No Balance Palace

How the fuck did they pull Bowie?

Honestly sounds like a lost Radiohead LP with some Interpol thrown in – definitely loses steam in the back half and gets a bit diffuse, but I was blown away by the guitar work and orchestration here. Brought me back to that early-aughts indie sound in the best way possible, and I appreciated the creeping unease that saturated most of the tracks here. Great add, excited to see what else this band has in their discography!

I know Kashmir from way back (The Good Life (1999), Zitilites (2003)) and saw them live multiple times in the early 2000s. Later in 2010 I saw them again with a singer who lost his long hair and looked a lot like actor Christopher Nash Elliott (Get A Life, How I Met Your Mother). That was a bit distracting and not a compliment, but that concert was (musically) good. This album was already out at that time, but I missed it. Too bad as it is a solid album with great songs and support from two of my heroes (Bowie & Reed). Nice entry, thanks!

I was gonna put a couple of references to artists I compare to this but after checking the date they started they probably influenced them. This was amazing for it's entire duration. Props!

Pretty nice Danish indie from the noughts, taking a page out of Radiohead, MBV or even Interpol, but doing it very well. In that league of European acts from that time period having a distinctive knack for cool rock, Kashmir also remind me of Belgian band Ghinzu (check them out of you don't know them). Equally distinctive, Tony Visconti's production and the David Bowie and Lou Reed features. As great as all that is, it's not enough for me to include *No Balance Palace* in my own potential list of 1001 essential albums. This admittedly well-crafted record is still a little too derivative overall for that, and 1001 is a finite number, you know. But if you go to 2001, Kashmir would surely deserve a slot there. And actually, if really you want to talk about indie from the first decade of the 21st century, they deserve it far more that an act such as Doves, for instance, which yet have *two* of their albums included in the original list. So well done, lads. And thanks for the suggestion, user. --- 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5). 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: 40 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 49 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 95 (including this one) ---- Émile, as-tu lu ma dernière réponse sous la review de "Chet" ?

Enjoyed this. Clearly influenced by Radiohead which is obviously a good thing, impressive to get Bowie and reed on the album, added to my frequent rotation,

Never heard of them before. Sound like a number of other bands. Some of the recent listening has been pretty poor, so I’m gonna give them a four.

Thanks to recommender for connecting one to a band one missed in real time. Not exactly massively original (a few cuts sound like Thom Yorke sing-alike contests), but this is very well-executed in an Editors- and Interpol- and Snow Patrol-adjacent sort of way. This sticks just enough to indie side and just far enough away from ALT (plus they're well-schooled in shoegaze, seemingly). Properly brooding without aiming to make performance art out of it. Tone and tempo are dead-on. All that plus a song about Diana Ross, which sounds just about zero-like the diva ever did. About as good as Doves, preferred over later Coldplay. Would take this over the White Stripes record from '05 on list proper.

Interesting... I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I found it enjoyable. There's definitely a Radiohead quality to it, maybe its the singers voice or just the overall vibe of the band, but it's pretty hard to miss. I'd absolutely go back and jam this one again.

I've heard this type of album on the user list and OG list many, many times now. It's pretty bland sounding alt rock that it isn't really doing anything wrong but isn't doing anything interesting. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Bizarre, with cool guest appearances. Doesn't sound Danish at all - was a shock to find out where they're from Legoland!

Really nice sound on this... I enjoyed it tremendously. I can say I liked the whole album but I really took notice from the jump with Kalifornia - and She's Made of Chalk took me to another place. Terrific album!

Favorite songs: She's Made of Chalk, Kalifornia, Ophelia, The Cynic Least favorite songs: Ether 5/5

Rock, Alternative rock. Tranquilo. De mi estilo.

Really enjoyed the sound and vibe of this. Kalifornia really hits it right... it has an underlying drive/groove that i instantly tap into. There seems to be hints of Thom Yorke throughout this, and the intro to No Balance Palace was certainly unexpected... but a good listen.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Kalifornia, Jewel drop, The cynic, She’s made out of chalk, No balance palace

Excellent. 4 stars.

