What are you listening to right now?

Right now, it's all Ben Folds, all the time. I haven't listened to anything over the past three weeks but Songs for Silverman, Rockin' the Suburbs, Ben Folds Live and Whatever and Ever Amen.

- Alkaline Trio Crimson, an album that grows on me the more I listen to it. The first 5 tracks are almost perfect.

- The Life Aquatic soundtrack, especially Seu Jorge's covers of Bowie songs in Portugese.

- Brand New Deja Entendu, not exactly new, but I've been obsessing over the last track on it, "Play Crack the Sky".

- Foo Fighters In Your Honor. Yep, its the new one (the rocked out one, at least), my friend got a copy somehow. EXCELLENT.

I'm not looking to be a knob, but this thread already exists.

Incidentally, I'm listening to Night Train by P.E. (Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black).

...

Actually, I'm glad we're moving onto a new thread.

I've been digging some of the first Reeves Gabrels (avant garde guitarist extraordinaire) record, The Sacred Squall of Now. He's a mediocre songwriter, but he has a few tracks on there with Frank Black, David Bowie, and Gary Oldman (yes, that Gary Oldman) where he kind of sits back and let's them handle songwriting duties, and he just goes off on guitar. I'd be jazzed if he and Frank Black could do a full-length, or at least an EP.

Also, on the hip-hop tip, I've been loving that new Beanie Siegel single "Feel It In The Air" (produced by Heavy D. Yes, that Heavy D). It sounds unlike anything else in hip-hop right now. Also, I try to catch the best bit from assorted mixtapes and I'm liking almost everything that Dipset/The Diplomats puts out. Their subject matter is routine, but they spruce it up with some pretty innovative wordplay and punchlines.

I really, really like Hot Hot Heat's "Elevator." Of all of the neo-80's bands currently in vogue, I favor them because they have surperior hooks, both musical and vocal, and they throw in a healthy dose of Tom Petty/J. Geils/Elvis Costello organ that no one else does.

Bloc Party - "Silent Alarm"

Great British pop-rock. Sort of a cross between the Pixies and the Cure. Lots of fun to listen to, especially during these hot summer days.


The Weakerthans - "Reconstruction Site"

Very mellow sort of They Might Be Giants sounding rock. The songs range from upbeat poppy tunes to more somber melodies.


Beck - "Guero"

I don't think anyone here needs me to explain this one.

I think it's time to retire the old thread too. As for me I've been listening to Antichrist Superstar all week.

I listened to 2 Pele Albums today-the nudes and enemies.
They are an instrumental band that broke up last year, no distortion just complicated beats and guitar work, really cool stuff if you can get into instrumental music.

Battle Tras, Ep B and C-Ex Don Caballero guy Ian Williams on guitar, keyboards and computer along with Tyondai Braxton doing the same thing, Dave Konpka on guitar and the great John Stanier from Helmet and Tomahawk on the drums.
They are sort of like an instrumental Hip Hop band doing all of the stuff with instruments, there stuff is not for everyone. I recently saw them open up for Prefuse 73.

Rodan and June of 44
Post rock for 1994 and 1996. Pretty cool stuff, rock with some cool time changes and a lot of yelling.

"Love it or Hate it" and "Dreams" - The Game. Really laid back, melodic hip-hop for the summer.

"Devil", "Lolita" and "Rewind" - Stereophonics. Return to form for formerly MOR rock group. Really quality stuff for once.

"Guess God Thinks I'm Able" and "Part of the Queue" - Oasis. The album of my summer has arrived. Never gonna reach the heights of Morning Glory again, but this will do from Manchester's finest.

"Hello Sunshine" - Super Furry Animals. A mix of irony and cheeriness from this consistently great Welsh band. "I'm a minger, you're a minger too". Lyrics don't get much more direct.

"Desert Dancer" - Nickodemus. Eastern flavour infused with fat beats. The remix of this is just kick ass.

"La Fille de Pekin" - Frederick Rousseau. If you want to chill instantly, you could do far far worse than this. Pure bliss.

"Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)" - Arcade Fire. Feelgood song of the year and something to get a bit crazy with. I defy you not to nod your head and tap your feet at the very least.

The Straight Story - Angelo Badalamenti. Just recently picked up the score and it is even more beautiful than I remember it being. Just gorgeous music, ideal for beer at sunset time. May cause tears.

"Illusions" - Cypress Hill. Cannot get enough of this right now. Its Cypress Hill, you know what you're getting.

"Sky Starts Falling" and "Ambition" - Doves. The closer to the latest album, the former as upbeat as anything they've done (think "Pounding"), the latter much more reflective and sad.

Coldplay's X & Y album . . just got it today and it's fucking awesome

The new Sleater-Kinney album, the Woods, is outstanding - probably their best since Dig Me Out. They've never sounded so full or so "rock," and I've never heard an album with so much noise just due to volume.

Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy is currently in the CD player, and I'm starting to really warm up to that. Somber songwriting with hooks.

The Decemberists' Picaresque is my fave of the year so far. Brilliant storytelling (a nine-minute revenge ballad narrated from the belly of a whale! A great love song about espionage and government files! A first-person account of being shitty at sports!) with nice, bright, full pop melodies. Even better than their past albums, which is quite a feat.

The Sharp Things' Foxes and Hounds is really growing on me. Classic pop songs with lots of strings and horns. I bought it after hearing them described as somewhere between Pet Sounds and Scott Walker. That's probably about right, but it's neither as experimental as Pet Sounds nor as dark as Walker (at least the stuff I've heard by him). I think this album might be up Micah's alley, though. You might want to check it out.

I'm a little torn on The Hold Steady's Separation Sunday. They've got great riff-heavy songs and cool and funny lyrics, but I wish the singer would... sing... a little more. It's a little too talky of a delivery for me to love it, but I really like it.

Still reviewing - Stephen Malkmus' Face the Truth, the new Springsteen (I never seem to be in the mood to listen to the whole thing), Matt Sweeney and Bonny "Prince" Billy's Superwolf album, the new Spoon, Architecture in Helsinki, the new Ryan Adams, among others.

Sold. Thanks.

Lately, it's been:

DMB- Stand up
Gorillaz- Demon Days
Audioslave- Out of Exile (I really dig this one)
Ben Folds- Songs for Silverman

For the last couple of weeks, it's either been XM radio, or one of those four CDs.

I've been listening to nothing but Antichrist Superstar since Thursday.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere- Neil Young With Crazy Horse

Nothing but 2Pac albums since Friday....I got a little pissed at all my music files so I deleted them. So all I have is 2Pac in the computer, which for me is fine.

Audioslave - Out Of Exile

Much more calm and peaceful than usual. Perfect for my mindset recently.


System of a Down - Mesmerize

Kinda griped about this album first time I heard it. Then it grew on me like meteor shit on Jordy Verill. Choruses just won't get out of my head.


Episode III soundtrack

Yeah....I'm still listening to it. The last six tracks (Grievous Speaks to Sidious aside...why exactly is that at the end of the album???) still put a lump in my throat if it catches me in the right mood.


Hole - Celebrity Skin

Album just screams summertime for me.

This is currently whats playing in my iTunes party shuffle.

I have an electronic slant to my music tastes, but the party shuffle seems to stick to a bunch of the same songs or genre. I just can't be bothered to mess with it for now.

I still love Yello, I liked 'em before they got popular and still like them, although their new stuff is pretty pale in comparison to the older stuff.

Mansun kick ass, after Attack of the grey Lantern they came out with Six and it was a bit of work to get into but it's well worth it.

Kate Bush, as far as I'm concerned one of the best female artists, ever.

I'll always love a bit of Kylie, in fact I dream about it all the time, she is my guiltiest pleasure.

FSOL I liked them and I hated them, now I'm liking them again, papua new guinea is my favorite and I have listened to that tune about 20 times in a row.

Overseer, liked before he got the lingerie ad. Heard about him from a bunch of movie soundtracks. Well mostly his stuff was in the trailer.

