Rockin' the Suburbs is one of my all-time favourites :) Hmm, based on the string-arrangement criteria - have you hear anything by The Divine Comedy?

I have Victory for the Comic Muse and enjoyed it ^_^

It's a little on the goofy side to be Top 10 material, I think, but it's definitely a fun listen. I definitely enjoy goofier stuff, too, though. The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs made it pretty far in the running for this list <3

Thanks for the recommendation, dude!

Glad you liked it ^^ I'm watching the replies very closely, I think I can pick up some excellent reccommendations myself.

Totally ^_^ That's the great thing about putting questions like this to the whole community -- everybody's going to get exposed to at least something new.

Oh, holy shit.

Acoustic, male vocal, narrative-heavy (subjective) with complex string arrangements?

Dude.

The National - Boxer

I never go to shows. But there's a reason I'm flying cross country to see these guys in LA. <: <3

Recommend "Slow Show", "Fake Empire" and "Mistaken For Strangers" off of this for sure.

the drums off the first four tracks are nuts

Freaking LOVE The National. There is not a song I don't like on that album--it's in my top 3 for sure.

Not only is the music phenomenal, but the narrative is so incredibly poetic as it relates to the central theme of a young professional trying to make it in the real world (which is something I am as well). Everyone MUST listen to Boxer...but their other stuff is just as good. <3

Honestly, I consider it the perfect album. There's not a thing about this album that I could possibly get bored of.

I don't know about Kamui, but thanks for the recommendation. I went and bought the album. Sounded good and I'm desperate for new music. I love my Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, but they only go so far..

Not at all, glad you enjoyed! I'd also suggest St. Vincent's "Actor". Give the track "Marrow" a listen. <:

Dude, Boxer was like... number 11 on this list. I loooove that album <3

Haha, well at least you're not missing out! Good man.

No sirree!

Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha was also juuuust barely not on the list, if you haven't gobbled that one up yet ^_^

Oh man, I've been a fan of Dr. Stringz himself for a long while now, back to his Bowl of Fire days. <:

Totally ^_^ I still get a smile whenever Dear Old Greenland comes on <3

Male singer, string arrangements, acoustic?

You gotta check out CMX (Cloaca Maxima), the best band my country has to offer. Songs like Aura, Aamutähti or Ruoste are like medicine for the soul.

Interesting! I haven't heard of them -- I'll have to look 'em up ^_^

Thanks for the new rec!

you'd probably dig Olivia Tremor Control going off the Neutral Milk Hotel angle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6MfDgG3Ing

Hmm, sounds interesting! I'll have to check out more from them. Thanks, dude ^_^

Dude, you need to get into elephant 6.

I will pursue it!

Quite the line up you've got there. Definately some really good ones :)

but when I think of accoustic, male vocal, narrative heavy music all I can think is Elliot Smith :3 often depressing but still extremely good

I was just working my way through Waltz #2 on the guitar the other day <3

Great stuff, to be sure.

have you tried
Gravenhurst - Flashlight Seasons?

I have not! I'll add it to the list of new stuff to check out ^_^

Thanks, dude!

Kamui, your taste in music has me hot and bothered!

My top albums (that you'd probably like because I like them) --


Crane Wife - The Decemberists
Dog Problems - The Format
The Hazards Of Love - The Decemberists (it took a few listenings, but I'm in love!)
Pretty. Odd - Panic! At The Disco
John Rutter's Requiem - The Cambridge Singers (hymns, yeah, but the music dynamics sound beautiful, like shit is blowing up around you in slow motion)
Six - Mansun (I only have room for one Mansun album on the list)
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - Dream Theater (especially the orchestral score version)
This Binary Universe - BT (ambient, but so narrative!)
Want One - Rufus Wainwright
Who's Next - The Who

Dude, thanks for the list! I've definitely got the full run of Decemberists albums going, and some BT and Rufus -- I'll have to look into the others you mention!

I like Belle and Sebastian... And Neutral Milk Hotel.

