Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Well, I'm in trouble. I played this Saturday morning while cleaning the house. Thinking it was the worst of Dinosaur Jr., Wilco, and a few others mixed in. Getting ready to skip and my wife who never has interest in any music says "I like this!" So I had to listen to the full thing.
This is, unfortunately, something I really enjoy. Should it be on this list? Probably not? Do I kinda love it? Yeah. This is exactly the kind of music I’d expect someone from Wilkes-Barre to make after hanging out in the desert for too long.
perfect if I wanted to lay in the desert ripped on heroin
eu sou fã de álbuns melancólicos, mas eles precisam ao menos serem bons: o que não é o caso desse. em alguns momentos, fiquei com a impressão que Giant Sand deve ter algum parentesco com quem fez essa lista. 1,5/5.
8/10 Canción destacada: Shiver
Good lyrics. Otherwise, boring and depressing. 2.6
I could literally name 1,001 other albums that should be on this list before this one.
Going for something quiet and somber isn't bad, but overdoing it makes the end result really dull
Dusty alt-country and desert rock built on loose guitars, organ textures, understated rhythms, and weary, murmured vocals drifts with hazy, nocturnal restraint. Listening feels like wandering through a half-lit desert town where sounds echo without urgency and time seems to stretch indefinitely. The result is hard to bear elusive monotony.
Dreamy 4.25
Was this album picked at random ? Its just so boring and bland and.. bad. The laughable attemps at being experimental/weird and the annoying voice of whoever that singer is make this album a chore to listen to. Its not the worst thing in the world .There is some ok tracks on here. Rarely. Can this shit just end pleeeeaaaaase. No I am not listening to the 14 bonus track than you Apple Music.
I’m a sucker for the alt/folk/country sound, and I really enjoyed this. The music was really good. The vocals are probably the divisive part here, but it was fine for me. Would listen again.
I wish this could just suck properly instead of occasionally threatening to get interesting.
I was pleasantly surprised by this. Not what I expected and just enough different styles that it wasn’t too navel-gazy.
Not my jam
A complete 180 from my last album (SOAD's debut) and quite lovely. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for Alt-Country, as this is that, but just a bit weirder. There is dissonance mixed with occasional electronic burbling, fiddles, slow paced melancholy and a hearty sense of peeking behind the curtain. Best Tracks: Punishing Sun; Temptation of Egg; Shiver
1 - just so boring plus his voice was not pleasant to listen too
forgot to rate this and lowkey forgot what this sounds like
An OK sound. I don't know the band and not really my genre.
Really enjoyed this
2.5
Back when this record came out I was persuaded to buy it by the bloke behind the counter at a record shop, and it was a wonderful introduction to the mysterious world of Howe Gelb. Might still be my favourite Giant Sand record. Amazingly sparse and hushed with a wonderfully ambiguous quality to every tune.
Never heard of 'em. Really like 'em. Kinda like Mark Lanegan and Jonathan Donehue had a weird Americana-ish love album. With some of that Rev weirdness.
I enjoyed this one. Which was a surprise after I read the reviews. It’s a very chilled out album. And it does border on dull. But kept me interested all the way through.
Sounds like a support act at every gig I’ve been to. Pairing notes: best enjoyed standing up whilst drinking beer out of a plastic cup. Be sure to politely but unenthusiastically clap after each song and wait for some better music to come on.
Seemed good in parts but slightly too off beat for me 3*
Way too long, there were some good songs, but it was really difficult to get through the whole thing.
Did not like it at first and it grew a bit on the second listen but still.... Happy to forget this even if there's some interesting bits in it.
Thought i'd enjoy it more than I did after the first track. Another good track or two scattered throughout, but not one to revisit as a whole album.
The lyrics are interesting enough to listen to this once, but like an audio-book, I can't imagine listening to it twice. 3 stars or C-.
A bit of a chore indeed, but not that much enchantment
Un álbum demasiaaaado largo, al pedo. Se me hizo denso. Realmente cansador. 3/10
I can't decide if I like this or not, definitely an album that takes some time to settle in. For now, some tracks were really promising, but I feel like the majority of the album never gets out of first gear. It was a decent listen overall, though.
Альт кантри… Я как будто послушал ничего Возможно надо вслушиваться и понимать текст
Better than Coldplay
Eddie veder wannabe soms. Heel raar dat dit in de top 1000 staat
Solid 2000s indie rock
Forgot about this album... Mostly pleasant
Long album 2 hours
No
Eurb
Prog/Alt/Experimental Leonard Cohen
1: Wolfy 2: X-tra Wide 3: Satellite
A serious Bob Dylan vibe here. I will pass.
This is decidedly not for me dog. The vocals are an acquired taste to be sure, and worked for me on a couple of occasions but overall a slog.
This album didn't impress me early, but by golly it kinda grew on me. I stopped at the end of the normal album, before the 5000 bonus tracks. I just didn't have that much free time. But the regular portion of the album is actually kinda cool 3.6/5
As a whole, this is pretty good. But with music like this, with such interesting compositions and arrangements, if you don't identify with much of the lyrics, it can leave the whole thing feeling that. That's the case here. A few songs that went on my liked list but moody just blended together. 3/5
It's odd but also pretty dull at times. It's Tom Waits-y. How you feel about that will determine how you feel about this.
