# Need new music - Which CDs should I buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 8, 2001, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425 "2001-08-08T08:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/21 "2001-08-09T03:44:08Z")
You might enjoy the **Bombscare** collaboration EP by _Low_ and _Spring Heel Jack_. Aimee Mann is also well worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/22 "2001-08-09T03:55:57Z")
“This Perfect World” by Freedy Johnston. Songs about suicide and loss with a Plains sensibility. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/23 "2001-08-09T05:46:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrVisible \* > **Morphine** _The Night_ Funky depression. Good call. I’ll second that recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![Skijumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Skijumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skijumper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/24 "2001-08-12T14:04:05Z")
I’ve got a bunch of new stuff: JJ72 - JJ72 Portishead - Portishead Kings of Convenience - Quiet is the New Loud Air - Moon Safari David Gray - White Ladder Radiohead - OK Computer (ok, not exactly new, but I never got around to getting this.) Plus I’ve borrowed some Red House Painters, Nick Caves and Cocteau Twins from my girlfriend. Whatever I couldn’t get, I’ve put on a list for my next shopping trip. Thanks people for the great suggestions. Especially **Vinne** for David Gray - it’s exactly what I needed this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Skijumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Skijumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skijumper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/25 "2001-08-12T14:05:27Z")
Shite, that should be **Vinnie**. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/26 "2001-08-12T23:27:15Z")
Try the Delgados, either ‘Peloton’ or ‘The Great Eastern’. They’re a bit like Belle & Sebastian, but IMHO their songs are more well-crafted and less samey. (Avoid their debut, ‘Domestiques’–that’s actually a fairly heavy indie-rock album). Other than that, Elbow, Turin Brakes. ---
**Author:** ![renigademaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@renigademaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/renigademaster)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/27 "2001-08-13T01:31:16Z")
I would strongly reccomend Brian Eno - Music for Airports. It is stunningly minimalistic yet beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/28 "2001-08-13T01:42:57Z")
A good portion of Loreena McKennit’s “Book of Secrets” disc fits the soft and melancholy description–just skip the “Marco Polo” instrumental. \ ---
**Author:** ![\_Uigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e9a140/32.png) [@\_Uigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Uigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/29 "2001-08-13T01:52:03Z")
I’ll just go ahead and assume the def. of “melancholy” has changed a bit since… well, never mind. One of the nicest out is the sound track from “Love Affair”; most noteably the piano variation tracks. Great for times with SOs. Give it a listen… ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/30 "2001-08-13T03:06:07Z")
Skijumper wrote: \> I’m in the mood for something soft and melancholy. If I posted about her even a tiny fraction of the time that I’ve THOUGHT about posting about her, you’d probably know the name already, but here it is: Happy Rhodes. She’s my favorite singer/songwriter/musician (well, after Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel) and she might be right up your alley if you also like female vocals with an extremely wide range (think high Kate Bush-ish in a duet with low Annie Lennox-ish). For a limited time, I’m exclusively playing Happy’s music on my Shoutcast: [http://vickie.homeip.net:8000/](http://vickie.homeip.net:8000/) The word “Melancholy” describes her earlier work generally more than her most recent work, but even in her most recent “upbeat” songs, there’s a tinge of sadness. For instance, the song “Roy” from her most recent CD is a percussion and bass-heavy “dance” song about the doomed Rutger Hauer character in the movie **Blade Runner**. Her earlier albums are full of songs about death and suicide and morbidity and the pain of being an outsider (which certainly makes her name an ironic twist on things), but that’s hardly all she’s about. Lyrics such as “I have a heart here inside/ she’s begging me for suicide/ She doesn’t want any more/ She’s lived too many lives before/ So what do I say to put her at ease?/ I know she’d leave with the breeze/ All I can do is beg her to stay.” live on the same album with lyrics like: “You can’t know them like you know yourself (I know, I know) Therefore find your peace (I can’t, I can’t) Demand only from yourself (I try, I try) Don’t rely on your logic (I don’t, I don’t) You made your choice, now go to the end You will find your peace, when it comes Greet it, welcome it, make it stay” (She’s brilliant at self-harmonizing and often includes call and response lyrics). She’s released 10 albums, either self or co-produced and since no one knows what the hell to do with her she’s remained obscure and unknown except to those of us lucky enough to discover her, which I did in 1988. She has a pretty cool back-story (given a guitar at 11, started writing at 13, started working as an apprentice recording engineer at 17 and recorded her songs, playing all the instruments and multitracking all the vocals, to learn the equipment, said random songs made up her first 4 albums…), but I’ll give it a rest for now. Except that I will recommend the albums **RhodeSongs** , a compilation from her first 6 albums, and **The Keep** , an acoustic reworking of some early album and non-album songs. She has a web site: [http://www.auntiesocialmusic.com/](http://www.auntiesocialmusic.com/) and there’s a mailing list dedicated to her, called Ecto (which just celebrated its 10th anniversary on the net!). Ecto the mailing list has a web site with lyrics and other Rhodes-related stuff: [http://www.smoe.org/ecto/](http://www.smoe.org/ecto/) Disclaimer: I don’t work for her or anyone having anything to do with her. I’m just a fan. Equipoise (no, not the frickin steroid) “My ears are lucky to hear these glorious songs…” HTR ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425/31 "2001-08-13T03:07:52Z")
national skyline’s “national skyline” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-music-which-cds-should-i-buy/75425.md?page=1)