Kat's Big Ginormous Amazingly Long Music Poll!

[katallison]

In which you, dear readers, get to advise me extensively and lift me from the crevasse of cultural ignoramushood. The Poll So Big, It Comes In Parts! And On Cutaway!



So, this part of the poll is: Imagine that you have been charged with enlightening someone who has lived in a cave since the mid-70s about the music of the past 30 years.

[Background: The living-in-a-cave part is not much of an exaggeration. I more or less stopped listening to popular music about the time vinyl went out, due to a combination of changing tastes and amazing lack of income. Most of my music collection of the late 70s through the late 90s grew out of a very primitive form of piracy, consisting of:
(1) Go to the library and check out LPs (almost exclusively classical or older jazz);
(2) Dupe them onto cassette tapes;
(3 Return LPs to library, listen to cassette tapes on crappy tape player.

When CDs came to the fore, I looked at them, thought, "Huh. Boy, *those* are pricey," contemplated my amazing lack of income, and passed them by. I also didn't have a car, so the input mode of driving around listening to random shit on the radio wasn't happening. And so, with one thing and another, I basically had no connection with any music that hit the airwaves between, say, 1975 and the present day.]

But now that I have the amazing resources of Our Glorious Intrawebs (in the form of a Rhapsody subscription--Rhapsody rocks!--as well as iTunes et al.), and even some actual income, I am taking on the project of actually trying to listen to current music (for a broad definition of "current") and figure out what I like. So your question is:

What five albums/artists (random number, feel free to contract or expand it) are essential for me to check out, representing music without which Jeezus Keerist, Kat, your life has been a barren wasteland spent in a cave!? (Note: this is just a reply-in-comments kind of poll, devoid of ticky-boxes, because the limitations of LJ's Poll Creator for text boxes frustrates me.)

Part II: So, When/Where/How Do You Listen to Music, Anyway?

[Background: OK, this will sound funny and pathetic to most of you, but one of the things that hinders my plunge back into the realm of music appreciation is that I've simply gotten out of the habit of having music on. Driving around in the car is about it, but I don't drive much, and the rest of my life is basically background-music-free. So really, I'm just curious about how everyone else manages to work this into their lives.]

[Poll #462147]

ETA: Thanks so much for all the great ideas so far!
And although, as noted in the comments, part of my intent was to not restrict your suggestions within the framework of my pre-existing preferences, still I realize a few directional markers might be helpful. So, just a short list of some of the (very few) CDs I have actually purchased and dug:
David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, Blonde on Blonde
Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Sessions
Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense
REM, Automatic for the People
Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street
The Donnas, Spend the Night
Bonnie Raitt, Luck of the Draw
...to the extent that this provides any help whatsoever. *g*

Comments

[minim_calibre]

What five albums/artists (random number, feel free to contract or expand it) are essential for me to check out, representing music without which Jeezus Keerist, Kat, your life has been a barren wasteland spent in a cave!?

Of course, I've realized recently that my exposure to music produced after 1992 is pretty minimal, but I'll give it a shot...

Pulp: Different Class
Camper Van Beethoven: Key Lime Pie
Soul Coughing: Irresistable Bliss
Depeche Mode: Violator
Tori Amos: Boys For Pele

(This list of five brought to you by iTunes, the shuffle feature, and the fast forward button.)

[popfantastic.livejournal.com]

Pulp was *exactly* where I was going to start my recommendations. (Which I will do later, really, because I was supposed to have left the house twenty minutes ago.)

[norah.livejournal.com]

As for the artists, it depends on what you liked before, honestly. Country? Rock? Male vocalists? Heavy guitar? Female vocalists? Things that made you want to dance? I have five favorite pop artists, five favorite angry girl artists, five favorite hip-hop artists, five favorite country/folk artists, five favorite odd alterna artists, etc.

If you want to explore music, I can put together some download zips for you. All my music is listed here (http://www.nicebutnubbly.com/misc/songlist.htm). If you see anything you're particularly interested in, let me know (a list of artists, and I'll take it from there) or if you'd just like to give me general guidelines...

[katallison.livejournal.com]

See, this is part of the problem; I'm not even sure what the various categories mean to various people, and when I've tried to formulate some generalities--e.g., "not crazy about loud dumb hard rock"--then I think "But I like the Ramones! or what little I've heard of them, anyway!" So as much as anything I'm looking to have my preconceptions about what I *think* I like shook up a bit.

