Chore of Enchantment

Well it wasn't punk, but it also had a similar issue where all the songs had the same tempo. But I'm happy they tried to make every song different with a large amount of effects and instruments. The lead singer did his talking sing thing, and threw in a surprise by really belting it out at the end of one song and after that, all I wanted was more, but it never came.

• 2/5 • not offensive, but not engaging

*Listens to album.* ‘This sounds like the cutting edge of 1978. When was it done?’ Oh dear. After two stomping albums we get a reminder that no one seems to be taking this list seriously. The overwhelming mediocrity of this - how it didn’t win a Mercury award? Too mediocre and predictable? 2 because it’s a mediocre score. If it was a bit better, it might have got one star.

All chore and no enchantment. It's nice that Howe Gelb has a hobby, I guess.

This was a complete mystery to me. Going into AND after listening, that is. This is pretty one-note and beatnik-like. It gives off the guise of alt rock at times, but plods along with its spoken word-like poetry musings all throughout. Bit of a tough one to trudge through in all honesty.

Very Lou Reed. But without the grit, poetry, and gravitas of a Lou Reed album. Not overtly offensive, but just a wee bit unremarkable. ⭐️⭐️

I'll be honest, this album did feel like a chore so at least it's been named correctly

Ya estoy cansada, y escuchar esto se sintió como tener que arrastrar mi peso muerto por 20 cuadras. La voz me mató, y me hizo volver a pensar que si la lista incluyera más artistas internacionales este disco sería de los primeros en salir de aquí.

Bit melancholy for me

Never heard of this band before today. This felt very generic.

Who or what is a "Giant Sand"? Do you know? I don't know... So then, what is this album? Why does it have an overture? Is it a musical? A rock opera? Should more albums have an overture? Is the overture actually an overture, with themes from various songs throughout it? Answers: I still don't know what a Giant Sand is I don't know why it has an overture This album is neither a musical or a rock opera More overtures could be cool, I dunno I don't think it's like real overtures Glad we cleared all that up This album sounded like a lot of things. Sometimes it felt like if Tom Waits chilled the fuck out and wasn't creepy or weird or sounded like a complete demon at times. Then it also sounded a little country...? It was a little psychedelic at times. Metal, hard rock, experimental, lo-fi and softer piano music are all things I heard on this album. It would be easy it write this off as an experimental album, one without much direction or cohesiveness. You could say that the only real thread is the singer's voice, which is just ok and sometimes sounds a little out of tune. But I don't really want to do that because that feels too easy. Ultimately, though, I don't really know what else to say, other than that I liked what I liked from this album and really, largely was either ambivalent toward or just didn't like the rest. Two stars. And I feel weird giving it that because I have five standout tracks from this one. But those tracks are exceptions, and I really don't think the album comes together as a whole. Standout Tracks: Temptation of Egg, Wolfy, Shiver, Astonished (In Memphis), No Reply

Not awful but pretty boring. Knocking a star enough because it didn’t need to be that long.

Too long. Too slow. If you want to sink deep, this is the one to go.

i think the second half of this record, with all the bonus tracks and additional items, really detracted from the album as a whole. i think i would have rated it a bit higher with just the first like 10 tracks, but overall this album fell flat for me

Reminds me on Tom Waits and Nick Cave, with a little bit of Eels. Two of those make for a terrible mixture. Not surprised I hadn’t come across this band after this listen.

Truly shows you can write a song about anything and write music to any lyrics. Not sure this doom floats my boat.

giving it a star for being good background music while i worked. i cannot think of a single album that meets 'scaring the hoes' criteria for my girlfriend more than this.

This sounds like it could have been on a soundtrack for any of the Farrelly brothers movies back in the early 2000s, which isn't an insult. I just don't know how I feel about it yet. Is this Lou Reed speaking to me while someone is playing instruments in the basement with some Pete Yorn thrown in? I'm so confused.

All the songs on here can be in an indie coming of age movie. The album would be much better without the vocals. Favorite song: Temptation of Egg

Does not feel too worthy of being on the list. A handful of okay to decent songs but just pretty forgettable outside of those. 4/10

I don’t understand the inclusion of the list. It’s so incredibly boring and nondescript

This one confused me. It had moments but it just dragged on and on and on. It didn't know how to end. Cut a few tracks and this would have been passable. But nope, it just kept going and going. Yawn.

Wow. That was bizarre. Like the boring part of Leonard Cohen meets the off-beat humor of late 90s alternative music.

Now I know why I've never heard of them before. Musically quite o.k. and here and then some sparks but the Cohen-like vocals are missing badly the quality of the original. Overall too lame.

kinda slow / meandering - not a big fan of "guy talking" as the "singing"

This was tough to get through

Honestly it's albums like this placed on lists like this that really make me believe my music deserves to be heard by way more people. It got better but it started out very rough

NGL I can't remember this album's name or the band or any of the tunes on it, even though I know when I listened to it yesterday I was like "a little long, but not bad". So I don't even know.

I wanted to like this, but the singer is truly obnoxious. There are vocalists out there who could have made this work, and I liked the eclectic feel to the music, but this ain't working as-is.

thoughts: maybe i’m not listening as actively as i should, but these songs are kinda all running together and there haven’t been many moments that have grabbed me and made me pay attention. it’s pleasant sounding and all, but unspectacular songs: “wolfy”, “dirty from the rain”, “satellite” rating: 4.9/10

Frankly, Chore of Enchantment is tedious, dare I unoriginally say it's a chore. It shuffles along like a pale imitation of Lou Reed generated by an AI model, all muttered half-songs and desert ennui without the bite, wit, or danger that made Reed compelling. There’s one bright spot “Shiver” which briefly hints at the emotional resonance the album could have had. But one decent track can’t save an experience that mostly feels like listening to someone strum their way through a sandstorm of self-indulgence. By the time it’s over, you don’t feel enchanted you feel like you’ve just endured a very long sigh set to music.

