Tech Life I blame the 80s

The Boiling Point

I was yelling at the stereo in the car this morning.

It’s Peet’s Coffee, you see. My commute is just long enough for that large cup of black coffee to kick in which means as I near Cupertino, my mind is racing with a million caffeinated thoughts.

This morning’s thought, “I hate all the music on my iPod”.

It’s not my iPod’s fault. It’s the 80s. My iPod is full of 80s and early 90s crap and I’ve been so busy the past 20 years, I haven’t taken the time to explore anything else. This means when I look at my Top 25 Most Played songs in iTunes, it’s littered with Cure, Concrete Blonde, and movie sound tracks.

Pathetic.

This has been an emerging problem and I really shouldn’t be yelling at my stereo. I’ve already taken some steps to free myself from English Pop and Glam Rock. It started a few weeks when the brother-in-law took me to the Hot Buttered Rum string band in San Francisco. Yes, Bluegrass. That’s a step in the right direction.

This weekend it’s The Waifs and I don’t even what kind of music they play… but, hell, I’m going.

This is a start, but I need your help. Please tell me the name of your favorite band (or bands) that no one has ever heard of. If they’ve got a particular song you think rocks, I’d like to hear that, as well.

To encourage a very long list that will save my stereo from additional humiliation, I’ll be selecting one submission as “The Best”. This will be an impulse decision based off hearing one great song. The winner will received a signed copy of Joel’s Best of Software I which includes one of my essays.

if you want to be considered, please make sure to supply a valid email. I’ll be picking and publishing the winner a week from this Friday (7/22).

[7/22/05 Update]: Right so, I didn’t expect this much music. As of earlier this week, I’ve received recommendations for over 200 bands and I haven’t even had a chance to scrub the new stuff. Please bear with me while I listen to a lot of music. There is no way I’ll listen to everything, but I’m trying to give each person who submitted a suggestion a fair shake. The goal is to pick a winner a week from today (7/29).

You are welcome to continue suggesting new music, but you will greatly improve your chances of being heard by suggesting a single favorite song.

[7/31/05 Update]: Still listening to music… will select a winner this week, I swear.

#

90 Responses

  1. Gus Mueller 19 years ago

    If you can dig raw bluesy stuff, check out “The Black Keys”. One of my favorite songs is “Set You Free”, and you can listen to it from here: http://www.fatpossum.com/artists/blackkeys.html

    Here’s their website: http://www.theblackkeys.com/

  2. Scott Crawford 19 years ago

    Here are a few, off the top of my head.

    Gibby Haynes And His Problem: Yep, the Butthole Surfers’ lead singer went solo. The album’s self-titled, and I’ve been especially enjoying “15000” and “I Need Some Help” from it. You can grab the song “Kaiser” and a few other samples here.

    Earth Eighteen (sadly, no web presence): this one is sort of in line with the rut you say you’re trying to get out of, but it’s too good not to mention. Their “Butterfly” album is one of the best rock albums ever to totally flop commercially, and can usually be found cheaply on half.com if you can’t find mp3s (which is likely, as the album sold like shit and very few people who weren’t paying attention for like a month in 1995 know about it unless I’ve told them about it; abyssmal failure of the major label system…). “Goin’ Steady”, “The Fall Divine”, “Dolores Haze”, “Maximum Teenage Overdrive” and “Dahlia” are standouts, but the whole album’s terrific.

    Linda Strawberry: probably the best artist I’ve found by stumbling around on the cesspool that is MySpace (incidentally, my music can also be found on MySpace, here to be exact…), but alas, she’s only streaming from there right now, and the mp3s on her site are down at the moment. You could still get lucky on p2p though. Kind of a more rockish Fiona Apple. Her songs get stuck in my head a lot. She’s touring as part of Billy Corgan’s band right now (playing keyboards), but she should be back soon, and hopefully she’ll make some of her music freely downloadable again soon.

    Bongwater are awesome too. Get the album (yes, the whole album) “The Power Of Pussy” by them if you’re not familiar, and prepare to have your brain implode. ๐Ÿ˜€

  3. David 19 years ago

    I’ll put forth DJ Shadow, album “Endtroducing…” (mostly instrumental) — the album is really best appreciated as a whole composition, but if you were going to pick a song to listen to as a separate piece, you might try “Building Steam with A Grain of Salt” (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=792608&selectedItemId=39507807).

  4. dustin 19 years ago

    Sounds like you want a list of rad bands, so here goes. I’m assuming here that what you said in your entry was correct and you haven’t paid much attention to music released in the last 10-15 years. I can really only give you albums because I stopped listening to single tracks long ago and couldn’t likely even name my favorites. If you want just a one song sampler from the band, you’d be pretty safe to get track 1 off any of these albums.

    Artist – Sorta Genre – Best Album

    =================================

    *Wilco – Alt-country – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

    *Shins – Sad Beach Boys – Chutes Too Narrow

    *Broken Social Scene – Very Sad – You Forgot it in People

    *Spoon – Indie – Kill the Moonlight

    *Elliott Smith – Nick Drake-ish – Roman Candle

    *Built to Spill – Indie – “Perfect from Now On”/”Keep it Like a Secret” (I can’t decide between the two)

    *And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Punkish – Source Tags & Codes

    *Modest Mouse – Oddball – Moon & Antartica

    *Aphex Twin – Techno – Selected Ambient Works 85-92

    *Interpol – Cure Fans – Turn on the Bright Lights

    *Ambulance LTD – Indie – LP

    *Notwist – Noise/Techno – Neon Golden

    *Eels – Rock – Souljacker

    *Iron & Wine – Folky – Creek Drank the Cradle

    *Marcy Playground – Oddball – Shapeshifter (These guys sing “Sex & Candy” but that’s totally not their sound. You’ll know if you play any track off this album.)

    *Mirah – Indie Grrl – “C’mon Miracle” is all I’ve heard of hers, but I love it

    *Toadies – Ass-Kicking Rock – Rubberneck

    *Neutral Milk Hotel – All over the place – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

    *Ryan Adams – Alt-country – Heartbreaker

    *Sigur Ros – Ambient – Agaetis Byrjun

    *Beta Band – You’ll dig’em if you like the Cure – 3 EPs

    *Stereophonics – Ballad Rock – Just Enough Education to Perform

    *Travis – Radiohead/Oasis Effected and Affected – The Man Who

    *Jack Johnson – Mellow – Brushfire Fairytales

  5. Geof F. Morris 19 years ago

    Rands: I’ll second Dustin’s Wilco suggestion, and add Hem (Eveningland)and Sufjan Stevens (Illinois) to the list.

