For those of you who haven't heard, I've had to get rid of the content on this blog. Thanks for stopping by though. Cheers.
TK
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Whatever happened to sex, drugs and rock n' roll?
Now we just have AIDS, crack and techno. Yes, it's true. The times they are a changing. I mentioned in my last major post that I was going to have a serious change...well, this is it. It's surprising the amount of people who hear a song without a guitar, drums, singer, or rapper, and instantly dub it 'techno'. To be honest, I can't remember the last 'techno' song I heard. I can't even define techno. Lately, I've had a bunch of people ask me, "How can you listen to techno all day long?" I look at them with a 'well aren't you the ultimate critic Mister I know every song on the Top 40' smirk, and reply, "I don't. I listen to everything." They get all flustered and walk away shaking their head. I'll be honest, this past year I have devoted most of my listening to all things electronic, but that doesn't mean my previous years as an Indie nerd have vanished. And when I say that I listen to everything...I'm not just saying that like every girl on her myspace/facebook page, because that's total bullshit. Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Usher, and The Killers don't count babe (Yes, I'm pointing my finger at you UM sorority girl haha.) Mr. Techno here is going to take you through the 80% of his iTunes thats not techno and point out of a few of his favorite 'traditional', yet not so traditional bands for you. Enjoy.
Arcade Fire
I remember not liking the album 'Funeral' the first time I listened to it in 2004. It was such a new, big sound, something that I was totally not used to. And there was something so passionate too. After a few listens, songs like 'Neighborhood #3 (power out)' and 'Rebellion (Lies)' were turning into my favorites. Three years later, they came back on the scene and released another album called 'Neon Bible', which was recorded in a church (I think Wolf Parade just recorded their newest album in the same church..I'm not sure though). People say that they're the best thing to happen to music in years. I'm not going to totally agree, but I'm not going to disagree either. I've always wanted to see them perform live. Watch this youtube clip, and if you don't feel anything afterwards, then I'm sorry I wasted your time. I heard there's a sick Jonas Brothers thing on MTV.
At The Drive-In
When I was in Middle School, all I listened to was punk music. NOFX, Pennywise, Guttermouth, Millencolin...pretty much every band on the Epitaph record label. Somewhere going into 9th grade all that started to change when I heard about At The Drive-In. It was still harder than most of the lame stuff on the radio, but there was something more complex to it than your standard punk song. Unfortunately, they broke up and the members formed two bands 'Sparta' and 'The Mars Volta'. I like both the bands, especially The Mars Volta's first album (which I'll get to later), but I can kind of attribute my segue into all things indie/screamo/whatever to this band.
Blonde Redhead
This is going to be one of the bands on my list that I reckon very few people have heard of, but they have such a dark and haunting sound that I really like. 'Misery is a butterfly' is one of my all time favorite songs. Also check out the songs 'Spring and by summer fall', 'messenger' and 'falling man'.
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
Bright Eyes
I could write for days about Bright Eyes. They were my favorite band all throughout high school. Something about lead singer Connor Oberst's voice and lyrics made me drool over every single one of his songs. Out of the five Bright Eyes albums I have, I don't think I could pick a favorite one, but I could tell you something about each one that I love. He made me want to be a writer. It's really hard to pick just a few songs to list because I want you to get all the albums and listen to them as a piece, but I know you aren't going to do that. Must gets: 'Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh', 'Coat Check Dream Song', 'The Center of the World', 'Old Song(for the new world), 'Touch', 'Lover I don't have to love'. Emo? Whatever. I don't even know what that means. Some kid that dyes his hair black and listens to Fall Out Boy? If you mean emotional, then this is the song you want:
Circa Survive
Emo? Screamo? Emo-core? Post-hardcore? How about...music? I'll listen to music that I deem is 'good' regardless of the label. While my 'good' and your 'good' probably vary (a lot), I think music genres are pretty funny, and we would probably argue over which genre is good/better than the other. Blah. Anthony Green's voice is rad. 'Juturna' might be one of my top 10 favorite albums.
