What MUSIC are you listening to? ARCHIVE

Time for another music thread...always like to hear what you folks are listening to...

After my bout of Beatlemania, I thought I was going to hit Dylan but I sort of veered away from that and I've settled back into listening to a random assortment of stuff:

The Knife- "Silent Shout"- I was really, really into this record when it came out in 2006. They're a Swedish outfit, brother and sister, and what they do is sort of a very dark, spooky electronic thing that's probably equal parts Kraftwerk, Bjork, and David Lynch. I had been listening to the Fever Ray album (also great) by Karin Dreijer and it led me back to this record. It's still amazing, it blows me away every time I hear it. It's totally accessible yet awkward, strange, and avant garde. The programming and composition is exquisite. Definitely give "We Share Our Mother's Health" or the title track a listen. It makes all those early 2000s electro acts like VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk sound like hopelessly dated teenager music.

Can- everything up through "Future Days"- Did Radiohead just hear "Thief" and decide to base their entire career on that one song? Is "Mushroom" as funky as white people can ever get? Have I lost my vitamin C? These questions and more are answered in these records.

Miscellaneous Krautrock- Taking a cue from Julian Cope...some Krautrock really is just crappy hippie noodling, but sometimes it can be really harsh, interesting, and dark. Been listening to various tracks and records from Faust, Amon Duul II, Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, and early Kraftwerk

The Horrors "Primary Colours"- I thought The Horrors first album "Strange House" was pretty good, a nice post-Crampsian mix of the Sonics and Albert Lee. Kinda gothy/deathrocky in a fun way. The new record is totally different, with the band going off into this My Bloody Valentine/shoegazer thing. It's kind of good, not completely decided on it yet. It's less epic than British Sea Power, but maintains some spookiness.

The Stranglers "Rattus Norvegicus IV", "No More Heroes" - Two things happened- Adrian mentioned The Stranglers in Trashdome and I've been playing NO MORE HEROES. Surprise, I dug out the Stranglers records. Filthy, nasty, raunchy,hateful and exciting punk rock made by smart people.

Septic Death- 127 or so miscellaneous tracks- a little skaterock from this Pushead-fronted outfit. Grindcore-ish horror-punk that takes me back to trying to pull ollies off of a homemade ramp while blasting a terrible cassette copy of one of their records on a boombox.

That's what I'm listening to...how 'bout you?

I have finally noticed that I like the music of Andrew Bird. It kind of snuck up on me over the years. He was a child prodigy violin player who later founded Squirrel Nut Zippers. In recent years, he has veered away from Fats Waller covers and into very distinctive work of his own. It's sort of that adult contemporary sound of the early '90s, only with dark, somewhat morbid lyrics paired with a mature style blending elements of folk, jazz and alternative rock. His lyrics are sometimes difficult to interpret, but are clearly about something and not just nonsense.

Here is a link to a YouTube non-video of one of his newer songs, Heretics:

24 hour track-dump:

Judas Iscariot – In the Bliss of the Eternal Valleys of Hate
Converter – Dream Converter
Omei – A Single Sickened Cell
Faust – Untitled
Cryptopsy – Slit Your Guts
Vukodlak – Blackest Autumn
Cazzodio – Ingirumimusnocteetconsumimurigni
Deva Loka – Towards The Inner Sun
Sort Vokter – Ni Gygrer / Nattjakt
Arkane – Dryades Of Selene
S.O.D. – Pi Alpha Nu
Skrol – Fall A Prey
Ahab – The Hunt
diSEMBOWELMENT – A Burial at Ornans
Morgion – Relic of a Darkened Past
Black Sabbath – Electric Funeral
Parnassus – Cum Trist Issimo Dolore
Possessed – Seven Churches
Einstürzende Neubauten – Negativ Nein
Arckanum – Græmelse ok Væ
Faust – Why Don't You Eat Carrots?
Barry Adamson – Something Wicked This Way Comes [Edit]
Iannis Xenakis – Persepolis
In Death's Throes – Slay the Saviour
Martyrium – Atum´s Speech
Deison – Cruore Nero
Robert Scott Thompson – Cathedral Sky
Alec Empire – Metall Dub
Dead Can Dance – Yulunga
diSEMBOWELMENT – Excoriate
Dagda Mor – Lokasenna
Death in June – Symbols of the Sun
Megaptera – The Offering
Immolation – Father, You're Not a Father
Brighter Death Now – Why
Isis – Grinning Mouths
Megaptera – Haunted by Demons
Rapoon – Ora
Faust – Untitled
Sacramentum – Devide et Impera
The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud – Untitled
Burzum – rundgang um die transzendentale sdule der singularitdt
Sacramentum – Awaken Chaos
Gorguts – Inoculated Life
Rapoon – Almost, Still
Desiderii Marginis – The Sweet Hereafter
Letum – Silence
Q.R. Ghazala – In The Arms Of Angels
Cryptopsy – Phobophile
Det Hedenske Folk – Northland Rules: Supreme
Vukodlak – Blessed Be Thy Children
Beherit – Hail Satanas
Horna – Prologi
Samael – Worship Him
Graveland – Semper Fidelix
Capricornus – The Hall of Ice
Celtic Frost – Innocence and Wrath