  6. Jim 19 years ago

    Here’s a list of lesser-known bands I think are great and the songs that I suspect would’ve been enough to make me want more. On entries marked with a *, this actually is the song that made me want more.

    Alpha Conspiracy – Close

    Blackalicious – First in Flight

    Cibo Matto – King of Silence

    The Coup – Me and Jesus the Pimp in a ’79 Granada Last Night

    Del The Funky Homosapien – Pissin’ on Your Steps

    Joe Jackson – A Bud and a Slice *

    Joe Satriani – Raspberry Jam Delta-V

    Massive Attack – Protection *

    Portishead – Cowboys

    Robbie Fulks – She Took a Lot of Pills (And Died) *

    Son Volt – Ten Second News

    Ween – Mutilated Lips *

    Wilco – Jesus, etc. *

    Zero 7 – In The Waiting Line *

  7. Corey Porter 19 years ago

    Eleni Mandell (http://www.elenimandell.com/) is somewhat more well known these days on account of her “I Love Paris” cover on the Carl’s Jr. commercial, but I think she still fits your criteria. “Giving Up The Fight” off of “Thrill” and “Sylvia” off of “Wishbone” are two of my favorites. She’s great live as well.

  8. Scott Crawford 19 years ago

    Totally forgot about this. If you don’t mind a little sifting and have iTunes 4.9, you can add the RSS feed of the “system:filetype:mp3” tag on del.icio.us to your podcasts. Tons of random fun to be had there.

  9. Adam 19 years ago

    There hasn’t been much worth listening to in the last decade I think ๐Ÿ™‚

    Some bands that nobody has heard of that you might check out:

    EINST

  10. stevenf 19 years ago

    Pretty much anything by Komeda.

  11. simeon 19 years ago

    Ok, (relatively) little known high quality music that spans genres coming up. All are groups that have released commercially so music is available w/o digging through garageband.com or something…

    Check out North Mississippi All Stars. They have an awesome gritty southern blues instrumental sound with a little more modern vocals. Their self title album is best; listen to “Shake em all down” real loud.

    How about some female vocals? In the style of Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams is Kate Campbell. Christian influenced lyrics, very nashville sound and some generic songs, but give the song “Bear it Away” a spin and I guarantee some chills. Also “Visions of Plenty” and “Waiting for the Weather to Break” are good tracks.

    Continuing in the female vocal category: I’ve lately been enjoying Madeline Peyroux. She has a “Jazz standards” voice and style (think Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald). Peyroux is definitely not in their league, but her cover of “Dance me to the end of love” is great and “I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate” is hilarious.

    To completely shift gears, have you tried listening to Raga music? Great for coding IMHO, but requires a little more searching. Search for “Raga Bageswari Kanada” and you’ll find web links to purchase a CD with two interesting tracks (tracks are 30mins apiece however). Perhaps more accessibly on amazon you can buy “Pancha Nadai Pallavi” by L Shankar (related to Ravi I think, also to Norah Jones who is worth a listen, but very popular right now…) Either of these are great intros to Raga (indian music, improvisational within rythmic forms I believe).

    Also I think the indie instrumental trio “Dirty Three” (violin, drum, guitar) sound remarkably like Raga music at times. They’re Australian, probably have different influences, but that’s my impression. Very evocative, impressionistic music.

    Back to the top, stylistically. How about “Drive By Truckers”? Great gritty southern rock. Lynyrd’ish stuff… Also not exactly unknown, but high quality and not exactly 80’s glam rock. You could also do worse than trying out some of the Irish/Scots heavy rockers. Floggin Molly has some great tracks (Devils Dance Floor, What’s left of the flag, etc).

    Last, and in the section nearest my heart is guitar music. Never listened to real flamenco? Get Paco de Lucia’s albums with spanish title tracks. Awesome traditional flamenco guitar. Still in my guitar section, if you like Satriani or Johnson you might try Paul Gilbert. I particularly like his more accesible stuff with Mr. Big, but his solo albums really show off his chops. Also check him out in his Racer X days for real prog/shred guitar playing… You could also give “Jelly Jam” or “Bozzio Levins Stevens” a listen if you’re into technical guitar work in context of beautiful music (I’m not a big fan of Steve Vai, if that helps clarify that point)…

    That’s it for now. If I think of anybody else I’ll post again.

  12. spence 19 years ago

    Here is what I have been listening to for the last few months:

    • British Sea Power, British rock: Especially “Remember Me”, from The Decline of British Sea Power and “It Ended on an Oily Stage” from Open Season.
    • Death Cab for Cutie, indie pop: A brilliant mix of low-impact vocals, intelligent lyrics, and solid musicianship. It swings easily between sappy and angry. It’s hard to pin down a favorite, but “Why You’d Want to Live Here” and “Blacking Out the Friction” from The Photo Album, “Title Track” from We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, and “Tiny Vessels” and “Transatlanticism” from Transatlanticism really stand out.
    • The Postal Service, electronic: Previously mentioned, but fantastic enough to mention again. The lead singer/lyricist from Death Cab for Cutie and the programmer from Dntel joined forces to create some of the only electronic music that doesn’t annoy me.
    • Bishop Allen, lo-fi indie pop: Recorded in one of the band-member’s appartments, I can’t get over how awesome their CD, Charm School sounds, especially “Busted Heart” and their cover of “Eve of Destruction”.
    • The Decemberists, pop: This isn’t for everyone. Their music can most easily be described as theatrical, and possibly could work in a Broadway play. The writing is lovely, and the topics range from songs in praise of a newly crowned Spanish princess to anti-war anthems to a love/hate song dedicated to LA. Standouts include “Leslie Anne Lavine” from Castaways and Cutabouts, “The Infanta” and “Sixteen Military Wives” from Picaresque, and “Los Angeles, I’m Yours” from Her Magesty, The Decemberists.
  13. mark 19 years ago

    Afro Celt Sound System.

    “Release It”

  14. paul 19 years ago

    wow. Folks have a lot of really interesting stuff to choose from – here’s what I listen to:

    Thornley This group headed by Ian Thornley (I know, knowing this makes the group seem that much lamer but stick with me) who used to be with Big Wreck is really a lot of fun. Kinda sounds like the foo fighters but they take themselves a little more seriously.

    Ben Folds or Ben Folds five – basically the same style; heavy piano, silly lyrics, and completely hum-able tunes.

    Counting Crows Great music to draw to.

    Hope this helps!

  15. algorythm 19 years ago

    some decent stuff listed above, esp. the wilco, and dj shadow. i’d add the following:

    * donna the buffalo (excellent folksy zydeco music). a very cool track is ‘me and depression’

    * controlled bleeding (industrial goodness)

    * The Postal Service (whatever it is, i dig it). good track imo is ‘we will become silhouettes’

  16. Zach 19 years ago

    I’ve got two wildly different suggestions for you. I like them both, personally.

