Reviews (page 3 of 7)
The early 80s were a weird and wild time. Interesting listen!
this one’s weird. nothing too crazy, but it’s weird. kinda like if Bowie was a crazy German guy?
Song 1: What the absolute fuck is going on with the snare fills. The drum programming on this song actively gives me anxiety and I hate it so much Song 2: I just read some background on them and they actually sound insane and fun! This song is also better than the first one. I didn't make it 100% of the way through the album, but it definitely got better over time. Either the first song is one of the most grating pieces of music I've ever heard or it caught me on a bad day, but I was grooving more and not thinking about how i actively disliked it anymore. 2.9 stars - it doesn't fully fuck, but it could be worse
This is alright synth pop maybe? Im not really sure what this is. It feels like soemthing like the cure or something similar but more than 5 minutes from offing itself. Club country was the track that most spoke to me. And the others aren't bad either just didnt really get to me. Been alot of that recently I guess. And this is keeping on. Not much else to say but its alright.
funky
Wierd, but I liked it.
Det er ikke den bedste tidlig-80er-new-wave-post-punk-grænseflade plade vi har haft, men jeg er vild med dem og glad for at der er så mange på listen.
Got some decent bangers.
Listened to the original uk release. Only 41 minutes people. They threw everything and the kitchen sink at producing this and it helps cover up the lack of truly memorable songs. I like how macabre it is in places and the vocals are certainly attention grabbing. A new wave album that is a lot more interesting than a lot of the genres offerings.
"Nude Spoons" almost dragged this down to a 2.
This is unspectacular 80s music. I’m generally not a huge 80s fan, so this didn’t excite me much. Something to get through, but not so bad as to warrant a 2/5. I’ll give it a low 3/5 and be glad to move on.
This seemed musically ahead of it's time except the vocals that were bang on for the 80s. Club country was the best song, lots of sparks and talking heads in there. Otherwise it varied between being enjoyable and passing me by. Don't think it's grabbed me enough for a second listen but enjoyed the first. 3.5 but closer to a 3
1982 was a grand year for music. The guitar work was fantastic. The vocal performance was classic OTT 80's style and has dated horrendously. Always good to hear Party Fears Two' great tune.
It is funny that I liked this when I've being harsh and very critic about this genre, and specially when it is in the top 20 worst albums in this list. Extravagant is the first word that comes to mind when describing this album. The singer's very operatic style voice shows a very wide vocal register and emotion while the instrumentation is what could be expected from the New Wave's sound of the 80's, but mixed with a little bit of goth rock, which adds a nice layer of depth and even creates some moody atmospheres. If it wasn't for these little touches of goth and the singer's great voice, I would say that this is quite standard and forgettable, which it can be at some points. One thing that I need to talk about is the production. which feels a bit poor and makes some songs sound bad. Various example would be the drums in 'Bap De La Bap' and "It's Better this Way", or the clipping of the voice in 'Gloomy Sunday'. Speaking of 'Gloomy Sunday', the last time I listened to it I started to feel like it sounded very familiar. Then it hit me, that the same poem sang is also used in the song 'Öngyilkos vasárnap' by Venetian Snares. It seems like they both take inspiration in the original Hungarian song which is also know as the 'Hungarian Suicide Song'. Anyway, this is a good New Wave album with a lot of personality, even though it may be a bit forgettable at times and the sound quality is not the best.
Favorite Songs: Club Country, No, Love Hangover Least Favorite Song: Nude Spoons Went in thinking I’d hate this but it’s not half bad. The album cover is gorgeous.
# Album Name: Sulk # Artist: The associates # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Heavy synth vibes. I like the style but this album didnt click for me. Pretty meh # Top Tunes: Its better this way # Would I listen to it again? Maybe
Fun album to listen to once. Party Fears Two is definitely the stand-out song though. It feels like the only track that manages to be catchy and memorable while the others try to reach that point but just fall short. Not bad but not great either
Alright. Faded
An interesting mix of sounds- synth pop with some nu wave and gothy tones. The whole album has an ethereal quality, and a very 80s sound. Overall- good album. 3 to 3.5 /5
3.5
Disjointed, but occasionally fun. 80's synth funk should have been my wheelhouse, but didn't feel like a cohesive album. Couple of really fun songs, though.
Interesting 80s pop but very of it’s time
Twas expecting to be annoying and not like. On the contrary, I did like. Definitely Bowie influence involved.
My first thought with this album was that they were trying too much to be a lighter version of The Cure to be effective, and this was only confirmed in reading that they actually toured with The Cure before creating this album (which seems like an odd pairing, since I'd have thought most Cure fans would be turned off by a warm-up act that seemed very wannabe, down to using an ex-Cure bassist (at least on the album). But to give The Associates credit, they seemed to be interested in using more instruments and tones on this album than anything The Cure had to offer. It's a bit of a painful listen--too tinny and poorly-balanced--but not all that surprising given the 80s provenance, and I enjoyed (at times) their foray into more experimental styles, especially contrasted with their more radio-friendly hits "Party fears two" and "Club country". It would have been nice, though, if the album had had only one track listing that was consistent across the countries it was released in. It seems that part of the reason for the huge discrepancy between UK/Canada album releases and US/Europe releases was because the latter release happened after the presumably-slightly-more-sane half of The Associates (Rankine) left the band after Mackenzie basically sabotaged the band's future.
Seemed fine, nothing that stood out.
I almost gave up on this one on the way on work but put it back on in the office and liked it a lot more. Maybe the second half was better or maybe my mood changed. Kind of a little like if Bowie was the lead singer for the talking heads (but like 3 levels worse than that sounds). I’d put it on in the background again
Depeche Mode's new wave instrumentals combined with Nirvana lyrics and B-52's hysterical vocals. I don't have a ton to say about this because I mostly listened to it in the background, but I could see this growing on me over a few listens. Song picks: Party Fears Two, Club Country, Australia, The Room We Sat In Before.
I don't know, this one didn't do it for me. Some interesting instrumentation but I can't say I was a big fan of the vocalist. Lots of the tracks blended together for me. 6/10
I really liked the bass and percussion side of this music. The vocals were not my jam personally. But the music was quite good apart from that imo. It gives me a bit of a goth Swans vibe. So I know one person that would likely be a fan.
This was a weird album. There were definitely some songs I enjoyed. And some others that I really didn't like. Definitely weird
Veldig 80talls alternativ rock... Beste sang: I never will
More early 80's British synth pop. Yay. A combination of Duran Duran, Joy Division, and Kate Bush. Every second feels like synthesizers blasting and that new wave baritone scream going full blast, non stop. Someone maybe should tell them about dynamic range.
Not bad
Meh
5/10… new wave/ art pop
Good for its time but boring for me now
Never heard of them before, pretty good. 6/10 Favourite track: Club Country
Really didn't like it at first, but it grew on me. Some of the choices were disruptive and annoying to listen to, but I can't say I haven't enjoyed myself.
