Subject: Interesting New Music
Date: Thu Feb 6 23:14:48 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:I just discovered an old band that is doing a new tour.
A music blogger from NYC who calls himself Brooklyn Vegan has a show on SiriusXMU, and the past two weeks he has been dedicating his show to highlight artists that will be hitting the upcoming, big music festivals (e.g., Coachella). He likes to play one iconic song from each group, which is pretty cool because he normally plays a lot of obscure music.
In one of his sets this week, he was featuring groups going on reunion tours. His favorite among these is The Replacements, but he also was raving about Neutral Milk Hotel and played their song from 1998, "Ghost." What a fantastic song! I asked my son about these guys, and he loves them (though he was only 11 years old when they became famous and 12 when they split). He says that they were incredibly influential among the Indie crowd, and their current concerts sell out in about 10 minutes.
Click below to listen to "Ghost."
Link: Neutral Milk Hotel, "Ghost"
Date: Wed Feb 26 14:00:43 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Lots of new releases.
First up is St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) and her new, self-titled album. She has been promoting this album intensely. You can find links to the interviews all over the internet, including live and written versions. Her early singles include "Digital Witness" and "Rattlesnake." Love this album. Love Annie Clark. http://ilovestvincent.com/#video
A relatively new collaboration has reconvened for a new name and new release. Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti changed their name from s/s/s to Sisyphus and are due to release a new album in early March. Son Lux and Serengeti have something of a white guy hip hop style that is really not my cup of tea, but I love Sufjan and the colloboration really works. They have put out two tease singles, and I like them a lot. See the link below.
One of my all-time favorites, Cloud Nothings, is at it again with a new release, also due in March. I have heard a sneak preview of the entire album, and it's very good. The have a single out, "I'm Not Part of Me", which has a bit of a pop sound, but the rest of the album is much harder rock. http://cloudnothings.com/
Link: Sisyphus, "Calm It Down"
Date: Fri Feb 28 22:13:23 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Here are some songs that are very accessible to everyone. No edgy stuff. Just your basic, squishy tunes that are nice listening.
The first is from the movie, Her, and is called "Moon Song." The vocals are by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Indie icons). This song has been nominated for an Oscar. Oh, yeah! Click the link below to hear the movie version. Karen O teamed up with Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) to make it a studio duet: http://youtu.be/Twg25xkACwo
Next up is a song from the debut EP by Basecamp, a group out of Nashville. They are something of an ambience group (easy to listen to indie stuff) with a light dash of R&B. The song I like is "Smoke Filled Lungs," but "Emmanuel" is popular as well. "Emmanuel" is a tad more electronic. Both are outstanding.
Link: Karen O, "Moon Song" from Her
Date: Tue Mar 4 16:20:16 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Buzz, I gave the Neutral Milk Hotel cut you linked above a listen. At first, it didn't grab me, but second time through, I liked it quite a bit more. AWFULLY grungy for my normal taste, but well done. And I've actually listened to it about 6 times now, as it's really grown on me. It'll take me more than forever to go through all the stuff you have posted, but just wanted to let you know that at least one of them was appreciated.
Date: Tue Mar 4 16:53:50 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Thanks for giving it a listen, TN. I know the music I post is not for everyone, but I hope that every now and then, somebody will discover a little nugget they like. (patsfan/poptart was recently excited that she heard a Cloud Nothings track on her Pandora or Spotify radio station!) It's very cool that you are growing to like Neutral Milk Hotel.
The music I cover in this thread is all indie rock/pop, but that can be a broad spectrum. As St Vincent said in an interview a couple of weeks ago, the beautiful thing about indie music these days is that it really is not limited to the notion of "genre", that there may be a central theme but lots of borrowing from other types of music.
I was amazed by Neutral Milk Hotel, and "Ghost" particularly caught me.
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By the way, I see that I neglected to give a link for Basecamp from my discussion from Fri Feb 28 21:13:23 2014. It's given below.
Link: Basecamp, "Smoke Filled Lungs"
Date: Fri Mar 7 11:04:26 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, et al, I am a fan of American Idol, ok don't laugh, but I like it.
Anyway last night they featured a band, not all that new but new to me, from Dublin called Kodaline. Worth listening to a few of their original tunes.
Date: Fri Mar 7 12:45:28 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:It's nice, hottie.
I listened to them on YouTube; their videos are a touch over-the-top for me, but if I just listened, I liked what I heard.
