The Official Pop and Rock Music thread

[Disco Stu 15,495]

4 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Canadians legends... who all live in the USA.

 

Listen to some Charlotte Cardin, Alex Nevsky or Karim Ouellet, they are great Québécois young artists.

 

 

 

Every act I named, except maybe Jepsen, is still based in Canada.  The idea that The Tragically Hip would ever live in America!

[Bespin 8,480]

"Based" ;-)

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

"Based" ;-)

 

So if a Canadian musician *ever* leaves the country to play a concert or record an album they're instantly delegitimized?  That's silly.

[Bespin 8,480]

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

 

So if a Canadian musician *ever* leaves the country to play a concert or record an album they're instantly delegitimized?  That's silly.

 

Many french speaking artists from Québec are well-known in France and they are touring there very often, they are not delegitimized because they do that.

 

Want I try to say is that english canadians don't have their own culture, they are like americans from USA. They do music like people from USA do, they listen to USA music, they watch USA TV shows and USA movies. And many "canadian" born artists, live today in the USA. They shows up in a Canadian documentary here and there to say they are proud of their roots... but... they live their life like USA international stars.... and many people don't even knows they are canadians.

 

It's the perception I have of english canadian artists, maybe I'm totally wrong... and maybe I just don't care about any of them! ;-)

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Heh, you're one of those Québécois.  Secede already!

[Bespin 8,480]

54 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Heh, you're one of those Québécois.  Secede already!

 

Yes, I'm a separatist. Québec will be a country one day... not soon, but one day :-)

 

Ra-Ra-Rasputin!

 

Starting this with a little Heineken.

Week-end!!! 
 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

5 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I did say "lots of others."  But Shatner's music ain't gettin' nowhere near a playlist of mine.  It's good for a laugh but I'd never just listen to it casually.

Has Been is a superb album, to me. It's always not far from my rotation. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

2 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Has Been is a superb album, to me. It's always not far from my rotation. 

 

I'd rather listen to the Winnie the Pooh narrator speak-sing Bob Dylan songs!

 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Well that's just awful. There's no conviction in the delivery. Shatner's partnering with Ben Folds and some other artists meant that the musicality wasn't compromised.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Well since I don't enjoy that vocal style in any context, I'd rather hear the really shitty, self-important version.  Funnier.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I honestly never knew there was anyone else singing in this style. Has Been is an introspective look into Shatner's celebrity persona. It only works because it's him, so I can understand not enjoying the vocal style. The mish-mash of genres, lyricism, and satire make it all work to my ears.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Truly the stuff of nightmares

 

 

If I actually listened to that, my psyche might never recover.

 

Also, yikes Sugar Ray isn't aging gracefully.

[A24 4,326]

It was on the news yesterday. This is the most viewed song on youtube ever. I never even heard of it. Yikes!

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

It has more hits than GANGNAM STYLE?

Geez.

[Jay 37,287]

See You Again already went past Gangnam Style last week

 

http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/wiz-khalifa-see-you-again-youtube-chart-topper-gangnam-style-1202491770/

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

I liked GANGNAM STYLE. Granted, it's not as good as HAPPY, GET LUCKY, or UPTOWN FUNK, but it's fun.

[A24 4,326]

'Happy' is very good (though I quickly got tired of it) but that Spanish thing is nothing but sheeple music. Maybe it's the babe in the video?

[A24 4,326]

 

 

And this is how rap was introduced in Holland and Belgium:

 

 

and it's still the best ...

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Because The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration Part III is currently the last album for artist "John Williams" in my iTunes (ordered by 'Album by Artist/Year') every time I listen to this album on my desktop it automatically goes to the next artist using that order.

 

So I've heard the first 5-10 seconds of "Desdemona" by John's Children a lot this year  

 

 

[Omen II 1,235]

I wasn't sure which thread to put this in but settled on this one in the end.  I must confess that I am mostly unfamiliar with the songs of Scott Walker, but very much enjoyed watching a recent BBC Proms concert recreating the songs written for his self-titled albums from the years 1967-70.  Jules Buckley conducted the Heritage Orchestra and London Contemporary Voices.  I thought some of you would enjoy these clips from the concert.

 

Firstly, Richard Hawley sings The Old Man's Back Again.  The fantastic orchestral backing sounds like something Ennio Morricone could have written in the late 60s / early 70s.  Check out those drum breaks!  I love the way Jules Buckley stops conducting sometimes, as if to say, "Eh, they know what they're doing - they don't need me waving a stick at them."

 

 

The concert also introduced me to the amazing voice of the Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfor.  Listen to The Amorous Humphrey Plugg and you will hear what I mean.

 

 

Finally, listen to the encore Get Behind Me with the above named singers plus John Grant and Jarvis Cocker.  And yes, that is a contrabass flute.

 

 

Brilliant stuff, isn't it?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

Yes it is. Any Scott Walker is worth investigating. You'll have "no regrets" 

[Quintus 5,399]

With its couple of insta classic riffs in its makeup, I'm betting Arcade Fire's new track has all the ingredients of a safe radio play mainstay which becomes part of the airwaves furniture for years to come:

 

 

[Hurmm 91]

9 hours ago, Quintus said:

With its couple of insta classic riffs in its makeup, I'm betting Arcade Fire's new track has all the ingredients of a safe radio play mainstay which becomes part of the airwaves furniture for years to come:

 

 

 

That's one of the better tracks on the record, which has maybe 3-4 good songs. The rest are filler and garbage. Funeral was one of the formative albums that got me into indie and less mainstream music when I was growing up. Their two next albums were great too. But the latest album is a far cry from that. Just take a listen to Infinite Content. Turgid stuff. 

 

 

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

I recall liking one or two of their tracks, from Funeral, I think, and that other album with the brown cover.  But largely I think turgid is an appropriate word.  A bit too hip and angsty for me.

