Reviews (page 4 of 8)
*unbelieving stare while pondering what brought the editors to include this, of all albums, in the book* 1.5/5
This was weird I really liked one song and fucking hated the next
We saw them live at the Phoenix Concert hall in Feb 2004. The night before we went to cayman for the first time. They are a great live band.
Favourites: Alternative Route to Vulcan Street Miniature Juxtaposed With U Presidential Suite ★ Fragile Happiness ★
Road to Vulcan whatever was good definitely quieter than the next two. But the next two are really good. The album seems like it keeps getting better. A touch sensitive is a weird song. The album spans so many genres. Highlights are songs 2,3,4 and juxtaposed. Also maybe run Christian run. Overall, a really great album! 🐴
Favourites: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street It's Not the End of the World? Juxtapozed Run! Christian Run!
I read Howard Marks’ book Mr Nice and he tells a story of hanging out with a band, driving a tank, smoking dope, etc. i always pictured the band being Supergrass but read the name Super Furry Animals. So ive always thought of Supergrass’ music when this bands name is mentioned. Very wrong. Less poppy. More garage band feel. Bit of Jeaus and Mary Chain. Bit of beach boys pop sensibility, maybe some 50’s doo wop. Bet they like Phil Spectre recordings. So a surprise of an album due to expectations but not an unpleasant one. Enough elements of some good bands in this to find it interesting, like the above, or The Jam, or 70s big rock type bands. I imagone they would great live. So is it an album i had to hear before worka eaty corpse? Not sure yet. I suspect it is an album that will grow on me or at the very least i will invest a little time in listening to other also me of theirs.
Kinda boring. Liked the lo fi quality
Copy/paste of my previous SFA album on this list... "I didn't like Super Furry Animals back in 1996 and I don't like them in 2025..."
At no point did I ever have any idea what the next song would sound like.
Not a fan
good, relaxing
The best part of this album was the part where the music stopped and it was over. The final minute of No Sympathy was pretty interesting, full of weird noises and almost turned into an EDM track. Nothing else on this album came remotely close to being as interesting as that part. A lot of boring joyless and soulless drab, with uninteresting songs. This band didn't need an album on the list, let alone two of them.
• repetetiv
I can see how some people would love this but I found it a bit too ambitious for their talent. It never really settles into a style which I thought problematic rather than transcendental. It just didn’t land with me.
Certainly a unique listening experience. Pretty much any branch of rock and rock-adjacent sounds can be heard here, with some abrasive electronica mixed in too. Even more interesting is that Paul McCartney was credited with playing the carrot and celery on one of the tracks? A lot is going on here, maybe too much. You can tell these guys were inspired by all sorts of acts from the 60s/70s, but all of these varying sources kind of act as a detriment to the record as a whole I feel. Some genuinely bright spots, with a smorgasbord of interesting musical choices filling in the rest of the puzzle.
Not my vibe
Fun alt rock but it didn’t stand out much for me
My main exposure to SFA before this was their song, "The Man Don't Give A Fuck", primarily from their sampling of Steely Dan song 'Show Biz Kids' as the main hook. IYKYK. Never looked more into their discography after that, although I liked the song. They capture a very eclectic, maximalist sound. You can hear how critics would think this sound would usher in the new millennium, up until a few months later in September of that year when some big global event would change our imagination and sense of direction for the future. This album sounds like the dreams of the 90s that have been achieved. I wish more stuff in the 2000s had this sound instead of what felt like a mini-era of devolution of music being boiled down to postgrunge, wangsty one-note pop punk/rock songs, nu metal, and whatnot. Certainly a fun listen, and maybe more of a hallmark of a short lived techno-optimist world that we were making in the late 90s/pre 9/11 world that maybe, just maybe, would be better if Al Gore won the presidency. Then again I'm talking about a band from Wales, and I don't really know how big Super Furry Animals are/were in America. But Rings Around The World is worth a heads up to check out, especially if you like music that sounds like a bunch of genres blurred together.
Not my jam. Weird.
I didn't love it, but I definitely liked it. It's indie Britpop goes experimental. Rings Around the World is a song for children. No Sympathy started ok, but then went all weird in an interesting and good-sounding way. I think I like the people in this band more than I like their music.
Inoffensive but mediocre. Bit of a slog to finish. Saved a song: N RYM: N
This is just average and boring and all sounds the same. It’s not terrible. But nothing grabs me either. 2.5
This was just... boring
Knew the name but never listened. Absolutely love it. Kinda like a mix of Spiritualized and Strerolab but with more pop sense. On my second listen now and can’t wait to deep dive. What a fun discovery.
I really like this album! It was like a mash-up of a bunch of other bands/genres. Its oscillation between moods and sounds was quite jarring. definitely worthy of being on the list!
Ok, but I don't think it'd get another spin from me. Sounds very 'of its time'
What a brilliantly bizarre collection of songs!
What a surprise this was! Thoroughly enjoyed the whole album.
The highlights on the album elevate the rating to 2 stars however, there are big portions of the album I just did not enjoy. Favourite songs: Sidewalk Serfer Girl, Juxtaposed With U, It's Not the End of the World, Fragile Happiness Lease favourite songs: Vulcan street, Receptacle for the Respectable, Touch Sensitive. Rating 4/10
Haha this was all fine and super 2001 and then No Sympathy came on and stole my heart. 5 stars
Expected it to be an alternative/indie rock for some reason. What I heared is not what I loved, but there were some moments that I like. They are very creative with songwriting, arrangement and sounds and I can appreciate it even when it's not mine thing
This one was all over the place and at first I hated it. The second half was pretty strong and by the end, I thought it was great. I think I’d benefit from repeated listens. Given the mixed bag, rating it a strong 3.
