Rings Around The World

I know very little SFA tracks. This was not as good as I’d hoped it would be.

Very nice

Disappointing. I can't remember any of the tracks, other than when it started to sound interesting it didn't follow through and just got annoying.

I really got into this. I loved this album, then I listened to a bit of Griff Rhys's latest one, then I went back and enjoyed a bit of Neon Neon. The tongue in cheek lyrics, experimental sounds and laid back guitar were spot on.

I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I was probably in a grumpy mood or something. Though, Juxtapozed with U is still *chef's kiss!* 2.5

Jeg ved ikke hvordan jeg skal klassificere det. Grateful Dead, Beatles, nogle gange næsten James Bond agtigt. Super fedt at lytte på, høj teknisk evne!

Just not my thing

I'm pretty sure there are other projects that made a better job at combining electronica and britpop.

This album didn’t do much for me. Not the worst I’ve heard but it was basically just background noise.

Super Furry what now??

Actually a pretty decent album but who tf thought to themselves 'oh yeah, you absolutely MUST listen to Rings around the world before you die, otherwise your life will have been incomplete', like I can't really understand what would bring someone to this logic

It’s ok I’m into enough British bands, I think I can let Super Furry Animals pass me by without feeling guilty. I tried

Not bad.

This album was far better than the other Super Furry Animals album I got, but unfortunately on a five star scale the difference isn't big enough to add that extra star, so they look like they're equals here. I just feel as though I'll actually remember this one way better, and there were even some tracks here I liked quite a bit, but I have to agree with the consensus that I don't know why I wouldn't just go seek out the musical styles they're trying to emulate here. The singing feels like a mix of Blur and The Flaming Lips, which is interesting.

not my cup of tea.

I really dig this! A lot of variety. Sometimes a little goofy, but some really good stuff, nice instrumentation and interesting styles.

No thanks, what's next?

Flaming lips tekee saman mielenkiintoisemmin. Hyvin britti, kun on pitkät maalailevat biisit ja tahallisenkauniit jouset usein mukana. Ihan kivasti silti monipuolisuutta äänissä, vaikkei tempossa olekaan. Ilahduin Juxtaposed with U:n emolyriikoista. Positiivisen puolella siis, vaikken ehkä tähän enää palaa.

Vaikea kuunneltava, enkä tarkalleen tiedä miksi. Tempon hitaus? Korkeakirjallisuuteen varovaisesti tutustuneen "ladin" rassaava lauluääni? Mutta vaikka bändi on tehnyt parhaansa piilottaakseen biisintekonsa hyvät puolet, se ei ole täysin ansiotonta. Menköön.

Surprising album for me, I expected it to be way worse. SFA explore a whole set of different sounds in this record, managing to get an average to good performance in all of them. It was a fun trip, but maybe not the most suitable for me. Appreciated the listen, though.

Un àlbum molt curiós. Primer, comença amb una cançó que fa sampling del John Lennon, cosa que m'encanta perquè no m'esperava gens. Però aleshores passa per un munt d'estils diferents, entre els quals: una música súper tranquila i relaxada, un tema que s'acosta al hard-rock on canten amb veu gutural, i un popillo súper típic. No sé què pensar; per una part m'encanta que cada cançó sigui una sorpresa, diferent i única, però per l'altra trobo que això fa que l'àlbum sigui una mica inconsistent.

Easy listening. By far my favorite part was the unexpected electronic section at the end of No Sympathy which earned the 3rd star. When do we get more music like that in this list?! Omg this album is so long!! More electronic bits. It's all over the place

Surprisingly fun and unexpected.

Weird space rock with a DJ. Surprisingly good.

Never heard of this when it was new. Surprisingly enjoyable brit-pop influenced sound.

This album is all over the place, as you would expect from a band named like this. Even an Eastern European countryside bus ride feels dreamy with it.

I'm definitely gonna come back to this album, I really loved how diverse it was and I think it deserves many more listens

I can understand the importance of such a band as an influence of the other artists. But it wasn't anything speacual

Alternative rockelectronic INDIE. Están bien.

Nothing special

Sugar Ray meets psychedelic rock

An a-okay background listen

Not for me.

First time listening to Super Furry Animals. There is a lot going on, but I could tell pretty quickly this is not the type of music I tend to enjoy. Tried "Radiator" as well and enjoyed it a bit more. Might revisit at some point.

Alternative rockelectronic INDIE. Están bien.

Twice as good as the other Super Fury Animals album on the list, so it gets another star

Favourite tracks: rings around the world

Adventurous, pop and psychedelic tinged Indie album. A really pleasant listen with some surprising genre shifts I enjoyed. But for all the richness of its sound, the vocals feel flat. Fave Songs: Presidential Suite, Fragile Happiness, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, It's Not the End of the World?, [A] Touch Sensitive

I think this could’ve squeaked out a 2/5 if it stayed in its boring little singer-songwriter lane, treading water in 2000s easy-listening territory. Instead, it veers wildly into art-rock territory with electronic squawks and unjustified genre change-ups that feel less avant-garde than desperate. A fat load of trite nonsense to sit through on the plane, would’ve preferred the dude’s monotone vocals over soft guitar for an hour instead so I could’ve gone to sleep.

With the music and electric effects of Neural Milk Hotel and the creativity of The Beatles, this is an album I think most people will have fun with. And though it slows down the mood by the last couple songs, the mood matches them as they all sound beautiful!

Cinematic, cerebral, and ambitious... this album warrants another listen. Interesting to learn more about the band and their other "Post-Alternative" music." Certainly comes out as a kaleidoscope of genres as intended. Juxtaposed with you is an absolute bop. 3.5/5

That's the kind of album I was hoping to find on here. Took about six listens but I think I get it now. Such a mix and mesh of genres and bands in here. It's like if The Flaming Lips decided to make a tribute album to the Beatles, Squarepusher and Radiohead blended into one.

