Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Reminded me of George Harrison
first time listening
It's fine, it sounds good, doesn't hurt my ears or annoy me. But it also doesn't feel special at all. I wouldn't change the station but I wouldn't bother to find out who the band is. I liked How Could I Be Wrong. 2.5
nah
Never heard of this band or album before, but I like it like a darker britpop band, reminds me a bit of suede. Deserves to be on the list.
It’s quite good, like a cynical and more guitar heavy Divine Comedy. I can see how it snuck in at the start of “Brit-Pop” and has aged better.
For being pop rock from 1993, IMHO it sounds a bit ahead of its time. At times it sounded pretty 90s, but overall I thought it had a fresh sound. More of a 3.5.
midt på 3 ass
I didn't hate this. I didn't love it. Not much stood out for me.
Very reminiscent of Sloan, which isn’t a bad thing.
Feels like I’ve been transported to an alternate universe where I like The Smiths. This LP definitely stands in the shadow of Morissey and co. vocally, but carves its own unique niche with some biting post-punk guitar and simple yet delightfully odd arrangements. Didn’t like every track on here (the slow ones especially veer far too close back to the source material), but enjoyed hearing something a bit old and a bit new to break up the Brit pop monotony.
Aardig album, maar misschien wat te gemakkelijk allemaal. Niets stoort, maar ook niets blijft echt kleven.
In eerste instantie vroeg ik me - net als bij veel andere platen in deze lijst - af, wat hier nou zo bijzonder aan was. Maar het heeft toch wel een beetje m'n nieuwsgierigheid gewekt. Niet genoeg om het nog eens op te zetten, maar toch.
Beetje recht door het midden, ofwel poldermodelmuziek. Lijkt ook op van alles, zoals Suede. Verder best aan te horen.
Interesting alt rock album. Not quite my tempo.
This was mopey, with Morriseyish vocals but not bad musically.
Interesting. Was not really aware of them but they were quite listenable.
Nouu ging wel lekker
3-4
It's pretty nice but it gets less interesting as it progresses
I saw "Britpop" as a descriptor for this album and immediately thought "ugh, no more Britpop, please." As is often the case, I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Standouts: Show Girl, American Guitars
I found it kind of boring
Top 3 Songs: 1 - Early Years (11) 2 - American Guitars (3) 3 - Don't Trust the Stars (5)
Pretty chill alt rock sound
Had the makings of a five star somewhere in there but never found jt
3.5/5. Proto britpop.
Unfortunately lumped in with the Britpop umbrella which the leader Luke Haines hated. Its likeable song driven guitar pop/rock that lost its way at the time. The bits of cello are nice. It kinda washes over me a bit but otherwise its all tickety boo.
73/100: This was a nice indie rock album, but "nice" is the most impassioned I'll get about this album. If this album were a Pokemon, it would evolve into "AM" by the Arctic Monkeys. That's not to say this album is a Magikarp and "AM" is a Gyrados, more like this album is a Charmander. It's a good ("nice") album just like Charmander is nice, but upon inspection, it's really clear that they haven't reached the ceiling of what this type of sound can achieve like other similar artists have. I might be interested to explore some of their other stuff to see if it gets better, but I doubt I'll find myself listening to this specific album again in the future.
Don't really like the singers voice
Never heard of this group, though I do recall this being an album that a number of people on the subreddit agreed was a great unknown find from this list. I, uh, well it's not doing all that much for me. Certainly not bad, just another indie alt, new wave type of album, pretty much what the title suggests. Not technically new wave since it's '90s but not worth getting into the semantics. A couple songs I dug but overall it's just okay. Favorite tracks: Show Girl, How Could I Be Wrong, Idiot Brother. Album art: I do like this cover, a mysterious man in some sort of makeshift head covering. The black and white works well here with the bordering. 3/5
Meh.
I dunno man, that was pretty nondescript and a tad on the dull side.
There was a nice aroma of melodic Indie here. Some good tunes. Worth another listen.
Mira ah, no conocía a este grupo
Not bad, but not remarkable
Nice vibe, didn't leave a huge impression.
Thought this a was really solid 90s alt rock album. Felt like they had an arctic monkeys and alternative 90s Brit rock style combined. The guitar riffs were solid and the singer does a good job. The drums were pretty solid too which is something I don’t always notice in albums. Would listen to some of it again. 6.9/10
Very British
This is a pleasant enough to listen to album of Britpop. I initially was a bit underwhelmed, but as the album progresses I think the songs improve. On repeat listenings, I imagine this could grow on you quite a bit. Fave Songs: How Could I Be Wrong, Early Years, Idiot Brother, Don't Trust the Stars, Home Again
Not loads to say, but liked this all the same, made me think of Suede.
There is nothing wrong with this record but there is also nothing that makes it worthy of being on this list.
Not bad, but not great either. This is another British album taking up space on this list with so few r&b, rap, or country albums
It was listenable. Had some very light shoegaze elements that I enjoyed.
3 stars. It was okay. None of the songs really stood out to me though
Very Hangover Friendly Rock. And that's a good thing.
Not bad
Vibes à la Destroyer, mais en moins bien Prefs: Show Girl, Junk Shop Clothes, Housebreaker, Valet Parking, Idiot Brother Moins pref: Early Years
Jangly brit pop? Fave track: Show Girl
Huh. I like Luke Haines' schtick usually - love his Baader Meinhof side project, and have listened to quite a lot of his solo stuff, but haven't listened to much of The Auteurs... Gave this two listens and it didn't massively grab me. Fave track - "Early Years", maybe? Or "Home Again"? Dunno, didn't really hear any stand out tracks...
