Reviews (page 6 of 9)
Another aware of the name but not the music album…lots going on which in this case is ok. Just once I’d like my preconceived notions to be right…but not today. I liked this album, I could listen again with it in the background.
Never heard of the Badly Drawn Boy before. This was some good shit! Going to look for more from them.
Listened Before? N This record is pretty good for what it is. Surprisingly good for early 2000s English pop. The Floyd influences are front and center and it works well. I enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Shining
Pretty OK.
Samey, not much of anything.
Really enjoyed this. Chill, folksy vibe, but clean sounds.
It was alright
Better than I expected yet nothing special at all
Hyvä levy! Grunge rockia, mutta sit myös rentoja akustisia kappaleita ja kantria. Sitten on myös kokeellisempia kappaleita ja instrumentaaleja. Ei haittaa vaikka oli vähän pidempi levy. Parhaat: The Shining, Camping Next To Water, Pissing In The Wind, Disillusion, Epitaph
Great alternative rock from the 2000.
Some decent songs but a bit bloated
This is the second album in as many days to cause me anger. It’s also the second album in as many days that is folk soft rock something like that. it shouldn’t cause me anger, It’s meant to be dreamy… Maybe I should get help
Badly Drawn Boy was a name floating around in the ether in the 00s but I never heard them to my knowledge. I always thought it was some popular emo band that stood next to Fall Out Boy at parties and looked a little more mopey and not quite well-rendered. All to say that this was a pleasant surprise of a record though about 15-20 minutes too long for my introduction to them. I can hear a little bit of Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, and The Shins in the music which to me means that he caught some piece of the zeitgeist that they were all also tangled up in. It also reveals the US Pacific Northwest bias in my listening habits. I'm not likely to throw this record on again as a whole but I'd welcome hearing more when it shows up in the stream.
Badly made music
This one surprised me. I liked it a little bit.
Super boring.
So boring
Very enjoyable. Listened twice in first listening.
Pretty run of the mill lo-fi indie: a bit of a folksy sound, a bit of a pop melody, an overall bittersweet mood, some messing around with effects and wonky instruments, a shaggy bedroom feel to the arrangements and production. A very endearing artifact of the DIY creative spirit and of a basic impulse to make music. But it's only like one level up from coffee shop open mic stuff.
Underwhelming and unengaging.
An album and artist I had never heard of but after hearing it, I feel like this the kind of record I had hoped to discover on this list. Accessible enough, but wholly new as well. Instrumentation that holds up regardless of lyrics. Hhe has a sound of his own that no one else quite sounds like, and it is a sound that is pleasantly quirky with his instrumentation and arrangement choices. I also love that this album doesn't shy away from studio fun that goes missing on most indie rock/folk rock albums. Dig the album cover. Conveys tons of symbolism and is beautiful to look at. I found this way more interesting and tolerable than an Elliot Smith record, and I say that as someone who has lived near Portland, Oregon my whole life. Heard more than my fair share of Elliot Smith over the years. Pleasantly surprised as most of Brit Pop and Chamber Pop of this era usually bores the shit out of me, but this was truly a fun album that reflects and elevates Damon Gough's influences. If I have any complaints it is that at 63 minutes, it does run a tad too long. I prefer to leave an audience hungry for more, rather than risk overstaying their welcome.
Very unique album. Not sure what to say about it. I liked it overall. It was mellow an folky. Kind of a blend of folk-pop-rock-alternative? At some points it was like listening to The Eels and some points it was like listening to Beck. Other points it was entirely its own thing.
The sort of winsomeness I'd usually hate. But surprisingly got into this a little. At its best the musicality and layering make for pleasant listening. Will I listen again? No.
Snooze
Meh
Baroque bliss, a perfect combination of quality instrumentation and unassuming vocals.
The whitest boy alive
A little too mellow for my taste
I don't mind being reintroduced to this album
Quite liked this. Wouldn't listen again deliberately but ... liked it!
A little boring, but sometimes nice. But using "samples" without crediting musicians? Bye.
Not my thang
I'm not sure about this album, it reminds me a bit like the Flaming Lips, but more of an independent band or even a one-person operation (which it seems to be). I dig the instrumentals, they seem to be a bit of a break and not too noodle-y. At first I was thinking this was a concept album, but I realize that was an error. What was the "Body Rap" track for, again? That was... a choice. "Once Around The Block" had a feel of a simpler band, but there was a lot more going on than you'd expect. Even though the title of the song is one thing, I liked "Pissing In The Wind". The sentiment was real, there. Interesting debut album. I think I have to listen to this again, and maybe more. That says something about the album, to me at least. Top tracks: "Everybody's Stalking," "Once Around The Block," "Pissing In The Wind," "Epitaph"
Hit and miss, up and down. I really liked the strings and horns to start The Shining - beautiful song overall. But the album didn't always keep up with that level. Everybody's Stalking has some edgier guitars but the vocals and the other instruments don't quite fit. Camping Next to Water and Stone on the Water were both nice pieces (the latter, again like the opener, combining some deft instrumentation). But it soon gets grating again with Body Rap (sounds like a bad version of Gorillaz) and This Song (maybe he thought he was being skillful by playing the sound back and forth across speakers/ears but it is extremely difficult to listen to). Once again the album saves itself with Bewilderbeast (real tender sound) and soon after Cause a Rockslide (nice new indie rock sound) and Pissing in the Wind (nice indie folk sound). But then he sort of lost me again and Blistered Heart and I'm not sure I loved Disillusion either (vocals? tempo? something felt out of place). Epitaph was okay as a closer. Not a bad album overall but a little inconsistent. Not sure it's such a novel revelation of folk or indie that it needed to be on this list but I didn't mind it.
