Sunshine Hit Me

I expected nothing. I got a sun-drenched palette of lazy days lounging by a pool with a margarita and a good book. Refreshing. Possibly not life-changing but the best vacations usually aren’t.

Hey buddy, you could have just releases "200 albums you must hear before you die" if you knew you were incapable of finding more essential albums than that.

Sweet little record, too gentle for this world, baffling to see on this list though.

Remember The Bees? No, of course you don’t. They were a flash in the pan and unless you were reading Mojo or Uncut in 2002, you’d have no fucking clue who they are. It’s cool they covered Os Mutantes, that’s about it.

Have you ever seen those shows where Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver or whoever go to some distant country and try all the food, then cook their own version and claim it's better - basically because it was done by brits? This album is the musical version - a bunch of technically proficient facsimiles of styles and genres that these chumps presumably love, but can't stop themselves from trying to "improve". They presumably hope this makes them seem cultured and worldly, but to me it just reeks of entitlement and privilege. Not the worst album, but one of the most irritating. Car adverts have a lot to answer for - why didn't they use the original Brazilian song? (read the wiki!) These lot would have been better setting up a label or becoming radio presenters, if they actually wanted to promote and celebrate the music they are instead ripping off. Good luck to them i guess, but very much not for me.

Album art suggests hipster garbage. It has fuck all plays on Spotify; unless it was only added yesterday, there's no way it's important or influential in any way whatsoever. It has to be from the UK - nothing so unknown would ever make this list from any other country - but a wrestler on the cover? That's not so British. Maybe that's the gag and it's just the ultimate UK hipster statement? Yep, UK and wussy annoying hipster pop. I could FEEL the cynicism coming through the speakers. It felt like it wanted to be clever, but it was just painful. I outright hated it. Music hard to describe, like an art school kid with no talent trying to do things like reggae and jazz? Singing was horrendous. Absolutely no reason for this to exist. 1/5.

Every good band begins with a B. The Beatles. The Beach Boys. The beastie boys. The Bees also begins with a B but don’t let that fool you

Fantastic songwriting and arranging. Would’ve given an extra star if the album had the production quality and musicianship it deserved.

Thank you 1001 for introducing me to do many new albums. Except for all the crap ones like the one after this.... Music is meant to be fun. To press a musical pleasure button. Bring about a wanted emotion or distract from an unwanted one. This one is a very, very out there version that. This is at the DEADPOOL end of the spectrum. Soothing quirky irony is track one. I gird myself for the 2nd. Oooh, funky. I like the kettle. Oh shit I might be hooked on a new album. And wildly new genre that feels created all for me. I'm in a good mood with this. Immediately added this to my "grooving mornings" playlist.

Short and sweet, interesting arrangements. Got a little tired of it towards the end, but happy I listened to this cause I ain't heard of em before. Light 3.5 Fav track: sunshine

This is absolutely my favorite McCartney album of the 21st century.

After 20+ albums into this journey this is the first album and artist that is completely new to me. Eclectic, easy listening, and fun. It's a list of 1,001 albums to listen to, not 1,001 groundbreaking, genre-defining, launched-a-thousand-band albums. Thanks for the introduction. I needed something new and enjoyable today.

completely unassuming and instantly forgettable.

I like it. It’s a little weird, a little silly, and an eclectic mishmash of styles. I also like the album cover. It made me want to listen to more of their music—which is a compliment to the album as it is. I’ve started listening to their second album and I think it’s clearly superior—I’m finding that the 1001 Albums seem to overvalue debuts. I must also admit that I’m surprised that this album made the cut and I’d be curious to know the reasoning. In any case, this is a solid album that was fun and surprising and left me wanting more. That earns a solid 4 stars.

Chill vibe. Enjoyable, though actually disliked the Minha Menina one that was so popular

Smooooooooooooooooth… garden shed energy.

