When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Atmospheric pieces Buried in boring Brit-pop Cut all that crap out

this album is pissing me off dude. there's a solid trip hop ep in here that with a little work could maybe shine on its own, but instead it's been shackled to an incredibly mediocre 90s pop/rock album for some reason. "butter the soul", "what is happening?", "state troopers", "it's indian tobacco my friend" and "candyman" are all good, with the latter two being my favourites, but the rest of it? at best it's not offering much of interest beyond the "world sound" element and at worst we get "funky days are back again", which sounds like blur if damon albarn just completely stopped giving a shit. and then it ends with a beatles cover. fuck this. at least "brimful of asha" got a good remix, i guess. but that's not on this album. whatever.

Now this is a tough one to rate. Completely unchallenging indie soundtrack music *is* something I'm into, but I struggle with the reasoning on this being on the 1001 list. Maybe it's just a good representation of that idea, maybe it holds a place in some greater 90s context, but in a vacuum it isn't very engaging. None of the songs jump out as something I want to listen to again. In spite of that, I actually had a great time on a long semi-stressful drive listening to it because it didn't derail my thoughts. The album offers a decent range of sound variety, and it holds that niche of non-fatiging background music superbly. A+ for being music perfect to talk or think over, but not much credit for stirring the imagination. A very smack dab in the middle type of album, a 2.5, so rounded into 3.

honestly just baffling from start to end. what the hell is going on man.

I found a few tracks interesting, but it went on way too long, and honestly sounded more like something that should have come out about 1/2 decade earlier. The programming and production seem more early 90s than late 90s.

Sounds like more late 90s, picking up the pieces and not sure where they fit in the puzzle.

There's something missing here. It's just so disjointed at times. Fatboy Slim were able to find the missing ingredient with their remixes, and it wasn't additional sitars. Speaking of, can we not peg people as racist because they don't like the twang of a sitar?? Pick your battles dude, this ain't it.

This was OK. There’s some fun and groovy stuff, some great 90s beats and to be fair to them a massive hit. But some of the other tracks really let it don for me. Particularly Funky Days Are Back Again. 3.0/5.0 Best Song: Brimful Of Asha

Very good stuff, very underrated i think. It's Sikh britpop and that's pretty fucking cool. I don't think much has sounded like this since, it feels like an incredibly important British album, they sound like a Desi version of the super furry animals. Also what the fuck is allen Ginsberg doing here.

I'm really not sure what to say about this album. Maybe too much electronica for me, but I remain a fan of "Brimful of Asha" (by these guys or Flatboy Slim).

“What Is Happening” indeed. That album was all over the place.

Interesting sound. Huge hit, came back to it recently.

Eclectic. All over the place. Most of it works but definitely not all. Brimful of Asha is the obvious highpoint. I would have no issue listening again, but I don't think it's very cohesive as an album.

God, what is this? Just a mess sonically in so many ways. The mashing of genres doesn't work at all, like the band is trying to shove a square in a circular hole. Yeah there are a few good songs in the middle part of the album, but pretty much everything else just sounds amateurish in the worst way.

Ok so Brimful of Asha is a blast from the past. 'Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow' is classic lyric writing for sure. That's the only song I'd heard from this album, you couldn't escape that song back in the day and when it came on today it, for better or wore, brought back a flood of memories of middle school. I like that a lot of this album is kind of like Brit dance pop with an Indian vibe. It's interesting and not something I've heard a lot of but now that I think about it, it seems weird that it's not more common. The second half of this album definitely drops off a bit. It's sort of filled with a lot of random samples and doesn't really present anything to keep you interested. I was done with this album well before it was over. Brimful of Asha is great, a lot of the rest is fun, some of the rest is superfluous. I feel like this album would have been better at 15-20 minutes shorter than it is. And it's not really even very long. 3/5

3.75

I liked some of this stuff, but it really wasn’t my thing.

like it was okay

The quirkiness of this one didn't resonate with me, though I enjoyed Brimful of Asha. Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again was also good.

I dont think the Indian inspiration aged the way they would've wanted it to

An interesting blend of indie rock and Indian music that comes across as really genuine from the band, sounding even prophetic for that kind of indie sound despite being from 1997. "Sleep on the Left Side" and "Brimful of Asha" were a good opening to the album and I liked "Good Sh**" as well

I guess they got one thing right, everybody DOES need a bosom for a pillow.

I enjoyed this more than most of the britpop on this list, but it did fall flat for the second half of the album.

Better and more interesting than I remember. Enjoy the more electronic, experimental aspects. Feels a shame that they're known most for that Fatboy Slim distortion of their big hit. I'm sure they're glad of the money but it's not really representative of this record.

Nothing standout, some good mid-90s sound but also some just noise.

Still sounds great, a very under-rated album

New to me and I wasn’t really looking forward to it but it surprised me. Much more interesting than I expected. 2.5 stars. Liked Butter the Soul!

Missed this the first time round. What a treat though. Thought the album would peak with the two singles as track 1 and 2 but the quality was pretty consistent throughout.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ - Genius…Tom.

That was fun

Those first two tracks hit big nostalgia buttons for me. I also really enjoyed their cover of Norwegian Wood. The rest is quirky enough to enjoy it as well.

This album does some interesting things with its genre fusions and Indian music influences. Most importantly I found it quite boring though

When Indie rock used to mean something. Fav Track: Sleep on the Left Side

Not to be reductive, but I've always thought about this one as a twin to White Town's album Women in Technology. After all, what we have here are two albums released in 1997, by bands with Indian frontmen (Tjinder Singh and Jyoti Mishra), connected to labels which are usually only of interest to indie nerds (Wiijia and Parasol), with somewhat inexplicable smash hits (Brimful of Asha and Your Woman). The main difference, as I've finally realized today, is that Cornershop's album is far more interesting than White Town's. See, White Town sticks to a pretty standard version of indie pop, something akin to the Field Mice with sampling. This is pretty fun if you're an indie pop nut, but it's not the type of album that's going to push music further or anything. On the other hand, Cornershop's got a whole lot going on here, like I'm hearing elements of trip hop and indie rock and Punjabi music and all sorts of things! And so, while Brimful of Asha is still the clear standout here, everything else is strong enough to feel truly worth your time, whether or not you're already an indie nerd. (But also, you should listen to White Town too!)

This was a nice surprise. Bit 90s and dated in places, but I loved the mix of styles and really wasn’t just about ‘the hit’.

3 stars for the line " everyone needs a bosom for a pillow"

BOM álbum e nunca tinha ouvido falar. Musiquinha p se escutar no fininho durante a viagem de viação da prata pqp

Pão com margarina

En nou wat vrolijks. Een jaren-negentighitje met een album eromheen. Nooit begrepen wat er precies met het getal 45 is, maar blij word je nog steeds van dit kundig in het elkaar gestoken nummer. Uit de rest maak je iets meer op van de etnische achtergrond van de makers, Brits-Indiaas zo te horen. Uit de tijd dat er vrolijk met muziekculturen werd gemixt en dat daar allerlei fantastische combi's uit kwamen (Manu Chao, maar ook fado in het Fries, bijvoorbeeld). En daarna trok iedereen zich voor mijn gevoel weer terug op zijn eilandje, voor mijn gevoel. Maar hier is de toekomst nog zonnig. Fijn.

Norman Cook heeft er een neus voor. Hij trekt moeiteloos pareltjes uit schijfjes die verder niet zoveel voorstellen. Zo kennen we ook het pareltje op deze schijf: Brimful of Asha. Een vrolijk verspringend tijdloos nummer dat een ster op zichzelf verdient. Het lijkt meer geluk dan wijsheid. Want verder stelt het album weinig voor. De Indische invloeden zijn heus wel beter gedaan.

