Album Recomendations

[Dalton]

Ok, so I have a substantial gift certificate to my favorite music store that I need to use soon before it expires. I need some help picking some music.

I need your list of 10 great albums to buy. 5 albums that are more mainstream - bands that a lot of people would recognize their names instantly (please no U2, Radiohead, Oasis, Coldplay, etc.) and 5 albums that are more obscure.

please include a description of the albums - what kind of music is it? who would you compare them too?

I have a very eclectic taste (country AND western even.... ), so feel free to add any type of music to the list.


Thanks for the help and remember, "Friends don't let friends listen to shit music...."

 

[u2popmofo]

I'll be back. Expect me to bring the goods (anything less than the best is a felony).

 

[lmjhitman]

do you want new stuff? old stuff? what?

 

[Dalton]

I'll be back. Expect me to bring the goods (anything less than the best is a felony).

Love it or leave it you better give way...


thanks man - I was counting on you.

lmj - old stuff is fine if it is classic and you expect I don't have it. Thanks,

 

[lmjhitman]

i'm off to work on my assignment.

 

[LJT]

hmm ok

5 Mainstreamish

Absolution by Muse

Used to be heavily compared to Radiohead but personally i think Muse are better, really they are not that much a like to Radiohead, they have a lot more ambition to big, thus their music is very epic and driving, excellent rockers and their quieter ballad type moments are haunting to say the least. Absolution is a Rock Opera in the truest sense, lovely string accompaniments, while Matt Bellamy (lead singer) switches between lead guitar and his grand piano..its thrilling and beautiful ride

Best Tracks: Time is Running Out, Hysteria, Butterflies and Hurricanes

Smile by Brian Wilson

The masterpiece that was 40 years in the making...showing all of Brian Wilson's genius (formerly of The Beach Boys), glorious harmonies galore, with changed arrangements to Good Vibrations (how it was meant to sound).....really its just a beautiful album.

Beast Tracks: Good Vibrations, Surfs Up, Heroes and Villains

Supergrass selftitled

Its just a brilliantly fun album from the get go...not sure who i could compare them to...britpop they be but they survived it, just good fun, Gaz Coombes is a very cool lead singer to.

Best Tracks: Moving, Pumping on Your Stereo, Mary

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips

Psychadellic bubblegum pop..is whats comes into my head...definitey a trippy album but very well crafted songs and just , well i love it

Forever Delayed by the Manic Street Preachers

Its a best of but its all i have, but it is brilliant...some very visceral punk rock moments, to more epic grand songs...but a rockin' band they are and forever shall be..i love the Manics

5 Obscurer albums

Faded Seaside Glamour by Delays

Southampton bands debut...if you like wonderful melodies and harmonies then you will love them, they take a bit of influence from the Finn Brothers mainly Crowded House side of things, they have a cover of I Got You and they are a stomping live act...saw them in a tiny tiny venue and they blew my mind...love them and probably my favourite of the newer bands about, their keyboardist has stated that their new album will piss all over their debut...and with their last single release with the new song Lost in A Melody they look set to do so...their debut even though soon to be eclipsed is wonderfully melancholic, taking you on a cruise and trips to faraway lands.

Best Tracks: Wanderlust, Hey Girl, Nearer than Heaven

Absent Friends by The Divine Comedy

Genius this guy is pure genius....brilliant lyrics, great sense of humour, brilliant voice and Irish oh yeh he is also smaller than Bono...basically Neil Hannon (he is The Divine Comedy) is like Frank Sinatra on drugs with a full guitar band and orchestra backing him...supreme songwriting indeed. You will love it because i say so

Best Tracks: Absent Friends, The Happy Goth, Our Mutual Friend

Kasabian self-titled

Primal Scream/Stone Roses influenced band or dance rave rock as i call it....its got real attitude and another brilliant live act, blasting away all your cares.

Best Tracks: Cut-Off, LSF (Lost Souls Forever), Reason is Treason

Welcome to the North by the Music

Not to everyones taste but a great rock band in my opinion, its what 80s hair metal should have been like...no shit solos...just great danceable rock outs (some Stone Roses influence again but rockier) so some grunge influence too....an album that sadly did not perform well when released..help it perform now.

Best Tracks: Freedom Fighters, Breakin', Bleed From Within

Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid by Elefant

If you know Interpol...well imagine Interpol in pink and you are half way there to understanding this band..same styling of music except infinitely more poppy and not in a bad way...just great music and with a guitarist named Mod well how can you resist?


