Open your ears.

[Lateralus]

Dozens of links and recommendations are posted on this board every day, and, like many of you I'm sure, I've been introduced to many artists and songs that I've grown to love by Music, Movies and Television users. However, I am selective in what leads I follow and no doubt this prejudice has lead me to miss out on artists I might enjoy. This is an attempt to rectify the situation, and here is my idea...

 

This will be like a highly condensed combination of the Now Playing thread, the Top Albums lists and the Recommend An Artist... thread (which I realise this thread is similar to, but I think it will serve it's purpose more successfully if it catches on). A user posts 3 songs by an artist they enjoy in an attempt to spread the word. Here is the kicker: To post your artist and your 3 songs, you must listen to the 3 songs suggested by another user and leave your opinion. Maybe in this way we can break down genre barriers and expand some tastes. For anyone interested, here are some ground rules:

 

1 artist and 3 songs per recommendation.

Try and put some depth and thought into your comments.

Good quality links only please. I'm open to hearing new things, but if you post a terrible live recording then I will not listen to it, and you're hardly selling your artist either.

You can pick any user's recommendations to listen to and comment on, even if someone else has already done so (but let's try to give everyone a chance).

Leave some time between your comments - I don't want people rating everything that comes along so they can post more of their own recommendations.

 

I won't moderate this post using these guidelines, but they seem more like good etiquette than anything else, and I hope people will abide by them.

 

All that said, I'll get the ball rolling.

 

Artist

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

 

Songs

Faith Healer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aabojNSensw

Next -

The Last of the Teenage Idols - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssof5EcDPqI

[Wongtong]

But the thing is, people might just post without listening to the songs.

 

Perhaps you could include your thoughts on the songs you posted or a little bit about them, as that would convince me to listen to it; right now it just looks like a link of no interest.

 

(ignore this post if you listened to Lateralus' recommended songs and want to post something)

[Kilo]

The sensational Alex Harvey band, too 70s for me. I did try and give it the best shot I could, but the lyrics sounded French to me. On a positive note, I liked the drum player twirling his sticks.

 

Band:

Brand New

 

Jesus Christ:

Daisy:

Seventy times 7:

[Lateralus]

But the thing is, people might just post without listening to the songs.

 

Perhaps you could include your thoughts on the songs you posted or a little bit about them, as that would convince me to listen to it; right now it just looks like a link of no interest.

 

(ignore this post if you listened to Lateralus' recommended songs and want to post something)

 

There's already threads where people can post what they're listening to or where they can recommend music to others. If people start posting without listening to someone else's recommendations then the thread becomes obsolete since it's just a duplicate and a moderator can remove it as spam.

[Wongtong]

The sensational Alex Harvey band, too 70s for me. I did try and give it the best shot I could, but the lyrics sounded French to me. On a positive note, I liked the drum player twirling his sticks.

 

Band:

Brand New

 

Jesus Christ:

Daisy:

Seventy times 7:

 

Okay Lateralus, I'll play your game. :P

I'll write comments as I listen to the song.

 

Jesus Christ

This is a very .. nice song, I like the guitar and the vocals are very soothing. This is something my sister would like hah, don't know if other tifers would like it though. Hrm, might listen to this song again some other time.

 

Daisy

I liked the intro, but not so much the singing. Not as relaxing as 'Jesus Christ'. Yeah I don't think I like this song.

 

Seventy times 7

What a cute video :lol: This is catchier than Daisy and Jesus Christ but I don't think I could listen to this band, I don't like his.. singing when it's like this. It's more nice when he's singing gently.

 

Okayyy, my turn. I dare you :P

 

Band: Paramore

 

Songs (Picked off their new album):

Brick By Boring Brick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkxvj4MAP14

 

Misguided Ghosts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ttLzQkVoc

 

All I Wanted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UzTqvUw2R0

[Intriguing]

Fantastic idea Lateralus. I really hope this doesn't get ruined. As for the songs you posted:

- Faith Healer: I can't say I enjoyed this. The music didn't really seem to go anywhere. There was some potential around 2:20-2:40 but then it just died away without any real climax. Fairly monotonous singing as well. Perhaps I would be able to appreciate it more if I listened to a studio recording?

