Bands I plan to review some day
Submitted by JAMOOL on Thu, 01/31/2008 - 04:19
Tags:
- UPDATED for 2010: I decided to break this down into several sections, to hopefully make it more clear what's coming in the near future and what's going to be on the backburner a while. Artists on the waiting list are the ones that I have most or all of the discography and should be coming soon. Artists I plan to review someday are the ones that I have a few albums by and will review once I get a full or nearly full catalogue. Artists on the wishlist are the ones I don't know very well but hope to get to sometime in the future. This list should get updated about once a year (give or take).
- Artists on the waiting list:
- Aphex Twin: Dunno how much of this guy's career I'm going to review, and with the endless strings of acid synth jams and releases under different monikers, I may just limit this to anything you could have found in a decent-sized record store. Somehow I think reviews of all 11 Analord releases would get a little boring, but I may just do it anyway.
- Beastie Boys: A favorite from way back, and their music hasn't faded to me the way some of my other favorite groups from back in the day did. Their 90's repertoire is nothing short of classic, although I'm still a little burned out on it.
- The Bird and the Bee: I'll probably wait for one more album, but this group has one seriously talented vocalist and a neat (but kind of obnoxious) sense of kitsch. Their collection of Hall and Oates covers kind of bothered me, though.
- Bloodhound Gang: They always make me feel like I'm about 13, but even at 23 some of their lines make me laugh. They have a good ear for sampling, which puts them ahead of many similar groups. I feel like their first album may be the best, as unpolished as it is. I give them a solid F for production work, however.
- The Books: Great cut-n-paste sample-based artists that add in nimble guitar and violin parts. Thought for Food is a modern-day classic, and they put enough care into their music to make it worthy of many repeat listens.
- Bran Flakes: Another sample-based group, drawing mostly from really, really obscure records from 40-50 years ago. Tons of fun and plenty addictive - this is what Negativland should be. I feel that their albums are usually a little too long but they're all good listens and they really emphasize the surreal fun of it all. Their latest (I Have Hands, 2009) has been spinning on my stereo for a while.
- Can: Maybe the greatest German group and for a while my favorite band of all time. Seriously, seriously rhythmic shit, with plenty of strengths and few weaknesses. The Damo Suzuki trilogy may be my favorite three-album run ever. Plus, they had a wicked sense of humor, which is cool.
- Cardiacs: Recommended to me because they sound like "Zappa, Devo, and Genesis mashed together and put on acid!" You hear those kind of descriptions a lot but in my mind Cardiacs are the only group that live up to that reputation. One song often contains enough ideas to fill three, and they've never been less than top-notch musically. Don't wait until I review them...check out this band now!!
- Colonial Cousins: Hailing from Pakistan (I think), these guys seemed to set themselves a goal to become international pop stars, which has sort of worked. Their sound is pure pop fused with more traditional Indian music, and it's resulted in a number of great singles, mostly on their first album. Their lyrics are mostly in English and sung without an accent but are so bizarrely generic that I almost wonder if the group themselves know what they mean.
- Cornelius: I love the guy's "sound is music" approach, and the way he went from a jack-of-all-trades musician to forging his own unique (and labored) style is fascinating. Plus, he's one of the most unique remixers around...he remixes tunes to make them sound as if he recorded them, even going as far as to sample his own records. Very cool.
- Daft Punk: I'm not a big fan, but their live stuff is killer and Discovery is a hell of an album. They've been wildly inconsistant though which is pretty lame considering they release new stuff very infrequently...at least their videos are solid A pluses all around.
- Daler Mehndi: One of the first Punjabi pop sensations. I have to admit "Tunak Tunak Tun" hooked me and I searched out his albums once I found out that he had an admirable repertoire of great hit singles. Tough to review though because he really is more of a singles artist. Gotta love that deep and friendly voice.
- Dan Deacon: This is one seriously talented composer whose sound is as unique as they come. He's classically trained and often goes over most peoples heads when he talks about his compositions, but at the same time he's got a sharp sense of humor about what he does and is probably the most unpretentious musician I've ever met. I'm undecided as to whether or not I'm going to grade his earlier, self-released stuff yet, but his more widespread releases so far are definitely getting big marks.
- Datarock: New Wave revivalists with a style that I absolutely love. Seriously good albums that contain nary a bum track. They hit on emotional levels but can make you dance as well as anybody. They are basically an amalgam of 80's references and style, but they do it well. They're only two albums in so far, I'd hedge my bets that these guys hit huge some day.
- Deee-Lite: This retro-/future-dance group was probably more influential than most people would admit despite only really having one hit. Plus, it was the launching point of Towa Tei, who I like quite a bit.
