Reviews (page 7 of 8)
1001 shrugs to give before…idk, doesn’t matter. Didn’t hate it, won’t remember it tomorrow. Don’t even remember now!
Did not like this indie at all. Way too long.
The Shining - 1/5 (zzzzzzzz) Everybodys Stalking - 4/5 Bewilder - no rating Fall in a River - 4/5 Camping Next to Water - 3/5 Stone on the Water - 3/5 Another Pearl - 4/5 Body Rap - no rating Once Around the Block - 4/5 This Song - 2/5 Bewilderbeast - 1/5 Magic in the Air - 2/5 Cause a Rockslide - 3/5 Pissing in the Wind - 2/5 Blistered Heart - no rating Disillusion - 2/5 Say It Again - 3/5 Epitaph - 2/5 Average score: 2.7/5 ⭐️⭐️ somebody wanted to be Elliott Smith lol this was a pretty boring listen i'm afraid, i fell asleep so many times trying to sit through it. makes total sense why this was left off of future editions
To slow
Indie but too slow💔
uninspiring
Not really all that fussed by this one, but it sounds ok
Boring. Not great.
Nothing special to me.
some of these songs felt like pleasant, BIRP-approved indie tracks, most of them were unnecessary filler, and This Song was actively annoying to listen to because of the godawful left-right panning effect throughout the ENTIRE SONG over an hour of this mediocrity is not what i want in any album, let alone one of the top 1001. favorites: the shining, once around the block, magic in the air, disillusion
Dull
MÅSTE vi verkligen höra det här albumet innan vi dör? Peak svår kille. Helt okej som bakgrundsmusik, kommer inte återvända, tror jag.
There's a solid EP buried in this album. Way too long with too many songs that are either uninteresting or just downright bad. A few solid bright spots that are very relaxing and/or pleasant, but absolutely needed more song selection editing. Especially for a debut album. Top tracks: The Shining, Once Around the Block, Epitaph
Fine
Double meh. There are some good ideas here and even some interesting songs. But it’s aimless and needs editing. A 2.
2/5
2.5 - decent at best
Fint att dra en fet lusekofta med 90-tals känsla över flinten. Som att titta på Oz med grynig bild på fel bildformat. En ögonblicksbild från när historien precis tagit slut. Men fan vad bjäring ändå. Men jag tror ändå 3 är rättvist för jag hade det kanske trevligt under den dryga timmen albumet snurrar.
Didn't get what the fuzz was about when he was big in indie circles around the turn of the century/millennium. Still don't. It's very nondescript, not really offending, but not really offering that much besides maybe being a good soundtrack to an afternoon in the English meadows, sipping red wine, falling asleep, waking up and wondering if that record is still playing, or playing on repeat, and if it's actually still the same song.
Listened in the car so my notes on specific songs are sparse. First half felt very much in the vein of Neutral Milk Hotel, that late 90's early 00's rough around the edges indie/rock/acoustic guitar thing. Some Elliot Smith moments. Some Wilco too! Second half felt different to me, more rambling, less focused (or maybe that was just me).. idk Unfortunately I wasn't grabbed by much of this - I found my thoughts drifting elsewhere for pretty much the entirety of the album so maybe this isn't a fair shot but giving it a 2 for that reason. Lots of dope french horn though! I think that's one of my fave instruments
Lovely string and muted horn intro to the record. Track 2 really not my jam. Really like the slow entrance intro situation on track 4, 'Fall in a River'. Hit track 6 and it started to feel Elliot Smith-y but with songwriting nowhere near as captivating. This record does feel super 1999 which I usually quite like. The weird time-stretched drums on 'Another Pearl'. The weird sample delays and reverb swells on 'Blistered Heart'. It doesn't have enough of that 1999 quality to keep me around unfortunately. 'Magic in the Air' is beautiful. I was praying for full band not to enter the picture. They didn't thank god. The moments were few and far between for me. Favs: Bewilder, Fall in a River, Magic in the Air
I listened to this and can't remember it at all, so it can't have been good, but obviously it wasn't awful.
A little weird.
Very eclectic kind of English indie. Felt it dragged a bit in length and the number of songs, some good transitions out of short tracks.
I vaguely remember music like this now. I’m not sure it wasn’t the sort of thing that stopped me listening to most new music at the time. Probably stuff like this anyway, although I have no recollection of having heard this album before. Overlong and a bit tedious are my takeaways now. At times it reminded me of a much less catchy Mull Historical Society album. But whereas those have wit and style, this just bored me a bit.
Not bad, just kinda boring
Nej, det här var inte min grej. Det är inte direkt dåligt, men så mellanmjölkigt och intetsägande, för att inte tala om på tok för långt. Det var först vid Disillusion, 16 låtar in, som något hände med mig (hyfsat bra låt). Då var det dock redan för sent. Hade nog kunnat bli en trea om den varit kortare, men nu blir det en stark tvåa.