Giant Sand is going for a bland, stripped-back sound – represented visually by the cover artwork – and they definitely succeed. Not only do most tracks only consist of 2-3 instruments, the vocals (which are one of the few instruments present) are often in a low, almost atonal register and lack any easy-to-remember melody. I haven't heard much music like this, where it's unapproachable not due to excessive experimentation but (rather) to a complete lack of commitment to make anything interesting. But there you go, I guess. Songs like Raw, X-Tra Wide, and Dirty from the Rain are good examples of this husky atonality that isn't necessarily bad, but is so goshdarn frustrating to hear from a 21st-century album. And an album in a list of the 1001 most important records of all time. The heck? A scant few factors save this from being dreadful. There are a few decent acoustic tracks, often featuring a glimmery piano or guitar line that completely props up the main vocal. Temptation of Egg and Bottom Line Man are two of the best examples of this. Many of the dullest tracks, like 1972, Overture, and Shrine, are thankfully very short. This is in sharp contrast to a lot of hip-hop, where the best musical ideas tend to be found in these interludes. I also enjoy the backing vocals on Chore of Enchantment despite their rarity. NME's description of the record as having "raw but tender empathy in songs full of unexpected departures" is maybe a little soppy and generous, but I wouldn't fully disagree! The arrangements and vocals need some serious work, though. 2/5 Key tracks: (Well) Dusted, Temptation of Egg, Shiver, Bottom Line Man

All chore, no enchantment, hehe... Damn, somebody else thought of it first. Point stands though: this is pretty drab stuff.

I enjoy a singer songwriter or even a folk album but boy this one is brutal.

We're on a rough streak here. This isn't the worst but the vocals are really hard to get past. The guy's voice is just so awful. 3/10 (1.5/5)

Great Value Lou Reed. Chore is right - this album is dreadfully boring. Couldn't wait for it to be over.

Inoffensive but extremely dull; it was indeed a chore to get through this. Two stars.

like itt

Woof man. Like if Shawn Mullins made lullabye into a whole album but bad.

Okay I guess. Not a fan of the singer at all.

Appropriately named chore, as this was an absolute shit listen. Boring, droning, monotonous, no direction, running out of descriptors for boring. It goes without saying I did not listen to the remixes or bonus tracks. 30 songs and almost 2 hours of run time is offensive.

I wanted to like this so bad, but I just couldn’t find a hook to make it stand out to me. Sorry, but I’m not listening to 2 hours of what sounds like the same song.

♫ Listening to "(Well) Dusted" by Giant Sand (Chore of Enchantment, 1999) ♫

This was a very mixed bag. Some songs I kind of liked, but then there would be a song of discordant noise that brought everything back down. I don’t fully understand the inclusion of this one on this list.

Not fan. Too emo and experimental.

Strange album. It has a southern feel, with occasional twang. It often drones and mumbles. At times it's harder rock. I listened to the full Spotify album which is 2 hours, and that's my biggest gripe - it took so long to get through it. The members are related to Calexico, but that album was more enjoyable.

Mostly found this exasperating. His voice is aiming for some kind Leonard Cohen folk mumble twang but is mostly sounds tone deaf and incompetent. A bummer given I 1) like Calexico and 2) generally don't mind folk mumble twang. A few songs weren't entirely unlistenable (doesn't matter which ones.) Barely saved this from being a 1.

Listened a couple of times and whilst there were some nice moments (particularly the strings/ classical bits) they were eclipsed by longer periods of meh. Its a borderline 2/3 for me - but I doubt I will return so its probably a 2.

Chore of Enchantment was a chore to slog through.

Another niche 2000s indie album. yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Favorite track: No Reply 2.5/5

Was it a "chore" to listen to this "entertainment"? Yes, definitely. Was I entertained? Not really. Quite annoying.

2/5. This was an interesting listen, I was concerned as it first started out, with nonchalant everything. As it continued, it seems to gradually add more sound and instrumentation, as if other members got up on stage as the performance continued. It culminates in Shiver and then drops again. I think it's just hard for me to get over the lyrics and vocals, which kind of feel like he doesn't want to be here which then makes me not want to be here. I think there is a balance to the monotonous singing/talking and if it goes too far to the bored side, it creates a bad experience. The music is great, changing with the vocals while still playing a song of their own. If this was a fully instrumental album, it would feel more like a movie soundtrack or video game soundtrack. I think the vocals make or break this one and it depends on the track. Overall, it was okay but not great, not enough to really revisit. Best Song: Shiver, Temptation of Egg, Wolfy

if I wanted to listen to Leonard Cohen I would just listen to Leonard Cohen

Going to go listen to the Challengers (2024) soundtrack as a palette cleanser

Meh

This is #day307 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… the album's name speaks for itself. I mean, alternative country is still country, and it's among my worst genres on this journey. The music is at times okayish, but I can't say the same about the "beatnik" vocals and delivery (didn't feel like going through the lyrics). Almost halfway through, I stopped. Fuck, how many great albums could have made the list instead of this... I'm giving it a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day308.

very deep and sad music.. not my favorite but i do appreciate the musicality

Wannabe Tom Waits wishing he was half as good

The music is quite good but unfortunately I find the vocals pretty weak.

Not great

Don't really care for his voice. Instruments are fine but not super memorable for me.