- Denki Groove: Japanese techno group that claims to be influenced by YMO and Kraftwerk, so you know their heads are in the right place. Pop-oriented, but very aggressive on the mixers. Never made a bad album and has several really good ones to their name. An obsession of mine, even if I'm alone on this half of the globe. I've always loved their particularly dry sense of humor.
- Fatboy Slim: Got into him back in 1998, back when "Praise You" and "The Rockafeller Skank" were supposedly the future of pop music. He's not really a big talent, but he's always been aware of that, and I can still enjoy the first two albums from time to time. Still an interesting story.
- The Feelies: So glad they're getting reissued, as Crazy Rhythms always struck me as the classic album that nobody knew anything about. The follow-up (while completely different) was pretty good too.
- Flipper's Guitar: This was Cornelius's original band that hit it big in Japan in the early-90's. Owes a lot to English groups like the Stones and Primal Scream, but there's a healthy dose of kitsch along the way. One of the original Shibuya-kei artists (along with Pizzicato Five).
- Future Islands: Saw 'em live and thought it was pretty awesome. Not really a great band but they do have a hell of a singer.
- Futureheads: Loved the first album, not sure why they devolved into generic pop-rock from there. But if I keep giving 'em chances, I might as well review 'em...
- Gary Numan: I could get a start, even though I am missing some of the middle-period stuff that nobody cares about anyway. Embodies "robotic detachment" better than anyone I can think of and his resurgence in the 90's and 00's was surprisingly better than what everyone probably expected.
- Genesis: Yeah, they're coming, as soon as I can get ahold of the rest of the Phil Collins stuff. Great prog group, even if they had their flaws, and they put out a seriously good string of albums in the 70's. I even like their oft-maligned debut quite a bit. The pop era is obviously not as good but still easily digestible.
- Har Mar Superstar: So the guy looks like Ron Jeremy...he plays the sexy R&B singer card so well that you'd probably be utterly shocked if you heard the music first and then looked at his photos. I thought the joke was getting old, but his latest album (Dark Touches, 2009) surprised me.
- Harmonia: This Cluster/Michael Rother combo was much better than most collaborations are, and I really wish they had done more.
- The International Noise Conspiracy: I'm not a huge fan, and I disagree with almost all their politics, but they're not bad, and I have all their albums anyway, so I might as well.
- Junior Boys: Got into them because I thought they had a connection to the Junior Boys Own label, found them to be pretty good regardless. It's synth-pop for sensitive guys, and they've got a really high ceiling.
- The Kinks: They're coming, but I may just get to the point where Ray started writing terrible rock operas and quit there. They have a classic period, and it's damn good, but I'm not sure how far into their totally deserved slide into irrelevancy I want to go.
- KLF/The Jams: Not sure how in-depth I'm going to get with these guys, and their discography seems to be pretty fractured. Still, this stands as the first time in history a group pioneered a new style as a joke and caught fire on the charts regardless. Their Chill Out album is a classic (despite sounding nothing like anything else they ever did).
- La Dusseldorf: Dinger's post-Neu! group didn't quite get as much praise heaped on it, but they brought some of Dinger's ideas into a more fully realized style, and was his only real commercial success. Only three albums, but I will cover Dinger's "solo" Neondian album, plus I may review the La! Neu? records someday...
- LCD Soundsystem: If Byrne or Bowie were born in the 70's, this is the kind of music they'd be making today. Murphy is a greater talent than he often lets on, and his shameless borrowing from the past sometimes masks the fact that he's still trying to push music forward. Most people don't look much past the inherent irony in the group, but there's a level of sincerity that many retro groups can't touch.
- Lemon Demon: Yep, we're doing Neil Cicierega's solo project too. He's good for a couple of fun, addictive tunes per album, and he's quite good for a guy who just self-releases all his stuff without a real studio (I'm assuming).
- Lo-Fidelity Allstars: I jumped on the Big Beat Bandwagon at the age of 12, so not only did I own this album, but I actually got somewhat excited over the sequel (six years later!!)...not really a great group of musicians, but they lay the funk down hard and don't pull any punches.
- Max Tundra: Complex and chirpy electronic music painstakingly pieced together by one man. Given the level of detail on his last album, I don't blame him for taking six years to put it out. Kinda like a more grounded Dan Deacon.
- Michael Jackson: I regret not getting to this before he died, but I kind of wanted to do the Jackson 5 first. Regardless of what you think of the man, it's hard to deny that some of his singles were classic, and his prime albums are like greatest hits comps by themselves.
- Modest Mouse: My buddies turned me on to these guys, and I have to say I'm impressed - the group's early work has an affinity towards rhythmic jamming and astounding drum work, plus they have plenty of interesting and innovative arrangements. Brock's vocals are sort of at a make-or-break point for me right now...I wish he didn't have a lisp, and his atonal shouting gets old after a few years.