Yeah, I'd forgotten just how stacked If You're Feeling Sinister was until I recently went back and was blown away all over again <3

Right now, the new Decemberists album has eclipsed their older stuff for me, but I'm a sucker for prog-rocky album-length narratives.

Astral Weeks... oh man, I love this album. Van does vocal acrobatics in "Ballerina" that knock me out every time.

Early Tim Buckley albums are along the same lines as Astral Weeks in terms of folky narratives with a 4-octave voice. I'd definitely recommend checking out "Dream Letter: Live in London".

My other Top 10s would be a little more prog/folky. Stuff like "Us" by Peter Gabriel and "Relayer" by Yes.

Yeah, I'm definitely more on the folk side of the Decemberists than the prog side. I liked Crane Wife, but it took a couple of listens. Their new one I've only listened to once so far, and nothing about it grabbed it. I remember Crane Wife taking a couple goes, though, and tons of folks I know to have fully reasonable taste have said they've really come around on Hazards, so I'm definitely going to give it a few listens before passing final judgment ^_^

I'll check out the Buckley album! Thanks, dude. Meep!

The three albums that keep finding themselves being overplayed by me the most right now would be

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Fleet Foxes (self-titled)
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Wow, check them out. I love a lot of your picks too, though a couple I don't know.

Cease to Begin is an awesome album, and I just saw Fleet Foxes live a couple weeks back -- fun times! I haven't given Wolf Parade's new album as thorough a listening as I'd like yet, but I really enjoyed Apologies to the Queen Mary a lot.

Which ones off of my list don't you know, out of curiosity? ^_^

Neutral Milk Hotel and Neko Case. Heard of them, those names get thrown around a bit, but I'm not sure I've ever actually listened to them!

I can fix that though, right now. *starts browsing* :D

Neutral Milk Hotel only has one real album, so that's pretty easy to catch up on -- it's a bit edgy for some folks, and truth be told it took me a couple of listens myself before I could really get into it, but it's pretty singular stuff, and I think In the Aeroplane Over the Sea went a long way to defining what "Indie Art-Rock" or whatever you call the stuff they make these days sounds like. In terms of sound, it's kind of like Arcade Fire's "Funeral" if Arcade Fire were one dude playing a guitar and recording it on a shitty lo-fi deck in his girlfriend's bathroom ^_^

And Neko case gets less country and more alt-folk-rock-indie-whatever the further along you go, chronologically. Her latest album, Middle Cyclone is probably the easiest point of entry, then move back to Fox Confessor, and beyond. I think she's amazing <3

What about "On Avery Island"? is that not an LP by them *giggles*

Haha, I guess I wasn't...counting that one? For some reason? Honestly, I think of his stuff as a bunch of random singles plus what's on Aeroplane. Avery Island just didn't feel as cohesive as an album to me for whatever reason.

I totally agree, but an album none the less. I have blasted Oh Comely in my car over 30 times and just sung all 8+ minutes of it on the top of my lungs. I know every word of it and am learning it on guitar.

Woa! Great taste! Saw Band of Horses last thanksgiving and it was amazing!

God, I second Boxer. XP

The Decemberists' Hazards Of Love, I'd say, is their best album. It does really well as an interconnected songcycle. SPEAKING OF WHICH, maybe you'd like Song Cycle by Van Dyke Parks, it's a really interesting, weird as fuck baroque pop album. Although it doesn't have extra anything, the arrangements and playing is really complex and great on the solo-guitar albums Fare Forward Voyagers and America by John Fahey. Something else you might like could be the italian artist Fabrizio De Andre, I suggest La Buona Novella (sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uExVH16qs4 ) pretty much fits your description of music you said you like. Another fucking great album that is basically the free-jazz version of the music you like-- sort of like Astral Weeks, but more "Abstract" sounding-- is Lorca by Tim Buckley. The damn-scary-noise-music version of what you like would be Xiu Xiu's albums La Forêt and A Promise; acoustic + industrial.
And it's not exactly what you seem to go for but it has really really strong lyrics and really really strong songwriting and it has a dude singer and has some acoustic-y tunes: Bruce Springsteen's The River.