Post-punk/synth pop that is aggressively 80s, and has some pretty cool tracks - notably the instrumental opener "Arrogance Gave Him Up". But is also decidedly average in many places and threatened to fall into the background.
80's synth with a twist.
weird but good sometimes
Weird, and at times over the top, but not actively bad.
Generally speaking I am a fan of alternative/ college radio/ 80's style music. It often has techno/ electronic edges and has a homegrown feel that is often missed in mainstream commercial pop. It is probably more likely hard for me NOT to like something in this genre than like it. I had never heard of The Associates before this, which for all intents and purposes fits the genre I just described. I waited anxiously for some song I might be familiar with to no avail. Otherwise, to tell the truth the band nor any particular songs grew on me. At worst some of the songs stuck like melted cheese to the 80's era. At best it was tolerable to mildly entertaining, but overall it never stirred anything in me to feel compelled to put them on my playlist.
80”s goodness. Filing as “alternative new wave.”
I mean it was alright
Ok Party Fears two iconic track.
I wanted to like it, there was something good about, but I just couldnt get past the loud clanging rhythm, but it was ok, I will give it another chance sometime
5/10
A bit overwrought, a bit annoying in places, but it's alright. Great bass, no surprise it was a lad out of the Cure.
This one’s a bit odd, and I’m still trying to figure it out. It’s definitely artsy synthpop with a strong post-punk vibe. The theatricality of it all really shows influences from David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
поп-пост-панк звучит как гламрок и нойз) не ухватила я суть
⭐️⭐️⭐️ taustarallattelua
Decent 80s-core album, but lacked any significant hits for me
Correct.
Eh it was kinda fun. I really enjoyed the song Party Fears Two though!!
Offensively 80s. There are some great 80s beats in here but the singing often yoinks it back to being trapped in the 80s. Its also long as shit with every other song being decent. Could have cut half the album and it would have been good. 6/10
What a schizophrenic adventure this album is. I listened to the original British content/order. You've got the cheesy synth pop opener. Then a jarring transition into some pretty challenging avant guard sonic explorations in No and Bap Dre La Bap. You eventually get a pretty sweet balance between these instincts on Gloomy Sunday, but it slips back through several more unwieldy tracks before two more pretty great tunes in Party Fears Two and Country Club, and then more exploration and another synth pop confection. Whoa. I'm glad I listened. I'll be pulling the gems for playlists. But I'll only come back to the album if I need something to annoy my wife with.
This was kind of cool. But I am so damn sick of these freaking bands showing up like every other week in this project. This one did have some kind of cool avant garde elements to it. I liked how weird they got with their vocals. I also like the synths (a little bit). I was picking up a very pop version of Depeche Mode.
First track is great
Idk
Well, they sound like nobody else, so there's that. This album covers everything from the sublime (Party Fears Two, Club Country) to the ridiculous (the rest of it). No idea how you would categorise them, but I'll stick to those two tracks and skip the rest, thanks very much.
Its quite an interesting mix of like post-punk stuff and disco pop stuff of the era. The vocals are quite dramatic something like a budget David Bowie or Morrissey or something, but parts of the synth stuff is quite good and also quite dreamy, which makes it feel somewhat like cocteau twins stuff from the late 80s. Its quite standard though, nothing jumping out too aggressively, both good and bad. Its also quite messy which I suppose you could consider good and bad, but some of the drumming stuff is quite bad and the kick drum on one of the last songs is too thin. Favourite songs: arrogance gave him up, gloomy sunday, nude spoons, skipping, party fears two, club country. Overall around 6/10
Just ok
First of all, great cover. The music was definitely intriguing and unique, both in a cool, strange way and an annoying, weird way. The vocals were good for the most part but also one of the most annoying parts of the album in other parts with the screeching falsetto he does sometimes. He sounds a bit like David Bowie sometimes though and he’s overall a good vocalist that fits with this kind of music. Honestly the blend of post punk, pop and electronic music was really cool although I felt a lot of the songs were just too strange but I can definitely appreciate it’s uniqueness, I feel like I haven’t heard an album quite like this one and the feel of it was actually haunting yet majestic, unfortunately the songs themselves don’t really all fit with this all the time and aren’t the best overall. Favourites: Arrogance gave him up, Gloomy Sunday, Skipping, it’s better this way and Grecian. If only more of the songs were instrumentals, they seem to be the best ones. Overall, 6/10.
Interesting. It feels like there are a lot of good moments but few of the songs really have a memorable hook.
Club Country and Love Hangover were bops, the rest of the album was a bit more hit or miss.
a bit avant-garde and strange in places, but ultimately, a kind of boring synthpop album. not as bad as people are making it out to be, but also not really remarkable at all. weird, but not enjoyably so.
nice album by a truly underrated artist.
67/100. A solid synth-pop record that lands in the middle ground, far from the best I’ve heard, but still enjoyable.
This album was immediately weird and different even for the 80s which caught my attention. I was super stoked off the first song but sadly this album has TONS of filler. I did end up liking several songs and the songs I liked were sick and unique. But the problem is the filler. This is a long super bloated album, the last four songs in particular are just ambient music that feels like they checked out early. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what they were going for, they wanted to make an album that sounded like a soundtrack, and not only did they succeed in that, they also have a few instrumental tracks I really loved. I just felt like there was an exhaustion or tiring at points in the album, this could easily have been a solid 4 if you trimmed it down alittle here and there. The best thing about this album is that I’ve never heard of this band before so I have more stuff to look into now.
Pretty interesting. Electronic but also operatic. Very theatrical. Also too long. Favorites: Love Hangover
this is an album i feel like id love if i listened to more but again, i was kinda distracted while listening today. loved gloomy sunday and enjoyed the vocal sound a lot
Moddervette synthpop aan het begin, lekker dik aangelegd ook zorgt ervoor dat ik meteen rechtop ga zitten. Maar wat doet deze zanger in godsnaam joh? Alsof hij net van musicalkamp komt gaat de beste man TO-TAAL los. Overdreven en zonde want instrumentaal staat dit album echt als een huis als je het mij vraagt. Dit ging keihard naar 4 sterren, maar dan krijg je een afgewezen musical artiest erover heen. Dan blijft het vette van synthpop niet meer hangen, word het meer campy. Maar ik moet wel zeggen, het is ook wel grappig ofzo? Dat belachelijk, overdreven zingen geeft het album ook wel weer karakter. He, het zorgt er voor dat ik geen groot fan van het album ben, maar het is wel een album wat ik niet snel af zal zetten. Ik stel me gewoon een hele foute jaren '80 videoclip voor met lensflares en haarlak ofzo. Prima album, je moet alleen er gewoon van uit gaan dat de zanger net niet Glee heeft gehaald ofzo. FAVO: Arrogance gave him up, Party Fears Two, nothinginsomethingparticular
Interesting. A bit of a David Bowie vibe, vocally. Also, like Nick from FishHawk. Schizophrenic music. I like that. I actually enjoyed this whole album. Having never heard them before, I'll check out their other albums. 3
Pretty fine album
Liked No, great vocal work but sometimes the vocals and the instrument don't align for me
lets do a synth album but make it evil! its that sad depressing kind of goth that the 80's were known for. Unfortunately its more annoying than interesting. Unless this album was used for an 80's high school movie and all the students are monsters, this album has not much else going for it. Seriously you can picture the Wolfman and his jock buddies unraveling the Mummy at the Monster High prom to this soundtrack.