Cursive
Cursive was another band like At The Drive-In that kind of brought be away from that standard punk shit. Maybe it was the cello in songs like 'Fairytells tell tales', but Cursive quickly became one of my favorite bands. They also happened to be on Saddle Creek Records, which is the same record label that Bright Eyes, The Faint, Now its Overhead, and other favorite bands of mine were on. They released a bunch of good albums that I liked a lot, but I'm not that syked on 'Happy Hallow', which is their newest one. But, both 'Domestica' and 'Burst and Bloom' kicked ass.
The Decemberists
What do you get when you combine accordions, organs, a stand-up bass, and a creative-writing major? You get my favorite indie-folk rock group The Decemberists. Listening to their songs puts you in another time period. It's like listening to your history teacher talk to you about the colonial period, but in a way radder way.
Fugazi
When I think of a word to describe Fugazi, I think of raw. Ask most kids these days who wear black and listen to 'punk' if they've heard of Fugazi, if they say no, they're about as fake as it gets.
Jose Gonzalez
This Latin...er, Sweedish dude is my favorite solo act. When people ask me why I hate guys like Jack Johnson and other bros like that, I tell them Jose Gonzalez.
Interpol
Interpol was probably the first 'indie' band I started listening to. None of my friends had heard of them, none of my friends liked them, so I loved them. Their first album 'Turn on the bright lights' is still my favorite one.
Les Savy Fav
Alright, I'm not gonna lie. I'm kinda getting tired of writing about bands. I'm just gonna start putting up the youtube videos for a few of them.
M83
I know I said no electro..I lied
The Mars Volta
It was about a month before my 16th birthday. It was a typical hot, boring summer in Florida. I was browsing around pitchforkmedia.com when I came across a band I'd never heard of, but everyone was saying how they'd never heard anything like it. Some people hated it. Some people loved it. The night I got the album I listened to it three times in a row and wasn't sure what I just listened to...but I knew it was something amazing. Their albums after 'Deloused in the Comatorium' got weirder and worse in my opinion, but I think 'Deloused' is seriously underestimated and will be looked back on when we're old and wrinkly.
Mew
They're Danish and they rock. They came onto the scene in late 2005 super hard and it seemed like everyone was addicted to them. I haven't heard much about them lately, but hopefully they are working on a followup to their awesome album 'And The Glass Handed Kites'.
Minus The Bear
They're awesome. You should listen to them. 'Menos el Oso' is my fav album. Get it fasho.
Modest Mouse
Well well well. My on and off favorite band since High School. This is another band that I could write pages about. I'll keep it short and list my favorite songs. 'Night on the Sun', 'Life like weeds', 'The Stars are Projectors', 'The View'.
Mogwai
There's something I love about post-rock bands like Mogwai...the angst, power, the sort of apocalyptic vibe you get from it. Check out the band 'Godspeed You Black Eperor!' too.
Pinback
If you've ever been in my car, you've probably listened to Pinback. They're probably my go to band on my iPod. No matter what mood I'm in, I can always listen to them. I might rate them as my favorite band because of that. They have so many good songs its not even funny. Please get the album 'Summer in Abbadon' or 'Blue Screen Life'.
Pixies
Placebo
Radiohead
Another all time favorite band. Must get songs: 'All I need', 'Where I end and you begin', 'I Might be Wrong', 'Karma Police'. This song 'Talk Show Host' was on Romeo & Juliet with Leo de Caprio.
Refused
I don't think many people reading this are going to like this band...but that's never stopped me before. Power Power Power. Their album 'The Shape of Punk to Come' is brilliant.
The Shins
On a different note...I present you The Shins! Their new album 'Wincing The Night Away' is really well done. This song is from one of their earlier albums that came out in like 2001.
Sigur Ros
It's really hard to describe this band's genre. Beautiful maybe? You decide.
The Smiths
Classic.
The Streets
British rapper, what?
Sufjan Stevens
For being a folk-ish type musician, he sure does have varying style of songs from the uber depressing songs like 'John Wayne Gacy Jr' and 'To Be Alone With You' to the light and airy tunes like 'Chicago' and 'Dear Mr. Supercomputer'.