- Presidents of the United States of America: Every kid my age was drawn to these guys, and as it turns out they had an impressive rock pedigree as well. Now that they've reformed their discography is big enough to give a serious look at.
- Rip Slyme: Wonderfully addictive J-rap/pop, these guys hit the pleasure buttons early and often. Every new single becomes a minor obsession for me. You'd think there would be more groups like this considering how big they are in Japan.
- Scooter: Ridiculously enjoyable German stadium house group. Everyone makes fun of 'em, but some of their tracks are undeniably great. It doesn't help that they appear to have almost zero actual musical or songwriting talent though. Their albums do follow a pretty disappointing pattern of singles+covers+filler which makes them a little unexciting to review.
- The Sea and Cake: 8 years ago, a Kazaa search for "Cake" revealed this soft-spoken but instrumentally great band. I don't much like their recent work but they've got some great stuff under their belt.
- Soul Coughing: Amazing mid-90's alt-rock band. Every member was essential to this band - the rhythm section is one of the best I've ever heard, Doughty's beat poetry is thoughtful and often amazing, and the sampler effects were not only unique but essential. One of the best short-lived bands of all-time.
- Squarepusher: Same type of glitchy electronic stuff that Aphex Twin does, only this guy is a rhythm section onto himself, competant at drums and playing a mean bass. Some of his early material is classic, but I wonder if he's fallen off the wagon as of late (or more likely, just gotten bored).
- Talking Heads: One of the best New Wave groups ever, and, well, you know how I feel about that.
- Telex: Belgian Kraftwerk parody (?). Mostly a joke group, but the joke was pretty funny, and I'd even classify Neurovision is an early synth-pop classic.
- Wall of Voodoo: Cool New Wave group with some very interesting percussion work. I dig the film-noir feel that Ridgway gives it, and they're pretty strong on the songwriting front. Don't know if I'll delve into the post-Ridgway work yet.
- YACHT: Pretty interesting laptop-electronic group (?), but I don't know if they (he?) are particularly good. Fun, but not much replay value.
- Artists I plan to review someday:
- Adrian Belew: Seems to be seriously underrated as a solo artist, even if he doesn't really have much of an identity.
- Afrika Bambaata: I have the Looking for the Perfect Beat collection and it's great...but I don't know how much of his other stuff is worth exploring.
- Amon Duul II: Have the first five albums, but don't listen to them often now. They get lumped in with the Krautrock scene even though they're psychadelic if anything...they sound more like Zeppelin in spots. Seem to be pretty underrated in the whole German rock canon since they weren't really pigeonholed anywhere.
- Autechre: Notoriously hard to review, but I may give it a shot when I can more fully stomach some of the later stuff.
- Barenaked Ladies: I ran out of They Might Be Giants albums to review, so these guys will have to do for now. They've got the quirkyness and PG-13 goofiness, but their attempts at profundity are seriously eye-rolling. Still, I think Gordon is a damn fine album.
- Bjork: Have the first three albums which I listen to on and off. Very expressive, but very hard to get a hold on exactly what she's on about most of the time. "Isobel" and "Alarm Call" are definitely on my all-time playlist though.
- Boredoms: I find the noise-rock stuff to be pretty hit-and-miss, but it's hard to deny that albums like Pop Tatari have an entire career's worth of musical ideas on them. Their drum-based rhythmic period (Super AE and Vision Creation Newsun) is some of my favorite music ever. They've got a zillion obscure releases and tons of spin-offs and side projects, which I'm slowly accumulating.
- Brian Eno: His four 70's vocal albums are must-haves for every serious music fan. The rest, I'm kind of divided on. My plan is to lump in all his collaborations with the purely solo stuff (mostly to avoid having spinoff Eno releases scattered among the website) so it's going to be messy.
- The Clash: Well, they're punk in spirit, even if most their records don't really resemble punk music the way you'd expect. Yeah, I love London Calling, so what. Very important historically and still maintain a pretty huge level of popularity today even if they're long disbanded.
- Cluster: The original German synth-innovators. I haven't decided whether I'm going to put in the effort with these guys yet but I've liked most of what I've heard thus far. What an odd debut though.
- David Bowie: Once I get through his 20-or-so album catalogue, that is. Like most reviewers, I prefer the Station to Station and Low albums, but the early stuff is great too, and I've heard a number of good things about his output in the last decade.
- Depeche Mode: How can I resist the ultimate synth-pop band? I'm not too keen on them lyrically but they've written many classics over the years, and all their albums are at least listenable. We'll get there.
- Elvis Costello: Definitely coming someday - but despite having eight of the man's albums there's a ways to go. One of the top 5 singer-songwriters of our generation, and his first three albums should be required listening. Score one for the little guy.