    First is Esquivel. He’s a great composer and can play every instrument he uses in his songs, or so I’ve been told. You can also find a good selection on ITMS,

    The second is the most famous band you’ve never heard of. The Residents were the first to make a music video (and that video is in the NY MOMA) and one of the first to experiment with electronic music and cd-rom interactive thingies (hope you don’t mind technical terms.) They have an OK selection on ITMS, and “Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses” are a great introduction to the wide variety they do. They also have a lot of depth to their music, with albums like Mark of the Mole, Gingerbread Man, and the recent Demons Dance Alone (which, annoyingly enough, isn’t on ITMS.)

    So, given that you’ve recently been listening to some bluegrass and other varied forms of music, I think that you’ll like Esquivel. I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t who I’ve introduced it to so far.

    The Residents you’ll like or you’ll hate, and it may depend on your state of mind when you’re listening to them.

    If you’d like more samples of these, you can find me on aim as “skullY Dazed”. Evenings are the best time to catch me.

  17. Buzz Andersen 19 years ago

    You should check out the “ad-hoc” podcast I’ve secretly been running through del.icio.us (shhh!):

    http://del.icio.us/rss/ldandersen/scifihifi:podcast+system:media:audio

    It’s also available on Odeo, if you use that:

    http://www.odeo.com/channel/3817/view

    Lots of truly excellent stuff in there by bands most people will not have heard of.

    Let me know what you think–I want that book :-)!

  18. Mike Purvis 19 years ago

    Clearly, [url=http://audioscrobbler.com]Audioscrobbler[/url] is your friend.

    Find the one or two things you like and then related-artist yourself to oblivion.

  19. Ian 19 years ago

    Shellac.

    By far one of my very favorite bands. Any band that’s geeky enough to build their own amplifiers scores in my book. The song “Prayer to God” off the last album, “1000 Hurts” is priceless.

  20. Max 19 years ago

    I’d say Dustin up there has a pretty fair cross-section of good indie/popular music.

  21. Matt Wilson 19 years ago

    I would recommend:

    The Mars Volta (Manic prog rock)

    Coheed & Cambria (What glam metal would sound like if it had originated *now*. Technically emo, I believe.)

    G. Love and Special Sauce (Chilled out Acid Jazz/Blues/White Rap)

    Lemon Jelly (Odd, but good electronic)

    The Postal Service (Electronic, but with indy-kid vocals. This and Lemon Jelly make excellent coding music.)

    Queens of the Stone Age (Stoner Rock with genius)

    Secret Machines (Fast Pop-rock)

    Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Pop-rock)

    William Shatner (yes, for real. Largely spoken word, over music provided by Ben Folds, but it’s surprisingly awesome. Also, a dynamite cover of Pulp’s “Common People”)

    and I’d second Wilco and Ryan Adams.

  22. Alex "GM" McCollister 19 years ago

    Gone Again – Bang the Union

    Heart Full of Black – Burning Brides

    Give It Up – Midtown

    Lyla – Oasis

    Pick A Part That’s New – Stereophonics

    Washin’ & Wonderin’ – Stroke 9

    The Mexican – Sweet Japonic

    Remains the Same – The Bad Pennies

    In the Shadoes – The Rasmus

    And anything done by The Servant

  23. Gary 19 years ago

    The Apex Theory – anything off Topsy-Turvy, although “That’s All!” or “Apossibly” are your best bets.

    Avoid One Thing – “Lean on Sheena” off self-titled album.

    Crash and Burn – “Out of Reach” off The Value of Mistrust.

    Danko Jones – “Sugar Chocolate” off I’m Alive And On Fire.

    Dry Kill Logic – “Paper Tiger” off The Dead and Dreaming.

    The Mayan Factor – “Warflower” off In Lake ‘Ch.

    Finally, if you consider Clutch a band that nobody listens to, pick any song off any album.

  24. drew 19 years ago

    Two potential roads to explore:

    1) Shpongle. There really is no easy category for them; “psy-ambient” begins to cover it but looks dumb and doesn’t mention the borrowings from samba, salsa, flamenco, jazz, et al. Easiest beginner track is probably “Dorset Perception” from the album “Tales of the Inexpressible,” though my favorite of the moment is “Stamen of the Shaman” off this year’s “Nothing is Lost” disc.

    2) Godspeed You Black Emperor! An amazing music scene has built up in Montreal, of all places, and this band was its heart until it spun off into myriad side projects (most of which are also worth hearing). GYBE play slow-burn post-rock with string instruments and martial drums and reverb guitars and all kinds of sonic goodness. Try, perhaps, “Moya” off the “Slow Riot for New Zero Kaneda” EP as a starter.

    There are also a huge number of great bands that have come over from Japan in recent years, of which my favorite is The Pillows. Additionally, for sheer experience alone, you should try a song by Acid Mothers Temple, I dunno, maybe something off the “New Geocentric Universe” disc. It probably won’t be your thing, but the virtosity is astonishing and it should definitely keep you aware even when the coffee is running low.

  25. Fitz 19 years ago

    This song starts off fairly ordinary, but turns into something that’s just short of amazing, although that just may be because I’m a guitar fan. iTunes tells me that it’s the most listened to song in my collection.

    Alison Krauss + Union Station – “Choctaw Hayride” from the album Live

    This whole album rocks, but this song in particular is just hot.

    Toad the Wet Sprocket – “Inside, from Dulcinea.

    Lastly, I first heard this movie over the closing credits of Clerks and I still get it stuck in my head sometimes.

    Soul Asylum – “Can’t Even Tell from Black Gold.

    And, of course, all the songs are direct links to the iTunes Music Store. ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Aidan 19 years ago

    Into Bluegrass? Get Sam Bush‘s Glamour and Grits. You won’t regret it.

    If you like bluegrass, you might like other world music:

    La Bottine Souriante – try the album Rock and Reel.

    Lunasa – best track Morning Nightcap from the album The Merry Sisters of Fate (entirely instrumental)

  27. Jim Offerman 19 years ago

    Oh crap, I should have used &lt / &gt to make my <shameless plug> warning actually show up…

  28. Aaron Haynes 19 years ago

    Mr. Bungle – Anything off California. Preferably the whole album. If just one song, Retrovertigo.

  29. James 19 years ago

    They may not be ‘unknown’ per se, but I’m currently listening nonstop to The Transplants. They have a very Clash feel to them, slowed down punk with a lot of funk rock leanings.

    A couple of specific songs that stick in my head are Down in Oakland and California Babylon.

