Architecture And Morality

I found this a bit hit and miss, some really great tracks next to some mediocre ones, overall not bad, but not exceptional

Dit soort muziek heeft wel iets. Het is ook een beetje kale muziek, eenvoudig en simpel. Ik twijfel tussen goed en heel goed. ***

Well I had a hard time finding the "original version of yhis album. TIDAL does not have it except as a bizarre compilation album that bears little resemblance to the original release. Searching individual tracks I put together a Playlist in the same order as the original release, but thar did not seem fair. So YouTube to the rescue. On to my review. I was only familiar with this band from my vinyl copy of Organization from oh so long ago. That album never connected with me other than Enola Gay. With this album I think OMD reached another level. More variesd and dramatic than Organization. Highlights are The New Stone Age, which rocks like no other OMD song I've ever heard, Sealand is achingly beautiful in it's sparseness and huge dramatic drum sound and Souvenir is synth pop at its finest. I think this album is stronger than Organization. I'm going to revisit Org as perhaps I gave it short shrift back in the day. 3.5🌟

While I'm not the biggest fan of the album, the experimentation is well appreciated.

a bit weird but not bad. I wasn't expecting that at all

Quite interesting and cool musically. Didn't do that much for me though.

I painted the ceiling of my bathroom to this album, and I have to say it lends itself quite well to that. I wasn't blown away, but I liked it.

Struck me as experimental synth. 80s flavor comes out in full force here. Fairly enjoyable album but probably wouldn't revisit.

Un album très interessant n'en déplaise a robtunnelier, qui doit être sanctionné pour sa mauvaise review. J'ai engagé mon propre paternel afin de mener la traque, et corriger comme il se doit rob. Il est actuellement en transit vers Stuttgart, et ne devrait plus tarder à remettre rob à sa place.

Interesting album. Very early electronic. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.

I don’t really like 80s music

Didn't really get this when it was released, apart from the "Joan of Arc" single, so didn't buy it until a fair few years later. It's great!

I liked this for the most part except for the weird slow songs that were mostly electronic? idk if thats the right word. FS: Souvenir

Barely makes it to the "OK enough for background music". Generally speaking, I only appreciate Enola Gay, and it's not even from this album of theirs...

Its decent but need to be in a moody mood to appreciate it

Very 80's - nothing special. There are a few tracks here and there that stick out. Very ethereal sounding. I like those.

Initially I discounted this album… aside from a few songs it seemed quite stereotypical for the synth pop genre. BUT! This can actually be acknowledged as the birth of synth pop so contextually it’s pretty fucking cool. A modest 6/10 time vibe personally, my fav tracks are She’s leaving, souvenir and the beginning and the end.

The length of this album holds it back. There is some really nice, catchy synth-pop here but its often surrounded by filler in an album that would shine if it was 40 minutes (but alas clocks in at just over an hour).

Very interesting music. It simultaneously sounds vintage 80s and current. Singer sounds like Morrissey kinda. Pablo and I got through about three songs in the studio before he had to turn it off to work. He said they have better albums and was surprised this one was picked to be on the list.

Really nice, stylistic and artistic '80s synth-pop. 7.6/10

“Joan of arc” and “extended souvenir” are both bops. Sounds like a movie soundtrack for a lot of the album. Really experimental production. There aren’t a ton of highs, but few lows either

Background noise really. We tried to give it a listen and kept forgetting to listen! Wasn't as terrible as I was expecting when I read the Wikipedia but obviously not actually good

I’m giving this an extra star for having come out in 1981. I think this must have been pretty revolutionary.

Enjoyed it but wouldn't listen again

well more intersting than i was expecting. maybe my first taste of beer garden since the invention of the injectable microchip has greased the wheels. who knows what is real any more?

Started off promising then went into some fairly generic 80s electronica

Really interesting album. It was almost able to sustain that interest over the course of the full hour runtime. My hour with OM in the D included a banana smoothie, taking care of business in a sawdust composting toilet, a 4 minute shower, 25 minutes of exercise for my old man back, and doing the dishes. Given this was 1981, I'm assuming this album had a big hand in defining the 80s synth pop sound. The vocals, the instruments, the recording, it all sounds very very 80s. Sometimes it's a soundtrack to Stranger Things. Sometimes it's a big proto Duran Duran pop song. May never put this on again, but thanks for the spin, 1001. B-

OMD, second to The Coral in the most musical Wools race. Contrary to my general musical tastes, I tend to prefer OMD's more poppy output and whilst this album has some moments, a lot of the more experimental stuff is pretty forgettable.

Het begon al The Cure en New Order en dat vond ik wel tof. Maar halverwege de plaat leek het ineens een andere band te worden en werd het minder spannend.

Ik vond het hele album niet geweldig, maar vanwege de potentie toch een voldoende.

6/10. it's not bad and it had some interesting ideas but i didn't like it all that much, it seemed really melodramatic.

Incredibly average. 5

The album gets off to a promising start, with the raw, edgy sound of <The New Stone Age>. <Souvenir> has a catchy riff (it reminds me of a slow-dance version of Anola Gay). There’s a fair number of slow jams. Their Kraftwerk influence is, unfortunately, often accompanied by smaltzy singing and lyrics, as in < Maid of Orleans>. Lots of pop hits in Europe. I prefer the closing songs are less commercial.

