This album is kind of all over the place in an interesting way. I hear Sabbath, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash. All pretty good stuff. Don't know that I'll listen again, but a pretty good listen overall.
This goes HARD
Solid
I go back and forth with this one, and with Howard in general.
A milestone for post-punk, with an adventurous spirit that goes way beyond the punk/"new wave" template of those times. The song topics, the melodies, the arrangements... Everything is terrific here. Some parts of those tunes are a little off-kilter, of course, but that's unavailable when you go wild like that. And most of them are instantly memorable anyway, as weird as they are. If only for "Shot By Both Sides" and its soaring guitar hook or "Definitive Gaze" and its bizarre synth line, along with "Motorcade" and the epic anthem "The Light Pours Out Of Me", this record deserves to be on this list. A quick aside: some key Radiohead members have repeatedly stated how this band had been a pivotal one for their musical upbringing. And if you delve a little into certain details, you can quickly understand why... *Magazine* was one of the very first productions by John Leckie, by the way. Yep, the same guy who would aptly produce *The Bends* later. It's always fun to point out connections between the albums in this list, is it not? Number of albums left to review: 652 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 175 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 83 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 96
I think it's safe to say that, had Howard Devoto decided not to leave The Buzzcocks and stayed put, post-punk most likely would have never existed. Featuring Devoto's expressive talk-singing, the spiky angular guitar of the incomparable John McGeogh, the equally incomparable bass masterwork of Barry Adamson and the drum/keyboard combinations of the awesomely named Dave Formula and Martin Jackson, the aptly titled Real Life draws from the very blueprint lain out for other aspiring bands to follow that looked to equal or better what was in front of them, with songs that burst (no pun intended) through with it's spiraling five plus minute lengths (verboten in the punk world) and a sense of structure that left no room for snarl and spit. A great, often overlooked, debut that signaled the beginning of startling developments in late 70s Britain and it wouldn't have been possible without the talents of Magazine.
Really good, catchy album
I do not like these vocals and weird circus melodies. I do not like them, Sam-I-am
Spooky, circus vibes. Realizing that “classic punk” is pretty hit or miss for me, and this was a miss
Solid instrumentals but I couldn’t get behind some of the lyrics. I should give this another chance sometime
Voe vittu.. muutama kappale kuunneltuna ja tuntuu vitoselta.. Mutta miksi? Mikä saa minut antamaan vitosen? Mikä saa minut edes käyttämään albumiarvosteluboksin, eli tämän tekstikentän täyteen oman arvosanani selittelyä, julistuksia siitä mitä annan albumille? Oma saamattomuuteni albumin arvostelijana. Eli työn palkattomuus. Hauskuutan itseäni numeroilla, minulla ei ole mitään muuta elämässäni kuin vain nämä numerot, ne ovat tärkeitä minulle. Muistan nämä numerot, ja ne ovat tärkeitä minulle, pidän niitä lähelläni, ne ovat aktiivisen työn takana, sillä muisti ei ole mitään kovalevy tilaa, jota ei tarvitse kirjoittaa kirjoittamisen jälkeen, siitä on pidettävä kiinni. Muisti on aktiivista, ja se kuluttaa paljon energiaa, se on jatkuva prosessi. Mutta nämä numerot ovat minulle tärkeitä. Mitä ne numerot tarkoittavat, en tiedä. Keskiarvo pitää vain pysyä pitkällä tähtäimellä, ja nyt sen pitää pudota mutta pitkällä tähtäimellä supeta, supeta kolmepistenollanollaan, vaikka numerot eivät normaalijakaumaa toteutakkaan. Ja tärkeä asia: Jokaisen albumin numero on muistettava ja se on suhteutettava ja harmiteltava on myös, jos olisi sattunut käymään poikkeama objektiivisuudesta, huh onneksi niin ei ole käynyt.. heh.. näenhän maailman totena ja oikeana, havaintoni eivät tiedosta subjektiivisyyttä... ne ovat.. havaintoja.. Onko art rock anomalia joka saa minut väläyttämään vitoskorttia? - Noh, vastasin minä. Onhan taide suhteellista, ja poikkeavat työt voivat poiketa huonoonkin suuntaan, jatkoin. Mutta tänne valitut työt ovat "parasta A ryhmää" niinkuin kummelissakin sanotaan, vaikkei tässä 1001 albumi kontekstissa sanotakkaan. Eh, nyt menee kiusalliseksi, Onko kaikki art rockilla leimatut albumit tuomittu tippumaan summary osioon komeilemaan? Eih vastasin, kun päätin että jos tässä ei olla