Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Well it was likened to The Beatles White album for it's variety of musical styles on Wikipedia and that's a fair comment really. It is so varied that I'm sure extra things will be heard on each play through. Quite a decent voice throughout although nothing mind-blowing and could do with dropping the fuzz effects other than once as a novelty. But with the backing of a variety of instruments and a lot of mixing this became a "wonder what comes next" album. I thought that Run My Way Runway was probably their Revolution 9! But one of the best tracks for me was Take the Time Around mainly because it reminded me of the sort of music a friend's band used to play in the '80s/'90s. In fact so many songs reminded me of various other bands that it makes me wonder if The Boo Radleys had their own defining sound at all. Not that it matters as this was good enough to keep me attentive. Another long album but one that I was happy to hear out. There must be at least something in this lot for everyone?
This was okay but far too long and needed a serious editing! The best songs were the ones which were kinda Mercury Rev but pop - I appreciate the flute
If i’d have heard this at a very specific time in my youth i think I would have been pretty obsessed. As ever, it’s too long but theres some nice stuff here that reminds me of better similar stuff by other bands (Gorky’s, SFA etc.)
This felt just as 90's as the last album. But this felt like a better 90's. A more enjoyable 90's. A 90's I wouldn't mind revisiting in the future.
Had some moments. But overall meh.
My expectations were low - expected more genetic Britslop. But this was actually pretty good and interesting.
Giant Meh
1993 Noise pop + Reggae Oasis+Beatles pero con instrumentación de shoegaze en vez de guitarra más clásica. Está guay pero sin canciones memorables
It's just boring
Ok 2/5
What the hell was this?? I love it!! No, wait, hate it. For every song?? No thanks.
Not bad
Sounds very much of early ‘90’s “rock” and unfortunately after only a few tracks you will have your fill.
I ended up liking this way more than I expected from the description! 3.4
Dad feat Oasis? Naa hørt det 3 gange nu, og jeg bliver ved med at vente på Wake up boo, som ikke er en del af dette album... Det er fint, men bliver aldrig helt godt.
Et ret interessant album der vil alt muligt. Det bliver måske lidt for langt og rodet. Men der er virkelig gode lange passager. Særligt de shoegazede / noise-rockede elementer tiltaler mig.
Didn't really knew what to expect, but that's a banger album, a lot of going on. Amazing
already don’t remember anything about this tbh. i think i enjoyed it but nothing was memorable
Ok but way too long. I guess cds are a scourge in some ways. This would have been much better if cut to 37 minutes because individually it's not bad at the song level. The baroqueness and shoegaze portions I like but it just keeps going and it loses it's momentum about halfway through
Started off strong. The last few songs were… interesting..
65
There was a lot I dug here, kinda sounds made for me. Shoegaze, Britpop, noise, creation records... But this thing was veryyyyy bloated. Way to long, cut like 20 minutes and all the weird reggae rhythms and we'd be cooking. Also the dynamics in the mix are insane
This was just not really my thing. Haven't found my way to the Britpop stuff yet.
That was a pleasant surprise! First time I've heard them. Some dreampop/shoe gaze with moments of joyous noise.
Dont like this album. One star
This wasn’t a bad album and Wake Up Boo could have been on any mixtape of mine at the time. But I don’t get why this album is on the list (and contemporaries such as The Dave Matthews Band, Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Gin Blossoms are not); they’re at best a footnote in much more influential and talented bands from the 90s. 2.5⭐️
Really enjoyed this. Maybe my first time hearing them other than the fantastic cover of "There She Goes" on the So I Married an Axe Murderer soundtrack. Would have benefited from being five songs and 20 minutes shorter. Incredible band name.
Not really a fan of bands named after literary characters from your 10th grade English class.
I found this enjoyable, especially considering some of the other stuff that has popped up the last few weeks. I listened to it on my hour road time on the highway and it seemed to make the time go by quickly. I particularly liked “Barney” and “If you want it, take it”. Rounding up. 3.5/5
Was always a distant fan of these guys based on their name alone. This was a solid listen that hit hard when it needed to and also had some other surprises that kept me in the zone. The only factor keeping me from rating higher was the length. A bit overstacked.
I wanted to like this. Always down for some guitar led rock musics. But just could not get into this. Very forgettable and missing something that stands out. There She Goes is prob their best song (even if best known by a cover) and not on this album. And I have to round down for Run My Way Runaway. Terrible. 2.25
A nice surprise. Wasn’t expecting it to go as hard as it did in several spots. Thought about rounding up but ultimately a super solid 3*. 3.5/5
Lazarus was the standout track for me but otherwise the album was a bit too long and a bit too ‘meh’ for me. Fine but that’s all there is to say.
Ended up liking this more than I expected. Pretty decent variety, and found myself surprised at how the noise parts were generally my favorite
I Hang Suspended - 3/5 Upon 9th and Fairchild - 3/5 Wish I Was Skinny - 3/5 Leaves and Sand - 3/5 Butterfly McQueen - 3/5 Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce) - 3/5 Thinking of Ways - 2.5/5 Barney (…and Me) - 3.5/5 Spun Around - 2/5 If You Want It, Take It - 3/5 Best Lose the Fear - 3/5 Take the Time Around - 3.5/5 Lazarus - 3.5/5 One is For - 2.5/5 Run My Way Runway - 2.5/5 I've Lost the Reason - 3/5 The White Noise Revisited - 3/5 Outside of a couple of decent tracks this was fairly mediocre britpop. They seemed to be throwing whatever at the wall to see what stuck. It's not terrible in any places, but it's also not great in any place either. How this got praise is beyond me. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Barney (...and Me), Take the Time Around, Lazarus
1. hang - 2 2. ninth - 1 3. zkinny - 1 4. zand - 2 5. butterfly - 1 6. king - 0 7. uuayz - 1 8. barney - 0 9. zpun - 0 10. take - 1 11. fear - 1 12. time - 1 13. lazaruz - 0 14. one - 1 15. run - 0 16. lozt - 1 17. noize - 0
Great musicianship and varied. If I had one complaint it’s over long and over ambitious - they sound best in their comfort spot of jangle pop indie. That said - it’s a great journey well delivered
I admire the breadth of styles The Boo Radleys cover on their second album. They sound creatively unleashed, able to point themselves in several directions at once. On the gentler songs they have a delicate, diminutive sensibility, one that sounds cute and down on its luck. On the grander songs they sound like they are fizzing with too much energy, manic and bold. I like that there are some songs with steel string guitars and others with synth sequencing. These are fantastic contrasts. It’s a long album and one I feel could grow even more in appreciation with more listens, but my first impressions are a surprise delight.