Best Tracks: Make Up, Bokkie, Love

 

[Dalton]

Thanks LJT,

I have all the mainstream albums you listed, but only Kasbian of the rare ones. I will have to check the other four out.

THanks much

 

[LJT]

Thanks LJT,

I have all the mainstream albums you listed, but only Kasbian of the rare ones. I will have to check the other four out.

THanks much

no problemos tis my pleasure*bows*...definitely check out Delays and The Divine Comedy albums...i would not give them up for anything in the world.....just wondering whereabouts are you from? It makes it easier to decide what you have heard of or not...Europeans would probably consider Kasabian more mainstream music now as such because they are pretty well known where in the states they are still very much unheard of.

 

[Dalton]

Right now I am in Michigan in the US, but I spend a considerable amount of time abroad.

 

[financeguy]

Yeah Neil Hannon AKA The Divine Comedy worth checking out. Get their 'Best of' first. I command you to.

Also:

Mainstream:

(1) Gram Parsons Double CD Best of Collection (Country/rock)

(2) Modern Classics - Paul Weller (Rock)

(3) Best of John Lee Hooker (Blues)

(4) The Sound of the Jam - 25th Anniversary Edition (Rock)

(5) Porcupine - Echo and the Bunnymen (Rock)


Non-mainstream:

(1) Future Sound of London - Dead Cities - an excellent ambient/experimental album

(2) Best of The Associates - early '80s experimental pop duo.

(3) Sunny Border Blue - Kristin Hersch (singer song writer, ex-Throwing Muses)

 

[LJT]

Yeah Neil Hannon AKA The Divine Comedy worth checking out. Get their 'Best of' first. I command you to.

the A Secret History Of...is good, still better to get the albums i reckon and i think Absent Friends is a better beginners album....everything in general by him is excellent though.

 

[hiphop]

If you like piano blues, try get some James Booker.

 

[Dalton]

Mofo, Heartland, Joyful, Zoom, Cujo, EP, don't be bitches - answer the question.

This thing is burning a hole in my pocket ... and if its burning that way, you know my ass is on fyyyyyiiiirrrrrreeee!!11!!! (If you read that last part with Little Richards voice it will be a lot more fun).

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Whoa, ok! I'll give it a whirl. Be right back!

 

[HeartlandGirl]

MAINSTREAM (or my idea of mainstream, at least...):


1. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cold Roses
Nice country-esque double album with some beautiful, poignant songs on it. The Cardinals are a talented group of musicians. Great lyrics in places.

2. Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance
Not sure if you listen to rap or not, but this is my favoritest rap album of all time. Very little rapping about hos and drugs, lots of rapping about life in the dirty South. Cool fiddles and other southern touches (including an appearance by an Atlanta choir) make this a unique rap album.

3. Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible or Lifeblood
I put them under mainstream because of their popularity everywhere but the U.S. Currently my favorite band. If you buy The Holy Bible, you will get a very raw rock album. No love songs, just lots of calling life as it is in all its harsh beauty. Lifeblood is their most recent album. Lots of sweeping sounds and reflective lyrics. I truly believe everyone should own something by Manic Street Preachers.

4. Stereophonics - Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
Another great Welsh band, much more popular in the UK than here. This is their latest album. A straight ahead rocker, lots of energy, great vocals and guitars.

5. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
I was so pleasantly surprised at how good this album is. They're considered screamo by the mainstream press, I suppose, but there is no denying that this album has some terrific songs on it. Very rocking, creative lyrics and song titles. I love listening to this album LOUD. Highly recommended.

OBSCURE:

1. M.I.A. - Arular
She's becoming a lot less obscure now that this album is starting to take off. This album is a cool blend of electronic beats and M.I.A. singing and rapping in a refreshing London accent. It is so much fun to listen to.

2. Hope of the States - The Lost Riots
Another European band. This album is considered apocalyptic by a lot of people. I guess I could see how it makes you feel better about the end of the world. Some heartbreaking, beautiful songs that are sad and uplifting at the same time. Check the thread on them around here for more impressions.