Date: Fri Mar 7 15:49:15 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Same here Buzz. They remind me of u2 during Joshua Tree back in '87...still one of my all time fav cd's.
Date: Sun Mar 23 14:54:56 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, call me stuck in the 60,70, 80's music, but I had the opportunity to spend the last 5 days traveling with my son via car from Indy to San Diego and listened to a small bit of his music...which is probably right up your alley.
I had never taken time to check out Foo Fighters, Killers or The Zac Brown Band...just to name a few. Loved a lot of their tunes and now am hungry for more, new, good music. Also many others that I can't recall at present.
Thanks for your many suggestions that I would have never heard otherwise.
Date: Sun Mar 23 19:37:54 2014
User: Belle
Message:Hey, hotnurse, you should feel good being stuck in the music in those decades; for me its mostly the 18th & 19th centuries.
The English writer, Charles Caleb Colton, coined the phrase "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".
Byzantium was a very strange, artsy, sometimes terrifying, vampire movie; but the musical compositions were from the greats: Beethoven, Debussy, Shostakovich & Schubert.
Here's one that lists the composer as Javier Navarrete. Not for this one, it's Beethoven.
Link: Sonata in C Major
Date: Sun Mar 23 21:55:44 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Well done, hottie. Kicked it forward a couple of decades. I'm aware of Zac Brown, but I know they are popular. Foo Fighters and Killers were favorites of my kids.
Date: Sat Apr 5 13:13:09 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:I needed about 90 minutes of solid listening on my drive home from the airport last night, so I streamed the most recent broadcast of My Old Kentucky Blog from Sirius XMU. About half way home, two songs really hit the spot:
Tame Impala's cover of Michael Jackson's "Stranger in Moscow" and Chairlift's "Frigid Spring."
I was only vaguely familiar with the Michael Jackson tune, but the Tame Impala version really swallowed my tired brain. "Frigid Spring" was a nice follow on.
Neither are earth shattering or push the envelope of sound, but they are fantastic ear candy.
Stranger in Moscow: http://youtu.be/-FkwfHJlOaU
Frigid Spring: http://youtu.be/3n1NS7rxfnk (click below for the live version)
Link: Chair Lift live: "Frigid Spring"
Date: Sat Apr 5 21:19:44 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:>>>hotnurse: "I had never taken time to check out Foo Fighters, Killers..."
Your boys, the Killers, performed between games for the NCAA Final Four tonight. Lead singer was sporting a UNLV jacket with the names of the starters from their 1990 Championship team.
They did a nice job with their live performance.
Date: Thu Apr 17 13:50:50 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:From the "Up-and-coming R&B indie artists who have been making a splash on national tv" files.
First one is Sam Smith. He was on Saturday Night Live recently. He has quite the interesting voice. See the link below.
Future Islands is also a fascinating group. I hear their stuff now and then in various venues and have made a mental note. I was pleasantly surprised to see them pop up on Letterman. http://youtu.be/GK4lD3Uf8_o
These two are very accessible to a wide range in taste.
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On another note, I was in my kid's studio at the record label where he works (he also has his own label, but that's a labor of love with no $$), and I was shocked to see that an iconic indie performance venue was right next door in the same hallway. I was stunned. I already was in heaven browsing through all the music that he distributes for his label. Quite the afternoon for an indie music junkie!
Link: Sam Smith on SNL, "Lay Me Down"
Date: Thu Apr 17 16:15:56 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, I like! Different voice, smooth and somewhat chilling.
Also, I think this is the first time I have actually listened to the ad at the beginning which featured Mark Kroos...whom I can't stop watching!
Thanks for sharing.
Date: Tue Apr 22 09:46:54 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:From the "Excuse Me?" department:
Sky Ferreira is an interesting singer who has some songs I like (e.g., Everything's Embarrassing: http://youtu.be/rEamE0MYPkg)
She's a bit self-possessed, and her videos are All Sky, All the Time. But, her music is catchy and snuggles up to the pop side of things.
A year or so ago, she was busted for possession of some nasty chemicals and had some trouble. Which, I believe, led to her new song, "I Blame Myself," which is a bit of a needed introspection. And then the video came out. It's sort of a girl remake of Michael Jackson's "Bad" with inspiration from the tv series, "The Wire." Toss in the pervasive graffiti ad for an upscale line of clothing, and color me astounded.
Meh. Suddenly Lana Del Rey isn't quite so nauseating.