Did not relate to the advertised eccentric lyrics. i did hear the sparse quality that tucson dessert mimics. Won’t remember tmrw, sorry.
Meh. Some of the tracks were terrible, the rest were the type that I wouldn't drop everything to turn off if it came on the radio, but honestly nothing here I ever care if I hear again, and a few that were awful.
Tried 4 or 5 times with this one but it just didn’t want to stick somehow! Not horrible but I just couldn’t get a handle on it.
This low-effort whisper singing makes this borderline unlistenable. The only props I can give it is that everyone else does their job.
Way too long. Not very good. Some decent moments though
Oddly weird
I've never heard of Giant Sand before, but apparently the prime songwriter is quite prolific. However, I always wonder about records like this, especially with bare bones Wikipedia pages, how influential or groundbreaking could they be? Is this another early 2000s alt-rock with a country influence, with touches of studio experimentation that always gets lauded by critics? Yes. Is it essential? I don't know, but it is a style and sound that I'm particular to liking, and there were a bunch of moments that stuck with me and make me want to revisit.
Interesting album that I feel would be rewarded with repeat listening. Very strong Lou Reed vibes. 3 star. Fave track. - punishing sun
I didn't mind this too much, but wouldn't revisit it again.
It took a few goes around to get into the album, but pnce i got there i was happy i perservered Will it be appearing frequent on my playlist? Probably not. But i wouldn't turn it off if it did
Chore being the operative word. Sprawling, eclectic but ultimately tedious.
dull uninspiring droney mush
Bonny Prince Billy or Bill Callahan did this better. Check out Charlie Par. IDK, there are options. 30 tracks for 2 hours?! Damn it. This is ok, but definitely not a full album I want to listen to. Give me a couple of their top tracks and call it good. 2.5 rounding up (so generously) based on about 8 or 9 tracks.
I wasn't so enchanted by this chore
I'm 26 days away from the end of this list and they hit me with the bottom layer of the vacuum sack. Seriously??
A chore, indeed.
kinda fuck with this, but its got male manipulator energy
I didn't need this on my list. Reminiscent of less interesting versions of music I don't really like.
a 2 hour long yawn
I found this moody in a nice way for once instead of a whiny dragfest. It made me think of The Wallflowers which is maybe just saying it's a 90s sort of indie rock alternative whatever band? 3.5
Didn't do much for me.
That was just fine
🎧Kind of sounds like a less adventurous Lambchop. Souled American might be a better comp. Didn’t love it but appreciate the bold, obscure pick by Dimery!
"(Well) Dusted" sounded like a ripoff of "Six Blade Knife" by Dire Straits. That's as good as this album got. This wasn't a bad listen to at all. But it was so monotone that I had to go back and listen to some tracks because nothing stuck out as memorable. For some reason this band sounded like either a Lou Reed, or a Leonard Cohen cover band.
Doesn’t really stand out to me. Unintrusive
Damn that was an absolute SNOOZE FEST
This was fine I guess. I see comparisons to Lou Reed but to me this sounds like a slowed down, crappier Pavement. The songs aren't objectionable or anything but it's just kind of a drag. Shiver is a standout though - decent song.
Unknown to me beforehand, good find
Enjoyed this, but found it a little one-paced, which made it kind of a chore to listen to all the way through.
Millennial mellow, slightly mysterious low fi Americana featuring a lead singer heavily inspired by Lou Reed. They create a few moods but if this is something I need to hear before I die, I sincerely hope there will be some considerably different sounding ones leading to the inevitable……uncut magazine would no doubt have given this 5 stars!
Not bad, but too long and rather just listen to Smog
Didn’t like this. Very bizarre and too long
Mostly not exciting, although plenty listenable. I did enjoy "Way to End the Day", though, with the female backing vocals. And the overall mood of the track is great.
This list does throw up some "individual " choices. I'm quite familiar with the Americana/alt. country movement that Giant Sand is are a part of, and wouldn't have thought this was anything like a good representation, where's Uncle T. Guessing its Maybe the added tones of list favourites Lou Reed and Len Cohen type sounds that got it onto the list, as it's a fairly pleasant but nondescript record to these ears, , a pleasant enough sounding record but no tracks jump out nothing is memorable. It's just that damning middling, not bad or great to be of interest, Americana for those who dare not say country. 3 Star.
This is a good album, nothing more, nothing less. I wouldn’t say that you have to listen to it before you die, but there are certainly worse albums on the list.
This was fine.
Troisième jour où je ne suis pas emballé par ce que j'écoute...
Omg wie geil. 4-5. sexy 90s aura
Kinda weird but still cool
The fuck was this
It's hard to be distinctive at this point in music history. I enjoyed this album well enough but it did seem quite derivative. Should give it another go in case I start to hear some actual innovation there.
I’d never heard of Giant Sand before, but I thought this was pretty good. I’m not a fan of the raspy, delicate vocals here, but I was able to get past that and enjoy the musical elements here. The album was a sort of mashup of sounds from genres like country, grunge, alt-rock, and folk, but it all came together into a cohesive, creatively ambitious, and admirable piece of work. Probably not something I will listen to all that often, though.