A lot more interesting than I was expecting. Not sure all the tracks work but good fun and enough moments of beauty to keep me interested.
Rings Around the World Gosh, another blast from the early 2000s, another CD I bought and listened to heavily but then kind of forgot all about. I’ve always liked SFA, and their eccentric and wonky pop-rock-electro-psychedelic noodling, and this album is full of it, from whimsy to seriousness and from dance to metal, often all in one song. The lazy flow of the opener is great, as is the Supertramp electro-rock of Sidewalk Serfer Girl, and (Drawing) Rings Around the World is a fuzzed up belter. But Receptacle for the Respectable is a great example of their leftfield approach, starting off as a great strum along before the horns kick in and after the middle 8 extends into a heavy metal-esque jam, and I love how they get Macca to make an appearance and get him to just eat some vegetables - I presume this is a nod to the Beach Boys, as there are definite Brian Wilson influences scattered throughout. No Sympathy is a similarly brilliant track, the folk-bluesy first part is superb as it builds to a frantic electronic conclusion. And Juxtapozed with U is a fantastic off kilter vaguely lounge/cinematic influenced pop song with a great melody. Run Christian Run is yet another great lazily flowing melody, again building to a schizophrenic crescendo. There’s a lot of density to the album, with a lot going on, and not everything works fully, with some songs, despite having some great moments and touches, dragging a little, like Shoot Doris Day and Fragile Happiness, but overall its a great mashed up album. 🪐🪐🪐🪐 Playlist submission: No Sympathy
I love the easygoing start to this album, 'Alternate Route to Vulcan Street', with gliding strings and echoey delivery; I'm inclined to draw another Mogwai reference - highly melodic ambience. It's a recurring them (the Massive Attack inspired '(A) Touch Sensitive' or the Enoesque 'Miniature'), and also translates into some lovely orchestrated folk-pop (such as the marvelous 'No Sympathy'). There's also blue-eyed soul meets Burt Bacharach - the baroque 'It's Not the End of the World'; or 'Presidential Suite', a take on a 60s classic feel, with Bacharach brass. They had enough material for a triple album, and - it was to be a 90 minute extravaganza. I'm glad it isn't - the production does sometimes feel like a Britpop hangover (an overblown wall of sound with everything thrown at it) but they balance inventiveness with a tolerable run time. What's more they balance 60s, baroque, folk, country, rock, ambient, pop influences very well. I don't think there's a dud track.
I could not pay attention to this but it was fine. Waste of a spot though.
Had to find this one on YouTube. Early century alternative/indie music. Nothing really stood out. Fine but I don't need to hear it again.
Not for me at all.
A real mixed bag between the bangers on the album and just alright songs. You've got some brilliant string sections in some songs, and overall amazing instrumentation with some of the most bland vocals i've heard. some misses some hits lmaoo
The interesting instrumentation of this album does not save it from being completely washed out by the most bland singer I have heard. Though, the songs around Juxtapozed with U are decent, it really does not save the album.
This one has surprised me with how much I've enjoyed it. Really liked (Drawing) Rings Around the World, It's Not the End of the World?, and No Sympathy. But all of it is pretty solid.
Feels a little slow and boring to me.
5/10
I liked the surfer song, but the rest didn't do much for me.
I thought it had a cool unique sound. It was an interesting blend of rock and electronic.
This was good. A nice solid album, smack in the center of 3 land. I liked that it fit together as a cohesive album with a rise and fall, a beginning and an end. I'd listen to this again. I don't think I'd buy it, but I'd totally borrow it.
I really wish this album wasn't afraid of the more experimental and interesting stuff it has going on.
It’s an album you have on in the background at a dinner party. Someone might ask you who is it by you tell who it’s by and everyone kinda strikes their shoulders and goes back talking.
2001 It's really hard to put a lable on SFA, such is their diverse and experimental sound, this album being one of the most genre bending of their discography. Wiki says: "incorporating pop, prog, punk, jungle, electronica, techno and death metal" I've heard this album so many times; Wiki, there's no death metal! 'Receptacle For The Respectable' and 'No Sympathy' are absolute monsters and demonstrate SFA at their most 'don't give a fuck' attitude. I've seen them six times and have pretty much everything they've released (within reason). Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ fuck yes! Revisit ✅️ ★★★★☆ (8/10)
Trist.
This is a great album! Tough to define a genre. Indie I guess. Definitely grabbing this on vinyl
Largely weird and impenetrable. To me at least. Perhaps that's the point.
Weird. Some fun, some pretty bad.
This record kept me on my toes. So diverse and it all worked. I liked this a lot. The kind of discoveries I am here for. Thank you for this.
All this time I misunderstood the purpose of this list. They are giving us a 1001 that we must listen to in order to actually be killed. There ae some great mixed in here to keep you hooked, but all this British stuff is the real lethal mix. Just mindlessly putting us into a irreversible stupor.
I was totally unaware of this group. I was pleasantly surprised by this. I'll likely be listening to this again.
This is one of the first bands I'd never even heard of, and ... not sure I'd come back to it. That said, "No Sympathy" got my attention.
Pretty catch and interesting. Hope to return to it.