That list of yours is *amazing* and a bit overwhelming, but as I formulate ideas, I'll get back to you, with many thanks!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Have any vids made you think "who is that *singing*"? Or "I have to have that song". It would help if we knew what you liked going in, so we could work from your tastes and branch off...

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Heh. As noted in reply to makesmewannadie above, it's really hard for me to define what I like, and as much as anything I'm looking to bust out of the confines of my own extremely limited experience, by checking out stuff that is liked by people whose tastes I trust.

I will say that almost all the knowledge I do have of current music comes from vids, but so often it's hard for me to separate liking the song from liking the vid. (E.g., I really don't like rap, but I love Lum's Southwest Voodoo vid and have come to sort of enjoy the song via the vid.)

[basingstoke.livejournal.com]

After 1975? :)

Nirvana: Nevermind
Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Clash: Combat Rock
Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth

(although I am SO tempted to throw some Einsturzende Neubauten at you, omg. But I doubt very much Rhapsody would have anything of theirs.)

[minim_calibre]

Einsturzende Neubauten appears on their available artists list. Which kind of shocked me, but there you have it.

I totally second the Pogues rec. (Actually, all of Bas's suggestions are good.)

I have the same problem you have

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

...although my cave began in 1990, when I graduated college. Since then, I have hardly ever been exposed to new music (contemporary a cappella being the one exception -- it's my other fandom *g*). And I am not in the habit of listening to it during my daily life, mainly because I'm not a multi-tasker *at all*. I can't have it on while I'm doing any activity that requires my forebrain -- not at work, not while reading or writing (I start typing the lyrics!), not while hanging out online. It's frustrating, and I'm always looking for a new way to get music back into my life.

Anyway, my recommendations are not all that contemporary, but they post-date the mid-70s, so I figure they qualify. (: Not knowing your taste, I don't know whether any of these will suit you, but I think they are musically important as well as great fun in their own right:

Pink Floyd, "Wish You Were Here"

Peter Gabriel, "Security"

Talking Heads, "Stop Making Sense" (if you have the chance to rent the concert film, I strongly encourage you to do so)

Indigo Girls, "Rites of Passage"

Dar Williams, "Mortal City"

I have more if these turn out to be to your taste. Lately, I'm moving away from classic rock/new wave and further into contemporary folk. Let me know what floats your boat.

Re: I have the same problem you have

[nestra.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like her list. "Mortal City" is one of my favorite albums ever, and I'm a big fan of all of Peter Gabriel's stuff. I'd also suggest, say...Mary Chapin Carpenter's "A Place in the World" (countryish), Cassandra Wilson's "New Moon Daughter" (jazzish), and maybe some David Gray (folky techish). If you find something you like, and I have it, you're welcome to anything from my iTunes collection.

[popfantastic.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling I will come back with more after you have answered a couple of the inquiries again. For now:

seconding the suggestion of Pulp - Different Class or the newest retrospective (Hits)
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (not necessarily her best, but her most immediately accessible, and pretty much required for anyone with a Patti Smith icon)
Belle and Sebastian - either If You're Feeling Sinister or Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
Elliott Smith - XO

[katallison.livejournal.com]

*mwah!!* Thanks so much for these recs - they are all wholly unfamiliar to me, and I look forward to investigating them!

Re: Music

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for these lists! Your mix lists are very helpful, with the mood/fandom/thematic context for individual songs, and the RS/Billboard ones do a great job of reminding me of various classics I've never actually gotten familiar with. I go forth to explore, and thanks again!

[brynwulf]

As someone roughly the same age as you and who also didn't listen to music from about 1980 to 1995, I've discovered there isn't much out there currently that I'm all excited about. My peek outside the cave only happened about five years ago, so are the sounds that I've discovered since then that I sorta like (this are only groups, not particular songs):

Nickelback
Barenaked Ladies
New Santana albums
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Dido
Rufus Wainwright
Nina Simone (heh, don't *even* laugh at me...I didn't discover her till I saw "Point of No Return."
Dar Williams

Let me know if you discover you like any of these. :)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

These are at least *names* that I know (*g*), though I have very little familiarity with what they do, so I shall have great fun investigating. Thanks so much!

