Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Interessant punkgroepje altijd. Direct herkenbaar aan het vrouw-man duo achter de microfoon, en echt een vreemde eend in de bijt als je het vergelijkt met andere punk-bands uit de omgeving van LA begin jaren 80. En dan doel ik vooral op dat ze veel meer inspiratie lijken te halen uit 50s rock & roll, met hier en daar zelfs een vleugje country, terwijl veel andere West Coast bands de agressieve afslag naar hardcore namen. In het geval van 'Wild Gift' levert dat een aandoenlijk en vermakelijk album op, met een uitstekende chemie tussen leadzanger en zangeres. Maar lijdt het ook wel een beetje onder het tekort aan de fellere punkenergie waar ik zo op kick bij tijdsgenoten, en vervelen de wat meer klassieke rock & roll tonen een beetje. 'White Girl', wat ook al meer de link tussen punk en indie rock lijkt te leggen, is wel een fijne ontdekking. 6/10 Highlights: White Girl
Wat een vette plaat is dit. Met het verschijnen in 1981 eigenlijk te laat om nog punk te zijn. Gelukkig verwerkt X er ook andere genres doorheen en is het meer sophisticated. Dat maakt het een interessante plaat om vaker te luisteren. Er zitten leuke melodielijnen in (zoals in White Girl en Beyond and Back) die duidelijk uit andere genres komen maar erg goed samen gaan met de stijl van X. Misschien slaat het nergens op maar ergens dacht ik: X klinkt een beetje als Fleetwood Mac die een Punk-album maakt. Het is een beetje gestoeld op de 60's bluesrock en de stem van de zangeres heeft wel wat weg van Stevie Nicks. 7,5/10 Highlights The Once over Twice White Girl Beyond and Back
California punk is fun. It is bright, upbeat, and feels like you are sitting on a beach watching surfers. It hits you the same way the sun does first thing in the morning, full of life and ready for the day. The vocals are shrill and high pitched but it matches the rest of the vibe. The guitars are on the back pickup with the tone knob turned all the way up, ready to make you feel alive after a dark winter.
Great punk vibes
I don't think I'm familiar with this artist at all. This sounds like the more punky cousins of Talking Heads. This is pretty solid and really neat. I'll be adding this to my list of albums to listen to again.
Wikipedia writes: "Wild Gift showcases the band's unique punk rock style, which infuses roots rock, country, blues, R&B, and rockabilly." Which translates to: It's a huge pile of crap. On top of that, it also sounds like crap. For an album desperately trying to be "punk", the complete lack of punch and abrasiveness is DISGUSTING. Seriously, the drums sound like someone is beating on cardboard ... with chopsticks.
I really can't see the exceptionality of this album. Very standard post-punk power pop.
A fine punk album, but not really much more. It is a pretty pleasant listen, but it lacks the highlights to really earn the higher marks. 3/5
⭐⭐ Ganska polerad punk som låter modernare än 1981. Initialt så har jag höga förhoppningar då det känns melodiöst och som jag uppfattar det skickligare musiker än många andra punkband. Men... det är för monotont och inga låtar som sticker ut. Dessutom blir jag rätt trött på Exene Cervenkas monotona gälla röst. Det är inte hemskt men jag kommer inte lyssna på det igen så det blir en 2a. Bäst är Adult Books.
Punk, entretenido, pero no tan memorable
Was pretty good fun
How have I never heard of this band before? A fun collection of songs that successfully blend different genres and styles into a raw punk template. More like this please.
They are not Blondie.
It doesn’t need to make your ears bleed to be pink. Love these guys and this record — every track has a moment that reminds you that rock and roll was alive and well in 1981 and also today. I think maybe my favorite thing about it is how it’s a love record without exactly being a record about love. By the end you feel like you were in a relationship in a dream and you only remember the afterglow. Just so happy I got this one today and that I get to listen to it for many more years
There are so many similar sounding punk albums from the 70s and 80s they can’t ALL be innovative. This one has little in the way of memorable or redeeming features.
White Girl is a great song and I enjoyed the album it was a fun listen. Wouldn't say I'd listen to it again, but I can see its influence on later bands. Some songs remind me of The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. 3 stars. Not bad, but not one I'll listen to again.
Good punk
Decent 80s new wave punk. Liked the dual vocals.
Surprised but not displeased to see this one over Los Angeles and More Fun in the New World. Love me some X.
Liked what i heard.
Preferred them before Elon Musk joined and they were known as Twitter.
A fantastic discovery thanks to this list. Will stick it on today a few times to get through this miserabele day.
Sorry, but her voice felt like finger nails down a chalkboard. At its worst when trying to harmonise with his vocal. That spoilt by everything else about it.
One of the best Punk albums ever made? Not in my book.
2 3조아
That was a weird ride. So many different influences and sounds. At times I could hear rock, punk, rockabilly, country even a bit of soul. It wasn't really my cup of tea at all though. Thankfully it was quite a short album in terms of running time.
Top Textzeile: I play too hard when I ought to go to sleep Well, they pick on me 'cause I really got the beat Some people give me the creeps Das holt mich so hart gut ab. 15 Songs, 32 Minuten. Alles ähnlich, aber weil so kurz trotzdem immer etwas Neu. Textlich vielleicht nicht der Punk den die Welt gebraucht hätte und etwas zu privatistisch und lovelastig, aber das ist nur das Haar in der ansonsten ganz hervorragenden musikalischen Punksuppe, das kommt definitiv in meine Rotation. Große Entdeckung.
Das zweitbeste Album der fünftbesten first wave Punkbands ist genau das Problem dieses Formats. Weiß ich sicher dass Los Angeles auch noch kommt? Nein. Bewerte ich daher zur Sicherheit positiver, weil ich die Band cool finde, oder negativer, weil mir das Album weniger gut gefällt als das Debüt? 3.5 wird zu
Da wird mir sehr viel gebabied und das holt mich alles nicht ab.
Another forgotten punk band. When half the introduction to the wiki article is about a small sample used by a bigger band you have to wonder. And when I listened there’s nothing to be excited about. Blah
sounds like a precursor to alternative 80s, 90s grunge. I reckon it'd be a great nostalgia album for people who were teens at the time. never heard of them. And there's nothing familiar or unique either about this to my ears, I may be missing something because there's a Wikipedia article saying they're an important punk band. But important to whom you may ask? They top 500 albums on Rolling Stone magazine. So I repeat. this album is important to whom?
B grade rubbish. Don't waste your time.