pysytty 70 luvulla, vaan vaikkapa 80 luvulla, saa albumi 4:sen. Sitten kuuntelin, ja sanoin yhtä uhmakkaasti: Jos Ei PERKELE Tälläistä Ole Saatu Aikaan 80- Luvulla, Vaan 90 lukuun on tämän tekeminen jäänyt artisteille taakaksi, on se häpeä, ja albumi saa minun kirjoissani, numeroissani, niitä joita muistelen, noh albumi saisi vain 3 tähteä.. heh.. Tämä siksi että se tekisi hyvää numeroille. Ennen tuomioita ja säätämääni lakia arvostelulle, muistin kuitenkin että albumi olisi vuodelta 1978, joten oikeudenkäynti oli corrupt, eli suomeksi korrupti. (heh tiesin et 70 luku albumi heh) Musiiikista voi sanoa sen, että todella hankala sijoittaa mihinkään aikakauteen, tämähän on hyvä asia. Oikeastaan se jää yhden lempi artistini, Jarren jutuissa vaivaamaan. Hän uurasti hyvin paljon. Painava taakka vetänä.. Obelix konsanaan.. Hyvä muistaa keneltä Roger Waters kysyi nimmaria ihmisoikeusjuttuunsa.. Jarre! Jarre!... Turkkilainen tomittaja vankilassa keissi..Jarre antoi.. Jarre onnistunut tekemään musiikkia joka saa jotkut ihmiset sanomaan, että musiikki kuullostaa siltä, kuin se olisi tehty tulevaisuudessa.. hauskaahan tämä on objektivistin silmissä. Verrattuna Jarreen tämä oikeasti hämää vaikka heh.. satuin tietämään aikakauden vahingossa.. MUTTA SANA KÄY, TOTUUS SOI SUUSTA, EI EHKÄ YHTÄ SEKAVASTI, sekavasti kuin tämä albumi soi mutta, olenhan oikeuden säilö. Numerot ovat totuus, ja objektia, eli objektiivisuus tässä ja nyt, aina ja ikuisesti. Aamen.
A punk masterclass! Brilliant album from start to finish that dared to break out of the mire that punk had become.
Why is it that what would otherwise be interesting music, is so often ruined by the artists not considering that the human voice is as much an instrument to be mastered as any other musical instrument. The technical musicianship is outstanding here, except for the vocals which are of pre-school incompetence and thereby ruin the whole thing. The progressive/avant garde bands that really succeeded were those that paid attention to the vocals, or, if they lacked the vocal skills, stuck with instrumental music. A good effort thoroughly ruined.
I bet this is English punk or new wave, straight off the bat. Yep. Same annoying sound and production as all the rest. Wanted to be artsy. First song wasn't too bad but just got worse as it went, which was far too long, incidentally. Overall? Garbage. 2/5
Excellent, loved the buzzcocks, so this was a really enjoyable listen.
Some early post-punk in a similar vein as Television. There's a sort of prog-adjacent style to their songwriting which makes Magazine's sound pretty unique, but I don't think it entirely lands for me. There are some great songs on here but the whole thing was just fine. Not bad.
bien owo diría que 7/10
Heftig…
Prima, heb wel het gevoel als 1 op de 3 albums punk is. Beetje griezelig ofzo deze keer
Weer zo’n weinig zeggend post punk album, wil nu wel eens wat anders
I enjoyed this album much more than I expected to, however, the vocals ruined it for me. Whilst the instrumentation made for an interesting and quirky listen - the flat vocals made everything sound the same. Shame really, it could have been great.
Really enjoyed this post punk goodness, the Light Pours Out Of Me is especially a banger. Solid 4
punk rock yes!!
This was cool. Not punk like I thought it was going to be. I even enjoyed the singers slightly different voice.
Might be worth revisiting
4.5
As far as our late 70s early 80s post punk new wave albums go this one actually hit the spot
For a band that’s considered one of the best post-punk bands, in a genre that was supposed to be really groundbreaking in the 80s… this sure sounds a lot like what Syd Barrett was doing in the early 60s
This was fine. 2.8
Kiinnostavaa hieman psykehtävää rockia
Can tell it's almost the 80s
Speciale sound. Moeilijk om een etiket op te plakken, maar wel leuk om te luisteren
Great music to pogo to
3.5
i was definitely kinda excited when it opened up, but this album doesn’t really go anywhere or have much to say. weird that someone would le an the buzzcocks to make something even more droning. definitely not a creative post-punk record looking back at it, but i guess it could’ve meant a lot at the time.
there is a lot of only so-so new wave/punk on this list. meh i get that this was 1978 so it's a tad early but it doesn't do anything better nor does it set up a path for its later contemporaries. meh, again
👎👎👎 I disliked strongly. The voice and the lyrics? The lyrics were just weird and annoying and his voice didn’t distract me from them. The music was mediocre and everything else was no.
