Music on Repeat

I know I mentioned this before in an earlier post, but I’m getting tired of my current music collection again and the last time I wrote about it, I got some great suggestions (thanks everyone!).  Again, I’m at the point where everything is starting to fuse or blend together and just sound like variations of each other.

In turn, this got me thinking… I feel like there hasn’t been anything that’s really impressed me or gotten me excited in a while.  Sure there have been a few bands that I’ve newly discovered and enjoy as of late, (and will even let you know the ones I think are worth checking out later in the entry) but, it’s fleeting.

What I’m talking about is something that’s unequivocally stellar – from the first song and note to the last song and note of every track on the album!  I’m talking about…compelling and soulful lyrics that resonate in your head…heart-thumpin’ and blood rushing’ beats that make your body writhe or weave gracefully…slick and jarring riffs that either glide or make jagged ripples like a glazed icing on a cake…epic and melodic crescendo build-ups accompanied by airy diminuendos that could could make a feather drift softly to the ground after a windstorm.  That kind of stellar!

The last really stellar band/album that had all this and made me involuntarily crunch my face…bite the bottom of my lip and make me do the”diarrhea face of rock” was Metric and the “Fantasies” album.  Additionally, there’s something so amazingly soothing and addicting about Emily Haines’ voice.  Combined with riffs and beats that could tear a Chinese phone book in half, and a sound for lack of better description be described as synth-pop meets new wave at an indie rock show, this album is Ri-Dickey-Roberts!  *Side note: I can probably dedicate several entries to Metric, and may in the future but for now, if you haven’t heard of them (or heard the “Fantasies” album), you really should do yourself a service and check them out – ilovemetric.com (Track Recommendations: “Sick Muse” and “Gimme Sympathy”)

Hmm…off the top of my head, other bands/albums I’d label as “stellar…”

• U2′s, “Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby” albums *Side note:  Both these albums are amazing, but Achtung Baby is the better of the two.
  
• The Sounds, “Dying to Say This To You” album
• Foo Fighters, “The Colour and Shape” album
• Metallica’s, “Black” and “Master of Puppets” album
• DJ Format, “If You Can’t Join ‘Em… Beat ‘Em” album
• Jay Z, “MTV Unplugged” album

I’m open to any suggestions so, if there is an album/band that’s made you thump your fingers while you’re rockin’ the noggin’ in perfect balance and harmony…please let me know!

That said, as noted earlier…below are a few of the newly discovered bands I’ve been enjoying lately.

Au Revoir Simone – there’s an eerily sexy and hauntingly hypnotic texture that’s mesmerizing in how they sound.  Additionally, they bring an oxymoronic dynamic that feels like a joyful melancholy celebration  (Track Recommendations: “Shadows” and “Trace a Line”)

Fanfarlo – these guys remind me of Arcade Fire and makes for good driving or mid-day work music. (Track Recommendations: “Luna,” “Drowning Men,” and “Ghosts”)

Frightened Rabbit – remind me of “The Cure” meets “The Smiths” (Track Recommendations: “Nothing Like You” and “Poke”) *Side note: If you’re into this, check out Northern Portrait as well they sound like Morrissey).

Neon Trees – these guys have a fun groove and sound to them that build to boisterous chorus’  (Track Recommendations: “Animal” and “1983″)

Enjoy!

Under Covers

I’ve kind of been a little obsessed with finding new music.  While I listen to mostly indie, the overlap across its sub-genre classifications – o-fi, post-rock, sadcore, C86, math rock, shoegaze/dream pop, indie pop, noise rock, noise pop, riot grrrl, post-hardcore, twee pop, alt-country, post-punk revival, garage rock revival, dance-punk, indie folk, baroque pop, and indietronica – all kind of blend together (for me at least) after a while and I need a refresh.

With that, I’ve been a bit hooked on cover songs lately.  I know a lot of people hate when bands that do covers of other artists stuff because they feel it ruins the original but, I disagree.  Charles Caleb Cotton said – “Imitation is the sincerest of flattery,” and yes, while the cover may really suck the big one, I love hearing how another artist/band hears it and brings their own soulful interpretation into, or onto it.

Here’s a few to start with…

Metric – The End Has No End (Strokes)

Foo Fighters – Keep The Car Running (Arcade Fire)

Imogen Heap – Thriller (Michael Jackson)

Tegan & Sara – Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen)

Giddy up ~