Meh nothing exciting or overly interesting or distinct about this album. Not terrible, but just generic.
So preciously earnest. Not for me.
I'm not surprised I haven't heard of this album because this isn't really the type of thing that goes mainstream. I however was sorry I hadn't heard of it sooner because I really liked it a lot. Listening to it felt like drifting down the river. Some parts slow, some parts rushing, some winding, and some through a spooky little forest.
I’m not sure this record has aged well, it’s gratingly twee. Everybody’s Stalking and Once Around the Block are great tunes but Pissing in the Wind is so irritating I’m docking a star for that track alone.
Pretty interesting, relisten soon
Initially struggled with momentum and some songs didn't quite hit, but overall a decent album. Stronger at the end.
Pissing In The Wind // Disillusion //
Could feel the Magic in the Air with this one, but it ended up being more like Pissing in the Wind.
Maybe there's a gem hidden here but it takes a while to excavate and I find it straddles an awkward line between wistful indie pop and glossy britpop.
It was alright. I don’t know, it really wasn’t boring enough to get a 2, but not as memorable as most of the 3s I give. Ultimately it’s a 3.
An hour of bewilderment as to why this is rated so highly
Blandly Songed Boy.
bewildered indeed
Drawn out and boring
I was hopeful that this would be the album to break me out of my 3-star (and below) slump. It’s pleasant indie with at least one track that was pretty cool/unique (“This Song”), and another that I really liked (“Stone on the Water”). However, the rest was fairly boring and left my mind as soon as it was over. I don’t think this is the one to break the pattern. C’mon, RNG! Make the next one at least 4 stars! Favorite track: Stone on the Water
I had not hear of Badly Drawn Boy before this despite being a fan of many comparable artists. This album sounds great, I gave it two listens and enjoyed the second quite a bit more than the first - a sign that it’s probably a grower. It reminds me a lot of Beck’s Sea Change and of some moments in Sufjan Stevens’s Illinois - two of the finest “indie rock” albums ever made. Given the year it was released I would not be surprised if he inspired them on those albums. At worst it’s a very solid indie rock album beginning to end, and it has potential to be a masterpiece of I give it more time. It’s one I plan to revisit.
Me gustó mucho, quizá sin enloquecerme, pero si dándome ganas de saber más de esta banda. Por eso un puntaje que me permita recordarles.
Interesting so I will probably return to it in my lifetime.
I really liked this album. One of my favorite soundtracks is the "About a Boy" soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy, but I wasn't a fan of his other work when it was released. However, 25 years later, I can appreciate this debut album MUCH differently. It still is a bit boring at times, and it doesn't put me into a state of "excitement" that would make me give it 5 stars, but it's definitely 4.
Much better than what I expected. Few bands/artists can pull off that kind of indie rock where all the songs feels more like vignettes that are all over the place, like Wowee Zowee for example. But this guy does it really well. Kind of makes me think of Grandaddy mixed with Beta Band or something like that.
I really have no idea how this got here. Inoffensive indie pop that doesn't bring much to the table.
I can't explain why, but I really loved that one. A melancholic, lofi and honest feel all the way through. It's really a 3.5 to me, but considering the shit I've went through within this list, let's give it a 4. I'm feeling happy today.
Good
Nice voice, creative songwriting, but sort of forgettable too.
This is more like a 2.5 WHAT I ENJOYED: It's palatable pop rock. The music equivalent of like, plain Lays chips. Gentle, earnest vocals, interesting lyrics. a good mix of moods respresented. There are some songs I want to go back to for another listen/adding to playlists for quiet activities, like working or reading on a rainy day. GRIPES: To continue my chips metaphor, it's fine enough, but nothing special and you've consumed too much before you realize how bored you've gotten. More specifically, I found annoying/too much of a specific time the instrumentation on a few songs (like v. 00's accordion early in the album, v. 00's funky beat on "Disillusion".) "This Song"'s biaural thing was really gimmicky and made me feel physically ill (dizzy.) I feel like the funkiness of "Disillusion" was kind of jarring and too late in the album to revive my flagging energy listening through it. Which speaks to my overall biggest gripe of this album: it's too long and feels bloated, especially but not only by the interstitials or whatever those are. RECCOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: the idea of Third Eye Blind x Beirut x Elliott Smith #520 revealed / #523 rated (jumping around in my catch up to avoid same time period back to back)
So boring. There’s nothing interesting about this record at all.
Ah! I’d forgotten about BDB, hadn’t listened to him in years. First heard him from the ABOUT A BOY soundtrack, and then went down a rabbit hole of his music in the early 2000s. Thanks for the reminder on how fun and quirky and insightful his writing is.
This is a beautiful album. It flows so well from beginning to end, there are multiple high points but no real weak tracks. You easily lose track of time. I will definitely listen again.. and again.. and again!
A little rough around the edges. Perhaps intentionally so, but I still wanted a bit more from it. That said, I was unexpectedly committed to the listening from start to finish. It sounded like a more recent album than one that is more than 20 years old.
Didn’t really give it a chance. Didn’t care for it, wasn’t moving me but I also wasn’t excited for it going into it. Maybe I need to give it another try one day in a better frame of mind
Those dorky Portland hipsters must've lost their minds over this.
Pretty good Indy album. Starts slow and builds toward disillusion.
Meh ok i guess
Good soft clean kind of gentle alt rock. A good listen but I probably won't come back to it.
