Gave Future Sound Of London, Slayer and Galaxie 500 a listen. Not overly fussed by any of them to be fair. FSOL was probably my favourite, and it had some really great moments in it. Didn't like Slayer at all, and Galaxie 500 was a bit boring really.
Do give FSOL another go if appreciate some of it - it is not something that will immediately grab you and takes a few listens to absorb the whole thing.
Do give FSOL another go if appreciate some of it - it is not something that will immediately grab you and takes a few listens to absorb the whole thing.
Loved their S/T, Madonna & Source Tags & Codes, but everything since then has disappointed me. Worlds Apart had a few decent tracks, Century of Self and So Divided really didn't impress me. But I saw them live when they were touring for Source Tags & Codes and they were absolutely incredible
Gave And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead a listen and quite enjoyed it. Didn't grab me as something amazing straight away, but sounds like something if I listen again it'll grow on me. There were a few really good tracks on there. Having said that, I think that Pitchfork review is a fair bit OTT.
Gave And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead a listen and quite enjoyed it. Didn't grab me as something amazing straight away, but sounds like something if I listen again it'll grow on me. There were a few really good tracks on there. Having said that, I think that Pitchfork review is a fair bit OTT.
This was the first Sonic Youth album I ever bought, I remember getting it on casette from this little 2nd hand record shop where old men would gather and drink cider while they listened to 70s blues-rock records.
I loved it, I went out and worked my way through their back catalogue, and I've bought everything they've released since. But despite now having well over 20 Sonic Youth albums, Dirty remains my favourite. It's (for me at least) simply everything an "alternative rock" album could and should ever be, beautiful, loud, angry and interesting.
Music Videos:
Video for 100% (featuring a very young Jason Lee and Spike Jonze)
Video for Sugar Kane (featuring an equally young Chloe Sevigny)
Somewhat boringly I suppose I would plump for Daydream Nation if asked to recommend just one SY album but Dirty is a great record as well. Nice choice.
Somewhat boringly I suppose I would plump for Daydream Nation if asked to recommend just one SY album but Dirty is a great record as well. Nice choice.
Must confess I'm pretty torn, anything between Sister and Washing Machine would be fine by me. I mean they're all just such good albums, and tracks like Dirty Boots, Diamond Sea, Teenage Riot... Incredible band, and they've been going since I was a year old...
In that case I'd highly recommend Experimental Jet Set (Trash & No Star) and Washing Machine - both great albums. A Thousand Leaves has a few great tracks (Sunday, Hits of Sunshine & Contre Le Sexisme) but overall tends too much towards their long and slightly aimless guitar wonderings.
Really slow tempo stuff, minimal techno. It's not on spotify but you can listen to the whole thing on the last.fm link or the second link is to download it (legally) for free.
Gave Alabama 3 a listen yesterday, pretty enjoyable. Think it started off really well for the first 3 or 4 tracks, but the quality slipped and was a little more hit and miss for the rest. Still really good though.
1. Stomp Box
2. Lost Weekend
3. On The Run
4. Dem Na Like Me
5. S.W.A.G. (Intro)
6. S.W.A.G.
7. Drop Audio
8. When ** Lonely
9. Soundface
10. Got One Life
11. The Perfect High
I like that Qemists album - sounds like early Pendulum stuff so great if you like that but unlikely to appeal otherwise - I notice that it also has Mike Patton on it, that guy gets everywhere!
