New Wave

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.

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.

aight

Most of the songs were OK, but overall. I didn't really like this; it's not something I see myself going back to again.

This is pretty good but no track really sticks. I can se my self liking this type of style, very Indie rock (kinda sound like another indie band but i can't put my finger on which). But there is no definitive hit. if i had listen to it when i was younger i would probably have som favorites but on a single listen it is just nice background rock.

Eh. Nothing special, don’t know if deserves to be here.

The songs were okay, but the weird breathy singing was off putting

This was fine for background listening, but not much else. It only ever got to an okay-level, never went beyond that.

More generic BritPop and there's nothing special about it. 4/10

Is this a parody record? Am I being punked? Music is reasonably OK, but those lyrics are just awful.

Boring

It's okay, but rather boring. Wouldn't listen again

Whatever. Totally mid Brit rock that I could not care less about. Dudes voice is mildly annoying (par for the course). The lyrics are bleh cause they try to do too much and be too deep with them (naturally). I feel nothing other than mildly annoyed that I had to listen to this.

it's from freaking 1993-not nu-wave at all. why, why, why is it on the list???? oh wait, it's because it's mid brit pop.

I used to know the bass player of the band.

If this were a 60s album I'd probably say it was alright. If it was a 70s album I'd be like 'oooh, nice example of proto-glam.' If it was the 80s I'd be giving it a bit of side-eye. But no. This album is from 1993. Another case of the book's lack of imagination in the later decades.

105/1089 - Wait a minute, this isn't new wave... (It's actually boring proto-britpop nonsense).

Slow, boring rock.

Can't say I'd heard this before. It was interesting, but not compelling. Mid 2s.

I didn’t like this. Forgettable.

This was pretty boring and uninspiring. Didn’t do anything for me. Not offensively bad, just bland

Lackluster. 3/10

This album really started wearing on me the longer it went on. Just middle of the road early 90s British rock/pop. Not needed on this list, 4.25/10 (2.125/5)

"Song title. Song title Song titleee." If this were 1001 perfectly cromulent albums from the 90s it'd belong on the list.

It has been awhile since I got such a blatant Brit bias pick, and boy is it ever a Brit bias pick. The album at times is pretty decent, and at others bland and sometimes downright annoying. A couple songs, the singer just repeats two words over and over, instead of having a true chorus. And even he sounds bored doing it. I should have taken advice from the title of the second track, and just Bailed Out.

Thought I was into it at first because there are a few good songs but vocalist Luke Haines' voice got annoying really quickly. It sounds like something I would enjoy but the vocals just ruin it for me. Maybe someday I'll get over them and really like this album but I doubt that I'll give it another chance anytime soon. Favorite track: Bailed Out 2.5/5

Bad Beatles parody.

I turned it on. I tuned in. I dropped out. Decent sounds. Utterly forgettable.

I turned this on and then didn’t notice it at all. Nothing stood out and not very memorable. 2.25

Ronald Regan was wrong...the most terrifying words in the English language are: I play brit pop and I'm here to rock you. 2.5/5

Just have to bring attention to this first, when I started the album, that first song has a hard cutoff. Like opening riff it just fades out real fast and abrupt. Which comically made me lean over to see the notification/text I must’ve gotten on my phone only for the music to cut back in the second I saw that the music had tricked me. So there’s that, this album can trick phone monkeys into thinking they got a msg which is kinda funny. Outside of that I was super bored with this album to be frank. The vocals are the biggest turnoff cause they feel average/unremarkable but that’s in stark contrast to the guitar playing and overall production. Honestly the music is truly original and interesting, the only thing watering that down is the vocal performance. There’s probably a big following for this album but sadly it’s not for me.

Bland. Nothing I want to come back to. They really feel like Sgt peppers Beatles with less acid and less talent. Why is this one in the list?

He sounds like the singers for the British band at England in the Britain section of Epcot. Nothing against those guys but its not quite best albums of all time calibre. 3/10

I have never heard this album before today. It's alright, nothing really stood out to me though. Might be nice to put on an obscure chill party mix.