I'm not a huge fan of country music, but at least this album had some interesting elements that made some tracks enjoyable.
I would have really liked this one if not for the “Lou Reedesque” vocals. As it is, I will give it three stars. Although the vocal style is not inappropriate for these songs, there is just too much of the tonelessness. Once again, another album spoiled for me by the vocals.
Chill and eclectic, which I dug while listening to but nothing stuck with me
Take Lou Reed and suck out any remaining energy and you get this guy. It was the most low-key chill performance I've heard and I'm not sure that I mean that as a compliment.
This was fine! Not anything I'd seek out more of, but fine for getting going on a Monday morning
Nice background music.
The real chore is listening to this. It's like listening to the same song over and over for nearly an hour. Obviously an exaggeration but it just meandered along and did...nothing. Also the random opera/record/tape bits are just incredibly weird, man.
Somewhere between Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Lou Reed fits Giant Sand...except not as interesting as any of them. This was fine, but not much stood out of the slow paced droning that fills a majority of this album. Probably won't revisit this.
ganz interessant eigentlich
made me realize that I am subjugating myself to listening to a man’s opinion for 1 hour and 57 minutes. enjoyed it nonetheless.
I found this one really boring
Respectfully, I really can’t get over the “man finally finding himself (he’s a genius btw)” of it all.
boring
Yesterday I reviewed Lou Reed, and Giant Sand strike a very similar note, at least musically. However, Lou Reed was around 30 years earlier and was therefore something of a pioneer of his style. Giant Sand, on the other hand, take a different approach to individual songs, which makes “Chore of Enchantment” reasonably varied. Nevertheless, there are only a few moments that give an impression of inspiration, independent creativity, or even innovation. Overall, it's an unremarkable album.
Loved the music vocals not so much
A very subtle, low key set of music representing a diversity of musical styles and influences
2/10
disjointed, hippy, moody, not really my style. Definitely not produced for the masses. This might hit if u r in a trippy mood.
I like the album artwork and that’s all I can say that’s nice about this album. It’s extremely long, very one note, and not particularly interesting.
Enjoyable listen. I really liked the beginning songs the best with the later slower songs not as enjoyable.
Sings like Lou Reed but the music's boring
This was interesting. Really enjoyed parts of it. Overall a bit too slow and melancholy to repeat listen though.
Nothing inspirational or made me sit up on my seat. Very samey start to finish, one long song.
*Adam Sandler voice: "Chore of Enhancement? More like BORE of Enhancement!"
Interesting With some highlights
at first, was alarmed at the number of tracks... but give a run through and it has some ephemeral magic to it. a musicians album.
Leonard Cohen sounding-ah alternative rock.
Bro thinks he’s Lou Reed or something
this album is a chore to listen to, might be the worst one yet
Aggressively dogshit
Grew on me
Yksipuolinen näin pitkäksi, ei kovinkaan hyvin aikalaisarvosteltu, eikä juuri kuule puhuttavan. varmaan listalla lähinnä koska amerikasta. 2/5
Moody alt rock with mellow drawl and interesting instrumentation. Should remember to look up their other stuff
Flott
Very excited after the first two songs but then became a bit of a 'chore'
naja
Eh. A bit of Leonard cohen thanks for the dance but not for me
The album consists of songs most of which are standard boring singer songwriter stuff and some are more on the alt side with distorted guitars and noise. I liked the "alt" ones but the "normal" ones bored me to death
I listened, but I don’t really understand why this ended up on this list.
Feel like I'm so close to enjoying a lot of these songs, it's like I have an itch to scratch and these songs are almost doing the job but not quite, very unsatisfying.
Teases you with a great first half but loses momentum and ends with a whimper
This was really boring. I was constantly waiting for this to end. There vocals were bad and the instrumentals were boring. It also was kinda just weird. Actual rating...1.5. Liked Songs: "(Well) Dusted" , "Punishing Sun" , "X-Tra Wide" , "Shiver" , "No Reply" , "Satellite" , "Rock Opera" , "Shiver (In Tucson)" , "Dilemma"
A lot of Lou Reed, a little of the National and a remarkably odd choice for 1001 albums I must listen to before I die. A few good tracks, but largely forgettable.
When to listen: On drugs and want to see sounds. As an opera nerd I liked the integration but it wasn't enough to get me into the album.
This is a pale imitation of American slowcore and it pains me. Bill Callahan could have had a record on this list instead, but all that said this particular record isn't terrible
I liked this for what it was which was kind of forgettable and kind of ambient. I played it at the gym and it passed them time. I should have saved some songs to relisten to because there were a few moments that made me happy to be listening.
This was ok, nothing really spectacular. The singer has the habit of falling in to the Bob Dylan style of TALKing liKE THIs instead of singing, which I really hate, but he can at least sing in some of the songs so it's not all bad. The whole thing was a nice sort of downtempo album for relaxing and thinking. The songwriting is pleasant and the instrumentation choices are largely good. It felt like more of a collection of related works more so than anything with a bag of obvious singles. In this case, that works, it's mostly a nice cohesive little (well, not so little) album. Some of the songs just go in to these floppy finishes for no reason, Wolfy was the worst offender for example. Lot of words for an average work.
Did not enjoy any of this
Many of the songs felt the same to me, but I liked them.
