[redshifter]

i need help finding some new music... judging by the tastes expressed here, this is a good place to start!

genre: i'm open to anything: metal, opera, classical, modern, oldies, rap, country, rock, ambient, electronica, experimental, pop, etc.

as long as the artist has:

music over lyrics: i forgot this one when i first posted. i don't really care about what the song is about, and would rather hear good music over bad lyrics than vice versa.

originality: no pop stars that sound like everyone else (bsb, in sync, etc).

good musicianship: i prefer artists that play their own instruments and do it very well, like steeley dan or the smiths. if they sound as good live as they do in the studio that is a plus.

production values: i prefer recordings that have very good production. that means clear, interesting, full frequency recordings with a personality, and NO OVERCOMPRESSION!

headphone friendliness: i do most of my listening on headphones, so keep the "hard-right hard-left" recordings to a minimum.

i tend to gravitate towards the mellower side of music, brian eno, stereolab, dead can dance, etc. but i also have metallica and led zep in my collection too. my favorite current band is stereolab, their latest "sound dust" is a must-have for headphone music.

if anyone has any suggestions for me for new music, please include the artist's name and the name of a good song from them.

thanks!!

 

[dhwilkin]

Have you heard Fleetwood Mac? I'm specifically thinking about their live reunion album The Dance. Try the songs "My Little Demon", "Silver Springs", and "Landslide".

 

[redshifter]

oh yeah, i used to have "rumors" on vinyl. i'll check out those songs, thanks!

 

[Braver]

I'll second Fleetwood Mac. my dad has some of their albums (not really my cup-o-tea), pretty good mellow stuff. or Tracy Chapman maybe?

like instrumental?

Bozzio Levin Stevens - Situation Dangerous is very good. nice mix of mellow stuff and some more rocking tracks.

Tony Levin - Waters Of Eden is very smooth too. great music to just sit down and groove

Joe Satriani - Engines Of Creation is a very nice mix of electronic music and Satch-trademark smooth electric guitar.

King Crimson? like "Discipline" (LOL, I'm recommending all album I bought yesterday

)

prog like Marillion? Camel? Pendragon? Arena?

can't say much about production thp

 

[Xevion]

Gordian Knot - Jazzy insturmental prog rock, good stuff!

Bozzio Levin Stevens - More metal, but plays a wide variety of music within insturmental prog rock, including spanish style guiatar

Liquid Tension Experiment - Insane insturmentalists, a must hear if you like to hear a super group play improv. Half the music on their CDs are improv!

Therion - Dark symphonic operatic metal, one of my personal favorites, although it takes a pallate adjustment for most people to get used to em. If you are looking for something seriouly different, you can't not try them.

Tempest - Folky prog rock, lighter and easier to listen to then Dream Theater, have a bit of a 70s sound to them too, although I have never heard anything quite like them.

Moxy Fruvous - Excellent singers and the songs can be funny or make a political point sometimes. Entertaining to listen to, easy on the ear, and I don't listen to acapella much so thay are really a breath of fresh air.

Apocalyptica - 4 cellosists, their older stuff is mostly covers, but their new album (Cult) is all their own material. They are very enjoyable to listen to, but just a warning - a lot of Cult I would classify as outright metal despite the fact that there are no guitars. They can be harsh, dissonant, loud, and grating at times, but beautiful and well put together at others. I like most of the songs on the CD, but Path played with a female metal vocalist is really nice

.


Those should start ya off pretty good

 

[redshifter]

braver, xevion, awesome! thanks.

later tonight i will check out some of these bands. if i like them enough i'll buy the cd... i'm not a big fan of mp3.

keep the suggestions coming. i don't want to give the impression mellow is ALL i like. sometimes i'm in the mood for:

bauhaus
led zep
metallica
alice in chains
soundgarden
etc..

i knew i came to the right place for this.

 

[MacDEF]

Redshifter, on the mellow side, give Nick Drake a try!

 

[pigmode]

Weather Report--Black Market
Joni Mitchell--Court And Spark
Moody Blues--Days Of Future Passed
Rush--Moving Pictures or Permanent Waves
Dire Strait--Brothers In Arms

 

[20silkcut]

Embrace - Drawn From Memory

 

[redshifter]

macdef,
i've heard of him before. i'll give it a try.

pigmode & 20silkcut,
thanks guys. i already have movig pictures on vinyl and the AWESOME remaster on cd that came out recently. all rush fans should check out their live album exit stage left. geddy lee must be an android to be able to sing and play bass like that live. i'll check those other ones out.

 

[KR...]

Get

[size=medium]Kyuss - … And the Circus Leaves Town[/size]

 

[AtEase]

I recently "discovered" some of my sisters old Pixies cds,
and haven't listened to much else since...
They're an amazingly cool alt/indie type band.

You should try out Doolittle, its their best work.

 

[redshifter]

kr..
your sig cracks me up. i must be an intellectual. i better try kyuss some time.

at ease,
i forgot about the pixies. all i know about them is they are highly respected and quoted many times as influencial.

to clarify one of my points, when i said "good production values" all i meant was the recording's sound quality is good, so that it'll sound great through my headphones!

i'm very excited to hear some of this stuff!

 

[rickcr42]

for something a bit different try some Boney James , very smooth,some James Cotton,RL Burnside,Junior Wells-all blues

 

[fredpb]

I usually listen to classical, but these are some non-classical recordings I like:

1)Patricia Barber: "Modern Cool"

2)Cassandra Wilson: "New Moon Daughter"

3)Ella Fitzgerald: "Best of the Songbooks"

4)Diana Krall: "All For You"

5)Dick Hyman: "Swing Is Here"

6)Glenn Miller Orchestra: "In the Digital Mood"

7)Clark Terry: "Big Band Basie"