new music? whatcha listening to?

pitu

My favorite new present was the Bole To Harlem disc
http://www.bole2harlem.com/

you? got something to recommend?

idlewild

Super Exitos by La Sonora Dinamita. Mi Cucu is a great song.

boygabriel

Tommy Guerrero / From The Soil To The Soul (2006)

It's like a half-instrumental/half-vocal album consisting of a genre-blending mix of many, many styles of music, lead by guitar playing.

quijibo

right now, asobi seksu is a favorite: http://www.asobiseksu.com/

other than that i've been listening to pandora

caaahyoko

Earl Greyhound http://www.earlgreyhound.com or http://www.myspace.com/earlgreyhound
Vernon Reid and Masque http://www.myspace.com/vernonreid
Wolfmother http://www.wolfmother.com/
Red Lotus http://www.myspace.com/redlotusmusic

And Harper Simon and Edie Brickell have an album coming out in a couple months that is very good. It will be on Concord records. Oh, and Harper just finished a solo album with producer Bob Johnston (yep, he's still alive) that will be out sooner or later.

idlewild

I didn't know Edie Brickel was still alive. Rumor had it she married the Darth Vader of 60's folk and faded away in to The Force.

Vernon Reid was the lead guitarist for Living Color was he not?

michaelkeys

These are the most recent records I've been grooving to--all released in '06--in alphabetical order by artist:

Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 Ole! Tarantula
The Lemonheads [self-titled]
Roger Manning The Land of Pure Imagination
David Pajo 1968
TV On The Radio Return to Cookie Mountain

As far as jazz, I've also been enjoying Gemini (2005) by trumpeter Sean Jones, and live albums by Jason Moran (The Bandwagon, 2003) and Brad Mehldau (Live in Tokyo, 2004), respectively; a Michael Hedges best of; and a couple of those Fania reissues, namely Hector Lavoe, and Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez.

michaelkeys

Idlewild wrote: I didn't know Edie Brickell was still alive. Rumor had it she married the Darth Vader of 60's folk and faded away into The Force.

Vernon Reid was the lead guitarist for Living Colour, was he not?

Um, yes.
And yes.

idlewild

I drove Vernon a few times when I drove car service. He was a cool guy.

caaahyoko

Idlewild wrote: I didn't know Edie Brickel was still alive. Rumor had it she married the Darth Vader of 60's folk and faded away in to The Force.

Vernon Reid was the lead guitarist for Living Color was he not?

HAHAHA!! I think Paul only qualifies for Dark Helmet, not Darth.



Living Colour are still playing, actually. They have a show here once in a while, but play mostly in Europe (where black rock musicians make way more money). I would haven't had any idea he was still playing here, but my husband's previous band, Mosaic, used to open up for them, so he keeps me abreast of what Vernon is up to.

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caaahyoko

MichaelKeys wrote: These are the most recent records I've been grooving to--all released in '06--in alphabetical order by artist:

Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 Ole! Tarantula
The Lemonheads [self-titled]
Roger Manning The Land of Pure Imagination
David Pajo 1968
TV On The Radio Return to Cookie Mountain

As far as jazz, I've also been enjoying Gemini (2005) by trumpeter Sean Jones, and live albums by Jason Moran (The Bandwagon, 2003) and Brad Mehldau (Live in Tokyo, 2004), respectively; a Michael Hedges best of; and a couple of those Fania reissues, namely Hector Lavoe, and Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez.

Is the TV album as good as they say it is?? JM just bought it, but we haven't listened to it yet.

idlewild

caaahyoko wrote: [quote=Idlewild]I didn't know Edie Brickel was still alive. Rumor had it she married the Darth Vader of 60's folk and faded away in to The Force.

Vernon Reid was the lead guitarist for Living Color was he not?

HAHAHA!! I think Paul only qualifies for Dark Helmet, not Darth.



Living Colour are still playing, actually. They have a show here once in a while, but play mostly in Europe (where black rock musicians make way more money). I would haven't had any idea he was still playing here, but my husband's previous band, Mosaic, used to open up for them, so he keeps me abreast of what Vernon is up to.

