Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Yep. Jaren '80... Af en toe wat vaag. Maar vooral stereotype. Ga uit mijn lijst!
Vanaf de eerste toon weten we in welk decennium we zijn beland. De synths en drumcomputers vliegen je om de oren. Nu gaf de hoes natuurlijk ook al wat weg. 80s in optima forma. Om terug te komen op die drums: die drummer heeft ADHD op het eerste nummer. Daar zitten een paar nootjes te veel over het algemeen. Die levert hij vervolgens weer in, want daarna volgt een theatraal stuk dat ook vrij typerend is voor de 80s. Verder is het een combinatie van eerder genoemde zaken: theatraal en ADHD. Ik dacht er niks van te kennen, maar ik herken zowaar "Party Fears Two". Mijn tolerantie voor 80s muziek is inmiddels een stuk hoger dan vroegah, maar dit gaat enigszins de grens over, met name in het theatrale. Dit album vinkt wel wat hokjes af zeg. Het is net iets te muzikaal om er een 1 voor te geven, dus een magere 2 zal hun deel zijn.
not for me mate.
I liked it at first but the longer it went on the more I disliked it
I miss the blissful ignorance I had in the first few minutes of this album when I thought it was going to be an instrumental album. I thought my tolerance for tacky New Wave was pretty high but it was not enough to stomach the vocals on display here. Like this goes beyond the usual 'ohhh this guy sings annoying' mentality that bad vocals usually drag an album down with, I don't know if I can say with confidence that these guys actually know how to sing
An altogether too long collection of some of the the most 80's tripe of all time, constantly on the cusp of being interesting but consistently failing to distinguish itself from any of the other mass produced faux art nuwave slop of it's contemporaries. The vocalist should be studied for science.
This album has the feel of the fake Kraftwerk knockoff band that the nihilists are in from the Big Lebowski. As far as I can tell, this band did NOT have a whole album in them. I have a feeling that this was included in the book to contrast to bands like Depeche Mode to show both the highs and lows of New Wave music. Fuck man, even to show how quality can vary on one LP. How this has a special edition which is half an hour long on spotify is beyond me. Bam De La Bap really just sounds like the musical equivalent of a guy who didn't prepare anything for his school presentation and he's up in front of the class winging it. And then you have songs like Gloomy Sunday and Party Fears Two which is what would happen if you gave that same bloke 90mg of lysdexamfetamine? Props to the vocalist for trying different styles, doing some nearly Sisters of Mercy type of shit on Skipping. I am a tragic for new wave, post-punk and synth shit but I'm not drinking the kool aid (or Irn Bru in this case) on this one. I knew Party Fears Two before going into this, and coming out this tomorrow I am only going to remember Party Fears Two and its killer keyboard track that my coworkers is going to be forced to listen to me whistle. Highlights: Arrogance Gave Him Up, Gloomy Sunday, Skipping, Party Fears Two
1.5
This is all over the place, with an almost sickening amount of very dated synths flooding every song. There are occasionally some highlights, like the heart pounding bassline in It's Better This Way or the piano riff in Party Fears Two, but overall, I think this was a little too erratic for me to fully enjoy.
I'm always suspicious of early to mid 80's bands that I haven't heard of. If they were good I probably would know them. This one didn't do much for me
Most songs are horrible, but track 7 and 8 were quite decent. Not a big fan of post punk, it seems.
Okay. Why is this on the list? Did we really need another new-wave album on here? No. No we did not. There's enough of it already. This album is not notable enough to be on the list. But impact isn't everything. Sometimes, we have to ignore the low cultural impact of an album to praise it. The problem is that this album isn't good or original enough for me to do that. Sulk is mid. Admittedly, there are decent elements here. The instrumentals are very 80s, but they work sometimes. They're a bit overstimulating at times though. I'm not a fan of the vocals. I can get behind some weird vocals. That's like a quarter of the appeal of Talking Heads for me. These ones just aren't for me though. The writing is fine, I guess. It's a bit uninteresting though. Songs like "Bap De La Bap" just kind of annoy me. The album's also pretty inconsistent and all over the place. Overall, Sulk is fine, but I really didn't need to listen to this before I die. High 2/5.
Like someone announcing to everyone that they are leaving the party in the loudest, most bombastic way possible.
-well it’s always interesting getting to hear relatively obscure synth-pop and new wave that breaks away from the model of the big names -most of the songs here didn’t really do it for me though. it coulda been shortened a whole lot. i do love the vocals though, they were kinda haunting -Favorites are No, Gloomy Sunday, and Club Country
Sulk is peak self-indulgent ’80s excess, over-the-top production, theatrical vocals, and a relentless need to be different for the sake of it. While some might appreciate its quirky charm, it feels more like a dated relic than a timeless listen. A bold of them to make this album 1 hour and 38 minutes, of what is ultimately, ’80s junk.