This just isn’t good. There’s nothing that stands out, nothing particularly catchy, and it doesn’t leave any lasting impression. It’s a forgettable listen and definitely doesn’t feel like it belongs on this list.

Another mediocre British band that I've never heard of and will immediately forget about. It wasn't awful, just very unmemorable.

Okay, fine -- it's a template for Britpop. But I got tired of the plaintive and wispy vocals. "Idiot Brother" and "Early Years" I liked (nice guitar riff in "Idiot Brother"), but most of the songs seemed lackluster to me.

Snoozer

90s rock, British alternative band. Pleasant but nothing special, more pop than rock. Almost twee, which makes them a bit annoying.

Totally beige and forgettable.

Nothing remarkable here. Maybe I'm just burned out on all of this Brit-adjacent pop, but I gained nothing from this experience. Just lacks the edge that other alt rock acts may have had from the time.

More like poo wave

I get the importance of the album, being pretty much the start of BritPop, even though the band doesn't really think it is. All the 90s-style stuff is here: the hidden track, the fuzz guitar, the... cello? Saying all that, it just got.... tiresome. Maybe it's just my annoyance with BritPop as a whole, I don't know. NEXT. Top tracks: "Show Girl," "Idiot Brother," "Home Again"

Some music is made with the heart, some with the head. Music from the heart is often superior as it is made from feelings. Music from the head is not necessarily bad, but it is made from thoughts. Head music struggles to make the soul sing or yearn as heart music can. This is head music.

Listen to the Au Pairs instead. Much sexier.

Meh

Quite an interesting collection on this album. Overall quite liked it. Nothing spectacular jumped out at me but it was ok

I can’t place the medley of bands I can hear from this album. Some songs sounded alright musically, but the vocals are just meh. “Don’t Trust The Stars” and “Home Again” were the only listenable tracks. Not for me I don’t think, feels a bit too colourless.

Pass

Three tracks in this is existing in a space of relative indifference. The music itself is enjoyable though the production is super flat and the vocals are kind meh. After a full listen, my views haven't changed. This is inoffensive alt-rock that is occasionally a bit interesting (How Could I Be Wrong). I didn't have any issue getting through the 44 minute playtime, but I don't have any desire to do it again. In an objective space this is a 3, but in the context of this list it falls a bit lower for me.

Pretty lame album. Really just straight up boooooooooring. Last song was weird how it stopped and turned into two songs. 2 stars

Blandest alt rock I've probably ever heard.

The most incredibly mid 90s alternative album I have ever heard. There was not one thing in this album that got me excited. Not bad music at all just so extremely boring. On the verge of giving this a 1 just because of the straight boredom, but it was still music so its a low 2.

This dude must've had a really bad experience parking cars. Classic weird hidden song at the end there. Works much better with CD's than on Apple Music though lol This just didn't really evoke anything in me. Voice was annoying, and I was bored. Meh 2.

Uninteresting pixies wannabes

Eh

Did not enjoy, boring, could never put this on and actually enjoy it

A bit anonymous

another middle of the road british indie album I had never heard of; better than the others of its ilk I’ve heard so far, but I have to ask that question again: did I need to hear this before I die?

The singing was meh. There was some good little moments in there but nothing too spectacular. The highlight for me was “Starstruck” which made it on the playlist. Also, very british and a tad pretentious.

There’s a scene in the 90’s movie, She’s All That, where the main character gets on stage in a dark club and does an impromptu hacky sack routine after and incredibly weird performance of a birth. You know the scene. Anyway, this is the band who goes on next…should have stayed underground.

Kind of generic sounding brit pop with some alt influences. Not bad but ultimately didnt capture my attention.

what if Bowie started out in the 90s and wasn't that good music: hated. (⌐■_■)

Started out strong, but started to become a bit boring after a few songs.

For an album called new Wave I was expecting something new, exciting, edgy but this was just dull and forgettable. No idea why this is on this list?

Probably a friend of the author?

Well, it's music. Nothing really stood out.

