Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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.
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
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
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...
I was really vibing with this album until the singing started. What a way to ruin perfectly fine rock music
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
How to guarantee your spot on the 1001 albums list: 1) be from the UK 2) put out an album in the '90s. All other locations and times will have to prove their worth to be selected. But this two-step recipe will guarantee you a spot. This album is a small fish in an ocean full of small fish that are all exactly the same
Breathy, whiny vocals. Pass.
Ehhhhhh
along with Suede, the Auteurs were one of the earliest nineties groups to hit on what would become known as the Britpop sound. this was a return made by many British alt-rock bands at that time to the catchy, hook-driven songwriting style of their ancestors in the sixties whom they had come to idolize, combined with dark, honest lyrics about the state of British life and culture. the Auteurs' leader and songwriter, Luke Haines, embodies all of these aspects quite well, although I would be lying if I said these songs don't all kind of run into one another. plus, and I believe I've spoken to this before, the extremely downtrodden, angry mood of certain Britpop bands really puts me off for some reason. I guess you had to be there, "there" being Britain in the nineties. I am but a lowly American, all I know is blind optimism in spite of all evidence! whereas Suede would go on to become one of the "big four" of bands associated with Britpop (along with Blur, Pulp and my archenemies Oasis), it seems like the Auteurs had a more niche spot in the scene. the American press wrote them off as Suede soundalikes; although New Wave released a month before Suede's debut album, Suede had been together and playing shows for a few years longer. I guess that's just the way the cracker crumbles.
I don’t know about this one, gang. Didn’t like the lead vocal performance and was unmoved by the songwriting and instrumentation. I am again unsure of what makes this required listening. I guess it sounds pretty fresh for the early 90s? Overall a dry, uninspiring listen for me.
too british pop for me. the opening song is good and i wondered why people rated it so low. then i understood lmao. everything is kinda the same thing
The music’s okay, but the singer annoyed me. Felt similar to Suede, a band to whose music I feel similarly neutral-to-negative. Favorite: Home Again 2.5
Dull.
Middle of the road at best.
Not my cup of tea, once again, since I am not really huge fan of the New Wave :)
Another British alternative album. It’s aight… but not enough of a punch to have me come back for more
Not very interesting to me
The music is pretty good but the singer is not for me. I couldn't listen to him again
Sounds like if Dan Bejar/Destroyer traveled back in time and made a record in the early 90s.
I guess this is here because it laid the foundation for britpop? Unfortunately that's a genre that I've never been able to get into.
Put this on when you think “Hey, I want to have a completely normal one tonight.”
Not feeling this, a little annoying in the mix - very bright. Bit slow perhaps
Oh look more boring Brit Pop.
Perfectly pleasant but offering nothing new (even for 1993). Felt I'd heard it all before and I find the vocal quite weak.
So much great music coming out of the UK. Therefore it's bizarre there is so much mediocrity on this list.
Early 90s indie / soft grunge. This didn’t do much for me. I like their sound from an instrumental perspective but the singing style became a bit grating after the first couple of songs. There’s a lack of range and dynamics to his singing. I don’t see why it’s regarded as one of the 1001 albums to listen to.
I had to bail on this one. Couldn't get past everything about it.
Utterly insipid. And repeating a line over and over is not lyrics. At track 2 I really wished I could 'bail out'. If you're going to have the temerity to call yourself the Auters you better bring more than this.
Showgirl and Starstruck were alright, but the rest was very meh. Lack of identity or anything different. I would say it sounds early 00s, so he's 7 years ahead of his time. Counts for it, I suppose.
