So why is The Orwells’ Terrible Human Beings on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Those of a certain age might relate to this: it’s relatively rare these days when I hear music by a band or artist I’ve never heard before and it blows me away.
This is the case when I stumbled across The Orwells and Terrible Human Beings.
When it happens – and the same can be true for television or books or movies, but I find it’s often the strongest and most visceral when it happens through music – it’s shocking and delightful and reminds me why I love pop culture and art: it produces that exciting, visceral rush of discovery, of new possibilities.
I’m reminded of those feelings to this day whenever I throw on “They Put A Body In The Bayou.”
It’s the perfect blend of hipster cool, rocking guitars, magnetically catchy hooks, and a super catchy chorus. There’s some Von Bondies and The Dandy Warhols vibes with some hints of The Smashing Pumpkins and The Rolling Stones, but really they’re their own unique thing.
I should add that there’s one artist that much of Terrible Human Beings reminds me of who, it should be noted, is one of my most favorite of all: Frank Black.
And, as it turns out, that there’s a song called “Black Francis,” a stage and recording name that the Pixies alum also goes by at times. And it has the offbeat, rocking, and swinging feel of Black at his loosest and most fun.
“Buddy” sounds so much like a Frank Black song – from singer Mario Cuomo’s vocals to the rest of the band’s sound – that even as a Black superfan I think I could have been fooled that this was an outtake track from an album such as Teenager of the Year or Oddballs.
Which is to say, uh… yeah, it’s good.
“Hippie Soldier” slows down the tempo a touch while ramping up the “sha la la” backing vocals – it’s another fun, quirky number on an album packed with them.
Some stats & info about The Orwells – Terrible Human Beings
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Chicago Bands, Indie Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Terrible Human Beings released? 2017
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #333 out of 1,000
The Orwells’ Terrible Human Beings on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Orwells’ Terrible Human Beings that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
All right make it quick, good songs make you rich.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.