Looking for new discoveries

[Duds]

Check out Clutch's latest one "From Beale Street to Oblivion" very very cool disc. start with that, and if you like, check out Robot Hive/Exodus, and then Blast Tyrant.

Their old stuff is great too, but different then new stuff.

[ForeverAutumn]

Check out Clutch's latest one "From Beale Street to Oblivion" very very cool disc. start with that, and if you like, check out Robot Hive/Exodus, and then Blast Tyrant.

Their old stuff is great too, but different then new stuff.

There's an indie CD store (used and new) across the street from my office and the guy who owns it is usually good for recs in the prog and metal genres. He recommended Clutch the last time that I was there and even played a sample from the CD for me. I told him to put it on my wish list (he keeps a list of everything I buy, what I liked and didn't like, and what I want to buy in the future...then he calls me when stuff comes in that he thinks I'll like - it's a great customer service concept!).

I'm listening to one of his recs right now. The band is Pagan's Mind and the album is Infinity Divine. A nice listen if you like Iron Maiden...very similar vocals and lots of racing guitar.

[3-LockBox]

(he keeps a list of everything I buy, what I liked and didn't like, and what I want to buy in the future...then he calls me when stuff comes in that he thinks I'll like - it's a great customer service concept!).

Yeah right...like he does that for anyone else but YOU.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Here's my first purchase of 2008. Love these guys, especially that quirky first one. Only $12.95 postpaid from cd-wow ... not exactly too classy though

Well I'm stoked, (Do people still say stoked?), especially that it sounds more like album#1 than #2. Thanks for the heads-up.

[ForeverAutumn]

Yeah right...like he does that for anyone else but YOU.

I'm sure that he sees dollar signs everytime I walk in the door. I seldom leave there without at least a half dozen disks. It's like a drug dealer seeing his best junkie customer walking up the street with a pocketful of cash.

[ForeverAutumn]

That Paradise Lost disk sounds familiar.

I figured out why Paradise Lost sounded familiar. Its the name of Symphony X's last CD. An excellent disk too! As for the band Paradise Lost, thanks for the rec but from what I can tell by the samples on My Space, it's nothing that isn't already being done better by bands like Symphony X and Riverside.

I put Animal Years in my Amazon.com shopping cart last night and they upped the price by $3 overnight. Rat bastards! Might as well just order it from a Canadian site now.

Hey Finchy, I like that Planet X stuff. I see what the review meant about veering into fusion territory. I generally like vocals, but I can see how this would be better without any vocals to get in the way.

[JSE]

I forgot to mention Baroness, Red Album. They are a strange mix of Mastodon meets Rush meets..........wait for it..........Rob Zombie? The singer's voice just kindof reminds me of Rob Zombie.

[Duds]

Hey FA, I'm going to throw this one out there, even though some of the vocals are "cookie monster" like. Isis - In The Absence Of Truth. Long, dark, depressing type songs, very little vocals, and like i said some are growly, some are regular. The music is fantastic though (I personally think the vocals are too, but you all know how I fell about that by now, lol).

[Davey]

Do people still say stoked?

Only middle-aged Canadian men. You know, the Loverboy generation

Speaking of Canadian bands, also just pre-ordered the new 2-CD special edition of Black Mountain - In The Future from Swish Daddy's favorite deepdiscount. Out down here Jan 22 in 1-CD, 2-CD, and 2-LP versions. Kind of a proggy looking cover, eh?

[ForeverAutumn]

Thanks for all the recs folks (you can keep the suggestions coming if you think of any others).

I have placed the following order with my indie record guy across the street...

Riverside - Out of Myself and Second Life Syndrome
Beardfish- Sleeping in Traffic, Pt. 1
Planet X -Quantum
Josh Ritter - Animal Years
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir

These should start trickling in next week.

He couldn't get the DVD version of Rodrigo y Gabriela so I'll order that one from Amazon.

While I was there I purchased:
Pink Floyd Redux (used for $5.99)
Spiritual Beggars - Ad Astra (listening now, very cool retro kind of rock. He promised I'd like it and I do).
Clutch - Blast Tyrant.

Happy Ears!!!

[Slosh]

Hey FA,

If you want a good quality Lame VBR preview copy of The Animal Years click here.

[bobsticks]

How does the new Augie sound in comparison to "Strange Bird"? Zat von eest spinning right now and I likey veddy, veddy mooch mate. If the new one is similar it could go immediately to autopurchase status...

