More music stuff
Jan. 28th, 2006 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ksmithI usually listen to music while I write. Every once in a while I find any background noise distracting and need to work in silence, but 90% of the time, I'm listening to something.
There are times when I listen to a specific artist/band because they work well with a particular character--frex, Depeche Mode and Lucien work well together, as does Peter Murphy (solo work only) and John Shroud.
Other times, it's a mixed bag, with pop/electronica settling during shipping.
Stuff I listen to all the time behind the cut:
Ivy--all their albums. Lounge pop (I think). Female vocalist. Deceptively pleasant melodies with occasionally biting lyrics. Nothing grating or idiosyncratic about the melodies or vocals, traits that often cause me to set some music aside. Their side project, Paco, is also good. Not so hot for Fountains of Wayne.
St Etienne--again, lounge pop with chick singer. All their albums work, although some of the early ones--So Tough, Foxbase Alpha--have spoken words intervals between the songs that can pull you out of whatever scene you're in.
REM works, except for the really rocking stuff like Green and Monster.
Moby, except the spoken word songs. Hate those things.
Stereolab--Margerine Eclipse is a winner. Trance/ambient/electronica/whatever. Like it.
Electronic--a side project of Peter Hook (New Order) and Johnny Marr (Smiths). Their first two albums, self-titled and Raise the Pressure, work best for me.
Air--sometimes the lyrics are beyond goofy, but the melodies are smooth enough that you can tune out the words.
Tahiti 80--a French group like Air, and with a similar sound.
Delerium--Chimera, Karma, all the various Silence mixes featuring Sarah MacLachlan.
Lush--Alternative, female vocalist. All their albums.
Inspiral Carpets--early 90s alternative band that I think qualifies as electronica. Male vocalist.
Belle & Sebastian--some folks call them 'twee', but they work for me. Some songs sung by a male vocalist, others by different female vocalists, and the lyrics are sometimes around the bend.
In a search for new stuff, I've found a few interesting bands. Kasabian's self-titled album isn't bad. Balligomingo's Beneath the Surface. Sigur Ros' Takk--still arf-and-arf about this. Some of the songs are gorgeous, while others suffer from the female vocalist's tendency to approach notes from different directions and howl like a cat. IMO. I really like Chillout 1 and Chillout 2 from Nettwerk Records, which feature a variety of pop/electronica artists. FYI--the versions of the Ivy songs featured on these albums are a little more dance-mix than the standard releases. I've mentioned Thievery Corporation before. Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi is working so far.
Some harder stuff does work for me--Franz Ferdinand, Interpol. The trick here seems to be 1) smooth vocals and 2) tight songs and 3) an amoral, semi-depressed, futuristic bent that works well with what I write.
That's it for now--I think that's enough. I still need to dig deeper into Tangerine Dream, Massive Attack, and some of the Delerium side projects. Thanks to everyone who made recommendations.
There are times when I listen to a specific artist/band because they work well with a particular character--frex, Depeche Mode and Lucien work well together, as does Peter Murphy (solo work only) and John Shroud.
Other times, it's a mixed bag, with pop/electronica settling during shipping.
Stuff I listen to all the time behind the cut:
Ivy--all their albums. Lounge pop (I think). Female vocalist. Deceptively pleasant melodies with occasionally biting lyrics. Nothing grating or idiosyncratic about the melodies or vocals, traits that often cause me to set some music aside. Their side project, Paco, is also good. Not so hot for Fountains of Wayne.
St Etienne--again, lounge pop with chick singer. All their albums work, although some of the early ones--So Tough, Foxbase Alpha--have spoken words intervals between the songs that can pull you out of whatever scene you're in.
REM works, except for the really rocking stuff like Green and Monster.
Moby, except the spoken word songs. Hate those things.
Stereolab--Margerine Eclipse is a winner. Trance/ambient/electronica/whatever. Like it.
Electronic--a side project of Peter Hook (New Order) and Johnny Marr (Smiths). Their first two albums, self-titled and Raise the Pressure, work best for me.
Air--sometimes the lyrics are beyond goofy, but the melodies are smooth enough that you can tune out the words.
Tahiti 80--a French group like Air, and with a similar sound.
Delerium--Chimera, Karma, all the various Silence mixes featuring Sarah MacLachlan.
Lush--Alternative, female vocalist. All their albums.
Inspiral Carpets--early 90s alternative band that I think qualifies as electronica. Male vocalist.
Belle & Sebastian--some folks call them 'twee', but they work for me. Some songs sung by a male vocalist, others by different female vocalists, and the lyrics are sometimes around the bend.
In a search for new stuff, I've found a few interesting bands. Kasabian's self-titled album isn't bad. Balligomingo's Beneath the Surface. Sigur Ros' Takk--still arf-and-arf about this. Some of the songs are gorgeous, while others suffer from the female vocalist's tendency to approach notes from different directions and howl like a cat. IMO. I really like Chillout 1 and Chillout 2 from Nettwerk Records, which feature a variety of pop/electronica artists. FYI--the versions of the Ivy songs featured on these albums are a little more dance-mix than the standard releases. I've mentioned Thievery Corporation before. Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi is working so far.
Some harder stuff does work for me--Franz Ferdinand, Interpol. The trick here seems to be 1) smooth vocals and 2) tight songs and 3) an amoral, semi-depressed, futuristic bent that works well with what I write.
That's it for now--I think that's enough. I still need to dig deeper into Tangerine Dream, Massive Attack, and some of the Delerium side projects. Thanks to everyone who made recommendations.
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Date: 2006-01-28 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-28 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-28 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-28 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-29 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-29 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-29 11:12 pm (UTC)Thanks for the iTunes tip!
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Date: 2006-01-29 11:52 pm (UTC)Thy also feature a singer named Isobel Campbell, who used to be with Belle & Sebastian. Her work sounds good, as well.
*sigh--good ol' iTunes. How to blow the mortgage money in one easy lesson.
Ok, it's off to write now...
no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 02:04 am (UTC)