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Shameboy - Splend It

Nahtram - An Ominous Journey (2018)

Instrumental melodic metal. Good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlqlV6A ... 26uc8Sk5RG

Been a while since I last sat down to really listen to an album. My choice for the night:

D'Angelo - Voodoo (2000)



The cover might make you think 'Rap', but the album is pure soulful Jazz.

The Moody Blues - Tortoise And The Hare

jackbomb wrote:

The Moody Blues - Tortoise And The Hare

Ironically, currently listening to a Moody Blues cover of Nights in White Satin by the prog meal band Oceans of Slumber.
Been bouncing a lot lately between that band and JinJer another prog metal band with a very talented female lead.

just brew it! wrote:

Checking out Amorphis today.

We actually had a couple of their CDs in the collection already (my wife has been into Scandinavian metal for a while), though I had not listened to them until now. Rest of the back catalog appears to be on Spotify.

JBI - what did you think about Amorphis? Funny that we both started listening to them within the breadth of the same forum page. I completely missed your post mentioning them at the time and thought you had posted this in response to me on Friday until i noticed I was on the wrong forum page - lol. I haven't stopped listening to them since I started on Friday. Bought four of their albums including a brand new one that came out a few weeks ago. If you didn't see this one come out I would highly recommend it. Amongst Stars might just be their best work yet.

Yeah, been enjoying Amorphis quite a bit. Already checked out the new album on Spotify. Between this thread, the co-worker I've been trading recommendations with, and random Wikipedia/Allmusic/Spotify tangents from those recommendations, I'm a bit overwhelmed by new (to me) music right now; and that's a great thing!

Steve Tibbetts - Life Of (2018)

Quiet washes of 12-string acoustic guitar plus occasional understated piano and percussion. Feels like a collection of abstract musical sketches.

Very "ECM-ish", if you're already familiar with much of the other stuff on the label.

Roy Buchanan - Hey Joe

Taylor Swift - Reputation
This was a very disappointing album.

I believe that it could have been musical with a few simple improvements:
1) Throw the cheesy flanged synth-bass into the dumpster. Hire a competent musician with a stringed electric bass.
2) Throw the cheesy synth-drums into the dumpster. Hire a competent drummer with a real kit, including an actual snare drum.
3) Throw the cheesy reverb/chorus machine into the dumpster. Let the performers' actual voices come through without that grating auto-tune distortion.

To make up for the craptastic mess linked in the previous post, I give you Warren Haynes (of the Allman Brothers band) performing Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home with Joe Bonamassa.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Taylor Swift - Reputation
This was a very disappointing album.

I believe that it could have been musical with a few simple improvements:
1) Throw the cheesy flanged synth-bass into the dumpster. Hire a competent musician with a stringed electric bass.
2) Throw the cheesy synth-drums into the dumpster. Hire a competent drummer with a real kit, including an actual snare drum.
3) Throw the cheesy reverb/chorus machine into the dumpster. Let the performers' actual voices come through without that grating auto-tune distortion.

It would've still been a Taylor Swift album, with everything that implies.

Obviously that was the overall vibe she and/or her producer wanted for this album. Not my cup of tea either, but there's a crapload of other great music out there, so I don't spend much time listening to (or dwelling on the musical merits, or lack thereof) of the Taylor Swifts of the world.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not averse to female singer-songwriter types in general. I still count myself as a Tori Amos fan; Fiona Apple has done some really good stuff; Sass Jordan and Beth Hart are fantastic bluesy belters in the Janis Joplin vein; and many others. TS and her ilk have just always struck me as a little too slick, a little too calculated, and, well, bland.)

JustAnEngineer wrote:

To make up for the craptastic mess linked in the previous post, I give you Warren Haynes (of the Allman Brothers band) performing Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home with Joe Bonamassa.

And Gov't Mule, which IMO, might be a better band. I know that's probably not a super popular opinion, but it might be true.

Listening to Margo Price the last few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9bLHMCnCAk

just brew it! wrote:

It would've still been a Taylor Swift album, with everything that implies.

Obviously that was the overall vibe she and/or her producer wanted for this album. Not my cup of tea either, but there's a crapload of other great music out there, so I don't spend much time listening to (or dwelling on the musical merits, or lack thereof) of the Taylor Swifts of the world.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not averse to female singer-songwriter types in general. I still count myself as a Tori Amos fan; Fiona Apple has done some really good stuff; Sass Jordan and Beth Hart are fantastic bluesy belters in the Janis Joplin vein; and many others. TS and her ilk have just always struck me as a little too slick, a little too calculated, and, well, bland.)

I was going to say the same.