I’m at a 2.5 that I’ll bump down to a 2, though I wouldn’t blame a single person if they gave it a 1. It’s got concepts of an album, that’s for sure. Honestly, I find myself just sort of flatly unimpressed, but unbothered all the same. That’s 58 minutes of… something. It’s music, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just indescribably bland. Lots of yapping, lots of flowery language that even I can barely translate into an intended meaning, and lots of circling the wheels on each track. Eventually, it gets to the point where it no longer feels like a cohesive album & instead, a set of Soundcloud EPs on shuffle with a vague soundscape & theme connecting them all together. Genuinely, I don’t have the words to even insult it, because I just don’t understand the album. I don’t get how it possibly made the list, and I can barely hear an appeal that only lingers because each track is at least instrumentally competent in a way that’s not as bland as the album experience itself is. When this album SOUNDS good, it’s nice enough to not feel deathly bored, and it does at least consistently sound good, entirely from an instrumental standpoint. Vocally, though? It just never once feels believable. Going from a guy like John Prine where you can hear the emotions coming out of his voice, mirroring the passion that he put into his songwriting, to whatever the hell this is, genuinely shows the importance of a good vocal performance in crafting & recording an album. I had to check for myself what the book says about this, and I’ll simply copy & paste it wholesale, because I think it may be the most bold-faced attempt at gaslighting that I’ve seen in the book so far. “After a decade in Tucson, Howe Gelb emerged with the most successful incarnation of Giant Sand: a trio with drummer John Convertino and Joey Burns on bass. The band were a musical project as unpredictable as its central figure—a singer/songwriter forever changing his route, following the freedom lessons of Bob Dylan and Neil Young and emulating the idiosyncratic weirdness of his jazz idol Thelonious Monk. Like a faulty radio transmission, mixing country sentiment with volcanic electricity, earthiness with weirdness, Giant Sand made some of the best records of the American underground in the 1980s (The Love Songs, 1988) and '90s (Center Of The Universe, 1992), but none worked like Chore Of Enchantment. Recorded in Tucson, Memphis, and New York with a variety of producers, the album has a cohesive feel, the musicians losing themselves but always finding their way back. Slide-guitar instrumental "Shrine" is played by Rainer Ptacek, who died of cancer before the album's release, and a melancholy, elegiac atmosphere permeates the record, complemented by haunting Mellotron® and organ. Lyrics are both enigmatic and colloquial; arrangements move from ethereal to punkish distortion, from silence to exuberance, with the singer always distant, whispering in your ear. Astonishing from beginning to end, full of strange songs about women (the voluptuous "Temptation Of Egg"), midlife experiences ("Shiver,"an underground hit of sorts), and the downright cryptic (the arousing guitars that fuel "Satellite"), Chore Of Enchantment lodges in the mind and refuses to leave.” First of all, RIP to Rainer Ptacek, because that does give “Shrine” a bit more gravitas than just some plain guitar to end the album, but… “enigmatic & colloquial”? Did we listen to the same fucking album here? I’ll say this: Chore of Enchantment did not lodge in my mind, and it will likely leave very easily. It’s not SO awful as to give it a 1, given that I genuinely liked “Punishing Sun”, “Astonished (In Memphis)”, & “No Reply”. There’s also a handful of tracks that sounded good, but never really combined with the lyrics & vocals to make it a complete package, consistently falling short in a frustrating way. There is SOMETHING here, and with a lot of extra polish and a lot more traditional structure/production, I think there’s at least a chance to get to a wholly middling 3 that at least has a couple more solid tracks. As it stands, to my ears, it’s a 2.5 that I’ll bump down to a 2. I almost have the frame of mind to give it a 1, just because it’s not deserving to be on the list & that review in the book reads like propaganda, but I’m not that cruel. Someone else can be that cruel though, and I would not blame them one fucking bit.

Hi singing is slightly worse than the song writing.

This one dragged a bit. I won’t be listening again. Highlight: Nothing really stuck out.

Too Long even before all of the bonus tracks. And I liked the bonus tracks better.

This whole band sounds a bit like a guy that brings the guitar out at a social gathering and is good on guitar but absolutely shite at singing and also fully up himself when you listen for more than a few minutes. Why all the bloody bonus songs as well. I don’t care if you recorded the shit song in a different American city why are you including it again. Specific rating - 1.7 Fav song - (well) dusted Least fav - Wolfy

-It was kinda boring and sorta creepy

way too long for this kind of slow music. so slow it burns my bunghole. but still kind of nice. might improve on another listen.

I feel like if I gave this one another listen I could really get into it, but unfortunately for it I will not be doing that. At least not right now. 4/10

01) Overture - / 02) (Well) Dusted (For the Millennium) - 7,0 03) Punishing Sun - 6,5 04) X-Tra Wide - 6,0 05) 1972 - 3,0 06) Temptation of Egg - 6,0 07) Raw - 5,0 08) Wolfy - 5,5 09) Shiver - 6,0 10) Dirty from the Rain - 6,0 11) Astonished (In Memphis) - 5,5 12) No Reply - 5,5 13) Satellite - 5,5 14) Bottom Line Man - 5,0 15) Way to End the Day - 5,0 16) Shrine - 1,0 TOTAL: 5,23 (52/100) Current ranking: 491/551

This album doesn't actually appear in my copy of 1001 albums...but hey ho, let's go... I kind of liked this, but what shifts my score down is that the sangs are all quite samey sounding.

..

Honestly, it wasn't as much as a slog as I was expecting. I think the lead should consider alternatives to music though; gently speaking out of tune and out of time for the backing tracks is just stupid. The instrumentals were pretty good, and I didn't mind the backing vocals either. The lead singer can piss off. All the fucking songs sounded the same too I don't get the idea behind this thing. MORE LIKE SNORE OF ENCHANTMENT 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 GET IT HASN'T BEEN SAID BEFGORE ON THIS SITE 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yup, that was a fucking chore alright

The best parts of this album reminded me of what I like about Silver Jews, and the weaker parts struggled to remind me I was listening to an album at all. That is to say that I like the lo-fi folk sound on some of the songs here. The vocals are very good but it really isn't something that's suited to a whole hour of listening. I wish that the band exercised the same restraint with their very excellent instrumental flourishes with the vocals, it would have made for a much better album if it were just leaner and leaned less on the vocals. Apart from that, I found the album to be quite backloaded. An excellent opening track leading into a few tracks of nothing before hitting a good streak from Shiver onwards (where the pedal guitar really did a lot for me). I had never heard of this band prior to this nor was there a whole lot to read about the album's production. Overall, while some of the alt rock stuff was alright this would have been a whole lot better as a focused folk album. Highlights: (Well) Dusted, Shiver, Astonished (In Memphis)

Muttery indie music

There was nothing enchanting about this The chore was to try and stay awake during this album 2 ⭐️

Not for me

…chore is apt. I know it can be tough to fill a variety of slots on a list of 1,001 but an album that is neutral and sounds like others from the same time period isn't one that should be considered. 2/5

Relentlessly boring. Nothing to add, just make it end so I can listen to something else. I kept turning it up because I couldn’t hear it before I realized that my brain was just actively tuning it out. No other album I’ve ever listened to was as easy to tune out as this one. 2/5

The instrumentation carries this album because the vocals, while largely tender and relaxed, seem to fade into the instruments. The instrumentals were enchanting, the vocals were a chore

I didn't like the lead singer's voice.

Kind of interesting, but I’m tired of interesting. I just was good music, not some guy talk-singing. This is not for me.

