Sulk

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Fri Jun 02 2023

5

The machine chucked an unfamiliar multitude at me today: this record is really very good, and I wish I had more time to listen to it. It's sui generis, and I'm scrambling for references to anchor it - at times, it reminded me of early Sonic Youth, This Heat, Kraftwerk, and acid house, but it's really its own thing. The vocals grated at first, but on the second listen they seemed appropriate, a choice based on the material and what Mackenzie had available to him. Really tempted to give it five stars, though I've barely made it through twice.

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Fri May 19 2023

4

Like if Morrissey joined Devo

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Thu May 18 2023

3

6/10. Post-punk and pop is an interesting mix here, and it works on a couple songs. But not all of them.

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Fri Jun 02 2023

3

if this album was consistent it would be up there with some of the best of the '80s. Sadly, it's all over the place but the high points are incredible. Is there a more exciting intro to a pop record than the jangle piano on Party Fears Two? A more entertaining vocal performance than on Club Country? Why aren't bands ambitious like this any more? Refrigeration keeps you young, I'm told

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Wed May 17 2023

2

This pick was so 80s it hurt me a little bit… I wasn’t a huge fan but I could see my mom jamming out to this!

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Wed Jun 07 2023

2

Meh, the synthy new wave stuff on the list has been pretty hit or miss for me.

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Mon May 15 2023

1

Not a fan. It's got beeps and boops like some old videogame music. Very 80's. It does transition to boring old snth music and the singing is just annoying. Maybe this was significant when it was made, but it's straight up not enjoyable now.

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Sun Jul 09 2023

1

The absolute worst that the UK has to offer. Histrionic, tortured vocals on top of bland, homogeneous instrumentals indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there. Getting real tired of these, feels like there’s at least two a week when many other albums from the era deserve to be on the list.

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Fri May 26 2023

5

I knew of The Associates from Party Fears Two, but hadn't explored any of the rest of their ouvre. The music video for Party Fears Two includes Martha Ladly on the keys, formerly of Martha and the Muffins. She's wearing a suit and a hat, and looks exactly as bored as she needs to for the song. It's bizarre, because she's also got the tiniest of beguiling smiles. And that sums up the song perfectly. It is tuneful, poppy and also, 100% entirely unnerving and discordant. The vocals are perfect - slightly Bowie-ish, but in the good way. I genuinely hated it the first time I heard it. It made no sense. It was dissonant. And then the Divine Comedy covered it. If Neil Hannon likes it, I should probably pay more attention to it... but no. Its still nonsensical, dissonant and unnerving. Several years later, with the song appearing in my life from time to time, I find it has changed from being a messy, awkward track to being possibly one of my very favorites from the 1980s. Given it was written in the late 70s, it rather cements The Associates as people to listen to more of. Which I finally got around to doing with this album. Which is excellent. It is both genre-defining, and genre-defiant. It is both a product and a producer of 1980s syth, new romantic and pop. I love it, and think I will continue to love it for quite some time.

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Thu May 18 2023

4

Feels like we got the same album for a second day in a row. I’ll be fair and give these guys the same ranking as Echo and the Bunnymen but I can’t help feeling like the generator is testing me. 7/10

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Mon May 29 2023

4

Super bonne première impression, mais j'ai fini par trouver ça redondant. Par contre, je dois dire que j'ai trouvé ça surprenant que ça date de 1982, je l'aurais rapproché des années 90, donc je présume qu'ils étaient plutôt avant-gardistes pour l'époque.

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Thu Jun 15 2023

4

frenetico e inesperado. gran sorpresa.

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Sat Jul 08 2023

4

So comforting is Sulk's fit in my mental genre map that I lose the Associate's specificity in the lull. The album's more instrumental moments are highlights, while the vocals are essential. This is of the masterfully-produced school, which unfairly hurts the effect. Very eighties, very prefigurative, etc. etc. Or maybe the lens of this nostalgia looms too large in the twenties. Either way, I'm a sucker.

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Sat Jul 22 2023

4

Missed them and nice find.

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Wed Aug 02 2023

4

Really fun - enjoyed some songs more than others. Overall good!