Easy listening enjoyed it solid 3 star reminds me of electric light orchestra

Blind album and artist. Honestly it had a decent start but it totally lost me at the end and I did not like the lead single Juxtapozed. Rings around the world is way better.

mi-a placut fata de celalalte dar tot nu m-a dat pe spate. mi-a placut mult refrenul de la juxtapozed with u:)

What a refreshing surprise. I'm tempted to temper my review a bit because I don't think they are going to be a band I continue to come back to and the sound is a bit dated, but I just really enjoy it. I had never heard of this band before and the blending of styles and variation between there music was excellent. Juxtapozed with U was a great little song, but I loved their instrumental [A] Touch Sensitive and the longer tracks like No Sympathy and Presidential Suite. Great album!

Would listen again. Some good tracks

Not sure what this album wanted to be. It was indie music at points. Then it all of sudden was dubstep and then switched to 60sish music. I am sure it was intentional but it was a bad choice. It was not good. I don't have a reason to listen to any of the songs or the album again.

I might have liked this? I'm still not sure, but it was interesting. At times, it felt like what the Gorillaz might sound like without the hip-hop influence. I might have to revisit this one.

I liked it but probably have to be in a certain mood to really enjoy it

Might have been the wrong day for me to give this one a try. Wasn't fond of it, but I don't know why.

Like if Wilco and flaming lips had a baby

This is really irritating and I'm not sure why. But every track causes me to get a bit more peeved, miffed even. It's not outright crap like Bon Jovi or Aerosmith but I really don't like this.

Really enjoyed this, and not something I'd normally listen to

Chill, nice enough opening. It’s a little washed over, flat. It’s okay. Would not mind it playing quietly in the background.

2. I just wanted this to be over..

Kinda weird so it gets 2 stars just not sure there was enough here to make it to 3 and I don't like the vocals particularly. Chose the instrumental track to go on my new list of 1 track from each album.

I was expecting this to be better.

Random Welsh wandering!

AJ: whackadoo euro pop rock. Some catchy, some weird as shit. Not for me. But could be cool if I was high enough. I’m not high enough. Not for me.

Interesting at times. Experimental in a bad way at other times. As a huge fan of Ween I have to say I heard some similarity in some ways. If I could give 3.5 stars I would

Still wrapping my head around this. Lots to unpack. Not all of it good.

Unexpectedly enjoyable

This has the right parts for something I’d like - but twenty years late. This is boring.

chill. 3 star. maybe more. some good songs and some duds. very chill overall. IDK if it stands out really for me. Like a male fiona apple. I found I liked songs during the violin parts.

A life-defining moment was going on a high school writer's retreat and one of the seniors I looked up to playing the entire dvd that accompanied this album. It was my intro to SFA and the album which would soundtrack my own final high school years. They were a band my freshman roommate and I bonded over. It's an album I can always come back to and be transported to 2003. This is all to say, I can't speak objectively about this album. It's fucking perfect.

Probably wouldn't have picked it and honestly probably wouldn't have stuck it out if not for my listening project, but I think I'm glad I did. It's pretty genre bending and veers into classic southern rock by then end in an interesting way. Didn't pay close attention to the lyrics but the titles alone are great. I'll give this a 3.5/5 stars, I enjoyed it but it's not my usual cup of tea.

This is such a cool album. To me it feels like a slightly heavier Tally Hall vibe, very weird and fun and unique songs. Receptacle for the Respectable goes CRAZY.

Pop com alguma pretensão eletro-rock.

eh. the singer's voice was very grating, which made the entire album very hard to get to. instrumentals were fine, the vocalist really just killed the whole spirit of every song.

Dull, dull, dull. No idea why this album finds its way onto the list. I suspect this is another instance of the author's personal listening bias, so often seen for albums of this time period.

Cute and fun album ! Loved the electronic touch ! 7/10

Track 1 - Meh Track 2 - P. Bad Track 3 - Meh Track 4 - Okay Track 5 - P. Bad Track 6 - Meh Track 7 - Ok Track 8 - ok Track 9 - Bad Track 10 - Meh Track 11 - Okay Track 12 -

It's always nice when a song (in this case, No Sympathy) makes you snap your head up and rewind to make sure you heard what you thought you did. In my opinion, this is a regression from their earlier album on this list. I think they started reading their own clippings, decided they were awesome, and mailed it in a bit. Best track: Juxtaposed with U

# 51 : Bahahaha, so funny, but not jokingly. Quite uninspiring record TBH. Barely 2 stars Receptacle For The Respectable.

Oh wait… fantastic incoming.

falls off the cliff a bit this album. you could say it is like a cable car of kids hanging precariously over SHACKs pakistani canyon.

Someone give Nige a call on 07797098556. Tell him SFA are good.

Highly unexpected at times. I had to check multiple times to see if Spotify changes albums without a warning. Need to relisten

Are you really trying to tell me that there werent 1001 other albums that were better than this one? I feel like all you have to do to be on this list is be from the UK. Its not even a requirement that you be halfway decent or have any talent whatsoever. 1/5

Well that certainly was underwhelming. The other album I heard from them on this list was at least okay-ish while this one was anywhere from completely annoying to dull as dishwater on any given song. Yet again I fail to see why this album made this list. It doesn't seem essential on any level. I suspect that even fans would say something like "Yeah, I like it but no one NEEDS to hear it." Somehow not a 1 but it crossed my mind.

Welsh band from around of era, but somehow I have never heard about them. I approached this album being very sceptical, as I always do, and truthfully I didn't find it original, creative or even fun at the beginning. I think the song "Receptacle for the Respectable" completely changed my perception of this album. They tried to fit every possible genre into a song, and somehow they created an absolute banger, which goes to the top of my favourite songs . Only then I noticed how original this album is, with songs all over the place musically, but with a cheeky lyrics on top of it. I had so much fun listening to the whole record, and I still have b-sides and remastered versions to listen to. Amazing stuff, looking forward to deeper dig into the discography in the near future!

