# Recommend me some music... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563 "2006-09-05T22:54:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/1 "2006-09-05T22:54:53Z")
I come to you, Dopers, for this type of thing. I and a friend are playing a game. We email each other at least once a day with a song that the other probably hasn’t heard of but should check out. This went on for months and recently ended. That means I’m missing my new music fill lately. I come to you asking (begging humbly?) for ideas. I will say that some of my favorites include Guster, Carbonleaf, Jack Johnson, and things of the like. I also enjoy Brand New, My Chemical Romance, and other random stuff. Also, local unknown bands are great, as long as they have a webpage or something so music is check-out-able… Brendon ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/2 "2006-09-05T23:52:45Z")
[Brendan Benson](http://www.brendanbenson.com) [Spoon](http://www.spoontheband.com) [Hey Mercedes, sadly defunct](http://www.heymercedes.com) My favorite TN bands: and no I am not from TN actually, I just found that the Nashville area has great music, and it’s not country either [The Features](http://www.myspace.com/thefeatures) [The Privates](http://www.myspace.com/theprivates) [The Comfies](http://www.thecomfies.com) [Slack](http://www.myspace.com/slack) And 2 bands featuring the genius Matt Mahaffey: [Self](http://www.myspace.com/mattmahaffey) [Downloadable Self music (legal)](http://www.selfies.com) [Wired All Wrong](http://www.myspace.com/wiredallwrong) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/3 "2006-09-06T00:36:46Z")
Try Beck’s **Sea Change**. You might also like **The Jayhawks** or **Wilco**. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/4 "2006-09-06T00:55:16Z")
**Sam Stone** - I do enjoy Wilco, and Beck. What I’ve sampled of the Jayhawks since you posted is great. I believe it warrants ordering a cd… **myskepticsight** - I really liked The Comfies. Also, Self (and Wired All Wrong) - Wow! they were amazing (imo). Thanks guys! So far, wonderful! Brendon ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/5 "2006-09-06T01:17:10Z")
FYI - Wired All Wrong’s CD is on iTunes as of today. The actual in the flesh CD is being released next week. And it’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/6 "2006-09-06T01:47:40Z")
Not being too familiar with most of the artists in your OP, I’ve no idea how similar our tastes are but I asked for some [music suggestions](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=381221) two months ago and got numerous replies that I’ve still not fully explored. There’s some good stuff in there, though. Some links in approximate order of current preference: [ul][li][Sarah Fimm](http://www.sarahfimm.com/)[/li][li][K’s Choice](http://www.kschoice.com/)[/li][li][Sarah Bettens](http://www.sarahbettens.com/)[/li][li][Anouk](http://www.anouk.nl/)[/li][li][Vienna Teng](http://viennateng.com/)[/li][li][Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn](http://www.kpunk.com/html/artists/artistbio.php?interest=25)[/li][li][Imogen Heap](http://www.imogenheap.co.uk/)[/li][li][PJ Harvey](http://www.pjharvey.net/)[/li][li][Tool](http://www.toolband.com/)[/li][li][Wolfsheim](http://www.wolfsheim.de/) [/li][li][Fool’s Garden](http://www.foolsgarden.de/) [/li][li][A Perfect Circle](http://www.aperfectcircle.com/)[/ul][/li]Anouk’s site is in Dutch and the Wolfsheim and Fool’s Garden sites are in German. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/7 "2006-09-06T04:13:32Z")
And I might as well post the inevitable link to [KEXP](http://www.kexp.org). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/8 "2006-09-06T06:45:46Z")