- Next: Much better. I really like the playfulness in this one. Also, the vocalist is much more explorative with his voice by varying the intensity and quality of his singing. There is a lot more direction in the song as well which makes it more enjoyable.

- The Last of the Teenage Idols: Not bad. I'm not sure I liked the big band thing going on with the brass, at the climax of the second section (around 4:30-5:00) I think there was a bit too much going on in the music and it took away from it a bit. Also, I despise phaser effects, but you can't like everything. The transition at 5:30 was interesting to say the least, and that was definitely my favourite section of the song. Fantastic variety displayed in this song, and as with Next, the vocalist had an interesting approach to his vocals.

 

Overall I appreciate the diversity of the three different songs. This really is not the kind of music I listen to at all, but I guess that's the point of this thread. Next was quite fantastic in my opinion, The Last of the Teenage Idols was great--a bit cheesy in parts--but I appreciated the diversity shown within it. Probably important to note that I paid no attention to lyrics as lyrics generaly don't interest me. I can't see myself listening to this band too much, but we'll see what happens. What album would you say is their best?

 

Sorry if I haven't written too much. I'm really not much of a writer.

 

Now for my band: Karl Hector and the Malcouns.

 

I found out about this band from Stones Throw Records. I might also recommend that people have a look at the catalogue on that site if they are at all interested in Funk or Hip-Hop of the more interesting sort. (Kashmere Stage Band and The Heliocentrics are particularly good.) These guys are sort of.. Instrumental Afro-Jazz-Funk. / Awesome.. And the following three songs are from their 2008 album Sahara Swing. Enjoy. :)

 

- Sahara Swing

-

-

[venomai]

I love this idea and hope it picks up.

 

Intriguing's picks...

Sahara Swing - Love the laid-back jazzy feel, definitely something I will listen to again. (Blipped it on blip.fm)

Followed Path - I'm not a fan of the organ-sounding instrument -- seems to take away from the rest of the song. I'm not feeling this one

Debere - The "organ" sound worked a lot better here IMO. I can dig this track! I wish it was a little longer, it seems to go by so quickly...

 

Stone's Throw has some fantastic artists, including J Dilla and Madlib.

 

Wongtong's picks...

Brick by Boring Brick - Sorry, not a fan. Sounds like most other pop music these days. Heavy and repetitive electric guitar, strained female voice, etc.

Misguided Ghosts - Much better. Not so heavy, her voice doesn't sound strained, the guitar sounds great. I like it. :thumbup:

All I Wanted - The start is OK, but it degrades into pop-punk in no time... Too much screaming, heavy guitar and drums... My ears can't handle it. :lol:

 

 

My pick is Guru and his solo hip-hop and jazz fusions. Guru is the MC/vocal half of the very influential hip-hop group Gang Starr, together with DJ Premier on DJ/production. Since 1993, Guru has released 4 Jazzmatazz volumes. It's hard to pick just three tracks, as there are so many gems in the series...

 

(from Vol 1)

Transit Ride (from Vol 1)

Respect The Architect (from Vol 2)

 

For further listening, see: "Living Legends", "Take a Look", "Life Saver", "Looking Through the Darkness".

 

PS: Youtube quality is generally extremely poor. Add &fmt=6 to the end of the URL for higher quality sound (I've already added it on my links).

[ElkNight]

Venomai's picks

 

Loungin' (from Vol 1) - I really like the chillness of this song. The only part I don't really like about this song is the chorus.

Transit Ride (from Vol 1) - Basically the same thing as the first song, just a really chill style that I could really enjoy sometimes.

Respect The Architect (from Vol 2) - Probably my favorite song of the three. Second person that raps is the best, I think its guru. (Who is the first person?) Sick song. The piano is really cool in that background as well, I like fusion in all of the songs.

 

Really cool style, might check out some more of his stuff after this.

 

 

My pick is Cannibal Ox, A New York hip-hop duo (Vast Aire, and Vordul Meda). From Last.Fm, "Their first record,The Cold Vein, has been heralded as a major turning point in both hip-hop production and lyrical organization. Several notable guests appear on the album, including C-Rayz Walz, Alaska, Cryptic One, L.I.F.E. Long and El-P himself, while Vordul's baritone and Vast's nasal-y styles connect the eclectic project together."

