60 posts tagged “music”
One of my friends did something like this over on Livejournal, so I figured I'd do it myself, with a lot more detail. These are in chronological order based on how old I was when I heard 'em.
They Might Be Giants - Flood (6th grade or so)
This is probably the first decent album I ever bought. And while I bought a lot of crap after it, most likely, it's one of the few things I listened to when I was 12 that I would still say is pretty sweet.
Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love (7th grade or so)
This album is where I realized that good bands come from Boise. I didn't fully "get it" at the time. I was kind of a slow kid.
Minor Threat - Complete Discography (8th grade-ish)
The first punk album I ever bought. This band is still the quintessential hardcore band to me. I hated this when I first heard it.
Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun (9th grade-ish)
When I first heard this, I had no idea what I was listening to. All I knew is I'd never heard anything like it and I wanted to keep listening to it. That was about... 1999 or so.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O. (I think this was 2002-ish)
Another one I had no idea what I was hearing when I first heard it. I'd heard this band's name tossed around a lot and unintentionally decided to start with their least digestible album by far. The last track on this album is their best song, hands down.
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (2003-ish)
I keep coming back to this album even now and finding something new I like about it. I'm really glad I never got to see NMH live because I think it would destroy this album for me.
Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me, Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (2005-ish)
These two hit me around the same time thanks largely to the influence of the same person, actually (jamie kind of pulled my head out of the dirt in a lot of ways). Made me appreciate the 90's a hell of a lot more.
Nation of Ulysses - Plays Pretty For Baby (2006-2007 or so)
This album simultaneously made me really skeptical of newer hardcore, and gave me a new appreciation for it. For example, after listening to this, I really can't stand Refused, who mostly got famous by watering this album down and biting its style, hard. On the other hand, I don't think I'd appreciate bands like Orchid or pg.99 nearly as much without this little piece of context.
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band - "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites
Gather + Sing (early 2008)
I dug their first album, and I heard it long before this one, but unlike that album, which sounded a lot like Godspeed You! Black Emperor reigning themselves in a bit, this album, which sounded nothing at all like GYBE, opened my eyes to a lot of things. For example, now I can't help but wonder, "what is this band trying to accomplish and why are they still sticking to the same formula that's been played out for years?" every time I hear another "post-rock" band. Here are a bunch of people who played a part in writing the book, completely throwing it out the window and playing some of the most innovative music I've heard in a long time.
There are a lot of things I would've liked to include in this list. But I think this is a good 10 albums that sort of shaped my musical perceptions from about the time I was first conscious of it to now. If you haven't heard any of these albums, I'd definitely recommend you do so as soon as possible.
Wolves in the Throne Room. Anyone in Boise who missed it missed out hard. Yeah.
Opening bands were alright on average. Pussygutt ruled about as hard as Cast Into Finality sucked.
(I hope you enjoy it)
If you're in Boise and haven't heard, Justin Cantrell recently got fined pretty goddamn hard due to complaints by his square-ass neighbors for putting on shows at his house (The Myrtle Morgue). This place has gotten some sick shows over the years, and Mr. Cantrell has done immeasurable good for Boise's music scene, so the Gagtard Fest is being held as a benefit for him. Show up or you're out of the cool kids club. Bring money to help him out with his legal fees. He'd do it for you! Thanks. Here are the details:
So here it is! Psychedelic Jungle is probably one of the best things to come out of the otherwise mostly crap rockabilly revival scene. If you haven't heard this band, give 'em a listen.
I've noticed that almost everything I've heard on Prank Records kind of rules. I guess that should go without saying. They did reissue some Born Against... So I should listen to more of their releases. Yeah.
Also, I've officially got a copy of the new Wolves in the Throne Room with my name on it. I reserved it at the Record Exchange yesterday. Apparently it's got some extra stuff on it. I'd say that makes it a lot easier to be totally okay with the almost year-long wait for the vinyl.
And now, I'm hungry. Bye for now, Internet!
Some records I've picked up/been all about lately. All of them are really, really different from each other, and all of them are highly recommended by me.
Nightshadow are delicious psych-garage. I found this album on a music blog a while ago, and figured I'd share a track from it. Apparently legit copies of this record go for about 3 grand when they turn up at all, which seems pretty rare.
What I dig about this is the kind of 13th Floor Elevators vibe they give off, without sounding like a direct ripoff of that kind of sound. I really dig the experimentation on this album. But the one track that really stands out is "I Can't Believe," which turns into an epic psych-noodle thing.
If anyone would be interested, I could keep sharing strange, rare tracks I find on various blogs. Who would want me to keep doing that? Anyone?
Because I totally will. Hell, I probably will anyway. But I hope y'all dig this track.
