Repetition

Unwound is so sick. Gotta be one of the most consistent bands of all time. Straight up no misses in their entire discography and this might even be their best one. 5/5

I don’t know how this flew under my radar for so long as it checks a lot of boxes for me. Challenging and discordant in just the right amounts, and if you give it a chance you’ll find some fantastic melodies under the fuzz.

Wow. Given the music I listened to during the nineties, of course I had heard of Unwound's existence ("Corpse Pose" does sound familiar). But unfortunately I had never gotten to spin one of their LPs. And it was such a MASSIVE blind spot on my part, I only realize it now that I'm reaching the last song on *Repetition*... This is an incredible record, ticking all the right boxes for me, and it's a damn shame I never thought of using my streaming service to check out Unwound's music before today. Forget that Boston Phoenix piece quoted on the Wikipedia page up there, clearly written by someone who didn't know the first thing about that post-hardcore / nineties DIY indie scene (not that *all* the references found in that quote were off-topic, but it doesn't make a shred of sense to compare Unwound to Green Day or Rancid anyway, even to praise the band in comparison). No, those songs here mostly draw from acts such as Unsane, Slint, Chokebore, Jawbox and -- very obviously -- Fugazi (you sure can pinpoint the long shadow cast by *Red Medicine*, released a year prior, on this particular album). Yet the thing to remember here is that the Olympia band have used those influences to the greatest effect (contrary to the very mixed bag offered by that Shudder To Think LP that another user suggested a week ago...). Unwound surely gave their own personal twist to that post-hardcore / noise formula, with a perfect balance of dissonance and gorgeous harmonies, that can trigger all sorts of emotional responses. Those songs can be intense and even violent. Or they can be tense and suspenseful. Or they can be quite moving. Experimental instincts perfectly align with a keen sense of melodicism inserted at the exactly right junctures. Which is how "Repetition* easily joins the ranks of the best albums released by the other bands I've mentioned up there... Among the songs within the tracklist, you have immediate highlights exploring all the different strengths of the band circa 1996: "Message Received", "Corpse Pose", "Lady Elect", "Murder Movies", "Go to Dallas and Take a Left" and "For Your Entertainment". And apart from the instrumental dub cut "Sensible" (secondary yet not unpleasant if you're in a "moody" mindset), each and every track has meaning and purpose if you listen to them the right way... I'm currently listening to the last two albums released by the band before they split up in the early noughts -- two LPs gathered in full in the reissue compilation *Empire*. Once again, Unwound was closely following Fugazi's more experimental footsteps for their own last two records, but this without ever aping them. And what I'm hearing now is gorgeous as well. The music, amping up the more various instrumentation already found in *Repetition*, and sometimes branching out to post-rock or math-rock, even foretells more recent acts such as Suuns, Black Country New Road or DITZ. I've heard that a new version of Unwound's line-up exists today, and I cross my fingers that they can release a studio album soon. I hear that they are the sort of band that have tirelessly worked their artistry and played in all sorts of venues in the most ethical way possible, and this without ever reaping their full share of rewards. So it would be nice for noise rock and post-hardcore fans of my generation to help tip the karmic balance the other way now, towards them. A thousand thanks to the user who suggested this album. At the risk of repeating myself, you just can't imagine how pivotal this suggestion was for me. But I suppose some "repetitions" are never tedious to hear again and again. Hope you can concur. 😉 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 65 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 85 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 158 ---- Emile... Je viens de lire ta dernière réponse. Je vais essayer de trouver le temps de rédiger la mienne pendant la période des fêtes. D'ici-là, ben joyeux Noël et bonne année aussi !

Fantastic post-hardcore album by Unwound. I like Leaves Turn Inside You a bit better, though this one is a great listen too. Compared to the latter album it still has more up-tempo and edgy songs. I really like the baselines and the shaky vocals.

