Audience participation

[sophia_sol]

It seems clear of late that I am capable of enjoying music that I wouldn't have expected of myself. Which means there is a whole wide world of music out there that I could be enjoying but am not (yet). SO. This is where you come in!

I am sure that you, Dear Readers, listen to music, and have opinions about the music you listen to. I am sure you have musicians or singers or bands that you particularly like. And it is entirely possible you enjoy proselytizing on behalf of these music groups. If that is you, then, well! I have a request!

Please tell me the name of a musician/band that you think I should listen to (no matter how well-known or not)*, what CD of theirs I should start with, and, for in case it's a style of music I'm not very experienced at listening to yet, which one song from that CD I should listen to several times on repeat so I can learn how to like it before tackling the whole CD.

Please don't load up a comment with tons of recs, because then I will just get overwhelmed! Stick to one a person (mmmmmaaaaaybe two), and we'll all be happy.

And do not hesitate even if you are a lurker or don't talk to me very often or whatever. My journal is always open!

And then, over the course of however long it takes me, I WILL give a good honest try to the things I get recced in this post, even if it's something I'm skeptical about, because if you like it then it must have something about it worth liking. And then it is entirely possible (nay, probable, given my tendency towards verbosity WHICH YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED *COUGH*) that I will write up posts on my opinions.

Okay? Okay!


*And make no assumptions about what I must already know. I mean, yes, I'm familiar with the Beatles, but ANYTHING ELSE is fair game. My friends are always laughing at me for how utterly clueless I am about popular stuff.

Comments

[seekingferret]

As you know, my musical tastes are pretty wide-ranging, but let's start with something simple.

Josh Ritter's an American folkie, in my opinion the creator of the best American folk rock albums of the past decade. It is entirely possibly you already know him, if not for his albums then for the amazing SGA vid to his "The Temptation of Adam": http://isagel.livejournal.com/154694.html

If you don't, you should listen to his album "Hello Starling" and you should listen to "Kathleen" from it on repeat until you get tired of it, which at least in my case means you're still listening to it on repeat years later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm3lWq4s5-U

And here, have his railroad ballad "Harrisburg", because if I don't misjudge you railroad ballads are very much up your alley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UJL1mOrIhE

[sophia_sol]

AWESOME! I am unfamiliar with Josh Ritter but he looks very interesting! *puts on list*

[feverbeats]

SECONDED FOREVERRRR.

[neekabe]

My rec: Stan Rogers - Home in Halifax has a good selection of the classics from him. Canadian folk, with an east coast tinge.

Also, because lately I've been thinking about asexuality and popular music and how the world that music tends to present is somewhat alien...
I can't remember the quote exactly, but it was something along the lines about how every song of his is a love song, it's just that they're love songs for times and places and boats and ways of life instead of romantic love.
His two love songs about people are adorable ('Lies', and '45 Years'), and talk more of the White Collar:Peter/Elizabeth type of relationships than the eyes-meet-with-flames-of-lust type. I find it much more in tune with how I experience things.

If you want more suggestions I'll be happy to give. Music is a thing for me :)

[sophia_sol]

STAN ROGERRRRRRRRS I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Enough that I have an icon for him and everything. He is basically my favourite ever.

That is a really cool point you have about his songs being love songs, and it is so true omg.

SO. Since I already know the artist you suggested, please do give me another!

[holyschist]

I think I would recommend The Newfoundlanders to Stan Rogers fans, but it can be hard to find their music. "The Islander" in particular is totally a love song to Newfoundland.

[feverbeats]

idk if you listen to Leonard Cohen at all, but he's one of my favorite singers ever and his song "I'm Your Man" is my favorite song. Highly recommended.

[sophia_sol]

I...think I've probably heard a few Leonard Cohen songs before? Now that will change! ADDED TO LIST.

[holyschist]

My favorite Cohen song is "Story of Isaac," although I could not say why.

[calvinahobbes]

Sorry about spamming you up top. Sometimes I hit the wrong reply link *facepalm*

My love for I'm Your Man is only slightly colored by all the great genderbending that goes on with that song. There was a cute sequence in the L Word with it (youtube link), and of course there's the multi fandom wonder by charmax (youtube.

[melannen]

Okay, the others have offered you fine folk-ish people, so have something different: MIKA is a British singer who does a sort of postmodern bubblegum pop. His music is bright and cheery and catchy and makes me want to dance even when the lyrics go a little deeper, and I love his voice, and his videos are mesmerizingly gorgeous and campy as anything, and he himself is adorable and bouncy. I linked to the youtube channel; watch the videos, they are awesome, I suggest starting with Lollipop. You may also know him as the singer behind the Grace Kelly fanvid which was a hit in SGA fandom a few years back.