Very chill but also lacked some identity. Some reggae influences in "No Trohpy". "Punchbag" felt like some 2010s hipster music a la Vampire Weekend. It is a bit all over the place which makes it hard to judge. Mostly it was just very chill. The more rock-oriented "A Minha Menina" is actually quite catchy and the only song that really stood out to me. As an album to have on in the background on a chill day I think it works quite well. I have hard time giving it more praise than that. Weak 3.

They didn't invent the wheel with this one, but it was pretty nice to listen to

Entirely underwhelming. No envelopes pushed, no emotions triggered, absolutely zero excitement, other than the oddly terrifying cover art. One exception was "Lying in the Snow" which was decent.

Our second noughties latte-lounge album of the week, a reggae-fan’s one this time, playing in the corner, staring at its feet; go get me an espresso, and grab yourself a 2 while you're at it! I imagine this is the LP that the “pretty annoying” guy in Limmy’s sketch would have on vinyl. This record has some sharp glints, Sunshine followed by A Minha Menina making my ears wiggle before the dozy vibes returned and did their somnolent magic. The instrument sounds are frequently divine. Yet most of it doesn’t so much waste my time as evade it.

Drifted past aimlessly, the only moment of note being a half-arsed version of A Minha Menina. Hopefully "Os Mutantes" appears later on; The Bees certainly do not deserve distinction being on here instead. 1* for wasting my time

Such a great album, gives me warm fuzzies....

Great

ja top, zou t zelf ook wel willen spelen

Didn't know the album besides their most famous song. Quite a surprise

I wish I had discovered this album back in the early 2000s, because I would have absolutely loved it, since this was exactly the kind of style I was seeking out at the time. It’s a really well-balanced mix of indie pop and neo-psychedelia, with clear influences from the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and even a cover of Os Mutantes. There were also moments that reminded me a lot of Moon Safari by Air, or the kind of sounds being released by Ninja Tune Records around that era. It’s laid-back, breezy, and definitely a gem I’m glad to have finally come across.

Genre bending and eclectic while also being tuneful and approachable. This is the reason you do this list, for when you find an album you’ve never heard of that blows you away

Love this one and I’m gonna save it. Good sounds all around and I think Collin would like it too! Would listen again

This album is so great. My only exposure to The Bees before this was Chicken Payback so this was an absolute treat. Also wen A Minha Menina is such a great track I can see why it's been used in advertising. I'll definitely be digging in.

A personal favorite - loved it at the time and love it still. Saw The Bees at a tiny music festival not too long after this came out and it was a perfectly halcyon moment. This is just lovely summery vibes in album form. Pretty gutting to see all the negative reviews - a real "look how they massacred my boy" moment. I guess it's understandable, and entirely Dimery's fault for giving his list such a ridiculous title but not really making any attempt to live up to it. "The top 1001 albums of a British Boomer" probably wouldn't sell as well, heh. Fave tracks - "Punchbag", "No Trophy", "A Minha Menina", "Zia"

New to me, and...excellent. I guess this is easy listening? Works!

This website every now and again gives some absolute gems and this is for sure one of them. Not sure how to word it, or put it into a genre. I just know I like it, and that imma listen to it again

Amazingly colourful, a tour through different genres. No satire like Ween. All glorious songs that never were topped by anything afterwards

I was about to shit on this because “yet another UK album that is by no means influential,” but I actually really enjoyed this. Good vibes all around. The back half is stuff I love working to, and I mean that in a good way. I enjoyed all the different genres blending in. Highlights: punchbag, a minha menina, sunshine, Zia

“oh this is just gonna be one of those albums that i’ll listen to once and never think about again” *listens to it* “what the fuck

sunshine hit me as well

What a unique genre bending experience. Starts out funk, melts into reggae, slows down to mellow indie all while keeping a thematic sound that is complete throughout. Feel like this one will need a couple relistens to fully appreciate it. 9/10

