New (to me) Music review
Alright here's the deal:
My friend Steve sent me an email yesterday saying that he was jonesing new music. Some of you know that from time to time I'll stumble on a random CD somewhere that turns into a local phenomenon (or at least most of my friends and family end up really liking it), but it hasn't really happened much since I quit Sam Goody. (Scanning those pull-down CDs was like my own personal treasure hunt as Kim and Molly can tell you)
For the record: I avoid the radio at all costs because I don't like other people telling me what music I want to listen to. I'm not saying that I'm one of those hipsters who is against the establishment, but there are three songs that I like that a radio station would actually play and I don't like those three songs that much. It's not my fault that Cerys Matthews went into rehab right before Catatonia was supposed to break-through in the USA. Maybe Amy Winehouse could learn a thing or two. CM may not have a large American following, but her US fans are rabid.
So I checked out some random bands on line and here is what I decided to throw on a sampler to see if we could find something that speaks to us:
Tortoise
I probably shouldn't have started a sampler with a 7 and a half minute long instrumental jam, but I found it on Rhapsody when I was cleaning my office (definition: talking to strangers on yahoo to put off doing actual cleaning).
On the couple listens I gave the two songs, it kinda makes me think of Radiohead writing a jazz album while Thom Yorke is recovering from a tonsilectomy. Particularly circa Amnesiac. And if they were listening to a lot of Meat Beat Manifesto. Alright so it's not much like Radiohead at all. Fuck you. If Steve doesn't like it, I know someone else who very well might.
Snake River Conspiracy
Waiter, there's a angry girl in my Industrial music. I didn't find them. I just keep trying to push them on my friends because I've liked them a lot since 2000 when their record label rep brought a promo copy to our store so the Rockabilly 3rd key could hear their cover of "How Soon is Now". Angry pop/industrial music with nasty lyrics and chick vocals.
Curve
I'm a sucker for the 90s. I can't wait until there is the same nostalgia that the older fags seem to have for the 80s. Of course I remember the 80s since I was born in the first year. But the only thing I really remember before I got into Guns N Roses in '89 was Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply and Sheena Easton. Thanks mom. Wow. That was a little out of nowhere.
When I was reading some reviews for Curve it mentioned that Dave Stewart introduced some of the keys members to each other. It also mentioned that fans of Curve accused Garbage of ripping the band off. Really?? I love Garbage!! You have my attention! I listened to a couple tracks at random and it's really good. Their early 90s stuff is a little droney (in a good way) and I couldn't really understand the vocals. I really liked the track from their 2001 album The Gift. It was a little heavier than Garbage gets, but sounds great.
Echo
I honestly don't know what to say about this one. The two tracks I included are almost completely different. I did a search on Portishead and saw that these guys were listed as their followers. When I went to their page I saw Lamb listed as one Echo's influences. I was intrigued! The first song I heard (That Old Black Magic) sounded like it almost belonged on one of those Verve Remixed collections. Some very trip-hop music and very bluesy sounding vocals. The second song I heard (Teardrop of the Sun) made me realize that Brian is going to be rolling his eyes and sighing a little more often because it floored me. I can't really describe it (that's why I run reports and play with Excel Spreadsheeys and Access Databases instead of writing for a living), but it's awesome.
Regina Spektor
I know. Look at the little poser who's listening to my quirky Russian girl. He clearly can't get over his fascination of pianos and weird accents.
The hipsters who sneered at Brian (because he wasn't wearing a hoodie or raiding my closet in 2001) at the Massive Attack concert have probably already abandoned her because of the somewhat mainstream attention she's been getting. (I assume she's getting mainstream attention because I've heard of her and she's on a John Lennon tribute compilation alongside U2, Green Day and Duran Duran). I never promised that none of you have heard of these people before I just said that I'm not familiar with most of them.
I was very intrigued when I was reading reviews of the Instant Karma collection on iTunes that I stumbled on when looking up Jack's Mannequin. Spektor did a cover of "Real Love" and EVERYBODY was going on and on and on about it, so I figured "what the fuck? I'm taking a gamble with Duran Duran doing Instant Karma, why not see what all the fuss over this girl is about?"
She's pretty darn good. She's also a good writer after finally listening to some material off her albums.
So there it is. Maybe someone else will enjoy this as well.