- Falco: Vienna pop sensation with one and a half hits and a lot of camp. This was New Romantic taken to an excess, and I don't even know what the guy was singing about half the time. I just listened to his debut, Einzelhaft, and realized that he's definitely in on the joke, and really seems to be quite clever. Hopefully his later albums are just as solid.
- The Fall: I'm about 25 albums short of a full discography, but so far what everyone says about this band is true: all the albums are similar, but they're also different, and each one is worth getting.
- Fantastic Plastic Machine: Teriffic Japanese Shibuya-kei DJ with an ear for clever, ear-popping melody and a knack for amazing arrangements. A new favorite.
- Flight of the Conchords: Funny on more than a few levels, and like the best comedy groups, they can pull out a truly resonant moment if they try. Surprisingly talented.
- Frank Zappa: He's a hell of a talent and a musical genius, but the guy knew it and let it get the best of him. If he had cut his musical output in half his discography would be one classic after another, it would still be humongous. I love some of the man's music, but his smug sense of humor is often misfire and a huge turnoff. That said, the autobiography he wrote in the 80's was fascinating. I doubt I'll ever have a complete Zappa page like Prindle (and honestly I don't really want to put in the time), but hopefully I can amass a good 15-20 albums before I start here...
- Grandmaster Flash (and the Furious Five): A staple of early hip-hop, these guys could have been huge if they had resolved their differences and record company disputes. As it is, you have a fractured discography and few real classics, and the weird shifting lineups are really confusing - there are Grandmaster Flash records that don't even include Flash, and a bunch of them that have him but none of the original Furious Five. Some of their stuff is classic ("Superrappin'", "The Message", "White Lines") but outside of the singles there's almost nothing worth getting.
- Guitar: Ambient music with plenty of otherworldy sounds and some beautiful acoustic plucking.
- Guitar Vader: Little known Japanese indie group with one seriously nasal female vocalist - that said, they've got a number of really catchy tunes and an off-beat style, so I like 'em.
- Guitar Wolf: Fairly popular Japanese punk band that takes pride in not being able to really play that well. Jet Generation is the loudest album ever recorded and I find it fascinating. I subscribed to Seiji's broken English podcast and it was hilarious. ROCK N' ROLL BABY!
- Halcali: This was originally a Rip Slyme offshoot that featured a couple of rapping teenage girls, now I think it's turned into some generic J-Pop outfit. But that first album was a pretty cool guilty pleasure.
- Haroumi Hosono: Love the guy, and right now I'm just trying to get through his massive discography, which includes a ton of collaborations and side projects. I've heard him called the "Japanese Eno", which is fairly accurate, but he has a weird style that's unique and off-kilter in a way that's fascinating. One of the biggest musical innovators of the last 40 years, even if most English-speaking people don't know his name.
- Harry Nilsson: One of the best singer/songwriters of all times, even if his albums got a little too self-consiously quirky for my tastes. I've heard him referred to as "Hendrix as a vocalist", which rings true to me - every singer would kill to sound like him.
- Huey Lewis and the News: Yep, I found my old Sports casette and you know what? I like it. Really bland yuppie-rock but it's got killer hooks. Since then, I've heard their first two, and they're so astoundingly bland that I can't believe they got another chance.
- Jackson 5: None of what I've heard is bad, but they're a singles band, and some of their albums are basically forgettable. That said, those singles were some of the greatest pop songs ever.
- Jean-Michel Jarre: Oxygene and Equinoxe are good, maybe even great, and I might review those...that said, given the mixed reviews the rest of his stuff gets, I'm not sure how far I'm going to go. I have to find out exactly why this guy was so famous, after all...
- Jimi Hendrix: Small discography, and even I can't deny the guy was amazing.
- Jonzun Crew: Unjustly forgotten electro-funk group that paved the way for Grandmaster Flash and Bambaata. Anyone who's a fan of those two needs to check out Lost in Space, one of the early electro/hip-hop albums that's actually good. Sadly, I did venture into the second album, Down to Earth, and makes me wonder if I overrated the first album.
- Joy Division: I find Closer massively overrated, but Unknown Pleasures is fascinating, and I dig what I've heard out of the Substance comp.
- Komputer: Kraftwerk imitators - amusing and worth a mention, but hardly great.
- Kurtis Blow: The original rap star. The first half of his debut album is phenominal. I'm still undecided as to whether or not any of his other stuff is worthwhile.
- Laurie Anderson: I didn't really like her big fluke single, but she seems seriously innovative and remains a curiously careful lyricist. I'll be honest - I gave her a shot because Datarock wrote a great song about her. Big Science is not exactly an all-time classic, but it is very good, and way less pretentious than it appears.
- Logic System: The solo project of Hideki Matsutake, often called the "4th member" of YMO. Good instrumental synth music.
- Martha and the Muffins: They're a second-rate New Wave act, but they do occasionally hit it out of the park. Seems like the kind of group my mom would have fronted 20 years ago (you know, if she was just a little more hip...)