Mellow. Too mellow. Derivative. Badly drawn
Zzzzz
Singer-songerwriter muziek. Gewoon de klassieke slaap variant. Het zit vaak prima in elkaar. Maar soms is het ook tergend zeurend. Ik kan heel weinig met nummers als Fall in a river. Ook dit album moest ik spreiden over twee luistersessies. En uur man. Dat doe je jezelf toch niet aan?
Fucking boring
Pretty forgettable, few good songs
The very last song reminded me of tapir! But alas this was a very long and mostly boring album so… sorry! I’m getting picky.
The Great Eastern was robbed.
Oof I do not like the rapidly swapping stereo sound in This Song; had to skip it. I think a few songs were tolerable but overall there was just too much bleh to wade through.
Bewilderbeast. I wish I had thought of that. Now I’m pissed. I’m also pissed that this album cover exists. What the hell is happening with this friggin guy? Just some quirked up white boy in his horrible homunculus exoskeleton. I guess that’s why the call it the hour of the bewilderbeast. The hour is 11am, and I am the beast in question. I’m getting all riled up now. Run the tape. The Shining - This is just like that book. Yeah you know the one. “Pizza for Morons - Turn on the oven you fucking idiot.” Challenging read, but I’ve started making my own pies and have never looked back. Everybody’s Stalking - Then who is stalking the stalkers? Who is stocking the stalks? Who is stalking the stockers? What about the people who like to talk about stalks? Will they be put in stocks? What about when a stock recipe calls for celery stalks? Nobody is asking these questions and that’s why I have written a new novel “Into the Ground - My Comedy Journey from Nowhere to “Now Here” (reviewing music on 1001albumsgenerstor.com) Bewilder - This interlude is a great time to peddle my NEWEST novel “BE Wilder - A tribute to the 2005-2006 Minnesota Wild alum Filip Kuba.” It’s a real hunk of junk, but licensing real celebrities is expensive. Fall in a River - Rivers don’t have seasons. Idiot. Camping Next to Water - He said it! Right at the start he said the song title. This guy does not mess around. Stone on the Water - This guy love this water hey? First he sets up camp, then he does some weird stuff with rocks. Out to lunch. Another Pearl - The song for bored mistresses the world over. Great. ANOTHER pearl. Jeez what’s next? A diamond? You’re a revolutionary. This one is very 2000s. I guess I should periodically mention the music. Kind of ruins the mood though. I think I’ll continue not talking about it. Body Rap - Yo it’s my tibia and my fibula rockin’ on down to those crazy carpals. Once Around the Block - Well, this is an awkward moment. I had to stop listening to this yesterday for some reason and never started back up. It is now tomorrow. The 48 hours of Bewilderbeast. We’re beyond the first 48. This Song - AAAAAHHHH NOOO THE SOUND MAKES ME FEEL ALL WEIRD. Bewilderbeast - Yup. It’s a song. Magic in the Air - I can feel it coming in the uhh. Oh man. What’s that song. I can. SHIT. FUCK. Cause a Rockslide - You monster. There were people in the village. Pissing in the Wind - Repetition, the musical. Blistered Heart - I really have to stop this track by track reviewing nonsense. “Reviewing.” Listen to me. Stream of consciousness journaling that needs to be turned over to some authority. Disillusion - Ew this song is gross. Quirky English public transit patron wants to write a radio hit. “I could do it better and with a two minute keyboard solo.” Say It Again - As long as you don’t sing it again, I’ll be alright. Epitaph - Here lies this album. Never to be heard again. Some of the greatest minds in music gather in a smoky conference room. There’s an empty chalkboard to be filled with the greatest, most influential musical recordings ever to be released by humanity. The ideas are flowing. Years of expertise distilled into the furious brainstorming of these musical fanatics. “Well obviously, David Bowie!!” This is met with uproarious applause and glee. Furious scribbling on the chalkboard ensues. “Learned Cohen, Nick Cave!!” One reviewer passes out, while one author fans him back to consciousness, literal champagne bottles have been uncorked and the room now reeks of alcohol and the heavy dew of sweat. Both from the exhaustion and the exhilaration. “Nick Cave… AGAIN!” Now it’s pandemonium. The older reviewers are hastily misdialling 9-1-1, whilst the young ones revel in drunken ecstasy. Through the elation, an English accent ekes into the airspace “uhh do you guys like Badly Drawn Boy.” A hush interrupts the celebrations. Eyes turn towards a man in the corner of the room that they hadn’t noticed before. A meek gentleman who was not recognized as one of the main contributors to this burgeoning compendium of musical greatness. “Err umm yeah they’re really great and they also heavily influenced umm.” He’s cut off. “I really think we have enough here, man. None of us have heard of this” say the suddenly irked reviewers. “I just think it’s umm really good and my dad paid for this room so.” The main author rubs his eyes in frustration and sighs deeply. “It is getting late” he exhales. “Fine, we’ve run a little thin here anyway. I can’t even think of any more Bruce Springsteen records, so let’s give it to Big Drawer boy or whatever. “Badly Drawn Boy” the man weakly corrects. “Yeah whatever. Great work here gentlemen.” The authors and the incognito Damon Gough leave the room knowing they compiled a true starter guide to a uniquely human art that also included this album for some reason. 2 HIGHLIGHTS - Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy.
