Favorites:
1) The Mars Volta -- De-loused in the Crematorium is an album I've known for 7-8 years now, before Francis the Mute was even out. First listen, I wasn't convinced, but upon later review I was hooked, and The Mars Volta has easily been my most followed band and favorite since. I've been fortunate to enjoy 4 more albums by them: Francis the Mute, Amputechture, The Bedlam in Goliath and Octahedron, the latter of which is an incredible listening experience from start to finish and will for sure receive more attention later.
2) Radiohead -- I was introduced to Radiohead at college, well into their prestigious career. Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows were their only albums that I saw fresh releases of, not counting their numerous collectors edition re-releases of Amnesiac, Kid A, OK Computer, Hail to the Thief with b-sides. Well, gotta say, aside from pretty much The Bends and before (except for a few songs here and there), Radiohead is so incredibly creative and no one can really follow their act when it comes to accessible mainstream, but still experimental and genius enough to be...awesome.
3) MUTEMATH -- I knew MUTEMATH as the former Christian band, Earthsuit, which I also loved, but alas they are no more... Yet, what has come out of that loss is more than sufficient to fill the void. This is actually a group I've known since before the release of their Reset EP, followed by self-titled MuteMath, Spotlight EP and Armistice, which is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums.
4) Omar Rodriguez-Lopez -- This guy is a force to be reckoned with, he produces, is involved with The Mars Volta of course (and then formerly of At the Drive-In), directs and stars in independent films. On top of that, last year he put out six! full length albums and one with The Mars Volta. One thing that impresses me about Omar, is how he collaborates with numerous musicians and styles, including Grammy Award and Latin Grammy nominated Mexican singer/actress Ximena Sarinana. Just recently he released a duo album with John Frusciante (formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers).
5) Sufjan Stevens -- I only was introduced to Sufjan this past year, and was so grateful for it! The Come On Feel the Illinois! and Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State albums are genius and I have grown to love baroque pop through this and other bands like Vampire Weekend and Phoenix. Not only is he a phenomenal song writer, so creative, but his style varies so much too, from the minimal folk sound of Seven Swans to the instrumental masterpiece that is The BQE.
Recent finds:
1) Freelance Whales -- I'm listening to them right now as I type! They are an indie folk band with some baroque pop and electronic sounds thrown in, a combination I love. Thanks to my bro for throwing this one my way, and happy birthday too : )
2) Massive Attack -- Heard this Electronic Trip Hop duo on the best radio station, hailing from Rochester, NY, WBER ("the only station that matters"). There's some really interesting stuff here, with the different voice styles the two main members contribute and I would hesitate to venture, based on my limited knowledge, based on their different musical/life backgrounds. I just hear different styles song to song sometimes. Two albums I've checked out are 100th Window and Heligoland.
3) Rogue Wave -- A friend of mine mentioned this group, so I had to check them out. The're not going to be my next favorite, for sure, but they are worth a listen, an indie folk lo-fi band with some cool use of electronic sounds, which in my opinion makes certain songs shine, while others are dull. Two albums I have listened to are: Asleep at Heaven's Gate and Permalight, which I like a lot more than the former.
4) Jónsi -- If you've heard of Sigur Rós, then you'll immediately know Jónsi's style, because he is part of Sigur Rós. This delightful album was just released this year and is playful and beautiful, while taking time to dwell on more morose emotions as well. I love his first solo album, Go.
5) Grizzly Bear -- Apparently, this is some of the member's of Radiohead's favorite band and they recently toured with them. I don't really see much connection between their styles, but I do see the experimental disconnect from most of the mainstream music that continues to fill the airwaves, and I at least appreciate that. This band has been around for a while, but I only within the past 1/2 year listened to their stuff for the first time. I have heard their album Veckatimest.
So, that's a short tour, hope you see where I might be coming from, but don't have any expectations that if I didn't include a certain style/genre of music, that you won't see it come up in the future. I do like a lot of Electronic music, even though it might not appear so, like Pendulum and The Crystal Method, so look out for some of that too, along with lighter or maybe more accessible pop/rock music like Blonde Redhead, Owl City, fun. and Coldplay. You will come to hear a bunch of new stuff in this blog hopefully. Enjoy!
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