Oj spännande och oväntat val av skiva. Nu är vi faktiskt ganska långt ner i dem brittiska indiemyllan. Luke Haines är en särling musikaliskt som alltid gått ett halvt steg bredvid det mesta. Kommer ni ihåg (eller rättare sagt man har ju sett och hört talas om det i efterhand, från där och då minns man ju det inte) det omdiskuterade omslaget på Select magazine med Brett Anderson framför en Union Jack med rubriken "Yanks go home" Omslaget som skapade begreppet britpop. Minns ni vilka andra band förutom Suede som fick representera det där? Pulp och Saint Etienne stod där men också The Auteurs (tillsammans med helt bortglömda Denim). Det säger två saker tycker jag. För det första det här är pop, inte rock. För det andra att den brittiska indiescenen 1993 bestod mestadels av antingen shogazeing band eller var efterföljande avarter till Madchester fenomenet. The Auteurs (liksom de övriga banden på det omslaget) passar inte in där. Med det sagt är det kanske svårt att se idag hur säreget det här var. Jag har ingen relation innan till detta album men däremot till de två efterföljande The Auteursalbumen. Och jag skriver under på Fredriks omnämnande av Black Box Recorder. Jag minns dem som mer utmanande än vad detta är, här har Haines inte riktigt hittat sitt uttryck än. Men det är ganska så bra brittisk indie och det är musik med en bokhylla det är tämligen öppenbart, men utan att riktigt ha starka låtar. Låtarna är inte dåliga bara lite anonyma och som helhet har jag behållning att lyssna på det här. Om inte annat som tidsdokument. Det är en mörkare, svårare och bökigare sida av det som skulle bli britpop, det kunde tagit den här vägen istället för säg Supergrass. Superstark tvåa men hade behövt en hitsingel eller riktig märkeslåt för att nå trean
Den här har stått på hyllan och samlat damm en i säkert 30 år nu. Men nu fick den alltså komma fram i dagsljuset igen. Titeln avskräcker givetvis, men som tur är är den missvisande. Så väldans mycket bättre är det dock inte. Ganska seg alternativrock. Det finns delar som låter ok, men hela tiden med något som skaver. Framförallt är det sången. Lundell beskrev tjejen han får ihop det med i 67-67 som ” svartklädd med bok Verka svår så oemotståndligt svår”. Här känns det snarare ”svår, oerhört påklistrat svår” när jag hör Luke Haines ta ton. Nej, det blir in i hyllan igen. Får se om den låter bättre 2055. Svag tvåa.
Inget som direkt fastnade efter första genomlyssningen. Efter andra blev intrycket att det var en gång för mycket. Saknar attityd och riktigt bra låtar. Men det är inte uselt heller.
Quite boring
Ok
Nah
Mediocre early 90s Brit pop/alt rock that is inoffensive yet forgettable. This made the list but Tool didn’t makes me question many things about the author that curated this list.
Instrumentation was not nearly good enough to make up for the lyrics and vocals.
It came and went quite unnoticed to be honest
🫤
boooring put on carti
wasnt fussed.
No thank you. Most of these songs were not especially interesting in my opinion. There were a couple tracks that started with a kind of cool guitar riff, but then the vocals would come in… I’ll be generous and round this up to 2 srars.
It's fine, but got pretty annoyingly the same after the first few songs. Nothing special, kind of disappointing after the start of the album.
Meh, their name is pretentious, the music sounds slightly pretentious and boring....... like the most boring version of The Smiths
so mad this wasn't an arab guy that made experimental rock music because that would have been me and it wasnt i fucking hate this!!!!!!!!!!!
This was like an album full of the tracks I didn't like on Pulp albums.
Before listening, I am going to make a wild guess that an album by a British rock band I've never heard of that came out in 1993 - around the time my musical awareness may have been at its peak - is NOT going to be one I needed to listen to before I die. But let's see how it goes... First song, I kind of like the music but this singer sounds like he is doing an affectation. Like he's trying to be funny. Like Bret from Flight of the Conchords aping Bowie. Each additional song: Is this just how this guy sang? I don't think I could listen to a lot of this. But I see how the Wikipedia article quoted people saying this kind of paved the way for Britpop - I can hear some of this influence in Blur. I thought this was decent at first but liked it less and less as it went on. "Idiot Brother" had some funny lines. Would have given it a 3 about 4 songs in. Having finished the album, it's a 2 for me.
Wasn’t really my thing.
Banging my head against the wall in time to the music…and not in the heavy way. Modern funeral dirges that one can’t even dance to!
I’m not sure how I felt about this. There was nothing that grabbed me or I found extra extraordinary anywhere on here. The song starstruck sounded like it could’ve been off a mid career Beatles album. The succeeding song How Could I Be Wrong? had a truly kind of 90s field to it. This feels like one of those bands that someone found at the right time in their life and absolutely loves this album so they had to include it as a personal favorite. I have several of those myself, but I don’t know if I’d include them all in 1001 Must Listen.
Boring and pretentious AF.