OK

This is ok but unremarkable britpop/indie. Lyrics, vocals, guitars all decent but nothing massively stands out. Is all a fairly similar tempo and could do with some bigger moments, more intense singing or something to prevent it all sounding samey. Didn't hate it but won't listen again. The lyrics are probably the best element

2.5

2 generic Brit indie rock with an annoying singer

I seriously thought this was a Lemonheads album as I got lost in it. Only negative in not being the Lemonheads is I guess they're not British enough for the author. This is just another bland UK Britpop album that doesn't even have a definitive Wikipedia page for being such a worthwile listen 2/5

Haines' weedy sounding voice was an irritant to me on what was otherwise reasonably decent sounding music (exemplified in Junk Shop Clothes)

Why the fuck does the guy in the album art look like Timothee Chalamet?

Pretty cool album cover - can't really say the same about the music. I can't differentiate or name any of the instrumentals on this album for the life of me, and the vocal performances are all pretty unpalatable. The lyrics seemed alright, though I didn't care about listening too closely

Het gaat het ene oor in en het andere uit. Wat heb ik nou gehoord? Vergeetbare jarennegentigpop. Anderen hebben dit soort muziek veeeeel beter gedaan.

Klinkt als een soort Pet Shop Boys die Britpop maken. Het is typisch jaren 90, door de gitaarstiltes die regelmatig vallen, waarbij bas en drums doorgaan, ook wel bekend geworden door Pixies en Nirvana. Of zoals wiki zegt, heeft het iets van een glamrock revival in zich en ook Suede. Die theatrale quasi-verveelde stem, daar kan ik zeker in komen. Het blijft mij soms storen dat er van dit soort bandjes in staan, waar ik nog nooit van heb gehoord. En dat er dan albums niet in staan (ik drop deze keer maar weer eens een Weezer), die er zeker wel in hadden moeten of kunnen staan. De snobkeuzes kunnen af en toe verschrikkelijk ergerniswekkend zijn. Maar goed, daardoor blijft het juist ook interessant om deze lijst te beluisteren. En als ik dit bandje toevallig wel een keer op een festival had gezien in een achteraf tentje voor 10 betalende bezoekers, dan had ik het waarschijnlijk geweldig gevonden dat het onze snoblijst had behaald. Zo eerlijk moeten we dan ook weer zijn. Niets menselijks is ons vreemd tenslotte. Op een andere dag zou ik hier waarschijnlijk wel een 3 voor kunnen geven. Want er zitten best aardige nummers tussen. Maar ook hele matige. En ik heb er nu niet zo'n zin in merk ik, ik ben blij als het klaar is en ik gewoon even K!NK aan kan zetten. Het is een energievretend album. Dus daarom rond ik het af naar 2 sterren vandaag.

firmly in the meh column for me. forgettable 90s britpop

I've had enough

No máximo legalzinho

A new look at New Wave, but boring. 2/5

b0r1ng

Did nothing for me

This was not very interesting but also not that bad. But not for me!

The most mediocre of all British alt-rock. Not sure how it made its way onto this list.

Groupe inconnu. Rien de bien original, mais pas désagréable. =>2/5

I heard a few bands being inspired in there. Thought it was okay.

nothing really hit. could i write poetry to this? n

Meh

Like Stone Temple Pilots but not as catchy

Not a bad sound, but I find the singer’s voice to be quite grating.

This list is way to heavy handed with British influence. While there are absolute genre defining British musicians this is not one of those groups. The song "American Guitars" irrationally makes me annoyed. What a terrible album.

The beginning of the first song was definitely a hook. His voice- sounds very nasally and monotone. I caught this vibe early on and it continued throughout the entire album and it was just not great at all. I was hopeful at the beginning but dreading it at the end.

