Without [music] Life Would Be An Error

Vanguard · February 2016

If you've arrived here by mistake, do not be alarmed by the noises coming out of this thread.

If you've arrived here on purpose, you know that this is where we talk about music, what we're currently listening to, what we're anticipating, concerts, etc.

It is not a place to judge fellow posters for their taste in music. If you're not here to share or discover music, the door is that way.

(Seriously, this thread was only allowed to be created on the condition that we can talk about music without being dicks to each other.)

I'll start.

2015 was one of the best years for new music I can remember and, while there has never been a shortage of totally righteous women making mind bending music, I wanted to highlight their releases in particular:

Speedy Ortiz - Foil Deer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4FkiO_Bns

Mourn - Mourn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI_vZqDlJSY

Torres - Sprinter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol61WOSzLF8

Tropic of Cancer - Stop Suffering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi42BYqe860

Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgnLw2ZlYzE

Hinds - Leave Me Alone (technically a 2016 release but whatevs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTLYO0YtYOU

What are you listening to?

Shazkar Shadowstorm · February 2016

I am listening to this:

(Also The Life of Pablo because, well, gotta form an opinion on it - so far, I like a lot of parts of it, but it is pretty disjointed - so overall.. undecided!)

Podly · February 2016

in non straight up techno Keela's new EP is p great, nice footwork production with some really catchy vox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py6PgXq0yDM

Variable · February 2016

heard this for the first time this weekend, thanks to @Casual Eddy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAzjmDZD4aY

Podly · February 2016

vanguard wants free jazz which is great because i've been OBSESSED with this album for the last couple of weeks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkwluLsP364

i've pretty much only listened to mozart and post blue note herbie for the last like month and a half

Vanguard · February 2016

I also wanted to talk about the new Animal Collective album. More specifically this song. It might be the catchiest shit they've ever written.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7O0rBGSqjI

Best YT comment on it:

This entire album sounds like an acid infused inter-dimensional transmission of Nickelodeon music from the 90s.

True fax

Podly · February 2016

that mwandishi album was a total eye opener. i grew up playing jazz guitar, but i was pretty much a blue note era only guy, outside of the first headhunters album.

then i put that on a few weeks ago and was absolutely blown away by it. it's one of the best albums i've ever heard, but it took me going to way deep into techno to be able to have the vantage point to appreciate it. and then two albums later (sextant) he opens the album up with a crazy arp 2600 sequence and i'm just like

you and me, herbie. you and fuckin me dude.

desc · February 2016

I listened to a music once and I'm still humming to this day

Vanguard · February 2016

desc wrote: »

I listened to a music once and I'm still humming to this day

Music: not even once.

pyromaniac221 · February 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cinJDxLUsNY

RT800 · February 2016

Recently discovered "Electro Swing"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbsBEb1ZxWA

Echo · February 2016

RT800 wrote: »

Recently discovered "Electro Swing"

Then I can recommend Parov Stelar a whole lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C7UgR_sIW0

surrealitycheck · February 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dupkwrm-ziY dont do techno kids or ull end up like this

Etiowsa · February 2016

I recently discovered the internet! Which is a terrible name for a band, but still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z32HJ7PHnKY

Vanguard · February 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24UMVIQkvao

kind of an american morissey is how i would describe the vocals

Kaputa · February 2016

Been in hip hop mode today. These two albums are both pretty old school (95), but I hadn't listened them until a few days ago, and both are great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldq2ahD5Opw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUXh9hixSkY

Kaputa · February 2016

@Podly that Herbie Hancock album is amazing. I've listened to a little of his earlier work (and some of the stuff he did with Miles Davis) but haven't explored him enough; thanks for the recommendation.

As someone with a deep love of electronic music, I'm curious what artists or trends in that genre you regard as having helped you appreciate Mwandishi?

Panda4You · February 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6hrZLaetI

y2jake215 · February 2016

i have been really into unknown mortal orchestra lately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Niqxw_Yz0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpD_74Vc3mA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-36lCKovBg

Echo · February 2016

In the last year I've bought a whole lot of hard to define stuff that I mostly call "ambient electronic". Makes for great background music for programming.

This Poordream song remixed by Zinovia is one of my favorites right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9hsQPUtjDQ

And for good measure, here's one by Zinovia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RYvAx2sWVQ

Athenor · February 2016

So should I feel bad that I like the new Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album?

Every time I go look at reviews, they are very mixed. I know it's their sophomore effort and they have some damned high expectations, but I really like the soul searching, introspective stuff.. Mostly because that's what they did a lot of on The Heist, so this isn't anything new.