A couple moments that caught my attention, but otherwise kinda boring. Am I broken?
Kinda of different striped down sound. Reminds me of something I can't put my finger on. Would be interesting break and refresher in a compilation. Entire album was a little boring and made me sleepy.
Aging gen-x white dude music.
Never heard about this band or album before. It gives a “different” vibe, quite calm and easy but with many creative twists and turns. I quite like it as an easy listening/background experience. But I doubt I will go back to listen to it later.
Day 158 Hadn’t even heard of this band before, you can definitely tell they own more than one Velvet Underground album between them. Highlights Shiver No reply Satellite
I really liked this! Maybe I needed this vibe to fit my current melancholic mood, but I think this deserves more praise than it gets.
God, I thought the whole thing was two hours. I didn’t see the bonus tracks at first. I'm not making myself listen to those as well btw. I’m not really a fan of his voice or how he basically talks, sometimes sings, trying to be all seductive or whatever. I’m not sure what his end goal is here. Is sounding attractive actually the point? Because as a woman, I’m dry as sand hearing his voice. Also this is a chore for sure, so they got that right as well. WHAT THE FUCK IS A WOODPECKER DOING HERE? What was this album, man? The first song wasn’t that bad, but it just kept getting worse and worse. It’s kind of the same thing over and over again, honestly. Why did I have to listen to this? Such a shame, because the instrumental sometimes feels like it’s getting somewhere, but then this guy comes in and ruins everything.
Perhaps one of the more obscure selections on this list, Giant Sand/Howe Gelb is not a band/guy that I hear too much about. That scene of music in Arizona in general doesn't get enough attention compared to other music scenes of America. Twin Cities Minnesota is a smaller are in population but have much more documented history than the variety of weird music that comes from the desert. Shout out to a band probably not on this list: Yawning Man. Kind of easy to just summarize the band as an Arizona/Southwestern version of Silver Jews or a softer Pavement or "Wilco-esque" but I strive to avoid cliches as much as I can. Chore of Enchantment has an interesting variety of sound on the album, perhaps not to the level that Calexico's Feast of Wire surprised me by. Something like "Satellite" is stylistically different from the rest of the album's more indie/alt-country dominant sound. X-tra Wide, Temptation of Egg and Astonished (In Memphis) were other highlights for me in ways that I felt too lazy to transition that last sentence to this one. That indie/slacker sounding stuff isn't much for me, though I dig the alt-country/southwestern sound influence. I'd prefer something like Silver Jews or Calexico, but this album definitely would scratch those that like that sort of music (I guess Calexico is less lyrics-focused than previous bands mentioned in comparison). Not quite sure how this album landed on the list, by streams alone it appears to be one of the least-heard albums on the list. But I think its uniqueness within the genre is worth noting, it's a bit more than it looks and seemingly not (if you know that Wilco/Silver Jews sound) at the same time. Overall as an album: not bad. Not necessarily a legendary or otherwise phenomenal album, but kind of an album that experience is like side-eying something modestly interesting from a long road trip, and that being one of the core memories of the trip that your brain, for one reason or another, just can't shake off. Not in a negative sense, but because brains are fucking weird and hard to control many times, sometimes, for people.
So very boring.
I really did not enjoy a single part of this experience
Ummmmmm...... no
Often boring, at times interesting, rarely (though not never) enchanting.
Ok, suponho que algum membro da banda seja amigo ou parente do autor da lista. Isso explicaria. É um disco verdadeiramente obscuro, pouco conhecido. Não foi uma escuta ruim. Achei um pouco pretensioso, talvez, mas não acredito que ser pretensioso é algo inerentemente negativo. O disco possui uma sonoridade variada, com elementos combinados de folk e um certo indie sleaze. Há algumas faixas mais lentas, como baladas e até umas valsas, também possui algumas canções mais animadas, que me agradaram mais. Essa mescla de Folk Indie Sleaze não me pegou totalmente, mas certamente manteve minha atenção. Um corte ou outro do álbum foi dolorosamente entediante, mas sua duração total não é tão longa, e é algo bem diferente. Mediano, mas inofensivo. Iria dar 3 estrelas, mas o disco é desnecessariamente longo, acabou se tornando uma verdadeira “Chore”, igual o nome do grupo. 2.5/5
1 no thanks
Loved this album! Have always heard of this band but just never bumped into them. Very conversational singing style, very down. You can hear nods to Neil Young, Lou Reed, and touched from contemporaries like J. Mascis.
This is late 90s pop folk - post emo-core, post glib.
This was a funky little album, can feel the desert listening to it.
Pleasant, although completely inessential, Lou Reed style strumalongs periodically punctuated by tracks with frankly annoying production (presumably a forced way of giving the album some variety)
Country fried alternative
Aight
This was a very interesting album. Not always my type of music but had some good songs. I think it would have made a really good single CD.
Didn't click with me. Reminded me a little of Mark Every, but i just couldnt find the hooks that grabbed me.
some cool stuff but nothing exceptional imo
Very melancholy kind of same-y from song to song
Chore by name........
Mix of weird
OK.
boring bland and someone who thinks they are being avant-garde but actually just cringey?
Well, this was terrible.
Not a whole album of this please.