Nothing special...the more I listened the less I liked it. 2/5
Sounded lovely. Boring as hell, but I'm sure it was well produced. Talk about music by which to commit suicide. I'm open to this being appreciated by others, but I don't share the same taste.
Meh. This album is interesting to me cause it was released in 99’. Other than that that’s about as interesting as it got for me. Couple tracks that almost grabbed interest but nothing really grabbed hold.
ok 3 songs in, kind of reminds me of radiohead. minus the beautiful falsetto...oop. definitely gives indie. kinda interesting this song fall in a river ends with the actual river sounds. i like camping next to the water. the lyrics are kind of abstract, fantasy-like idk. "i am a giant grain of sand" find deep meaning in that for me pls. i like that song tho (another pearl). oh also drums in most of these are very light/soft. once around the block is actually their top streamed song; makes sense i heard the intro and it immediately kinda stuck. magic in the air good too. bomb explodes halfway through "cause a rockslide"?? uhh so just found out this isn't a band it's just one dude?? that makes it a lot more impressive holy. oh also i figured out who i think he sounds like. the dude who sings for the smiths (idk who that is tho). the last song epitaph is good too, like the whistling and birds chirping. the whole album actually really matches with the environment im listening to it in. which is like a slow sunday afternoon, clear skies and trees rustling yk. maybe minus the impending sense of doom i have about aps. anyway i liked this, might listen again.
I liked it more than Robert Wyatt but that's not to say I liked it all that much.
Really enjoyed the music. The variety of instruments, arrangements… Overall found this to be Slightly upbeat, but. very calming, Listen to it multiple times.
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…
Ci sta
chillata
Good solid album
Some good songs, but overall kinda boring.
This was real good.
I thought this was really good.
decent
A hat trick of albums all removed from the book. 3 in a row! That's not happened before. This one I think is hardest to justify it's removal, in that it's a one off, has aged really well and had quite the cultural impact. It's also really good. Also, and relevant to this record, he started up the excellent Twisted Nerve record label with his mate Andy Votel (Finders Keepers, Violators of the English Language, Mr Jane Weaver). Badly Drawn Boy was basically inescapable around this time (to the extent his work was even included on high profile chill out compilations of otherwise ostensibly trance music), with this and then the About A Boy soundtrack only compounding matters. Partly due to it's ubiquity I didn't really engage much with this as an album, which I now see as a mistake, it's far superior to anything by Doves and the like which floated about in its wake.
A nice break from all the jazz albums I’ve been getting! This was good — chill and inoffensive without being dull. Pretty enjoyable and will probably listen again.
8.5/10 This took me back - saw BDB in the new bands tent at Glastonbury just before this came out. As a 90s indie kid I was familiar with a chunk of this Is it excellent, genre hopping evidence of a great songwriter, or a really good album frustrated by having too many fragments and incomplete songs? Maybe both This is genuinely excellent, but a fragmented early portion and a couple of instrumentals (Bewliderbeast!) screaming out for vocals Yes there is some influence of his northern contemporaries, but the album looks backward in a good way to the 60s and 70s in particular. Indie, folk, alt, country, funk are all here. I can hear things like Nick Drake & Simon and Garfunkel Great harmonies, lovely tunes A great example of what could have been a massive album, but wasn’t for some reason. Other people doing stuff in the same area, but not as well, managed to make it big whilst BDB didn’t Best: Pissing in the Wind
This had its moments. It’s kind of like a more lushly arranged, less serious Elliott Smith. I definitely liked some songs more than others.
Ruhiges, aber interessantes Indie-Album.
Got a lot of love this album, it's not a masterpiece but it is very very good. 7/10
I thought maybe the album had restarted from the beginning because it felt like I had been listening for a long, long time, but there were still seven songs left 😳
Some good tracks here but most are poor. Don’t get how some of these albums are on this list
Meh
J'étais absolument pas concentrée et le son était très bas mais bien je crois ? 2.5 ?
pretty good. took me a little while to get into it but nothing bad
It was OK but not really memorable.
A friend from England recommended this album to me a few months ago and I did like it, it seems nearly as deep as Radiohead, and sadly not as well known across the Atlantic. Its definitly better than Coldplay lyrically and musically too. Not sure if they hold this up on later albums but this one is very good.
It's fine as background music. I want to like it a bit more than I do. It goes on longer than it needed to, with a lot of similar songs.
Some good tracks, but thought i was going to enjoy it more
Forgettable
Yeah, it's ok. It reminds me a little bit of (but not nearly as good as) John Lennon.
Hmm. I enjoyed a lot of this, and it’s definitely an amalgam of lots of genres I do enjoy, but it’s a bit too bloated for me to absolutely adore. 3.5/5
5 OUT OF 5 Blown away by the quality of this record. How had I never heard of this?
Good couple tunes. Kinda boring
Best song: Fall in a river Vibes: introspective white boy, proto-weezer, where the wild things are Themes: nature, love, loneliness
Enjoyed that. Didn't need to be so long, could have been a great 10-12 album or so. But still, cut the weak and there's a fantastic album in here. First time hearing him and impressed
Very nice. Liked and would listen again, but not quite a 4.
A little off neat but far from terrible
Best Song: Bewilderbeast. Sad that the best song on the album is an instrumental one, but here we are. Worst Song: Fall in a River. Was the prolonged underwater outro necessary in a song this short? Overall: Relatively generic singer-songwriter fare, but unfortunately the lyrics too often detract than elevate the ho-hum instruments. For example, in the beginning of "Pissing in the Wind", I think the fairest interpretation of the opening lyrics is that he's just pissed in his own face. Because of that, I failed to appreciate the rest of the song's attempts at sentimental sincerity.