Kaputa · February 2016

Apparently Autechre released "AE Live" last fall, a selection of four hours worth of shows they did in 2014. Autechre is probably still my favorite musical group of all time; I saw them perform last October and it was a pretty amazing experience. Here's one of the four recordings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoFcPDJvQI

So far this one is a bit more structured than the show I went to, which got pretty close to "sound experiment" territory at times. Great stuff if you like their more recent work, though.

edit - what happens a little past 34:30 is genius

MsAnthropy · February 2016

I went and saw The Ghost Ease last night. They were good.

JamesGoblin · February 2016

My 2015 was the year of discovering couple lovely childish murderers. Judge for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0NXY89WsxY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhrGspR0yQo

Echo · February 2016

The Tiger Lillies are a bit... special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvA8NPAl2Dg

valiance · March 2016

not at all new, but new to me:
can't stop playing this track

Portishead - Glory box (Roseland NYC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLrkE6T_m5Y

Kaputa · March 2016

This album made for an enjoyably laid back morning (French hip hop, largely though not entirely instrumental) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q8nGnls1Ow

Echo · March 2016

Every now and then I'm in the mood for some rhythmic noise. I like Pneumatic Detach's use of electric guitars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRqUYxs3fwM

flamebroiledchicken · March 2016

It's interesting, it seems to me like the 80s revivalism of the previous decade's underground/independent scenes (see: Interpol, Bloc Party, The Rapture, anything tagged as "chillwave", even Arcade Fire cribbed from Talking Heads) has moved into the mainstream (see: Taylor Swift, Icona Pop, the 1975) and the underground is now in full-on 90s revival mode (see: Courtney Barnett, Speedy Ortiz and all their garage punk peers, the return of Midwest-style emo, every single shoegaze and alt band announcing a reunion tour). Where will independent music go after 90s revival?

This is a fun time for me as a big fan of guitar rock with heavy distortion and catchy riffs. The bands I love from the mid-80s-to-mid-90s (My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins, etc etc etc) are all either making comebacks or there are scores of young bands ripping them off. It's fun but also frustrating because it doesn't really feel like there is a lot of progress being made in the name of independent rock music. Oh, your band sounds like The Cure mixed with Slowdive mixed with Veruca Salt? That's awesome, that sounds totally up my alley, I'm glad so many young bands are making music aimed directly at my pleasure centers, but... who is the next Cure or Slowdive? You know, a band that's not without its own influences (obviously nothing is ever completely new) but is bringing some sort of unique vision to the table?

I realize that music doesn't necessarily need to be progressive in order to be good, but I can only handle so many hot new takes on shoegaze before I start getting bored.

Page- · March 2016

I'm enjoying some of that 90s grunge revival, but a lot of "indie" (if you want to use the label) bands are still kicking that latter-day new wave synth stuff. I mean, the last couple rounds of every indie artist or band I listen to was a whole lot of keyboards and such being added to the mix. Plus the relatively booming popularity of bands like Chvrches and I guess Grimes could count.

Anyway, bring on the fuzz guitars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMrZi0whVpM

Jubal77 · March 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt856_nRxQk

Tomahawk. God hates a coward.

Mike Patton. Punky Supergroup. Native American themes. I would recommend Anonymous (album) to anyone that my be interested.

Vanguard · March 2016

flamebroiledchicken wrote: »

It's interesting, it seems to me like the 80s revivalism of the previous decade's underground/independent scenes (see: Interpol, Bloc Party, The Rapture, anything tagged as "chillwave", even Arcade Fire cribbed from Talking Heads) has moved into the mainstream (see: Taylor Swift, Icona Pop, the 1975) and the underground is now in full-on 90s revival mode (see: Courtney Barnett, Speedy Ortiz and all their garage punk peers, the return of Midwest-style emo, every single shoegaze and alt band announcing a reunion tour). Where will independent music go after 90s revival?

This is a fun time for me as a big fan of guitar rock with heavy distortion and catchy riffs. The bands I love from the mid-80s-to-mid-90s (My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins, etc etc etc) are all either making comebacks or there are scores of young bands ripping them off. It's fun but also frustrating because it doesn't really feel like there is a lot of progress being made in the name of independent rock music. Oh, your band sounds like The Cure mixed with Slowdive mixed with Veruca Salt? That's awesome, that sounds totally up my alley, I'm glad so many young bands are making music aimed directly at my pleasure centers, but... who is the next Cure or Slowdive? You know, a band that's not without its own influences (obviously nothing is ever completely new) but is bringing some sort of unique vision to the table?