Enjoyed this listen, it felt pretty fresh and unique, if not a little understated.
A weird record, but one that I ended up quite enjoying. Very eerie, kind of like a super minimalist Nick Cave. Goes on a bit
7.5/10 Best songs: (Well) Dusted, Wolfy, Satellite Although I've never heard of this band before (unusual since I'm fairly well-versed in music from this genre and time), apparently they later turned into Calexico, who I AM familiar with. The album has a very toned-down, nearly but not quite acoustic vibe, with heavy country/folk influence. Music and lyrics alike are quite understated. I understand how people could find this album dull - it lacks very many peaks and valleys and overstays its welcome, but I quite like it.
I'm a fan of a lot of Calexico's work, and listened to the somewhat obscure one-off Calexico/Giant Sand/Lisa Germano collaboration OP8 for a bit, so this is right down my aisle and I enjoy this album's vibe. I'm honestly not that sure this belongs on this list, but I'll allow it, given I enjoy it which is more than what I can say about a lot of the other albums that shouldn't necessarily be in this list.
great sound
J’ai trouvé l’album monotone et la voix du chanteur qui voulait trop sonner comme Lou Reed / Leonard Cohen :/ pas de personnalité
Not for me. 1/5
On first listen I kinda dug a few songs, but god on relisten it was such a chore to get through. The recording quality is poor, and it sounds like you went to your friend' roommate's singer/songwriter performance at a local café and his mom recorded it on her phone. Not something I'd return to for another hour, despite the pleasant moments. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Yeah, nothing particularly special or remarkable about this for me. I’d never heard of Giant Sand prior to this coming up. Nice production, and everything is played well but that’s about it. All a bit dull and maudlin.
Ok
Ikke veldig givende. For lavmelt.
Chill men kjedeleg.
This was disappointing because it was almost good. It had moments. But then... it wasn't.
This album is fine in the most literal sense of the word. I didn’t dislike anything, but nothing really grabbed me either.
Definitely a long listen, 2hrs is absolutely nuts. But thats cos of the remixes, i think its really long winded and cld rly do with the fat. Liked the way it shifts genre with each song though a lil lyrically full of itself
When the Wikipedia page is only 4 sentences, you know you're in for something weird. And I guess it kinda was. But it wasn't very interesting or good either. It's too long, has zero memorable songs, and just isn't important enough to be on this list. I have no idea why this album is anywhere near the 1001 albums, let alone on it.
Very dark and grimy. EXTREMELY long album. I’m kinda scared of these songs… Fav song is ‘(Well) Dusted’.
2 out of 5. Nothing for me here really but more power to those that like it.
Such a forgettable album.
On first hearing it, I thought what an odd album to make the 1001, but I’ve listened Again this morning, and it reminds me a bit “Moby” mixed with country vibes, quiet got into it actually 👍
от полушепота у меня даже не встал(
Just fine.
Utter shite
Inconsequential utter dugshite. Terrible Tom Waits-like singtalking but without even having interesting storytelling. An instrumental version would be fine.
Alt rock continues onward in the TRL era
Me ha sorprendido muy positivamente, tiene algunas canciones super molonas. No entiendo por qué tiene tan mala puntuación!!!
Alright people, let's not pretend this is anything other than shit. Sounds like the stuff my uncle made from his bedroom 20 years ago.
Is this worse than the Beatles? This was a horrible experience made especially worse by the spoken word vocals, wish I could give this 0 stars. Can't do it sorry, just not for me.
hat mich nicht umgehauen. Klingt wie Eines von 100.000 und nicht 1001
Ich fands teilweise ganz angenehm, schönes easy listening.
I don't know how I feel about the vocals. It fits the vibe though. Temptation of Egg was a good kind of weird. The singing style in Raw reminds me of vampire by Olivia Rodrigo. Didn't listen to the remix or bonus tracks.
Budget Lou Reed and friends. That temptation of egg song was a bit too r*pey.
The voice reminds me a little of Lou Reed, but I never found Lou Reed this boring. I have no idea how this album got a positive review. There's nothing new, nothing innovative, nothing fun – the album is simply lame.
Not good. First album I intentionally didn’t finish.
It was okay.
Howe Gelb does an alright Lou Reed impersonation, but who needs that when you can just listen to Lou Reed? It’s very chill and has a laid-back sound (like a lot of Lou Reed stuff), and isn’t unenjoyable for what it is… it just feels like a knock off. The lyrical content is interesting enough as well, but not enough to save this from the “Meh.”pile.
I have a soft spot for Calexico, whose two members formed the core of Howe Gelb's backing back in Giant Sand, at least during this record's era, though I never fell in love with Giant Sand's massive discography or had the attention span to investigate even a fraction of it. I did, however, see Gelb play solo once in 2003 at the Knitting Factory in NYC (along with Kristen Hersh and Andrew Bird), and I remember being pretty impressed with his storytelling ability and charisma. He came across as a Dylan or Waits-esque troubadour in a way I just hadn't gotten, and still don't get, from the records. These songs have all the poetry and all of the sultry, smoky affect but none of the hooks. Regardless, Gelb did pick the right guys to back him: Calexico's John Convertino and Joey Burns are masters of southwestern atmosphere. They sound so perfect that you almost don't hear them, perfectly placing their frontman at the fore without distraction while still immersing him in sound. I want to like this more than I do; the songwriting just doesn't move me. But I love the sounds and I love the album cover! And I love anytime Juliana Hatfield is on backing vocals. Favorite song: Temptation of Egg
Not for me. Very dull. Some interesting bits
клевая обложка + классно звучат барабаны, но столько песен в альбоме это минус балл как обычно.