  30. Sergei 19 years ago

    Check out Happy Family, it’s mid 90s but it’s not glam rock…. some experimental rock from Japan ๐Ÿ™‚

    I uled one song it’s here: http://raven.is.rathercute.com/1.mp3

    (well it will be in 15mins :))

  31. Bob Johnson 19 years ago

    This might sound stupid, like you might mistake me for a screaming 17-year-old high school girl, but…

    I’ve listened to:

    “Tonight, Not Again:, Jason Mraz Live at Eagles Ballroom, 2004”

    a few times and I think that it’s pretty catchy. If you can get past the annoying crowd noise, the band is very tight, and there’s a lot of stylistic variety.

  32. Lloyd 19 years ago

    Might as well throw my hat in the ring:

    Andrew Bird, best live performance I’ve ever seen. One man band looping and layering amazing violin tracks, guitar, whistling and singing before our eyes. Not for everyone but I’ll recommend it nonetheless.

    I just recently picked up his recent album The Mysterious Production of Eggs, but the jury is still out on that one for me. There are a few tracks I insanely dig though, I can’t seem to get “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” out of my head.

    Weather Systems blew me away but I have since overplayed it on my ipod. Especially good are “Lull” and “Action/Adventure”.

    At the very least check out the free MP3s he has on-site, there’s 2-3 of them I think.

  33. Carlo Zottmann 19 years ago

    If you’re ready for some experiments, I strongly suggest Handsome Hank and His Lonesome Boys. They play classic Rock and Pop songs …just the Bluegrass versions. Now I know how that sounds, but I saw them two years ago here in Munich, Germany, and let me tell you, they rocked my World.

    The concept sounds totally silly, but it’s just a jolly good ride. Give it a spin. If you need more proof this music rocks, check this (german) Amazon page and scroll down to “H

  34. Jim Offerman 19 years ago

    Lots of good stuff listed already… gotta check out some of these!

    Two of my favorite unknown bands are Gemstone (http://www.gemstone.nl/fotos/falling.mp3) and Soapstone (www.soapstone.nl, http://www.soapstone.nl/WayToMyHeart-SoapStone.mp3). I must admit that I’m a little biased, ’cause these guys are my friends… but it’s great music nonetheless.

    Another unknown artist I listen to quite often is… me ๐Ÿ™‚

    Here’s one of my newer tracks:

    http://www.jimofferman.net/download/thehardroad.mp3

    cheers,

    Jim.

  35. moath 19 years ago

    Almost forgot to mention Electric Six. Fire is a great rock album with hilarious lyrics.

  36. Rich 19 years ago

    I would point you to Stars, who make good, interesting, emotive electro-rocky-synthy-pop stuff. Their latest album, Set Yourself On Fire has been spinning in my car for about 6 months. Latest video: http://www.magnacyd.com/stars3/.

    You might want to have a wander around on http://www.cdbaby.com/

  37. Keitha 19 years ago

    My pick: Mates of State’s “Whiner’s Bio.”

  38. Ronald Snijder 19 years ago

    Right… I will try the impossible and make some equally good suggestions. You may already know Rush, Faithless, Fatboy Slim and The Police. Furthermore, DJ Shadow and Tom Waits were already mentioned.

    So here goes:

    King’s X – Faith Hope Love

    Beautiful rock, with some Beatles in it. Track: ‘We were born to be loved’

    Muse – Sowbiz

    Complete over the top, heavy rock. Track: ‘Muscle museum’

    Tenacious D – Tenacious D

    Two balding overweight guys playing 70’s style rock with just two acoustic guitars. Track: ‘Double team’

    Mardi Gras BB. – Supersmell

    The music is just like the carnaval. Track: ‘Let it shine’

    Red Snapper – Making bones

    Dance/rap, mostly acoustic, and sometimes dark and moody. Track: ‘Spitalfields’

    Yonderboi – Shallow and profound

    Chill out on this weird album from the dark regions of Eastern Europe. Track: ‘Riders On The Storm – Pink Solidism.’

    Portishead – Dummy

    I wouldn’t know how to pitch this one. Very beautiful? Track: ‘Glorybox’

    Cardiacs – On land and in the sea

    Sympho rock, with the speed and intensity of punk. Track: ‘I hold my love in my arms’

    Kermit & Friends – Unpigged

    Yes, it’s the Muppets! Track: ‘Born to be wild’ (A duet by Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy)

    Hope you like it!

    -ronald-

  39. Tim 19 years ago

    download the Wrens – ‘Hopeless’ or ‘She Sends Kisses’ off of ‘The Meadowlands’, a ridiculously talented Jersey indie band — and not indie in the new-label-for-all-music-the-way-alternative-was-used-5-years-ago way http://www.wrens.com/

  40. eric 19 years ago

    3 in no particular order:

    • Robinella and the CC String Band – (self titled album) Man Over is a good intro.
    • Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder – Talking Timbuktu – Blusey, afro something or other.
    • Jason Webley, Against the Night, Back to the Garden is special, and Dance while the Sky crashes down always reminded me of the .com era.
  41. Tammy 19 years ago

    The Red Elvises are, without a doubt, one of the best things to emerge from the former Soviet Bloc. They rock it out with surfer-pop infused insanity that keeps you swingin’. Theirs is a mix of catchy beats and lyrics that keep your internal radio tuned in. Let “I Want to See You Belly Dance” become your theme song! Give the Red Elvises some LOVE!!!

  42. Randy 19 years ago

    Los Halos – All of their records

    Cloud Cult – Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus

    Clap Hands Say Yeah! – Clap Hands Say Yeah!

    Hive – Devious Methods

    LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem

    Animal Collective – Sung Tongs

    The Pogues – If I Should Fall From Grace With God

    Karate – Pockets

    Crystal Skulls – Blocked Numbers

    Liars – They Threw Us In a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top

    Current 93 – All the Pretty Little Horses

    Fennesz – Venice

    The Necks – Drive By

    Catherine Wheel – Any record they’ve ever released

    Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup

    William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops I-IV

    Alamaailman Vasarat – Kaarmelautakunta

    Gavin Bryars – The Sinking of the Titanic

    Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks

    Rachels – The Sea and the Bells

    Sufjan Stevens – Anything he’s ever released

    J.S. Bach – The Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould 1981)

    Dizzee Rascal – Anything he’s ever released

    Squarepusher – Hard Normal Daddy

    Adem – Homesongs

    Tanakh – Dieu Deuil

    Tom Waits – Real Gone

    That should keep you busy for awhile.

  43. moath 19 years ago

    Medeski Martin and Wood – Jazz – Notes from the Underground is their first and most traditional album, End of the World Party is their latest and is also very good.