Een 90s band, die we alleen kennen van een cover door Fatboy Slim. Ja, dan krijg je van mij vooraf al gelijk een gigantisch groot label met SNOB op je voorhoofd geplakt. Daar kunnen de boys van cornershop misschien niet zoveel aan doen, dus we stoppen onze ergernis tov Robert Dimery en kornuiten maar even weg en proberen zo objectief mogelijk naar de muziek te luisteren. Het is een gek album. Allerlei verschillende stijlen wisselen elkaar af, de ene keer fijner klinkend dan de andere keer. Er zitten soms gekke geluiden of (expres?) valse stukken of valse zang in. Het hitje zonder de remix van Fatboy Slim is op zichzelf eigenlijk ook best geinig, al is het ook wat suf. Er zit best veel electronica in. Ik heb bij alles het idee dat het al vaker en beter is gedaan. Het enige wat wellicht vernieuwend of anders is, is de link met zijn Indische roots. Maar ja, de Beatles waren daar 30 jaar eerder ook al mee bezig. Kom je dus eigenlijk uit op een bijzonder vergeetbaar plaatje, dat door de soms irritante geluiden meer op mijn zenuwen werkt, dan dat het op de achtergrond rustig doorkabbelt. Blijven er 2 sterretjes over voor de moeite. Deze plaat had absoluut niet opgenomen hoeven worden in de snobbijbel.

por momentos buen groove

cool! One of my favorite discoveries.

J'ai vraiment bien aimé les deux premières musiques mais la suite ma beaucoup déçu c'est dommage ça partait bien !

Only knew the Fatboy Slim remix and didn't know the original band/track, so this was an interesting discovery from this list. Bit mixed, I enjoyed the fusion with the Indian influences, it was nice to have some different instruments and sounds thrown in the mix. Unfortunately this is just not really my type of music, and I found the album as a whole largely either boring or quite grating. That's just down to me not really being into the electronic/sampling style where the backing is mostly just some sound effect played on repeat for the whole track. In fairness, there's a good amount of variety throughout the album, and not all of it is repetitive. For me, low 3.

Ehhh? ehhhhhhh???? It's either boring or incomprehensible and it's too long on top of that. No "Good to be on the road back home again" you can't just throw in feedback and expect me to like it! (I liked it but it won't save you) 2

what was apparently groundbreaking at the time is a little hokey now... So many better options for britpop out there.

Interesting at least but not something I'd listen to regularly.

When I Was Born For The 7th Time is a record that’s most interesting precisely where it’s most distinctive, which makes its conventional moments all the more frustrating. Cornershop’s blend of Indian classical sensibilities with indie rock and hip-hop production is genuinely original, and when it works — “Candyman” and “State Troopers” both finding real groove and momentum — the ambition feels earned rather than gimmicky. The problem is cohesion. The record covers enormous stylistic ground without always finding a thread that ties it together. The straight pop and rock songs, including the ubiquitous “Brimful of Asha,” are ironically the weakest moments — competent but unremarkable, and not nearly as interesting as the tracks that lean into what makes this band singular. When the Indian musical elements are front and center the record has genuine personality. When it reaches for conventional accessibility it loses the thing that sets it apart. The production has its own inconsistencies. “Butter the Soul” hints at something hypnotic and groove-driven, but the flute sample sitting too far behind the beat creates a rhythmic displacement that frustrates more than it intrigues. The odd lyric choices throughout add another layer of distance, landing somewhere between charmingly deadpan and genuinely alienating. Variety without cohesion is ultimately just restlessness. A solid three — original in concept, uneven in execution, and most alive when it stops trying to compete on conventional terms.

Wasn’t bad. Wasn’t great. Probably the only time I would listen

Never heard of these guys, but I knew Brimful of Asha. A bit of an odd album. Some songs are quite fun. Others are low energy and a bit psychadelic.

Sound was a little too experimental and lyrics a little too repetitive for my taste. A couple tracks were ok, but not really my thing.

Very interesting album, I really like folk music combined with more modern styles. A little weird in places but that was a plus to me.

unique album with some interesting parts. Not a huge fan of it overall though Standout songs: Good ships Candyman

virkelig vireklig cool album der blander hip-hop beats, punjabi indisk lyd og indie rock. Der er så mange fede tracks på det her album og jeg skal faktisk lige lytte til det én gang mere tror jeg. det er en hyldest til indisk film og sangkultur. Det er en plade som angiveligt bevæger sig lidt mellem det britiske og indiske og ikke rigtig kan finde sig til palds nogle steder. Det er sgu meget symbolsk. Så tror der hvor det virkelig skilder sig ud er fordi det er et krydsfelt mellem race, kultur musik og identitet. Disse genreblends er meget mere noramle i dag, men det var det ikke tilbage i 1997. Derfor er det lidt af et tidsdokument og forud for sin tid. Det er indie rock blandet med samplebased pop og eletronica. deraf loops og beat samples Raga rock som er vestlig rock/pop blandet med collage agtige teksturer og samples osv. det man skal lægge mærke til er dholki, tamboura, sitar, harmonium og scratching samt løsse trommegrooves og popmelodier. Det er solvarmt, eklektisk som er et nyt ord jeg har lært som betyder at man blander genre, stilarter, ideer, elementer og ideer osv. sammensætte noget godt fra forskellige verdener. DEn blander virkelig ting på en organisk måde som har sneget sig ind i musikverdenen i dag.

Nice album cover. I miss the days of standing in front of whiteboard projectors, having light and colour beamed directly into my system. There's nothing this can be other than an electronic album, right? That, or shoegaze. I'm sticking with electronic. Here goes. Okay, what the fuck. I was lured into a false sense of security with some vaguely familiar indie rock stylings, yet here I am in fucking Jeetistan just 10 minutes later. I guess they pulled a fast one on me. India is my personal idea of hell on earth, so things could really be better right about now. Fortunately, the second half is a step up. The music returns to being bland indie rock, then segues into hip-hop and some electronic, vaguely psychedelic music. The instrumentals aren't strong enough to be largely absent of vocals, but for what it is, it's tolerable. Overall, a boring listen, but it went down smooth. There weren't any particularly bad moments where my attention span waned or dropped off. "Brimful of Asha" is vaguely familiar. I'm pretty sure my Dad used to play it in his car, though I could be getting the song mixed up with something else. The leading guitar riff is effective, but the rest of the song slouches in comparison. The vocals are particularly weak, and the songwriting is a bit mindless with how repetitious it is. Overall, the song is alright, but it kind of dicks around without really going anywhere. Book time. A remix of "Brimful of Asha" from Fatboy Slim topped many international charts, supposedly. The band is "...a punky world music collective". "...their most focused and accessible [album] to date." The rest of the entry talks about this album's strange, genreblending approach. Wikipedia says this album was well-received by critics, but its commercial success was mostly just relegated to the UK. New Zealand took a liking to the album, however. It reached no. 12 on the charts over there. This album kind of sucks, but I'm employing the "weird album" clause. It's decently unconventional with how it goes about blending different genres, even if the actual music is by itself unremarkable. Yes, I have completely lost my idealism on what stays in the book. I cosign this inclusion.

Catchy but not timeless. I’ve tried w this by one before

I liked this a lot, only spoiled slightly by the unnecessary Norwegian Wood.