This is tense and dynamic and spiky – quite Slint-ian and vaguely Pere Ubu-esque in effect. The screaming early puts one off, but it gets better with slower/sparer passages (see "Sensible" and "Lady Elect") that suggest thoughtfulness and contemplation and ultimately deliver something like majesty. One would certainly trade this any of several other early punk bands (e.g., Minor Threat), primarily because it might merit a second listen.

Darkly hypnotic post-hardcore – I'd listened to the big hits but had somehow never given this LP a full run-through. While not every track hits as it should to keep things from dragging, the highs bring so much to the table that the duller sections are easy to ignore. Sharp, angular guitar lines, entrancing bass riffs, and some lockstep drumming make this an instrumental masterpiece and make the whole experience doubly chaotic yet logically coherent as a result.

June 11, 2025 HL: "Next Exit", "Corpse Pose", "Lady Elect", "For Your Entertainment" You can really hear the sonic influence from classic post-punk/gothic rock. Especially Public Image & Gang of Four. Yet at the same time it doesn't come across as a retread of that time period at all. You know the (admittedly imperfect) subgenres stat for the original list? Well, it turns out there are only a handful that I rated below a 3/5 average- nu metal, hardcore punk, *post-hardcore, and noise rock*. So when I say this is like a 3.5, it beats out much of the competition. I would gladly axe one of the Sonic Youth 90s albums for Unwound to be included in the OG list. Edit: person who submitted this album is big on Sonic Youth, so... just kidding!

Great choice. Starts off a little rough, but there's a lot of depth here. Strategic use of noise gives great texture to the sound without ever becoming grating. This is one I'd like to spend more time with. Fave Songs: Unauthorized Autobiography, Lowest Common Denominator, Sensible, Lady Elect, Corpse Pose

10/10 super cool post-hardcore! really really love this!

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Unauthorized autobiography, Go to Dallas and take a left, For your entertainment

Get unwound

The opening track made me fear I wouldn't like it very much. But from the next song on, it was much better

‘90s underground post-hardcore, baby!’ Yeah, I can dig Unwound. This release especially shines with standout tracks like ‘Corpse Pose’ and the witty titled ‘Go to Dallas and Take a Left’ - seriously it should be ranked among the better song titles in any genre. That said, Unwound albums can be a bit of a commitment. Some songs hit hard and grab you instantly, while others linger too long in the noisy margins without quite reaching a satisfying climax. But hey, it’s raw, it’s messy, it’s ‘90s underground post-hardcore, so I’m not complaining.

Alternative alternative music from the 90s! Never heard this before, but I enjoyed it.

Interesting - I liked this, though not sure how to classify it (yes, I know there's no need): semi-metal?

Good, but not exceptional.

More post-hardcore 🤟 this is probably the most ”accessible” Unwound record, so it’s an understandable pick!

Benefits from multiple listens. One spin and I'd have given it a 3. I like the second half more than the first. Thanks OP.

Post-hardcore and all it's great bands have a history that leaves room for many innovators to fall to the wayside for one reason or another. The 1001 list covers heavyweights like Minutemen, Fugazi, Big Black, Drive Like Jehu, and Slint. Despite covering a lot of ground, it manages to miss At The Drive-In, the Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Helmet, Shellac, Refused, the Fall of Troy, anything emo, and, of course, Unwound. It would be foolish to try to include at least one album from all the bands I listed, but if I were to make a minor change it would probably be replacing the Girls Against Boys album with one of Unwound's. Repetition is a pretty good place to start. A fantastic mix of influences that merges the weight of noise rock, the dynamics of indie rock, the passion and twinkly parts of emo, and the meditative elements of post-punk. One need not look any further than Corpse Pose to see how effective the band can wield it's influences to make a song so poignant and memorable that sounds exactly like a stiff, grey cadaver in all its creeping decay. Wew. For an album that lands smack-dab in the middle of an unbeatable discography, Repetition manages to hold its own in a lot of great ways. A good entry point for anyone looking to explore more '90s post-hardcore with finer points for songwriting. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: I would think so, just as long as post-hardcore doesn't get too overrepresented.