[sophia_sol]

Cool, something very different! "postmodern bubblegum pop" -- that sounds awesome! ADDED TO LIST.

[seekingferret]

There's an SGA fanvid to "Grace Kelly"? *runs to watch*

[elistaire]

What an awesome idea.

My hubby says the Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, as a single song to love and appreciate forever. :)

I say Jehro, and the song to listen to first is "Everything". Because it is smooth and his voice is lovely, and there's bitter and sweet all over.

[sophia_sol]

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- ALREADY a song I love and appreciate! Because it is AWESOME.

And Jehro is added to my list!

[tei]

Well I already got in some proselytizing during your entry into bandom so I am more or less sated (BAHAHA) but, because it is more or less something that would fall under the "fannish" umbrella I must ask, have you listened to recordings of Leslie Fish?

[sophia_sol]

Hee, and much do I appreciate the various proselytizing that happened in my direction while I was getting into bandom!

Leslie Fish, Leslie Fish -- wait, I totally have a song by her! I think I ended up listening to it because of nextian's awesome folk songs about The Lone Centurion? I will take this as an indication that I need to check out more of her stuff. Added to list!

[verity]

Oh, it's so hard to pick just one! I will say, for general recs, you should check out my fanmixes (here & here), which are a nice sampler of my musical taste and pleasant to listen to in general. I tend to find new music through fanmixes & last.fm.

While they are not my favorite band, The Magnetic Fields are one of many that I like quite a lot, and I feel compelled to recommend them to you for several reasons:
- their basic style is a funky indie pop I think you'll enjoy
- QUEERMAZING INDIE GOODNESS
- their songs are full of hilarious and arresting narrative
- 69 Love Songs, also known as the best (3 disc!) concept album of all time

69 Love Songs has all sorts of different genres and song styles on it, so it's hard for me to recommend a specific song that sounds most like the band to you. I can say that I Don't Want to Get Over You, Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin (bonus fanvid), and Washington, D.C. are three of my favorites, and you should investigate them in that order.

[sophia_sol]

Ooh, they sound like a lot of fun! Added to my list!

[michelel72]

Oh, there are just so many groups that I like (though I don't so much get into the personalities). I'm going to guess you're already at least somewhat exposed to Sarah Harmer, so I'll ask whether you know much Pink Floyd.

The "get into them" for me would actually be to watch the film version of "The Wall", actually. (If that's too steep, "Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)"is the obvious single-song rec, though I'd be quite surprised if you don't already know that.) I personally can't get into anything of theirs before "Dark Side of the Moon" (in fact, if you want a free copy of "Ummagumma", just say the word), but from that album on, I quite like their work. ("Animals" is the only one that hasn't especially gripped me, but I like it well enough.) I don't really care whether it's pre- or post-Waters; I'd recommend listening to "Dark Side of the Moon", "The Wall", "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (with "Learning to Fly" or "One Slip" as individual songs to start with if needed), and "Division Bell" ("High Hopes" as the individual song) as cohesive albums rather than as singles.

[sophia_sol]

I am actually not particularly familiar with Sarah Harmer! But I know even less about Pink Floyd. So. Both are now on my list!

[holyschist]

Garmarna! Swedish folk rock with AMAZING lead singer. Vedergällningen is my favorite of their CDs. (Worth looking up the lyrics because Swedish folk music is remarkably morbid at times.) "Vedergällningen (Vengeance)" is one of my favorites; I also love "Varulven (Werewolf)" and "Güds Spelemen (Fiddlers of God)", the later from the same-named album.

And here are some of their music videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIC_SNtYpxQ ("Euchari")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjmq6KI0D_o ("Herr Holger")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufnnr_q1yfE ("Vanner och Frander (Friends and Kin)")

And a concert version of "Gamen (Vulture)":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AAeb0STkbc

[holyschist]

Also, uh, if you felt like poking through a bunch of different genres, smillaraaq has a great contemporary Native American/First Nations music playlist on YouTube. It doesn't have my favorite Buffy Sainte-Marie song ("Starwalker"), but it does have about 3/4 of the hiphop I have ever enjoyed, and also Derek Miller.

OR YOU CAN IGNORE THIS COMMENT IF IT IS OVERWHELMING, SINCE IT IS TECHNICALLY A SECOND SUGGESTION. OR THIRD. OR SOMETHING.

[justice-turtle.livejournal.com]

The Monkees! I love their stuff. I think they are honestly better than the Beatles (they were a rip-off / spin-off / what-have-you).

