G'day,

Bob Evans - "Suburban Songbook" - just listened to him at the Big Day Out and went out and got his album. I was impressed. If he sounds familar it's because he is the frontman for WA act Jebediah (although a little less nasal on this album). Also a little more 'folkie' than my usual tastes - but what can I say, I'm a sucker for a little bit of blues harp in any song.[/b]

I've got this one right now -- very enjoyable summery CD, though a bit more whimsical and Elliot Smith-esque than Kevin Mitchell's (aka Bob Evans) previous CD Suburban Kid. Dunno which one I prefer yet -- a few more listens are required.

PJ Harvey - "Stories from the city, stories from the sea" - I had this album a fair few moons ago, but a flatmate moved out, and so too did my PJ Harvey album. Saw it cheap and grabbed it. I only really got it for "This mess we're in" - duet with Thom Yorke (did I mention I'm a radiohead fan!!!)[/b]

I think this is my favourite Polly Jean CD. I've lost count of how many times I've played this.

Ob Radiohead: I never really got into Kid A when it first came out, which is strange coz it has all the experimental stuff that I normally like. But I've been playing it frequently over the last month. The joys of rediscovering music.

Been on a bit of heavy-metal-with-post-rock trip lately -- bands like ISIS, Pelican, Red Sparowes, and Neurosis. Instrumental stuff for the most part, kinda like very heavy versions of Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky. No guitar shredding or double kick-drum theatrics -- just lots of mood and dynamics and slow building crescendos. The occasional death vocal intrudes, but is mostly deep down in the mix and is not too grating.

Oh, and revisiting Simon & Garfunkel to cleanse the palette between the heavier stuff.

--Geoff

Ain't it fun mixing metal with things like Simon and Garfunkle. I like to play the Sex Pistols and follow it with something like Cat Stevens, confuses the hell out of poeple!

DS

G'day,

I've got this one right now -- very enjoyable summery CD, though a bit more whimsical and Elliot Smith-esque than Kevin Mitchell's (aka Bob Evans) previous CD Suburban Kid. Dunno which one I prefer yet -- a few more listens are required.

I think this is my favourite Polly Jean CD. I've lost count of how many times I've played this.

Ob Radiohead: I never really got into Kid A when it first came out, which is strange coz it has all the experimental stuff that I normally like. But I've been playing it frequently over the last month. The joys of rediscovering music.

Been on a bit of heavy-metal-with-post-rock trip lately -- bands like ISIS, Pelican, Red Sparowes, and Neurosis. Instrumental stuff for the most part, kinda like very heavy versions of Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky. No guitar shredding or double kick-drum theatrics -- just lots of mood and dynamics and slow building crescendos. The occasional death vocal intrudes, but is mostly deep down in the mix and is not too grating.

Oh, and revisiting Simon & Garfunkel to cleanse the palette between the heavier stuff.

--Geoff[/b]

I have a lot of respect for your knowledge of music and breadth of listening Geoff. Refreshing to meet (is that the right word?) someone who listens to such a wide variety of music and shares their experience / offers knowledgable opinion.

I find Kid A and Kid B (amnesiac) are some of my favourite radiohead albums (after the bends which I just love). I really like how Kid A and Amnesiac are designed to be listened to from start to finish - no real singles - just a listening experience from track one til the end of the cd.

yeah Waylander, I too take particular notice of anything Geoff may recommend.

Funny you've just posted that, as currently am enjoying Red Sparowes ( no people, that's no a misprint) after checking out geoffs list above.

Mind you, it's not always 100%, once I heard those ( bloody stupid and non-imaginative ) 'death vocals' on Isis, they were out forever.

Pelican will reserve judgement on, not had time for Neurosis yet but Red Sparowes yehhhh

G'day,

I find Kid A and Kid B (amnesiac) are some of my favourite radiohead albums (after the bends which I just love).[/b]

No argument from me -- The Bends is teh best Radiohead album evah.

Funny you've just posted that, as currently am enjoying Red Sparowes ( no people, that's no a misprint) after checking out geoffs list above.