Feiner Dark-Pop mit breiter Farbpalette. Hab mich nach Eno‘s „Another Green World“ sehr auf dieses Album gefreut, bin doch etwas enttäuscht worden; wo Eno es geschafft hat, einen kurzweiligen, knackigen Volltreffer zu landen so verfehlen OMD diesen ein bisschen zu stark. Vielleicht auch weil das geschulte Dream Pop Ohr ihr Schaffen in späteren Bands und Projekten gut aufgegriffen und weiter entwickelt erkennt. Das schmälert ihren Wert als Trailblazer nicht, zumal wenn man das Entstehungsjahr bedenkt. Nur entsteht aus freien und eher instrumentellen (Füller-)Stücken, nicht allzu poppigen Pop Songs und schillernden Perlen (grandios: „Souvenir“) eine allzu unterschiedlich gewobene Textur, die sich eher unausgewogen als abwechslungsreich anfühlt. Ungleichmäßige 2.7

Nicht wahnsinnig konzentriert gehört, zugegeben. Trotzdem, ich mag die Idee, den Entwurf und in Teilen die Umsetzung. In anderen Teile müsste (und könnte) ich mich wahrscheinlich stärker reinarbeiten, aber dazu fehlt Zeit und auch Antrieb. Trotzdem: aus dem Stand und für den Moment 2,6.

Pop electrónico. Alguna canción reconocible.

Discovered a kid cudi sample

An interesting turn for OMD as they abandon their electro dance roots for a darker more experimental sound. Some of it works well but some leaves me cold

It was something different but I did not vibes with it much, cool concept though

Not sure what this was. Ambient rock? Not bad.

Probably my favorite of the synth pop kind of albums we’ve had so far. wasn’t the most interesting, but enjoyable. Favorite Tracks: “She’s Leaving” and “Motion and Heart”

You know, all I remember is the 80s happened and it sounded like this

I had no idea what to expect with this one. It was exactly as described, the innovative bridge between early electronic music and electro pop. I liked it!

Seems like an influential record in the Electro-Pop genre, Joy Division sounds like OMD. Some nice, experimental yet accessibly pop songs.

Glad I listened

Fine nothing special really

Ok

It was fine-- not as much as I enjoyed other Orchestral Maneuvers

This has always been an album I wish I liked more than I did, given its historical significance and acclaim, but I dunno, it's never fully clicked with me.

Sort of inspired at times... otherwise boring as can be... If I were around in ‘81, I’m sure I would have loved it. But it has not aged well, and what has come after has made strides so large (both abstractly and generically) that this album lives in obscurity. Maybe I’m just not cultured enough.

С сегодняшнего дня я решил ставить оценки, исходя из собственных впечатлений от альбома, а не из какого-то мифического уважения к записям в этом списке. И вот с этим альбомом снова всё то же самое, что и с другими: да, прикольно, но для меня скучновато и как-то не цепляет.

Not bad.

Synthpop is a genre that I'm often conflicted about: I like the "synth" part, but the "pop" song structures often leave much to be desired. Additionally, the sound palettes available to electronic musicians in the early '80s were much more limited by the technology of the day, meaning that a lot of the genre's pioneers had pretty much the same sound. However, given these limitations, this album was about as good as it could have been. Best song: Architecture And Morality builds nicely, although I'll also mention the irresistible '80s banger Joan Of Arc.

4/6 3.5/5. Reminded me a lot of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra album, but synth, and same range of lighter, then heavier, more melancholy records. Standout Tracks: The New Stone Age, Souvenir, Sealand, Architecture And Morality, Of All The Things We've Made

Dull, I just can't picture any situation/environment where this would fit the mood enough for me to want to listen.

It was alrigjt.

Synth Pop will be Synth It's not as "spiritual" as it wants to be, and gets quite stale as it goes on. Favorite Track: "Georgia".

An odd one. Reminded me of Tears for Fears in a bad way. While I appreciate some of the sounds, it just felt off. Couldn't find a favorite song.

A bit boring, and too much synth.

Enough with the shitty britpop already.

The Brits sure do love their shitty synth-pop bands. And I'm starting to believe whoever made this list decided to include every single one.

2 out of 5. I wanted to like this album more than I actually did. The melodies were great but the avant garde parts didn't hold me.