Like a cheery crappy echo, well more crap
As a student I was.i introduced to this by by a girl who I sort of fancied a bit, this album was our common ground for our otherwise divergent music tastes (she was into Culture Club, I was into Jesus and Mary Chain). We had fun for a bit but ultimately headed off in different life directions. Very 80s album, interesting (at the time) alternative to.the rest of the synth pop stuff but history hasn't been so kind to it and it sounds a bit .. well, crap tbh. +1 for the nostalgia. (And what's going on with the Spotify version with all those spurious added demos and stuff needlessly tacked on to the end? No album deserves this, not even ones I like)
Meh
Had a few bright spots but mostly annoying.
Ganz nett, aber auch irgendwie belanglos.
Pretty bad
I keep thinking I've gotten the last of the garbage British new wave bands that I've never heard before, and here I am on album #959 and they still keep coming.
Could not appreciate
Had never heard of them. Fits well with the early 80s timeline, but pretty forgettable.
Never heard this album before. Oh my what the 80's is going on here. I mean, wow. It's just a neon-and-pastel-colored train wreck of an album. Even the two "hit" singles, Party Fears Two and Club Country are head-scratchers. I'm pretty sure The Associates must be a figment of a mockumentary...an 80's Spinal Tap. If I'm allowed to laugh at the music, I'm good with it! Otherwise it plays out as a cautionary tale of what was allowed to happen to pop music in the 80's.
Two days, two very annoying albums I’ve listened to.
nothing special here. it sounds like literally dozens of albums from this genre in this era.
This was rather boring, tbh
I kept losing interest after a few songs. It took me about four tries to listen to the whole album.
Not terrible but I found I would love one song than hate the next. I am curious why this made the list.
Well that was a waste of time. 10 tracks ranging from nearly enjoyable (Party Fears Two) to extremely irritating (Bap De La Bap). That makes for a total rating of "Dislike"..
I guess i applaud them for doing something different at the time. But a lot seemed like they combined a lot of sounds from the era to make something that wasn't necessarily great. That 2nd song reminded me of Nick Cave and I thought we were gonna go somewhere special. But we didn't. We stayed home
Not that exciting
2/5 too much echo.
Went into this with high hopes. I love the 80s and try to devour everything I find that I may have missed the first time around but baby this ain't it . I can see where it wants to go but they didn't make it.
In the end, I just didn't care for this one
I've always loved Party Fears Two, I quite like Country Club, I love new wave and this kind of era synth/pop/new wave. But this really grated over a whole album.
"No" sounds like the intro to Tim Curry's rendition of "Everyone Knows It's Halloween" from The Worst Witch: https://youtu.be/SSZYVFc6BqI?feature=shared&t=52 We'll carve pumpkin fay-ceeeess
Somebody had their David Bowie collection on repeat. Having influences is one thing but this is a straight up copy.
2 for being 80s but generic forgettable 80s.
British poppy and kind of weird. I didn't get it.
Ok.
Bro waht is this :skull: not conpletely unlistenable
I didn't really pay attention but damn this doesn't end
nudy
Had one or two interesting moments but was ultimately all surface and little core
This is the equivalent of a TikTok video that has been reused and stitched together so many times that whatever was originally there is just total garbage quality at this point. The production here is just awful and dated. The songwriting quality doesn't add much either, as nearly everything feels like bad Bowie or Smiths knock off music. Apt album title.
Fallow, fruitless, not very fun.
whale
Soundi onnistui lähinnä ärsyttämään. Levy myös pitkä kuin Tacon syntilista joten keskeytys kävi mielessä, mutta tsemppasin loppuun. Skeidaa.
J.outo-kamaa…
Bizarre and tedious.
Bad British synth pop. No reason to be on this list.
Meh. Very boring synth pop with no business being on this list
Musically it’s ok in spots but the vocals really don’t do it for me. My ears have adjusted to his sound and sometimes it pleasant enough and then he gets out of hand. This is very dated and has some experimentation for the time but does not hold up well. Songs just arnt there and the David Bowie wannabe vocals leave much to be desired 2/5 Better than I thought but can’t see being more than a light 3 with future listens
Man they really gave anyone a record contract back in the days eh?
Think it was good but not my thing
Bap de la bap, Scottish New Wave band, bap de la bap, wasn't good, wasn't bad.
There just wasn't much that I consider good or catchy. Very mediocre. 2.5/5.
A good moment or two saved this from a 1. Just 80's synth weirdness, and glad I don't ever have to listen to it again. 2/5
This has a definite 80s sound going. That’s not exactly a a compliment. And it often sounds like something Bowie would’ve been involved with, but not any of the Bowie that I like. I can hear the Cure influence, too. All in all, not really my thing.
