Chore of Enchantment

The chore of listening to this one tone record was the hardest thing I've had to endure this week. You must bear in mind that this week I've finalised my divorce, crashed my car and lost two of my children in a freak boomerang accident. By George what a bit of shit on a fork.

All CHORE No ENCHANTMENT

It's on my playlist "Alt niche male type beat.mp3" and yes it is a red flag

Well, they got the word "chore" right. These kind of Robbie Robertson-Lou Reed slacker mumble-vocals are most definitely not only outside my wheelhouse but an immediate turn-off. The music isn't anything so adventurous that would alone make it objectionable - it's nice! - but. but. but. Maybe/likely if this album weren't led by a singing tree sloth I'd have given it more of a chance. For I'm sure at least the 50th time in 600 albums: singers ruin everything. Hard pass. 3/10 1 star

Appropriately enough for album 1001, a long action of continuous shocks. The sleepiness of the record punctuated by surprises is somewhat close to death. The record's shiny, overtured, takes a minute to get to the point. The lyrics are calibrated to just my preference for the abstract. That's all very desert-sky, but there's just as much grounding in American musical traditions.

Ok I have no clue who these guys are, but this album was awesome. Perfect example of why I keep doing this album thing every day. The song with the most Spotify streams on here only has ~480K, and only one other song is over 100K streams, but this is just great. I never would have come across this otherwise, and I'd have missed out. I don't really know how to describe it, it's got this alt-rock/country/folk sound. The singer is really understated but he packs a real punch (NME said "raw but tender empathy in songs full of unexpected departures", I like it). I guess this came right after their former guitarist and the singer's friend died, so the emotion is really coming from somewhere personal. You get this kind of grimy alt-rock at times ("Temptation of Egg", "Satellite"), deep emotion at times ("Raw", "Way to End the Day"), and then these beautiful little folk songs too ("Shiver", "Bottom Line Man"). There's a few weak spots and it's a bit long (60 minutes), but this is really solid overall. I think sometimes I tend to rate a bit too much based on artist prestige and critical acclaim (it's hard not to), but this is about as obscure as you get on this list and I'm into it. I don't expect this to have high ratings on here, but I think it's great (even on a second listen the next day). Favorite song: Raw Other: (Well) Dusted, Punishing Sun, Temptation of Egg, Wolfy, Shiver, Dirty from the Rain, Astonished (in Memphis), No Reply, Bottom Line Man, Way to End the Day 6/18/24

I loved this. Absolutely loved it. It's cinematic and evocative and full of little twists and turns around every corner

This one starts off with two absolutely great tracks, "(Well)-Dusted" and "Punishing Sun", subdued and subtle, but with stellar chord changes and a few gems on a lyrical standpoint. A little bit later, the sequence of songs "Shiver" (with its wink to "Walk On The Wild Side"), heartrending ballad "Dirty From The Rain" and atmospheric country-folk cut "Astonished (In Memphis)" is pretty convincing as well. Howe Gelb doesn't have a "spectacular" voice, but what he does with his lower timber serves those compositions right, even with some (endearing) frailties here and there on a technical standpoint. Unfortunately, a lot of the songs on the album, conveying the same exact sort of melancholic "confessional" mode, are somewhat "interchangeable". Moody and well-crafted for sure. But quite unobtrusive and generic as well. With its slow-yet-raucous distorted guitars, Nick-Cave-and-Lou-Reed-indebted "Satellite" attempts to wake the listener up in the middle of side two. Yet if that composition is decent, it's not exciting enough to elicit more than a passing interest in the song. Having this album popping on the app today reminded me I should also dig into Calexico's discography, since they're also from Tucson (and Burns and Convertino once played with Gelb). Giant Sand will have to wait until I reach that point. And I'm afraid that by the time I do so, there won't be any "room" left for them in my list. 3/5 for the purposes of this ranking, which translates to an 8/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: approximately 300 (I've temporarily lost count here) Number of albums I'll include in my own list: half so far, approximately Number of albums I *might*  include: a quarter, approximately. Number of albums I'll never include: another quarter (including this one, many others are more important to me)

Magical. Takes you on a beautiful, melancholic journey. Unique.

I'm not at all familiar with Giant Sand but I very much enjoyed this album. Had lots of Lou Reed feelings and just as many Bill Callahan feelings. Glad to be introduced.

4. I enjoyed it. Loved the different genres that were sprinkled into it and was overall a chill listen

Good sound, a little long

Reluctant 3, the good stuff is really great the bad is fucking shit

Mmm. Kind of like Grandaddy but without the depth of tunes. Straight out of early noughties college rock. Not unpleasant, but really a 2.5. Rounded down for length.