I loved it! Might be my second favorite discovery from this project after the Stone Roses. I loved the blend of genres, cultures, and moods. There was heart and humor and a clear display of talent and creativity. This will be entering my regular rotations. Highlights: "Sleep on the Left Side," "Butter the Soul," "Funky Days are Back Again," and the cover of "Norwegian Wood."

This is very of its time.

I liked the songs that were mostly instrumental. And then Spotify auto played into Ill Communication, which was even cooler.

I wasnt too sure about this. This was a strange experience and I was glad that it ended when it did.

There's nothing really inherently wrong with this album I just found myself checking every 3 minutes to see how many songs were left until I was done and how long of the current song was left until I could move on. At times, the album felt just random - many of the songs had no correlation, more of a strange mix of styles and genres with an accordion that led to tambourine that led to the cymbals that led to the bongo, I mean just RANDOM. a bit uninspiring.

Definition of a one hit wonder - the rest of the album was largely unmemorable

2.5

Variety can be a double-edged sword and When I Was Born for the 7th Time is a great example of that. On the one hand, Cornershop's refusal to put all their eggs in one basket led to me (at least, partially) enjoying a fair few cuts from the album. On the other hand, it's such a convoluted mess of different sounds that I can't see myself ever willingly listening to the whole thing again. I wish they would have just picked a lane and focused on really nailing that sound, but oh well – this is the album we're stuck with. Highlights: Butter the Soul, What Is Happening, Good Ships, Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again, It’s Indian Tobacco My Friend, Candyman

I like the vibes and the sound but I got bored

Nice little harmless album. Quite fond of how eclectic it is, really.

I do not understand the overwhelming amount of hate this project seems to be getting as it really isn't all that bad, it just doesn't know what to do sometimes and defaults to some very repetitive pieces every once and a while. When I Was Born for the 7th Time is an odd project that really wants to come off as experimental but instead feels quite novice in nature. I respect when Cornershop goes hard and delivers some actually meaningful tracks like Sleep on the Left Side and Brimful of Asha, but for a majority of the tracklist this honestly feels like rough demos for a more concise project later down the band's career. It is hard to excuse 54 minutes of this project when maybe 12 are actually worth your time. Not really too sure what else to say here that hasn't already been said, this project is quite the misfire all around and should be nowhere near an "essential, must hear before you die kind of list."

Gut reaction to the first few tracks is Indian Sugar Ray, not bad at all. It actually gets a lot weirder/varied than that as it goes. Ragamuffin

# Album Name: When I Was Born For The 7th Time # Artist: Cornershop # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Starts well with the first two tracks. Then it goes wildly off track. Nothing wrong with that of course. But its almost like a psychedelic journey of someone smoking too much weed. The irony is their best song is actually a remix. That fatboy slim remix of brimful of asha is a absolute throwback to the 90s. Immense. Sadly its not on this album.... # Top Tunes: Sleep on the left side / Brimful of asha # Would I listen to it again? No

When I Was Born for the 7th Time definitely has its moments. Brimful of Asha alone captures the sound of the late 90s perfectly and remains a brilliant song. It is catchy, warm and full of character, and it easily stands out as the highlight of the album. One thing I do appreciate is the variety across the record. It moves between indie rock, Indian influenced sounds and spoken word style pieces, showing that the band were not afraid to experiment with different ideas and textures. The downside of that approach is that the album can feel a little unfocused. There are a lot of instrumental passages and more experimental tracks that do not really add much for me. Instead of building momentum, they slow the album down and make it feel longer than it needs to be. In the end it feels like an album with a couple of genuinely great songs surrounded by quite a bit of filler. Favourite song: Brimful of Asha and Good to Be on the Road Back Home Least favourite song: Chocolat and Butter the Soul Album artwork: Cool cover that fits the era well

I owned this back in the day but didn't remember anything other than the first 2 songs. Bangers of course but there's a lot of other good songs here.

Great Alternative

No lo pude NI terminar

Super cool sound! I will most definitely be listening again.

YESSSS

on the 45 45 …fun nostalgic listen late 90’s sound

Sick and tired of Brimful of Asha; doesn't feel like an album I had to hear before I die :-(

pretty fun

Not bad!

Brimful of Asha could be my least favourite song of all time. Its good to know the rest of the album is just as ass

No. 123 Nah. Liked the first two, then it just fell off for me.

So, revisiting this album, it's wild how much it screams 90s. It's this crazy mix of Britpop, indie rock, and Indian music, a total time capsule. I remember thinking it was kinda boring back then, but the biggest mark against this album is that it doesn't have the Fatboy Slim remix of "Brimful Of Asha." They just have a slower version, which is ok, I guess, but nowhere near as good as the single banger. Overall, it feels like a bit of a weird, psychedelic journey with funky sitar riffs, hip hop beats, and even a Punjabi "Norwegian Wood." It's rich, but definitely a bit strange to listen to. I'm still kinda on the fence. I get the cultural fusion and the band's background now, but some parts still feel like filler or just plain boring. It's all over the place, from Ginsberg readings to country tunes. But the lack of a good bassline and that remix? Yeah, that makes it hard to like for me...

Feels like every song was written to eventually be used in a remix as a dance track. Speaking of... The original Brimful of Asha is still a great track.

Brilliant loved it

Good

Це вже бритнаська квота + minority. Є окремі непогані пісні. Підійшли досить креативно до поєднання семплінгу, індийських мотивів і нудної електронної музики. Як альбом це слухати мені було важко і під кінець сильно набридло

Щось мені зовсім не сподобалось, навіть дослухати до кінця важко. Черговий британський альбом по британській квоті. Тут є цікаві моменти певні, пов'язані з індійською музикою. Але навіть головний хіт, brimful of asha, мені не сподобався.

This is my shit. I love mid nineties British eclectic-electronic stuff, and this really scratched the itch. I had only heard the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful, and though the original is slower and less dancy, I enjoyed the laid back nature of it all. It's a real groove you can hang out it. Feels very Mr. Scruff/ Ninja Tuna adjacent in the best way. I'm gonna go 4/5.

#49/1001 🇬🇧🇮🇳🐺 Although i heard the singles at the time, this was my first listen in full. Blending Indie Rock, Hip Hop Beats and Punjabi music was something that really stood out at the time and i think that my impression of them was that they were a bit of a novelty act on the basis of the remix of the Brimful of Asha track. As ubiqitous as that track was back then, hearing the original here without the whistles and bells is really fresh. There is a lot of variation on here including collabs with Paula Frazer (Tarnation) and Allen Ginsberg. The cover of Norweigen Wood is fab too but then i'm just a sucker for that song. I'm a bit cross that i didn't spend more time on these guys in the 90s, they were definitely doing something more interesting than the likes of Oasis. I'll certainly come back to listen again. Best Tracks: Sleep on the Left Side, Brimful of Asha, We're in your Corner, Good to be on the Road Back Home.

3.5

Unusual selection of songs - retro & lo-fi at times.

Time locked. Not built to last

In theory this sounds like a really cool album but in practice I just did not enjoy listening to it that much :/

Starts off pretty strong, but falls away massively. Don't think this would be anywhere near this list were it not for the Norman Cook remix of Brimful of Asha.

Rate 5/10

Decent listen.

First couple of songs into this and I was thinking this was going to be at least three stars maybe 4. Then it mostly just fell apart. There’s probably just about a decent EP in here. But certainly not a 54 minute album…

Indie x Electronica x Indian influence. All the ingredients to be something I love. First song was great, second is a classic. Then just fell away completely and was mostly dull. Even the Beatles cover manages to be uninteresting… the Punjabi translation is cool but musically it’s almost a note for note recreation instead of making it theirown. Feel like this sound could be so much better executed.