Gothic synth pop. Sounds good on paper… kinda boring in practice. Plus we’ve already had a couple albums like this so who cares
An intense experience. I was never into New Romantic or ArtRock, and this album is adjacent to both genres, but you can't help but marvel at the result - angular, spiky instrumentation which can be all over the place at times, with Billy McKenzie's incredible, wailing, operatic, sometimes on the edge of derangement, voice. A fever dream and not always enjoyable but worth visiting now and again.
Ultimately, this is way too '80s, even for this child of the '80s. One gets their influence but man does that drum machine and tinny production (a remaster, really?) date this. In hindsight, it is self-parodying, as editors suggest, but really who could have known it at the time?
not good
this was pretty neat actually i liked it. not what i expected based on the brief artist description
This one didn’t do much for me, but it wasn’t bad either. The production is glossy and there’s plenty of that early '80s new wave vibe, but the songs just never grabbed me. A few moments stand out here and there, but nothing I felt like coming back to. If you’re into synth-heavy pop with a dramatic flair, you might enjoy it more. For me, it ended up being just okay.
Starting an album off with an instrumental shows a certain level of confidence, that's for sure. After 1001+ albums, I am bound to repeat myself but I am not sure how the Associates (not The Association) got an album in this book. Sulk ping-pongs between me saying, "I need more of that" followed by saying, "This song is too long and goes nowhere." So, it's a mixed bag. I have many questions about the album cover as well. The band has more than two members, at least that is my understanding. Why is the title of the album in light gray print on the side of the cover, as if it is watermarked? The sheets over the furniture may not be necessary if you didn't put your furniture under plants. Move the furniture, then take off the sheets and find out the furniture will stay a lot cleaner. Because I cannot see the artist and album title very well, it looks like an advertisement for a sultry greenhouse/coffee house. Drink coffee, look at the plants and have the Adam Lambert look-alike stare at you while sitting on furniture perfect for quickly cleaning up a murder. There is music here and it sounds like synth-pop you would hear in the 80's. Synth-pop that is by no means "bad," but can also be heard and done better without staring at two potential psychopaths who will murder you on their couch, put your remains in the soil for the plants and then launder the sheets. Tracks 8-12 are some of the strongest on this album, so I am not sure why they were put at the very end of the album rather than upfront like most bands would do.
This was not my cup of tea. Some of the instrumentals were interesting at times, but they also annoyed me at times. Same with the singer's vocals.
Classic goofy synth-pop singing voice that seems like every one of those bands has. The instrumental song to start the album was pretty cool. The rest of the album was alright
So good. So bad.
This was a weird one- some really nice/unexpected melodic moments but a lot of boring/uninspiring moments as well. High 2/low 3
Weird but interesting, a lot of confidence in the voice. Happy to have discovered this piece of the 80s
I am a bit torn by this one. It feels like too much. Trying too hard to be experimental, trying too hard to explore sounds as Bowie did (but failing to be as successful, clearly), and reading how they recorded this... yeah, it's too much. If anything, it sounds utterly pretentious. But this *gesture* too much of everything also makes it interesting. It reminds me of more recent experimental pop bands, trying too many things at the same time and feeling the space with sounds; it doesn't always work, but when it does, it can be truly interesting. I'm not sure to be able to say they succeeded here, but at least they tried. And now don't tell me you don't want to pee in your guitar to ear how it changes its sound.
The first half of the album was a bit of a drag with a quite depressing sound and nothing that stood out, melody wise. The second half was better with a few tracks that I could see myself listen to more. Second half had catchyer and songs with a playful feeling.
Some cool Halloween vibes but not totally my thing. 4/10
It sounds like the 80s. It's early in the decade, so maybe they were ahead of the curve. It doesn't always work though, in my opinion. Some of these songs are great. I love "No" and "It's Better This Way".
they don’t make things like this anymore
first listen really cant appreciate new wave
Wow what a jumbled mix! Clearly influenced by Bowie and Talking Heads but also has that classic 80s synth pop sound. The main thing to note about this is that the production is awful! Mine was a remastered version and it still sounded like it was recorded in an airing cupboard! However, in general I think it works! There are a few good tracks and I like the early indie vibe.
Generic 80s music
Fine.
Arrogance Gave Him Up 3.3 No 3.4 Bap de la Bap 2.7 Gloomy Sunday 3.3 Nude Spoons 3.3 Skipping 3 It's Better This Way 2.8 Party Fears Two 2.6 Club Country 2.8 nothinginsomethingparticular 3 Score: 3.02
Good album. It has that 80’s new wave synth sound that I do like. The vocals are just average but I enjoyed it overall. I didn’t really notice anything that particularly stood out but that’s ok, it was a solid effort.
3 - Felt a little like it just melted into the era and didnt stand out. bit generic?
Some good moments, but mostly I didn’t enjoy this sound palette. The airy instrumentation needed some stronger melodies. Maybe I need a closer listen to this one, seeemed like there should be more gems in here. Fave Tracks: Australia, The Room We Sat In Before 3/5
not my thing
Not bad
Not much here to get jazzed up about. It had some OK sounds but a solid 2.5 Will bump it to the three side.
Dated 80s electronic/new wave. Maybe I would like their newer music or at least a remastered version
Being 80s post-punk pop, I was hoping I'd like this, but I really didn't care for the vocals.
Very 80s, but pretty original with some rich production. Worth more listens. Best song: Party Fears Two
3/5
Quirky and fun, not my most fave thing in the world but definitely solid
This is good stuff. I like that it sounds a tad wonky!
Ooft. Was the original release of this really an hour and eleven minutes long? Somewhat interesting listen but not really my cup of tea tbh. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to hear it all again.
Unremarkable UK 80's pop. Grows on you during a 2nd listen but doubt I'll add any songs off it to my 80's playlists. Standouts: Club Country, Party Fears Two
I’ve been flip-flopping as I listen to this album. There’s parts that are experimental 80s post punk/new wave that are clearly influenced by Bowie that I enjoy quite a bit, and then there are parts that are just cheesy 80s synth pop that I just don’t really enjoy at all. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I can see myself reaching for this album again; I’d rather just listen to some Bowie.
Very 80s.
A mid-eighties time capsule, as if David Bowie had joined Altered Images.
interesting
Nice album, liked that.
