What are you listening to?

[maddoc1979]

I'm going into U2 mode now in anticipation of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I've been listening to War and The Joshua Tree quite a bit.

Totally with you Leebo...I've been listening to some of my bootlegged concerts in anticipation of their tour next year. They absolutely rock live.

Doc

[pk500]

A little of this, a little of that.

Like Spooky, I listen to whatever pops up on random play on my Zen Xtra. Genres range from classical to punk, with almost everything in between except for rap and Nashville country.

I've also been on a streaming radio bent lately, exploring a bunch of the thousands of stations available for free through Winamp's Shoutcast site. I've also been ripping many of those high-bitrate streams into individual MP3 files with the awesome StationRipper software, also free.

I need to get Sigur Ros' new EP, I've heard good things about the new Green Day record (gasp!), and Peter Cincotti (young jazz crooner) has a new record that I want to check out.

If there's one record that is getting some pretty frequent time on my MP3 player, it's a five-disc set of the Buena Vista Social Club that I "obtained" a couple of months ago.

There's one disc with the entire Club together, then discs featuring each of the four main musicians in the Club. I can't get enough of Ibrahim Ferrer's voice -- the man's vocal chords are the closest thing to an audio angel on Earth. Every time I listen to him, though, it pisses me off that the U.S. still embargoes Cuba, preventing more exposure and money for such a gifted artist in the winter of his life. The dude is at least 70, I think.

Out,
PK

[Spooky]

Trans Am rule! Nice one Dave.

[slimer]

The Postal Service
Dntel
Death Cab for Cutie
All-Time Quarterback
The Shins
Franz Ferdinand
Air
Boards of Canada
Mike Oldfield
Badly Drawn Boy
Hothouse Flowers
Modest Mouse
Kings Of Convenience

[Brando70]

Velvet Revolver, self-title -- Finally got around to buying this. I know it sounds like Use Your Illusion II.5 but 3/5 of Guns N Roses is still better than 100% of most bands. Sometimes a man just has to rock.

Really? I think it sounds like Core: B-Sides and Oddities thrown in a blender with some progressive cock rock.

Don't get me wrong -- it would be a lot better with someone else singing. And I know it's overproduced and forulaic. But there's some good playing by Slash that, when Weiland stops droning about how people think he's a "junkie piece of s---", reminds me of stuff like "Don't Damn Me." The guitar parts in "Fall to Pieces" give me a real "Sweet Child of Mine" vibe.

Funny to see The Fall mentioned twice. I was playing Scrabble last night with Mrs. Brando (yes, we live it up), and had on one of the cable 80s music stations. They played some Fall and I was thinking I should pick some up.

[davet010]

Brando

No doubt MES's lyrical gymnastics provided you with plenty of ammunition for your game, although I am always surprised that anyone from more than 10 miles away from Manchester can make out what he's on about !

PM me your address if you like and I'll dump some mp3's onto a disk for ya..solely for sampling purposes before you buy them on rare import, naturally. Must keep spreading the faith !

[GridIronGhost]

Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age Of Grotesque

Bjork - Greatest Hits

Roger Waters - Amused to Death

Suicidal Tendencies - Lights Camera Revolution

[Leebo33]

I'm going into U2 mode now in anticipation of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I've been listening to War and The Joshua Tree quite a bit.

Totally with you Leebo...I've been listening to some of my bootlegged concerts in anticipation of their tour next year. They absolutely rock live.

Doc

Maddoc,

I just heard "Vertigo." I really like it. I am going to try to hold off and just wait for album rather than downloading early. Of course, I will buy regardless.

Leebo

[Waddupcouzin]

Hot damn! All of this doggone rap music being discussed and not one old fart has hopped off his ass to say it sucks.... maybe they're in the basement strumming their gee-tars?

Let's see, here's my Top 10 Beatnut jams of all time (note: I don't think anything off of Milk Me is going to make it, but I am still evaluating that album) in no particular order:

1. Becks N Branson
2. Off the Books
3. Beatnuts Forever
4. Bionic
5. Props Over Here
6. Se Acobo
7. Do You Believe...I don't know how many songs I wrote to this beat back in the day, MANY! I still bump the instrumental now and then.
8. Party
9. Watch Out Now
10. We Got the Funk

Listening to: Zeppelin (Houses of the Holy), Bjork (Greatest Hits) and King's X (Ear Candy).

