For the fearless, world-music loving indie fans: The Gulag Orkestar - Beirut Zach Condon is a precocious talent from New Mexico who has embraced Mariachi brass, French accordian and Balkan polka to startling affect in his still youthful career, but never better than on this his debut. Strangley rousing but entirely dirgeful. Nearly a genre to himself, but associated and likened acts include, but are not limited to, A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Devotchka, and Alaska In Winter.
Sia- Some People Have Real Problems One of my most beautiful voices you'll ever hear. Her music is a mixture of pop, rock and soul.
Bone Island - The Working Title All written and performed by Joel Hamilton, the album is one of my favorites, without a single distasteful track, and manages to grab one's attention without the traditional instruments, but curious textures and thoughtful lyrics. Chunk of Change - Passion Pit A very ecclectic gathering of Indie-Electropop songs that are more or less strange but entirely intriguing to listen to. Very good for just dancing when nobody's watching.
Homogenic, then Vespertine, then Debut, then Post, then Volta - Bjork (its not the order of how good they are, just the order of how you should listen to them for maximum emotional effect) Also, I can't believe no one added Bjork until now :O :O :O 3rd page??? She's much better than that
I'm afraid I do not know Bjork... Should I? If you added it to the list, then I guess I must! That's what this is for after all! Oh, and I couldn't ignore that this album is one of my all time favorites: La Sexsorcito: Devil Music Vol. 1 - White Zombie This is when they really started coming into a line of their own. This is before they got really industrial (which sounds good) and still had a weird, yet cool sound of their own. I can best lable it as "stoner metal", but it's much more than that. Haha
I love Bjork. Homogenic is a fantastic album. My boyfriend is a big fan, too, and got me listening to her in the first place. He's been on this campaign to convince me that I'm Icelandic. I think it's just wishful thinking on his part.
For a few other genres... Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antenna To Heaven - by Godspeed you Black Emperor! Rook - by Shearwater Devour, Rise and Take Flight - by Android Lust This Fool Can Die Now - by Scout Niblett
Newton Faulkner - Hand built by robots I got this album for Christmas two years ago, and I listen to it every day without fail, I'm still nowhere near sick of it. Its just beautiful, spesh if you consider he played every instrument on the album & did all the backing vocals too. And handmade his guitar. Wow. Although if I'm going out....Pendulum - In Silico which just makes me want to dance =] xxx
Absolution - Muse. I listen to this album once every two or three days on average, and it sounds better every time I listen to it. There are standout tracks, obviously, with Butterflies and Hurricanes and Sing For Absolution being just two I can think of, but each track has its merits and the way it's all mixed is quite fantastic.
The Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse That one is a classic, though I usually end up playing Building Nothing Out of Something by Modest Mouse.
The Fame - Lady GaGa Her electropop style is fun and danceable and appealing to all. I have a lot of strictly metalhead friends who love the tracks "LoveGame" and "Papparazzi" (her latest single; go check it out --the short film for it is A-W-E-S-O-M-E). In fact, I dont really know anyone who dislikes her music. She has a very interesting performance style that will make her a musical icon worth remembering. Apparently she's gotten some bad reviews because her songs are sometimes considered 'too electric' and you cant actually hear voice... to which I say A) Listen to Brown Eyes and B) Check out her live performances. Her voice is center stage.
Ok, everyone got their seatbelts on in the time machine? Cuz’ I’m fixin’ to kick it back a few decades. Joni Mitchell Not just because I’m listening to her right now, but because she has been with me since the tender age of 18 when I joined the USAF. If you know her music, you will understand the irony of discovering her while I was in military service. She has been named more than once as one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century. Her album Blue is quite literally a part of my soul and has sung me through times of delirious joy and also through tragedy. A brilliant, brilliant poet, every song is a well of meaning and layered emotions. I could write an entire book as to why every person should own at least one of her albums and still those thousands of words would be as nothing in comparison to simply sitting down and listening to her soul come out through her guitar and into your life.
Loneliness Knows My Name - Patrick Park That man writes and plays every sound on that album, and it's amazing. It's hard to find 11 songs as meaningful as those on that album... Here I am, where I’ve been I’ve walked a hundred miles in tobacco skin, And my clothes are worn & gritty. And I know ugliness, Now show me something pretty. I was a dumb punk kid with nothing to lose And too much weight for walking shoes . I could have died from being boring. And as for loneliness, She greets me every morning. -Patrick Park, Something Pretty
Classical- Rachmaninov- Piano Concerto no2 & 3 For me, they're the ultimate emotive, beautiful pieces, and I don't think anyone, classical lover or not, will be able to listen to them without being moved. I should just note, part of the no2 concerto does feature in the Origin of Symmetry Album of Muse's- took me ages to place the piano bit...! Modern- Fall Out Boy- Infinity on High I know it's a bit emo, a bit tweenagery, but have you really listened to their lyrics? Tori Amos- From the Choirgirl Hotel Beautiful, haunting, almost erotic at times, it's a must for any collection. I note with no trace of irony at all here, no-one has suggested a Michael Jackson album yet. Are we all putting up our hands in innocence and claiming none of us have even one MJ song tucked away in our MP3 collection somewhere?