TV On The Radio
Everyone has heard their song 'Wolf Like Me', but have you heard their song 'dreams?'
Underoath
I love them. Enough said. 'They're Only Chasing Safety' = #1 listened to album on my iTunes
Wolf Parade
Your staple indie band. They just came out with a new album this summer called 'At Mt. Zoomer'. I'm not sure if I like it as much as I liked their debut 'Apologies to the Queen Mary', but maybe thats because I've been listening to lead singer Spencer Krug's sideprojects like 'Sunset Rubdown' and 'Handsome Furs' too much.
Alright. That occupied my Sunday evening. It was better than watching swimming on the Olympics though. There's lots of good music out there. Happy listening.
Arcade Fire
I remember not liking the album 'Funeral' the first time I listened to it in 2004. It was such a new, big sound, something that I was totally not used to. And there was something so passionate too. After a few listens, songs like 'Neighborhood #3 (power out)' and 'Rebellion (Lies)' were turning into my favorites. Three years later, they came back on the scene and released another album called 'Neon Bible', which was recorded in a church (I think Wolf Parade just recorded their newest album in the same church..I'm not sure though). People say that they're the best thing to happen to music in years. I'm not going to totally agree, but I'm not going to disagree either. I've always wanted to see them perform live. Watch this youtube clip, and if you don't feel anything afterwards, then I'm sorry I wasted your time. I heard there's a sick Jonas Brothers thing on MTV.
At The Drive-In
When I was in Middle School, all I listened to was punk music. NOFX, Pennywise, Guttermouth, Millencolin...pretty much every band on the Epitaph record label. Somewhere going into 9th grade all that started to change when I heard about At The Drive-In. It was still harder than most of the lame stuff on the radio, but there was something more complex to it than your standard punk song. Unfortunately, they broke up and the members formed two bands 'Sparta' and 'The Mars Volta'. I like both the bands, especially The Mars Volta's first album (which I'll get to later), but I can kind of attribute my segue into all things indie/screamo/whatever to this band.
Blonde Redhead
This is going to be one of the bands on my list that I reckon very few people have heard of, but they have such a dark and haunting sound that I really like. 'Misery is a butterfly' is one of my all time favorite songs. Also check out the songs 'Spring and by summer fall', 'messenger' and 'falling man'.
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
Bright Eyes
I could write for days about Bright Eyes. They were my favorite band all throughout high school. Something about lead singer Connor Oberst's voice and lyrics made me drool over every single one of his songs. Out of the five Bright Eyes albums I have, I don't think I could pick a favorite one, but I could tell you something about each one that I love. He made me want to be a writer. It's really hard to pick just a few songs to list because I want you to get all the albums and listen to them as a piece, but I know you aren't going to do that. Must gets: 'Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh', 'Coat Check Dream Song', 'The Center of the World', 'Old Song(for the new world), 'Touch', 'Lover I don't have to love'. Emo? Whatever. I don't even know what that means. Some kid that dyes his hair black and listens to Fall Out Boy? If you mean emotional, then this is the song you want:
Circa Survive
Emo? Screamo? Emo-core? Post-hardcore? How about...music? I'll listen to music that I deem is 'good' regardless of the label. While my 'good' and your 'good' probably vary (a lot), I think music genres are pretty funny, and we would probably argue over which genre is good/better than the other. Blah. Anthony Green's voice is rad. 'Juturna' might be one of my top 10 favorite albums.
Cursive
Cursive was another band like At The Drive-In that kind of brought be away from that standard punk shit. Maybe it was the cello in songs like 'Fairytells tell tales', but Cursive quickly became one of my favorite bands. They also happened to be on Saddle Creek Records, which is the same record label that Bright Eyes, The Faint, Now its Overhead, and other favorite bands of mine were on. They released a bunch of good albums that I liked a lot, but I'm not that syked on 'Happy Hallow', which is their newest one. But, both 'Domestica' and 'Burst and Bloom' kicked ass.
The Decemberists
What do you get when you combine accordions, organs, a stand-up bass, and a creative-writing major? You get my favorite indie-folk rock group The Decemberists. Listening to their songs puts you in another time period. It's like listening to your history teacher talk to you about the colonial period, but in a way radder way.