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Fri Aug 18 2023

4

This is probably the most 80s album I've had to date. It seems set up to grate, falsetto singing, synth pop, experimental sounds. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I knew the two "hits" which I guess are literally all I had ever heard from this band before. I had a dim recollection of when they first charted that was dredged up from the sludge in my head from the early 80s. This one is extremely hard to score fairly. I feel it's somewhere between a 3 and a 4. It's definitely not a bad album, but it's not a great one either, and I feel I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again. I was also horrified to see Spotify stick an extra 50-60 minutes of demos and alternate versions that I wasn't prepared to listen to. I think I'm going to be generous and go for a 4, purely because I love some of the weird instruments I can hear, particularly the jangling piano in "Party Fears Two".

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Fri Aug 18 2023

4

Another undiscovered gem. Not even a name I was familiar with. Loved it.

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Mon Aug 21 2023

4

Actually really awesome, I am astonished at the low rating here Dark and very dramatic post punk Dynamic and interesting 4/4.5

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Mon Sep 11 2023

4

This walks a fine line between the synth pop sound of its time and real experimentation. So many odd details throughout, but nothing that's off-putting or alienating. Just makes you feel a bit woozy. The tales of their decadence and playful insanity while recording the album are as entertaining as the resulting work itself.

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Thu Sep 21 2023

4

Sounds like a drunk David Bowie

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Fri Sep 22 2023

4

Jaunty brit post punk.

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Tue May 16 2023

3

interesting/experimental 80s - took a minute to get into it but then started to really enjoy it

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Tue May 16 2023

3

This album is difficult to listen to with the proper mindset. At the time of release, this synth-pop/new wave/post-punk album was highly lauded and was seen as a record that pushed synth-pop forward. To my ears, the album sounds incredibly dated from the crooning falsetto vocals, the synth itself, and the punchy new wave bass provided by the Michael Dempsey who also played for the Cure. This album does have a darker edge to it taken straight from goth rock that I quite like. This album is just so of its time that it makes it hard for me to assess (though that's not necessarily a bad thing). I can't quite suss out if it's as great as some of its contemporaries.

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Tue May 16 2023

3

Heavy David Bowie influence on several songs. All around liked this album more than expected but in reality I will probably forget all about this album shortly after I submit this rating.

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Fri May 19 2023

3

Arrogance gave him up - Nice melody's but becomes repetitive and not a fan of the drumming No - nice use of instrumentation, track feels very dark and haunting, Robert Smith style vocals. Bap De La Bap - Really not a fan of this, vocals are annoying and music sounds like you're queuing for an Alton Towers ride Gloomy Sunday - lovely intro, feels like the smiths but more electronic, big fan of the vocals here both in terms of melody but unsure on the delivery. Nude Spoons - Another one with a good intro. Once again not a huge fan of the delivery on the vocals. This track has a relentless feel to it which I do like. Feels like the bass is too quiet in the mix towards the end. Skipping - Quite a fan of this track, vocal delivery much more to my taste. Baseline is lovely. It's better this way - Great baseline once again too quiet in the mix for me, love the guitar solo, nice tone there. The screechy vocals once again not for me. Party Fears Two - Love the keys in this. Vocals again... Club Country - Love the instrumental on this, by far the best so far, vocals annoying again. Outro has a great mix of a funky bass line with some nice dark effects in the background, however this does go on a bit. Nothinginsomethingparticular - Nice melody but not interesting enough to repeat itself over two minutes. Sounds like a video game theme 18 carret love affair - Really big fan of this track, despite the melody from nothinginsomethingparticular continuing into this song Love hangover - Has a very funky guitar riff, very danceable. Think this is my favourite track on the album and I would listen again. SUMMARY - Think this album is great in terms of production and instrumentation. Has a great goth and early post-punk sound. However, I think that the vocalist really stops many decent songs from being good or great songs.

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Mon May 22 2023

3

not bad

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Mon May 22 2023

3

It's like a Scottish version of U2

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Mon May 22 2023

3

Worth another listen I reckon.

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Tue May 30 2023

3

Sulk is the second album by Scottish post-punk and pop band the Associates. It was a well produced art rock / synth pop album that blessed listeners' ears in 1982. Although this album was a critical and commercial breakthrough, the original duo in this group broke up four months after release. I loved this album's sound! The overproduced musical arrangements combined with the beautiful falsetto voice made for quite the head turner of an album. I can't believe the Associates changed up their roster after this album, because they were onto something. Great work!

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Sun Jun 11 2023

3

Weird and strange.