This is like a shit pick and mix of Bowie, The Cure and Depeche Mode wannabes that forgot to include tunes. Wonky electonics and half hearted post punk. Best Tracks: Gloomy Sunday; Skipping; Party Fears Two
This was ok, but I don't really want to hear more. 2/5
What was this? I am still uncertain.
I couldn't get through the album. Listened to the first two tracks and the over-Bowied vocals + synthy soundtrack lost me quite quickly. Tried a few other tracks that were apparently the big hits on this album and found them to be middling 80s synth-pop. Read the backstory on the band and the singer Billy Mackenzie's path was truly tragic. They seemed to know and influence a lot of other, better bands so I can kind of see why this album is on the list.
Sounds like the 80s But more experimental, pushing boundaries. Doesn’t sound like it hit radios, but im probably wrong
Shades of Bowie and Queen. Too theatrical.
uninteresting british pop instrumentals and a bad singer.
A bit whacky early 80's album, vocals were pronounced
What? I liked the first song and then it turned into a chaotic mess of experimental try-hard music that just misses.
Party Fears Two //
Blah
Meh. I give the album a 2.5/5. Just wasn't my jam. Sounds like a Goth inspired 80s wannabe funk album. There is a reason these guys didn't go the distance.
Trash
I don’t like it at all. The album is titled appropriately though. 2.3 stars
Yikes no thank you
I will not be associating with this band
Kinda like a bad Bowie tribute for the most part.
That was what that was. 2.
What am I listening to? I say this as a fan of New Wave and Post-Punk. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
I couldn't get through this. Dreary dreary and dreary.
Oof. This was not good. If it preceeded some of the John Hughes soundtrack bands of the 80s, then I suppose they were influential. But if they were just another 80s band, then no need for them in the 1,000. Lovely cover art.
This is just an odd collection of synth-pop and falsetto - and I love New Wave but I simply found it weird. I hear that contemporary comparisons were to Sparks, and maybe I wanted them on this list more. I liked it best when they leaned more into disco moods but apart from a few moments, it just didn’t resonate with me.
new New Wave, ganz ok, aber nix herausragendes
Voice actually irritated me at points
There's an account on Insta that will record songs about your pet 🐕 in a silly voice. This sounds like that.
I wanted to like this since 80s post punk is one of my favorite genres, but it got annoying after a while.
This did not get any better as it went on. I've gotta pass on this one. Just wasn't very good.
Maybe the most frustrating album on this. A real challenge. It’s so close to being brilliant so many times, then just gets a bit too jarring and frustrating! Second half of the album is better (or did I just get used to it?) I JUST DONT KNOW!!!!! 2.3
Sulk indeed, found this a bit too whiney.
There's enough here I didn't mind (ex: Gloomy Sunday) that keeps me from rating this lower, but the misses are truly weird. After side one don't want to listen to this ever again. Side two may be changing my mind. I do like the bass a lot on the first two tracks. The high pitched vocals ruined Party Fears Two though. Short instrumental Nothinginsomethingparticular is a strong finish. I can't give this more than **
This album came out 4 years after Parallel Lines, and 14 years after the White Album, yet this is by far has the most cheese and campiness of them all (not just those 2 ofc). It is 100% just pure 80s cheese and I hate it. Only reason its not a 1 star is bc Skipping and 18 Carat Love Affair are actually kinda cool. I'm sorry B-52's perhaps I'm too harsh on you for your campiness because holy shit these guys burned the camp down.
2-3 Party fears two
Not bad
Booooring but not actively bad. Vocals were unpleasant
I seem to recall reading that the British press had called Talk Talk's late masterpieces insufferably indulgent. Reading contemporary reviews of Sulk, they appear to have gotten those records and this one both wrong.
so eighties and recorded in a cave
Not my style. I Liked one particular song: club country.
This album was just a bit of a mess parts of it were good, but not enough for me to believe this deserves to be on this list.
Some good moments, but another album that I just wanted to end.
Art rock/pop, kinda dragged on
this was very annoying but I have heard worse in this list so it can have a 1.5 rating
This isn't a good album, but its interesting enough that it gets one extra star. 2/5
When you take upbeat weird and give it a positive outlook and some joy, you get Talking Heads, which lives in 4 and 5 star territory. When you put upbeat weird into a minor key and make it all mopey and angsty, you get this.
3.50 rym 2/5 troppo synthpop per me
Is this the same Gloomy Sunday by Bjork on Stormy Weather? That’s the only thing intriguing about this album.
Decided by the third song this was a pile of wank and hoped I’d have something clever to say about it by the time it finished. I didn’t.