Mit ihrem dritten Album verabschiedeten sich die beiden Engländer Andy McCluskey und Paul Humphreys endgültig von der sperrigen Experimentierlust ihrer Anfangsjahre und fanden zu einer kühlen, zugleich emotional aufgeladenen Popmusik, die auf dem Label Dindisc erschien. Vorproduziert wurde in der Gramophone Suite in Liverpool, die Hauptaufnahmen entstanden im ländlichen The Manor bei Shipton-on-Cherwell, gemischt wurde schließlich in den Mayfair Studios in London – eine Produktionskette, die dem Album seinen charakteristisch klaren, fast kirchlich-hallenden Klang verleiht. Chorartige Synthesizerflächen, Mellotron und liturgische Anklänge treffen auf präzise Popstrukturen, ohne dass die Band ihre elektronische Herkunft verleugnet. Songs wie „Souvenir", „Joan of Arc" und „Maid of Orleans" zeigen, wie mühelos OMD zwischen Melancholie und Melodieseligkeit balancieren. Besonders „Souvenir" markiert einen Wendepunkt: ein Instrumentalstück mit Frauenchor, das kommerziell erfolgreicher war als vieles, was die Band zuvor mit Gesang versucht hatte. Die beiden Jeanne-d'Arc-Stücke wiederum verbinden historischen Stoff mit einer fast andächtigen Klangsprache, die dem Album seinen unverwechselbaren, leicht sakralen Unterton gibt. Was dieses Album bis heute besonders macht, ist die Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der es Kopf und Herz bedient – kein anderes OMD-Werk balanciert Zugänglichkeit und Eigensinn so überzeugend. Ein Meilenstein des frühen Achtziger-Synth-Pop, der seine Wirkung nie verloren hat.

Look, I like ambient synth pop as much as the next guy but this album feels like it’s boldly going nowhere. There are enjoyable moments, namely the second half (the last 5 songs) but the lack of direction leaves me unsatisfied. 2.5

This album manages to be more boring than the "religious music" it was supposedly inspired by. 1.5 stars.

nah I'll pass Will I listen to again: 0%

Kind of hard to differentiate from the other post punk/new wave albums on the list, which there are many. A little more upbeat than the others, which is slightly nicer. 2.5/5 Won't listen again

Forever, in my mind at least, a name to be said in full Partridge on the radio mode, this was my first actual experience of OMD. Did I enjoy it? Not very much. There are parts of this that are quite ethereal, and I dig that, and there are a few parts that teeter on the edge of good honest 80s pop, and I dig that. The rest remained resolutely un-dug.

Never heard any of their stuff. Always been curious to. That was unexpected. I guess I liked it though. I'm hearing lots of sounfs, and some of those are singing, but not much is affecting me. Positively or negatively. Souvenir is nice I guess. Sealand starts nice and interesting but goes nowhere. Joan of Arc has some nice elements! The best one so far. I'm sure there's an interesting reason for the same album having two songs of the same name. Both are cool, but for now I like the first one better. Would need more time with both though (and I'm not sure I'm willing to give them more time). Sure! 3 minutes of an instrumental track where nothing happens! Why Not? Ohhhh my God I am so tired of Georgia please make it end pls pls pls. Yeah the closer, despite promising a lot with the dramatic name, does not deliver. This was disappointing! Not good! In my opinion! Not too bad, but just... uneventful.

I could hear what they were trying to accomplish with this album with the “Architecture” being the synthesizers and “Morality” being the human element. It was way too slow and brooding to keep me engaged. If OMD picked up the pace just a little, this album would have been excellent.

I snooze

Meh. More orchestral, emo, brit-pop. With a dose of arrogance (see title). A 2.

This album is from 1981 and it sounds like 1981. I remember OMD as being a bit fringe and not too mainstream, I'd classify this album as "easy listening" and not particularly interesting or compelling in any way.

This would go from one of the best things I've ever heard to someone farting into a microphone

Sedate. Souvenir reminds me a lot of Beach House.

I don't think I like it... A bit too 80's beats and that's it, every song sounds the same

Not even close to Kraftwerk worthiness, nor even seeing the universe that created Joy Division. Yet for some moments they almost reach those distant coattails. And for all the crap these guys put onto vinyl, there are good songs too: Joan of Arc is undoubtedly worthy. But the pap far outnumbers the greatness. I can't give them 3 stars for making a few great songs because the bad is horrid-levels of mush. 2 "the best they can deserve" stars.

Better than Pet Shop Boys. That's the bar, and Architecture & Morality clears it. Where PSB felt like a teenager in a garage with a Casio, OMD are doing something more considered — darker, more atmospheric, more melancholic. "Enola Gay" is a pop song about the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. That's a different kind of ambition. Still not my world. The synth-pop texture doesn't change enough to hold me. But there's a seriousness here that earns some respect. 2/5 — more sophisticated, still not mine.

The band name sounds so much cooler than the music presented here. Somehow, this was even worse than the Pet Shop Boys I listened to yesterday. Hadn't it been for the kind of beautiful slowburning "Sealand", this would've been a sure 1. 1.5/5 - weak

Unremarkable

Too ambient for me to get into. Rating: 3/10 Favorite Song: the new stone age

I can't into this with high expectations and left disappointed.

A few great songs such as She’s Leaving, Georgia and Extended Souvenir. But on an album that’s an hour long it’s got a lot of filler imo. Can’t see myself coming back

There are a few tracks that I enjoyed, but for the most part it was just an ok experience. It has that 80’s sound that I like, but it’s not consistently upbeat enough for the genre. Another meh. album with a few good tracks.

The instrumentals are simple in a charming sort of way, but beyond that this is mostly forgettable. I listened to the whole thing three times but nothing stuck out to me too much. I liked the song Souvenir.

Yay! More 80s British pop music and you didn’t even pick the one included in Pretty in Pink. MI6 you win again!

