IBC

I know we have a couple of threads like this around, but I didn't want to track them down. Got a 50 dollars on iTunes as a gift from a student, so I'm looking for some new music. Figured I would get everyone talking about what they're listening to right now, and maybe something would stick out.

So, what's everyone listening to?

Right now I've been rotating in my car through a couple of cds....

Break and Repair Method - Milk The Bee - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fjqwqaq ... re=related
Toots and The Maytals - True Love
The Pillcrushers - Welcome to the World
Letters Lost - You Are My Biggest Fan
Tabitha's Secret - Tabitha's Secret Live

Can't go wrong with The Complete Hank Williams Jr., that's what I'm currently jamming to.

Seriously with you though, I can't remember if you ever got into Cash or any of guys from the Outlaw movement, if you did, check out Jamey Johnson's new cd That Lonesome Song, he might be this generation's Hank Williams Sr., that's how much potential and talent the guy has, both as a singer and songwriter

We did some of our Christmas shopping today so I started our musical day with a little Robert Earl Keene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37xPiRz ... re=related

Don't forget to buy those tunes through the IBC's link! (Shawn, you did finally change those links, right?)

No I did not
Someday...

I've been on an absolute Spoon kick lately...on band that's nigh near criminal not to hear

Right now I'm in heavy rotation on the Craig Morgan Greatest Hits Album and the new Marc Broussard CD.

I just saw Iron & Wine on Austin City Limits last night.

I know it's a little out there, but their last album, The Sheppards Dog was brilliant. FYI.

With the passing of J.H.E. drummer Mitch Mitchell (passed on the 12th in Portland Oregon), I've been listening to a bunch of Hendrix.

Royals wrote:Right now I'm in heavy rotation on the Craig Morgan Greatest Hits Album .

Didn't know he had one, I didn't think he'd had enough singles to warrant one. Looking at the CD, I guess Broken Bow put it out since he left the label

I didn't think Craig would have enough either - but he does. Only 11 songs, but only one really questionable one. Tremendous artist.

Pat Green concert Wednesday - very stoked...

I just kinda went nuts recently buying new albums (most definitely not my best move financially to burn any and all extra cash on music, but whatever) b/c I'm currently trying to weasel my way into the industry and have been woefully behind on new music for a few years now (which is also why a few of these albums are a year or two old).

If you notice a theme, it's that I've been diggin various bands recognizably deriving their sounds from one bygone era of pop/rock music or another. For example, been hearing a lot of stuff evoking 60s garage rock and pop, 70s southern rock, arena rock and singer/songwriter stuff, as well as a few acts bringing back catchy and familiar-sounding synth pop/new wave from the early 80s. A few of these acts are a good listen and a fun show, but not so groundbreaking that they'll make a long-lasting impression. King Khan is the prime example of that (basically a transplanted 60s act who makes great music, tho it might as well have been recorded 40 yrs ago), while a couple of the others have more obviously attempted to bring a retro sound into the modern music landscape.

Probably have already sung the praises of some of these bands in a previous thread, but not sure which ones so I'll just toss a few out there at a time when I've got a couple minutes to write em up. Here are some records I've been spinning a lot lately that I'm into.
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Royal Bangs, "We Breed Champions" - good solid alternative rock music with bleeps and boops woven in. I like this record a lot b/c unlike many bands for whom added electronic elements sound like an afterthought, they avoid being another example of overproduced radiohead apery. The absence of a professional/ major label producer lends the tracks a more raw feeling that makes the electronic elements a bit more believable as artistic decisions by the band (particularly at the end of songs where they often sustain some "noise" rather than wrapping up a track neatly).

Tracks to test drive: New Scissors, Hyundai from Korea, Broke Calculator
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Dr. Dog, "Fate" - A solid album which shows off a pretty versatile band. Dr. Dog manages to successfully pull together a wide enough variety of sounds to keep it interesting without sounding disjointed. An enjoyable mix of tracks including some countrified piano rock and harmonica calling to mind The Band, as well as some folksy/alt-country guitar noodling that may remind listeners of some of Wilco's stuff. More than a healthy dose of Beatles and Beach Boys-esque 60s pop harmonizing give them a slightly retro feel (if you weren't listening closely you might mistake "From" for Lennon belting out a lost fab 4 tune). Personally, I can't stop listening to "My Friend," which is an absolute foot-stomper of a track with a catchy guitar hook - so I'd check that one out first if you're interested in these guys.

