Posted on 01/07/2014 7:02:12 AM PST by Notary Sojac
This thread had its genesis in this one -
Millenial's Music Taste (vanity). Whats wrong with your generation?
- where a few of us made the case for really good music being made in the 21st century by artists who aren't retreads from the boomer era or earlier. It's a mission of mine to try to get my fellow boomers to break that fixation with the "oldies station" and listen to some new stuff.
I plan to make the case for a few artists here, and hope that more Freepers will chime in.
Please do so!! Give us a little info about the contemporary artists you like, with an album or track recommendation.
My tastes run to bluegrass, blues, swing, and what's now called "Americana", but any genre is welcome here. Except techno. Post any dance/techno recommends and you'll earn the Sojac raspberry!
To kick off:
Eleni Mandell is, like many of my favorite artists, not easily slotted into a genre. She has done country, pop, straight ahead rock, and classic '40s style lounge singing. But in every style her hooks are memorable and her lyrics witty.
Recommended album to start with: Miracle of Five, tracks "Moonglow, Lamp Low" and "Somebody Else".
Chatham County Line is a bluegrass outfit out of North Carolina. Straight up, tight bluegrass harmonies with a minimum of twang.
Recommended album to start with: Speed of the Whippoorwill, title track and "Coming Home".
Dave Alvin was, with his brother Phil, a founding member of The Blasters, the greatest roots rock group you've never heard of. Although his career with that group goes back to the eighties, most of his good solo material is post-2000. Dave perfectly rides the boundary between garage rock and country, a real sweet spot for me.
Recommended album to start with: Blackjack David, tracks "Abilene" and "New Highway".
Boy & Bear
Anything they have done is excellent.
Start with:
Part Time Believer
Foodline
1. Abalone Dots (Swedish girl band) Lose again cover
2. The Breeders (Ohio girl band)
3. Iron Horse (Bluegrass band)
4. Modest Mouse (Good news for people who love bad news album)
There are a lot of great artist today. I still have my Barry White moments though :)
First, let me state that I grew up in the 60’s/70’s and listened to most the music mentioned on this thread. I also grew up in a time where you ALWAYS had music playing at your place, and I still do. And as much as I love the WHO and the Rolling Stones, etc, you have to find something new or you go stale.
New music is kind of like new movie stars. You generally have to enjoy what they DO, and ignore what they SAY, because most of the time it is liberal dribble. Some have gone so far over the line that I now really have a hard time enjoying their music, even though I once did (see - Bruce Springsteen).
Here is a list of my eclectic taste in music. Most of these have not made totally idiotic liberal statements that I am aware of, but probably feel that way to some degree:
Iron & Wine - A guy and his wife, think 60’s folk with modern twists. Most is just him and a guitar or two. Tried to change directions on his last album and it is by far the weakest. If you are going to explore his music, start with something earlier (The Creek Drank the Cradle).
Keane - a so called English piano band because guitars are not featured predominately. They can actually sing on key and write songs, as well as play instruments. What a concept.
The Killers - Straight ahead rock and roll that could have been huge in the 70’s. The lead singer Brandon Flowers also put out a solo album that is great. The most common criticism is that they haven't incorporated any hip-hop or rap flavoring to their music. That goodness.
Arcade Fire - Everything but their current album. Again, a band that could have been huge in the 70’s. In their current album they listened to the critics and tired to become more contemporary with some ‘street’ influences. Stupid idea.
The Decemberists - Mainly eclectic, but they had one album,”The King is Dead” that is amazing. Mixture of pop, folk, and just plain good. The incredible Gillian Welch sings on about half the songs.
Gillian Welch - incredible and completely throwback music of the folk early country style. Her and her boy friend, no studio tricks whatsoever. Her boy friend, David Rawlings, plays a flat top 1935 Rickenbacker guitar. And with all apologies to the guitar heroes of my youth, he is simply the best guitar player in the world.
Coldplay - rock with melodies. They have produced several albums that would have been giants in the 70’s (A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y, Viva La Vida). Don't listen to Chis Martin (Mr. Gwyneth Paltro) talk - ever.
My Morning Jacket - Southern rock and roll at it's best. “Circuital” recommended.
Snow Patrol - The English again. Pretty much every album is great except the first one that has something about ‘Polar Bears’ in the title. Mixture of melody songs with an occasional rocker thrown in.
