From planetneutral 01/13/2018 05:16

This album was surprisingly fun to listen to, although I found the last ten minutes or so more of a trial than I typically like.

One of my all time favorites. Brilliant! A masterpiece.
I first heard this masterpiece in 1980 at universty, and although it sounds relatively tame in 2017, in 1978 'The Modern Dance' was a radical revolutionary new kind of music, birthed in punk - soaked in experimentation and sophistication.
It has dated well, an exceptional work.

A great post punk album. Similar in attitude and presentation with Joy Division's, unknown pleasures. The modern dance, is a fantastic record of alienation, frustration, and anger, and delivered with a swagger. There is no point in picking out individual tracks, it all needs to be listened together in one sitting, like most great albums. A classic late seventies LP.

A challenging album, not to everyone taste. If the listener pays attention it's capable of creating a soundscape environment unlike anything you've heard before. Highly recommended.

From calsper 03/25/2015 00:31

I was so excited about this on the first listen and on many more to come!

Not quite a masterpiece to me yet, but I could see it growing on me more.

My friend said that this is like a collection of the most annyoing sounds he know - the high pitched distortion on Non-Alignment Pact, the applause section in Chinese Radiation, the shouting and saxophone playing in Life Stinks, the entire Sentimental Journey and just generally David Thomas' vocals

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From lancashirearab 04/06/2012 08:12

This is just perfect. This is what cities were like in the eighties.

You want to have some fun? A day in the park or a night out after dark? On the rides of life and cut the cake with the knife? Well when it's over you are going to remember it because... well it was fun. You might forget it though but that is not important. You had fun and remembered it. Looking at this album and listening to it, I see a bunch of people who had fun. From the... rather odd cover to the pile on shrieking of 'Life Stinks' it is... oh... Life Stinks!? Sounds bad doesn't? But a lot of this albums "fun" comes from it's scathing attacks and vague observations. It's a like a cartoon in a sense. A cartoon album. 'Non- Alignment Pact' has the band jumping around to great bass guitars and other instruments which won't do as they are told. Others contain the energy of The Sex Pistols and The Clash backed up by David Byrne's goofier cousin. How else can this be described than fun when we have 'Chinese Radiation'? Although... such titles do give one the impression that if they were to look into the lyrics they would find much darker topics. And there is strong dark vein running right through the spine of this work. Discordant laughing on 'The Modern Dance', screeching beeps and that strange taste 'Sentimental Journey' leaves in your mouth. This isn't like the other albums. You got a soldier doing ballet and figure skating to urban decay on the front for one. Take two listens. Tell me what you think in the morning. Have fun. I'm done.