After taking a THC gummy I'll end up saying something and very literally forget what I was talking about even 2 sentences later - you take the gummy for a specific effect but so if you're actually trying to concentrate on saying anything worthwhile at all it's annoying and even off-putting , which of course why would you... TL;DR: this album is that gummy. At any point during these <checks notes> 43 minutes I couldn't / can't remember a thing from 2 minutes ago. The singer is like a less-engaged George Harrison, who was a bland singer to begin with. It's fine. Terribly boring. Inoffensive. Rubber-stamped new-early-90s-Britpop. I think...? 4/10 2 stars

it's a shame because this sounds like music i would otherwise like. but i really felt like the songs were not very strong and the vocals were pretty bad. at times it sounds like the vocalist's voice is cracking. reminiscent of 90s slacker vocals, but without the coolness. it mostly makes it sound very limp. not a vibe i enjoy from music.

Tepid.

It was okay, but also completely unmemorable. Generic almost. I don't actively dislike it, but don't see the point being in this list.

I like the second half better than the first.

I can see where later Britpop bands get their inspiration from here, but this one just doesn't have the same appeal (or hit songs) that those others have going for them.

It had a death cab vibe

Britpop, fint nok, men heller ikke vildt spændende

This has elements from things that are cool and interesting but fails to be either cool or interesting itself.

30 days in the dungeon for making Bailed Out. The rest was ok enough to get a 2. Will I listen to again: 0%

A very mundane sounding album. I didn't dislike it but it wasn't noteworthy either.

The band's Spotify bio describes their work as "unromantic." I think that's an understatement. A lot of these songs are unsettling and grim, on top of being musically uninteresting. It wasn't *hard* to listen to, but maybe I've been desensitized by so much Britpop on this list...

Bland, forgettable, in fact I have no recollection of this band even existing. Are we sure this wasn't some weird A.I. Mandela effect / Baader–Meinhof phenomenon (pause for irony) where they take the sonic signature of a dozen bands and try to make the most pleasing sound out of it in a lab but instead this heap of boredom lurched out instead.

I enjoyed how the album started but it's honestly mostly generic Brit rock from the era. I was pretty done with it by the end and none of it really pulled my attention to really focus on it. How Could I Be Wrong or Show Girl got to be my favorites here.

ok, his voice was nice at first but never really changes. oof.... Steve Albini did a great job recording and producing it...but he's limited which means the album/songs are limited. Pass.

Nothing special and some strange songs.

Didn’t get much out of this album, except this guy really hates his job parking cars.

kinda mediocre

Forgettable

I've never heard of the Auteurs, or this album before, but I've enjoyed a majority of the Britpop albums on this list, so I feel confident that I'll like this album. Well, I wouldn't say I particularly liked this album, but I didn't hate it either. I think it's a good album, especially the songwriting, but the music itself is like cloud on a summer day afternoon, in that it disappears from your mind quickly. The arrangements are nice, especially the piano playing on "Bailed Out," and there were some other nice little moments, like the harmonica on "Housebreaker" and the xylophone on "Valet Parking." But overall, musically, this album just wasn't doing anything that sets it apart or pushes things in a new direction. The songwriting was really solid from start to finish though, and I really liked "Junk Shop Clothes" and "Don't Trust the Stars." Overall though, this album just kind of plodded along, and I don't really see a lot of value in it, outside of the songwriting.

Ich habe bisher Interpret und Album nicht gekannt, was im Nachhinein nicht schlimm ist. Für mich plätscherte das Album so vor sich hin. Aber zwei Nummern haben mich sehr überzeugt: "Boiled out" und "Junk Shop clothes"

Nothing interesting or new

Ah, we've found "The Shitty Beatles" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPIpeW581rE

Day214 - whiny nasally brit pop that i hope im about done with

Rubbich

Hey, if you’re into completely forgettable 90s Brit rock, have I got the album for you. But don’t worry if you don’t like it, there are plenty more of the exact same kinds of albums on this list!