Very chill album

5/5 Low-key, chill, funky tunes, with surreal, simple vocals. I love it. The whole experience is fantastic, creating a unique sound of pop whilst retaining a sense of weirdness about it almost like a slower, more laid-back SMiLE. Angryman in particular is a special kind of song that is full of soul, and Sweet Like a Champion is such a sinisterly beautiful track. The A Minha Menina cover deserves a shoutout too for its great take on a classic, and a timeless feel. Punchbag 4.5/5 (LEAST FAV) Angryman 5/5 (FAV) No Trophy 5/5 Binnel Bay 5/5 Sunshine 5/5 A Minha Menina 5/5 This Town 5/5 Sweet Like a Champion 5/5 Lying in the Snow 5/5 Zia 5/5 Sky Holds the Sun 5/5

A sweet sweet combination of lofi indie, modern psych rock, and classic funk.

Never heard of this band but I loved this style, awesome debut and feels ahead of it's time for 2002.

Good!

Dreamy, soft, and fun. "Hard to be in a bad mood if this is on" type of shit.

I couldn't decide if I liked this album as a four or a five, but the fact that I have listened to it three times already, I think means that I have to give it a five. I love the unique Lofi sound. Angry man was probably my favorite track.

Very nice. Pleasantly relaxing.

super band, would have like more records from them as i proper rinsed this one in the early zeroes

whopper

mint

Rounding up for nostalgia, I still love this

These guys are great and I don't just say that because I keep bees.

nice rustig!

hasta el momento uno de los mejores discos que he escuchado, con una variedad de ritmos que transportan en viajes en el tiempo.

Sehr geiles souliges Album. Klingt sehr gut im 3. Zimmer.

what a wonderful album, endlessly original and full of diversity I loved this so much, I gave it a relisten two more times after it ended- 10/10

Fun, funky, smooth, pretty, jut a great time

Mellow. Lo-fi. Spans many decades.

Great album. Chill consistent indie rock. Interesting and enjoyable.

Chill ass album. This reminded me of Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy to Call Me If You Get Lost run, laid back and summery, big focus on production over vocals.

Good

Fun, sunny and chill indie pop from 2002. I caught on to the accents quite quick but didn't initially expect this to be a British band - It has a very west-coast US feel to it in my opinion. Certainly doesn't suit the shitty weather the UK has once again blessed us with on this cold November morning but I needed something like this to raise my spirits. I loved this album a lot, it may not be the most exciting but I just appreciated getting to vibe with it. Another great introduction to something right up my alley! Also I went and listened to the original Os Mutantes version of A Minha Menina after this. I can't decide which one I prefer more, but The Bees certainly did it justice in their cover. Either way, Jorge Ben wrote it so of course it was good. Favourite: A Minha Menina

Really enjoyed this listening experience. A good flow to the album, with instrumental tracks between the main tracks.

This FUCKED

Not my type of music going into it but man was I pleasantly surprised. A minha menina is great, I had to listen to that one twice, it was so good. The album is really great. I'm probably going to have to get more restrictive with the 5 star ratings pretty soon. It's been like 3 in a row. Well, anyway. Albums dope, will definitely put it on again as background while studying or working.

Super eclectic and a super enjoyable listen

Oooh one I've never heard a whiff of. And such neat album artwork. Let's get into it. First listen: -Liking the ethereal chimes to get us started, into a sorta jazzy vibe. -Ahhh all my notes are gone. Oh well no one reads these anyway. -I liked the one with the reggae-ish beat, whose name was noted in the lost version of this review. -A Minha Menina was a highlight, but it turns out it's a cover. Still fun! -Sweet like a champion has a nice dark vibe. -Some of these songs feel, ah, a little elevator music-y. The incorporation of jazz is fun, but occasionally done poorly it has that effect -Really goes out with a whimper. Last three songs do nothing for me. Review: On a first listen I thought this might even be a 5-star album. But no. Lots of fun stuff here, but it's too uneven. Lying in the snow is a good illustration of how boring lots of these tunes are. I think the album bats like 500, but I really like its highs. We'll give it 4, rounding from 3.5 because my first listen was so much fun.