Not my kind

This is one of the first albums on this list that I just couldn't listen through. It reminds me of another artist I really don't like, and I just couldn't resonate with any of these songs. Not a fan

Not bad but not really my kind of music. But nice to play it in the background

Ei tää bändi vaa toimi meikälle! 2/5

Muistuttaa kahden hyvän bändin, eli Belle and Sebastianin ja The Flaming Lipsin sekoitusta, mutta aika teennäiseksi valitettavasti jää. Armollisesti saa britti-indiebändit levyjä listalle, kun näiltäkin kaksi. Toivoisin tästä genrestä enemmän niitä jenkkejä.

Siistejä juttuja mutta välillä vähän liian kikkailun makua. Eipä toisaalta oo geneeristäkään :D nelosen ja kolmosen välillä seikkailee, jääköön nyt 3.

Oh, this is some crazy ass shit. I was expecting britpop, but I got literally every single genre ever conceived in the history of humanity rolled into one album. Their song diversity game is undefeated. It's like the album itself has ADHD. Strong 4/5.

Not bad, just pretty generic c. 2000 alt-rock.

With Rings Around the World, Super Furry Animals gives the listener a rather neat entry into their sprawling, spiraling, often seemingly impenetrable world. Over the course of fifty plus minutes, they dazzle and render all doubts of weirdness a tad obsolete with impressive and impressionable tunes that manages to be not only expansive but quirky in their own right. Favorites: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, [A] Touch Sensitive, Shoot Doris Day, No Sympathy, Juxtapozed with U, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian, Run!

This album is weird. It felt kind of generic at first, but then it randomly got death metal at the end of ‘Receptacle for the Respectable’. Then ‘[A] Touch Sensitive’ was a nice beat. Then ‘Shoot Doris Day’ started off like a song you would sing for a holiday or something, though it got more normal. Then ‘Miniature’ was a spacey 40 second instrumental. Then ‘No Sympathy’ was like a Nick Cave song that randomly turned into an Aphex Twin song in the last two minutes. Then ‘Juxtaposed With U’ was like a reggae song with randomly robotic vocals. Then it got more normal. Well, it’s oddly middle-loaded, with the beginning and endings being a 3 and that part being a 5, so we’ll average it out. Side note, can I get something more interesting than a sixth four star in a row today? Thanks if yes.

Not sure what to think. Interesting but not real pleasant to listen to.

A pleasant listen, but just feels a bit vapid despite being lushly produced.

It’s ok

Odd album. I guess you need to strive for greatness to achieve it. They did strive, but did not achieve. Some weird stuff that lowers the ranking for the overall album.

Hade ett album från Super Furry Animals för länge sedan som jag inte alls gillade. Tyckte det albumets sound väl reflekterade töntigheten i bandnamnet. Jag ogillar fortfarande bandnamnet, men här har de lyckats göra ett solitt album! Det är experimentellt, lita all over the place, låter ibland som Pulp, ibland som Pink Floyd, men det fungerar allt som oftast. Spretigheten gör att det är svårt att ha en klar överblick efter två lyssningar, men generellt sätt skapas en intressant ljudbild. Extra spännande när det blir elektroniskt, som i instrumentella '[A] Touch Sensitive' eller slutet på 'No Sympathy'. 'Receptacle for the Respectable' blir då fan inte sämre av att veta att Paul McCartney spelar morot och selleri (ja) på den. 'Presidential Suite' är fin. 'Run! Christian, Run!' känns långtråkig någonstans i mitten men ökar och blir till sist albumets vackraste. 'Juxtapozed With U' är tydligen deras största och mest hyllade hit, men jag kan tyvärr inte förstå varför. Bästa låt: Run! Christian, Run!

Some really high notes, but also way too long and while it does experiment it spends way too much time falling back on safe sounds.

rar men ait noen ganger

This was really terrific. I’d always heard that this was a cool band, but I was impressed by the scope of this album. The opening track and title track were standouts, but I really liked the psychedelic freak out on No Sympathy and also loved A Touch Sensitive.

Letkeä ja sopivan helppo maanantain avaus. Voi helposti kuunnella uudelleen.

Taas sellanen levy, ku ei tiiä mistä alkaa ja mihin päättyy… puolivahingossa varmaan kolme kertaa meni ympäri, ku ei jaksanu tarkistaa/vaihtaa levyä

This album was fine, it’s basically a product of nostalgia. I don’t really think it belongs on this list.

4/12, 33%

Meh

Really good album.

Alternative rockelectronic INDIE. Están bien.

It had some decent moments but also had some bad moments.

Pretty alright. There’s a lot to like but it seems like there’s nothing special about this album, not a lot that’s great. This album is mostly alright to good. Solid 3

the lead singer sounds like the guy from gorilla. not as good as gorillaz though.

I could feel the year 2000 bleeding through my ears as I listened to it. No Sympathy.

HL: title track, “(A) Touch Sensitive”, “Run! Christian! Run!” Very fun album overall. Some bizarre twists & turns, like the CSNY-invents-dubstep in “No Sympathy”, or the bits about Monica Lewinski (I guess not that bizarre for a 2001 album) “Receptacle” is either the best or the worst song- currently making up my mind about the last minute or so. June 10, 2023

uma bosta

Far from the worst album ever served to me here, but really, nothing special. As in, I fail to see a reason to ever get back to this album.

This was just mostly a bit boring, though there were a couple of slightly more interesting songs, mostly near the beginning. No Sympathy had a crazy IDM ending for no reason, and it's general bizarreness makes it my favourite. Favourite: No Sympathy

Not very good. I will not be listening to this again. Some parts were ok, but others made me question why this is on the list.