The first review on the Wikipedia page mentions that this isn’t their best record. It’s a good listen
My first thought upon seeing an album literally called "New Wave" by a British band, after listening to what seems like 376 British New Wave bands on this list was "God dammit" Butttttt this album is pretty good? I like the vocals a lot, and the melodies are catchy. I like the melancholy without dipping into full-on Smiths-style ennui. If more new wave was like this I think I'd be less likely to say "God dammit" when I see a new wave album. Closer to a 3.5 or even a 3.75, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
This is the first one of these I’d never heard before. They’re kind of fun, basically Blur but a little slower paced. Think I like Blur better though.
It was alright, a bit samey throughout. 3*
I quite liked this, they are very tuneful and there are shades of Bowie and Bolan in the vocals. The album starts well but there aren't to my mind many standout tracks and it gets a bit samey after a while
trying it. bracing for early 90s.
Very solid indie rock album, but nothing special. I enjoyed it and could see myself using it as background music to set a chill mood. The lyrics were good enough, but I mostly found myself zoning out and listening to the guitar. Gave me Oasis vibes. Strong 3, nothing more
This really did remind me of a lot of artists that came out like Arctic Monkeys, etc.
Kinda like a 90s band inspired by Bowie
Nice if largely unremarkable
Never heard of them. Might have arrived on the 90s scene either too late or too early. Worth a listen for sure. Better than Oasis ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The vocals keep taking me to the Rocky Horror intro “Science Fiction/Double Feature.”
Early alternative, it's OK
I forgot to rate this as soon as I listened but I liked it! Just can’t remember it so here it goes with a 3
In one hear and out the other
Not awesome, but not bad either. I don't get why it's on this list, but it's a good one-timer.
Not bad, but I'm probably going to forget the name in just a couples days..
This didn’t make much of an impact on me either way. A general impression of glam-inflected English alt-pop, somewhat arch lyrics that never really hooked my attention. Perfectly competent but I wouldn’t seek it out.
I thought this was good, but not very exciting or interesting.
I have never heard of this artist before today. So far the music is alright, nothing that jumps out or is spectacular. I might be interested in listening to some of their other albums as well as this one a second time.
Good
fine piece of britpop
Nothing special but nothing particularly unpleasant
first listen great sounds, still a little sleepy for me
Un album qui met sans surprise en scène une réunion d'auteurs en plein travail d'écriture. On est témoin pendant plus de quarante minutes d'un intense remue-méninges qui se conclura par la mise au propre d'un dialogue d'une quinzaine de pages.
Il semblerait que Robert ait commis une bévue il y a de cela quelques mois. En effet, une panne de courant majeure a eu lieu à son domicile. Afin de faire repartir l'ensemble du système électrique, Robert du bidouiller ses différents cables, et c'est là que le problème survint. Au moment de s'emparer du cable de génération d'albums, Robert commit l'irréparable. Il empoigna le cable et le brancha, non pas à la liste des 1001 albums à écouter avant de mourir, mais à la liste des 1001 albums à intérêt très modéré. La suite, vous la connaissez, cela fait maintenant 3 mois que nous n'avons plus rien à nous mettre sous la dent. Heureusement, Robert a été alerté, et tout devrait rentrer dans l'ordre dans les prochains jours. Attendez-vous tout de même à une maintenance du site dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, nécessaire au reboot du serveur.
Very early Britpop, taking inspiration from the later Kinks and the jangle pop of The Smiths. It's really decent. I love the mild jangle sound and the vocals. Pitch changes and sudden shifts in melody keep me engaged. I preferred the prettier, janglier tracks, but the heavy tracks like "American Guitars" reminded me of early Suede and Jesus & Mary Chain (and to some extend shoegaze). There were a lot of duds, but I even songs like "Don't Trust the Stars" but even then I enjoyed the parts where the guitar suddenly stops but gets dragged back immediately by the vocals. Also enjoyed the other instruments, like the cello in "Bailed Out" and the chimey percussion in "Starstruck." Favorites: Show Girl, Bailed Out, Junk Shop Clothes, Starstruck, How Could I Be Wrong
Decent background music tbh.
Fine 90s Brit Alt-Rock.
college indie rock
3.5
Starts out strong with Show Girl. They have some good dynamics, which tends to get lost for a lot of UK bands of the 90s. Enjoyable, hooky tunes throughout, but gets a little...meh. Production seems a little thin and tinny. Not totally my thing, but having been unfamiliar with this band, I'm excited to give them some future listens. Curious what the album with μ-Ziq is all about as I love μ-Ziq's stuff!
Usually an album with this sound would be right up my alley, but I dunno, I think it’s the vocals holding me back.
Actually not the worst - could easily have been released in the last few years.
An ok album that had a chill but haunting vibe to it overall. Best: Starstruck Worst: Idiot Brother 2.5 Stars
Generic indie
I mean, it's fine, but really nothing special. I'm surprised at the number of albums on this list that all fit into this sort of Brit-pop/British alternative category. I feel like whoever decides what makes the list has a real soft spot for this style of music. Best song - How Could I Be Wrong. 3 stars.
They remind me of the Arcade Fire mixed with Pink Floyd and maybe the Smiths or Cure. A lot going on here. It's a fun album overall.
Decent was alright overall
It was pretty ok
this is what indie used to mean before lad bands. probably wouldn't have seen a load of portly mid 30s weller men standing like penguins with their feet at ten to two at one of their gigs. probably would have just been a bit miserable. not a bad album, consistent level throughout, just a little bit wet.
Okay britpop from Suede's ugly younger brother.
The last 3 tracks were bangers rest was very forgettable
I knda liked it but wasnt wowed. 2.5
First Listen. Never heard of this band before. Listened a few times today. This is really good. The songs felt so familiar and comfortable by the end of the night - I knew this was something special. 3/5 (for a first listen, that is a great score).