[/img]

Are you sure that's not Joan Baez wearing the funny hat?

michaelkeys

Idlewild wrote: I drove Vernon a few times when I drove car service. He was a cool guy.

Vernon is one of the coolest musicians I've ever met. Ever.

michaelkeys

caaahyoko wrote: Is the TVOTR album as good as they say it is?? JM just bought it, but we haven't listened to it yet.

If you liked them before this one won't disappoint. But for someone who might be new to 'em it's a grower. Hell, I like it more now than when I got it. At first I was into 50% of it. Now, I'd say 75%. So it has grown on me, too. Great record by one of the FEW bands from the BKNY that matter.

alafairnadia

I've heard the new TransAM is awesome.

also, the new Surgeon mix is fantastic. go to this link:

http://www.dj-surgeon.com/

and then click "media" and "audio". you can DL his set from sequence this past november.

caaahyoko

Idlewild wrote:
Are you sure that's not Joan Baez wearing the funny hat?

Ah! Now I'm going to have nightmares!

I think its Joan and Bob Dylan's secret love child.

caaahyoko

MichaelKeys wrote:
If you liked them before this one won't disappoint. But for someone who might be new to 'em it's a grower. Hell, I like it more now than when I got it. At first I was into 50% of it. Now, I'd say 75%. So it has grown on me, too. Great record by one of the FEW bands from the BKNY that matter.

Honestly, I haven't listened to enough of their other stuff to say one way or the other. I'll definitely check out the new album this week and let you know what I think.

BTW--I forgot to ask--does your band have anything recorded?

michaelkeys

caaahyoko wrote: BTW--I forgot to ask--does your band have anything recorded?

Aside from the demos on MySpace, none of the stuff I play w/the Ego Trip is available yet. (And my acoustic record is currently out-of-print. Not for long, tho.) I'm going to start recording a new, full-band album in the next few weeks, hopefully.

idlewild

caaahyoko wrote: [quote=Idlewild]
Are you sure that's not Joan Baez wearing the funny hat?

Ah! Now I'm going to have nightmares!

I think its Joan and Bob Dylan's secret love child.

Come to think of it. I had a friend in Hebrew school who wore the same kind of hat, he was very musically inclined and sounded very nasal. He loved Slim Jims.

leeho

I have also been really diggin' TVOTR's latest album, alot, actually.

Swan Lake is pretty good. Their record is called Beast Moans.

That Asobi Seksu Citrus is nice too.

Wolf Parade makes me feel young and angry, yet lazy too.

Loved also Tapes n' Tapes and I think they might be getting big. I hope not too big, though.

Pavement's re-release of Wowee Zowee was nice for the live tracks.

michaelkeys

It seems I forgot to add one of my big faves from last year: The Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers.
I'm not into the White Stripes. And Brendan Benson can be hit or miss. But this album I really liked: crunchy power pop, a touch of prog, bluesy pseudo-Zep riffs, cool Saturday morning-type tunes, all in one neat package. "Steady As She Goes" was my "Hey Ya" for 2006.

caaahyoko

MichaelKeys wrote: It seems I forgot to add one of my big faves from last year: The Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers.
I'm not into the White Stripes. And Brendan Benson can be hit or miss. But this album I really liked: crunchy power pop, a touch of prog, bluesy pseudo-Zep riffs, cool Saturday morning-type tunes, all in one neat package. "Steady As She Goes" was my "Hey Ya" for 2006.

No White Stripes? Not even Elephant? I know what's-her-name is no John Bonham, but its not a bad bunch of songs.

michaelkeys

caaahyoko wrote: No White Stripes? Not even Elephant? I know what's-her-name is no John Bonham, but its not a bad bunch of songs.

I saw them live in Union Square a few years back and I like "Fell In Love With A Girl" and "You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)"--plus Hard-Fi do an excellent dub-like cover of "Seven Nation Army"--but that's pretty much it for me when it comes to TWS. And yes, Elephant has a good batch of songs but I can't get past the lack of bass guitar and the mediocre drumming--at best--to enjoy 'em. Just imagine what Elephant would've sounded like as played by The Raconteurs...that coulda been yummy.

