It's just marketing. I like this album (at least the first CD - the second CD is godawful crap), but it's mastered WAYYYY too hot. Between the loudness/compression and Christina's aggressive vocals, it's a pretty fatiguing album to listen to.

I probably average $250/month on music, although there have been recent months in which I got 60+ new CDs per month. Maybe I should spent more on my system and less on CDs so I actually have time to listen to everything I get!

There's plenty of out-there avant-jazz and -rock that don't eschew accessible rhythm. For instance: A good deal of Tim Berne's work, especially with drummer Tom Rainey - try Feign, The Sublime And., Unwound (no Rainey but this is a 3-disc live set with an absolutely killer rhythm section in...

my top 10 so far this year: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust Dälek - Abandoned Language Alamaailman Vasarat - Maahan Nadja - Touched Tin Hat - The Sad Machinery of Spring Nels Cline/Andrea Parkins/Tom Rainey - Downpour Cato...

Saw them last year and they were stupendous. Like someone said, they played a good mix of their noisy and poppy stuff, but they really shone on the noisy material. Ira Kaplan's guitar freakouts were jaw-dropping at times. If you're a fan you won't want to miss them (especially if you like their...

I'm always on the lookout for blogs like this, but sadly there just don't seem to be too many. Outer Space Gamelan is a good one; here are a few others: Avant Music News covers avant-garde rock and jazz, mostly, with a sprinkling of contemporary classical and other styles. It's purely a news...

I dig this album too, be aware though that her others are nothing like it (though many of them are just as good). This is kind of her dance-pop album whereas the rest are more acoustic vocal folk.

I wouldn't really call Nektar Krautrock. UFO and Magma, even aside from not being German, are definitely NOT Krautrock. Magma is an absolutely awesome band, though. I second the reccos for Amon Duul 2, Neu!, Can, Faust, Agitation Free, Guru Guru, and Popol Vuh. Some other good ones...

Quote: Originally Posted by keanej6 i'm looking for an album that is refreshing and 'out there', yet not so 'out there' that it's just plain wierd. Something that bridges my metal collection and my post-rockish collection...sometimes i find headphones too engaging for metal and the...

for me, from great to greatest... Wilco - Nels Cline really makes them an awe-inspiring live ensemble, even more so than before. Maja Ratkje & POING - classical? folk? noise? jazz? totally uncategorizable stuff but also totally fascinating. Yo La Tengo - Ira Kaplan owns. Nels Cline &...

Quote: Originally Posted by stewgriff You know, Jimmy Page personally mastered the Led Zeppelin albums to CD, and we know how that worked out... I have the 21st Century Condensed Guide compilation, and have since gotten the 30th Anniv of ITCOTCK, Larks' Tongues, and Red. Good music...

Ha, I had a really similar experience to the OP's - when I first heard KC they hit me harder than any group I'd yet heard other than Pink Floyd. Also, I share a disdain for bombastic proggy-prog like ELP. With that in mind, I strongly recommend the trilogy of classic 70s albums - Larks' Tongues...

I've barely started scratching the surface of 2006 jazz, but here are some of my favorites so far... Bassdrumbone - The Line Up Tim Berne - Livein Cognito Nels Cline - New Monastery The Vandermark 5 - A Discontinuous Line currently working on Steve Swell's Nation of We - Live at the...

Here are the shows I saw in 2006 in roughly chronological order (all in the Washington DC/Baltimore area): Thee Maximalists The Avett Brothers Make a Rising The Vandermark 5 Charming Hostess The Claudia Quintet Animal Collective and Storsveit Nix Noltes Annie Isis, Dalek & Zombi...

Jumping in here late... I'm a big Isis fan, Panopticon is my favorite by far. Was a bit disappointed by ITAOT, but still enjoy it. Quote: Originally Posted by J-Pak What do you guys think of the Isis and Aereogramme collaberation? I like it; though the third track loses me a...