Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Wikepedia gives the genre as "Post-Hardcore, Indie Rock, Noise Rock" - of these "Noise Rock" seems to be the most appropriate for this truly depressing album. The album's only claim to fame that I can see seems to be that one of the tracks, "Bulletproof Cupid", was used in the "Need for Speed: The Run" video game soundtrack. Not sure how this got into the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list?

Wow. This one was easy to rate.

There are far more "post-hardcore" albums here than quality, influence, popularity, depth etc demand. I guess the author just liked the scene at the time. This wasn't a bad album by any means, but it *was* unremarkable. 3/5.

Nothing extraordinary about this album.

It's post-hardcore, so every song sounds heavy, and the vocals are scratchy and mono-tone. It all sounds a bit dated. If the vocals were better, the songs might have held up.

Horrid, horrid indie. I'm done with this shit. Really can't listen to this sort of crap these days.

Really liked this one, saved for future listening

Not my genre of music, but this band nailed it. Was actually quite good

Dark, edgy, and fucking cool. Never heard this band before but it's great.

Completely utterly worthless

I tried to convince myself this wasn’t that bad by thinking, “It’s kind of like The Jesus Lizard, I guess” but really this reminded me of nothing so much as Bush. So fuck this. I didn’t like this kind of shit when I was an angry young man, so I’m certainly not going to like it now that I’m a bitter, grouchy tired old man.

Never heard of these folks. This was a fun enough listen, although nothing revelatory. I'm sure there are a bunch of more exciting post-hardcore bands that shoulda made the cut before this, but thems the breaks! Fave track - "Go Be Delighted"

Just painful. Angry adolescent noise. (Having said that, I'd probably have been really into this when I was about 15.)

Indie shit

Not a fan at all.

Ooh, guess I'm only the third person to review this! A nice and much-needed heavier rock album to grab my attention for a bit. It absolutely slaps! Definitely sounds newer than 1993, too. This is one that's totally new for me, but I found myself liking it a lot. Favourite: Let Me Come Back

One of my favorite bands.

Let’s be honest, I am totally biased when it comes to this type of bands. The DIY musical movement has my heart and soul, so my opinion is going to exaggerate their pros while omitting their misses. Loved this album from start to finish. Lots of energy thrusted by great vocals and dual bass work. 100% recommended if you are into Fugazi and Dillinger Escape Plan

Heard about this band, never listened to any albums or songs. Really good. Really, really good.

Pretty good. Dark, viberatie music.

This is the kind of grunge I can get behind. A little thin, my opinion a bit inflated by intrigue about the band, there's more than a little bit of romance.

Me surpreendeu positivamente, esperava nada e veio coisa boa.

I liked this. Very 90s, but in a good way. Will listen again.

Solid 90s rock. Not much to say about it.

Interesting choice. The girl I sat next to in French and whom I fancied to a horrendous degree, liked these and so naturally I tried to get into them (no jokes, you dirty minded folk). I failed to, but she lent me a load of vinyl including the first Hole record, some Babes in Toyland and Bikini Kill. Probably some other stuff but I loved all that. Girls Against Boys then. Interesting choice in that said girl is pretty much the only person I can recall ever talking about this band, hence my mind being immediately drawn there. Listening 30 years later I'm hearing hints of Kyuss maybe, and of course their own influences. There's a lot going on here and I'm not sure why I didn't get into them at the time. Noise but with melody is right up my zone of interest. This has really got something. Slow or fast, it drills into you.

I have nothing against this album in particular, it kinda just sounds like less creative but less abrasive Sonic Youth. But I am a bit annoyed that all that Wikipedia can say about this album is that one of its songs appeared in a Need For Speed game. Did we realllllllly need to listen to it? 5/10

Album #16 Another band/album that I was not familiar with. From the get go, there is a clear garage/indie vibe with a very unique sound. I was wondering if the mixing was off because how the bass sounded (loud and rough), but it turns out that there were two bassists playing - neat! The vibe that it gave me was very early 90s grimy garage rock or even a post-hardcore sound. I digged this album, but it wasn't jaw dropping. I can't place any standout tracks and the lyrics, assuming you can make them out, aren't memorable. A generous 3*

I mean, I’d put “Ride The Fader” by Chavez on the list over this (it’s a classic), but Venus Luxure No. 1 was pretty good, even though it isn’t a record you really need to hear before you die.