Ok I suppose, pretty normal sound for 1993 garage band.
Ta bien
Although a god listen, I was slightly disappointed. I had never heard of this album so I was expecting something more 80s, and not 90s alt rock.
Not much noted but aight
3.5/5 Starts pretty good with "Show Girl" an enjoyable track, with great vibes. Then in "Bailed Out", sounds more acoustic, but not as good as the one before. "American Guitars" starts pretty heavy, almost give me shoegaze vibes, but it goes more pop, anyway the guitars are enjoyable. "Don´t trust the stars" adds more distorsion to the riff, which makes the song more upbeat. "Starstruck" is like a sleep song, pass. However, "How could I be wrong" is much better. Then "Housebreaker" probably my favorite song on the album. "Idiot Brother" is also a song with chill vibes, and a nice riff. The vocals are pretty decent. But most of the part it falls into sound generic, but still is a good album, especially considering it´s a debut. Probably gonna check it out again soon.
You gotta admire the balls it takes to name a record "New Wave" in 1993, when (hair metal aside) there wasn't a more uncool genre. Funny, it sounds nothing like New Wave music. I actually really like this. Have never heard of this band before. It's very well produced, the songs are solid, and I like the sound of the vocals. Reminds me a little bit of Pulp and The Weakerthans. Cheeky and cutting all at once. Highlights: "American Guitars" has to by a veiled dig at grunge music, right? Funny. "Valet Parking" has some nice subtle harmonies.
3 1/2
Very generic, nice enough but very generic. Im not that sure why this would make an essential albums list, unless I am missing somehting.
Not bad. Kind of an English throwback feel, but the early 90s were all about experimentation so...it's fine.
This album features airy, guitar-driven pop tunes from early 90’s Brits. The tunes get lost from one to the next but maybe after several listens that would change. Not bad but nothing that makes my ears perk up. I had never heard of this band; they got a short burst of fame in UK before their time was up. I don’t even know what the name of the band means. Ok I just looked it up. Auteur is a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie.
Is the Arctic monkeys before the Arctic monkeys?! A bit more gentle in their rock approach. I like the vibe of the songs how ever I find there is a sound mixing issue and distinguishing the lyrics on some tracks is a little difficult. Good overall mix of songs and variety of tempos. Overall a good listen.
Good, new to me 3.5
pretty unremarkable for the genre but implemented some interesting musical ideas.
Very meh
3.5
Var ju ändå okej ?
Nice staaart. Pls have a nice voice. Okay. It’s okay. So far so good. This is kind of my thing. Nah I’m bored already. But it’s still nice. Really love the music. I liked a lot of the lyrics too, cool stuff. It gets little bit boring at times but it never sounds bad, and it’s not super long anyway.
it's nice actually, i love me a bit of nice english accented rock and the instruments are catchy in a way that doesn't irritate your head my english peopledem never fail to content i will be saving
ой, рад что унылая инди-параша всегда существовала, а не является изобретением моего поколения. странно, как это не потерялось на фоне волны гранжа и альтухи, хотя к 93му году уже потихоньку спад пошёл, судя по всему. Не совсем говно, конечно, звук приятный, стиль где-то на стыке пиксиз, РЕМ и каких-нибудь менее экспериментальных шугейзеров, типа Slowdive. Послушать можно, но под конец это одинаковое нытье утомлять начало, тем более что цепляющих мотивов две с половиной штуки завезли. Ещё и самую пиздатую песню Early Years предпоследней поставили. Ещё и вторую самую пиздатую песню запихнули вообще хиддн треком после финалочки, ну это совсем петушиный поступок (впрочем она звучит как более хуёвая версия Early Years всё равно). В целом без негатива, конечно, право на существование имеет, но мне слушать было неинтересно, ну 6/10 и пусть будет
Could listen but not really rocking is it?
Some of it I liked, some of it sounded lazy. 2.5 but feeling generous so rounding up to a 3.
Geen uitgesproken gevoel over dit album. Sommige nummers zijn wel leuk, maar andere zijn wat saaier
Me esta gustando aunque sin volarme la cabeza. No llega al nivel de debut como el de Suede. Seguiré escuchándolo, buen descubrimiento
6. Its not bad but pretty generic and the vocal delivery is obnoxious
Really just the most generic album. His voice is fine, nothing memorable. 5 for me.
3/5
5. Started out okay. Didn't get any better.
With the degree of sameness is the songs, this sounds more like a solo effort than a band, which is more-or-less true. As Sue says "it was definitely better the second time around, though I'm not dying to hear it a third time"
This sounds like The Postal Service. Yea, I'm not super about this sound, but I can see it was ahead of its time for 1993.
Indie.
I was feeling alright about this one but even the 2ish minute long songs felt like they lasted so long. Even though I generally liked the music it was just a slog. 6
Debut album from a band that I've never heard of. Its pretty good early 90's alternative rock with some good driving guitar melodies. They were nominated for a Mercury prize, but it seems that they were a one-hit wonder?
Estaba convencido que eran una banda americana y resulta que son británicos, lo mismo eso explica su (corta) trayectoria. Sonido de los 90 separado del grunge. Este disco empieza con su éxito "Show Girl". Interesantes "American Guitars", "Junk Shop Clothes" o "Don't Trust The Starts".