It's fine, but once again, I find myself feeling disappointed at how yet another spot on this list being taken up by some average sounding British indie rock/folk album that's going to be just another 2 when there are MANY other culturally significant works and genres of music that this list doesn't even begin to touch. I understand that this is simply one man's opinion, but for such a widely known book/list, I don't think it should be held in such high regard as some definitive compilation of must-listen music. Like, this album is on here but The Black Parade isn't??? Give me a break. This was whatever had some songs I mildly enjoyed but nothing really made much of an impact on me
Interesting collection of instruments and variety. The whole vibe of the album was very cheesy to me, I might have liked this more in high school. Not a fan at all of most of the instrumental tracks.
I don’t understand why this album is here. It’s got some decent patches… but it’s gonna be a no from me dawg
Sometimes, the music was pretty good. But also sometimes, the singing was horrendous. Too long and not interesting or good enough.
Meh. Couple good songs, definitely reminded me of Elliot Smith here and there. Just not really anything that caught my attention or held it. Would be some good rainy day background music.
Very okay album, I suppose. I listened to this on a morning walk and it was passively enjoyable. I liked a few of the melodies, however nothing stood out to me.
I thought this was a good example of dirge-like, folk-inspired, shoegaze indie rock that was popular in the 2000s. I understand that the album is no longer in the latest editions of the book. Shows that you should really let the music be at least 10-20 years old before it makes the list. I think there are a bunch of albums included from the 2000s on that don’t meet the standard to be included. Or maybe I’m an angry old man yelling at clouds… 2.5⭐️
Badly sung songs
Meh
I was going to be generous and give this 3 starts until “This Song”’s radial speaker thing made me literally sick
Not as good as some of his later albums. Bit of a mixed bag.
Like the first song on the album, that’s about it. Wouldn’t listen again
You know as a kid growing up in the 80s, the year 2000 seemed so far away, but we knew that we could look forward to the future, like flying cars, personal robots, teleportation devices, video telephones. Little did we know that the music would be so bad. Best song on this album was instrumental Bewilderbeast.
Meh
Pleasant, but not resonant to me.
I might come back to this lowkey
Another introduction to me. Nothing new or groundbreaking or remarkable. Musically almost in my corner but the unimpressive vocals harm a lot for me.
Really weak sauce.
I didn't expect to enjoy this, but the reviews made me feel that maybe I was in for a treat. I wasn't in for a treat, and indeed, I did not enjoy this. It hung around far too long, didn't really go anywhere, or do anything. It's definitely not a "pop version of Nick Drake", just a rather dull album that's mainly harmless. 2 stars.
Not bad. Just kinda boring. 2.5
This does sound like something you'd buy from a skilled busker.
This is not for me. I get the feeling he wants to be Roy Harper when he grows up.
I found it too slow
Okay, not for me. Interesting lyrics.
For an album that was only just over an hour long, it seemed to go on forever - and not in a good way. 99% of it sounded the same, to the point where, multiple times, I realised I’d heard two or three different tracks instead of the one I assumed I was still listening to. “Once Around the Block” is the only song I’d heard before, and it is still lovely. I also really liked “Disillusion”, which I’d never heard until this project.
A handful of good songs, the rest is remarkable.
1. Cute, not bad. Enjoyed the ending. 2. Very cool, nice one. Chill rock. Reminds me of the singer from UltraVividScenes 3. Interlú tipo JagermeisterPie... 4. Weird, not memorable. 5. Cheveronga, I guess. Medio X. 6. Thumbs up 7. Catchy pues 8. Zzz 9. Still boring, like SIMS music. 10 y 11... Still boring. 12-MagicInTheAir. Verga se puso ladillita el pana, nada memorable 13. Super boring still. 14. Pissing in the wind. 15 y 16. Sueño, nada que me gustara. 17. Say It Again sí me gustó bastante, catchy. Groovy. Algo de Méjico, no sé. 18. Epitaph me gustó a lot too 2.5 Pocas me gustaron.
Not my thing
Music was too slow for my current mood. Lyrics were well done.
There are a couple songs here that sound like they should be in a 2000s indie movie, but overall this feels like it's a victim of it's length and would do better to be shorter with more focus on individual songs as opposed to adding more songs that sound similar to each other.
This was fine, but I wouldn't listen to it again.
the cover art: walter wick’s vitruvian man the music: pretty flavorless indie pop deserves to be one of the 1001? no
Not really my kinda thing, but I feel like it could maybe grow on me.
The Shining Stone on the Water Once Around the Block Disillusion
Oh boy, not for me. Some nice tunes, a bit longer thought.