3. Har Mar Superstar - The Handler
A balding, overweight white guy rapping and singing so smoothly, pimp flutes playing in the background and women saying they want to have his babies. Har Mar knows what he is doing and does it well. This album is crazy in all the right ways. I can't think of who I would compare it to! I guess it's a little rap, a little dance, a little R&B, but all done up well.

4. Federico Aubele - Gran Hotel Buenos Aires
An Argentinian guitarist whose music is produced by some of the top players in the electronic scene, D.C.-based Thievery Corporation. Gorgeous Spanish lyrics sung over a tapestry of guitar and tight beats. You can't beat it for something new to listen to.

5. Tiesto - just about anything by him, but especially the In Search of Sunrise series
I put this under obscure because the average American knows jack about trance music. Tiesto is the number 1 ranked DJ in the world several years running, and he definitely deserves it. I love listening to trance while working and driving because of the positivity and the energy it gives me. Definitely worth looking into, and I'd recommend Tiesto highly. (Although anything by Armin Van Buuren will also do ya just fine!)

 

[u2popmofo]

HG's list just stole my lunch money and spent it on awesome.


Yeah, that's a great list. (I liked LJT's also) Mine is coming.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Thanks mo to the fo. I look forward to your list. Try not to put too much shoegazer on it.

I also enjoyed LJT's list, especially this description. pretty much sums it up!

Forever Delayed by the Manic Street Preachers

Its a best of but its all i have, but it is brilliant...some very visceral punk rock moments, to more epic grand songs...but a rockin' band they are and forever shall be..i love the Manics

 

[gareth brown]

currently on my spinner...

1. Devo - 'Q. Are we Not Men? A. We are Devo'
2. Polysics - 'POLYSICS OR DIE!!!!' or 'NEU'
3. Average White Band - Self Titled or 'The Essential Collection', either are brilliant.

 

[lmjhitman]

alright. here goes:

obscure stuff

broken social scene – you forgot it in people (2002)
when ‘windsurfing nation’ drops in october, it will be every indie kid’s wet dream (including mine). get yourself primed with this one. ambient, experimental, post-rock. the bassline on ‘stars and sons’ is sublime and ‘lover’s spit’ makes life worth living.

stars – set yourself on fire (2004)/heart (2003)
i believe i’m legally obligated to recommend stars, i love them so much. while ‘heart’ just barely edges past ‘set yourself on fire’ as the better album, SYOF has ‘ageless beauty’, which is the shimmeriest, prettiest song i’ve heard in, well, ages. stars are an offshoot of the bss collective, but they are more pop than post-rock. the back-and-forth vocals of torq campbell and amy millan give the songs a romantic, relationshippy feel, though many of them are about breaking up. tracks to try: ‘ageless beauty’, ‘elevator love letter’, and ‘set yourself on fire’.

spoon – gimme fiction (2005)
this is just a really great cd, and it gets better every time i listen to it. simple pop/rock songs, nothing fancy. good stuff. tracks to try: ‘sister jack’, ‘my mathematical mind’, and ‘the infinite pet’.

sufjan stevens – come on feel the illinoise (2005)
epic, intimate, staggeringly ambitious – how else can i describe this cd? it’s tagged as ‘folk’ but, if i had to label it, i’d guess it’s more indie-pop than folk. there are some gorgeous songs on here, like ‘john wayne gacy, jr.’ and ‘concerning the ufo sighting…’. a friend of mine said that some of the songs sound like they’re part of a high school musical, but in a good way, y’know? and bonus points for the hilariously long song titles.

metric – old world underground, where are you now? (2003)
because today i just bought tickets to see them in october, because they were doing the whole retro dance-rock revival thing before franz ferdinand or the killers, and are still better. and because their lead singer emily haines’ voice is just

mainstream stuff

yeah, this list seemed a lot harder to come up with. anyway…

the arcade fire – funeral (2004)
if you’ve gone to, or will go to a U2 show this year, you’ll already know ‘wake up’ is the song that everyone’s talking about. but guess what? it’s not even the best song on the cd! try 'neighbourhood #2 (laika)' or 'rebellion (lies)' or ‘in the backseat’, and you’ll know what i mean. the arcade fire seriously do not sound like anyone out there right now. sure win butler may at times sound like whats-his-name from modest mouse, but that’s where it ends. earlier this year, Q magazine said, ‘it's so out of step with most indie rock it's as if it's been beamed from outer space.’