I second Van Dyke Parks. And "Lorca", or maybe "Happy Sad" for a gentler introduction :)

Lorca isn't THAT hard. XP

Then again, i was listening to a lot of free jazz when I first listened to it. XP

Thanks, dude -- lots of stuff to explore there ^_^ I'm definitely already familiar with Xiu Xiu, and there ain't nothin' wrong with the Boss. I was never a huge Springsteen fan, but I certainly respect that the man can write a song / tell a story. For shore.

I am getting way too into Springsteen, myself.

And he was pretty damn hot in the 70s. XPXP
All masculine look and sensitive songwriting <3

OH OH
AND ANOTHER THING

Ys by Joanna Newsom.

it's not a dude singer, but it's the baroque-est baroque pop ever with some fo the most beautiful poetry int he lyrics that could easily survive themselves as surreal freeform wonderfully flowing verse. her voice might be a little "wtf" at first, but still. The orchestral arrangements on it are done by Van Dyke Parks even!

I loved Ys ^_^

And I loved Milk-Eyed Mender, too, so her voice ain't no thang for me <3 It's beautiful, once you get past the "whoa" factor.

I love her voice. She uses the sort of trademark-squeak-that-is-made-fun-of in "Colleen" from her newest EP pretty damn well. Her voice in general is quite emotive and idiosyncratic, which I think is just really nice.

Milk-Eyed Mender is great too (Ys is just one of the best things though <3). "Peach Plum Pear" is so cool-- have you heard Final Fantasy's cover? Or of Final Fantasy at all? ANOTHER ALBUM: He Poos Clouds by Final Fantasy. A guy describing every day events using weird fantasy terminology and metaphors. he also is the guy who did the orchestral arrangements for Arcade Fire.
Also, if you haven't heard it, live cover of "Peach Plum Pear": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q02ompQhtY8 .
And this is Final Fantasy's best (and geekiest) song, "The Butcher", but the video is complete shit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjr5TJH2oI .

I liked Has A Good Home better than He Poos Clouds, I think, although that could largely be because "This Is the Dream of Win & Regine" is like the coolest song ever. I do love "The Butcher" best out of his more recent stuff, too, though <3

Plus he's cute ^_^

And yeah, he's great with covers because he's such a solid arranger, I think. I love his "Peach, Plum, Pear," he's got a fun "This Modern Love" by Bloc Party, a really nice "Paris 1919" by John Cale.

I actually haven't listened to that one and only picked up He Poos Clouds because I wanted to know if the music was as retarded as the title. But DAMN it's good music! I made a best-of-2008 list and "The Butcher" is the #1 song of 2008 as far as I can tell. xP

He's geekily adorable.

cool bands, some of my faves are among those.

you might also like
josh ritter, the national, devendra banhart, beck, deus, david ford, jack penate, joe purdy, jupiter one, just jack, morphine, ray lamontagne, rogue wave, sebastian tellier, the coral

I definitely already listen to a few of those ^_^ Thanks for the new leads to check out!

you're welcome, and thank you too. already listened to some of those you named ^^

OH HELL YEAH JOSH RITTER! I'm freaking in love with "The Temptation of Adam" right now! W, aye, aye, aye

And respect for New Weird America! You have to hear Akron/Family: http://midheaven.com/fi/audio2/Meek_Warrior.mp3

yeah josh ritter ftw <3

thnx for the cool song of akron/family :D:D

I have always enjoyed Iron & Wine. Are they popular these days? I am so not hip with what the kids are listening to. X)

I am also a big Decemberists fan. My favorite album is Picaresque, go figure.

Seconding the Gravenhurt recommendation, too. Other favorites of mine along somewhat simliar lines: Nick Drake, Pixies ("Where Is My Mind", anyway),.

Oh, and I was recommended this amazing Swedish post-rock group the other day called Ef. Been loving that.

Our Endless Numbered Days was around number 12 when I was making this list ^_^ I love Iron & Wine.

And Picaresque is probably my second favorite Decemberists album after Her Majesty.

But sweet on the Gravenhurst and Ef recommendations -- those are definitely new to me. I'll totally queue those up to check out!