Mind you, it's not always 100%, once I heard those ( bloody stupid and non-imaginative ) 'death vocals' on Isis, they were out forever.

Pelican will reserve judgement on, not had time for Neurosis yet but Red Sparowes yehhhh [/b]

Well I can't guarantee satisfaction for every customer but I try to open yer ears to new stuff now and then.

Anyway, if yer not into ISIS coz of the vocals then cross Neurosis off yer list right now. And just as well I didn't mention Cult Of Luna -- you woulda had a heart attack I reckon if you'd heard those vocals :biggrin:

Actually I was listening to Panopticon by ISIS last night and the vocals are infrequent and generally last only a few lines and I just tune 'em out and think of 'em as another instrument. The geetar work and songcraft outweighs the negatives IMHO. Of course, YMMV.

Best to stick to the instrumental bands then: Pelican and Red Sparowes. A lot of peeps prefer Red Sparowes but I'm leaning towards Pelican meself.

edit: There's also an Aussie band called Laura who mine similar sonic territory. Note to TerryJ: no death vocals.

If you do like this style of geetar work then I do recommend trying out some of the "softer" bands I mentioned earlier like Explosions In The Sky (specifically, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place) or Godspeed You Black Emperor (Yanqui UXO or Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antenna To Heaven), or even Tarentel's From Bone To Satellite. Mogwai have just released a soundtrack to a documentary about French soccer player Zidane that is quite good, too -- all mournful piano lines and weepy guitar.

And if yer jonsin' for something a bit more experimental then download Sleep's Dopesmoker and see if you can last 60mins of the same Black Sabbath-esque riff endlessely repeated over and over and over...

--Geoff

I've spent the last hour listening to Katherine Jenkins' 'Living a Dream'.

Katherine is a 26 year old Welsh Mezzo Soprano (nice looking to boot), who has an incredible voice...........no, make that awesome, unbelievable, voice.

It's definitely not mainstream, and contains mostly classical pieces with the occasional recent musical item and some old faithful's thrown in the mix.

Songs include:

L'Amore Sei Tu (I will always love you)

One Fine Day

Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)

Nessun Dorma (usually sung by male tenors).....incredible

Amazing Grace

Torna a Surriento (un-bloody believable)

Dont Cry for me Argentina

and many, many others.

Not a CD for everyone, but guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of blokes like Amfibius and Hired Goon and TonyM, etc.

If you hate Opera or Classical it's not for you, but if you love excellent female vocals it's just bloody sublime.

Andrew

Some great songs there Andrew. I love a great voice, no matter what music it is.

Me, well I had a bit of old stuff this evening. Billy Thorpe double LP, "Time Traveler' Yes Vinyl.

And a CD of the best from Leo Sayer, he's been in the news a bit lately.

"Giving it all Away" (when I was Just a Boy) use to sound amazing on Vinyl, with great atmosphere. Unfortunately the atmosphere is missing on this CD, or it could be my system.. No I'm not becoming a Vinyl Junkie.

I've spent the last hour listening to Katherine Jenkins' 'Living a Dream'.

Katherine is a 26 year old Welsh Mezzo Soprano (nice looking to boot), who has an incredible voice...........no, make that awesome, unbelievable, voice.

It's definitely not mainstream, and contains mostly classical pieces with the occasional recent musical item and some old faithful's thrown in the mix.

Songs include:

L'Amore Sei Tu (I will always love you)

One Fine Day

Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)

Nessun Dorma (usually sung by male tenors).....incredible

Amazing Grace

Torna a Surriento (un-bloody believable)

Dont Cry for me Argentina

and many, many others.

Not a CD for everyone, but guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of blokes like Amfibius and Hired Goon and TonyM, etc.

If you hate Opera or Classical it's not for you, but if you love excellent female vocals it's just bloody sublime.

Andrew

[/b]

Funny you should mention me as a potential Katherine Jenkins fan. I bought that CD about 12-18 months ago when I was wandering thru an ABC shop and it was playing in the background. I like it a lot, but, surprisingly it doesn't get played all that often.

I really can't put my finger on why I'm more likely to listen to and be moved by vastly inferior singers like eg Lucinda Williams whose rather gritty album "Essence" was playing when I read your post.

