Based only on what you know about me from DU...find me some good music!

[eyesroll]

I'm the...shall we say...musically challenged half of an otherwise compatible couple. He's done his best to find music I'd like, and while I occasionally will point out, "hey, that's pretty cool," I think we've both got mental blocks -- him, knowing me for more than a decade and having assumptions about what I'd like and what I wouldn't; me, automatically assuming that anything he'll play for me is going to be too loud, or too dissonant, or too screechy. (OK....I've been traumatized by The Plastic Ono Band.)

So...DUers of fine musical taste, who lack those decade-old assumptions...what do you think I'd like? I'm not giving any genres or examples of what I think is good or not (except Yoko), because I'm open-minded and I know you're not going to recomment that boot-in-your-ass song.

Thanks for helping my tin ear out!

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. Yoko rules.

Philistine.

[eyesroll]

2. Don't worry don't worry don't worry (...) Kyoko

Al's only looking for eyesroll's severed ears in the snow...

[ronnykmarshall]

3. Cindy Alexander!

http://www.towerrecords.com/Music/Default.aspx?search_in=music&oft=cindy%20alexander&urlid=3e69265ce02bcbfb8016&free_text=cindy%20alexander&

[eyesroll]

16. Thanks, Ronny!

What do you like about her? I'm not familiar with her at all.

[ronnykmarshall]

37. Her song writing for one.

She has a great voice as well.

I'm drawn to singer/songwriters and Cindy fits the bill.

[mvd]

35. I second that!

Cindy is a pop/rock/folk/blues singer-songwriter. Sometimes she'll even add electronic touches. She really has her own style, and I'm glad ronny pointed her out to me!

[ronnykmarshall]

38. and you are very welcome.

I'm so happy that you like her. Thanks from Cindy herself for helping to get the word out about her.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. David Bowie - Hunky Dory.

Can't go wrong with that.

[eyesroll]

5. Do you have this, Hedges?

I know he's played some Bowie for me -- I liked quite a bit of it, actually -- but I'm not sure what...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Alternatively 'London Calling' by The Clash.

You can't go wrong with either.

[eyesroll]

10. That one I know he's got

I remember him shouting something by the Clash across the quad, freshman year in college (someone had a boom box). I believe it was "London Calling." (I could be wrong. A lot of my memory from that time is fuzzy.)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. Others - based on what Annie can tolerate of my CD's.

Sugar - Copper Blue
One Dove - Morning Dove White
The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
Sloan - One Chord to Another
Mercury Rev - Deserters Songs
Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
The Mutton Birds - Envy of Angels
Ash - 1977
Crowded House - Together Alone
Blur - Modern Life is Rubbish

None of those should provide too challenging, dissonant or bland.

[eyesroll]

13. Hey, challenging's fine...

Doesn't mean I'll like it, but doesn't mean I won't. (just no yoko)

And thanks! :thumbsup:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

15. OK, for challenging....

Dubnobasswithmyheadman by Underworld
Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros
Vanishing Point by Primal Scream
Good Morning Spider by Sparklehorse
Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space by Spiritualized
Giant Steps by the Boo Radleys
Treasure by the Cocteau Twins

I never mentioned XTC. That goes without saying.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. You know Aimee Mann's stuff, right?

Otherwise, you have to, have to get Whatever, I'm With Stupid, the Magnolia soundtrack and Bachelor #2 as soon as is humanly possible.

[eyesroll]

23. A bit...Magnolia, "Voices Carry"...that sort of thing...

Like I said, I'm musically challenged.

(At least it's way cheaper this way -- if I was as much of a record collector as Hedges, and still spent money on the things I spend money on -- books, laptop -- we'd be broke. )

[Screaming Lord Byron]

24. She's America's greatest living songwriter.

Well, apart from 'Lost in Space'. That was a dog.

[tigereye]

30. you guys would have no space to live!

that's kind of like it is around here, since my husband is more of a music freak than I am... plus books, New Yorkers we havent' read, and old copies of the NYTs.

Do you like folkie-type stuff, rock and roll, bluegrass, jazz?

Pink Moon by Nick Drake is beautiful, bet you've heard that
The Raveonettes are my reverb- washed new faves ( recent K-Mart ad not withstanding)
old REM is very good... like Murmur
Elvis Costello is a great songwriter, pretty much across the board
Female jazz singers... Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Ella
Geri Allen... my fave contemporary female piano jazz artist

just a few.. have fun. :)

[eyesroll]

32. thanks!

I do kinda like Elvis C.

