I'm tired of rock music.

[trains are bad]

I just bought The Arcade Fire-Funeral and it's got me wanting some more uh, non-electric guitar music. I really like how they use strings and stuff, but it's still catchy in a rock music way.

I'd like you to recommend me some music that is catchy in the rock music sort of way yet uses something besides just electric guitar. I wouldn't rule out upbeat jazz or electronic music.

 

[asmox]

you'd likely enjoy Dredg's El Cielo.

 

[kurt_fire]

Booker T. & the MGs

 

[saturnine]

A few out of my music collection...

Nick Drake
Andrew Bird
Antony & The Johnsons
Broken Social Scene
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace
Days of the New (the second album)
The Decemberists (Definately!)
The Delgados
Devendra Banhart (maybe. Catchy rhythms, folk style..)
Elbow
Elliott Smith

I started out with rock (many years listening to mainstream rock & nothing else

) but ended up a folk music fan. Artists like Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart, The ESPers, Joanna Newsom and the early Iron & Wine drew me in. Be sure to give them a try if you can

 

[trains are bad]

Decemberists, of course. I actually have Picaresque on my wish list. I haven't listened to Modest Mouse since my CDs got stolen either, but I remember really liking them.

 

[AdamWill]

I might be in a minority here but I'm coming to the conclusion that Castaways and Cutouts is the best Decemberists album. The others have some showstopping songs - Red Right Ankle, The Gymnast, High Above the Ground, The Bagman's Gambit, On The Bus Mall - but Castaways, for me, is an amazing unit without any songs I'm waiting for the end of. Anyways, they're all fantastic, so you can't go wrong.

Try some Whiskeytown / Ryan Adams solo, maybe some Tori Amos for a piano artist many rock fans can get into, Neutral Milk Hotel, Cowboy Junkies, Mazzy Star, Ani DiFranco...just a few ideas.

 

[Jahn]

Early REM. A lot of their earlier stuff doesn't get all electric-heavy like REM started getting with Green and Monster. Life's Rich Pageant is just perfect all the way through, if you liked Arcade Fire.

 

[SiBurning]

Depends where you want to go. Heart, Fleetwood Mac, and Crosby Stills Nash & Young come to mind. Each has a different approach to guitars, but are still Rock. Or you might try some fusion for some other influences, such as Latin, Indian, African, etc. I hesitate to recommend Al Dimeola because so much of his stuff is elevator muzac, but there's some interesting and hard driving stuff, like Splendido Hotel for "Alien Chase On Arabian Desert" and "Dinner Music Of The Gods". You might also look into some sitar work by Ravi Shankar, or maybe some of John Mclaughlin's more eclectic work.

 

[MikeB06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox you'd likely enjoy Dredg's El Cielo.

Seconded. That is one amazing album. In fact I will listen to it now

.

 

[jonnyhambone]

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
Akron/Family - s/t (definently some guitar, but uniquely gorgeous music)
Brian Wilson - Smile!
yes, revisit Modest Mouse
ditto to REM...first 4 albums esp.

 

[Homeless]

I second the Decemberists...they're awesome, picaresque is one of my favourite albums right now. Another band that may or may not meet your criteria is Stars, their album "set yourself on fire" is really good.

Edit: Just thinking about another album, which still has hard rock songs but uses strings, piano, and awesome vocal harmonies is Silverchair's Diorama...this is one of my favourite albums ever.

 

[enjoi_rootbeer]

and you will know us by the trail of the dead - worlds apart.

 

[Factor]

Funny how the thread was called "I'm tired of rock music," and 99% of the recommendations so far have been rock albums. Everything except the M.G.'s, in fact.

 

[SimonWang]

try some funky stuff.

Lenny Kravitz can be one of them.

 

[applebook]

Travis. Their albums "The Invisible Band" and "The Man Who" are vastly underrated, IMO. The songs are catchy, simple, fun, but use plenty of unconventional rock percussion and wind instruments.

Keane's entire album is very enjoyable and doesn't contain one single guitar note.