Prompted by your post, though Andrew, I'm now listening to KJ as I type and it is truly beautiful music

Too much music....too little time. Like having a cellar full of sublime reds and realising that you're not going to drink them all. No, I'm not referring to myself here.....if I was, I'd be making a bigger effort :biggrin:

Cheers

Tony

PS Mrs M reckons I'm making quite a big enough effort re the reds.

PS Mrs M reckons I'm making quite a big enough effort re the reds.

[/b]

I take it Mrs M doesn't quite share our passion for reds, a white drinker perhaps?

I draw the line at 2 glasses an evening unless I'm entertaining...........hmmm, must entertain more often.

I had a lady friend who has been in 'Ol Blighty' for the last three years over for dinner last night, sadly a bottle of '03 DSOTM is no more.

.. No I'm not becoming a Vinyl Junkie.

[/b]

Awww, Cmon, yes you are................the first stage in fighting an addiction, is to recognise you have a problem.

I take it Mrs M doesn't quite share our passion for reds, a white drinker perhaps?

I draw the line at 2 glasses an evening unless I'm entertaining...........hmmm, must entertain more often.

I had a lady friend who has been in 'Ol Blighty' for the last three years over for dinner last night, sadly a bottle of '03 DSOTM is no more.

Awww, Cmon, yes you are................the first stage in fighting an addiction, is to recognise you have a problem.

[/b]

No, Andrew, she appreciates a nice red, but has this strange idea about moderation.

I went back to the Lucinda Williams and listened to the last two trax "Bus to Baton Rouge" and "Broken Butterflies" Now i'm listening to "Rhymer" on Mary Gauthier's album "Mercy now"

Now it's onto "Prayer without words" from the same album.

Just say I'm a sucker for singer/songwriters with apparent sincerity and realism and a story to share. Love these albums

Gotta go and listen.........

seeya....

I saw Katherine Jenkins about four months ago at Hamer Hall in Melb, bloody amazing voice. I have 2 of her CD's now. She kept changing her dress every few songs which was wierd, but great show.

My favorite songs from her are the song from the "Bodyguard" movie by Whitney Housten " I will always love you" and the Good bye song from the olympics closing ceremony.

Excellent LD......................I think I need to hunt down some more of her stuff. I had no idea she had toured recently.

watching a dr John concert on ch21 at present ...Nice...beautifull sounds !..love it !

Ross wilson now on ch 21 ! boy this is turning out to be a nice evening of music

ps this ross wilson live performace at studio 22 has a lovely noise to it. wonder if tis somethign that can be got on dvd ?

also remember a studio 22 session with angelique kidjo, another one would love to get on DVD !

Been listening to some Joe Jackson lately, very nice, must get more.

I recently downloaded Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn to listen to at work. The pesky work computer will only play CDs, no vinyl, so much for modern technology. Anyway I downloaded the mono mix and it is quite different, and I think quite a bit better. The relative volume of instruments is different and I just prefer the mix. Quite interesting how different a mono mix can be from the stereo mix. Now I'll have to find a mono version somewhere although this could prove expensive.

DS

Been listening to some Joe Jackson lately, very nice, must get more.

I recently downloaded Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn to listen to at work. The pesky work computer will only play CDs, no vinyl, so much for modern technology. Anyway I downloaded the mono mix and it is quite different, and I think quite a bit better. The relative volume of instruments is different and I just prefer the mix. Quite interesting how different a mono mix can be from the stereo mix. Now I'll have to find a mono version somewhere although this could prove expensive.

DS

[/b]

:angry: :angry: . I literally had one of these in my hands and decided not to bother. Now it is impossible to get the limited edition mono version (unless you want to pay 75 quid plus postage)!!

It was really nice as I recall.

I just finished listening to Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica and am now enjoying the incredible narrative opening of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's F # A# Infinity. Who here remembers the usage of "East Hastings" in 28 Days Later? That was my introduction to them.