84/100. All songs are great, and the album never feels stale. Packed with flavour and imagination.
More generic brit rock BS. No thanks.
Super Shitty Songs
Einfach nur Mist!
This album is all over the place. I don't hate a lot of it. Super interesting.
Ok. I don’t know why, but I liked this. It caught my attention. Maybe it was because I was painting the house while listening and it just worked, but it was cool. I’d give it another listen.
This is really fun. All over the place. Moments where it takes a big turn and sounds completely different. Moments of calm, moments of frenzy. Whips around to different genres. Would make for good road trip tunes for sure.
Итс окэй. Звучит как какой-то затерявшийся сайдпроект Албарна. Лучшая песня - It's Not the End of the World?
Some of this is really good, and some of it is really not for me. This album has won me over and lost me and won me back over a few times now. 3 hours for an album seems extra extreme.
I mean it was fairly interesting, with some cool production choices but I wouldn't come back to it
Very inconsistent album. Some songs are great some are slogs.
Never heard of them before. Really good. 90' alt rock with some random trip-hop electronic elements.
Eclectic and Brilliant
It was nice, No Sympathy is a higlight
This was OK. Nothing special.
Thought I'd like this more but a lot of it I think needs to grow. Beyond tug title track which I vaguely knew not much stuck.
The harmonic noise they have on their tracks is glorious. There are few other band who create such lush warm drones. His voice is great, the tunes are interesting and the lyrics are fun. It's not my favourite SFA album, but it's bloody brilliant.
I'm not sure I understand what great music is after listening to this album. It was an assault to my ears.
I need to read up - sounds like Damon Albarn in there - don't remember enough about them - some tracks are pleasant, most nothing special and it begs our favorite question, 'what's this doing on the list'?
Wow. Loved this. Total surprise. Had never heard of this band before. This is right up my alley. I love the experimental vibe and exploration. Will come back to this.
It's fine, but not really standing out to me. It gets lost in the background for me.
Check out the size of my influences. I respect this more than enjoy listening to it. That is the faintest praise I could come up with.
Some of it is Great, it is trippy and calming and just all around pleasnant. But some where In the middle of the album there are a few sons that are the exact opposite
Yea I liked it upon first pass. Probably needs another listen or two. Never listed to this until today.
Really liked this. Love all the styles and sounds while still making catchy songs. Considered 5 stars. Might revise later.
The layering was effective on some songs and meh on others. 2.8.
This was unmemorable and fine. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
That was fun! I enjoyed the random noises :}
I liked this one more than I thought I would
la cosa più mid che abbia mai sentito
Just not my thing, sorry.
Intéressant, mérite d’autres écoutes.
This just feels like a mashup of far too many genres. I think that genre fusion is a really cool thing when pulled of well, but this album pulls it off badly, and I mean really badly. Each song feels completely incoherent, since there are just too many things going on in each moment that I don't even know what I'm meant to be focusing on, and the project as a whole ends up feeling so disjointed because of it.
3/10 Ok, no thank you... 9-25-2025
Interesting.
The songs range from okay to just… noise. No thanks
Eclectic and creative, but the vocals leave a little something to be desired. An interesting mix of genre, but kinda meh across the album as a whole. 3 stars for being diverse enough to keep my interest through the whole album though
3/5
I really liked this. Dude’s voice reminds me of Damon Albarn. I hear bits that remind me of many bands: Shudder To Think, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Portishead, Mutemath. I enjoy intelligent music, with plays on words. The beats are unique. Glad I discovered this!
3,75
Ugh how many times am I going to get something that sounds like Elvis Costello? 2/5
2.23
The breadth and volume of ideas was a real treat here. There are some beautiful melodies, some lovely arrangement and a surprising amount of scuzzy electric fun. A great record and definitely one to hear before i die
Super Furry Animals is the collective noun for Len Houmous’ 8-13th wife. 4.5 7/13 Shoot Doris Day
ok loved! one of them was one of the craziest songs i've ever heard. jon briks saw them in 2002. galea said i should listen to supergrass after, which has already been one of my albums!
Interesting
More like the super boring music
First time listening to this band and it won't be the last. Couldn't rate it higher because i didn't listen to the whole thing
No idea what I was listening to
A couple of the songs gave me Elvis Costello vibes. It's not bad, but I don't know if I'll revisit this one. I did like Run! Christian, Run! and Sidewalk Serfer Girl.
Kind of a fever dream
Not bad but there were enough Oasis soundalikes already in 2001.
A little spacey for me for the most part but it had its moments. “Sidewalk surfer girl” was the highlight.2.7
2.5 I listened to the first few songs after a particularly bad beer league hockey loss and was planning on giving this album a 0.1 rating but gave it another try in a better headspace. Its not really my cup of tea but it is fairly interesting and I could see how it could have some absolute fanatics
I knew nothing of the SFAs, so quite a revelation.
How come you can never find just the original album release anymore. Why is the a 2 part multi hour remaster. Who asked for that. I want coffee flavored coffee. Anyway. This is…interesting. It reminds me of Flaming Lips. Which is a bad thing for my personal taste. It never sounds bad but it never hooks me.
Great album The strings, the vibes, so good I really like it and think I could grow to love it
I enjoyed pretty much this entire album! It was just like good ol rock stuff with a lot of fun and quirky little influences I could hear here and there from electronic to some soul stuffs to keep it interesting. I guess don’t judge an album by its album cover cuz this album cover SUCKS.