I wanted to like this album, but the bouncing genres was too noisy for my preferences. This week has been good at securing my low average rating for UK albums.

this was about as annoying as i expected it to be given the album title and band name

These albums drive me nuts. Once again, I was enjoying the instrumentals and vibes only to be rudely awakened by the vocals. Can someone edit the vocals out of this? It’d turn into a killer game soundtrack.

I looked at the title of this album when I woke up this morning and I was still half asleep, so I expected a bunch of ambient machinery/architectural/construction noise. That would’ve been much cooler.

I went back and forth on this a couple times. I am fully convinced there's a good album in here somewhere because my sole prior experience with OMD was “If You Leave” (a PERFECT song if ever there was one) and this album is not that. So I was not initially super enthused. But I came to accept that a few of these songs are actually really nice and interestingly structured. I do think, however, that it’s let down quite a bit by some dated mixing and would greatly benefit from a remaster.

This was fine. I didn’t know any songs on this. Nothing really stood out.

About as solid a 2 as I am ever likely to give. Not terrible - Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) and Souvenir are highlights, and there are a couple of memorable synth riffs - but it's not great either, many of the songs are lost in the morass of electronica.

It's fine...

Thoughts before listening: I have heard of these guys, but I know nothing about them. I have always thought they were some sort of hard rock/classical mashup like Trans Siberian Orchestra, but that's probably wrong. I actually think these guys played more post-punk style music. This will be a first listen. Review: So it's post-punk I guess, but really more synth pop albeit with a darker undertone than I would typically think of for that description. This is not really something that is resonating with me. 2-stars

I dunno, was okay. Sometimes being the first at something means others get to come after and make it better. 2/5

Never my favourite band. An ok listen but not one of them really grabbed me.

2 1/2

Day 271 Highlight Joan of Arc

Ein großer Titel. Ansonsten geht.

Ambitious, but I didn't enjoy it.

Ég skil sjarmann en mér fannst þetta bara alls ekki neitt spes plata. Mér fannst ég bara skynja hvað þeir vilja vera miklir listamenn með eitís-synthana sína

I listened to this and was bored. I wish I wasn’t, because I think that the title is fascinating, but I was. Oh well.

I did my best, and even listened to it twice, but this doesn't speak to me. It clearly does to a lot of other people, and maybe if I'd caught it at a different time in my life I'd feel differently. There's nothing wrong with it, but it was work to get through and I didn't feel a reward.

Not entirely sure what I just listened to. I thought it would be more orchestral. There was no orchestra. It's giving coffee shop music

Haha 67th album… Anyway I went into the album and the first song absolutely blew me away. Reminded me of the cure.. if they were way more into electronic synthpop stuff.. but I really dug the energy!! Then the rest of the album proceeded to sound nothing like it- it was honestly a drag to get through the rest of it (besides the Joan of arc songs) High 2 unfortunately.. long runtime also dragged the score down

I really like the single If You Leave. That’s about it for me and OMD.

It is industrial.

Some New Wave is really good and some is OMD.

early synth pop that I did not mind. No songs really stood out for me and it suffers a little from sounding all similar.

When to listen: outer space? I hated the literal noise parts of the songs, but other parts were more listen-able and bumped it up to a 2.

fine listen if you like synth-pop, but didn’t dig the vocals, music is interesting, but can be stale, some songs are maybe too long?

…snooze fest.

Somewhat okay, a bit too poppy for me. The 2nd half was better, 2.5, but not 3.

I would never choose to listen to this.

I believe these guys when they say that they are in the dark.

Made me feel anxious, also what's with the weird silences between tracks

Nah

We listened in the car although I don’t particularly remember it oops was it the synth pop one that we thought would have been crazy in the 80s but it pretty regular now I think that was it I remember you liked the Souvenir song

I don't think i'm a new wave / synth pop fan and this album didn't convert me.

not for me!

Imponerende kjedelig. Hadde det vært 30 min langt så kanskje jeg kunne fått noe mer ut av det.

Eksperimentelt, på et vis. Tidvis slitsomt, tidvis kult. Ingenting som helt fester seg, ender derfor mellom to og tre.

I'm osrry I wasn¨t listening

Ooh no. Really don’t enjoy these 80s synth pop bands. I’m trying to work out why I don’t like it - it’s probably because it is ‘plain’ ie metered out machine led sounds with a lack of human expression. But not interesting art music either. And it’s not that it isn’t expressive - I mean there are light bits and dark bits and it’s mixed with interesting recorded sounds which I like - so if OMD stripped out the synth and the square drum machine and the 1980s singing style i’d be all in . as it is I struggle to get through this. There are glimmers of it going somewhere artistically creative - but then goes back into pop and that’s just not what does it for me. 2. I definitely will avoid.

Very few high points in this album, mainly just plodding bleeps and bloops with sad vocals. I did not enjoy my tune with this album.

Tää ei oikeen lähtenyt. ⭐️⭐️

Tää on just sitä musaa mitä en oo oikeen ikinä hiffannu.

I like one of their other LPs a little bit too. Not my bag of tea but it's not completely horrible.

I only like one OMD song and it's not even on this album. A shame.

Listened to half. Really instrumental, sets a vibe more than giving a message. As an architecture student I get that it's "weird"

I’d like to speak to someone’s manager. Sure, synth pop origins bla bla bla but multiple people think this is required listening?

