General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

I originally created this thread to share some of my favorite albums that I've never seen talked about on 2+2 (at least not in any great length). I titled the thread the way I did because I didn't want to limit the discussion to just these albums, and I figured EDGD needed a more general music-discussion thread.

I have 5 or 6 albums specifically in mind for this thread, but I'm going to post them one at a time (I promise I won't forget/lose momentum). I'll probably put another one up tonight after the game if I'm not too drunk and tired.


So feel free to comment on my stuff, share some of your favorite albums/bands, whatever. Also, I'm not much of a writer, and I've never formally reviewed an album in my life, so bear with me.



Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7...cosongsai4.jpg

Songs: Ohia is a one-man singer/songwriter from Cleveland. Most of his stuff is really low-key/slow/somber, but this album is a little different. It's not exactly upbeat, but there's so much different instrumentation going on here that it's a lot more accessible for people who can't just listen to an hour of guitar & vocals. Also, this album is far from being a one-man project, since Molina brought in several different musicians and even a couple guest vocalists on two of the tracks.

What I really love about this album is how it doesn't sound anything like an "indie-rock" album. His stuff is more reminiscent of Springsteen's Nebraska than anything recorded in the last ten years. I had this playing in my car with my 50-year-old dad, and he was like "Who is this? This is really good."

Highlights for me include Just Be Simple, Almost Was Good Enough, and Hold On Magnolia.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Im glad the animator from Monty Python's Flying Circus is still around.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1...0sclzzzya2.jpg

This is easily one of my favorite five albums of the last ten years, and in strong contention for #1. If you were listening to indie-rock in the late '90s, you almost certainly heard (of) these guys, but I'm sure there are quite a few that are either totally unfamiliar or just haven't taken the time to get into them. To those people I say: GET THIS ALBUM.

Musically, this album is very jagged and angular, yet makes me want to get up and dance (then I remember how white and uncoordinated I am, and reconsider). I've listened to quite a few albums that incorporated angular rhythms and syncopated time signatures (e.g., Slint, June of '44) and even more that incorporate funky poppy riffs, but I think this is the only band that manages to do both at the same time. This album starts with a high level of energy and actually manages to maintain it throughout the album. Aside from The Jitters, which is kind of a faux-Radiohead throwaway track, each and every song on this album is remarkable and different, and if you listen to the album repeatedly, will all get stuck in your head at one point or another.

Lyrically, The Plan is equally remarkable. In a time where the emo-indie scene's lyrics consisted almost exclusively of whiny, introspective, extended metaphors (I guess that's pretty much any time, isn't it), Travis Morrison manages to explore similar feelings with lyrics that are actually original and accessible.

I absolutely love this line:
There are folks that say to have a soul you’ve got to suffer
Well lately I’ve had my RDA of that
And call it fascist but I know that someday happy
Will be all that matters

Also, anyone who ever had the opportunity to see these guys live know that they put on an awesome show.

LINK TO ENTIRE ALBUM FOR FREE. This is from their website BTW, so it's all legal and stuff.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Great call on Dismemberment Plan, as I mentioned in the Of Montreal thread E6 bands are the shizzle.

I'm on a big ambient kick lately so I will throw out a few names: Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Sigur Rios, Bell Orchestre (Arcade Fire sister band), and my favorite:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...40450msg7m.jpg
Godspeed You Black Emperor. Amazing orchestral rock that gives me the chills everytime I listen to it. Moya

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

cobrakai, check out this will destroy you. They sound a lot like explosions in the sky, and their album was probably one of the best of 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXmWUAXMYQ

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Tokyo Police Club

Just got introduced to these guys, but they are really good. It's really catchy and is similar to some of the UK indie stuff. Their songs and the CD overall is short, but it has a little bit of a Go Team! feel to it that I like

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Great call on Dismemberment Plan, as I mentioned in the Of Montreal thread E6 bands are the shizzle.

I'm on a big ambient kick lately so I will throw out a few names: Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Sigur Rios, Bell Orchestre (Arcade Fire sister band), and my favorite:

Godspeed You Black Emperor. Amazing orchestral rock that gives me the chills everytime I listen to it. Moya

[/ QUOTE ]

Throw some Dirty Three on top of that. Start with Horse Stories and move forward chronoligically. The stuff before Horse Stories is also excellent but less ambient.

KJS

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Dismemberment Plan is easily one of my favourite recent bands. However, for some reason or another, I have always found Change to be a bit better than Emergency and I. Though, both are very very good.