Sometimes a bit cringe but otherwise great
The most flamboyant, dark and weird album this side of new wave, it's colorful cover almost feels like a trap when you get to how weird the sounds this album packs are, like having the typical 80s synths accompanied by some extra dissonant, loud or weird instrumentals while the singer sounds like he got plucked from an Opera, it's a wild ride and one that I had already gone before but I think now I get its eccentricities more than I did before. It's a cool album but I can understand some being turned off by... well all of it
An album with some interesting elements. 3 verging on 4 for me.
80's new-wave pop. I don't see how this was any different from the hundreds of other albums just like it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything amazing either.
3.5
2.5
You guys know I love weird music and Post Punk, so you'd think I'd love a weird Post Punk album, but I don't know, this one was just kind of boring. It's not weird enough to be interesting and it's not punk enough to have any energy. Nothing here is that bad, but it is just boring. Mid 3.
Meh
Started fairly strong but lost me in the back half. 3.5 stars.
This had a lot going for it. Gothic, weird, etheral. Suffered greatly from cheesy 80s production
Not good, not terrible.
This is another one of those that I just can't see how it ended up as one of the top 20 lowest rated albums on the list. Like don't get me wrong it's far from perfect, but it still has a lot of cool moments and ideas. It's fun, it's catchy, and to be honest there's very little that's actually awful about it. The production is pretty bad, I'll give you that. But other than that I really don't understand the hate for this one.
wanna get baked and lay in mccarren and listen to sulk by the associates? maybe! not no! when were you thinking
I enjoyed this without loving it. It seems like an album that has good quality at first impression whilst also benefitting from peeling back the layers. Will keep trying.
Man that was long. There’s lots to untangle. What interested me the most was the orchestration, particularly the strings that danced along. This album needs more listenings to fully reveal itself.
Another album that’s fine, but I don’t hear anything distinctive about it for it to merit being on this list. I think Scottish bands are graded on a curve by the author.
On second listening i didn’t mind this. Very 80s but slightly unmemorable 6/10
Wanted to like this much more than I did. Love the mood and vibe but meh
lustig dass ich mit the associates noni associated gsi bin?! quality stuff, aber irgendwie trotz em fact dass mini hütigi droge john maus gsi isch & ich eidütigi parallele zwüsche de beidne gsehne bini fast chli froh gsi dass die zweit hälfti remixes und reinterpretatione gsi sind & ich mich wieder am johnny boy ha chönne widme de namitag isch denn vo schübel dominiert worde, drum hani ehrlich gseid fast chli vergässe wie mini associates tönt hend. trotzdem paar lieder alst staubfänger gspeicheret also über de average schaffemer‘s hüt nöd aber ich gspüre es gad wieder berguf boys, mini ohre lechzet nach eme hochkaräter
Okay
dálítið sérkennileg músík. djúpur gotasöngur yfir drungalega hljóðgervla en með eitís-popp ívafi. gef þessu þrist, er ekki minn sjóhattur.
Vocals somewhere between Dexys Midnight Runners and The Cure, and a synth-poppy take on post-punk. Interesting enough, but not a lot stood out except for the surprisingly cheery cover of 'Gloomy Sunday'.
на любителя (я не впечатлен).
nice rediscovery of a band i’d never given much time with everything else going on in the 80s
Raro pero con mucha onda. De esos que las canciones de la versión extendida están mejor que las originales. Como pop pesadón, denso. Me gustó.
Good
It’s a little extra, but that just comes with the territory of 80s new wave/post punk. The album isn’t as creative as anything Bowie put out, and several songs just blur together, but overall it’s catchy music I could see any retro or goth clubs playing.
3.5
I enjoyed it but nothing grabbed me as particularly interesting.
Cool
This album was a roller coaster. I absolutely hated most of the songs until tracks 8 and 9. This is mostly because the singing got really grating and was just annoying to listen to due to being so high pitched. There is some impressive creativity going on in the album, but I only started to appreciate it until like 40 minutes in. I think this is due to the style of songs, not necessarily just getting used to it. Anyways, I do not recommend listening to this in album form, because it is too hard. I'm also banning myself from this music because it seems like the sort of music that would get stuck in your head and be extremely annoying. As such, it is too dangerous to have around.
At times it sounds somewhat like what David Bowie might have made in the early 80s after "Scary Monsters" if he had continued to embrace the quirky stylistics of new wave instead of pure pop. Nevertheless, there's an icy and obnoxious quality to the production and performances on this record that you would rarely find on a David Bowie disc.
This is a deeply interesting album and sounds like little else while sounding exactly like 3 or 4 different groups in a blender. It's a really fun listen, but the lead voice is a bit tough for me overall. I would go 3.5 here, but dropping to 3.
I so want my stats to reflect how much I loved 80s music but I keep getting oddballs like this. Not horrible, but 1982 could do a hell of a lot better.
This album 80's so hard.
Genre wise this is up my alley, I like most of this synthy post-punk dumb-guy-smart-guy sort of stuff. This one is good, just not top of the class.
Sulk is the second and last studio album from the Associates, a Scottish band that made grandiose post punk. The album was a critical and commercial success, and the band didn't survive their success. Their songs have a dramatic, theatric sense, driven by Billy Mackenzie's cabaret falsetto. The album includes "Country Club," one of the band's biggest singles, a danceable track utilizing a drum machine with extensive use of synthesizers.
Не мое, но прикольно для того, что стилистически совсем не соответствует годам выхода
Непойми что, но местами весёлое и задорное, а местами какие-то завывания.
A lotta synths on this one
Erstes Lied ok, dann schwach, aber gegen Ende überraschend gut, vor allem die Bonussachen.
Enjoyed this. Some catchy songs along with a fair bit of meh. Doubt I’ll go back to it but glad I’ve heard it
Some cool tracks on here, have never heard of the band before. Listened to the deluxe version and all the added tracks felt unnecessary. Goiny by original track list it's a solid 3, nearly 4
Associate 1: "Hey, we're a bunch of queers, let's make some post-punk music!" Associate 2: "Okay, who's going to be the lead singer? I'm not a good singer." Associate 1: "Shit, I can't sing either." A lightbulb appears over Associate 1's head, his eyes glow green. Associate 2: "I KNOW! I'll just do a poor imitation of David Bowie!!" Associate 1: "You're a genius. We're going to make so much money. Nobody will like our music, but at least fuckwit music critics will rate us highly, because post-punk is so /IN/ right now!" Associate 1 and Associate 2 proceed to suck each other off in delight. I'm not gonna lie, at least the instrumentals were pretty good. I don't think this album deserves to be the 7th worst album on this site (as of 24/01/25), there's plenty worse post punk garbage lurking around on this list that deserves a worse fate. I actually ended up enjoying this album as it went on, hits like Party Fears Two and Club Country were really worthy songs, you can definitely tell what songs on this album are good and not by the Spotify streams. tl;dr - bowie copycats with really good instrumentals but good songs are overshadowed by other songs with the singer being shit and trying way too hard
No no no no. Don’t call my mamma. What’s in a good boy.
