Townes Van Zandt - Rake

I like this. Signer songwriter stuff with nice melodies and great lyrics. I've heard of this guy many times, but never actually checked him out. His voice certainly sounds distinctive, the vocal lines are almost bard like. Like he's telling a tragic story. The music is very simple and dosen't go through many changes, but that's okay as it's consistently good from start to finish.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofI2heJhcOc

Jess And The Ancient Ones

Wow, that was really a very long song, but it's a song that you can listen to the very beginning, and you don't have trouble with it.
The keyboards are very mystic and well played, and the voice of the girl is superb, it really fits with the atmosphere, who passes from a slow, catchy (well, all the song was very catchy) and ambient song for another one more faster and very Rock, and still fits, it doesn't goes to nowhere. All the times fits very well. In some parts, it reminds me of Fleetwod Mac and Heart, specially the guitars. I can't find an example of similarity with the voice, it's unique in it's style, maybe not the best in the world, but it very good, almost perfect i dare to say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C0RmRGTePw

David Bowie - "Life on Mars?"

A proven classic. It has a pretty typical piano-and-strings ballad arrangement, but the melodies go together fantastically, and are really quite affecting. Mick Ronson's guitar adds a bit more bite when it comes in, but never takes over completely. A great and admirably restrained arrangement. And the voice... man, Bowie's got one of the most unique voices in rock. He really can convey emotions better than almost any other rock singer I know, even when the lyrics are as nonsensical as these. It even works when he goes into his more nasal range, and I really don't like nasal voices (the lyric "he's in the freakiest show"). Probably one of the best showcases of Bowie as a singer that there is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9m8-EUFi-E

XTC - one of millions

groovy trip here, it feels like the over saturation, wrongly colored, early 80's in my ears listening to this, it feels like lucy in the sky with diamonds, but on a boat for some reason, at the east shores of america, but immediately entering the club drug scene of 80's LA. good song id say

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ravnctVJlgE

Pyg - "Flower, sun, rain"

Very nice. Picking up echoes of the Canterbury psych-folk scene of the 70's (Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt etc). Very chilled out, bucolic song. The noodly lead bit has a bit of a Clapton feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qJKxaWb0_A

Photek - ni ten ichi ryu

How cool! Photek! Haven't heard this one for quite some years, but I know it, hah! When some years ago I somehow got a bit into electronic music (in 1999/200 with Ulver's stuff) a good friend of mine sprang into help and Photek (along with Autechre, Future Sound of London and some others) was one of the first things he gave me. This track is a very great example of Drum'n Bass. Very good programming, sharp and precise, superb subtle bass, extremely rhythmic and so far beyond many other "normal electronic" acts. The martial arts theme is the icing on the cake. Brillant choice, Scorntyrant, and thanks for putting Photek back on my radar.

but now... same theme - way other genre
here we go: (ca. first minute is some kind of intro, the music changes drastically thereafter, just so you know )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7S6FKNM5zU

edited for reviewing

Grand Prix: "Samurai"

Somehow I knew as the introduction was playing, with the lush keyboards and pitch bending and gentle singing, more or less what was coming. I thought to myself, "almost sounds like the beginning of some kind of power metal epic". Well, it wasn't, quite, but it's pretty close. Almost more metal than some of the stuff posted in the other thread, in fact! But the leading keyboards and intense focus on vocals ensure that this isn't exactly metal. Grandiose though, certainly, and big enough sounding to have a whole arena standing. The singer has a smooth, pleasant voice, and I mostly mean that in a very good way...in fact, he aaaalmost reminded me of Eric Adams in his softer moments. Even the big harmonising chorus was pretty cool, and I often don't much care for that sort of thing. I admit that I started to lose my enthusiasm a little as the tune went on, but I may have been more excited about it at another time/in another mood. I also would maybe have liked a more arresting solo, something to really pump me up and drive me wild, as it were. I was expecting one, and there was indeed a lead toward the end, but it seemed a bit more timid than what I would have anticipated from such a grand piece of music. Still, not bad. Oh yes, the keyboards in the beginning were very neat, slowly and seamlessly altering from a sort of pure synth tone to something more like an organ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEiMFOnkbkc

School - Supertramp.

Ahh, my favourite Supertramp album! Starting off with some nice harmonica leading into Roger Hodgson's distinctive vocals with some soft arpeggiation. This goes through a few sections while always retaining the same feel, it's quite progressive. I love the piano part around 3:24 and the bass lines and bass tone. Everything manages to stand out. One of the great strenghts of this band is that they play as a BAND and they all know the value of restraint and how to construct interesting songs.