I think "Love and Some Verses" is just about one of the prettiest songs ever written ^^ One of my favorite endless-repeat-painting-session songs, for sure.

Oh man, talking about endless-repeating -- I've been learning "Naked As We Came" on the guitar, and I'm sure my roommates are ready to kill me <3

I also get all misty whenever I hear "Upward Over the Mountain".

Oh man, me too <3 The Creek Drank The Cradle is so amazing.

Get in on that Nick Drake recommendation. I don't listen to a lot of older music for no reason at all, but I had to get every one of Nick Drakes. I mean, just look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lSK.....6c0&fmt=18

Discovery is god-like.

I can count how many albums i really liked on a single hand.
Discovery is probably the first one i'd think of =)

Then, there would probably be Pink, Marylin Manson, Linkin park...

Haha, yeah. I like how it's totally the outlier on my list, but it may honestly be my favorite album of all time.

I guess it counts as narrative music if you're watching Interstella 5555? ^_^

Oh my god, Interstella 5555 made that album so insane.

Insanely RAD.

Indeed! My mind was completely blown by it.

i watched it, it was very enjoyable :D

I have to admit my horrible, inexplicable ignorance of Interstella 5555 until recently. I was walking around NYC with Cargo and he said something offhanded about "the Daft Punk movie". Suddenly I was made aware that there exists in this world a full length old-school Daft Punk anime film, which blew my mind. We watched it, it knocked me out, and my life is a bit more complete now. Holy shnizzle.

The terrifying thing is that that isn't even the only one. Daft Punk also recently made a live-action movie starring themselves (among other robots) called Daft Punk's Electroma. It stars the two members of Daft Punk (except played by other actors?!), and features no music by Daft Punk.

By all accounts, Interstella 5555 is mind-blowing.
By all accounts, Electroma...isn't. Haha <3

Yeah, I'd heard about the live-action movie from Pitchfork; when Cargo mentioned a "Daft Punk movie", I just kinda laughed and said "oh yeah, can't wait to see people in fake Daft Punk robot costumes walking around a desert," and that's when he realized I'd never heard of Interstella 5555 and had to fix that situation pronto :)

Heh, gotcha ^_^

THIS BOY NEEDS 20CCs OF MATSUMOTO LEIJI, STAT!

if you really like that Neutral Milk Hotel, The Decemberists, Sufjan, and Death Cab, check out this album called Flying Club Cup by a band called Beirut. If you need me to track it down, i can and if not i have it. It's fucking amazing, b/c it has 2 of the members of Neutral Milk Hotel and some from a band called A Hawk and A Hacksaw. It's like a poppy/folk Balkan gypsy orchestra that makes the music ghost celebrate too.

I'm also in love w/ indie electronica and modern folk as i see you are.

I <3 Beirut. I remember wigging out when I learned that he was like...20. Although I suppose he's older by now.

I first heard of him when Scenic World off of Gulag Orkestar was getting a lot of (well-deserved) attention. That's still a fave for me.

Yeah, i remember coming across them when he was 19 and still in Albuquerque. We have very similar music tastes then. You should check out my favourite band: Shearwater. They are a spinoff band from an indie band called Okkerville River. Shearwater had the 2006 NPR album of the year for the record Palo Santo (which I have on Vinyl), and Rook is my favourite all time album.

and the Hazards of Love sucked, what a sell out that band became. Just studio pop album as compared to how unique and folk they once were w/ Her Majesty or Picaresque.

But if you want a really great thing go find this compilation called Dark Was the Night. It was done by all these folk indie artists as an AIDS benefit: http://www.darkwasthenight.com/furtherinformation

I have the record on vinyl and the mp3's of it

But yes, i think the best lyrics all time must go to Bright Eyes. Then all of the album Plans by Death Cab. :3

I loved Dark Was the Night -- haha, I wound up buying a second copy of it for my mom <3 And I do love Bright Eyes, but his lyrics can get a bit cynical in prolongued doses sometimes. I feel the same about Elliott Smith.

Also, I'm afraid you're disqualified for putting Plans above Transatlanticism, haha ^_^

Meh. I think that the lyrics are better in Plans, but i have Dark Was the Night on vinyl as well.