No A bit Blue Nile goes cabaret. Quite like it though, think the word is evocative. Ba de la Bap Someone’s a Bowie fan. Not a bad knock off though Gloomy Sunday Very camp, but I kind of like it Nude Spoons Sigue Sigue Sputnik bit mad Skipping Too frantic, needs a better melody to hold interest Party Feats Two Prof that it takes more than a mannered vocal to do what Bowie does. Club Contry I like this, a bit ABC Nothinginsomethin.., Quite a nice tune, although it s Does make me think of Come Dancing by the Kinks, which I infinitely prefer Love Hangover Decent campy pop 18 carat.. They really like that Kinks riff And then I read a book Some of these are a bit impenetrable. I don’t dislike them, but think it would take quite a few listens to him along with this
QuasiBowie a lo rollo.
Quirky, but not enough to warrant another listen. If this album was literally an hour shorter it would be a lot more impressive. The instrumentals are pretty fun, though. The keyboards complement the bassline pretty well, I just wish this album had more high points. It's definitely a slog to get through.
There were brief flashes where I thought this might redeem itself but they were all killed off pretty quick.
I like this genre but I found this very boring. Maybe that's why I've never heard of them.
Things this list maker loves based on what is on this list that shouldn’t be: 80s bands, British music, punk, albums that actually don’t need to be listened to. And this one checks off 3 of those as they’re Scottish but they’re from the same islands. More 80s over synth music that is actually pretty annoying to listen to. One of the less catchy less exciting 80s albums yet. 4.2/10
Oh god..TheCure on speed… without talent
This is not an album that has aged well
Meh album, though it gets better at the last half.
Not 1 star bad, but pretty close. I really don't know how this got on here.
Started bad, ended worse, but there was some okay stuff in the middle!
UK new wave is something I wish I could have listened to after I died. And I mean that as an insult.
A 3 hour 10 minute long deluxe version of this album does exist for anyone who wants to hear it. This information is, of course, useless because no one who has heard the original will ever want to hear the deluxe.
I liked this more than you did, but still not a lot. Ended up listening to the extended edition, with a few alternative versions of tracks that I found better than what made it onto the album. There are a few moments that work quite well, but it's subsumed in a sea of dross. And it's another new wave album, we seem to have a wildly disproportionate number of them. 2/5.
Ok
Mediocre album. I didn’t give this one too close a listen. It’s standard 80s pop, but maybe I’m missing something. **
EI vibinud sellega.
It’s only Party Fears 2 which keeps this from being one star That’s a great song but the rest of this is insufferable
I don't think this is what Bowie expected when he became a rock star.
They want to be the Cure. They're not the Cure.
Party Fears Two is a jam but the rest sort of washed over me like milk.
I think this is an album where you just had to be there for it to be good
I normally love 80's synth stuff but this one didn't hit for me.
1. arrogance - 1 2. no - 1.5 3. la bap - 1 4. gloomy - 1.5 5. zpoonz - 1.5 6. zkipping - 1 7. thiz uuay - 1 8. party fearz - 1.5 9. country - 1.5 10. nothing - 1 11. love affair - 1 12. hangover - 1 13. club - 1.5 14. party fearz - 1 15. better - 1 16. a book - 1.5 17. ceptimol - 1 18. zkipping - 1 19. auztralia - 1 20. tragic ztory - 1.5 21. never uuill - 1 22. country club - 1.5 23. grecian - 1
1.8/5. 2000 remaster. Listened 1x.
Remember that time Dracula got really into Bowie and started a band?
This album kinda sucks and I'm generally a fan of 80s new wave/synth. There is maybe 1 or 2 decent songs on it but the album itself lacks zero melody.
I think this is the first album that emphatically DID NOT pass the high test. Boring repetitive 80s new wave that had a couple of interesting moments but nothing fun or memorable at all.
Really just not for me.
Ranging from horrible to acceptable when the singer shuts his mouth.
Way better 80s albums
Early 80s music is fine I say.
Ahhh the 80s, a time for musical experimentation. Some hit and some missed. This shit missed like a 3 point shot from Shaq.
Nope, nope, nope. This does NOT appeal to me. I’m tired of complaining about the over abundance of UK 80’s and 90’s bands, and detailing why I don’t like them. Theirs is another one, ‘nuff said. 2/5
Some potential here, but I don't think I'd ever choose to listen to this again.
pretty meh
Nu-wave, but without the choons.
Not really my style...very repetitive sounding
Sulk?? More like Suck.
Headache stuff - but better than rap.
So weird. Some psychadelic vibes, mostly instrumental. Lyrics can be nonsensical. Definitely has a new wave, synthesizer sound, too. I did not enjoy this album.
Was expecting a horrible album, wasn’t that bad but still not great
Sometimes it is decent for a bit
Couldn’t get through this, sorry
QuasiBowie a lo rollo.
nope
Moody, plodding, 80's synth music. Normally right up my alley, but just a little too creepy for my taste. I'm not sure they influenced anybody but you can certainly hear lots of influences although I can't rightly call it derivative. Unconvinced this album belongs on this list.