There’s a few good singles on this record (Souvenir, Georgia, Joan of Arc), but I’m not really motivated motivated to explore more by this artist without putting on my best pair of “pretentious music guy” pants.

Average synth pop at best. No need to be on this list.

Boring boring boring

Lame

It's pretty good but nothing grabbed me. I even nodded off for about 5 minutes.

Inoffensive, if a little gloomy synth-pop. Not my favourite, not the worst. It has some nice atmospherics and felt experimental enough to keep my attention throughout, but I don't feel drawn to keep it on rotation.

(3/7) too weird for a Saturday

eh

not my style of latte, was boring and never finished the album.

I looked forward to giving this a go after reading all the positive reviews. But it just didn’t do it for me, the singles were good but otherwise it just didn’t get my attention

starts off promising and then gets a lil too out there for me

Not to my taste, pretty cool for the year it was released though

Sorry to say, but this didn't do much for me. I can recognize that this is "ahead of its time" and likely influential, but I found myself bored during my listen.

Sounds experimental and minimal, yet strangely modern somehow. Not sure how to explain it, so I’ll stop. 2.3/5.0

When it wasn’t ambient drums this was quite pleasant. Unfortunately, it was ambient drums a lot of the time.

kind of boring 80s music. there’s a couple brights spots but not many

Pretty meh

Of its time

Better than some of the other of the 2 stars but couldn’t bring myself to say this was an above average album. It started off pretty good, I liked She’s Leaving, Souvenir, and Joan of the Arc. After that it was a slog. Every thing sounded the same and I couldn’t pull any emotion out of it.

Weird album

2.4 2x catchup 2/2

I tried. It’s frank music.

I'm at a point in this journey where I can be fairly confident about whether or not something is going to be up my alley based on the genre tags. That statement might make you think "yeah, duh," but the genres I've enjoyed most in this context are actually somewhat of an inversion of what I listen to during my leisure time. For example, country and grunge (genres I almost never willingly put on) have generally been pleasant surprises, whereas electronica and metal (genres I actually listen to) have gotten more criticism from me. New wave raises a red flag for me and synthpop tends to raise a green one, so I genuinely had no idea what to expect going into Architecture & Morality. Unfortunately, neither of this album's two sides really worked for me this time. I found the more experimental cuts kind of annoying and the more straightforward synthpop tunes kind of boring. There's not much in between – "The Beginning and the End" and "Souvenir" were highlights from each end of the stylistic spectrum, but "Georgia" was the only one that really made me feel like I was getting the best of both worlds. I'm not going to use the word "generic" to describe an album that came out so early in synthpop's history, so maybe "standard" would work better – there probably wasn't much like it in 1981, but the sound that the bulk of Architecture & Morality presents has been done to death in the decades since. I didn't get the same "one of a kind" sensation that I did listening to the two Book Albums from Depeche Mode. The most damning thing I can probably say about my experience with this album is that I was hit with a wave of relief when I learned that the original album was only nine tracks long and that I didn't have to listen to the seven others included on the Spotify version. Highlights: Souvenir, Georgia, The Beginning and the End

At its best when there’s no vocals. Meh

Oh boy, more 80’s synth-pop! I’ll pass.

1. ztone - 1.5 2. leaving -1 3. zouvenir - 2 4. zea - 1.5 5. joan - 1.5 6. arc - 1.5 7. morality - 1.5 8. georgia - 1 9. end - 1.5 10. Extended - 1.5 11. Motion - 0 12. Sacred - 1 13. Romance - 1 14. Navigation - 1.5 15. Made - 1.5 16. Gravity - 1

i get the early synth rock/pop vibes but it was also painful/jarring at times and overall boring to me

Nice synthesizer… shame about the songs.

Too... Sterile? And I'm saying this as a fan of Kraftwerk.

Weird

Is there a legal requirement in the UK for men with THAT voice to front a synth band?

Required a quiet room I didn't have access to. Which is more a me issue than the album.

Moody, experimental and abstract... But that doesn't mean it's good, in contrast to other artists experimenting with synths at the time

Not my jam

My very good childhood friend Dave Pence was way into music in high school and was an early fan/discoverer of Bowie and Springsteen. He moved to California after college and would send me cassettes on occasion. I remember getting from him one from this band as well as one from The Psychedelic Furs, and one from Echo and the Bunnyman. All came out in 1981. None were great, maybe pre-cursors to new wave, and I have a vague sense that the one by OMD was the weakest of the 3. Dave died around age 50 from throat cancer (a heavy smoker). This was just OK.

Didn't appreciate quite how literal the title would be. There's a real industrial vibe to parts of this that do sound like architecture. This album was ok overall. Really strong at points, at other points just really a bit strange (see the title track). We found it dragged and was slightly jarring at points.

A few of these tracks are FIRE but overall didn't do much for me

I'm all for new wave, but I honestly just don't gel with OMD.

2.5 meeh

This type of sound is the worst of the 80’s. It makes it very difficult for me to sit through a whole album.