Sufjan Stevens <333
I'd start by getting the rest of his stuff. Illinois is no doubt the best of his albums, but Michigan is damned good too.

As for recommendations, I can't really think of much specifically within the guidelines, but if you're looking for that happy sort of indie sound you might as well check out: Broken Social Scene, Manitoba/Caribou, (maybe) Portugal. the Man.

But while we're at it, do you know any musicians that have that sound that Sufjan has? I've been looking and can't seem to find anything with the same... depth.

I went about Sufjan in a really backwards way, I think. When I first heard people talking about him years back, I picked up Seven Swans, and was kind of put off by its monotony and Jesus fanboyism (I have no problem with Christian themes in music, obviously, but I remember being like, "Jesus, get a room...with Jesus!"

It was only much later when someone was like SERIOUSLY LISTEN TO ILLINOIS that I went back and discovered he had a massively deep, varied sound about a huge range of themes. Having got everything else of his I can find now, I think I like ALL of it better than Seven Swans -- I even keep his Christmas albums in my active playlist year-round, which says something when you generally dislike Christmas music as much as I do <3

You Forgot It In People is another of my all-time favorite albums, so you're right on with your BSS recommendation. I haven't listened to much of the other stuff, though, so thanks for that!

Hmmmm, Sufjan is pretty singular, but you might try Final Fantasy (tack "Owen Pallett" onto your search if you find it's only turning up video game stuff ^_^) for more pretty, lyrical, male-vocal stuff with complex string arrangements. I'd also recommend Neko Case's recent stuff, although that's a bit different in terms of sound. She does multi-guitar and piano arrangements, and her voice and songwriting are both really beautiful.

If I can think of anyone else, I'll let you know ^_^

Heh, I was wondering for a second why you were recommending I listen to music from Final Fantasy. :P
But, yeah, I'm really digging this.
Thanks. :D

Also, do you have "Enjoy Your Rabbit" by Sufjan Stevens? If not, you should get it, even though it's very different from most of his other stuff.

I do have Enjoy Your Rabbit! It's wacky fun, but I think a lot of what I love about him is tied up in his vocals and lyrics, so I definitely missed that.

Ayreon - 01011001

Pretty interesting sci-fi themed prog-rock album. Its a bit all over the place, but there is a story and solid, interesting instrumentals to back it up.

Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory

In my own top 10, the story is interesting and immerse. It drags on a bit in some place but the instrumentals are phenomenal, and complex. More than makes up for it.

Both are a little bit of a far cry from artists like The Decemberists but worth a listen at least. Speaking of which, I was just recently introduced to them a few weeks ago...now im just left wondering what took me so long ;P.

Thanks, dude. I don't tend to do a whooole lot of Prog, but I'm always open to trying new stuff!

And yeah, there have been lots of bands like that for me. I knew this girl in college who listened to the weirdest music, and I thought it was all interesting, but it was just so bizarre.

...and now it turns out she was listening to exactly the sort of thing I listen to now. Haha, it just took my an extra couple of years to get there.

I'm blown away, dude. How you managed to not only keep up with all the comments, but thoughtfully reply to them all is beyond impressive. You should tally up all the recommendations you were given because I totally want to steal them!

I almost feel bad replying in depth because I know how much work that'd be for you :P

Eh, you know me. I type fast and speak before thinking, haha <3

Still waiting for a list of all the recommendations...or am I going to have to do that?

Haha, I'll get on that today, dear.