Good vibe but won’t come back to this
fav song was “and then i read a book” kinda like talking heads. started off not liking much but the songs grew on me
Super weird and fun mix of post-punk and pop. I appreciate how much they committed to just making it as extra as possible. It definitely feels VERY 80s but in a self-aware way.
Musically this sounds pretty nice, however the vocals let it down. Low 3/5.
It’s ok
And just as I was wondering how long my 5/5 streak was gonna go on for, here comes a post-punk album, guaranteeing I won't be able to give it a 5! I mean, to be fair, this album isn't **just** post-punk; Wikipeia classifies it as synth-pop as well. But, boy, if there's anything that would make me not look forward to an album, labelling it as "post-punk" would be it. And, look, I kinda don't like to be this unfair to any genre. There's always gotta be something I like about each and every one — at least **one small thing**, at minimum. It's just that I have had the least amount of luck figuring out what that thing is with post-punk, let alone what its appeal is supposed to be. Goodness, even with jungle and drum n' bass can have some nice piano lines every now and then. I mean, if you were to ask me to define what I thought post-punk was supposed to be, I'd honestly probably say something like "It's uncommercial hoo-hah that I'm supposed to applaud at just because it's uncommercial." Y'know, I started bad with METAL BOX, and it hasn't gotten any better for me since. So, this album, then. What's its deal? Well, for one, I feel like I can attribute everything I like about it to the "synth-pop" label, that being the instrumentals, mostly. They're pretty good, honestly, even if they're not exactly mind-blowing. If this album were just those, I could see myself giving it a 4 at most — and not just because I've been wondering if I've been too generous lately with my 5's. As you've seen, though, I've given this album a 3, thanks entirely to one thing: this guy's vocals. I read a review on this website comparing this vocalist to a bootleg David Bowie, and, yeah, that's really the vibe I get. He's doing all this whooping and caterwauling 'coz, y'see, that's what vocalists on **important, artsy music** are **supposed** to sound like — I guess. It just didn't do anything for me, or at least anything positive. And I get the feeling that on any other album I might not have minded this too much, but you combine the fact that I thought of these guys as "post-punk" first with the whole "Who the hell are these guys?" kind of reaction... Yeah. Yeah, no. This guy just sounds like he's trying too hard to sound important, and it's a detriment to everything. I mean, jeez, I read a review that compared these vocals to Russel Mael of Sparks, and... No? No, not at all? Not even close? So, yeah. Big ol' 3. It's fine, but coulda been better. Part of me's happy my group got this, though more as a reminder that I **can** rate stuff less than a 5 than because of anything that's actually on this album. If I had a choice of listening to any other 80's album today, believe me, I absolutely would have.
I’m at a 3. It took a lot of rehab work, and the quality of the last 3 tracks to get there, but this album crawled its way up to a 3. I’m really not sure what to make of this album, because I can’t quite figure out exactly what’s wrong with it. The biggest and most obvious flaw is the dichotomy between the vocals and the instrumentation – far too many tracks on this album deeply suffer from them never really being in sync. The best way I can describe it is like trying to play around in FL Studio with two songs that you know won’t make for a good mashup, but trying to make it work anyway. Individually, I think the vocals could’ve worked on a lot of the tracks I was indifferent towards if the instrumentation had been better adapted to suit the vocals. However, that same criticism applies to the instrumentals as well – I think a lot of the instrumentals here are really good, but the vocals should’ve been more adapted to them. That’s where my biggest issue with this album lies – it’s got good vocals, and good instrumentation, but save for the final 3 tracks, they just don’t work together that well, and I’m not sure which adaptation would make the album more preferable to me. It really is a case by case basis, just based on the vibes of each track. I understand this sort of post-punk new wave experimental thing the production is going for, but it really doesn’t work as well as it could have. If anything, I’m frustrated that the last 3 tracks fully nailed it, because it just means Tracks 2 through 7 could’ve done it too. Nude Spoons was irredeemable, though. I am giving this album a bit of a long leash, but it’s because I can sense the framework of a really, really good one in here, at least for my sensibilities. I fully understand the average rating this has on the site – it’s abrasive, unusual, and never really meshes together to make a cohesive album experience until those last 3 tracks… but I just didn’t hate the rest of the tracks enough to go down past a 3. It’s a strange album, and I’d personally only really recommend it for super niche circumstances, but I think it’s got a place on the list for all its oddities. Hence, the 3.
Layered and strange. More depth than I expected from the 80s
I liked parts of this, but as a whole it didn't do a lot for me. Might give it another chance down the road.
This guy sounds so much like David Byrne, like SO much. The music is decent but not especially memorable otherwise. C
I don't really know what to think about this album, but I know that it really didn't interest me. Generally, I'm a big fan of early post-punk, especially the synthesizer variety. This just didn't speak to me, through, and I don't care enough to figure out why 3/5
This album is stress-inducing but, like, in a good way. Favorite track: "Party Fears Two."
An okay album, I liked No the most.
For this review, I will only examine the original UK and Canada release and ignore the bonus tracks from the 2000 remaster. I can't say I've heard of The Associates before. They were a short-lived Scottish post-punk and synth-pop band from the 1980s, apparently cited as an influence by acts like U2 and Björk. After listening to their commercial breakthrough Sulk, that legacy has some merit, even if I struggle to connect with this album. There is a haunting atmosphere evoked by Alan Rankine's spare synth-keyboard play and Billy Mackenzie's wailing somber vocals. This style may be stuck in the 80s, but it makes due in the darker pastiches of that era. Songs such as "No" and "Gloomy Sunday" make the most effective use of that dreary ambiance before the synth club booms kick in the latter half with "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country" that are danceable in their macabre mannerisms. Yet as much as I respect Sulk's style, it does not have much memorability. Aside from the above songs, most of this album tends to be homogenous in its presentation, going in one ear and out the other. It's not the worst experience out there, but it does leave me desiring more hooks or cohesion. At the end of the day, this album is a product of its time with some good moments. Whether it belongs on this list is subjective, but for now, I'd give it a listen and cherry-pick your favorites.
This one’s a bit odd, and I’m still trying to figure it out. It’s definitely artsy synthpop with a strong post-punk vibe. The theatricality of it all really shows influences from David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
somehow, The Associates made an album that is wreaks sensory hell upon me and still sounds very much spongy to all the sounds around it. it's music i can only imagine was recorded in studio by the do on the cover hopping around like 90's grossout cartoon characters, bouncing off the walls and getting glitter all over the place. it takes until the second half for this weird saute of genre to come together in a "satisfying" way, and it does have its moments, but the moment is always the same flavor of squirrely flamboyance.