Outside of the song “Good to be Back on the Road Home”, this album doesn’t care to blend its two clear influences. The first of which results in songs that sound a lot like Sublime’s “What I Got” — ESPECIALLY the opening song and “State Troopers”. The second set of influences results in some y2k Indian instrumentals or Indian-influenced trip hop. Im not complaining, but it’s kind of a Beatles situation where you can often tell which member put each song together. A “Norwegian Wood” cover to end things on this project is just so appropriate. Now for the song “It’s Indian Tobacco My Friend”. DAMN! This is some very forward thinking production work. Radiohead wishes they could’ve made something so dreamy on their dive into electronica around this same time. Playing with the saturation on the master, the slight off beat percussion sample. I will remember this one. It’s a surrealist painting in a song. The first few songs that were really nice, a snoozer middle part, then a strong backend of the album. Strong 3/5 I could come back and make it a 4/5 for some solid production and general good vibes

Chill album, will definitely listen to this again.

like i see the vision it's just not for me

Fun

I didn't know this album is where Asha on a 45 came from, and that song alone makes this album pretty good.

Brimful of Asha // 2.5/5

I like it. There's stuff you expect and some slightly more experimental tracks. Didn't just try to cash in.

It's quirky, a bit long, but not half bad!

"When I Was Born for the 7th Time" remains an eclectic listen. While some tracks hit the mark more than others, the overall experience is one of upbeat, mellow charm, defined by laid-back grooves that perfectly evoke the feeling of languid summer days. It is a nice blend of genres and cultures, seamlessly weaving in songs sung in Punjabi. Despite being nearly thirty years old, the production feels remarkably fresh. Tjinder Singh’s vocals are refreshingly understated, charming, and at times almost conversational. The standout tracks, the original 'Brimful of Asha' and the alt-country 'Good to Be on the Road Back Home', these showcase the band's range. Although the hour-long runtime could have benefited from a little pruning, it remains a thoroughly engaging and joyful record. Four stars. 1 "Sleep on the Left Side" (4/5) 2 "Brimful of Asha" (5/5) 3 "Butter the Soul" (3/5) 4 "Chocolat" (3/5) 5 "We're in Yr Corner" (4/5) 6 "Funky Days Are Back Again" (3/5) 7 "What Is Happening?" (3/5) 8 "When the Light Appears Boy" (3/5) 9 "Coming Up" (3/5) 10 "Good Shit" (4/5) 11 "Good to Be on the Road Back Home" (5/5) 12 "It's Indian Tobacco My Friend" (4/5) 13 "Candyman" (4/5) 14 "State Troopers" (3/5) 15 "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" (5/5) Total - 56 Average - 3.73 247/1001 136/247 albums reviewed were new to me

One hit wonders for a reason. 1.5

Interesting

More mediocre British rock from the 90s.

I've tried for 4 days to find what I was missing with this. Is Brimful enjoyable? Sure. Poppy? Sure. But the majority of the rest of this seems like less interesting Brimful OR experiments that just didn't land with me. Solid 2/5

Sounds like a Beck cheap knock-off. Some good beats, but I'm not sure why I had to listen to this album before dying

I thought this was going to be quite a fun album after the opening two songs. I was wrong. The majority of this album is rather weird, and not in a good way. The song featuring the female singer was good, and I liked the rap part of Candyman. Other than that, and the first two songs, it's a pretty rubbish album.

Just… ugh. What is this

Very cool idea, but the sounds didn’t resonate, if done in the modern day with new Bollywood sounds, I think I’d fall in love

This one was a pretty interesting listen. The Eastern style music and instruments were easily the highlight for me. Whenever those sounds came in, the album felt more alive and a lot more unique than your standard 90s alternative record. Even the album title is a clear nod to Eastern philosophy and religion, which fits the whole vibe. That cultural blend is what makes this project stand out. The mix of rock with Indian influences gives it personality, even if not every song fully lands.

Very rough mixing, some standout tracks though. Can't get past the mixing though, bass is much too powerful, and synths overtake much of the music and vocals to a point of annoyance meh.

I don’t know where to start. This album was a mess and the middle was a slog to get through. There were 4 takeaway songs and the 2 and other 2 were the start and endings. All the middle stuff was just boring. I don’t think it was a total lost cause again some songs were good but it’s really close to a 1.

I really enjoyed this. Brimful of asha is a bop. Also I liked the dylan cover

Creo que lo escuché en su época, pero aparte del Brinful of Asha me suena la primera y poco más. Y por otra parte creo que de Brinful of Asha me suena más un mix con algo más de velocidad ¿el de Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim)?. En general lento y aburrido, supongo que fue un gran cambio escuchar a estos hijos nietos de origen indio o pakistaní hacer una música que fusionaba estilos y que inspiraron a futuros autores. Por lo menos se cierra con una versión de Norwegian wood interesante.

2.2 First listen I thought fine, yet another one hit wonder album on this list. Then I read the wiki. My god, what did I miss? 68th in the top British albums *of all time*? 3rd best album of 1997? Second listen.... Even worse than the first. There are more intermissions than there are actual songs? If the first two songs weren't on there I'd have understood, the album is meant to be repetitive boring segways, fair enough. But you can't rope people in with two songs, set out your stall, then mindlessly put us through 10 songs that sound as though you're in the shittest loading game screen ever. Thoughts and prayers to the kids who heard Brimful of Asha and then begged their parents for the CD. Think of the number of birthdays and christmasses ruined.

Aunque no podía entender el idioma, el ritmo si. Si quitas las voces, aun puedes sentir lo que querían hacer, mezclar electro con tonos de la India. Un 3, pero un 3 muy fuerte.

British indie rock and managed to find it enjoyable! Its okay, fun lyrics, funky beats, a littld too wacky here and there for my taste (Butter The Soul) but at least worth a listen.

Look… you can either have Dee-Lite or the “Everyone Needs a Bosom for a Pillow” guys. You can’t have both. And even though I enjoyed this album (and it led me to their album “Woman’s Gotta Have It” which I really enjoyed) I already loved Dee-Lite so this album has to go. Sorry that’s just the law

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'album il est très très particulier mais melange tellement de sonorités intéressantes et d'influences fusionnées, le résultat est très surprenant (c'est quand meme assez particulier de retrouver une forme d'influence reggae sur Norvegian Wood) mais très intéressant. Après le seul soucis est peut être le fait qu'il fasse extrêmement daté pour un album de 97, ça peut éventuellement repousser

what an odd little album...Indian rock/electronic?? (some tracks bordering on trip hop i think but im not expert) Not something i think ill listen to again but I appreciated enough to listen to the whole thing.

Interesting album, didn't really care for it, but it wasn't terrible, mid

not really my thing but a fun funky experience

ok

Oh, it's the "brimful of asha" group, I recognize the name. ... yep

It was weird but not terrible, but also was not that good.

A lot of really missable-but-pleasant-sounding songs, and of course, 'Brimful of Asha' which is a classic. It's a 5/10, and I'll give it the benefit of the doubt by rounding that up to a 3/5.

Despite that famous song it was very uninspiring

Brimful of Asha is an absolute banger 10/10 The rest was a bit dissapointing

Had a few entertaining songs but not my type.