Having never heard them before i really like The Boo Radleys, some kind of 4
Bastante diferente dentro de sí mismo, aún que mantiene su aire rockero
Giant Steps was certainly a weirder album than i was expecting it to be. I was expecting this to be a pretty typical 90s indie rock album with some hints of shoegaze which would justify that genre's tag in the styles section of this album but what i ended up getting was that with a whole bunch of extra weird things put on this album kinda akin to what the Super Furry Animals do. However, these guys don't do that stuff nearly as well as they did. I'm not saying it's bad but the weirder elements on this album can be very hit or miss either being interesting and unique or just being annoying. The point i'm trying to make is, When the album is good, it can be pretty good but when it is bad, it can be pretty bad. Best Song: Upon 9th And Fairchild Worst Song: Thinking of Ways
Pretty decent - nothing massively outstanding, but all good - enjoyed
What an odd little album. Although I felt like it was a touch long, I did enjoy it for the first 50 minutes or so. I don't know if I'll listen to it again, but it definitely kept my attention. I like a band that defies genre so deftly. I always wonder how such a group manages to tour a live show? Oh, you play keys, koto, marimba, guitar, vox, kazoo, stand up bass, and hammer dulcimer?
i mean it's aight part 2 (i liked this more than the last one though)
boo radley’s i was not familiar with your game!
90s dream pop. Britpop.
Listened to it once, quite liked it — wasn’t as good on the second go-around. 3.5 rounded down.
Mostly I like their cheery psychedelic take on Britpop. Ahead of its time for 1993. The mixing of genres feels like they’re just messing around and experimenting musically. It was on the long side, but I didn’t really get anxious for it to end until the long final fade-out. 3.5, I wish it was a bit more focused.
Surprisingly catchy; I didn't mind the length. I kept thinking, "Ooh, yeah, I like music like this!" Look forward to revisiting it sometime soon.
Day 355 Some decent stuff, some very landfill Highlights Barney and me Take the time around Lazarus
I was prepared to hate on this, given the huge weight & significance of the name they chose... but I came away actually impressed by the sheer level of psychedelia and shoegazey-ness of it all. A really vibe-y album that hit just right, though perhaps a tad bloated. Definition of a hidden gem for me.
Great name for a band! The vocals are good. Nice combination of acoustic and electric. An uneven album. Some good songs some not so good. Long intros into some songs. It has its good momentum but a little uneven. An average album. Worth a 3.
Bien.
I Hang Suspended 3.5 Upon 9th and Fairchild 3.6 Wish I Was Skinny 3.3 Leaves and Sand 3.2 Butterfly McQueen 3.3 Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce) 3.4 Thinking Ways 3 Barney (…and Me) 3.2 Spun Around 3.3 If You Want It, Take It 3.5 Best Lose the Fear 3.4 Take the Time Around 3.2 Lazarus 3.5 One Is For 3 Run My Way Runway 3.3 I've Lost the Reason 3.4 The White Noise Revisited 3.2 Score: 3.311764706
I enjoyed this one a great deal - I tend to enjoy neo-psychedelic stuff anyway, so there was much to love here. However, unfortunately this one did suffer from the all-too-common 90s problem of lack of brevity; I was ready for it to be over about five songs before the end. So unfortunately, it won't quite reach 4 stars.
There were some really good songs mixed in, but never two in a row. It specifically followed a pattern of good-bad-good-bad-good-bad and maybe if they would’ve only kept the good ones then it would’ve been a normal length album instead of being over an hour long. Different from the other 90s British albums at least.
Hmmmm.... I like the general sound they have going on, and there are some beautiful moments scattered throughout the album. There's also a looooooot of fluff. 6/10; I probably wouldn't revisit, but I didn't dislike it. Standouts: Upon 9th And Fairchild • Wish I Was Skinny • Barney (...and Me) • The White Noise Revisited
This was so easily cruising to a 4 for me, but after the first six or so songs you realize they only have one trick and you still have an hour to go. Really liked what they were trying to do but as an album this is too much.
Would love to hear a pared down version of this album. I love what I’m hearing, it’s just that they keep interrupting their own songs. Nevertheless, I’m rounding up to 4. Started out strong and I like the sound more than most of my 3s.
I really wanted to like this album. I remember hearing about the Boo Radleys back in the day, but I never real had or took the chance to explore their discography. Listening now, I was underwhelmed. I felt like most tracks started strong but became less enjoyable as I listened. The higher reviews suggest I should give them multiple listens, but I am not excited about it. Maybe I am missing something.
Really liked a lot of this album. It was good in the background of my latest sewing project. Good sound
Maybe I'm a little jaded but this wasn't very revolutionary and the experimental parts were few and far between and mostly saved for the last few tracks of an hour + runtime. Very mediocre 90s Shoegaze
One of the most generic albums I've ever heard despite it trying to be "experimental". Why the fuck is this on the list, but the real Giant Steps is not???
Honestly really enjoyed it!
Painful to my ears
Hang on! This is...good? Obviously, like everyone, I knew only the most irritating sound in the world - Wake Up Boo - but this album doesn't have that on, and has opted instead for some really lovely shoegaze and a bit of noise pop here and there. It's ameliorated significantly by a hauntingly good final track, which I reckon loads of people would hate, but I really like very much.
This album is an unpleasant experience. Grating and discordant can be alright sometimes -- but there's something about the way this album comes together that just put my teeth on edge. No thanks.
Need to circle back and listen again, it was good
Not my style
tänkte de skulle va jazz men, rockigt, ok!
I enjoyed this more than I expected. It was an interesting blend of newer age ska and more stereotypical reggae. Unfortunately I think Ska is a genre that will always been seen more of as a novelty than anything else. I don’t know that I could recommend this to anyone, but I would consider giving it another spin in the future.
not too bad, I liked the noise pop elements, but eeeh.. It might need another listen, but at the moment I really don't want to listen to it again
Too much for me
I liked some of these songs. Other times they just kind of sounded like a predecessor for the Gin Blossoms. Too much treble, suburban middle class problems. It has its moments, but they don't really outweigh the boring bits. Going a high 2 but could be a low 3.
Det længste album jeg nogensinde har hørt. Jeg finder aldrig nogen der elsker mig så meget som 1001 Albums elsker middelmådige britiske bands fra 90'erne
Egentlig meget lækkert meget af tiden, men godt nok lige 20 minutter for langt
This started out promising. By the end I think I’m giving it a 1. The production is way too needlessly fussy.
Nothing really bad but nothing good either.
An eclectic mix of sounds. Technically not bad, but this felt like the musical equivalent of house wine or store brand goods.
Everything's different but nothing's really good.