    Eagles of Death Metal – Rock (sounds kinda like CCR fucked the Eagles)

    The White Stripes – Rock – Check out Elephant as it’s one of the best albums of the decade in any genre.

    Beck – IT’S BECK OK – Check out the latest album “Guero”. Beck explores several genre’s on this one.

    The Hives – Rock – They rock hard and fast and sound like they’re in your garage.

    You might also want to start an audioscrobbler account. It gives you all sorts of charts and graphs and stats on your listening habits. You can see my scrobbler profile here:

    http://www.audioscrobbler.com/user/moath

  44. Jimmy 19 years ago

    Rands,

    I laughed myself purple over this post! My mp3 collection is a museum of 80’s hair bands.

    Here’s what shook me out of my funk –

    Gov’t Mule

  45. Reg Braithwaite 19 years ago

    Trevor Mills http://www.trevormills.com/

    A neo-folkster. Witty and concientious. My partner loves “Nothin’.” My vote is for “Military Governmental Contract,” both from his “Kareoke Cowboy” album.

  46. genetik 19 years ago

    Only one stands out in my mind as the best band no one has ever heard of (or at least very few people): Estradasphere.

    Here is a short list of styles that they’ve been known to play, sometimes all in a single song: Jazz Fusion, Bluegrass, Death Metal, Video Game, 60s Surf Music, Gypsy, and many more…

    Luckily, Estradasphere encourage taping and distributing their live shows. I’d like to share one of my favorite live performances of theirs from January 7, 2000. The track I most often use to first expose people to the band is called “Hunger Strike”, which is a 20-minute long epic that is nothing less than amazing. That track’s filename is “201 Hungerstrike.mp3”. It is also one of my favorite tracks of theirs.

    Oh, and they’re based out of Santa Cruz, CA, so they’re not all that far from where you are. I don’t think they have any shows coming up in the near future, but if they happen to announce one, you need to go see them.

    Download the live show.

    You can find more live tapings of their shows at Archive.org’s Live Music Archive. They’ve also released three studio albums which are all awesome.

    Listen to music with open ears and an open mind and you can’t go wrong. Enjoy.

    -Brian

  47. Klaatu 19 years ago

    My Picks:

    MMMM…BASSNECTAR!Taste it, Rands.

    New Order just released a new album. Sssso what that they originated from late 70’s Joy Division.

    Haji from the depths of Brooklyn http://www.freekfactory.com/.

    German music: Ascii.Disko

    Limey Music lover’s pick:The Visionary Underground,A Collective.

    Especially for “Gray”:The Aliens’ Choice

    Another Day On Earth, by ENO.

    *This is not a band, but more of a place to hear: Pardu at 1015 Folsom -wear yr tiedye-oh, and no shoes,no shirt gets U service ๐Ÿ˜‰

  48. Liana (Lonster) 19 years ago

    Ah, the 80’s. As someone that still almost exclusively listens to Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order, The Cure, Duran Duran, Erasure, and Depeche Mode …

    I’m surprised by the number of these mentioned above that I have heard of and agree with, like Estradasphere and G Love and Special Sauce.

    I would add Stereolab, The Killers, and Cowboy Mouth.

    If all else fails, don’t forget that New Order is still putting out great albums (and also Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr under the band Electronic). Also, the latest Duran Duran album is pretty good. Echo and the Bunnymen had a great album in 1999 “What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?”

  49. Chris 19 years ago

    mc chris – really funny geek rap (First album downloadable for free at http://www.mcchris.com)

    Recommended Song: Fett’s Vette

    Iron & Wine – it’s one guy with a low key band and amazing voice

    Recommended Song: The entire album “Our Endless Numbered Days”

    Polyphonic Spree – They’re happy coalesced into band form

    Recommended Song: Light and Day

  50. Neil Richards 19 years ago

    If I had to recommend a single song

    Band: Unloco

    Song: Face Down

  51. Jess Austin 19 years ago

    Strongly recommended:

    16 Horsepower: Bluegrass/blues/rock/”dark” christian. The human condition. Best album is probably their first, “Sackcloth ‘n’ Ashes”. Great songs: “Black Soul Choir”, “Scrawled in Sap”, “For Heaven’s Sake”, “Sinnerman”.

    Ani Difranco: Folk/punk/jazz. The most frank and honest songwriter I’ve ever heard. Great songs: “Fire Door”, “I’m No Heroine”, “Untouchable Face”.

    Pizzicato Five: Pop. Some of the best modern music that Japan has produced. Great songs: “The Night is Still Young”, “Hallelujah Hara Krishna”.

    Also recommended:

    Aphex Twin, Momus, Aterciopelados, Daft Punk, Air.

  52. Matt Mechtley 19 years ago

    VNV Nation – Electronic. Anything from the newest album, Matter+Form is great, but “Perpetual” and “Homeward” are my favourites.

    Boards of Canada – Ambient IDM (Electronic). Anything is great. “Music is Math” or “Alpha and Omega” are good examples. If BoC resonates well, I’d suggest also trying Aphex Twin, Autechre, or Squarepusher.

    Beck – Alright, so Beck isn’t exactly a band no one has heard of. His newest album, Guero is great, and Odelay is also excellent. “Girl”, “The New Pollution”, and “Lord Only Knows” are all good example tracks.

    West Indian Girl – semi electronic, low-key. Listen to “Miles From Monterey” or “Northern Sky”.

    Mew – rock, generally low-key. Check out the album Frengers, particularly “Behind the Drapes” and “Comforting Sounds”.

    Portishead – trip-hop the kids call it. Try “Sour Times” or “Only You”.

  53. Andrew Phillipo 19 years ago

    HEY – The Arcade Fire – Funeral is the album. Just simply one of the best things I’ve ever heard! It took me a while to ‘get into’, but seriously rewarding.

  54. mack 19 years ago

    Old Crow Medicine Show

    song: Wagon Wheel, Caroline

  55. BOH 19 years ago

    In 1978, Brian Eno recorded four tracks each from four then-hot New York bands. The album, entitled No New York, is considered to be the single definitive record of the NY “no wave” style of the late 70s and early 80s.

    Anyway, the band you’ll want to check out is called James Chance and the Contortions. One of their tracks off No New York, entitled Dish It Out, is three minutes and fifteen seconds of brilliant lunacy.

  56. Jessica 19 years ago

    One album that I couldn’t stop listening to last year was God Loves Ugly, by Atmosphere. I enjoy it from beginning to end.

  57. Ken Walke 19 years ago

    Rands,

    If you liked bluegrass, you’ll very likely enjoy Nickel Creek. They’re a folk/pop/bluegrass crossover band that’s won Grammys for their work. They recently completed a project called “Mutual Admiration Society” with none other than Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Glen Philips. Pick up any Nickel Creek album, though my favorite is “This Side.” The “Mutual Admiration Society” album while being very laid-back and folky, is also a great commute album. Both are available on iTunes.