This band sucks. Hated it

Brain flossing

legal o fadinho, som bem agradável

Interesting - I knew some of the songs, didn’t mind the others. But wouldn’t be a go-to album for me

Another album which was everywhere when it was out but that never connected to me at the time, of course. It's actually very different to what I was expecting. Much more diverse and interesting. I really enjoyed listening to it and a couple of tracks might end up on my general rotation. Sags a bit in the middle but a stronger album than I was expecting as well.

Bijzondere muziek en toch heel toegankelijk. Combinatie van pop, rock en andere invloeden. Ik krijg er geen speciaal gevoel bij, maar het is zeker geen slecht album.

Very Enjoyable. Standouts: Juxtapozed, Shoot Doris Day Singles: -------------------------------------------------- Juxtapozed with U (#14 UK) (Drawing) Rings Around the World (#28, UK) It's Not the End of the World? (#30 UK)

Beetje teveel van het goede

Dit vliegt alle kanten op, dus het wordt een beetje te veel een rommeltje om hier chocolade van te maken.

Dit moet je wel met iets meer aandacht beluisteren. Maar wat ik ervan hoorde, klonk het mij allemaal net iets te eclectisch

Wel aardig. Beetje Blurish, maar dan veel weirder en ook rommeliger. Maar al met al best te hachelen.

Dit plaatje gaat alle kanten op en de stem lijkt erg op die van Damon Albarn van Blur.

doesn’t incorporate any of its wide array of musical elements in an interesting way at all. pretty underwhelming. feels like it would be the soundtrack to a movie called Mr. Gaborium’s Cannaborium Emporium

How to rate this album... It's incredibly diverse and variable. Parts of the album are terrible in my mind, other parts I find intriguing. Well, the average of 1 and 5 is 3. But the weak parts dominante: 2

I didn't know what to expect here, especially with a name like Super Furry Animals, but I liked this a lot. Strangely, it reminded me a lot of the Beach Boys. Maybe just because I've been listening to them a lot lately, but I saw some commonality in melodies, instrumental layering, and vocal styles. I didn't love the more electronic-y elements of this, but overall I was impressed. 4 stars.

How can you not love Gruff and the gang? In my top 3 indie bands of the 90s. This is where I drifted off from the furries, loved their first 3 albums (where's Radiator here???) and Mwng the Welsh album is just fucking fantastic. After that though I enjoyed the singles for a bit but didn't drive into the albums. I came back to the albums for the superb Love Kraft. So I don't have the same nostalgia for this. Have been back since though and Alternative Route to Vulcan St is gorgeous. The title track was deservedly massive for them. As was Juxtaposed. They finally started getting on Top of the Pops around now. Not the end of the world is lovely and soulful. You really can hear the ELO references on this album, something I hadn't realised were so present until recently. Receptacle is a good laugh and harks back to their earlier stuff. Except for that last bit. No ta, lads. There then follows a few good but not great songs (a furries album staple, unfortunately) - Touch, Doris, Sympathy, Presidential. Drop any of those and they're not going to be heavily missed. Although the techno bit of No sympathy is mental and I am totally here for that. Run Christian Run has the epic quality needed to finish us off, a fairly straight ballad which spirals off enjoyably. Was great to revisit in bed on a Saturday morning after a shite week but my Mrs finally got back from hospital.

Un album qui est pas mauvais, sans vraiment être une influence ou bien bon dans quoi que ce soit. Ca s'écoute bien par contre, mais comme beaucoup d'album qui ne sont pas wow sur cette liste. 3.15

Gevarieerde britpop met enkele speciale stukjes tussen: wat metal-scream, wat dub... Beter dan hun debuutalbum alleszins

I quite enjoyed this, even though it is very of the time. It's a bit too long, and the last 3 songs didn't do much for me. Up until that point though, I thought it was pretty solid, and even fairly funny in places.

I had never heard of this album or the band or any of their songs. After listening, my expectations have far been surpassed. So much range on this album. Lovely songs that were also so original it’s hard to believe it came out over 20 years ago. I loved the entire thing start to finish even if some songs didn’t quite land. 4/5

6/10. This album went back and forth on whether it wanted to sound kinda like the Beach Boys or kinda like shit.

Mid. 5/10

I think this is underrated. I hadn't heard it before. People don't mention the band very often. They combine lots of styles into a cohesive sound. It has anything from the Beatles to Acid House. And it's all good. Definitely better than the average record on the list. Favorite song: Sidewalk serfer girl

Prendrait une seconde écoute. Ce n'était pas mauvais, mais ça sonnait vraiment beaucoup alt-rock typique des UK (beaucoup de pièces font penser à du Gorillaz). Beaucoup de sons différents, pas tout le temps super bien amalgamé. 7/10

I can imagine that coming up with 1001 albums for this list was a daunting task. I don't understand why it was necessary to include a second Super Furry Animals album. Fuzzy Logic made sense. The is superfluous. The song selections are an eclectic mess. I also found it to be easy less interesting than Fuzzy Logic.

Man what a weird experience, but I also enjoyed it. An early 2000s amalgamation of Coldplay, Gorillaz, Daft Punk, and the Beatles? It sounds more like a mixtape than a cohesive album. I find this weird and fun, but I understand how that is a put off for some people. Overall little too meandering for me, but I did enjoy it. 3/5 Favorites: It's Not the End of the World?, No Sympathy, Juxtapozed with U, Least Favorites: Rings Around the World,

Nothing special. Below average Brit pop. 2/5

This album is delightfully all over the place.

I just felt really swept away by this album and enjoyed swaying along. Musically all over the place in a way that I dig.

Fun

They’re like the Gorillaz but worse

I did not like this album at all. The songs were bad. The lyrics were forgettable, the music wasn’t great, the sound of the singers voice wasn’t good and there were alot of straight up annoying noises in the songs.