Lazarus
From the Vault #25 (June 24, 2026) Cool, The Boo Radleys. I've heard of these guys before, though I've never sought out their music. If I'm not mistaken, these guys belong to a specific brand of mid-90s alternative rock which I find to be a bit stiff and stale. I guess it's no guess as to why I've avoided these guys, huh? Anyways, I'm pretty sure The Boo Radleys were one of the bigger 90s alternative acts, so I'm curious to check them out. Here goes. Hey, not bad. I was originally going to tear into this album for being kind of boring, though I feel differently about it now that I'm playing it back on shuffle as I finish off this review. It's crazy what a second listen can do for some albums. Anyways, this release is kind of difficult to put in a box. It has some meek vocals which harken back to 60s psychedelia, alternative guitars and production techniques which belong to the time and some pretty solid, breezy, intricate acoustic guitars that I more traditionally associate with the 2000s. This album is simultaneously rooted in tradition, of-the-time and ahead of the curve. I like it. The vocals are adept with some fun, wavy effects added in post and they benefit greatly from the equally competent songwriting. Most of the performances on this album are an inbetween of high-energy, upbeat songwriting and lowkey, subdued stretches. This approach really helps in making the seventeen-track, hour-four runtime go down smoothly. Overall, I can admit where I was wrong. I midjudged this album and am entertaining the idea of returning to it sometime in the future. Book time. "...a huge, kaleidoscopic record, 17 tracks that are as trippily extravagant as the acid-fried sleeve design." There's a high level of variety on this album. NME and Select named it album of the year. It's apparently a cult classic, though that's all from the book. Wikipedia says this album was well-received by critics, but only charted in the UK, where it peaked in the top 20. I respect this album and admire the ambition, so I'm content with letting it through. I cosign this inclusion.
Random British albums I haven't heard of don't really have a good track record...and this one's over an hour long. It's a Britpop album with a bit of noise-rock thrown in for good measure. The noise elements can be jarring, but the songs overall are alright. Nothing here is a great song per se, but it's good enough to hold my interest a little- until the album's midsection, where the songs get worse and never really recover. Nothing about this album is anything special; it's generic pop-rock with no particularly memorable aspects except for the random noises in the middle. I don't think it needed to be an hour long at all, nor was it good enough to hold me for the hour it ran. Utterly mediocre. This album is ranked #16 of 23 albums for 1993. Other 1993 albums rated by me: Tuesday Night Music Club(11/23)-3 Very(14/23)-1 New Wave(15/23)-1
This was so much better than I expected from the band that gave us Wake Up Boo! Maybe it’s quite long but the variety keeps it an interesting and compelling listen.
an ok album. very mid 2k vibe
Kinda nice in the middle. Nothing bad to say about it.
This much is too all over the place for me.
Meh
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Up 9th And Fairchild I hear the genre fusions the most on the reggae-adjacent tracks. There are some pretty good guitar licks across a number of songs, and I am on board with all of the distortions, but the whole album is also sort of uninspiring. I look at the 17 tracks - over an hour of music - and couldn't recall any of them after 2 listens. What else is there to say? It's pretty mid.
Het is Britpop, dat is al snel duidelijk, met de vervormde gitaren, het blije orgeltje en de niet erg geslaagde pogingen tot samenzang. De wat nondescripte zang is het zwakke punt, alsof men zich het liefste wil verstoppen achter de luidsprekerboxen in plaats pontificaal in het midden te gaan staan, zoals bepaalde Britpoppers dat wél maar al te graag deden. Er is niks wat er heel positief uitspringt, ze slaan wat zijwegen in maar het vult de ruimte terwijl je wat anders aan het doen bent. Het laatste nummer is een schaamteloze Beatles-ripoff, ook al niet erg goed gedaan. Kortom, in deze lijst staan veel betere representanten van het genre. Nice guys finish last.
Ik dacht bij het eerste nummer een typisch Brits jaren '90 album te moeten verwerken. Ze blijken al snel een ruimer aanbod te hebben. Nummer twee is wat digitaler met wat schurende geluiden en een stem die door de telefoon verstoord lijkt. Het heeft wel iets. En daarna volgt rustige zang op wat tokkelende muziek. Om te benadrukken dat ze graag alle kanten op willen, schakelen ze halverwege het rustige vierde nummer over naar zoveel mogelijk geluid. Voor het grootste deel van het album geldt dat het allemaal niet zo gek is, maar dat er wel een reden is dat het nooit is komen boven drijven. Voor het cijfer zijn de ongeplaatste momenten om de boel te verpesten (als in Run my way, runway) bepalend. Alle eenheid van een album verdwijnt hierdoor.
Een band uit de 90s, waar ik volgens mij ooit vaag wel eens van heb gehoord. Ik zie niet zo 1 2 3 een bekend hitje, althans niet op dit album, dat blijkbaar wel een cultklassieker is (geworden). De muziek is een beetje een rare mix van allerlei stijlen, weliswaar veel met elektrische gitaar. Er komt britpop voorbij, shoegaze, grunge, en maf alternatief geexperiment. Een allegaartje, een ratjetoe. Daarmee zitten er aardige nummers bij, maar uiteraard ook hele matige. Als album kom ik er niet echt lekker in, ik wil dan toch meer dat het lekker loopt ipv dat alle tempo er ineens uit gehaald wordt door een maf experiment. Nee, ik zou dit niet zomaar nog een keer opzetten, het is redelijk vergeetbaar verder. Meer dan een magere 3 levert dit niet op, zeker niet omdat het een half uur te lang is.
unremarkable but one i enjoyed. 2.5
60
Lots of potential but I didn't really enjoy any particular song. Not unlistenable for very forgettable. A shame.
Nah I fw the trippy vibes and 3d like audio this shit was hard
I respect their creativity - there are many different sounds here, some straight-ahead ‘90s rock, some orchestral sweeps, some studio gimmickry. The music just didn’t grab me. And I feel that I’ve been a bit too generous with 3’s. It’s inoffensive but overlong and I don’t need or want to hear it again. High 2, low 3
The album was alright I think maybe if I gave it more listens then I could see myself liking it but so far not really for me
not something I'll be listening to again (at least not willingly). Not sure what sort of genre this fits into. Seemingly lots of different types of music along with a lot of noise. Hard to make it through
2.75 for The Boo Radleys who thought it would be good to borrow from english literature and one of the best Coltrane albums ever for their entry. I had never heard of this group before this list, so I looked at the Wikipedia entry and saw "Britpop" and immediately realized why they're on this list. Anything, anyone 90's Britpop = ALBUM YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE. Nope. I highly disagree. I gave this a 2.75 because there are some interesting riffs and pop hooks, but mostly it's loud annoying guitar wailing. Go away.
Another 'is this good/cool/weird enough?' album. They evidently have the ability to create good tunes but chose not to on this album.
I don't know if I should call this album "Trout Mask Replica for neurotypicals" or "Music for people that wish Spiritualized did ecstasy instead of acid" but either way I love it. Despite that description, it's a pretty relaxing listen with a lot of variation. There's even a horn section in some of the songs, along with some pretty cool clarinet solos. I was expecting a jazz tribute to John Coltrane, given they named the damn thing after his album, but what I got is admittedly much better.
Wikipedia's genre listing made this sound far more interesting than it actually is.
