Mar 13 2021
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1
I just don’t get it? I don’t know what people hear in this album that I don’t? What is on here that makes anyone swoon on about it like it was their first born?
The music is not groundbreaking or genre defining. It’s neither a breakout sound or mesmerising enough to keep me on high alert for the start of each track.
It’s the same indie sound that blends each song into the other due to the nondescript style of the music.
I tried listening to the most played track, according to Deezer, over and over hoping to catch a peek of what the cool kids were revelling in...I didn’t even get a glimpse. 1 Star!
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Oct 14 2021
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2
This album is no longer in the latest editions of the book, and I can't say I disagree.
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Jan 14 2022
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5
What an odd and lovely little album. There's so much great music, melody, instrumentation, and vocalization on this one. Lyrically intricate and poetic. Great mix of "chill" and energetic energy, dynamic in a way that's interesting and not jarring to listen to. Loved it.
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Oct 16 2021
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5
I’m familiar with a little Badly Drawn Boy, but this is the first time hearing this album. Mostly gentle and pleasant - but never boring - with some darker undercurrents that occasionally bubble up to the surface. The songs have a way of being unique and quirky without crossing over into annoying. There’s a lot of cleverness in the arrangements and the lyrics.
Some Highlights:
“The Shining” features some great horns in the opening the turns to a really nice guitar song that builds the orchestra back by the finale. Really nice.
“Camping Next To Water” seems to be about someone stranded in the woods alone living on fish. Really great song!
“Once Around The Block” has a pleasant, quirky vibe - a fun listen.
“Magic in the Air” was very a really nice love song that has just the right amount of sweetness.
“Cause A Rockslide” is interesting with cool lyrics (“your sweetness would cause a rockslide”) and a trippy second half I enjoyed.
“Pissing In The Wind” takes things in a country direction with fun lyrics and a shambly feel. It is probably my second favorite song on the album after…
“Disillusion” is a groovy dance track with a great beat and rhythm section Great song - my favorite on the album.
“Say It Again” has some more really clever lyrics. Great song that builds and builds as it goes - “dried up thoughts but my nose is runny.”
Just when you think you have THE HOUR OF BEWILDERBEAST pinned down the album throws a curve ball into the music and/or lyrics. The surprises really work and never feel out of place (except maybe “This Song” on headphones). With each listen there’s something new to discover. Somehow Badly Drawn Boy weaves all these unique pieces together into a cohesive, enjoyable album.
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Jun 24 2021
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2
Well. That's just ... really boring, innit? Shame.
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Mar 12 2022
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5
This is a hell of an album. I had forgotten just how good. The melodies come fast and furiously and with beauty a subtlety. The listener is required to wade through some studio trickery which almost but not quite distracts from the incredible songwriting. Allmusic.com references Harry Nilsson as his closest influence, frankly I don't here it; First of all Damon's voice is not like Nilsson's and I think of him more as an interpreter of other's material. I hear a lot of Beatles (think Sgt Pepper's) but what I really hear is Todd Rundgren, I think of THOTB as Something/Anything for the year 2000. A brilliant debut that does now and always will sound fresh. 5 🌟
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Oct 22 2022
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2
Here’s a good rule of thumb for a lot of these early 00’s albums (particularly the British indie ones) that the list curator loves to include:
If you haven’t heard anyone talk about the band in 20 years, it’s probably safe to say that you don’t need to hear it before you die.
This record plods along, doesn’t really offer anything revolutionary or particularly upbeat.
It’s a bit depressing, innit? Like if Elliot Smith stole Radiohead’s lunch money.
As a counterpoint to this record, I’ll offer up Grandaddy’s “The Sophtware Slump”, also from 2000. It’s a well engineered, experimental indie rock headphone album and at least Jason Lytle sounds like he [gasp] had a little fun making the record.
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Nov 26 2021
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5
great album, still sounds fresh.
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Oct 17 2021
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5
This one is a classic for me.
