Thursday, February 16, 2006

5 albums you might not have heard of...

(but might like to hear)


If you like: Coldplay, The Shins, folk/indie/alternative music,

You might like:
In the Reins, by Iron and Wine/ Calexico

this is an enchanting album. i highly recommend it. i didn't know too much about either group when i first listened to it (had heard a couple songs by iron and wine before, but nothing by calexico), but i'm pretty much in love with it now. wonderful music... it's just so flowing and melodic, that you almost forget that you're listening to it (and not in a bad way). it just sort of seeps into the subliminal

If you like: Relient K, Good Charlotte, Mae, The Academy Is..., pop/punk/alternative music,

You might like:
Chroma, by Cartel
i stumbled across this by chance while looking for some music on amazon.com. it's a really solid album... nothing new or groundbreaking, but it's stacked with rocking pop-punk anthems. maybe it's not "real punk," but Cartel knows what sort of music they're trying to make and they do it well. i honestly don't think i've skipped over a song while listening to this CD, which is pretty rare for me. it doesn't have any real radio-ready singles, but that can be a good thing too. lyrics are predictably underwhelming, but they don't detract too much from the solid tunes. no profanity or anything, but nothing terribly soul-satisfying either. this album isn't meant to be taken too seriously; it's just plain fun

If you like: hip-hop/rap music,

You might like:
The Mouse and the Mask, by Danger Doom
this is another collaboratory album, from two guys i've never heard of before: Danger Mouse and MF Doom. i'm not a hip-hop aficionado by any means, but there are some absolutely crazy hooks in this album. old school is by far the standout track, and is one of those "put on repeat for half an hour or so" types of songs that is just incredibly addictive. some possibly objectionable language in a couple tracks, but overall it's a surprisingly clean album for the genre. i didn't think i'd enjoy it... but it's ended up getting put into heavy rotation. i don't know enough about this genre of music to say anything intellectual about the music, except that i happen to like it. so there

If you like: O.A.R., Guster, acoustic/indie rock music,

You might like:Bang Bang, by Dispatch
i got exposed to Dispatch at camp last summer... hadn't ever heard them before until uncle elvis was singing the general one night around the campfire. but that song is so incredibly catchy that i had to get some more of them, and there you have it. they broke up a while back, which is a shame since i guess they were pretty amazing live and have just a really unique and enthusiastic sound. you can pick up on some definite reggae influences on some of their songs, which is pretty cool. their lyrics reflect the group's solid songwriting skills that complement their infectious rhythms and hooks

If you like: Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab for Cutie, indie/alternative music,

ok, so their name is a little... pervy. anything with "porn" in the name has to be bad, right?.. (not to mention the fact that the group hails from canada)? well, not in this case. this album is good; really good. it's got catchy songs that slowly work their magic on you, causing you to go from "hmm, this song is ok," to "wow, this song is really good," to "i think i'm in love with this album," all in the span of just a few listens. as always, the band lists this huge range of artists that they view as influential, but when it comes down to it they're a group without any real comparisons



in other news... a guy from Maine (seth wescott) won a gold medal in snowboard-cross in a crazy race. i'm pretty pumped about that; nice to see the state getting some quality representation


-noonan-

posted by Patrick @ 9:59 PM

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