Good, but an album I would not have appreciated had I heard it at the time - since I was 13!

Very strange album. I think I would've liked it more if the vocals weren't constantly drowned out by all of the instruments.

I generally liked this - I spent a lot of the time while listening to trying to figure out what it reminded me of. Pavement, Minutemen, and Sebadoh all came to mind, not bad company as far as I'm concerned, though a harder edge on this. As is so often the case in this genre, it loses me somewhat in that I cant make heads nor tails of 90% of the lyrics. And without being able to distinguish the words, my ear can only interpret the vocals as another instrument - and as an instrument they're not that great nor expertly wielded.

Repetitive

Decent punky rock

Mix of shoegaze and sonic youth? It was alright

Not bad

Absolutely not for me. It's totally fine music but just not my scene. It does feel like I've heard this sound quite a bit from others in the list. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Boring 90s alternative in the submitted list is becoming the early 80s post punk of the original list

I think I'm starting to hit post-rock saturation on this list

3.5

It was fine

This was pretty cool. I remember listening to Leaves Turn Inside You (their album after the album after this) and enjoying it but that was many years ago and I remember none of it Apparently this is post-hardcore but doesn’t really sound like most other post-hardcore I’ve heard, and has more of a post-rock Slint-adjacent vibe to me. Very fuzzy, slinking grooves with vocals that alternate from pained screams to almost Stephen Malkmus-esque? Interesting and hypnotic in places but just a bit too much unwarranted static for my liking

This was pretty good. Nothing great but ok to listen to once.

Mostly enjoyable, but it's not exceptional due to its repetitiveness. 3.

Rock un tanto pesado y oscuro, no estando muy cerca del punk, canciones aparentemente sin demasiada intensidad, pero con fuerza. Da la sensación de que podía haber sido algo más

Second rate grunge album

I didn't hate all of it.

Doesn't seem worth the effort. Slightly dissonant alt rock that doesn't deilver with a hook or energy to keep you engaged. Just a lot of slightly annoying music that overstays its welcome.

This was a middling album as it didn’t know whether it wanted to be more punk or more alt rock. Some heavy instrumental sessions that weren’t too complex other than being brooding or noisy. The lyricism is pretty simple and at times was comical repetitive with the disgust of life. Not something I’d revisit. 5.3/10

Post-hardcore, punk rock, post-punk, hardcore punk. No me gusta. Un 2.

Even without looking at a description, this is going to be post-hardcore. Just look at that cover and title. And oh boy am I not interested today. Yeah, it's post-hardcore. And it sounds exactly like every other album in this boring fucking genre. 2/5 and fuck you.

A curate's egg. Bits of it were delicious.

It's okay, didn't love it tbh

Not one for my archives I’m afraid.

I didn't enjoy Repetition too much, it's very samey throughout, doesn't have the quality or nuance of some of the better examples of a genre I don't really care a lot for anyway. Production is weak too, 2/5 just, because I didn't hate it.

Sure, OK. Not really fingernails on a chalkboard but not super engaging. I hear the interesting sonic complexity but it just didn't pull me in. No objection just didn't love it. A bit too Sonic Youth for me.

Punk always gives me the vibe that they are okay with some discord in the music, because of the power and the vibes. This feels intentionally discordant and technically proficient, which I don't think works. It mostly just comes off as blurred noise. I'm not dure if I get any of the post-punl/post-hardcore genres. Maybe this was better on a boombox in the 90s, but it's really not doing it for me.

Post-hardcore, punk rock, post-punk, hardcore punk. No me ha gustado.

Post-hardcore, punk rock, post-punk, hardcore punk. No me gusta. Un 2.

I just cannot stand the genre of “let’s noodle around for like 6 hours and the producer will hit record whenever he wants”