wilco – yankee hotel foxtrot (2002)
i’m ashamed to admit, i came to the wilco party a bit late, not finding the alt-country tag very endearing. but this album is amazing, and not country-sounding at all. ‘i am trying to break your heart’, ‘ashes of american flags’, ‘poor places’, ‘reservations’ and my personal favourite, ‘pot kettle black’ – jeff tweedy really knows how to put together a song.

interpol – antics (2004)
oh wait. it’s interpol that i’m legally obligated to recommend.
i guess the post-punk/joy division comparison has been done to death, but interpol does NOT make you want to slit your wrists. i love ‘turn on the bright lights’ (i read a review describing it as the ramones covering ok computer. ha!), but i absolutely ADORE ‘antics’. almost every song on this cd has been my favourite at some point. the jangly guitar, the delicious basslines, and paul banks’ deadpan voice definitely have me swooning.

muse – origin of symmetry (2001)/absolution (2003)
is a mandatory radiohead comparison required here? ok, at times, muse sounds like an amped up, bends-era radiohead. now that that’s out of the way, these guys really rock at what they do, with their wicked, fat bass and matt bellamy’s operatic voice. check out ‘newborn’, ‘stockholm syndrome’ and ‘hysteria’.

death cab for cutie – transatlanticism (2003)
ben gibbard’s unique voice and some pretty pop music. i like ‘title and registration’ and the title track is heartwrenching.



this was fun. hope it helps and let us know what you decided to get in the end.

 

[u2popmofo]

Here are some that came to me right now, ones I'm presently quite happy with.


Mainstream/More Known:

- The Jesus and Mary Chain - '21 Singles'
I only got this compilation CD recently, but I was completely won over by it just yesterday. Fantasticly unique and influential band that employed the use of noise rock with pop to make some incredibly enjoyable/rocking/catchy/awesome stuff.

- The Cure - 'Disintegration'
A classic, one of my favorite albums ever. Epic, dark, hypnotic, mesmerizing, and even (gasp) poppy in some instances. If you already have this, I will then force you to get 'Head on the Door' (their most straight forward pop album) or 'Pornography' (the closest they ever came to actually being "goth").

- Bjork - 'Homogenic' or 'Greatest Hits'
Such a unique voice and style, such great music. Everyone needs to have some Bjork in their collection. The greatest hits is an extremely good place to start, but if you dont like compilations 'Homogenic' is probably my favorite album at the moment.

- The Clash - 'London Calling'
After all this time, this is still probably my all time favorite album. This is by no means a straight forward punk rock album (which seems to be off putting to a lot of people at first, including myself). The Clash mixed so many different kinds of music and genres into this album, there really is something for everyone and every mood. If you already have this, the double disc 'The Essential Clash' compilation would be a great way to get a good overview of their work.

- Manic Street Preachers - 'The Holy Bible'
No, I'm not just copying HG with this. This really has become one of my favorite rock albums ever over the short course of the last few months. This album is incredibly fueled, angry, powerful, and rocking. I even think it's worth it if you can only find the deluxe edition, it's totally worth the price. (I agree that Lifeblood is another good pick to go with if you cant find/get/already have The Holy Bible).



Lesser known/Obscure:

- The Shins - both albums
If you dont have them, just go get them. Pretty much the best pop being made out there in my book. Nothing else needs to be said.

- My Bloody Valentine - 'Loveless'
(Shoegaze alert, sorry HG) I suppose you could say they were mainstreamish, but I find that most people these days havent heard them before, havent heard of them before, or know nothing about the genre they defined. This album is more or less always considered the best album of the shoegaze genre (though I flip flop between it and Ride's 'Nowhere' album), and was insanely influential. My Bloody Valentine mixed noise pop with dream pop to make an album where the lyrics/vocals are much less important than the atmosphere and moods created by the songs. If you've never heard this album before, I can virtually guarantee it will not sound like anything else in your collection.

- Portishead - 'Dummy'
I guess this is mainstream, they were played on the radio (to an extent), but most people I know have never heard them or heard of them. This album knocked me over like a baseball bat to the head when I first heard it, amazing. Trip hop beats, beautiful guitars, dark and creepy atmospheres, gorgeous arrangements, and incredible singing.