[luminosity]

My musical tastes are large and varied--some would even say indiscriminate *g*--but there are specific albums and groups/solo acts that fill my own 'desert island' scenario:

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Nirvana - Nevermind
Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step AND Couldn't Stand the Weather -- pick one
Rusted Root - When I Woke
Tom Waits - Bone Machine

*cough* These are all available for, umm, err, uhh,... yeah. Just let me know.

[heresluck]

I LOVE that Rusted Root CD. And -- I'm only thinking this because *you* mentioned me -- half the stuff on there is really, really viddable.

Hmmm...

[renenet.livejournal.com]

R.E.M., man. Start early, with Murmur and Reckoning.

Aimee Mann. Just about anything, but maybe try her solo debut, Whatever, first.

Okay, now my brain is spinning too hard trying to think about 30 years of music and what to prioritize, so more suggestions if and when true inspiration strikes.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I meant to mention The Weakerthans. Left & Leaving and Reconstruction Site.

[lunaris1013.livejournal.com]

To finish the ticky-box poll: I also listen in the shower. I keep a cd player in my bathroom, as a matter of fact.

I am pathetically backwards in my musical tates, listening to very little that was released after the mid-90s. Half the stuff recc'd above I've never even heard of - but I tend to like roots rock and hard guitar stuff and have almost completely eshewed Chicks-With-Pianos and anything remotely "alternative."

*If you'd like some Ramones, Ramones Mania is a fine compilation.

*Since I love Springsteen as much as I do, I absoutely think you should check out his stuff. The Rising is the best of his more recent work; The River is a fine example of his earlier work. Please avoid the Greatest Hits disc - it's all surface and no depth.

*U2 - The Joshua Tree

*Barenaked Ladies - Gordon

And that's all I've got that hasn't already been mentioned, 'cause I'm leaving out the harder stuff.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, m'dear! Springsteen, yes -- I've heard some of his better-known hits, and always thought I should explore more deeply, and now I shall, along with the others you mention. Thanks again!

[sidewinder.livejournal.com]

1. Reggatta De Blanc - The Police (You just KNEW The Police would have to top my list and I still think this is their quintessential album)
2. Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon. His best later work...IMO his best work, period.
3. Animals - Pink Floyd (I know Wish You Were Here wins the popular vote; I prefer Animals).
4. Paul's Boutique - The Beastie Boys (The Sgt. Pepper of rap. And I'm not even that found of rap, save the Beasties...)
5. Haunted - Poe (Even if it's been vidded to death in this day and age...she's still one of the only 90s-and-beyond artists I really have grown to love and one of the few female artists in my permanent collection.)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I've only heard one or two songs by The Police, and will check out the album you mention. And you know, Life'll Kill Ya was somewhere on my (foggy) mental list, on the basis of your mentioning it in LJ posts, so thanks for the reminder, and for the other albums you rec, which I shall look into.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

My 5

Queens of the Stone Age -- any album (My icon is the driving force behind the band, Josh Homme)

The Smiths -- Meat is Murder

Violent Femmes -- Violent Femmes

Primus -- Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Morphine -- Cure for Pain

---

And I 2nd the votes for:

Depeche Mode: Violator

Fiona Apple: Tidal

Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand

Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral

The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God

Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step AND Couldn't Stand the Weather

R.E.M. Murmur and Reckoning

Beastie Boys -- Paul's Botique

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Coolness! These are all unfamiliar to me (well, I know some of the *names*) but a number of them have received multiple endorsements, and all shall be cued up for a good listening-to. Thanks so much!

[copracat]

Style Council - Introducing The Style Council 1983
Paul Weller is an utter, utter god of pop. He's made of music. Follow this record with early Jam albums then leap into his recent covers album, Studio 150, a lesson on flawless musicianship. Weller's output covers the seventies (The Jam - In The City 1977) to the now and he's been right where music is every moment of those almost thirty years.

Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress 2003
The albums recced above are very fine, though I would place Tigermilk before them. This, their latest, is magical. It sparkles and laughs and is tastily melancholy. It is the bright sun shining on a pretty girl's swinging perfect hair, it is the clipped click click of her heels as she walks down the street. It's sweet and funny and sad and the music slips through your fingers like days. Belle and Sebastian are the love children of Gram Parsons and Dusty Springfield.