I was bored throughout the whole thing. It was ok background music, but I dont think I'd search for it.

Fabulously bonkers stuff!

De véritables baiseurs de gueules sont ces gars-là. J'ai aujourd'hui reçu un message de Robert me félicitant d'être enfin à jour dans mes critiques. Il s'est en effet passé sept mois depuis la dernière fois recensée. Une nouvelle extrêmement positive en somme.

Un album de plus à ajouter à la liste des "1001 albums moyens surévalués par robpanière". Cet album a au moins la chance de ne pas rejoindre la liste des "1001 albums de merde surévalués par robpanière", liste comprennant pour l'instant seulement l'intégralité de la discographie de Brian Eno.

There is much to appreciate.

I don’t know what this is but I like it.

One of, if not the very, finest Welsh bands ever, duking it out with the Manics. Such a great body of work.

I love how damn tangible and chunky this album is, like a colorful toy from the 1970s that's been cleaned up and made better.

No sir, I don't like it. It's like they took the worst parts of neo-psychedelia and britpop and sewn them together for maximum displeasure.

Some good moments, but they don't overcome the bad ones.

weird name, weird album

A few great moments, but overall it's boring, generic and will be forgot in one or two generations. I can't understand why it's supposed to be an important album.

First time listening to SFA, wish I had done so earlier. What a gem! Quite a big fan of Gruff Rhys solo stuff so I’m not sure why I haven’t bothered with them earlier. Got a lot of what I like in a band: sometimes US indie, sometimes pysch, sometimes electronic, heavy pop tinges, often bordering on the strange. This is what I want to hear whenever I listen to Flaming Lips. Will definitely return

Very Blur-y, a bit over the top and weird in places but it was nice enough.

Nothing stood out, but I didn't mind it and would listen again.

Had not listened to these guys before and was more genre bending than I expected. Think it was okay but a bit all over the place. Wouldn't listen to them again. Highlights: (Drawing) Rings Around the World It's Not the End of the World No Sympathy

I'm not sure about this. Bits of it I quite liked, but others not so much. Quite a few tracks I enjoyed until the end where they started throwing on weird electronic techno stuff and it put me off. Sidewalk serfer girl, rings around the world, it's not the end of the world and juxtaposed with u were the best tracks. I've listened to radiator before and much preferred it to this album. Not bad as a whole but probably won't be going back.

It sounded a lot like Ween. It wasn't bad, slow at parts, weird electronic music in other parts.

Really fun and varied

2 "No Sympathy" caught me off-guard

I've said this before, but this album reminds me so much of Random Access Memories. Very cool, advanced album for its time. Favorite track: Juxtapozed with U

A bit quirkier than standard britpop/indie, but definite shades of contemporaries like Blur.

Rings Around The World All over the place. Starts with a piano melody morphing into space soundtrack, then track 2 is a jarring rock alarm. Smacks of annoying concept album of monumental importance to musicologists but not me. I look them up. Welsh brit pop electronica. Ok. I hear a bit fo “AIR” in track 3 But them I got bored.

Love this. Like elbow but less dirty. Really interesting listen

Bästa: [A] Touch Sensitive, Run! Christian, Run! Sämsta: Sidewalk Serfer Girl

I didn't mind this at all - I was fearing the worst reading the Pet Sounds references in the wikipedia entry, but it was OK in the end

Some cool moments, but too all over the place to be consistently enjoyable.

Eclectic

There was a very interesting blend of styles in a lot of these songs. Take "No Sympathy," where the intro reminds me s lot of "Wish You Were Here," and then suddenly turns into some kind of techo slammer. Really cool. I think my favorite was "Sidewalk Serfer Girl." The juxtaposition between the two styles really worked well. And if the first or second song connects for me, that's always a good sign. The ending, it seemed like the singer was trying out a different vocal styling which did not work as well for me. But I stuck with it, and in total I liked this album a lot more than I was expecting. May definitely look more into this band.

Cool sound, at times, but a little uneven. Opening track was a bit meh but the second track Sidewalk Serfer Girl and the third title track were the kind of thing I wanted more of - gritty guitars combined with a bit of keyboard and/or synth/electronica. It kind of reminded me of a recent artist Dinosaur Pile-Up, which has grown on me. But then it waffled a bit between a little pop sappy or synth-heavy (It's Not the End of the World? A Touch Sensitive, Shoot Doris Day - all had cool strings at times, but a bit too much sap) and maybe cool, maybe annoying death metal/synth (Receptacle for the Respectable). No Sympathy finally brought it back to something I liked - simple guitar accentuated by gritty synth (a reverse of the first couple tracks I liked). But a little too sappy after that - and I like yacht rock. Maybe it was too much of different sounds that held me back - the lack of cohesion didn't feel like a good thing.

Many genres are present here, but they’re not blended as well as one might hope. The singles are leagues better than the album tracks.

This feels like it's trying to be all things to all people. Sometimes you're humming along to a pretty melody and next you're grinding your teeth to a cacophony of racket. I can't imagine what mood I could be in to want you pop this album on

p882. 2001. 2 stars. Overly long pretentious tosh. Do we really need another album of eccentric noodling with the occasional decent song? No. Nothing to see here, move on.

This album is SO. FUCKING. WEIRD. Halfway through it turns into weird experimental fuckery lmao! Specifically thinking of 'No Sympathy' here. Up till then it was a vaguely standard not memorable rock album. And then back to slow indie... So bizarre lol Love the cover though Saved tracks: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, [A] Touch Sensitive

Enjoyable pop, nothing jumped out

No one deserves to be bullied, but... The best track on this album has no words in it.

its pretty good, 3.5/5

I didn’t know this band before. They’re like if The Flaming Lips were not good.

such a versatile album. i will be looking into their discography. AND they’re a welsh band with a punk-left grunge feel, i fuck w it.

