Be Excellent To Each Other

I like rambling on about music from time to time, so here is a thread in why I, and others, can do just that.

First topic of conversation from me would be albums that I have listened to and enjoyed recently (or even currently).

My current album of choice is "Red" by Guillemots. Some parts of it are thoroughly excellent, especially "Kriss Kross*", "Cockateels" and "Get Over It". Some very stirring and symphonic moments, and I love the samba rhythms on "Cockateels".

My previous heavy rotation iPod album was Mike Doughty's "Golden Delicious". The former singer from 'Soul Coughing' has been solo for a while, but I think this might be his most polished record since he left the band. It is, admittedly, pandering to a far more MOR audience than his previous work (Soul Coughing being wonderfully alternative), but it has a great deal of charm to it, in my opinion at least. That said, it has not been particularly well received in terms of reviews. Standout tracks would be "Fort Hood", "I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress To Keep On Dancing" and "Like a Luminous Girl".

I also also recently coem by new CDs by Hot Chip, We Are Scientists, Turin Brakes, MGMT and Panic at the Disco. I shall have to see what I think of them.



















*Pre-emptive strike: it may or may not make you 'Jump, jump' based on your musical tastes.

I like the one about the monkey by Hot Chip. Is the rest of the album as good?

I am unsure. The only song I have listened to properly is "Ready for the Floor", which is ace. I would have listened more, but the Guillemots have a mental hold over me and force me to stick their album on repeat.

Oogh. So many bands to talk about.

I haven't heard Red by the Guillemotts yet. I've got Through the Window Pane, which I think is mighty good and I really love their song 'Annie Lets Not Wait'. I also quite like We Are Scientists too, but haven't heard MGMT yet.

Great new stuff (to me) that I've been listening to recently - Sam Cooke (who I was inspired to listen to thanks to the Witness soundtrack), Camera Obscura (Lloyd I'm Ready is one of the bestest songs of recent years) John Adams modern classical music, King Creosote and others that I'll think of later only I have to go home now. Excellent.

Discosis by Bran Van 3000 is awesomesauce on CD.

Bran Van did something other than Drinking in LA, then? You wouldn't have known.

I would have known as I have 2 of their cds. They want them back. Arf.

I have the song "Let's Get Out of this Country" by Camera Obscura. They seem (off the basis of that song) a nice twee-pop band in the mould of B&S. Would that be accurate, or was that a one-off?

I'd definitley recommend the Guillemots new album.

I would hesitate to recommend MGMT as yet, as having only heard bits they sound quite different from track to track, but rarely very good (and the one that sounds like the Scissor Sisters is horrible!).

Lately I am mostly listening to the new Autechre album, bits of the Battles album, bits of the 2nd MIA album, the most recent Do Make Say Think album, and Scott 4 by Scott Walker.

I've also finally remembered to connect my iPod and put new ('purchases') onto it, which instantly makes my daily life 1090% better.

I do like 'Lloyd I Think I'm Ready' or whatever it's called, but exactly nothing else by Camera Obscura.

Does anyone here likes Rise Against?

It was the band that rekindled my interest in Punk after i got bored with it 10 years ago. Unfortunately i still couldn't find any relatively new as good as that (comeback kid comes close), because i'm starting to get bored of the same albums. Any recommendations?

Since getting married I've been listening to a lot of country. The wife grew up with it and loves it, being from the Southern US and all. It's lucky that I like it. The country station was always my favourite in San Andreas and I'd dabbled with it here and there. It's actually been really good to have someone who knows what's what in the genre, as it's completely baffling. (Especially when Shania fucking Twain is listed as a country artist.)

And The Mavericks....

I thought they were listed as a 'cunty' artist?

I really like the new Autechre record, its definitely the best since LP5, is nice to hear more of the ambient bits like on Amber coming back into their sound. I highly recommend the new Meat Beat Manifesto album that comes out next week too. Huge evolution from their early rave/acid house roots, they're getting more and more into electro dub/hip-hop, which I like a lot.

And Scott 4 FTW. You heard his latest albums? CHRIST, what is going on in that man's dark head? Crackers! (but brilliant)

My favourite non-weirdo band of last year is definitely Woven Hand. Soulful alt-country done to perfection, incredible live too.

