The Crowquill 100 (lyrics, alternative, country, bass, indie)

Shayde · 12-04-2007, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowquill

9. Okkervil River "Black Sheep Boy"

Jesus what to say about Black Sheep Boy. First off Will Sheff is an incredible lyricist and one of the greatest songwriters of the past decade. Verses like "You're all that I need / Though I know that it never can be / I'd be pleased to post your decrees / To fall at your knees / To name all your streets / And to sit down and weep when you're carried back through them / And set down to sleep / And to lie by your side for sublime centuries / Until we crumble to dust when we're crushed by a single sunbeam." could be the most romantic expression of love since being hit by a double-decker bus and a ten ton truck.

Will Sheff is no Jeff Buckley and if he was this album wouldn't work. Pushing himself beyond the limits of his voice he screams, spits and raves about stones, rape, child abducting, loss, monsters, in a slightly hysterical manner and all this is centered around this one figure; the Black Sheep Boy. They follow this child from lamb to ram in a first person narrative that is hauntingly believable. As will Sheff spits this out hes backed by an ever-growing band it seems, playing music rooted in folk/country that can go from anywhere to slow and melodic to fast paced and energetic. Driven by keyboards, acoustic guitars and bass the album takes a new turn with each track. From the slow folk Tim Hardin cover in the beginning to the climax of the album (and my favorite track) So Come Back, I Am Waiting with eerie strings and beautiful horns all the way to the closer, A Glow.

Black Sheep Boy blew me away when I heard it, it was literate, intense and Will Sheff was a punch in the face kick in the crotch vocalist who sang with such conviction I wondered why he hadn't been arrested for doing such awful things or why he wasn't sitting in an asylum somewhere raving to padded walls. Black Sheep Boy is a story, as haunting as it is beautiful.

Favorite Songs: For Real, So Come Back I Am Waiting, Black, A Stone, Song For Our So-Called Friend, Black Sheep Boy, A King and a Queen

I have to tell you that I just listened to Okkervil River,
And, well, I think I might be in love.

I think that you should let me know some of your recommendation for other amazing artists.
Whaddaya say?
Hmm?

Shayde · 12-04-2007, 04:14 PM

Wow, I screwed up a little bit on that last post.
But, Crowquill, that was intended for you.

sleepy jack · 12-04-2007, 04:24 PM

Thanks, i'd just watch for the next 7 albums posted and check them out if I were you or look through threads I posted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

I'll be interested to hear how it would sound without Martin Hannett's production , seeing they've just released a re-mastered version that is supposed to be closer to how the band wanted it to sound originally.
Although the band didn't like it I actually think Hannett's production is one of the things that made them stand out from everybody else.

I like his production alot, it really adds to the sound I had no idea they hated it.

right-track · 12-04-2007, 04:27 PM

I don't think they hated it. It just wasn't how they imagined it would end up like.
They've often said Hannett was entirely responsible for the Joy Division sound.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 12-04-2007, 04:32 PM

I think they've grown to love it in time.
I do remember Peter Hook saying that it sounded nothing like how they wanted it to sound & that Hannett took over and treated them like they were his backing band.

Wayfarer · 12-04-2007, 05:12 PM

Ahhh, nice choice. Didn't know you liked JD enough to have either of their albums in yer top ten. Think I prefer Unknown Pleasures myself, but Closer is damn...well, close.

sleepy jack · 12-05-2007, 02:48 PM

7. Bright Eyes "Letting Off the Happiness"

Next to the Ugly Organ, Black Sheep Boy and Lycanthropy this is probably one of the most important albums to shaping my musical taste. When I first heard it. I wasn't really blown away but I did like it and would for awhile. It wasn't really the gateway album that got me into Bright Eyes but it did lead me to get into Patrick Wolf and the Microphones.

Now the album itself is sort of lo-fi folk but it's kind of all over the place. It's a much more creative release than anyone really gives it credit for but it's understandable when you look at Bright Eyes's less than credible fanbase. The album does start on its two weakest tracks but it quickly picks up with the enchanting Contrast and Compare to the sex anthem Pull My Hair to the Dylanesque June on the West Coast all the way to the almost Sea Shantyish closer Tereza and Tomas. One thing that stands out here is Conors extremely poetic lyrics verses like "Now that it's June, we’ll sleep out in the garden / And if it rains, we’ll just sink in to the mud / Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is / And there is no clocks or phones to wake us up / Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing / As the one who is pressing would like you to believe / And I am content to walk a little slower / Because there is nowhere that I really need to be" are surprisingly poignant for a teenager who is screaming to be heard of crashing symbols, loud guitars and quirky electronics.