This was really good. Sonically interesting and inventive. Just not quite a 5 due to a lack of grippiness
Interesting prog psychedelia record
One of the more interesting entries on this list
Nothing too exciting for me in this. Will give a 3 as there are some nice songs though.
Have heard of this band before but had never listened to them. Reminded me of a softer version of Blur but if they took a little bit of acid. Enjoyed to mash up of genres and some great musicianship. Would give 3.5
On the whole not too bad. Lots of variation between tracks and some cool moments and surprisingly dark lyrics "I don't feel sorry for thee, you deserve to die" for example. Heard some slight "metal" vocals at one point too? Not really something I'll go back to though.
I don't get it...
One of those where I'm like "oh yeah I've heard of these, I'm sure I know some of their songs" and then I don't, and the album bores me
Aika perus altsurokkia taas, aika kevyttä sellaista. No Sympathyssä aika erikoinen dubstep/glitch/breakcore/hardcore/acid lopetus. Parhaat: No Sympathy, Receptacle For The Respectable, Run! Christian, Run!
The last album was bad and so was this one.
What a beautiful record
nice sounding album
Liked: Receptacle for the Respectable, Shoot Doris Day, Fragile Happiness Loved: Juxtapozed With U
Tons of differing influence in this album. Kind of all over the place, but they definitely pull you in with their unique style. That said, the wide differences in their individual songs gives a sense of an identity crisis in the music. Like, they weren’t sure who they are, so they tried on a lot of hats. This leads to some shock going from one track to the next. Each song is interesting, but as an album there isn’t much flow which impacts the enjoyment. Plus, I felt like the vocals were regularly drowned out by everything else.
a little better than meh. 2.5/5
Very interesting. Weird moments but also a lot of cool songs. Psychedelic and beatlesy
Yeah, nah, not completely awful but not for me.
This honestly just sounds like average boring English pop (I know they're Welsh), with a brief glitch during "No Sympathy". Radio DJs, notorious for having no taste, would have loved this some twenty years ago.
It's quite a diverse album I'd say. It was quite all-right to listen to, but in the end I was happy it was over.
Some fun, quirky tracks sprinkled here and there made the album sufficiently enjoyable
2,3/5
Ehh, very forgettable in my opinion, no songs i really liked but it was not bad except a few songs
auch heute eher negative einstellung gegen das album - beliebiger mix von allem möglichen.
Naja, etwas von allem
Me recuerdan mucho a Blur, más especificamente a Damon Albarn con sus proyectos más experimentales. Los escucharé más detenidamente.
primera escucha, hippie
My streaming service only has a "delux" version of this album which is over 3 hours long. When I first saw this I was overwhelmed and felt like I didn't know where to start. I decided to put the album on shuffle and just listen throughout the day. Glad I did! A wild mix of eclectic sounds and influences - never knew what would come next. Felt like Grateful Dead from the future. 3 hours later and I didn't want the album to end.
I had this album before I joined a group and I did not like it at the time; I gave it a 2/5. I almost didn't even bother listening to it again today, but I'm happy I did because I'm having an entirely different experience with it. Least favourite song is still Juxtapozed with U, favourite song is still probably Vulcan Street or Run! Christian, Run! Have I warmed up to britpop a bit?
surprisingly fun album. the best album to work to and then fall asleep to since you had too much thai food and you say to yourself "i can work from the sofa i will not fall asleep" but you will but that's fine
I’m a bit surprised how low other rating are, this was super fun album and a wide range of styles to keep up interest. I also am into the kind of weird style this used, so that increased my enjoyment as well. Overall 4.5/5
I didn't really like this. I think it was just a little bit too much for me. Sounded like TV show music. I don't really know, there were songs I liked and then songs I really didn't like. It's just meh to me overall. . I usually love blends of genres and I can see how it's quite well done. I just didn't connect with it. I think this could be an album that grows on me over time. But this is not over time, this is one listen. Maybe it will show up again later in my life and I'll be a different person, prepared to enjoy it more
This may not be everyone's cup of tea but it certainly is mine. I like the experimental sound of the album and the overall creativity. It's a strange album in the best way possible.
Дуже цікавий альбом. Іноді ловив себе на думці, що ніби різні гурти слухаєш, настільки стилістично сильно змінюється. Центральним залишається відчуття прогресивності в цій музиці. Ще буду переслуховувати, поки 4.
Цікавий і досить недооцінений гурт. Rings Around The World це дуже еклектичний альбом, де, наприклад кінцівка Receptacle for Respectable звучить буквально як сучасні БТБАМ. Взагалі поважаю Райса і компанію, із задоволенням послухав цей альбом.
I'm finding pretty much all the britpop on this list disappointing. Lead singer sounds weirdly like Damon Albarn, and the music reminded me of Flaming Lips. I appreciate what they're doing here even if it's not for me. 3/5.
pas un autre album british what the heck is going on in No Sympathy Presidential Suite est pas pire
Another band I’ve heard of many times, but never listened to. And once again, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything. It’s ok-ish. Not required listening though.
I have no problems with albums and songs like this because it's easy on the ears and I can go through it, eve enjoy it at the time. But the thing is that is forgetable and sounds all the same after awhile.
Boring. Never heard of this band before. Some of the songs were fine. Nothing I’d want to hear again.