- Mogwai - 'Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996-2003'
Mogwai is probably tied with Sigur Ros as my most favorite post-rock group. They're Scottish and their music is almost entirely instrumental and absolutely laden with huge crescendos and beautiful melodies. This is more or less a "best of" compilation of tracks, they're just taken from live cuts. I recommended this CD to a friend, he emailed me immediately after first listening to it and asked me to tell him everything about Mogwai and what I'd recommend next. If you have it, album-wise 'Young Team' is probably my fav.

- Gang of Four - 'Entertainment'
Yet another "I suppose they were mainstream, but I'm doubting most anyone knows who they are or has heard them before". They're also another "insanely influential/genre defining" group, and this is their masterpiece. This album came out in 1979, and has since become the blueprint for the majority of danceable post-punk music (in the past: Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers/ Presently: Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Bloc Party, etc. all show some major influence from these guys/this album). It's incredibly solid and enjoyable, worth grabbing (it was just rereleased as a "Rhino Expanded" edition with a large number of bonus tracks, I recommend this version)

 

[HeartlandGirl]

lmj and mofo should be album reviewers! What vocabulary!

I'm glad y'all put Death Cab and Bjork on there. I considered them and would also endorse the purchase of anything by them. Like mofo said, 'Homogenic' is great. I'd also give big ups to 'Post.' 'Dummy' by Portishead and 'Antics' by Interpol also rate highly in my book. Y'all are some awesome music fans!

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm glad y'all put Death Cab and Bjork on there. I considered them and would also endorse the purchase of anything by them. Like mofo said, 'Homogenic' is great. I'd also give big ups to 'Post.' 'Dummy' by Portishead and 'Antics' by Interpol also rate highly in my book. Y'all are some awesome music fans!

Likewise, I also considered recommending MIA, Hope of the States, Interpol, and Death Cab. Glad some others did.

I agree, this was a fun "exercise" if you can call it that. HG can confirm this, it took me over an hour to type up my list..... Fun to read other people's lists and get some other recommendations and insight into albums/bands you dont know of!

 

[timothius]

Instead of reccomending 5/5 - I will do 4/4 because I feel so strongly about the three albums per catagory I have selected. I have selected mostly compo's for the mainstream - and hidden gems for the obscure.

1. Midnight Oil - 20,000 Watt R.S.L

This compilation is awesome. Very up-tempo, guitar driven rock - with unique vocal work Peter Garrett. Definatly the best rock group to come out of Australia. Their catalogue is sooooooo much deeper than Beds Are Burning I promise you.

2. Recurring Dream: The Very Best Of... - Crowded House (Best Complitation Ever)

I worship this album. This album is the greatest collection of songwriting ever put on CD. Neil Finn is the worlds most under rated singer/songwriter & the Crowdies are the most underrated band of all time. See the samples I have posted in the Crowded House thread no the last 2 pages.

3. Pacifier - Pacifier

This 2002 release is IMO the pinacle of popular rock post 1993-4. The album does die slightly towards the end - but the opening 9 or so tracks more than make up for it. Thougtful lyrics being driven by what is generally regarded the best live act in the southern hemisphere.

4. Hunters & Collectors - Living In Large Rooms & Living Rooms

One of my favourite live compilations ever. This is Australia's answer to Crowded House. It's an okay attempt. Holy Grail is wicked. Throw Your Arms Around Me is one of the top 10 songs ever written.


1. Split Enz - Second Thoughts (Mental Notes in Northen Hemisphere)

Produced in 1974 by Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music. Trying to play anything of this album is difficult because of the artistic nature everything is bizzarely tuned and has about 7 different time signature changes. It still blows my mind every time I listen.

2. Crowded House - Together Alone (Best Album Ever)

I know I said them before. This is a completely unpoppy record. Full of atmospherics - produced by Youth (Killing Joke) it is an absolutely breath taking record. If I reccommend anything this is it. It is my favourite album of all time.

3. Neil Finn - One Nil (One All in America)

Wicked. Thoughtful, exploritory, experimental yet still secretly melodic. This album is droolworthy.

4. Shihad - The General Electric

4 Hardcore rockers trying to be experimental... they succeed. The songs Pacifier, The General Electric & The Brightest Star. They are slightly Museish... but a helluva a lot better.

Hopefully I have helped

 

[learn2kneel]

Copeland - Beneath Medicine Tree

Incredibly emotional album, amazing lyrics, outstanding vocals. It was written after the guys grandmother and girlfriend had just died, and all the emotion pours through, but it still is hopefull and uplifting at times.