Some great tracks on this album which deserve more recognition than they have been given. Equally there are some tracks which left my ears wondering what the fuck… a nice dusting of Asian influence throughout. Plus the lead single is strong without the chart success remix

Such a strange album. It was like a rollercoaster of me liking and then not liking each song, but not enough to make it a mid-tier album :/

Sounds like some musically-curious kids wrote three mediocre songs and then decided that writing songs was too hard. So, in order to fill out an album, they spent a couple of stoned weeks just fucking around with the studio’s samplers. Meh with a capital E.

Have always dismissed this as I never got the original version of Brimful of Asha. Loved the Norman Cook version though. As is often the case it’s fascinating to hear the track you do know in the context of the rest of the album. And I rather like it. Innovation all over the place and very cool/chill. Will give it a few more plays now. 3

Only about 4 real songs on this. Where they do sing, there are some garbage lyrics. It's too bad because brimful of asha has a nice groove.

This remains a lovely little album.

Very good album. Expected to only enjoy brimful of asha but, some very eclectic songs, great variety of sounds and rhythms mixing electronic, bass and Indian instruments to great effect. 3.5⭐️

'When I Was Born for the 7th Time' by Cornershop is an eclectic mix of sounds and styles, blending elements of traditional Hindi music with turntable-driven hip-hop, electronica, and Britpop. It ended up being better than I expected, though it still comfortably sits in the same late-’90s big-beat lane as Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and similar acts. “A Brimful of Asha” was the only track I was even remotely familiar with here in the U.S., and I wasn’t particularly fond of it at the time. Revisiting it more than two decades later hasn’t changed my opinion much, but the album’s overall variety and experimentation make it an enjoyable listen despite that. But only once.

2 guys in a basement with a Casio keyboard and time to make the blandest music they could think of. Why are the vocals so forward in the mix? I feel like he's right next to my ear singing. It's uncomfortable and off-putting..... like this album.

Some grooves are easier to catch than others, but it's strangely cohesive enough to be worthwhile

This was a little too breezy and sunshiny for me. There wasn't anything musically that intrigued me. The songs were pretty simple, mostly loops with some varied beats. It reminded me of sunshine pop of the late 90's - early 2000's that would be used in the opening scene of a party movie.

fun listen but nothing special also why was there suddenly indian music it’s so ethnic wow i feel like im converting indian tunes meets pop with a drip of techno 6/10

This was one of the most poorly sequenced and inconsistent albums I've heard in this list. There was no rhyme nor reason for the song lengths, some songs were >5mins and far too long for the limited content/repetition, and some were 2 mins and not flushed out. The album had numerous moments where multiple interludes were in a row that only detracted. The most "exciting" descriptions of the band "Indian music" and "danceble-pop" were either rarely used (the former) or totally absent (the latter). Overall this sounds like a bad debut album, but sadly it was their 3rd. The moments of Indian style music were the most interesting though barely present. 1.4/5 -> 1/5.

Creative and surprisingly catchy for an “indie” band.

Indian hip hop is interesting; I prefer those with lyrics, but the instrumentals challenge the classic Indian traditions. Rounding up.

Pretty good, actually. Variety of musical styles and instrumentation. And everyone DOES need a bosom for a pillow.

Listened Before? N I have a soft spot for this album. Brimful of Asha is a super interesting song.. but the rest of it is well done and unlike most other music. Perfect fusion of many different styles. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Brimful of Asha

Temp

ts so fire pero wtf is going on que es esta verga tan árabe JAJAJA no se si me gusta está muy extraño pero pues si está bueno. mk es que tiene unos temas medio mierdas pero unos demasiado chimbas que putas

This was honestly headed to 1 star because back in the day I couldn't stand brimful of asha and everything sounded the same to me. But then side b happened and the album got slightly better. So I guess 2 stars since it got weirder.

Please remove this album from the next iteration of this list.

Although Mr Cook had the hit with Brimful of Asha this is an interesting crossover album

Weird but fun sounds. When I heard sitar I was thinking they might have been influenced by Norwegian wood. Overall just an ok happy album.

This is an odd album where I actually thought the second half was stronger. I actually found that their songs ‘State Troopers’ and ‘Candyman’ to be quite enjoyable. Everything else, not so much

This album was all over the place. So many styles were included, and so many different parts of the world were represented. Brimful of Asha was the only song I knew going in but I was grooving throughout, and I also enjoyed the Norwegian Wood cover. A pleasant surprise.

"Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow." might be my new favorite lyric. Awesome album! I loved the variation in style and sound. Feels like a lot of influence is being blended here.

I saw Cornershop around the time this was released, and they were probably the dullest live band I've ever seen. Maybe they were just having an off-night but I do wonder if that lack of charisma held them back because this is such a fun, genre-hopping album that they deserve to be known as more than one-hit wonders. (The gig didn't put me off though - I also bought and loved the follow-up album, Handcream for a Generation.)

Very groovy, some very silly sounding songs (positive conotation btw) 6.4/10

I liked this album, it's quintessentially 90s in a way I love, how could I not? It's chill, it's cheeky, it's fun, it's earnest and it's stylish too you know.

Is this the most 90s album of all? I think so. It's really uplifting, makes you feel like it's 1997 and Tony Blair's gonna be great and we've ended racism and everything's gonna be OK with no disappointments / war crimes on the horizon. Hot take but I actually like the Brimful of Asha version here more than the Fatboy Slim remix (although the Phoenix Nights version will always be my number one). It's not like, groundbreaking musically, and every now and then we verge a little bit into dreaded electro swing town, and there's quite a bit of filler, but it's got so much charm that I don't really mind.

This is one of my favorite albums to come out of the late 90s. The first 2 songs, "Sleep On The Left Side" and "Brimful Of Asha" are fantastic. There are a couple of instrumental tracks which are good, but other great songs are on here such as "Funky Days Are Back Again" and "Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again." The cover of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" is a great capped to the album.

I didn't know this band. (I had heard Brimful of Asha, music seemed so slight that I was not at all motivated to find out what it was about.) So I read a bit before listening, then found the album more pleasant than I had expected. Some fun glitchy riffs, danceable old school acoustic funk loops, punk style simplicity (reminded me of Happy Mondays), a bit of dub was nice; some of it was just inoffensive background music (ie couldn't hold sustained attention). Feeling generous towards the good vibes, I'll say Good rather than just Okay. My favourite song: Candyman.

This album is kinda like a mix of The Life Aquatic sound track & Sublime lite. I fuck with it.

This album makes me think “what if there was an entire album of frontier psychiatrist, but all of it was bad?” - this was a mediocre collection of noises overall.

What a strange album. The instrumentals were strange, the Beatles cover felt out of place, and the rest felt almost like a British Indian sublime with traditional Indian musical styles sprinkled in. Not bad, but definitely strange.

The most popular song on this album is aggravatingly repetitive and simplistic, which really sets the tone for the remaining songs on this album. The other songs of western cultural alignment are so basic that they offer nothing unique or of interest to the listener, and are essentially the same programmed bass line, drum track, and synthesizer notes repeating ad nauseum to accompany droll vocals that express no range whatsoever. In between actual songs are tracks of sampled noise and talking that offer frequent reminders that I was listening to music, but am now listening to something that is categorically not music. The songs of Indian musical influence are certainly an appropriation of another nation's culture, but the English have built their entire culture on this practice, anyway.

3.2/5 english druggie hippy music but kinda good need more listwn

A mix of indie rock, Indian music, and record scratching electronica that dips into hip-hop. It’s a bit hit or miss. The mix of styles doesn’t always gel, and there were a few songs that just floated by without making an impression. But it was definitely interesting. And there are plenty of enjoyable highlights throughout. Great Beatles cover at the end. I love that it’s sung in Punjabi too. Great choice.