Fugazi
When I think of a word to describe Fugazi, I think of raw. Ask most kids these days who wear black and listen to 'punk' if they've heard of Fugazi, if they say no, they're about as fake as it gets.
Jose Gonzalez
This Latin...er, Sweedish dude is my favorite solo act. When people ask me why I hate guys like Jack Johnson and other bros like that, I tell them Jose Gonzalez.
Interpol
Interpol was probably the first 'indie' band I started listening to. None of my friends had heard of them, none of my friends liked them, so I loved them. Their first album 'Turn on the bright lights' is still my favorite one.
Les Savy Fav
Alright, I'm not gonna lie. I'm kinda getting tired of writing about bands. I'm just gonna start putting up the youtube videos for a few of them.
M83
I know I said no electro..I lied
The Mars Volta
It was about a month before my 16th birthday. It was a typical hot, boring summer in Florida. I was browsing around pitchforkmedia.com when I came across a band I'd never heard of, but everyone was saying how they'd never heard anything like it. Some people hated it. Some people loved it. The night I got the album I listened to it three times in a row and wasn't sure what I just listened to...but I knew it was something amazing. Their albums after 'Deloused in the Comatorium' got weirder and worse in my opinion, but I think 'Deloused' is seriously underestimated and will be looked back on when we're old and wrinkly.
Mew
They're Danish and they rock. They came onto the scene in late 2005 super hard and it seemed like everyone was addicted to them. I haven't heard much about them lately, but hopefully they are working on a followup to their awesome album 'And The Glass Handed Kites'.
Minus The Bear
They're awesome. You should listen to them. 'Menos el Oso' is my fav album. Get it fasho.
Modest Mouse
Well well well. My on and off favorite band since High School. This is another band that I could write pages about. I'll keep it short and list my favorite songs. 'Night on the Sun', 'Life like weeds', 'The Stars are Projectors', 'The View'.
Mogwai
There's something I love about post-rock bands like Mogwai...the angst, power, the sort of apocalyptic vibe you get from it. Check out the band 'Godspeed You Black Eperor!' too.
Pinback
If you've ever been in my car, you've probably listened to Pinback. They're probably my go to band on my iPod. No matter what mood I'm in, I can always listen to them. I might rate them as my favorite band because of that. They have so many good songs its not even funny. Please get the album 'Summer in Abbadon' or 'Blue Screen Life'.
Pixies
Placebo
Radiohead
Another all time favorite band. Must get songs: 'All I need', 'Where I end and you begin', 'I Might be Wrong', 'Karma Police'. This song 'Talk Show Host' was on Romeo & Juliet with Leo de Caprio.
Refused
I don't think many people reading this are going to like this band...but that's never stopped me before. Power Power Power. Their album 'The Shape of Punk to Come' is brilliant.
The Shins
On a different note...I present you The Shins! Their new album 'Wincing The Night Away' is really well done. This song is from one of their earlier albums that came out in like 2001.
Sigur Ros
It's really hard to describe this band's genre. Beautiful maybe? You decide.
The Smiths
Classic.
The Streets
British rapper, what?
Sufjan Stevens
For being a folk-ish type musician, he sure does have varying style of songs from the uber depressing songs like 'John Wayne Gacy Jr' and 'To Be Alone With You' to the light and airy tunes like 'Chicago' and 'Dear Mr. Supercomputer'.
TV On The Radio
Everyone has heard their song 'Wolf Like Me', but have you heard their song 'dreams?'
Underoath
I love them. Enough said. 'They're Only Chasing Safety' = #1 listened to album on my iTunes
Wolf Parade
Your staple indie band. They just came out with a new album this summer called 'At Mt. Zoomer'. I'm not sure if I like it as much as I liked their debut 'Apologies to the Queen Mary', but maybe thats because I've been listening to lead singer Spencer Krug's sideprojects like 'Sunset Rubdown' and 'Handsome Furs' too much.
Alright. That occupied my Sunday evening. It was better than watching swimming on the Olympics though. There's lots of good music out there. Happy listening.
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