I didn't find this a particularly exciting or engaging album to listen to.
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
OK
4. Great album
Not my style
Wack
Idk what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I really enjoyed it.
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!
HL: "The Shining", “Everybody’s Stalking”, “Once Around the Block”, “Bewilderbeast”, “Say it Again”, “Cause a Rockslide” I feel like I can’t justify why I’d rank this on the level of the previous albums (Elvis, Johnny Cash). It often sounds half-finished, with songs arbitrarily interrupting each other. But darn if I haven’t been looking for a folksy album with this exact vibe- a wintery album that is also warm and uplifting. The horns in the opener and the birdsong in the closer solidify that feeling, even if the strange diversions in “Fall in a River” and “Rockslide” threaten to shatter that coziness. Every year further in the 21st century, this album’s (one-time) inclusion in the 1001 only gets stranger. 4 stars
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.
I liked this more than I thought I would. Ended up saving 5 of the 18 which isn’t the best ratio but I still enjoyed the other songs. Rating: 3.5
Today's album is British indie rock. Some good songs in the mix, but mostly very bland. Nothing to write home about. It's one of those albums that is hard to focus on for any length of time, and is about 30 minutes too long. Some interesting stylings and techniques throughout, but just not enough to make this a strong showing for me. Favourite songs: The Shining, Disillusion (would be my favourite song except for the random last minute of the song), Bewilderbeast, Everybody's Stalking, Another Pearl, Once Around the Block Least favourite songs: This Song, Cause a Rockslide (what's with the random 1 minute break in the middle of the song to play out of tune radio?), Camping Next to Water, Fall in a River (good song, except for the needless 30 seconds of underwater noises), Epitaph 3/5
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.
I've not cared much for Boy in the past but for some reason this album hit me just right
My favorite album of 200 - it still holds up. An underrated classic.
A truly "bewildering" record... never heard anything like it and never will again... 100% unlike any other music that has come before it.... 4/10
Another artist I've never heard of and I have to admit that this was a bit of a slog to get through. There were a handful of tracks that were enjoyable, but much of it all sounds the same and is very low energy - and some of it quite boring. Some decent instrumentation at times and a beautiful orchestra peppered in throughout some tracks help save it. Not my jam overall. Favorite tracks: Everybody's Stalking, Camping Next to Water, Once Around the Block, Disillusion.
Another album that I like, but does it need to be on a list of 1001 albums I need to hear before I die? 3
A really pleasant listen though on some of the tracks the terrible drumming rather spoiled it for me as did some of the rather forced lyrics. Consequently a bit middling rather than a great album. Another of those Mercury wins that went for "a bit different" over "the best album this year". "Once around the block" is a good song, the rest a bit ephemeral.
Music is a 4 but the lyrics are forgettable, so that's a 2. Or less, really. Would have been better with no lyrics at all.
Boring
This list continues to perplex me. There's some fantastic picks on here that I agree are classics every music nerd should listen to. But then there's stuff like Badly Drawn Boy. Like a lot of other records on this list, it's not bad! In fact, I kinda dig it. But I don't think this is a must-hear record.
I have been amazed with some of these albums. Not only do they end up in this list but that they get made in the first place. 1.9
not for me
not his best but good
Was pleasantly surprised by the first track but has nothing more to offer. The longer it went on, the less my appreciation became
Halfway through and there hasnt been any song that I didnt like. Very chill and easy to listen to. Talented artist. Pissing in the wind was funny
Great cure for insomnia
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.
Felt like an Elliot smith cover band at times. I'll fully admit I wasn't giving this album full attention though at time of listening
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
Great album. Good to listen to it as a whole again. Many of these songs are on my various playlists.
Strings, horn, melody opening. Acoustic nostalgic tinged with sadness trying to be happy. Very well crafted songs. Love the vocals and their prominence. Gets more experimental with various songs. "This song" hurts to listen to in headphones. A good stretching of the sounds available for building music. Has a bit of a Beatlesque feel. Thematically the more experimental sounds work with the "bewilder" part of the album title -- a certain confusion in defining who and what we are even as we look back at ourselves. Good album. Well worth listening to. But doesn't quite hold together as a whole for me.
Inget man höjer på ögonbrynen för.
Day36 - i read some reviews before i listened and didn’t have a good feeling. after a couple songs i thought this isn’t too bad, but it just never picked up. it sounds like it was made in a basement with every instrument that was lying around
S'écoute vite fait, quelques mélodies / chansons intéressantes voire pas mal. Un peu mou globalement.
Not something I would seek out, but I didn't turn it off.
Good album, with some strong tracks, maybe a bit too long. If some of them should have been cut from the album it could be a 5
To paraphrase Woody Allen: the music here is awful, and such big portions! Insipid and lacklustre singer songwriter stuff that should be nowhere near this list.
kindof like if Elliot Smith and The Shins had a baby. but a good baby
Another great listen. Hard to categorize, like a modern Harry Nilsson.
There are a few of those bands that make albums where 3 or 4 songs reach amazing heights and the rest feels ok, but not great. But when you take 4 or 5 of their albums together you can cherry pick and combine the ultimate classic. A band like Elbow has that. And so has Badly Drawn Boy. Some of these songs are amongst the best I've heard, but as an album, it doesn't reach that height.
