The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project

TenderLovingKiller® said:
Love The Hives, hate Jet. Love The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand and The Coral were both great.

Another great one from around that time that is probably more indebted to The Fall, is Art Brut with Bang Bang Rock & Roll.

Their were also NME hype bands from around that time I probably had a song or two downloaded but never got too into them besides including them on CD mixes.

Kasabian
Razorlight
Kaiser Chiefs
Maximo Park
The Futureheads
The Cribs

There were probably many others but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. Also I don’t know if any of these bands had whole albums the woulda sounded like AM or where they went after their debut albums style wise.


Then there was also the Aussie band The Hives and The other Swedish band, that TBH sounds more a killer 70s rock band than one of these 00s bands but got lumped into this group because they played Rock music was The Hellacopters.
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I loved that first Futureheads album. Their harmonies were so tight.

Kasabian had some good tunes early on but became increasingly a yob anthem band and less appealing as time passed.

Ugh Razorlight. Johnny Borrell is just so hateful. Pure narcissistic streak.

The biggest hype band at the time were The Vines. There were a couple of ok tracks on their debut but they were mostly bang average and they were hyped like they were the bastard child of Nirvana and The Beatles.
 
Joe Mac said:
I loved that first Futureheads album. Their harmonies were so tight.

Kasabian had some good tunes early on but became increasingly a yob anthem band and less appealing as time passed.

Ugh Razorlight. Johnny Borrell is just so hateful. Pure narcissistic streak.

The biggest hype band at the time were The Vines. There were a couple of ok tracks on their debut but they were mostly bang average and they were hyped like they were the bastard child of Nirvana and The Beatles.
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Full on agree with all these. I loved that first Futureheads album. I saw Kasabian open for Jet and Oasis. Was very mediocre, but I knew a few hipsters who came just for them then left. $80 tickets. Never understood that mindset. The hype for The Vines was unreal and they landed like a fart in an elevator.

Never listened to Razorlight though.
 
Hemotep said:
Full on agree with all these. I loved that first Futureheads album. I saw Kasabian open for Jet and Oasis. Was very mediocre, but I knew a few hipsters who came just for them then left. $80 tickets. Never understood that mindset. The hype for The Vines was unreal and they landed like a fart in an elevator.

Never listened to Razorlight though.
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The Futureheads introduced me to Kate Bush with their really solid cover of “Hounds Of Love”.
 
Hemotep said:
Full on agree with all these. I loved that first Futureheads album. I saw Kasabian open for Jet and Oasis. Was very mediocre, but I knew a few hipsters who came just for them then left. $80 tickets. Never understood that mindset. The hype for The Vines was unreal and they landed like a fart in an elevator.

Never listened to Razorlight though.
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That’s mental. Say what you will about the Gallaghers but regardless of the dwindling quality of their albums they were always a really good live act. Was only ever once disappointed by them live and that was the tour when Noel walked because Liam questioned his daughters paternity and he only came back for the UK gigs and spent the whole time with a face like thunder staring daggers at his brother. Every other time they put on a really top show.
 
Joe Mac said:
The Vines. There were a couple of ok tracks on their debut but they were mostly bang average and they were hyped like they were the bastard child of Nirvana and The Beatles.
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Hemotep said:
The Vines was unreal and they landed like a fart in an elevator.
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The Vines were never as good as the hype but “Get Free” was closer to what Nirvana sounded like than any of the late 90s post-grunge bands could muster. The lead singer was fairly Autistic, which led to some pretty interesting stories in Meet Me In The Bathroom especially about them doing a cover shoot for SPIN magazine.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Love The Hives, hate Jet. Love The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand and The Coral were both great.

Another great one from around that time that is probably more indebted to The Fall, is Art Brut with Bang Bang Rock & Roll.

Their were also NME hype bands from around that time I probably had a song or two downloaded but never got too into them besides including them on CD mixes.

Kasabian
Razorlight
Kaiser Chiefs
Maximo Park
The Futureheads
The Cribs

There were probably many others but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. Also I don’t know if any of these bands had whole albums the woulda sounded like AM or where they went after their debut albums style wise.


Then there was also the Aussie band The Hives Vines and The other Swedish band, that TBH sounds more a killer 70s rock band than one of these 00s bands but got lumped into this group because they played Rock music was The Hellacopters.

Edit: the Aussie band was The Vines, it’s early and I haven’t had my coffee.
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I haven't listened to Art Brut in a long time but they were great... guess they are next in my queue for today,

I started the Coral album and I'm really liking that too.
 
Jumping in, although I'm honestly not sure where I'm landing!

I remember distinctly hearing about the Arctic Monkey's debut through a Neil Young mailing list when it first came out and being immediately in love with it. I think I was just surfacing from being less focused on music and more on raising little ones at the time, and it was just what I needed with its urgency and brashness. Plus being from Southern California it gave a real insight into experiences that were completely unfamiliar to me. On the earlier albums especially the Arctic Monkeys displayed a talent for putting you in their moment.
 
#1 - Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

So I've had this album since the day it was released in the States, so I am very familiar with it. I think the Strokes comparisons are pretty apt, as it has that "sound"/"voice" of a generation going on. Iconic black and white cover art and infectious singles.

How does it hold up 16 years later? Separated from the hype, I think it's still a strong rock album, but I don't have it in my top 10 or so of the decade. To me, it's always been a half step behind the classics of the decade like Is This It, Turn On The Bright Lights, and others as I felt that it was a little unbalanced at times. The singles/best songs are absolute killer, but there's a few too many weak tracks for a perfect score.

Rating: 4.5/5
 
Here's my thoughts on "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not":

Not my usual brand of indie rock, but still a pretty good album. An interesting look into clubbing & pub hopping in North England from Alex Turner's perspective. Not subject matter I can really relate too, but a good listen and a good laugh at times nonetheless.

Rating: 3.5/5
Favs: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Riot Van, Fake Tales of San Francisco
Least Favs: The View from the Afternoon, Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But...
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i didn't like whatever people say... when it came out, i didn't like it when it was a vmp issue, and i don't like it today. i think my enjoyment of them was impacted by the litany of other garage/punk/loud indie rock bands that were everywhere and i was just tired of it all at that point, but i did give them a fair go later on as mentioned above and i don't really feel all that different about that album today as i did then. i've seen a couple people relate their enjoyment to 'time and place' and i would say my lack of enjoyment is tied to 'time and place', too.
 
So I should score this one. I don’t really have to listen to it again to do that.

Speaks to me of a time and place and brings me back to being that again and in that place again every time I turn it on. It’s also, not afraid to turn the lens back on that culture and to me it’s both involved in and way more self consciously critical of elements of it than I think is often reflected in commentary.

The first song I heard by them was Fake Tales of San Francisco followed closely by Dancefloor and Mardy Bum. Mardy Bum always makes me chuckle because Mardy is a very particular word that I would have heard a lot by people I grew up alongside but then equally never again anywhere after I moved away!

Key Songs: “I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, “Fake Tales Of San Francisco”, “When The Sun Goes Down”, “A Certain Romance”

Duds: None really but my least favourite is probably “Red Lights Indicate Doors Are Secure”

Score: 4.5/5
 
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I always enjoy listening to this, but I don't need a full listen to review... to me, this is the peak of golden age production and lyrical invention. The features are outstanding. This was the moment I noticed Jazz in hip hop. Scenario is still my favorite posse cut.

It occurs to me while thinking about the album, that like Ill Communication and Stakes is High, I really dig these albums where the fun hip hop of my youth grew up. (Tribe did it a little quicker than De La and the Beasties).
 
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