So many thoughts in just the first 3 minutes here - I love how the album starts - the musical introduction in "Definitive Gaze" - but then the vocals start and ...GAK. It just doesn't seem to match at all for me - at first I'm thinking this is gonna be a cool art-rock maybe moving slightly into a light-proggy realm but now is it punk?? and if so why? Which would be fine I suppose but for me the snotty vocals are ruining what could have been an interesting project. Even just sticking with this opening cut - the dissonance of the breakdown/bridge even has a touch of some Joe Jackson or other advanced new wave. The track would have been a great instrumental. ... Ehh a funny thing happened along the way though after writing those live-ish thoughts. ...I kind of got used to the vocals. And.... hmm. Do I actually kind of *like* this?? It's weird. Kind of wonderfully weird in parts. Not all songs are equal of course :P - there's some throwaway material that just didn't develop into good songs (e.g. "Parade") and the overt punkish songs is just not my bag. After 5-6 minutes I was convinced I was going to give this a 1 or 2 but the weirdness wins out. Holy hell this isn't for everyone and my family was ready to kill me while this was playing but the high points are much more melodic than I'd have expected. I might sneak this in from time to time. 6/10 3 stars.
Pretty good
Never heard of Magazine before today, and apparently it was for good reason. This was a weird album. Magazine is a new wave/post punk band from the UK, formed by Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks. Howard can't sing for shit, the music feels Unfinished and lyrics are nonsensical. Not a big fan of this band or album. Definately won't listen again. Favourite song: Shot by Both Sides, My Tulpa Least favourite songs: The Great Beautician in the Sky, Burst, The Light Pours Out Of Me, Motorcade, Parade 2/5
This is a fun album to listen to, but not as memorable as similar albums of the time. The songs blend together after getting only a little bit into the album. They failed to create something as inspiring as their contemporaries, like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned, created time and time again. I'd listen to them again, but not for inspiration. 3/5
Unlike Orange Juice (see 419) this is, for good and for bad, post-punk in sensibilities and outcomes. Which is to say, lest nihilistic but just as (perhaps more) ambitious than punk. "The Light Pours Out Of Me" is the clear highlight; enthusiasm counts for more that songwriting chops 5 days out of 7, so the slightly repetitive vibe of most of this album can be excused on the grounds that the vibe isn't a bad one.
Oh yay another punk album. This one was fine I guess. Whatever
Having listened to Dub Housing by Pere Ubu right before this, there must have been something happening in music in 1978. The new wave thing they are doing sounds so breathtaking. It's just catchy enough to let you in, and then slaps you on the face and you like it, dammit.
Up there with Wire as far as post punk pioneers go. I enjoy everything about their sound.
I remember hearing "Shot By Both Sides" on the radio I believe, it's a fun post-punk song for sure. The rest are decent songs but overall not as good as that one. Not bad though.
Some weird post punk stuff
I love New Wave. Some interesting sounds here. Synth, energy and passion.
Du vrai bon post-punk, album de qualité
Pretty boring then you hear a good song and think it's getting better. Then they spoil it with a track like Parade. Get a singer with a decent voice ffs! Boring and annoying. Never heard of them back in the day. Wasn't missing anything.
4'5 👌
I had never heard this album before. I was aware of many of the songs through their live album; Play which I think is underrated. Difinitive Gaze, Shot By Both Sides, Recoil and The Light Pours Out of Me are all great tunes. Howard Devoto's voice is an acquired taste, but to me it fits his songs beautifully and for me its always about the song not about the individual elements, including the vocals. Its a very good album; the best studio album I've heard from Magazine. 4 stars
Not the worst punk I've ever heard 2 Might be the best punk actually 3 Ok maybe the best
Ok
Interesting punk album! Worth a few more listens
it was ok
I didn't know this one, but I liked it. It got a little over-long near the end and same-y, but there's plenty to like here. Reminded me of something like Wire. 4/5
I really like when I find something new to me that’s good, this is why I enjoy keeping up with this challenge. Solid punk that’s pretty well paced! Would definitely listen again. B
Swing and a miss. The instrumentation was cluttered and the vocals were drawn out and sloppy.
hardly anything about this was good. lyrics were quite poor, vocal performance was only marginally better than that. loses a whole point for having a fucking circus music song. 3/10
5/10. This was, perhaps, the most typical album of this list on this list. Decent British rock music with mildly interesting lyrics, a self-indulgent length, and a whiff of circus music.
I actually decently enjoyed the big single and some of the other songs, they’re just so muddy and long. 6/10
First listen. I’ve never heard of the band before, not too bad.
