Some Great Music

I gushed a bit too much about music on my old blog, and it got real boring real quick. But I love music and I've been discovering some great stuff that I want to share.

Andrew Bird
An American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Of the three albums I've heard (The Swimming Hour [2001], Armchair Apocrypha [2007] and Noble Beast [2009]) his style can be quite diverse, covering anything from jazz to rock to dream-pop. Worth a listen.

The Decemberists
The master of the narrative song; if you like your epic songs about pirates and sons setting out to kill their deadbeat dads (among other things) then this is the band for you! Seriously though, worth checking out if you still believe in the album as a legitimate medium of art. I've heard Picaresque (2005) and The Crane Wife (2006).

Editors
The album I've listened to (In This Light and On This Evening [2009]) is synth-rock, but apparently their earlier albums are more indie rock style. Nevertheless, thought this was album was good even if it doesn't deviate from the genre in any significant way.

Elbow
Another band that treat an album they way it should be treated. Elbow's sound is reminiscent of Coldplay (a description that does them no justice whatsoever, but I can't think of any descriptives at the moment) and their 2008 record The Seldom Seen Kid is brilliant.

The Feeling
I had their albums (2006's Twelve Stops and Home and 2008's Join With Us) for years but never really ended up listening to them until last night. Light, jangly guitar-pop for the most part, recalling The Beatles' early work. Never a bad thing.

Lykke Li
Minimalist pop at it's best. This Swedish singer certainly delivers something that you wouldn't hear alongside Britney or Rihanna on the radio any time soon. Listen and get a different perspective on what pop music can be. (Youth Novels [2008])

Neko Case
I'm not usually a fan of country music. In fact the thought of sitting through a country album makes me run for cover. So when I start seeing reviews about this 'alt-country' (what the hell is alt-country!?) artist who it turns out has been around for a while already I was intrigued. Case delivers country albums that are well written, sparse and haunting. Oh and she likes narratives too! Even if you're a country-cynic, give her a go. I've heard Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (2006) and Middle Cyclone (2009).

Oh Mercy
An Australian band, their debut album has kind of gone unnoticed outside of the Triple-J crowd but it's well worth the listen if you like 70s singer-songwriter/pop music. Great tunes with soothing melodies. Their debut is Privileged Woes (2009).

Sia
Sia is another Australian artist and one who is very quickly gaining momentum. She's released three albums, the jazz-pop Healing Is Difficult (2000), the haunting, electronic Colour the Small One (2004) and pop record Some People Have REAL Problems in 2008 which has reached Top 30 in the US. Her voice is intriguing and she does interesting things with what could easily have been a generic pop record.

Sigur Rós
Ever wonder what dreams might sound like if they were turned into music? Well, I'm pretty sure Sigur Rós - an Icelandic quartet - get pretty close. Their albums are soundscapes that draw you in and don't let go. I've heard ( ) (2002) and Takk...(2005) and look forward to delving further into their catalogue. Sweet dreams...

St. Vincent
Alternative singer-songwriter St. Vincent delivers a great sound against a sometimes eerie backdrop of distorted guitars and other ghostly sounds on Actor (2009). Combined with her ethereal vocals, it's a sound well worth listening to.

Headphone has arrived

So that headphone came today, and I have to say I'm impressed. I can already tell that I'm hearing a much richer sound (and the equivalent of both channels!). Now I'm going to be all fanatical trying to pick out little nuances in songs that I've never heard before.

Small things for small minds I suppose.

I may have found a solution (well, sort of)

I'm completely deaf in my left ear, which obviously makes some things a little more difficult for me. For example, I don't catch a lot of what people say to me unless I'm in the right position to hear them. Anyway, I've been like this since birth, so I've gotten used to it, but lately it's been bothering me again, especially in regards to music. Listening to music mixed in stereo with headphones means I only really get half the experience.

But I just found something that's made me a little excited. A single earbud that combines stereo into one channel (from this website). This will mean that I'll be able to hear the full mix in one ear. Here's hoping it'll work properly :).

I don't care what anyone says...

...Lady GaGa is the best thing to happen to mainstream pop music in a long time.

Download The Fame Monster if you haven't already.