I was chatting with my mate David (hi Dave!) the other day, reminiscing about what it was like to be a teenage music fan in Australia in the 1980s. You would read about influential or important bands in magazines or books but it could sometimes be impossible to track down their music. It might be long out of print or never released in this country and certainly not played on the radio. {American} X were one of those bands I read about -- important on the LA punk scene, groundbreaking mix of punk, country, rockabilly, etc etc -- but whose music I could not find. I started working in an alternative record store in the late 80s, we carried new, alternative, imported and second-hand records, but you rarely saw X albums. Most commonly you saw Ain't Love Grand (which I suspect had a brief local release) and occasionally Los Angeles, but I have never seen a single copy of Wild Gift in Australia in my 40+ years of record collecting. So, now I have heard it. And it's OK, you know, but nothing to write home about.
Wild Gift erschien 1981 als zweites Album der US-amerikanischen Punkband X aus Los Angeles. Die Aufnahmen entstanden im März 1981 bei Clover Recorders in Hollywood, produziert von Ray Manzarek. Die Band verbindet hier den rauen Charakter der frühen L.A.-Punkszene mit klarer strukturierten Songs und markanten Gesangsduetten von Exene Cervenka und John Doe. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen Punk Rock, Rockabilly-Einflüssen und knapp gehaltenem Gitarrenrock. Stücke wie „White Girl“, „We’re Desperate“, „In This House That I Call Home“, „Beyond and Back“ oder „Adult Books“ zeigen die Mischung aus kurzen, energischen Nummern und leicht melodischeren Momenten. Die Texte wirken direkt und städtisch geprägt, während Billy Zooms Gitarrenspiel dem Sound eine präzise, teilweise fast rockabillyhafte Note gibt. Wild Gift wirkt kompakt und konzentriert. Für mich gehört es zu den überzeugendsten Dokumenten des frühen amerikanischen Punk, weil Energie und Songstruktur hier in einem guten Gleichgewicht stehen.
repulsive but short
Ramones and Talking Heads moments. A fun pop punk album.
Way more fun than expected!
I really enjoy the Americana punk that is X. This is a really enjoyable album, but it’s also a rich one. The lyrics can go deep: “Universal Corner,” for example, has biblical allusions and isn’t at all straightforward except in its emotion. This album gets better on each listen. I first heard of X as a teenager seeing the movie”The Decline of Western Civilization” in an art theater. Cool memory.
This isn't just a great, early 80's punk album. It has surprising vibes of psychedelic rock and early 50s era rock and roll. They actually take a few shots at Elvis (in a good way), which is quite refreshing. "We're Desperate" is a solid standout track that holds up brilliantly. I'll take one more album!
First encounter with this. It's not bad. It's not particularly great either.
3.5 stars. Goofy punk rock with a country/twangy twist that really works. Singers voices are a much smoother listening experience than typically found in the punk rock genre. Wish it was longer (33 min runtime). Standouts are "White Girl", "When Our Love Passed out on the Couch".
It came, it went and it sounded nice
Punk rock and poetry. Most punk I've experienced is really lacking on the lyricism. Not this album. Although, in classic punk rock style, its often a challenge to actually hear the lyrics.
I just didn’t enjoy this sadly. The vocal style just wasn’t for me and I sadly found some of this just somewhat bland. There were a couple of interesting tracks but overall, just not for me.
I actually liked this! It was punk without being too sloppy! It was a good listen, but my one criticism is that I found the songs kind of rolled into each other without much distinction between them.
Wild
Decent late punk. I thought the first half was stronger.
Liked this one. Had the major characteristics of a punk album -- short (13 songs in 32 minutes), fast and simple with some snarling vocals. However it lacked the punk ethos: anger, a political pov, social issues, etc.. The Clash are the gold standard of the genre and it isn't close to that, but still not bad.
Fine punk. Not for me. I like that it had multiple singers though.
This record was very hit-or-miss. There are a couple of tracks where I thought the lyrics were written by a 4-year-old. A couple of the tracks were pretty good instrumentally. Favourite Track(s): We're Desperate, Universal Corner Least Favourite Track(s) Adult Books, The Once Over Twice
Great 80's rock. Real nice vibe and up beat music.
4/5 Solid album. This is the type of 80's stuff that I really enjoy. It's both upbeat and fun, and it feels like a hidden gem.
I will always love fusion rock bands fronted by women!!!! This album was so fun to listen to, ‘Universal Corner”, ‘I’m coming Over’ and ‘Back 2 Base’ For ‘Beyond and Back’ the opening lines were quite interesting “I'll go somewhere else, I'll move to the couch, It's darker in the dark, it's darker in the day, I forgot you were a liar” The folksy and alt rock tone and vocals from Doe and Cervenka were sublime!! 3.5/5- Another great rock album -GEMV (26-7.02.2026)
Wow, très correct, yééé🎉
I had heard of X, but somehow never listened to any. Really really liking this album - every song appeals to me on first listen or is at least very interesting: good riffs, structures, variety; very good singing (great tone/energy), lyrics not offputting! Mildly wondering how to describe it: definitely some punk vibe "but the guitarist can play" (and energy without aggression); I can hear a little rockabilly, but not too much; a bit reminiscent of no wave. "Punk rock" always seemed like a label used by people who weren't into it, but I get that it may be the best label here. It's Pretty Wonderful, 9/10.
3/10
I don't think this showcases X's talents nearly as much as Los Angeles does, but this is definitely still an enjoyable listen. I'd love to see the justification as to why this was selected over LA - it's certainly the inferior album and way way way lighter in tone and subject matter.
Someone put too much rockabilly in my punk now I want to return it to the kitchen. It's fine, not as good as their debut or See How We Are. Despite its short length, it's too repetive for me. The closing track was really good which was a nice bonus and I didn't hate any song in particular but I won't be listening to this again. Highlights: Year 1
Did not know what to expect aside from knowing they are a punk band. I was pleasantly surprised! Lots of different influences made this a varied album.
Ok but quite dated
Great find!
This was fine as an early pop-punk album, but I’m not a fan of the country influenced songs. I can recognize why people would be fans, but it’s not for me.
Heard Before? Yup, but I remembered it all wrong. Notes: - two of the cheat codes to convince me a good band is actually great are multiple vocalists and 2 minute songs. this has both. - clever lyrics rescue the sometimes overly-simple songs. - so many fun basslines. - raw, bare-bones production keeps everything up front and exciting, but also casts a pall of sameness. Verdict: Too much of the time, "punk" still means "knucklehead hardcore" or "pop rock posers". X is here to remind us that punk has many ways and means. Listen Again? Right now? Yes! Later? Probably!