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Sun Jun 11 2023

3

It’s something that I can imagine people would like, but I’m not one of them. There’s too much chaos, especially in the vocals. They singing is all over the place, lots of tremelo, pre-emo. The music is well done, with some cool blends and that classic 80s drum-beat. I can tell this pushed the genre into new directions, just well past my preferences (I imagine the couple from family vacation that hate the griswalds are avid fans of this music.)

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Sat Jun 17 2023

3

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Party fears two

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Sun Jun 18 2023

3

3.3 - A “challenging” record without much payoff. It sounds like a combination of an Ariel Pink soundtrack for a haunted house, and B-sides from Bowie’s “Scary Monsters” era. Kind of a shame because they’re clearly a good band and Billy Mackenzie shows some impressive vocal chops. It just rarely comes together into a compelling sound. Standouts: “Club Country”, “18 Carat Love Affair”

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Fri Jun 30 2023

3

A little too much fiddling here, such was the thing in the early electro pop. The singer providing moments of joy but more often annoying. It does sound dated but when it hits the mark it is fun and stands up today.

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Fri Jun 30 2023

3

Moody moods. The bridge between David Bowie and the Cure/New Order. Sounds pretty dated and the gloom is real, but it warrants consideration.

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Tue Jul 04 2023

3

Pretty good. Reminds me of a little of David Bowie

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Mon Jul 17 2023

3

It was alright but there’s nothing notable about it

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Thu Jul 20 2023

3

Average album for me. Not the biggest fan of this type of 80s pop. If I could give 2.5 stars I would but I'll have to round up to 3

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Fri Jul 21 2023

3

Not quite sure what to make of this. Sounds like fairly typical early 80s alternative/new wave. Shades of Talking Heads mixed with a bunch of other stuff of that era, e.g. Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, etc. It was okay but I didn't love it. A bit too much of a cabaret type sound. 3 stars.

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Sat Jul 22 2023

3

On todays episode of why is this here

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Sun Jul 23 2023

3

An interesting mix of post-punk, synth pop, new wave and more. Some tracks are a few steps above the rest so the album isn't consistently "good" or "great" to warrant a higher rating despite the creativity at the time. Also the production quality hasn't aged so well. 3 star

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Mon Jul 24 2023

3

Going against the catchy synthpop hooks that their contemporaries aim for, the Associates are content with building a dark atmosphere that's more akin to post-punk of the day. While they provide an interesting overall sound, nothing on the album comes across as memorable or outstanding. Sulk is competent in what it does, but disappointing in what it doesn't.

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Mon Jul 24 2023

3

It's kind of messy and all over the place, but I liked the 80's melody. Though it does sound like he is trying too hard.

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Mon Jul 31 2023

3

Wow this was intense. Not my cup of tea but it wasn't bad.

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Mon Jul 31 2023

3

I feel like you might have to be very much in the mood for this level of extreme 80s-ness. I know this because the first part I listened to on an early run and it was just a bit much. It made me quite irritaavle, but then I listened to more another time and it didn't rile me and I quite enjoyed it. I have to say the singing style (did Bowie do this first I was wondering?) Did grate me a little bit but I know it is just part of it. The recognisable ones were fun I guess

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Mon Jul 31 2023

3

Some interesting 80s sound

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Wed Aug 02 2023

3

Really like some of it.

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Sun Aug 06 2023

3

Opinió no popular, però m'enganxa més el seu debut, 'The Affectionate Punch', que aquest 'Sulk', suposadament obra mestra primigènia del synth pop i pont de luxe que va estableix l'enllaç entre el post punk/new wave tardà i el millor del treball que van fer els new romantics. No és mal disc, i el seu so és realment interessant, però no hi ha temes que arrosseguin l'àlbum cap a l'excel.lència. Ni tan sols el seu single principal, 'Party Fears Two', que és simplement un tema passable. 'Club Country' és millor, però res de l'altre món

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Fri Aug 18 2023

3

Sounds like a synth-Bowie early 80's when this album was released. You can also hear their influence on Bono and it's lasting impression with his music with U2. It was an okay listen, but doesn't interest me beyond a listen. It's funny how I had never heard this before.

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Mon Aug 21 2023

3

Not really my style and nothing stood out to me as especially great but it did leave the impression of a generally cohesive, good album.