The back to back of You are Invited and Gyroscope is the albums highlight, imo.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

All,

If you have posted or post album/band/music review threads of this genre, I suggest posting links to them here.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dismemberment Plan is easily one of my favourite recent bands.

[/ QUOTE ]

D-plan fans might remember an awesome band that they used to tour with a lot called Juno. The Juno singer (arlee carstens) now is a part of a project called Ghost Wars that you can find on myspace i believe.
A great Juno song to check out is called January Arms.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

all,
i think it would be great if we started using hype.non-standard.net while doing music threads. they have a huge database of streaming music (esp "indie" stuff) and i think it could really help spur discussion and an easy way for everyone to immediately sample the music.

good uses could be comparisons to other artists, top tracks, etc.

a hypothetical example from the recent of montreal thread:
i hear early punk rock roots ala iggy pop on this track She's a Rejector or hear them pay homage to Bowie in this cover: Moonage Daydream.

it is an easy site to use and i hope everyone begins to take advantage of it in this forum.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

pfunk: Awesome suggestion. I was not aware of that site. I will try to incorporate that into subsequent reviews.

cobra: I friggin' love Explosions in the Sky. I'm not as high on Sigur Ros as most people I know, but they are definitely pretty cool. I need to check out Godspeed you Black Emperor. I know I've heard them before, but I'm not super familiar with them.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Kenna - New Sacred Cow

http://hype.non-standard.net/search/kenna/1/

I can't describe him fully now, but the beats are money, the songs and vocals are pretty cool and unique...definitely worth a listen if you've never heard of him...

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Whenever a music thread comes up there is almost never mention of any of the many British bands who have emerged over the past few years. The British music scene really has expoded recently, lead by the likes of Coldplay, Muse, Bloc Party etc, but there are a lot of great bands who have yet to make the move stateside, or are just starting to, who I'm sure you guys would like.

The Fratellis - Costello Music
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/967...ccov278ks6.jpg
The Fratellis are an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland who broke into the UK scene in '06. Their debut album Costello Music charted at number 2 and received critical acclaim as one of the best albums of the year. Their music is upbeat and pretty similar to the American indie stuff that gets mentioned here a lot. They just released their first American EP, which is available on iTunes and in stores, and are releasing their album in the US on March 13th. This is one of my favourite records of last year.

Fratellis MySpace

YouTube videos of their singles:
Henrietta
Chelsea Dagger
Whistle For The Choir
These are definitely their best tracks, Chelsea Dagger probably being my favourite.

Hype Machine - Fratellis

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Marah - Kids In Philly

Fabulous story-telling and foot-stomping rock'n roll.

http://www.altnet.com/partners/Artem...kids_06_01.jpg

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]

The Fratellis - Costello Music


[/ QUOTE ]

I bought their album yesterday after hearing them featured in the latest iTunes commercial .

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

iPods should come with a health warning if they are causing people to convulse like that.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Earl, with all your love of British bands, I wonder if you are familiar with
Belle and Sebastian
The Arctic Monkeys or
The Libertines

If not, I highly suggest them, although the Libertines are no more...

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Some Loud Thunder" (new album, seems pretty good)

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton (Metric lead singer) -
"Knives Don't Have Your Back"


Older stuff that I recently discovered:

Metric - "Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?" and "Live It Out"

Autolux - "Future Perfect" (think My Bloody Valentine)

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

If you like Songs Ohia you probably like :

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy aka Will Oldham ; sort of folky but raw, very poetic
http://hype.non-standard.net/artist/bonnie+prince+billy

(he also has a collaboration album with Jason Molina)

Of course everyone these days knows Sufjan; choral/traditional multilayered composer
http://hype.non-standard.net/artist/sufjan+stevens

I'm a big fan of My Morning Jacket; dreamy/ecstatic sound-wall rock
http://hype.non-standard.net/artist/my+morning+jacket

I love the music of Beirut but I think his voice sucks which ruins it; similar to Sufjan's multi-layered compositions but with more of a sea-shanty/world-music tradition:
http://hype.non-standard.net/artist/beirut

but I'm also getting old and realize I don't have the energy to find new bands like I used to.

ps. The Hype Machine is awesome, how did I not know about that before!?

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

ED,

It is hard to be unaware of The Libertines since Pete Doherty is rarely out of the media spotlight for his repeated arrests and relationship with Kate Moss. I am a big fan (of the band, not of Doherty), "The Libertines" is one of my favourite albums. It's really a shame they never followed it up. I am not a fan of Doherty's more recent work with Babyshambles however.