My friend Steve sent me an email yesterday saying that he was jonesing new music. Some of you know that from time to time I'll stumble on a random CD somewhere that turns into a local phenomenon (or at least most of my friends and family end up really liking it), but it hasn't really happened much since I quit Sam Goody. (Scanning those pull-down CDs was like my own personal treasure hunt as Kim and Molly can tell you)
For the record: I avoid the radio at all costs because I don't like other people telling me what music I want to listen to. I'm not saying that I'm one of those hipsters who is against the establishment, but there are three songs that I like that a radio station would actually play and I don't like those three songs that much. It's not my fault that Cerys Matthews went into rehab right before Catatonia was supposed to break-through in the USA. Maybe Amy Winehouse could learn a thing or two. CM may not have a large American following, but her US fans are rabid.
So I checked out some random bands on line and here is what I decided to throw on a sampler to see if we could find something that speaks to us:
Tortoise
I probably shouldn't have started a sampler with a 7 and a half minute long instrumental jam, but I found it on Rhapsody when I was cleaning my office (definition: talking to strangers on yahoo to put off doing actual cleaning).
On the couple listens I gave the two songs, it kinda makes me think of Radiohead writing a jazz album while Thom Yorke is recovering from a tonsilectomy. Particularly circa Amnesiac. And if they were listening to a lot of Meat Beat Manifesto. Alright so it's not much like Radiohead at all. Fuck you. If Steve doesn't like it, I know someone else who very well might.
Snake River Conspiracy
Waiter, there's a angry girl in my Industrial music. I didn't find them. I just keep trying to push them on my friends because I've liked them a lot since 2000 when their record label rep brought a promo copy to our store so the Rockabilly 3rd key could hear their cover of "How Soon is Now". Angry pop/industrial music with nasty lyrics and chick vocals.
Curve
I'm a sucker for the 90s. I can't wait until there is the same nostalgia that the older fags seem to have for the 80s. Of course I remember the 80s since I was born in the first year. But the only thing I really remember before I got into Guns N Roses in '89 was Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply and Sheena Easton. Thanks mom. Wow. That was a little out of nowhere.
When I was reading some reviews for Curve it mentioned that Dave Stewart introduced some of the keys members to each other. It also mentioned that fans of Curve accused Garbage of ripping the band off. Really?? I love Garbage!! You have my attention! I listened to a couple tracks at random and it's really good. Their early 90s stuff is a little droney (in a good way) and I couldn't really understand the vocals. I really liked the track from their 2001 album The Gift. It was a little heavier than Garbage gets, but sounds great.
Echo
I honestly don't know what to say about this one. The two tracks I included are almost completely different. I did a search on Portishead and saw that these guys were listed as their followers. When I went to their page I saw Lamb listed as one Echo's influences. I was intrigued! The first song I heard (That Old Black Magic) sounded like it almost belonged on one of those Verve Remixed collections. Some very trip-hop music and very bluesy sounding vocals. The second song I heard (Teardrop of the Sun) made me realize that Brian is going to be rolling his eyes and sighing a little more often because it floored me. I can't really describe it (that's why I run reports and play with Excel Spreadsheeys and Access Databases instead of writing for a living), but it's awesome.
Regina Spektor
I know. Look at the little poser who's listening to my quirky Russian girl. He clearly can't get over his fascination of pianos and weird accents.
The hipsters who sneered at Brian (because he wasn't wearing a hoodie or raiding my closet in 2001) at the Massive Attack concert have probably already abandoned her because of the somewhat mainstream attention she's been getting. (I assume she's getting mainstream attention because I've heard of her and she's on a John Lennon tribute compilation alongside U2, Green Day and Duran Duran). I never promised that none of you have heard of these people before I just said that I'm not familiar with most of them.
I was very intrigued when I was reading reviews of the Instant Karma collection on iTunes that I stumbled on when looking up Jack's Mannequin. Spektor did a cover of "Real Love" and EVERYBODY was going on and on and on about it, so I figured "what the fuck? I'm taking a gamble with Duran Duran doing Instant Karma, why not see what all the fuss over this girl is about?"
She's pretty darn good. She's also a good writer after finally listening to some material off her albums.
So there it is. Maybe someone else will enjoy this as well.