This was an interesting ride. Very hummable, and kinda groovy, but a little bit like listening to the random musical dribbling of someone with a lot of inspiration and motivation but not much actual experience of know-how. I liked it well enough, but I probably wouldn't listen to it again. Three stars.
Decent, if not disposable. 3.5/5
Not as bad as previous ratings suggested, not an album I needed to hear though
Put me to sleep. 2/5
Never heard of these folks. Weird, atmospheric, laid back. I liked it. Tonally it reminds me of the soundtrack to "Until the End of the World" which I was just listening to earlier today, strangely enough.
An ok album in its own right with some nice guitar and singing. The songs feel meaningful and heavy. They definitely get the vibe they want across with these songs. That vibe isn't something I want to listen to often though. Maybe I will find this again one day when I'm more in the mood. Or maybe I will forget about Giant Sand today, never to return. I don't feel sad about any of those outcomes.
yikes...
Come on now, really? What’s this supposed to be? Kind of a mid bluesy rock album by a wanna be Tom Waits. It’s not bad or anything but also not a must or a should listen at all. Two stars.
2000s rock. Slow, minimal guitar rock.
Vocals are weird as fuck I think the backing tracks are really cool, and some of the transitions between and within songs are fun. His voice is really bad and I'm struggling to get past that, but its really interesting. Also, apparently he's like super in love with Tucson, which is cool. I think I disliked this album at first but by the end it's really grown on me. I think this is pretty good. Have I said his voice is bad though?
Why was this on here?
Fine.
An unexpected treat. There's parts of it which remind me of Morphine, but it's very much its own thing. Surprisingly tender at times but avoids edging towards saccharine. Will have to delve more into their other albums.
This is definitely art, I’m not sure I like it though. That last song is beautiful though.
why is this so long?
Yes, this was definitely a chore.
These bullshit wannabe Lou Reed vocals are completely awful. Musically, this has a brief few moments of interest but for the most part stays safe and in doing so just becomes forgettable. Another "Why is this on a must-hear list?"
Got boring fast. 4/10 Favourite track: (Well) Dusted
This was actually a pretty good listen, a pleasant surprise. I've got to stop peaking at the reviews before I listen to an album myself! Though it's a good album, I have a hard time believing this is one of the 1001 albums I absolutely MUST hear.
Sounds like a less enthusiastic EELS. Not terrible but not really for me. The singer sounds like someone else but I can’t quite place it. But it’s a 90s song. It’s not Shaun Colvin because that who sang Sonny came home. Overall and by the end I was into this.
Giant Sand can go pound sand. Dreadful.
I like the sound but too religious.
Nice sounding with uniqness
DNF
4/5
Good, but way too long
Chore is right.
A chore to listen to indeed. Another completely unnecessary and forgettable inclusion on this list. Elementary lyrics mixed with overall boring and unoriginal music makes for a nice arrangement of drivel. Only rounding up due to some interesting production sounds.
Unnecessary
🥱
Listened to this on Friday and had to pull it up again on Monday to remind myself what the heck it was... totally forgettable I guess. Could be better than I (don't) remember, but I am rounding down. 2.5/5
3.60 nice, folky vibe.
It's fine. Whatever
bits of goodness
Als je net Justin Timberlake hebt moeten luisteren, is het op zich een verademing dat een plaat niet aan elkaar hangt van gelikte loopjes die de doelgroep willen behagen. Dus prima als je Giant Sand bent en je lekker maakt wat je zelf wilt, maar... dan moet je wel wat interessants te melden hebben. Geen slechte muziek hoor, maar er zit ook niks bij waar je warm of koud van wordt. Lauwe indieklanken met vervormde gitaren en dito zang, het ontstijgt nauwelijks het niveau van het gruizige poppodium op de hoek.
Giant brengt absoluut een eigen geluid en sfeer en verdient wat mij betreft zeker een plekje op de lijst. Maar wat luistert dit lastig zeg. Instrumenten en stem lijken soms eerder bestreken te worden dan aangeslagen. De volgende keer worden ze weggedraaid. Of overstemt door een raar geluid. Terwijl er volop tijd is waarin Giant de elementen tot hun recht laat komen. Uiteindelijk zijn de uitschieters, met name als de zang à la Dylan verdraaid, voor mij bepalend.
Mijn Brabantse luistermaat omschreef dit als "mompelrock met fluisterinvloeden" en dat omvat wel een groot gedeelte. Af en toe pakken ze nog uit met een bak gekke geluidjes, wat van mij niet had gehoeven. Ik merk dat ik er niet heel veel over te melden heb, omdat ik het lastig te plaatsen vind. Ik kan even geen goede vergelijkingen met andere bands of artiesten bedenken. Dus laat ik het maar bij of ik het leuk vind om te luisteren. En dat antwoord is: ja, toch wel. Het is wel chill verder, de gekke dingen storen me niet al te veel. 3,5 ster.