The concept is there. But my heavens these vocals are so bad they just kill the whole album. The lyrics are also... just very meh. Sometimes people try way too hard to make lyrics that seem philosophical or deep but this time, they just fall flat. It's a bunch of pseudo-intellectual drivel.

You don’t need to hear this before you die, but Thrill Jockey is a rad record label, so 3 stars.

Nr. 118/1001 Overture NR (Well) Dusted 3/5 Punishing Sun 3/5 X-tra Wide 3/5 1972 NR Temptation of Egg 3/5 Raw 3/5 Wolfy 2/5 Shiver 4/5 Dirty from the Rain 3/5 Astonished 2/5 No Reply 3/5 Satellite 2/5 Bottom Line Man 3/5 Way to End the Day 2/5 Shrine 3/5 Average: 2,79 At times pretty boring.

I had never heard of this before. There are some fun tracks on this one, but for my taste, this is a "once in a great while" kind of listen. The style gets a bit old after a while.

Aggressively mid. Is this guy related to the author, why is this here? I almost want to give it a 1 because its so bland and uninspiring. But its not solely bad, its just not good either. Disappointing. Why is this on the list?

So, because a British journal says you have raw but tender empathy then you can get on this list? I won’t deny there were pieces I enjoyed, the vocals were interesting and reminded me of some others similar. Some quirky songs, but this didn’t need to be on the list.

the album would have been better if the guy actually sang, but most of the album he did the “speak singing” thing, which i am not a fan of. it comes across as gimmicky and makes it seem as if the singer can’t really sing very well. not for me.

I went to the 1001 list website to see what they claim makes this list-worthy, but guess what? It looks like it’s being pulled, which is not surprising. On the plus side, he/they change it up once in a while, throwing in a heavy guitar, a funky back-beat, a female vocalist (sometimes all in one song, as in Temptation of Egg or Shiver). On the minus side, Howe Gelb’s dreary, spoken words are a limiting factor and when he’s unsupported, like on "Punishing Sun” or “Dirty from the Rain” you have to ask yourself, “Why am I listening to this?” Dylan or Cohen could get away with weak vocals but the songwriting caught your attention. Gelb, less so.

Never before have I listened to an album and got that the feeling that I'm being stalked. The entire thing sounds like he's whispering angsty poetry written by a heartbroken sixth grader into your ear as you take the back roads home at night. There were a couple of songs that I liked, but I guess when you throw 30 songs at the wall something is going to stick. If you look at their larger discography they seem content to release quantity not quality.

Ah yes, quite enjoyable. Certainly something I'll dig further into. Faves: Shiver, Satellite

Yeah, I really dug this - slowcore-adjacent, often dreamy, often cinematic - this project has definitely opened my eyes to alt country! Will be digging into these folks' back catalog. Fave tracks - "(Well) Dusted (For The Millenium)" is phenomenal. "No Reply" and "Satellite" work well together. Really, though, this is more about the album taking you on a little slacker journey than individual tracks...

Total surprise, quirky and raw, but also melodic and relatable.

goes hard

Wow did this one sneak up on me. Never heard of it, pulled it up and saw 1h57 minutes, let out a small moan of despair (mind you I had a 2h15 min double album the day before). Overture gives no hint of what’s ahead. First listen first song, I’m not getting it. Despair starting to turn to dread. Let’s head to Wikipedia… hey there! This isn't a two hour album! Spotify added 14 bonus tracks. Ok ok unclench that jaw. We’ve gotten to track four now, and things are starting to change up a bit. Maybe this album is more interesting than I realized? I’m going to pay more attention. Holy cow, I think I’ve fallen in love. I’ll get to the bonus tracks in a little while, First I’m gonna go back and listen to the original album again!

this is good!

Wow! What a beautiful collection of songs !

wow!

There’s a lot of songs that sound the same here, but the style, aesthetic, and neat little interludes of the album is enough to keep it interesting for me. It’s the little details that make this for me. This one is really tight and solid, even if it may blend together and drag in the second half.

Nice. I am definitely going to check out some more of this band. Really liked it.

A very interesting listen! Lots of musical twists and turns that were still very enjoyable to the ears. Super creative and unique!

I appreciated some of it, I always like to listen to acts that do things a bit differently, go against the grain. There's some interesting lyricism here, but overall this isn't my kind of "weird".

This album thinks it's way cooler than it is. Vocals ruin it for me.