Tracks to test drive: My Friend, The Old Days, 100 Years, From
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Pacific!, "Reveries" - Swedish electro-pop goodness that I thought would be a little too soft-rocky for me but manages to pull off a kind of Daft Punk/ America cross that works surprisingly well. Mellow groovy shit that works as background music but has catchy enough hooks and solid enough beats to shake some asses on a dancefloor when played at high volumes. Fans of Junior Boys' 80s-style electro-pop will dig these guys (though the vocals are a bit more mid/late 70s-style than JBs clear nod to early and mid-80s synth pop). People who enjoyed Midlake's "The Trials of Van Occupanther" or the Field's "From Here we Go Sublime" from a year or two ago should check these Swedes out.

Tracks to test drive: Hot Lips, Sunset Blvd, Disappear, Silent Running
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The Moondoggies, "Don't Be A Stranger" - Got this band in heavy rotation now, which is no surprise since I'm a sucker for good bluesy, soulful southern rock (though they're actually from Seattle). This record at various points evokes the pre-Michael McDonald Doobie Brothers (so more on the "Black Water" and "China Grove" tip than "Takin it to the Streets" or any other crap they made after they became an easy listening band on Living on the Fault Line), CSNY, the Band, the Marshall Tucker Band. Fans of more modern acts like My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses will dig this album. Beautiful vocal harmonies along with bluesy/southern guitar with occasional gospel-style organ pounding.

Tracks to test drive: Long Time Coming, Ain't No Lord, Black Shoe, Changing
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A few others I'll try to describe in better detail when I have some more time...

King Khan and the Shrines, What Is?! (and/or The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines) - try "Welfare Bread" along with "Le Fils du Jaques Dutronc" "Land of the Freak" and "69 Faces of Love"
Little Brother, Little Brother (... and justus for all) - check out the RJD2-produced track "Best Kept Secret" as well as "Can't Stop Us"
No Age, Nouns - "Eraser" "Here Should be My Home" and "Sleeper Hold"
Mobius Band, Heaven - "Friends Like These" and "A Hint of Blood"
American Princes, Other People
Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life
Glasvegas, Glasvegas
Jay Reatard, Singles 06-07
Oxford Collapse, Bits
T.K. Webb and the Visions, Ancestor
The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound

I'm still pretty obsessed with the Black Keys, who will be the next band I see live. Can't wait for their January gig at Terminal 5 in NYC. I've only seen them outdoors at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, so I'm looking forward to having my face melted off by Dan Auerbach's guitar indoors at a rock club. If you haven't heard them, try any of the following tracks:

Stack Shot Billy, 10 AM Automatic, Everywhere I Go, Heavy Soul, Strange Desire, Do the Rump, Just Couldn't Tie Me Down, Oceans & Streams, Thickfreakness, All Hands Against His Own, Remember When (Side B), Aeroplane Blues, Have Love Will Travel, Hard Row, When the Lights Go Out, Keep Me, Brooklyn Bound.

Ok, that's gotta be like half of their collected work, so I guess I think it's all pretty fuckin' awesome.

Twins wrote:I've been on an absolute Spoon kick lately...on band that's nigh near criminal not to hear

Saw these guys this summer in NYC and they always put on a terrific show. Definitely need to give the last couple albums some more spins, but whenever I try I always end up just listening to "Kill the Moonlight" and ignoring every album since b/c I love it so much.

