Recommend one album to the forum and justify why you think they should spend their time listening to it. It doesn’t have to be your favourite album, just one that you think others would enjoy. Hard as it is, try to avoid the obvious choices that most people will have formed opinions on already, I’m sure we all know the merits and faults of Hendrix and the like. If you have heard the suggested albums, share your opinions, similarly if you take the time to listen to the recommendations let people know what you thought.
I would recommend: Air - Moon Safari. Quite a well known album, I’ll admit, but for those who have not heard it, it is truely sublime. Music for total relaxation. One can almost sail away whilst listening to ‘Ce Martin La’. ‘Sexy Boy’ provides a more up tempo beat, probably explaining why it was the most commerically successful. ‘Remember’ has a haunting backing to it which lets you chill out without getting too comfortable. ‘Kelly Watch The Stars’ is my favourite track, it has a kind of interglatic feel to it with shooting lazers, you can picture yourself tumbling through space whilst hearing this song.
And I’m going to cheat and recommend another: Idlewild - The Remote Part. Not too obscure, though I imagine many on the other side of the pond may not have heard of them. Shifts effortless between laid back songs, ‘American English’, which deals with searching for meaning and answers, and fast paced punk laced songs, ‘A Modern Way Of Letting Go’, which is a short, sharp burst of energy. ‘In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction’ the last of 11 tracks starts of as a melodic love song, but gradually gains momentum, comulating in the poem ‘Scottish Fiction’ read by Edwin Morgan delivered over an appealing melody.
Its a concept album as there is a theme that runs throughout. Track by track you given an impression of what it means to grow up in the modern world of machines.
For me, this band makes me think more than any other music out there, and so, I try to convey their importance to similar minded people, like you folks.
It’s a very good album, with a theme that mirrors closely the novella “Anthem” By Ayn Rand, though Neal Pert and Geddy Lee will both contend that it is in no way based on that work.
eulogist - did you realise that Rush is canadian? Just telling you as a friend. Heard that record just about every day for at least a semester while commuting to school. Good band. Canadian.
realun - Pretty Hate Machine changed my life, too. I’m not sure it was for the better, though. Reznor is the most unintentionally funny psycho making music. Good stuff, though.
I’ve always enjoyed Stevie Wonder, prefer ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’ though, but Innverisions is not far off.
Is there something about Eminem that appeals to older people? Seriously, my dad is obessed with him. I agree though truely one of the most innovative artists of recent times, went down hill after ‘The Eminem Show’ though I feel.
Koifer,
I liked Keane’s first album, saw them at Glastonbury too, but the second did nothing for me. They went too mainstream I think, and that blurred them up with the rest of the bands out there.
Nano-bug,
Radiohead are sublime. ‘OK Computer’ is a truely magnificent album, and I agree with your assesment of it. ‘No Surprises’ gets me every time! Have you heard ‘In Rainbows’ yet? It harks back to the ‘The Bends’, ‘OK Computer’ era.
Phaedrus,
I’ll be sure to check that out. Is it the name of the album and if so who is the artist?
the_eulogist,
Rush has never been for me. My friend tried to convert me but I’m afraid I didnt work.
realunorginal,
Nine Inch Nails are one band that many like but I’ve never made a conscious effort to listen to. I’ll try to address that. Does ‘The Fragile’ have ‘Hurt’ on it?
Eclipse,
‘The Wall’ is very good. I noticed a thread a while back discussing which was better, ‘The Wall’ or ‘Darkside Of The Moon’. Hard to say, but personal preference is darkside. Have you seen the film?
Tool’s Lateralus - every song on it is amazing. It’s very pink floyd-esque, alot of the songs connect to each other. Also if you rearrange the track order into the Fibonacci sequence it connects. 2 of tools best songs are on it too parabol/parabola and lateralus.
Neil Young is the kind of guy that unless you are actually a fan you get the completely wrong idea about. His most famous work is nowhere near his best, and this album represents everything that is great about him. Unlike the polished country-rock of Heart of Gold and the like, what you have here is an incredibly raw, very underproduced, very messy and very drunk album. And I mean actually drunk, he sounds wasted on half these songs. Despite all that, and what a lot of fans say about it, it really isn’t all that depressing an album. It was made after 2 of his friends died from drug ODs, but its hardly Joy Division. The music is basic, but nobody listens to Neil Young expecting math-rock. Its essentially just a bunch of very messy country rock songs performed at what sounds like 5 in the morning after a night drinking tequila. People like to compare the guy to Dylan, but really thats unfair because his best stuff doesn’t sound much like Dylan to me. I probably amn’t selling this very well, but if you like music played with passion then give this a go.
I’ll cheat and recommend another one too. Its not a favourite, but it does contain some of the best music I’ve ever heard. Tago Mago by Can, if you don’t like experimental stuff maybe don’t give it a go but they’re probably the funkiest band Germany will ever produce.
No, that was Further Down the Spiral. I think The Fragile has the majority of NIN’s best songs. The rest of his albums have about 1 or 2 really great ones on them, while The Fragile is loaded with the best stuff.
I did. One of a very few good things to come out of Canada… completely unlike the idea that people are entitled to free health care, which is something very shitty that came from Canada.
I’m actually going to a Rush Concert in the Big E-Z in April. Looking forward to it.
Also really like the song Trees. It’s especially… well Objectivism Inspired, for lack of a better term. It’s a well documented fact that most Maple trees are very shade tollerant, in fact they are largely found growing in the shade of taller canopy trees, and they tend to do very well in those conditions, yet the maples in that song complain that the oaks are taking up all the light. This is largely reminiscent of the attitude of looters and moochers toward the prime movers in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Even though the Prime movers were willing to provide the looters and moochers with all the things they needed (the “shade” as it were) in return for being allowed to rise to great heights (which the oaks do), the looters and moochers didn’t want to allow them to rise, and instead attempted to stifle that growth. (So the maples formed a union, and demanded equal rights. “The oaks are just too greedy, we will make them give us light.” Now there’s no more oak oppression, for they passed a noble law, and the trees are all kept equal, by hatchet, axe, and saw. ) Not exactly the happiest song, but it’s got a real message in there.
It’s just pure genius, can’t think of anything else to say. I’ll resist the tempation to recommend other prog rock albums but there’s plenty of good stuff out there.
If you have heard the suggested albums, share your opinions, similarly if you take the time to listen to the recommendations let people know what you thought.