Felt this was bang average and I like some of it, but the whole time was just trying to work out which other band it sounded like
Otra banda que jamás había escuchado ni mencionar. Wikipedia no dice prácticamente nada del disco e igualmente no da casi información de la banda. Dice que va a ser britpop... No, esto no es britpop, esto es bastante mejor que el britpop, esto quizá suena un poco más como a twee-pop, música bastante decente en indie/rock/alternativo con un cello bien utilizado, suena por ahí medio a mezcla de Kinks-Beatles. Las letras agridulces, bien escritas, canciones correctas de 3 minutos bien realizadas. Es un album disfrutable, quizá se alarga un poco las últimas tres canciones pero finalmente nada que caiga mal. Hay suficiente buena producción y capas, me agrada la manera en que proyecta la voz (me recuerda ligeramente a la banda T-Rex). Da un poco el sonido que siento que se hizo más prominente hacia finales de los 90s inicio 2000s, a pesar de ser 1993. Mi detalle sería que, ¿cuál es el punto para calificar en esta lista? En mi opinión se tiene que cumplir al menos una de tres situaciones: (A) Un álbum musicalmente brillante, innovador, que casi sin importar el género puedes apreciar lo bien hecho que está, (B) Un álbum que tiene una gran importancia histórica, que cambió algo fuerte, impuso o creó estilos o que tuvo un grado de popularidad que no se puede ignorar y/o (C) Un álbum que aunque no es casi conocido/reconocido es totalmente único y no vas a escuchar otro disco que suene igual, sea por extraño o por su estilo o por cualquier razón es algo único que vale la pena escuchar. Este disco, aunque es un disco bastante sólido y agradable siento que no cumple ninguna de esas condiciones; a pesar de que me agradó no le veo nada que resalte o lo haga especial como para estar en la lista; pareciera de nuevo un favorito de alguno de los editores que logró colar sin que se dieran cuenta entre 1001 discos. Buen disco, no le veo sentido aquí.
Sort of standard 90s alternative, I think. I liked it, but it wasn’t particularly memorable to me.
Well crafted, but doesn't do much for me
legalzinho
this one was decent as hell. no songs that stood out but overall fun to listen to.
I enjoyed this album. There were some songs that sounded really good to me, and a few where the singer's voice was pretty annoying. Some of it sounded like early Death Cab for Cutie, which is not a bad thing.
Brit pop. It's good.
i now understand why I've never heard of the auteurs. Wasn't bad but was very mundane rock. Liked the first track though
Not great, but not bad too. I little bit too slow paced for me.
Don't like this first song. Second song is slightly better. I like valet parking. Album got better as it went on but didnt think it was super great, 5/8.
Hyviä juttuja ja ei niin hyviä juttuja. Pitäis kuunnella joskus ihan ajatuksen kanssa.
Solid alternative rock album with gritty songs and intriguing instrumentation. Stand-Outs: Bailed Out, Idiot Brother
Better than I remembered.
Home Again was a real highlight, however much of the album didn't stand out.
Pretty cool indie-pop record, catchy songs, and a sort of darker atmosphere that I like quite a bit.
Helaas was de Britpop trein al vertrokken uit het station.
If for some reason I had to convince a jury that the guy who put this list together was British, the inclusion of this album would be Exhibit A. Goes from inofensive, just kind of boring to actively annoying by the end.
It's an album. I dunno I didn't really get anything from this one. There are a couple of songs I think I would have liked if I had heard this a while back (namely American Guitars and Home Again), but now it's just... there. I think I'm also not a fan of the secret song on the album thing anymore, it mostly just seems to run up the clock. Whole album gives big "don't know why it's on the list" vibes.
What? So they’re just like, less fun the smiths or something? No wonder their career was so short.
Jeff ahh music 2/5
This seems like a band/album that is just a few degrees from something I'd normally love, but I just couldn't get into it.
Just… sound. It’s whatever.
There is definitely something to like on this album, but the interest grabbing riffs or melodies are so few and far between that overall it doesn’t feel rewarding to listen to. Glad I heard it, not looking to hear it again.
Not even close what I expected seeing the cover. And also not my jam, too whiny and all in all very simsilar to itself.
No gracias. I found the singer nasally and unpleasant. The pace seemed tranquilized.
I would be impressed if one of my buddies put out this album. Unfortunately it's on this list. Why
Eh
“They kind of have a Beatles vibe” “Yeah because they’re British and mellow” Fineeee, a bit of a snore, but a fine backdrop for a sunset walk through Golden Gardens
Boring. 2.5/5
This really isn't New Wave ...
Yeah, I like Suede too, guys. There are certain bands that have ideas, but no tunes. This is one of those bands. You either have to be worse or better for this to work. You can't be this much in the middle of the pack lyrically, harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically and expect to turn many heads. "Don't Trust the Stars" is the first song with anything resembling a hook. Hopefully not the last? "How Could I Be Wrong?" has a nice slinkiness to it.... out of context this song could really work. Sandwiched in the middle of all this white bread, however, the flavor gets lost. Man. This album gives Britpop a bad name. "I'm sick of parking cars" yeah I'm sick of listening to this album. TWO STARS
like a 2.5, i didnt like his voice
While I enjoyed the music on New Wave by The Auteurs, I could not get past the lead singer’s aggressively British, nasal vocal delivery. There’s something about it that grated on me from beginning to end. Musically, this album sounds so unmistakably early-’90s alternative rock that listening to it now is almost nauseating. And that leaves me wondering: what exactly makes New Wave so special that it deserved a spot on this list? Because, honestly, I’m struggling to find it. The only explanation I can come up with is that it’s the debut album from yet another British band, being championed by a bunch of British critics. Am I remotely surprised by that? Not even a little. Apparently, if you’re British and released an alternative rock album in the early ’90s, you were automatically eligible for the critics’ clubhouse.
I typically give special treatment to alternative and indie bands, but this is too tame to be respected
seedy and unsupported voice, uninspired guitars, etc etc. i've certainly heard *more* annoying alt rock, but this list appears to have taken that as a challenge.