What country stuff do you like at the moment? I know a bit about it...
Recommendations would be Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, Steve Earle, and for more recent stuff Uncle Tupelo, or any of the bands that split from them.

Can't be doing with the pop/country nonsense, I tend to stick to the older stuff.

This week I've been mostly listening to 'Just like the Fambly Cassette', demos from Grandaddy's last album. It's available to download from Jason Lytle's webpage.

also some Jay Reatard, a bit of Swervedriver and an old SOB bootleg (thanks Metal thread!)

I got the new Collector's Edition of 'It's a Shame about Ray' by The Lemonheads today, which includes demos of the album tracks and a bonus DVD. Lovely. My copy is allegedly "signed", but given the state of the scrawl on the booklet it could've been anyone that signed it. I suppose it looks a bit like "ED" if you squint a bit. And imagine the letters "E" and "D" in your mind's eye.

that camera obscura song has a similar sound to what my sister and brother in laws band sound like, so I may aswell big them up a little.

http://www.myspace.com/minotaurs

and a quick search around there youll find my myspace and shit songs.

Yep this is good stuff

I quite like that Get Over It song.

I am thinking of going to see The Long Blondes when they play Leeds uni next week, unless it sold out already like the Faversham gig had.

I am also liking the Horrorpops, though I only have one CD, and they have made two more since.

Also: Gillian Welch, Carter family, The Handsome Family, Merle Haggard, anything bluesgrass by Dolly Parton (no, really, she does amazing bluesgrass) and Charlie Patton to name a few others. I'll remember more in a minute. Your choices up there are pretty excellent by the way. Cardiff Central Library has a fairly decent music collection actually, due to the sterling efforts of fellow music librarian Ellie who herself is the lead in the splendid Cardiff americana country band 'The Silver Spurs'.

Spot on about the Dolly Parton bluegrass stuff. There's a lot of country singers who have some amazing stuff, and some terrible commercial stuff - to be honest I'd put Merle Haggard in that category as well. I was trying to reccomend people who are more or less consistent, which is why I didn't mention Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, or Bobby Bare...

Other good stuff - Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Cowboy Junkies, John Prine, and Buddy and Julie Miller.

Listened to Helter Skelter this morning on my way into work. Awesome Acid.

These 'LP's get played heavily at the moment:

James Brown - Make It Funky: The Big Payback 1971-1975
Thom Yorke - Eraser
Aphex Twin - Melodies from Mars
4Hero - Play with the Changes

I don't know if I'm being terribly middle of the road here, but I heard Gabriella Cilmi on Radio 2 the other day, and I was muchly tickled by her lovely voice. Like Amy Whinehouse but without being desperately annoying.

I'm a bit of a rocker/metal head though I'll listen to loads of weird shit.
I seem to be listening to the radio more atm than anything else which worries me.

Ben Folds-esque shenanigans from The Mike Brown Band. Catchy stuff. Different kind of vocals and the bass isn't as prominent as in BFF, but they're worth checking out if you like Mister Folds (and what kind of fool doesn't?).

More love for Camera Obscura here. Their album is wonderful.

For the country liking folk, you're probably already aware but you can download every episode of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour here.

EDIT - Anyone feeling short on joy should get The Go Team - Proof of Youth.

I bought Thunder Lightning Flash, and felt it was a poor man's Avalanches mixed with sub-Salt 'n' Peppa rapping.

I love it when you have your iPod (or similar) on shuffle, and you come across a track that you haven't heard in a while. This then causes you to take the Pod out of shuffle mode and listen to the whole album several times in a row.

This happened to me yesterday with the marvellous, "The Spinto Band". Their album, 'Nice and Nicely Done' is possibly the best indie-pop album of the past however many years. Up there with the likes of The New Pornographers and anyone else who is in that genre and who is awesome.

Highly recommended if you like smiling.

Ive never been a fan of spinto band but I live the song brown boxes, again to promote my sisters band, around the time spinto band came out there band had a song that was eerily clsoe to one of spinto bands, actually is that promoting, im making sound liek a bunch of thieves, I cant remember what songs its was though, Im sure the video was stuff to do with ice.

Oh, thank you for saying that. I really dig "Bottle Rocket" lots, especially the last bit of it. 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - 10!.

But beyond that, I found it to be embarassingly overrated and a mite rubbish. Same with the 2nd album - the 2nd track, 'Doing It Right', I really like. I have no time for the rest of it.