Overall really cool. I don't know that this would have piqued my interest if I heard any individual song, but the fuckers won me over eventually 4/5

A third Nirvana! Not the 60s British band, or the one from Seattle some have heard of, but a Danish band that changed their name to Kashmir when "Nevermind" hit big. Taking your new name cue from Led Zeppelin is bold, but Kashmir deliver (though sound nothing like Zep). Instead, they sound rather late 90s post-grunge for the first bit, before revealing some distinct Radiohead influences in the second half of "No Balance Palace." I don't think I noticed it until "She's Made of Chalk," but I also didn't go back to listen to the first half again. Either way, I quite dug the back half and am happy to have been introduced to a quality Danish band that fits terrifically in the evolution of post-grunge rock. They've apparently been around since 1991, so I wonder how their sound evolved leading up to this release. (And, once again, I wonder where the user who added this album is from.)

Very much a product of its time: mid-2000s alt-rock, in the same orbit as Interpol or Radiohead’s more guitar-driven phases. And honestly, that comparison is fair with the heavy bass in the mix, Forty-five minutes is the right length for this album; it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and the more experimental touches in the second half keep it from becoming stale. Critics at the time mostly saw it as a solid, if not spectacular, effort, and I agree. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a strong, atmospheric album that was worth revisiting, even if it isn’t rewriting the book.

Unexpected Danish rock. Radiohead influences to the point that I questioned if this was a side project. Enjoyable.

Inga låtar som sticker ut direkt men som helhet låter det förbluffande bra.

Didn't know what to expect from this - I was expecting some sort of trap or drum and bass sort of music. Boy was I wrong. While not a band I would actively seek out, this was surprisingly fun and quite enjoyable.

Fitting for its time. I enjoyed the intro into the last song. That was the most exciting point on the album. The rest was nice and I enjoyed listening. Good songs, nothing incredible really, but very good stuff. 4/5

The dark palace track felt out of place, but the rest of the album was atmospherically awesome

man! so happy that kashmir is on this app. zitilites is my favorite with them, probably a top 15 album for me of all time. but this one is also good, haven't listened to it as much but hey. pretty darn good man. love the sound they have going on.

This was a good listen, and I'd listen to it again.

Perhaps the mood I was in but I really like this. Like a smoother version of Ride.

Was worried when it started that it was going to be another Oasis knockoff, but then as it got going it started mixing in more radiohead & other post-rock type sounds. Made for a good blend overall!

I think there is some potential here, I'd like to revisit this one in the future!

Mõnus rokk. Meenutas esimese lauluga Syd Matters

With a Bowie and a Lou Reed appearance I was ready to be all in on this unfamiliar-to-me band, and it was certainly all right, but did feel to me like something of an amalgam of turn of the century mainstream alternative acts. There may have been more going on lyrically than I picked up on in one not terribly attentive listen. I wouldn't be averse to hearing more from this band.

Guessing this will be some kind of indie rock? Ok yep, it is. Not too bad tbh. Just a bit of light-hearted indie rock from the 00s. 3/5.

Denmark Mentioned!!!!🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰 Damn, they got a Bowie feature :0 These danish bands, just like Mew, has some weird extremely depressing quality that isn't found anywhere else. 3

A pretty decent alt indie rock album. They definitely took influence from Radiohead on this album with the softer singing style like Yorke and instrumental pieces in the middle. Overall it’s pretty decent and some cool features but there isn’t much in this album that had me wanting to revisit it. 6.3/10

What if a Danish band decided to sound like Radiohead?

This played while I listened!

Given the cover art and the short Wikipedia text, I was expecting something very different, with more experimentalism and innovation. I got something fairly simple, well done, but simple. The only song that gave me a pinch of what I was expecting was the last one ("No Balance Palace"). An album following the line of this last song will be much more impressive and enjoyable, but we have what we have, so it's a competent 3-star album.

I enjoyed this. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table musically, but it was well made and well produced. I appreciated the surprise appearances of Bowie and Lou Reed, but they both were underutilized in my opinion. Thanks so much for sharing. Fave Songs: Ophelia, Kalifornia, The Cynic, Black Building, Jewel Drop

Never heard of them so surprised about the Bowie element. Bits of Radiohead in there. Decent.