They have a heavy sound that leads nowhere, in my opinion. Nothing terribly exciting or above average with their sound and really a second tier hard rock/metal/grindcore/hardcore band. Okay, but far from essential.

Listened to this while cleaning. I'd rather have been playing a board game...but life isn't always fun and games. For some reason I had heard of Girls Against Boys before...but I'm not totally sure why. Maybe Hedwig and the Angry Inch...but that doesn't seem right. The album was kind of standard early 90s indie rock. Some great riffs here and there...but why this was selected over like 50 other equally good albums from the same time period...I'm not sure? I didn't dislike it...but it wasn't as strong as some of the other albums I've rated a 3...so this gets a 2. The girls won.

I like the rawness of this but there is nothing to look forward too. No riffs, no breakdowns, no moments of feeling anything really. In the end it all just melts togeather.

Not very interesting. Nothing stood out on the album. 2/5 Won't listen again

Talk about repetitive. They choose 1 or 2 notes and then just drone that for the whole song while the singer grunts barely audibly into the microphone. Just bad. No standout song, not even a standout moment.

the reviews for this album sum up my views pretty well "... unremarkable, nothing extraordinary, not sure how this got into the list, completely utterly worthless"

Atrocious singing. Dung beetles wouldn't even want this crap.

In a day when alt rock was huge, there’s no wonder this one never became a hit. No good

It’s probably one of my least favourite on this whole list. for all my ambivalence towards fellow post-hardcore outfit Slint, at least they had menace & theatre going for them. This just plods… In theory, twin bass guitars should provide a unique twist but it gets really muddy and monotonous. Speaking of monotonous, I was worn out on the singer’s rasp after two songs. HL: “Bullet Proof Cupid”, “7 Seas” May 22, 2024

A near-perfect "post-hardcore" album. So underrated it's a crime against the whole genre itself. The saturated basses played by Eli Janney and Johnny Temple (that right, "basses" in "plural") give this band a very distinct sound, and so do Scott McCloud's obsessive guitar riffs, husky vocals and part-sardonic, part-surreal lyrics. Plus, Ted Niceley's production is dynamic as f*ck. Dark atmospherics, menacing slow-growers, and propulsive rockers unite in this LP like in no other record. That's where *Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby* impresses the most: in its merging of different aesthetics that rarely mingle--therefore going far beyond the post-hardcore playbook as it was known in 1993. Also, every track is excellent, especially "In Like Flynn", "Learned It" and "Bulletproof Cupid", which are absolute gems. Once you hear those haunted vocals on the first, that heavy guitar riff on the second, or that hypnotic bass pattern on the third, it's basically impossible to forget them. So don't listen to the naysayers on this app. If you like your post-hardcore moody, with subtle pop inflexions that are both off-kilter AND catchy, this LP is for you. If you don't like such things, it's OK. But please, don't pass off judgement on musical styles you're just unable to comprehend anyway. Fawn over cheesy, "vanilla" stuff such as Bonnie Raitt, Adèle and Terence Trent D'Arby, and just say you're out of your league for anything that's a bit more exciting, original and "underground". And if you usually like that type of music but are still confused by the many idiosyncracies of Girls Against Boys, please give this album another chance later on. The global score for this record on this app is just a shame, enough said. Glad that Dimery's team put ot in this list, at least! 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums", rounded up to 5. Which translates to a 9.5/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 346 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 297 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 156 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 210

I was introduced to this band when I was in high school by my older co-workers while working at local pizzeria but I had never listened to this album. This album rules and totally rips. Excellent band and excellent record.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

This album fucks.

good. Love the fuzzy bass heavy sound and hushed vocals. Sounds loud and quiet at the same time, the whole time.

Literally never heard of these guys before, and this hit me right in the face. Excellent post-hardcore record. Favourite tracks: the whole thing is awesome.

One of those ones where I've never heard of the album or the artist....but ended up thoroughly enjoying. It gives lots, and clearly shows things that others have coped. Genuinely had a good time with it.

wow. this is another first for me. right up my street. have spun it up three times already.

