The "Recommended by" thread

[LoathsomePete]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Chasing locusts --- Strawfoot --- Recommended by Goofle

As ever, I'm a magpie and I love cool covers and cool names. When I saw this mentioned in Goofle's journal and heard it was "gothic country" I had to have a listen. I've only heard it through the once, but there are only three words I can now use to describe this album, and quite possibly this band:

DAMN GOOD FUN!

Chock-full of fiddles, pedal steel and harmonicas, it opens like one of those old western movies, like something the cowboys would sing as they rode across the plains in search of cattle, or possibly a career, or waited for a train to rob. Then it just jumps into a rip-roarin' fest of reels, jigs, barn and sqaure dances and hoedowns and just about everything else associated with country and maybe folk. I don't to be honest see the gothicity in it; seems pretty upbeat to me. But then I haven't really paid too much attention to the lyrics and this is my first listen, so perhaps on further spins (which there will certainly be) I may change my mind. Kind of puts me in mind of what Nick Cave would sound like if he made a Country album...

The voice of founder and singer Marcus Eder, also known as the Dapper King of Libertine, fits these songs perfectly, and I think it's so cool that Wiki tells me he's some distant relation to Mark Twain. How much more "Southahn" can you get?

I would single out favourite tracks but as I say I've only heard it the once, but there's nothing here I don't like. Great rec Goof! Have to start paying more attention to your journal in terms of the actual music.

Rec rating: gotta be in the area of 8/10, and may increase after I've listened a few more times. Now to un-Spotify this and go buy the thing!

If you're interested in the genre, some asshole made a thread about it yonks ago.

[Trollheart]

Thanks Pete. I'll definitely have a look at that. Probably check out more of Strawfoot's stuff first though. Man, I really liked that!

[Trollheart]

Although I started this thread as a way for people to talk about the albums that were recommended to them, I don't suppose it would do any harm to drop in the odd rec from time to time, so here are two for Anteater, since he seems to like good ambient instrumental music.


Final breath --- Break my fucking sky --- Recommended for Anteater

I have no idea who these guys/girls/this guy/girl is/are but he/she/they have crafted an album of sheer brilliance here, with catchy melodies, luxurious soundscapes and a real feel for something special happening. If you liked "Found" so much man you should love this!



Caves of Glass --- Caves of Glass --- Recommended for Anteater

Not entirely instrumental but mostly, with some pretty cool metal licks added in. Bit of an unsettling vocal but it sort of fits in a weird way. Certainly different.

Lemme know what ya think ok?

[Trollheart]

Canyon candy --- Javelin --- Recommended by Junkyard Donner

Having listened to, and enjoyed, as above, Strawfoot I thought this would be a good way to continue my odyssey into a different side of Country Music. I remembered Steph posting about this in her journal a little while back and thought I'd give it a go. Started off well, with "Fievel goes west" sounding very, er, western-y, and then "Cowpoke" was good too, but a little bit in they started using these bloody phased samples --- I don't know what you call them: where the sound seems to come and go and warp, stop and start, that sort of thing ---which quickly becomes very annoying.

It's not the worst album, but it soon becomes apparent these guys are not serious and are just arseing around. Look, maybe they are serious but they don't come across that way. To me, this sounds like some college kids who broke into a studio on the way home from some frat party and decided to see what they could create with the equipment there. It's got a vaguely western/cowboy theme but it's very heavy-handed in nature, with lots of pedal steel, fiddles and sounds of horses walking, plus those deep-voiced vocals many Country singers utilise.

It's clever in its way, but it starts to become a case of Javelin beating you over the head with their "cleverness" and it wears old rather rapidly. By halfway through the album I had decided to give it up but persevered to the end just so I could say I did. But it's honestly at times like listening to parts of the soundtrack to every old cowboy movie you ever saw. Doesn't help that the tracks all come in around one to two minutes long, so any decent ideas don't hang around long enough to develop into anything.

I know Steph loved this, but well maybe it sounds better when you're drunk. I'm not drunk. I'm just glad I Spotified this, because if I had paid for it, no matter how little, it would have been too much. There's such a thing as being too clever guys. Not for me.

Rec rating: Honestly I can only manage a poor 4/10, and that's being generous. Won't be listening to this again.

[DriveYourCarDownToTheSea]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Random access memories --- Daft Punk --- Recommended by everyone

...

After reading your review I decided to try listening to this album for maybe the 4th or 5th time ... and it still doesn't work for me. I really just don't get it. It's like being transported back to somewhere in the 70's or 80's (depending on the song) and getting some second-rate band played in a cheap club.

What am I missing.

[djchameleon]

Originally Posted by DriveYourCarDownToTheSea

After reading your review I decided to try listening to this album for maybe the 4th or 5th time ... and it still doesn't work for me. I really just don't get it. It's like being transported back to somewhere in the 70's or 80's (depending on the song) and getting some second-rate band played in a cheap club.

What am I missing.

You are supposed to look at it like a journey through time for dance music starting up in late 70s and working it's way up to a glimpse of the future that's what you get from the last track Contacts.

[Trollheart]

Personally I don't go that deep. My own criteria is and has always been that if I enjoy an album, like the music and end up often singing the songs in my head, it's a hit with me. Doesn't really matter what anyone else says or thinks of it. Could be the most popular album on the planet or I could be the only person who even knows of its existence (cough) Erinsaga (cough) --- I'm happy once I like it. Sometimes people make these things too complicated. I'm a simple kind of guy...

[djchameleon]

Music touches people in different ways. Some people end up liking albums for their lyrical content or the overall theme of the album while others just like a few songs here and there that are catchy and sticks with them similar to what you said.

I don't feel like it's a complicated/simplicity thing. It's just subjective and listeners take away from it whatever they want.

[YorkeDaddy]

Indirectly recommended by Trollheart

I've seen TH endorsing this album multiple times, including this thread but also in one of his journals I believe. It was difficult for me to find, but based on the descriptions Trollheart wrote of the album I just had to find it and give it a shot. I was not disappointed.

This is just a gorgeous album. I love the hell out of piano-based post-rock, and this does it almost perfectly. The album by this person/band/whoever (it's basically impossible to find info about this artist!) does nothing groundbreaking by any stretch, it just serves to be a peaceful, beautiful work of art.

I gotta give it a 9 out of 10 if I'm being honest. I just love music like this.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by djchameleon

Music touches people in different ways. Some people end up liking albums for their lyrical content or the overall theme of the album while others just like a few songs here and there that are catchy and sticks with them similar to what you said.

I don't feel like it's a complicated/simplicity thing. It's just subjective and listeners take away from it whatever they want.

Yeah you're right there. I'm just saying he was asking "what am I missing?" I didn't hear anything on the album that made me go "Oh so THAT'S what it's all about!" I don't particularly care that it evokes the music of the 70s/80s; I just thought I wouldn't like it and then having heard a snatch of it decided to go for the whole thing, and found I did like it. A lot.

Of course people approach albums and music differently. I'm just saying sometimes it may click, sometimes it may not. No matter how good the album is generally seen to be. Case in point: me with "Loveless" and more recently with "Close to the edge".