The Lemonheads - The Best of the Lemonheads The Atlantic Years 1998
And really, this rec is not just because there's a brilliant Sentinel vid to "The Outdoor Type" or because I love "Big Gay Heart". It's a lovely album and is a nineties antidote to all the grunge and the wrist-slitters you are being recced. (Which is not to say that isn't good music, it just that music partook of a particularly melancholy slice of the nineties generation.)

New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies 1983
Changed the direction of music at the beginning of eighties.

Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill 1986
This is clever, vocally and lyrically sweet, rock and punk and rap.

N'Sync - Celebrity 2001
No, really. You want to know where music has been in the last thirty years? This album is like the confluence of the Mekong and the Tonle Sap and the Bassac rivers - three mighty influences, three major directions, occassionally it flows backwards! But you don't sell millions of albums without having something that makes people want to listen to your music. And that's pop, baby.

Kasey Chambers - Barricades and Brick Walls
This is where country music is coming from.

I know you said five, but frankly, that's impossible.
Annie Lennox - Medusa (though Bare is also brilliant)
Living Colour - Vivid
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Kate Bush - Sensual World
George Michael - Faith
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
AC/DC - Back in Black
The Pixies - Doolittle
Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Oh My God! You just have to listen to everything!!!

I've privileged pop, rap/hip-hop and country music because it seemed you were getting a lot of grunge and rock recs from everyone else.

If you do try Einsterzende Neubaten, I can recommend their doco soundtrack, Berlin Babylon. I'll get back to you when I'm reunited with my cable connection.

And now to bed. I'll wake up tomorrow with a completely different list, I just know it.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

OMG, you have got some incredibly electic tastes.

:D

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

Email me your snail-mail address and I'll send you a mix CD of some "more recent than Ziggy Stardust" Bowie music. :-)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Wheee! Will do! (And how did I know you might have some Bowie to rec...*g*) Honestly, Ziggy Stardust is one of my all-time most-important albums, but somehow I've never really checked out much of Bowie's other work, so this'll be great. Thank you so very much!

[heresluck]

Can I just make you a mix? Or, like, a small boxed set of mixes?

Let's see. I second renenet's recommendations, and also tzikeh's rec of Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism.

A five-to-start-with:
Bettie Serveert, Private Suit
The Frames, For The Birds
Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (about which a lot of people say "I don't like hip-hop but I like this CD")
Peter Mulvey, Kitchen Radio
Sleater-Kinney, All Hands on the Bad One

And a few more things I've been listening to in the last fifteen years, with emphasis on relatively recent stuff:

Erykah Badu, Baduizm
The Blue Aeroplanes, Swagger
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head
The Connells, anything; Weird Food and Devastation is probably a good starting point
Kris Delmhorst, Songs for a Hurricane
Jeffrey Foucault, Stripping Cane
Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers
Emmylou Harris, Wrecking Ball
Hem, Rabbit Songs
Angelique Kidjo, Oremi
Laura Love, Shum Ticky
Madder Rose, Tragic Magic
Matt Pond PA, The Nature of Maps or Emblems
Mos Def, Black on Both Sides (see above re: Lauryn Hill)
Nada Surf, Let Go
New Order, Substance
The Replacements, anything; Don't Tell A Soul is a good place to start
Josh Ritter, Hello Starling
Josh Rouse, Home
Garrison Starr, Airstreams and Satellites

...and see also my posts on CDs I got in 2003.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

Can I just make you a mix? Or, like, a small boxed set of mixes?

I think you must. For it is your calling and the fate of all humankind may hang in the balance.

(What??! She hasn't been listening to new music in thirty years!

[rhi]

A couple I just haven't seen mentioned anywhere --

Afro Celt Sound System: Seed

Pete Townsend: White City

Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes

Red Shoe Diaries (soundtrack)

Forever Knight (soundtrack; the first one, not the second)

Music I love, and music I love to write to. Do I even need to mention Jim Byrnes' "That River" album, though?

And thanks for posting this -- I'm enjoying seeing what stuff other people recommend.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Wheee! Thanks so much, m'dear! Shall look into all of these. (And my god, how could I not have reflected that Jim Byrnes might have an album out, maybe? One of my happiest memories is getting to see him perform at the big HL Reunion Con in LA a few years back -- he was *incredible*.)

Thanks again!