[Hurmm 91]

Are you referring to their discography in general or their latest album? Because I wouldn't call their early stiff turgid at all. Or angsty. Funeral was seeped in sorrow (as expected with the album title and deaths of several band members' family) but still uplifting. 

 

Oh well. At least Broken Social Scene released a really good record this year. 

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

Their whole discography.  I know many people who are fans so I have a defined opinion on them by accident.

[Quintus 5,399]

5 hours ago, Hurmm said:

 

That's one of the better tracks on the record, which has maybe 3-4 good songs. The rest are filler and garbage. Funeral was one of the formative albums that got me into indie and less mainstream music when I was growing up. Their two next albums were great too. But the latest album is a far cry from that. Just take a listen to Infinite Content. Turgid stuff. 

 

 

 

Not that I was going to pick it up or anything, but I don't think 3-4 good tracks on a new record is a bad ratio to have if you're a band looking for singles to put out over the period of a few months, probably just before the new tour kicks off or is announced.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

18 hours ago, Hurmm said:

Are you referring to their discography in general or their latest album? Because I wouldn't call their early stiff turgid at all. Or angsty. Funeral was seeped in sorrow (as expected with the album title and deaths of several band members' family) but still uplifting. 

 

Oh well. At least Broken Social Scene released a really good record this year. 

 

 

I liked funeral but I haven't been able to get into anything they did after it. 

 

Rebellion (Lies!) is a serious tune.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I deeply love love love all 3 of Arcade Fire's first records (Funeral to Suburbs).  And I hate the last two.  I'm afraid they'll never be good again

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

4 minutes ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

Rebellion (Lies!) is a serious tune.

 

Oh yeah, that's one I like!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Been drawn back to Tom Waits' infectious industrial sound from Bone Machine, Real Gone, and Bad As Me recently. Have loved these albums for a long time but for some reason never ventured further into his discography. I've amended that today by purchasing Rain Dogs, Mule Variations, and the Orphans set.

 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Rain Dogs is my personal favorite. Franks Wild Years is really underrated.  I've never liked anything from before Swordfishtrombones.

 

His early "homeless lounge singer" act is just less interesting than his "unhinged homeless man who beats on garbage in a junkyard" persona.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Any thoughts on Bone Machine and Real Gone? There's a really fleeting elegance to this sound that I love. An intoxicating mix of tribal rhythms and harsh instrumentation, with his signature hoarse voice layered on top. Ranging from cacophonous genre clashes to gentle, soft spoken folk pieces. Such a bizarre delight! I can't imagine anyone else in this style.

 

EDIT: Ah, I see you added to your post. Yeah, I recall listening to samples of his early works years ago and being quite surprised at how different it was to his latter albums. I much prefer the unhinged homeless man. He gives the vibe of a crazed, rural serial killer, which is why I loved his performance in Seven Psychopaths so much.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

I've never met a Tom Waits record I didn't like, but BLUE VALENTINE is the dog's bollocks.

 

I know it's not fashionable, but I really like ONE FROM THE HEART.

[Jay 37,287]

We listened to the new Arcade Fire album last night.

 

I think I've decided they are a band that puts out fun singles every few years, but none of their albums are good all the way through.

 

Marcy seems to only really love Neon Bible all the way through

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Neon Bible is my favorite.  One of my favorites of all time.

[Bespin 8,480]

I'm currently rediscovering the 1967 album of Charles Aznavour called "Entre deux rêves" (between two dreams), as we just confirmed the presence of a very rare alternate version of a certain song, released only on the venezuelan pressing of the album (!).

 

1967, that's the year Charles Aznavour married his wife Ulla (they are still togheter), that's a very great album.

 

Here's a playlist inspired by the songs lineup of the Venezuelan pressing (which is "happier" than the songs lineup of the french one).

 

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

One of my absolute favorite covers of a Bob Dylan song is "Love Minus Zero" by The Walker Brothers.  It's squarely in that mid-60s era when every pop group was covering Dylan, but it's got a really nice arrangement.

 

 

On 8/4/2017 at 8:08 PM, Koray Savas said:

Any thoughts on Bone Machine and Real Gone?

 

Neither are my favorites but I love both a lot!  Perhaps controversially I much prefer Real Gone.  I've always thought Bone Machine was a tad overrated as one of his most celebrated albums by the wider music industry.

 

"Hoist That Rag" is a goddamn barn burner.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Have you listened to Lost On The River? T Bone Burnett assembled a band of musicians to write and record music to some unrecorded Dylan lyrics. Some of those "covers" really nail his aesthetic.

 

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Listened to Robert Plant's Dreamland.  Was reminded why it's my favorite of his solo albums.

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Never listened to any of his solo stuff. How does it compare to Led Zeppelin?

[Wojo 2,453]

The only Robert Plant solo song I'm familiar with is In the Mood. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

6 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Never listened to any of his solo stuff. How does it compare to Led Zeppelin?

 

Tends to be more in the folk/world music vein, much less rock-oriented. And most obviously his voice is less powerful than when he was in his 20s.

 

Although this song is pretty badass in its way:

 

I also love this Dylan cover a lot:

 

[Jay 37,287]

This is the only Robert Plant solo song I'm familiar with

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

This is the only Robert Plant solo song I'm familiar with

 

 

 

It's an effing great song.  Dreamland was released in 2002 and it was the start of a real creative renaissance for Plant.  Every album he's released in the past 15 years has been great.

 

This single from 2010 is also fantastic:

 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I'll check em out when I'm home. Thanks. 

 

I still need to pick up the deluxe editions of the catalogue that Page produced, but was holding out hope for a box set containing all of them. Guess that's not happening.  

[Quintus 5,399]

Any love for novelty records here?