[QUOTE=brendon\_small] **Sam Stone** - I do enjoy Wilco, and Beck. What I’ve sampled of the Jayhawks since you posted is great. I believe it warrants ordering a cd… **myskepticsight** - I really liked The Comfies. Also, Self (and Wired All Wrong) - Wow! they were amazing (imo). Thanks guys! So far, wonderful! Brendon [/QUOTE] If you’re looking for a Jayhawks CD, I would recommend [Hollywood Town Hall](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47917DB4CAE7F20C093314CC8BA60FD07FE50F28F096E4954C0A2054D9A0E23E748E9D0D2B7E577B479A9B32CAE5E0CD9CFE6468DA1&sql=10:bef4zfjhehpk), [Tomorrow the Green Grass](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47917DB4CAE7F20C093314CC8BA60FD07FE50F28F096E4954C0A2054D9A0E23E748E9D0D2B7E577B479A9B32CAE5E0BD9CAEF468DA1&sql=10:p247gjlro6ia), or [Rainy Day Music](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47917DB4CAE7F20C093314CC8BA60FD07FE50F28F096E4954C0A2054D9A0E23E748E9D0D2B7E577B479A9B32CAE5E0BD9CAEF468DA1&sql=10:8pfxlfaeacqo) if you like the more laid-back, mellow sound. All three are great CDs. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/9 "2006-09-06T16:14:28Z")
**Sam Stone** - I ordered Rainy Day Music. Darn delivery period. Any other suggestions? Brendon ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/10 "2006-09-07T06:50:52Z")
How about my favorite artist of all time, **Warren Zevon**? In order of greatness, try: **Warren Zevon** **Excitable Boy** **Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School** **Sentimental Hygiene** **The Wind** **Mr. Bad Example** **Life’ll Kill Ya** **My Ride’s Here** **Mutineer** They’re all great CDs, and Mr. Zevon is still one of most most unheralded singer/songwriters around. He should have been up there with Dylan and Springsteen in the public consciousness. The first two CD’s I mentioned above are absolute classics - and probably available at bargain basement prices. For mellower folk music, you might try **John Prine**. Get his first CD, “John Prine” (It has a picture of him sitting on a hay bale). It’s one of the best folk-rock albums ever made. Almsot every song on it has become a standard - “Sam Stone”, “Donald and Lydia”, “Hello in There”, “Illegal Smile”, “Angel from Montgomery”, “Paradise”… It’s one of my favorite albums, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/11 "2006-09-07T15:43:33Z")
**brendon\_small:** [ol] I would suggest: [li]Death Cab For Cutie[/li][li]Neko Case (Fox Confessor… is the new one)[/li][li]Nick Drake (depressing, but truly great)[/li][li]Matthew Sweet[/li][li]Whiskeytown (now defunct, but Ryan Adam’s initial venture)[/li][li]Uncle Tupelo (!!!)[/li][li]Son Volt (stole my screen name from them, I did!)[/li][/ol] Coming from a power-pop/Americana listening base. -Cem ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/12 "2006-09-07T16:05:45Z")
I’ll toss these into the ring too: [Alexi Murdoch](http://www.aleximurdoch.com/) Badly Drawn Boy Calexico The Damnations TX Frank Black (especially Fast Man/Raider Man which is frickin awesome) Gus Black Iron & Wine Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter Jesse Malin [John Wesley Harding](http://www.johnwesleyharding.com) Joseph Arthur Lloyd Cole (New album **Anti-Depressant** is perfection) Martin Zellar Mary Gauthier Richard Buckner (he can’t do wrong) The Wailin’ Jennys The Weepies ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/13 "2006-09-07T18:23:04Z")
**St. Pauler** - which Iron & Wine album would you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/14 "2006-09-07T18:38:10Z")
I’d go for **Our Endless Numbered Days** for sure, if just for the song “Cinder and Smoke”. It’s the kind of song to listen to late at night when the streetlights’ shadows push and pull across the dash of a moving car. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-music/371563/15 "2006-09-07T19:57:41Z")
The Jayhawks recommendation is a good one. I often find their cds when I’m looking through used cds at stores that sell them. There are some stores here called Half Price Books that I like to check out the used cds at. I’d also recommend Glen Phillips, who was the singer for Toad the Wet Sprocket. You can find one of his songs in the media section of his website, and there are four more on his [myspace page](http://www.myspace.com/glenphillips). Plus he’s got a ton of demos and live versions of his songs for free download [here](http://www.comebackdownload.com/downloads.htm) and elsewhere on the site.