Albums You're Digging II

sidewinder · 02-19-2013, 08:55 PM

Pile - Magic Isn't Real (2010)
I discovered these guys last month via their album Dripping on someone's Best of 2012 list (outside of this site) - and even mentioned it in this thread at the time. The album quickly became a favorite, and I quickly checked out their first two albums as well. This, their second, is pretty awesome. Not that their first one Jerk Routine isn't also, but this one picks up the pace and just seems more driven and engaging. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were straight out of the Pacific Northwest - combining indie rock, post-hardcore and just a tinge of grunge influence (wait doesn't all indie rock and post-hardcore have a bit of grunge influence?) with great hooks, great riffs and a lot of fun. Well maybe fun isn't the right word. Well sort of - if you've heard Boat, an indie pop/rock band from Seattle, you might consider Pile a post-hardcore version of them. But more closely, they bring to mind Bear vs Shark and Harkonen - the lead singer sounding a lot like Ben Verellen from that band and his later project Roy. Bottom line, this album flat out rocks and if you like your rock raw, check it out.

Justthefacts · 02-20-2013, 04:47 PM

I Am A Bird Now - Antony & the Johnson's

Gave this record a shot one day, not knowing at all how this band sounded and was pleasantly surprised. The vocals, the lyrics, the production, all a breathe of fresh air.

Zer0 · 02-20-2013, 05:43 PM

Moderator cut: image removed
The Heads - Relaxing With... (1995)
Fuzzy, feel-good stoner rock 'n' roll. Apparently they have more psychedelic stuff than this but I figured their debut would be a great place to start. Next destination, Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive.

sidewinder · 02-20-2013, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zer0

The Heads - Relaxing With... (1995)
Fuzzy, feel-good stoner rock 'n' roll. Apparently they have more psychedelic stuff than this but I figured their debut would be a great place to start. Next destination, Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive.

I'm sampling this right now and like what I hear...I'll have to download it soon. Reminds me a bit of a stoner version of The Fall.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 02-21-2013, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

Reminds me a bit of a stoner version of The Fall.

I'm sold

sidewinder · 02-22-2013, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zer0

Moderator cut: image removed

The Heads - Relaxing With... (1995)
Fuzzy, feel-good stoner rock 'n' roll. Apparently they have more psychedelic stuff than this but I figured their debut would be a great place to start. Next destination, Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive.

I am digging this right now, thanks for posting it.

Also:

Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold (2012)
A new discovery this week via our local indie station, KEXP. I was commuting to work yesterday and heard the song "Borrowed Time" which sounded like a 70s punk throwback like The Clash or something (though I'm really not a big Clash fan). I streamed the album after getting to work and enjoyed the mixture of 70s, 80s and 90s punk and indie rock. I heard slight moments of Pavement and Meat Puppets in there but I feel the overall vibe is more 80s. Great punk album!

Zer0 · 02-22-2013, 04:45 PM

No problemo

I gave that Parquet Courts album a listen last week as well. I got a bit of a Guided By Voices and Pavement vibe off it only with more punk attitude thrown into the mix. It's not entirely consistent but there's some nice tunes on it, especially this:

sillysillymary · 02-20-2013, 09:32 PM

I absolutely LOVE that album, start to finish. Fave song is this. Amazing horns:

I also love a song of theirs from another album: One Dove

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slow Groove

I Am A Bird Now - Antony & the Johnson's

Gave this record a shot one day, not knowing at all how this band sounded and was pleasantly surprised. The vocals, the lyrics, the production, all a breathe of fresh air.

duga · 02-20-2013, 07:37 PM

I've been really digging that Knife album sidewinder mentioned. I'm having the weirdest deja vu with it, though...I know I had never listened to it before but it sounds so damn familiar to me...

I've also been enjoying:

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Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting

I'd describe this guy as James Blake minus the progressive edge. The weird thing about this album is every time a new song started, I started off thinking "meh...this is ok...I'm probably gonna change the album soon". Inevitably, however, each song would creep its way into my brain and I would think, "wait...no...this is awesome". That went for just about every track on this album.