This album starts out really strong. It's a postpunk album with some electronic elements that were very surprising given when it was made. The album tends overall to get less interesting as it goes, which is a bit of a disappointment. It feels a bit like they started to run out of ideas. It's a bit of a bummer, but this album is worth it just for the first half 4/5
3.7 - A solid post-punk new wave sound with tinges of glam. Slinky guitar work and interesting synths. Songs tend to ramble especially in the middle. Standouts: “Shot By Both Sides”, “Burst”,
Some interesting concepts & sounds but it didn't tie together for me. It was giving "trapped in a house of mirrors while being taunted over the PA"
It was fine. Felt a bit pedestrian to me. Would not bother listening again.
This album was surprising to me that it was from 2007 and not the 70s
Definitive Gaze: if they let Gerard Way into Mario Kart My Tulpa: ska-esque Shot By Both Sides: neowestern cyberhorse chase Recoil: i dont have anything to say about this really - it justs sounds like a typical "rocky and roley" song Burst: very eighties movie opening credits Motorcade: fun song, i'm really losing steam here The Great Beautician In The Sky: clown carnival came through the boys' boarding school The Light Pours Out of Me: *gemma collins voice* this. is. serious . . . stuff. Parade: clown carnival . . . in hell! Shot by Both Sides (alternative version): crickets.. My Mind Ain't So Open: guys can you quiet down a bit pls thx Touch and Go: whoa that was so george harrison for a second. then it went back to regular Goldfinger: gold named finger:
First part is a banger and the rest feels like it’s trying very hard to be
pretty good Brit rock sound.
IDK, it's fine, I guess? Sounds a lot like what it is which is a watered-down version of Buzzcocks. Not much here, TBH.
Not for me.
This is pretty interesting…. The quirky side to the buzzcocks melody. I like it!
Forgettable album of music already included in the first edition of the book.
Surprisingly decent Post-Punk album with a few nice songs, overall though too little to get more than 3 stars
I wanted to like this. I like post-punk and I like what was going on with music in general in the late 70s, but this album just didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t dislike it but I wasn’t particularly into it, either.
Sounding like b52s with some more space and more English punk sound and of course there’s a certain way I feel about English punk
i want to love it because of the singularity and ambition but they fuck it up with a lack of great tunes and too much irony
really fucking good post-punk
Una altra mostra de la màgia creativa que va aflorar durant uns anys que no tenen comparació a la història de la música pop. 'Real Life' és un fill de la seva època, i un disc que acaba enganxat amb les escoltes. No és fàcil, però un cop et fas amb ell, entens que s'hagi convertit en un dels grans clàssics de culte del génere
Good album, I enjoyed it.
All new to me -- this band and their music -- and I enjoyed listening to this album. For a 1978 album, it sounds in some ways ahead of its time. I like how my ear sometimes hears the music as punk-flavored, more poppy, kind of rock-ish, at times even 60s garage-band-esque, a little hint of what was to come (New Wave/post-punk), and so on. Shows their creativity and range, at least to my ear. Some real energetic numbers on this album. Bet they were a lot of fun live.
Excellent post punk album. A lot to like
Gaudy, Portlandia skit level absurd but somehow still found a nitche inside my head Catchy at some points Good sound quality
Some first impressions……. All sounds like a weird bridge section Cool sounds,cool dissonances Boring vocal Melodies Would be more interesting instrumental but maybe not rhythmically cool enough to hold my interest Guitar and synth lines cool but stupid Cool phaser sounds and Cool synths, I really like the combination of tones and dig the dissonances but wish the songwriting was better Cool out guitars Out of tune bends out of tune synths and stuff 60’s psychedelic meets punk Songs and moments: Shot by shot has a great build from 3:10- 3:20
I wouldn’t listen to this again, but they put a ton of effort into these arrangements and there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on. There are some crazy synths and cool guitar moments, but the singing is a little underwhelming.
What the hell is going on with the vocals? I fucking hate this album cover as well. I actually like the music but the vocals ruin it for me. Tempo change in motorcade is cool. I want to hate this more than I do.
I can see why no one remembers them Cover art 3/5
Babger
Not as crazy about this album as many are but it doubtlessly has many great moments. ”Shot By Both Sides” is also just a banger
Real wife? Huga!
Yes please. Love the Barry Adamson/Nick Cave/Dave Graney/Siouxsie and the Banshees thread that this has formed for me. Post punk has become one of my favourite genres and this all makes a lot of sense as part of the genesis of that whole scene. Post punk is the most intriguing genre in terms of its timelessness. This could have easily been released in 2022 and been very successful (with maybe some slightly less Buzzcocks vocal stylings). Very subtle and very not tacky pre 80s synthesisers which for me is a rarity. Solid amount of shred too.