It’s giving Beck
Took me many tries to get through
The songs are really long, and the whole album is pretty long. I did like the sound, and I am surprised I had never heard of this. I think it is worth a revisit in the future, but nothing that blew me away.
Remarkably mediocre. A couple tunes had enthusiasm, but most felt uninspired and unengaging. No real hook for the listener to bring them into the album either. Nothing is bad, but not much is particularly good.
Almost and very close to 4
Critical acclaim. Was a hit. Won awards. Pretty much forgotten today. Rather dull to listen to. Dated badly. Not unpleasant. Good musicianship. Songs are similar with no real distinction between them. . And poorly produced. It’s muddy with no clarity or definition. Another one of the 80% of this selection that isn’t must hear. 2.5 rounded down.
and to the year 1999 we go... I remembered little except a sense of happy quirkiness, and there it is with "once around the block" ok.
It was because of Nick Hornby that I became familiar with Badly Drawn Boy. Like any ex-record shop worker, I loved Hornby’s High Fidelity (1995) so much that I became a fan & avidly read each novel, about as far as Juliet, Naked (2009). His second novel was About A Boy (1998), which became a film in 2002, with a soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy, & this was when I first heard him. I enjoyed this cd, which begins with The Shining & a string intro straight from Bowie’s version of The Merseybeats’ Sorrow. The Avalanches did a great remix of this track. Other standouts - Another Pearl, Magic In The Air, Pissing in The Wind, Say It Again & Once Around The Block, which I really like. Whatever happened to this dude?
This did not attract my attention. I remember Badly Drawn Boy getting a lot of positive press in the UK around the time; best new songwriting hope, etc. Mercury Prize winning, beloved by NME, Q, etc. But it didn't grab me at the time, and it doesn't now. Dull, and over-long. Never need to hear this again.
If you love bland emo forgettable music this is for you. I remember badly drawn boy from the 90s/00s but couldn’t recall any of his music
Forgettable, no idea how this is on this list.
Great album by Tightly Wound Boy. Great to hear it again.
Una sorpresa interesante
Not something I'd have thought of myself, but it's good. Favorite song: everybody's stalking
Best deadtired Hangover trainride Soundtrack possible. I found songs I forgot about and more that are so special!
Indie, SingerSongwriter, mid, male, great voice, multi instruments, harmonic, sarcastic, sounds more american/metropolitan than british, many different styles, experiments with instruments and effects. Feels like he is fed up with the world and is confident it would not change, but enjoys life as best as possible. Listened to it while studies, was on my mobile for a long time. Great album, reminds me on pink moon sometimes.
Rien de vraiment spécial, certains moments avec plus de oumpf mais c’t’assez rare
some really nicely constructed songs, little bit of a forgotten classic
Couldn't play this on Pandora but listened to other albums by same artist.
I don't get it. Am I missing something? This is an album I needed to listen to before I die?
Big thumbs up for The Shining, but the rest is rather dull.
Middle of the road, modern
will give this another listen, am finding that I might be liking old school hip hop
Good easy listening.
Captures a time and a feeling. But I can't seem to get myself to finish the album. Which says something about it.
Too crowded and generally noisy Just 2 Songs that are gems
I’ve spent far too much time obsessing over who put me onto this album the first time around. I actually had a copy of it, and although I didn’t listen to it that often I was a fan of these songs. Yes, it’s a long album and some of the better songs are towards the end, but I think it works as a whole. I spent a lot of time exclaiming ‘Oh’ when I heard these again remembering what clever and soulful songs these were. Magic in the Air and Disillusion are standouts. Where is Damon Gough now I wonder…?
Quirky and whimsical, this was mostly a pleasure to listen to, except for the (thankfully short) Body Rap.
This was pretty cool, it included more songs than necessary, IMO, and I'd need a bit more time with the album and artist to make a firmer commitment to a rating. I'd say this is more in the 3.5 range, but I didn't love anything enough on the one listen to raise that to a 4. I heard a number of spots that were reminiscent of Elliot Smith (I honestly don't know who was on the scene first, so maybe Smith sounds like this cat), and that didn't make me like it more — not a knock on either, just a statement that it's a sound I've heard before. And more than the sound and production, the melodic structure — even without that comparison — got a bit repetitive. But now I'm nitpicking. I did like the album's title.
This was ok. I remember listening to it back in the day and being captivated by it for about a week or two before moving on and totally forgetting about it until today. It's charming, though, and the arrangements are cool. I think it's about 20 minutes too long.
This artist is brand new to me yet somehow familiar. There is a bit of Elliot Smith flair. But he stands on his own and I really enjoyed. This album inspired me to start making a playlist of 1001 artists to explore more. If you did not listen to this album with headphones, do go back and give This Song a listen with them.
some less sad elliot smith vibes with some alex g too
My emotional response to this album is astonishing! I think it’s foundations are in 15 year old me starting to feel like I was finding myself In a really good way. Starting to be happy with who I was becoming. The opening bars to The Shining still gives me that feeling deep in my gut that I’m about to pour out some sort of emotion. For some reason, I fill with happy tears. Yet it’s not my favourite album in the world! Weird! 4.4
It's a fine album but I can definitely see why it's been removed in more recent editions of the book. Another case of a 2000s era album that proved to not be very influential after all 3/5
This is one for the 2*-boring-album-bin
Pretty ok
Hit me at the right time
Nice, calm, indie folkish
Very meh, I don't really have any comments on it. Feels like a characters background music to me honestly
Parfois sympathique ("The Shining"), voir classique dans ma rotation ("Epitaph"), l'album est beaucoup trop long, part un peu trop dans tous les sens avec trop de saynètes anecdotiques, comme "Fall in a River", "Bewilder" et son bousin. Il sonne parfois comme un Elliott Smith un peu trop propre sur lui et qui ne sait pas quand finir une chanson ou faire un tri parmi elles. Y a au moins deux ou trois albums là dedans, un tout à fait correct, un plus anecdotique et un bricolé avec les chutes de studio qui n'a rien à faire là. Je comprends mieux l'effet patchwork de la couverture. Sur "Pissing in the wind" il chante carrément faux Oô. "Disillusion" il savait pas du tout où il allait... Donc album étonnant, mais trop souvent irritant. "Epitaph" mériterait plus, mais ce sera 2.
