Music!

[Ben Dover]

You go girl!

[blue]

You go girl!

:laughing: No, I go boy! Er, I would go boy. Definitely *am* boy. I'm not Mr. Macho Jock Boy, but definitely boy. Thus, the whole closet issue.

But I know you're just teasing, Ben. (Anybody with that screen name has *got* to have a sense of humor.)

[Toph]

Music, music, music.... Well, first off, I must mention Muse. They're my favourite band by far, and I'm the type of person who usually makes a point of not picking favourites, which says quite a lot. My favourite songs by them are Butterflies and Hurricanes, and Citizen Erased, both of which are amazing. Other artists I enjoy listening to are Keane, Radiohead, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, all that good stuff. Franz Ferdinand, The Postal Service, Electric Six, Dido, Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow, Death Cab for Cutie, Kate Bush, Evanesance, Modest Mouse, Jack Off Jill, the Amelie soundtrack, Queen, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and is too long for me to make any pretence as to its being at all interesting. However, that's basically the style I enjoy. Oh, and classical music. Paganini, Bach, Rachmaninov, Vivaldi, etc. So yes. Lots of stuff.

[dude]

Hi Toph,

Glad you posted your partial list of musical favorites. And glad you posted some classical stuff. I thought Hoodster and I were the only ones listening to that stuff.

And your using your pic for an Avatar is the greatest! Maybe I should require all our members to do that!

Of course, some of us already do... particularly Blue and Paul. LOL

Welcome to the group!

[blue]

I'm listening to the soundtrack for Angels In the Universe, an Icelandic film which includes music by Sigur R?s and Hilmar ?rn Hilmarsson. I haven't seen the film. It's on the strength of my liking for Sigur R?s that I got the soundtrack.

Wow again. Evocative, atmospheric, a mix of classical and rock styles. (I'm not familiar with how this kind of rock is, er, pigeonholed. Trance, techno, post-modern, new wave, what?) It's good and I'd like to find more music from artists similar to Sigur R?s. Any suggestions?

[aj]

i've seen the video, and it's actually about one boy's fantasy of falling in love with another. Loved the music though--despite not being really too excited about most trance.

i'm a big Sophie B. Hawkins fan, love Kate Bush, and adore Suzanne Vega (god, if i could write 1/4 as well as that girl does!!).

[dude]

I wouldn't call anything Sigur Ros does as Trance. More post-rock, I would guess.

In case nobody noticed, the current logo for AwesomeDude Forums is a pic of our Icelandic boyz.

[Guest]

This is a good topic btw. :D

I got my love for Elvis and other "oldies" from the 50's from my mom. She was also a big Motown fan, so am I. She loved Conway Twitty, Marty Robbins, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline. My sister, who is 9 years older than I am, made me a lover of rock and roll, 70's style. My dad was into "classic" country, bluegrass and southern gospel, hence my fondness for those. If someone were to peek into my music collection they'd see; The Beatles; as a group and most of the solo stuff, Collective Soul, Alice In Chains, Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Elvis, some "swing" or "big-band" music, LeAnne Rimes, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr., The Stanley Bros., Kiss, Default, Nickelback, Jet, Led Zeppelin and lots more. If I think it's good, I'll buy it. Music is a wonderful thing.

I'll listen to pretty much anything. I don't really care for hardcore rap but most everything else is a go.

-Johnny

[EleCivil]

I'm into punk, folk, indie, alternative...lately I've been listening to:

Defiance OH, Flogging Molly, Coheed and Cambria, Belle and Sebastian, Desaparecidos, Bright Eyes, Thursday, Xiu Xiu, Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution.

I'd suggest checking out Defiance, OH - they're an acoustic folk-punk band. Punk with violin, cello, stand-up bass, etc. Pretty good stuff. Plus, they let you download all their songs for free at their site. http://defianceohio.terrorware.com/audio.php

[dude]

Er... don't know that I'd EVER download anything from a place called terrorware.com.

:p

[aj]

checked out the site--loved the song title "I Don't Want Solidarity If It Means Holding Hands With You."

[EleCivil]

*Necropost: This corpse of a topic = reanimated!*

Er...anyway, I just found some cool music that I felt like sharing.

I found out that the entire Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution demo is available for download at http://skachilles.com/music/botar/ (with their permission, of course). Check out "Here's To Life" (track 2) for a lot of literary references, and "They Provide the Paint for the Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint on the Insides of your Eyelids" (track 5)...well, just because anything with that long of a title has to be cool.