Favorite Track: Shiver

Yes, this was a chore. Had to forward thru every song about midway

not my thing, but can see the merit

I won't like any rating I give this one.

Tries hard to be Lou Reed but it didn’t click with me.

This was one big cover version of Shawn Mullins' Lullaby. Did not enjoy this one as it was all the same song over and over again.

it's interesting, i guess, but why is it notable?

Temptation of an Egg?? In this economy??? Pretty much unlistenable tho lol. 1.5.

Kind of boring, and I just really need more music in my music. Too much Lou Reed-esque talking for me.

It was talking over slow alt rock , not my thing. Some songs on the bonus tracks picked up a little and had cool moments but they fizzled out

"Mom, I want Leonard Cohen." "We have Leonars Cohen at home." Leonard Cohen at home:

What is going on here. Why is this noteworthy? I've heard worse things but I can't find a single thing about this to make it worthwhile to hear or revisit. They know how to play instruments.

Another one that makes you say "why is this here" instead of (unrepresented but way better artist). Its better then Korn at least but didn't do much for me

Howe Gelb's voice is too glib and casual for this to be an impactful record, and the lyrics are never not pretentious, tho they don't always approach the following prattle: 'It's w/ great human OP8 for a headachy nation.' It's too bad, since a track like 'Temptation of Egg' has authentic groove, and 'Shiver' sustains a driving energy, but I can't deal w/ a title like that, and the latter harbors this drivel: 'The deliver of shiver.' More empty poetry: 'And I would ponder this disease like a peeling onion skin striptease.' Above all, the blues and country should never be whispered. Seeing that Gelb is only intent on whispering, it all collapses into something fiercely boring and has few saving graces. No 'furtiva lagrima' for me - just prominent irritation.

I was a little bored by this one. I can usually enjoy weirder, singer/songwriter in this vein, but for some reasons this one doesn’t really click with me. It may be the vocalist to some extent, but I also just didn’t feel very moved by the instrumentals, so it made for an overall pretty uninteresting listen for me. There may be more there lyrically that I could grab onto, but with the nature of this project of a single album a day, the music itself really needs to stand out if I’m going to spin an album from this list more than twice.

That was a chore to get through. This Giant Sand album has been removed from the list, but I’m not sure how it ever got on there to begin with. Joey Burns and John Convertino helped Howe Gelb make this unenchanted record, but they had already splintered off to form Calexico. Now that’s a much more worthy addition to the list. Calexico’s “Feast of Wire” is a terrific album, with a really cool blend of styles. Like Giant Sand, it was once on the list, but has been removed. And with less than 100 albums left to go, we haven’t hit it yet. It’s a five, I think - looking forward to that one.

Oh good more talking rhythmically and calling it singing. AND we are adding random sounds into otherwise fine songs in order to sound experimental and edgy. No thank you.

1014 albums in and I have no patience for bad vocals. And they occur far too often on this list.

There might be a worthwhile album hidden in there somewhere, but my lord would you have to do a lot of digging to find it. Some of the concepts, and even some of the melodies are actually great, but the lead singer is just so devoid of skill and charm that everything stops when he starts singing. Some tracks seem to be aiming for a Lou Reed feel and are almost passable, but some appear to aiming for a weak, weak, impersonation of the later version of Cohen. The lyrics absolutely do not carry the delivery though. Also the Spotify version I listened to was 2 hours long, but that appears to padded with remixes and bonus tracks, so I guess I can't blame them for that directly.

Vissa låtar är ganska trevliga men har väldigt svårt för hans släpiga prat-sjungande, det tar aldrig fart. Vissa låtar är också ganska tråkiga. Kommer nog inte lyssna på igen. 2 av 5

How interesting, another turn of the century band/album I've never heard of. After listening half way through I can already say this is not for me. Reminds me of Nick Cave to a degree... and Elvis Costello or someone like him, I don't like this kind of music, so I don't really remember their names. It's not bad as such, it just doesn't hold my interest. Folk music is not my think, I don't know what makes this "folk rock", I guess not doing it by the rules to the tee? It is mostly about the lyrics, but I'm a music guy, melody and riff dude, I especially like massive sound. Acoustic guitar or a piano does not fulfil the need at all, even if they add some support instruments to the mix. It's good enough that I can understand why someone would like this, but I just find myself thinking should I skip this track or just put on something entirely different. PS. Midway through I did just that. I put on Ultra Death Cult's "End Times Are Good Times", which was another artist I'd never heard of before, but immediately felt slightly better.

Don’t mind some of the instrumentation but the vocals drove me nuts. Far too often they’re too quiet to make out what they’re saying. When you can understand I don’t care. 2/5

Not my style

It's usually not difficult to predict what the album will be like when its entire Legacy section on Wikipedia is simply the fact that it's in the 1001 Albums book. There are many of these 90s or 00s indie/alt rock albums that fall into this category. While I don't mind listening to some of these albums, I do think that they tend to be the least worthwhile albums in the book. The 1001 list has an impressively varied selection, but I do think the albums like this (where the only notable thing about it is its inclusion in the list) are its biggest weak spot. I've got nothing against obscure album choices in theory, however. I definitely wouldn't say that just because an album is less influential and doesn't have as important of a legacy, it shouldn't be included. But I do think that makes them harder to justify. Not an unpleasant listen, but among the most forgettable.

Album 693 of 1001 Giant Sand - Chore of Enchantment (2000) Rating : 2 / 5 Meh. Blend of alt-country, punk, and folk. Nice voice.

A chore to get through. It's kinda boring and too long. Also quite unpolished in places.

Slow and depressing. Reminds me of a worse Nick Cave. Was pretty much ready for this one to end once I started it.

I feel like if you're a big Tom Waits guy this album will be your jam. Unfortunately I am not a big Tom Waits guy. Temptation of Egg is tight though.

Well, 'chore' is accurate. Just kind of drones on. Vocals aren't great. Couldn't recount a single track if I tried.

Very hard to pinpoint when this was recorded without looking at the release date. Felt a bit like Bright Eyes but with a lower voice. It started of ok but the longer I listened the more it started to bore me. I guess it could be a weak 3 but I don't want to listen to it again and no songs really caught my attention. It just felt a bit whiny. Still there it was different from what usually is on here.