A catchy punk bass party - '90s alt vocals, 10 years ahead of time!
Solid punk album
Лос-анджелесский панк-альбом, который звучит как ссора влюблённых в три часа ночи — громко, честно и с кровью. X к 1981-му уже знали, что делают. Exene Cervenka и Джон Дос — пара в жизни и на сцене — пишут тексты вдвоём, и это слышно: в песнях есть та интимная жестокость, которая бывает только между людьми, которые друг друга слишком хорошо знают. Билли Брэгг называл этот альбом лучшим американским панк-альбомом вообще. Rolling Stone включил в список величайших. Но главное — он не устарел ни на секунду, потому что сделан не на трендах, а на нервах. Продюсер Рэй Манзарек из The Doors добавил клавиши туда, где их никто не ждал — и это не смягчило звук, а сделало его ещё более угрожающим. Ритм-секция молотит как отбойный молоток, гитары режут, а два голоса — намеренно диссонирующие — создают ощущение, что ты подслушиваешь чужой скандал.
I think this is cool due the obvious variety of influences it has and how it clearly inspired bands like sonic youth, but I just found it a bit bland and not very fun to listen to, most likely because of the rockabilly touch.
When I first started listening, I wasn't feeling it, but the further I got into the album, the more I enjoyed it. It's nice to hear a female lead singer on this list, even if the vocal conventions of punk aren't my favorite. Fun music with interesting influences to pick up on, both retrospectively and looking into the future.
Pretty solid album, I liked it better when the girl sang by herself. First half was definitely better.
This was great! Added to library.
I like it
2.5 Stars - not a bad album, but dreadfully boring.
Maybe not all of the LA hardcore punk scene was great.
Not a big fan of the vocals. Overall not terrible, but not great
20/02/2026 For a band I hadn't heard of, this was a good listen. Spotify listeners: 322.5k
2.4 2x decent but nothing special
This was pretty good. Punk but worth some variety.
Punky but lyrical
Unremarkable post-punk punk - nothing to get particularly excited about.
Solid punk album released the year I was born, with influences of rockabilly and blues. I like the songs by the woman vocalist the most, but also appreciate the variety of duel vocalists. This album is creative and catchy. Definitely deserves to be on the list!
This is one of those albums I'm sure has cultural significance that I'm not aware of. Catchy punk rawk, with some fun additions and divergences. What's not to like?
18.02.2026
Strange. Weird music. Not impressed.
It was probably great at the time, but not now
Not my cup of tea. Didn’t like the vocals
vocals were rough, but I get it. Good album, not a 4 but some 4 worthy songs on there.
Above average instrumental, below average vocals. No wonder this album is averaged right around 3. The definition of mid, which I think is good for punk rock standards.
A hefty dose of punk rock first thing in the morning is a way to wake up. Love X and love that it's on this list.
This felt very middle of the road. It starts off with a very Ramonesesque riff but doesn't really go anywhere from there. It didn't make me feel much at all, either positive or negative.
Good stuff.
Good but nothing too special. Enjoyable but fairly forgettable. No overly strong opinions one way or the other.
I want to like X more than I do. They're very just alright and there's more than a bit I really don't care for.
Bueno
An album I generally enjoyed and don’t have much to say about.
Looooveeed it
Pretty alright.
annoying
Die Sänger sind wie so ein nerviges poly Discord Couple was man in der Karaokebar trifft.
A surprisingly enjoyable punk album with competent and creative musicians. They came late to the party - this kind of sound was already a bit dated in 1981 - but the addition of a rockabilly / country twist works pretty well. There's also no bad song in the whole album, something rare enough to be noticed. I had a great time blasting this with my morning coffee, and even listened the album again in the evening. Good vibes and good energy ! 6/10
Never heard it before, never even seen the name around, which is kind of surprising given my interest in the scene. Still, I really really like it, even with the short, repetitive song format that comes with the style. The dual vocals are a real plus; without that, it would feel way more generic. This is one I’ll keep in my back pocket, this kind of lighter punk feels strange at a time when the genre was slowly sliding into hardcore. But it ages quite well despite indie prod and I appreciate that the whole record stays true to Punk.
Not very wild?
🎧This rocks
4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/x/wild-gift-3/ I like this! Never listened to this before, even though it’s apparently quite influential US punk. Will check out more!
Not what I was expecting but it was good and I liked a lot after while ! Glad 😌 I gave it a chance.
Cool psychobilly/punk rock album. Only stuff close to this I'm familiar with is The Cramps, who are also a fun listen. Songs are fast and don't overstay their welcome. Surprised to see Ray Manzarek of The Doors listed as producer. 8/10.
The country/punk rock fusion is interesting but ultimately not my thing. Favourite track: Universal Corner
7/10 It's pretty alright, with some really good guitar moments.
Don't know where one song ended and the other began The Once over Twice was a saving grace
Just not that good.
Influential punk album with decent musical variety that I probably won't return to. "White Girl" is the major standout here. It has an interesting structure with an anxious guitar riff and enigmatic lyrics (I don't love the chorus though). "Universal Corner" is also pretty good. "In This House That I Call Home" is a real low point for me, with its call-and-response structure between the unappealing vocals and annoying guitar riff. A fairly middling and unmemorable listen for me.
it was cute and enjoyable.
Fun listen! Punkish the doors ;p No but fr i thought i heard jim in some songs.
Great songs, middling production that does not translate the potential energy of a killer band. Many of these songs are found on the album "Live at the Whiskey A-gogo on the Fabulous Sunst Strip, where they come alive.
I liked the album. It has character and style. I'm not really a lover of the new wave/post punk era, but I'd suggest it to everyone who is.
Het klinkt nergens naar, ze doen hun best niet, zingen vals, elk lied bestaat uit het systematisch opdreunen van dezelfde zin. Ook de hoes is huisvlijt, het lijkt alsof daar de meeste creativiteit in is gestoken. Zelfs de Granny's Lovers uit Meerkerk klonken beter, dat wil wat zeggen!
Ik word door het internet al snel gewaarschuwd voor een punk geluid. En tja, die zang mag dat labeltje wel dragen. En de muziek heeft wel weinig pretenties. Tegelijk heb ik wel het idee dat ze er iets leuks van willen maken. Deze punk huppelt vooral vrij gelaten door het muzieklandschap.