NP:

[Davey]

How does the new Augie sound in comparison to "Strange Bird"?

Strange Bird is better I think, more diverse. The high points are higher for me. At first I thought it was a lot better, but the more I listened to the new one, the more I appreciate it. It's more expansive sounding, more instruments, more of the strummy guitar I mentioned above. Nothing much rocks very hard on the new one, but a good rocker or two on Strange Bird. Both good, in their own ways. I have a buddy on another board who likes the new one better. Hard to call, very subjective.

[3-LockBox]

Shame on you for not paying attention to my best of 2007 list where The Shins made the #2 spot in the category of Non-prog/Metal. !

I don't know how I forgot that when I commented on it in your thread
It makes me want to go back and buy up their back catalog.

I think you're going to like that new Beardfish. I bought it based on samples I heard and that's it. There wasn't that much buzz about it over at PE.

[Mike]

Strange Bird is better I think, more diverse. The high points are higher for me. At first I thought it was a lot better, but the more I listened to the new one, the more I appreciate it. It's more expansive sounding, more instruments, more of the strummy guitar I mentioned above. Nothing much rocks very hard on the new one, but a good rocker or two on Strange Bird. Both good, in their own ways. I have a buddy on another board who likes the new one better. Hard to call, very subjective.

You see I'm with yer buddy I prefer the latter it's more mainstream, more approachable and definitley more strummy. But then we do walk different sides of the same street as we've discussed before, but yer right about the sound.

Cheers
Mike

[ForeverAutumn]

Hey FA,

If you want a good quality Lame VBR preview copy of The Animal Years click here.

Hey thanks Slosh, my furry friend! I'll do that over the weekend. Cheers!

[Davey]

But then we do walk different sides of the same street as we've discussed before

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Hey, just got the new Radiohead "In Rainbows" (or not so new for my mp3 embracing bretheren) and really liking it. Probably the only adventurous and chart topping band since Nirvana that I can say that about. So Mike, what are some of the CDs that got your attention this last year? Recently for me, it's been all about Life Without Buildings and Radiohead. And some past glories from Three Mile Pilot ....

[jonnyhambone]

Yea, Life Without Buildings!! though it sounds even older than it is...they embody that great late 70's/early 80's sense of discovering an authentic music that was fun, feminist (viewpoint-wise, not political/theoretical so much), and just rockin' out. Have made me pull out, and crank up, ol' Patti Smith albums and the Raincoats first one.
I've also been really diggin' on the new Fiery Furnaces and, mellower but still pure-love-of-music, Robert Wyatt (Comicopera).

[Davey]

Yea, Life Without Buildings!! though it sounds even older than it is...they embody that great late 70's/early 80's sense of discovering an authentic music that was fun, feminist (viewpoint-wise, not political/theoretical so much), and just rockin' out. Have made me pull out, and crank up, ol' Patti Smith albums and the Raincoats first one.
I've also been really diggin' on the new Fiery Furnaces and, mellower but still pure-love-of-music, Robert Wyatt (Comicopera).

Yea, you're right, LWB did capture that late 70s feel that many of the new bands drag into the modern day, and lose. I've never really heard a singer like Sue Tompkins before. Her delivery sounds almost like she's reimagining the songs each time I hear them. Always fresh and fun. I'm gonna have to track down that Raincoats record you keep mentioning because I must've missed it back then. I've also been meaning to pick up Comic Opera for a few months, but haven't. Need to move that up my list. I read some comments on another board that it was mastered pretty loud and that turned me off some because he can make some very gentle music that shouldn't be pushed in your face. Guess it must not be that bad. What do you think of the sound on that CD?

Got Life Without Buildings winding down right now, the "Sorrow" and "New Town" encore is just so great, especially Sue's exchanges with the audience leading into the last one. And the new Iron & Wine has been playing today too, thanks to one of the good people around here. It is good. Nice sounding CD, and so is LWB with lots of room left to crank it up.

[Davey]

I'm gonna have to track down that Raincoats record you keep mentioning because I must've missed it back then.

Wow, that's gonna cost some big bucks for a copy of that Raincoats CD. Apparently it's kind of rare these days, $50 or more on ebay. Have to keep an eye out. Wonder if there are many vinyl copies out there. Sounds good. You mean this one, right?