Even after listening and reading up on this record, I'm still not entirely sure why it was included in the list. I guess it must have been very influential for other bands down the line, and I can't fault that. This album is still superb and totally unique especially with the way 90's rock was sounding when this released

While looking at the cover art and listening to the first bars, my first reaction was to dismiss this as a hamfisted inclusion of "We Need An Album Of [Genre] In Here" and then dice were rolled but, turns out, this is pretty great! Like if two albums I owned, Sonic Youth's "Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star" (1994) and Filter's "Short Bus" (1995) had a slightly stoned time traveller baby. Noice! [...] [<--- time passed] I quite love this.

Such cool sound, effortlessly edgy while evocative

This is a post-hartdcore sort of thing that represents the epitome of 90s lethargy. Cryptic lyrics, cool bass, f-ing great noise. I dig rockets are red the most.

I'd never heard this before, and I love it. It's now in my collection.

Great song

Een paar fantastische nummers. En een paar middelmatig. Al bij al een goed album dus

Really enjoyable

Eindelijk weer eens een album wat ik nog niet kende maar wat me positief verraste! Ik ken een ander album van deze band maar dit is ook lekker puntig en opzwepend.

Heel vet! Er zijn 2 andere plaatjes van Girls Against Boys die ik beter ken, maar deze is ook te gek!

I have no idea why I didn't hear this back in 1993. This is very much in the vein of what I was seeking out. The raw analogue power of the presentation. No-nonsense rock that performs at its full capacity. If you ever hear about an act whose performance feels "honest", this band fits the bill – Like how you can hear the edges of all the complex emotions that Tom Waits brings to his performance? I understand that there is always studio magic going on here, but this album captures that ineffable quality of performers giving you what they have. It almost has a "one take" quality, as if the musicians are playing simultaneously in the same space for a work that feels organic, whole, and sincere. I can easily see myself sitting on the dubious couch in the corner of their rehearsal room listening to my friends while I get my calculus homework sorted for university. This album takes me to a time when I had big feelings and big plans.

Unexpectedly delightful. I love that this list introduces me to things like this that I kind of know exist but have never dived into. Fave track for now: Learned It

Lovely stuff

Overall liked this album. The sound reminds me of Kyuss or early Queens of the Stone Age - which is a sound I really vibe with. Definite re-listen.

Sombre, mais pas lourd. M'a fait penser à Tool parfois, un groupe que je découvre et que j'ai envie d'écouter plus

That opening bass hit is great. Unique sound focused in the bass end. A good mix between punk/alternative/almost metal.

An album on this list finally straight up my alley. Proto-post-hardcore from the 90s. Solid stuff.

Never heard of this band. Good listen, will listen again.

Def rocks, pretty nondescript

The lightest of fours.. has a few good tracks later on in the album, I like the grungey rock kinda sound

Really good, had some bangers, energetic rock, can't ask for much more. (75%)

Good hard alternative rock - love the drums - not much to write home about but I’d definitely like to revisit.

Weak sometimes, but in general i dig that

sounds like smashing pumpkins but actually good

Very QotSA-esque

Creative rock

Era l'época. Anys de glòria del rock alternatiu, que gairebé era més mainstream que el comercial. Sonic Youth eren, és clar, influència indispensable en aquell moment, i Girls Against Boys es van demostrar com uns dels alumnes més aventatjats. La distorsió, el feedback i les capes de guitarres, combinades amb bon sentit amb la melodia i trobant sempre el camí del format cançó. No era fàcil i la gran majoria de bandes van oblidar que calia talent per portar a bon port aquest so. No va ser el cas d'aquests novaiorquesos, que mai van arribar a esclatar i la llum dels quals va durar poc... però el disc és un molt bon testimoni d'uns anys fantàstics

As kirsten would say about a bar “this is a place molly would like”

I liked this: great repetitive sound.

A really good GVSB album - first album in the sequence: Venus Luxure No1 Baby - Cruise Yourself - House of GVSB, basically, the same album repeated three times - could also be due to their distinctive guitar sound... In any case, I like Cruise Yourself a little more than the others (4-5-4).

- positiv überrascht - kaum gehört bei Spotify - "Learned it" fand ich richtig nice - Insgesamt sehr hörbare Mucke!

This sound somehow more authentic than so many other bands.

Honestly, just throw post into any genre type and it seems like I like it. Will I listen to again: 70%

Great LP, will be getting some more playtime!

This is an angsty and left-turn filled 90s album that’ll have anyone screaming along in minutes. The vocals are raw and powerful, the instrumentation is half sample filled and half raw talent from guitars, basses and drums, and the lyrics are sardonic and perfectly executed. This album deserves a 4.4/5 or 88/100.