1/12- Playing sudoku

Another low quality, low effort Soundcloud level project recorded in some random rural British basement. I'm thinking the same people who did the Teenage Fanclub album cover did this one as well. Makes all my other one star reviews seem almost unfair. One thumbs down is all I can give this. 👎

Nothing too special but very enjoyable nonetheless. Album cover doesn't match the sound at all. Interesting instrumentals. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street was a good song to place in the beginning. Fave track(s): Receptacle for the Respectable, Presidential Suite

Ehh... pretty forgettable.

i am half-listening to this album so i don't know how accurate this rating will be. also, these are rough notes i wrote while listening and not a fully structured review. this reminds me of damon albarn's music heavily, especially the tracks from 2-4. also ,the sixth track sounds like a danny brown beat and the third track kinda sounds like icarly music. i don't know what to think about that. more songs need to have paul mccartney chomping veggies. HOLY DAMN NO SYMPATHY'S BREAKDOWN oh no, they used the eiffel 65 voice effect on track 10. i'm also hearing some matty-healy-isms in the lyrics. i feel like this album could definitely be a grower on me. there are a lot of parts that appeal to me and that i might return to later. a bit of a weak closer but ending the album with lyrics about will smith is always a strong choice. overall, pretty nice. 3/5

What a journey through many genres all at once. 4/5

Very good! They are wild and contained at the same time. I am glad I discovered this band.

Some neat twists and unexpected shifts in genres.

poopy shit

Take the more annoying parts of Pink Floyd, mash them with the more annoying parts of The Beatles, and somehow make it all worse than either of those bands could dream of being. I don't think there's enough weed in the world to make me really dig this album. There are a couple tracks that I'd listen to again, but ultimately I'm sitting here realizing why it's been out for 21 years and I'd never heard of it before. I can say that they have some really great lyrics in some of the songs, but overall my takeaway is this: Of all the albums I listened to in 2022, this was one of them.

For my 300th review, I listened to Super Furry Animals album, Rings Around The World. An interesting listen, with a rich, lush sound and at times, the tunes have a retro feel, while others are sonically powerful and full. I enjoyed the album, not the best I've heard this week, but a well accomplished record, considering it's more recent than most on the list.

Trying without success to remember when I got into this band and how (definitely something my better half introduced anyway). Great album, one I hadn’t heard before.

With elements of Blur, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and even a bit of Fleet Foxes tossed in, this savory stew of alt-brit-pop hit all the right notes for this frozen winter day. Wild, I’ve never heard of this group!

I don't know it's just so generic rock band it's boring. 2.4

Beetje te experimenteel voor mij

This is really weird and fun in the way that only obscure alt rock can be

me gustó ah 7.5/10

Something about this rubbed me the wrong way. There are elements I enjoy but it just became a bit of a chore to get to the end. Maybe an interesting experimental blend but it didn’t work for me.

Not sure how to rate this album, I think I want to listen to it again to full assess it. For now 3/5 which is my baseline of I enjoyed it enough.

has a mix of good weird to rock but the second half got really slow and balady

Rock alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

Unremarkable but a good listen

Bra album utan att ha några låtar som sticker ut.

Uhm... what?

2.5. Really wish I heard more of this today before rating it. It sounds nice, but I didnt hear enough to properly rate it.

Hmmm this is interesting! It's like a prog/psychedelic version of Gorillaz, I really dig it.

Just didn’t click with this

This was a fun album. Indie psych rock type stuff that swings through a lot of other genres, from country to techno. There's a lot of similar stuff out there that I like a lot more, but that's okay. 3.5 rounded down because I'm trying to be harsh! Gotta keep reminding myself of that lol.

Enjoyable but not revolutionary for me.

I didn’t really like the first album so the thought of listening to this one sounds so lame

So little for me to enjoy with this one.

jaha turrimusiikkia... luulee vielä olevansa vittu jotain.. ei helevetissä ole... valitettavasti taas semmonen keissi että muutama HYVÄKSYTTÄVÄ kappale nostaa kahteen tähteen JUURI JA JUURI... vittu soitampa tätä tolle kissalle EHKÄ SE TYKKÄÄ HEHHEH... jos teillä on kissoja, koiria, jänöjusseja, tai gerbilejä niin SOITTAKAA TÄMÄ NIILLE. Voi olla että tykkää mutta minä en tykkää... paras biisi a touch sensitive (seksi ääniä biisissä(älä kuuntele jos alle kahdeksan toista vuotias))

Very variable range of pieces that I like and don’t like. I didn’t have the SFA really on my list before and with these mixed results they hardly will make there in the future.

This album is definitely something of an interesting experience. Somehow it manages to sound more like a playlist broadcasting the variety of early 2000's rock, rather than an album. How convincingly they manage to pull off the range of styles is enough to warrant four stars. However, it would also be fair to stop and wonder why they're even doing this - if it wouldn't be better to just focus on the couple of styles they're best at instead of trying to do a bit of everything, seemingly for no other reason than the sake of it?

Super fun genre hopping quirkiness…

Why do I like it so much?

Okay britpop, not a bad listen, not a great one. Solid 3.

a little boring

A good album, it didn't start well but then there are some song like It's not the end of the world?, A touch of Sensitive and No symphaty that makes this album very good. I really appreciated the electronics and the general experimental vibe

I'm always cautious of post 2000 albums since I think there's a bias towards anything 'new'. This is ok, not groundbreaking mind, but ok. Nothing inventive, lots of ideas copied from others and no direction but well put together production-wise. Considering how many great albums aren't on this list it's a shame but since it's based on filling quotas of each genre rather than sheer quality there will be albums filling in the gaps.

Wasn’t my speed but there’s certainly an audience for this so don’t not listen on my account

interesting

Alternative rock, with sparks of Daft Punk, but clear Beatles inspiration all over. Yet only the slover heartfelt songs. The diversity of themes and sounds are not quite at the level where the album is a great listen, but clearly one of the betters.