One of my favourite songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh3bleXWaCk

@Abominatrix:

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

I'm slightly familiar with this band, I knew they had some classic rock in the mix, but I mostly knew them for the genre they get their name from. This song doesn't really seem to have any funk at all, seems mostly classic rock to me. It features a soft arpeggio in the background with classic rock style guitar solos in the foreground. The song definitely has some psychedelic vibes to it. Its a pretty good song to sit back and relax to, but I think it would be better if it was cut down to 6 minutes. Not that major of a gripe though, this is definitely good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGBW18g4sOE

Leftover Crack - Atheist Anthem

So this is Punk Rock, and it sounds good. Simple, at first not precisely aggressive. The riffs were simple, but they get heavier. The vocals reminds me those of Necronomicon sometimes (the Thrash Metal band) The voices are good and very catchy, even joyful or even happy at times, so to speak, or that appeals to me. It wasn't a complex song, but i like it (I have special weakness with Punk Rock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDsa4uDM3zU

Van Halen: "Spanish Fly"

I admit I dont' listen to much Van Halen, but some of their songs are very cool and I recently got the debut. I wasn't expecting this kind of thing but I guess I would have preferred one of their rocking songs as this just seemed like Eddie showing off how fast he could play on an acoustic guitar for a minute. It didn't even have the ethnic Spanish feel to me suggested by the title...no chords at all, not really any feeling. I'd almost rather listen to one of Joey Demaio's bass solos. It's sure fast though! I wish I could think of something else to say about this but I got nothing...sorry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlGlEVHp3Y

Woah, I may be a little out of depth here, but I'll give this a shot. What can I say about one of the greatest voices ever known to man? It's most definitely not my thing, and it will always remind me of Disney musicals (shudder) from their hey day. This is from a time and place where the vocals are THE focus of the song itself, and being immersed in the tale it weaves - the actual music takes a back seat here, almost like it was an after thought, as it didn't really, well, DO anything. It was all about her voice. And so it should be too, if one has a voice like hers, it deserves to in front, and not overshadowed by the music. This is good, and most certainly classic and classy, but not interesting enough (for me) to get excited over.

And now for something completely different.

@crushed

Juno Reactor - Mutant Message

Deep, groovy bassline, atmospheric synth and haphazard, echoing piano. It sounds like something out of a futuristic action movie, with the (scarce) robot voices and andante computer beat. The movie would probably be a German production, as the song is almost like the archetype of German electronic music. The song is strongly based on quiet-loud dynamics, starting quiet, and eventually climaxing in a loud blast of raveish synthesisers (this motion happens twice in total). I'm not completely unable to enjoy electronic music; especially the more ambient, atmospheric styles of trance are pleasant to listen to, but this song didn't impress me. The slow tempo, the lack of cool synth sounds etc made it largely boring, although not strongly annoying either. I have rather limited vocabulary for all the aspects of electronic music, so please excuse this rather poor review.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPx8tNnLIhM

Kingston Wall: "Shine on Me"

I've listened to this band before, but not too much, and I'm pretty certain I've never heard this song. Gentle and positive sounding, with warm strummed chords and a saxophone taking the lead for most of the duration. The sax is well played and dances around the slow chording with much agility and playfulness. There's a phenomenal guitar solo too, reminding a little of gilmore but done by a player with his own distinct character. Vocals, which have been mostly subdued and soft spoken until now, begin to take on a more prominent role from here on. There's a lot of passion in this song, and while it may not be as progressive as some of their other efforts the use of sax as a lead instrument and the inventive chording of the clean, fine-toned guitars ensure that this is nothing predictable or easy. I appreciate the bass figures too, which are very much present in the mix and can be heard constantly dancing beneath the other instrumentation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQr9IE2yPTw

Goblin - Aquaman.

The band that did the soundtrack to Suspiria. So right off the bat, I was expecting some moody music. And that's what I got. This is actually fuckin' great. It starts off sounding ''fragile'' for lack of a better word. The thin tone of the guitars coupled with the awesome bass make this intriguing. It morphs and morphs, showing that they know their way around a melody. This is how you build on a theme. There are no transitions to speak of, as it's just pure coherence. When the smooth distortion came in, I was NOT expecting it, but it rocks! I love this kind of stuff. The tone is perfect too. This could definitely be used in a movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmc9tDky9B4

Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street

Holy crap is this catchy! It's got this funky beat without being disco, never really reaches that annoying dance club sound.
The dude can sing and it's just overall really.... pleasing to the ears? The lyrics strike me as oddly depressive for such an upbeat style, but in any case i actually really like this. I'd never really bother with this unless someone played it (as with this thread) but i'm kinda glad I've heard it now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7w0U1kTFV0

Richie Sambora - Stranger In This Town

first reaction - "this is fucking awful". Strikes me (especially with the video) as the soundtrack to one of those "gruff tough-guy with a sensitive interior gets dumped and tries to rebuild his life" montages you see in 80's movies. A lot of forced white-guy blues hokum (you ever seen that bit in Ghost World where the blues guy watches the horrid hard rock/blues band "Blueshammer" with a look of disgust on his face?), overly earnest and quite distasteful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxWjibkDwPw

Split Enz - History Never Repeats

Right off the bat I can tell this isn't my cup o' tea. This kind of cheesy, poppy, overtly teenager-esque 80's music is something I never enjoyed, and this is no exception to that rule. The vocalist I find to be pretty much a non-entity; generic and uninteresting, yet not offensive at all (although his vocal lines do get kinda grating at times). The chorus? Annoying, as to be expected from this sort of stuff, and it's made worse by the fact that the song is built around it (but with stuff this commercial, could it really be any other way?). The instrumentation in itself is boring too, with guitars that are content with strumming aimlessly in the background, a bass that just follows said braindead guitars, and almost non-existent percusion. Ah, but that tambourine! That fucking tambourine! God, the tambourine's never been precisely my instrument of choice, but that was just nerve-wracking, what with it's constant, monotone "clickety-clackety" sound. Really, people complain about nowadays' pop music? Sure, it's crap, but pop music from the past wasn't drastically better if you ask me. Just much less stupid.

This will help me wash my ears.

Tom Waits: "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"

I think Tom was just here, but it's ok, he can certainly visit the thread a few times. I've known about Tom Waits since I was six years old or so and came home with from my aunt's house with a tape of Rain Dogs. This was in 1987 or so! nevertheless, he's not someone I listen to a great deal, though I've gotten a few albums since then and enjoy it all when I'm in the mood. Not familiar with this particular track though. It's somewhat in the style of his early material, with piano providing most of the instrumentation and his singing a little smoother than the unholy, razor-growl tone that would come later. Nevertheless, his gravelly delivery is still very much present, as he tells a story of what seems like loss and loneliness, with a slight ray of light, mostly provided by the big jazzy piano chords and the occasional, very slight, accompaniment of an electric piano, too, providing some tinkling melodic accompaniment. Everything stays in the same key and is focused on the narrative nature of the song. I really liked the piano chording, and the mood of the piece. Not as grandiose or strange as what Waits can deliver, but equally effective in its own way.

And now, something a little louder!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1jgBIXnaAA

Roky Erickson - Two headed Dog

Roky, what a nutcase. There's something about listening to music by mentally unstable people that makes you feel a little nervous. I remember hearing a QOTSA cover of his and thinking "this guy is so different...". But after reading a little bio of his, I now kind of understand where his lack of coherence comes from. His disjointed passages didn't come from an artistic standpoint, they came from a loony one. I think his lyrics have always been uninspired, and really, the emotion he was trying to convey through them left me feeling underwhelmed by most of his music, even if he is a good musician. Everything the guy does, I really should love, but for some reason Roky Erickson will always be a half baked artist where his mental illnesses got in the way of his full capacity to write songs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZk39ifLTlQ

ZZ Top - Backdoor Medley

I wonder whether one has to be a ZZ Top fan in order to appreciate this composition in its fullest. Leaving this aspect aside, I always enjoyed the music of the quite a lot. Not only the videos are generally fun to watch, also the song-writing is quite intriguing and so goddamn catchy as well as groovy that it seems futile to pretend to be able to ignore it.

This one drags on a bit too long. Music for the sake of music. Something that could work for a live audience that is worked up already or for someone who has had a chance to listen to all what the band celebrated earlier on stage. Giving this thing a spin without this kind of flow leaves it a bit without grip and fascination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmG6fenEqt8

Abom:

@ CF Mono re: Roky

Sóley - Theatre Island

Nice little piano-driven song. The vocalist reminds me of Lykke Li. The comments on the video said the band is from Iceland, which for some reason seems fitting. The lyrics seem to be telling a story, but I didn't pick up on all of it. The song isn't really upbeat, but doesn't seem too depressing either. It doesn't really change that much, except for a shift in the piano lines (which seem to go from traditional piano to what I think is a keyboard. In all this is a good song, but not really a style I'm really into. I think this will appeal most to the indie crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMk5hSIx ... 9A1CDD11C3

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - The Gambling Priest

I remember Danger Mouse from when I was a kid but as far as I'm aware he never made the theme music for beer adverts trying to pass off domestic lager as something classy. The guitar tone is rather nice and smokey, and sounds like background music for some stylish goings on. My complaint would be that it just establishes a nice atmosphere and some cool ideas (I particularly like the vocals), and then it ends abruptly... I could have had another 2 minutes of pleasant music here! Still, a nicely developed, if incomplete, soundtrack-esque piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5NN8fK1tXo

Alan Parsons Project - The Tell-Tale Heart

So what we have here is a pounding progressive rock song driven by a thundering percussion during the chorus, bluesy proto-metal guitars, galloping bass and quite some atmospheric/symphonic parts throughout the song. What's not to like? This was an all around excellent tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22eIJDtKho

Johnny Cash - "Hurt"

A bit of an overexposed cliche (at least amongst the circles I move in), but nevertheless one of the best cover versions on the 3 albums of covers he did shortly before his death. It was always somewhat difficult for me to like this as "The downward spiral" was one of those pivotal albums of my teenage years. Nevertheless, a very emotive song/video, even though I do prefer some of the other songs from those albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idb-YlShggw