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Oct 16 2021
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5
Someone included Once Around the Block on a mixtape for me a while back but that's all I know of Badly Drawn Boy. I've always liked Once Around the Block because it's in 3 and sometimes you just need a waltz so I'm interested.
First track is called The Shining and I'm nervous. Oh, a cello. How lovely. And a French horn? Go on... O! It's about the sun! And it's pretty! I love it.
Next song is Everybody's Stalking (good Midnight Cowboy/Nilsson reference) and I'm dancing at the bus stop! (Can't really understand the lyrics but they might be creepy since it's about stalking.) I love this one, too!
Also on my love list are Pissing in the Wind, Say it Again, Epitaph, the disco sound of Disillusion, and Stone on the Water (another waltz).
The piano at the beginning of Magic in the Air reminded me of Hard Candy Christmas from Best Little Whorehouse...
This Song is very strange. I listened to it twice on speakers and would have absolutely believed it was Simon & Garfunkel. But then I was relistening on headphones on my walk home and thought I might be having a stroke. There is some very very strange (and off-putting) stereo effect happening there. I almost fell over.
There are a few tracks on this long album that didn't do much for me but overall I really liked this and will listen again.
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May 22 2021
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5
never heard of the band, but I loved the songs and music.
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Feb 13 2021
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5
Very unique, thoroughly enjoyed
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Feb 23 2021
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5
Enormous discovery, I love it very much!!!!
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Apr 21 2021
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5
I know about Badly Drawn Boy from the About a Boy soundtrack- which I listened to pretty religiously for a while after I found it in a used CD store :). I hadn't heard this album but I like it too.
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Jan 15 2021
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5
Me and my mate used to drink in the same pub him in Chorlton. He’s reyt grumpy when you ask him to song you a song.
Indie!
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May 17 2021
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5
What a record.
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Feb 28 2021
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2
Boring. Generic. Shouldn’t be on the list.
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Apr 01 2024
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5
5 OUT OF 5
Blown away by the quality of this record. How had I never heard of this?
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Sep 11 2022
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5
An artist that has never come up on my radar, with an album of songs I don’t recognise. This is why I love the 1001 Album challenge (if you want to call it that). It’s allegedly one of the best albums ever created, and I’m going in clueless but optimistic - I like the album art.
Songs I already know: none
Favourite after listening: Bewilderbeast, Everybody’s Stalking
Songs I disliked: This Song - the weird rapid panning between each earphone gave me a headache
Overall: 9/10
This album was near perfect, and very much to my taste. It reminds me a lot of Eels and that’s definitely no bad thing. It’s the kind of album where if I was listening to it and somebody spoke to me, I would want to pause the music rather than talk over it. It’s so beautifully composed, and he has such a nice voice. 90’s alt music it always going to go down well with me, and I’m going to be coming back to this album a lot (except that one song).
Edit: turns out it was released in 2000, so it’s technically not 90s alt, but definitely feels like it.
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Jan 20 2021
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5
Stone on the Water is great, mostly instrumental. Say it Again also good. This Song got annoying with the reverb, but it was short so it was fine.
As an indie hipster, this is the kind of album I wish I could say I had found. Truly incredible.
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Mar 18 2023
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4
You could throw the world's worst indie rock album at me, and I'd probably still give it like a 3/5. I'm a slut for whiny virgin music. I assume this guy is as well, because this album feels like somebody putting every single popular indie artist in a blender.
It works better than I expected. I'd still much rather listen to actual Elliott Smith and Neutral Milk Hotel than the tracks on this album inspired by them, but it's a very pleasant collection of tunes. Some songs are huge. "Cause a Rockslide" especially sounded like the ADHD-ridden brain of somebody who's been trapped in the Shadow Indie Dimension for 7 years.
I will now remind everybody that "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" is not on this list.
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May 30 2023
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3
Le Badyl Drawn Boy s'en est pas trop mal sorti, et nous a offert un album agréable qui dénote très clairement avec toute la daube ambiante. Je n'ose d'ailleurs pas imaginer l'odeur dans la chambre de Robert.