The Orb, probably my favorite, thier style is my style and I have all thier stuff. A couple of the albums are a stretch as they are taking the piss but I forgive them. I once saw them in concert at 3am in the summer, it was great. It was outside and they followed David Bowie and Sepultura (and others I can't remember) and came out and did a set until the sunrise. As Tony the tiger would say, grrrrrrrreat.

Aqeduct - I Sold Gold great just great, much better use of synth here compared to Postal Service

Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow man this album gets good with some time between listens

Travis - Invisable Band all the Coldpaly hype brought this out, lyrics are much better than I remeber, better live though I saw them open for Dido

King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man

Marilyn Manson - Minute of Decay

David Bowie - Rock and Roll Suicide

I may be late to the party with this one, but I've been blown away with this album, Strange We Should Meet Here from these two 18-year old cats who did it solely with an old Win'95 laptop, cheap software, and a cheap keyboard. Apparently, it was released late last year, but now is being re-released by Reprise or something to that effect. The group is called Idiot Pilot, and they're opening - appropriately - for Team Sleep in Europe. They remind me of the classic British shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine, but with Postal Service-esque beats and a smidgen of Deftones-esque hardcore screams. Interesting combo. It's like a car crash between Kid A, White Pony, and maybe the first Blue Order record.

I've been working on the ultimate mix c.d. It's going to take up two c.d.'s but I've already made the first one. I take out c.d.'s from the library and I take songs from those c.d's and put them on my computer. Sometimes it's songs that are guilty pleasures of mine. Other times it's songs from c.d.'s that I'm taking to a c.d. exchange. Here's what I have so far on my first mix c.d. (in order) and what I'm listening to right now:

Trapt- "Headstrong"
Frank Black- "Los Angeles"
Breaking Benjamin- "So Cold"
Santana Featuring Everlast- "Put Your Lights On"
System Of A Down- "The Metro"
AFI- "Totalimmortal"
Semisonic- "Secret Smile"
Frank Black- "Man Of Steel"
Foo Fighters- "Down In The Park"
Snoop Dogg- "Midnight Love"
Peter Gabriel- "Mercy Street"
White Zombie- "Thunder Kiss '65"
Peter Gabriel- "San Jacinto"
Eric Clapton- "Cocaine"
Rod Stewart- "D'ya Think I'm Sexy"
Orgy- "Blue Monday"
Prince- "Little Red Corvette"[I]

Explosions in the Sky-The Earth...
Sunny Day Real Estate-LP2
Aloha- Here comes tomorrow
John Legend-Ordinary People

Negativland - Aluminum or Glass

A really cool yet little known band, I recommend them if you like really experimental and weird music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negativland

David Bowie- Diamond Dogs

King Crimson- Larks Tounge in Aspic

Down-NOLA

COC- In the Arms of God

What I listened to on the way to work today:

Neil Finn - Try Whistling This. The idea of Finn working with one of the guys from Massive Attack sounds strange, but it works pretty well.

The Batman Begins score. Not as hummably heroic as Elfman's work, it's handy as mood music when you're trying to bang out back to back articles for your job that doesn't pay the bills (yet is far more important to you).

and what's been in my Discman pretty constantly over the last month:

Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw (expanded reissue) and This is Easy. Okay, so I was on a 80s New Wave kick walking into the library last month. Picked up the English Beat's greatest hits and the last Electronic album, plus This is Easy, Crenshaw's greatest hits collection. Why? Well, it was free and if any of the albums outright stank, no big loss.

Since I knew Crenshaw's "Someday, Someway", a CD of his work sounded like just what I was looking for. The majority of music I own, outside of my large collection of film scores, can best be described as downbeat. Listening to Easy felt like pulling up the blinds and basking in the sun for 70 minutes.

Then I went out and got the expanded version of his first album. Wall-to-wall catchy old-school pop. It's so refreshingly different from the other CDs I own that everything else has been pushed aside. Crenshaw says in the liner notes that the album was designed as music to dispel anxiety. On that level, it's great. (Hell, I'm bouncing around to it right now.)

I was just starting to listen to PKG's Too Trapped To Care until I heard about Luther's passing. Just had to put in one of his CD's.