Big nope for me. I’m bewildered at how this made the list.
Just the title alone is a dead giveaway that this guy is taking himself too seriously.
When I started playing the first song I thought oh, I think I’m really going to like this. What a neat sound. But several songs in and still nothing was really happening. It was pleasant, but kind of boring. I think it had a lot of potential, but never really got there. And why do artists insist on making albums that are an hour or more long?? Forty-five minutes is sufficient to get your point across, thank you.
Reminded me of Elliot Smith with the slightly fuzzy vocals and simple strumming. I preferred this one but it was a long listen without any songs that really grabbed me
I had heard one other Badly Drawn Boy album. This one sounded cool, but was kinda too all over the place for me and too long. Still fun to listen to something new.
This is tedious except the single. That's pretty good.
Bland, unexceptional, unmemorable. Meh at best.
Dit is letterlijk muziek die op de achtergrond van een of andere matige hipsterkoffietent gedraaid zouden worden. Ik ruik de veel te dure matcha en koffie gewoon al, standaard optie is natuurlijk havermelk! De cover van het album is eigenlijk veel heftiger dan de muziek, best funny hoe erg dat je verwachtingen kan beinvloeden. Pff, ja dit is echt een taai album om doorheen te komen. Dit voelt als zulke ontzettende nietszeggende muziek. En zeikerig, en je weet ondertussen; als ik iets zeikerig vind dan word het geen hoog cijfer(Shout-out de zanger van Radiohead) En dat is hier ook gewoon het geval, een album van ruim een uur waar iemand in mn oor aan het zeiken is... Ik word daar gewoon echt niet gelukkig van. Had ik dit moeten luisteren voor ik dood ga? Echt waar? Ik denk dat ik dit echt prima had kunnen missen. De beste man komt weg met 2 sterren, puur omdat ik me irriteer maar ik het ook weer niet zo dramatisch vind. Het is gewoon agressief meh. Mensen die hier wild van worden zullen vast ook wild worden van Knorr Wereldgerechten, dat is een beetje hetzelfde level aan spice. Misschien is dit ook gewoon echt niet mijn genre. Kan ook natuurlijk. NEXT. FAVO: Bewilderbeast, Disillusion
This was different-ish. It was another alt British album that just don’t really do much for me. Just very boring tbh
I thought the music was extremely forgettable
Not for me
I spent most of this wondering why I was convinced this was going to be early & bad hip hop - was it that weird album cover? About an hour in it hit me, I must have been thinking of the beastie boys. And that was the most eventful part of listening to this album.
In no way did I need to listen to this 2000s mid white dude music before I died. Whose lane is this in? BORING.
This is the absolute definition of generic. 2.5 stars
I enjoy several Badly Drawn Boy from various albums, including this one. But as a full work, I simply didn't find it very engaging. I do get the concept and it is an good one, but it just drags on for too long without enough variation to keep it interesting throughout. Key tracks: Once Around the Block
2.5
Kinda boring, no?
Decidedly meh
Just the sort of derivative drivel I expect from a Mancunian.
😐
Solo poprock, indie, multiinstumentalist
ho-hum
This was an okay listen. Nothing bad but nothing memorable. Good melodies though.
An unfortunate indictment of this albums lack of impact is the songs that Spotify played in the queue after the album ended. All of those songs were similar, but packed more of a punch than most of what can be heard here. Now, Hour of Bewilderbeast isn’t bad! Just…too hazy. I’d be more prone to enjoy this album outside the context of 1000 albums I should listen to. A few good moments on here are the opening track, “Once Around the Block”, and my pick from the whole record, “Blistered Heart”, which is full of vulnerable moments and a nice guitar melody. I don’t fault this album for anything, and could hear it accompanying a Gilmore girls style show, but I am left wishing for more substance and impact. Strong 2 stars.
Обычная альтернатива
Hmm kind of a cool name for an album. I have no idea what to expect here. I didn't finish listening it was not really my bag :/ sorry dude
..
This guy was included on all kinds of up and coming artists and compilation cd's at the time. They were pushing him hard! This album is pleasant and entirely listenable but it's kinda boring. Nothing groundbreaking with the music and certainly not the vocals. It felt like one long song with slight variations over the course of an hour, but I was bewildered at the end. "Disillusion", saved until way too late, was the best track and the only lively song on the album. Maybe he's a great songwriter and I'm just not aware of his brilliance. No hits, no radio play, nothing cutting edge, nothing super memorable. Like I said I enjoyed it but I'll never listen to it again. That's not Top 1001 material to me. 2 stars for being good background music.
I see nothing memorable or special about this album to warrant it’s place on this list
Badly
I didn't understand all the hype when this came out, it wasn't unpleasant but was rather underwhelming. 25 years on and without the hype I still feel the same. A quaint historical sideline, not sure that's enough to earn it's place on this list
Holy shit. Bad. 2 stars for the only good song Disillusion.
Cheeks 1.5
It’s interesting enough, but won’t be something I’ll go back to.