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Sep 26 2022
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2
Was heading for a generous 3* but then went on for too long... inoffensive but bland
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Aug 02 2022
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2
Just painfully boring - nothing about this is enthusiastic or exciting to listen to. Big snoozefest. 4/10.
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Oct 25 2021
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2
This did nothing for me. Some parts were not too bad, but way too many songs were just boring.
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Mar 06 2021
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2
Some good songs. Most not. Bit long, was bored by the end.
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Aug 31 2020
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5
Very peaceful album that has an awesome flow.
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Apr 26 2024
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4
Really enjoyed the music. The variety of instruments, arrangements…
Overall found this to be Slightly upbeat, but. very calming,
Listen to it multiple times.
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Oct 09 2020
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4
Pretty good. Will listen again. Fusion of a lot of genres folk-country, hip-hop, etc.
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Oct 09 2024
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3
re chill banco
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Jul 25 2024
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3
This album was almost good but nothing really stood out to me. If it was a color, it would be a pleasant beige. Not offensive, but not interesting either.
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May 30 2023
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3
N'ayant plus aucun souvenir de cet album et accusant un retard d'une dizaine de critiques, j'ai ici reproduit ma technique consistant à réécouter cinq secondes au hasard et baser ma note celles-ci.
Résultat de l'opération : deux-trois notes de piano et quelques percussions tardives. Un peu léger...
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Nov 11 2024
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2
I suppose it suits a certain mood, I have never been in that particular mood yet.
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Apr 26 2024
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2
I thought “The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast” was a pretty solid album… Had never heard of the artist before, and had never come across any of these songs before – so I was a blank slate…
I sorta like his style, and I can honestly say that there weren’t any bad tracks on the album – but there weren’t a whole lot really jumping out at me either – which is not ideal for an album with 18 tracks, and over an hour in length…
Best tracks in my opinion were –
“Everybody’s Stalking – 5-stars out of 7…
“Stone On The Water” – 4-stars out of 7…
“Another Pearl” – 4-stars out of 7…
“Once Around The Block” – 4-stars out of 7…
So like I said, solid – fairly original, but nothing earthshattering for sure… Would probably give this a 2.50 if I could, but there is not enough there to reach a 3 when I consider other albums that I’ve rated as a 3 – so a well-earned 2 it is…
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Feb 07 2023
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2
2.5
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Jun 21 2022
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2
I can get how other people could like this, but I really didn't.
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Apr 02 2022
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2
I dont hate it but stuff like this is very hit or miss for me. I actually think that if I was in the right mood it could grow on me. It's an "I'm sorry" 2 for now with potential to be upgraded to a 3 maybe if I ever give this another go.
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Feb 17 2024
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1
Great cure for insomnia
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Sep 09 2023
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1
Badly Sung Songs
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Mar 14 2022
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1
This fucking sucks and I hate it. I won’t mince words today or waste time trying to find merit where there is none.
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Nov 28 2024
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5
Really dug this one cause of the dreamlike sound of it. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
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Nov 28 2024
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5
I’m at a 4.5 that I’m gonna very easily bump up to a 5.
I’ve learned it before, I should learn it again; never judge a late-90s/early 2000s album by its strange, strange cover. Everyone was collectively on one back then. I thought for sure, going into this, it would be some indie rock art album that got a little overrated at the time, aged sort of awkwardly in its avantgarde-ness, met with too much critical acclaim, and only ended up on the list with a bit of bias adjacent to that time period. I feel like it’s happened before.
This, however, was just a great album. There’s a really strong variety of styles here, some great production, some good vocals and lyrics throughout, and it just clicked extremely well for me. It wears a lot of inspirations on its sleeve, but it does so without ever sounding like a ripoff or a pastiche; the influence from the 60s & 70s is prevalent in spades here, but it blends it so well with 90s instrumentation that it just sort of morphs into that era. Even past that, though, you can hear the future of late 2000s / early 2010s indie rock here – Cause a Rockslide, even if it becomes a bit directionless and flat around the middle, starts off sounding like a mix of Cage the Elephant & Tame Impala. The entire 63 minutes is full of flavor like this that consistently kept me engaged and on my toes as a listener, and I don’t think there’s ever a dull moment or a part that feels like a repeated track. It’s extremely well done for the time.