The one I'm listening to is Songs. He does all cover tunes and he nails everyone with Love the one your with, Reflections and Ain't no Stoppin' being my favorites.

Not many artists would even attempt to put on CD some of these classics, let alone an entire CD's worth, without fear of comparisons to the originals. Luther is an exception and while listening I never once compared his version with the original artist. He's that damn good.

Cassidy's new album "I'm A Hustla"......currently on track 5 "B-Boy Stance" which I have changed the lyrics to for the purpose of taunting my friend.

I was listhening too a mix CD in the car. I forgot I even had it and it was just nice to listhen too all of the songs that were on it.

Lyrics Born-Same Shit Different Day. I'm not a massive hip-hop fan but I absolute love this CD. LB has a great gravelly voice his lyrics really flow.

Mahavishnu Orchestra-Birds of Fire. I'd almost term this speed-jazz but it's more focused and less about volume than on their debut CD 'Inner mounting flame'

Riding through the ghetto: Superfly Soul-Various. Old school grooves from the seventies. Some seriously funky stuff here.

Mars Volta-Frances the Mute. An epic.

Billy Joel-Piano Man.

Elton John-Don't Shoot me I'm only the piano player.

Have you heard Helter Stupid? That's a really great album.

"Evergreen" by The Fiery Furnaces. Maybe this is what Coldplay sounds like to people who like Coldplay.

Haven't had a chance yet, I probably won't be able to actually buy any of their albums until I get a credit card and can order them online. For now I'm stuck downloading any random songs I can find and watching 'The Mashin of the Christ' whenever I go to a friends house.

Oh, and right now I'm listening to 'Sleep to Dream' by Fiona Apple, it's a really nice change of pace from what I usually listen to.

Jayne County - Let Your Backbone Slip

Really digging the General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners album - beats, soundtracks, movie dialogue samples, and Patton really singing for the first time in a while. There's also all kinds of sound manipulation going on - skips, bleeps, the bass levels jump up and down - very cool stuff.

The Lords of Dogtown soundtrack is a fun mix of classic rock and punk songs. Considering about five people saw the movie, it'll probably be out on DVD pretty soon.

The new Foo Foghters is good, if not more of the same.

The Isis Oceanic remixes double album is a beast - remixes run the gamut from ambient and beautiful to scorching and brutal.

The Battles EPs, like someone mentioned earlier.

at this very second, hand in glove by the smiths.

Playing on my stereo right now:
The soundtrack to The Omen!
(my neighbours probably think i´m a devil worshipper )

Dane Cook's Retaliation album.

Antony & The Johnsons: I am a Bird
Jeff Mangum: Live at Jittery Joes
Sloan: Action Pact
Bjork: Medulla
Jeff Buckley: The Grace EPs

Superfly Soul Vol. 1, 2 and 3. Each CD is full of ghetto grooves and funk classics no-one's ever heard of. The track 'Bad, Bad Simba' by O'Donell Levy is one of the greatest jams I've ever heard. Curtis Mayfield's Billy Jack is a thick as molasses piece of funk.

Hmm, why was that other thread locked?

Anyway, right now I'm listening to Sun Kil Moon's (Mark Kozelek) album Ghosts of the Great Highway.

And then I'm going to burst my ear drums with Lost Prophets.

Mitch Hedberg Mitch All Together

Rapid-fire Stephen Wright-like rants.

Honeycomb by Frank Black

The Raspberries - Collecters Series

Just the best.

Radiohead-Kid A. More specifically 'National Anthem' that bass riff fucking rocks.

OAR: 34th & 8th
Tenacious D

Pretty on the Inside by Hole.

Less produced sounding than their later work, and it has this great raw energy to it. It's great to have on when you have a good caffeine buzz going and you're pissed off.

Don't know if this qualifies, but I've got Superstars of 70s Soul on TV in the background.

Just bought the Scissor Sistors Album, their Live8 set really impressed me so I finnaly got round to buying it. Also In a bit of a 90's Rock mood so Thunder , Bon Jovi and Skin are doing the rounds on the MP3 player.