[tigereye]

34. What hasn't he written - his output is astonishing

Have you heard his stuff with the Brodsky Quartet? Beautiful and very poetic stories. When it first came out, we played it over and over.

[Magrittes Pipe]

8. Of course.

I am not a savage.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. Lately I've been replaying these albums

Manu Chao - Clandestino (especially recommended)
Fela Kuti - Beasts of No Nation
Anthony Braxton - 6 Monk Compositions
Iron & Wine - anything and all they're (his) albums

[eyesroll]

9. Thanks, CStheT!

I'm not familiar with any of these, so I'll have to check them out.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

11. Clandestino is worth grabbing pronto

Manu Chao's Clandestino is the most exciting album I've heard in a long time. He is a French born man who darts between English, French and a somewhat Mexican tinged Spanish nimbly and intelligently in his politically charged, reggae soaked songs.

http://www.manuchao.net/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000C2MI/qid=1093356600/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-7140934-1655341?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

[GOPisEvil]

19. If you like Iron and Wine, you might like Shearwater and Okkervil River

It's the same group of guys that record under two names. Shearwater is more quiet and introspective. Okkervil River is more upbeat.

[tigereye]

33. that Manu Chao sounds really interesting

I really like political reggae. Chavez, I always learn something interesting from you, too.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

36. *bows*

I live to serve

[tigereye]

40. now you have to see if your head will fit through the door

:)

I have heard about so much cool music here, and I thought I already knew a lot. But some of my tastes are almost "conventional" ( well, not totally) compared to some of what I have seen here.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

41. I feel that way every day here

Compared to blokes like SLB, Hedges and Randomkoolzip - I feel like a newbie.

And I've never seen shows the likes of ones you have!

:)

[tigereye]

42. true we all probably have seen a plethora of shows

suspect I may have seen more, since I'm older. A lot of the folks I saw are now deceased. That makes it more bittersweet. Like Albert Collins, he was something. Dorothy Donegan, Carmen McRae, Lester Bowie, Ella. The Ramones, The Clash.


oh well.

[XNASA]

14. The Wildman of Wivenhoe......Martin Newell

I recommend Martin to everyone.

His songwriting is on par with Wilson, Davies, Partridge, Costello....even Lennon and whatshisname.

http://www.martinnewell.co.uk/

He's getting on, and his voice is not what it once was....but he's a wonderful artist.

[eyesroll]

20. Cool...

I like good writing.
There actually are quite a few things I'm neutral on musically but I like lyrically. Thanks.

[bobbobbins]

17. Michael Franti

Everybody deserves music...pretty cool stuff...plus the bush bashing really adds to it

[eyesroll]

18. Thanks, and welcome to DU!

:toast:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

21. Welcome - and Yes to Spearhead!

Good stuff

[RandomKoolzip]

25. K. McCarty is awesome.....

Have you heard of her? She used to front a band from Austin, Texas called Glass Eye (also awesome) and put out and album of Daniel Johnston songs in 1995 called "Dead Dog's Eyeball" that is definitely on my top ten list.

American Music Club? Also very much worth checking out. Get "Everclear" or "Mercury" by them, but avoid Mark Eitzel's solo albums.


The Bellrays: incredible MC5-style punk rock band fronted by a black woman who sounds like a really pissed-off Tina Turner. Not screechy or dissonant.

Also, if you haven't heard these, pleeeze do yourself a favor:


Husker Du
The Fiery Furnaces
Ben Folds
Don Cherry
Eddie Money (okay, maybe not)
The Wrens

[eyesroll]

26. Thanks, RKZ

I'm familiar with some, not all, of your list, but I'll do some research.

[Magrittes Pipe]

27. She doesn't like the Fiery Furnaces as much as I do.

And I haven't yet been able to get her into the Bell-Rays.

That said, AMC's Everclear (as opposed to the band Everclear, which SUCKS! :P) could be a great choice.

And by "Don Cherry" I assume you mean the trumpeter, not the Hockey guy. I think the only thing I have featuring his playing is Ornette's "Free Jazz" (which has never been eyesroll's cuppa tea).

[Screaming Lord Byron]

29. Actually, he does look rather Jazz.

http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20040429/wxcherry29/_done_0429cherry

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

28. Also the Tranqs - Theme for a Funky Viking!

Massive

[tigereye]

31. Don Cherry

I love Don Cherry! Amazing!

[GOPisEvil]

39. Hey RKZ - I saw The Wrens again this Saturday.

Very high energy, but a little sloppier than last time I saw them. Still a good show overall. But, they didn't play "Built In Girls" - the bastards.