Solid early 90s pop album
I was going to give this 1 star but the second half marginally improved things to the point where I could kind of see myself tolerating listening to this at a push. If that's not a glowing endorsement I don't know what is!
2.5
How many versions of this did we need on Spotify? Anyway, the instrumentals were pretty decent. I was surprised at first, as I had read they were considered "post punk". The instrumentation worked well. The vocals, however... are just not good. It's like someone from a Cure cover band. It doesn't fit well with what the rest of band is playing, and at times he's SCREAMING over the instruments, which got extremely annoying. The instrumentals bumped it up to listenable. Next.
Terrible. That's what was going through my head after the first few songs, especially Bap De La Bap, which seems like the worst parts of Joy Division and New Order (and David Byrne) brought together. Terrible is still what I thought when I reached their so-called big hit Party Fears Two. Their other hit Club Country was better. I get that they epitomized the new wave sound happening at the start of the 80's and they have paved the way for bands like Culture Club, the Cure (in their mid-80's evolution), etc. But this is not my scene. Too over the top. Too shite. Not complete shite, but not good enough either. It's music and trends like this that make us want to pretend like the 80's never happened. What were we all thinking?
Already had this albumrepeated
I’m so sick and tired of British people making music, and no, I didn’t finish the 1h 40 album, I got enough the first 40 minutes
Phantom of the Opera, David Bowie, a carnival on acid, Day Man from it's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, pure 80's vibe. The vocals really kill the album. Party Fears Two almost seems like a joke with how over the top the vocals are.
Whiny ass voice
QuasiBowie a lo rollo.
so annoyinggg
Huh this is what its like when i dont like pretty much every musical decision made in a project
This album sounds like a collaboration between David Bowie and the Cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Party Fears Two isn’t bad. Too synth-pop for me.
I wasn't thrilled with this album sounded a little disjointed lacked focus and an identifiable sound. 2.5 stars
I appreciate the synthy melodies, they're fun despite being so distinctively '80s. Those vocals though... one of the worst I've ever heard. Who hurt that boy?
ehh.
Yuck! They heard the Talking Heads and said “That’s it”. Sooo little here to like. 2/5
This was kind of a mess, but with a few bright spots. I can understand why someone might like it and can see how it inspired the goth sub genre, but it was pretty grating
Sorry falls da irgendwie Pionier vo schlechter Musik gsi sind oder so. Ich chan mer do echt nid ganze album geh. "and then I read a book" eifach mit eme röpser start scho zu unhinged für min Gschmack (han random uf das lied klickt). S album isch au mega lang? Aso weiss nid ob da eifach uf spotify mit de live Version sind aber gsehni irgendwie garnid. 1.7/5
Ischmer eifach chli too much irgendwie sorry
erste track nice 80s cheese. spezielli drums irgendwie. sehr wonky für e drum machine. gfallt mer aber. no. boh etz isch huuere lang gange bises singed. hui d melodie isch out there. und draaamaaatisch hoobla. bap de la bap?? ich sött de synth nervig finde aber finden no cool. alli synths sind so noisyy. uuh gloomy sunday isch chli post punk pop time. findi super. de best bis etz. nude spoons. bgv sehr ominös, geil. its better this way isch au sehr nice weird und er singt nöd würklich tön. Party fears two. sie hend sehr gern wonky tön und so. finds etz chli lang s gliche. country club hani recht nervig gfunde. nothinginsomethingparticular fangt besser ah und isch funky instrumental coool.
uiui aso ich gah devo es isch extra aber bin schomal gar nöd begeisteret vode produktion also s erste lied isch jz für mich game-musig gsi miteme nervige schlagzüg im hindergrund, ich hoff da chunnt nachli meh no gfalltmer jz scho besser, sehr atmosphärisch und weird, fast scho unheimlich JZ CHÖMMED WIEDER DIE ASS DRUMS UND GAME MUSIG ah er singt funny jaa jz zB party fears two findi voll easy, aber sie würked eifach wie wenn sie us prinzip alles münd übertribe (jz idem lied de gsang) logisch chan das au funny sii und kreativ aber finds ener müehsam au club county recht cool mite schnelle strings aber sie wennd alles quirky mache
Smattering of bangers but otherwise not for me
meh. 2 stars.
Guy needed some emotional help. Lyrics obviously coming from a dark place. Hard to listen to. Unfortunately his help never came in a form that could save him. Music reflects a severely tortured individual. Felt sorrow listening to this.
Very 80's New Wave. I just couldn't get into any track. Some of the instrumental work turned out okay, but the vocals really needed upgrading.