I’ll admit I judged a book by its cover here and assumed I wouldn’t like it. I was mostly right, but it was a little better than I thought it would be. There were some kinda nice songs, but a lot of just instrumental stuff and some weird sounds and long pauses between songs where you’re not sure if it’s still playing. I guess it would work as background music for getting work done

Not very memorable to me. I appreciated the ominous/spacey feel throughout the album, the sound reminded me of yesterday's listen, Behaviour by the Pet Shop Boys.

heavy!

Bland and not particularly memorable.

Got confused and thought this was ELO. It was not ELO.

I wasn't into synthpop before this record, and I think it's safe to say that I am still not into synthpop after it. Favourite Track(s): Souvenir Least Favourite Track(s): Gravity Never Failed

Easy to listen too but all of their songs are one speed. Not my kind of music.

I much prefer their contemporaries. (2.5)

Better than I thought it'd be based on name and album art. Still not great.

Maybe it was my mood today. This just didn’t hold my attention. I had to keep restarting until I finally gave up. Wasn’t feeling it.

Really want to find some great 80s music. 2 stars.

I was feeling open to this for the first 3 tracks, but then they lost me. I've never been big into electronic music, anyway.

2.5

Hvorfor må noen høre på dette??? En fattig versjon av The Smith

I've really been enjoying the new waves albums I've been getting lately, but this one was a bridge too far. I don't know... maybe it just pushed too far into the experimental zone.

An electronic album toward the higher end of the electronic spectrum. For me, that means there are some nice moments in each track that ultimately wear out their welcome with repetition. This is also less annoying than many other electronic albums, although it has plenty of moments of being annoying.

Very uneven 80s technosynthpop

This is in the genre of chill instrumentals with some vocal riffs that is cluttered and does little for me. Maybe its original innovation should be counted for more but today, this feels like another bland 80s synth album

Man, I just don't get the appeal of this band. Their music isn't bad, but it is just such a slog to get through.

Bit directionless

Another Groundbreaking record that doesn’t hold up as much as people think.

Ugh here is that vocal style again that I do not enjoy. This is tough. I think the instrumentals are interesting at times, but this isn't very good. Actual rating....1.5 Liked Songs: "She's Leaving" , "Souvenir" , "Georgia" , "The Romance of the Telescope" , "Of All The Things We've Made"

Not for me 2

Did people actually like music like this in the 80s?

boring and drone-y

I’d describe this as a blend of gloomy, Gary Numan-esque experimental electronics and cheesy 80s synth pop. It sort of works at times but each style has been done better by others. I’ve heard enough to suggest there might be another OMD album out there that I’d enjoy more, though.

116/1001 OMD - Architecture and Morality Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ There are some good songs here, but they are few and far between. Anything decent on it, is ruined by the poor production.

Sometimes this album reminded me of church. Sometimes this album reminded me of the 80s. I have experienced both of those things, sometimes simultaneously. For me, church in the 80s consisted mostly of looking at the clock, waiting for it to be over. That isn't exactly how I felt about this album, but it is a pretty good approximation.

I'd have enjoyed this more if there weren't any vocals. I also really don't get why it's on this list.

2,5

Too similar to The Smith's to be considered listenable

Meh

интересное звучание, но мне не зашло, напомнило u2 странно

Ei oikein maistu tämä elektrotyyppinen poppi. Yksikään biisi ei noussut esiin.

Totally mid, synth pop. Only on here cause they're British. Bleh, total waste of time

super early 80's synth-heavy pop that drones on & on. boring. I'd ask why it's on list but-they're early 80's brit pop.

Some interesting sounds... but so damn 80's it hurts. Maybe a 2.5 - I will round down though.

Weird stuff

Was not into it.

This album is mostly a shitty '80s fever dream. Souvenier is okay.

Sounded like a 1 hour 1 min long procession. Alternating between angry, melancholic, upbeat, funeral and space-age marches. Maybe it's the drums, repetitive chord progressions, choral backup singing, monotonous singing, a la video game loading sound track. IDK but I felt like I was in the mixer and not entirely the mixer I like visiting twice a week. Would've been sweeter if Enola Gay and Electricity were included. Glimmers of engagement and then I realised I kept subconsciously turning it off. Souvenir is a bop.

Pretentious synth.

It sounded like the soundtrack to some weird 8 bit European RPG game. It had some moments that were alright, but it was diluted by the not so great parts. Was glad when it ended if I'm being real, just so I could listen to something else, 1 hour of this was too long. Souvenir was my favorite on the album. 4/10

Not mine

It had good moments. It had non eventful moments also.

I love me a good early 80s band, and I am a fan of the band's single "If you leave" but it seems that song is not representative of there overall style. I have noticed this happens often with bands... their one breakthrough hit being the least like their overall sound. This album was nice in spots but a whole lot of heavy, orchestral synth the varies from droning to bombastic without finding a middle. Wasn't all bad and I will probably listen to another album of theirs but this missed the mark for me.

Meh. Not my fav kind of music.