So we're just putting "honk-shooo" sounds in songs now, okay. Appropriate, because this bored me. 2.5 stars
meh
I love the fact that this is only 22 minutes long. Get up, do your thing and leave them wanting more. This is a blistering set, at breakneck speed. The recording makes me want to be there. I am never sure what to make of Jerry Lee, but this was great fun.
Not bad, not great. Just "OK".
Very much meh
this type of music is so fucking boring to me man
Inoffensive and forgettable.
Boring
Another on this list that I think you have to be from the UK to truly appreciate. This is about as mediocre as can be.
Mediocre alt-grunge
I was wondering if I was missing something about this, but no, there's nothing here. It's not unlistenable, that's the positive I can say of it.
David Bowie/Grant Lee Buffalo vibes
Mediocre!!!
Not sure why this is on the list
completely forgettable
I don't think I had heard of this band..not sure if they have slipped from my consciousness or if they never entered it in the 90s. Wasn't really into it, but it did grow on me a little.Quintessentially British but like alot of Brit albums from the period maybe suffers from trying to hard to be clever vs. displaying real emotions. Haines does have a couple of later albums (Concept album on the Baader Meinhoff gang! Psychedelic rock album based on 70s&80s wrestling!) that pique my interest but not sure if there is enough musically to drag me in to check them out..
Not a fan
This was a fine album, and I probably wouldn't mind listening again. But unfortunately, that's just 2 stars under my system. There's a lot of promise in this album but it doesn't quite get there. I don't think this one makes the cut, but it's not bad. Favorite tracks: "How Could I Be Wrong," "Home Again"
I thought the whole thing about new wave was you didn't admit to being new wave... Anyway, just what we need. A new wave album in the 90s, when music had finally recovered from that whole trash era. Anyway, this album's main problem is it's just a little on the boring side. There are a couple of interesting tracks. Housebreaker was kind of OK and Early Years is good. The guy's singing is super new wave annoying. And then there's the pretentiousness. Ughh. 2/5
This was pretty boring..
It’s alright, but I’m struggling to even remember what this record sounded like a few hours after listening to it.
No stand out songs for my but solid soft rock that has a sound very of its time. It sounds so much like other bands from the same timeframe that I could have heard this before but not remembered.
Fun but nothing to write home about imo
2.5 I think, great guitar on many songs, like the bridge in how could I be wrong was verrrry nice. But otherwise not grabbing me
Generic 90’s rock. Nothing to see here, move along folks.
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.
It's actually not bad, but the songwriting is truly horrendous.
What a crap album. Thankfully, I listened to the non-expanded version!
The breathy whisper singing ruined this for me, sounds a bit passive aggressive and half arsed. I prefer my music full arsed. It was ok, but overall I didn't feel like this added anything new to the challenge. Death to harmonicas 💀
Yet another dreadfully boring britpop album on the list. Oh well, add it to the pile I guess.
DNF. Too sedate and boring
Another album fronted by a fake band for those nefarious ghost singers ‘Samey Same and the Samers’.
I can’t do the whisper singing. Musically sounds fine but its that kind of singing the cure does where it seems like they cry the whole time or whisper.
I couldn’t wait to stop listening to this
This is boring.
Nothing to write home about.
This really just sort of washed over me. Listenable but quite unremarkable.
If Oasis and Blue had a baby and it wasn't that good. Mediocre britpop.
Album was just okay. Felt kind of flat. 2/5 Won’t listen again
It was fine, not really spectacular, quite forgettable
I read up on this album and I quote from the Wikipedia entry for this: ‘Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that ‘New Wave’ laid the groundwork for what would subsequently become Britpop.' So I get why it’s here, it oozes Britishness and mid 90s brit-rock vibes, it’s just I’m not massive on the whole brit-pop sound in general. It’s fine and I can listen to this, and there’s some records from the era I really like; this just wouldn’t be one of them. It’s just so bland. I guess you had to be there.
There was a couple of moments where my foot started tapping a bit - but it's all very forgettable.
Lesser Suede. Not interesting at all.
Meh. Not super my vibe.
Nothing really standing out here for me as interesting. 2 star, it's not bad but not holding my interest.
Not quite sure how they managed it, but some of these tracks are ALMOST good.