The talk singing works in small doses. This was not a small dose. Best track: Shiver

Chore of Enchantment is the 16th album by the American alternative rock band Giant Sand. This folksy, alternative rock album was highly rated by critics. It contains emotionally raw and tender songs about empathy for your fellow human. I thought Chore of Enchantment was a beautifully moving album with music and themes that fit together nicely. It was a great easy-listening album that I recommend for anyone looking for background music.

This was homework

This was fine. Didn’t really grab me. I didn’t see the shifting tones of the record as a plus. I also listened to this while playing DOOM (2016) which is an incredible mismatch.

*Snore* of Enchantment

They really knew what they were doing when they named this album Chore didn't they?? Some tracks sounded a bit spooky and some sounded a bit saucy but mostly I would compare this listening to the sensation of garlic skin getting stuck to your finger when you're peeling garlic cloves and it's just limp and light and almost not there but just enough there to IRK the fuck out of you!!! Well annoying and angering hahaha! I join the ranks I think from other reviews in saying that I don't understand why I must listen to this before I die. Well now I have, what a stupid time-waster.

This was a really good album. It’s amazing that this group has been around since 1980 and recorded lots of albums, and I’ve never heard of them.

Super cool variety of songs

Nice discovery

It's a good album. Like early Josh Ritter.

Great indy in the same vein as the Flaming Lips.

loved!

I've never heard of them before. They were really good!

Surprisingly, it was what I needed

Cool to see a Thrill Jockey release on this list. I had never listened to Giant Sand before, but based on it's label, I figured it'd be interesting and cool enough and it was. Really enjoyed this, listened to it a couple times.

It felt a little meh at first, but it quickly grew on me. I think I'd like to listen again reading along with the lyrics, it feels like the kind of vibe I might really like. It reminds me a bit of Leonard Cohen.

goomy

it's s subtly great record

Reminded me a bit of Lou Reed at times.

Nice surprise

Pleasant listening.

Think calexico or lambchop.

Another one I am a little torn on. I had never heard of this and I would say overall it was a pleasant surprise. This feels like a rainy day album to me. Both literally and figuratively to be honest. The tracks that are good are REALLY to my taste but it goes on a little long and there are some stinkers on there too. Would have benefitted greatly from some paring down. If it had been it actually could have been a 5 star contender for me, or at least a 4.5. As is I'm waffling between a 3 and a 4. I'm going to round up to the 4 because I do think this is the perfect album for the right mood, just need to skip a few songs maybe.

From one perspective there isn't much on this album. And in the same time this fascinating album that hit some nice vibe moment in me.

Smog by way of Thrill Jockey Records was not something i knew existed, or that i needed it so much. "Chore of Enchantment" keeps in low gear with its eclecticism, always surprising you when something like a trip hop beat or a sample of an old movie pops in or a mellotron comes in on one of the tracks. my only real complaint is the horrible mouth smacking intro on "Temptation of Egg". alongside this, "Raw" feels less raw and more underbaked, a good idea that could have been a great song but never develops with ornamentation like the other tracks do. otherwise, all the little experimental flourishes feel at home here, introducing itself as a warm friend before walking right out the door. what a delightful variety of reunions.

It took me e a while to figure out how to rate this album. I kept trying a few distracted listen attempts but I was never able to get a handle on the album as a piece until I sat down gave it my full attention. Since I have it as a 4 sided double album in vinyl I'll rate it in that way....side 1 is brilliant singer-songwriter fare that goes from bluesy to folky to even a touch funk. Side 2 starts off in the same and reaches the album's zenith with Shiver a beautiful country rock ballad that swings with beauty and grace. Things go kinda sideways from there rest of side 2 and side 3 are mostly forgettable. Side 4 is better but mostly because we revisit the earlier stronger songs with alternate takes of Dusted and Shiver. Overall a fine album with some beautiful poignant songs if it were a single album it might merit 5, but as is 4 stars

Elements of Sparklehorse to this Doesn’t quite have that magic though but it’s an interesting lo-fi Americana sound that I’m keen to listen to again

👌🏿

4/5

Interessanter Indiesound der gefällt, aber irgendwann auch etwas gar relaxt wirkt.

An alright album, I liked Overture and Way to End the Day.

That was completely unknown to me, not just the album but the band as well. It was absolutely delightful, listened to it three times today.

I like this a lot. Getting Lou Reed vibes tho less dark, Germanic sleaze and more sunny, desert vibes.

A curious mix of Lou Reed, Wilco and Neil Young that I had never heard or even heard of, but ended up enjoying very much. I will be listening to more Giant Sand.

Great!