2.5/5
The 80s were a time where creative ambitions really felt like they were flowing. People actually attempted to push boundaries and change the dynamics of popular genres without falling victim to conformity. But, as they say, not all that glitters is gold. I’m all for experimentation and new ideas, as they are the driving force of what makes music so great. But when I go back, I look at a lot of these older albums in hindsight with the context of the music that came after them. I can imagine this record by The Associates was probably pretty cool stuff for the early 80s. But I also know it wouldn’t take too long for someone to come along and upstage this in many ways. I’ll still give this album the credit it rightfully deserves, because it holds its own at several moments. I think, at its absolute best, this album showcases some of the most interesting and well put together synth pop I’ve ever heard. Stuff that can even rival the best that the generation had to offer, like Tears for Fears or Depeche Mode. I wish every song sounded like Club Country, because it’s a legitimate banger. But more often than not, the record does not reach those heights. It’s recorded in a very manic and energetic way. Almost to its own fault. The drumming, for example, often sounds all over the place and very random, and only occasionally catches its footing to really provide a solid beat for the music. The rhythmic gap left by the drums is primarily picked up by the many synth sounds, which tend to be the best aspect of each song. I don’t think the singer’s voice is bad, but it’s also all over the place, and feels like an amalgamation of every popular male singer’s voice at the time. That includes both the good and the bad. This albums biggest fault is inconsistency. Like I said, in a perfect world, every song was similar to Club Country and this was an amazing album. Unfortunately, it regularly falls short of its own highs. Rating: 5/10
Pretty good.
I listened to it yesterday, and I remember enjoying it a bit, but just one day later, I already started to forget it, and now I only have the impression that I listened to a good The Cure cover band. I'm unsure, but the album is probably good enough to receive 3 stars.
Heavy David Bowie influence in the music. Seems more like a Bowie cover band than anything original. Solid musicianship and the vocals were decent.
Nice find
Anos 80 inglês. Lembra the cure achei legal.
Fun album
some interesting experiments on here, but most tracks are misses.
I was not a fan of most of the instrumental heavy songs. Loved party fears two, club country, love hangover as some good 80s synth pop.
One of the lowest rated albums on the list, so I already know this is going to be a good day. The highs are very high. When they throw any semblance of pop aside and go full insane mode with those goth vocals and the brooding bass, it rocks hard. ("Nude Spoons") When they do some boring New Wave shit with Tarzan vocals, I lose interest ("Party Fears Two"). Somehow managing to make Gloomy Sunday (aka the "Hungarian Suicide Song") sound like an emotionless U2 song is an achievement in itself.
I don’t like everything about this, but I have to admire its weirdness. The generator has served up a lot of 80s pop albums and *a lot* of 80s post-punk albums but somehow, despite clearly straddling both genres, Sulk doesn’t sound quite like any of them. A freaky fever dream of a record.
Pretty one note, pretty bland, pretty forgettable.
Has some interesting aspects, but over all not really my jam.
I hated the vocals most of the time but the instrumentals were really good most of the time.
Um...operatic punk? I like it (never listened to it) even though the first rack sounds like it was misprogrammed...
Groupe totalement inconnu. Le premier morceau est un instrumental plutôt dynamique et assez agréable. Le second morceau et les suivants sont chantés, je trouve que la voix ressemble beaucoup à celle de Bowie. Les harmonies/mélodies sont vraiment originales, j’ai écouté l’album une seconde fois. J'ai particulièrement apprécié : Club country ++ (ligne de basse). Donc découverte originale. Mais pas sur de le rajouter dans ma liste d’albums. =>3.5/5
“Sulk” is an album of overreaching mania. The Associates, driven by the creative duo of Billy Mackenzie and Alan Rankine, became known as champions of “new pop” here, undergoing the kind of record making process that becomes mythologised for decades to come. While making this album, the duo blew half their budget on indefinitely booking a studio, filled their drums with water, urinated in their guitars, constructed an entire kit out of snare drums, bought a jangle piano merely for liking the name, and so on. So… did any of this… work? Yes and no. “Sulk” is an album brimming with excess, to a point where the stories behind it feel entirely appropriate. It’s eight wilfully bananas post-punk songs, bookended by two slightly less bananas instrumental pieces. I mean it in the most confounded and complimentary way when I say it’s a total nightmare. Opening instrumental/overture “Arrogance Gave Him Up” is strewn with out-of-time percussive hits underneath a buzzing, swelling synth lead. The unwieldy “No” introduces Mackenzie’s vocals, crooning and soaring away in dramatic falsetto above some kind of Tim Burton-esque cabaret march. “Bap de la Bap” is the first truly promising song, with a yodelling vocal, layers of dense synth noise and guitar lines tantamount to Fripp. After a disarming, melodramatic cover of “Gloomy Sunday”, we branch into the acid-trip inspired “Nude Spoons”, with its insistent two-note bass line and piercing falsetto hook declaring “euphoria”: rapture and torture all at once. The other highlights from the album’s second half are its two singles, which are notable for their relative (I stress relative) accessibility. “Party Fears Two” and “Club Country” are the most conventional-sounding tracks on the first couple of listens, and for that reason they’ve quickly become my favourites. Unlike most of the other numbers here, they have a fun hooks and instrumentals to latch onto (a jangle piano sequence for “Party Fears Two”, a frantic bass refrain for “Club Country”). Forty-odd years on, it’s difficult to say if the album’s influence looms large or not: while it won the hearts of (among others) Bjork, Bono and the Divine Comedy, it also earned itself a place on this very site’s “Lowest Global Ratings” list. So it is that with “Sulk”, The Associates garnered great critical praise and would also go on to be voted in the bottom 20 albums from a list of 1001. This album is a masterclass in how to be divisive, so of course this flakey critic is going to sit directly in the middle of the fence.
Man. Way out there crazy 80s pop doodling. Fun stuff.
Dark and broody ( which you may have guessed from their cover of Gloomy Sunday, the infamous “Hungarian Suicide Song”) but still a decent party record. Not bad.
It feels disjointed. The instrumental at the beginning of the album didn't really get me in the mood to keep listening. Doesn't seem resonant.
Nothing Special.
Typical for 80s music trending toward the bad end.