Link: Sky Ferreira, "I Blame Myself"
Date: Sat May 3 15:21:00 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:I have talked about Sufjan Stevens a time or two, including his new collaborative project called Sisyphus (see above).
My son directed me to a steamy new video for "Take Me" off the new album. It is all Stevens, but it is Stevens unlike I've ever seen him. A lot of his fans are pretty shocked, too, as indicated by the comments concerning this video on Pitchfork. Some of the fans who discovered Stevens with his incredible "Illinois" album don't understand or appreciate where Stevens has been going lately, but I see at as simply a musical journey.
Here are three videos that give a brief chronical of his evolution. (Be warned: the Take Me video is definitely rated R):
John Wayne Gacy, Jr (from "Illinois"): http://youtu.be/D0dqwGggsNs
Too Much (from "Age of Adz" performed live on Fallon): http://youtu.be/H5jWiZ18ez0
Take Me (from the Sisyphus album -- rated R): http://vimeo.com/91891144
Those longing for the quiet, folk style of the Illinois album need to either patiently wait for Sufjan's return or move on.
Date: Sat May 3 21:32:39 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Just delved into my second Buzz-recommended song, the Sky Ferriera link above. Uh....yuck.
I disliked it more than I liked the Neutral Milk Hotel I gave a shot 2 months ago. But that's ok. To each his/her own, obviously. But I am left wondering what a music aficionado could find worthy in that song (or video)?
I'll try some more as time goes on. Don't take offense, Buzz; I don't think you will....
Date: Sat May 3 22:43:31 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:TN --
You will not be able to offend me by expressing your taste in music.
Which Sky Ferriera song did you try? "I Blame Myself" or "Everything's Embarrassing"? I doubt that either are your cup of tea, but "I Blame Myself" is really hard to take. "Everything's Embarrassing" is the kind of light pop that (embarrassingly enough) I don't mind listening to on occasion.
I'll see if I can scare up some new stuff that is more your style...
Date: Sun May 4 02:44:12 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:I tried the one you linked above - "I Blame Myself".
Date: Wed May 14 14:03:00 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:St. Vincent is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend!
woohoo!!
Date: Fri May 16 19:03:21 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, et al, next to music I dearly love books; no other thread to catch you specifically in so...
New favorite author...Sam Kean; The Tale of The Dueling Neurosurgeons and Disappearing Spoons. I was given both by my son and can't wait to devour them. Also given Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks, one of my favorite authors ever.
Has anyone here read any of his books?
Btw, starting to watch House of Cards in a minute...hope to get through most of them before Mon. aftn.
Date: Fri May 16 23:44:40 2014
User: MikeC
Message:Love to read ! Just about any kind of Si Fi , Really like Dean Koontz , and Clive Cussler's Dirk Pit novels are fun reading.
Date: Sun Jun 8 10:06:57 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Follow up -- I thought St Vincent was great on SNL. Her time spent with David Byrne has influenced her in a really positive way. She now is not only a fantastic singer/song writer/musician, she is an entertainer. Not as edgy as Byrne, but definitely transformed.
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I just received in the mail my bright yellow vinyl of Kishi Bashi's new release called "Lighght." He is a classically trained musician (violin) who loves to record indie rock. If you think that there is nothing new in music, give this a listen. He explores all kinds of musical space.
As a freebie for buying the vinyl, Joyful Noise records gave me a free download (super high quality) of the album. I plug my iPhone into my sound system and take a bath in awesomeness.
NPR is streaming the album for free (click link below). The first song is the most accessible: "Philosophize It! Chemicalize with It!"
This is a fun album.
Link: Kishi Bashi -- "Lighght" (from NPR)
Date: Mon Jun 9 02:51:00 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Just finishing listening to it. I like a lot of it, although just a bit of it is too "pop" for me (See second and third songs - or what I perceive to be the second and third songs; almost like '80s pop. Almost.). You're right - the first song is probably the most accessible. That's far from always a good thing (for this listener), but in this case it works well. LOTS of similarities to Yes in the vocals.
Thanks for the exposure to something I'd likely have never have experienced otherwise.
Date: Mon Jun 9 14:14:14 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Agreed. Some of the harmonies in the music bear a resemblance to Yes.
Although his songs are complex and have excellent composition, they don't have the kind of power that I would like. They tend to stay breezy and light with all sorts of pop tinges. Not my favorite. Lots of groups in the past have had strings as a staple in their music -- ELO of old and Ra Ra Riot recently. He takes it a to a more electronic path than those two.