just been boring fr but with some pretty high highs. bro "This song" gave me a fucking headache
It isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t seek it out. It has a nice sound, but nothing about it is particularly exciting pr engaging for me.
Weird album, half of it I enjoyed, half was either uninteresting or just weird
ok i guess
Enjoyable light indie song. Cause a Rockslide was an interesting one.
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.
Had reasonable expectations for this, haven't listened to much BDB but thought he might be one of the better singer songwriters. The music was nice in spots but I found it lyrically very bland and on occasion it strayed into toploader/keane levels of mediocrity. He doesn't have a great voice either. It passed by painlessly enough but I wouldn't go back.
Really rather enjoyed that. I didn't realise he is an indie singer-songwriter, thought it would be shouty stuff. Some lovely introspective, sparse lyrics accompanied by intricate, almost plodding melodies. I enjoy the switch-ups too, few different time signatures and instrumentations help keep it interesting. Once Around the Block, and Stone on the Water, were my favourite songs. My criticism is that it is a bit long.
I enjoyed bits of this album but an hour of BDB was too much. "This Song" especially annoyed me because on headphones BDB is doing some strange stereo mixing which really fucks with you. Highlights: The Shining Another Pearl Bewilderbeast
Got a bit of a soft spot for badly drawn boy. Not sure I've listened to a whole album before but it was pretty much as I expected. Similar to the doves. Got a bit of that good old British sadness to it. Highlights: Disillusion The shining Once around the block Extra points for being a city fan
One of those singers that always sounds slightly out of tune. Still enjoyed the album a little bit.
Disillusion is not bad, but nothing sparks for me in this album
this album reminds me a lot of the 90s alt-psych revival stuff that i like from around the same time period. in particular, it reminds me a lot of the stuff from elephant 6, especially the olivia tremor control, which i adore. so yeah, this album is a pretty cool, fun, psych-y time.
Interesting
I came into this liking Badly Drawn Boy, but I hadn't heard this album. I think this might be my favorite of his. Some of the fart-y stuff at the end of songs doesn't work for me, but the musicality throughout is really strong. When I'm in the mood for BDB in the future I'll come to this before the other albums I've defaulted to in the past.
I was expecting to not like it, as I'm not really a folk-rock kind of guy, but I do like down-tempo/ambient/trippy music which he seems to mix with folk-rock here. So, I ended up liking it.
About half an hour too long and very sleepy. Or maybe just tiring.
Damn, really cool stuff. This was a total blind spot and did not disappoint. What a wonderful, quirky surprise. I feel like this is everything people pretend Neutral Milk Hotel is. 4/5
Middling British indie - like a few others on the list! Pleasant enough, and pretty nostalgic for me, but probably not an essential for future generations.
Was pretty meh for me. It either felt really limp or just too noisy.
Badly Drawn Boy played a big part of our early relationship. We went to see him three or four times in the early noughties. He was always interesting. He announced his retirement at two of them. And performed an ad-hoc wedding ceremony at another. I thought I knew this album. It turns out it was only about 45% that I heard before. His second album, 'About a boy', got played a lot. But I don’t think I ever bought Bewilderbeast. It was the early Napster age, and honestly I think I just took what I could and put them on a CD. My memory is hazy at this point. This album is great. It's very Manchester at the turn of the Millennium (my fave Manchester sound). With bits of colliery brass, 60s psych, general wonkiness, some great beats (I suspect via Andy Votel), a sort of 70s Philly soul piano and Damons lovely, lovely voice. Loads of instruments, loads of detail and warmth - really happy to have spent some time with the whole thing properly.
This was fine but kinda meh
It is ok. I'm not sure why it is revolutionary
Indie rock, indie folk, chamber pop
Enjoyed the beginning of the album with a rich full sound. It wore on me as it went though
Was pretty hopeful with this record upon the first couple songs. Experimental singer songwriter tunes that sounded right up my alley. Half way through - and I was bored to death. Like Weezer with one guitar. Weez. Will not listen again.
Nån typ av folk med orkestrala och lo-fi element som blir jättepoppigt ibland
There are quite a few gems here. Too long, could pick out a few songs and make an EP out of it instead. "But we have Kurt Vile at home"
I feel like this music reflects a dream like quality that can be background music for life or a movie featuring yourself. Not offensive. Rather enjoyed it but would not seek it out to listen to again.
I always like the plunk kinda sound the acoustic guitar bass notes have on the first song. One of the later ones had a cool horn & guitar sound in it. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
I was kind of grumpy at this one for the first half. Familiar with it already, and it was the sort of dull English singer songwriter from the early 2000s sound I remembered. Won me over a bit by the end though, there’s some fun and different stuff in the back half. A favourite, no. But worthwhile!