Originally, this album was gonna get 1 star, just because you can’t give it 0. But in between the Beck like singing, there are cool instrumentals that give you a break from his boring voice. Bewilder leads into Fall in a River, which actually sounds like they threw a mic into a river, so that was kinda cool. Then, This Song has some neat production trick that makes your ears itch, followed by Bewilderbeast, another vocal less break from the plain singing. 1001 album worthy: Sure - 27/46
Dead bro Ich möcht legit Mal wieder ein gutes album Pixies hat wenigstens noch Spaß gemacht
this is uh not great. some songs had a nice groove, but overall found it pretty bland.
I do like a little orchestral folk-pop to add flavor and depth. I wasn't sure about his raw voice at points, but it clicked on Epitaph for me. It's such an honest song. Thinking back to 2000, his style reflects the time...its rawness and innocence.
Hey, uh more like. boredly drawn boy. They should call him uh.. badly snore boy right amirite Maybe. He. Maybe he could be. Oh fuck it.
I've listened to the About a Boy soundtrack, so I'm familiar, but haven't heard this one. He makes very soothing music. But there's a lot of other albums I'd think of first when I need something chill, and there weren't really any songs that stood out to me on this. Still, I can understand why others may love it. But I'd choose something like Carrie & Lowell to be on this list in its place.
Probably the most mediocre thing I've listened to on this list so far.
It's never a good sign when I see an album pop and my immediate gut reaction is "Who the hell is this guy?" Now, that's never a reaction I **want** to have, y'know? I feel like I'm just immediately dismissing an artist out of hand just because I'm not aware of them. 'Coz I know, there's so much great music in the world that comes from people you've never heard of. And I feel like that's kind of half the purpose of a book like this; to place some light on more obscure releases by putting them right alongside more famous albums. Sure, it could also be the result of just needing to fill space, 'coz let's not forget that 1,001 albums is a **lot** of albums, but I choose to believe that there's more than that. And it's not like this album doesn't have any credentials; it **did** win the Mercury Award in 2000. There's a bunch of albums on here who've also won that award, and I've even agreed with some of those wins. Even if I, or most people, haven't ever heard of it, clearly there's **something** that resonated with enough people, y'know? I don't get it. I tried — I really did — but I don't get it. I mean, OK, sure, it's baroque indie folk. It's catnip to critics who wanna have big, important, refined tastes in music. I won't say I really dislike it; there's a few melodies around here I really enjoy. But as a complete experience, it's just... Honestly, it's kind of really boring. All the songs just mush into each other, and none of them are engaging enough to where I'd wanna try telling them apart. This boy, badly drawn as he is, just plonks away on his guitar for an hour. Sometimes there's chimes or whatever; sometimes there's strings... Whatever. I can't bring myself to care. And I promise you, it's not because I don't know who he is; it's not a knock against critics for "snobby taste"; and it's not even a dig at the book's writer for his tendency towards including nondescript British albums. There's songs I like in this style, but for an hour, and across eighteen songs? No, not really. I wanted to be generous with this album and give it a 3 at least, 'coz, again, there's melodies I like, and I do honestly dig the song "Disillusion". But I can't give the whole thing a pass just because I liked one song and some spare change. The whole thing honestly feels like a 2 to me. Big "ehhh" energy. I can't be surprised that this is one of the albums that got tossed out of later editions of the book in favor of newer entries. I'unno. Maybe draw your boy better next time. And, seriously, PARACHUTES by Coldplay lost to this? Goodness, if this ain't another Mercury Award winner I disagree with...
Once around the block
Very unimpressed.
Me gustaron mucho dos canciones, pero en general no conecté con su onda folk, me terminó hartando un poco.
Rock bien de los 2000s, tiene cosas buenas pero medio básico y choto.
Albumi #110, 15.11.2024 Badly Drawn Boy ei ollut aikaisemmin tuttu artisti. The Hour of Bewilderbeast on hänen esikoisalbuminsa vuodelta 2000. Musiikkityyli on folkahtavaa indiepoppia. Levyn materiaali ei sinänsä sisällä kovinkaan tarttuvia koukkuja. Melko tasapaksu esitys.
You could bottle this album and sell it at Chemist Warehouse as sleeping medicine. In terms of the instrumentation it's not the worst thing ever, definitely leans towards rock more than the pop side from what genre labels are attributed to this. In spite of what I would have to imagine is a mostly independent and very passionate project from the creator, he sounds like he is checking his watch throughout a majority of the very stretched runtime. Coming in at 1 hour there are some albums which have taken more of my time but this one was definitely up there in terms of feeling long just from the monotony of it all.