Totally love the genre-blending in this album, I think it's great how it'll just randomly pull from more electronic/EDM genres to create some needed variation. My favorite song of the album is something closer to Trip-Hop than anything from the general sound of the album. Sounds like if Pink Floyd and Ween got together and made a pop-ish album. Much like Pink Floyd, sometimes the songs can get a little too long or freeform, but still, an all around great album.
strava album, 8/10, slušao samo jednu pesmu doduše
Very fun. Gets somewhat psychedelic without losing poppy hooks. A few songs got a bit too annoying toward the end (I didn’t like Presidential Suite) but overall would listen again.
Theres just something about the production i cant stand I cant put my finger on it
i don't remember anymore but i listend to it yesterday. it was a long day
I really like a few of these songs after hearing them 20 years ago. Still do!
Never heard of the band. Mellow, psych-rock, elusive lyrics, easy on the ears.
Ok?
love about half of the songs on here, but as a record it's not one of SFA's best
I gave the last SFA album a high three stars. I'd say I like this a bit more; I think it's in four star territory for me.
I really enjoyed this album and will probably come back to it. It has so many interesting styles and twists and turns. Some good Pink Floyd vibes in places.
Wish I could give it less than 1 star.
Combines the most boring parts of Blur, Supergrass and Mansun into a whole pile of mediocrity
like their other stuff more
I did not like this album. The first song felt like 10mins long
Not bad. Early indie sound. Of Montreal really took a lot from this album. It's pretty dated sounding now though.
veel willen maar weinig kunnen... zelfs de goeie momenten duren minder lang dan een nummer...
Dette er jeg ikke høy nok til å høre på
At its best is very reminiscent of blur. But it’s not often at its best. Some mid indie rock with chirpy synths, it’s kitschy and not bad but sometimes drags in the after song interlude moments. A lot of the more experimental parts feel like they fall flat, which is a shame as those are usually my favourite parts of the albums. Receptacle was one of the songs I was particularly enjoying but the ending completely fucked it. some of the lyrics are very cringey, receptacle is pretty bad but juxtaposed with u was straight up awful.
Not for me
3/5
está bien, me gustan más las canciones relacionadas, pero check
Wasn't super impressed. Too electronic for me, and some of the songs were super annoying.
Eclectic record incorporating pop, prog, punk, jungle,electronica, techno and death metal. Early 2000s. Quite varied and chaotic, original. Takes some unhinged turns from Britpop into entirely different genres.
Listened Before? N Meh. Another Oasis clone. Not sure why this is here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: (Drawing) Rings Around the World
Interesting, a bit like an alternate Flaming Lips. Nothing really grabbed me but many good musical ideas 3.4
Boring
It's ok. It's not something I would usually listen to and probably won't listen to much again, but it was really interesting. Experimentation with rock and electronic, melodic and mellow sounds. The songs were mostly forgettable to me, but the experience of the album will stay with me. 3.5/5
Early 2000s Britrock/-pop. Nothing special. Not bad, but if you really like this, I assume you also really like boiled potatoes.
It’s the opportunity cost that makes me sad really. How many amazing albums by incredible artists could have been in this spot instead of a second (!) Super Furry Animals album??
Pretty cool, not a ton of replayability
Different
Whether it is or not, feels like a concept album (what that concept is, I am not certain). But there is a depth to this album, an effort to make a great album, musically and thematically. I really didn't hate any track and I really enjoyed most of the songs. 5 stars...pretty satisfying.
This is the 180th album I’m rating. Although I've never listened to a Super Furry Animals song I've always hated them for their stupid name. Adding to my Playlist - Sidewalk Serfer Girl, It's Not the End of the World?, Receptacle for the Respectable, Shoot Doris Day, Miniature, No Sympathy, Juxtapozed with U, Presidential Suite, and Fragile Happiness. Not Adding to my Playlist - Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, [A] Touch Sensitive, and Run! Christian, Run!. All in all I liked 9/13 songs. This isn't as bad as I thought it would be based on the band name, and it was actually pretty good.
All over the place in the best way. Tracks start to sound generic, then slowly warp into a bit of weirdness as they keep going.
The cover looked cool, but right off it was kind of a letdown. Later songs got better pulling it up to a 3
I recently gave this band about half of the "Discog in a Day" treatment whilst on my travels, with practically zero prior knowledge of them. Super Furry Animals didn't really land for me at that point, needing a hell of a lot more time and some less chaotic listening conditions to properly digest, however I probably would've had this album down as the most immediately accessible of those that I'd given a go (Fuzzy Logic through to Phantom Power). Revisiting this one, with a fresh pair of ears, has done it the world of good. It's absolutely beaming with warm, gorgeous textures, does whatever the hell it wants and has plenty to unpack with repeat listens. I'd be highly inclined to come back to this.
ok
This was a swing and a miss. I wont remember a single lyrical or melodic hook. Somewhere along the way there's a horrible attempt at a psuedo-screamo section, which somehow didnt break the monotony of everything else. I have No Sympathy for the song "No Sympathy", which is a bit of lazy failure to capture the essence of Pink Floyd on the frontside, then a sudden transition to a half-baked Aphex Twin impression on the back half. At least we have Jacob Collier now who can pull off the novelty of genre-bending with some sense of style, substance, and bring on decent collaborators. This album is a nothing burger 2/5
8/10
I don't exactly know what I expected from this album, but whatever my expectations were, it exceeded them. This album is just so unique, lush, and fun. It’s well produced, all the songs are consistently great, and there’s not a lot of downtime. This is a fun album with a great vibe, but I wouldn’t say it peaks all that high.