Hate the lead vocal, love the accompaniments
Would I listen again: no This started ok and then as it went on the guitar screeching irritated me more and more and I just wanted it to stop
Better than expected. Worth another listen
Booooooring. How is this an hour long.
John Coltrane
I forgot this band existed. It's probably been 30 years since I listened to them. This was a nice trek down memory lane.
3/10
Not too bad a start. Overall not a lasting impression
The sound mixing was really light on the vocals and heavy on the guitar. Lots of the songs started strong then descended into noise. Cool band name though.
Amazing band name. Average music. 3
Not a big dan of BR, but this isn't bad. Not overly familiar with anything but their main hits. Relatively good fun, maybe a bit long mind you. Down the middle for me.
After reading the user reviews, I wasn’t excited to give this one a listen. Liked it a lot more than most users I guess. Not a new favorite or anything but I’ll listen to it again for sure.
For a while (during Everything's alright forever and Giant steps period) The Boo radleys were one of the most exiting bands of it's time. Martin Carr's songs were mixing great pop hooks, noisy guitar, trumpet leads, dub bass and psychedelia in very exciting ways. I think that Everything's alright... is their best album, but Giant steps is a great album anyway!
#424 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Some nice sounding guitars in there, with feedback and fuzz, but the rest of the music is mild and warm and wrong kind of fuzzy... then it goes back to indie fucking folk pop shite. I'm sort of anxious to get back to the other music I was listening. This has nothing to hold me and I just feel skipping songs. Ergo it wont suit my taste and I deem it not good. It's not total shit, but not mediocre either, so 2/5
Ok I like this more than I thought I was gonna. It’s nice. Just kinda meh. Sounds old for 90s. Ok this is definitely very solid but also it’s just so long. Like I don’t think they really needed this many songs on the album to be honest. Interesting. Weird. Fun. Too long. Favourite: Leaves and Sand Least favourite: Run My Way Runway
The Boos mostly passed me by when this came out, but going back to the early/mid-90s, this is a bit of an understated gem. A couple of nice, noisy tunes that really grabbed me, and the album as a whole is a good listen. Perhaps overly long, but it never felt like a chore.
Interesting in that I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. Every time I thought I did, they would take a hard right turn into cacophonous noise.
Call it what you want, doogaze, britflop, bindie. Just don’t make me listen to this ever again. This album is listed as “dream pop.” It certainly makes me dream of a better album to pop up tomorrow. And Lazarus, huh? Stealing from David Bowie? /s
Meh, took me 3 days to listen to it, some songs hold up but mostly feels a bit weak.
This is a 90s album of all time. It doesn’t really do anything particularly interesting, or particularly badly. It’s just an hour of music you’d hear in the background of a movie or tv scene from some forgotten movie from 1997. ⭐️⭐️
Why
Hard pass, this was awful awful awful.
Love the album. 4.5 for me for sure. Nice mix of shoegaze and alternative sounds. Totally missed this band growing up, but I’ll check out more of their stuff.
Fine
Another album not really deserving to be on the "must listen before you die" list. It's an interesting album with some great moments, but like lots of albums in this genre, it drags on and overstays its welcome by a good thirty minutes or so. So many songs could've been cut down and been better for it. The majority of it is gone after even an intentional listen.
At surface level this album was okay/better than expected, but nothing really resonated with me otherwise.
I like some shoegaze but this is really boring.
Sadly, it was kind of boring, despite having potential. Perfectly fine, if unnoteworthy, indie with an excessive runtime. Favorites: Wish I Was Skinny; Leaves and Sand 3
Nothing special here
No wake up Boo so it gets a 2
Too much a hat on a hat. Most of the tracks are a little bit too long.
Öll lögin eru eins og þau séu tíunda besta lagið á plötu.
I’d never really listened to The Boo Radleys before, so I was looking forward to giving Giant Steps a proper listen today. Straight away, I knew this was my kind of thing. This is a fantastic indie record, packed with great guitars, strong melodies and loads of atmosphere. It may not have huge standout hits jumping off the album, but what it does have is consistently excellent songwriting and a sound that really clicks with me. Like a few albums in this challenge, this was one I ended up listening to two or three times across the day, and it got better with each play. It’s an easy album to sink into. The songs are catchy without being obvious, and there are some brilliant melodies throughout that keep pulling you back in. What I really liked is how layered the album feels. There’s a lot going on musically, but it never feels cluttered. It balances dreamy textures with big guitar moments really well, creating an album that feels both ambitious and effortlessly enjoyable. This was a brilliant discovery and definitely one of those albums I’m glad this challenge introduced me to. Favourite tracks: There weren’t any huge standout tracks for me the strength is how consistently good the whole album is Least favourite tracks: Every song on the album earns its place. This is a great find Album artwork: I love the album cover
one of those 90s bands i always heard good things about but that i never had a chance to check out. it's noisy rock (but not noise rock) and is lots of fun. they infuse punk, some metal, pop, and a touch of reggae into an album that is a little long but that doesn't overstay its welcome too much. i can hear myself listening to this again
I hate the feeling when a band has all the elements of what I say I like, but the album just doesn’t connect with me. This is the sort of thing I wouldn’t mind in the background but can’t imagine playing again.
I don't know. I really disliked it at first. That melancholy indie sound just felt so dry and uninteresting. That guitar sound is pretty wild though! It really worked on me with the screamy guitar stuff and more interesting arrangements. There's some excellent drumming too. I feel like I'm going to have to listen to it again sometime and I'm both angry about that and kind of looking forward to it.
I guess alot of people think Oasis were The Beatles for the 90s (not least Oasis themselves). The Boo Radleys have a much stronger case. Oasis stole 5 Beatles (or John Lennon) songs and re-wrote them over and over again. The Boo Radleys, whilst obviously Beatles fans, inherited their spirit of fun, originality and, most notably, experimentation and created a whole new vision of their own. 60s influenced and psychedelic yes, but also pure pop and forward looking too. Astonishing.
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Based on the song titles, here’s another example of an English band that is familiar with American events and culture. There are times throughout the album where the band has a Beatles vibe. Overall the music is pretty decent for a 90s group.
Have I heard of this band before or have I just read To Kill a Mockingbird? It's unclear*. Well, anyway, they don't infuriate me, so that's something, but the sound is pretty snoozy and noisy all at once. Snoisey. Just when you think you're listening to a pleasant-if-boring lullaby, the blasting kazoos and dissonant horns crash in. I will round up to a 3 because it's at least better than the last few albums we had. *Aha - Steve Hewitt from Placebo used to be a member (prior to this album)! I bet I had heard of them 'cause of that. Highlight: 'The White Noise Revisited' Backwords Lortap: There's a reversed 1-2-3-4 in 'Spun Around'.