Why does the opening track sound like it was composed for a SNES game? Overall this is boring. The singer sounds like he's trying really hard to sound cool. I don't get the sense that his singing voice actually sounds like that. He probably idolizes Nick Cave and early Tom Waits, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's in the ballpark of some great indie releases from the same era, but misses the mark. The try-hard lyrics and imperfect, barely-singing vocals ruin some otherwise decent instrumentation. How you gonna put this on here but not Sparklehorse or Grandaddy? OR BUILT TO SPILL FFS

Not sure what it's supposed to be

I am giving it a 2 because of the bonus tracks. Without them, it would have been 1 star. The beginning was not great but it picked up a little at the end. It's not an album I will visit again, but it doesn't mean that I won't give the band another try with a different album.

Couldn't really get into it.

All of the tracks are the same

OK album. It was a bit of a chore to get thru though.

oh wie langweilig das dahin plätschert. und der vergleich mit young schmeichelt ebenfalls nicht, auch wenn er passt. ohne highlight, ereignisloses album.

banging my head against the wall

Okay not a fan of his voice but sometimes there were really cool music arrangements that I liked and then they’d be ruined imo by some crazy sound. I hypothesize Alex likes this album or will at minimum listen to it twice lol

Está tranqui, es bastante lindo el disco, pero no es la gran cosa. Se hace largo.

Seems like mood music...just caught me in a good mood so it didn't work for me...I am trying to get away from sad b@atard music....but everyone needs a cry sometimes.

Not a bad album but pretty boring. Background music at best, though not sure what situation I'd put this on in the background

This was entirely new to me again and i think it struggles to justify its place here. Some perfectly serviceable but unassuming low fi indie folk, that just doesn't seem to stand out

Very long, very dreary, very boring

Far too long, and I didn't even listen to the bonus tracks.

Chore indeed. Would be revolutionary if Lou Reed hadn't already done it 25 years earlier.

Very unique alternative country. One track will be a straightforward song with hints of americana, and then next will experiment with instrumentation, style, or songwriting. Some certainly work better than others, but they're all highlighted with the deep, smokey singing voice of Howe Gelb. Does it do enough to warrant a spot on the list? I would argue no, it just isn't consistent enough in quality, especially given it's runtime. Chore of Enchantment could have something special in there, something better, but it needs some editorial revisions and a stronger creative vision.

Some pretty songs but overall rambling

It’s like Smog, but just the boring songs

Dollar store Lou Reed. Inoffensive, but ultimately uninspiring.

Meh. Coney island baby without Lou Reed or decent tunes and with horrible dischordant guitar solos.

Listened Before? N I have never heard of these folks. After looking at their Spotify page I'm not surprised. Their biggest hit has only about half a million listens. Not to say this is bad, but I'm not sure what it's doing here... I didn't really dislike it, but it's very mellow and stripped down. Feels very local to the desert they are from. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Shiver

A chore, yes, I agree. Also a bore. Creepy, Leonard Cohen, hard-R pronouncing singing along with some nice music at times.

This was most definitely no an album I had to listen to before I die. It wasn't the very worst, but I couldn't hear anything good in it either. The Wikipedia page is also pretty empty, leaving me clueless as to why I should care about this one.

Tuntuu ettei levy etene ja lähinnä lepää paikallaan. Hyviä yksittäisiä elementtejä, mutta yleinen taso tappavan puuduttavaa.

Harvinaisen tylsä

Ujdzie. 2/5

Very boring. Didn’t keep it in the library.

This is a cool album cover. Kinda cool album title. This is boring music. Sometime last year Center of the Universe was mentioned somewhere as an essential, and I listened to a tiny bit of Giant Sand before deciding it wasn't for me. If not for that my review would be saying this is forgettable music that has no business on the list, but apparently there's something enduring about it. Has a bit of a "buddy don't you know you're not Bob Dylan yet?" vibe to me. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

I like the name Giant Sand quite a lot. Is it a giant grain of sand? A giant area of sand? Not all that much to say about the record. Mostly forgettable, with a couple of Moments throughout. Lots of that on this list. Decent, maybe not essential.

I just couldn't get past the lackluster vocals paired with laid back instrumentation, just nothing to grab attention or hold interest.

Nah

Would have rather Eno- and that is saying a lot.

Felt like a Willie Nelson album that wasn’t written or sung by Willie, I would have preferred if it was. Also waaaaay too long.

Kind of a generic alt rock sound. Nothing bad but nothing really stood out

Way too chill with nothing of interest to grab my attention.

Never heard of this guy so was interested in listening to something new. It’s difficult to categorise this album. Some good music arrangements but soon tired of the talking monotonous vocals. Not certain why or how this album made the list. Not so much an enhantment but more of a chore. 2/5 21/11/24

Yeah a chore. Seriously why is this on here? Maybe it's because I'm at the very end of this but really? So much boring ass shit. And too damn long.

Sounds too much like Lou Reed. Stand-out: No Reply

Dollar store Lou Reed. No thanks.

Yes, hmm. Nice aspects to it, some songs are actually really good, but followed by plain bs "raw" and then the unbearably boring "Wolf". The singer is not an asset here. Not enough raw empathy to get me up and applaud...

J'ai trouvé ça plutôt monotone et pas tellement mémorable. Comme une version moins bonne du Bill Callahan. 4/10

It has moments but on the whole not for me

2.5

Bore off mate

2 Stars (5/15)

Really dreary. Some songs were OK, but most just made us want to die.

More like ‘Bore of Enchantment’… oh wait, that doesn’t sound much worse than its current name. ‘Snore of Encrapment’? Either way this is a very lacklustre, completely non-essential album. The closest thing slacker and alt-country has to Shack. And because it was officially taken off the 1001 list I didn’t even have to listen to it anyway.

ahead of its time in that it sounds just like the albums i didn't want to listen to in 2008

There were a select few songs in here I enjoyed but overall I just felt like the album ran way too long and didn’t provide enough variety. Everything sounded relatively similar.

Очень напоминает Марка Козелека, но без драмы и надрыва?.. Чувствуется очень затянутым. Лучшая песня - Astonished (In Memphis).