TODAY'S OVER, HUN

Haha, I woke up at like 5pm. Today's not over for a whiiiiile <3

Alphabetized for your convenience

Andrew Bird
Ayreon
Band of Horses
Beck
Beirut
Belle and Sebastian
Ben Folds
Broken Social Scene
Bruce Springsteen
BT
Bump of Chicken
The Cambridge Singers
CMX (Cloaca Maxima)
The Coral
Daft Punk
Dark Was the Night (compilation)
David Ford
Death Cab for Cutie
The Decemberists
Deus
Devendra Banhart
The Divine Comedy
The Dodos
Dream Theater
Elephant 6
Elliott Smith
Final Fantasy (Owen Pallett)
Fleet Foxes
The Format
Gravenhurst
Iron & Wine
Jack Penate
Joe Purdy
John Fahey
Josh Ritter
Jupiter One
Just Jack
The Magnetic Fields
Manitoba/Caribou
The Man
Mansun
Morphine
the National
Neko Case
Neutral Milk Hotel
Nick Drake
Joanna Newsom
Olivia Tremor Control
Panic! at the Disco
Passion Pit
Portugal
Ray Lamontagne
Rogue Wave
Rufus Wainwright
Sebastian Tellier
St. Vincent
Sufjan Stevens
Tim Buckley
Van Dyke Parks
Van Morrison
The Who
Wolf Parade
Xiu Xiu

DAMN! You done good...you done real good...

Now to youtube the one's I don't know and see if they're worth downloading!

New ones to me and my initial, ignorant observations...


Bump of Chicken - generic jpop. Couldn't tell if some anime credits were on somewhere...instead (and not MUCH better) check out the ridiculously over-the-top, bubblegum pop-punk of BEAT CRUSADERS (plus excellent stage show): http://www.jpopasia.com/play/2022/b.....t-tonight.html
or, for actual indie cred (I know you know this already), but Shugo Tokumaru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FJ9.....rfw&fmt=18

The Cambridge Singers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMyiCip_oX0 An interesting departure from what I was expecting. Beautiful and exciting builds...not sure when the appropriate time to listen to this is until I get a dark wood library and spend my days reading Thoreau as it's raining outside.

CMX (Cloaca Maxima) - foreign, Finnish lyrics. interesting contrast between monotonal vocals and fresh, interesting instrumentation. Wish I could understand the words, but other elements are pretty solid enough, it's not bad.

The Coral - fun, fresh, really listenable. Not really breaking any molds, but they do what they do real well.

David Ford - Holy shit this is ingenious as hell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x29l.....oXo&fmt=18 One of the best ones I've encountered yet! Hmm...vocals and melodies aren't doing much for me, but I like his approach a lot

Deus - A little more produced than I'm comfortable with. Doesn't really challenge or do anything special for me. I guess he's fine for what he is, but I'll pass.

The Divine Comedy - Detectably older vibes from this. Good lyrics and sound, but early 90s isn't really a style I'm listening too much to...

Gravenhurst - Good - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZxD.....1jg&fmt=18 Pretty mellow shoegaze

Jack Penate - Oh this is great! Very much new alt-punk in the vein of Ted Leo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TJOjIgxxWY Well, maybe not. He apparently has a more diverse style. But it's all pretty captivating.

Joe Purdy - Damien Rice + Jack Johnson. I like it but wish it weren't so melodramatic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IikE.....Ny4&fmt=18

John Fahey - Damnnn...excellent acoustic guitar folk. Really admirable and easy to listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAZN.....OWk&fmt=18

Jupiter One - radio ready alt-pop. Nothing special, but I could see people getting hooked by it

Just Jack - a British, weaselly version of Justin Timberlake, but he makes good mainstream pop. I'll acknowledge that!

The Man - name makes it impossible to find them online :(

Mansun - more forgettable alt-rock

Morphine - woa. wild...discordant acid jazz with appealing vocals. Seems like a worthwhile trip if you can get used to it

Portugal - OHHHH "Portugal" and "The Man" aren't 2 different bands! They're 1 in the same! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oiX.....YJ4&fmt=18 Haha, this is great...interesting, unique music that's still intriguingly listenable

Ray Lamontagne - excellent! whispery, bombastic, great strong construction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HXs.....vst&fmt=18 Oh, well. That one track was. Seems like the rest may be a little too "easy listening"

Sebastian Tellier - wish the music was better because this videos is one of the best things I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz58.....ldw&fmt=18

Tim Buckley - what an attractive fellow. About what you'd expect from 60/70s folk

Van Dyke Parks - awww...this is great! like what you'd hear in an old western saloon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNio.....DyU&fmt=18

Yeah, I don't know that there's much strong reason to listen to Bump of Chicken if you don't speak Japanese. His writing and voice are what do it for me -- musically speaking, it's not particularly acrobatic.