Love it. He’s British, but this album is pure NYC nostalgia for me, everytime I listen (which is still once a year at least) I feel like I’m walking around Central Park in the Fall. Bought this cd the week I moved to NY in 2007 on a bartender recommendation - at Kim’s on Broadway. Highly recommend to not skip this one! technically there are a couple skippable songs on here, but its mostly gems throughout. A classic for fans of the Beatles and early 2000s indie rock.
Would have probably loved during my Elliot Smith phase.
"The Shining", "Everybody's Stalking", "Stone on the Water", and "Once around the block" are all great tracks. A great neo-folk singer-songwriter album with electronica elements. I had totally forgotten about this talented guy. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Singer songwriter, multi instrumentalist. Not bad, consistent pace, pretty peaceful.
I can hear the critics now. Using words such as baroque, opaque, unique, quaint, or anything with the letter q in it. To me, I question this entry into the book. It's not terrible but it is somewhat dull and when it tries to pick up steam, it quickly fades into a languid wave of blah. Hipsters may like it but I'm not a hipster.
Chill, and starts out strong with "The Shining" in my opinion. But then gets real boring real fast. All in all subpar.
Wasn’t that into it
The Shining - 2/5, Sounds like a slow Disney monologue song that never picks up. Everybody's Stalking - 4/5 Bewilder - 1/5 Fall in a River - 2/5 Camping Next to Water - 2/5 Stone on the Water - 3/5, Actually vibes a bit before he starts talking Another Pearl - 3/5, He needs to find a partner to sing these songs Body Rap - 2/5 Once Around the Block - 3/5 very busy elevator music This Song - 1/5 Bewilderbeast - 2/5 Magic in the Air - 2/5 Cause a Rockslide - 1/5 Pissing in the Wind - 1/5 Blistered Heart - 2/5 Disillusion - 3/5 Say it Again - 2/5 Epitaph - 2/5
11/08/23 1:15 S Tier————————— A Tier————————— Disillusion The Shining Everybody’s Stalking Stone on the Water Camping Next to Water Another Pearl B Tier————————— Once Around The Block This Song Blistered Heart Bewilder Fall In a River Bewilderbeast Magic in the Air Say It Again C Tier————————— Epitaph Cause a Rockslide Body Wrap Pissing in the Wind D Tier—————————
Wednesday 11/8/23, 1:09, office S Tier————————— Another Pearl Everybody’s Stalking The Shining Disillusioned A Tier————————— Camping Next To Water Stone On The Water Say It Again Once Around The Block B Tier————————— Bewilder Fall In A River Magic In The Air Bewilderbeast This Song Blistered Heart C Tier————————— Epitaph Cause a Rockslide Pissing In The Wind Body Rap
favored the second half of the album
most songs were dope, a few songs were pretty fucking terrible. odd combo
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.
Pleasant enough. Modern easy listening. That's about all I can say really. Nothing outstanding but nice enough for 2.5
A really interesting album. One to listen to properly, not really background music fodder. I like his quirkiness and talent on so many instruments. I prefer some of the more stripped back songs that show off his melancholy vocals and songwriting. Quite vulnerable and emotional rawness. Highlights ‘Once Around the Block’, ‘Pissing in the Wind’ and ‘Another Pearl’. A strong 3 from me. Let down by a few tracks that are just experimental fillers, and boosted by the fact that he was born in Dunstable. This makes him one of the best things to come out of Dunstable, apart from Kevin from Grand Designs. Oh, Faye Tozer from Steps. Top 3 ain’t bad for such a hot bed of talent.
Woolly hatted bloke! Whatever happened to him? I knew the singles, but was never interested in listening to his album at the time. It's pleasant enough, with enough going on in his arrangements for me to keep listening to it (The first impressions at the beginning). 'Another Pearl' and 'This Song' (loved the tremelo), 'Cause a Rockslide' and didnt mund the poppy 'Disillusion are really good songs. It actually gets better and better as the album progresses. I do think the most famous song on the album 'Once Around the Block' is one of the weakest. The last song could have been dispensed with though, if it had been slimmed down by 5 tracks it could have got a 5, but this was the CD era where an album could be as long as you wanted! Gets a 4 for being A) really good and B) not what I was expecting.
Interesting instrumentation. Enjoyable but didn't completely click. 3
Trip down memory lane. It’s held up well actually; more consistent than I remembered.
Simple, catchy, Brit indie-pop. Like a poor man's Paul Simon.
Lekker album voor een slow Sunday,
Geweldig album, lekkere zachte tunes met tock riffs tussendoor. Ik hou m in mijn playlist!
4.5
SpongeBob Squarepants font aside, I like this album cover; made me smile. Very early 2000s vibe which tracks as this is 1999. Liked the music but would not buy the album. It all seems to be meant as a joke, which is fine, but who wants to listen to that multiple times? Some songs just feel like sitting in a coffee shop, soft chuckle on the 4th. Mixing is a bit rough sometimes especially on the 5th track.
Indie rock, indie folk, chamber pop.
Album 197 of 1001 Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast Rating : 3.5 / 5 An hour of pleasant music. Really mellow tunes. A good one for the library.
This is what would happen if beck focused solely on elevator music
Good, calm driving music through the woods and mountains :-)
neke pesme su mi baš dobre, neke su skip, svakako dobra atmosfera za čitanje
I enjoyed this strange tapestry of alt rock and musical mimicry. I found it intriguingly-haunting for further listens. I cannot identify one track on the album, but I can tell you how I felt throughout it.
foo
Did not care for this album at all. Nothing too spectacular. 2/5
Really nice touch from, surely Heaton Moor’s, maybe more Withington, in fact he probably just lives in London’s own
Nice lirrul stroll down memory lane
A worthy Mercury winner
I loved it!