    Rock on,

    Ken

  58. stephen 19 years ago

    If you’re digging the bluegrass you owe it to yourself to check out Tony Rice. ‘Manzanita’ (both the album and song) is what really turned me on to the BG in the first place. It’s definitely progressive bluegrass but has a lot of root in the traditional.

    More recently check out Chris Thile (mandolin from Nickel Creek) ‘All Who Wander Are Not Lost’.

    In a 180 degree direction..

    u-ziq- Lunatic Harness

    Venetian Snares- Songs About My Cats

  59. Michael Harmer 19 years ago

    Hmmm – life just wouldn’t be the same without Swervedriver (have a listen to Duress). Its not super modern but its not from the eighties!

    I also think that …and you will know us by the trail of dead has made the music world much better. Start with their album “Source Tags and Codes” its a great album (not just a collection of singles with filler). There is a great review of it at The Morning News

  60. Gregor Brandt 19 years ago

    Some of my current favourites:

    Artist – album – where to sample

    Ben Harper – Live from Mars disc 2 – iTunes

    Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams – iTunes

    Joel Kroeker – Melodrama – http://www.joelkroeker.com

    Ben Harper is the more famous of the three, Live from Mars is a two disc set, the first disc is good, but the second disc is acoustic solo and is fabulous.

    Jack Johnson is in the Rock category but has a nice touch of Jazz in the mix. I only have two of his 7 albums, but will be purchasing more.

    Joel Kroeker is a Canadian Indie. He is currently stuffed into the ‘folk’ genre, but if you listen to the album you’ll hear that he should be launching out of there soon.

    Hope you like them, if you do, buy the albums, iTunes 128k bit does not do the audio justice.

    Gregor

  61. Nicholas Martin 19 years ago

    Okay, these suggestions are all cool and all, but what you’re really after is something ‘new’. You’ve been listening to bands you’ve heard of and bands that are established for a while now. Boring, right? Well, it is boring – it’s fucking tedious.

    If you want to hear a great new band – and when I say new I mean infantile, just coming into their own – I’d recommend Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I’m in a really similar position with music, and I find most new stuff totally shitty and vacuous, or, alternately, too concerned with being indie and profound. Whatever pisses you off, this band is solid music – great on the ‘fun to listen to’ scale and perhaps even higher on the ‘impresively well articulated intention / ability to make me care about the songs’ scale. They’re like…New Order meets Mission of Burma (both too eighties to recommend, although both bands are fantastic in their own way).

    Anyway, yeah. “Lost and Found” is my favorite track.

  62. frisbeememex 19 years ago

    Juana Molina: Segundo

  63. frisbeememex 19 years ago

    I forgot that you’re lazy (or is that me?):

    Juana Molina

  64. Duncan W. 19 years ago

    Check out: “Closer To The Flame” By Dave EDmunds.

  65. Alexis Christoforides 19 years ago

    Muse – Absolution

    Song: Thoughts of a Dying Atheist

    (That was a hard choice. I think it’s a very strong album)

  66. Dekaritae 19 years ago

    Dummy (aka Blake Robinson)

    http://www.paradum.com/

    I’m torn between “Space Invaded” and “Irresponsible” as to which is my favorite of his.

    http://www.paradum.com/single-spaceinvaded.shtml

    http://www.paradum.com/Losin%20It/

  67. Dekaritae 19 years ago

    Oh heck, Sleater Kinney is decent too. Their most recent album makes good ‘up’ music, but the next-to-last album kinda dissapointed me.

    http://maur.shellscape.org/uploads/Sleater-Kinney_-_One_Beat.mp3

  68. gritty 19 years ago

    Solea: Apotheke

  69. Lynnie 19 years ago

    hard shit – Spiderbait “Black Betty” (haven’t heard the whole album but this remake rocks!)

    funk/soul/lots of instruments (artist: album) – Incognito: Adventures in Black Sunshine, Galactic: Late for the Future, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe: The Bridge

    sweet female vocalists – Beth Orton: Daybreaker, Tori Amos: any album (not obscure but profoundly talented…one of my all time favorites)

    bluegrass – saw Old Crow Medicine Show (mentioned above) live in Nashville….WOW

    drum & bass (sampled shit) – Kruder & Dorfmeister (any album)

    chilled-out sampled albums: DJ Mark Farina Mushroom Jazz series (Vol 1-5); Cam del Mar Ibiza Sunset (one of my all-time most-listened-to albums)

    Electronica/classical/Norwegian – Royksopp

    Good luck!

    p.s. love the site.

  70. Ryan 19 years ago

    Try:

    The Tea Party – Rock, sometimes ballad-y, good collection (transmission is a good album)

    Me First and the Gimme, Gimme’s – Totally punk – good covers

  71. Martin Sutherland 19 years ago

    First of all, a couple of +1s to bands that have already been mentioned:

    * Queens of the Stone Age

    * Mutual Admiration Society

    Second, why has no-one mentioned the fountain of copious joy that is AllOfMP3.com? (Aka “those crazy Russians”.) Fully in compliance with Russian laws on music distribution, with the added benefit of MUCH CHEAPNESS. Really. Go there. I’ve laid about $100 on these guys in the last six months, and it’s all good baby.

    Next up, some bands/albums from this side of the Atlantic that no-one has mentioned yet:

    ** Gorillaz. An experimental “cartoon” band, headed up by Damon Albarn (ex Blur). An intense blend of rap, dub, and funk rock. Their first album Gorillaz is more accessible than their follow up Demon Days from earlier this year, but Demon Days is the more complete experience. Whereas it’s possible to pick a few stand-alone favourites from Gorillaz, Demon Days pays off by listening to it as a whole. (Especially the last three tracks, with an interesting vocal performance from Dennis Hopper. Yes, Dennis Hopper)

    ESSENTIAL TRACK: Tomorrow Comes Today (Gorillaz)

    ** Charlotte Hatherley. Charlotte is the second guitarist and vocalist with Ash (whom you should also check out, especially Free All Angels). I fell head over heels in love with her voice on their song “Orpheus”, and her solo album Grey Will Fade just feeds the flames. It’s sunny, energetic, indie pop rock, just perfect for a summer afternoon. At first I thought that her voice might be a bit too high for a whole CD, but repeated listening proved me wrong. The opening track, “Kim Wilde” is about four songs rolled into one, and “Bastardo” sounds like bubblegum at first, until you start to appreciate the layered vocals and the fact that she managed to turn the phrase “two faced Lothario” into a singable chorus. Charlotte is queen of the “Oooh-oooh, aaah-aaah”, and has my eternal devotion.

