Down down, you bring me down
I’m spending another evening not being able to sleep, despite being totally shattered it seems my brain just cant shut down.
So i’m channel flicking. I’ve happened on Skins which seems to have become another version of Shameless but without the ‘comedy’. But it’s not the programme itself that’s caught my attention, but the adverts. Every advert break contains yet another band of i’ve a) never heard of and b) really despise on first hearing.
I’m confused at to what point I stop listening to new indie/rock music, or having any idea what genre half this stuff is. I though last year was bad (who the hell are Vampire Weekend for a start?) but now i’ve seriously lost all musical train of knowledge.
I used to listen to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Faith No More. Nirvana, Blind Melon and Soundgarden. Blur, Stone Roses, the Charlatans. I loved Rage Against the Machine being No.1. I loved ‘rock’ music.
Once.
But now i’m 30 it seems my ears can’t cope with this new breed. I hide behind Ray La Montagne and Xavier Rudd, Van Morrison and the Counting Crows. Anything soft, melodic and safe. Or old like Ocean Colour Scene. As Cynical commented on my last post, one of my favourite albums ever..Mosely Shoals came out 14 years ago.
14 f-ing years ago.
Where the hell has the time gone?
And when will the ‘good’ music be back?
I dread asking this question, but someone out there must know something at least worth half a listen?
Also still awake!!!
Moseley Shoals is one of my favourite albums too. That, along with “Jagged Little Pill” and “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” bring back memories of being 15/16. If only I could go back.
Unfortunately I can’t really recommend anything because my taste in music has gone ever so slightly cheesy of late – perhaps as a direct result of being overloaded with cheesy music in the charts etc. My favourite albums at the moment are Kelly Clarkson’s newest and also, surprisingly, Mandy Moore’s album “Amanda Leigh” which is totally not what I would have expected from her.
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 1:14 am
Aww, im writing some more of my ermmm novel… can i email you a bit?
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Paula Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 1:23 am
Sure – go ahead!
x
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Ooh you just listed some o0f my favourite bands: Blind Melon, Chilli Peppers, Blue, Stone Roses, Rage.
I love skins but I think I’m still clinging onto my youth slightly. I always find new and interesting bands to listen to from skins. There’s so much good music out there it’s just not on mainstream radio or in the charts, and I tend to not to listen to the charts.
I read a lot of music blogs and my itunes has the genius sidebar turned on so when I listen to a song it recommends something else similar I might like so I discover loads of new music that way.
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I’m confused at to what point I stop listening to new indie/rock music, or having any idea what genre half this stuff is
Don’t stop. Under the ‘indie’ banner is some of the best music in the world.
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Thank God I’m not the only one. I have no idea who most of these new bands are! I used to know loads about music. Now I feel old and know nothing!
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Some of my favs at the moment. Am sure you’ll find at least a couple of bands that you don’t know but can get excited about
Oh and I very rarely listen to any chart music, so don’t expect to find any of it here!
(ones marked with * I’ve been lucky enough to catch live or have tickets to do see soon)
*And so I watch you from afar
Beautiful Small Machines
Blood red shoes
Captain
CSS
Cut Copy
*Does it offend you, yeah?
ELO
*Ellie Goulding
*Fight like apes
*Friendly Fires
*Frightened Rabit
*Futuristic Retro Champions
Hadouken!
Hot Chip
*Ladyhawke
*Metric
*New young pony club
*Passion Pit
The Polyphonic Spree
Red light company
Rodrigo y Gabriela
*Santogold
*Sia
Silversun Pickups
The Teenagers
We were promised Jetpacks
White lies
Wilco
Yeah yeah yeahs
Yelle
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Well, maybe i’m not that bad…have heard of (and like)and * seen…
*CSS
Cut Copy – hip hop, if im not getting confused…
*Hot Chip
Ladyhawke
*The Polyphonic Spree
Santogold
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Aaron Bassett Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
How dare you accuse me of listening to hip hop!
Cut Copy are synthpop – http://www.last.fm/music/cut+copy
(so jealous you’ve been to see CSS & Hot Chip. Hot Chip are playing Glasgow soon but only tickets left are in crappy balcony)
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Can i be annoying? Cut Copy was originally hip hop and I quote “The musical lovechild of Melbournite Dan Whitford, Cut Copy was originally a solo project for Whitford to exercise his love of sampling and instrumental hip-hop.”
I saw Cut Copy at ‘Scratch’ a long time ago (maybe late 1990s)
:p
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Aaron Bassett Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
That is me well and truly told.