I realize that music doesn't necessarily need to be progressive in order to be good, but I can only handle so many hot new takes on shoegaze before I start getting bored.

I don't think independent music works like this anymore. Like, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s we had regional, incredibly small scenes usually centered around colleges and labels. Post 2000 that model began to unravel for a lot reasons (easy access to recording tech, easier mass distro networks to name a few). I think what's happening now is that because there is such a volume of music being made it can be difficult to wade through it all, especially because no single source covers the extent of what's happening. This causes people to find clusters of artists they like, which is why it can seem like every indie rock outfit is cribbing from the same influences.

I would recommend taking a look outside the genre a bit as there is a ton of great music being made that doesn't fit into this flavor of indie rock.

Panda4You · March 2016

I know I'm ~5 years too late, and probably ~15 years too old, but damn if Kitty wasn't the shit back in the day! This is probably not 100% kosher rap if you're wearing your "I know about lyrical flow!" fedora, but she just has the goddamn chillest beats and I love the trashy highschool vibe that comes off in the songs!

Tracks like M0rgan Stop, Second Life and Give Me Scabies are such great hits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv5bQ7SS7Ug

Vanguard · March 2016

To follow up my last post tho, Ought is one of the bands that strikes me as pretty different from their peers. They're pulling pretty heavily from Television, mid-80s Sonic Youth, and Joy Division but the presentation is so unlike most things I hear happening in this space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEQyi6eCxWw

flamebroiledchicken · March 2016

Vanguard wrote: »

flamebroiledchicken wrote: »

It's interesting, it seems to me like the 80s revivalism of the previous decade's underground/independent scenes (see: Interpol, Bloc Party, The Rapture, anything tagged as "chillwave", even Arcade Fire cribbed from Talking Heads) has moved into the mainstream (see: Taylor Swift, Icona Pop, the 1975) and the underground is now in full-on 90s revival mode (see: Courtney Barnett, Speedy Ortiz and all their garage punk peers, the return of Midwest-style emo, every single shoegaze and alt band announcing a reunion tour). Where will independent music go after 90s revival?

This is a fun time for me as a big fan of guitar rock with heavy distortion and catchy riffs. The bands I love from the mid-80s-to-mid-90s (My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins, etc etc etc) are all either making comebacks or there are scores of young bands ripping them off. It's fun but also frustrating because it doesn't really feel like there is a lot of progress being made in the name of independent rock music. Oh, your band sounds like The Cure mixed with Slowdive mixed with Veruca Salt? That's awesome, that sounds totally up my alley, I'm glad so many young bands are making music aimed directly at my pleasure centers, but... who is the next Cure or Slowdive? You know, a band that's not without its own influences (obviously nothing is ever completely new) but is bringing some sort of unique vision to the table?

I realize that music doesn't necessarily need to be progressive in order to be good, but I can only handle so many hot new takes on shoegaze before I start getting bored.

I don't think independent music works like this anymore. Like, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s we had regional, incredibly small scenes usually centered around colleges and labels. Post 2000 that model began to unravel for a lot reasons (easy access to recording tech, easier mass distro networks to name a few). I think what's happening now is that because there is such a volume of music being made it can be difficult to wade through it all, especially because no single source covers the extent of what's happening. This causes people to find clusters of artists they like, which is why it can seem like every indie rock outfit is cribbing from the same influences.

I would recommend taking a look outside the genre a bit as there is a ton of great music being made that doesn't fit into this flavor of indie rock.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree that there is a lot of innovative, wonderful music being made in various genres and it's never been easier to access it. My point was just that guitar rock specifically is having a bit of a moment right now, which is exciting on the one hand but also feels a bit regressive in execution.

metaghost · March 2016

New Three Trapped Tigers dropping April 1 (oh boy oh boy oh boy)

https://youtu.be/CMr5ZWPBEhM

Scis · March 2016

New Hiromi also coming out April 1st (although the only new track released so far has an interview over top of it unfortunately)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rxYw7Y45Eo

Organichu · March 2016

idk if rap battles are considered music so much as- idk, performance, whatever. they're kind of musical? this thread caught my eye because i recently rewatched one of the more popular battles on the internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DeW2n4l1a8

reed dollaz kills here and i just wanted to tell a story: i grew up in pretty rough areas, was a pretty adversarial little shit of a kid and teenager. but i met this guy once (in totally friendly circumstances) and despite him being a real small guy he is just scary. just this little guy giving off the most menacing feeling. that's often part of hip hop cachet, but it seems to really come through in rap battles and influence the feel of the performance.