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Strangers from the Universe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Strangers from the Universe
Studio album by
Released1994
RecordedLowdown Studios, San Francisco, California
GenreIndie rock, experimental rock, noise rock
Length46:38
LabelMatador
ProducerGreg Freeman, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 chronology
The Funeral Pudding
(1994)
Strangers from the Universe
(1994)
I Hope It Lands
(1996)

Strangers from the Universe is an album by the American band Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, released in 1994 through Matador Records.[1][2] The band supported the album by touring with Live.[3] Strangers from the Universe was a moderate commercial success.[4] Mark Davies used an Optigan keyboard on some of the tracks.[5]

It was reissued in 2022.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography4/10[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[10]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[11]

Trouser Press wrote: "Berserk rhythms are presented with deadpan simplicity, like the sickly funk riff of 'Socket' that keeps sticking a banana peel in its own path."[12] Spin opined that "for once the Thinking Fellers have made an album that you can comfortably hear straight through, and its dark mood deepens along the way."[13]

The Washington Post determined that the album "can be elusive, but much of it deserves the title the band bestowed on the closing track, 'Noble Experiment'."[14] The Santa Fe New Mexican noted that "sometimes stringed instruments, such as banjo or mandolin, are used as rhythm instruments, or to create a throbbing drone ... It's usually unsettling, but sometimes beautiful."[15]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

No.TitleLength
1."My Pal the Tortoise"2:47
2."Socket"4:23
3."Bomber Pilot WWII"1:14
4."Hundreds of Years"4:29
5."Guillotine"5:13
6."Uranium"1:14
7."February"3:09
8."Pull My Pants Up Tight"0:59
9."Cup of Dreams"6:40
10."The Oxenmaster"1:49
11."The Operation"5:24
12."The Piston and the Shaft"5:11
13."Communication"0:24
14."Noble Experiment"3:11

Personnel

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Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Production and additional personnel

References

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  1. ^ "Lost Classics: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 "Strangers From The Universe"". March 1, 2009.
  2. ^ "Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Thinking Fellers Union Local 282". Perfect Sound Forever.
  4. ^ Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9781627883795 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Gettelman, Parry (11 Aug 1995). "AN ALTERNATIVE WITH A DIFFERENCE". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
  6. ^ Segal, Dave. "Embrace the Effortless Weirdness of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282". The Stranger.
  7. ^ Phares, Heather. "Strangers from the Universe". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  8. ^ "The encyclopedia of popular music". 1998.
  9. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1999). The great alternative & indie discography. Canongate. ISBN 9780862419134.
  10. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide, page 402-403
  11. ^ "Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Strangers from the Universe (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic".
  12. ^ "Thinking Fellers Union Local 282". Trouser Press. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  13. ^ Ross, Alex (Feb 1995). "Spins". Spin. 10 (11): 77.
  14. ^ Jenkins, Mark (21 Oct 1994). "Fellers' Experiment; Salem's Solo Debut". The Washington Post. p. N17.
  15. ^ Terrell, Steve (18 Nov 1994). "TERRELL'S TUNEUP". PASATIEMPO. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 29.
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