Camping Next to Water was is a little microcosm of how I feel about this album, a thoroughly boring song throughout except for the two parts where a guitar comes in way louder than the rest of the instrumental tracks and for those two parts the song comes to life. But unlike the album itself, that song goes on for as long as it needs to. Tonally it's a weird one, sometimes it feels like a 2000s attempt to catch lightning in a bottle a la Pet Sounds, other times it feels like you're standing in the red bathroom at the Overlook Hotel with Delbert Grady. At least nobody says the n word. Highlights: Everybody's Stalking, Fall in a River
This had to be the original book editor’s cousin or childhood friend, right? Not awful. They can write a decent song. But the whole album sounds like basically the same decent song? I had to check a couple times to make sure I didn’t have it set to “repeat one.” I guess I’m glad I listened to it, but do I feel like I *needed* to listen to it before I died?
I don't know what to make of this. There's some good stuff in here, parts and pieces but somehow it doesn't work together. Nothing that sticks. Beside The Song, which is absolutely annoying with headphones.
2/5
It's rather boring, also forgettable.
Every time I thought they were going to do something interesting, they reverted back to their plain indie sound
Never heard. A little too folky for my taste.
on paper should be my kinda thing. wasnt the biggest fan dont really have a good reason as to why
Oof
Not as bad as I'd expected. Thought it would all be as plain and ordinary as pissing in the wind, like disillusion. But some of it was far less dull. Borderline interesting.
Extremely mediocre. Listened to the whole thing and immediately forgot I did.
Yeah, here's that indie music I wasn't cool enough to like in college. And I'm still not cool enough to like it today. It's a few good ideas and some solid lyricism buried in some boring music.
Not in my edition of the book! 2000. 2 stars. Inoffensive and mostly forgettable collection of what sounds like Crowded House outtakes. Definitely not essential listening.
he seems like a nice man but i don’t hear a single
Kinda reminds me of Elliott Smith which is cool, but that doesn't even come close to making up for how long and boring this album is.
Kann mir dem Album nichts anfangen
On the one hand, “like the partridge family, but indie” is basically my favorite genre. On the other hand, this is like if Elliott Smith was British, knew how to play the cello and was 12% more interesting. Elliott Smith probably knew how to play the cello and needed to be way more than 12% more interesting for me to like him. This album is completely inoffensive but just doesn’t do it for me.
reminds me of Wilco and Nick Drake at times but turn up the pretentiousness a notch
Meh. Boring and it went on for too long.
Ei ihan omaan makuun, sopisi taustamusiikiksi.
Easy listening for sure. A little too bland for me personally
Thought this album would never end.
I don’t hate this album, but it’s not great. The production isn’t good, and the vocals and composition don’t make up for the amateurish nature overall. Can’t give it better than 2 stars. 2/5
Starts out nice enough as some folk informed Pop music, but goes on for a bit too long without anything really new. 2.5/5
Fav: Cause A Rockslide Least Fav: The Shining
Nice sound. Not very interesting though, it kinda never goes anywhere. It has very small segments that I found great, but for the majority of the runtime I was bored This Song was a bad idea
Samey, not much of anything.
Better than I expected yet nothing special at all
Super boring.
So boring
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.
Snooze
Meh
So preciously earnest. Not for me.
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.
Pissing In The Wind // Disillusion //
An hour of bewilderment as to why this is rated so highly
bewildered indeed
Drawn out and boring
I really have no idea how this got here. Inoffensive indie pop that doesn't bring much to the table.
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.
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.
Meh ok i guess
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.
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
It was OK but not really memorable.
Forgettable
Good couple tunes. Kinda boring
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.
Not my style
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.
Boring
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
Was pleasantly surprised by the first track but has nothing more to offer. The longer it went on, the less my appreciation became
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
Inget man höjer på ögonbrynen för.
S'écoute vite fait, quelques mélodies / chansons intéressantes voire pas mal. Un peu mou globalement.
Took me many tries to get through
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.
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.
Forgettable, no idea how this is on this list.
I don't get it. Am I missing something? This is an album I needed to listen to before I die?
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
This is one for the 2*-boring-album-bin
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.
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.
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.
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
Disillusion is not bad, but nothing sparks for me in this album
About half an hour too long and very sleepy. Or maybe just tiring.
Was pretty meh for me. It either felt really limp or just too noisy.
This was fine but kinda meh
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.
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. (⌐■_■)
Would have probably loved during my Elliot Smith phase.
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.
favored the second half of the album
Pleasant enough. Modern easy listening. That's about all I can say really. Nothing outstanding but nice enough for 2.5
This is what would happen if beck focused solely on elevator music
neke pesme su mi baš dobre, neke su skip, svakako dobra atmosfera za čitanje
Did not care for this album at all. Nothing too spectacular. 2/5
A lot of strange things going on here. Too much for my taste
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
Could not get into this... It's alright I guess. 5/10
Meh
Yawn
It was alright!
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
Sounds good, but not interesting.
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast is perfectly okay, bland easy listening. Somehow BDB got massive in 2000. Like a lot of people, shouldn't have.
Liian pitkä levy taas, indie toimii lyhyempänä paremmin, etenkin kun biisit ovat näin samankaltaisia. Tykkään kyllä tyypin lauluäänestä
Boring mostly. Annoying at times
Boring as shit.