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Fri Aug 25 2023

3

Frequently wild and haphazard, but also a really unique, compelling listen. Striking vocals from Billy Mackenzie and some really inventive arrangements. Surprisingly dark lyrics at times. Fave Songs: Party Fears Two, Club Country, Gloomy Sunday, It's Better This Way, Skipping

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Tue Sep 05 2023

3

This album didn’t draw me in. Just finished my listen of the original 12 tracks for the release. While I didn’t dislike any of the tracks, I found it’s new wave vibe to have been done better by other 80’s artists such as New Order, Human League, Talking Heads, etc. Three for me without an interest in a second listen.

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Mon Sep 11 2023

3

Synth pop to the extreme, not bad but also without anything really standing out

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Mon Sep 11 2023

3

Typical mix of 80s sounds from early new wave.

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Mon Sep 11 2023

3

It's like a weird unhinged Bowie rip-off in terms of vocals without any interesting nuance. Instrumentals are 80s synth-pop as fuck in all the worse ways. Other than that... it's okay, I could see why someone would be into it though. It's definitely a weird combo.

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Mon Sep 11 2023

3

The definitely have a sound. I'm not crazy about that sound, but seems like some others were - including, apparently, Bono, whose vocal style I can definitely hear. There's a derpiness, a strangeness to the songs which baffles me. You can strongly hear the DNA of 80's synth pop. I don't hate it, don't love it.

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Fri Sep 15 2023

3

Couple of classic tracks, but generally too 80's

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Wed Sep 20 2023

3

I was genuinely intrigued to hear this record when it came up. The Associates are lauded by many a critic. Of course I knew Party Fears Two, and Billy Mackenzies wonderful over the top vocals. The whole album didn’t work for me, it a bit of a mess in places. It’s also not aged well at all, probably one of the most eighties sounding records I’ve ever heard.

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Tue May 16 2023

2

I didn't care for this. Just didn't really pop out at me in any way.

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Wed May 17 2023

2

I didn't like this one at all. In my mind, it is all that I don't enjoy about 80s new wave, the plastic synth, the high-pitched vocals, weird themes...not a fan

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Fri May 19 2023

2

Track 1- nice instrumental easy listening Track 2- i dont mind this tbf, strange vocals at times, slight cure/ echo & bunnymen feel to it. bit boring after a couple minutes though. cant make my mind up on it Track 3- not for me mate Track 4- nope Track 5- love the drum sound and overall production, fairly enjoyable Track 6- nice sounding song but vocals ruin it again Track 7- meh track 8 - dont mind this, really enjoyed the instrumental outro but vocals and melody ruin majority of the song track 9 - same as rest of the album, decent instrumentals shite melody and vocals, bass solo bit is mint track 10 - instrumental so one of the better songs on the album track 11 - meh track 12 - not even listened yet but more than likely gonna be meh

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Fri May 19 2023

2

Kaksi kaveria aivan saatanan syvällä omassa jutussaan. Tiedätkö mitä, en inhoa tätä, ja näen hyvää rytmiikkaan pohjaavissa biiseissä kuten Bap De La Bap (olisipa tällä vain joku toinen nimi) sekä It's Better This Way. Lisäksi Party Fears Twon leevimäinen syntikka huvittaa minua. Riittävät perustelut kahden tähden antamiselle?

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Sat May 20 2023

2

Sometimes sounds a bit like Bowie but most of the time sounds a bit like shit

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Sat May 20 2023

2

This was a roadblock album that I just was never inspired enough to listen to and caused me to fall behind. It actually had some fun 80s synth dancey times but something about it never made me want to finish it. But I did finish it so 2

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Sun May 21 2023

2

I'm going to give this record credit assuming they were experimenting with new technologies. It did come early in the synth scene. But that is about the only nice thing I can say. It was early experimentation. Because this record sucks. The songs suck, the flow sucks, the vocals suck. This sucks.

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Tue May 23 2023

2

What a really weird album. It was not good but at times tolerable. I never really got into it. It is better than a not really a two. I will round up.

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Thu Jun 01 2023

2

Tecno simple y corriente.

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Sat Jun 03 2023

2

Forgettable 80s pop.

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Wed Jun 14 2023

2

Ugh, tried many times, but none of this album stuck. It's Duran Duran / Spandau Ballet / Roxy Music / David Byrne, but bad. It's a shame - I really wanted to like it.