Zo, dit klinkt even vooral niet 80s. Het lijkt alsof ze daar goed terug in de tijd zijn gegaan. Het is redelijk snel, eigenlijk veel te simpel. En het zangeresje heeft net als die van de B-52s een vrij schelle stem. Neerlands trots Venus komt ook in me op. Maar dit had net zo goed in de 50s of 60s kunnen zijn, of dus in de punkperiode. Als Roy Orbison dan nog voorbijkomt, dan ben je echt te laat geboren. Alles is al eerder en beter gedaan door anderen ben ik bang. Al klinkt een track als "Universal Corner" wel lekker. Naarmate het album vordert, begin ik er wel wat lekkerder in te komen. De zangeres schuurt nog steeds, niet alles is even goed. Maar er zitten wel een aantal fijne nummers tussen. Ik twijfel tussen de 2 en de 3, maar die paar fijne nummers laten het doorslaan naar een krappe voldoende.
Not my kind of music, but at least it was short.
Punt hitter
The same sound carries the album all the way through. It’s fine
There are much cooler punk albums that came before this
Its not that bad I just didnt add any
not for me
Good listen. 3/5
very punky very angry
Dosta podnošljiviji primjer žanra koji zaista ne volim.
Enjoyed this album
Not good, not bad. Good to hear a female voice in this genre.
are these guys embarrassed by their name these days? pretty easy listen
Just don't like punk anymore. My 30's killed any punk I might have liked at some point which was never a lot. Ha! Love the album cover though.
OK.
As a native Angeleno, the music of X (and Van Halen, Oingo Boingo and The Doors) is in my blood. So it pains me to say that this is a subpar effort - it's a classic sophomore slump record. (You can tell when a band re-records both sides of their debut single for their second album that they are woefully short of material.) The great harmonies between Exene and John Doe are there but the underlying songs are mostly dull and unimaginative, lacking the radical punk vision of their debut album. There are some bright spots ("Beyond And Back", "White Girl" and "We're Desperate" / "Adult Books" combo from their debut 7") but for the most potent version of this band, look elsewhere.
Genuinely never heard of this before today, and it turned out to be a fun 33 mins, and I picked up that RHCP had sampled a bit of 'White Girl' on 'Mothers Milk'. I guess X have a bit of a cult following. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Decent★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 208 Already owned : 46 Purchased : 10 To buy list : 4 Nope : 148
I like it!
It treads the line between punk and more traditional rock well. I imagine Pixies took some inspiration from here. If not they drew from the same place.
Excellent album from a band I must have missed at the time. Also need to check out their debut album Los Angeles. 4
No. 84 Very fun and fast. It's catchy too, everything punk needs to be good, I liked it a lot!!
3/5
Tiene su encanto, sorprende que sea de los 80
Fagmannlega flutt, oftast hresst, skemmtilegt að heyrast söngvarana skiptast á. Fínt pönk, þrátt fyrir rokkabillýskotin.
Favorite Track: White Girl
Good solid punk/rock
raw hems, squiggle print and weird makeup. not a finished product, but this album similarly feels like the beginning of something much bigger. It felt like listening to a prototype of a lot of more modern artists that I love. Even the annoying repetitiveness gave this impression. X didn't quite make it in the same way as VW but but this album did make me go on vestiaire. I don't think i can afford those boots though.
Another tough one to get through. At least it was only half an hour long though... The woman's voice reminded me of Gillian Anderson's Blanche in the modern streetcar remake and that was NOT a good thing.
Unfortunately couldn't think of anything insightful to say about this one - I think I feel so indifferent that my brain can't be bothered to waste any more time thinking about it. Sometimes I don't need to justify myself.
I am unsure whether this will be a hot take, but i really enjoyed this album Although I found the singing to be slightly insufferable at times, the music was thoroughly enjoyable. I am not sure whether it is a 3 or a 4, because I feel like i definitely enjoyed it more than a three - but four is definitely reserved for very good albums.
This sound kinda reminds me of Blondie with the drums and guitar creating a quick beat. These guys do it better though. Quite unmemorable but its not very punky on the punk scale so it can have a 3
incredibly spooky moment of back-to-back x bands. and also a weirdly persistent (though not continuous streak) of the list dodging a band's most beloved/long lasting material in favor of something else??? but since this was my first time hearing this band i mostly just get to enjoy how strong and cohesive and instantly identifiable the sound is! psychobilly that chases an almost pink-flag esque kooky minimalist creativity, some great hooks, and ofc the vocal chemistry between the singers just creates its own unique colors from just about beginning to end. its a nice tight tracklist too! rly rly enjoyed this, i should hear at least a couple of their other records. now to unveil my next record, which ofc will be from xtc.
One of the best!
Vocally this was a drag, but I ended up really liking the blues and rockabilly influences. Possibly 4 stars with more appealing vocals but they grated me a bit.
An alright rock album.
130126 16:01 4
makes me go apeshit
The same song over and over. I like this song.
Not good. The best bit is the album is not too long. Vocals are very bad. Arrangement is bad. Intro all sound the same. Production is ok considering it was realised in the 90s. But not a pleasant listen. I have to tell myself don’t skip don’t skip..
Not my favorite. Listened on Friday and can’t really remember it, but I recall just kinda waiting for it to be over I remember I liked the female vocalist more than the male, and the songs where it was just her singing was more enjoyable.
It was over well before I realized it. I'm sure there's some significance here, but it just blended in with most early-80s punk rock sounds. Not bad by any means, just not sure why it makes the list.
I can easily see the influence this band had on the punk scene. It feels much more late '90s/ early 2000s, then an early '80s album. I'm sure some of my favorite bands wouldn't exist without them, but the sound has also been perfected beyond what X delivered.
I don't understand the metrics of this project: samba appears as one of my favorite genres when, for me, it's more than clear that it's punk that I'm really passionate about! I've liked all the punk albums I've found here, to the point that they're among the highest scores I've given—only 4 or 5. This one is fantastic, a solid 5/5 from me.
Not really a fan of LA punk, or to be honest punk in general and this failed to excite me and dare I say, I found it a bit unforgettable overall. Glad I got the chance to hear it but probably won’t again.