This is going into rotation

Really good grunge. Took me a few songs to get into it but the 90s sound with the growling vocals worked well together.

I had never heard of them before, but I was hooked from the first few bars…somehow. Like a filthy and dark version of Sugar, slower, heavier. I actually listened to it three times in a row. Another one of those “how did I not know about this” albums. Albeit, admittedly this is not for everyone’s taste.

Two bassists! Girls Against Boys is one of the Touch and Go post-hardcore bands of the early 90's that would be overshadowed by their contemporaries like Slint, the Jesus Lizard, and Shellac. This was also around the time that Fugazi was cementing the new sound of post-hardcore for the 90's, effectively carving out their own little piece of alternative music history. It makes sense, then, that Girls Against Boys would bear some similarities to Fugazi, especially considering Fugazi's drummer Brendan Canty founded the band. He's only on the first record, however, so it would be drummer Alexis Fleisig taking over for the rest of their discography. Regardless. Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby is a dirty, grimy album that reminds me of my favorite Queens of the Stone Age album, Era Vulgaris. It revels in muddy, distorted guitar tones and raw power. The sound often revels in a low place where it gives way for moments of quite contemplation followed by a wired release of noise. There is perhaps something to be said about the influence of grunge, but I won't say it here. Girls Against Boys honed their own sound, and they did it damn well.

How have I never heard of this band?! Loving the punchy underground rock. Takes me back to those 90s rock nightclubs, 2-for-1 drinks of whatever rancid alcopop they were flogging, sweaty moshpits, drunken bruises, foolishly thinking we were living our best lives, yeh!

This was not as bad as I feared after reading some of the comments. Forget the vocals, as most of the time, I couldn't understand anything due to the low, growling voice that was drowning in the music somehow. The sound is grungy but raw so post-hardcore may be an adequate category.

Never heard of this before. Not necessarily my style but I like it

4.49

Actually enjoyed this. I've never listened before to this band, and it wasn't at all what I expected.

Over post-hardcore heb ik al wel eens eerder een boekje open gedaan. Een genre dat me prima zou kunnen liggen, maar we krijgen bij dit soort genres voornamelijk de grondleggers en de voorlopers te horen. En niet wat voor moois het in potentie kan zijn. Maar goed, we leveren ons zoals gewoonlijk weer keurig over aan de grillen van deze snoblijst. Het ene nummer doet me een beetje denken aan Lou Reed met zijn Velvet Underground, maar dan 25 jaar later. In een recenter versleten leren jack. Een ander nummer is meer een muur van geluid zoals Dinosaur Jr. De muziek klinkt redelijk kaal, zoals gebruikelijk eind jaren 80 en begin jaren 90. Er zitten stukken tussen die voller klinken en iets meer groove hebben, en dan klinkt de potentie van het genre er wel iets in door. En lijkt het soms zelfs iets op de stoner van Kyuss en later Queens of the Stone Age, of Sonic Youth. De zure broeders zullen het misschien wel weer helemaal niks vinden, al heeft dit wat minder elementen om een hekel aan te hebben voor ze. Het is eerder nietszeggend voor hen, dan aanstootgevend. Een 2 gok ik. Ik zal het niet compenseren met een 5, maar ik wil een 3.5 wel zoals vaker afronden naar een 4.

8/10

Enjoyable, although it got pretty blendy. This is a band I've heard of before but never sat and listened to. It borders on a little too whiny for me at times but I'm going to still give it a bonus star for being a fun discovery.

Had only listened to one song but this is a pretty hard rock solid album. It was surprising and it dumbfounded me at times with their change of pace and how the album was organized.

Never heard of this band. It was pretty rockin. Will try to listen to it again.

I’m not sure how this flew under my radar for over 30 years. It is squarely within my wheelhouse and teenage me would’ve eaten this shut up, yet I never heard of it. It sounds a bit like if Hüsker Dü hired the drummer from Ministry and then made an album with Steve Albini. If I wasn’t clear, I dig it.

It was not too exciting, but I really dig it

Heard "noise rock" and was dreading, however this was a good album, subtle at times, doing different things with it's songs and keeping me hooked all the way through. 3.7

this is yummy

Kannte ich mal gar nicht. Sehr eigen - cool!

That early 90's alt low key rock vibe