It certainly helps that there’s a semblance of a front to back narrative throughout the album, but it’s not an extremely clear one to me – that’s not necessarily a negative, because it just means I was really entranced in the general soundscapes to fully invest in the lyrics to that extent of finding winding plots, though it’s not like I wasn’t paying attention. When this album hits on its more emotional tracks though, whether in a happy or sad way, it hits incredibly well. His vocals do a great job of finding the tone of the song and just getting it across, enhanced by some great lyrics on those tracks. When this album wants to go full rock, it nails it too – Disillusion feels like it could’ve fit right into Persona 5 or one of its many spinoffs.
Look, I could keep gushing, but I’m just surprised that this album managed to exceed my expectations that much for a guy I’ve never heard of, with an album cover like that, in a time period where it does feel like people were really glazing everything (no offense to Limp Bizkit) to try and make a new star in a sort of stagnant genre. This does feel like an album that should have at least one award under its belt, and I’m glad it does. It’s probably the reason why it’s on this list, and I’m also glad about that too. I thought this was really good, and I have no problems bumping it up to a 5.
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Oct 16 2024
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5
One of my favorite albums so far!
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Oct 09 2024
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5
4-5 (nochmal anhören)
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Oct 02 2024
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5
Holy shit I’d fuck to this
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Sep 29 2024
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5
Made me feel things
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Aug 12 2024
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5
In 2001 I was playing pool in the Cavendish on west street in Sheffield with a mate when a bunch of scruffy looking lads took the table next to us. On closer inspection it was Badly Drawn boy and the Doves who were playing later on. I was weak at the knees as it loved both albums but was too chicken to talk to them which I regret to this day.
This is a beautiful album from start to finish with a warmth, a complexity, a heart and a soft melancholy that makes it timeless.
The record gets regular play in my house and today was a good day to listen to the album.
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Jul 30 2024
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5
Best discovery so far
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Jul 16 2024
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5
I feel like we are over-indexing on UK artists, but that's cool. I loved the About A Boy soundtrack and Damon Gough's 2000 album release is as beautifully crafted. Original and smooth melodies layered with guitar, horns, and strings. Would listen again and again.
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Jul 15 2024
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5
Never, ever heard this before. Absolutely spectacular! Definitely going into my "best of music" category!
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Jun 25 2024
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5
Really enjoyed this. Chill, folksy vibe, but clean sounds.
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Jun 01 2024
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5
I don't mind being reintroduced to this album
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Mar 22 2024
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5
I love this album! Everytime I listen to it it just brings a smile to my face. The first three songs are nearly perfect. The Shining with its oh so sad cello and French horn; just absolutely gorgeous, than Damon comes in with his simple acoustic guitar strumming and direct vocals...brings shivers. And there's not much let up after those near perfect 12 minutes or so. The entire album is full of hooks and melodies that stick in your head for days. One of my favorite albums of the 2000s 5 stars
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Mar 21 2024
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5
Idk what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I really enjoyed it.
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Mar 18 2024
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5
What a fun discovery this one is! Reminds me at times of Sufjan Stevens, Cloud Cult, Eels. Interesting to read the comparisons to Nick Drake and Elliott Smith—I suppose I can hear it, and those other artists I mentioned came after Badly Drawn Boy, but I think this is clearly distinct.
Imaginative, interesting arrangements, memorable melodies. “Once Around the Block” is a highlight, but I actually liked everything on this album! So excited to explore Badly Drawn Boy further!
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Mar 11 2024
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5
Loved this. A lot of influences are obvious from the differing sounds. 10 years ago, this would’ve been in a regular rotation for me. Might find its way into that category today anyway.
