Listening to bands get better and better and better.

[MrBrau1]

Don't ya just love it? When a band you've been listening to for ages just gets better and better. It's a rare thing nowadays.

I'm on a MASSIVE Charlatans kick, and I can't belive what I'm hearing.

"Some Friendly" was nice and stylish. "Spronston Green" being the true standout. Lots of funk and flash, but few really great songs to hang them on. Hammond organ leading the way.

Then with "Between 10 and 11th" they throw in some keys, and you see potential. Not quite great yet, but there are signs.

"Up To Our Hips" is looser. They've starting to find their groove. Not quite there yet, but now you can really see it coming. Style is starting to give way to well grounded songs. "Can't Get Out Of Bed" and 'Jesus Hairdo." The singer is actually learning how to write songs to suite his voice, and the band find their strengths.

"The Charlatans" is the watershed. Legs are being stretched. Acoustic guitars appear. Hammond organ and keys are now piano lines. The songs really start to play to strengths. Spots are carefully picked. Sense of purpose is established. Now you can really see it. "Just Lookin", "Tell Everyone", "Just When You're Thinking Things Over", "Here Comes A Soul Saver." This little style band is digging soul music, and they've found a way to make it work.

"Telling Stories" perfection. Fucking perfection. This little manchester dance band is now writing epic rock and roll songs. Grooving harder than ever, with perfect economy. Emotional resonance. Wild playing. Background vocals? in a Charlatans song? The funk is deeper, supporting the song, instead of being the song. "With No Shoes", "North Country Boy", "Telling Stories", "How Can You Leave Us", "Only Teethin." The list of great songs gets longer.

"Us And Us Only" when they go retro, it's supposed to be shit. Not their best album. Oh well, rules were made to be broken. Piano and acoustic blues. Pop songs with soul and style. Too many gems to mention, along with one of the best songs ever: "The Blind Stagger."

"Wonderland" The LA disco record. Don't dig it.

"Up At The Lake" I thought they already perfected perfection, then they drop this thing. Forming a career worth of sound into 1 album. Only now they've been writing and recording for 15 years. They're becoming masters. And it sounds like it. Fluid pop and rock with moving hips. Guitars, pianos, organs, and harmonies.

"Simpatico" they went reggae. And it blew.

They might just the best UK band of the last 17 years. Oasis and Radiohead should take notes.

Don't ya just love it? Who have you been listening to for ages? and how do they keep impressing you?

 

[namkcuR]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Their 80s-stuff - Self-titled, Freaky Styley, Uplift Mofo Party Plan - was fun but not really that good other than a song here and a song there.

Mother's Milk was better....melody was slowly working its way into the RHCP's output, and Frusciante and Smith were now on board after Hillel Slovak's death and the original drummer's subsequent departure.

Blood Sugar Sex Magic was/is a seminal record. One of the best records of the 90s. "Breaking The Girl", "Funky Monks", "I Could Have Lied", "Mellowship...", "Righteous And The Wiked","Blood Sugar Sex Magik", "The Greeting Song", "Sir Psycho Sexy", and of course, "Under The Bridge". The RHCP had come of age with one of the defining records of the 90s. The extended instrumental jam outro of "Sir Psycho Sexy" still blows me away. This is one of those records that just speaks for itself, so...

One Hot Minute was made with Dave Navarro during the absence of Frusciante as a result of his deep heroine addiction. Musically, the RHCP were more or less at a standstill with this record. It's not a great record but, despite the (undeserved) flack it recieves, there are still a handful of good tracks on it..."Warped" is incredible, it is The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" meets U2's "The Fly", and was, I think, one of the most musically complex songs RHCP had released up to that point(not that it's a complex song, just by RHCP standards). "Aeroplane" is catchy as hell. "My Friends" is the best song on the record - RHCP do things with melody and harmony on this song that they had never done prior to it. "Tearjerker" and "Falling Into Grace" were good too.