It was ok. Well produced, but not my thing. I wouldn't listen to it again.
Another obscure Mercury Prize winner. My socks were not blown off
All I can say is a resounding... Meh
It was fine. Nothing special tbh x
This sounded like a shitty Elliot Smith wannabee. I think some of the instrumentation was cool but the vocals did not do it for me.
Vond er weining aan
Not terrible per se, but not particularly interesting or memorable either. The first song started out well instrumentally, but the vocal melody set my teeth on edge. Overall I thought this was too long and a bit boring. It reminded me of Gomez, Grandaddy and Elbow in parts, but I'd much rather just listen to them.
Yep - know it, enjoyed it back then - a bit long but not terrible
Meh. I understand why people like this but its just “meh”.
Pretty disappointingly inconsistent. Some very strong moments in the very middle of the record that were enjoyable, ‘60’s garage Brit psych inspired, but sadly bookended with lesser material and occasional flat-out rubbish.
I'm not stoned enough to enjoy this.
Bit of a disappointment. Early 2000s British indie singer-songwriter should be perfect for me, and yet it's just slightly annoying. It erratically jumps from sub Nick Drake to more uptempo stuff, but there's an atmosphere of snobishness that rubs me the wrong way. Some decent tracks, but not something to revisit.
Not bad, but not great 2.5
The book 1001 albums contains way too many indie rock albums. They all have the same type of indie sound and are a little bit dull and slow. However, I do like the variety of instruments and especially the use of a french horn. I feel that there's a lack of dynamic. The instruments may be varied but the tempo, rhythm and the singing is very monotone throughout the album. I might be completely wrong but that what it sounds like to me. Songs that stand out: "Everybody's Stalking" "Another Pearl"
There is some really good stuff in there. There is some really bad stuff in there.
- Sonically very pleasant and easy-going, but not really something I’d listen to much.
4,5/10
Not for me
Elliott Smith he ain't.
It was pleasant enough at the beginning but I found I got bored of it
Nice but dull. Pleasant and pedestrian. Soothing yet forgettable. The one track that stands out seems like a “homage” (ripoff) of Golden Brown. I was cruising down the middle for a 3 but reading the wiki and seeing 8 people created for supplying Handclaps (3 of those contributed nothing else to the album) has pushed me to a 2. Seems like epitome of celebrating mediocrity.
Over an hour in length on this offering. Some of it is near enough competent. When BDB tries to sound like Dr Strangely Strange this is decent. When he sounds like Toploader, not so much. What a peculiar album.
Fun fact - I used to drink in many of the same pubs and bars as Badly Drawn Boy, living as we both did in Chorlton in the early 2000s. This album is expertly penned. The musicianship is lovely, the production is impeccable. It is also dull as ditchwater, with maybe two or three good songs on it.
Weird, not bad, but did n9thing for me. I really tried too, but it was just k8nda "there". 2/5
Heyrðu, ég hafði bara aldrei hlustað á Badly Drawn Boy og þessi plata rann nokkuð smúþlí í gegn en skilur þó ekkert eftir sig.
boring generic drone indy acoustic
Couldn't get into this. Swirling around with different styles but nothing arresting.
Badly Drawn Boy? More like Barely Sketched Attempts At Writing Decent Songs. Or Badly Conceived Album. That Mercury Prize jury sure had poor taste in music, it's not the first time I've noticed this... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 800, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter (including this one)
I had it in my head that this was one of those 2000s US emopop bands, but I guess it's much more fitting that it's yet more Britpop - er, sorry, I forgot that we'd watered it down and were calling it "indie-folk" by 2000. New millennium, new label for a dying genre! Anyway, this was just a formulaic constant 100bpm, jangly strumming middle ground non-event. It has that post-third Oasis album "uh-oh so Britpop is on the wane but I'm just starting out!" vibe, where it makes a conscious effort not to be loud and abrasive but still wants the pomp and excessive layering that Oasis was indulging in at the time - the end result being largely an acoustic affair that includes a heap of bells, orchestral scoring and other assorted bullshit. But in the end it can't hide that at its core, it's just really bland indie fluff. Each song just blends into the other, and at an hour long you just can't do that to new listeners. It's fucking overblown and boring. We can retroactively lick its arse on Wikipedia all we want - and oh *boy* has someone tried - but it only takes one painful, looooong listen to work out what's really going on. 2/5.
Bit of a snooze. Didn’t finish it
As with the majority of albums served to me here, I fail to detect any qualities that render this particular album special in any way. Unless, of course, it's all about being boring.
I'm not sure if there is a definite category for this album; it spends brief moments in many different genres: experimental, pop, indie rock, and even a little shoegaze (Everybody's Stalking). Whatever this album is, I wouldn't feel regretful if I had gone my entire life not having heard it. Don't get me wrong, though. It is decent music. The album often has a lively, acoustic sound that probably sounds a lot better in person than it does on record.