I liked this. It was melancholic and esoteric. It has a Lou Reed kind of vibe to it. It is albums like this that keep me coming back to this list. I doubt I would have heard this any other way. Is it patchy? Sure, but I still enjoyed it.
Really struggled to figure out how I feel on this one. There's some really cool bits of music scattered across an album that (even ignoring all the bonus tracks) feels like it drags on a bit long. It's probably not helped by an inability to properly end a song. It either ends abruptly, resulting in a jarring shift to the next track, or there's a little coda which feels at odds with the rest of the track. But the big hurdle is Howe Gelb's vocals. At times he sounds great. A slightly gruff edge to his voice that lends the songs a certain bar room melancholy, but all too often the songs are delivered in this hushed whisper that feels so limp it drains the songs of any impact.
Somewhere between Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston, although it lacks a sincere vulnerability that are apparent in this band's sonic peers. This is really in my wheelhouse, so I enjoyed this throughout, but it has a lot of off-putting characteristics. Howe Gelb's mumble-whisper style of singing lacks melodic variety, and it's so forward in the mix. The lyrics are often weird and illustrative, but they don't often feel revealing or poetic. A lot of the compositions feel haphazardly performed by the band, but then there will be well-done intricate production during other parts of songs. A lot of this doesn't feel like regular rotation for me. It's too singular to throw on a mix tape. And yet the album's mood in it's entirety is interesting and evocative. It feels like a musical grower, not a shower. Favorite songs: Punishing Sun, Temptation of Egg, Shiver, Bottom Line Man, Way to End the Day
This record has a very specific, smoky mood. It has this dark, loungey vibe that really works. The back half of the record is definitely stronger than the front. I didn't hate it. It just feels like it has potential it hasn't quite met yet. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - (Well) Dusted - Punishing Sun - Shiver
Nick Cave makes a Damon Albarn record
I am not sure what to make of this band. It started strong for me, and it had enough quirkiness and subdued vibe to actually bring some enthusiasm to hear more. Sadly, the album doesn't sustain for me. It isn't bad, but for whatever reason, I didn't stay as engaged throughout the 2nd half of the album.
Sounded like some jangly shoe-gaze. Not for me!
this one felt like a chore and a major snore.
Very interesting
The album title and cover makes it seem this is gonna be boring as fuck. And it honestly is, but in a good way? Like it's so chill, like what my mind sounds like when I'm just sitting around thinking about nothing and everything. Really cool. Drums sound nice and dry
How is it worse than my college wannabe-boyfriend's music and also the longest album I've seen to date?
more like chore to listen to. KIDDING. Its okay, it teeters toward up its own ass with the spooky vocals and overly wordy lyrics. I blame Bob Dylan. There are a couple nice quiet songs, Punishing Sun being one of them. I suppose thats my main takeaway, it seems really subdued in a lot of places and it just doesnt work for me.
Like a less pretentious Nick Cave album. Still not very good but at least it didn’t annoy me. Also I kept waiting for “Somewhere Down The Crazy River” by Robbie Robertson to start playing. Giant Sand owes this entire album to that one song
Kind of sounds like a lame version of Karate. There were some moments of brilliance and I did enjoy parts of songs, but the overall experience is just kind of boring. Satellite is a good song and it conincidentally happens to be the only one with a bit of noise behind it. I was in the mood for this type of music but I don’t think I’ll revisit this any time soon.
It's fine, but nothing special. 5, maybe 6 out of 10, but since it doesn't belong in this project, I'm rounding down. 2 stars. (As I expected, this is a British band that hardly anyone has heard of -- this project has a huge British bias. To be fair, Britain has made the greatest music of the last 65 years, but even so....)
Not a vibe
This coming out a few years after the Silver Jews’ American Water says it all. We’ve already got a monotone poet in the late 90s indie rock scene!
A not completely unpleasant album but a totally unremarkable one. It's one of those albums I forget minutes after I finished listening. I haven't even heard about the band before even if I listened to a lot of music at the turn of the century? I wonder why is it on the list when many great albums are missing?
I don’t see the point of this and doubtful anyone else does
Absolutely not something I needed to hear before I die. The instrumentation is fine enough, cool in places but nothing I haven't heard before. But the speak/singing, mumbling going on by the singer was just creepy and annoying.. I'm not necessarily against that style, but I just wasn't having it at all here. Admittedly I was about 1/3 through the album when I got distracted by something at work. Then just didn't bother to finish it. About 450 albums through the list now and this is only the second one I just couldn't get all the way through.
Chore is right
Another entry in the 1001 albums I didn’t need to hear before I die.
The first song made me think I was going to really hate this album, but it grew on me as it went, and I ended up really enjoying it. Definitely a fair few songs that could have been cut, but some really interesting and beautiful ones in there too.
I really liked the vibe of the first few songs when I listened - a bit Beck meets Bill Callaghan. Ended up quite liking it, but even after a couple of listens nothing really grabbed me.
I was so ready for this to be over.
Not a huge fan.