Californication will always be remembered as two things: First, as John Frusciante's successful comeback record; Second, as the record on which the RHCP fully embraced the idea of pop music. Or as U2 calls it, 'rock music with pop sensibilities'. If I'm in the right mood, Californication is RHCP's best record. With songs like "Scar Tissue", "Otherside", "Californication", "Easily", "Parallel Universe", "This Velvet Glove", and "Savior", RHCP proved they could finally write an album full of songs built around melody and harmony and instrumentation, in which Keidis sings most of the time and "raps" here and there, instead of the other way around. With songs like "Around The World", "Get On Top", "Purple Stain", and "Right On Time", however, they proved they could also still do rap-rock with the best of them. And with "Road Trippin" AKA The Most Unbelievably Fucking Gorgeous Song Ever To Wear The RHCP Tag, the RHCP proved that they could write a real honest to god beginning to end no-busting-out-with-a-jam-at-the-end fully acoustic ballad with real honest to god lyrics that actually mean something and have some depth to them(haha, if you read just that last sentence, you'd think I hate RHCP...I love RHCP).

By The Way was far and away the most purely 'pop' record RHCP ever made. "Dosed", in fact, might be the single best pure pop song in the entire RHCP catalog. "Universally Speaking", "The Zeypher Song", "Can't Stop", "Midnight", "Tear", "On Mercury", "Warm Tape", and "Venice Queen", along with the aforementioned "Dosed", showcase RHCP with Frusciante in the (songwriting)lead, giving us "Cure"-like experimental instrumentation(think of the bridge in "Universally Speaking") intertwined with "Beatles"-like melody and harmony(ok they're not as good as Beatles songs but I couldn't think of a more apt comparison at the moment), and firing on all cylinders doing it. This record is a full 180 degrees from where the band started in the 80s.

Stadium Arcadium is epic. This record shows the (relatively) newfound diversity of the RHCP. From old-school rap-rock("Hump De Bump", "Readymade") to BSSM-era alternative rock("Charlie", "Torture Me", "Storm In A Teacup", "Turn It Again") to Californication-era pop-rock("Dani California", "She's Only 18", "Espcially In Michigan", "Desecration Smile", "21st Century", "Made You Feel Better") to Californication-era Scar-Tissue-style ballads("Slow Cheetah") to By-The-Way era pure pop("Snow[Hey Oh]", "Stadium Arcadium", "Hey", "Tell Me Baby", "Hard To Concentrate", "She Looks To Me", "If", "Death Of A Martian"), it's all there. And I think it even creates a brand new era of RHCP. They've never done ANYTHING like "Wet Sand". Who would've ever thought RHCP would do 'epic' songs?

It's just too bad that Keidis still can't sing live

 

[BVS]

It's just too bad that Keidis still can't sing live

Well to be fair, he never really could. He's a lot like Corgan, great in studio, but suck live...

 

[MrBrau1]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

good call.

 

[LemonMelon]

Supergrass They haven't cut a bad record yet, and have improved exponentially as songwriters since their first album (which, admittedly, is my favorite). And now they have another coming out later this year...

Also, the Flaming Lips are a perfect example. Ever since Transmissions, they have found ways to be interesting and improve as a band, which is why I love them.

 

[If you shout...]

Hardly any bands, at the present time.

I will predictably say The Hold Steady, and then tack on the following bands: Radiohead, Radiohead, The New Pornographers, and Radiohead.

A few years back, SFA would've topped 'em all, but then Phantom Power happened and they never recovered. Also, Sleater-Kinney broke up.

 

[If you shout...]

Oh, and Beck never overcame Sea Change and, as a result, went back to Scientology and consolidated. Ugh. Circa 2000/2001, though, I would've been all over putting his ass at the top of the heap, for what it's worth.

 

[MrBrau1]

namkcur is the only responder with a correct answer so far.

The one sentence posts with a band name are crap.

Fucking lazy bastards.

 

[indra]

namkcur is the only responder with a correct answer so far.