Krautrock ROCKS! Even German hippies can't help but to let their Teutonic sturm und drang show through the psychedellic haze.

All that good BM on your list reminded me...I've also been listening to the new Peste Noire record, which is pretty fucking great. They're my favorite band working in BM today. I think I may like the new one better than "Folkfuck Folie".

Also took a couple of listens to the Amesouers record...disappointed. It sounds like M83 gone BM, it isn't as raw as "Ruines Humaine" was.

"Seven Churches", man, that's a classic record.

Judas Iscariot cracks me up...don't get me wrong, I like the records but Akhenaten is like the worst musician ever. His singing is so...lethargic. But some good USBM nonetheless.

Michael Barnes wrote:

All that good BM on your list reminded me...I've also been listening to the new Peste Noire record, which is pretty fucking great. They're my favorite band working in BM today. I think I may like the new one better than "Folkfuck Folie".

Also took a couple of listens to the Amesouers record...disappointed. It sounds like M83 gone BM, it isn't as raw as "Ruines Humaine" was.

"Seven Churches", man, that's a classic record.

Judas Iscariot cracks me up...don't get me wrong, I like the records but Akhenaten is like the worst musician ever. His singing is so...lethargic. But some good USBM nonetheless.

Peste Noire, that's a new name for me. Thanks, I'll check it out.
Seven Churches still holds up really well I think.

"Seven churces - seven priests
Seven hearts - on which they feast!"

Judas Iscariot maybe opened a door or two. Lately I've been getting into ambient black metal - Nortt & Striborg are both awesome for atmosphere. There's so much atmosphere I can't really tell about their musicianship. BM is all about the spirit of the thing anyways...

They're very French. The vocalist is like, the best ever in BM. His name is Famine, and the best picture of him he's wielding a crossbow. He claims that he is a nationalist (but definitely not a Nazi) and his nations are medieval France and Hell.

"Folkfuck Folie" is probably a good starting point...it's a little rawer and punkier than their early stuff, which I like a lot. The new one (can't remember crazy French title of the top of my head) has French drinking songs, choral stuff, and lots of black n' roll. Arena rock drums. It's pretty great. If you hear only one song, make it "Spleen", "La Mortaille", or "Un Villian".

If you like the ambient black metal, definitey check out the Darkspace records, some interesting stuff...and Paysage d'Hiver, that guy's stuff is amazing. Talk about atmosphere, it's so thick you could slice it and serve it with toast.

awesome, a thread about music. it seems all i do these days is get drunk and listen to music so this is my kind of thread.

the strange boys - www.myspace.com/thestrangeboys

this is incredible. these guys look way too young to be playing this kind of thing. blues / garage rock / 50s, slack jawed vocals and all very dumb and good fun.

thee oh sees - www.myspace.com/ohsees

more dumb garage rock, with a healthy dose of obtuse pop strewn in there if you care to dig amidst the distortion. messy, sloppy, sort of fucked up but all good. it's been done a million times but good luck finding / affording the records that sound as awesome as this.

katie the pest - www.myspace.com/katiethepest

oh man, i am in love with this band. the cutest indie pop / shoegaze i have heard in a long long time.

teenage cool kids - www.myspace.com/teenagecoolkids

these guys love built to spill but so did i, at least when built to spill weren't doing 20 minute long neil young covers. indie rock at it's best.

eddy current suppression ring - www.myspace.com/eddycurrentsuppressionring

post punk - and then some. this band blows my mind whenever i stick them on my turntable. they are from australia, the vocals are monotone and the guitars are hypnotic.

ganglians - www.myspace.com/ganglian

this is some superb garage pop. sometimes they rip off of the beach boys, and then this is thrown in amongst some other influences give these guys an astonishing sound. wowowowow.

city center - www.myspace.com/citycenternyc

droney, electronica infused pop music with aimless / buried vocals. the sound of being tired and content. fred thomas i love you.