AllMusic Review: Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin works on at least two levels. First, it's a plea against racism and war, relating, as Sawhney writes in the liner notes, that one's identity is defined only by oneself -- that identity is "beyond skin." Second, the music is an extremely accomplished blend of classical, drum'n'bass, jazz, hip-hop, and Indian elements. The album's political statements are seen most clearly in the samples imbedded in the beginning and ending of most tracks. Dealing with nuclear testing and identity, the samples are effective in setting the tone for the songs. The music is quite lush, featuring among other instruments, tablas, pianos, and cellos to equally beautiful effect. The production brings a crystal-clear polish to nearly every element in the mix, whether it's the passionate, intense vocals of the Rizwan Qawwali Group on "Homelands" or the stunning, impossibly gorgeous voice of Swati Natekar on "Nadia." The entire album is bathed in eclectic touches which never fail to maintain a poetic, accessible sense of charm and wonder. Rarely has electronic music been crafted with as much substance and style as it has on Beyond Skin. Sawhney travels back and forth between genres quite effortlessly. "Nadia" is as good a drum'n'bass track as one is likely to find. "Letting Go" suggests the coffee-table trip-pop of Morcheeba's Big Calm. "The Pilgrim" is moody, soul-searching hip-hop aided by the wiry vocals of Spek. "Tides" is an excellent, breezy jazz number suggesting Vince Guaraladi in his finest, most experimental moments. "Nostalgia" sounds like a more-relaxed Lamb. "The Conference" is a treat, featuring incredible vocal interplay that simply must be heard to be believed. "Beyond Skin," which opens and closes with a sample of Edward Murrow reading the poem "Now I'm become death," is a powerful conclusion to Sawhney's pacifistic vision. Accessible, frightening, emotional, and most-of-all accomplished, Sawhney's Beyond Skin is a remarkable album of rewarding, organic music.
Drugs Made Me Smarter - Not really my thing, but it made very good background music while I was working. But not something I can imagine wanting to listen to if you know what I mean.
The Qemists - Definitely not my thing. I just found it dull, agressive, boring and very uninspiring
Album 39: Queens of the Stone Age - s/t This is a top album - have always liked a lot of what I heard of QOTSA but hadnt come across this debut. In fact i think it is better than any of the other albums I have heard.
I haven't listened to them all but I've got a lot out of it: some real gems and some prejudices confirmed (metallists and wimpy singer-songwriters should be shot).
Had a listen to Sonic Youth, one of those bands that I have heard a lot about but never really heard a full album - enough of interest to make me listen again at least, not sure if this album is the best introduction to them?
Here's one of my favourite albums ever. Album 61: Silver Jews - American Water
year: 1998
genre: country / indie rock
What wikipedia has to say about the band...
Silver Jews was an indie rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by David Berman along with Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Berman remained throughout and was the only constant member. During the last few albums, Cassie Berman became a regular member of the band. They disbanded in 2009
American Water is the third full-length studio album by indie rock group Silver Jews. Released in 1998 as an LP and CD on Drag City (DC149) in America and Domino (WIG56) in Europe, American Water was recorded at The Rare Book Room in Brooklyn and mastered at Abbey Road Studios. The album features musicians Tim Barnes, David Berman, Mike Fellows, Stephen Malkmus, Chris Stroffolino, and artwork by Chris Kysor.
Had a listen to Sonic Youth, one of those bands that I have heard a lot about but never really heard a full album - enough of interest to make me listen again at least, not sure if this album is the best introduction to them?
The "classic" Sonic Youth album is Daydream Nation, but to be honest Dirty is probably their most accessible album, and certainly the closest they ever came to doing "Alt Rock" for MTV consumption or radio-play. To be honest though any of Daydream Nation, Sister, Goo or Experimental Jet Set are a good place to start.
Good choice, brilliant album! Got into them through a love of Pavement, and while American Water is the only Silver Jews album I really rate, I rate it very very highly.
Normally I'd say an album should be judged on the music, and the circumstances surrounding its creation should be secondary. But in the case of Yoñlu it's difficult... The important thing really, the main thing to bear in mind when listening to this album - is that it's not an album. It's a collection of songs a lonely kid recorded in his bedroom. Some were never finished, some were just experiments, several are covers. This wasn't put together for public release, it wasn't polished, it was never finished - in a way you're listening to ideas and potential rather than finished songs.