2 Behind on my reviews, but the last few days have called for punk rock and Rage Against the Machine - especially yesterday. Anyway, I’ve never heard of Giant Sand, but it seems that the frontman is a big Lou Reed fan. I mean, he’s basically doing an impression of the guy on just about every track here, but in this case, without the matching musical ability behind it. I respect the guy for at least trying to do his own thing musically so it doesn’t sound fully copycat, but I found most of this kind of boring. The only track I thought was decent was Satellite, which bears a similar name to one of Lou Reed’s most iconic songs because of course it does. Once again, it’s very different from Lou’s work from a musical perspective, but in this case, I actually appreciated how it had a bit of a rawer, heavier sound to it as compared to most of the other lame piano and acoustic stuff found here. Overall, pretty forgettable album in my books, and one that drags on far too long. Ironically though, if you do end up listening to the Deluxe Edition on Spotify, a lot of the bonus tracks are actually pretty solid - no idea why that wasn’t just the album instead. Oh, and Fuck Trump and anyone who voted for him. I don't know how anyone of sane, rational mind can witness the words and actions of the man from the past eight years and think he’s suitable to run a country. What a joke and absolute embarrassment for America. In the words of Rage’s Zack de la Rocha (who himself was quoting MLK): “How long? Not long, because what you reap is what you sow.”

Before mumble rap there was mumble rock. Don’t care that much for either. I understand that the vocal is an aesthetic choice and all… It’s just a boring one.

This is really long and feels like a guy just like moaning in my ear about weird shit. Musically not horrible but ⭐️⭐️.

I'm on a bad streak lately. This one is simply boring. Nothing more, nothing less.

They weren’t wrong. It was a real chore to get through it. Very dull.

Quite dull. Very whiny.

Nun ja.

This wasn't awful, but it was pretty dull. Nothing really ever rose beyond, "this is pleasant. " I'm beginning to think there aren't 1000 albums i have to hear before I die.

Not really entertained by this Leonard Cohen wannabe. Or maybe its trying to emulate the worst of Robbie Robertson. The music behind was somewhat interesting with unexpected directions and distortions. But the spoken word thing gets tedious, fast. 2.4

Kind of boring. Nothing really wowed me.

A couple nice songs on here. I could see this growing on me if I listened more. If you like this in 1999, indie music is about to get so much better.

bit dull

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR (vegan) Artwork: 💁‍♀️🧾💁‍♂️ Mix: 🎧😐🆗 Musik: 🎙️🦥🥱 Wertung: 🦥(🦥)/5

This is forgettable and long. I didn't feel like it did anything critical to the history of music, but, maybe they were the blueprint for all sad rock to come after them?

What a slog. Soft spoken singing and what seemed like 50 dreary songs. The singer kind of reminded me of the guy from grandaddy but without the upbeat music. There were a couple of songs I thought were alright near the start but I can't remember what they were after listening to all that. Not horrendous but not worth it, 1.5.

Too long to get to the good stuff, and the bonus tracks were better. 2 stars for quality -3 for waffle

Boring. Annoying.

It’s not a terrible album, it’s just a very unremarkable album. Nothing happens

I didn't dislike this but at the same time, I didn't find it very interesting and wouldn't look for a repeat listen. I couldn't help but think throughout that the lead singer was a Lou Reed wannabe. 2.5/5

Sounds like a failed pitch to get on a Tarantino soundtrack. For all of its quirky individuality, everything seems borrowed. Too much chore, not enough enchantments.

Heillä on esteettinen visio, jonka he haluavat välittää kuulijoille - verkkaisesti, rauhallisesti ja luonnostellen. Välillä toimii. Mutta kyllä tämä myös puuduttaa.

As others have noted - this indeed is a chore. Sort of alt-country, sort of indie. There are some interesting moments- but they don’t outweigh the sameness.

Didn't find anything exciting about this album. It was okay I guess. Wouldn't listen to it again.

chore is right...

I tried.

Oh it's a chore alright. Really great if you suffer from insomnia. Perhaps this could be considered spicy elevator music. Also... 30 songs and nothing to say? 3/10.

Weird, leonard Cohen sort of crap.

Folk rock alternativo. Ni fu ni fa. Pues mira, iba a ponerle un 3 pero por meter más canciones de bonus track que las que tiene el propio disco al final le doy un 2. Por pesado.

No, but interesting, sort of.

Just a chore.

like being stuck at the back behind a bloke having a chat with his mate during the support act

It was okay

Just a nondescript album, most of it I did not like. Not quite Per Ubu though.

Leonard cohen meets Tom waitts

honestly whatever

SO BORING. never bad or anything but my god not sure it could’ve been more dull

This certainly was a chore (haw-haw), it drones on like nobodies business, there are a few highlights but they are few and far between and overall I just got bored.

I felt like this lasted longer than a root canal. Turned it off at track #29. Maybe 30 seconds of one song felt like it had a nice groove, but the rest had flies buzzing around it like a cow patty on a hot summer day.

Fine Quite dull Doesn't deserve a place in this list

This album could really benifit from being about half the length it already is. I don't *hate* it, it's just too long sounds exactly the same all the way through.

The answer to the question “what if Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen were mediocre writers and had no personality in their voices?” A chore indeed.

There's occasionally a decent tune but most of this just made me want to listen to a better Lou Reed album.

Right away I'm left with a feeling that this just isn't doing it for me. I don't mind the instrumentals, his vocals leave a little to be desired, and it's all a little boring. I get the feeling the majority of listens this album gets on Spotify are because it's on this list. It's not bad, it's just boring. I think I need a nap...

Has a bonny prince billy vibe

Strange and drawling, and some of the poetry is good, but I don’t think there’s enough musicality to tie it all together.

Until the vocals started, this was actually quite interesting. Then the vocals came in and everything came crashing down. Seriously, how do some of these albums get signed with such shit singers.

I got bored this this pretty quickly

Yup, that was a chore! I liked how several of the songs start off, then they seem to drop off the cliff edge.

Chore of Enchantment is a studio album by the alternative rock band Giant Sand, originally released in 2000. Never heard of this band before now. There's not too much information about them on Wikipedia either. They're based out of Arizona, and they've got a bit of a country vibe to them. It's a bit reminiscent of Wilco, only not as good. The lead singer's voice can get weird at times too, almost like a whisper. Not unlike Nick Cave (which is probably why it was on this list). This was not bad but pretty forgettable, it's no surprise to see this entry was removed from later editions of the book.