Another album that's okay, but is not special in any way. You can hear the album is heavily influences by the punk scene from Sex Pistols onwards, but the sound is more modernised, it falls at time into 'pop' shelf. In general, just a little bit before it's times. The aforementioned sound has vocals, that actually bring Sex Pistols back alive. In my opinion, same ton of voice, similar way of singing. Not really my cup of tea. Guitar work is more interesting, there is couple small gems on the album, brave solos, amusing riffs. Problem is that now, day after listening to the album, I'm not able to name any specific song. They meshed into one, rather average record and this is how I'm going to rate it.
There's some very 80s-sounding quirkiness, but these guys can really jam. The first 30 seconds were a bit offputting and I was getting ready to not like this. That quickly changed when I realized this isn't a New Wave synth album, they do seem to have some synth effects but it's a lot of great guitar riffs and driving melodies. Singer sounds halfway between Bowie and the lead singer from Blur, that took on a more heavy rock band. Overall good album, grew on me fast and kept it going pretty much to the end.
Decent album, glad I listened but not sure it will make my regular rotation.
Un bon album, pas trop punk, un peu de pop. je n'ai pas détesté l'écoute. Cependant, ces albums ne me reste pas en tête et j'ai de la misère à faire un vrai critique lorsque j'ai terminé. C'est un peu vide de nouveauté comme beaucoup d'album sur cette liste et je crois que l'époque et le contexte de l'écoute est très important pour justfier leur place sur cette liste. 3.5
I liked the ahead-of-its-time sound of this album. There are definitely interesting things going on. I like the synthesizer in "Definitive Gaze," which was a great start to things. "Recoil" feels really punk. The carnival feel of "The Great Beautician in the Sky" clashes with the slurring vocals. And I very much love their take on "Goldfinger." It did go on a bit and I didn't always love the lead vocal, but overall it was good stuff.
I previewed a couple of songs before going to bed last night. I wasn't overly impressed and expected to be kind of bored with the rest of the album today. When I started the album again this afternoon, it was much more appealing to me...kinda catchy!
Another just ok from me. Some fun pop synth sounds mixed with punk drum fills but nothing much that grabbed me.
Post-punk and I have an uneasy relationship, so I wasn’t terribly excited at this prospect. Boy was I mistaken! By my third listen I was hooked, and by now I’ve listened to this at least 5 times in a 24 hour period. These are fantastically catchy songs with witty lyrics and some incredible musicianship! Magazine is willing to play some lush piano only to transition to carnival-style synth music. I am digging this! Theres sort of a punk-new-wave-beach vibe going on, but then there are little touches of all kinds of other fun sounds. And at times I just stopped to marvel at the drummer. This is one of my favorite musical discoveries this year!
Dobar mi je bio al mi nije ostala nijedna pjesma u uhu
Čak mogu reći da je album dost esencijalan za post-punk scenu, iako sam ga "kasno" otkrio, nea veze. Pola albuma rastura, to je sigurno.
Listened Before? N This was weird and noisy. I've heard worse, but I wouldn't listen to it again. Apparently I don't like the 1970s music much. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist: Shot by Both Sides
7/1/2022 - ALBUM #155 Today's Album: "Real Life" by Magazine - The Spotify page for this album says the album came out in 2007, when in actuality it was only remastered in that year and the publisher didn't bother to change the date to the actual release date of 1978. Before I knew this, however, I thought this sounded like an actually somewhat decent 80s punk tribute band incorporating new-wave sounds into their overall aesthetic. However, once you know this album came out in the late 70s, it becomes clear how ahead of it's time some of these tracks are. The highlights here all demonstrate some of the incredible synth work that pushes this album above other punk outfits of the time just in terms of its raw sonic power. I think the problem I have with this album is not only that the vocals sort of stink, which they do even for a punk album, but it's actually how the instrumentals sort of degrade over time. There are a lot of moments in the beginning of this album where I really felt like I could look past the vocals like I do with most punk albums and enjoy the instrumentals because they were pretty solid, but by the time we get down the track list to songs like The Great Beautician In The Sky and even the closing track Parade, the instrumentals just feel really cheap and not really well thought through, which is brought down by the fact that the already pretty awful vocals are getting worse at this point as well. It really just feels like a case of a really front loaded album due to poor pacing and planning on the band's part. I really enjoy a lot of the aesthetic and sonic choices in the beginning of this album, but even the more straightforward tracks near the end just pale in comparison. Overall, this is a pretty ahead of it's time and ambitious punk rock album to come out of the 70s, but it just sort of runs out of steam by the half way point and has a hard time covering up it's technical flaws with it's aesthetic. Give this a listen if you like punk and new wave and want to hear an early example of a band trying to combine the two. Highlights: Definitive Gaze, Shot By Both Sides, Motorcade, Score: 6.5/10 An ahead of it's time punk project that gets worse as it goes on
This had an interesting vibe. Can hear the Buzzcocks energy.