The one sentence posts with a band name are crap.

Fucking lazy bastards.

Such a lovely man.

 

[If you shout...]

namkcur is the only responder with a correct answer so far.

The one sentence posts with a band name are crap.

Fucking lazy bastards.

FOD...?

 

[MrBrau1]

Such a lovely man.

ditto.

 

[MrBrau1]

FOD...?

Who have you been listening to for ages? and how do they keep impressing you?

I ordered a giant honking steak.

You sent out a strip of beef jerky.

You're surprised I sent it back?

 

[LemonMelon]

I will predictably say The Hold Steady, and then tack on the following bands: Radiohead, Radiohead, The New Pornographers, and Radiohead.

Radiohead hasn't made a good record since Kid A, so I don't think they would qualify.

Originally posted by MrBrau1

namkcur is the only responder with a correct answer so far.

That's not possible, because the band he chose was RHCP.

 

[MrBrau1]

Radiohead hasn't made a good record since Kid A, so I don't think they would qualify.



That's not possible, because the band he chose was RHCP.

You get a failing grade as well: F.

Supergrass have impressed you.

Wonderful.

Why?

(I'll give you a hint: Prophet 15)

 

[LemonMelon]

You get a failing grade as well: F.

Supergrass have impressed you.

Wonderful.

Why?

(I'll give you a hint: Prophet 15)

Hey, I started with I'd Like To Know and went from there.

 

[If you shout...]

I've been listening to The Hold Steady, Radiohead, and The New Pornographers for ages. They keep impressing me by putting out good records over and over and over again.

 

[LemonMelon]

I need to check out the New Pornographers. What would you recommend?

 

[Axver]

Porcupine Tree, and Steven Wilson in general.

The early stuff is ... interesting. I'm talking about the insanely early cassettes Wilson made in his bedroom, such as On The Sunday Of Life... and The Life, Death, and Mussolini EP. Not much of it appeals to me all that much, though Radioactive Toy remains a Porcupine Tree classic to this day and Jupiter Island is pretty fun. Some of the titles are pretty good too: Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip, anyone?

Up The Downstair is really the first proper PT album, and it's excellent. Atmospheric, sprawling, but at times, restrained and socially aware (Synesthesia) or beautiful (Fadeaway).

Voyage 34 is really what Syd Barrett always should have made. It's completely tripped out, very Floydian, and full of hazy atmosphere.

Staircase Infinities is an amazing EP. The song The Joke's On Your really hints at some of the beauty that was to come later in songs such as A Smart Kid and Lazarus while invoking some very Barrett-esque imagery. And the closing track, Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape, is one of Wilson's best instrumental works.

The Sky Moves Sideways continues the Floydian path but adds more in the way of melody. My goodness, this album is good. This is The Unforgettable Fire on lots of trippy drugs. This is Wish You Were Here if it had been made in the nineties. This is the crowning achievement of PT's psychedelic phase.

Then came Signify, signalling the transition from a Wilson solo project to a more band-focused approach. It still has its psychedelic moments, but it really branches out and defies categorisation. There are heavy moments, like the intense instrumental that is the title track, and some of the band's most beautiful moments, such as Every Home Is Wired. I can't get enough of Every Home Is Wired. It sounds better each time I play it.

This was followed by Coma Divine, one of the best fucking live albums ever. If PT sounded good in the studio, they really take it to another level here. The interaction between the band members is flawless and Wilson is on fire.

And then we got the best album the band ever made, Stupid Dream. Oh how I love Stupid Dream. PT shifted away from proggy psychedelia to create a masterpiece of art rock with more conventional song lengths allowing excessive noodling to be trimmed in favour of focusing on the best meat the band could offer. Piano Lessons is the best song the band ever made. This was also the band's lyrically strongest album to date - how can you not love Stop Swimming's opening verse? Wilson's voice may just be at its most beautiful and pure here too.