 

Rasberry Fields (From The Cold Vein)

Battle for Asgard (From The Cold Vein)

Real Earth (From The Cold Vein)

[Lateralus]

Ha, I listened to Venomai's picks, wrote up a reply, and Jaerk posted in the meantime. Here are my thoughts anyway:

 

Loungin' - Funny this - When I clicked to listen, I thought to myself: "I enjoy good rap music, but it never feels like the right time. If I like this, when would I listen to it?"

 

"And check the flow that's unique

For loungin', mellow out and just loungin'

Loungin', loungin', mellow out and just loungin'"

 

His flow is really very relaxing, but I can't say I enjoy the jazz elements. I don't know what it is, but I just haven't got to the stage where I can enjoy jazz music (other than a few Miles Davis records.

 

Transit Ride - Contrary to what I just said, I'm actually really enjoying the jazz elements in this song, and again the flow is fantastic. My one problem is that the lyrics aren't really saying anything to me, and that's my main focus when listening to rap music. Don't get me wrong, his rhymes are clever, but the subject matter means nothing to me.

 

Respect the Architect - Who's the first guy on this track? I like his voice. Again I'm enjoying the jazz elements, especially the open to close hi-hat in the beat. The piano is nice and tasteful too.

 

All in all I enjoyed listening to it, and it seems like it would be fantastic music to have on when relaxing with friends, but I'm not sure I'd listen to it alone. I'll devote some time to it. (After a second listen, Respect the Architect is great).

 

I'll listen to Jaerk's picks and edit them in later before I post another recommendation.

[venomai]

Bahamadia the one featured on Respect the Architect. She has a cool flow and voice -- I've been a fan since I heard her on that song. Check out her discography for more.

 

jerkd00d

Rasberry Fields - Interesting... Has a very dark and graphic sound. I don't mind the intro, but the rapper is too aggressive for my tastes. He could be rapping about anything and it would still sound aggressive because of his delivery and/or voice. Reminds me of MF Doom.

 

Battle for Asgard - Again, the beginning caught my ear... Starts off sounding like an interesting abstract hip-hop piece, but then quickly turns into (what sounds like) an aggressive verbal attack on the listener.

 

Real Earth - Ditto with the above, and I'm not a fan of the lyrics... There isn't much connecting one thought to the next.

 

I've always appreciated El-P's production ability, but his work is generally too 'dark' for me to listen to on a regular basis. Adding Vast Aire's voice seems to make it even darker, and even more difficult to enjoy... Sorry, not feeling it!

 

I'll post my next pick soon -- it isn't hip-hop. :lol:

[Grim_]

Venomai's picks

 

Loungin' (from Vol 1) - I really like the chillness of this song. The only part I don't really like about this song is the chorus.

Transit Ride (from Vol 1) - Basically the same thing as the first song, just a really chill style that I could really enjoy sometimes.

Respect The Architect (from Vol 2) - Probably my favorite song of the three. Second person that raps is the best, I think its guru. (Who is the first person?) Sick song. The piano is really cool in that background as well, I like fusion in all of the songs.

 

Really cool style, might check out some more of his stuff after this.

 

 

My pick is Cannibal Ox, A New York hip-hop duo (Vast Aire, and Vordul Meda). From Last.Fm, "Their first record,The Cold Vein, has been heralded as a major turning point in both hip-hop production and lyrical organization. Several notable guests appear on the album, including C-Rayz Walz, Alaska, Cryptic One, L.I.F.E. Long and El-P himself, while Vordul's baritone and Vast's nasal-y styles connect the eclectic project together."

 

Rasberry Fields (From The Cold Vein)

Battle for Asgard (From The Cold Vein)

Real Earth (From The Cold Vein)

Wow this is what good rap sounds like (wonder why these guys arent famous)

Rasberry Fields~ Its a tad repetitive for my tastes ( and yes I may be a hypocrite)

 

Battle for Asgard~ The lyrics almost sound like manowar with a different beat

 

Real Earth~ Interesting.. cant say I really like it but that may be because I am prejudiced against rap. Though it does have a nice rhythm.

 

Well I am going to put in some classical peices ( actually rather good)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpW8Jvl9low

[warri0r45]

Venomai's picks

 

Loungin' (from Vol 1) - I really like the chillness of this song. The only part I don't really like about this song is the chorus.

Transit Ride (from Vol 1) - Basically the same thing as the first song, just a really chill style that I could really enjoy sometimes.