Past that, I'm still working my way through things here. Thanks for the input.

yeah, you should post a follow up journal where you do something similar - list your observations for each band that was recommended. Perhaps even try to personally offend as many people as possible??

I was going to say, dude. I appreciate people sharing their favorites with me, and if any of them are as protective of their pet artists as I am, they probably wouldn't take kindly to me ragging on them after watching a couple of youtubes.

You have to learn to play nice, or everyone else will take their toys and go home, boyo.

Awww, I was just taught a lesson.

You'rrrrre right

Ok, after a cursory skim through I have to recommend The Dodos. They're new and fantastic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhLR.....vXU&fmt=18

Got it ^_^ The Dodos are fun!

Hehe, I guess it's inevitable, just due to the nature of asking for recommendations in line with my tastes, but I feel bad telling people OH YEAH THAT'S OLD NEWS THANKS FOR PLAYING BYE.

oh man, it's another one of those ones i heard once, thought to myself, 'must find out who that is', and promptly forgot about

Phew, at least you know you can rely on the FURRIES to remind you of those great indie bands you've been missing out on for so long. Haha, what?

this is just the start, soon i'll be coming to furries for advice on everything. installing an air conditioner, hostage negotiations, making crème brûlée, you name it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nv2.....q1k&fmt=18

Interesting mix there ... I think Bump of Chicken's newer works tend to hang better together, such as Orbital period. I tend to prefer the Decemberists and Neko Case's older works too; in particular, The Hazards of Love was a littletoo much bombastic prog rock for me for regular listening.

Oh, forgot the recommendation bit of it: Manners from Passion Pit... pretty much anything featured on All Songs Considered(Bob Boilyn, NPR)

Haha, I've been loving the Passion Pit joint lately -- Little Secrets is such a goofy feel-good summer dance track.

Also, what would we do without NPR?

Yeah Passion Pit! LA has a "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show on NPR and actually, the 89.9 station has more music shows, all with cutting edge, diverse music that's a real treat. Check it out if you've got a second: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs

Haha, that title reminds me of "We Sing the Forest Electric" for some reason.

I <3 Graham Annable.


And while I'm at it (for anyone out there who isn't already familiar) Auto-Tune the News.

YAAYYYY! auto tune the news is great! I saw the first two, but these you posted are new to me.

Damn is the first one LONG...the best part is definitely the Hilary sandwich :D

HAHAH! Joe Biden from space!!


...


On a somber note this is ridiculously inditing of the pop music industry and just how easy it is to manufacture mainstream pop

Right? You come up with a solid hook and auto-tune does the rest <3

You should read Neko Case's spiel on auto-tune. It's hilarious:

lol she's got some sass! Damn, there's no bigger turn on than a girl with confidence...

I can think of just one ^_^

I like Bump's newer stuff, too, but I think I miss some of the warmth from their less-produced stuff. They're still unique, and Motoo's lyrics are still beautiful, but their sound is kind of converging towards mainstream Japanese popular music. I think the sweet spot for me hit around Jupiter -- The Living Dead is just a liiittle rough, and Yggdrasil is just a liiiittle slick <3

I'm totally with you on the Decemberists, but I can enjoy both ends of Neko Case's work. Which I think is pretty rare. Usually either artists are moving into or out of my range of interest -- it's rare that you find someone who's moving around, but still staying inside the strike zone ^_^

Yeah, BoC's music has definitely been moving towards more mainstream and studio polished... still Yggdrasil has my favorite piece (Sharin no uta)

Neko Case's body of work is pretty interesting overall and it's definitely maturing in interesting ways ... not quite clicking with it though!

