Here’s a few bands that I seem to be listening to a lot recently:
Flaming Lips
Sparklehorse
Ween
Phish
Medeski, Martin, and Wood
Allman Brothers
Tom Waits
Fuck
Primus
Firewater
These are all great bands IMHO (well, Fuck probably doesn’t qualify as a great band, but they’re fun) but I feel like I need something new. I’ve tried going back and listening to stuff from my more angsty years, but I just can’t get back into Pink Floyd and other stuff like that.
I’m not necessarily looking for a band that’s recording and touring today (but that would be great), just something new to me to get into. I think I’m looking for something with a dirty, almost mechanical sound (like later Tom Waits or early Flaming Lips) but that’s still very musical (guitar, keyboard, or anything else solos). Sparklehorse is great, but I’m getting a little tired of them. A couple of friends recommended Arcade Fire, but I can’t seem to get into it. Same with The White Stripes. I saw Gnarls Barkley open for the Flaming Lips on New Year’s eve and was really impressed, but I haven’t picked up any of his music yet.
Judging from the bands you have listed, you would probably enjoy Wilco. My recommendation would be to start with Kicking Television, their live album (although most would probably push Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). I would also strongly recommend Guided by Voices - my favorite band. It’s hard to say where to start with them, but I would suggest either Human Amusements at Hourly Rates (greatest hits), Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes.
Just FYI: Gnarls Barkley is a band name, not a person’s name. The singer is Cee-Lo Green and the producer is DJ Danger Mouse.
If you want a dirty, mechanical sound, try Tin Hat Trio. Tom Waits even collaborated with them. I tried describing their sound as “coin-operated musical clockwork automatons made by an Eastern European toymaker in the 19th century, that keep performing music through the centuries as they grow increasingly dusty, rusty, and weatherbeaten.” Very beautiful, ethereal music, but not ROCKIN’.
If you like a “dirty and mechanical” sound, I might suggest Nine Inch Nails, Linkin Park, Filter, The Crystal Method or Prodigy.
If you like Phish or the Allman Brothers, you may also enjoy other “jam bands” like Blues Traveler, The Black Crows, O.A.R., Rusted Root or Widespread Panic.
Hey, thanks everybody. I’ve got a lot to listen to. Some thoughts that might help other people point out some new bands:
I think I’m kind of moving on from the whole ‘jam band’ thing - Phish is more nostalgic for me. Still great music, though. I’m kind of ‘eh’ about Beck and Gorillaz. Neat stuff, but not really what I’m looking for. I saw Beck when he toured with the Flaming Lips (noticing a pattern here?) and he didn’t do much for me. I will check out some of the heavier stuff you mentioned.
Tahssa, I didn’t really care for Silverchair. Thanks, though.
Wilco is one of those bands I’ve heard about but I’ve never listened to them. I’ll have to track some down.
Thanks for the correction and recommendation, Big Bad Voodoo Lou. I’ll definitely have to look up the Tin Hat Trio. I actually started listening to Sparklehorse because Tom Waits did some stuff with them.
And I’ll definitely try out pandora, and start listening to everything that everybody else recommended. Thanks!