Cubs wrote: Toots and The Maytals - True Love

If you dig Toots and the Maytals, you'd like Desmond Dekker (if you don't already have some of his stuff). A bit older sounding reggae, but he has such an awesome voice. My favorite tracks are "0.0.7 (Shanty Town)" "Pretty Africa" "Poor Mi (Israelites)" "Get Up Edina" and "Rudy Got Soul"

Marlins wrote:

Twins wrote:I've been on an absolute Spoon kick lately...on band that's nigh near criminal not to hear

Saw these guys this summer in NYC and they always put on a terrific show. Definitely need to give the last couple albums some more spins, but whenever I try I always end up just listening to "Kill the Moonlight" and ignoring every album since b/c I love it so much.

No kidding. I saw them last month in a small club here in Austin...and now I can't stop listening. When you get a chance, go to archive.org and download an amazing bootleg of their 9-22-2008 show at the Fillmore. Absolutely sublime

Been listening to gypsy punk lately, interesting stuff. Check out "Gogol Bordello".
Anyone have any thoughts on the new GnR album?

Picked up the new Killers & Kanye..but I'm not gonna open them till I see if they're they're cheaper on Black Friday.... GnR is $7.99 at Target....also going for the new Mudvayne.

Scored me a few over the weekend:
Theivery Corporation - Versions (Gnarles Barkley & TC on Austin City Limits last Saturday...fabuous).
DJ Food - Kaleidoscope (ambiant)
Matt Nathanson - new one
and some metal shit no one cares about.

I average about 2-5 new CD's a week. (well over 3k now!)

Rockies wrote: and some metal shit no one cares about.

There's bad metal and good metal, for me. Slayer's great metal, I'm just not personally that into it. Boris is about as deep into metal as I get ("Pink" is a great album for anyone who wants to toe the line between noise-rock and metal). Also just got an album by TK Webb and the Visions which has been aptly described as folk-metal (if that's even possible). The guy has a metal voice and approach, but the guitars aren't quite as heavy as most metal bands.

Red Sox wrote: Check out "Gogol Bordello"

Been meaning to try them out, as a couple people have recommended them to me, but I haven't heard 'em yet.

If you like Gnarls Barkley, get ANYTHING Cee-Lo has ever done, especially the Goodie Mob album "Soul Food." I just picked it up for $8, and it's terrific.

Rockies wrote:Picked up the new Killers & Kanye..but I'm not gonna open them till I see if they're they're cheaper on Black Friday.... GnR is $7.99 at Target....also going for the new Mudvayne.

I'm not really a fan of 808s and Heartbreak. It's ok. I appreciate that he's trying something different, but Love Lockdown and Heartless are the only two really memorable tracks...everything else just is all the same. I've read he'll come out with a rap album early next year, though.

Day & Age is ok as well. I prefer Sam's Town, but I need to listen to Day & Age more. Human grew on me after awhile- didn't like it much at first but now I enjoy it. So maybe the whole album will turn out that way for me. Would be nice if they mixed their sound up a bit, though.

I have all the goodie mob albums...as well as anything that Danger Mouse has done.

Marlins wrote:

Rockies wrote: and some metal shit no one cares about.

There's bad metal and good metal, for me. Slayer's great metal, I'm just not personally that into it. Boris is about as deep into metal as I get ("Pink" is a great album for anyone who wants to toe the line between noise-rock and metal). Also just got an album by TK Webb and the Visions which has been aptly described as folk-metal (if that's even possible). The guy has a metal voice and approach, but the guitars aren't quite as heavy as most metal bands.

Red Sox wrote: Check out "Gogol Bordello"

Been meaning to try them out, as a couple people have recommended them to me, but I haven't heard 'em yet.

That's what last.fm is for!

Rockies wrote: and some metal shit no one cares about.

If it's good you know I'll be interested, let me know.

And a big recommendation for everyone - Dave Grohl put out an album with the name Probot about five-six years ago. It's a bunch of songs he wrote and had a bunch of his teen influences do vocals and other stuff with him. Broke it out again a few weeks ago and forgot how great it was. It's a must-listen.

RedSox wrote:Anyone have any thoughts on the new GnR album?

I didn't like at all after the first time through. Some of it has grown on me a bit since. But ultimately it is one I wish I had not bought.....so far.

I'd call Chinese Democracy "good not great."