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Mar 10 2024
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5
I haven't listened to this for 10 years. Fuck I feel old. I was obsessed with this album in 2008. This is why I love this website.
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Mar 08 2024
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5
My favorite album of 200 - it still holds up. An underrated classic.
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Feb 16 2024
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5
I hadn't heard of Badly Drawn Boy before this record and of all things, the album art here definitely drew me in. In hindsight, it's a lot like the album itself, colorful, with a strange, almost tacky aura that only adds to its enjoyability, charm, and endless stream of creativity.
There's a certain punch to the instrumentals that's hard to pinpoint here. This album's unique fusion of folk, baroque, electronic, and country rock works well to showcase Damon Gough's ear for effective genre fusion. "Camping Next Week" is a perfect example of this, with a prominent bassline and bizarrely placed guitar solo layered on top of a boilerplate folk instrumental. I love the imagery here relating the typically refreshing feelings invoked by a cool morning on a camping trip juxtaposed with the feelings of loneliness and a sense of longing.
There's something almost unsettling and surreal about the way the instrumentals are layered here. It's difficult to describe but it could have to do with the plethora of string arrangements, bizarre sound effects, and slightly overblown mixes. Just check out the first half of "Stone on the Water" and the strange ambient/noise interlude on "Cause a Rockslide". I also love the synth layer driving the groove on "Once Around the Block". The instrumentation on this album is so diverse that even throughout its hour-plus runtime, it never felt tired nor like it was retreading old ideas. The lusciousness of some of these tracks cannot be understated, like the country-rock-driven "Disillusion" that breaks into a bizarre and sinister grainy piano segment. These sudden switch-ups are scattered throughout this album.
Damon's singing style is subtle. While not entirely whispery, it's soft-spoken and is ever so slightly overpowered by some of the harder instrumentation here. Nevertheless, I enjoy the slightly off-kilter delivery and he's able to complement whatever direction the instrumental goes in here. The album's themes primarily deal with loss, grief, and forgiveness, with the feelings of a nostalgia-filled day out in the loose grip of nature. The song "Magic in the Air" is utterly gorgeous in its nostalgic portrayal of a seemingly inseparable emotional bond between two lovers. I can't emphasize enough how well Damon's lyrical imagery on any given track complements the form the instrumental is taking.
I'm blown away by how much I enjoyed this album that had gone completely under my radar. Not many negatives on my end relating to this thing and, safe to say, it's been the best first listen on my 1001 journey so far.
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Feb 12 2024
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5
amazing album my god a gem. very reminiscent of my fav elliott smith !!! i would buy this on vinyl in a heartbeat great listen 5/5
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Feb 11 2024
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5
Great album. Good to listen to it as a whole again. Many of these songs are on my various playlists.
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Dec 20 2023
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5
I’ve never listened to Badly Drawn Boy until yesterday, but have listened to this 4 or 5 times since already. Soooo much better than the image I I had in my head and I’m annoyed I didn’t bother earlier. I think because he was a big star during a time when pop was pretty poor, I had written him off. Was expecting something like early Coldplay for some reason, but instead got very intricate, lofi indie, more similar to Beck or Belle and Sebastian than Coldplay.
I think this is the album on this list so far that has surprised me the most. Big fan. Love it.
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Nov 01 2023
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5
Great hooks and polished melodies topped with surrealistic interludes within songs. This is a really interesting mix. All the songs are pretty strong on the album but Camping on the Water and Bewilderbeast are standouts. It doesn't seem too surprising that I think the strongest songs on the album were singles. Great album.
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Oct 20 2023
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5
4.5
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Sep 29 2023
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5
I loved it!
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Sep 22 2023
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5
What a wonderful, wonderful album. Loved every second of this.
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Aug 30 2023
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5
Jaw dropping. Reminds me of Wildflower by the Avalanches. The final track, Epitaph, will charm anyone who listened to MOBO back in 2016.