I'm also currently evaluating or re-evaluatiing: Boston (Corporate America) and Above the Law (Uncle Sam's Curse).

Current cheeseball record I'm listening to: Ian Van Dahl (ACE).

Kaz:Uncle Sam's Curse(ATL) was a good album, but 'Living Like Hustlers' to me was the better album.

BEATNUTS: I nominate BEATNUTS for the MOST SLEPT ON PRODUCTION IN THE LAST 10 YEARS! While everyone has been running to the same producers for the last 10 years they should have been running to the NUTS.

[Brando70]

I had another disc I got around to listening to that is really amazing, The Drive-By Truckers The Dirty South. Great southern rock/alt country type of record, like Uncle Tupelo and Steve Earle, but with very southern gothic lyrics. Kind of like if William Faulker was in a rock band. Cool stuff.

[pk500]

Hey, I know what I'm listening to today while working, as I had a lovely "music procurement" session last night and got these albums:

Crosby, Stills & Nash -- "Crosby, Stills & Nash"
Dwight Yoakam -- "The Very Best Of"
Elvis Costello -- "The Very Best Of"
Green Day -- "American Idiot"
Jane Monheit -- "Taking a Chance on Love"
Los Lonely Boys -- "Los Lonely Boys"
Lou Reed -- "New York"
Neil Young -- "Live Rust"
Oasis -- "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"
Oasis -- "Masterplan"
Sigur Ros -- "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do"
Steve Earle -- "The Revolution Starts Now"
The Mavericks -- "The Definitive Collection"
Wynton Marsalis -- "Popular Songs - The Best of Wynton Marsalis"

Out,
PK

[maddoc1979]

Maddoc,

I just heard "Vertigo." I really like it. I am going to try to hold off and just wait for album rather than downloading early. Of course, I will buy regardless.

Leebo

Yeah, I caught it on the radio on the way to work this AM. Great song...I've got over 60 CDs with U2 music on it...so of course, I'll be at the store on 11/23 buying the new record. I just love the way they are able to make every song sound different, but maintain their style. Just an amazing band overall.

Doc

[Spooky]

Here's an example of what my iPod has been cycling through the last couple days:

Irom Maiden
Hank Williams Sr.
The Magnetic Fields
Elvis Presley
The Sundays
Slayer
The Chamber Strings
Frank Zappa (he comes on a lot since I have ALL his CD's imported)
Merle Haggard
The Police
Trans Am
New Bomb Turks
The Who
Don Cabellero
Miles Davis
Phish
David Sylvian
AC/DC
The New Pornographers


...and that is not even scratching the surface of what I have on there!!!


Did I ever mention how much I f*cking LOVE my iPod!?!?!?

[Airdog]

Sigur Ros -- "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do"

Glad to see that you got around to "obtaining" this EP. Be patient with it, though, and keep in mind that it was written to be a soundtrack (in essence). Radiohead also wrote music to this EP but you'll probably never hear that unless you actually see the performance that it was all made for.

[Sudz]

Superchunk - Clambakes Vol. 3: When We Were 10 - Live at the Cat's Cradle 1999

The new installment of Superchunk's self-released Clambakes series - recorded 5 years ago on July 23, 1999 at the M10K Merge Records 10th Anniversary party. Mac says: "We remember it as not only mohawk-wiltingly hot and sweaty, but also as one of our rockingest shows ever, if we may be so immodest. "Hits" abound but so do some songs we've hardly played since. Sure, there are enough clams to justify the "Clambakes" moniker, but there's also plenty of Jim Wilbur banter in between songs to make you forget about a few bum notes here and there, and overall it's a nice document of a great night -- you can almost smell our wilting corsages"


The Arcade Fire - Funeral
An intense spectacle even on record, this rather large ensemble hailing from Montreal is on a mission. Prepare to get caught up in it all! “look out below” indeed... The Arcade Fire bring a theatricality, an intensity, an insanity, and a penchant for amazing hooks to their debut full length release, Funeral. You have never heard such energy, such beauty and such emotion from such a young band. Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, Broken Social Scene, and Roxy Music's first two albums will have a new favorite band, The Arcade Fire!

Death Cab for Cutie have a new, digital-only release, studio x sessions, featuring live recordings of 4 songs: the new year, blacking out the friction, bend to squares, and army corps of architects. It's available now exclusively from iTunes — more information can be found here.