The first song sounded vaguely familiar, from a movie or something, but the rest was very forgettable.
What a weird mess of an LP. Attempts to go the bargain-bin Elliott Smith route before dipping its hands into a wild assortment of genres on the back half and spiraling out of control. Some tracks here have great melodic ideas and explore them well, but overall this is just a fractured tangle of songs stuck together rather than a full album
You know when seeing a band and album name that you've never listened to that you're in for a Britpop 90s band and today's reveal proves this rule. No disrespect to Damon Gough, his record is okay and on first listen I'd give it a solid 3 stars. But we're here to listen to albums that you need to hear before you die and I can tell you this album does not fit that bill. By a long shot. Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour Of Bewilderbeast wasn't a must listen when it came out. Seeing as this isn't in the original edition of the book, for future consideration to the authors, if you need to stretch your bias by looking at a record's performance that peaks on Billboard's US Independent Albums at 23, please seek professional help. 2/5.
The songs I liked were instrumentals. The rest was bland.
This album was pretty clearly a very experimental album. It had a lot wide variety of songs in all different styles, but didn't feel very cohesive or focused. It also sounded just like an Elliott Smith style of singer, which I think works for his song writing style and genre, but this was just all over the place. I only liked a couple of songs with "Another Pearl" being the only song I plan on listening to again.
I tried to give this album a fair shake, but gave up after twelve tracks. The album oozes "'90s college rock," and not in a good way (yes, it was released in 2000, but there's always a stylistic lag when transitioning between decades). It appears that Damon Gough wrote all the songs and played a bum-ton of different instruments on the album, so he's clearly got talent, but his work isn't for me. Bottom line: this album bored me, and that's never a good thing.
Not great. But not terrible. Definitely not something I'd ever be tempted to revisit.
Pintaba bien
I was excited by the first time I heard Badly Drawn Boy when he appeared on the UNKLE album Psyence Fiction. However this album capture none of that. Tuned down shambling folk. Good for some but I found it half baked and over rated
The instrumentals are vastly superior to the vocals, but overall this was an unimpressive album. Kinda gave up on it.
I went to college in the the early 2000s core. Couldn't stand it then, still can't.
Could barely get thru it
Boring
Había escuchado un par de canciones antes, no es un autor que me entusiasme pero no está mal. Pero tampoco es una obra imprescindible.
I was expecting to hate this, but it had a few interesting production bits and some experimentation in places, which surprised me. Still a boring-sounding bloke singing not very exciting songs with his guitar, at the end of the day though, so not one I would ever revisit.
Painfully Indy at times. It made me want to listen to Sufjan Stevens or fleet foxes.
By the numbers. Of its era. Forgettable
Just not my think. I expected bewildered beasts to be more bewildering. (I guess)
Meh
Meh. Seems like a decent if enough album.
Chill. Too chill.
Decent background music. I don't need to hear it again.
A fine album.
idk. Nothing drew me in but nothing made me skip songs.
Nope
I like a few tracks from their movie soundtrack album a few years later, but nothing on here jumped out at me. Vocals a bland wordy bay of meh. Little interludes weren’t really needed
Nee, ik kon er niets mee
Ik had dit aan staan toen ik aanbieders voor een nieuw energiecontract aan het vergelijken was. Suf werk. En de muziek maakte het niet bepaald minder suf.
De intro klonk veelbelovend, daarna vond ik het zaadjesmuziek.
Not so bad
02/14/22 "Garden State" movie soundtrack rejects, lol. Good for a mellow, rainy day.
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.
Not really my thing. Better as background music
I'm sure it was good, but I fell sleep 2/5
Pleasant.
Baby's first John Lennon. 2.5/5
Ok album, nothing great, nothing bad
dreamy and slow, post-grunge?
Canzoni carine, un po' noiose. Ha uno stile definito, ma che non mi piace. 1 stella è poco, ma 2 vanno più che bene. Anche un po' troppo lungo, ma credo sia dovuto al fatto che non mi piaccia.
Seeing other people reviews of this was all over the place some liked it others hated it but the first songs is so chilled and simple it just works, it does go on a bit to long but it just a chill album.
A bit slow for me. Interesting but not my taste
Pretty soft alternative. I don’t think i would listen to this album again.
Why does every British indie group from this era have the guitar tone of Radiohead? A couple sparks here and there but didn't hold my interest.
Ok album
Should have 3/4 hour of bewilderbeast. Ends up feeling same-y for a good majority of the album. Then when he does change it up with Disillusion, halfway thru you want it to go back. He does folk-pop well, and I guess needs to stick to it. Almost nothing stands out, this is just a collection of okay songs. Highlight Tracks: 1, 5, 12, 17
This album did nothing for me. Each song sounded similar to the rest and thinking back I can't remember a single song, line, or riff that stood out and caught my attention. It was peaceful background noise, so I would listen to this if I was trying to relax and wanted some white noise.