Just a really creative record that is an hour well spent on an introspective mind.
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Jul 14 2023
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5
Excellent album
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May 04 2023
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5
Easy 5/5!! One of my favorite albums of all time! This is just a perfect record!
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Apr 26 2023
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5
БЭЙБИ АЙ ЛАВ Ю
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Apr 24 2023
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5
So in my feels
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Apr 19 2023
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5
I don't understand what the fuck I'm listening to right now, but I like it very-very much.
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Apr 16 2023
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5
Очень крутой альбом, давно не слушал такую музыку, очень спокойный
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Mar 23 2023
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5
This is fantastic, very Fleet Foxes vibe but kinda even better imo
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Feb 26 2023
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5
Absolutely excellent album. Beautiful, melodic, charming and fizzing with originality. One song to the next it’s an adventure. I adore this album. Could not recommend it more highly.
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Jan 21 2023
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5
wow this was so good. A lots of types of songs. It was snowing and I was listening to this while driving in bus, great atmosphere!
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Dec 03 2022
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5
loved this album when it came out so it was nice to listen to it again and to my surprise it's still very good.
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Nov 19 2022
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5
Great album! I loved it, only downside I could think of is that it's a little dragged out? 50 minutes would've been long enough. Great album anyways!
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Nov 13 2022
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5
Genuinely amazing. I didn’t like the vocals a ton everywhere, but the absolutely amazing instrumentation pulled it out anyway. I love this album.
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Oct 08 2022
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5
This album goes through an impressive variety of styles while still maintaining depth. The instrumental tracks were my favorite. The only songs I did not like were the sappy alternative/singer-songwriter ones. Maybe that style was cool when it was still relatively new.
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Sep 08 2022
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5
Like the varied beats. Nice how the instruments cine in and fade out as do the vocals. Nice raw somewhat sometimes out of tune singer. Like to listen to this.
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Aug 18 2022
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5
I don’t know how to classify any of this but I loved this album. Good find!
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Jul 13 2022
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5
I didn’t know what to expect from this album. I definitely didn’t expect to fall in love with it but here I am looking how to add it to my collection
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Jun 21 2022
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5
This one surprised me. It's never boring, and I like it a lot!
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Jun 12 2022
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5
This was a surprising album given that I’ve never heard of either the album or the artist before but it was really solid. The shining and camping next to water were standouts. Second half I didn’t enjoy quite as much but giving it a 5 mainly just to remember it
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May 31 2022
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5
That was actually really beautiful, I really loved that
No complaints, just great indie, 10/10
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May 11 2022
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5
I'm not sure how to explain how much I liked this album. It is kind of weird in a very positive way, feels fresh and original. It has good music and a great flow. If you're into indie music, you'll enjoy it.
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Apr 18 2022
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5
A bit disorienting times, but a really great listen. A bit of neutral milk hotel, a bit of nick drake, and a lot of fun!
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Apr 18 2022
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5
really pretty album, especially the nature songs.
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Mar 01 2022
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5
more like well drawn boy
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Feb 21 2022
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5
I am a fan of this one!
Favorites: The Shining, Stone on the Water
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Feb 07 2022
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5
Gostosinho demais, nuh
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Feb 02 2022
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5
Very cool
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Jan 21 2022
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5
Great!)
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Jan 19 2022
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5
Total nostalgia
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Jan 16 2022
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5
Good album, unique songs bring a good vibe and bring back memories
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Jan 14 2022
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5
Man, that was nice. What an excellent piece of collected tunes I've literally never heard before. I loved the instrumentation. And consider looking up the contributing artists list if you ever get bored. More folks took part in this album that Band-Aid.
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Jan 12 2022
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5
I remember this and the Andy Votel mix of Round the Block! On relistening, it’s awesome. Rich, layered, complex, beautiful. I’ll definitely listen to this again.
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Dec 13 2021
View Author
5
Awesome
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Dec 11 2021
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5
One of my favourite albums ever. Often derided as indie dirge, but it really does touch me!
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