Interesting multi-genre soubd
Some interesting parts, but drags quite a bit Standout songs: Lazarus Ive lost the reason
Found it to be boring unmemorable alt Rock. Maybe just in a bag mood
first off, this record has absolutely no idea what it is- which is my exact reaction after seeing this cover. And it kinda all makes sense. I can’t believe I’m the guy defending the genre stew album that includes a shit ton of Brit pop and shoegaze elements. I genuinely don’t know what everyone is bitching about on here. This was a fun listen with a ton of different ideas. Yeah yeah some more generic than others. But would you rather listen to oasis make the same song 10 times over on an album?
I think I get it. I understand why these random bands that do some random genre are on this list. We already heard Loveless and we have a basis of shoegazes what does the Everyman think about this genre how do normal bands interpret the new genres in front of them. By making weird shit really. I love the pianos and the slow builds to the song to bring its squarely into their world. Some of these songs speak on things I felt so personal too. Lose the fear is just a perfect track this is the stone roses again. Brits really did make the best most engaging rock out of them all and I can’t get enough. They go genre to genre shoegaze to surf rock to depressed hey ya! Vibes. This is not the sign of a band who doesn’t know what they walk it’s a band who loves music and that’s why it’s here. I love for everything I enjoy this
Pretty varied and interesting album
Man. I can imagine this so clearly on mid-90's college radio stations. There's a lot of different sounds/styles here, and I like a lot of them. If this had been something in my musical journey history, I could easily see giving it a 5, but I can also see how some really don't like it. Think for a first (and second) time listen, even though it gets a little long, I can get to a 4. Nice discovery.
It is an okay album, but a little dull in places. 3 stars or C.
All over the place. Not unlistenable, but just randomness. I don't really even see how this relates to Giant Steps besides the name only, despite it saying that it was an inspiration.
Pretty good sound, though kind of long and a bit monotonous. There were few songs that really made me sit up and pay attention and there were a couple of times I looked just to see if I was done with the album and into a second+ listen. It was fine in the background.
-1 star for the critic on Wikipedia who compares it to the White Album. +1 star for a few interesting moments. Waffled a bit between a 2 and 3, but will round up because I didn't dislike it, but I'm still pretty sure it doesn't need to be on this list.
First song reminded me of shitty Dandy Warhols. Third song reminded me of shitty Belle & Sebastian. Just middling 90s alt sounds with occasional unlistenable distortion thrown in. Also too long.
Not my jam
I read a lot of middling/polarizing reviews before listening to this, so I wasn't expecting much. Turns out this is exactly my shit. Kind of like a British equivalent of an Elephant 6 band. Shoegaze, Jangle Rock, string arrangements, brass sections, woodwinds, 90's psychedelia... Although I can contend, the album should have ended with Lazarus. Except, I like I've Lost The Reason and The White Noise Revisited. Also didn't care much for the noisiest song, Spun Around. I'm happy to be an outlier and happy to have a new album and band to spin.
I didn't like it until I got to Barney (…And Me) which had an enjoyable extended guitar hook in the outro. Then the next song Spun Around went back to being garbage.
This has sections where it was OK but largely it was fucking awful.
This album checked a lot of boxes for me. It has a very 90’s sound while also harkening back to 60’s pop like the Beatles. It was somewhat experimental but rarely at the cost of staying catchy and fun to listen to. It had some psychedelic and shoe gazy influences, and even some dub/reggae, but they were all flavors added to the sound and never overwhelmed it. This is a very good album that should be better known than I think it is.
Todo iba bien, encaminado a ponerle cinco estrellas, hasta que empezaron a joder en las últimas canciones con el rock psicodélico. No todo puede ser tan bueno como parece, lamentablemente. ↑: I Hang Suspended; Leaves and Sand; Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce); If You Want It, Take It; Lazarus; I've Lost the Reason ↓: Butterfly McQueen; Spun Around; One Is For; Run My Way Runway
Overall: 7/10 This one was a lot of fun! I liked the style of the music a lot and the vocalists voice was very pleasing, if a little generic. My biggest problem is the length, but it didn't deter me from enjoying it too much. Fav Song: Leaves and Sand
Melodic, melancholic, magical music. Who the Hell are The Boo Radleys? I don't know but but I'm here for it. They pull enough Britpop sensibility to keep the train on the tracks but this album bends and twists all over the place. There is a certain nostalgia but also sounds like music from the future.
This album sure keeps you on your toes. 4 songs in an I feel like I've listened to 4 different bands. So far we've had some generic indie rock, some Smiths style britpop, some dubby reggae, and some noise rock. By then end of the album, we end up hearing some repeated genres, but they never really settle into a single sound; they're always evolving and changing slightly from track to track and it honestly works better than you'd expect. With this many genres mashed up it can sound a bit of a mess, but it remains pretty cohesive throughout. There's a few tracks on here that I really enjoyed; especially when they veered into the noisier, psychedelic, and more reggae influences. Unfortunately, I was indifferent at best towards a few of the more generic indie and britpop sounding tracks and with the long run time, it started to wear on me by the end. I feel like this could have been edited down to a really solid album, but I still had a pretty good time with this album.
So like you listen to this album and you'll find yourself muttering things like wait a minute that sounds like the cranberries hold on that part Sounds like it's from a Foo Fighters song play that again. That sounds like sublime. It's almost as if AI created some generic 90s band and then sent it back in time and here we are. It's a fun ride. It really is but definitely no hits on this. It's just like you're living the 90s through some tribute band that only plays deep cuts. For a band that I can't name a single song from this was a decent album. I probably will never listen to it again, but it wasn't a miserable experience.
2/5
Boasts a wide range of genres under a pretty British rock sound. The jangly guitars throughout this album make each song similar to each other. The opening track did give it some oomph but the momentum died out by like the 4th song.
Really good Travel album
Čakal som od nich viac.
Boo Radleys fell a bit between the two stools of shoegaze and Britpop. Their tunes were too sweet for the former and their tones too noisy and psychedelic for the latter. Chronologically, they fell between the two as well. So 1993 was the point when they seemed most at home and produced their best album. Another review on here compares them to early Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips, which seems appropriate: maybe those would have been better companions than anyone else in the UK.
Meh
This was okay. I guess I understand why it's on the list. Didn't love it, but also didn't hate it. Most songs were pretty forgettable aside from "The White Noise Revisited," which I quite liked. This is more of a 2.5 if I'm being honest, but I didn't rating this 2 stars just seems too low so I'm rounding up.