[Thirdeye]

.

Maybe underthehoodster or someone else knows other examples of unusual instrument techniques, like using a bow on a guitar.

...Extra points if you know what a dulcimer or hammer-dulcimer is...

Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead uses a paintbrush on "Anyone can play Guitar" the Pablo Honey album

[blue]

So this is the "Post of the Walking / Wheeling Backwards?"

I'll check those out, I'll let'cha know what I think.

I've been listening to Switchfoot's Beautiful Letdown CD. Every title on it is a winner, I think.

Here are some I've listened to recently:

Josh Groban --

Enrique Iglesias -- 7

-- "Not In Love" (great cover and update of an oldie)

-- "Free" (well, because)

Jimmy Buffett -- Beachhouse on the Moon

Lenny Kravitz -- Baptism

Sting -- Dream of the Blue Turtles

-- Russians (reminded of it recently)

Good Charlotte -- The Young and the Hopeless

-- Hold On (good video, too)

The Calling -- Camino Palmero, Two

Pink Floyd -- Momentary Lapse of Reason (all tracks)

Simple Plan -- No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls (teen angst writ large)

Sigur Ros -- anything by them

Simon and Garfunkel

Bruce Springsteen

The Rolling Stones

Others I've also listened to lately:

Hoobastank

Linkin Park

Pink

Gwen Stefani / No Doubt

Cyndi Lauper

Til Tuesday

Newsboys -- Shine: The Hits (Christian Rock, if you like it)

Jars of Clay -- Jars of Clay (Christian Rock, if you like it)

Gonna have to get the Goo Goo Dolls CD with the "Give a Little Bit" cover of Supertramp's classic.

Yes, I mostly listen to classic rock and folk, 80's, and current rock. I also listen to some classical music. I'll pretty much listen to anything -- trying to broaden my musical tastes.

-----

Wbat can I say? I like to listen to CDs or the radio while I work, it relaxes me and puts me in the mood to work creatively. -- Although at times, I have to turn it off and concentrate.

[blue]

:cough: And since I'm completely new to "queer music" I'd be curious about what might be fun or thoughtful there too.

I've heard a few things on the local radio program, including a very funny one, "I Like Mike." Some have been funny, some are really over the top or explicit, and some are very thoughtful, and really ought to be played along with other music. The only problem being that they are by lesser-known gay/lesbian artists or deal with gay/lesbian themes.

It's irritating that the mainstream market only has people like Elton John, Melissa Ethridge, and k.d. lang. Now they are great artists, no doubt about it. And yes, there are a few songs out there by other artists that mention gay things in a good or funny way. But... shouldn't there be more? (Yes, of course there should.)

[aj]

Hey Blue--

ever heard of Phrank? She's very cool...just your average jewish, lesbian folk singer. I think you'd like her.

cheers!

aj

[Bester]

Hey Blue:

Are you interested in getting into "Queer music", or music by queer artists? Cos the two are quite different. "Queer music" tends to be crap discopop on the gay male side and folky strumming on the lesbian side. If you're interested in a little more variety, here's the list of what a self-confessed music geek (me) thinks was the best music by gay people released last year:

Highly Recommended:

The Hidden Cameras - Mississauga Goddam

The Hidden Cameras are they gayest band in the world. The have mostly naked gogo dancers at their lives shows. They perform in cheap porno theaters. Their songs are called things like "Ban Marriage", "Golden Streams" (yes it is about what you think its about), and "I want another enema". And oh yeah, the frontman, Joel Gibb, is gay.

Despite all this, they manage not to come off as a novelty band. The music is utterly gorgeous: acoustic guitar, strings, pipe organ, harps, kettle drums, choirs. Gibb describes it as "gay folk church music", and thats pretty dead on. Mississauga Goddam isn't quite as good as The smell of our own, from last year, but its still well worth checking out.

The Magnetic Fields - i

Stephin Merritt, who fronts the Magnetic Fields, is 5 feet tall, chubby, unattractive, gay, and deeply cynical. He's also one of the absolute best songwriters working today. No matter who performs his songs, they sound good. For example, a cover of "The book of love", from the MF's 1999 album, 69 Love Songs, was on the shitty soundtrack of the shitty J Lo movie Shall we dance? and it still sounded good.

i is cabaret music with the genders and the genres fucked around. Meritt's deep, deep, voice crooning over the top of cello, guitar, bass, keyboard, banjo, and ukulele (yes, ukulele) , singing some of the most bitterly clever lyrics you'll ever hear.

Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles

The title might make you think big gay dance music. Weeeeell... not quite. This is probably the most compellingly disturbing album released this year. Its kinda emo, in that its emotional. But where most emo is white boys telling you about their pain, Xiu Xiu is Jamie Stewart (their bi front man) blowing his brains out in front of you so you can see exactly whats wrong with him by examining the fragments splattered on the walls. This is deeply, deeply personal, deeply fucked up music. It has the basic form of pop music, but then subverts it with screeches of electronic noise and terrifyingly direct lyrics.

Xiu Xiu could be dismissed as pointless shock rockers if it wasn't for the way Stewart sings. His voice hovers somewhere between Ian Curtis and Robert Smith, and he sounds on the verge of a breakdown all the time. Its truly chilling to listen to. If you're not afraid to scare yourself, this is the best art rock album of the year.

Also Recommended:

American Music Club - Love songs for patriots

AMC were one of the best bands of the late 80s and early 90s. They reformed this year to record this album, which is up there with the best of what they produced a decade ago. Bi singer Mark Eitzel is a fantastic lyricist.

Tegan and Sarah - So Jealous

Indentical twin lesbians from Canada who do kickass folk rock. Good stuff.

Thalia Zedek - Trust Not Those In Whom Without Some Touch Of Madness

Shes been around for 20 years fronting a number of bands such as Come, this is her second solo record. Indie rock storytelling that doesnt sound a thing like the Indigo Girls. Sorta like the female version of Tom Waits with a bit of Richard Buckner thrown in for good measure.

Rufus Wainwright - Want Two

Operatic, lush, amazing. Rufus is a legend.

[blue]

Are you interested in getting into "Queer music", or music by queer artists? Cos the two are quite different. "Queer music" tends to be crap discopop on the gay male side and folky strumming on the lesbian side.

Hey, Bester, what's up? :p (Double entendre, I know, but I'm gettin' used to this.)

I'd rather have queer music in the sense of music by queer artists. (And really, queer makes some sense as an umbrella term, but it takes a little getting used to for me, due to the negative connotations.) Gay sounds comfortable to me, queer, umm, not as comfortable. Sorry, I'm digressing like everything.

I forgot to mention Michael Stipes of R.E.M. earlier, a glaring omission, since I really like R.E.M.

Yes, I want to know what's good out there in queer music, whether it's mainstream or quiet, or alternative and indie and loud. After all, there are others here who might like something that doesn't appeal to me. Humor, social commentary, just plain wall-shakin' rock music, folk, angsty stuff, jazz, blues, whatever, those are all good.

OK, some of those sounded out-there to me, but I'll give some things a listen to check 'em out.

Those two programs on the local station play some good stuff as well as some of the pop and camp stuff. Heck, sometimes a guy can use a good laugh too.

Thanks, Bester. Any more suggestions?

Anyone else have suggestions?

-- Oh, and once I have broadband, I'll finally get to hear Dude and Sirius OutQ radio, and some other gay raido programs. That will be, um, awesome. :-D

[EleCivil]

Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles

To tell you the truth, I came to this thread with Xiu Xiu in mind. They're kind of hit-or-miss for me..."I Love The Valley OH", "Suha", and "I Am The Center of Your World" are cool, but then I'll hit something like "Support Our Troops (Black Angels OH)" and subsequently give up on them for a while.

But...you didn't just call them emo, did you? Sorry, pet peeve of mine.

Anyone else have suggestions?

Well, Xiu Xiu is really the only "queer music" that I listen to...although I have heard some rumors about The Blood Brothers. I think that's mainly because of their rather flamboyant stage antics and combination of sassy singing and deep moaning, though. I've also heard rumors that they've got super model girlfriends...so you know, nothing really concrete. I'm not sure how much you'd like them, though...post-hardcore is kind of a love it or hate it genre.

Since you mentioned that you like folk, here's some bands that you should definitely try out:

Bright Eyes -

Just released two new albums - one kind of pop/rock-y, and one folk. The new folk album (I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning) is great. I listen to these guys a lot while I write (along with the other bands that this singer/guitarist has been in - Desaparecidos, a political rock band, and Commander Venus, who he was touring with when he was 14).