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

Several of the CDs I would have recommended you actually already own, so...here are a few albums that I have and can listen to over and over, which is not something I often do:

The Clash - London Calling
Jeff Buckley - Grace (this has his version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which rarely fails to make me cry)
Rufus Wainwright - Poses
The Pixies - Doolittle
The Cars - The Cars
Green Day - Dookie
Ok Go - Ok Go (because they have a lot of fun with words)
David Gray - White Ladder (if you like Dylan)
Jason Mraz - Waiting for my Rocket
John Mellencamp - Trouble No More
Moby - Play
Portishead - Dummy
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (acoustic versions of their songs and a spectacular cover of Bowie's Man Who Sold the World)
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Van Morrison - Moondance (I have no idea when this came out, now that I think about it, but it's one of my top five albums of all time)


...er, yeah. I think that's enough for now.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks so much! I've heard (and liked!) a few individual songs by a few of these people, but it's wonderful to have album recs to follow up on, and many of these are wholly unknown to me. Thanks again!

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

I feel a deep urge to make you mix CDs. (If you feel I'm trustworthy, you can always send me your addy...) Also, I will get back to this post when I'm home and have my music within reach, because my memory is lousy. :)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Trustworthy? Hmmmmm... you *are* one of those wily and devious Swedes, after all, but I know better than to thwart your deep urges...

Address being sent, with much much gratitude -- anything you felt like sending would be cherished, and postage shall be reimbursed. (I'm not entirely savvy about the etiquette of CD-mix-sharing, but I do know that postage across the Atlantic is pricey.) And you are a goddess.

[lapillus]

Tuesday, after they gym, stop in and we'll go through my collection and I'll hand you things :-) It's simpler than typing in titles.

[lapillus]

It looks like I have a stack of about thirty, some of which are mentioned in other comments.

radio me

[evenfers.livejournal.com]

flipping thru friends-friends...planning to shamelessly listen in on these suggestions, so here's some from me.

Biggest specific way I listen to music now is not by album. Never really liked to do that, so I have a lot of soundtrack CD's.

Too much of one flavor at once, and suddenly you're sick of it. Now CD's get ripped to disk right away and either listened to in the shuffle or if I really love them, end up on a mix cd in the car cd collection.

Artist and favorite song(s) of the moment:

Ani Difranco: (To the Teeth album) Cloud Blood, Carry you around, Back Back Back, Wish I may
Beck: Diamond Dogs, Nobody's fault but my own
Belle and Sebastian: Sleep the clock around
Bjork: (Selmasounds album) 107 steps, I've seen it all, New world
Cake: I will survive, Building a religion, Rock and roll lifestyle
Chris Isaak: Blue hotel
Crowded House: Sister Madly, Always take the weather with you
Elisa: Luce(tramonti a nord est, Rock your soul, Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover, and he's gotta be included too, but he started by the 70's at least. Ditto Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, Cat Stephens, etc)
Eurythmics: I saved the world today
Jason Mraz: 0% interest, Sing glory
Joan Jett: Cherry bomb, Hit me with your best shot
Joan Osborne: Man in the long black coat (Dylan cover), Spooky, St.Theresa
Kate rusby: Let the cold wind blow
Magnetic Fields: All the umbrellas in london
Manu Chao: Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Trapped by love, Que hora son mi corazon
moe.: Plane Crash, Captain America, New York City
Morphine: Top floor, bottom buzzer, pulled over the car
Prince: (ymmv, these tracks have stood the test of time for me, though some I used to like, haven't) Anna Stesia, Thieves in the temple, Starfish and coffee
Sara Bareilles: Fairytale (no major label album yet, but you can buy her album at http://www.sarabmusic.com, more than worth it IMO.)
Sinead O'Connor: Daddy I'm fine, The last day of our acquaintance, The emperor's new clothes, Sacrifice (Elton John cover)
Sublime: Scarlet begonias, Early in the morning
Talking Heads: Sugar on my tongue, Nothing but flowers
Willy Mason: What's so bad about being bad, Our town, Where the humans eat, Sold my soul

Re: radio me

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Wow, fantastic list! And I don't think I've heard a single one of these songs, so I really look forward to working my way through them. Many many thanks!