Dorothy Martin sometimes also gets compared to Janis Joplin. Her latest album has more of a bluesy sound to it, but I'd still totally call them a rock band. There are a few bands I like that are more pop-y than rock-y, and I understand why some people may want to listen to music which isn't at all challenging with shiny happy people holding hands, but I just find it kind of boring.

just brew it! wrote:

I don't spend much time listening to (or dwelling on the musical merits, or lack thereof) of the Taylor Swifts of the world.

I enjoyed Red. Her latest album is just crap.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

I don't spend much time listening to (or dwelling on the musical merits, or lack thereof) of the Taylor Swifts of the world.

I enjoyed Red. Her latest album is just crap.

Well, I'll grant you that's better than the other one. IMO it's still kind of bland though.

Is it still dangerous for any male to fall into her orbit? Do you risk becoming a song subject just by doing so?

I hate whiny pop-tarts.

I'm a fan of Taylor. My 2nd most listened to Pandora "station" after John Williams.

Alice Merton - Lash Out

I'm not sure I'd call myself a Taylor Swift fan, but I'd definitely rather listen to her than Amorphis.

Some people like what they like.

Yeah, the death metal growls are something of an acquired taste. I used to not be into it so much, but once I started listening to metal more often I guess it grew on me. That's also something that's not specific to a male voice by the way as there's groups like Arch Enemy who is now led by Alissa White-Gluz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNPKGyYzPCo

I'll echo Redocbew's comment. Until a few years ago I avoided anything with growled vocals too.

I eventually acquired the taste by listening to Opeth's entire back catalog in more-or-less reverse order. Their last few albums have all clean vocals and a retro prog rock vibe instead of death metal; that's what initially got me interested. I guess you could say Opeth was my "gateway drug".

My recent posts in this thread notwithstanding, death metal is not my favorite genre, and probably never will be. But I've definitely come to appreciate it, and I'm catching up on a lot of great (and some not-so-great...) music I've missed out on over the past couple of decades. I'd even go so far as to say that a few death metal albums would be contenders for my "desert island discs" list now.

Yeah, "discs". I'm old.

just brew it! wrote:

I'll echo Redocbew's comment. Until a few years ago I avoided anything with growled vocals too.

I eventually acquired the taste by listening to Opeth's entire back catalog in more-or-less reverse order. Their last few albums have all clean vocals and a retro prog rock vibe instead of death metal; that's what initially got me interested. I guess you could say Opeth was my "gateway drug".

Yeah I used to only listen to Children of Bodom but otherwise growls were off the table for me. I mostly listened to prog metal bands like Symphony X and bands in the cult of iron maiden like Stratovarious, Excalion, Edguy, Nocturnal Rites and some solo stuff by the lead singers of aforementioned groups. I think it all started for me when I was youtube diving on some Symphony X and a person in the comment section said, "if you think Symphony X is good, check out Opeth." and had a link to something from ghost reveries album. I really never looked back since. There are still a lot of growl vocalists I don't like (see:meshugga) , but then again there are plenty of clean vocals I can't stand too (see: John Arch). My general rule is, the song needs a good melody. Whether that melody comes from a clean vocalist, a lead guitar while the vocalist screams, or a backup chorus , I am happy.

Edit: speaking of John Arch, despite the fact I can't stand his voice, there are many of you here that would probably love his catalog. Here would be as good a place as any to start.

ZZ Top - Fandango...

First post (in years) under a new account. Lost login info a few years ago so I've been a Read Only Lurker for awhile. Hello y'all hehe

I amlistening to clean bandit and their Rather Be! Love these guys!!

NIN, Bad Witch, having just got home from the shops (like it's the 90s!)

Halestorm - Uncomfortable (NSFW language)

Topinio wrote:

NIN, Bad Witch, having just got home from the shops (like it's the 90s!)

worst NIN release ever. It's like a new genre called Industrial JAZZ. 0.5 out of 10 stars.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Panic! at the Disco : Say Amen (Saturday Night)

The official video is disturbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVXauWq9Hwg

the key she got from that dude at the end, does it matter? is it relevant? what does it open? otherwise, cool video, i guess.

but furthest from being disturbing. violence is quite the norm in todays videos/movies/tv shows.

thegleek wrote:

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Panic! at the Disco : Say Amen (Saturday Night)

The official video is disturbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVXauWq9Hwg

the key she got from that dude at the end, does it matter? is it relevant? what does it open? otherwise, cool video, i guess.

but furthest from being disturbing. violence is quite the norm in todays videos/movies/tv shows.

The importance of the key is implied.

I assumed that was the "devil's key" from the news blurb at the beginning of the video. Either way, it's a spooky bad thing sought after by spooky bad people so they can step up their game at being spooky and bad, I guess.