I don't really know which of their original albums had which songs on them, because I mostly know them from anthology albums ("Best of The Monkees" and such), but my favorite three songs of theirs - well, sorted for variety (i.e. I left out all the duplicate folk-style songs) are:

* "Papa Gene's Blues" (the title has nothing to do with the song; it's a '60s ballad-style love song, very folk-ish)
* "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" (punchy pop-style song, reminiscent of "These Shoes Were Made For Walking"; lots of rhythm and sass)
* "Words" (a late-'60s proto-psychedelic broken-heart song with some interesting instrumentation)

These are all lesser-known songs, not their Absolute Top Hits - but believe me, I'll be happy to natter at length about which Monkees songs fall into any category you care to name. ;-) Just get me started.

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool, they sound awesome! Added to list! And when I eventually get to them, I will be happy to listen to you natter at length about them! :D

[angevin2.livejournal.com]

Steeleye Span is a British folk band, started in the 1970s but still together (although their early stuff is the best if you ask me). They are hardcore traditional in terms of their song choices, but very rock-like in style, and I love them to bits.

Best album to start with: Please to See the King.

Sample tracks (from several different albums):
- False Knight on the Road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHqFyRT1AhU) (from Please to See the King)
- The Weaver and the Factory Maid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do7epBepl8U) (from Parcel of Rogues)
- King Henry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U400-AvPKbo) (from Below the Salt)

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

...Huh! Someone tried to get me into Steeleye Span once, years ago, but that was back when I was rather more narrow-minded, musically, and I didn't particularly enjoy them. Definitely I am going to give them another chance, because I bet they are actually right up my alley!

[sineala.livejournal.com]

Everyone else is reccing folkies, but I'm going to go for the nerd rock.

They Might Be Giants.

They were the band that pretty much got me through high school. The album you want is Flood (http://tmbw.net/wiki/Flood), because that was the album I started with, and the song you want to listen to on repeat is Birdhouse in Your Soul (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAbZzdalZh4), which you should listen to as many times as it takes, until it sounds completely normal and rational that this song is about a nightlight and that it namechecks Jason and the Argonauts. This will prepare you for the rest of the album.

...if you've heard of them, do I get another rec?

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

NERD ROCK. Ooh, that sounds AWESOME! Added to list!

And I will be generous and give you a second rec even though I haven't heard They Might Be Giants before. :D

[eralkfang.livejournal.com]

(Excuse the deleted comment and reposting; HTML vomit.)

SCISSOR SISTERS! Oh, Lord, Scissor Sisters. How to explain Scissor Sisters? Their latest album, Night Work, feels like it's taking place at 3 AM in a glitter-filled club in the '80s (and occasionally the '70s). It's alternative glam rock pop, and it's glorious.

You may already know them from Doctor Who; the Master plays "I Can't Decide" at one point, and it's insinuated that he's essentially just playing their second album, Ta-Dah!, ad nauseum and broadcasting it to the whole world. In fact, I think Ta-Dah! is their best album, and I would start there.

As for specific songs, "Take Your Mama" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7-fyGa9DQ&ob=av3e) was their first big hit. It's a lot of fun, but I think "Better Luck" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5-GCJSwUOs) and "Music is the Victim" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJE-q1q-U0) are better, and emphasize their honky-tonk vibe. (They're all over the map. It's great.)

Ta-Dah! is just, well, glorious, but stand-outs include "Might Tell You Tonight" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TosO5ti3LIk), a remarkably sweet love song, and "Everybody Wants the Same Thing" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngxYXXw8f04), which must be heard—if you listen to only song from this comment, make it this one.

Night Work skews a bit more new wave, hence how '80s it feels, which unfortunately tends to replace the honky-tonk vibe I so loved. "Fire with Fire" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV2ILnnTa0&ob=av2e), the first single and track, is joyful, but "Invisible Light" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfkKmncw3rc) is just amazing. Also, Sir Ian McKellen guests on the track. This band is Gandalf-approved.

[sentientcitizen]

Pst, Sophia, this vid:

http://mresundance.livejournal.com/709903.html

[sholio]

They are well-known and perhaps you already have opinions on them, but for something a bit different from the music that's been rec'd so far ... how about Fleetwood Mac? '70s rock/pop, nice blend of men's and women's voices, fast catchy tunes. "Rumours" is probably the album to start with (it's their signature album and overall their best, even though some of my favorite songs of theirs aren't on it). For individual songs, Secondhand News is probably my favorite song off the album (possibly in part because it's not as overplayed as some of the others), and while I'm more partial to their faster, rockier songs in general, Gold Dust Woman is an excellent sample of their slower/folkier songs.

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

Nope, I have not heard them and have no opinions! So, they are now on my list!