I'm not the biggest synth-pop fan, but on occasion when the talent is right I can find myself to tolerate it. This is that kind of exception. Having the idea of architecture, which later translated to industrialism, really made the sound make sense in my mind. I'm a bigger fan of the instrumental bits, the mopey goth vocals don't win me over— I recognize this is some base setting influence work and there's points for that. I would snag a copy at a discount price to have and VERY occasionally listen. I can also live without this record. 2.5/5

Fell asleep halfway through my boss was pissed

Really didn't care for this. Slow and boring melodies coupled with melancholy vocals, combining for that hallmark 80s pop/synth/dark alternative sound.

There’s far too much britpop on the list. I like 80s music but I’m over it and I’ve not even reached 300 albums yet.

point3.

Hmmm Depeche Mood meets Morrisey. Feels a little cringey and self-important in first few tracks, but let’s see how we go… I like the arrangements, but struggle with the vocals and kinda over-dramatic feel to it all. Yeh, this is whiney, self-important drivel.

Cool moments. Very little else to say after I don’t know how many times through. Maybe a few more hooks?

This was slightly more interesting than the other mostly sameish British New Wave albums this list is so fond of spitting out. Joan of Arc (the first version) and The Beginning and The End both landed with me. There were some unusual sounds that felt like purposeful decisions rather than oddities for the sake of it. Still, on the whole this isn't able to consistently rise out of the pile of 80s synth-crap it was born of. If I had to diagnose a failure point on this front, it'd be the vocals, which are fine on their own, but feel too washed out and smoothed over at times to give these similarly bottomless songs the lift they need.

I was intrigued by the melodies and the soft synth sounds. The drum machine doesnt get in the way. Not my bag, but I enjoyed a couple cuts. Extended Souvenir was my favorite track 2.5 stars

Bring on the synths. I used to really love OMD. My first concert, I saw them open for the Thompson Twins. Listening with a more mature ear, I find the synthesizer music a little flat and soulless (despite the religious overtones). The vocals are also more melodramatic than I recall. It’s not a bad record, but not a great one either. And for the period, I feel like there were electronic pop bands that did it better and had more of a lasting impact. Glad to see this one pop up and glad to give it a listen after all these years, but it hasn’t aged all that well. Also, there are other OMD records I connected better with. Feel like this is a 2 even though sentimentally I want to give it a 3.

This was the best album they've ever had? Wow.

That was okay

Some very unique sounds incorporated into songs

Ik ben inmiddels op mijn hoede als ik Orchestral lees. Dat is bijna altijd een manier om jezelf groter voor te doen dan je bent. Ook nu. Het 'orkest' bestaat vooral uit langgerekte synth-geluiden. Architecture lijkt mij ook een vorm van zelfoverschatting. Dit voelt niet als nauwkeurig ontworpen, maar als een meer willekeurig geluidenpakket dat soms wel aardig samenvalt. Wiki noemt Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) als grootste hit. Ben je fan van dit soort keyboardgeluid. En wil je het live beleven? Dat kan: https://jostiband.nl/concerten/concertagenda/

Zodra de eerste synths en drumcomputers beginnen, weet je al genoeg: we zijn in de jaren 80 beland. Een zeikerige Britse stem erbij en het is new wave-ish. Al heeft het ook wat weg van the Cure, qua melodie en baslijntjes. OMD maakt alleen veel meer gebruik van synths, waardoor het meer bombastisch en aanstellerig wordt. Dit is typisch van die muziek die ik vroeger het toppunt van wansmaak vond. Inmiddels kan ik 80s muziek beter plaatsen en soms beter waarderen. Maar vervang de zanger door een minder zeikerige, vervang de synths door een bassist en een gitaartje en de drumcomputer door iemand die daadwerkelijk op de vellen slaat, en onder die laag van jaren 80 elektronica zitten soms best aardige liedjes. Ik vind het enigszins vermoeiend, met name die zanger. Nondeju zeg, wat een lul. Het had een 3 kunnen worden, maar door die zang kom ik niet hoger dan een 2.

Ok start, abstract end

Didn't get it

Eh.

/giphy goth dance

A rather tedious mix of Britpop/new wave and some experimental noise and ambient sounds. If you're like me and have already surpassed the 1000 album mark, you've hear this type of "sound" 100s of times already. 2 "whatevers" out of 5

I didn’t enjoy this at all. Not bad, just aggressively dull.

Probably influential for it's time but felt a bit slow/boring. Top Track: Souvenir

Vähän kyllä nyt omituista elektronista pilipali musiikkia. On ihan hyviäkin hetkiä, mutta enimmäkseen vähän ihmeellistä. Vähän new wave viboja tulee tästäkin. Parhaat: Sealand, The Beginning And The End, (BONUS: Of All The Things We've Made [ei ollut alkuperäisellä julkaisulla])

Couldn’t connect with this one. Maybe too avant-garde, or maybe just not into synthpop enough. There’s definitely a vision here, though.

Got a bit bored to be honest, don’t think this one is for me

Heard some OMD hits before. I do love synthpop but this album felt kind of like one long song without much variety or catchy tunes 2/5

Another one of those albums where I could appreciate the concept, and even the execution, but i was just bored.

This is a solid okay album and nothing more.

Snelle inhaal review #16: Wel meer nummers die ik kende dan verwacht, maar greep me verder niet echt.

Een aantal leuke nummers zoals extended souvenir and she's leaving, maar het grote deel vond ik net iets te experimenteel / niet mijn smaak.