3/5
Wasn't sure of this one at first but I settled into it pretty well. Some refreshing electronic-type grooves, it can be hard to distinguish albums like this from one another (sadly, it's becoming like a '60s psych rock monotony sort of thing), I feel like the list man included a handful of electronic albums to show that he's got diverse taste, but he failed to vary those albums significantly enough for me to not think he's a poser. Pretty good album though, not sure if I'd keep it. I'd definitely whittle down this specific genre pack a bit or spice it up. Favorite tracks: Bap de la Bap, Club Country, Love Hangover. Album art: I really dig this one, great colors. Two flamboyant dudes sitting on what appears to be sheet-covered furniture in a garden lit with incredible lights. It's a very striking cover, I like it a lot. 3.5/5
Sulk I’m vaguely aware of the name The Associates, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of their music, and I don’t really know what genre they are. I didn’t want to read about them or this before my first listen, but looking at the cover and the year, I guess some kind of synth pop type band? Arrogance Gave Him Up, quite a bouncy synth pop instrumental, I like it. No, quite a gloomy sound, a bit more new wave/new romantic, the pulsing drums and highly pitched synth is very 70s Bowie. Not the most convincing vocal melody. Bap De La Bap. I like the squeaky sounds, but does sound a little like a pastiche of a synth pop singer, like the Mighty Boosh might do. Good drum pattern though. Gloomy Sunday - another very very Bowie vocal and Station to Station era feel. I really like the rippling synth line. Nude Spoons, great title. Drums, bass and one of the synths sounds quite like I’m So Excited. Skipping - The vocal in parts sounds like when I try to do the lowest note I can in the bathroom mirror by dropping my chin into my chest and trying to look like a frog (or George Lucas). It’s Better This Way, sounds a little bit Jesus and Mary Chain, but without the echoey drums being quite as satisfying. Again the vocal melody isn’t my favourite. Party Fears Two has nice bounciness, I like the synth line and the bass is good, and the piano in the back half is excellent. Club Country I really liked, the bass, synth, guitar and noises are great, and it’s probably the strongest vocal and strongest melody on the album and it’s best track - a potentially overlooked 80s classic. nothinginsomethingparticular is similar to Arrogance Gave Him Up, a jaunty bit of instrumental synth pop, at slight odds with the slightly gloomy songs in between. It feels like they are more of slightly new wave 70s inspired synth focused rather than synth pop band on the basis of these songs. Now I’m reading about them it makes sense they are Scottish, although I don’t know why that is, and that they would think of themselves as post punk, which also makes sense, but they are clearly in thrall to Bowie and a fair bit of pre-punk music. It looks like they were pretty influential too, although I guess that might be more for their attitude and style rather than the songs themselves. I’m not entirely sure what I think. There’s a lot I like, there are some decent songs, some excellent synths and some very good guitar and bass, and musically overall it does a very good job of creating its own murky, vaguely histrionic atmosphere. The drum sound though, I’m not that keen on, there’s an almost midi quality to it, it feels thin and flat. And vocally while it does feel a bit tuneless in places, which is fine, the voices don’t have much weight or distinctiveness, and the very Bowie derivative aspect of them I do find a bit off putting, especially combined with their melodies. It’s not a bad record at all, there’s some great synth lines and bass playing and some really interesting ideas and the overall slightly off kilter DIY aspect to it is fun, and while it’s intriguing enough to make me want to find out a bit more about them and see what else they’ve done, I may also, in time, forget I listened to this. I think a 3 is a fair score, some re-listening potential, but not necessarily an exciting discovery 🎹🎹🎹 Playlist submission: Club Country
Einhvers konar blanda af post-pönki og nýrómantík. Nýrómantík með angist? Áhugavert.
If someone asked me to provide them with a completely obscure album that emits 80's vibes, this would be it. Best Song: Club Country
Fullt godkänd.
Album 463 of 1001 The Associates -Sulk Rating : 2.5 / 5 Some British Post Punk. I could have given it a closer listen, to be honest, but it just never fully grabbed my attention. I wasn't feeling the need to turn it off, though.
They assured you that the party drugs were fun ones. I think the first half of this record is rough, but the last few songs save it and make it an entirely palatable experience. Lyrically, I like the record quite a bit, but at certain points it feels like the group messing around in the studio more than anything. Favorite tracks: "Party Fears Two", "Country Club"
Very 80s
At its heart, this is a Techno pop album which should normally get an automatic 1 star from me... but there's something else about this album that I can't quite put my finger on. There's definitely a strong David Bowie influence lurking somewhere. I'll come back to this album. A 3 star (for now)... benefit of the doubt!
Don’t do it for me.
Not really my type of music, but I thought this was fun. Super 80s, but enjoyable.
At the time of reviewing, this is the 15th lowest rated album on this site, so I went in with low expectations, in fact being in a lugubrious mood, I was prepared to sulk, but contrary to the artist's name, this is not sulking music, nor is it sucky music, and most certainly not deserving of it's low rating. A few things off the bat, the cover of Gloomy Sunday absolutely does not do justice to the song, the overall content of the album does not justify it's length, but there are enough unique melodies, lines and ideas here to make it a very worthwhile listen. In the right setting, it might even be enjoyable. Also, Bap De La Bap is a bop!
Very 80s, synthy and whiny. I think I like it... Time will tell if I like it enough to listen to it again in the future (I probably won't).
On the spectrum of tacky 80s pop this is on the good end, Club Country is particularly good.
This album is Eighties AF. The whole feeling puts you in that framework.
very new wave, kind of liked it
At last we have an answer to the question: "What if Bowie, but on Syd Barrett amounts of acid?" Not a bad listen, exactly, but a bit challenging.
Seems like the Associates couldn’t figure out what to cut loose from sulk and the final product suffered as a result. I really enjoyed what they’re going for here. It is odd looking at their North American and European releases that the NA had Nude Spoons and left Love Hangover out and the European release went vice versa. I thought both tracks were standouts. This was a unique, interesting listen with stellar cover art. 3.5 stars
Never heard about this one before, a nice surprise. Synthpop is hit or miss for me, post-punk is one of my fave styles. I haven't heard many albums which can be described as a clear combination of the two - perhaps some New Order or Fad Gadget stuff.
Very meh
5.5/10 Promises to be very interesting at times, but then mostly turns out to be annoying. Highlights: No Gloomy Sunday Nude Spoon
couple good jams didnt read enough about the band. cool era, cool style, not my favorite
Hier en daar typische 80s synth sound, maar er wordt verder niks mee gedaan. Het vliegt alle kanten op en mist daardoor de boot.
A couple of decent enough songs, but most of the others sound like poor imitations. Scores OK with its scottish bonus point, but this is actually a 2 🌟 album
3/5. I super dig the dark undertone with the creative and simple instrumentation. I appreciate the willingness to create songs that will definitely not do well on the radio but are still super enjoyable and awesome. It's a cognitive dissonance because I hear the loud and bombastic drums and synth mixed with the high vocals and I still feel scared, like something is going to jump up from the music and grab me. The main downside is that they can sound a little similar so can take away the mystery and then becomes somewhat boring later on in the album due to the similarity. Best song: No, Bap De La Bap
I do not need this many British pop albums. One of the better ones, though.
Sulky sulky sucky wucky
"Arrogance Gave Him Up" is an absolutely great opening track. It was entirely instrumental, and it got me really excited by the album. Unfortunately, it was the only standout track for me, and the others were either middling to poor.
Pretty advanced for 1982, and predictive of Sisters of Mercy, on the one hand, and Pet Shop Boys (though this is angrier/spikier and slightly depressive, too). A few hooks stick and “alive and kicking at the country club” sounds suspiciously like a theme song for one’s late middle age). There is ample silliness and this is overproduced by an order of magnitude. “Love Hangover” is camp upon camp, and certainly merited inclusion on the album.
medio aburrido pero le encuentro la visión. bastante largo. le doy un 6/10.