- Minutemen: I really do like their style, and they do a lot for three guys who aren't exactly virtuosos. They listened to Beefheart and Wire but still respected even the most banal pop music. And Double Nickels is basically a masterpiece.
- Moonriders: I want to review them simply because it may be the first English-language Moonriders page on the web. Keiichi Suzuki was always an interesting composer, and the Moonriders showtune and big band-inspired arrangements were fun...but they lack a little something in memorability. Seemed to get more interesting as time went on.
- Mouse on Mars: They certainly are talented composers and arrangers, and even from the first two albums I can tell these guys have something special. And the Jan St. Warner interviews are fascinating. Surprisingly unpretentious and fun while remaining complex.
- Moxy Fruvous: Canadian folk/acapella group. They fit into the quirky style of bands like TMBG and Barenaked Ladies. I only have Bargainville and I am impressed although a lot of the tunes don't rise above novelty value. I'm curious if the rest of their work is worth checking out.
- Mrs. Miller: Assuming I can find all her albums. Yeah, she warbles off-key frequently, but I actually like her voice, and her music is a lot of fun to listen to. This is like a bizarro-world Susan Boyle, only 40 years in the past.
- Negativland: I have a few albums and may pick up a few more, but I doubt this page will be complete. They called themselves "media terrorists" and did have a few genuinely clever ideas...personally I think that they complain too much and fall on their face whenever they're attempting a serious statement.
- New Order: What is this, jangle-synth-pop? Either way, it's good music, even if I don't like how they never put their best tracks on the actual albums. Technique is fookin' ace, though...
- The Nice: I guess I have to review Keith Emerson's original band some day. I have their debut and it's surprisingly light fare (considering Emerson was in the band and all), but they were composing faux-symphonies soon after.
- Nick Lowe: How much leeway do you give a guy for one great album? I'm six-albums in and he seems to have fallen into a rut of generic country-rock, the type of thing he seemed way too clever for on his debut. I heard he bounced back into good country-rock, so I'll stick it out.
- Nine Inch Nails: I'm a little split on the music, but Trent seems like a real cool guy. I like that he has a New Wave pedigree, and he never seems to be content with where he stands. Plus, I think his music distribution ideas are a big step forward for the industry.
- No.9: Japanese folk-tronica. Often very pretty, with some great melodic or atmospheric touches here and there.
- The Outfield: Fun 80's rock with monster hooks and good songwriting. I can't get over how good their debut is (compared to what I expected), but the rest of their albums aren't really appealing to me.
- P-Model: This page is definitely coming, once I can wade through a humongous discography. Frontman Susumu Hirasawa is one seriously prolific and restless musician, always at the forefront of technology and never letting his music go stale. I'm surprised how unpretentious and enjoyable so much of it is, and for a New Wave fan such as myself the 16-disc full discography box set is a serious find. The downside is that the albums usually come off as a "work-in-progress" and I have yet to year one seriously great album from the man despite the fact that he's clearly capable of it. Hirasawa's solo work seems to be more famous and more willing to branch out, so I'll get to that too. This page is going to take forever but it's definitely coming.
- Penguin Cafe Orchestra: Jazz-lite, but it's melodic and bouncy enough that I can dig it. Very relaxing.
- Pet Shop Boys: They're a little too clever, and their songwriting seems to fluctuate a bit, but I can't help it if I like the sound, regardless of how plastic it is. Reminds me of Sparks, which is usually a good thing.
- Peter Gabriel: Most of his solo material impresses, especially when he's experimenting around. Has a knack for thoughful and dense pop songs and definitely earned his spot in pop culture, plus he's got a great voice that's capable of pulling off almost any style. Tough guy to nail down.
- Pizzicato Five: The original Shibuya-kei group...sometimes irresistable, sometimes boring, but always fun. I'm going to reserve judgement until I hear the later albums, however.
- Pluxus: Danish (?) electronic group that's nearly as primitive as classic Kraftwerk, but exist in a time when more modern sounds are clearly available. Fun tunes, but not much substance.
- Primal Scream: Not sure how much I like of this group outside of Screamadelica, but I'm only up to Vanishing Point, so let's see. They don't appear to have much musical talent but they're fairly good.
- Radiohead: Someday I will, but I doubt they really need another page dedicated to them. Really liked them for a while, but I recently took all their music off my iPod because I was tired of skipping them. I hate to say I'm affected by such things but I admit that Pitchfork's deity-like treatment of them along with stuff like a rarities collection being titled Towering Above the Rest (not their doing, by the way) really turned me off to the group. To my ears they're not really doing anything new.