Married record
Psychedelic in exactly the way I enjoy, just wonderfully composed and trippy even if some songs kinda blend into one another, I think I will have to give it another listen soon enough.
Forgettable
so this band is a more cryptic Pink Floyd. kewl
No johan taas oli. Lemmenlaivasta Acid Housen kautta johonkin joka ilmeisesti kuulostaa tältä itseltään
Olihan taas vähän oudon puoleista
Ihan ok, vähä liikaa stimulointia tuli kyllä välillä kaikesta ylimääräisestä piipittelystä.
not for me
“Rings Around the World” es una experiencia sonora que, sin duda, no deja indiferente a nadie. Las canciones del álbum juegan con varios géneros musicales, desde el pop, el rock y la electrónica hasta el género alternativo, la música psicodélica e incluso el metal en “Receptacle for the Respectable”. A nivel lírico, es una obra cargada de mensaje social, haciendo uso de recursos literarios como la metáfora y la sátira. Por ejemplo, en “Presidential Suite” hace una crítica a la gente del poder y cómo este cambia a las personas. Por su parte “(Drawing) Rings Around the World” es una descripción de la globalizada e hiperconectada sociedad del siglo XXI. A lo largo de esta canción suenan tonos de llamada que representan la “hiperconexión”, pero que también se pueden interpretar como alarmas a las que nadie responde. Este tema enlaza con “It’s Not the End of the World?”, una balada mid-tempo que ironiza sobre cómo el ser humano destruye el planeta con la tranquilidad de que seguramente el fin del mundo no nos tocará vivirlo a nosotros. También destaca “Run! Christian, Run!”, un grito contra la hipocresía de aquellos que incluso los actos más reprochables en la fe. En conclusión, este disco de Super Furry Animals es una obra musical que experimenta con los sonidos y tiene como objetivo denunciar las injusticias de la sociedad. Es un álbum influenciado tanto por la música de décadas anteriores como por las corrientes musicales del momento, por ejemplo, el uso de vocoder que artistas como Cher y Daft Punk empezaban a utilizar a finales de los 90. “Rings Around the World” es un álbum que simboliza el cambio de rumbo de la música –y de la sociedad– del siglo XX al siglo XXI.
This one had more going for it than I expected. It’s got that quirky, slightly experimental vibe, but enough of it lands to keep things interesting the whole way through. “Sidewalk Surfer Girl” was a good track, “No Sympathy” had a cool feel to it, and “Run Christian Run” was the standout for me. Not everything stuck, but there was enough here to make it a fun listen. Favorite song: “Run Christian Run”
High 3/low 4, some super clear influence from and to earlier groups and later groups
great
While there is lots of ability and experimentation here, it was not enjoyable at all.
Liked this more than I thought I would. Extremely unique. Some songs end in an entirely different place and style than they start, but the transition somehow works. Weird music but I liked it.
Brit pop never really been my thing although there were some interesting songs here. Sidewalk serfer girl, a touch sensitive, no sympathy in particular
2,5
The Good: We are living on Saturn… The Bad: it seems to be inhabited by Super Furry Animals… The Ugly: Imagining all those Super Furry Animals in zero gravity doing what them furries do… Never heard of the band before, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as I, as an old fart, know very little about anything released after Y2K. So, yeah… don’t know. Not my cup of tea. It’s neither here, nor there. It’s not meat, nor fish… And I can’t get past the band’s name… There’s nothing on this album that made me sit back and listen, there’s nothing on this album that I can even recall having sat through… I guess the poor furries are getting a low score today… 2*
Some song I like some are not exactly my taste
Absolutely DNF. Confounded by a lot of the “Brit” rock on this list.
5/10
** 1/2 Strange Wall of music and a mellow singing: no
Plays like a studio rat’s demo tape. Thousands of well conceived and recorded sonic clips haphazardly tossed together without the slightest consideration for song writing or arranging. Listening was about as emotionally engaging as leafing through an office supply catalogue.
Too much synthesizer. Not really something I would listen too again.
Meh
Good album that reveals it's charms with multiple listens, one that's grown on me over the years.
Talk about don’t judge a book by its cover. This album was actually a lot better than I’d originally expected it to be. Going into it, I thought it would be just another indie album that I’d forget within the day, but this one has actually stuck with me. The best way I can describe it is if you loaded a bunch of Beach Boys, ELO, and Radiohead songs onto a computer and tried to play them all at once. Now that might be a messy analogy, but all those styles feel present on this album, especially the Beach Boys influences on the catchy pop number, (Drawing) Rings Around the World. But songs like Presidential Suite and Run! Christian, Run! are longer tracks about more complex topics. The album has good variety on it, from songs that will turn into ear worms, to songs that may not stick out as much. The band, whom I’d haven’t heard of before this album, really pulled together to deliver a cohesive album.
Your typical Britpop. Very Blur/ Daman Alban like (which in my case is not a good thing). It feels more like listening to the radio than to an album. Nothing offensive, a few somewhat catchy pop songs. Not a "must hear" album for me.
3.2 2x catch up 12/5 sfo to ATL
pretty weird but does sound good
4/10…neo psychedelic / britpop
They received a score boost because Spike from Notting Hill was once a member
смутно знакомы половина песен и вообще незнакомы остальные. знакомые нравятся (это естественно). надо будет ещё послушать)
This was definitely a up and down album to me. Some songs were intriguing while others were horrible. I’m definitely in the middle about this one and ai think that’s all I have to say. It wasn’t good enough to spark an interest- It felt bland, lacking, then a couple songs were just scratchy and bad.