Almost lost a star for ruining 'Love hangover'
A couple of decent songs but overall a load of bollocks.
nothing wrong wht it but not for me. while the falsetto was impressive, there were moments where it felt like ti was showing off and did not fit into the song. like a guitar solo going on for jsut a little too long some parts of the falsettos were jsut slightly out of place for my liking. but I am not a critit
Definitely the sound of a moment. Reminds me of a lot of stuff that I prefer to this. I’d rather listen to David Bowie or Devo. I applaud the list for not simply sticking to the obvious choices. But there are less obvious choices that are more interesting and more impactful than this album.
Sounded so Australian!
Started out boring but got a little better. Pretty weird though.
Not great
There were a couple of cool instrumental interludes on this. Overall, though, this was very much not for me. The singing reminded me of a cheap David Bowie knockoff.
The album started out pretty poppy and actually interesting and fun to listen to. In the course of the album, things get progressively weirder and more uncomfortable.
Bit boring, 2-3
The music is a good fun punchy synth pop 80s sound, but good lord those vocals are on crack. Higher does not automatically mean better. Kinda annoying.
If they were early in synth, I get why they’d be on the list, but I’m not sure what was special about it from one listen.
There are a lot of post punk records on this list. The main thing to distinguish this one from the rest is that the singer sounds like Russ Mael from Sparks. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Party Fears Two Date listened: 10/01/24
The title of track two is my whole review.
Honestly - this sounds like what happens when you order David Bowie on Wish. Trying to hard to sound like Bowie but falling short.
Like a more annoying U2 without the hooks.
Wow this is very 80s. Not really for me - the guys voice is quite off putting
Tesco value 80s album
Hier kan ik weinig mee, maar ik kan in ieder geval zeggen dat ik dit ooit eens gedraaid heb.
Ugh...lekker hysterisch jammeren!
Dat geboer was wel het toppunt!
Early 00s but sounds 90s. Slightly Smithsy?
Catchier, funkier, weirder, saucier would have been better. Also, a bit less in the mid-range: it's rather crowded.
not my cup of tea
sulk's the associates isn't terribly memorable. this album contained a lot of that usual eighties new wave/synth sound, which i do enjoy! and the album was an easy listen. there were some really good beats. the lead singer's voice was reminiscent of david bowie, though.
Like other people, I definitely got strong David Bowie vibes from this, both in the music and the vocals. That said, they didn't have the gravitas or presence to quite pull it off. It was too late to walk back the Bowie comparisons, though; that persisted in my mind throughout the listening. This came off a lot more like chaotic noise and less like calculated art in comparison to anything anything Bowie did. This was okay at best, and absolutely not an album in my opinion that needs a place on this project, as it really just seems like it doesn't bring anything unique or stellar to the table.
Not familiar with this one but it’s an interesting beast. Shades of The Cure or were these guys first to the scene? I liked “Club Country” best and a few others tied for second. “Bap de la Bap” though? No, thank you. Keep you Bap to yourself, please. On the whole, I couldn’t quite reach a solid point of enjoyment with this one and I mainly blame the vocals. There’s a lot going on there.
Too fruity for me
A bit of a Bowie wannabe group. I couldn't find too much that I would describe as original or mind blowing.
meh
This wasn't the worst album on here (I'm looking at you Everything But The Girl) - but it felt like a generic 80's album. Nothing special.
Meh, not really my thing. Some good synth pop moments, but overall seems like wailing over ideas from better bands.
Love New Wave; hated this. Just not good as their contemporaries. The singing alone is something out of nightmares. 3/10.
This is just not really my style of music. Don’t really care for the vocal styling of this band. The music has that kitschy 80’s style with lots of synth/keys but it’s not really my fave. Just an “ok” album.
This was quite bottom of the barrel,not really anything special by a long shot.A but of a dirge.
Just 80s.
I couldn't recall this band. Half recalled on track. They weren't giants of the scene.
Meh
This album is 41 minutes long, and there are 3 different versions of it on iTunes of varying lengths. Always fun to deal with that. This was fine, about what I was expecting for a post-punk synth band from the early 80s. Definitely do recognize their well known song on this album. This music in general is not for me. Enjoyable enough though.
Never heard of this band before. That was a struggle to get through. Lots of Bowie in the vocals.