Pretty cool India-inspired sampled pop that sometimes rocks and sometimes hip hops. I liked listening, but for as dynamic as it gets I found myself listening without being too pulled in too often. Could just be that I heard this on a day where I for no good reason wasn't too interested, but it just came and went. Norwegian Wood was a surprise!

kinda expected this to be way more of an electronic album but its p much indie pop with a very very eclectic sense of arrangement, from a band that (at least according to the writeup in my copy of the book) originally played the fall-inspired post punk. actually the whole trajectory described in the writeup is p interesting....the frontman, a british-born sikh, became more and more interested in punjabi and indian music, and while the resulting mix sounds (to my very uneducated ears) more like the deployment of appropriate instruments/timbres/melodic ideas on top of what are ultimately western song structures, its a very smooth and loving mixture all the same. brimful of asha and we're in yr corner are stellar, and the whole album is Maybe a little overlong (tho given 90s cd-itis, the fact it doesnt break an hour is nice) p enjoyable in a Quirky But Sincere sort of way.

Raga’n Roll. Wonderful.

Ой нет это прям плохо

Typical 90s one hit wonder album. 1 decent song I half remember and about 50 minutes of filler and garbage. They did a decent job with the Beatles cover so I give it a 2.

Upon refreshing today I was filled with dread. This week I’ve had two Morrissey albums back to back then this. Enough to sap the soul from even the most ardent fan of British music, which I’m not. Being a teenager in the 90s in the UK wasn’t great musically. The radio played a limited number of songs on what seemed like constant repeat - Brimful of Asha was one of them. I really don’t like the radio edit because I’ve heard it enough for several lifetimes. However, the album version is fa superior. It’s slowed down, which makes it work better. The rest of the album is mixed. I’m familiar with the first song as it’s been used a lot in adverts. There are some good songs on here. However, there are also some conceptual stuff that does work, but also some that doesn’t work. Overall, I can say I’ve come away from this album more positive than I thought I would and it’s a shame that Brimfull of Asha was ultimately their downfall.

Its okay

Cornershop’s When I Was Born For The 7th Time is a beautifully crafted but ultimately mixed bag. On the plus side, the production is stellar—the fusion of traditional Indian instrumentation with indie rock and hip-hop beats is vibrant, crisp, and seamless. However, beneath its eclectic textures, the record frequently feels like just more of the same Britpop. Strip away the multicultural flair, and you are left with the familiar melodic structures and detached attitude that defined the late-'90s UK scene. It’s a great sonic experience, but it doesn't quite reinvent the wheel.

One of the weirdest álbumes I ever heard, there is a lot going on, a lot of experimental music, I did enjoyed that they included some of their cultural sounds, yet I didn’t really enjoyed it

Really interesting album. Literally only knew them from the fatboy slim remix, just assumed they were a bit of a one hit wonder. Had no idea the guy was indian, and all that influence was really cool, plenty of variety aside from that

Kinda feel like brimful of Asha is the only particularly interesting song here, and the fatboy slim version is better 2

This is great. Kind of reminds me of Beck. Indian and hip hop influenced indie rock album. Gotta add this to the collection

Some interesting things going on sonically, but not enough to overcome how irritating the songs are.

Who knows, can't work out if I love or hate this. Some ok tunes but never felt like it was made with any real passion.

I really enjoy the sound of this! I don’t listen to music like this much, but not because I don’t like it, I just don’t really seek it out. Some very unique sound and instrumentals happening on this one that I really like. The fully instrumental tracks are also still really nice to listen to, they feel like they’d be great to have in the background while studying. Favorites: Sleep on the Left Side, Butter the Soul, We’re in Yr Corner, What is Happening?, Good Shits, Candyman

Did nothing for me

I will say I'm definitely the right audience for this because I love pretty much any and all '90s British indie rock/Britpop. Is it something anyone needs to hear before they die? Ehhhhh... not really. Definitely not for a list of 1000 albums. Probably not even for a list of 5000. But I liked it. There's a really cool and confident genre bending thing going on here - there's alt rock, there's some hip-hop and trippy electronic influences, there's some Indian music... kind of reminds me of Beck but less quirky and more serious. I liked it, though it sits at a weird line of doing a very unique take on a type of sound that is very stereotypically British and '90s. I really would've loved to be around for this whole time and sound so I have a soft spot for it. But none of the songs are better than the Fatboy Slim version of Brimful Of Asha which is kind of all they're known for, and for good reason. Filed under "glad I heard it but probably won't ever revisit".

2.5 really.

The first two songs being good can’t make up for the entire rest of the album being terrible

Previously I had only listened to Brimful of Asha, and the remix version at that. I really enjoyed this record a great mix of British and Indian tunes and instruments. I was playful and fun and the version of Norwegian Wood at the end of the record is just brilliant.

The British bias on this list is nutty, how is this an essential listen? The dudes seem chill enough

Kinda rules actually

hmmm didnt love it

Surprise album. Enjoyed it! Sort of the Indian-British DJ Shadow. Would listen again/explore more.

This is the brimful of Asha band? I think I knew the Norman Cook version, which is much boppier and going into my highlights playlist. This album is catchy, and blending indian music with brit rock is at least something different from every others 90s british album on here. I was digging the norwegian wood instrumentation until I went back to the Beatles original and realized they had already used sitar. There's also a lot of filler; this could have used some editing. Highlights: brimful of asha (norman cook version)

2.5 Loved half, hated half.

8/10 Favorites: Sleep on the Left Side Brimful of Asha

got a little out there towards the end, the hit was great, the rest was ok

I enjoyed this album, I think I would have been obsessed with it when I was younger. It did feel a little bloated, still pretty good

Definitely most known for 'Brimful of Asha', which in turn I've mostly heard the Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) version of. So any encounter with the band's original songs is quite far away from me. I found this to be a quite interesting album. 'Brimful of Asha' - while being the most known and best song of the album - is not really representative of the rest of album. There are more sample based songs that live between hiphop, pop, and electronica here. And then you get a lot of indian influences throughout, which you don't expect at first, but which completely makes sense when you find out the band founders are english-indian. Generally it's a bit all over the place. It's hard to wrap your head around what this album is exactly. Which is both exciting and frustrating. There are some interesting songs, like 'Candyman', which sounds to have some kind of sample reminiscent of 'Willie the Pimp' by Frank Zappa. Then you have 'Good to be on the Road Back Home Again' which is a boring version of 'Brimful of Asha', but with much more interesting lyrics, sung from both a man and woman's perspective of a night's out. In the end I don't know how to feel. Was fun to hear, but I wasn't floored with how good it was. Guess that puts it in the middle. While interesting, I also don't feel like it has a place on this list.

Only knowing “Brimful of Asha” (thanks to Fatboy Slim), I expected this album to be quite different from what it actually was. I’m still a bit confused about what it was trying to be. “Brimful of Asha” is a chill pop track, then you get some Indian influences (“We’re in Your Corner”), followed by a lot of trip-hop-sounding beats. I wasn’t really a fan of most of it, except for two tracks. I guess it keeps you guessing what will come next, but nothing really stood out. The best track was, of course, “Brimful of Asha,” though I also enjoyed “We’re in Your Corner.” Strong 2

Sure, why not another 90's British indie pop band? I mean this list surely does not have enough of them, right? OK, but let's put some scratching and Indian-influenced music in there! You surely like that right??!?!?!? Nope. Let's cover The Beatles in Hindi! Wooot! We're so original. Nope. Go away. 1/5 because this album made me angry the whole time I listened to it.