The new Death Cab For Cutie album, transatlanticism, is out now, and available in 3 formats: standard CD, the new Super Audio hybrid CD format, and now 180-gram double-LP vinyl version (the latter released by Sonic Boom Recordings). Visit the shop for ordering information.

[pk500]

Sigur Ros -- "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do"

Glad to see that you got around to "obtaining" this EP. Be patient with it, though, and keep in mind that it was written to be a soundtrack (in essence). Radiohead also wrote music to this EP but you'll probably never hear that unless you actually see the performance that it was all made for.

Air:

Thanks. I'm sure I'll dig it, as I've enjoyed all past Sigur Ros music, and I love ambient/etheral music, in general.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Add another artist to my list: Joe Jackson.

Technically, I listened and watched to Jackson last night after recording a one-hour concert special from his most-recent tour on the Trio cable network.

I've always liked Jackson's stuff all the way back to the "Get Sharp!" days, but this show reminded me just how talented and genre-hopping this guy really is. He writes wry, smart lyrics and has a musical range that some artists can only dream of. Plus his backing band on this tour was fantastic -- tight as hell.

Take care,
PK

[Airdog]

The Arcade Fire - Funeral

This CD sounds pretty cool (I've been reading a bit more about it since you posted about it). I think I will try to get my hands on this one way or another.

[davet010]

Thanks. I'm sure I'll dig it, as I've enjoyed all past Sigur Ros music, and I love ambient/etheral music, in general.

Take care,
PK

In that case, allow me to make some more suggestions

Brian Eno - almost any of his works, but particularly 'Thursday Afternoon', 'Music for Airports' and 'Neroli'

Durutti Column - 'Best of' out soon is a good place to start, but you could try down..er buying 'Without Mercy'.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

all just purchased in the past 2 or 3 weeks and currently in rotation

me and mr johnson eric clapton

in step stevie ray vaughn

texas flood stevie ray vaughn

master of puppets metallica

greatest hits tim mcgraw

london calling the clash

layla derek and the dominoes

tim mcgraw and the dancehall doctors

the essential willie nelson

[GB_Simo]

I need to get Sigur Ros' new EP, I've heard good things about the new Green Day record (gasp!)...

Out,
PK

PK, as a long-standing Green Day fan (I know...for what it's worth, I can't stand New Found Glory and all the other Green Day wannabe acts) I feel well placed to tell you that the new record sounds absolutely sod all like anything they've done previously. Possibly the best album I've heard this year, but bear in mind that I've not really heard much new music this year...

How are you finding it so far?

Cheers,
Adam

[GridIronGhost]

Megadeth - The System Has Failed

Sounds in the same vein as Countdown To Extinction and Rust In Peace. I'm diggin it.

Good call, I went out a got this and have been listening to it all day. The whole CD can grow on you quickly.

[pk500]

Adam:

Honestly, didn't get to it yet today! I got my hands on 14 albums last night, so there's still a lot of material for me to hear.

I'll let you know soon.

Thanks,
PK

[pk500]

Adam:

So much for waiting -- I just listened to "American Idiot" while catching up on the news online.

Sh*t, this is a very good album. Green Day really has grown up, musically and lyrically. Yeah, there's some "Dookie"-style crunch on the record, but it has a surprising amount of depth, sophistication and changes of tempo, too, without being sappy as hell like the overwrought "Time of Your Life," a Green Day song I despise because it seemed like such a sellout to me.

Sure, some people will accuse Green Day of continuing to "sell out" because every song doesn't sound like its pre-major label stuff or like "Dookie" or "Insomniac." But this is the smartest record I've heard from a mainstream pop-punk band in a while, at least on first listen.

The whole "failed American dream" concept really seems to work well, too. There's a cohesiveness to the whole record that's really cool in this era of singles tossed together and called an album.

Sadly, not many people will even listen to the superb, biting lyrics of "American Idiot," the first single, because it has the familiar "Green Day" sound of it. The song would fit right into "Dookie" or "Insomniac," but it's a hell of a lot smarter lyrically than anything on those two albums.

"American Idiot" the album isn't "Tommy" as far as concept albums go, but I really liked it on first listen, which is rare for me.

Thanks for jolting me into listening to this, man!

Take care,
PK