Interestingly, among my artist friends the visually inclined ones--painters, sculptors, etc--are the more rabid White Stripes fans. (They loooove the red, white, black color scheme.) Among the musicians, not so much.

Also, I've been dumfounded by a trend I've come across that I will summarize with an example: a hard-core, classic/prog rock geek in his mid to late 40s that both Mr. S and I know--and who rarely listens to anything released after 1977--LOVES The White Stripes to the point of seeing them live various times. This is a dude whose friends and acquaintances haven't been able to get him to listen to Radiohead or TVOTR, for instance--which we know he'd like or at the very least appreciate--yet he loves Jack White and his lame-drumming bandmate. Go figure.

Btw, you know how for every band that makes it big (Nirvana, Living Colour, etc) there's a predecessor that, for whatever reason, doesn't get as far (Melvins, Bad Brains, etc), right? Flat Duo Jets are TWS' antecedent. Check 'em out if you haven't before. Great.

caaahyoko

MichaelKeys wrote: [quote=caaahyoko]No White Stripes? Not even Elephant? I know what's-her-name is no John Bonham, but its not a bad bunch of songs.

I saw them live in Union Square a few years back and I like "Fell In Love With A Girl" and "You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)"--plus Hard-Fi do an excellent dub-like cover of "Seven Nation Army"--but that's pretty much it for me when it comes to TWS. And yes, Elephant has a good batch of songs but I can't get past the lack of bass guitar and the mediocre drumming--at best--to enjoy 'em. Just imagine what Elephant would've sounded like as played by The Raconteurs...that coulda been yummy.

Interestingly, among my artist friends the visually inclined ones--painters, sculptors, etc--are the more rabid White Stripes fans. (They loooove the red, white, black color scheme.) Among the musicians, not so much.

Also, I've been dumfounded by a trend I've come across that I will summarize with an example: a hard-core, classic/prog rock geek in his mid to late 40s that both Mr. S and I know--and who rarely listens to anything released after 1977--LOVES The White Stripes to the point of seeing them live various times. This is a dude whose friends and acquaintances haven't been able to get him to listen to Radiohead or TVOTR, for instance--which we know he'd like or at the very least appreciate--yet he loves Jack White and his lame-drumming bandmate. Go figure.

Btw, you know how for every band that makes it big (Nirvana, Living Colour, etc) there's a predecessor that, for whatever reason, doesn't get as far (Melvins, Bad Brains, etc), right? Flat Duo Jets are TWS' antecedent. Check 'em out if you haven't before. Great.

I think the White Stripes are just another case of it works well for that moment in time and the energy is more important than the musicianship. Similar to the infamous Ringo argument . But we won't go there again. hahaha.

JM did show me the Bad Brains at CB's DVD recently. Very cool. I'll definitely check out some of your other suggestions.

caaahyoko

Also, my question is, would the Raconteurs even be a band you would have noticed if it weren't for the White Stripes doing as well as they did? Yes--catchy songs, but as a band are they that spectacular or even stand out?? I haven't seen them live (which is usually a determining factor for me) so I'm still on the fence. I think that sometimes you just need a raw, garage rock band in the continuum to refresh the raw ideals of rock music. Aesthetically I prefer something more complex, but I also love The Kinks or The Pink Fairies.

michaelkeys

caaahyoko wrote: Also, my question is, would the Raconteurs even be a band you would have noticed if it weren't for the White Stripes doing as well as they did? Yes--catchy songs, but as a band are they that spectacular or even stand out?? I haven't seen them live (which is usually a determining factor for me) so I'm still on the fence.

Granted, both Jack White and Brendan Benson are each signed to a major label--the same one as a matter of fact--so The Raconteurs were guaranteed some significant exposure, especially since in the eyes of both press and public JW seems unable to do no wrong these days. (Being a power pop fan I found out about them through info on Brendan Benson's upcoming activities.)