Really hard to get over Howe Gelb's vocal affectations, the HARD 'R" sounds, the whispering, the little growls at the end of phrases, whatever the hell that accent is supposed to be.... SING SOME NOTES! That in addition to the incredibly pretentious nonsensical poetic meanderings, apropos of nothing, is just a waste of time. Feels like some rich kid got a hold of expensive recording equipment and fancies himself a latter-day Tom Waits. Of course, Tom Waits is still around and producing music, so there's really no need for another (possibly worse!) version of that shit now is there? DNF
Odd mix of country, Americana and indie didn't really grab me. Some of the vocals verge on spoken word at times. Never heard the band or album before but won't be seeking out any more
Best Song: Shiver. This felt like the most "musical" of these highly poetic tracks. Worst Song: Satellite. This track really highlighted why the rest of the album had minimal production. This style of delivery does not work with a more rock-style instrumentation. Overall: This album grew on me over its duration. The soft melancholy delivery and the thoughtful lyrics worked well. It isn't groundbreaking, but it is cozy. That said: I sure as shit don't need two continuous hours of it. No one can sustain that level of melancholy for so long.
Lou Reed called. He wants his voice back. Best songs: Nil
eh
They got one thing right, this album sure was a chore
Got better and better
I can appreciate what they were going for, but I don't think it was executed well
Ummm. Decent music here, I like the chill western/cowboy vibe but this dude cannot sing at all. Really takes the songs down a peg. Maybe it's something you'd get used to over time but for the first listen the singing is really not hitting well.
Meh
This sounded like Leonard Cohen fronting Wilco, and that combo just didn’t work for me.
This was a rough one. The playing of instruments was fine, but the “singing” was pretentious, at best, and the lyrics left a lot to be desired.
If Lou Reed was an insufferable hipster, he'd love Giant Sand. 2.5*
Bargain bin Leonard Cohen
I had never heard of this album before. There are some nice tracks on this album but it’s more of a once in a great while kind of listen for me. The instrumentation is amazing, but I get tired of the “speak singing” delivery, it’s just not my thing for a whole album. It blends folk, country, and indie into a kind of desert psychedelia, which I can enjoy in small doses but the specific style starts to wear on me and gets a bit old after a while. There’s a melancholic emotional journey throughout the whole album, but it also feels unobtrusive and generic. Overall, there are a few songs that stood out but when you throw around 30 tracks into one album, something’s bound to stick. It feels like they focused more on quantity than quality here. Favourite tracks are Shiver, Astonished (In Memphis)
This record was quite uniquely annoying. The overbearing, mawkish sadness in the lyrics tops the list. The basic-ass music (not in a good way), the pretentious out-of-place arrangement and production calls, and the slack-ass out-of-tune singing and performances designed to telegraph authenticity and sincerity. This record is proof that Lou Reed unfortunately left open the door to allow wet men to write shit poetry and boring songs and think other people need to hear it. The thin veneer of country authenticity and Lynchian cool has the unique effect of degrading country music, the work of David Lynch, as well as simple, well-crafted songwriting in general. It appears to be a mechanism designed to lure in hordes of other sad, damp boys to indulge in the sentimentality most people mature out of by the time they’re 23. This is music for people so inwardly cowardly, they need every artistic prop they can find to justify their ongoing pretentious resistance to facing themselves and moving on with life. The fact the version of the LP I listened to has almost as many bonus tracks as LP tracks is testament to how little Howe Gleb thinks of the craft of songwriting. No one should give their time to art that uses music as an excuse for whatever bullshit this guy thinks he’s getting away with. Fake sadness is the worst.
This is a pretty cool sounding album, it's decently written and is just some good alt rock
Astonishing. Imperfect but oh so rich.
No standouts
Better than I thought it would be given the other reviews. Started off kind of chill and desert-y. Turned to noise a bit towards the end. Not bad, but prob wouldn't listen again, and def don't understand why I had to hear this before I died.
Ikkje så nice
I have 1 Giant Sand record in my collection - Ballad of a Thin Line Man. I haven't played it for years. I should have played it more often. This is eclectic and excellent. It has awakened a desire for more Howe Gelb in my life.
Right out of the gate this was giving Eels meets Nick Cave and I am into that. But then it just got more boring, sad to say, as it went on. Eventually it was a bit of a slog to finish. This band seems kinda cool, but this album just did not make an impression at all.
Giant Sand exists in their own pocket universe, which is my favorite kind of band. Haphazard but weirdly precise about it and mood all the way through the eerie desert night. Glad to see this on here mostly because it takes the pressure off of me handing out flowers at the airport, trying to get people to listen to Giant Sand.
An endearing and intimate collection of seemingly tossed-off Americana, desert rock, campfire songs and just plain weird notebook folk sketches. Bandleader Howe Gelb, who comes off as a charismatic sun-fried eccentric, gives these songs plenty of room to breathe and settle. Standout tracks include “Bottom Line Man,” which sounds like a Tom Waits song, and the noisy “Satellite.”
I had never heard this band and was pleasantly surprised. Very similar vibe to Bill Callahan/Smog.
Typ ganska trevligt. Bakgrundsmusik typ.
Yaaaaaaaawn 2.4
I really didn't get this one. The vocals are bad. Some of the instrumentation is fine. A few tracks I didn't mind but an overwhelming number of tracks that were hard to get through.