Did this inspire the "lo-fi chill beats" sound that we've been inundated with for the past decade? It certainly sounds like it did. And for that, I can't fault this album.

Bockt 4/5

"Sunshine Hit Me" is the debut album by Isle of Wight band The Bees. Indie rock is the lone Wiki-listed genre. Geez, lack of effort there. At the time of the recording, the band consisted of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher who both played multiple instruments, were the vocalists and produced and recorded the album in a home studio in Butler's parents' garden. The album was nominated for the 2002 UK Mercury Prize. Spiraling keyboards open the album in the song "Punchbag." Horns and an organ give this a soulful vibe. Very Flaming Lips-esque at the same time. "You use me like a punch bag." "Angryman" starts out with percussion, drums and bass. A funky wah-wah guitar and we've got cod reggae. Horns, falsetto vocals and a nice groove. "An angry man needs attention." The reggae beat and factor is kicked up even more in their first single "No Trophy." Very chill. Horns again. There are 50's/60's-sounding backing vocals which are used very effectively throughout this album. For their third and final single, the band cover Os Mutanes' "A Minha Menina." Acoustic guitar, tambourines and a fuzz guitar carrying the riff. A nice cover, especially the doo-wop backing vocals. They really slow it down in "Lying in the Snow." Piano keys, drums, electric guitar and more harmonies. An underlying synth melody creates a melancholic atmosphere in this beautiful ballad. I guess this was my of 2002 UK Mercury Prize nominees-that-didn't-win week (the other one was the Doves' "The Last Broadcast") and both albums are quite good. This album successfully covers and fuses a lot of styles: soul, reggae, chill, jazz, doo-wop, 60's-sounding backing vocals and ballads. The production and mix use multiple instruments as the lead. There's also creative layering of synthesizers, piano and organ. I did not find a song I didn't like to some extent. A solid recommendation.

Good, very chilled vibes I think would make good background music

Houmous and Chutney, also a two piece were never arrogant enough to call themselves a band! Unlike these hooligans! 4.2 6/11 A Minha Menina

I like how sparkly and dreamy and summery this feels, the title definitely lives up to the name. Feels like it has quite a lot of jazz fusion and prog rock inspirations to me, and also some soul stuff maybe, which I love. The keyboard stuff, organs rhodes and synth stuff is really good, I sort of miss this era of 'indie' rock where people were experimenting in quite a specific ways, stuff like the Flaming lips, obviously people are still pushing the boundaries, but not in the same ways. Layered vocals are good as well. Not too many downsides, some of the vocal bits take away sometimes, I really like quite a lot of these purely as instrumentals, and I think that sometimes the vocals take away a bit. Also respect for representing the Isle of Wight, can't think of another band from there. Favourite songs: punchbag, angryman, sunshine, sweet like a champion, zia, sky holds the sun. Overall around 7/10

Ai että miten rento levy. Tosi letkeää indie rockia mikä hakee kyllä vaikutteita joka suunnasta. Osittain myös melankolisen tunnelmallista. Eli hyvin monipuolista siis. Parhaat: Sunshine, Lying In The Snow, Angryman, Sky Holds the Sun

Schwer einzuordnen, aber gefälliges easy listening

3.8 Quite enjoyed that. Reminded a bit of the beta band, but with less of an experimental focus and more of a genre shifting focus. The genre shifting inevitably meant there were a few weak ones in there, but I saved around 5 down and all 5 were pretty solid. Not bad for a third listen through.

Very comfy and a bit sad. The vocals are a high point.

Totally poptastic

Impressive (both musically and quality wise) that 2 people managed to record this in a garage.

Just a good bit of light fun

Beatleseque

Really enjoyed it! Definitely reminded me of the Beatles, but in much better way than that other album

This was really a pleasant surprise. They have a sort of lounge-y, retro pop vibe. It’s perfect for relaxing mornings with a book and coffee.

Pretty good, like all the experimental sounds. A little slow for me.

I think this is what 1001 albums is about - finding unique music that I had never heard before. I mean, it's great when I hear me some Led Zeppelin or something like that, but finding new music - yes please.