One of the worst Britpop albums on the list. It just drones on and on and every idea they had was present on the first song. It got old quickly. 1.5/5.0
2.4 Bit of a bore with one listen
I have little to say about this britpop album, as I think it is incredibly dry: too inoffensive, lacking in emotion and void of anything interesting or catchy. The voice here may be a bit particular, being high pitched and soft, yet I don't find it neither vulnerable, nor sentimental nor captivating. At times, it reminds me of David Bowie or even Lou Reed, but it isn't even close to the style or the attitude these singers had. The instrumentation is also very stale. Basic acoustic, electric guitars, drums and some occasional additions such as piano, harmonica or bells (which I'll admit sound cute) flood the entire album. This project might be boring, but at least is not offensively boring and has a decent production.
meh
Meh... Good 90's background music
I listened to this album twice, but not for the right reasons. The first time I listened to it on my way to work, by the end of the day when I came back to the list of albums I had completely forgotten whether I have heard this one or not. That should tell you how drab and bland this is.
My first hearing of this band. Didn't leave much of an impression. My favorite track was Don't Trust the Stars
What happens when you combine the voice of a friendly British lad zooted out on acid in the 60s with relentlessly alternative/grungy guitar, bass, and drums? New Wave. Not the genre (in fact, new wave is a far cry from whatever this is supposed to be), but some record from a 90s group you've never heard of. In fact, this album marks yet another exceptionally obscure artist-album combo that really makes you question whether Dimery was of sound mind when brainstorming candidates for the 1001 most important records of all time. Then there's the most prominent issue from the Auteurs: the singing is undeniably terrible. Haines needed some (any) vocal training, or else pick any other member of the band to sub in on the mic. I'll give props to Show Girl. The Auteurs put on a powerful performance, featuring a powerful rhythm section bolstered by some confidently played piano chords. Bailed Out continues the piano presence, and adds some nice string parts (high and low register) that almost make you forget Haines's weak, scratchy vocal timbre. A notable exception is Junk Shop Clothes, in which he kind of sounds like Lennon. Coupled with a light, slightly melancholy atmosphere, that song's an easy standout. Starstruck gets a passing grade almost entirely because of the glockenspiels and other soft miscellaneous noises in the right ear. The lack of omnipresent electric guitar helps, too. Tracks like American Guitars, Don't Trust The Stars, and Idiot Brother verge into generic distorted-guitar-rock. You know, the kind that Weezer does, but does correctly. The Auteurs do not do it correctly. By the time of Housebreaker – which, mind you, is still passable – you're just waiting for the album to be over. Something about Britpop and this guy's voice makes me feel a little ill. Early Years and the "bonus track" at the end of Home Again are pretty good, I guess. The latter vaguely reminds me of Message In a Bottle. Still, just a few too many songs with no hook or memorable moments to keep listeners engaged. (Even the singing is bad in a forgettable way. I didn't even know that was possible.) 2/5 Key tracks: Show Girl, Junk Shop Clothes
Kinda generic '90s indie guitar music. I'm not hearing much notable so far (four songs in). The longer it goes on the less I like it. A song here and there might be okay but the whole album as a piece is a real dud. Calling themselves The Auteurs and naming an album that sounds like this "New Wave" was either the height of oblivious pretentiousness or master level trolling.
Did not vibe with this at all
Maybe throw a few curveballs in there next time.
Christ please I just want less forgettable britpop. Please lord
It’s not terrible…it’s fucking terrible. Why did I need to listen to this before I died? I’ve never wished I died young before, but here we are.
Meh. I didn’t hate this one, but nothing really stood out to me either
I really wanted to like this but it was so bland. Just really kept doing anything else than bother to listen to it. Not terrible but so meh.
Not terrible but fairly forgettable, felt like they were trying to be several other bands
A quintessential Dimery Dud. It’s well recorded and mixed. But the musical ideas are trite, and there’s no hint that any of them have any sense of melody. What I assume earned it a place on the list is the English lyricist who fancies himself clever, moaning edgy, hipsterish quips, but appears incapable of spinning any of them into a complete song. The recording engineers earned both stars here.
Absolute pants.
Aggressively mediocre, pretentious Britpop. Sure, it was made early on, but the “new wave” has long since crashed and receded back into the ocean where it belongs. 2 thumbs down!
This had some really decent ups but the downs were in hell
...and I did it again. Wrote something out, lost it all to an absent minded click. It's too easy to do! Anyway, to summarise my thoughts on this: vocals are just sound to me like a terrible, whiney imitation of John Lennon. Musically, not much is going on here either. It's all perfectly serviceable again, if a bit dull. Variation is pretty lacklustre here too. Even with my bias for bass guitar can't save it when it has these fleeting moments. Songs that I somewhat enjoyed or managed to find something in: "American Guitars", "Housebreaker" and "Early Years". I was glad when this was over.
4.5
Meh, could do without
Pretty non-descript rock. It was fine, but didn't do a whole lot for me. 2.75/5.
eeeeeeeeeeeeh
album #91 there are just so many better choices for 90s bands to add to this list. instead, we get "Navel-Gazing The Album". i was lukewarm on the first track ("Showgirl"), slowly warming as it got to the end. i was then hopeful that there would be some gems in the album. unfortunately, i find this album a touch uninspired, and the mixing isn't ideal. there are some tracks that work better than others ("Don't Trust the Stars") but it's otherwise repetitive. i fail to see, even if you enjoy this personally, why this album is on the list. ꩜ average track rating: 1.9/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): don't trust the stars ꩜ least favourite track(s): bailed out ꩜ album rating: ★⯪☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 998 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 43 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 19 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 72
Never heard of album or band. I like the opening to show girl. Vocals are alty and kind of bullshit. Back half is much better vocals wise. I also like the guitar a lot. Not much going on with bailed out. Good piano tho. American guitars is fine. Classic 90s rock/alt song. Good guitar, apt name. Don’t trust the stars is pretty well written. Nice guitar. A little too sad for me. Starstruck is pretty good but again really slow. Cool xylophone. Awesome harmonica on housebreaker. Cool piano too. This is a good song. Valet parking has Beatles vibes, but like a bad Beatles song. Def not my fave. Idiot brother is pretty forgettable. Not bad writing tho. Early years is a cool song. Good way to close it out. Wish all the songs were closer to this one. Overall, JAA. Not terrible but nothing to write home about. 2.4/5.