[lifeinwords.livejournal.com]

I second most of heres_luck's recs, and will add a few of my own:

Afghan Whigs, '1969.'
Cat Power, 'You Are Free.'
Counting Crows, 'August and Everything After.'
The Decemberists, 'Castaways & Cutouts.'
The Faint, 'Danse Macabre.'
Gillian Welch, 'Soul Journey.'
The Gossip, 'Arkansas Heat.'
Guided by Voices, 'Do the Collapse.
Ida, 'Will You Find Me.'
The Innocence Mission, 'Befriended.'
Interpol, 'Turn on the Bright Lights.'
Iron & Wine, 'The Creek Drank the Cradle.'
Jeff Buckley, 'Grace.'
Radiohead, 'The Bends' to start and anything after.
Sleater-Kinney, 'One Beat.'

Okay, now I will stop before I go through my entire iTunes collection. But I'm more than happy to send you some mixes as well, if you like. Let me know.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Great list! Thank you so much! A few of these artists are on my foggy mental list of "must check them out", but it's wonderful to have specific songs to start with. Thanks again!

[umbo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to name five bands rather than five cds, 'k?

The Tragically Hip
REM (looks like you're already at least a little familiar with them)
Great Big Sea
Paula Cole
Rickie Lee Jones

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Right after I read this list, I d/l'd and watched Heuradys's new Wilby Wonderful vid, and realized that both the songs it uses (which I loved) were by the Tragically Hip, so -- synchronicity! Great Big Sea is one I've been meaning to check out--a lot of people I trust love them--and REM is a group I know I like but haven't listened to enough of. Have never heard Paula Cole and Rickie Lee Jones, so I shall investigate them forthwith. Thank you so much, sweetie!

[sinensiss.livejournal.com]

I second many of the recs listed above, and because I don't think he's been mentioned, I'm going to add Elvis Costello. He has a large catalogue, but a good starting place is The Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Smart, funny, lovelorn, angry--he covers the block, and writes great songs. Equally brilliant at lyrics and melody, which is unusual--kind of a Cole Porter of modern punk pop. I think he might be someone you'd enjoy.

(and also, Prince--has anyone mentioned Prince? if you want to shake your ass and dance, there's no one finer.)

eta: sorry! fixed the link.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

You know, Elvis Costello is someone I've been meaning to check out *forever* but keep forgetting to, so thanks very much for the reminder! (*adding to list*)

And Prince I will check out as well -- for a long time I had a weird aversion to him which I think was entirely about the persona rather than the music (with which I'm pretty much entirely unfamiliar). Must give him a fair shake (and an ass-shake *g*).

Thanks so much, m'dear!

I use it for writing to

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to see a vid done to Chris Isaac's song 29 Palms--sorry, dunno which album it was on. I'm not sure what fandom it deserves, or how you'd use it to comment ironically on a particular series (maybe an ep that happens to be set in SoCal, I'm not sure), but it has such an intriguing tone. And yes, that's exactly what it's like out there in that part of the desert, or was 20 years ago.
But all his stuff that I've heard (his earlier mostly) sounds to me like it belongs in a vampire series soundtrack. Or Vampyre, if you prefer. Very reverb pedal, echoing, distant, so cool it has freezerburn.
If anybody's mentioned John Fogarty's latest stuff here, I missed seeing it. I'm rather fond of his whole album Blue Moon Swamp, which won a Grammy as Best Rock Album, but is more country/bluesy sounding to me--gutbucket rock, perhaps. Those songs all sound viddable to me, but I ain't an expert neither. If somebody hasn't used Walking in a Hurricane for a vid already then they ought to. (Told you I wasn't an expert.) I can't help but think Rattlesnake Highway could be turned into something fun and ironic and wierd, though it isn't a fun song.
Second the motion on Tom Waits, too. Behind the Red Barn, In the Colisseum are more one-shots, not daily listening, but impressive impact. Not easy to listen to. Come away with your head changed...
Since I like to listen to music to set the tone in my head when I'm writing, as in, "this is for movin' along briskly" (Forgarty's good for that) and "this is for thinking slowly and clearly" (I tend toward Mozart for that)--the Waits is about dealing straight-on with really tough stuff.
I also rather like most of the soundtrack to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, parts of which were performed by the cello player Yoyo Ma, and I've been thinking about tracking down more of Tan Dun's compositions. It's a little on the sentimental side sometimes for me, since I tend to listen to that on mp3 player while at work, which isn't a good venue for sentimentality, but it does ground me back into my whole, real life and out of the clouds of paperwork, which is helpful.

Re: I use it for writing to

[rhi]

Did Chris Isaak cover 29 Palms? The only version I ever heard was Robert Plant...? (Man, this has been fun to read.)