1000 years ago I used to compile a mixed CD each year for my hockey pals, mixed with topical and/or humorous cuts and back in 2001 I was doing what all the kids do and doing hit and miss searches through LimeWire or whatever shitty "is this illegal?" app I had at the time and discovered this great song "Ice Hockey Hair" by a band with crazy accents I'd never heard of. I downloaded everything I could find by them, which included this just-released album which - psychedelic? alternative? 70s throwbacks (title track)? All of the above - it can be a bit much to get through at first but the overall emphasis on melody at all times makes it a keeper. I eventually bought the CD so lay off. 8/10 4 stars.
It was pretty good, even if there wasn't anything that particularly stood out to me as a hit. It's a long album, especially if you're listening to the 20th anniversary version.
decent, not the best superfurrys album
Bizarre. Some parts were cool
Not super interesting for most of it, picks up a bit towards the middle. A lot of it feels kinda similar to Quebec by Ween, there's just a little too many elements that just don't exactly fit, making it feel kinda noisy. For sure at it's best when it's more sentimental. Fav Track: Run! Christian, Run!
It’s not bad for some early 2000s neo-psychedelia and Britpop, but like with about 99% of Britpop, there’s this vein of pretentiousness that runs through the music and is hard to ignore. That said, the album also has a sense of weirdness, playfulness, and an experimental edge that’s pretty fun and keeps things interesting.
It's just rock.
I don't think it's a bad album, but I also couldn't pay attention to it. It has some interesting sections here and there, but I struggle to find it rise from background. It does start with a more aggressive riff, to remind you that you've completed a listen! Hurray!
It's the Furries. You know what you're getting with them. Quirky, indie pop with dashes of electronic bubbles and Bacarach style strings. I am of a certain age however, and think that you really only need their first album and Radiator. Once you've listened to these two peak albums you don't really need the rest. Best Tracks: Sidewalk Serfer Girl; (Drawing) Rings Around The World; Juxtaposed With U
It's a nice record. I found it better than "Fuzzy Logic", more polished and they show a more developed sound. Again, the most remarkable aspect of their work is how experimental and bold they are when mixing styles and how they take tracks far into weird territory (see the ending of "Receptacle for the Respectable"). The second half of the album is much stronger than the first. Same as the previous record, my main criticism is the singing, while it has improved, Rhys' tone and delivery are not my cup of tea. They can also be a touch too derivative. My favourite track (and the first one I like from the band) was "[A] Touch Sensitive", I loved the heavy beat and the weird synth, it's a dark trip-hop beat and it works so well. I would've loved to hear more of this. "Shoot Doris Day" and "Presidential Suite" were also good. Overall, the record is nice but not that noteworthy for me.
Really good
Another band from my part of the world. I've heard lots of hype for them over the years but had never actually listened to them until now Sorry to say though it was shit. Lots of noise 2 ⭐️
Too psychedelic for me…
Super dull. Likely good music, but not in my zone.
enjoyed this and put some in my loop
This album took me some time to rate, because it seemed interesting, but for whatever reason I couldn't get into it.
Sounded Pink Floyd-ish I'd say.
it's a yes!
This is a 4.5
I get why this is on the list, second half is very unusual. His voice bores me to tears though!
So, that was interesting. Some solid tracks - but then you get to No Sympathy and it's just like 'wait what the hell?!?!'. 3. It's fine - not sure it belongs on this list though tbh
So, like . . . Welsh Flaming Lips? Nah, y’know what? I’m aight.
I liked this more than I was expecting. It was kinda slow/generic rock for awhile, but the way that the production would change and get more experimental and genre blending was really cool. The random death metal screaming in one of the songs caught me off guard but it worked in the context of the whole album.
This album certainly covers some ground, with a healthy mix of genres and styles. Unfortunately this means that whilst there are some good tracks on here, the rest are just kind of ... okay? When they get it right, it's great, otherwise it was largely inoffensive.
I ran out of patience for this album about half way through. There are moments of really great song writing here but a lot of the experimentation that happens on this album doesn't really do anything for me. It feels like they want to be seen as "trippy and weird" more than they're actually interested in exploring any of the ideas they bring up on this record. listen to early ween or the flaming lips instead
weird but fun!
It's sort of like Coldplay but boring No don't double-take, I said what I said
I have No Sympathy for you if you didn’t give this a listen. It’s Not the End of the World?
Pretty garbage but this list has had worse. Some songs really sound like Blur.
im trying to not give three 1/5's in a row
Weird, but it grows on you. (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Only a couple songs I liked on this album. Otherwise it was not that good
I mean this is music, but pretty forgettable. Not sure why it's included on this list and definitely think it's the British bias setting in again. 4.75/10 (2.375/5)
Just because you have the idea to blend five different genres doesn’t mean you can execute that idea successfully. And that’s with a guest appearance by Sir Paul on the album, no less! It was too all over the place for me to be a coherent listen. There were moments in songs, but nothing that I want to listen to again. 2⭐️
Only really know them because of the first album and that was not really mind blowing. I am intrigued as to why they are even on this list. lets see what it is like....Yeah..it is pretty average. The last 2 songs are ok, but it is nothing exciting. Not sure why it is on this list - 3 stars
Great record from a band that doesn't really sound like anyone else.