Had no idea SFA made this more Radiohead-esque experimental stuff. Listened a few times. Good but didn’t love.

I like it, it's calming, mellow, sweet and wierd. I think this could grow on me a lot.

Mix of hard rock and easy listening. Great listen.

Nice alt-poppy stuff here. A little frenetic for me at times, but not so much that it throws me off completely. At times, it simplified and was quite beautiful. Overall, well done on their part.

Love it! Lots of prog rock notes with a delish mix of hooks and weirdness.

Rating: 6/10

A little different, okay but not my thing.

was a 4 until I got to No Sympathy (hated the lyrics) and Juxtapozed with U (hated the autotune). Cut off the last 5 tracks and it's a good EP.

I was surprised that I hadn't come across this album before.

Diverse sounds, odd style, pretty good songs but nothing outlandishly good.

This album walked so Random Access Memories could run. This type of music and use of electronics had to have been considered extremely advanced for 2001. And sure, some of the electronica moments are over-modulated and can sound cacophonous or overwhelming. But this album was awesome overall. Favorite track: Juxtapozed With U

Highlight: It's Not the End of the World?

A lot of fun. Got a little out there on one track, but otherwise a solid retro vibe from a modern band. Love it

Smor. Barely a 2

Would have rated it higher on the memory of loving it 20 years ago, but it is not quite a five star record for me now. Still really enjoyed it though, and hope more sfa comes up in future. Favourite songs were the (sort of) title track, juxtaposed with u, and run! Christian, run! 4 🌟

A bit boring really. Not sure why this is a "must listen" album. Perhaps it was more hard hitting 20 years ago?

Some say it was their best album ever, NME says it was the worst. I'm team NME. Its iconic, adequately sums up a point in time - but it's not a classic

Decent Brit pop but no common theme

Generally, and typically excellent, but gets an extra star for Run Christian Run, which is up there as one of my favourite tracks ever

Quite boring.

Decent album

Cosmic 🌎 👍🏾

Covern ser mycket mer såsat ut än albumet de facto är

Playful, eclectic & unpredictable. I dig it

Bloh

Foolishly, I’ve avoided this band because of their name. Recently a friend sent me a bunch of their video clips, which i discovered are well worth a look. Having finally listened, I find that I’ve fallen in love with this album. There are so many highlights. Juxtaposed With U sounds like a great Burt Bacharach composition. I love No Sympathy. The instrumentation & harmonies in it remind me of Crosby, Stills & Nash. In fact, the harmonies are generally wonderful and they combine with the full-on psychedelic approach of the band to create a great sound. There’s something schizophrenic about Sidewalk Surfer Girl. It wants to be soft & sweet and loud & noisy at the same time. Beachboys go metal. And a big mention to Run! Christian! Run! and my favourite lyric - on the midnight train to Jordan. This album was recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios. I can recommend a doco doing the rounds about that Great Welsh institution. So glad I’ve discoveed this album.

I blame Pet Sounds. Weird does not equal genius. It didn't for Brian Wilson ('Vegetables', anyone?) and it certainly doesn't for second-tier English indie bands. There are so many albums like this on the list, and they are really starting to bore me. Just because a band was an NME darling for a year or two does not make them essential listening. (Fun fact: NME described this as their "worst album". Inevitable backlash, much?)) This album is some (very) average songs wrapped in fancy 'experimental' production. I'm reading wikipedia about the album and heard that they had Paul McCartney recreating his celery eating on the track Receptacle for the Respectable. Case in point about this band taking exactly the WRONG LESSON from Pet Sounds. Too much time and money, not enough song.

I can't justify the Furries' eccentricity on aesthetic grounds, but I did enjoy every minute of it. There's a creeping misanthropy to Rings.

Trippy but more depressing than The Beatles

Missed it at the time, don't care about it now.

Need to come back to this, [A] Touch Sensitive stood out

road trip music - want to watch the DVD!

killer!

really enjoyed it

Fine

Só conhecia Hello Sunshine deles. É um bom álbum, leve e meio melancólico. Melhores músicas: Sidewalk Serfer Girl e It's not the end of the world?

This was alright. Not trippy but kind of fun.

This album maybe suffered coming after 9 albums in a row that I loved, as well as my having less focus on it while listening. It had some interesting things, and an interesting variety of sounds. I was just never really engaged or wowed (which I have been…nine times in a row. Nine times? Nine times.)

This album didn't thrill me. I mean, it wasn't particularly challenging, but it also wasn't particularly interesting. It was just okay, I guess.

I like this one about as much as I liked their "Fuzzy Logic" a few months ago. This one seems a bit more serious but I can hear the influence of decades of pop music behind them. I don't know that I could pick one of their songs out of a musical line-up but I enjoy listening to them.

It’s a surprise to have a second Super Furry Animals album. I’m curious to see how this varies from Fuzzy Logic. Right away I noticed the difference. Some cool harmonies - “Rings Around the World” is like a 21st successor to The Beach Boys by way of ELO with the noise turned up. I love it! Nice harmonies throughout, some clever lyrics, and a whole lot of great sounds to take in. Horns that could have come from Burt Bacharach, lounge music, grinding guitars, electronica, beach-friendly harmonies, weird sci fi effects and a lot more merge into some catchy, catchy songs. Really unique and really wonderful! Speaking of lyrics: “You expose the film in me” “I got some feelings I can’t get through, I’ll just binge on crack and tiramisu” “You came to me in peace and left me in pieces” “I’m not in love with you, but I won’t hold that against you” “With knives to their throat they’ll depart on the midnight train to Jordan” “But I’m in Deep Space Nine, Hitting wormholes all the time” And how about that ending to “No Sympathy”?! YES! Then dive into the oh so robot lounge-y “Juxtaposed With You.” OH YES! The 1001 gods have been serving up some good, unique albums lately. When I first saw this I worried it wouldn’t hold up. I’m glad to find it’s a great album I’m very happy to have around!