- The Rapture: Small discography, but they have a generally agreeable sound. I dig the new electro-dance-pop DFA sound that's been coming out lately, but I was really hoping I'd like Echoes more than I did (it's good, but not great the way everyone seems to think)...after hearing "No Sex for Ben" I think I have to give them another chance.
- Refused: One of the last intense and relevant punk groups to hit the scene, I have to admit I don't like them much outside of The Shape of Punk to Come. What an amazing album, though.
- Robert Wyatt: Musical genius, and for more than just Rock Bottom!! I liked his Soft Machine stuff, the guy can be deadly serious and make you laugh at the same time. One of the most thoughful musicians around and I'm glad he's still pumping out albums.
- Rovo: A Boredoms offshoot, this is a neat drum-based group that specializes in mesmerizing 10-minute compositions. Their sound can be a little one-note at times but it's exciting enough to offset that.
- Roxy Music: Where have you guys been all my life? Any Bowie/Talking Heads/Eno fan NEEDS to get the first five albums by these guys. Ridiculously ahead of their time.
- Royksopp: Very relaxing and atmospheric, yet often upbeat. A good combination, and they have a very nice sound to go with it.
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: I could listen to him play the piano all day, and some of his solo albums are truly innovative. Plus, he seems to be getting better as time goes on.
- Savage Garden: Shut up. I'm not much of a fan but "I Want You" was one of the coolest singles of the 90's.
- Shiny Toy Guns: Great debut album, although it was most likely a fluke, as the follow up was so unmarkable I can't even remember what it was called. Hopefully as close to emo as I ever get on this site.
- Shpongle: Yeah, I was taken by all the fans claiming them as "the best group ever", even if I don't really like trance. It's pretty chilled for trance music, and there's a number of great moments on all their albums, even if they are taking an awfully long time to sink in. Still unsure if I want to go down this path.
- Silver Apples: I liked their debut for a while, but lost interest quick. But they're historically relevant and have a small discography, so I'll try to fit them in.
- Soft Machine: Not sure how far I'll go, because this band completely changed forms over the course of a few albums (and didn't retain any original members), but I'll definitely at least review the Wyatt-era albums. Third is providing a real challenge for me, however.
- The Specials: And eventually, everything Terry Hall has ever appeared on.
- Squeeze: Pretty good New Wave group. Fairly non-descript, but I found Cool For Cats to be a pretty good listen and as far as I've heard the next two are even better. Stay tuned.
- Stan Ridgway: His solo albums are fairly hit-or-miss, but I find them to be generally good, and I love the guy's knack for storytelling.
- Stereolab: Any group that claims to be influenced by Neu! and La Dusseldorf gets a try in my book, but they're almost a little too detached. Some of their material is absolutely killer but I'm finding the early supposed masterpiece Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements nowhere near as good as advertised - Emporer Tomato Ketchup however really is great.
- Stewart Copeland: The legendary Police drummer has some great solo material to his name, including an unremembered stint as Klark Kent that ran alongside his Police work. For the record, his Rumblefish soundtrack is better than any album Sting ever put out.
- Sting: I liked him when I was a kid, and he's the singer and songwriter for a band I really do like, so I have to at least give this a shot.
- Stone Roses: Absolutely brilliant debut that deserves the accolades it got. Not sure if there's anything else worth exploring though.
- Sufjan Stevens: Even if the Illinois follow up never comes, this guy's already got a pretty impressive body of work before the age of 30.
- Super Furry Animals: I've liked everything I've heard from them so far - dense, dreamy pop music with a lot of unexpected twists. I may fall pretty hard for this group.
- Television: Someday I'll get to them...their debut isn't really my type of music but it's clearly very very good. I'll pick up their other albums soon and see how I feel.
- Todd Rundgren: Seriously talented, with a unique sound and an awful lot of cool musical ideas. I'll definitely pick up some of his Utopia work as well. The only thing that's prevented me from delving too deeply is his huge body of work.
- Towa Tei: Japanese DJ who originally was with Deee-Lite in the early 90's. His solo material is more fully realized and usually better, and he only seems to be getting better as time passes. I hope Last Century Modern isn't his ceiling, however.
- Van Der Graaf Generator: I find Hammill's vocals to be ridiculous and the rest of the group's talents to be mediocre at best, and thus I'm very slowly picking up their albums. I like what I hear though.
- Wire: Liked Pink Flag (but not too much), didn't like Chairs Missing. Still can't quite ignore these guys yet.
- Yes: Need a few more albums to at least complete my 70's Yes collection, and we'll go from there. Can't deny how good this band can be, but I am pretty scared to jump into the post-90125 material.
- Yukihiro Takahashi: His solo albums are a little easier to digest than the other YMO members, but I really wish he'd stuck with the synth-pop. He definitely has his moments.
- Artists on the wishlist:
- Aesop Rock: Smarter than your average rapper...
- Air: Heard promising things, very smooth and sexy, but also a little light on substance.