Annoying music
wiedermol eis woni nöd check wiso dases do isch. wer versteckt sich hinder de band? ähm ok s isch no nice aber was macht das do? check nöd würkli. d gitarre cha würkli öppis.
hass chli s albumcover hmm wenigstens isches chli speziell aber die apathisch stimm passtmer grad nödso we're desperate het en geile groove OHH ok sdult books findi echt na funny jz findi di monotone stimme fast scho hypnotisierend falls das sinn macht? hmm also d lieder sind scho immer chli andersch aber trz verschwümmet d lieder für mich scho schnell hmm jaa einigi lieder hani scho no cool gfunde, aber für es 4i langets nöd. die meistens monotone stimme sind eig easy gsi aber nöd de börner und musikalisch hanis eig easy villsiitig gfunde, obwohls immer "simpel" blibe isch
I run kind of hot and cold on X. There are small moments where I really get into it but other times I find so frustrating like there was a missed opportunity. I think maybe it's small doses are better because of Exene's fall-down-a-well caterwauling gets kind of grating when it's every song in succession. I also think Los Angeles is probably the one I would put on this list and I'm going to guess it's on here at some point.
Excellent
I mean, it wasn't long, right?
Decent, just not for me
i love 80’s music but this wasn’t really my thing
Good workout album, but not a "must listen" for me.
Pretty solid, my favorite is Some Other Time, actually a fuckin banger. Good music to ride into the end of the world to, get hyped to make a bad decision, or use for a montage of getting absolutely inebriated. Honestly i only remember Some Other Time so maybe the rest of the album is mid. Didnt hate it though.
Didn’t hate this
alright
A decent punk album, but one where it feels like they didn't quite have enough ideas
More or less the definition of a 3-star record. Decent 80s style punk (actually it sounds even more dated than 80s tbh), but there's nothing all that interesting going on here. Favourite track: Universal Corner
This was fine. Wouldn’t revisit.
Sounds like Calofornia's answer to Blondie and the B-52s. Fun early 80s post punk.
Good album. A nice sound all through out. Will listen to again. Favourite song: Adult books
A fun punk rock album
The instrumentals are bland, and the vocals even more so. Exene has the worse singing voice of the two singers. In general, the vocals are too quiet.
27th album with group. This is some real ass, and it isn’t even punk. Good Songs - The Once Over Twice, We’re Desperate, and Year 1. Bad Songs - Adult Books, Universal Corner, I’m Coming Over, It’s Who You Know, In this House that I Call Home, Some Other Time, White Girl, Beyond and Back, Back 2 the Base, and When Our Love Passed Out On the Couch.
Fun rockabilly punk. Can't go wrong there
I hadn't heard of this band but I really liked it. Good hooks, good band, good punk voices.
afraid this did absolutely nothing for me
I love punk, and I love X, but this is probably not the X album I would choose in terms of importance or influence; that would be Los Angeles. Wild Gift is still good, but it doesn't stand out quite as much as the previous album. If you enjoy punk tinged with rock'n'roll and country, you'll love X!
soo much fun
It mostly felt like just another punk rock album, barely interesting, decent for what it is, apparently critics adore it like it's one of their children but I'm just a consumer and the product is competent and bland
Naur
Luv her voice
𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 may be well-regarded within punk history, but as a listening experience it feels surprisingly tame. The songs are tight and competent, yet they rarely generate urgency or danger — two qualities that usually give punk its edge. Instead of raw intensity, the album often settles into mid-tempo grooves that come across as restrained rather than confrontational. For a genre built on friction and momentum, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 feels too comfortable, making it more respectable than exciting.
#799. This is what Courtney Love wished Hole could've been, isn't it? Also, I don't know what it is about the album cover, but I fucking hate it. 4/5: great
Hadn’t heard of X before. This was cool. Definitely had the spirit of punk and rebellion a bit. There was a rawness there as well that was just so great.
Always a good listen with John & Exene! Not their greatest record but a fun one to crank up!
A punk album that sounds like it’s smiling while throwing a punch. Rating: 4.9/5 Short Review: Wild Gift is Los Angeles punk with the ego stripped out and the heart left fully exposed. It’s fast, sharp, funny, and romantic in a way most punk albums pretend they’re too cool for. John Doe and Exene trade vocals like two people who love each other and are tired of pretending they don’t. The songs are short, desperate, melodic, and full of real-life mess — sex, boredom, loyalty, decay — all delivered with wit instead of nihilism. It’s punk as lived experience, not costume. Favorite Track: Adult Books
Classic 80s punk \m/ I personally prefer the DC flavor of punk from this period (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi) but this is a fun album nonetheless
Godt tempo.
Pretty cool. Classic punk with rockabilly and blues inputs. Solid
A solid fun album.
Had no idea what this was but glad I do now. Really fun album. 13 songs in 33 minutes. They really do a lot of in those 33 minutes. Really trimming all the fat. Had punk appeal but not to try hard. Loved the trading back and forth of vocals. Frankly this album felt ahead of it's time.
Was not familiar before. Very bouncy and energetic.
One of those bands I've always meant to check out but never got around to. Pretty fun.
A bit of punk, a bit of rockabilly. Very competent but not really for me.
Pretty not bad. 3.5/4
X falls into that group of punk that I never truly got hooked on (seemed to happen a lot with the West Coast). Still really solid stuff overall but nothing super memorable. 6/10
Generally a big fan. These guys and Sonic Youth really defined American post post punk for a generation. I prefer "Under the Big Black Sun" but that's a matter of personal taste.
To be honest, this was more noise than other thing. Why this is a great album?
Not a genre for me.
There isn't a lot on here that I disliked, and quite a bit that I liked. Very driven - didn't change pace much.
Truly never heard of this. I actually thought this was going to be electronic or synth pop. This is cool.
Nifty early 80's American punk mixed with some other interesting styles. Doesn't have the annoying aspects of pop punk and west coast punk I am not a fan of, but is decentish.
Some cool punk rock. Another album, though, that I liked less the further I got through the album. If this was a tightly curated EP, it would be great.
Good energy, but punk isn't really my thing. 2*
it’s one of those that i feel in the middle about. i didn’t dislike it but im not sure that the genre is for me. or maybe i just have to be in a specific mood good it idk. but not one track stood out to me unfortunately. still, it was a nice listening experience.
no idea why this is on the list lol, their first album was better (not by much) but this is just boring
nope
No
great album awsome
Banger album. I've always loved X's mix of punk, rockabilly and new wave, and they're a band I find I don't listen too often enough, and will then binge, which is what I'm doing today. 4.5/5
Great album that I don't think I'd listened to. I *might* like this more than Los Angeles, actually. 4/5
Got me humming along
I didn’t know X (formerly Twitter) made an album! It’s pretty good, the riffs are great and I really like the way the two vocalists sound together. The production can be a bit hit or miss, I guess that the low quality in places is meant to be intentional, similar to The Velvet Underground and Nico, but it doesn’t work for me here like it does there. Also, the production is done by Ray Manzarek of The Doors! 4/5
Wieder mal etwas punkiges.