Musically this is serviceable but nothing special. The lyrics are pretty weak though. Ultimately I love brit pop but there’s a lot of other acts I’d rather listen to in the genre
And another middle of the road, unremarkable British album that I can totally see somebody getting into back in 1993, but which has very little relevance beyond that point in time. It's not technically garbage, but it would hardly make the top 100 list of albums in its release year, why on earth should I make this something I listen to before I die?
Meh
Why did I need to hear this, Robert? Because I really did not? The sensation of yet another brit pop alt rock UK 90s whatever but this one adds channeling T-Rex to the Beatles or Stones held up for about one and a half songs. You know, you're not doing these albums a favour, Robert. Robert? Are you listening? Because there's a list in the reviews of other '93 releases not featured in your book which are infinitely better and more important than this one. And I could add 10 more. So excuse me while I don't give a shit about The Auteurs.
I think I’ve heard maybe three female vocalists in almost two months now and yet I’ve had so many absolutely mid Britpop albums? I want 45 minutes of my life back.
Не понравился этот альбом. Я так и не понял к чему акустическая звенящая как маракас гитара на каждом треке. Вокалист пел примерно одинаково на всех треков. Ничем не зацепило альбом средний. Два трека очень напомнили самый популярный трек пиксис- where is my mind.
It was fun but didn’t really catch my attention. not that it’s bad or anything. it was alright.
Another album on the list I'm not convinced by. I don't think it's distinctly important. Lyrically okay, musically okay, nasally uninspired vocal delivery. Hopefully it's one of the removed ones across reprints?!
Bit bootleg Beatles. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
Mér fannst ég vera að hlusta á hljómsveit barna ríkra foreldra sem halda að þau séu ofboðslega kúl. Tónsmíðin var einföld og textarnir leiðinlegir. Lagið Valet Parking situr í mér þar sem söngvarinn syngur í sífellu um hvað hann sé leiður á að leggja bílum.
While the significance to brit pop is worth lauding, this record seems more derivative of other famous acts like the Smiths than it is confident in its own sound. And in that, this record commits a grave sin; it is boring. Banal, inoffensive, and with little standing out, New Wave manages to do something few other records on this list does, and that is to bore me to tears
Just ok. Show Girl the best thing on the album, which descends somewhat into mediocrity from there.
2.5
Hat mich nicht angesprochen. Kann mich nun einen Tag später an nichts erinnern.
die auters! nonie ghört aha isches brutische indie no shit aha. ooook de ersti song isch huere schön mega geils arrangment mit akzstischer und elektrischer gitarre. refrain cute mit de bgvs und klatscher. bailed out isch definitiv en song so es chlnt eim nolaufe aber finds etz nöd super. american guitars chani relate ich lieb mini mexikanisch fender. chli eintönig. junk shop clothes isch au no herzig mit de klavier melodie aber sini stimm do obe gfallt mer semi. dont trust the stars ehner nervig etz isch sini stimm döt obe hä. starstruck au eig en guet gschriebne song. gohtmer langsam uf de sack aber. immer s glich mit dene indie bands. when i first met you you were not housetrained hoppla. housebreaker crazy lyrics. ok er seit au i was not housetrained. idiot brother riese titel. home again intressante song. aber sorry dasch glaub es zwei wo agfange het wie es vieri. NÖD EN HIDDEN TRACK NAIIII
kinda boring we’ve heard this like 26 times already
langweilig
Gähn, drittklassiger Britpop
Again, I have no idea how this album has made the list? Maybe in ‘93 this was an influential album, but I’ve never heard of the record or the band as it goes. It’s just bland in terms of vocals, lyrics and musicality. It’s inoffensive and emotionless landfill brit pop. It’s only spared a spared a 1/5 due to the guitar work.
meu deus que disco chato. brit pop genérico. produção ok, vocais insuportáveis.
Generic and on the whole inoffensive. Some fun moments but not much else to write home about. Decent but highly derivative indie pop-rock sound. Top tracks: Housebreaker, Idiot Brother
It gets boring after a couple of songs
Not at all notable or essential, not terrible either, it's not really anything at all.
Very generic 90s pop rock. There are some nice guitar sounds (some jangle, some arpegios, some fizzy leads, some big sweeping chords) but the vocals are whispy and pretty weak and the songs are nothing special. It's all extremely mid-tempo and middle of the road - it's not abrasive or dissonant enough to have any real tension or dynamism and not hooky enough to work be anthemic or catchy pop. A strange inclusion since there's so much much better 90s indie to pick from.