- Andrew W.K.: I Get Wet is one of the most unique albums I've ever heard - it's so ready-for-radio, so polished and formulaic, and yet nothing I've ever heard sounds quite like it.
- Apples in Stereo: Don't know much about this band, but I've heard a bit due to his connection with Cornelius, and it is impressive.
- The Band: Seriously good folk-rock, as gritty and unpretentious as it ought to be.
- Basement Jaxx: Got Rooty, still undecided where this music belongs in the world of 2010.
- The Beatles: Does the world need another long-winded Beatles page? Especially from a guy who didn't even own a Beatles album until he was 20? I say no, but I might do it anyway...
- Black Devil Disco Dub: Are they a forgotten group that was ahead of their time or a modern retro group posing as one? Either way, this is seriously funky stuff that hits a lot of the right notes.
- Blondie: Fun, self-aware New Wave group with a smokin' hot vocalist and a number of addictive hits. What's not to like? Let's find out!
- Brand X: Cool jazz-fusion group with Phil Collins playing a mean drumkit. Love the faster-paced stuff.
- Buzzcocks: Maybe...I liked Singles Going Steady but not as much as I think I was supposed to.
- Captain Beefheart: Yeah, I have Trout Mask, but from what I've heard his other work is pretty good as well. If I recall correctly Shiny Beast was a hell of an album as well...
- The Cars: Maybe the most mainstream New Wave band, these guys scored tons of hits and probably deserved most of them. Catchy, clean, and a little neurotic.
- Dire Straits: I like Mark Knopfler, but I couldn't tell you why. I like the idea of music that's old-style but very cleanly produced, and there's something endearing about the way Knopfler has basically mumbled through his entire career.
- Electric Six: Cock-rock taken to a ridiculous extreme, although lately they've been sounding more New Wave, which can only be a good thing. Some of their lyrics are hilarious.
- Elephant's Memory: Known primarily for being Lennon's backing band, I picked up their first album only because of their interesting name and found it to be surprisingly good.
- Fat Boys: This self-depriciating rap trio was Run DMC's main competitor in the 80's, despite hardly taking themselves seriously. Not the most skilled set, but Human Beat Box was frickin' amazing.
- Fela Kuti: That's a hell of a discography and I don't know if I want more than a few albums, but I dig anything that's intensly rhythmic, and Fela has it in spades.
- The Frogs: Shameless, but hilarious, and they can be clever songwriters. Plus, they're from Milwaukee, which is cool.
- Gentle Giant: The prog group that was just too much for the public to handle, they embodied pretty much every stereotype of the genre but still put out several critically acclaimed albums. I'd like to hear a few...
- Gordon Lightfoot: Have a comp, and I'm interested to hear the "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown"-era stuff. I'm not really a folk guy and Lightfoot's music is kinda sappy, but what the hell, I like it. I probably won't ever go full discography but I want to pick up the important albums.
- The Jam: On the long waiting list of artists I have heard and do like but haven't gotten around to yet.
- Jethro Tull: Just give me 10 years.
- Joe Jackson: Maybe when I run out of Elvis Costello albums...
- John Cale: Think the guy's a great musician, and I really did like Paris 1919 and awful lot. One of the most unique (and throaty) voices around.
- John Foxx: Maybe he takes the whole Numan thing too far, but Metamatic is a damn good album. Hopefully there's more?
- Ken Ishii: I'm not really a fan of repetitive, deep techno, but I love his style, even if I find his remixes much better than his original material. I still hold hope for the later stuff, though...
- Kick the Can Crew: Japanese hip-hop that's fun and pretty quick-paced. Small discography but there seems to be a lot of quality work.
- Kid Koala: Like his work so far
- Kid Loco: I find this brand of trip-hop better than most of the rest, but that's just based on his debut. Still not sure if this is really my style.
- Klaus Schulze: I picked up X long ago and really did like it, but it was just so damn long that I wasn't really convinced I should pick up more. Irrlicht did pique my interest and I'm wondering if he ever wrote more pieces like that. Still, a guy with a huge discography full of 10+ minute pieces goes pretty far to the bottom of the list...
- M.I.A.: I like her no-holds-barred style, and "Paper Planes" was one of the best pop singles in recent memory. She will probably drop off the list at some point because I'm starting to see her (very) limited musical talent and obnoxious political views that are slowly overtaking her albums.
- Madonna: Maaaaaybe. I like some of the singles and her early work was revolutionary...nothing new, but it presented the ideas in the right way. I may pick up a few sooner or later...
- Mecano: Fun Spanish New Wave band. Seem to be quite popular in Spanish speaking countries.
- Moby: I had Play when I was 14 and recall liking that quite a bit.