Michael Barnes wrote:

They're very French. The vocalist is like, the best ever in BM. His name is Famine, and the best picture of him he's wielding a crossbow. He claims that he is a nationalist (but definitely not a Nazi) and his nations are medieval France and Hell.

"Folkfuck Folie" is probably a good starting point...it's a little rawer and punkier than their early stuff, which I like a lot. The new one (can't remember crazy French title of the top of my head) has French drinking songs, choral stuff, and lots of black n' roll. Arena rock drums. It's pretty great. If you hear only one song, make it "Spleen", "La Mortaille", or "Un Villian".

If you like the ambient black metal, definitey check out the Darkspace records, some interesting stuff...and Paysage d'Hiver, that guy's stuff is amazing. Talk about atmosphere, it's so thick you could slice it and serve it with toast.

This guy Famine sounds familiar. Did he once insist on doing an interview entirely in middle-French? That's dedication.

That DEFINITELY sounds like Famine.

He was also in Celestiia and a couple of other bands, like most of those French guys were/are.

Wow---I know NOTHING from these lists. I guess I'm officially an out of touch fart. After living in middle of rural Texas for 7 years in the 90s, I was out of it with rock.

Now--I did pick up some cool old country music tastes there (Bob Wills, e.g) and alternative country (Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett)---but lost my connection to rock (unless it is pre-1990s rock--other than Sting and U2).

Anyone for some Tom Petty?

Merkles wrote:

Wow---I know NOTHING from these lists.

can't speak for the others, but i wouldn't worry about whether you know anything on my list. i only listen to shitty music that about 9 other people are stupid enough to listen to.

Tonight, I'm listening to Clutch. They miss the mark almost as often as they hit it, but when they are firing on all eight cylinders, it's a thing to behold. Greasy, grimy, syncopated blues rock with badass vocals and imaginative lyrics. In fact, the song "The Yeti" from their Elephant Riders album has one of my favorite rock lyrics ever:

"The author looms above his page
and thinks it strange that at his age
he cannot find the proper words
to describe his only world
One would think that in a life
where no two snowflakes are alike
one would have a brilliant rhyme
for each and every bit of time"

EDIT: Oh, and I'm chasing it with a bit of Wesley Willis. I know I'm going to Hell for listening to it, but "Shit and Fuck" is absolutely brilliant in a wierd way.

Another song I encountered again recently...

"Five Days of Tequila" by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra:



A ragtag band of Japanese big band musicians drunkenly assault the ska genre with interesting results and maybe a touch of taiko influence. They also do ragged covers of movie music, like the theme to Enter the Dragon or the "love" theme from The Godfather. I would be amazed if the trombone player hasn't injured anybody yet. It takes a little time for them to find a groove in each song, but then it all comes together in a beautiful, sloppy mess.

Call me simple: I'm on a Buzzcocks trip lately.

"Singles Going Steady" has to be the greatest singles collection ever released...every song is a classic. I almost think you could just own that and have a pretty great Buzzcocks collection.

Yeah Merkles, don't feel bad about not knowing what some of this stuff is...the bands Malthus and I are talking about are incredibly obscure...as in, they release 100 copies of a record on cassette tape (yes, cassette tape) and have no online presence at all.

Bob Wills? That's some good listening right there. I truly love old time country music. It's what I grew up listening to on my grandma's console record player. She'd put on Porter Wagoner records and shamefully sip on a beer while I built a lego set or colored.

What is it with Clutch? I know people that just freaking love them. I remember when they came out, I instantly wrote them off and assumed I'd never hear from them again. Now I hear people citing them as a major influence. Go figure.

High on Fire also has a song about the Yeti, if you want to do like a Yeti mixtape.

I saw Wesley Willis years ago...it was, of course, hilarious. He signed my friend's record and gave him a headbutt.

As for ska...I'm convinced there hasn't been a good ska record released since 1984.