And as far a classically trained musicians dabbling in the modern, I much prefer the Kronos Quartet. But, he's just getting started. We'll see where it goes.
Date: Mon Jun 9 16:10:38 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Speaking of classically-trained musicians, I've been trying to find a good representative video of my friend Dave Eggar and his various collaborations. Since said collaborations are too numerous to mention, and too varied to pick just one out, I won't do that, but I'll just put up his wiki link. He and his normal percussionist, Chuck Palmer, are both Julliard guys, and they've never met a boundary they didn't love to cross, obliterating lines as completely as they can. Since he's primarily a cellist, think Yo-Yo Ma on steroids. Squared.
Lately (last 3-4 years or so) he's been spending a lot of time near here up in the mountains of mrbuck's state, and doing some stuff with Dr. Ralph Stanley others of that ilk. His main "band" is called Deoro, but he'll play with *anybody* - and more or less has. There's some more traditional Appalachian things out there with a couple of guys known as the "Craig St. Ramblers" that are nice, but very far away from classical.
For those curious enough, don't listen to/watch less than about 5 (at the least) of his various forays, or you'll potentially be misled. And some of the most interesting stuff is definitely not the examples with the most views. Try to see at least one thing with a Brooklyn-based dance troupe known as "Hammerstep" (originally pure Irish step-dancing, now much more broad)[edit: see below]. One minor cautionary note - the several things he's done with various high-quality female vocalists tend to be (imo) less interesting, so don't focus on those (imo). Also, unfortunately, although there is much work of his work on the 'net, much of it lacks high technical quality.
I've witnessed Dave numerous times, and he's an incredible joy to experience. He's really all about breaking down cultural barriers around the world, using music to further that aim. If anyone ever gets the chance to see him perform, do not pass it up. Highest, highest recommendation to see live. Great person, great performer. A musical experience you will not forget, I can assure you.
p.s. -- Ok, I changed my mind. Here are a couple of things that highlight Hammerstep, more than the music, and thus are visually appealing in and of themselves. But Dave is much, much more than this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykXkbS4B0kE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ1x30SHBvE
p.p.s. -- And no, I will not reveal which dancer is me.
Link: Dave Eggar - just the basics
Date: Mon Jun 9 16:15:13 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Here's a recent interview he did pertaining to his collaboration with guitarist Phillip Phillips...
Link: Dave Eggar interview
Date: Mon Jun 9 18:32:02 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Wow, thanks TN. I have been Phillip Phillips fan since he first auditioned for American Idol. I never knew he was so versatile and had such an extensive background. That's what happens when you (me) just listen to what's put out via the big media.
I love the tune "Where We Came From".
I also have my eye on the future of the 3rd place guy on this season's A.I., Alex Preston. I'm watching for him to do big things in the years to come.
Date: Tue Jun 10 14:08:05 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:A couple of my faves have released new music lately, and I heard both on live interviews with live performances of their new tunes.
Hamilton Leithauser (front man for The Walkmen) has put out a solo effort, a full album. I like some of it, but it's far more pop than I am accustomed to hearing from The Walkmen. The most interesting piece is "5 A.M.", but I cannot find it as a freebie online. There are some live performances, but they are stripped down and miss the richness of the textures that Leithauser attained in the studio. Probably the most catchy of the songs is "Alexandra", a cooperative effort with Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. It's a really fun song with Rostam's influence all over the the place. The official video is an adventure in cheese cake; not sure why that was necessary. Anyway, click the link to watch the video. Leithauser is the lead vocals, and Rostam is on bass and harmonica.
I have posted several times on this thread about TuneYards, which is actually Merrill Garbus with backup musicians. Her first album was totally raw and indie epitomized. Her next album was a gigantic hit but far more produced. This effort is a bit of a curiosity as she abandons nearly everything that brought her to this point. I don't hate it, but I am a bit confused. Anyway, here's a link to her "Water Fountain," which is actually a social commentary. The video is a definite homage to PeeWee Herman; not sure why ... maybe because she has a child of that age. Anyway.... http://youtu.be/jbiFcPhccu8
Two thumbs up? Unenthusiastically.
Link: Hamilton Leithauser
Date: Sat Jun 14 10:15:24 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:One might get the wrong impression that indie music is all of the same basic genre. It isn't. I mostly post stuff I like, but I also toss out a few examples outside my taste range every now and then, and here's another.