    ESSENTIAL TRACK: Why You Wanna (Grey Will Fade)

    ** Snow Patrol. I always think of these guys as having an electronic sound, until I actually pay attention to the music, and find that it’s actually guitar-driven. Whatever they play, they do it stunningly well. They have a unique combination of an insistent, driving beat and lazy vocals, with the result that they sound both hard and cool at the same time. Very summery, very Euro. They had a big hit last year with the anthem “Run” from their album Final Straw, but even that isn’t the best track on offer. The whole CD is just the nuts.

    ESSENTIAL TRACK: Chocolate (Final Straw)

    ** Sondre Lerche. A charismatic young Norwegian guy who has put out some of the most amazingly beautiful, laid back songs I have ever heard. His album Two Way Monologue from last year is extraordinary, but his debut Faces Down is even better. His songs are sweet, melodic, acoustic and touched with a hint of melancholy. There’s a touch of the swinging sixties to him, a touch of the lounge singer, a touch of folk, and a whole damn mountain of subtlety and talent.

    ESSENTIAL TRACK: On And Off Again (Faces Down) (although I desperately want to say Modern Nature, which is a happy romp through the tulips, but not quite my favourite.)

    Given that you’ve already received a large number of recommendations, I’ll boil my picks down even further: if you choose only one track out of all of these to download, go for Modern Nature by Sondre Lerche. Because it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

  72. John 19 years ago

    The album “Welcome Interstate Manager” by Fountains of Wayne. “Bright Future in Sales” is a great track, but the whole album is excellent.

  73. Chris 19 years ago

    Anouar Brahem — Astrakan Cafe

    Orchestra Baobab — Pirates Choice

    Ry Cooder — Chavez Ravine

    Rory Gallagher — Calling Card

    Wigwam — Nuclear Nightclub

    McCoy Tyner — Tender Moments

    Pat Metheny — Bright Size Life

  74. Bill 19 years ago

    Amy Fraden and Leslie Ritter, from the album “Take Me Home” there are three covers of older music I really like:

    Rain

    Eye of the Hurricane (Shawn Colvin’s original is also excellent)

    Your Move

  75. gahlord Dewald 19 years ago

    I don’t know if I have anything new to add but I’ll do my best (my personal tastes lean on long-format, less radio-friendly but definitely consumable music):

    Burlington VT’s Nest Materials (available at that hipster place in SF or by calling Radio Bean in Burlington VT or drop me a line and I’ll hook you up). _not_ a hippie jam band.

    Thinking Fellers Union Local 242. Get the one with the painted lightbulbs.

    Yo La Tengo. You should already know that though.

    Postal Service. Very very nice indie.

    Pedro the Lion. ditto Postal Service.

    Elvis Costello old singles, or latest stuff, … sans 80sSure it’s old. But his old stuff is good and his new stuff is good. His 80s and 90s weren’t so good so maybe you missed it.

    James Kochalka Superstar Another Burlington VT gig. You can get it from icebox records along with my (cough cough) band Charles, Dead or Alive. James Kochalka rules. His comics rule too. Get the one with Monkey vs Robot or with Hockey Monkey… or just do Get Whitey. You won’t be disappointed. Humorous much fun.

    Anything on K Records If you like indie rock music you might as well close your eyes point at their catalog and just purchase.

    William Parker, Hamid Drake In the jazz section, find anything with either of these two on it. If you like it, subscribe to Signal to Noise magazine to get more like it.

    Anything on Thirsty Ear Records Like K records but for jazz. I don’t mean no sissy Marsalis jazz either.

    But more than this….

    Re-engage with radio, Rand.

    I know this iPod control is big and cool and all… but we’re talking about the difference between surf and search. Remember back in the day just going from one cool site to another by following links? Find some radio that helps you do the same to your ears. Search is great when you want to, but if you’ve been relying only on search, you miss some fun random gems and start to be your own echo chamber.

    I recommend college radio for starters… if Clear Channel owns it then you can count on Blando content. WRUV (in Burlington VT) streams and it’s total freeform. DJs do what they want. If you don’t like it, check back in an hour, there’s good DJs for nearly every genre. There’s a place up in Washington with that sort of ethos too. You need new filters.

    You’ve been wandering about, gazing at your musical navel for about 10 years now. All your friends who used to recommend music to you either failed you, or you failed to listen. You need to re-engage. Finding a good radio DJ is the start (as in, a station that lets DJs do what they want, and you actively tune in to a DJ who tends to play music you enjoy). It’s hard work but worth it.

    Also… have you rated the songs in your collection? Get on that stick man. Just set up a playlist that lets you rate unrated songs and go to it. 10 mins a day or whatever.

    Keep it moving.

  76. Jadrian 19 years ago

    I can’t help you explore more bluegrass, but I do have some other recommendations. I was hoping no one would mention Mr. Bungle‘s California (definitely available through iTunes, though I can’t give you a link); you seem like someone who would really like it. Off that album, the best songs to sample are “Ars Moriendi” and “Goodbye Sober Day”. The album is an incredible mix of styles, and both these songs showcase that variety and lead singer Mike Patton’s amazingly flexible voice.

    For plainer, but still well-crafted fare, I suggest (again repeating someone else) The Arcade Fire‘s Funeral. The track “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” may be the best to start with, but once you grow to like this album, it’s very hard to pick a best track.

    If you like (or are intrigued by the idea of) epic, orchestral rock, I can suggest Explosions in the Sky in addition to the more ambient Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Both these bands fall under the heading of “post-rock”. Any Explosions album is good, but I’d check out The Earth Is Not a Cold Dark Place. Post-rock thrives on long songs and continuous albums, so just start from the beginning and keep listening.

    You can listen to the rest of the albums I mention in their entirety on Warp Records’s bleep.com.

    Prefuse 73‘s work is a perfect blend of hip-hop and electronic production, with some soulful barrio flair thrown in as well. I like his earlier work best of all, but his new album, Surrounded by Silence, is also great. I think the song “We Got Our Own Way”, which features vocals from Blonde Redhead’s lead singer, Kazu, is utterly beautiful.

    If you want to get a little more out there in the electronic field, check out Merck Records’s superstar Travis Stewart in his alter egos Machine Drum and Syndrone; his albums Now You Know and Triskaideka, though still somewhat grounded in a hip-hop mentality, are the work of a master electronic beatsmith. This is some of my favorite music, so it’s hard to pick just one track from each album, but let’s go with “Hello My Future” and “Could We”.