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Thu Jun 15 2023

2

harmittaa vaan että vokalisti ehkä paskin koskaan, challenger to jack white? mukamassa sopii albumiin noh voisitte vaan sitä musiikkia soittaa muutamassa biisissä teeitte oikein... SINGING IS NOT MUSIC.. EVER... niin ei voi ykköstä antaa sen verran kiinnostavaa materiaalia on täällä mutta myös erittäin tylsää jooh 80lukuesquetta siis (nou good) It's got beeps and boops like some old videogame music. lmao. club country

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Fri Jun 23 2023

2

Not my thing. I don’t even find this a good example of 80s synth pop. It’s just sort of meh for me.

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Thu Jun 29 2023

2

waoaf j'ai pas passé uin vraiment beau moement.... 2

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Thu Jul 06 2023

2

Best Song: Club Country. Some kinda groovy, safe funk in there. Worst Song: Party Fears Two. It literally sounds like he's trying to over-sing for comedic effect. Overall: Exhibit A of why the 80s were the most annoying genre, culturally. Nothing of substance, just flash. Layers and layers of boring synth with a bubble-throated man alternating between theatre-style singing and screeching falsettos. Bam, 80s hit-machine.

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Fri Jul 07 2023

2

Never heard of them before. It was pretty decent. Need to hear it again sometime. 2.5/5

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Fri Jul 07 2023

2

I thought this would be better as it influenced quite a few bands I really like but this loses it’s thunder very early on and then really struggles to keep it up sometimes being boarderline unlistenable sometimes being quite entertaining. 2/5

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Thu Jul 13 2023

2

Not good

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Sun Jul 16 2023

2

Fine

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Fri Aug 04 2023

2

Stupid music.

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Tue Aug 08 2023

2

Unremarkable.

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Tue Aug 08 2023

2

A very distinctive vocal sound and I remember their hits but it didn’t grab me so a measly 2*

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Wed Aug 16 2023

2

Gothic synth-pop. Cure-sure Club? Not something I want in my life right now, thanks.

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Wed Aug 16 2023

2

This feels like the equivalent of a buck-a-scoop restaurant. Unmemorable, and leaves you hungry again within an hour.

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Fri Aug 18 2023

2

2 80s 4 me

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Mon Aug 21 2023

2

lot of the grooves are cool but get kinda boring after a while. a lot of the actual songwriting isn’t really that good. kind of a hard listen to be honest. disjointed. melodies are forgettable. vocals are obnoxious.

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Mon Aug 21 2023

2

1982? I bet it's UK new wave no one has heard of outside the UK. Nailed it. But fuck off, christ. 2/5.

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Fri Sep 01 2023

2

BL: Never heard of The Associates before, the first thing that stands out to me is how beautiful this album cover is. It’s so definitely 80s but the use of neon and the looks of the two men on the cover really makes for an appealing cover and I’m interested to hear what the album is about. AL: this was a pretty good album for background noise but I don’t feel like anything really stood out. I was listening to this through my phone which I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Hasn’t got amazing audio quality, I feel this is more of an atmospheric spacial audio experience - so maybe I’ll give it a re-listen when I get the chance with my proper headphones on. FT: “18 carat love affair” 2/5

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Fri Sep 01 2023

2

I can't

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Sun Sep 03 2023

2

*insert generic but not wrong complaint about how there are way too many 80’s British albums here instead of music people actually care about here*

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Thu Sep 07 2023

2

Regular

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Thu Sep 14 2023

2

QuasiBowie a lo rollo.

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Thu Sep 14 2023

2

Pop con sintetizadores insoportable. Un 2.

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Fri Sep 15 2023

2

Not great production wise. All loud all the time

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Fri May 19 2023

1

Välillä taustat ihan ok, mutta viimeistään laululla pilataan. Kasaripopsoundin huonoa puolta

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Wed May 24 2023

1

When the two best songs are the opener and closer and they're the best, not because they're good, but because the singer doesn't sing on them, you have a bad album. It's very very bad. The singer is what you think of when you think of a parody of bad 80s singers, like I kept waiting for them to be in on the joke.

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Wed May 24 2023

1

Feels like i'm missing something. Sort of a less interesting version of the Cure.

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Wed May 24 2023

1

The title of the second track sums up my opinion of this record: No.

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Wed May 24 2023

1

I really could not get into this album at all.

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Thu May 25 2023

1

Very badly dated music that wasn't exactly stellar back when it was new. I fail to fathom what this album is doing over here.

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Thu Jun 01 2023

1

Whatta a nightmare listen to this album.

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Wed Jun 07 2023

1

https://tenor.com/u5t9.gif

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