Lovely off-kilter indie rock from the pre-Funeral era. Brings me back to a time alongside Elephant 6 that I have a lot of nostalgia for.

Je suis mitigé ici. La 2e moitié de l’album est super cool. La première me laisse l’impression d’un band de pop/rock 90's tout ce qu’il y a de plus ordinaire.

Ok mais pas mémorable pour les bonnes raisons. La musique est plutôt ordinaire. Les pièces rock sont les plus intéressantes. L'arrivée du death métal dans Receptacle for the Respectable ou le contraste entre le texte et la musique de No Sympathy m'ont bien fait rire, mais c'est à peu près ça. L'intro saccadée de [A] Touch Sensitive dans son style Trip Hop amène un côté différent très intéressant, mais on est vraiment loin du reste de l'album ou de ce que le groupe semble habituellement faire. Les quelques manipulations électroniques brassent un peu les choses, mais c'est marginal. Sinon pour l'ensemble, on est un peu en territoire des Flaming Lips, mais en pas mal moins intéressant. Pièces préférées: (Drawing) Rings Around The World, Receptacle for the Respectable, Sidewalk Serfer Girl.

kinda my type of music?

Pleasant, gently psychedelic/inventive, but I don't think it'll live long in the memory.

Note from my last review: I meant to say "I hated this shit when iT came out." Not "...when I came out." Now, on to much better music - Super Furry Animals. This record was a favorite of a guy I worked with at a pizza place in college. He played it often in the kitchen while we were slinging' 'zas, and I always liked it. Very chill. in the late 2000s, FAWNN played with Gruff Rhys (might have spelled that wrong) and he was a real nice guy, increasing my like of this band. I'm a real sucker for chilled out and dreamy music like this, but even considering that, this feels like an important and beautiful record. Love the strings/electronic arrangements. And, I really like when a song like "Rings around the world" comes in with some more fundamental rock guitars and vocals (Beach Boys-esque). It balances things out to have some more tangible tracks among the looser/dreamier ones. Yeah, I love this record.

I never listened to this band much when they were putting stuff out, and - honestly - I probably would have hated it at the time. But now, it’s hitting me at the right time. I can’t even explain what I like about it - the music is cool, there is some fun wordplay, but nothing objectively special. Still - I really like it.

Earlier material seemed better

Jako chill. To je sve sto imam za rec

dakle pjesma It's Not the End of the World? - ajde mi recite jesam lud il ne, da tu jebeno čujem Lutku od SARS-a. No Sympathy je dost zajebana stvar - miks svačega do kraja pjesme čuješ, pogotovo zadnje 3min. Uglavnom, ne sviđa mi se baš album. Možd bi više legao kad bih ga još jednom-dva put poslušo, ali nemam vremena trenutno.

Jel moguće da ovaj album zareda 3 pjesme za redom da jedna od njih nije iritirajuća? Očito da ne.

This was pretty boring. Hopefully, they had fun, at least.

3.8 - This album's perched somewhere after Britpop of the mid-90s and just before the advent of more wacked out bands like the Gorillaz. Like Britpop, these songs build to durable, sing-songy choruses and there are harsher noise elements thrown in. I hear bits of Spiritualized, Blur and Flaming Lips, as well as older influences like ELO and the Beach Boys (esp on "Receptacle for the Respectable"). At 53 minutes, it definitely feels overlong. The first five songs propel the record to amazing heights where much of the second half feels a little flabby.

Not sure it will make it into my rotation, but it was rich and diverse. Surprising and pleasant.

There is something enticing about this ecletic mix. Faves: (Drawing) Rings Around the World, Receptable for the Respectable, Juxtapozed with U, and Run! Christian, Run!

Boring berks

I liked bits of this quite a lot, but as a whole it's deeply unfocused and oddly forgettable. Turns out that if you throw everything and the kitchen sink into your album, it just makes you sound like B-tier Flaming Lips.

Far lovelier than I remember, and I remember it being nice anyway.

Did not like

Started off sounding like minecraft but then turned into what appeared to be an attempt at 70's rock, not a huge fan

Pretty interesting album! Decent rock project, definitely liked a few tracks. I enjoyed when this veered into more experimental territory. Never heard of this band or album but I could tell they're British, or Welsh to be precise. If they've got any albums that lean fully into the more experimental sounds, count me in for one of those. Favorite tracks: A Touch Sensitive, Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, Drawing Rings Around the World. Album art: Really, really love this one. I mean, c'mon, great explosion of colors, a grinning skull with a gold tooth? The font and everything is very late '60s early '70s, I adore this style. 3/5

Another great find!

4/5. Solid pop rock/ a lil experimental.

With all due respect to Glass Animals fans, and fans of late 90s / early 00s BritPop – No. Understanding that the book this list is based on is British and most of it's contributors are British, the amount of unnecessary BritPop on this list is a head-scratcher. Rings around the world is an okay album. It starts off strong and almost halfway into the album I started getting annoyed and frustrated. Yay for the band that they peaked at number three on the UK charts, but across the pond you have to get to the Indie Charts before you even see this album rank a moderate 32 for the year. This is not a list-worthy entry. Perhaps I'm becoming annoyed at the draws that are giving me mediocre UK pop for the the third time in four days, but I'm hopeful tomorrow will be better. 3/5 for musicality | 2/5 for list worthiness.

ekki alveg ég

Generic Britpop. The singer sounds like Albarn.

mid but not like ultra bad. i can see the appeal . enjoyment 2/5 belongs on this list 1/5 favourite tracks: sidewalk serfer girl, drawing rings around the world

No me dice mucho

L'ambiance chill continue.