A mixed-bag of an album that throws a spastic combo of Brit pop guitar, mild cheesy synths, and genre uncertainty at the wall where it doesn’t quite stick.
Great album, never heard it before, looking forward to listening to it more.
Interesting sounds
not too interesting
Good but nothing made me want to listen a second time.
Promedio. Nomas para saber
Excellent noisy post-punk.
2/3 punk and 1/3 post punk
I was hyped when I saw this come up but I think I like a bit less punk in my post-punk. Still a good listen
Was good but lacked a little umph
Some songs are rather good, makes me think of a mix of B-52s hoping for some more punk. The album itself is rather unimaginative unfortunately.
Had a few fun tracks that I bet were pretty influential when this came out.
Bit weird for me. Some good instrumentals though
I enjoy these kind of discoveries which is why I am persisting with the final 172 albums on this list. It seems this band has crossed my path before so I look forward to digging in further. Fave: Shot By Both Sides, Motorcade
This was fine, nothing hooked me but it was listenable
Mélodicamente pasable. Con reminiscencias de los 80 con algo más de guitarreo. No los conocía y me han gustado.
The keyboards on Definitive Gaze remind me of Tony Banks playing around that time. This band plays well together
Back when I lived in Ottawa, b4 I became a DJ I would tape late night CKCU FM and be thrilled when I got gems from the likes of Magazine, Teardrop Explodes or The Fall. If someone asked what I thought of those bands, I'd give them a thumbs up, based on the 2 songs I knew. On this LP, the more punk-oriented singles are respectable (and sound a bit like the Buzzcocks) and I love Howard Devoto's delivery. As the album plays on it gets more interesting and the music becomes more timeless, with songs like Motorcade/Parade and The Light Pours Out of Me.
Back in the day, local Toronto radio station had the Punk band the Buzzcocks on heavy rotation. But punk fizzled pretty quickly and it was time for something new so bandleader Howard Devoto left and formed the Post-Punk band, Magazine. This album bridges the gap between punk and new-wave nicely with a liberal dose of synths, keyboards, and guys who could actually play their instruments. Since this was their debut their sound wasn't fully fleshed out yet but they still had some good ideas, IMO The Light Pours out of me is the strongest song on the album and should have been released as the single. The rest of the album is pretty decent, but I'm really looking forward to their latter albums which feature their best music, eg Song from under the floorboards and About the weather.
Interesting stuff
I suspect Magazine are another one of those bands where a well-chosen best-of is all you really need as such, but still interesting to hear them at proper album-length.
Umslagið er ljótt. Söngurinn er talandi og óeftirminnilegur. En tónlistin sjálf er fjölbreytt, flott og skemmtileg. Á mörkum þrists og fjarska. Gæti hlustað aftur.
A psych revival in thrall to the post-punk Wire had pioneered, I can see why this might be seen a important. But I can also say that it isn't. For all the wonky vocals, violent changes of directions, and snooty artiness, the songs are often rudderless, not to mention hookless.
2.5/5 Not bad but no song really got me. Maybe worth another try.
I dont like the singer
like XTC
Starts off real strong. Starts to lose me toward the end but maybe i'll come to love that in time.
More post-punk that I like. A bit uneven, some real misses. Favorites were Burst and Motorcade
cool
Shot By Both Sides plus some fairly generic songs.
It's post punk, but with a very clear dash of something else. It was pretty fucking solid.
Perfectly average. Nothing special, nothing bad just pure middle of the road music.
Well at least this was a bit different and nice to hear some synths.
Pretty fun. Not sure if I'll listen again.
It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't an album I needed to hear before I die.
This was ok, some good some I sorted of forgot I was listening to anything as I’d lost interest in. Not a classic for me
Unusual in it'd time and space
The album is alright. Interesting cover of Goldfinger.
Enjoyed
Never heard of these guys but really enjoyed this album.
Right up my alley. I feel like I probably should have heard "Shot By Both Sides" before, but I don't recognize it.
Never heard of this before in my life, first one of the whole list. Not bad but not really my thing
I enjoyed it alright at the time, but not enough to actually go back to it. Good punk for sure, though.
On closer inspection, they were one of the bands that ushered in the post-punk era. It has punk, new wave and rock elements, it's mediocre. (5/10) FT: Shot by Both Sides, The Light Pours out of Me
Not bad
I had never heard of this band before this. Definitely a classic post-punk sound.