I like this genre so I enjoyed it, but it didn't seem especially original or groundbreaking.
Nope. Feel nothing. Can't make it through the entire album, too boring.
What a wonderful, wonderful album. Loved every second of this.
A lot of strange things going on here. Too much for my taste
Another strong album killed by length. 18 tracks and over an hour is too much. If this was pared down to about 10 or 11 tunes and 40 to 45 minutes it would be a classic. I hear lots of Nick Drake in this and that's a good thing.
Badly Sung Songs
bonitinho
Nothing I needed to hear before I die
3.5
Neither here nor there. Doesn't do anything good or bad, just kind of is. Some songs near the end are pretty good, but just not enough on the album to make it good. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again
I love his sound so much. It’s really interesting to listen to. Just doesn’t quite have the tunes!
This was fine-pleasant but nothing to write home about.
I had only heard/liked one song on the album besides what I knew from the Hugh Grant movie. This had several good songs I added to my playlists.
Really pleasant album that I enjoyed
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.
Could not get into this... It's alright I guess. 5/10
Un d'aquells discos dobles que hagués millorat en una edició senzilla amb menys temes. Aquí i allà, vas trobant cançons realment bones, 'Camping Next to the Water', 'Pissing in the Wind', 'Everybody's Stalkin''... Entremig temes més genèrics i alguns passatges instrumentals que serveixen d'unió. És cert que és un grower en tota regla, i que és del millor de l'indie pop britànic postBritpop i preColdplay, però un readjust del minutatge i millor selecció de temes no els hi hagués vingut malalment
Like a more boring Neutral milk hotel. Not a bad thing.
One loved this record in the day, or more the artist, for it still sounds a bit soundtrack-y random and slightly inscrutable, though it's frequently haunting and beautiful and thoughtful. It's oddly endearing and sweetly, wistfully melancholic. "Disillusion" is a great song. Downsides are that a few of the discordant bits (e.g., intentionally shaky sounding vocal on "Pissing in the Wind") feel overplayed and perhaps it's slightly overlong (and a touch self-indulgent). Still one does sort of expect that from a producer's record; thankfully, in this case, it's a very skilled and capable producer.
Kind of interesting.
Nice and soothing. Someone of RateYourMusic put it well that it's music for a "cold morning drive".
4/16, 25%
3.5
There was a time I would have liked this more. But only hearing it for the first time in retrospect, it's the kind of white boy indie pop stuff that isn't very interesting anymore and didn't do it as well as others (Elliott Smith, Beulah) in the first place.
Mostly forgettable but had some nice spots, would've been better shorter. Sounds like it's from a movie you'd watch in freshman English. BT - Cause a Rockslide - Disillusion - Epitaph
Song writing wasn’t bad but definitely wasn’t anything special and neither were the instrumental performances.
Pretty cool!
Meh
Never encountered this before, I liked how it started out quite a but, though it went through an odd shift of tone and sound throughout and ended in what felt like a less interesting alt-rock vein.
Yawn
Excellent album
Pretty nice album ... Except for few experimental tunes, several excellent songs of this brilliant musician I did not know before
This was a bit of a mixed bag. I got worried at the start that this album would annoy me, but I think it picked up as it went. When a lot of the songs started, I would be interested, then I would lose interest. It didn't always happen, but it made me sad when it did. Still, there's a few nice songs on here, and the atmosphere here is an enjoyable one. My favourite songs were Disillusion, Magic in the Air, and Epitaph.
It was alright!
A great find. Enjoyed most every track. Never listed to this album before but I will in the future.
I was prepared to label this an unfocused and too lengthy run-of-the-mill 00s indie effort. But then around 'Cause a Rockslide' and 'Pissing in the Wind' the album seemed to open up. Don't get me wrong, it's still unfocused and too long, but it manages to stand out among a gazillion similar-sounding indie records of the time.
What a surprise. I wasn’t really looking forward to dig into this due to the length, but I was really taken aback. It’s a bit unfocused at times and I must admit that a few moment could have been omitted. But the general songwriting is so strong that it makes up for it all. Twists and turns and weird intermezzos that bears some resemblance to Elephant 6 records of the 90’s. A gem that I will definitely return to.
Kind of wish this was just 35 minutes of Bewilderbeast.
Franchement je me fais chier et ça me fait mal à la tête en plus
Musically they kinda reminded me of Elliott Smith. I didn't have time to focus on lyrics so I need to go middle of the road.
A few weeks after signing up to Spotify, they sent me “Once Around the Block” and my co-judge and I have been listening to it ever since. I love the rhythm guitar, his frail voice and the dreamy lyrics. I've been back to the well a few times, trying to find another song that grabs my attention in the same way, but I haven't had any luck. That said, a number of the songs on this LP have a bright feel to them, although I've read the lyrics are dreary. He's not afraid to mix it up and bring in piano or strings. I'm impressed that this won the 2000 Mercury Prize, because serious bands with serious albums are usually among the contenders – although I must say Nitin Sawney’s “Beyond Skin” would have been my pick that year.
This is a great debut album from the immensely talented Damon Gough. In particular I'm a huge fan of Once around the block and opening track The Shining is great also. The Mercury prize that they won is very much deserved. This is almost a 4 star album
Sounds good, but not interesting.
I thought this was a bit overhyped at the time, and 23 years on still think that. There are some great tracks, and there's maybe a shorter 5 star album within it.
Unsure why this is here, its bland and plenty of other bands like this but better