Lightbulb Sun followed Stupid Dream and it doesn't disappoint. Russia On Ice is a return to epics that maintains previous form, other songs like Shesmovedon and the title track maintain some of the ideas expressed on Stupid Dream, and The Rest Will Flow is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. My goodness, this song is awe-inspiring. It is hard to do better than this.

And then Steven Wilson discovered metal isn't just juvenile music you grow out of, but often very creative, complex, and intelligent. In Absentia was the result of this discovery, and besides being a fantastic and bleak concept album, it has an intensity not present in the band's earlier work. The atmosphere and general style of the band remains, e.g. in .3 and Collapse The Light Into Earth, while the heavier riffing is mastered and brings tracks such as Strip The Soul to life. The Sound Of Muzak is the best commentary on the modern music industry I've heard, and this is probably bassist Colin Edwin's most accomplished album.

In conjunction with In Absentia is the Futile EP, a collection of songs that missed the cut. Orchidia is the heaviest song the band has ever made - it is a pure metal instrumental that sounds fantastic. Futile is in the same vein, with vocals. And Drown With Me is completely different, a softer rock track that sounds beautiful but is actually really morbid. Great song.

Continuing the metal route was Deadwing, an even better album that never ceases to impress me. The metal riffs are even more integrated with the atmospheric stylings the band was known for, and this is most obvious on tracks such as Arriving Somewhere But Not Here and the title track. Lazarus is a stunning and immensely memorable track that I cannot imagine anyone disliking, and the vocal harmonies on Mellotron Scratch are something extraordinary indeed.

And just a couple of days, Fear Of A Blank Planet leaked. Steven Wilson and Co. have done it again. It's a more powerful and complete social commentary than the band has ever attempted, and it flawlessly merges atmospheric and artistic rock with metal sensibilities. Anesthetize is a summary of everything PT stands for. Sentimental is captivating. The production is superb.

And Steven Wilson's side projects don't disappoint either. I've only heard one album from the Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, but it's gold. Some of it is extended atmospheric noodling, much like what you'd get if Brian Eno took all the drugs Keith Richards has done in a lifetime in just one day and was locked in a recording studio, but other parts are more cohesive and sound fantastic, e.g. The Gospel According To The IEM and Headphone Dust.

Blackfield is a collaboration between Wilson and Israeli pop singer Aviv Geffen. It's a collision of prog stylings with pop sensibilities and the songcraft is extraordinary. The first album was generally mellow, except for the extremely powerful conclusion of Cloudy Now, while the second album has more soaring choruses and powerful climaxes and I can't stop playing it. It's like an addiction. I wish more bands were talented enough to make brilliance like Epidemic and Christenings.

So there we go. Steven Wilson for the win.

 

[MrBrau1]

Porcupine Tree, and Steven Wilson in general.

The early stuff is ... interesting. I'm talking about the insanely early cassettes Wilson made in his bedroom, such as On The Sunday Of Life... and The Life, Death, and Mussolini EP. Not much of it appeals to me all that much, though Radioactive Toy remains a Porcupine Tree classic to this day and Jupiter Island is pretty fun. Some of the titles are pretty good too: Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip, anyone?

Up The Downstair is really the first proper PT album, and it's excellent. Atmospheric, sprawling, but at times, restrained and socially aware (Synesthesia) or beautiful (Fadeaway).

Voyage 34 is really what Syd Barrett always should have made. It's completely tripped out, very Floydian, and full of hazy atmosphere.

Staircase Infinities is an amazing EP. The song The Joke's On Your really hints at some of the beauty that was to come later in songs such as A Smart Kid and Lazarus while invoking some very Barrett-esque imagery. And the closing track, Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape, is one of Wilson's best instrumental works.

The Sky Moves Sideways continues the Floydian path but adds more in the way of melody. My goodness, this album is good. This is The Unforgettable Fire on lots of trippy drugs. This is Wish You Were Here if it had been made in the nineties. This is the crowning achievement of PT's psychedelic phase.