- Moody Blues: Have three albums, like 'em okay, but they're at about the same place as Tull on the "art-rock to check out later". I did see them live and had a good time, though.
- My Bloody Valentine: Loveless is a masterpiece, okay I admit it, but I'm not exactly pumped to hear the rest of their stuff. I know I'll get around to it eventually...
- Next: Short-lived sexually-charged R&B band that's amusing in their sheer ridiculousness. Their hit ("Too Close") is one of my favorites from the 90's.
- Orange Range: Japanese rap/rock hybrid. Have a cool sound and lots of material to check out.
- Pere Ubu: I have their debut and find it pretty nice, but as far as I can tell, they haven't done anything as good since.
- Pink Floyd: Yeah, the world doesn't need another page on them, but aren't I due for a Pink Floyd phase sometime soon?
- Psychadelic Furs: Good songwriting, but I can't stand the singer's voice. Woof.
- Rick Astley: I can find the albums easy enough. It's a guilty pleasure, but he had a great voice, and some of his singles were hard to resist. Although I'm afraid we may all be overexposed at this point.
- Ruins: Seriously nutso Japanese bass/drums/vocals duo. Really whacked out, but also really exciting, and sometimes even catchy. Practically indescribable.
- Sigur Ros: Some day I'll get into this Pitchfork-approved group. They are both calming and sweeping at the same time, and they're clearly at the top of whatever the hell genre you would call this.
- Slick Rick: He's slick, alright. I have his debut and thought it was pretty good, not to mention hilarious. One of my favorite rappers.
- Takkyu Ishino: Denki Groove mastermind gone solo. Probably an outlet for less friendly work, but I can't see him doing anything bad.
- Ultravox: Seems to be up my alley.
- Yoshinori Sunahara: The other Denki Groove guy that wasn't Ishino or Taki. His solo stuff is fairly boring so far, like a lightweight Towa Tei, but I wouldn't be surprised if he puts it all together.
Author Comments:
Here's a list of bands that someday, I plan to review, along with a few comments on them. If you see a band you like here, feel free to post a comment and I'll review it sooner.
Glad to see you'll be writing articles on Aphex Twin and Underworld (the latter being one of my favorites bands ever).
Indeed, UW are just fantastic. I've been into them for nearly 10 years, when I was just a kid listening to Beacoup Fish every day on his paper route. dubnobass and Everything, Everything were pretty much the soundtrack to my last two years of high school. It'll probably be hard to be real objective ;)
Heheh...I've only been listening to them for the last 3 years. I actually still need to listen to Everything, Everything as well 100 Days Off. I haven't heard their earlier synth-pop stuff either.
This is how I'd personally rank the other albums:
-Dubnobasswithmyheadman - 10/10
-Second Toughest in the Infants - 10/10
-Beaucoup Fish - 9/10
-Oblivion with Bells - 8/10
I absolutely love A Hundred Days Off. I didn't think very much of it until I recently relistened to it and realized how fantastic it really is. There are 10 great tracks without a filler. The best for me are: Two Months Off, Little Speaker, Dinosaur Adventure 3D and Luetin, although as I already said all of them are great. Even that guitar interlude is good.
Oblivion With Bells is also growing on me with every single listen, and I kinda changed my mind - I think they can function very well (or even better) without D. Emerson.
I'd also love to do an Orbital list, although I want to do some others first. I wanted to start with Mouse On Mars, what do you think abou them? I think they're great, especially their early stuff.
The problem for Underworld is that their early stuff is so great that any album they put out that's just 'good' would be a disappointment. I bought AHDO when it came out and it took 2-3 years before I really started to like it. It's much more subtle than their previous work. OWB I feel is pretty great as well. I think the biggest reason why most UW fans think the band has 'lost it' since Emerson left is because they don't get to hear all the good stuff. I admit the Riverrun series got off to kind of a rocky start (although "JAL to Tokyo" still rules), but the second and third releases were fantastic, taking the band in a direction we haven't really heard before. There's a number of really great but unreleased tracks floating out there that for some reason weren't on OWB, the kind that are just as good as their early work. They're still a band to be excited about.
Orbital should be coming soon. I don't listen to them so much anymore but I really really thought that a few of their albums were just fantastic. I was very excited for the Glastonbury live collection, and the performances were ace, but the sound quality's a little off. I think I might relisten to all their albums again soon.
As for Mouse on Mars - I've only listened to Vulvaland, which I didn't really get into yet - it seems like a nice album, but it's subtle. I do have the Von Sudenfed album and I really like it. I've heard a lot of great things about them so no doubt I'll be picking up their albums soon.
Cheers for the comments on some of my TMBG stuff - hope to see some reviews of their albums from you at some point soon :-)
It's coming, but their discography is huge (I have pretty much everything that's ever been available), and besides all I would do is rave about how great the early stuff is.
It's now done...check it out :)