Boy, you’re not kidding! This is a much better response than I was expecting, and I thank you all. I’ll post my reactions to them as I hear more of it. It’s going to take me a while to absorb this stuff.
Sure thing! I’ve grabbed some tracks from some of them already, though I haven’t listened to most of it yet. I’ll go through what I’ve got so far. This is stream-of-consciousness as I get my first impression of some of these:
I just listened to a couple of Residents tracks. They seem hard to sum up on the basis of that limited exposure, so I’ll have to delve deeper and see if they get under my skin (in a good way) or not.
I’m listening to a Calexico track right now. Yeah, I dig this. The vocals are a bit too subdued, but I have a feeling I’ll get used to that.
Clem Snide just came on. The track is “Let’s Explode.” It’s not bad, but the mood seems a little light for me.
Hmmm, I see that I have another Clem Snide track. (Where did that come from?) It’s “Chinese Baby.” I like it more than “Let’s Explode,” but I’m not thrilled about the vocals in either track. They sound too…well, normal. They’re not a turn-off, but I’d enjoy it more if they had more energy and/or uniqueness.
Trailer Bride now, the track Ghost On The Highway. Man, this mp3 is horrible quality. The song itself is kinda cool though. It reminds me of Tarantella a little. I’ll definitely try out more of their stuff.
Rufus Wainwright’s “Greek Song” now. I don’t hear any “bizarre theatricality” here. Am I on the wrong material of his? It is kind of nice in its own right, but a little more normal than what I’m looking for at the moment.
Shivaree now. They made me laugh right off the bat with “Cannibal King” (in a good way). Now the track “Bossa Nova.” Hmmm. I think this might be a bit too poppy for me. I’ll have to see if it gets under my skin after repeated listens.
El-P’s “Stepfather Factory” up now. I think one of the guys I work with would like this. I tend to steer clear of electronic music in general and hip hop in particular, but this is good as that stuff goes. The only song I have found that holds up to repeated listens for me in this style is Arcturus’s “Master of Disguise (Phantom FX Jungle Remix).” I’ll give it more listens and suggest it to my cow-orker.
Sparklehorse’s name sounds familiar, but I can’t recall hearing them until now. I’m listening to “Apple Bed.” At the moment, the only adjective that comes to mind is “mellow.” Time will tell if it affects me more than that.
Mark Lanegan’s “Borracho” now. I recall hearing this guy before, actually. Sounds a little too normal. This is another case where it’s not blowing me away but might grow on me with time.
That’s all that I’ve managed to get so far. Those are just my first impressions and could change. I think I’m going to dedicate a WinAmp playlist to the suggestions from this thread and see what sticks to the ol’ ribs.
Oh, and a few more have been mentioned that I do already have - Woven Hand (like them, but can only seem to get into a couple songs), Denver Gentlemen (like them, but they’re more “background music” for me whereas Sixteen Horsepower really forces me to pay attention and participate emotionally), Faith No More (like them, especially Angel Dust), Mazzy Starr (like them, but can only seem to get into a couple songs), Butthole Surfers (I love Independent Worm Saloon but don’t own anything else by them. I guess it’s time to fix that.), Portishead (loved their debut, thought the self-titled album was a bit dull), Fantomas (I only have the soundtrack covers album, but I really like a few tracks on it).
