Hope everybody had a good holiday! Spent the weekend lounging lakeside reading The Stand (water was too cold to swim) and assessing various repairs the house needs, including the waterbed that suddenly split it’s seam on my gf and me. Fun. [mad]
So, per Olsen’s request, an abridged list of random bands/records I dig to get a feel for what I’m into:
Everything Faith No More
Everything Mr. Bungle
Pretty much everything Mike Patton does, although I never really got into Fantomas and that last Tomahawk album just didn’t work for me. I’m a big fan of Chuck Moseley too.
95% of Pigface
The Jesus Lizard
RevCo - BSQ & LFG
Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish (band with the guy from Bright Eyes, but a million times better than Bright Eyes)
Coil
Swans - especially the later stuff
16Volt - LetDownCrush, SuperCoolNothing
Bloc Party - They’ll never top their debut record. Love it.
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Man Man
Skinny Puppy, Ohgr, The Tear Garden, Download
(esp. The Eyes Of Stanley Pain)
Ruby - Short-Staffed At The Gene Pool
MC Paul Barman
Greydon Square (atheist rapper)
Dan The Automator/Deltron 3030/Dr. Octagon/Kool Keith
Psychic TV (the last two records I REALLY dig)
Enon is pretty cool.
Some Daft Punk now and then.
They Might Be Giants - Factory Showroom
Harry Chapin
Aphex Twin is cool but the “Alarm Will Sound” 22 piece chamber orchestra playing Aphex Twin songs is even cooler.
Barrington Levy
My gf is super into NIN, I dug them in high school until all the preppy kids started getting into him, my first experience really having a band ruined for me by asshole fans. I really only ever listen to Broken, Fixed, and The Downward Spiral anymore. And the “Purest Feeling” boot, which I think is way better than Pretty Hate Machine except no Terrible Lie. Yes, I agree with the general consensus that his lyrics are 14 yo cringeworthy.
I like a lot of Chris Connelly’s solo stuff. I have an autographed copy of Whiplash Boychild, I love that record. The one with “Mirror Lips” on it is fucking rad. I dug the High Confessions too. And SOME of the Damage Manual.
Lead Into Gold- who DOESN’T like Lead Into Gold?
SELF - Matt Mahaffey is a goddamn genius. He’s like a multitrack Rain Man. Never had any use for Beck because Self could do the same shit better. Much to my chagrin when he joined Beck’s band, but hey, brother got to eat.
Wired All Wrong - Matt Mahaffey from Self and Jeff Turzo from God Lives Underwater. This record will fuck your face off of your skull. Not in a mean way, in a funky glitchy kind of way. Hot shit.
Godspeed You Black Emperor & A Silver Mt. Zion
Eric’s Trip. Love that band.
Dub Trio is cool.
I didn’t really get into punk as a teenager like most people, I found punk as a young adult when I met the guys I’m in a band with now and started managing their punk band. I had a blue mohawk for awhile and bought a bunch of NOFX records. Can’t stand much punk anymore as it all really sounds the same to mme after a couple songs, but for some reason I still really have a soft spot for Lagwagon.
Local H
Weezer - Pinkerton. Just Pinkerton, really.
We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
and really, a bunch of obscure noise & experimental shit that I pick up randomly, and a bunch of local & regional acts that you’d have no reason to have ever heard of. I imagine I’ll end up posting links to some of them eventually, for now I’ll just plug 5 of 'em:
Swim Ignorant Fire - looping artist from Chicago, I absolutely love his shit, he’s got me gladly paying good money for cassettes in 2011.
Tatsuya Nakatani - Improv percussionist from Japan who lives in Brooklyn who does crazy shit with giant gongs he plays with bows and non-traditional use of a drum kit. He tours all the time and always does a solo set and then an improv set with local artists.
Power Animal - from Pennsylvania. Their record “People Songs” was my favorite of 2010. If you can find it, get it it’s dope. My favorite record ever that features extensive use of the banjo. Dear my body I’m not that body, dear Keith Hampson I’m not your name, you are a shaky boat with a curse upon it, but I need you to get to the other side of the lake…
Shiny Around The Edges - from Denton, Texas. Really sparse, vaguely Swans-y at times. Check out the video for “Socially Awkward”.
Blane Fonda - My band opened for these cats out of Chicago. They do the retro-80s thing better than just about anybody. “The Master Of Stars & Broken Arms” is their debut EP, they are working on their first full-length. You will dance, there is no way around it.
That’s a start, anyways. Sorry so wordy. It’s a fault of mine.