Then came Signify, signalling the transition from a Wilson solo project to a more band-focused approach. It still has its psychedelic moments, but it really branches out and defies categorisation. There are heavy moments, like the intense instrumental that is the title track, and some of the band's most beautiful moments, such as Every Home Is Wired. I can't get enough of Every Home Is Wired. It sounds better each time I play it.

This was followed by Coma Divine, one of the best fucking live albums ever. If PT sounded good in the studio, they really take it to another level here. The interaction between the band members is flawless and Wilson is on fire.

And then we got the best album the band ever made, Stupid Dream. Oh how I love Stupid Dream. PT shifted away from proggy psychedelia to create a masterpiece of art rock with more conventional song lengths allowing excessive noodling to be trimmed in favour of focusing on the best meat the band could offer. Piano Lessons is the best song the band ever made. This was also the band's lyrically strongest album to date - how can you not love Stop Swimming's opening verse? Wilson's voice may just be at its most beautiful and pure here too.

Lightbulb Sun followed Stupid Dream and it doesn't disappoint. Russia On Ice is a return to epics that maintains previous form, other songs like Shesmovedon and the title track maintain some of the ideas expressed on Stupid Dream, and The Rest Will Flow is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. My goodness, this song is awe-inspiring. It is hard to do better than this.

And then Steven Wilson discovered metal isn't just juvenile music you grow out of, but often very creative, complex, and intelligent. In Absentia was the result of this discovery, and besides being a fantastic and bleak concept album, it has an intensity not present in the band's earlier work. The atmosphere and general style of the band remains, e.g. in .3 and Collapse The Light Into Earth, while the heavier riffing is mastered and brings tracks such as Strip The Soul to life. The Sound Of Muzak is the best commentary on the modern music industry I've heard, and this is probably bassist Colin Edwin's most accomplished album.

In conjunction with In Absentia is the Futile EP, a collection of songs that missed the cut. Orchidia is the heaviest song the band has ever made - it is a pure metal instrumental that sounds fantastic. Futile is in the same vein, with vocals. And Drown With Me is completely different, a softer rock track that sounds beautiful but is actually really morbid. Great song.

Continuing the metal route was Deadwing, an even better album that never ceases to impress me. The metal riffs are even more integrated with the atmospheric stylings the band was known for, and this is most obvious on tracks such as Arriving Somewhere But Not Here and the title track. Lazarus is a stunning and immensely memorable track that I cannot imagine anyone disliking, and the vocal harmonies on Mellotron Scratch are something extraordinary indeed.

And just a couple of days, Fear Of A Blank Planet leaked. Steven Wilson and Co. have done it again. It's a more powerful and complete social commentary than the band has ever attempted, and it flawlessly merges atmospheric and artistic rock with metal sensibilities. Anesthetize is a summary of everything PT stands for. Sentimental is captivating. The production is superb.

And Steven Wilson's side projects don't disappoint either. I've only heard one album from the Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, but it's gold. Some of it is extended atmospheric noodling, much like what you'd get if Brian Eno took all the drugs Keith Richards has done in a lifetime in just one day and was locked in a recording studio, but other parts are more cohesive and sound fantastic, e.g. The Gospel According To The IEM and Headphone Dust.

Blackfield is a collaboration between Wilson and Israeli pop singer Aviv Geffen. It's a collision of prog stylings with pop sensibilities and the songcraft is extraordinary. The first album was generally mellow, except for the extremely powerful conclusion of Cloudy Now, while the second album has more soaring choruses and powerful climaxes and I can't stop playing it. It's like an addiction. I wish more bands were talented enough to make brilliance like Epidemic and Christenings.

So there we go. Steven Wilson for the win.

That's how it's done.

propper.

That's gonna make me go listen to the Porcupine Tree album Ax sent me.

Indra, stick to "list" threads.

 

[If you shout...]

I need to check out the New Pornographers. What would you recommend?

Mass Romantic