Defiance, Ohio -

I already mentioned these guys earlier in the thread. They're acoustic folk-punk, and really fun to listen to. Another band that I listen to while writing. In fact, quite a few of their songs synch up to scenes in Leaves and Lunatics (Most notably "I'm Just Going To Leave", "Sweet Dudes and Sweet Ladies", and "Lullabies"). I posted the link to their site earlier, where you can get all of their songs for free if you're so inclined. And interestingly enough, they're NOT from Defiance, Ohio.

Ghost Mice -

Another acoustic folk-punk band, this one stressing the DIY-punk principles. A guy and a girl with an acoustic guitar and a violin singing duets about love, death, politics...you know, all that stuff. A lot smoother vocals than Defiance, OH, and with more emphasis on the folk than the punk. They wrote the now semi-infamous punk anthem "Up The Punks".

[Bester]

Props for the good taste in music, Elecivil ;). And no, lol, I wasn't calling Xiu Xiu emo... I was making the point that xiu xiu is so much more real and emotional than the ridiculously whiney crap that calls. On the hit and miss point, well, not so sure. Granted, "Support our troops OH" is an irrational rant, but thats the point. Jamie stewart has a breakdown and we get to watch, its great .

And oh yeah, blue, here's some more folkyish (non queer) stuff.

Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

This is truly amazing. Hushed, angelic vocals. Banjo and fingerpicked guitar. Heartbreakingly beautiful songs about love, death and god.

M Ward - The Transfiguration of Vincent

To steal a bit of a review from AMG:

M. Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent is nothing less than spectacular. From the buoyant, late-Beatlesque "Vincent O'Brien" to the dank, shuffling, south of the border groove on "Sad, Sad Song," the troubadour manages to capture a timeless folkiness and match it with a surreal and sparkling sense of nostalgia that clearly echoes Tom Waits.

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

Seriously weird vocal harmonies, guitars, and repetitive rythmns. Perhaps not for the faint of heart but so great once you get into it.

Witch Season by the Court and Spark

Kinda alt-country, kinda psych-pop, totally good. Sounds like a sleepy summer afternoon.

[blue]

Thanks, guys. Hopefully, some more members will post.

The group, Sigur Ros, was recommended earlier. I like them, and I have to say they're one of the most unusual things I've listened to. But learning about them made me realize I wasn't listening to enough of a variety of music.

I mention that because I didn't want to limit the genres. Whatever anyone finds good to listen to (or kickin' to jam to and play air guitar, etc. :-D ) is welcome.

By the way, post-rock and emo were new terms for me just a few months ago.

[EleCivil]

Props for the good taste in music, Elecivil ;).

Likewise.

Iron and Wine, eh? I've heard good things about them, and their cover of Such Great Heights was pretty good...maybe I'll try some more of their stuff.

[Thirdeye]

I am all over the map with my tastes, but listen to mostly harder rock. Really the only things I can't listen too are country and Rap.

My favorite bands would be Tool(favorite by far, strong lyrics, powerful and unique music), Alice in Chains, A Perfect Circle, Radiohead, Weezer, Sublime, Metallica(pre-black album). Been listening to a lot of Muse and Pantera of late

But I also listen to a lot of olde.......ummm I mean classic stuff :mrgreen: like Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Elton, and so many others. The first concert I ever saw was the Beachboys and Chicago when I was 9 and I still listen to both off and on, my next concert at 15 was ICP, if you don?t know who they are, you may not want to know . I love music.

[Tanuki Racoon]

Metallica(pre-black album). like Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Tom Petty, EltonI love music.

Metallica rocks (literally) but some of their post black-album stuff is awesome. How can you categorically dismiss it. TP is great but I like his older stuff better than his newer stuff, though DJ kicked ass. Damn the Torpedos! Elton is great, Floyd is sublime, and Zeppelin may be great but they are the single most overrated group in history: their legend far surpasses the overall quality of their oeuvre.

-- wbms

[plasticreality]

i'm all for tool, radiohead, (no sumblime), deftones, weezer, nirvana, alice in chains (i touched jerry cantrell's nipple!!), hehe i even know and like icp, and pantera and pre-follow the leader korn.

as far as more obscure bands go, i love op ivy, kula shaker, thin lizard dawn, superdrag, failure, the list goes on.

good classical? debussy, brahms, copland, gershwin (he did write an opera, it counts), and some schubert are my favs.

and herbie hancock is my favorite jazz musician, and not just cuz his name rocks.