It definitely took me a few listens with Neko to get past the country-ness (especially because this was a couple albums back, when there was still a lot more of it to contend with ^_^), but now I'm totally addicted. "Star Witness" is amazing, or "Maybe Sparrow," or the title track off of her new album, "Middle Cyclone" is super pretty <3

And "Sharin no Uta" is cute ^_^ I also thought "Onaji Doa wo Kuguretara" had a very pretty melody. It's tough to put anything above "K" for me though, story-wise <3 Or "Ever Lasting Lie". Honestly, I like their sound on Jupiter best, but The Living Dead is stacked with some amazing narratives. I think that's another part of their more recent stuff that's left me just a bit cold -- Motoo's writing is trending toward a more abstract kind of poetry as opposed to concrete narratives, and I miss the stories he tells <3

Yeah, Star Winess is pretty great; it had just the right hook in her blend of vocals and instrumental layering that really appeals to me. Most of her other stuff has always been listenable for me, but never quite "got" me. Her older works didn't strike me as being particularly country, but tended to have stronger guitar melodies that I found more memorable. I'll mention The Tigers Have Spoken as an example ... and also because it seems paticularly appropriate for an FA entry :)

As for BoC, 'K' is definitely up there in terms of narrative (though I must admit I didn't get it all until someone posted the sub ... my Japanese isn't that good! ) but I do think that some of the more abstract pieces work well to - Sainou Hito Ouenka's lyrics definitely resonates with me. (Oh, and I missed the wordplay in that title too the first time round ... Motoo sure likes his puns and wordplay!) That song and Asian Kung-Fu Generation's Loop & Loop are my favorite pieces to dig me out of the blahs.

Other, more mainstream pop, recommendations:
- KT Tunstall (great lyrics, catchy composition; try Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, Suddenly I See, Hold On, Saving My Face)
- Lily Allen (chirpy happy-fun pop with a subversive lyrical edge; try Fuck You, The Fear, I Could Say, Not Fair)

Are you on any music service? (Last FM, Lala, etc.) I'd love to track the stuff you're listening to.

Oh man, The Tigers Have Spoken is another track that always ruins me <3 She can be pretty merciless in her lyric-writing (but I love it ^_^).

And yeah, kanji are devious in the way you can swap them out to create puns on the fly 9_9 The number of homophones in Japanese helps, and the fact that like 20% of the language rhymes with itself also makes for a lot of wacky lyric possibilities. Also, not to be that guy, but I'd read the title "Sainoujin Ouenka" -- although a quick google search shows a dismaying number of English-language sites having it as "Sainou Hito Ouenka". "Sainoujin" in general is a reasonably common term for a talented person (often used dismissively by people who are more the 努力家 / hard worker types, for whom things come less easily), and this is playing off of that ^_^

Songs to dig you out of the blahs are great, man. I totally agree that BoC is great for that, too. His stuff is all so warm.

I never really got into KT Tunstall -- I heard Black Horse and Cherry Tree a good bit when it was big, and it was fun, but for whatever reason never really grabbed me. I haven't gone on to listen to much else by her, so maybe I'll do that now. And I really liked The Fear by Lily Allen. Her previous album was kind of lukewarm for me, but I remember hearing that single and being like "Ooh, I'll have to check out her new one." ...Then never got around to it 9_9 Thanks for the reminder!

I haven't tried any of those music services, but I should look into them! I certainly like trading music recommendations with people, and those seem like a good way to do it.

YHeh, thanks for the Japanese lesson!

Yeah, Lily Allen's first album didn't do much for me either, but definitely try out Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You" a listen; overall the songwriting seemed much more rounded and a little less throwaway.

As for music services, I'd give you a nudge towards Lala.com since I'm on that, but to each his own! :)

coming in at the lilting champer-pop end of the spectrum is a swedish man called jens lekman, have you heard of him? he'd be at home next to the divine comedy or magnetic fields.

then there's of montreal who are spastic art student provocateurs with a funky split personality disorder

i've also recently discovered how desperately late i am to the girly wall-of-sound fest that is camera obscura

also how about the new pornographers? almost as good as the old ones.

<3 Jens Lekman (A Postcard To Nina is adorable)

<3 Of Montreal (Hissing Fauna, etc. was amaaazing)

<3 Camera Obscura

and I <3 Neko Case and AC Newman, so it's hard not to <3 the New Pornographers ^_^