This band just isn’t for me. One listen and I haven’t been able to connect with the lyrics or music in a single song. Gives me a lot of Nick Cave vibes, and I just can’t bring myself to a second listen to try to maybe have it click. I don’t like the spoken word singing or the slow roll country. 2/5.

Country con toque sureño, me gusta. Me sonaba el nombre de la banda, pero creo que nunca los oí. A pesar de que en Wikipedia no hay nada, lo cual suele ser una bandera roja importante, me ha parecido interesante. He guardado X-Tra wide, no creo que lo vuelva a escuchar. Aunque sí al autor, debe tener cosas mejores.

Ok

One of those annoying 'talking as much as singing' kind of voices and albums. Musically I kinda liked it at several moments but not a voice that I love. It's like Wish.com Neil Young in some ways? 2.5

Pretty shocked this came out in 2000 feels like it could’ve easily blended into the early 90s but either way this was an incredibly generic and boring album. At least some albums that I’ve disliked are just because of taste and are still unique. This was just white paint bland yet still palatable to listen to I supposed. 3.9/10

I thought this might be great at the first song. Kind of hazy Dinosaur Jr. or Grant Lee Buffallo vibe. Then came the slide guitars. Goes on too long, horrible country influence, directionless.

Like my friend who also does this project, I heard the vocals of Giant Sand and was immediately reminded of the likes of Leonard Cohen. They're often dark, often gritty, and often delivered in a half-sung, half-spoken manner. Also, there's some occasional piano tinkering that also feels reminiscent of Cohen. The fact that they even mention Leonard Cohen in one of their songs leads me to believe they very much know and acknowledge that he is an inspiration. This album sounds to me like the standard indie folk that became popular in the early 2000s, and I'm not quite sure what is special about this inclusion in particular. I will say that all of the Leonard Cohen-isms make this album stand out a bit from the other indie folk of the time, but I still just wasn't particularly captured by this.

This was not good at all, the music was eh but the singing style was lethargic at best. Meh.

Mi pare un mischione. Tutte cose diverse, non pessimo, ma niente di particolare.

i've tried with these guys before (different album) but the results were the same. nothing stuck with me. maybe if i gave this some serious attention and several listens i'd be able to delve into the nuances of this music. but i doubt it. i swear critics rave about random bland bands just to troll us.

First listen Saved 5/16 Top track: (Well) Dusted

Never heard of this at all. Obviously banished from the book and Wikipedia isn't much help. It's quite nice and chill, for a weekend morning, good for that. Some of it sounded like Eels verses, ie without the big tuneful chorus. Doesn't stand out for me. I get huge 'random thing found in a bin of cheap CDs on the floor in Vinyl Exchange' vibes from this record. I am also here to rebut the Lou Reed and Bill Callahan comparisons as I will be keeping those please and leaving this. I did like Satellite though.

No longer in the book. Bland alternative, and a bit too long.

The fastest way to improve this album would be to just cut out the lead singer completely

The very definition of unremarkable. Don't really recall a single redeeming thing about the listen. 1.5/5

Kinda weird, can't really tell what genre it's supposed to be. Holy hell this is a long album.

Alternativ rock, ret stille til tider, ikke vildt ophidsende

This is a decent enough noisy alt-rock album, but there is nothing that draws me in or makes me want to return to any of it.

Nothing special

Wow, didn’t know you could make music in only a speaking voice. Sounds like the music the bar puts on to kick everybody out. Very dull.

Some redeeming tracks, but nothing special. Vocals remind me of Bill Calahan, but musically it's lacking.

I wanted to like this, I really did. There is much that is lovely and poetic and thoughtful but it really is a slog to get through the whole album and the lack of tonal variety makes it disengaging to attempt to decipher the lyrics. Best guess, there is a five star album in 'em but this ain't it.

Fooled me in the first few minutes thinking this would be post-rock. Turned out to be generic 90s slacker alt country. It's very long and boring with a few novelties thrown in to make it look cool. Favorites: (Well) Dusted, Temptation and the Egg, Shiver, Astonished

A Lou Reed wanna be album. 2/5

Boring

Not much is grabbing me here, either lyrically or musically. The lead vocals tend to be pretty low-key, sometimes spoken word. That already makes this a more subdued listen. I hear the influence of Lou Reed, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen (who gets name-checked on one song) but outside of a few interesting production choices here and there, nothing hooked me.

This was just OK for me. I didn't love the singers voice, it felt kind of "put on". I also wanted so many of the songs to get somewhere, and they seldom did. Ultimately it's pretty forgettable for me.

Not great, but interesting enough to keep my attention

Interesting. Not one I'm planning to come back to but nothing I disliked about it. 2.5 stars

Tedious and boring. Can't really sing, uninteresting lyrics on top of pretty uninteresting music. 2/5, not actively unpleasant, but it's a low 2.

I wanted to like this. Gave it a good few listens. Alt country removes the brassiness and directness of country but for me if you don't go the whole hog and end up at bleak, weird or desperate you get this sort of amiable gentility that is probably good for a Gen X dinner party but makes for a boring solo listen. I didn't dislike it as much as a 2 really but could not give it a 3.

This album always seems to be trying too hard ..... 2.5 for the risk taking ......

Pretty boring.

Rather long and self-indulgent

There is a version of this album with 30 songs on it, fuck that. Weird, tone def sometimes, slightly annoying. Simply did not vibe with it. 3/10

An interesting album. It starts off with a slacker stoner feel, and then shifts to full on industrial. Are they fans of Beck by any chance? There wasn't enough here to hold me through to the end.

interesting!

Did I listen to the right album? I'm pretty sure calling this "rock" is a stretch.

Well... meh? This album didn't hook me. It didn't delight me. Nor did it offend me. Or challenge me. I didn't hate it, or like it. There must be some reason it is on the list, some reason why I "must" to listen to it before I die. But I can't discern it. The vocalist generally sounds like he's half asleep. The playing is competent, but laid back. clean and clear, but nothing memorable. At best it hints at Velvet Underground, but without the edge, the spirit, the ... well the danger. Maybe Neil Young's "Tonight's The Night" without the raw emotion and angst. My first thought was to give this a 3, because it is certainly competent. But it creates no real emotional response at all. The Allmusic review sums it up nicely: "Many of the songs tend to drift by without grabbing hold". And a reviewer at Sputnik Music said: "There’s just enough meat to keep the listener interested throughout the sixty minutes of Chore of Enchantment." No, there's not enough meat. Boring is a sin in music. That'll knock it down to a 2.

