Current Favorites?

[Audio Girl]

I kinda feel like I'm out of touch since I've had limited listening these past 6 months or so but here's my five:

1. Beck
2. White Stripes
3. Fountain of Wayne
4. Wilco
5. Norah Jones

Mary

[codebutcher]

What's the thing with Wilco, White Stripes and Beck? How come everyone likes that? I guess I should check those out. My guess is that I'll hate'em.

[dld]

I kinda feel like I'm out of touch since I've had limited listening these past 6 months or so but here's my five:

1. Beck
2. White Stripes
3. Fountain of Wayne
4. Wilco
5. Norah Jones

Mary

Nice list Mary. have you heard the new Norah Jones and if so, whatcha think of it?

[MindGoneHaywire]

All are somewhat derivative, but many agree that their work is mostly very well done. Wilco was formed by a member of an early 90s alt-country band called Uncle Tupelo, who were influenced by guys such as Gram Parsons & similar artists. Wilco has a lot more of a Replacements influence, or at least they used to. A lot of people consider them to be the best band in America right now. Or...maybe they thought that when their last album came out, but that's something like 3 years ago already.

Others say the same about the White Stripes, who combine minimalist instrumentation (drums & guitar only, no bass) with a hybrid mixture of old blues & punk rock. The resulting mixture is reminiscent of Led Zeppelin at times, but much rawer & with more in the way of a punk attitude. Jack White is hardly the guitar hero that he's been made out to be, but he's certainly competent, and he does know how to play an authentic slide blues guitar. Some think his playing is downright unprofessional, but anyone who says that probably hasn't heard the records by the old blues guys, which are often just as sloppy. And some of his songs have a definite Ray Davies influence. That doesn't mean they're going to sound like either the Kinks or Led Zep, but there are certainly moments on their records that are evocative of those bands.

Beck's a little harder to pin down. He's done everything from funk to rap, country to blues, folk, and rock, some of which even has prog-like aspects. His last record is very folky & ballad-laden, similar to Mutations. Great production, not overdone, great songs. Of the two, though, I'd recommend Mutations first. Midnite Vultures has a suite of songs that amount to a Prince tribute; Odelay is a smorgasbord of different styles, from straight-ahead rock to a song that sounds like it would've fit comfortably on Sticky Fingers, a rap, and some sound collages. He employs a lot of stream-of-consciousness poetry & noisy beginnings & endings in his songs, so that's not for everybody. But he tops my list in terms of who's out there today. I do think he's the best.

[codebutcher]

Thanks for the clarifications. It seems way too mainstream for me. I mean... I'm into mainstream sometimes, but if it comes to that kind of music, generaly I like the good old stuff.

[-Jar-]

Thanks for the clarifications. It seems way too mainstream for me. I mean... I'm into mainstream sometimes, but if it comes to that kind of music, generaly I like the good old stuff.

Hows about you list some of your favorites? Some of us are into some pretty obscure stuff.

-jar

[Audio Girl]

Hi handsome DLD,

I sent you an email but wanted to post here in case others were curious about Norah Jones' latest release. Unfortunately, I have had to do "active" listening when playing her CD (working while listening) so I haven't had good quality time to devote to this listening effort. Despite that, I gotta tell ya I like this one. It's very different than her first effort, but it's a good different. If you are looking for jazz influences like her first release, fuggetaboutit. There are a couple of country-tinged songs -- one is a killer duet with Dolly Parton -- so I am impressed thus far. But, if you wanna know if the lyrics are memorable, I can't answer that question at this point. Despite such, I think it's a great buy if you can find it for $9.99 (Best Buy).

Best,
Mary

[dld]

Hey M, off yer list, I'd drop White Stripes (just cause I haven't heard enuf of them yet), and add Lucinda. BTW, listened to a Dolly Parton LP last night, The Great Pretender, and was blown away. Never, in a million years, did I think I would ever have anything favorable to say about someone who used to do a show with Porter Waggoner. But the soul she put into some of those pop/rock covers was palpable. I mean, it made an instant impression Think I may spin another LP of hers, the one that has her singing with Emmy Lou, and Ronstadt, Trio? I'll play Norah before the weekend is kaput also.

[Audio Girl]

Hey, DLD, I'd give up Wilco or Fountains of Wayne before White Stripes. I gotta tell ya, I just love "Elephant". That CD has helped me survive some challenging work days. Not because of uplifting lyrics but for the genius in the music. Give it a few more spins. I'm gonna search it out on vinyl and see if that is better than the CD sonics (though they are not bad at all).

I'll have to check out that Dolly Parton release. Thanks for the tip.

MH