So this may come as a surprise to some of you, but I don't currently listen to a lot of music and have very little in the way of music preferences. Ever since I gave up on "pop" Christianity in high school, I have been adrift in regards to my music tastes. Primarily I just listen to whatever is on the radio, and it really doesn't matter what station (I know, I know, this is sacrilege!).
My therapist has prescribed that I learn what music I like and start listening to it regularly. Supposedly this will help me access my emotions (do I have to have them?). So I am on a quest to discover my music tastes.
What I know: I like meaningful lyrics, good instrumental or vocals, and in light of my therapists directive, something that has emotive elements (not that every song has to make you cry or anything). Spiritual is okay if it is VERY subtle. Your task is to give me suggestions that I can investigate via my new i-Tunes account. I am open to trying pretty much anything, although I may decide it is not for me.
Thanks in advance for your help.
8 comments:
They Might Be Giants is my favorite band of all time (they have a new album that is coming out soon!)! They definitely have quirky lyrics and very fun songs! Many have a deeper or hidden meaning, which is fun to try to discern. Flood is their most known and probably most quintessential album, but I really like They Might Be Giants and Apollo 18. If Kieran is up for it, they also came out with a really great kids album, NO!, a few years ago! Cheer! -S
Hey Ken -- I'll never claim that I have 'good taste in music' -- I tend to like the happy bouncy stuff you can dance to, that many others abhor -- old Michael Jackson, B-52s, Bangles, ABBA, Katrina and the Waves, crap like that -- or some overly sappy stuff like Sting or James Taylor -- so maybe my contribution can be to point you to www.pandora.com -- I haven't used it much myself (maybe I should, too!), but I've heard glowing things from others. You type in a couple of things that you like -- c'mon, you must have SOME idea -- and it spits out some other things it considers similar that you can try.
For reflective stuff, I tend to like a Celtic sound. I'm also a fan of big band stuff. Squirrel Nut Zippers is a fun modern take on that (fast, not reflective). That new one by Sinead O'Connor that Mike S. and Pete are big on might be worth checking out.
Yeah, there are some folks we both know who should be answering this, not me, so I'll wind this up now. but check out Pandora.
If you have any favorite movies, and the music seemed cool, check out soundtracks. I find a lot of new stuff that way.
My favorite band is a local one from Columbus OH called "The Shantee". The band broke up in 2005 but the lead guy, Mike Perkins, has been doing some solo stuff that's pretty awesome. Some of my favorites are "Outside", "Rooftop" and "Brotherman". If you have trouble finding them, I can bring you a cd on Sunday.
Kriss
I like to listen to alot of bands with female vocals and acoustic sounds, like Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco (she's got great critical lyrics!), Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, Jewel, and Natalie Merchant. For some great Latin music, check out Buena Vista Social Club. For some great jazz, check out Thelonious Monk.
The Cobalt Season, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Secret Machines, The Beatles, Eric Clapton. Mostly obvious there, but that doesn't mean they aren't great. Try the unplugged albums for Nirvana and Eric Clapton if you're not already familiar.
It sounds like you are looking for evocative music, not just something
to snap your fingers to, so I'll leave out the obligatory plug for the
almighty Reverend Horton Heat.
I highly recommend Rhapsody. For 10 bucks a month, you get unlimited
streaming, on-demand music. You don't get to keep anything when you
cancel, but it saves me so much on albums that that's not a concern for
me. I also think the Pandora suggestion is a good idea. Once you find
some tracks you like, put them into Pandora and see what sort of similar
music it suggests.
Trance/Electronica should be a fertile ground if you can get into it.
Moby does a good job mixing things up as far as the emotions that his
music pulls out of you. BT, of course, does an excellent job as well.
I would start with emotional technology, then get Movement in Still
Life. This Binary Universe is an awesome album, but I think you'd find
it less accessible as a BT newbie. Other artists in this genre that
would be good to check out would include Tiesto and Paul Van Dyk, maybe
some Paul Oakenfold although he's a bit more dance-y to me. Tiesto's
single Adagio for Strings from his Just Be album is quite tasty, as is
most of the rest of the album. Bonus points for an appearance by BT
(noticing a theme?).
One album that has been out for a while and is thus probably not on the
top of people's minds is the score for The Last Temptation of Christ,
performed by Peter Gabriel and a number of world music artists. It's
not really choral music, which I think helps keep you focused on the
music and not get distracted by lyrics.
Tori Amos's Little Earthquakes. Pet Shop Boys; Erasure (obviously a
different texture than the others, but still evocative).
I have a compilation album from a series called Cafe del Mar that has
some very nice downtempo music. I'll burn you a copy from my mp3's, as
my cd collection is packed away in the attic. There is a great B-side
from Moby on there. Ladytron's album Witching Hour has some tracks in a
similar vein (Destroy Everything You Touch, International Dateline).
Come to think of it, the Cardigans do a nice job of the downtempo,
melancholic stuff, too (especially on Long Gone Before Daylight). Oh!
and Emiliana Torrini (she did the vocals for the Lord of the Rings
scores, but her own music is more trip-hoppy, and very good).
If you're looking for Angry Shit, then I am your Ph.D. source. Bleed
the Sky, Throwdown (Vendetta, not Haymaker), A Perfect Murder, Lamb of
God, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Kataklysm. Killswitch Engage is
aggressive, but the lyrics are more straight-edge (i.e., very much about
believing in yourself and standing up for your beliefs, so not quite as
dark as Children of Bodom, whose lyrics are from a much darker, dead-end
place).
Life of Agony is good emo-ish (i.e, rough hard rock with a slight metal
edge. Go with Broken Valley for them.
Opeth is insanely good complex metal. Not sure what emotion you'll get
out of it, Deliverance, specifically their track Master's Apprentices,
and Blackwater Park are my two favorite albums from them.
If you're looking for country, get the Hank Williams Sr. compilation.
I'm So Lonely I Could Die and There's a Tear in my Beer are surprisingly
touching, now that I'm an adult (hated them as a teenager though).
There are some good classical pieces too, but the above should tide you
over for a week or two.
Off to bed; good luck,
Ryan
What an exciting assignment!! I agree with Melissa that you would like Ani Difranco and Indigo girls. I'd also suggest Brandi Carlisle, The Arcade Fire, and Feist. Call if you ever want to discuss any artists and bands - there is an incredible music world out there that I only discovered a few years ago!
Beth Neilson Chapman, Sand and Water
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