Music recommendations

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VonOfterdingen
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Music recommendations

Post by VonOfterdingen »

With very useful recommendations sites out there - like Goodreads for books and Criticker for movies - I can't find anything similar for music. Does anyone know of a site?

And since people here tends to have a great taste in music can anyone recommend any must-hear albums? I'm going on maternity leave for 10 weeks and I haven't discovered a great new band in ages. Neither The Walkmen, Beach House or The Shins have worked and I once again end up with Springsteen, Dylan, EC, Rolling Stones and the likes.
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invisible Pole
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by invisible Pole »

VonOfterdingen,
If you're looking for new bands you may try these two sites:

http://www.weallwantsomeone.org/
A few posts every day; losts of debuting artists, but also updates on the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, The Black Keys or Vampire Weekend; a chance to listen to songs.

http://17seconds.co.uk/blog/
Lots of new bands as well; reviews, mp3's and video clips; good update on new music coming from Scotland

And if you like good stuff from 80's or 90's I highly recommend this one:
http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/
From Pixies, Bob Mould and Dinosaur Jr. to The Smiths, Madness and Paul Weller to Lloyd Cole, Public Image Limited and The Cure - new records, gigs, reissues.
Also, YouTube links to rare performances.
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Jack of All Parades
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by Jack of All Parades »

I wish I could offer a new band of interest to me. This year I have not heard anything that gets me too excited that is new. Mainly it has been new work from old artists. I cannot recommend highly enough Dylan's "Tempest"- it is a vital and virulent late life effort.

My best source of information for new things is my ears- what I hear on college radio and from conversations with friends who love music. I am also an inveterate scrounger- looking in old bins at record stores in NYC for a find.

I also find myself like board member Otis W- constantly rediscovering things from my own collection that have languished on the shelves because I have been too caught up with the 'latest' piece of ear candy.

Sorry I could not help more.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
Poor Deportee
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by Poor Deportee »

It's funny, I'm another old codger who just can't seem to find new musical talent that blows him away. There's plenty of solid, well-made stuff out there, plenty of good songwriters and performers. But if there is a new Dylan or even a new Costello out there - some explosive talent whose combination of lyrical chops, musicality and attitude just stuns me, knocks my socks off - then I haven't heard him or her. And I say this as someone who honestly believes his musical judgement is relatively low on nostalgia...

I can make one fairly recent recommendation that is not from the 'standard' list of pop songwriting heroes, and that is PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. She achieves a very distinctive sound on this one, not quite like anything else; and she solves the problem of avoiding cliché in an anti-war record by going at it historically, resulting in an album that sweeps you into very particular times and places and yet builds to the compelling argument that war is in England's DNA. A visionary and haunting record.

And with apologies to Chris, I'm going to blow the trumpet one more time for an obscure hip-hop album called Talkin Honky Blues by one Buck 65. This was the last album by a 'new' talent that had the effect on me I describe above. To this day I believe that it could have done to hip-hop what Dylan did to rock and roll, if only anyone had been paying attention. This isn't juvenile dick-swinging, it's a massive explosion of deviously-crafted and sonically compelling stories and portraits of outsiders, wanderers, shoe-shiners, forlorn houseboat inhabitants, angry old men and meandering children. The sonic landscapes are gorgeous, complex, and evocative. Just a fantastic record. In a world that made sense it would be regarded as a seminal classic. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
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Jack of All Parades
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Oh yes! by all means Buck 65. I was taking the approach that it had to be something new this year and not just something new to one's ears in general. He is definitely worth exploring. Thanks to PD I managed to overcome a strong aversion to hip-hop through this artist- "Talkin' Honky Blues" is a revelation. So is his compilation "20 Odd years" especially the Duets with Olivia Ruiz.

Riverbed 1---Buck 65


"i take my orders from the street lights, wind at my shoulder
the afternoon is grey and the air is getting colder
i'm old fashioned and on foot, passionate and fascinated
wide eyed awake and ready for anything
navigating side walks, dry docks and back alleys always
in and out of elevators and hallways
i'm out for a walk and following the human currents
i'm in no hurry i need no reassurance
curfews and purfumes; excuses and costumes
customs, corrections, fuss or directions
even the leaves have taken on lives
deprived of their privacy, purpose and property
probably runaways, they play catch
with stray cats that stay at the girl's school,
the city's a whirlpool,
there's too much going on, there's too much garbage,
too much to choose from, too much carnage
there's not enough quiet to think straight, it's not a stunt
maybe i will make my way back to the waterfront
this is where the people are slightly unsavoury
with no time, possessions, labor or slavery
neighbors without names neglected and hip-checked,
stripped down to nothing, fallen and ship wrecked
completely uncalled for, way out of line
stranded, branded, weathered and abandoned
these are the counter clock wise, the despised
with swollen noses and tears in their eyes
and tears in their clothes and time on their hands
they sleep walk
full of that cheap wine and cheap talk
everything gets washed away here at the pier
the best you can do is to play it by ear
wishes sink to the bottom and doubts float
i'm afraid of the water and i live in this houseboat"