I know Magazine from a few albums that I have from my 80s listening. Resl Life was not one that I owned, however I am familiar with a few if the songs from the live album; Play, which got a lot of....play back when in the day. Anyway the album is very good, better than both studio albums that I already have in my collection; Magic, Murder and the Weather and The Correct Use of Soap. Best songs Definitive Gaze, Shot by Both Sides, Motorcade, and The Light Pours Out of Me. 4 🌟
It's okay. Pretty dull. It's sort of punk with synths. This feels like the band that people who want to appear to be 'too smart' for punk would pretend to like *coughpitchfork*. It's inoffensive but not exciting.
British prog rock 2.5
Buzzcocks without the teeth. Best track: Shot by Both Sides
better than the virgin suicides for sure
Sehr unterhaltsame Bastard Mischung aus Ska-Synth-Pop-Punk. Allein der Einstieg ins ‚Real Life‘ ist das Album schon wert. Quirlig geht’s weiter, die schnodderigen artsy Sounds (Roxy Music) und Energie machen Spaß, bleiben aber in ziemlich ordinären Songwriting beschränkt. 2.4
Great album, and a landmark of the post-punk genre.
The best of this album IMO: - Parade This album did nothing for me except for Parade, which sounds quite different from the rest of the album. 2.7/5
2/5 naaah
I don't really love or hate Magazine. It's not the worst example of this kind of music which I don't generally get on with. I don't enjoy this style of talk/singing and it kind of makes me feel sad a lot of times. This album did not make me feel sad but it was kind of meh. Not offensive but it doesn't really excite me. I can see why it's on this list as the first ever post-punk band. However, I just found out the main guy who set up the band had left in the eighties so hopefully one of their earlier albums is on the list too otherwise this seems wrong to me. Although I can appreciate what they were doing with this, it's not my bag.
Well didn't think much of this and found some of it highly irritating. Some were ok.. the beautician one though. God. Get it off
I really enjoyed this
A competent post-punk addition by Magazine, that incorporates catchy hooks and modest production. For a 1978 record, the arrangements can be considered quite influential for punk bands today but not quite musically moving depth-wise. Hasty and nimble bars make for a thrilling record overall.
This is weird and fun. And what a change from the Buzzcocks for the singer (read that on Wikipedia). Definitely coming back for another listen. Lots of noise. Lots of pop melodies. But all backed with what feel like live takes in the studio (less synthetic than other similar bands from the same era). I'd put this up there with anything the Talking Heads did, and I don't say that lightly. What's not to love? Four stars because 3.5 isn't possible.
Not bad. I like the mix of weird psychedelic rock with synthesizers and stuff as long as there are also "real" instruments. I feel like I should rate this higher than I'm going to, but there's just been so much of this genre on the list already.
Way better sound than some of the other recent recs...love this type of punk sound as a switch-up to what I'm used to
Fun alt "mod" rock album. Not the most gripping stuff ever, but at least enjoyable all the way through
Loved this - amazed I'd never heard of it before.
No stand-outs
Feels like Halloween, very creative melodically and conceptually. Fav songs “great beautician in the sky”, “motorcade”, and “shot by both sides”
A dramatic post-punk album that is especially unique and adventurous. The sound if deeply layered and the dynamism apparent from the opening track. The keyboard play alternates between fickle and volatile, never upstaging the central part of the albums sound: the singer. The lyrics are elaborate and the vocals are only enhanced by the band. This album has sound I would assume many haven't heard before and the interplay and energy presented is a thing to experience. Favorite tracks: Definitive Gaze, Shot by Both Sides, Motorcade, The Great Beautician in the Sky, The Light Pours Out of Me
Hot Damn. I never heard this group before. I thought Television was the preeminent Post-Punk band, I'll need to check out more from them. 4.5/5
Interesting post punk album. P-good at first listen but no song really stood out. Perhaps could use a second listen, but didn’t have time today. 3
As far as art rock goes: enjoyed more than Roxy Music, not as much as Sparks.
4/10
This Brit-punk album had some decent elements of fast paced guitar rhythms and various stylings. It has elements that remind me of Bowie. The lyrics are pretty typical artsy punk. The album is pretty average for what it provides but it’s not too bad yet it doesn’t excel in its genre. 4.5/10
Post-Punk
I really liked this one. I think every song took me on a little bit of a journey, which I appreciated. Didn't hurt that the musical style / vocals / lyrics are something I'd typically enjoy.
Bit of Bowie, Joy Division, and Television influences coming through here. Just ok.
Really good post-punk. Artsy Buzzcocks. 8/10 1. Motorcade 2. Shot by Both Sides 3. Parade
Gonna have to listen to this one again and again. Had heard the single, but now I want to own the whole album
I love the punch of this album but it tails off around Motorcade
Okay jeg er bare ikke vild med punk-rock. Stemmen er irriterende og mixet lyder underligt. Jeg kan godt høre de gode rytmer og melodier men er ikke vild med hele albummet som sådan.