Death Cab for Cutie - The Photo Album

This has most of my favorite songs from DCFC on it, from Blacking Out The Friction to Styrofoam Plates to Movie Script Ending. A collection of fantastic indie rock.

Sleeping At Last - Ghosts

If your a fan of U2, you'll probably like this. I know the guys personally and they're huge U2 fans and the influence is obvious, they're music is very atmospheric and has anthem like choruses.

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity

A breakthrough CD for the indie pop world. Beautiful lush atmospheres. Sonically one of my all time favorites. Don't judge Jimmy based on their recent "pop songs", this cd is amazing!

Sufjan Stevens - Illinios

It's been mentioned before on this thread, but I can't stop talking about this CD. It'll probably be near the top of my list of favorite albums for a long time.

Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary

Want some intense, early 90's, cutting edge, indie rock. I'd start here, they influenced so many bands.

The Good Life - Black Out

This is some really experimental, indie stuff coming out of Omaha from the singer of Cursive. Lots of electronica going on and its really bleak at times, but its a very rewarding listen. Give it a try!

 

[elevation2u]

glad to ssee some of the ones i was going to recommend are already listed saves me time

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springstee
for those who haven't heard it or disregard it because they're not a springsteen fan i really do recommend you give this album a listen...don;t expect to like it right away give it a chance and it might just grow on you. Lyrics are very very good..in style of storytelling, very working class perspective, stories about hope, loss, love, streets and the people who navigate through them. Great variety of fast energy songs and also slow, darker ones. one of my faves. wonderful blend of guitars, powerful drums, cool saxaphone, piano, organs and more guitar


I'm wide awake it's morning by Bright Eyes
came out at the beginning of this year and definitely one of my all time favorites. A folk/alternative/indie album by Singer/songwriter Conor Oberst who is constantly compared to Bob dylan due to his eloquent, flwoing words. But he's no dylan jr. he has definitely crafted his own unique bittersweet writing style.


Deloused in the Comatorium by the Mars Volta
i didnt know what to think of this album at first, i had been an At The Drive-In fan so when I heard a sound that was completely different I was dumbfounded. sure enough this album slithered through my pores to where i couldnt get enough of it. very very different from other music, i've heard it described as "led zeppelin meets rush meets santana"..but even that doesnt cut it.


Five leaves left by Nick Drake
I think drake only made around 3 albums [this one i think came out 1967] before he tragically commited suicide, but regardless in my opinion is one very good record. beautiful, mornful lyrics and nice music to accompany it. to me it's like a blend of iron&wine, elliot smith & norah jones.

The queen is dead by the Smiths
oen of my all time favorite artists, wonderfully written cynical & mournful songs by none other by the mopey Morrissey but still nicely filled with driving simply guitar melodies and a sweet, crooning voice. one of the best bands of the 80s.

Marquee Moon by Television
a big influence on U2, very noticeable in Boy..especially The edge's guitar playing.
very cool punk album.

Proxima Estacion by Manu Chao
though most of his songs are in spanish there are also songs in english and french....im not a reggae fan but this is as close as i get to it. in my opinion one of the coolest 'world' music out there, great simple driven melodies, great voice & atmosphere. for anyone willing to expand their music library this is a good place to start.

Blood on the tracks by bob dylan
my fave dylan album, full of those wonderful long, elaborative lyrics..wonderful stuff here, for anyone who hasnt given folk music a try this is a good place to start.

a bit of electronic/hip hop w/o the lyrics kinda music

Entroducing by DJ Shadowjust give it a try
Deadringer by rjd2 listen to this, good beats
Play by Moby one of my fave albums ever



more obvious recommendations but im lazy
kid a - radiohead
joy division- closer
elvis costello - king of america
kind of blue - miles davis
exile on main st- rolling stones

 

[elevation2u]

wow i reread the first paragraph and i must apologize for the horrible grammar/typos etc...
i swear it's this laptop's keyboard it's much tooo smooth and the letters aren't raised so it's like one big buttong and also I'm too lazy to search through my post and edit

 

[jacobus]

Rammstein
Herzeleid :: Sehnsucht :: Mutter :: Reise, Reise

Queens Of The Stone Age
Songs For The Deaf + Lullabies To Paralyze

Morrissey
Southpaw Grammar [] You Are the Quarry

T.Rex
Electric Warrior () The Slider

 

[kosull]

Mainstream Classics:
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
The greatest album ever, by a mile. If anyone doesn't get it, read Jack Kerouac's On The Road and then listen. Best tracks are Like A Rolling Stone, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, and Ballad Of A Thin Man. Wonderful music.