Inoffensive but nothing truly of much interest.
The first couple notes had me thinking of a John Lennon-esque vocalist. But it quickly became apparent that without Paul, George, Ringo, or even a smidge of any of their songwriting chops, this was well short of being called Beatles-like.
It's alright, they were always journalists' favourites rather than actually good.
Yet another forgotten and forgettable album of Britpop-rock where I had formed my complete opinion by track 3 and had to endure another 9 tracks. I am British, so believe me when I say that this is an overrepresented genre on this list. If I was appointed editor of the next edition of 1001 Albums, this would be top of the list to replace with some non-Anglophone music. Anyway, in itself this album is fine, and it's not its fault that it's been put with about 500 albums that all sound the same. If I had heard this 500 albums ago I would not have been so jaded, which is the only thing saving this from a 1-star rating.
Call it 2.5, if you want.
Boring
This was actually quite nice sounding and I remember enjoying it as background music. But i’d probs never listen to it again
YABA!!! (Yet Another British Album), surely this one is special. Update: pretty mid, nothing new to the table. 2*
Not certain why this was chosen, it was fine.
Meh, it's nothing exciting and pretty general.
Nothing special just a good album to listen to but no innovative or extra creative addition you can pin point
A frustrating album. I really liked the opening track but after that there was a whole lot of nothing. Overall quite forgettable. Top Track - Show Girl
The guitar on some songs really tickled my ear, but the lyrics/structure of the song/vocals dragged things down for me. This felt half baked; it didn't stand out to me
1001 Albums Generator 309 (6/9/2026) New Wave is at its best when it's high-energy, excitable, and guitar-forward. Unfortunately, much of the songwriting here is forgettable and kind of sounds like a less interesting Pulp. 2.5/5, rounded down to 2. Favs: Show Girl Don't Trust The Stars Idiot Brother Least Fav: How Could I Be Wrong
I can understand why people feel the way they do about this album, but i dont think its as bad as everyone makes it seem.
Mhehh little bit Brit pop. Nice guitar sounds. Not catchy enough or different sounding enough to report
Gaap
Dit zit een beetje in de hoek Pavement, Manic Street Preachers, Stone Roses, etc. Helaas krijgt deze band het voor elkaar om aanzienlijk saaier te zijn dan vrijwel alle britpop die in deze lijst voorbij komt. De kleur grijs in muziekvorm. Gelukkig is het luisterbaar op de achtergrond.
Struggling to see how this makes the list
Liked the lead single but the album is a bit samey and lackluster.
Genre-wise this should be up my street. Indie infused post-punk with an occasional psychedelic leanings harking back to the 60s. The framework is great unfortunately the content, the songwriting, is pedestrian and unimaginative. The prominent vocals never caught me and I found the lyrics very circular - a new idea is raised at the beginning of each song and repeated but never developed. I’m also not sure I heard a hook over the 45 minutes. After a while I realised that I was listening to “The Wedding Present but if they were boring.”
The Auteurs play in a style i enjoy but they’re just not that good, going solid 2
Another Brit pop influencer / creator, so valuable as part of a great movement, but feels too heavily self-conscious & laboured to enjoy.
Some of the instrumentals are fine, but the lead singer’s voice is like a fork scratching on a plate.
Idk, it's not bad exactly, I've just heard all this before. It's arctic monkeys, the smiths, etc. there were some moments I enjoyed but overall it was just pretty bland.
Not sure why I did not listen to them first time round as this would have been right in my wheel house. Listening now its wholly unremarkable indie rock. Its an easy listen and vocals are fine - only gripe is why is a UK band writing about being sick of parking cars in valet parking. Feels a little fake.
New Wave I think this is probably more interesting contextually as a harbinger of Britpop, rather than necessarily for its quality as an album in its own right. It’s certainly noticeable that it seems to signpost a way out of early 90s alt rock. There’s a bit of Sonic Youth and Pavement, but also a bit of Smiths and mid 80s jangle pop as well as elements of 60s baroque pop, notably on Bailed Out, which all of course became foundational in Britpop As an album though it does get quite boring after the strong opening 3 tracks. Show Girl is great and along with Bailed Out and American Guitars front loads the album, after that it just merges into one sound, with perhaps only Home Again standing out. The context definitely is doing the heavy lifting, it is interesting as a stylistic forerunner, but despite there being a degree of quality, overall the music itself isn’t that arresting, and I think I’m unlikely to come back, so I’ll go for a high 2. 🌊🌊 Playlist submission: Show Girl
This had all the lightweight guitar-pop of Lightning Seeds (without the anthems) or Boo Radleys (without the faux-psychedelia, thankfully). The insubstantial nature of much of it is counterbalanced by some very pleasant melodies or hooks - 'Valet Parking' and 'Housebreaker' have some great moments without ever taking off, and that feels endemic of the whole album. 'Idiot Brother' explores a more plump Gibson tone typical of Britpop, and a pretty catchy hook. The lyrics are questionable, even by Britpop standards ("and what about our fat friend?"). An aptitude for a decent melody, but with a whimpering approach which makes it all seem a bit inconsequential. It's guitar pop for bedwetters really isn't it.