- fin, sommerlig sound - imponerende bra med under 100k monthly listens - elsker coveret

It's funky and different. Clearly some English colonialism playing a role in this album, snatching different ideas and genres from other cultures and putting a British spin on it. It doesn't work for all of it, but some of these songs are actually really quite good. The songs that work well are really freaking good. I don't normally do this with albums that I listen to from here, but I've added a couple of songs to my own personal playlists. The songs that don't really work well, though just kind of fall flat. It makes the album as a whole really hit or miss depending on the track. "Sky Holds the Sun" joined my playlist of favorite songs, though. So, while the whole album isn't special, there are definitely special moments within that make it worthwhile to listen to. Favorite Song(s): Punchbag, Sunshine, Sky Holds the Sun

This strikes me as a couple of dudes just kinda messing around, doing weird stuff and experimenting with their sound. Maybe that's the lo-fi talking. I dig it a lot. Is it a must listen, maybe not, but am I glad I listened to it definitely yes. I'll put this on again

Album for a chill lofi Sunday

3.8 2x not what i was expecting but i enjoyed the instrumental only style

Well colour me surprised! An unknown (to me) British album that’s actually good and not just shitty indie rock. These folks are actually creative!

This was solid. Felt more like a collection of songs and styles than an album. It was driving me crazy where I’d heard A Minha Menina before and turns out it was the Os Mutantes album. I liked the reggae sounding stuff on here.

I had never heard this one and I really liked it. It reminded me of the beta band.

really chill sunny album which came unexpected. Wasnt expecting anything crazy so i can say i liked it. Will get few spins on some sunny afternoons this year. (3.5/5.0)

This was pleasant without being boring. I sometimes find music that's described as "calming" to be grating because there's not much going on, so this I kind of had enough happening to actually feel kind of relaxed and vibey.

A pleasant urpeise! never heard of them, no knowing what to expect m and this really hot the spot today. Nice, mellow, cool songs... slow and steady, like lying on a raft on a meandering stream. Give it a listen. Im adding to my Apple music of what it's worth. Also, my 500th, which means nothing really... soon I head to the second half

Never stumbled on this band before. Must say they sound more modern than 2001, impressive. A bit quirky sounding at times as well, like 'No Trophy'. Much electric piano in this one, nice. Their supposed most popular song, 'A Minha Menina', was the one that stood out the most on the album, and was also my least favourite song of the album. Instead I found that they shone in the more downtempo songs, like in 'Sunshine', 'Lying in the Snow', and 'Sky Holds The Sun', for example. So the latter half of the album definitely catered better to my taste than the first half. Think this will have to be a weak 4. Not the best, but enough here to carry home for me to warrant an above average rating.

aurinko paistaa silimään niin miten ei voisi hymyillä saatana KAUNIS p-ivä KAUNIS.. töllöttää vaan aurinkoa tuijottaa vaan.. suu auki silmät palaa vaa.. kyllä ilahduttavaa toki siis yö nyt..heh dark knight.. Kuuma ilma roikkuu kuin kuollut mies Valkoisesta tammesta Ihmiset istuvat kuistilla Mieti miten asiat ennen olivat Pimeä yö Pimeä yö.. ehkä tämä albumi ainakin loppuosa sopii myös tämmöesen aikaan päivästä.. btw 2001 eikä 2002 , rotten 02 generation.. ei ole tämä semmoista virheellinen klassifikaatio ja muuten reippaastikkin.. sweet like a champion

This album surprised me. I had never heard of The Bees until now, nor did I recognize any of the songs on this album. I liked melodies, and I thought the addition of a horn section worked.

I had never heard of this artist and was pleasantly surprised. It's moody, but isn't depressing or sorrowful... it's emotive. The songwriting and composing is creative. I liked it and am curious to learn more about the band.

This was unexpectedly good. A lot of replay value throughout the record. Will most certainly be coming back to it. Has a good early morning vibe.

i thought this was lovely