Energetic and fun 😀
What a brilliant band and superb album!
Wild Gift is such a creative,interesting,unique punk rock album that i'm hearing for the first time and i absolutely love it.So many influences,so well blended: Roots rock, Country, Blues, R&B, and Rockabilly!Great,clean vocals and harmonies. Favourites: The Once Over Twice.Debbie Harry vibes. Adult Books.60's vibes with a twist.Harmonies from heaven.Bluesy guitar at times.wow.Creative as hell.Nice title! Universal Corner.''Like a woman'' line kills me. It's Who You Know.Banger. Some Other Time. White Girl reminds me of Nirvana!It was sampled by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 1989 album Mother's Milk, in the song "Good Time Boys". The Chili Peppers song's lyrics mentioned X's John Doe specifically, "whose voice is made of gold". Beyond And Back.How do they make it work?Perfect. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch.Epic. wow.I so enjoyed this.No X for this band for sure! 5/5
I wasnt expecting to like it judging by the cover, but it was actually pretty good
Classic Lp from LA punk rockers X.
Day693 - 13 songs, 33 minutes clever lyrics and a top notch punk album
Fun fact: X was the first band I ever remember hearing live, when my sister snuck me into the back of a bar where they were playing. I'm surprised X's first album Los Angeles didn't make the 1,001 albums cut because I think it's at least as critically valued as Wild Gift, but I'm not going to complain too much because I don't really care for either album. The main issue has always been the John Doe/Exene Cervenka harmonies. I just don't like listening to them all that much, and the musicianship on the album isn't enough to make up for it. I actually prefer their third album, Under The Big Black Sun to their first two. The songwriting is better and while the vocals are still not too my taste, they're more suited to the new material and less of an impediment to my enjoyment.
Interesting sound
Really fun Album tbh. won't go back to it a ton bit has some bangers
At first I wasn’t convinced and was tempted write this off as more generic punk. But every listen revealed how wrong this was. This is definitely one of the stronger first wave punk albums I’ve heard and it makes me excited to delve deeper into X’s discography. The fast, raw playing pretty perfectly mixes with great vocal performances and harmonies between the singers. We’re Desperate and It’s Who You Know were standouts.
43/1001 First listen. Never heard of this band before. Nothing caught my ear in the five plays I gave it. Another album where the band is okay but the singer is shit. 3/10
very clean and pleasant sound for punk, in a good way
Another surprise, never heard this one in 1981, and I was well into the Ramones, Dolls, Heartbreakers etc - good to hear some post punk
Meh
Terrific Band! Prefer Los Angeles and More Fun
Decent frenetic punky rock. It’s all on one level and that’s pretty high tempo and controlled aggression. I can’t imagine feeling a strong desire to listen again but it was entirely serviceable. If I were listening as as a contemporary I probably would have found it a more compelling listen beyond it being “decent”.
"Adult books" was weak. It was like a dodgy country and western moderate punk song. I find the male vocal slightly pathetic and most of the songs are just about saying things slightly louder and doesnt appeal to me as a punk item. Its not very interesting or revolutionary. Nothing particularly wrong with it but as a package its less for being punk rather than more.
A raw and simplistic punk-rock album that is only notable because of its early release date. I enjoyed it all the way through, but I never felt like it was particularly ground-breaking. Then again, it is very early and from the USA, which I guess makes it stand out amongst it's contemporaries. To be honest, it sounds like a lot of Punk-rock bands from the UK, so perhaps my British ears are not hearing anything outside the norm. They sound like a touring band you'd hear at gig in a local venue. You'd leave thinking they were great fun, you'd see them again but probably wouldn't buy the CD.
This album was indeed a wild gift. Never heard of X and it was a fantastic listen mostly.
Great album. Why weren't these guys any bigger?
Listened Before? N PUNK ROCK! Rock on! Loved this one. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I'm Coming Over
I liked it. I don't have much insight here. But I do think about it in comparison to other punk releases in the early 80s. To me X shows the diversity of style that lies hidden within the punk genre. This album in particular does exactly that well.
I don’t know what it is about X, but they have never really clicked for me as someone who grew up in the punk community. Los Angeles is a certified banger but not much on this album got me excited. Pretty corny throughout aside from a few bright moments. 4/10 tracks- “We’re Desperate” “I’m Coming Over”
Competent but forgettable punk-adjacent shout-rock. Gotta love the gumption of the punk ethos: I can't sing and can't write but fuck you I'm gonna yell out these trite lyrics anyway.
would give it a 2.5, but bc it’s from 81 and sounds like that, i’ll round up instead of down
Muy dinamico, esta guay si tienes que hacer las tareas de casa o te has metido dos rayas y un poco de speed. Al cabo de un rato, parece mas una cancion larga que un album.
een moderne remake zou wel goed kunnen zijn
- :/ - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummer al toegevoegd aan MMMM
I am punked out.
I tend not to like much punk, but when I do, I really do. What I like about this is it's punk with polish. Great vocals, cool bass work, and great punk/rockabilly guitar. I'm surprised about this one. I can almost hear June Carter and Johnny Cash covering In This House That I Call Home. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A solid follow-up to (my preferred) Los Angeles, the legendary X has always been something of a stress test for me. EXene Cervenka's notes carry confidently across the music, and with John Doe often following suit, it can be too much vocal for my ear. There is a bleat-to-drone quality that just edges on grating. And yet, and yet, the music is tight, the lyrics cut cleverly across the underbelly of the culture, and occasionally the vocals are eXactly what's needed. So who am I to say that on occasion I wish they had pulled back on the delivery? No one — might as well X me out and appreciate this Wild Gift.
This was a great album, I'd never heard of X before but will be listening again
80s punk. Felt like an influence of the White Stripes. This list leans heavily to punk bands and I dont often hear the distinction between different punk groups. This one was good. 3/5
This one just wasn't for me. Maybe they made it for you?
Full fart. Lutar mot en 4a.