Eh. Just not my cup of tea
New doesn't necessarily mean good.
Vocals really bring all of these tracks down. The instrumentals in most tracks were good, but the transitions were a bit odd in some places. Some standout tracks for me were Junk Shop Clothes, Starstruck, and Home Again. The hidden track at the end of Home Again was easily the best listen on this album. The other tracks that were not mentioned in this review are very forgettable and not for me.
First Listen: Dude's voice is not it. It sounds like a bad Bowie impression. Bailed Out was nice. The piano was haunting and the singing wasn't distracting. Starstruck was almost good. Reminds me of a mid 2000s garage rock song. HCIBW was nice. Sounds like Ween almost. The beat boxing was unecessary. I wish I was listening to Bowie. OVERALL: The album was a bit better on second listen, but it's not something I'd want to come back to outside of a few tracks. They're at their best when they play into the darker, rockier grooves. 5/10 T3: Bailed Out, HCIBW, the second half of Home Again (first half is aight)
Bro G, this album isn't so cracked. T3: Bailed Out, How Could I Be Wrong, and Home Again
Britpop is so weird. I don't much like their contemporaries, but I do think that this speaks to me more than most. It's quite a lot darker than I'd have generally expected I couldn't honestly tell you anything about this album after listening to it yesterday, aside from what I wrote above while listening to it. Something that leaves no impression can't do much better than a 2 I think
Overall kinda boring and uninspiring. Didn't like the whiney vocals. Most of the time the instrumentation was fairly boring and not doing anything crazy. Some good ones were Dont Trust the Stars and How Could I Be Wrong. That one was at least interesting to listen to. The fact that there was at least a song and some musical movement beneath the lyrics earns this a 2.
inoffensive but forgettable
Overall: 3/10 Man these guys are so generic and boring that it actually pisses me off that the listmakers could think this is worthy of being here at all. Can we all just collectively make our own lists and take out 99% of the britpop (Blur and Oasis can stay). Fav Song: Bailed Out
If I had a son, and he, at age 15, was making something like this, I’d be fairly proud. If that son was making something like this at 25, I’d disown him.
Not quite my style.
great vibe but overall pretty inconsistent, could be boping to one tune and wanting to focus on other stuff to the next the band can really hold the beatlesque early 90s alternative sound but the project itself falls a little flat this non decimal, five stars rating system is not going to like it but this is what a 5/10 sounds like for me
The moral of the story of the 1001+ album journey is that Britpop has dependably and steadily diminishing returns from an already middling peak.
Didn't do much for me. Listening to this in 2026...it just doesn't sound like anything particularly interesting...probably would have been more engaging at the time.
It feels like every few weeks we get one of these "bigger deal in the UK than anywhere else" albums—see also Pulp, the Divine Comedy, Suede, Manic Street Preachers—usually with middling results. That tradition of shrugging continues with the Auteurs, another hyper-literate, irony-loving group with kinda meh vocals. New Wave sounded like 12 iterations of the same song to me, particularly vocally. I liked "Early Years" and "Idiot Brother," but the rest came and went.
I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It was a middle of the road listen.
Eh
Other than Show Girl, nothing stuck on this album. Maybe in the early 90s this felt fresh? Today it felt like a bad T-Rex. 2 stars feels generous
Such an annoying voice. So unmemorable.
I was grumpy when I listened to this, but this was like the most nothing album ive ever listen too. Just noise.
Just never really did it for me, annoying voice too.
This is a lot like the intersection between T Rex and The Smiths, but not quite as good as either one. Just add it to the collection of albums I wouldn’t complain about having on a CD buried in a glovebox on a road trip, but would not go out of my way to seek out.
Favorite Song: Bailed Out
Top 5 alternative and indie rock records from 1993 which are excluded from this list that you should listen to instead of this album: 1. Yo La Tengo - Painful 2. Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements 3. Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle 4. Guided By Voices - Vampire on Titus 5. Dinosaur Jr - Where You Been?
This sounds like someone tried to make an album perfectly encapsulating a particular moment in time (early 90s) without giving you anything specific to focus on. I kept thinking so many songs on here would be great to use in a movie or show trying to situate itself in that era without playing a Jane's Addiction or Smashing Pumpkins song everyone's heard a million times. I've never heard of this band. I enjoyed the record more or less, but it seems like an album that had to have been appreciated at the time. Maybe that's a long-winded way of saying I found this record boring.
Middle-of-the-road britpop and very much a product of its time.
2 sterne
Ja, äntligen lite generisk brittisk 90-talsrock igen! Skoja, pisstråkigt. George Harrison från temu. Men känner jag den här listan rätt har de väl 15 album till man måste höra innan man blåser skallen av sig.
EXAKT vad freddi sa. Känns som det är galna mängder Britpop och då har vi inte ens kommit till Oasis än...
An amazingly boring album. Not unlistenable garbage, but not much more.
Did not enjoy this much at all. The bands seems like they’re being forced to make these songs at gunpoint.
It wasn't really my jams, nothing special about it for me.
this album was very literal. idk how to describe that better. it was autism core
Little variety. First song is great but the remainder of the album is the same song with different lyrics. Just fatiguing
Would not buy
It's Ok. Middling britpoop. Nothing terrible about it except maybe an overall same-ness throughout. I have no strong feelings either way about this. Doesn't really belong on this list. I'll give it a 2 because it's not annoying or terrible. It just is.
Overall, a dull listen. There are a couple of highlights, to be fair, but I just wished this album would end for the majority of its runtime.
ik hou wel beetje van rock, maar ze klonken iets te nasaal, maar miss kan ik het later nog een keer proberen
176/1001 First listen. Maybe there’s something great here. I’m not gonna get it in one listen. Nothing here making me want to hear it a second time. 4/10
This was fine?
