What is the album (or two albums, or three or four) that you simply cannot live without at this moment? Tastes will change and tomorrow you may have new favorites. But for now, what do you love listening to, what do you highly recommend?
Also, what do you think about the following bands? And, if you like them, which albums are the best to own?
- The White Stripes
- Sufjan Stevens
- Interpol
- Franz Ferdinand
18 Comments
Adam R Aug 25, 2005 10:27 PM
As far as White Stripes goes, get Elephant. (great band)
Sufjan – Illinoise (spelling?) was good.
Interpol is….not that great I think.
And Franz Ferdinand get their main “Franz Ferdinand” album.
Jason Aug 26, 2005 8:33 AM
Albums I can’t live without? Hmmm, it’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these lists, but here are a couple…
Anything by Slowdive
Woven Hand – “Consider The Birds”
The Cure – “Faith”, “Disintegration”, “Wish”
U2 – Any/all of their first 4 albums
As for the artist recommendations, I’ve actually never got much into the White Stripes. There are a couple songs I like, but I don’t know any of the albums.
For Sufjan Stevens, you can’t go wrong with “Illinois”, “Michigan”, and/or “Seven Swans”. “Seven Swans” is quieter and more acoustic-based, whereas the other two are much more intricate and involved, but all three are good.
Both of Interpol’s albums sound fairly similar, IMHO, so I don’t think it doesn’t matter much which one you hear.
Franz Ferdinand only have one album right, but they’ve got a new one coming out later this year.
Hmmm, on second thought, why don’t you just come over some evening and I’ll load you up with good stuff? :)
bobw Aug 26, 2005 8:37 AM
wouldnt want to do without Indelible Grace III, and looking forward to 4.
Renae Aug 26, 2005 9:32 AM
These days I’ve been listening to Denison Witmer’s Are You a Dreamer? quite a lot.
My favorite Sufjan Stevens album is Seven Swans.
Bethany Aug 26, 2005 9:38 AM
The White Stripes – White Blood Cells or Elephant
Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans, Michigan, or Illinois … I would probably recommend Seven Swans first.
andrew Aug 26, 2005 3:58 PM
Well, I’ve gotta defend Interpol here because I think they’ve gotten the shaft so far. I think that both of their albums are great, but I enjoy ‘turn on the bright lights’ more. Further, I’ve had the chance to see them on a couple of occassions…both were very cool. (At the first concert, I saw K Max, Kevin Smith of DC Talk, using vices that are very un-CCM.)
There can not be enough good things said about Sufjan Stevens. Every time I listen in I am surprised by the quality of his music.
FF – i remain uninterested.
WS – only if you like a straight 4/4 on the snare and a man’s voice an octave and half above middle C.
RT Aug 27, 2005 8:04 AM
Wait! Don’t forget to give me recs on *other* groups as well.
Haley Aug 27, 2005 11:40 AM
Albums I’ve bought in the last year that I love and would reccommend to you:
Coldplay: X & Y
Alison Krauss and Union Station: Lonely Runs Both Ways
Patti Griffin, Impossible Dream
Damien Rice, O
General albums I can’t live without:
Ryan Adams, Gold…. or Heartbreaker … I can’t decide.
Counting Crows, August and Everything After (Don’t laugh, that was one of the first CDs I ever owned and I will love it until the day I die.)
Coldplay, Rush of Blood to the Head
Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl (Obviously, I’ve spent a lot of the last three years reconciling myself to the fact that some good things have been made in the name of country-ish music. Bear with me.)
Vigilantes of Love, Blister Soul, but V.O.L., which is a compilation, is probably best if you want to get started loving them.
Indigo Girls, Swamp Ophelia (What did I tell you about laughing?)
Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstacy.
I’m forgetting lots, I’m sure, but there are my immediate thoughts.
Jeremy Aug 27, 2005 12:40 PM
Bec, I’ve got Coldplay (X & Y) on my work iTunes. You can have it because I rarely listen to it. I thought I would like it because I really like “Don’t Panic” on the Garden State soundtrack.
Andy Aug 28, 2005 8:08 AM
I’ve been listening to Ali Farke Toure’s “Radio Mali” a lot lately. I don’t know that I would “highly recommend it” but I do enjoy having it on in the background when I’m working.
I’ve also been enjoying Jason Harrod’s “Bright as You.” That one I would recommend. It’s been cool to give it a good listen to as I’ve been driving.
I’m not cool enough to have heard of the bands you list so I’m of no help there!
Jason Aug 29, 2005 10:46 AM
Any specific *types* of music you’re looking for?
RT Aug 29, 2005 2:38 PM
Nope, no specific types. I’m mainly interested in finding out what other people are loving these days. Last December I scored Claire Holley, Garden State and Johnny Cash… I’ve enjoyed them at all different times during the past 9 months. American IV, The Man Comes Around, is probably one of my current favorites to listen to during my downtime. To get my energy up I prefer rock, hip hop, rap, techno — whatever has a good beat. Overall I tend to like music i can sing along to or dance with.
Bethany Aug 29, 2005 10:43 PM
The Arcade Fire – Funeral
kristen Aug 30, 2005 4:04 PM
Oooh, I really like Claire Holley. She’s a nice person to boot.
I am really digging Andrew Peterson’s CD, _The Far Country_ right now. It’s still $10 on his website, but who knows for how long. I don’t like almost anything Christian, so it’s really nice to find something that I like to listen to and has a good message.
Other than that, I’ve been listening to too much Wilco.
RT Aug 30, 2005 5:10 PM
B, this afternoon I listened to “In the Backseat” from Funeral. Beautiful, haunting, sad. What’s the rest of the album like?
Mark Aug 30, 2005 10:36 PM
I don’t think I would ever want to be without Bright Eyes’ album “Lifted…”
Jason Aug 31, 2005 11:46 AM
“In The Backseat” is probably the album’s mellowest song. The majority of the album is a fair amount intense and energetic, though they still use a lot of the orchestral arrangements and instrumentation.
You can find some tracks that are more indicative of the album’s overall feel here…
http://tinyurl.com/c69wv
Bethany Aug 31, 2005 12:59 PM
I’d also recommend The Killers, “Hot Fuss” for dancing around to … it’s perhaps not high art, but it is really, really fun music.
Oh, and I don’t know how you feel about country-ish music, but given that you like Allison Krauss and Johnny Cash, I’ll assume you’re not categorically opposed to good country :) So I’d also recommend Tift Merritt’s album “Tambourine” very highly. It’s country, but it’s not *country* if you know what I mean. Highly singable and enjoyable.