Couple things. First, the name The Boo Radleys is a terrible band name, and I'm not surprised I've never heard of them before. When you kneecap yourself with a terrible name, shouldn't be surprised. Second, while I'm enjoying this album quite a bit, it being over an hour long is a bit much. I know the 90's were a time of inflated album lengths, but come on guys, cut it down to a trim 45. Thirdly, I get this is a highly regarded shoegaze(ish - It's more more on the indie alt rock side with some songs verging on shoegaze), 25th on Pitchfork's 50 greatest shoegaze albums, but lets be honest, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride are probably the picks from the genre for the list (Already have them on the list, and already have too many MBV albums, and no Slowdive, which is a crime). But yeah, pretty solid alt-rock that verges on shoegaze at times. Really dig the tracks I Hang Suspended and Wish I Was Skinny. Kinda has a britpop thing going on that I'm not quite enjoying though (Best Lose the Fear - very Beatles/Oasis-esque). Overall, the album could use some pruning down and focusing. It's a little all over the place with sounds and styles.
this was actually very good reminded me a bit of belle and sebastian
Heti ensimmäinen biisi (meni listalle) ja olin ihan fiiliksis et nyt tulee hyvä brittipop/indierock-albumi. Noooh ekan biisin jälkeen jatkan kuuntelua ja petyn vuolaasti. Aika mitäänsanomattomia biisejä, missä mikään osa-alue (instrumentit, kuuntelevuus, sanat yms) eivät säväytä.
juuei suoraa ensimmäisen kappaleen ekoista sanoista. Pitää tietysti loppuun kuunnella, mut ei kyllä tämä ei sitten lähde ollenkaan. En ole mikään suurin country fani muutenkaan, ja tää on sit aivan täyttä countryä. Liian hidastas, laulutyyli ärsyttää ja muutenkin vaan huonoa musiikkia. Tässä nyt vaan kärsitään albumi loppuun saakka. 1/5
17 songs No song I'd return to, nor any one song that I can remember a melody or riff from. Nothing too terrible, just a bit of britpop slop innit?
Another album of modern psychedelia. Yeah, I love it. 4/5
Don’t know how I losses these guys while I was in HS and college. Squarely in the genre I loved so mush then… shoegaze fuzzy guitars and Brit indie pop. I like this, and I think it sounds like the kind of record that would just continue to grow on me. Looking forward to revisiting.
A very pleasant surprise! This is like Vampire Weekend time traveled to the early 90s!
Pretty fine for the most part. It's a pretty eclectic batch of rock songs that draw from psychedelia and britpop with a touch of shoegaze, especially in the single "Lazarus". My main gripe is that it's really long, and it kinda fizzles out without much fanfare imo. The closing track got pretty annoying. Still had plenty of good tracks up to the end.
I really liked this, I think it’s better than its sub-three rating.
joooj... izrazito sam neodlučan oko ocjene. ovo je kvalitetom bauljalo, svakako. ali me jako ugodno iznenadilo i utisak mi je sve u svemu jako dobar. dosta je raznovrstan album, premda dakako ostaje u okvirima nekog alternativnog roka. usudio bih se reći da zbog toga i zbog dinamičnosti opravdava svoju dužinu (sat i petnaest minuta). zbog toga što su mi se neke stvari jako dopale – izdvojio bih pjesme »best lose the fear« i »lazarus«, možda i završnu još – jednostavno ne mogu a da ne dam četvorku, premda je možda objektivno za trojčicu :)
Sounds like a random college band playing for tips in the 90s. Right down to the edgy breakdowns with horns. Probably played by the trumpet player from the ska band that opened for them.
The Boos have a lengthy album with Giant Steps. Heard of ‘em, but not familiar with them as I don’t think they really made it stateside. Strong start, weak though the middle. Lazarus is the top track, also enjoyed Upon 9th And Fairchild. A lot of the songs seemed like emo off tempo sulking. Spun Around and Run My Way Runway are horrible (noise) and should have been left on the cutting room floor. Bass player is the best musician in the band, didn’t like the blaring horns. (2.48*s) Mock (yeah) ing (yeah) bird (yeah)yeah (yeah)
A semi-interesting album from The Boo Radleys here. Giant Steps has some allure and mixes it up to keep the tracks unique. A little slow and too shoe-gazey for my taste but I like some of the experimentation. Did not like the introduction of some of the noise pop though. "Upon 9th and Fairchild" and "Wish I Were Skinny" are a good back-to-back. "Rodney King" also had some cool beats. Definitely a 90s record that I had never heard before. May not be a classic like To Kill a Mockingbird but it gets 2.42 stars from me.
While I didn't outright mind the first couple songs, I started to get annoyed when I felt like I heard them mostly repeated 10 more times. Not sure I was tuned out or not paying enough attention while working but this felt like a lot of the same noise for an hour. At surface level I was into some shoegaze covered in some miscellaneous genres for a bit, but after an hour of the same thing I was out. Too long, not diverse enough and not interesting enough to come back to. 1.92 stars
Well I didn’t like this at all. Seemed generic and boring. Didn’t enjoy the sound. 2/5.
Orale, muy interesante desde el inicio. La primera canción como que empezo muy locota y luego ya se me hizo normal, osea como que no escalo a lo que esperaba. La segunda me mamo. En general todo el vibe del disco me gusto bastante, como que vi mucho en línea que estaba super poco y te volaría la peluquita y creo que eso hizo que mi expectativa fuera muy alta pero pues no me obsesione como pensé que lo haría tbh. Pero si que me gusto bastante overall
I didn't think I would like this but really did
No fav song
I'm trying to judge this based on the year as 1993 was not about much experimentation. I would put this up there with OK Computer (not for content) for ambition and it was a number of years before. I gave it 2 listens and even though only 1 or 2 songs stuck with me (the Beach Boys riff might be the best knockoff Wilson I've heard) I think I'm at a 3.5 which could go higher. It's very listenable, but not sure how influential it really has been.
Fuzzy guitars... would have been more impressed if there was some melody in it.
not the new savior of rock and roll but weirdly decent 4/5
Not sure how this slipped under my radar back then. Its ok, but not really sure what it wants to be, plays it safe a lot. There are some good bones in there, but some real radio designed tracks, like I Wish I Were Skinny (you know that title alone is going to get it airplay). Leaves and sand for example, great intro but doesn't commit. Want to be.. Pixies maybe? But when your 'soft' part come off like The Cardigans then then crunch is too disjointed. I am all for juxtaposition in sound, but it is not easy to d, and they prove that.b Take your name from a classic novel and have the right song titles to grab attention (Rodney King - Song For Lenny Bruce... really? Fuck off) and the music is a secondary attraction right? Still give it a two as there are some good parts, just a shame its a mess.
yo I gotta check this out much more. How haven't I heard about them yet in my forais into shoegaze and 90s music?
Niet voor mij. Teveel gitaar / alternatief.
Wow, talk about a hidden gem! Only 4 tracks on here even crack 200,000 listens on Spotify. I guess these guys have been largely forgotten. But this album anticipates so much of the indie and psychedelic rock of subsequent decades. I already want to listen to this again, but I see they have released some new albums this decade after a hiatus of 20+ years. I’ll be checking all of them out!