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Depth and Current - Depth and Current

This is a pretty intense shoegaze album. I feel a lot of the songs could actually translate well into black metal (especially the opener Chkill). Wayne Coyne has talked these guys up a lot, so I figured they gotta be worth something. Sure enough, I can see exactly why he likes them. If the Lips got way more serious, I could see them making music like this.

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II

I was really looking forward to this release. I loved their self titled debut...it was quirky, psychedelic, and poppy all at the same time. That's no easy thing to accomplish. They haven't changed much for II...they've mainly just polished their sound and perfected the approach they used on their debut. I'll let that slide for now since the first album left me wanting more...but I'm hoping to see some growth on their next one.

And what's with the naked chick on the album cover trend? Bat for Lashes, Nick Cave, some album that got mentioned a while back with some naked diving girls...now this. Not that I'm complaining...just an observation.

sillysillymary · 02-20-2013, 09:40 PM

Spoon. That was me all day in the cube. Got through: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction, Kill the Moonlight, and Transference. This song is still playing in my head:

and this is in 2nd

and this one

02-19-2013, 08:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	Pile - Magic Isn't Real (2010) I discovered these guys last month via their album Dripping on someone's Best of 2012 list (outside of this site) - and even mentioned it in this thread at the time. The album quickly became a favorite, and I quickly checked out their first two albums as well. This, their second, is pretty awesome. Not that their first one Jerk Routine isn't also, but this one picks up the pace and just seems more driven and engaging. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were straight out of the Pacific Northwest - combining indie rock, post-hardcore and just a tinge of grunge influence (wait doesn't all indie rock and post-hardcore have a bit of grunge influence?) with great hooks, great riffs and a lot of fun. Well maybe fun isn't the right word. Well sort of - if you've heard Boat, an indie pop/rock band from Seattle, you might consider Pile a post-hardcore version of them. But more closely, they bring to mind Bear vs Shark and Harkonen - the lead singer sounding a lot like Ben Verellen from that band and his later project Roy. Bottom line, this album flat out rocks and if you like your rock raw, check it out. __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

02-20-2013, 05:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	Moderator cut: image removed The Heads - Relaxing With... (1995) Fuzzy, feel-good stoner rock 'n' roll. Apparently they have more psychedelic stuff than this but I figured their debut would be a great place to start. Next destination, Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive. __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound

02-22-2013, 04:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	No problemo I gave that Parquet Courts album a listen last week as well. I got a bit of a Guided By Voices and Pavement vibe off it only with more punk attitude thrown into the mix. It's not entirely consistent but there's some nice tunes on it, especially this: __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound

02-20-2013, 07:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	I've been really digging that Knife album sidewinder mentioned. I'm having the weirdest deja vu with it, though...I know I had never listened to it before but it sounds so damn familiar to me... I've also been enjoying: Moderator cut: image removed Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting I'd describe this guy as James Blake minus the progressive edge. The weird thing about this album is every time a new song started, I started off thinking "meh...this is ok...I'm probably gonna change the album soon". Inevitably, however, each song would creep its way into my brain and I would think, "wait...no...this is awesome". That went for just about every track on this album. Moderator cut: image removed Depth and Current - Depth and Current This is a pretty intense shoegaze album. I feel a lot of the songs could actually translate well into black metal (especially the opener Chkill). Wayne Coyne has talked these guys up a lot, so I figured they gotta be worth something. Sure enough, I can see exactly why he likes them. If the Lips got way more serious, I could see them making music like this. Moderator cut: image removed Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II I was really looking forward to this release. I loved their self titled debut...it was quirky, psychedelic, and poppy all at the same time. That's no easy thing to accomplish. They haven't changed much for II...they've mainly just polished their sound and perfected the approach they used on their debut. I'll let that slide for now since the first album left me wanting more...but I'm hoping to see some growth on their next one. And what's with the naked chick on the album cover trend? Bat for Lashes, Nick Cave, some album that got mentioned a while back with some naked diving girls...now this. Not that I'm complaining...just an observation. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

02-20-2013, 09:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
sillysillymary Groupie Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Not cool. Not hipster. Not elite. Posts: 46	Spoon. That was me all day in the cube. Got through: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction, Kill the Moonlight, and Transference. This song is still playing in my head: and this is in 2nd and this one __________________ Yes. Last edited by sillysillymary; 02-20-2013 at 09:50 PM.