Whatever 90s music
Yea, this is just a very mediocre album. Sounds like it was recorded in a basement and probably should have stayed there.
This was okay but boring. The general sound was nice but if you had asked me to name an individual track I liked after listening to it I would’ve had to go back and relisten to figure out what they were cause nothing stood out. Which is what I did. Fav songs: show girl, idiot brother
Arch, with a persona like Morrissey's - hard done by, better than all of this - singing about a fictional demi-monde. Plain indie music, very ordinary drums
I found this a pretty dull album. Not one I'll be rushing to listen to again.
Buen disco, no me maravilla pero definitivamente está bien
Album cover goes way harder than the album. Cover filled me with expectation but the music war very, very bland. 2/5
Listened Before? N Meh, it was okay. Unoffensive and kinda boring. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Show Girl
I usually tell people I have very broad musical tastes, but I'm finding out through this list that maybe I don't. One of the things I generally don't enjoy is britpop. Maybe this is that, maybe it's not (apparently the main Auteur didn't like his stuff being labelled that way), but didn't really get it. I liked the last song.
я не знала об этой группе до, и очень обрадовалась, увидев брит рок из 90х после обилия 70х, обложка замечательная. но с первой песни ээээ ничего? мне не нравится вокал, ничего не запоминается, нет крутых рифов + прикольно было почитать ревью и узнать о создателе-мудаке. круто, пойду послушаю че-нить прикольное
This is perfectly acceptable 90's Brit rock. With a name like theirs, you would expect something exceptional, however nothing really stands out here, maybe they should change their name from The Auteurs to The Average. Less than a day after listening and I've already forgotten about it. I have literally no idea why it is on this list.
Just not for me. Some songs were fine, others were a little irritating.
Eh, another mid alternative record from the 90s. Nothing really special about it and it sounds like a lot of what else was out around this time, maybe preceding some of the more typical sounds of 90s alternative. It's not terrible, but it just doesn't captivate me like other 90s rock acts (e.g. Incubus, Nirvana, Soundgarden, etc.).
This music, while quite competent, transports me to a time and place I'd rather not be. Faves: How Could I Be Wrong
classic 90s altrock thingie. Not my thing, but it's okay
C+
Bland
Not much thought, like a worse/ more boring Suede
There's hardly anything that's remarkable about this album. The singer gets old very quickly, and I forgot every track as soon as the next began. Sometimes a nice riff or chime is thrown in. 1.5 rounded up
Wow, this shit was ass. Favourite track(s): American Guitars Least Favourite Track(s): Junk Shop Clothes
I don’t mind Britpop as a movement. Not its biggest fan but don’t hate like many on here. But it has GOT to be the most over represented genre in the book. And so to this, err, next example and why, what a non event, yeah they obviously like the Beatles but so what. Also VU tones. Yawn from start to finish, that’s 43 minutes I won’t get back, next. 2 Star
1, 4,
Just some generic Britpop album. Not bad, not good, and decidedly not New Wave. Is this like 90's equivalent of the many third-rate Windmill scene bands that get overhyped now and then promptly disappear? There is plenty of Britpop (and Windmill scene) bands to love, we don't have to waste time on stuff like this.
I feel.... nothing when listening to this. It's not the worst thing here, so a 2 it is. 2/5
Not as dull on second listen as the first, but not something I plan on putting on all the way through again. 2.5
abit too broing for me but its not bad at all
Strong opening guitar. Kinda sounds like beatles x vampire weekend (probably halfway point timewise between the two) otherwise a bit bland. maybe 2 stars didn't hate it but also nothing really jumped into my ear.
I have never heard of this artist, and still could not tell you anything about them - this went in one ear and out the other.
This entire album was spent with me going "who does this sound like" and reaching the end with no satisfactory answer. I had to start googling, and at that point realised it was a Sheffield singer called Mark Stoney. This has nothing to do with an album review, but it does go some way to explaining why this album is getting a so-so mark: it's generally not a great sign that I'm so distracted with other stuff that the music is secondary. I appreciate all the xylophone(?) and found the album perfectly pleasant to listen to, if not particularly exciting. I think this would have been a 2.5, but I'm going to round down on this occasion. 2/5
Yet another 90s Brit pop band that sounds the same as the other 90s Brit pop bands on here.
Middle of the road but listenable. Wasn't all bad.
It wasn't good or bad, just very plain
Inoffensive but pretty forgettable
So many other bands in this category should have replaced this album for this year.
If this had popped up earlier in my time in this list I would have given it 3 stars but this list has really helped me develop an aversion to mediocre 90s brit-pop (which I'm realizing is a redundancy now).
Painfully dull
I remember them being a reasonably big deal back in the day but had no recollection of their music and having just listened to the album TWICE, I now know why, instantly forgettable.
Guy on the cover art looks like Timothee Chalamet. Idk about this album, I’m not motivated to listen to a band with 30k listeners multiple times through if the music is just fine. High 2
My god we zijn nog maar veertig albums ver en ik heb al genoeg Britpop & rock gehoord voor de rest van mijn leven. Ik zag deze review en da zegt genoeg: "If you like the beatles but shittier in every way this album is for you."
More utterly forgettable indie pop-rock slop. At least this album is most just forgettable and not actively bad. This is the kind of album that gives me the strong impression that the curator of this list did little to no research in preparing it. I understand the list isn’t called “the 1001 most important albums in the world” or “the only 1001 albums to hear before you die”, but it frankly pisses me off that the author didn’t care to find anything they consider more essential listening than this. I’d rather he have just trimmed the fat and gave us 501 albums that are actually notable in literally any way.
It's not even that bad, just really really uninteresting
It's like Smashing Pumpkins but a more annoying British version. Yippee.