Om Ride och Blur fick ett tråkigt barn
Whole album felt really noisy. The tracks that didn't include all the feedback and squealy guitars were so much more enjoyable. I feel like this band is talented, but this music just isn't my style at all.
The La's psychedelic cousin
Overall a good album. Some of the tracks were really fuzzy and distorted, and had a great rock sound, others were cleaner and more poppy. Some of them didn’t hold my attention as much as others, but a good listen overall.
This is a solid rock outing w a band that has its own style - the vocals are low in the mix, which can be frustrating, but interesting musicianship here
I am always going to love some shoegaze. The vibes are always chill. This album was good. Nothing stood out for me though. If you like shoegaze and this comes up, listen to it but you can probably move on afterwards.
3.5 I reckon there's a much better 40ish minute album here but some of the songs either just didn't really work for me or were a bit boring
What a pleasant album - refreshing, nice production, great vocal harmonies, interesting songs....
Appreciate when there is some element of creativity. But otherwise the sound is mid. Not a revelation or exciting for me. A 3.
Wow what a nice surprise the first three songs are amazing! Overall the album was good and entertaining maybe just for one song. The video of wish i was skinny was sweet
Much better than anticipated. Still too long though.
Terrible production. Boring songs
Honestly really like. A lot going on but it’s fun because of it not despite it
Great album - probably my favorite so far from a band I hadn’t heard before.
I dug the first song on this one but it was kind of downhill from there unfortunately; just kind of in one ear and out the other after a somewhat promising start.
471/1089 - Some cool texture stuff and the vocalist kinda sounds like Elliott Smith. I think if the songs were tighter and there were less "stock" sounds and stepwise melodies, it'd be more memorable.
If I was a teenager in the UK in the ‘90s then I probably would have loooooved this back then. But I wasn’t. Now it’s fine. The noisier parts were fun but made me want to listen to MBV or JAMC.
Fun! Not great but I liked a good amount.
I liked it more than I thought. Maybe a little long, but pretty good.
Not to my taste
This album was pretty interesting as it introduced me to other Brit Pop bands. I enjoyed this album quite a bit I wasn’t expecting thrashing guitars at all! But it elevated my listening to experience :) Rating: 3.4/5 GEMV (02.05.2026)
Best Track - "Wish I Was Skinny"
Mostly fine, but has some really annoying songs.
10/10
6/10
As much as I would’ve liked this sort of genre-hodgepodge indie experiment if it had gone right, I think this is really just too overambitious and inconsistent for me to recommend (that, and it hits my biggest musical pet-peeve of going on for way too long). That said, I can’t say I’ve listened to psychedelic-noise-orchestral-punk-ska-jazz-britpop-shoegaze before, so I for sure see why this was included; I’ll also give it that this was probably insane for ‘93, considering this is the type of album you’d find after scrolling Bandcamp for too long in 2026.
Appreciate their messages. Music not my jam. 2.5
A far more interesting shoe gaze album than I was expecting. And a bit more emo, that fully plants this album in the early 90s. Highlights: "Barney (...and Me)" and "Lazarus"
Ik vond dit een heel interessant en verrassend leuk album! Ik wil deze zeker wel opnieuw luisteren (als ik dit album me nog ga onthouden) 9/10
3.75
Occasionally has snatches of something great but otherwise is buried three deep and seventeen tracks in tedious shoe gaze .
3.5
I might go back to this one
ok basic 90s sound
ok i guess, habs nicht wirklich anghört weil hab mich nicht danach gefühlt
The name was familiar but not sure if I’d recognize whatever I might have heard from them in the past. This was cool, nice mix of different alt sounds and interesting songs all around.
Certainly a sound that reflects a time and place, and perhaps if I’d have gotten in to this as a 25 year old I might love it. It’s another not terrible album. I quite enjoyed the sound, especially towards the start. But the album is 25 minutes too long and definitely starts to ramble at about the 50 minutes mark. The curse of the CD and a lack of discipline on the part of the band.
I liked that the Boo Radleys pulled from lots of different influences with this album. The singer wasn't my favorite, however. I don't know that I would listen to the whole album again.
The Boo Radley's Giant Steps is a super weird record. It's like a jangly pop record that also sometimes works with some reggae backbeats and bass lines. Now, I loathe reggae, but I actually love the instrumentation on this record and the choices made with guitar tones and arrangement. On those points, this record hits all the right notes for me, as unorthodox as it is. Where the struggle comes with this record is that none of the melodies on it are all that interesting to me. This record feels like a case of "so close, yet so far." I'm glad I listened, cause they were a band that I always wanted to check out due to their work on the So I Married an Axe Murderer soundtrack, but it ultimately falls a little flat for me. 6.5/10
Oh come on, in what world are The Boo Radleys something you need to listen to before you die? I only know one song from them from britpop documentaries/music compilations and it just sounds like F tier nothingburger britpop. Once again the author's 90s British bias is showing. And listening to the album in full just confirmed my suspicion that this album isn't anything spectacular 2/5
Inégal??
Bien plaisant. J'aime la façon d'utiliser la distorsion comme un wall of sound dans le shoe-gaze. Un autre cover super laitte par contre
Wow la belle découverte! Avec le cover et le nom du band je me serais attendu à un band psych des années 60. Ben non c’est du beau rock 90s en plein dans ma palette. Je dois certainement y revenir.
Bunte Mischung aus Rock/Pop & angrenzenden Genres. 3/5
When to listen: Wanting to go on a disappointing trip. I was tempted to give this a 1, but there were moments of interest that I think merit a bump up, specifically "Rodney" and "Lazarus." At times it felt like a rip-off of the Beatles, at others like The Who's Tommy, but most of the time it's noise that doesn't interest me personally.
Regular no me ha llamado mucho la atención
Wasn't sure what to expect here but pretty neat record. Psychedelic, noisy, and dreamy all throughout and its done quite well. Nothing too mind blowing here, but some great work throughout. Kinda drags a bit with the long length, but never found myself wanting it off.
I thought I'd hate this album just by it's cover. Turns out it sounds pretty 90s but after a few tracks it's not interesting to me. It's like the album just turns into a flat background thing to listen to.
Pretty standard stuff from the 90s.
not really that interested in ambient music. Aunque me da rabia cuando me gustan las populares y justo me gustaron las 2 más escuchadas
Didn't leave an impression on me
Meh. 3
Pretty good though somewhat generic shoegaze-ish alt album, fun to listen too and some genuinely really good instrumentals/vocals and some interesting experimental stuff
I enjoyed this, never heard it before.
It was well done, a more talented band then I ever gave them credit for. I just wasn't a fan of the songs personally so it didn't really hit for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was very pleasantly surprised by the Boo Radleys. A good 90s alt rock album that sucked me in and was hypnotic in a good way
I quite enjoyed listening to this. I'm not usually a fan of indie music but this was different. I think it was the mix of different instruments
Screeching guitars...please no more.Its a total Nope from me for that bit. Then sweeping Orchestral arrangements flipped the music sheet a bit. What to do? What to do?