++: Sealand, Joan of Arc, Architecture and Morality, Georgia +: The New Stone Age, She's Leaving, Souvenir, Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) +-: The Beginning and the End 6,0/10

Confirms my dislike of New Wave.

Niet echt mijn stijl, intro van Joan of Arc vond ik wel erg cool.

Strange. Electronic stuff that was interesting but not really for me. Reading about it, it is clear it was hugely influential in electronic music and i can respect that, but wouldn't listen again.

Clunky and abstract 80's synth pop. Not for me.

OMD? OMG! Pretty bland easy listening 80s synth pop. A couple of tracks were catchy but instantly forgettable.

Upon first listen i really didn't like this album. I felt that it was a left over relic from the 80s, full of self indulgent, drab, boring synth pop. Unfortunately i think that truth still stands for the majority of this album but my second and third listen revealed a few tracks which i actually came to enjoy. In its best moments, this album shines with charming, amateur sounding synth pop tunes. The songs in my favourite tracks all have a vulnerable quality to them, they don't seem so sure of themselves. The same can't be said for the rest of the album. Most tracks are dramatic and drab with no good reason. They stick around for too long without developing, which makes them a slog to listen to. Not great overall but a few gems in there for sure. Fav tracks - The New Stone Age - She's Leaving - Souvenir - Georgia - Motion and Heart - Gravity Never Failed Worst tracks - Sealand - Joan of Arc - Architecture and Morality - The Beginning and The End - Sacred Heart - The Romance of the Telescope - Navigation - Of All the Things We've Made

Background music.

No matter how much I try, I just cannot bring myself to like Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.

Not for me.

Don't we already have the Beatles?

Not my thing. Never will be my thing.

never been fond of omd

Not a synth guy

Just not my cup of tea.

Trippy. Kinda boring. 2/5

Morose

More like Snore-chestral Ma-snoozers in the Dark, am I right? I think I'd call this synthmospheric, and that doesn't carry great connotations.

I only like "Souvenir" - the rest is like N64 dungeon-music.

Rating: 5/10 Meh. Choice cut: Souvenir

2.5

I have always been quite fond of O.M.D., but this album doesn't contain their best material (which, if I'm honest, is spread out quite a bit among all their albums and singles). Yes, there is the rightfully known-and-loved Jean of Arc(Maid of Orleans) (Track 6, not the previous one with almost the same name, mind you), but the rest is underwhelming, to say the least. They were experimenting with their sound, when they should have honed their songwrighting craft. 2/5

Stinky

Boring

Plinky plonky cool

The one good song everyone knows, If You Leave, isn't here. This is just a bore.

20% of this rating is probably due to the pouring rain on the highway, but the other 80% is all Orchestral Manoeuvres. Too monotonous; they should have turned on the lights to find a few more keys.

Didn’t care for. Too boring. Stop moaning about and do something interesting. 2/5

not my cuppa tea

Was never a fan, but Souvenir is still a tune

Like the soundtrack to a cheap indie movie. Hard pass.

4/10…new wave / 80er

Great synth textures but not a fan of the songwriting that seems to go on and on.

Orchestral feels like a misnomer. First track seems as though they tried to make the most sonically unpleasant music possible. The synth is just screeching with a droning beat and I forgot about the early 80’s Plinko sound that was in everything - what even is that? A few pop style songs Interspersed with someone playing around with the new synth sounds and drum tracks on their Casio.

It gives off video game music in my opinion. Which isnt bad, but just not something I would listen to outside of that scenario

Not for me. A step above My Bloody Valentine though, which isn’t saying too much. I do hear an influential piece of the Trent Reznor pie though. I’ll give that credit where credit is due. 3/10

2,5

Had high hopes for this at the start but those quickly torpedoed, overlong and uninteresting

Album 705 of 1001 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Architecture And Morality (1981) Rating : 2.5 / 5 Synth-Pop. A little different direction with the electronic music that I generally have a disdain for. While I can't say I think it is a great album, it was a good listening experience.

Struggled to get into it. Very, very 80s synth pop type of sound.

Love Joan of arc but the rest of the album didn’t really do much for me.

Too long. It was interesting but too long

Did not hold my interest for more than a few moments. I know I listened to it, but have no memory of it.

I love it when you hear songs that sound like other songs and wonder if they influenced each other. The main synth part on Extended souvenir from this album sounds a lot like the main synth part from bizarre love triangle by new order.

meeh

..

I remember when I was in high school, a friend tried to turn me on to OMD. Never did. And although this album was decent, it did not make me a fan. But, I am not a fan of electronica to begin with. It reminded me a bit like Kraftwerk, except the vocals are definitely British. I will say that as opposed to some other electronica I have had to listen to for this challenge, you can tell that this is well-structured, and they brought in a bunch of instruments (mellotron, for example) to enhance the colour and sound. Having said that, YAWN. Next.

You can hear the electronic synth influence of that era. OMD may be pioneers but others like Depeche Mode and New Order just sound better and make you want to dance. This was a bit of a dark listen. Give me more If You Leave!!!

Somehow unenjoyable and unmemorable at the same time.

I felt very familiar as I grew up in the 80's but a bit flat.

Not their finest release.