Quite nice punk but not really more than "quite"
6/10… Punk / *1981
I love Los Angeles and Under The Big Black Sun even more, so I'm surprised that X are represent with Wild Gift. Songwriting is as great as always, John Doe and Exene Cervenka are my favourite male+female duet in rock music, Billy Zoom is great guitar player and all their song sound like a best party you could ever had. This album's only problem is a more softer production than previous and subsequent albums and misses a bit of their punk edge. But it's the only album that represents X here and they are one of my favourite punk bands, one of the most charming and fun bands in their genre, love them to death.
Þessi var skemmtileg!
Gott pönk og skemmtilegt.
I love when a punk record pops up on this thing, and I'm excited that X popped up because I haven't heard a whole lot of their work. Wild Gift is ok. The guitar work is interesting and fun and a bit more robust than simply hamfisting powerchords. The songs are somewhat catchy. The vocals are maybe not what I would have expected, but I don't mind them (the lady's voice can grate on me a little bit, but not enough to really complain about). It sounds really good, especially compared to what a lot of what was coming out in 1981 (although the remastered version I'm listening to might be doing a lot of heavy lifting here, I'm really not sure). But, I'm still not sure that I'll ever circle back and listen to it again (although I'm not going to be sad if and when another X record pops up). The songs aren't terribly compelling for me, even though I appreciate the talent and the effort. This record probably would have connected with me more had I heard it in '81, but alas, I'm hearing it in 2025 when I've probably been more influenced by the bands who were likely influenced by X themselves. Still, a solid record. 3.6/5
Like The Ramones and Blondie had a baby but they were a little bit hillbilly. Nice little gem. 4/5
it was ok not that amazing
Definitely more exciting but not my favorite
One of their best, pretty decent, mostly for the time for me.
piacevole, un po' chiassoso ma è il genere che non mi appartiene al 100% a tratti fleetwood mac (soprattutto universal corner = gold dust woman) complessivamente riascolterei nei giorni più punk
You give this to me when they're on their farewell tour!?!
Shouting
Honestly, a really cool album for the year it came out, it seemed very predictive of a lot of '90s alt rock sounds (just listen to 'White Girl') - and was also doing some really cool stuff with your more boilerplate punk rock sounds, sort of fusing it with more '60s hard rock and psychedelic adjacent sounds. So in a funny way, it sounds like it came out both 10 years before it actually did and 10 years after it actually did, neat. And to add in something random, the female vocalist here gave heavy PJ Harvey vibes. I really loved the song 'Adult Books', it has this sweet '60s pop-rocky rockabilly riff driving the whole thing, and the two vocalists work really well together whenever they're on the same songs together, which is quite a few on this record; the chemistry is there. The riffs, while on the simpler side of things, still pierce through the mixes here and are absolutely as memorable as the vocals. They range from your typical Ramones-styled early punk riffs like on 'I'm Coming Over', to Stooges-styled bluesy and proto-punk simplicity with 'It's Who You Know', to just good ol' rockabilly with 'Beyond and Back'. Lyrically, think the album generally deals with this topic of a troubled romance, though I'll need to dig into it more; a lot of the lyrics puzzled me on first listen. But I found the writing captivating nevertheless, especially with the imagery here on a song like 'Some Other Time'. Really enjoyed my time with this one - the genre fusions here just scratch so many of my punk rock itches. Definitely an album I see growing on me with future revisits, especially as I dive deeper into the lyrics here.
Not my thing
Started off as some good old school punk.. trailed off to the middle with some filler but came back strong at the end. 3.5 stars really.
The whole half-spoken, half-yelled indy attitude becomes so much less effective the more listening I do, but have to admit there is a bunch of bangers on here
Favourite songs: Universal Corner & In This House That I Call Home. Masterful guitar-playing throughout the whole album.
# **In-Depth Review: X's "Wild Gift" (1981)** ## **Overview** "Wild Gift" stands as X's sophomore masterpiece, released just a year after their groundbreaking debut "Los Angeles." This 1981 album represents a pivotal moment in American punk rock, where the band refined their unique blend of punk aggression, rockabilly swagger, and poetic lyricism into a more focused, harder-hitting statement. ## **Lyrics and Themes** **Personal Relationship Dynamics**: Unlike their debut's focus on urban decay, "Wild Gift" dives deep into the tumultuous relationship between co-songwriters John Doe and Exene Cervenka. Tracks like "Beyond and Back" document their romantic spats with lines like *"You took a lot from me / I forgot you were a thief"*, while "When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch" serves as a retrospective summary of their entire relationship. **Los Angeles Noir**: The album maintains X's signature literary approach, drawing comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Nathanael West. The lyrics paint vivid pictures of desperate characters navigating the underbelly of Los Angeles, but with a more personal, intimate focus than their debut. **Dark Humor and Irony**: Exene's influence brings a sophisticated, funeral-appropriate dark humor to tracks with titles like "When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch" and "Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not." This irony adds layers of meaning beneath the punk surface. **Social Commentary**: Songs like "We're Desperate" capture the economic anxiety of early 1980s America: *"Our whole fucking life is a wreck / We're desperate, get used to it."* ## **Music and Sound** **Genre Fusion**: "Wild Gift" represents X at their most musically diverse, seamlessly blending: - Pure punk rock energy - Rockabilly guitar work from Billy Zoom - Country and blues influences - R&B rhythms - Surf-rock touches - Roots rock authenticity **Vocal Harmonies**: The album showcases the unique "Chinese harmonies" between Doe and Cervenka - off-kilter, intertwined vocal lines that create a sound unlike anything else in punk. Their dual vocals range from romantic exchanges to argumentative counterpoints, often within the same song. **Musical Sophistication**: Despite the punk label, the album features complex rhythms, unexpected tempo changes, and sophisticated song structures that set X apart from their three-chord contemporaries. ## **Production** **Ray Manzarek's Role**: The Doors' keyboardist returned as producer, but with significant challenges. The band had only $15,000 to record (compared to $10,000 for their debut), and Slash Records was essentially broke. **Technical Difficulties**: The production was plagued by problems: - Clover Studios had technical issues with equipment humming and buzzing - Their "engineer" was actually the janitor/owner's brother-in-law recording his first album - The API desk was old and malfunctioning - The result was described by band members as "uneven" and "thin-sounding" **Despite Limitations**: Manzarek successfully captured the band's live energy and emphasized the vocal harmonies that made X unique. The raw production actually complements the album's urgent, desperate themes. ## **Influence and Legacy** **Critical Acclaim**: The album topped critics' lists nationwide, with *Rolling Stone* declaring it "the best album by an American band this year." Both *The New York Times* and *Village Voice* named it "Record of the Year." **Genre Pioneering**: "Wild Gift" helped establish the roots-punk hybrid that would influence countless bands. They were "on the leading edge" of combining punk with Americana, alongside contemporaries like The Gun Club and The Blasters. **Vocal Innovation**: The Doe/Cervenka vocal approach influenced future punk and alternative bands, particularly in the riot grrrl movement. **Literary Punk**: X's poetic approach to punk lyrics paved the way for more sophisticated songwriting in underground music. **Long-term Recognition**: The album ranked #334 on *Rolling Stone's* 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. ## **Pros** 1. **Unique Sound**: No other band has successfully replicated X's blend of punk, rockabilly, and poetry 2. **Lyrical Depth**: Sophisticated, literary lyrics that reward close listening 3. **Vocal Chemistry**: The Doe/Cervenka vocal interplay is unmatched in punk rock 4. **Musical Diversity**: Seamlessly incorporates multiple genres without sounding forced 5. **Emotional Authenticity**: The raw documentation of a real relationship adds powerful emotional weight 6. **Energy and Urgency**: Captures the desperation and excitement of the early LA punk scene 7. **Lasting Influence**: Helped define the sound of American punk rock 8. **Consistent Quality**: No filler tracks - every song contributes to the overall narrative ## **Cons** 1. **Production Issues**: The thin, uneven sound quality detracts from the powerful material 2. **Vocal Accessibility**: The off-kilter harmonies can be challenging for some listeners 3. **Repetitive Elements**: Some critics find the album musically monotonous 4. **Limited Commercial Appeal**: The unique sound never translated to mainstream success 5. **Dark Themes**: The intense focus on relationship turmoil can be emotionally heavy 6. **Punk Limitations**: Those seeking traditional punk may find the genre-blending off-putting 7. **Vocal Clarity**: Poor recording sometimes obscures the excellent lyrics ## **Conclusion** "Wild Gift" represents X at their creative peak, delivering a uniquely American take on punk rock that incorporated the country's musical heritage while maintaining the genre's rebellious spirit. Despite production limitations, the album's raw energy, sophisticated lyrics, and unprecedented vocal chemistry create an enduring masterpiece that influenced generations of musicians. While it may not be immediately accessible to all listeners, those who connect with its peculiar blend of poetry, punk, and personal drama find a timeless document of artistic authenticity. The album succeeds not despite its flaws but partially because of them - the rough production, tense relationship dynamics, and genre-blending create a perfect storm of artistic expression that captured a moment in American underground music that would never be replicated.
Alright. Fills in a missing link between punk and new wave. 3.4
No standouts
Sounds like a punk version of Talking Heads
Early punk is starting to wear me out
never heard of them but it’s a woman singing and a fun rock and roll groove. Blondie vibes, but more guitars?
Punk that reminds at times of Ramones, Talking Heads even. I’m not sure there’s something special here to be honest, but it’s not bad either. Most tracks are less than 2.5 minutes - many are under 2. Notable tracks include The Once Over Twice, Universal Corner, In This House That I Call Home.
Super
Nothing of interest for me. I was surprised that this was just 32 minutes long, as it felt longer.
The Once Over Twice: cool sound, it's like blues punk *Desperate: dig it. they're desperate and I'm getting used to it. Adult Books: I love in old songs when they just start dropping random first names. not a huge fan of this track though *Universal Corner: the male/female dual vocals remind me of Dehd, especially her voice with the raspiness. this one's decent *I'm Coming Over: so they've been making punk songs that barely clear sixty seconds forever, huh? good energy It's Who You Know: just okay *In This House That I Call Home: the chorus riiiiiips. the vocals and the mix sound nice on this one too. favorite track so far Some Other Time: it's fine White Girl: it's fine. this album has a lot of mid tracks Beyond and Back: it's fine. Back 2 the Base: egg-punk-esque. "Presley sucks on doggy dicks" is a heater of line *When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch: this is a good one, I love their voices together on the chorus. when their sound works it really works * Year 1: decent closer I put down like zero thoughts on the track by track but like...it's a punk album. what you see is what you get. the record as a whole kind of sounds like shit, sometimes it works in the charming punk way but sometimes it misses hard. nothing groundbreaking but it was a fun listen __ SCORE: 6/10 ADDED TO PLAYLIST: We're Desperate, Universal Corner, I'm Coming Over, In This House That I Call Home, When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch, Year 1
Ik ben gewoon niet echt een punk man, dit klonk prima maar het is niet mijn ding
This was a classic example of an album that started off sounding amazing but quickly became grating over an album’s length
Finally an album that wasn’t familiar. A pleasure to listen to. I hope the next one is this good.
Bardzo fajne. Takie rockowe, ale też punkowe. Jednak nie do końca punk rockowe moim zdaniem. 4/5
A high 2 it was ok but after I listened to it nothing was memorable to it no stand out tracks
> the Beatles More like this on the list and less like the Beatles, please
It's a pretty short, and fairly simple album, but I feel like it works really well. It's the kind of album that makes defining music by genre feel pretty silly, if not completely irrelevant. They use so many ideas and sounds from so many different styles. At its heart, though, it mostly feels like a modernized version of 50s Rock 'n' Roll. I think it's borderline great. On a different day, there's a good chance I end up giving it one less star, but that's not today. I actually really liked the harmonies. I feel like it's not something you would have normally heard in music like this previously. Favorite Song(s): Universal Corner, When Our Love Passed out on the Couch
Respect.
repetitive and forgettable
This was pretty good!
It just didn't catch me. I didn't hate dislike it, but I did find that my attention kept wandering away from it.
Reviewing this the day after listening to it, I honestly don’t remember anything about it. Glimpsed through the album again, and it’s a very generic sound. There’s not much to write home about.
This was indeed a wild gift. Punk rock with rockabilly sensibility. I got the vibe that if Courtney Love started a punk band with a mediocre Elvis impersonator in the 80s, it would be this band. I'm struggling between a 3 & 4 on the rating because the songs start to blend together. So I'll split the difference & say 3.5
Best Song: I'm Coming Over. This is the kind of short, punchy track that the whole album should have been. Any more than 90 seconds and each other song has worn out its welcome. Worst Song: White Girl. Who wants to listen to a bunch of white people singing about getting a white girl? Overall: Meh rock. There's a lot better music available that makes the inclusion of this album a strange decision.
Not my thing. Guess I’m not much of an LA punk kind of guy. Made it through the first two songs and tapped out.
It’s pretty cool although I could live without the rockabilly type songs