But the thing is, in essence, the songs on their album are a half-step away from being White Stripes tunes. But when you hear the harmonies, groovy bass, and decent drumming you realize how EMPTY The White Stripes sound. (Just to be fair I'm comparing studio recordings; I've not seen The Raconteurs live.)

caaahyoko wrote: I think that sometimes you just need a raw, garage rock band in the continuum to refresh the raw ideals of rock music. Aesthetically I prefer something more complex, but I also love The Kinks or The Pink Fairies.

Agreed. But why bass guitar-less?
OK, dump the bass guitar if you want: The Doors--among a few others--laid the down the low end on keys. Cool, whatever works. I just don't like that gaping sonic hole. And then when you add Meg White's drumming "skills", well...let's just say she's no Ringo.

Btw, shouldn't we be having this discussion over a drink at our local watering hole?

leeho

Can't believe you guys are even talkin' bout boring bands such as the stripes and the racounters.....so much more is out there!

leeho

SWAN LAKE? anyone? frog eyes? wolf parade?

michaelkeys

LeeHo wrote: Can't believe you guys are even talkin' bout boring bands such as the stripes and the racounters.....so much more is out there! SWAN LAKE? anyone? frog eyes? wolf parade?

Whoa there!

If you, me and a buddy had made that Swan Lake record we'd get laughed at and be labelled talentless hacks but since it got made by alt-demi gods, it's all good.
No, 'fraid not. (Destroyer on his own does have his moments.)
How do you say painfully overwrought--in a bad way--and incredibly pretentious in Canadian? Frog Eyes is a start.
Also, I have yet to come across anything as boring, predictable or lame as the current army of bands with "wolf" in their name.

Yes, there are plenty of things out there but I was responding to questions about a few things in particular.

I dunno but if the above three are supposedly exciting, I'll stay with boring. At least these bores are talented.

Speaking of which, I'm so bored...
- with people making crappy music and/or not knowing how to decently play an instrument--I'm NOT talkin' Steve Vai-type noodling either--and wearing it as a badge of honor.
- with dudes getting on stage with laptops(!!!)blaring their pre-programmed nonsense and thinking they're Aphex Twin or Prefuse 73, when they can't even carry those dudes' battery packs.
- with bands performing '80s video game theme songs on stage thinking they're being cute/ironic/relevant/entertaining, when they're not.

But most importantly, I'm EVEN MORE tired of the people that support this stuff, even though they know better, just so they can be percieved as cool and hip.

pitu

MichaelKeys wrote: Also, I've been dumfounded by a trend I've come across that I will summarize with an example: a hard-core, classic/prog rock geek in his mid to late 40s that both Mr. S and I know--and who rarely listens to anything released after 1977--LOVES The White Stripes to the point of seeing them live various times. This is a dude whose friends and acquaintances haven't been able to get him to listen to Radiohead or TVOTR, for instance--which we know he'd like or at the very least appreciate--yet he loves Jack White and his lame-drumming bandmate. Go figure.

heh.
let me add to your study...

I like the White Stripes.
I'm younger than prog-rock-man, but not by much - I deliriously saw the Bad Brains alot at a tender age in D.C.
I barely listen to anything rock from *before* 1977, and not much current rock. Not much rock at all . . .
Radiohead or TVOTR never really caught me either. The goofy banging around of White Stripes, yeah. Very melodic, an appealing harsh whine of vocal...maybe your friend likes them because it sounds like the Kinks banging around in the garage.

I'm an artist but not a musician -- musicians can get geeked out on some details that don't sound all that interesting or fresh to non-musicians. Being as elderly as I am, I'm *always* hearing the influences and if it doesn't get past that, I lose interest.
I thought the packaging of White Stripes was great (those colors) but was surprised that the hooks caught me so hard...

drano

I'm looking forward to the new Shellac album to be released shortly - at six years in the making it's bound to be good! Right...?

Forgot to mention this initially, but The Raconteurs are really pretty good live. Made me dust off the CD and I like it more now.