Pop con sintetizadores insoportable. Un 2.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this app has already suggested this record to me before. I remember writing that I was surprised that Björk liked it so much because, as far as I was concerned, I rather disliked it. My understanding is that she found the free-flowing, meandering, over-the-top vocals "liberating", which sure makes sense in a way. But personally, a large part of those vocals still sound as if the singer was attempting a pitiful, painful imitation of David Bowie at a karaoke. Especially on the first side (at least the one of the UK version--more on that later). Maybe I can't access Björk's level of genius when it comes to listening to certain details. But if most listeners can't grasp those details either, why should we call this record "essential". OK, this might be a bad faith take, I readily admit it. I can sense Robery Wyatt's genius in *Rock Bottom*, contrary to most people in here. Funny how subjectivity always ruins your best attempts to be fair. The thing is, comparing The Associates to Sparks, This Heat, The Cure, or I don't know which other groundbreaking band at the time might be a bit of a stretch. "It's Better This Way" and "Party Fears Two" are *somewhat* listenable, with effective melodic earworms. "No" is an interesting mock-gothic dirge, yet it's awkwardly placed towards the start of this LP (a flaw that the US version tried to correct by switchig most of side one with side two). "Bab De La Bap" has daunting industrial undertones that make it still worthwhile to go through today. But the rest is mostly a cheesefest of gigantic proportions, starting with the horrid "Gloom Spoon", "Nude Spoons" and "Skipping". This is also where the comparison with Sparks doesn't hold water in my opinion. In their best moments the Mael brothers managed to transcend whatever "popular" genre they had elected to play and turn the potential cheese in it into much more perverse and exciting aesthetics. And into far better hooks as well. I believe the comparison stems from Billy Mackenzie's extravagant performance on cuts such as "Country Club". Once again, it makes sense on a a certain level. But I'd rather go back to the original inspiration here. Finally, "nothingsomethingparticular" is a cute instrumental closer, yet it's nothing but a footnote to the whole proceedings. Still feeling nonplussed by this album overall. Going back to what I said at the start of this review, I hope I'm wrong and it's the first time this app has suggested The Associates to me. I intend to *finish* this project, and if really I have to review the same album twice, I'd rather have one truly *essential* one. Next, please. Still giving 2/5 to this record (the recollection of the grade I originally gave to this LP). Which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 375 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 282 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 149 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 201 (including this one)
De verdade, queria ter gostado mais. Infelizmente não aconteceu 🥺
I tried, but I'm not a fan. Nope. Just too challenging for my ears. Yeesh. Although I kind of liked their take on "Love Hangover," that's already a favorite song, so it doesn't seem quite fair.
I found this album very irritating to listen to. I mean, it didn't cause my ears to bleed, but it caused me frown the entire time.
I really enjoyed the tracks with no vocals. My reaction to the others was, wow, no thank you.
Hmmmm. I started off thinking this might be ok. Then the scritchy scratchy drums kept scritching and scratching. I’ve liked a lot of chaotic and noisy music on this project, but by the third song (Bap De La Bap) this was causing some degree of irritation. The sulking vocals didn’t boost things either. Moments in a few songs like Party Fears Two seemed promising, but ultimately left me underwhelmed. Too much not enough for me.
I was kind of excited for some influential 80's band I'd never heard, but then found the vocals to be truly insufferable. At its best, there is an almost Bowie likeable quality, but at its worst, neighborhood dogs howl in pain. I was down for all the drum machine and keyboards. That singing though.
I enjoyed the fast-paced, slightly out-of-control, glitchy opening instrumental. But after that, the music descends into a weird nightmare world of twisted 80s pop. It’s bold but I’m not sure it’s something I’ll want to replay.
Yea this is really that corny 1980s sound. Doesn't grab me right away and I'm not sure if it will grab me after some time. I hate the drumming. It sounds like someone who has never played on an electronic kit (or a regular acoustic drum kit with some e-drum attachments) and is trying to make it work. There's some obvious hesitance's and awkward moments in the playing. Not feeling the singer's voice too. It's like the bad parts of when Bono is singing. The album cover is cool atleast?
Bit boring
Not my favorite
The era this album comes from is unmistakable. It is interesting to hear the generally upbeat instrumentation accompanied by the gothic-style vocals that I usually associate with darker works of David Bowie and Peter Murphy. Speaking of which, I'll defer to either of those artists to scratch that itch. It's not that there's anything bad on this album, it just doesn't really grab my attention or keep me engaged, and I don't think I'll be listening to it again.
This gets two stars purely because it was bold and risky. The risk didn't pay off IMO, but I suppose nothing ventured nothing gained.
A few great tracks, and many lackluster ones.
Some of the music was ok, the voice on several songs just was not tolerable. I only made it through one time.
I usually dig early 80's but something didn't click with me.
Very 1980s. It's just synth-pop, nothing interesting or special.
I know there are some heads in the group that will love this, but I just couldn’t connect with it. I found myself restarting a lot because I couldn’t stay focused on the tunes, they just kept losing me.
Nah. I suppose there's some musical talent here, but I just really wasn't a fan. Too 80's art-y for me.
Not my style of early synth pop.
Not for me
Not great production wise. All loud all the time
Pop con sintetizadores insoportable. Un 2.
QuasiBowie a lo rollo.
Regular
*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*
I can't
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
1982? I bet it's UK new wave no one has heard of outside the UK. Nailed it. But fuck off, christ. 2/5.
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.