Interesting.

J’ai quand même bien aimé la fusion pop rock avec la musique indienne, sans tombé dans le psychedelique pour autant, mais y’a beaucoup de fillers et la toune de Bosom me tapait sur les nerfs

6/10

I loved the Fatboy Slim/Norman Cook remix of Brimful of Asha, and I was delighted to listen to the Cornershop original. I just added a new band to my best-of-the-90s list. I agree that "When I Was Born For The 7th Time" is one of the greatest British albums, and anyone who wants to listen to exceptional indie rock needs to tune in.

Such a strangely eclectic mix of stuff here. I had high hopes at the beginning with some cool 90s Indie sounds, but by the time the Punjabi synth-pop set in I was ready to move on.

Interesting. Pretty good.

I believe Brimful of Asha's guitar riff sounds similar to that of Proud Mary. My ears could be deceiving me. There are quite a few instrumentals on here, which I did not expect. I had never heard of this group and never heard Brimful of Asha, which I hear was their biggest hit on this album. It is definitely the catchiest song on When I Was Born for the 7th Time. Is this essential listening though? I thought it was when I initially heard the first few songs, because this is an interesting mix of Indian, dance and Brit-pop sounds. After a while, it became slightly less interesting to me and I wondered if there was some fat that could have been cut. I thought the music was good enough but also wondered if perhaps there was so many different sounds here, they just didn't manage to grab me with any of the later songs. I'm probably not cultured enough to like this record and I'm the problem. It is a nice change of pace the "song of India" is being played by individuals with that actual heritage as opposed to acid-tripping hippies who spent two weeks in India and then decided to throw a sitar on a few songs to prove how cultured and brilliant they are. What I do know is if I have to hear this album before I die, then I would hope I am not born for the 7th time, because hearing it once and hearing the rapping (yep, rapping) in the middle of Candyman was sufficient for me. I'm sure this music has a place. The integration of sounds would be more interesting if I felt they did something consistently constructive within that sound. And no, having Allen Ginsberg does not count as something interesting for me. My favorite songs were: Sleep on the Left Side Brimful of Asha Funky Days are Here Again Good to be Home Back on the Road Again

Whew, this was a real tough toss-up between three and four stars. Obviously I know the one big hit off this album, and it was really interesting to hear it in context. Love how unique and weird it all is, but it doesn't quite feel like deep admiration. Really enjoyed listening though.

Multicultural influence, from Beatles to hip hop and Indian music. Lovable repeatable tracks.

The music seemed a little thin to me. I was hoping for something richer.

Brimful of Asha, the standout single here, is still awesome. The rest of this is fun in a way that didn't connect with me. I attribute it to too much sitar, but I think it's deeper than that. I can't put my finger on it quite yet.

Pleasant

funky days indeed - somewhere between a 2.99-3.68

I'm going to give this one 3 stars. Definitely interesting.

No reason for this dogshit to be almost an hour long. Very boring and lame

Only giving it two stars instead of one because of Norwegian Wood

Actually quite a neat album with tuneful melodies and strong rhythms. Wasn’t expecting much but was into it. Discovered some great Indian/Indian-influenced music on the generator. Best song: Good to Be on the Road Back Home

I was a little confused about what this album was trying to be. But it was okay.

Indian rock fusion, some drums, enjoyed this one.

I like the merge of Punjabi sounds with UK 90s guitar and trip hip but there just weren't enough hooks for me.

It's a fine indie rock album. Some of the fusion of genres is cool and Brimful of Asha is going to be stuck in my head the rest of the day. I could've done without all the instrumental tracks those did nothing for me.

6.5 / 10

Really enjoyed most of this album, brimful original version - excellent- couple of other real crackers - nice surprise

So excited for Brimful of Asher, song ended and so did the excitement.

Brimful of Asha - fuck off. Hated it when it came out and turns out I still do.

Felt nostalgic for a few of these tracks, but mostly not that into it and probably wouldn’t give it another spin

God, I hate Brimful of Asha, but I sort of love that it became a huge hit. Still, I wasn't all that excited to hear an album full of that song. What a nice surprise to get an album that feels far more like The Thievery Corporation than schlocky 90s gimmick pop.

I wish I liked this more than I did. I love funk but I don't like lo-fi. Indian influences are cool but I didn't love the execution here.

Well this album was all over the place. I remember when the hit came out and even then I was like... her?

Bit of a nothing burger.

Heard Before: No Fav Tracks: Candyman Listen again: No Not for me. Rating: 1

Mostly boring. Also, not the version of Brimful of Asha I had in mind. During the last few tracks I just waited for the album to end

That's not my taste in music - But ok

Whoa fellas, easy on the sitar! Brimful of Asha is still a fun listen. Nothing else to write home about unfortunately. Overall: 2/10

Well I definitely did not have Brit-Indian Britpop on my bingo card. This album does a lot of things. I think most of them were just fine, it had a few cool moments here and there but idk man.

"I'm sorry to say that this was the first time i've heard this group or album... and all i have to say is... i'm NOW a BIG FAN... this album is FULL OF GOOD SONGS... the kind i wish i had written... it is pop rock... with a bit of Indian and eastern music... and it WORKS... i will now get everything they've ever recorded... FIVE STARS... all day long... xoxo"

Slow groove, should look up their other stuff. A couple of BPM from being a 4

Gear: SIMGOT EA1000 Fermat Artwork: 💾📟👥 Production: 👂🧈🔎 Music: 🇮🇳✖️🇬🇧 Rating: 7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣/5

Shite

For every song I really enjoyed on this album, there would be 2 songs I felt were just meh at best. Had potential, but felt squandered

nao imaginei que musica indiana podia me agradar, gostei muito como album completo

#19 Never heard of this band before, and now I know why 🫢

It was fine. Little TOO all over the place for my taste personally.

Just ok

2.5

6/10 Favourite: Sleep on the Left Side Least Favourite: Good Shit

'No Asian fire will leave us dire / Born again to Asian lion'; 'Worker strikes are back again'; 'I want you each and all to switch your tiny mind on.' Five years the senior of Bend it Like Beckham, Cornershop's third studio album, a more graceful vision of representational art than that classic film, is the best example of Britpop I've heard and it's not particularly close. (Oasis is really something else, so I exclude them.) Peppering the record w/ various fusions, instrumental interludes, and Allen Ginsberg, Cornershop did the impossible before M.I.A. managed it: pen socially-aware bangers that are natural and bighearted. Yes, we have punk and we have hip-hop, but they bum-rush the establishment - this speaks softly and yet I dig their moment.

Not what I was expecting at all. There was a lot to like here. Different but good different.

I liked it better without the skits, but otherwise it's a fun record and not at all what I expected, even if a knew Brimful of Asha from way back when

Me agarró en un día jodido y no pude escucharlo a fondo. Está bien, volado, pero no me llegó igualmente a atrapar. 4/10

3.9

Weird and interesting, but I felt it dragged on a bit besides brimful of asha

This album feels like the musical personification of random = funny. There are some cool psychedelic grooves that almost venture into Trip Hop territory, but they're padded out with a bunch of artsy bullshittery that I feel make the album less cohesive as a whole. The vocals seem uncertain of what they want to be, and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. If it was cleaned up a little bit and had a couple more substantial tracks to replace the filler, the album would be a cool and trippy late-90s gem. As is, I only really got enjoyment out of Brimful of Asha and Good to Be on the Road Back Home, and found myself pretty bored with the rest. The record is certainly unique, but maybe hone it in a little for the sake of listenability?