[basite]

Hi FA

well,
Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim, I think you should definately listen to that. I thank Bernd for sending me this cd, the man knows how to choose his music
Katie Melua - Pictures, just got this cd, it's been playing every day since, and what a beautiful recording...

some jazz:
Herbie Hancock - river: The joni letters
Elan Mehler - Scheme for Thought, in some reviews I read, they were all talking about 'a revelation', so I bought it, and I agree with their statement.

and some more funky jazz:
Herbie Hancock - Head hunters

and a must have classical piece:
Stravinsky - The firebird, pick any well recorded version.

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[jonnyhambone]

Wow, that's gonna cost some big bucks for a copy of that Raincoats CD. Apparently it's kind of rare these days, $50 or more on ebay. Have to keep an eye out. Wonder if there are many vinyl copies out there. Sounds good. You mean this one, right?

thats the one...I actually like Odyshape and the Kitchen Tapes a lot too but probably hard to find also...I only have Kitchen Tapes on the Roir released cassette (remember how they only put out cassettes?!). I'd love to find ony of those on vinyl.

Comicopera sounds really good to me. I have the vinyl so it may not be as hot as the cd...true, very gentle music.

[ForeverAutumn]

Hi FA

well,
Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim, I think you should definately listen to that. I thank Bernd for sending me this cd, the man knows how to choose his music
Katie Melua - Pictures, just got this cd, it's been playing every day since, and what a beautiful recording...

some jazz:
Herbie Hancock - river: The joni letters
Elan Mehler - Scheme for Thought, in some reviews I read, they were all talking about 'a revelation', so I bought it, and I agree with their statement.

and some more funky jazz:
Herbie Hancock - Head hunters

and a must have classical piece:
Stravinsky - The firebird, pick any well recorded version.

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

Thanks Bert. I've tried to listen to Sigor Ros on several occasions. I even have a copy of (). They bore me. I had () on my iPod and even on shuffle I found myself skipping the songs. I gave up and took them off my iPod.

I'm already a fan of Katie Melua. My husband got her new disk for Xmas, but I haven't heard it yet.

Herbie Hancock, eh? I've never paid much attention to him. Although I did see him perform as part of Ringo Star's All-Star band one year and I really enjoyed his contribution to the performance.

[kexodusc]

Herbie Hancock, eh? I've never paid much attention to him. Although I did see him perform as part of Ringo Star's All-Star band one year and I really enjoyed his contribution to the performance.

Well, you're gonna get an opportunity to listen to him soon...any day now...if you don't like Herbie Hancock, you don't have funky bone in your body.
Hmmm...wonder if that's a bad thing?

[Mike]

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Hey, just got the new Radiohead "In Rainbows" (or not so new for my mp3 embracing bretheren) and really liking it. Probably the only adventurous and chart topping band since Nirvana that I can say that about. So Mike, what are some of the CDs that got your attention this last year? Recently for me, it's been all about Life Without Buildings and Radiohead. And some past glories from Three Mile Pilot ....

I’m liking the Radiohead too it’s their best for years IMO and my personal fave of the year, a nice recording too with some great sounds. I had the mp3 version but opted to buy the CD on the day it came out although I didn’t agree with the DIY cover it came in, what a pointless exercise. Other sounds I’ve been listening to this year are a lot of the obvious ones like Andrew Bird, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Shins, The National, and Spoon etc. But there have also been some good albums by new and established British bands I’ve enjoyed this year like The Twang, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Idlewild and Babyshambles. But here are 3 I’ve particularly enjoyed.

Maximo Park – Our Earthly Pleasures, came out early and got kind of overlooked but it’s a solid effort, lead singer Paul Smith comes across like a Jarvis Cocker/Pulp for the noughties.

Maccabees – Colour It In, a debut album with a really energetic and tight sound it’s had the same impact on me as the Bloc Party debut. Can’t say the same about the Bloc party follow up though, which leaves me cold.

Editors – An End Has a Start, didn’t do much for me at first but I keep coming back to it and it’s a grower. .

Other fave sounds for the year are Blonde Redhead, Tunng, Booka Shade, Field Music, Richmond Fontaine, Go Find, Fujiya & Miyagi, Iron and Wine and LCD Soundsystem. And finally special mention for Lucinda Williams for her latest, and Kings of Leon which I think is their best yet, all in all not a bad year.

Still haven’t done a year end comp yet, partly cos I’m still picking up some CD’s from last year I missed, seems like every week I read about something Band of Horses – Cease to Begin is the latest and now 3 Mile Pilot.

Cheers
Mike