This sounds like it would be the soundtrack of an indie film with a cult following

Wasn’t too much of a chore, really enjoyed the chill vibe of this. Especially the song with rain in the background

interesting

Pretty good. Kinda reminds me of Beck

Right up my alley but I don't know if this is something I will revisit. The atmosphere is great, as well as the production. Everything has it's place nothing feels too busy.

- War mir bisher gänzlich unbekannt - Ich stehe wie an der ein oder anderen Stelle ja schonmal erwähnt auf so ziemlich alle Country Subgenres. Alternative Country und Americana stehen dabei ganz weit Oben auf meiner Liste. Auf diesem Album ist beides wunderschön vereint!! - Der Dude hat eine ziemlich coole, laidback Surfer Stimme. - Insgesamt alles sehr entspannt - Wunderbare Sonntagsmucke Rating: 3,75-4/5

- kam überraschend, dass das ein so geiles Album ist - abwechslungsreich, kreativ - hat einfach Bock gemacht

I had never heard of this band before. They are pretty good. I will be listening to more of their albums.

I really like his voice, and how low and crackly it is. The sparse instrumentation compliments it well and knows exactly when to jump in and out. I'll have to explore them more.

This is somewhere between Wovenhand and Silver Jews and isn’t bad, but is not as good as those other bands.

I actually really enjoyed this one... Musically really kept me interested. The vocals were really not to my liking, but actually worked with the feel of the music but as the album. The latter half of the album is what really sold me on it as a whole "Dirty as The Rain" stuck me as a left of center Van Zandt tune. The solo on "No Reply" just soars, but my favorite song on the album is "Satellite". It's dirty groove really pulled me in from the start I'm starting this off at an (8.15) ★★★★ with room to grow on me.

I like that they kind of build off an Americana sound, but end up in a place that isn't what you'd typically associate with an Americana/Alt-County artist. At times, it's reminiscent of what I like about Meat Puppets II, but it's a more modern, less abrasive, more eclectic version of it. My favorite tracks are "(Well) Dusted (For the Millennium)", "Raw", "Shiver", "Astonished (In Memphis)" and "Satellite". 4.5

If you'd told me the guys out of Calexico were in a different band in the 90s and doing Lou Reed-style alt-country, this is, to be fair, the exact album I'd imagine. Luckily, I like all the words in that sentence.

dusty. baked. crafted. resonant. wise.

Not sure I would seek this out to listen to, but if I saw it used on vinyl I may be tempted to pick it up. It’s got a good Tom Waits like feel to it.

Never heard of these and really enjoyed it mostly. Reminded me of Bill Callahan that we had recently, or maybe even Elliott Smith in parts??? Either way, its pretty up my street. Spotify took me to a 2 hour version of the album, which kinda grated on me though. Shiver was my favourite. I reckon I'll be back

Oddly interesting.

More interesting and enjoyable than I anticipated. Not quite sure it belongs on this list but has a better claim than many other things I've listened to.

4.0

Very good this one Nice and chilled

I had not heard of this album nor Giant Sand prior to this, although I do like several of the “similar artists”. I gave this three listens front to back and as I expected, it’s a grower that requires multiple listens. It reminds me at various times of Wilco, Beck, and especially Menomena and Lambchop. The highlight for me is Shiver, but there isn’t a bad song on the album. It’s another great gem found through this project.

This was a stunning discovery. Never heard of before. Loved it. Touches of Calexico. Better. Moments of great beauty to revisit.

Great! Good sound!

I actually really liked this. I can’t justify five stars, but I did enjoy it.

Un album intime que j'ai eu de la difficulté à situer dans une époque. Une bulle hors du temps.

Definitely unique. Nothing stuck with me long term, but it's something different for sure.

No idea what to expect for this album. Sand makes me think of Sandstorm so could be electronic for all I know. Well it isn't DaRude. It is more songwriter alternative? It has kind of an interesting feel to it that I can't quite pinpoint yet. Some songs seem to push into the southern style but not particularly country. The lyrics seem to have a bit of cleverness and/or sarcasm to them and I'd liked to have more time to go through them. Some songs had kind of a poetry feel too, and it just sounds like a guy just making what he wants to make for the fun of it, and not really caring about anything commercial or radio. I like the vibe of this album. It feels like something I could make if I was going to put together an album. Favorite track "No reply" 3.5/5

Notable tracks: (Well) Dusted, X-Tra Wide, Temptation of Egg, Satellite

Totally missed this band and album. On one listen I will certainly be listening more. Ticks a lot of boxes for what I like, particularly idiosyncratic vocals.