This debut album of Magazine is full of post punk songs that capture the energy of the David Bowie and Iggy Pop rock it's inspired by. It sounds as offbeat as it's album cover, but in the end it works.
This is great - weird and catchy, inventive and substantial without being self important.
mwa
I’m not the biggest fan of punk. This was not my favorite album, but it was listenable.
Ooh, proggy! This is not your average post-punk, and that made it a really interesting listen for me. Also, was pleasantly surprised to find the source of "The Light Pours Out of Me", which I was familiar with from Ministry's cover... Fave track - love the rising hysteria of "Shot By Both Sides"!
Cool artwork, even cooler arrangements and songwriting. Don't love the vocals though. I feel like this album would reward some repeated listens.
Grabbed me for the first 10 seconds and didn't let go. Loved it. Don't really know why or how to describe it but it still sounds fresh all these years later. Will be going back again and checking out their other stuff too.
Didn't realize this was a remaster so was going to commend an album from 2007 for capturing that old punk sound, but it makes more sense this came out in 1978. I was immediately a fan of shot by both sides and the rest of this album solidified a very good listen. 3.5 that gets a 4 because I had a lot of fun Saved: Definitive Gaze, Shot By Both Sides*, The Great Beautician In The Sky, Touch And Go
Great stuff 4 stars
British rock punk hear influences of bowie and beatles
Pretty groovy. His vocals remind me of Of Montreal. I think I could bob to this again.
boring mediocre post-punk
Det här var rätt gött alltså
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: My tulpa, Parade
-I'm always a fan of rock+synth+other instruments -Great basslines throughout the whole album -"Recoil" is a great jam -"The Great Beautician In The Sky" has a cool circus-motif and a groovin' bassline -Cool like saxophone or something in "My Mind Ain't So open" -Solid album, I'll definitely be listening again
Another album I haven't heard of and did nothing for me
I really wanted to love it after reading some of the reviews; but I didn't. It just didn't take. 2.6
This was good. I had never heard of this band before. I've heard a lot of bands referred to as "post-punk" and I've never been sure what that means, but this comes closest to making sense as being that genre. It has some remnants of punk but a lot more going on. 3.5 stars.
Pretty cool rock record, but not many songs stuck with me.
Liked the intro to the album most. Didn't love the singer's performance / lyrics. Decent album. The review of the album hurt my impression of the music interestingly. The writer touted it as a near-genius level album and I just cannot give it the same credit. It's alright.
Really enjoyed this despite not knowing the band at all
I've got to give credit to Howard Devoto for quickly coming to grips with the limitations of punk rock, and also for having the taste to be inspired by the best of glam and art rock, but he and the rest of the group aren't up to the task of infusing art rock with the energy of punk. The songs and the arrangements don't begin to approach the creativity, taste, and subtlety of their inspirational sources. Dave Formula's keyboard textures are horrible more often than not. And vocally, trying to pull off this sort of material invites unflattering comparisons to Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Bryan Ferry--any of these guys had more talent in their pinky on any given day than Devoto would have in his entire body in a lifetime. This kind of thing had already been done a million times better within the previous five years. It takes a special kind of chutzpah to try to pull this off. That said, Real Life isn't putrid, it's just boring and mediocre.
Didn't love every song, but it was a good energy boost
Kind of sounds like a punk version of Bowie. Not bad.
Nice! My kind of Punk Rock! I can see myself listening to this one again.
Peaked on first song LOL
It was unenjoyable, but not unlistenable. The saxophone is a really weird touch to the songs which have a punk feel to them. In my opinion it does not fit. Favorite track: Definitive Gaze
😎
Pretty good. Reminded me of bands like the Sex Pistols and Ramones.
Thoroughly enjoyed the album, wouldn't listen again tho.
ahead of its time a lot like the clash
Interesting mix of pop, punk, electro with some sax and other random stuff thrown in. Some funny rhymes and cool production but that sneering/whiny British accent gets old after a while. The Goldfinger cover at the end was cool.
Eh
Alright album. Probably wouldn’t listen again
There's a reason that I usually give albums more than one listen, and Real Life is a great example. I found the first listen irritating and boring, but the second listen has made me love this record. The instrumentation is wonderful on almost all of the tracks, and it sets quite the tone for post-punk. I especially love the Bowie-like vocals on track 5. I can see myself coming back to this album just as much as I come back to Unknown Pleasures. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 (not including 2007 release with bonus tracks).
An album that gets more odd and beautiful as it breathes over time. I want to spend more time with it before I have other words, but it rocks and I’m really glad I discovered it.
Really enjoyed this
Didnt like the vocals, instrumentals were alright
A little odd but I liked it. Rock and roll but kind of halloweeny
Relatively uninspired brit punk.