You head bangers might like this one:
Link: F*cked Up, "Sun Glass"
Date: Sun Jun 15 13:36:37 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:For those of you who simply cannot get enough existential country music, this guy and this song is for you.
Sturgill Simpson's "Turtles All the Way Down" is pretty fascinating and excellent lyrically.
Google the title to see its source; that is interesting, too.
Link: Sturgill Simpson, "Turtles All the Way Down"
Date: Sun Jun 22 09:10:29 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:I have about six new songs I want to share. To make it real simple, each one gets its own post. This might add the complication of creating a new page, but so be it.
First is a Chicago band that created a few ripples with their appearance on Letterman. In their network tv debut, The Orwells turned it up to Number 11. Letterman and Paul Schaffer actually loved it, but things got odd. As one writer Tweeted: "The Orwells on Letterman last night was the best worst best terrible greatest incompetent thing ever." http://youtu.be/gvodeJdwKb8
But that's not the song. The song I like is "Let It Burn." The Orwells' kinda-signature is, along with the hard edge, the melodic guitar. It's a sound that really appeals to me, and the edginess of the band takes me back to my college days with smokey bars and loud, live music.
Link: Orwells, "Let It Burn"
Date: Sun Jun 22 09:26:14 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Sharon Van Etten has not really been high on my radar screen until her latest release She's been around awhile but for me was just another in a sea of indie performers. New Jersey born and raised, she has recorded with The Antlers, The National, Beirut, and The Walkmen (and they have recorded on her albums). She toured in 2013 with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, so her talents are recognized in indieland.
Her latest album is "Are We There." The song in question for this post is "Every Time the Sun Comes Up." This song is slow and easy to like. The lyrics are appealing and at times elicit an "excuse me?" Not a bad combination for me. Her album tends to be dark and brooding.
I asked my son about this album. He started playing it over the sound system in his label's Fulfillment Room (where the music is shipped), and the interns complained, "Hey! No 'sad bastard' music!" So, you need to be in the right mood.
Link: Sharon Van Etten, "Every Time the Sun Comes Up"
Date: Sun Jun 22 10:27:44 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Re: "Turtles All the Way Down"...
Boy, you just don't hear "DMT", or see the chemical formula for LSD in the video, of country songs very often these days.
Date: Sun Jun 22 11:20:28 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Indeed. This is not your standard song or video.
Seeing a chemical formula at all in a music video is a one-in-a-million experience, but being treated to the chemical formulae for dimethyltryptamine, tetrahydrocannabinol, and lysergic acid diethylamide is rare. (I am a bit confused as to the formula he put up for psilocybin -- it's not even close. No idea what it is.)
Date: Sun Jun 22 11:39:49 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:... oh -- just as an interesting fyi -- Sturgill Simpson is touring with Zac Brown, subject of a discussion with hottie above.
Date: Sun Jun 22 11:50:29 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:One last song for now: This is loops back to another discussion about Lou Reed and Velvet Underground.
I recently heard on the radio a discussion about a relatively new, Malaysian artist recording under the name Zee Avi. Her songs are fairly saccharin and not my style. However, the song in question edged up to a style a like. She did an album of covers this year ("Nightlight"), some of which are okay, some of which are unforgivable. But, her version of "Who Loves the Sun" caught my attention for a couple reasons. First, the similarity in style to Norah Jones was amazing and, second, I found the selection to be an intersting choice. You can listen to it on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/zeeavimusic/zee-avi-who-loves-the-sun-the
The original by Velvet Underground: http://youtu.be/yILeTWwfpDI
Velvet Underground's original was kind of a throwback pop song for the time, not creating the tone you might expect from the lyrics. Still a great listen on a great album. It actually leads off the "Loaded" album. (Sweet Jane is in the second position on that album, and this song was discussed on the accidentally deleted Stream of Consciousness thread -- damn you, Snowy!!!)
And, to complete the circle, another band discussed on page 1 of this thread covered "Who Loves the Sun" -- Wilco. Wilco will go on cover frenzies in their concerts, and this has been one of their tunes. Click the link below for the video of this performance.
Link: Wilco -- "Who Loves the Sun"
Date: Sun Jun 22 14:00:53 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:If I ever get the chance to see/hear Zac Brown Band I will go for sure.
Buzz/TN...good stuff from Sturgill. I had never listened to him either.
I have so much to learn about music. Buzz & TN you guys need to teach a class on "Music Appreciation" from then to now. I have learned so much from you guys over the last few yrs. Thanks!