Respect The Architect (from Vol 2) - Probably my favorite song of the three. Second person that raps is the best, I think its guru. (Who is the first person?) Sick song. The piano is really cool in that background as well, I like fusion in all of the songs.

 

Really cool style, might check out some more of his stuff after this.

 

 

My pick is Cannibal Ox, A New York hip-hop duo (Vast Aire, and Vordul Meda). From Last.Fm, "Their first record,The Cold Vein, has been heralded as a major turning point in both hip-hop production and lyrical organization. Several notable guests appear on the album, including C-Rayz Walz, Alaska, Cryptic One, L.I.F.E. Long and El-P himself, while Vordul's baritone and Vast's nasal-y styles connect the eclectic project together."

 

Rasberry Fields (From The Cold Vein)

Battle for Asgard (From The Cold Vein)

Real Earth (From The Cold Vein)

 

 

Rasberry Fields - Interesting disjointed beat with a mind of it's own but a good flow, nice rhymes and strong delivery. The electronic sounding samples complement the beat well.

 

Battle For Asgard - This one has all the appealing aspects of Rasberry Fields; a nice beat with good flow, good vocal performance and samples.

 

Real Earth - I like the symph parts in the chorus, the samples and when the drums/parts of the drums are sent to the background - it adds a nice dynamic with the rest of the beat that you don't often get with more conventional hip-hop music.

 

In summary, I think this is the kind of hip-hop I could really get into - it's unconventional and unique, but still manages to be executed particularly well. Thanks for the reccomendation!

[How2PK]

pretty great idea! I've got the day off tomorrow, so I'll do one too.

[venomai]

Well I am going to put in some classical peices ( actually rather good)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpW8Jvl9low

Psst, those are two different artists...

 

I prefer instrumental pieces when it comes to classical music, but that was still nice. I enjoyed the piano in the second piece.

 

 

Here's my next pick... This time an indie/experimental band, Blitzen Trapper. Just heard about them today, already a fan.

Furr

 

Honourable mentions: Black River Killer, Lady On the Water

[Plugpoint]

Haha Wongtong picked my three favourite songs off that album. Looking Up, Ignorance and Careful are great too.

 

From Venomai's picks:

Furr - liked the video! Not sure about the song.

Asleep For Days - sounded a little like The Beatles, quite liked it

Wild Mountain Nation - another good video, would have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it though.

 

 

Here's my three from one of my favourite bands, mewithoutYou:

 

the Fox, the Crow And the Cookie

Paper Hanger

[nine naked men]

the Fox, the Crow And the Cookie - I thought this one was awesome, it was so bouncy and energetic-sounding, and the beat flowed really nicely. The guy's voice in the beginning kinda annoyed me, but I suppose that's just personal preference. The music video was great, too, really well done.

 

Paper Hanger - This song was a lot more subdued and slow, compared the the first one, and, to be honest, I found it a bit boring, but the lyrics were pretty good.

 

Everything was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt - This song had a great build up, though the instrumentals seemed to overpower the vocals about halfway through. I haven't got much else to say about it, 'cept whoever writes there songs is a pretty good lyricist, after listening to it a couple times.

 

Hrm, now my turn.

 

I'll go with Aesop Rock, one of my favourite rappers. Let's see what I can dig up on Youtube. D:

 

Food, Clothes, Medicine

 

No Regrets

 

 

Kgo. :3

[venomai]

teh_langzor:

 

Aesop has some good beats, but I've never liked his rapping. You should keep an eye out for Felt's upcoming album (here's a single) -- it's being produced by Aesop. The Felt duo (Slug from Atmosphere and MURS) are, in my opinion, far better at rapping than Aesop. :thumbup:

 

Food, Clothes, Medicine: Not liking this flow, it sounds abrupt and forced. The beat is OK.

No Regrets: Better flow IMO, this one is much more of a head-nodder. Good storytelling, albeit a little rushed at times.

Abandon All Hope: I'm really diggin' the intro and beat, but I'm not a fan of the rapping.

 

 

I'll post another pick later, it'll either by psychedelic ambient or more hip-hop.

[Wisp]

Since Venomai hasn't posted his yet, I'll just post 3 of mine.

Here are three from a band I saw live a bit ago, but don't know that much about.