Not bad

Surpise David Bowie feature

It was good.

After this and the Mew album, I think I'm now a fan of whiny Danish alternative rock. Can't believe they got Bowie and Reed on this.

October 30, 2025 HL: "Jewel Drop", "Ophelia", "The Curse of Being a Girl", "Snowman" These guys are from København, eh? I would've sworn I've encountered at least one Danish act from this website, but perhaps I'm just thinking of Queen of Denmark by John Grant. My 5 seconds of research before the album made me think this would be in the realm of Snow Patrol and Travis, and it occasionally crosses into something one might wave a lighter to, but mostly remains in a somewhat cold, brutalist environment. "The Cynic" featuring Bowie is neat; the spoken word piece from Lou Reed adds some spooky vibes but mostly felt like filler. I'm generally not a big fan of Reed in general tho (I'm not a hater, just a... meh-er). Overall, I liked No Balance Palace the most when it delved into those stormy, shoegazey elements, and least when Kasper Eistrup sounded a little too much like Thom Yorke ca. Hail to the Thief. ("Kalifornia", "She's Made of Chalk"). 3.5 today, maybe a 4 down the road

It's not bad, only i'm tired of bulk standard Indie Rock. There's nothing original I can hear.

I kept thinking I was listening to Semisonic’s song “Secret Smile.”

Very nice blend of instruments and vocals.

Ethereal and sometimes brooding indie rock. Sort of like a cross between Interpol and Radiohead in a way. Started to overstay its welcome after about 30 minutes, but mostly enjoyable.

This was OK. Some tracks I quite enjoyed, a few that were merely alright. Better than I was expecting it to be given when it was released.

Alt rock from a bunch of Danes who probably listened to a lot of Radiohead and couldn't think to make any other kind of music. That being said, their Radiohead is pretty good. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Too niche, too derivative.

Had its moments. Thanks for sharing!

I don't know, this was kinda middle of the road. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Don't know why you would add it to the list.

Middle of the road rock album. Nothing stood out to me.

Pop muy suave y tranquilo, sin tener ningún aliciente ni tema destacable. Completamente desconocidos. Suena a ser un poco de los del montón. No sorprenden, no innovan. Solo son canciones un tanto simples.

I had never heard of this band, this was a pretty decent mid 2000s alt rock record. Had some nice shoegaze vibes. I was into it as a pleasant album, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Woah, guest spots by Bowie and Lou Reed. Perfectly acceptable 2000s indie rock sound.

Rock, Alternative rock. Rollo. Un 2.

I had a meeting so had to stop listening. When I came back to it I didn’t know if I’d listened to the whole thing or not. Unsure what that says.

It's as if Radiohead had never read a book. I mean the sound is good, but my word the lyrics are terrible. Which, sadly, makes it totally unlistenable.

Started out promising but it only had one droning note and speed

I had No Balance Palace on while working and didn't notice anything that made me want to check what a track was called at any point. It's solid, it's a decent listen but it's not interesting, it's just fine background 2/5 noise. Fairly well put together though, at no point was I distracted negatively either.

Radiohead for people who found Kid A too weird.

Rock, Alternative rock. Rollo. Un 2.

Hmm. Interesting but not gripping. I barely registered Bowie on the album. It was upbeat enough to run to but not memorable enough to rate higher than….

I’ve never heard of Kashmir before, and I don’t even think I know of any Danish bands. So naturally, I had to go down a Google rabbit hole, where I saw that Alphabeat is Danish. Man, I used to blast their song “Fascination” really regularly in the early 2010’s. But I digress. I tend to approach artists from other countries with curious optimism, and I’m excited to check this out today. Despite some pretty good guitar playing, I thought this album was just okay. I did like the sense of anxiety and unease that the music created, but overall, I just felt like there was something missing from this album. I think I went into this album expecting something unique, but to my ears, Kashmir didn’t really do anything that excited me or drew me in to their work. This wasn’t a bad album, but I just found it pretty bland.

The singer sounds distractingly like a knockoff Thom Yorke which is hurting it for me because it's tough to be compared to Radiohead. Other than that I thought it was decent. Good production.