Frank Black's yelp is unconventional, and possibly off-putting to some; but Surfer Rosa is noisy and exciting, bright and surprisingly melodic. It was probably a really fresh sound at the time. Hot take: "Where Is My Mind" isn't even the best song on this album... "Gigantic" is.
Bored. Very bland. The one inch I'll give this album is that it's not technically bad and it's a major part of the sound of the decade in which it was released. Hot take: if this isn't already considered dad rock, it will be soon.
Her voice soars on every song.
It's not to my taste. Though the sound is iconic, it doesn't excite me, and I find the lyrics overdramatic to the point of being boring. I'm not that familiar with U2 and didn't know this was their SEVENTH album. I guess their previous effort was widely panned. So I do appreciate their ability to be self-critical and challenge each other and come up with something they were proud of.
Sometimes groovy, sometimes like a dream sequence, sometimes a little chaotic (yet not in an unpleasant way). The songs are quite long and I had trouble knowing when they began or ended. Soundscapes that shine in headphones. I can appreciate it but I think I personally like a little more structure to things.
It's fine. Far from an essential listen. Kinda reminds me of Billy Joel (not that I know his work very well, either). I'm surprised they were pretty much a one-hit wonder in the US. Come On Eileen is an earworm but it's probably not the best song on the album.
"as interesting as it is ignorable" -- is an intriguing description. Music that you can drift away from, but it's still rewarding when you return to it. This reminds me a bit of puzzle adventure games; some have great soundtracks that excel at leaving you to focus on the problem at hand.
I like Sonic Youth's more tuneful stuff, so it's cool to hear this album where they start moving in that direction but still have one foot solidly in the world of noise and discordance.
While I wouldn't go out of my way, I wouldn't be mad to listen to this on vinyl. The vocal harmonies really are what keeps the songs interesting.
I had never heard of Bert Jansch. He has a wonderful voice on this album. I liked how there were some instrumentals - when one loves playing guitar, I assume sometimes one just wants to play, and do their best to express something with the instrument. Glad to have been introduced to this artist.
The eclectic interludes and influences surprised me. Loved "get it together" with Q-tip.
I can understand using art to express states of mind like extreme frustration or anger. But, to make a huge understatement, I think fantasizing about disposing of your wife's dead body is not entertainment and is a misapplication of creativity and talent. He committed that not only to this record but to the record of his character for all time. And frankly I can't see past it. I acknowledge the importance of this record but I have no appetite for it at all.
Just cool. It's ambient but rewards active listening. Electronic music with heart.
I wore out most of these songs back when the album first came out. But it's a solid album with a distinct sound - which I think is sometimes hard to pull off with electronic music.
So many great songs packed into less than 40 minutes!
That'll put some hep in your step!
Undoubtedly a great piano player; just not very interesting to me.
Sounds like a potential influence for Of Montreal.
Kind of obnoxious, and the hits don't hold up.
I mean, I know it's good. And there's parts I even really like. I think this kind of jazz just isn't for me.
Initially interesting, but quickly fell off for me. Two stars for good instrumentation.
I enjoyed it. At times it feels like a bridge between big band and cool jazz, like the former is melting and the latter is emerging.
It was solid. The harp on some songs was unexpected and not unwelcome. Otherwise, there's nothing particularly attention-grabbing about it. I like when the band has a quirk or something weird I can latch on to and Manic Street Preachers doesn't have that, at least on this album.
Song 2 is super tired at this point, it was a huge hit in the U.S. Doesn't quite have that edge that it used to have. But luckily the rest of the album is much weirder and more interesting than I remembered. Beetlebum seems like the strongest, though, and since it's the album opener, there's less to look forward to later.
Even though this isn't an album I'd pop on any day of the week, I think the raw power on display is worthy of 4 stars. Also didn't realize how influential this album is in rock history.
Listened to this a fair bit in college for some reason. I mean, some of these songs are totally iconic. I just have no urge to come back to them now.
Production quality is very high, but this didn't really stick to me.
Undoubtedly creative, and undoubtedly not for me.
I would describe this record as truly avoidable.
Not a fan of the guy, almost didn't listen, but I did like the album.
I appreciated the lyrical content and themes, just not into Bruce's style.
Fairly energetic, in terms of movement rather than tempo, yet it's still background music for me.
It's a rather pretty album, and I like the subtle electronic touches.
There isn't anything I don't particularly like, but it's not connecting with me for some reason. Not compelled to re-listen or seek out more.
Album is all over the place, with a handful of excellent songs.
Forgettable, except I gotta say I love "Shake It Off."
That sound, that energy. Love it
Was prepared to dislike it, ended up enjoying it. I liked the use of synths and thought I could hear a number of sounds that probably ended up influencing a lot of bands I like.
Sounds surprisingly current. A little same-y for its length.
Definitely a headphones album. I think I expected something higher energy. It's nice though.
Not my favorite by the Doors. Doesn't have the same feeling of excitement or any sense of pushing the boundaries. I guess my hot take is the more they lean into a blues style the less interested I am, and it's not because of the blues, it's because of the Doors doing the blues.
At least it has a sense of fun, unlike a lot of the dreck on this list
I remember liking this when it came out. I think maybe this album introduced "electronic" music to a lot of people at the time. Just doesn't hold up.
Not good; this is what you'd hear on a network tv show when they need some "edgy" rock music, like in CSI when they go to a seedy club to question someone, or when a main character spins out
Got the idea after a couple of songs.
Halycon + On + On + On +On
Kinda dug the industrial electronic feel. Unfortunately the content wasn't for me. It mostly goes on and on about how great Kanye is.
I like Elvis Costello, though I tire easily of him... yet I found this album to be an easy listen.
A great album save for the fact that it drags in the second half.
I like the relaxed vibe. I think the album should be half as long as it is, though.
Production quality seems high, but it's boring. Low effort techno
It's good rock, and it's fun. I admit I'm having some nostalgia bias here. I love the unpolished sound. This is the kind of debut that makes you excited for what's to come. For me, Foo Fighters ended up in a direction I don't care for, but there's always this album to take me back.
Not bad at all, just not for me. I was surprised by all the horn samples (in a good way).
It sounds pretty good, I dunno, ol' Elton just never struck a chord with me. My brain processes all the song as ballads which is a little unfair. But what can I say? I'm not excited by his work.
Weird, fun, not unpleasant, but probably not revisiting this.
"Had a Dad" was a big song for me back in high school. One of the rockingest songs that ever rocked. There are other great songs on this record, and I can appreciate it as a pivot point in rock history, but it doesn't hit me the same way now... it's been many years since I listened to it in full, and will probably be many years until I do it again.
It's fun, playful. Something about the songs just sound same-y to me.
Contains two of my favorite rock songs of all time, "If Only" and "You Can't Quit Me Baby." When the album came out, it was more accessible than Kyuss, far less cheesy/repetitive than Fu Manchu, and just odd enough - sonically and lyrically - to be cooler than mainstream hard rock.