Letting Off the Happiness was recorded when Conor was only 18 and it's kind of surprising it's one of his strongest albums considering his young age and the fact he's released several albums following it most of which people consider better but I think the only one that comes near to touching this one is Fevers and Mirrors. It's my favorite album because I think Conor was at his lyrical best and while the vocals can be endearing at times it makes the lyrics seem all the more real and effective because it's clear he sure as hell means it. While Conor may have left his strumming and screaming in basements made of music a long time ago this album does remind us that sometimes the roots are better than the tree.

Favorite Songs: The Difference in the Shades, Contrast and Compare, A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction, June on the West Coast, Tereza and Tomas, Pull My Hair

MySpace.com - Bright Eyes - Omaha, Nebraska - Indie - www.myspace.com/brighteyes

jackhammer · 12-05-2007, 03:00 PM

To my eternal shame, I still have never got around to listening to CLOSER. THis thread is a timely reminder to get my as s in gear and get it! Nice to see Joy Division so high Ethan!

The Dave · 12-05-2007, 04:47 PM

I've never really been too fond of Happiness, his lyrics are so real and raw in it, but I feel that the music is lacking for me, which is something that I liked most about Lifted.

Laces Out Dan! · 12-05-2007, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowquill

7. Bright Eyes "Letting Off the Happiness"

Next to the Ugly Organ, Black Sheep Boy and Lycanthropy this is probably one of the most important albums to shaping my musical taste. When I first heard it. I wasn't really blown away but I did like it and would for awhile. It wasn't really the gateway album that got me into Bright Eyes but it did lead me to get into Patrick Wolf and the Microphones.

Now the album itself is sort of lo-fi folk but it's kind of all over the place. It's a much more creative release than anyone really gives it credit for but it's understandable when you look at Bright Eyes's less than credible fanbase. The album does start on its two weakest tracks but it quickly picks up with the enchanting Contrast and Compare to the sex anthem Pull My Hair to the Dylanesque June on the West Coast all the way to the almost Sea Shantyish closer Tereza and Tomas. One thing that stands out here is Conors extremely poetic lyrics verses like "Now that it's June, we’ll sleep out in the garden / And if it rains, we’ll just sink in to the mud / Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is / And there is no clocks or phones to wake us up / Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing / As the one who is pressing would like you to believe / And I am content to walk a little slower / Because there is nowhere that I really need to be" are surprisingly poignant for a teenager who is screaming to be heard of crashing symbols, loud guitars and quirky electronics.

Letting Off the Happiness was recorded when Conor was only 18 and it's kind of surprising it's one of his strongest albums considering his young age and the fact he's released several albums following it most of which people consider better but I think the only one that comes near to touching this one is Fevers and Mirrors. It's my favorite album because I think Conor was at his lyrical best and while the vocals can be endearing at times it makes the lyrics seem all the more real and effective because it's clear he sure as hell means it. While Conor may have left his strumming and screaming in basements made of music a long time ago this album does remind us that sometimes the roots are better than the tree.

Favorite Songs: The Difference in the Shades, Contrast and Compare, A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction, June on the West Coast, Tereza and Tomas, Pull My Hair

MySpace.com - Bright Eyes - Omaha, Nebraska - Indie - www.myspace.com/brighteyes

Mad love for this album as well... Padraic My Prince <3

12-04-2007, 04:14 PM	#162 (permalink)
Shayde Groupie Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: OR is it more like, when do I live? Posts: 22	Wow, I screwed up a little bit on that last post. But, Crowquill, that was intended for you. __________________ I'm Shayde. [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] That's my girlfriend. No, seriously, it is.

12-04-2007, 04:32 PM	#165 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	I think they've grown to love it in time. I do remember Peter Hook saying that it sounded nothing like how they wanted it to sound & that Hannett took over and treated them like they were his backing band. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

12-05-2007, 03:00 PM	#168 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	To my eternal shame, I still have never got around to listening to CLOSER. THis thread is a timely reminder to get my as s in gear and get it! Nice to see Joy Division so high Ethan! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-04-2007, 04:27 PM	#164 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	I don't think they hated it. It just wasn't how they imagined it would end up like. They've often said Hannett was entirely responsible for the Joy Division sound.

12-04-2007, 05:12 PM	#166 (permalink)
Wayfarer Registered Abuser Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 573	Ahhh, nice choice. Didn't know you liked JD enough to have either of their albums in yer top ten. Think I prefer Unknown Pleasures myself, but Closer is damn...well, close.

12-05-2007, 04:47 PM	#169 (permalink)
The Dave Me and The Major Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,830	I've never really been too fond of Happiness, his lyrics are so real and raw in it, but I feel that the music is lacking for me, which is something that I liked most about Lifted.