G'day,

I just finished listening to Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica and am now enjoying the incredible narrative opening of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's F # A# Infinity. Who here remembers the usage of "East Hastings" in 28 Days Later? That was my introduction to them. [/b]

Whilst I enjoy GYBE (particularly Lift Yr Skinny Fists ... and Yanquo UXO), I do wish they would progress beyond their "minor key dirge accompanied by apocolyptic rants from some homeless bum that eventually builds towards a crashing crescendo and repeat for thirty minutes" schtick.

--Geoff

I've had the pleasure of listening to possibly one of the best Blues/Rock albums I've ever heard today. Courtesy of Peter Ghossein, I have a copy of Blues by Nature's CD "Blue to the Bone".

Incredible recording quality with that live in your face feel to it. The muso's on this really know how to cut loose....great guitar riffs, big, big brass and Karen Lawrence's powerful vocals to boot.

Some classics including 'Its a Mans World'.

It was released in Sept 1995 on Shattered Records, and is probably not widely available, but I noted Amazon have around 10 copies, some new for US$5.38........................do yourselves a favour guys, have a listen.

:angry: :angry: . I literally had one of these in my hands and decided not to bother. Now it is impossible to get the limited edition mono version (unless you want to pay 75 quid plus postage)!!

It was really nice as I recall.

[/b]

I am probably going to be stung even harder as I'm looking for a mono version on vinyl, and that means the original pressing. Still, it's only money!

DS

G'day,

Whilst I enjoy GYBE (particularly Lift Yr Skinny Fists ... and Yanquo UXO), I do wish they would progress beyond their "minor key dirge accompanied by apocolyptic rants from some homeless bum that eventually builds towards a crashing crescendo and repeat for thirty minutes" schtick.

--Geoff

[/b]

Hah yes it often gets rather indulgent; I like to think of F# A# . . . as the soundtrack to an apocalyptic Western.

Right now I'm finishing up Meddle (Echoes is such a perfect headphones song), and then it's on to the remastered version of The Final Cut, which is worth it just for the added track from the film of The Wall, "When the Tigers Broke Free", which I think is Waters' most eloquent expression of his anguish at his father's loss, and his criticism of (the leadership of) war in general, especially at the song's chilling conclusion.

Hmm never really liked When the Tigers Broke Free, my copy of The Final Cut seems to have disappeared, although I didn't play it much. I still have the single of When the Tigers Boke Free maybe I'll give it a spin sometime.

DS

Hah yes it often gets rather indulgent; I like to think of F# A# . . . as the soundtrack to an apocalyptic Western.

Right now I'm finishing up Meddle (Echoes is such a perfect headphones song), and then it's on to the remastered version of The Final Cut, which is worth it just for the added track from the film of The Wall, "When the Tigers Broke Free", which I think is Waters' most eloquent expression of his anguish at his father's loss, and his criticism of (the leadership of) war in general, especially at the song's chilling conclusion.

[/b]

I've been playing the Final Cut recently. My version of the CD is 16 years old. Before that I had it on tape!

Would be curious to know how different the remastered version sounds??

Just finished listening to the two CD's I got for B'day.

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

Very romantic old style music, this album really shows the romantic side of Coltrane.

McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones’, Drums; Coltrane, Tenor saxophone and Hartman, Vocals. Hartman's vocals at times feel like coming out of the sax .My pick is the 1st track “They say it's wonderful.” - Heavenly.

But Beautiful- The Best of Shirley Horn.

If you are in to Nina Simone, Diane Schuur or Diana Krall you won't be disappointed.

An excellent album

Just finished listening to the two CD's I got for B'day.

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

Very romantic old style music, this album shows the romantic side of Coltrane.

McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones’, Drums; Coltrane, Tenor saxophone and Hartman, Vocals. Hartman's vocals at times feel like coming out of the sax .My pick is the 1st track “They say it's wonderful.†- Heavenly.

But Beautiful- The Best of Shirley Horn.

If you are in to Nina Simone, Diane Schuur or Diana Krall you won't be disappointed.

An excellent album

[/b]

Must Check that out.

I listened to "A Love Supreme" on the weekend. I enjoyed this more than the past, couldn't turn it off.

Mind you I was listening to it with my new system for the first time. :biggrin:

Cheers

Danton