Date: Mon Jun 23 04:40:14 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:"Who Loves the Sun" seems more like a Paul Revere and the Raiders song than a Velvet Underground song.
I had never heard of Sturgill Simpson. Yes, that video is "interesting", and the lyrics are pretty darn arresting, but ultimately, he's just too purely country, channeling Waylon all too well. "Not that there's anything wrong with that", but it's just not my cup of tea, by and large.
And yeah, the psilocybin structure, with a Bromine atom?!?? And actually, to be precise, he's got the DMT structure wrong, too. Near as I can tell, that's actually serotonin, very similar structurally to DMT (which is why DMT is so psychoactive). (One could speculate that that's purposeful, adding yet another layer of complexity and nuance to the lyrics (see below), which would be a fantastic touch, given that small amounts of DMT are endogenous, but since the structure that flashes up is so fleeting, I think that'd be giving too much credit.)
"There's a gateway in our mind that leads somewhere out there beyond this plane
Where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain
Tell me how you make illegal something that we all make in our brain
Some say you might go crazy but then again it might make you go sane"
So....one could make a case that he's referring to DMT, or serotonin, or throwing out the question as to why we've got cannabinoid receptors already in our brains, or all the above. So where and how did this fellow hillbilly (eastern KY) get so deep into biochemistry?
----------------------------------
hotnurse - I would never have heard of Phillip Phillips if not for Dave Eggar, since I normally don't watch those talent shows. Funny how different our paths to arrive at that same person. (Although truthfully, to me Phillips is 'just' one of Eggar's many branches on his prodigious musical tree - not to imply any disrespect to Phillips.)
As to "music appreciation"...BuzzClik has me far outclassed in musical knowledge of the last who-knows-how-many years (with the possible-to-probable exceptions of Americana, blues, zydeco, and reggae). My lack of keeping up with technology has left me far behind the mainstream of music, not even to mention the avant garde stuff. That said, I have been around enough musical blocks to have a pretty substantial base of knowledge and experience dating to "way back when". I've actually been asked to write a series of columns along the lines of "Best Concerts I've Ever Seen", and similar stuff, but have stopped short of following through for various reasons. (Although I did write a sample/demo one for kicks.) For a period of about 15-18 years, I made a list of all the musical acts I witnessed, and I still have that list. It's 4-5 pages, double-columned, front-and-back; i.e., several hundred acts, including many, many duplicates. And I think I stopped in the late '80s, so more hundreds have come since then.
But "appreciation" is so personal, it'd be hard to 'teach'. And even though I don't have enough time to follow up on Buzz's recommendations, I think he (especially) provides a great service just by bringing all these various acts into earshot of us who otherwise might miss out on some good stuff.
Date: Mon Jun 23 05:10:50 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Tried to add (but server is currently flaky): "(And yes, I know this should probably be in the "old music" thread, but it followed from the train of thought.)"
Date: Mon Jun 23 08:33:55 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:I agree, TN, about Buzz but you seem to have good input on the older music and interesting trivia. Buzz has us all beat when it come to the variety and wide knowledge of music genres.
Date: Wed Jul 9 03:09:47 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:This version of "Sweet Jane" is pretty nice. It just drops into a mellow (restrained) groove and just stays right in there. Nice, fuzzy guitar work by Steve Hunter.
Link: "Sweet jane" live and mellow
Date: Wed Jul 9 08:19:08 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Incredible, TN.
Date: Wed Jul 9 12:25:48 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Isn't it? Glad you dig.
Date: Tue Jul 15 22:27:55 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:"What is your favorite Scottish hip hop band?" This question is asked of me about as frequently as any other*, and until recently I didn't have a ready answer. But now I do: Young Fathers. The group has been around for about 6 years, touring Scotland and other European destinations. Their latest album, "Dead," really hits the mark. The songs defy description other than to say that they are captivating. The link below is to the official video of the song, "Low." Some of the electronic undertones could be construed as a digital interpretation of bagpipes, but this isn't exactly Celtic music.
Watch the video. If you like it, check out their Wikipedia page, and then watch this live performance: http://youtu.be/1b1tNVa_w0w
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*Nobody ever asks me my opinion about music. So every question is in a multi-way tie for first.
Link: Young Fathers, "Low"
Date: Tue Jul 15 22:33:09 2014
User: The_Interpreter
Message:Esotericism, thy name is BuzzClik.
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