However I don’t think that classification is still valid. Though as discussed you are clinging to the musical past, so I suppose we’ll let it slide!
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Aaron, ill try and drag out some old Cut Copy mixes for you.
I read they are a little like the Avalanches? At least on some of their mixes? But I’ll def check them out, in fact if i think back they were playing in Edinburgh a couple of years ago and i very nearly went!
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Aaron Bassett Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Am only winding you up
But it would be interesting to hear some of their older stuff, just to see the progression.
You should grab their mix, So Cosmic as well. Worth a listen: http://cut-copy.blogspot.com/2008/01/so-cosmic.html
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Same here… I got stuck listening to mid-nineties stuff and somehow am not even in the loop when some of my old favs get something new out. I used to listen to this radio station that played kinda indie rock stuff and it would keep me updated but I stopped since I moved here.
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Honest opionion? You’re getting old(er) and your tastes are evolving. I used to listen to most of the bands you’ve listed, but have to say they feature very little in the music I choose to listen to now.
14 years ago if you’d told me that that my top five albums in a year would consist of epic backwoods pop, minimalist Swedish techno, a hippy songstress, stripped down soul and Danish prog I’d have laughed heartily.
There’s plenty of great music out there, it just depends how hard you want to look for it. Happy to provide plenty of recommendations, likewise @lastyearsgirl_ and @gaseousbrain I’m sure!
All I can suggest is that you embrace what you’re into now and enjoy it – that’s what I do, safe in the knowledge that I’ll probably be into something completely different next year!
S
PS Kinda like Vampire Weekend, though I know there not everyone’s cup of darjeeling.
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last year's girl Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Heehee, Stu, I have to chip in just to say Vampire Weekend make me nauseous OH HOW I HAVE TRIED
K, there’ll be a new mix up at some point next week! Saying that though, I find myself seeking out less and less new music these days; clinging to my old favourites like they’re some sort of security blanket.
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Evil_Stu Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 10:17 am
Honestly, you’ll be telling me you don’t like the xx next!
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14 years?!!
Oh dear.
I’m not sure about this ‘modern music’ malarkey. I think music peaked in 1996.
I’d stick with your OCS if I were you.
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
1996, the year i left home… 18 years old.
Ahh 1996…Odelay by Beck, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, Northern Exposure – Sasha & John Digweed, A Maximum High by Shed Seven, Down on the Upside by Soundgarden, Tigermilk by Belle & Sebastian, Beats, Rhymes and Life by A Tribe Called Quest, Becoming X by the Sneaker Pimps..
Lets not mention the Spice Girls tho…
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Aled Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I was going with A Design for Life – Manics, Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis, Goldfinger – Ash. Ahhhh, good stuff!
And of course, Return of The Mack (note to self: Sarcasm doesn’t work well written down!)
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@Aled Anything by The Manics is excellent, but don’t overlook James Dean Bradfield’s brilliant solo album.
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Good list by Aaron there, I went to see Frightened Rabbit before Christmas, good little gig. New album is out soon I think.
No new albums have stood out for a while for me apart from the Mumford & Sons album. I can’t get them off my long player at the minute, acoustic/folky type music (dont let my description put you off though). If you like Fleet Foxes/Bon Iver you’ll like them.
Give Gaslight Anthem a listen too.
(as we’re remembering 96, wasn’t Scatman John rocking the pop pickers chart about them too?!)
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smidge Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Considering i like folky things i’ve been meaning to check out Mumford & Sons for a while – I mean check them out properly rather than the dribble of theirs that is regularly on the radio.
But the Boy hates them, which doesnt help!
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You should check out Vampire Weekend. The first album really is great, and you’ll instantly recognise a load of their tunes.
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Man i love all the music i loved 15 years ago but then i also love Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, Madina Lake, Panic! At the Disco and other emo loveliness. Plus Seth Lakeman, Nick Drake and Fairport Convention as well as Little Boots, Pixie Lott and La Roux
If you don’t already may i suggest you have a listen to Brennigs podacst ‘This Reality’. masses of really good new indie bands and little known things with a few really popular tracks too (plus Bren and Soph talking about cheese and killing people a lot)
I don’t think it matters if you like popular music so long as you like good music or can appreciate the merits in what you listen to.
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@LizSara Thank you so much for the podcast Big Up. I shall make sure we play some of my favourite emo band – My Chemical Romance – just for you. We’ve got just over 150 tracks waiting to be played but MCR will figure either this or next week, promise. And killing people? Us?
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