Led Zeppelin - IV
Just because, no matter who tells you it's cliched and old, it's still magnificent, if only for the drum at the start of When The Levee Breaks or the guitar on Black Dog and Rock n Roll.

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
I'm not a Stones fan really at all, but this album is just pure class. To start with the riff from Brown Sugar and end with a song as weird but wonderful as Moonlight Mile is just excellent. Plus Wild Horses and Dead Flowers along the way. Touch of class.

The Band - The Band
I'd forgotten how much I liked this until I listened to it again the other day, but if you say you like a touch of country, then pick this up. It's their second album and though people say Music From Big Pink was more influential, I prefer this one. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, King Harvest, and Rocking Chair are classics.

The Strokes - Is This It
Why the hell not buy it? Great album. It was a toss up between this and Arcade Fire for the more recent classic recommendation, but since someone else recommended Arcade Fire, I'll go with this. Yes, it's derivative, yes some people think it's very samey throughout, but who cares. It's a great album full of tunes and, at only 36-odd minutes, not a burden in any way. Stand-outs are The Modern Age, Someday, and Hard To Explain.


Left-of-Centre Rcommendations:
Richmond Fontaine - The Fitzgerald
By far and away my favourite album of the last few years, and one of my favourites in my entire collection. Released on their own label, and based around a fictional American town about which they've written 11 songs of pure genius. The words are wonderful, particularly The Janitor, Making It Back, and Welhorn Yards. Paints a story in a song. Sounds a bit like Springsteen's Nebraska just because it's quiet, but is definitely superior.

Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate - The Heart of The Moon
The latest album in which Toure and Diabate collaborate. Toure's a legendary Malian guitar player while Diabate plays the kora, a kind of harp-like instrument that sounds absolutely beautiful. There's twelve tracks on this, all recorded in one take in a mobile studio on the banks of the river Niger in Bamako, Mali... well you can see where I'm going with this. Absolutely brilliant and leads me to...

Tinariwen - Amassakoul
Another great Malian album by a band of former guerrilla-fighting nomads with electric guitars, amazing percussion, great vocals, and some really cool approaches. Again the atmosphere is amazing, and the percussion just keeps the songs driving along. The stand-outs on this one are definitely Amassakoul n Tenere, Amidinin and Chet Boghassa (which has one of the best basslines I've ever heard).

Lambchop - AwCmon/NoYouCmon
Double album from Lambchop last year (or two albums depending on what you read) that's full of great tunes and great song-titles. Steve McQueen, Something's Going On, and Four Pounds In Two Days are my stand-outs on this. It's got a very unusual sound and the vocals are either like em or not, but it's definitely worth at least one listen. Sounds like chilled-out country topped with a string-quartet and played by whatever number of members there is in the band (13 I think). Very cool.


And a compilation to top it off:
Meridian 1970
Compiled by British music journalist Jon Savage, this is a collection of non-hits from bad albums or by relatively unknown bands from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Has some great tracks on here from The Doobie Brothers (Nobody), The Move (Message From The Country) and Loudon Wainwright III (Black Uncle Remus). Some great stuff that I'd never have heard elsewhere, including, amazingly, an excellent version of Man Of Constant Sorrow by Rod Stewart!

ENJOY!

 

[Dalton]

Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate - The Heart of The Moon
The latest album in which Toure and Diabate collaborate. Toure's a legendary Malian guitar player while Diabate plays the kora, a kind of harp-like instrument that sounds absolutely beautiful. There's twelve tracks on this, all recorded in one take in a mobile studio on the banks of the river Niger in Bamako, Mali... well you can see where I'm going with this. Absolutely brilliant and leads me to...

one of my favorite albums ever. Good selection. I have all your mainstream albums, but I will check out a few of the "left" of center albums.

Keep em coming....

 

[U2@NYC]

4. Federico Aubele - Gran Hotel Buenos Aires
An Argentinian guitarist whose music is produced by some of the top players in the electronic scene, D.C.-based Thievery Corporation. Gorgeous Spanish lyrics sung over a tapestry of guitar and tight beats. You can't beat it for something new to listen to.