Sigur Ros - Amazing rock/classical fusion music. Yes the singer is a one eyed, homosexual, vegetarian, activist. But for music to put on in the back ground while you are working - incredible.
That's something to start with (and some will probably get me flamed). I can't stand the overproduced garbage that passes for the most popular music today. All of the above actually play instruments and you hear their voice, not some effects manufactured ‘product.’
There has been little music made since the 90’s and before. I do not care what anyone thinks but what passes for music today would have been laughed at 30 years ago. Country Music is an exception... some of it.
if you get a chance to see him live, jump on it. Not only does he have a great band that has been together for years and sounds like it (this is a lot of the rationale for those who back him for the Rock Hall of Fame), his show is a blast and even kid-friendly. I took my seven-year-old daughter and she wasn’t the youngest there. Hell, the dude is so talented i catch myself with rap going thru my head thanks to him.
Indeed.
I teach Guitar to pre-teens.
They ALWAYS, without exception, want to learn Classic Rock. Of course, i am happy to oblige!
Some of this years recital songs:
As Tears Go By (Rolling Stones)
Angie(Rolling Stones)
Come Together(Beatles)
Riders of the Storm(The Doors)
Eight Days a Week(The Eagles)
Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin)
Wish You Were Here(Pink Floyd)
Let It Be(Beatles)
Hey Jude(The Beatles)
Jet Plane (John Denver)
Wild Horses(Rolling Stones)
Wake Me Up When September Ends(Green Day)
Time of the Season (The Zombies)
You Really Got Me(The Kinks)
Money(Pink Floyd)
Hotel California(The Eagles)
Say You Love Me(Fleetwood Mac)
Dreams(Fleetwood Mac)
Bad Moon Rising(CCR)
Proud Mary(CCR)
Don’t Stop Believing(Journey)
Don’t Stop(Fleetwood Mac)
Desperado(The Eagles)
Along with the usual Beethoven and Mozart from the Piano Students!
It ends up being a Rock and roll party instead of a recital! :-)
>>I have been following “Here Come The Mummies” for
>>several years. They are a funk band with a twist.
Just checked them out on YT. They seem to have sort of the 70s or 80s sound. Most of the new stuff today sounds like crap obamaboy and pajamaboy would listen to.
Pants by Here Come the Mummies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB5EE42So7I
Not sure this is what you’re looking for, but if you want some nice, relaxing music while surfing the net, reading, or whatever, some good choices would be:
George Winston
Yiruma
Earl Klugh
I prefer this cover to the original, too.
Please don’t be so condescending... I am a musician or I was... I have played small clubs and huge arenas... I know what I like and what I do not like. There are a few modern bands that are good. I enjoy Nickleback, Audioslave and some others but I also enjoy everything from original Classic music through Swing, the Crooners, Rock and Roll, Folk, Jazz, Fusion Jazz, Blues, Blues Rock, Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Gospel, Old Time Country and even modern Country Rock. That does not excuse the vacuous wasteland of pop music today. Pop may be entertainment... maybe for some... but much of what is sold as music today is something else entirely.
Do you like Guided by Voices and/or Pere Ubu (classic Ohio bands)?
Problem is you’re limiting yourself to the top end of popularity, which has always been a questionable section of the culture at best. The creative section has always been that area that lacks the mass appeal (lowest common denominator) to become extremely popular. Sure periodically something really good (like say David Bowie’s late 60s/ early 70s output) manages to become popular, but that’s an accident of the masses grabbing onto something actually good. The experimentation needed to spawn truly new and creative things tends to self limit the audience. The good part with the internet age is that self limited stuff is easier to find than ever, it’s somewhere on youtube or pandora, all you gotta do is look up something you already like and pay attention to the “recommendations”, you’ll find new stuff that you like in short order.
Oh and Motown... where is that kind of creativity today?
I own a CD by Chatham County Line. I like it.
You can have my classic rock vinyl albums when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
Today's "music" is nothing but a bunch of research formula driven noise that has no emotion, no feeling, no passion and is as empty as a federal bureaucrats head.
Great selections.
Also, unlike the author of the original piece, I like quite a bit of electronic music, such as
Boards of Canada
Luke Vibert/Wagonchrist
Mouse on Mars
None of these bands are dance/techno, although some people consider all elctronic music to fit into this category).
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