The major downside of this album was that it was too long, I think to be over 45minutes you need to have a flawless album with no fat, if they had a tight album I would rate this much higher as some of the instrumentals fell a bit flat for me. In saying that the combination of indie with hindi was a really inspired choice. Brimful of Asha is a song that most people know but they do have some other bangers on this album. I will definitely becoming back for certain tracks

Fun enough. ★★★

Just not my taste

Absolute belter

Was not bad to listen to

Indian diaspora brit pop with just a little electronica is perhaps the coolest fusion ever

2 good tracks + filler

What a surprisingly nice album

Listended to the first half, really liking it thus far. Something about the somewhat plain tones mixed with a slight upbeat tonality and hints of the start of electronic sounds creates an intresting and totaly non offensive sound. Might be too plain for some but even if so an amazing pallete cleanser in my mind. Mix of western and non western influences, of old and new. Its a very intresting album with diversity in its songs. Chilled out but still energetic in a way. It has something going for it that i find hard to put to words but i like what it provides.

Not always good, but always interesting. I don't often hear Indian influences in music so this was actually refreshing I don't like when albums have track with just some noise like "when the noise appears boy", but other than that I enjoyed it. Would give it a 3.7/10, but I'll round it up to a 4

Liked Sleep on the Left Side en Brimful of Asha Hoop niet dat de order erg uitmaakt, accidentally listened on shuffle, lol wasnt super into the songs w "voiceovers" / only instrumentals

Starts off really strong and really fun. After the second song they become more and more experimental and after a few songs it starts to lose me, but they do pick it up decently at about halfway through the album. A great album with some banger songs, even though it didn't all work out, I loved what they went for.

This album is nostalgic for me, since I loved “Brimful of Asha” as a middle schooler. I’m surprised to find some depth here. It’s 90s alternative with an Indian world music bend. I can still recite some of the Punjabi lyrics. I should probably give them more credit when it comes to my love of world music. But who knows… chicken or the egg, ya know?

Well, it wasn't horrible and there are a couple of tracks that are actually pretty good, but otherwise it is just about find a chord progression and beat it to death over and over. Quite forgettable overall...

80

Everyone knows ‘Brimful of Asha’ - especially the Norman Cook mix, but it’s all worth a listen. This album has always reminded me of the 60s party albums. So to me this is the BritPop party album - it’s a little disjointed, a little rough, but fun all the way though.

Interesting use of the sitar, weird sound effects, and foreign languages. Slow start, the five songs after Brimful of Asha are skippers. But then it picks up. Good set from Coming Up through Norwegian Wood (which was an odd version that I actually enjoyed .) Will be checking out additional works from Cornershop. (2.96*s) Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow…

Cornershop is not a band I have had much exposure to other than the hit single "Brimful of Asha" on an electronica mix cd I had in my teens. It was a remix version of the track but I did like it and should have delved further into the band considering this album was pretty good. I prefer the songs without the singing however since they get into some fun cutting and mixing. Would like to try some of that Indian Tobacky (my friend) cause it may be a little stronger than what we got stateside. The only track I want cut is the cover of "Norwegian Wood." I get what they are trying to do here but please knock it off. 3.13 stars for expanding on what Harrison and Shankar did by bringing the sitar influence in more music genres.

I didn't recognize Cornershop by name, but realized that I've heard a couple of these songs before. Always been a fan of Brimful of Asha (remix version) and nice to come back to Sleep On The Left Side after so many years. There's some decent diversity throughout the album and Tjinder Singh's vocals do enough to make the whole act somewhat unique. This one was a good revisit of some of the 90's alternate electronica influenced britpop from the time. It's great in small doses but doesn't hold up through the full duration unfortunately. I wish there was a little more meat on the bone because the hits are good and variety with the Eastern influence is enough to keep the album interesting. I'll revisit a couple songs sparingly in the future but probably won't delve much deeper into their discography. Was really excited to see Justin Warfield involved on this and hope we get some more of him on this list. 2.87 stars

Not sure what to think of this to be honest. Did some house chores while listening, was fine.

Really liked this one. Laid-back, psychedelic britpop with ethnic textures on half the tracks, upbeat electronic on the other. Really nice casual listening and some neat artistic choices that make it stand out from a lot of the other albums we get like this.

Meh. Cool vibe, but hard to enjoy the entire album.

Great fusion of musics, generes and parts of the world

Great listen, if overlong. BOA here in the original not the Normal Cook version that everyone knows. Four stars over the first half, three over the second. Great 'taking it back' version of Norwegian Wood to close out. Such a late nineties album (in a good way). 3.5 but the length brings it down to a 3. Second Wolverhampton band on this list after Slade - no Mighty Lemon Drops or Babylon Zoo huh?

I knew brimful, but hadn't heard the rest. Really great beats. This will go into the rotation

At first I thought "OH... the Brimful Of Asha song... Ugggh". But then I started to realize this band is both a product of the mid-late 90's alternative sound I associated with a lot of bands I didn't like at the time, and they were better than I was giving them credit for 3.5 stars

So many different genres come together wonderfully here. It’s so unabashedly 90s and yet has an impressive staying power. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.

First time listening

nice

Really cool to hear a British-Indian album! Only really like the hit single though - loved the meaning behind it. Tracks to Track: Brimful of Asha

Definitely a band I assumed was a one-hit wonder thanks to a Fatboy Slim remix in the 90s when Brimful of Asha came out. Technically that's probably true, as I'm not sure anybody ever heard anything else from these guys, so not sure why this is supposed to be a game changing album. All of that said, it's not a bad listen. There are plenty of spacy psychedelic moments mixed with more 90s rock like elements. And some Indian fusion. It's definitely a different sound. It's not bad, but not sure I'd go back to this. Kind of just a flashback to the 90s that briefly made me remember the one Fatboy slim mix. 3/5

Perhaps a bit too long for what it offers. This album excels with its funky mixing and steady bass drum rhythms. The Indian instrumentation is a lovely element.

Not bad but not my thing

It makes me yearn for a 90s childhood I never had

Who knew an Indian-British Rock-Pop-Hip-Hop album could work so well? It overstays its welcome, but I was pleasantly surprised. Favorite Track: "Butter The Soul".

This album is something else. What an incredible fusion of styles. I'll admit, I never heard anything from this band other than Brimful of Asha. I was definitely doing myself a disservice. This whole album is worth a listen - especially the expanded edition.

Boring, sounds like music for a toy commercial, sparse moments of cool instrumentation however

Cute fun good time. Not particularly noteworthy I thought.

I was just thinking about "Brimful of Asha" the other day and how I hadn't heard it in years. It's still a good song! I had never heard the rest of the album until today, and it's actually pretty good. The use of the sitar and the south asian drums are put in tastefully. There's even a little Beatles cover at the end (because of course...English band has to cover them during this time period or they were permanently jailed in the tower of London) I like the unashamed Indian cultural references with both the lyrics and the sound. It's easy to listen to and doesn't get in the way. Most of the songs have maybe 3 chords in them, but they're nice enough. Not bad, better than I expected from what I previously assumed was a one hit wonder.

The first two songs were nice, but after that it lost me. I prefer the Fatboy Slim version of "Brimful Of Asha". The album version is good but it feels like its missing something. I feel like I could grow to like this more since it reminds me a lot of Primal Scream which is a band that I've really grown to love but we'll see. Favorite track: Sleep on the Left Side