Aucune idée pourquoi c'est là. Rien de mémorable, rien d'unique, clairement un gros biais UK. Ce n'est pas mauvais, mais il y a absoluement rien dans cet ablum qui m'a accroché et qui m'y fera retourner. 4/10

As all have said, this is just ok. I do hear a bit of modern indie influence being offered, but meh

Mijn god, wat is dit weer een ontzettend saai en nietszeggend album. Het speelt een beetje op de achtergrond en ik kan je geen enkel nummer hiervan vertellen. Was het goed? Geen idee. Was het slecht? Eigenlijk ook niet echt een idee Was het saai? Ja absoluut. Ik verveel me kapot, wat een slechte weekstart. Gelukkig is het niet een lang album! Maar dit is wel weer een album in de hoek van: "Serieus? Dit moest ik voor mijn dood horen? Waarom?" Super saai album, verdoe je tijd er niet mee. Dit is even spannend als de kleur grijs. FAVO: Bailed Out

generic forgettable whiny 90s brit rock. first song was the only memorable one, but still not particularly good. i could die happy if this website never assigned me another one of these again, alas, i know better.

The impact of a great debut album can spawn a whole original genre. The introduction of lesser first albums lay no claim to even a stylistic revival. New "New Wave" waves, waives new new wave wave.

After the first song, I thought I might have finally found an unknown brit pop album on this list that I like, but that was easily the high point of the album. Just derivative stuff after that. Every time I thought I liked a song after that I realized it was because it sounded exactly like another song that I already knew and liked, mostly Al Stewart.

2.5

Completely meh, might feel different on a second listen

this just didnt click with me. There is an underlying depression throughout, and the music doesnt do anything to keep me engaged. maybe I'm just not an English rock guy. its like a really sad Blur album.

Nothing about this album's particularly offensive except maybe the vocal delivery. At times it sounds like a bad Lou reed impression. Regardless it’s uninspiring. I find it repetitive and emotionless. Some of the playing is good and there’s a couple catchy licks here and there but nothing really broke through and tunneled into my brain. 2.3

Just ok. Nothing exciting

Plodding and unremarkable. So what are we doing here? Did I hate this? No. Its listenable and my ratings are based on how much I liked it. But this is a list of albums you should hear although we aren't rating them on whether we think you should hear them. We just listened to NWA. I hated it and gave it a 1. But I know that it belongs on the list simply because it was important for pointing "music" in a new direction. This album is like several others we have reviewed, ie White Denim. Clean production without any real emotion, innovation, tension, or musicianship. And the songwriting is uninteresting: "Parking Cars?" The more I see this list supposedly made by a panel of "experts," the more it seems to me to be made by a bunch of provincial Brits.

Neither new wave nor auteurs

1.5/5

Indie rock? Sounds kinda like Beatles I guess. I don’t have much to say about this one. Didn’t really stand out for me.

Its a band you hear in the background of a coffee shop that thinks its cool, but hasn't been cool since 1998

Big bowl of early 90s meh. Very background music nothing stands out

Nicht wirklich schlecht, aber jetzt auch nicht der Brüller.

whatever man. some people should not be singers

I really like the 2nd track, “bailed out”. This was a good album. I would not seek it out for a second listen.

Good start with show girl and bailed out. But then the album went down from there. Shame really, i love brit pop, but this album was very plain and below average as it went on. Shame really. Maybe ill come back to it. But for now its a 2/5.

At first I thought I would really dig this one, it has a very 90's sound which I typically like. But it really drug and didn't really go anywhere. I wasn't 100% sure what he was whining about most of the time, maybe being too famous and how hard that is (not sure where he was famous...).

This kinda sucked. Pretty unremarkable.

Um, is he dissing thrift shopping? Blasphemy! That aside, I couldn’t really get into this. It felt kind of bland and boring and I’m not surprised I haven’t heard of this group.

pretentious and annoying

Beetje saai

New Wave is unremarkable, not notably bad, not memorable, holds a tune but not much variety, singing fits their desired style but doesn't excite me, not worthy of a place on the list. 2.

Fairly insipid indie. Not bad, but nothing special.

Boring and totally unremarkable.