The Arctic Monkeys too are hard to miss. They were hailed as the best thing since Oasis when they released Whatever People Say..., which I think was a massive overestimation, but the album certainly stands with Costello Music as one of the best of the year. Personally I haven't really gotten into their music like I have with the other bands mentioned, but I will be interested to see where they go with their second album, which is due for release in April here.

I had never really listened to Belle and Sebastian before you mentioned them but I've been listening for the last half hour and I'm really liking what I'm hearing. I'm going to get a couple of their albums, do you have any recommendations?

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

cbloom: Palace/Will Oldham/Bonnie "Prince" Billy is definitely one of my favorite artists. Will Johnson (of Centro-Matic) is another artist with a similar vibe going on. Absolutely phenomenal voice.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]


I had never really listened to Belle and Sebastian before you mentioned them but I've been listening for the last half hour and I'm really liking what I'm hearing. I'm going to get a couple of their albums, do you have any recommendations?

[/ QUOTE ]

B&S are one of my top 5 bands of all time, and all of their albums (except their one piece of crap, Dear Catastrophe Waitress) are either very good or excellent. But I suggest starting with Tigermilk and The Boy With the Arab Strap for two of their best earlier albums.

That will give you a feel for where they started. If You're Feeling Sinister is also great, and came out between those two records.

But some of their best songs came from singles that weren't on any LPs: in fact, 3 of their finest songs ever are "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song," "I'm Waking Up To Us" and "Legal Man." Those are arguably their best tracks to date.

After that, you might skip right to their most recent album, The Life Pursuit. It's damn good. If you're still into them, you can pick up everything else.

EDIT:

Legal Man promo video

"Another Sunny Day" live

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

At first I thought Destroyer's Rubies was some kind of tragically unrealized masterpiece, a madman groping through the bars of his cage at the thronging crowd, some Lou Reed burnout crazy & fitful letting the cigarettes burn his fingers, disordered personalities vying for a voice, a dismembered cortex pulsating on the floor. Now, I'm not sure what it is, but it's damn good.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

One of the bands that I was recently introduced to and love is Akron/Family. They came out with a new album called Meek Warrior but I haven't heard it. The album I love is self-titled. Akron/Family: Akron/Family

http://www.younggodrecords.com/uploa...s_large/37.jpg

These guys are folksy and creative musically and lyrically. Dunno how else to describe them so I'll link my favorite songs using pfunks hype machine thing:

I'll Be on the Water

Running, Returning

Shoes

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Well I've pumped this album a few different times on the board, might as well do it again.

The Format-Dog Problems
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I'm not a music expert, so I can't give you any in depth analysis of the album. I can tell you that I loved this album since I first got it and it is still in regular rotation with me. Their most popular single was The Compromise which got pretty regular play on Sirius Alt Nation. I like pretty much every track on the album and I can't really pick a favorite, but some highlights are Time Bomb and She Doesn't Get It .

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

The new Explosions in the Sky album, "All of a Sudden I Miss Everybody" (or something like that), is quite good. They're the band that did the Friday Night Lights movie soundtrack, and their music is in just about every episode of the TV show.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Out of curiousity I'd be interested to know what people's sources are to find music out there. I have a buddy in the industry that tips me off, my big blog mainstays are Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum. Anyone else have any good recommendations for souces.

One more album that has been burning up my ipod lately which I'm sure most of you PAvement fans are familiar with:
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...4293106g00.jpg
I'm not a huge fan of pitchfork but this review really nailed it giving the album a 9.9.

Last year David Berman finally toured with this band for the first time ever, perhaps the best and most endearing live show I have ever attended.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Shakes: OMG HTF DID I NOT REALIZE THAT. I watch that show every week. I guess I'm too busy looking at Minka Kelly to notice.

cobra: Well, back in the late 90's/early oughts I was kind of a 'scene' kid. Didn't ever dress the part too much or anything, but I went to a ton of shows and hung out with so many emo kids that I was just exposed to a ton of stuff.

Nowadays, I usually just surf Metacritic and see what got decent reviews and go from there.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1629/6935bm9.jpg

Around last fall, one of my friends told me about this album over instant message, and I was immediately skeptical. "Final Fantasy? WTF is this some lame orchestral video game music?" I was pleasantly surprised.