    To truly get into the depths of abstract electronic music, there are only four names you need to know: Warp Records label-mates Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada, and Plaid. Plaid puts out the most approachable music of these three; the song “Squance” off their album Double Figure is what originally got me hooked. Aphex Twin‘s Drukqs is a work of art; it’s best to listen to it as a whole album, but the track “Mt Saint Michel Mix + St Michaels Mount” is the best introduction on that album to Aphex Twin’s music overall. Boards of Canada makes very ambient, but still strangely beat-driven, music that evokes memories of childhood in almost everyone who listens to them. Music Has the Right to Children is best sampled from the short track “Olson” and the longer “Pete Standing Alone”. Finally, Autechre makes my favorite music of all. Their track “Arch Carrier”, off LP5, is utterly transcendental. Their style gets more and more experimental as the years go by (which I love, though it gets them a smaller following every album), but “Arch Carrier” gives a great view of many aspects of their music.

    This is all the best stuff I can suggest from the past five or so years. If you don’t mind listening to something older, but new to you, I also heartily recommend the earlier albums of all of these musicians: Primus, Brian Eno, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. If you never listened to Nirvana, you must check out In Utero.

    I’ve probably missed the deadline on this whole contest business, but I hope I can help you find some music you like!

  77. osb 19 years ago

    here’s my shot for your new favorite band: the faint.

    for the last couple years in “hip” music culture, the aesthetic of the 80s made a huge comback. hundreds of bands/producers starting making their new music have element of the old. it’s only fitting that you, coming in straight off the real 80s, jump in right with the new 80s! technically, this who electro movement is dead and the hipsters have moved onto dance-rock, but that’s besides the point ๐Ÿ™‚

    the faint is the best band that represents this sound. check our their albums: danse macabre and wet from birth.

  78. rev_matt 19 years ago

    Depends on what you like, but here’s a few options. If you pick only one to check out, it should be Manic Street Preachers.

    Rock:

    Manic Street Preachers – Huge in UK, unheard of in US.

    Reeves Gabrels – Killer guitarist and songwriter, occasional Bowie sideman

    Adrian Belew – see above

    Dance

    Anything with Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Nathaniel Merriweather, Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School)

    Hip Hop

    MC Paul Barman – Intellectual hip hop

    The Streets – street level UK hip hop

    R&B

    Michael Franti/Spearhead – social consciousness and smooth grooves

  79. BlueRook 19 years ago

    http://www.thesoundandthefury.com/ — unfortunately they have taken their previous albums off there.

    So, check out their myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/soundfury

    On there the better song is Millionaire Losers.

  80. Klaatu 19 years ago

    Dear Rands;

    Here is some crucial music for I-5 driving between LA. and San Diego:

    MMM..Bassnectar (“Float”-by Lorin & Sayr)www.bassnectar.net;

    Limey Music:Brian Eno album “Another Day on Earth” He actually sings on this one.

    German Musik, non stop: Ascii Disko – all his albums are good;

    Spoon:New album “Gimme Fiction” Big as in Texas;

    David Byrne-The Man with the 4 way hips – his new album :”Grown Backwards”;

    The White Stripes:”Get behind me Satan!” Yes, I know that they’re mainstream, but listen for the title alone, besides the good songs;

    Gorillaz-They’re mainstream too, but their sense of humor is too good to pass up. I mean, naming your song: “Clint Eastwood”.

    Cheers;

    PS. I was disappointed in Moby’s latest album

  81. Huitseeker 19 years ago

    I recently came across the Jazz Mandolin Project, through their album Jungle Tango.

    This album mixes traditional rythms with jazz, creating a compact, sharp , hot and swinging athmosphere. The third track, At The Pershing features a great jazz pianist, Gil Goldstein, on the piano

    Definitely something to chek out.

  82. Ed 19 years ago

    Hot Hot Heat – “Middle of Nowhere”

    Indie rock that’s actually fun to listen to.

    Velvet Revolver – “Big Machine”

    Hard rock. Far from unknown, but it’s got Slash on guitar and the song rocks, woo. Should have been a single.

    Failure – “Saturday Savior”

    10-year-old space grunge, sadly unheard-of.

    Splashdown – “Ironspy”

    Rock, I guess, but of the softer variety. Great female vocalist. Another song from this album ended up on the Titan A.E. soundtrack, bizarrely.

    Eminently relistenable, all of ’em.

  83. Chris 19 years ago

    Can’t… resist…

    Album – Ani DiFranco “Living in Clip”

    Song – Twilight Singers “Teenage Wristband”

  84. Jed Cousin 19 years ago

    The Bravery’s track “Fearless”, from their self-titled 2005 album.

  85. frisbeememex 19 years ago

    Juana Molina’s Quien from the album “Segundo”.

    I can’t resist another, so if you have an spare 00:05:19, try out:

    Ricardo Lemvo’s Si Tu No Sabel (No Te Metas) from the album “Sao Salvador”. Cuban Son meets Congolese Rumba with a touch of Merengue.

  86. frisbeememex 19 years ago

    Juana Molina’s Quien from the album “Segundo”. Very feminine Argentinian melodicacousticelectronica.

    I can’t resist another, so if you have an spare 00:05:19, try out:

    Ricardo Lemvo’s Si Tu No Sabel (No Te Metas) from the album “Sao Salvador”. Cuban Son meets Congolese Rumba with a touch of Merengue. Caution: hips and buttocks will spontaneously boogie.

    Enjoy, my friend!

  87. David Magda 19 years ago

    Pick up a ‘best of’ album of J.S. Bach. You’ll get a good sampling of a variety of his volumous output (his total works take up about 250 CDs–and we less than half of what he wrote), and you’ll get a different musical perspective.

    If you want to stick with ‘rock’, why not go back a bit to groups like The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepellin, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.

    “Dave Brubeck’s Greatest Hits” is also a good CD good catchy music and also music that challenges you in its strucutre. (Ever listen to music that has a beat, but that you can’t tap your foot or snap your to? No? Check out ‘Unsquare Dance’.)

    While I haven’t purchased ‘best of’ CDs in a little while, they’re a great way to get a gentle introduction to a new genre. Then, if you like some of the works, you can ask (either online or at the record store): ‘I like this song, can you recommend other works that are in the same vein?’.

  88. Tony 19 years ago

    Ok, two more:

    Johnny Cash – One

    Slovo – Killing Me

  89. Mark 19 years ago

    I don’t know if you are still looking for more music, but a great method that I have found that forces me to explore a variety of stuff is a subscription to inRadio (www.inradio.com). You get a CD per month that contains a wide variety of music on it, all from small independant labels you may never have had access to otherwise.

  90. Tim 18 years ago

    Months late — more than a year actually — but certainly worth a listen: Bloc Party’s “Banquet” and “Blue Light”