A few unpleasant noises, but generally I like it. Could have been shorter.
This was very 90s yet somehow also 60s/Beatles-esque.
Typical. Nothin special
How did this make the list? nothing special. TLDL too long didn't listen
This is pretty weak stuff.
Not even Atticus Finch could defend this.
Been a fan of this since 93 and as much as I like it, I find it is 3 or 4 tracks too long. Remove Spun Around (it's always annoyed me!) and make Lazarus the last song and its a 5/5
Yeah. Before they lost it and went too poppy.
Reminds me of sunny days driving my mate Pod (RIP) to Fife so he could get his hole.
The only thing the 1001 curators like more than 70’s AOR seems to be 90’s alt.
Je vais l’oublier illico mais certaines étaient plutôt sympas !
De la Britpop sans plus d'intérêt que les milliers d'albums de même genre sortis au même endroit à la même époque. Pas affreux mais on se demande bien ce qui le distingue assez pour figurer dans cette liste.
🎧Starts off pretty strong with I Hang Suspended. All goes downhill from there.
Much like 99% who listened to this for the first time, I only knew THAT song, you know the one that sounds condescending if it happens to be raining in the morning. Two thoughts came to mind when I saw The Boo Radleys on here. 1. There's more to them than Wake Up Boo!? And 2. Opening up the tracklist, on Spotify at the bottom was shoegaze playlist (since when were they shoegaze?) Now I've listened to the album i can say yes on both accounts to an extent. The loud heavily distorted guitars present within Shoegaze shows up occasionally, but they also tap into their more poppier sensibilities that would define their biggest hit. However whilst there is more to them, there's nothing on here that stands out on the same level as Wake Up Boo! But don't let that discourage cause whilst its not an essential listen, its definitely worth checking out nonetheless.
This was very solid — Super Furry Animals, Dandy Warhol vibes — but not very memorable.
Experimental Poop
Some interesting guitar work but mostly boring
I never paid much attention to the Boo Radleys, typical American! Though to be fair, the Brits barely paid any attention to them either. I do regret my inattention, as this is one of the best unknown to me albums I've heard on the list so far. The Boos take on each major leg of the 90s BritPop invasion: Beatles worship, psychedelia, and shoegaze. And they excel at each. Unfortunately, this cafeteria of styles probably condemned them to the cutout bin. At first glance, using Giant Steps as the title is a bold move. But much like the Mats using Let It Be, it fits this record like a glove
6/10 Favorite: If You Want It, Take It
i didn’t like this album a whole lot, but the songs i liked i really liked, notably Wish I Was Skinny, Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce) and Run my Way Runaway. A lot of the songs felt like a combination of a worse MBV song mixed with a worse TMBG song and those are two of my favorite bands of all time so I will give this album a 2.5/5 but closer to a 2, unfortunately 3 songs is not enough to hold up an album with 17 songs.
Haven’t listened to these folks. Seems to straddle a bunch of different genres. I’m not sure if I’m loving it, but it did grow on me. Won’t be listening again.
A fine 90s indie album. I listened to it twice, but it’s just kinda there. Nothing really stands out, but it’s also not bad.
Meh
Too much weird noises.
Very trite 90s ho hum although rock. Nothing that really caught my ear so I stopped
Enough bright spots to get a three. A bit of junk, too.
5/10
Mystifying that Oasis are global megastars and these guys are a Brit pop footnote.
better than i expected, but still a bit bland and too long. 2.5
I have never listened to this album before, but there was nothing here I haven’t already heard. Rather bland and unremarkable.
Another group with the pasta theory. This time we hear lots of forms of rock: pop, psychedelic, experimental, ethereal, whisper, etc. some pretty good sounds and some rather annoying.
wait this was actually SO FUN i liked it a lot!! very interesting sounds with an indie/pop feel that i really enjoyed
Przyjemne i bardzo nieskomplikowane. Lekka muzyka która wprawia w dobry humor, ale jest zbyt prosta, aby w pełni ją docenić. 6.5/10 równane w dół.
First couple of songs were a disappointment. Wish I was Skinny and Leaves and Sand were tasteful shoegaze Cant say I love them trying reggae shoegaze, but they really went for it all on this album
Liked this more than some other brit pop. Sounded like Pavement, Sufjan, or even that band Cymbals Eat Guitars - at times. Leaves and Sand, Barney, If You Want it Take It, Lazarus all stood out. A solid 3.5
Between a 2 and 3 but I'm gonna say 2. Pretty mediocre album, style was sort of all over the place. Not terrible but nothing really stood out as memorable to me. It was also kind of on the long side
Im not sure what I was listening to. There were so many styles on this album that it was hard to make sense of it. I think they did some decent shoegaze but most of it was just kind of mid. Nothing really stood out. This another one of those albums that I didn’t need to hear before I died.
Alright. Elliot Smith vibes at times.
Most of these songs are just great. The rest are really good. I may be going against the grain but the mix of sounds resonates with me. Upon 9th and Fairchild is just the beginning with that heavy bass line and some nice reggae-tinged doodles. Just great. And the rest of the album is just quality. Odd I've never heard/listened to this album though these folks were around when I was listening to shoegaze, though I think this is more psychedelia than that. A great mix. Bueno! 5 "heart-thumping dancing" stars.
++: Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce), Barney (...and Me), Best Lose the Fear, Run My Way Runway, I've Lost the Reason +: Wish I Was Skinny, Leaves and Sand, Thinking of Ways, Take the Time Around +-: I Hang Suspended, Butterfly McQueen, If You Want It, Take It, Lazarus, One Is For -: Upon 9th and Fairchild, The White Noise Revisited --: Spun Around 4,0/10
Name aside I never much cared about the Boo Radleys. My limited exposure to them was: a La’s cover on a movie soundtrack and a Creation Records-led whisper/PR campaign that promoted Martin Carr as being a 90s Brian Wilson musical genius. The latter was enough to keep me on the hook, especially mixed with some Creation Records cred, but the former really sucked, taking maybe the most sublime song of my youth and adding so many ill-fitting choices it maybe made me think twice about the original. But, I’ll always hold out hope for an overlooked band, even one that did...that. Giant Steps is lauded as a big leap forward, enough to cheekily reference Coltrane, which is saying a lot for any rock band. They definitely became comfortable running everything through effects and tossing in random ideas, which they did well, but does that constitute a big leap forward if the songs are merely OK? That their next album contained the closest thing they had to a hit in the form of a Motown throwback, novelty tune says a lot.
Conflated. This album is ambitious, but would’ve benefited from additional production and a heaping of artistic focus. You can hear the shoegaze, the pop sensibilities, the reggae influence, the orchestral swell, but they’re all very much individual and just kind of smooshed together.
A bit too pop rock