This is a solo project consisting solely of Owen Pallett (of Arcade Fire and some other stuff). It actually is pretty orchestral, as there are no standard guitar/bass/drums songs on this album. All I can say is that this album is phenomenal. It was one of the best (overlooked) albums of last year IMO.

There are some tracks from the album available here, but I think it's a pretty big disservice to listen to this album piecemeal (I think that about most good albums FWIW).

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Out of curiousity I'd be interested to know what people's sources are to find music out there. I have a buddy in the industry that tips me off, my big blog mainstays are Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum. Anyone else have any good recommendations for sources.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like 3hive

http://www.3hive.com/
3hive - sharing the sharing

Also listen to lots of KEXP streaming

http://www.kexp.org/home.asp?noflash=true
KEXP 90.3 FM - where the music matters

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I had never really listened to Belle and Sebastian before you mentioned them but I've been listening for the last half hour and I'm really liking what I'm hearing. I'm going to get a couple of their albums, do you have any recommendations?

[/ QUOTE ]
If You're Feeling Sinister is one of the best albums of the last 15 years.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Nath, have you heard the live version on iTunes? It's amazing; IYFS is definitely one of their better albums. Unlike Joker, however, I happen to find Dear Catastrophe Waitress to be pretty good as well.

And Claunchy, I am glad you brought up Final Fantasy. That album is best heard start to finish.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Nath, have you heard the live version on iTunes? It's amazing; IYFS is definitely one of their better albums. Unlike Joker, however, I happen to find Dear Catastrophe Waitress to be pretty good as well.

And Claunchy, I am glad you brought up Final Fantasy. That album is best heard start to finish.

[/ QUOTE ]
I haven't. Dear Catastrophe Waitress is pretty good, but not as good as IYFS. I actually like the Books EP a lot too "Your Cover's Blown" is one of my favorite B&S songs.

On another note, I've been making a lot of mix CDs for people lately. Anyone interested in hearing them or in the kind of stuff I listen to, or what I try to put together for a certain type of person, let me know. I've got kind of a wide variety of tastes-- I have a lot of stuff rooted in the 60s, and the guitar-pop bands of the 70s and 80s, just to name a few (from Big Star to the Soft Boys to early R.E.M. and so on and so forth).

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

I would be interested in hearing some of the stuff you like; I also have a pretty wide variety of music I can listen to. Oh, and before I forget, have you ever listened to the "Storytelling" soundtrack that B&S recorded? It is for a movie of the same name, and I must say, the movie was pretty interesting, too.

If you haven't heard it, I suggest you try it out. It is more instrumentalish than their other records, and clocks in at just over a half hour in length. Very chill.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

Hmm... I could list bands or artists, or I could just post a few of the mixes I've made for people recently. Whatever floats your boat / is most appropriate for this thread.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

I recommend these guys all the time because they're the only indie band I listen to that nobody has heard of. Maybe this thread will get them some love.

www.myspace.com/rooftopsuicideclub

www.rooftopsuicideclub.com used to work too, not sure why it's not now...

more tunes at http://www.rhapsody.com/rooftopsuicideclub

Anyway, really catchy stuff - very melodic and lots of sweet harmonies. Check it out.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I recommend these guys all the time because they're the only indie band I listen to that nobody has heard of. Maybe this thread will get them some love.

www.myspace.com/rooftopsuicideclub

www.rooftopsuicideclub.com used to work too, not sure why it's not now...

more tunes at http://www.rhapsody.com/rooftopsuicideclub

Anyway, really catchy stuff - very melodic and lots of sweet harmonies. Check it out.

[/ QUOTE ]
Straight up, given what happened to me some time ago (and some of the posts people were making about it in BBV) I thought the first time you posted this link for me was a sick joke. Then I found out they're a real band! And they cite a lot of influences I like (Big Star and Wilco most notably).

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm on a big ambient kick lately...

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list cobrakai. Mr Beast (Mogwai) has been on pretty high rotation for me lately.

Definately check out Fixed:Content by Labradford (on the Kranky label same as GYBE).

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...50404o5nrs.jpg

The first track alone is worth the price of admission. Very atmospheric, deep and beautiful. Good for insomnia too.

Re: General Music Discussion Thread (a.k.a. indie lovefest)
 

[ QUOTE ]
cobrakai, check out this will destroy you. They sound a lot like explosions in the sky, and their album was probably one of the best of 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXmWUAXMYQ

[/ QUOTE ]

Reminds me somewhat of Hope of the States too. Very cool.