That's what you need to know.
The rest, as tragic as it is, shouldn't really influence your appreciation of his music. If anything it clouds the music, and I strongly recommend listening to the album before reading the rest:
There's a huge quantity of articles on the internet about Yoñlu, or Vinícius Gageiro Marques, a kid from Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) who was active on several web forums, including devinatART, his own blog and rllmukforum, where he posted songs he'd recorded in his bedroom, took part in collaborative photography projects and talked about his social life. He was shy, struggled to fit into his peer group in his hometown I guess and took refuge on the internet, learning Welsh from the BBC, writing songs, making art and (like many on here) finding friends on online forums. For a while he considered suicide, it's mentioned in several of his songs, he posted on alt.suicide asking for advice about different methods. Shortly before his 17th birthday he told his parents he was having a barebecue with friends and asked them to leave for the day, he then lit the two small barbecues in the bathroom of their apartment and tried to kill himself with CO. He stayed online to the end, trying to get advice on how to make the CO work, worried his parents would get home early. When the barbecues simply made the bathroom to hot to bear he hung himself.
When his parents went through his computer they found the songs that Yoñlu had recorded, sent them to a small label and eventually saw them released by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. The cover was designed by a Scottish kid who had been friends with Yoñlu on rllmuk.
It's far from perfect as an album, but there are (in my opinion anyway) some lovely tracks on there, an amazing number of ideas and styles (sometimes too many). Incredible to think it was recorded by a 15-16 year old kid.
This album tends to be either overlooked or hated, which are the only sane responses for anyone with a pair of ears and any musical sensibility. It is not as good as their previous 3 albums, neither is it as good as any of the singles Venom released during their golden years, ie it's particularly noxious shite.
I think I can see a bit of theme to ::sonny:: choices - Venom are not something I am ever likely to listen to, I just find it pretty basic and boring really.
Venom were incredibly basic. They had a good image and aura about them at the time but the music let them down, especially when you compared to some of their contemporaries like Celtic Frost.
Normally I'd say an album should be judged on the music, and the circumstances surrounding its creation should be secondary. But in the case of Yoñlu it's difficult... The important thing really, the main thing to bear in mind when listening to this album - is that it's not an album. It's a collection of songs a lonely kid recorded in his bedroom. Some were never finished, some were just experiments, several are covers. This wasn't put together for public release, it wasn't polished, it was never finished - in a way you're listening to ideas and potential rather than finished songs.
That's what you need to know.
The rest, as tragic as it is, shouldn't really influence your appreciation of his music. If anything it clouds the music, and I strongly recommend listening to the album before reading the rest:
There's a huge quantity of articles on the internet about Yoñlu, or Vinícius Gageiro Marques, a kid from Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) who was active on several web forums, including devinatART, his own blog and rllmukforum, where he posted songs he'd recorded in his bedroom, took part in collaborative photography projects and talked about his social life. He was shy, struggled to fit into his peer group in his hometown I guess and took refuge on the internet, learning Welsh from the BBC, writing songs, making art and (like many on here) finding friends on online forums. For a while he considered suicide, it's mentioned in several of his songs, he posted on alt.suicide asking for advice about different methods. Shortly before his 17th birthday he told his parents he was having a barebecue with friends and asked them to leave for the day, he then lit the two small barbecues in the bathroom of their apartment and tried to kill himself with CO. He stayed online to the end, trying to get advice on how to make the CO work, worried his parents would get home early. When the barbecues simply made the bathroom to hot to bear he hung himself.
When his parents went through his computer they found the songs that Yoñlu had recorded, sent them to a small label and eventually saw them released by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. The cover was designed by a Scottish kid who had been friends with Yoñlu on rllmuk.
It's far from perfect as an album, but there are (in my opinion anyway) some lovely tracks on there, an amazing number of ideas and styles (sometimes too many). Incredible to think it was recorded by a 15-16 year old kid.