Still! Queen's first two albums were shite, so there's hope yet.

That's exactly why I like it!

And the third was gold.

Bump!

As an apology.

I'll atom smash the other thread!

Stuff I love at the moment:

OLD
Orbital - Brown Album: Absolute classic, can make you cry on the right concoctions.
The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us: Monstrous Psychobilly Punk Rock.
Snuff - flibbiddydibbiddydob: Punk covers that will have your toes a tappin' and your face a grinnin'

NEW
Thom Yorke - The Eraser: I keep banging on about this but it great, also I find Radiohead meh, weird.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarous Dig!!!: Not as heavy as Grinderman but still rocks, and indeed rolls.

Can anyone suggest anything else I may like based on these lovelies?

I am going to see The Long Blondes tonight. I'll be sure to let everyone know how great/rubbish it was.

Well?

Erm.. Tom Waits's's's' Bone Machine is fucking fab. Dunno whether yow'd loike it though.

Zardoz, you might like the Horrorpops, or they might be too fragile for your Cramped style.

Lately i've been eager to try some progressive rock classics. Any recommendations? What are the best albums by Rush and Camel?

Fans of the genre "house-music-with-great-production-and-real-instuments" would do well to check out an intimate gig that Hybrid are doing this weekend in Brixton.
Here's the gig: http://www.ents24.com/web/event/1487728 ... Audio.html
And here's a little bit of Hybrid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z0CiLbUvi0

Rush fucking rule. Definitely get hold of Moving Pictures and Signals. They are both fantastic albums.

Other classic Prog:

King Crimson - Red
Yes - Close To The Edge
Goblin - Suspiria Soundtrack

That's a good starting block, it gets even weirder and better (IMO) when you get into European avantgarde stuff like Amon Duul, Magma and Univers Zero. Also modern bands like The Cancer Conspiracy (total King Crimson worship), Upsilon Acrux, Orthrelm etc are also superb.

Talking of King Crimson (one of the few prog groups I like), you should also get In The Court of the Crimson King and Starless and Bible Black as well as Red

ever get one of those moments where you instinctively dislike a band but then you hear a song and it's good enough that you can't dislike them anymore?

currently:

Laser Hannon by Cutting Pink With Knives

hardcore/noisecore (what?) mixed with 80s style synth pop with screamo (look I'm sorry okay?) vocals. I really like it and I'm not sure why.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-52EP7XAzs

did take a couple of listens though.

If it's punk covers you're after, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes and Oizone should do the trick.

The Long Blondes were great. They hit the ground running, and sounded brill live. They played a lot of new stuff which I didn't know, but it was really good. I ordered the CD.

There are some super-blurry phone camera pics on my flickr.

Kate is gorgeous.

Moonmadness is a good Camel album. Nice and chilled out, a bit Dark Side of the Moon-ey in places. I've only got 2112 by Rush, but that's also a good one.

I'm currently listening to Broken English by Marianne Faithfull. It's a very short album, but there're some good tracks on there. Her voice was completely fucked by this stage, so it's very much an acquired taste.

I quite liked that, for the synths. They gave it a pleasing oddness.

Three choice cuts I'm listening to at the moment from me, Mr Music Librarian.

St. Vincent - Marry Me

Discordent, weird but beautiful hurtful pop from Polyphonic Spree backing singing. The song Apocalypse is just awesome with its jagged stop-startiness and novel use of strings. The title track is cruel and funny ("Marry me John, marry me John, I'll be so good to you - you won't realise I'm gone, you won't realise I'm gone...") and the album tricksey but compelling.

Darjeeling Ltd - soundtrack

Lots of really good early Bollywood music on here. Takes a while to get used to but ultimately on a par with the other Anderson soundtracks. Lots of excellent Satyajit Ray and that awesome Peter Sarsdadt song 'Where Do You Go to My Lovely'. Perfect stuff for summer picnics when they come, basically.

Yo Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble - New Imposibilities

Yo Yo Ma is pretty much always a no-brainer when it comes to choice. With The Silk Road Ensemble he becomes even more irresistable. Great sweeping epic music ala Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - but a bit more playful and fun. One of those albums that suddenly makes whatever your doing seem stupidly epic, even if its just washing the dishes.

This one sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.