Have overcome an aversion to hip-hop- strange as I love words and have been having fun with this artist. What I love about this lyric is its hallucinatory incantation of the urban landscape and its denizens. That and the rapid fire end and middle rhymes coupled with decent consonant rhymes. And it is not misogynistic either. Sharply observed and spoken. Filled this morning with the images of "Howl" having watched the biopic last night on DVD, it has struck me how close this song gets to the frenzied, speeded up lines of that famous poem. Not making claims that this equals Ginsberg's incantations but it puts my brain nerves on edge just as that poem does. I also like that final conceit of being afraid of water yet living upon it. That is being attuned to the world with open nerve endings. Also like that the song is populated with some instrumentation, particularly the steel guitar part and the sixties style guitar that insinuates itself thought-out the piece. Most atmospheric. Nice to step out of my comfort zone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E46D4BAk ... sults_main

I also like this Canadian artist that PD was kind enough to turn me on to. Jill Barber. Her approach to a song is quite distinct and most often rewards a careful listen. Her last two records have been getting consistent play in my household between myself, my wife and my daughters. They have placed her on their Ipods- now that is an endorsement. "Chances" and "Mischievous Moon"- two very solid efforts that show there is still life and emotional vitality in the chanteuse form. These two records have invaded my home and for many evenings now they accompany our dining just as if I was in some brasserie in Montreal, or Paris, for that matter. Her voice is a delightful reminder of Blossom Dearie and the music is not retrograde- a throwback to the 40s and 50s. Instead it takes that musical time and upgrades it- giving it a shine that is as bright as the musical arrangements that accompanies the songs. Strings that are never too intrusive, a small combo with lively jazz guitar and flute and vibraphone and clarinet- this is music that would have played very well in the background of Woody Allen's latest, "Midnight in Paris". Most of all I love her voice and its independent phrasing. I thank PD profusely for bringing her to my attention; he is lucky to have her living in his city and performing there. Just another great Canadian talent-in fact she makes wonderful usage of another Canadian talent- Ron Sexsmith with four songs on these two records co written with him. It is intelligent, adult and slyly swinging; most infectious.

One other new one- First Aid Kit. Two sisters with a heavenly taste for harmony. This first record by them has been unexpected ear candy in my house thanks to my daughters. Here is their first single "Emmylou":

http://youtu.be/PC57z-oDPLs

So I guess there are some things I too would like to promote. Urge you to give them a try on Spotify if you have that resource available. As a postscript I would like to plug Lee Morgan- Like many I have proceeded in my listening habits happy with the thought that Miles Davis and maybe Freddie Hubbard and Clifford Brown were the end all and be all in jazz trumpet. My introduction to this dynamic player earlier this year and subsequent exploration of his catalog has proved me wrong. He was a dynamic and lyrical player who had a 'solid' hard bop sound all his own. And he could hold his own with anyone as a writer. I urge anyone interested to check out his work from the mid-sixties on Blue Note records with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock- albums such as Cornbread, The Gigolo and Search for the New Land belong in any serious listener's collection.

Here is a listen to Mr. Morgan off of "Gigalo" "You Go To My Head"-

http://youtu.be/dMsBCDVXHGc
Last edited by Jack of All Parades on Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
Poor Deportee
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by Poor Deportee »

Yes, how could I forget Jill Barber? She's like Buck 65 in one specific sense: absolutely a world-class talent, condemned by the ridiculously constrained tastes and bad economics of today's music industry to toil in a lamentable obscurity. She is everything Christopher says. Do yourself a favour and check out these two artists (but when it comes to Buck, I should add that Talkin Honky Blues is clearly his high-water mark; I wouldn't start with any other of his albums).

Don't want to monopolize this thread, but VonOfterdingen, in the unlikely event that you are as-yet unfamiliar with Gillian Welch, you could do vastly worse that do give any of her albums a spin. Time the Revelator is my personal favourite, but they're all excellent - subtle and powerful re-imaginings of the themes and tropes old-timey folk music, with unbelievable harmonies and guitarwork. If you prefer your sonic palette a bit more varied, there's Friend of a Friend, the outstanding album by Welch's partner Dave Rawlings. You can't lose with any of these.
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VonOfterdingen
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by VonOfterdingen »

I feel a lot like the intro from Poor Deportee. I can't find any new geniuses let alone really good albums. I think I'm gonna buy the Buck 65 album and start listening to Jill Barber (and give Gillian Welch a more serious try) - at least is sounds a lot different than the usual stuff I hear when i try out "new music". Can't listen to Tempest all year...

Jack of All Parades - thanks for those links and thanks to Invisible Pole for those sites, Pitchfork is beginning to wear me out.

I'll be back - hopefully as a Buck 65 and Jill Barbar-fan :)

- anyway, I ordered the Girls-album Father, Son, Holy Ghost yesterday, which could/should be good.
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VonOfterdingen
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by VonOfterdingen »

I just gave the different tracks a short listen. Buck 65 seems rather essential already (though it's sold out on Amazon), I liked the First Aid Kit song (very She and Him/Jenny Lewis-ish but with a better vocal(s) it seems)- they are playing in Copenhagen tonight actually... The Lee Morgan-tune is cool :)

Gillian Welch also seems like something to buy which makes Jill Barber the hardest sell right now. Of course all based on 2-3 songs only but I like the dinner-music approach. Speaking of Canada, does anyone know a good record-store in Toronto?

And I actually thought of new music myself - as in 2010-2012 artists but this could be even better.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Music recommendations

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

My favourite album this year is Lambchop's Mr M. Like all their music it's slow, understated, and pays endless relistening. It comes across very well live too. And it's opening line wins a prize for opening line of the year: lots of romantic sounding strings followed by Kurt's inimitable tones, 'Don't know what the fuck they talk about'.
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