Ну прикольная глючная музыка, ну такая вот, с вайбами нью-вейва. Но местами настолько мерзкая и противная, что прям совсем хотелось разкрошить на части наушники и все возможные средства воспроизведения музыки в своей квартире. Так что мда...
2 80s 4 me
This feels like the equivalent of a buck-a-scoop restaurant. Unmemorable, and leaves you hungry again within an hour.
Gothic synth-pop. Cure-sure Club? Not something I want in my life right now, thanks.
A very distinctive vocal sound and I remember their hits but it didn’t grab me so a measly 2*
Unremarkable.
Stupid music.
Fine
Not good
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
Never heard of them before. It was pretty decent. Need to hear it again sometime. 2.5/5
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.
waoaf j'ai pas passé uin vraiment beau moement.... 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.
QuasiBowie a lo rollo.
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
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.
Forgettable 80s pop.
Tecno simple y corriente.
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.
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.
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
Sometimes sounds a bit like Bowie but most of the time sounds a bit like shit
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?
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
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
I don't have to do this if I don't want to
I didn't care for this. Just didn't really pop out at me in any way.
I made it 6 songs in. I was not strong enough to go further.
A few years ago I started doing one album a day using a different list, tracking all of my ratings in a spreadsheet. There weren't many low ratings from me, but when looking at the data I noticed a pattern: I just really seem to hate 80's music. In almost any genre (some 80's punk/hardcore/alt-rock are an exception) I just pretty much hated every production choice made. All of that to say: this album was a downright painful listen for me. I came VERY close to quitting in the middle. I don't personally have much redeeming to say about this record, but I am not going to say to stay away from it, because it is far from bad in an objective sense. It is just the exact opposite of my taste in a way that made a listen straight through impossible. I had to take a few breaks. So, if you really love 80's Bowie but have always wished it was just a little bit more unsettling and that he was doing his best impersonation of a ghost the whole time, this is the album for you!
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Klinkt erg postpunk en begin 80-s. Waren er qua synthpop in '82 er nog best vroeg bij. Je hoort dingen als Joy Division en the Cure heel goed, maar het is een rommeltje zonder dat het werkt. Zulke postpunk moet op een gegeven moment gaan vliegen, en dat doen deze tracks totaal niet. Dit krijgt van mij geen voldoende. 5/10
I just can't finish it. Srry.
Very stereotypically 80s. Not my thing.
Lame
I am not into this at all. Some melodies are fine but the vocals are meh and the music is meh.
Garbage
shite
Very dated. I didn’t enjoy listening to this.
319/1001 The Associates - Sulk Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ On the one hand, this is an incredibly frustrating album and on the other it's something that I really don't like. When it's at its best, it leans into the post punk sound, but the vocals ruin that aesthetic. When they decide to go down the pop route it becomes even worse. The melodramatic, overwrought vocals do absolutely nothing for me.
I honestly didn't give it much of a chance but I don't feel that it deserved one. Sorry, European.
So take the worst histrionic excesses of a coked up David Bowie and mix it with some New Wave, post punk synth noise and you might get something like this. Only, not as bad.
I’m almost a loss for words here. I don’t know what exactly this is, but I really think it’s best we leave it in 1982. I’ve never heard of this band before, and I’m suspecting, after listening to this “album”, that it’s for very good reason. Just terrible all around.
I like how the album cover makes my eyeballs feel. That's about it though. Best bit of music I heard from this was the bit playing in the American Airlines ad that came up between tracks while I listened on YouTube. Why do the vocals so mismatched with the instrumentals? I already just don't like synth but I especially don't like it with the moody voice leading the album. Maybe I'm just getting sick of the synth shit we get every other album but I feel like I've heard a better version of this album maybe 3 or 4 times this month. When they try to do something different (e.g. Nude Spoons) it just feels grating and I was just begging for it to be over. They can't do the overdone stuff well and they can't put a unique twist on it. Skipping and Club Country was okay. Still not happy with the screeching voice but the instrumentals were pretty cool. In fact I may try to find a fully instrumental version of this album and see how much more I like it when there isn't a jarring, dime-a-dozen, britpop banshee shrieking in my ear every 15 seconds. If so, this could be the most tragic waste of a guitarist/keyboardist I've ever heard. Really. Keep listening to Party Fears Two until you can make it through the whole thing without feeling a little sick at the end. I dare you. This sucked.
One of the worst albums yet, this one is right there with The Shamen in terms of awfulness. Disjointed arrangements, terrible rhythm, and vocals that'll make you cringe. Another album where most of the songs had around 30k plays each; this is not some undiscovered gem, this is the author being a contrarian asshole and refusing to put more popular music on the list in favor of some 80s electronic dogshit from the UK. With extreme prejudice, The Associates will take their place in the Hall of Shame as my 16th 1/5
Wow, okay, I did not like anything about this.
Last song absolutely tanked this one for me
Disliked
1 - not good