Classic Brit pop album with a surprising mix of weird electronic sounds which I fucking loved!!! Really enjoyed it on the first listen and will definitely be sitting down for a re- listen sometime soon
A very lush album with some big melodies. Too long, but I appreciate the exposure to something I’d never have heard otherwise.
For some reason this really hit today. Just the right combination of straightforward early 2000s alternative that has enough weirdness and is catchy enough to be interesting and firmly implant ear worms. Listened to this a couple times today. Much better than I was expecting!
Experimental - not my thing.
I don't know what it is, but I find these guys addictive and delightful. They got me again with this weird mish mash of an album.
Bad
Still not convinced this isn’t Blur.
The title track was far and away the best track on the album, the rest really wasn't up to much. A bland but ok 2
I’d completely forgotten how brilliant this album is. I’m not sure when or why it faded out of my rotation but I’m glad this list chucked it back at me. I only listened to it 4 times today, just as I probably did the first time I heard it. It’s a stunning collection of songs, with so much variety to them, but they all sit together well. Very hard to achieve! I love his vocals. Lyrically interesting and amusing without going too far down the path of Divine Comedy who became cringingly unfunny. Time to explore their other work further again… exciting.
I love the Super Furry Animals. What is not to like? Who would have thought there would have been a thing as Welsh Psychedelia? It must be a prime mushroom growing area I suppose. Although it's a top album, it isn't as raw as their earlier stuff, which I prefer. This is one of those albums you can listen to without skipping a track and enjoy it's eclectic weirdness. A 4.5 star album.
Never been a huge fan of theirs, this album didn't change that. It's not bad but not memorable either, didn't have any of their hits I knew either. Feel like a fake Brit I've been rating the UK albums low but not been the best choices.
4.5 stars. Starts with perhaps the two weakest tracks on the album and just builds and builds, culminating in the awesome Run Christian Run. Gorgeous harmonies and melodies, bonkers keyboard sounds at times, random drum machine interventions, cryptic lyrics...it's a brilliant album and shows how unambitious most bands are. We can write you a drop-dead ballad or an insanely catchy pop song, but we can do all this other stuff as well.
One of the better British rock contributions of my teenage years, probably deserves a place on the list. There is some great songs and inventive use of vocals and varied accompaniments. I still sometimes sing "You've got to tolerate all those people that you hate," when dealing with some tough ones at work.
Wow, I literally gave this band a 4/10 the OTHER DAY, but this album is freaking amazing. The more aggressive guitars to the calmer sections are amazing. The weird synths, the details production, the sometimes kooky percussion, the calming vocals, I love love love this one! And everything just flows into each other so well. I can't even tell when something immediately changes from calm to chaos, it works like an experience. And the melodies are great, I have still have a few floating around my head. Favs: Sidewalk Serfer Girl, Shoot Doris Day, Juxtaposed with U Least fav: Miniature, No Sympathy
Never quite took for me.
A bit weird at times. Would probably have liked to hear them sing it all in Welsh.
Somewhere between 1-2 stars. Only thing making this cohesive is the annoying ness. Not a fan of the vocals, lyrics, or instrumentation. Particularly confused with the constant alien noises in the background. Not enjoyable.
The flaming lips if they were worse and British. Theres not much of note here just some sub par neo-psych 4/10 Favourite: None Least Favourite: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street
Felt like a cross between guster and the beatles, with random sounds. Pretty interesting, haven't heard of this band before.
Hey, I enjoyed it. Weird energy, a bit poppy but never really driving; almost lyrical adult pop. Really enjoyed Presidential Suite, apparently a pretty deep cut; Juxtapozed was fine. Nothing's getting saved, but fine.
Sounded okay, an interesting mix of genres.
The sound was so fuzzy that I couldn’t tell what was happening. I like noise rock but the noise needs to work within the musicality of the piece; I’m afraid this one got overwhelmed.
Really good album. This is a pretty solid 4 now, but it's also one I could see maybe growing to a 5 with more listens. 4/5
I was disappointed in this after Fuzzy Logic. It was fine but it mostly just passed me by. 2.75/5
There's some cool genre-shifting stuff going on here that I'm a fan of. If this album played around with that a bit more, I think that I would be more interested in it. The rest of the album is fine, but doesn't catch my interest as much. Favorite track: "No Sympathy." I liked "[A] Touch Sensitive" quite a bit as well.
I quite liked the indie tones
3.5 really
Fine.
Was not familiar with this band. Enjoyed it quite a bit. Big fan or Brian Wilson and King Gizzard, and this album made me think of both.
I want to like this more but I keep finding myself zoning out while listening to it
Eeeeeh. This was fine for a brit pop record. But I wouldn't say it's iconic in any way
Has some ups and downs
Proof positive that the shadow of the Beatles looms large over British rock music, the first half of this album takes its cues not only from late-period Beatles albums but also from post-Beatles progeny like ELO, without building on either of them in any significant way, though. As the record progresses, it trades the Beatles influence for other touchstones from pop and rock history. "No Sympathy" steers towards Blind Faith territory (albeit with a bizarro electronic coda). "Juxtaposed with U" is a string-heavy number that swipes its lush arrangement from Philly soul. This is obviously an ambitious record, but to pull off an enterprise like this, you need more ideas than to just stripmine British rock from the past few decades. If singer Gruff Rhys at least had an interesting voice, it might have provided a solid center to these songs, but absent that, the record comes off as hollow.
I don't know if it's the band's name or not, but this album reminded me of the word "fuzzy." It's pleasant with a couple of standouts. Most of the songs sort of ran together in my head, though.