A terribly mixed bag – gets more disoriented and unsure of itself as time goes on, stumbling from the discordant to attempts at standard guitar ballads. Unsure of what the aim was here but the whole LP feels jumbled and lacks cohesion, maybe I’m missing an art piece statement but this just sounds aimless.

Bemüht, aber nicht gut.

Has a lot to say but somewhere in the middle my attention gets weary

No thank you

A few years ago, I listened to a few Giant Sand albums to see if I could get into the music. This album was not one of those that I listened to, but it may as well have been. The sound of Giant Sand on "Chore of Enchantment" was not terribly different on those albums as heard on this one. I could not get into their music and unfortunately this album does not change that. As I have said frequently about other artists, this album is not "bad." It is simply unremarkable and I have no clear idea why it is in this book. The write up about this album is short, the Wikipedia page is short and there isn't much information about the greatness of this album. It's all mid-tempo "alt-country," though I would possibly argue with that description. So no, I do not see where this album has a place in this book. It's unremarkable and I am not sure the gap in music this is intended to fill.

Rating: 5/10

Just a little too strange. Jumps all over the place and I just can't quite get to that enjoyment point without a spike in the wrong direction.

Dit album had precies niet veel om het lijf. Het was oké voor op de achtergrond, maar dat is ook alles

could i write poetry to this? n

Some songs came close to being good, but none quite got there.

low-rent lou reed and I don’t even like lou reed that much to begin with

More like Giant Bland

Just didn't feel much of anything on this album. Aside from the 1 or 2 songs that I saved I won't ever be coming back to it

Some interesting ideas on this album. I like the range of styles and the music in general. Not a huge fan of the vocalist’s pseudo spoken word style. Not a lot of dynamic there and not very interesting, from my perspective.

This guy must have listened to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and/or Lou Reed and decided he could do the same thing. Bad news, Howe - you aren’t any of those guys. Quit smelling your own farts and calling it music.

2.5

Canciones demasiado tranquilas y relajadas. Algunas con algún toque más cañero, pero muy planas y muy parecidas entre sí. Aparte, la voz demasiado melancólica. Me ha dejado un poco frío

Shiver is okay but the rest are just meh. If I wanted to hear spoken-singing, I'd listen to Cake; their songs are are fun at least

This was just boring. There isn’t much going for it besides some nice sounding instrumentals, but they are few and far between. The vocals are not good and actively drag this album down. DNF.

Not really my genre, and this one really dragged.

Much was strange. Did not enjoy.

Mmm

some good songs here and there but too much filler

Man this guy REALLY likes Nick Cave, doesn't he.

Quiet, intimate and simple. All things I personally don't value in my music much.

Saai, wel prima gemaakt. Niet mijn ding

#58. I spent the whole time this album was on thinking Man, this guy sounds like the guy that sings that Lullaby song. So much so that I don't remember anything about this album. He sounds a lot like the guy that sings Lullaby. This isn't the guy that sings Lullaby, right? Edit: this isn't the guy that sings Lullaby. That guy was Shawn Mullins, and this guy is Howard something. 2/5: meh

I was not a huge fan of this. A bunch of semi-musical meanderings that felt pointless.

Another new one to me. First thought was it sounded a bit like Lambchop or Calexico without the energy. Second thought was that I hope Mark doesn't lump Smog/Bill Callahan in with this, as they are superficially-similar but Giant Sand appear not to be half as clever, inventive or elegant. Not horrible, but too long and gave me a mild headache.

ca commence en 2 mais ca finin a 3. C'est pas tr;es mémorable, meme c'est générique. 2.95

Surprisingly good for a band I have never heard of. Will I listen again? No. Was it ok? Yes. Competent but not spectacular.

A little skeptical of this, as it was sounding suspiciously like someone's pet addition to the list. Spare instrumentation, and low talk-singing were sounding a lot like some kind of Nick Cave impersonation. My skepticism was pushed further when the only thing listed under legacy on Wikipedia was its inclusion on this list.

It's like Bill Callahan and Pavement desperately trying to collaborate on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film. Sounds kinda interesting, right? No, unfortunately it's a boring slog.

Not a huge fan of the deadpan vocal deliveries, not a whole lot here I really like to be honest.

Pass. This was weird, and I suppose the lyrics were different and interesting in a good way but overall this was a snooze.

Many whispers

It's OK? But I'm not super into the vocalist

Folk rock alternativo. Ni fu ni fa. Pues mira, iba a ponerle un 3 pero por meter más canciones de bonus track que las que tiene el propio disco al final le doy un 2. Por pesado.

A generous review might call this album "sparse" or "intimate". I'm not going to be generous. This album is empty and unfinished. It sounds like someone turned in a demo tape and the label didn't know better. The ideas are just sketches, the production is incomplete, and the performances are lackluster. I wish they'd spent the time and energy to make it great. But it's really just not very good.

doesn't really do it for me 2.4

This album is an interesting mix of genres—jazz, rock, country, folk—but it all has one thing in common (except maybe one track): it's all down-tempo. It seems like a great mix for background music at a coffee shop, or lounge, or bath, something to enjoy a good book and/or a glass of wine to. However, at least for me, listening to it straight was a little... boring. I might bookmark this to try for one of the aforementioned purposes, but otherwise I probably won't revisit this album.

While I really enjoyed listening to it I doubt I will return. The moment I realized how much it reminded me of Lou Reed my interest waned a bit.

Ça m'a saoulé

The only Chore here is listening to this. Soft spoken vocals, and a tempo a turtle could vibe to. I don’t mind the medley or instruments and quirkiness, however it’s not enough to save the lackluster delivery.

Is this more Nick Cave? It was some kind of a chore.

Some of this isn’t bad. Some of this is really bad. Not too much of a spoken lyrics kind of guy.

Yet another Lou Reed album served to me here

The bonus tracks help it be twice as boring... Great job!