3.2
meh, ok
It was fine
Hectic, chaotic, melodic and prominent songwriting.....of the times. The rawness of the production seems a bit of the era and doesn't translate as well for me on a personal level.
Weird, in a cool 80s way.
Boy the first and last song clearly could have used some vocals. We're not soundtracking a movie here. But in between, it sort of started kicking ass in the way a post-punk early '80's duo way. Maybe that's by design.
Okay
This album is a little out there. I don't really like resonate with any particular song but I appreciate the composition and production. I'd say this is not really my type but it's still good
Not bad. Sounded a bit like the Talking Heads on some tracks.
Опять же, как уже порядком альбомов, которые мне здесь встречались: овердрама в голосе, нью-вэйв/пост-панк, темнота, мрак и всё остальное - всё звучит так, как вот звучит идеальный альбом. Но будто бы и тут затянуто, и тут записано? заремастерено? очень сухо и плоско. Утром проснулся с мелодией из главного хита группы в голове. Лучшая песня - Nude Spoons.
Don’t listen to a ton of 80’s but this seems like a good example of what it would be like. Really good vocals but not my fav overall 3/5
An interesting record for sure. Solid Brit post-punk/new wave that is decently experimental for the time. The vocals in particular stand out for me - some songs are almost like a Morrissey/Bono/Bowie/Robert Smith mashup, No and Love Hangover in particular. I like it. Listening to it now, some of the songs do sound like they're straight out of a terrible low-budget movie from 1983. Super cheesy but not specific enough to really be nostalgic. Some of the songs are like if you asked a band to write something by The Cure but with more synth. On the whole, the album is pretty decent. Lots going on and lots to keep your attention. It's a little long, I feel like 23 songs and an hour and a half is just a little too much so it loses points for that. Solid 3.5/5 but not strong enough to round up to 4.
1982 Genre: Synth-pop, post-punk, art rock Never heard of these guys before. Standouts: Gloomy Sunday, Party Fears Two, Love Hangover Pretty good 80s sound. Not sure it really stands the test of time. 3.5
Really good early 80s post punk.
Alvin was a little hit or miss for me. It feels like a slower prototype for the band Mindless Self Indulgence.
Not terrible but not really for me. Kind of like ABC. It’s too theatrical I think. 3/5
It’s like listening to David Bowie mixed with the Talking Heads.
Genre: Synth-pop, post-punk, art rock 1982 This one is new to me. Never heard of them before. 5/5: Love Hangover, Gloomy Sunday (Hungarian Suicide Song), Party Fears Two. 4/5: Arrogance Gave Him Up, Bab de la Bap, It's Better This Way,
Post punk new wave vibes. Fae Dundee!
3.5*
Skøn 80er med lidt vel meget drama
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.
It was different but nothing to write home about
Not my style
Fun 80s britpop.
Don't recall very well
Thoughts before listening: Never heard of these guys before. I'm assuming it's very British new wave and most likely won't be for me. Review: I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. These guys have a pretty cool sound thats closer to the Cure than the overly poppy new wave that I was expecting. It's definitely still synth heavy but it's got a bit of a gothy darkness mixed with kind of a David Bowie vibe that I'm liking. This is a 3 star album.
While no different than the dozens of other 80s UK synth-post-whatever-he-needs-to-justify-reason that Demery et al like to show their biases with, this unknown to me group and album were okay but again, no different than any of the multiples of examples that are well known or credited for influence. 3/5.
I kinda like where this album was going, but it also put me off in times. But the band has a unique take on the genre. It’s just a bit too out there. 6 out of 10
All over the map. Could hear bits of the Cure and Human League. Like Nick I enjoyed the gothic choir stuff. Totally new band to me
Klang ganz gut, aber noch nicht viel gehört.
Favorite Songs: No Arrogance Gave Him Up
Pretty good asides on the Bowie voice.
I can dig this. Didn't hit as hard as Japan, but I can dig it.
Listened Before? N Interesting stuff. Very new-wavey. Very lightly listened on Spotify. This seems like a hidden gem. I enjoyed it quite a bit but I'm a New Wave fan. I may revisit this later. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Party Fears Two
I’m hearing influences of Eno-era David Bowie, especially in songs like “Gloomy Sunday”, "Skipping" or ”No” which sounds like it was pulled from side 2 of Diamond Dogs. The instrumentation is mixed under and the production is muddy, reminding me of the last Cure LP we got. I kept wandering what this would be like with a crisper sound. The singer is something else – more talented than his post-punk rivals but over the top at times. I hated this on the first listen. The second was much better. Clearly a 4 if I listened one more time. Too bad they picked such a conventional name for such an eclectic band.
This band is such a weird amalgamation of sounds - Sparks, Bauhaus, Flock of Seagulls and a little Cure thrown in for good measure. Ok record.
odd for all these 80s bits in the 1st 20 albums?
De estilo ochentero. Sin más. No destaca especialmente. Ya desde el principio da síntomas de cómo va a ser el resto. Sintetizadores y voz un tanto aflautada
Definitely interesting and dramatic
Nice extended 80s instrumental + vocals in between. Didn't hear the whole of it
Little random spike of the 80s lately and this is so 80s. Fairly amusing listen actually, though with that UK New Wave vocals thing, so operatic and affected.
Here is the influential goth synth album
Weird and strangely wonderful
Wasnt very memorable but was nice. Listened to it on the beach on a quiet slightly chilly day so it fit the vibe
Eh, perfectly fine for what it is, just not for me.
Very unique pop, good or great at times but inconsistent
Slightly less interesting talking heads, seriously this guy sounds like David Byrne
Un album qui donne le ton de ce qui deviendra la décennie des attardés mentaux. Ces deux débiles s'associent pour produire un album à la fois musicalement intéressant et surtout complètement con. À souligner la performance du chanteur, incapable de relier deux informations entre elles ni de connecter ne serait-ce que deux neurones et totalement perdu au milieu de l'instrumental. Il ne réalisera qu'à la fin de l'album se trouver dans un sudio de musique.
C'est un peu n'importe quoi mais ce n'etait étrangement pas si désagréable, et ce malgré un chanteur complétement dépassé par les événements.
Som oitentista e pa, tem seus lampejos, até dá pra curtir algumas
My first impression for the album as a whole was interesting, a little messy, but it grows. Sounds like they had fun making it. Some lyrics are a bit campy but fun. It's not perfect but it works.
This is kinda in my wheelhouse but didn’t really click with me.
Carat and more... Overall
This was nice and all. No recollection of it from the 80's.
Possibly as 80s as it is possible to be.
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.
Couple of classic tracks, but generally too 80's
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.
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.
Typical mix of 80s sounds from early new wave.
Synth pop to the extreme, not bad but also without anything really standing out
Tribute act to weird Bowie. Nearly loved some of it.
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.
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
Distinctly joyously 80s, but quite fun.
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.