Here’s another album I’m not sure why it’s on the list. Could blend in with another few hundred albums from this era. Was it bad? Not really. Did anything stand out as great? Also not really. 2.75

The production is tight, but the vocals on some of the songs are very difficult to understand.

ei ole klikkien takoamis albumi ainakaan.. heti saa tietää mitä on luvassa... new wave ... perkele.. klikkien väistämistö enemmänkin heh.. ei voi sius liikaa valitella.. en hallunnut nirhata, vilppiä tässä ei ollut. ei mitään vilunkia ollut tässä mukana.. ketunpeliä ei pelattu kaikilla palloilla tänään.. se tässä oli selvää. valet parking

some parts more listenable than others

Not really finding much to get excited about this album. Pretty repetitive choruses. The overall sound is kind of bland. Feels like there are so many rock albums on this list, this one is relatively forgettable by comparison.

At this point there are too many British albums on here. This was not needed. I don’t care if people think this is what shaped Britpop.

Bit dull. Indie. Meh...

2.5 because it apes everything before it but brings nothing new to the table.

meh

Typical angsty alt-rock stuff. Not terrible but not interesting to me.

2 much brit pop

I’m struggling with how to review some of these middling albums. There was nothing wrong with this one, per se, but nothing particularly stood out to me either. I’m left again wondering why I MUST listen before I die.

It was ok, kind of underwhelming but very listenable. I can’t think of one song I’d have to play again. Lead singers voice kind of irritated me.

What am I supposed to get from this? The lyrics are inane. The vocals annoy even me, which is difficult given my affinity for emo in all of its forms. There are one or two jams on here, but maybe not something I needed to hear. Call it a 1.5, and I'm feeling very generous. Favorite track: "How Could I Be Wrong"

Pretty big Britpop fan but just didn’t gel with this album

Listened to this while playing Nusfjord solo. I achieved a personal high score! I had never heard of this band before, but the album cover was intriguing. Meh. Not bad...but certainly not one of the best 1001 (or 1086 or whatever it is.) I really really want to hear Idiot Brother covered by Destroyer. It would be the perfect match. Sorry...only a 2. Not because it was bad, but because it was just not essential enough. Wait...is the lead singer Destroyer? It sounds like him dialed down to a 4.

Some quality but overall too much of the same with nothing really standing out.

Good I guess? But kind of forgettable.

There’s so much great music of all genres and decades, but so far my list of albums from the 90s have been dominated by Britpop schlock. It’s fine, but “fine” isn’t a word that I would use to describe one of the 1001 most essential albums of all time.

I listened to it but I cannot recall anything outstanding.

Yeah, starts off similar to Suede - I never really liked Suede. Picks up a little pace and interest on the home stretch but too little too late. Maybe it was slightly ahead of its time but it generally a bit forgettable.

Genre: Rock Instruments: 1/5 Modern Translation: 2/5 Dance Potential: 1/5 Listening Location: Driving from Lara Heard it before: No Favourite Song: Home Again Made me feel: This was relatively easy to listen to but little variety in the album. Wouldn't turn it off if it was playing in the background, but also wouldn't choose to put it on.

Album starts with a bang with "Show Girl." I really enjoyed the sound. For me, it kind of slowed way down, with "Junk Shop Clothes" making me want to just turn the record off. I enjoyed the guitar in "Idiot Brother"

Definitely a early solo Morrissey vibe here. Not sure if that is good or bad. Even had a secret song at the end to lock in the 90s feeling. Not bad. Not great.

Boring. 2.

Nasally 90s Brit rock that was mostly lame. Not much else to add.

just why. no need to listen to that. 4.5/10

Voice lacks range. Guitar are crisp. Too crisp ? 2 stars

meh

Neo-Glam gone wrong, not fit to lace Bolans shoes 2.5 at best

Couple of highlights but overall nothing special. 2/5

Largely forgettable last track was good

Some alright tracks but a pretty generic Brit pop album that doesn’t do much to stand out.

Best Songs: N/A Listen Again: No

I was really not into this at all. Each song was a bit of a struggle. Nothing that I hated about it necessarily, but I was very glad when it was over.

Typical pop from 90's. Meh

1.5/5. Not very good. In fact, quite unenjoyable.

Maybe the mehiest album so far. There’s nothing wrong with it but literally nothing stands out. I’m guessing the guys in the band are brothers with the people who made the list.

Ganz nett. Kannte ich nicht. Zwei Sterne.