What songs match my favs?

March 27, 2008 3:42 PM

Find me some new songs - Evaluating personal music preference I'm attracted to a particular subset of music, slow, single male singer, single instrument, telling a story, sometimes it's a little mysterious what's going on...

So here's a list of songs that fit the bill, and are among my top favorites. I am looking for more of the same:
Mad World - Gary Jules
Barley Breathing – Duncan Sheik
Brick – Ben Folds Five
Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg
Broken Halleluiah – (various, Jeff Buckley)
Goodbye my Lover – James Blunt
Superman – Five for Fighting
Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone - Al Jarreau
Sympathy for Devil - Rolling Stones
Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel
Shimmer – Fuel
Hey there Delilah – Plain White Tees
Hurt – Johnny Cash

posted by samuel1613 to media & arts (47 comments total)

Springsteen's entire Nebraska album is pretty much entirely what you're looking for.

Here. Watch this.
posted by dersins at 3:49 PM on March 27, 2008

You will like Richard Hawley. I guarantee it.
posted by merocet at 4:03 PM on March 27, 2008

Lot's of Nick Cave falls roughly into this category, particularly on "Let Love In" and "Boatman's Call" albums. How about "Cold Blooded Old Times" by Smog. Neil Young "Harvest"?
posted by brighton at 4:04 PM on March 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Georgia May - Mike Cross ("Solo at Midnight") <> Ruby's Arms - Tom Waits
Lazybones - Leon Redbone
Show Me The Way To Go Home - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
Cotton-eyed Joe - Tim O'Brien (live on my radio show, probably also released)
Vincent - Don MacLean

...and many more, but I'm pressed for time.
Fun question!
posted by lothar at 4:11 PM on March 27, 2008

You mention Jeff Buckley, but if you haven't heard it yet check out the Legacy Edition of 'Live at Sin-é' EP which has loads of extra tracks, all solo with guitar with lots of slow, lilting covers and originals.

Also, Kentucky Avenue by Tom Waits is gorgeous.
posted by TheWaves at 4:14 PM on March 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

He's a little bit folky which turns some people off, but NQ Arbuckle is fantastic.
posted by riane at 4:22 PM on March 27, 2008

Bright Eyes: Bowl of Oranges?
posted by tmcw at 4:24 PM on March 27, 2008

Richard Shindell is one of the best storytellers in folk or any genre. Somewhere Near Patterson is a knockout classic.
posted by libraryhead at 4:26 PM on March 27, 2008

the mountain goats have a lot of songs that fit your criteria
posted by fermezporte at 4:27 PM on March 27, 2008

Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
Between The Bars - Elliott Smith
Anything from Pink Moon - Nick Drake
posted by rocket88 at 4:30 PM on March 27, 2008

Chris Smither

John Hiatt

Robert Earl Keen

John Prine

Guy Clark
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:33 PM on March 27, 2008

you should also definitely check out ryan adams. his latest stuff maybe not. but his earlier stuff, especially the heartbreaker album, is tops. as well, m.ward is an amazing singer-songwriter whose albums always transport me to a wrap-around porch in the deep south watching fireflies.
posted by kerning at 4:36 PM on March 27, 2008

Feed those songs into a Pandora station, and you'll get much more like them.
posted by youarenothere at 4:42 PM on March 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Damien Rice.
posted by tristeza at 4:44 PM on March 27, 2008

Sam Beam from Iron & Wine. Just about everything he does. Watch the whole Messiah College concert on Youtube. It's great.

Try to find anything labeled 'lo-fi' and go from there.

Pretty much my favorite kind of chill-out music. Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, etc.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:48 PM on March 27, 2008

wow, I have listened to many people's suggestions above, which is exactly what I thought I wanted, but you sir have gave me what I didn't know I wanted, a way to do this for myself...forever. Pandora Station, I fed it mad world, and it kicked back immediate "worlds away" by summer at shatter creek, amazing! Thank you everyone else for great suggestions!
posted by samuel1613 at 4:50 PM on March 27, 2008

Damn I forgot Elliott Smith too. 2 He's stab-yourself-in-the-heart good
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:50 PM on March 27, 2008

He's stab-yourself-in-the-heart good

You are so going to hell for that.
posted by dersins at 5:04 PM on March 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Tim Hardin
posted by rhizome at 5:14 PM on March 27, 2008

The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana

It's originally by David Bowie, from the 1971 album of the same name. His other early albums (i.e., Space Oddity and Hunky Dory) include some similar songs that you might like as well. I'd especially recommend Hunky Dory, which is sublime.
posted by scody at 5:21 PM on March 27, 2008

Rodriguez Sugar Man

Try The Mountain Goats
posted by mattoxic at 5:33 PM on March 27, 2008

Bedhead
posted by extramundane at 5:38 PM on March 27, 2008

John Vanderslice is good for this sort of thing, although most of his albums are more of a full-band sound. This album is just JV and acoustic guitar and it's pretty amazing.

Here's a bunch of free mp3s.

I noticed a lot of people here mention the mountain goats - JV has produced or somehow been involved with a lot of Darnielle's albums. Here's an interview with them both.
posted by kpmcguire at 5:43 PM on March 27, 2008

Both of Ray Lamontagne's albums ("Till the Sun Turns Black" and "Trouble") are incredibly awesome.
posted by jmnugent at 5:44 PM on March 27, 2008

You are so going to hell for that.

:)
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 5:45 PM on March 27, 2008

David Dondero and Willy Mason are two artists you may or may not enjoy, but definitely fit the bill.

I'd also HUGELY nth Springsteen, even though he has a backup band
posted by Large Marge at 5:59 PM on March 27, 2008

Bon Iver. (go to his myspace page and check out the song "Skinny Love")

Jose Gonzalez.

Andrew Bird.
posted by cachondeo45 at 6:11 PM on March 27, 2008

Perhaps:

(A Man Called) E

Early Morrissey ?

and Warren Zevon for the flashbacks.
posted by thebrokedown at 6:49 PM on March 27, 2008

Mark Eitzel or his band, The American Music Club


Western Sky

Also check the AMC songs "What the Pillar of Salt Held Up" and "Johnny Mathis' Feet"
posted by black8 at 8:50 PM on March 27, 2008

Watch this (God Damn The Sun by SWANS).
posted by mds35 at 9:39 PM on March 27, 2008

It might not fit what you're looking for exactly, but Morphine is what popped into my head. Especially "The Night".
posted by Horselover Fat at 9:45 PM on March 27, 2008

It's not for everyone, but some early Leonard Cohen might fit what you're looking for. A personal favourite of mine is Story of Isaac, which appears at about 4:30 in that YouTube clip.
posted by atmosphere at 10:16 PM on March 27, 2008

Pete Yorn

Mason Jennings

Martin Sexton

Matt Costa

and I'm by no means a die hard, I actually just realized about a month ago that I like his music, but Bob Dylan fits the bill almost perfectly: One dude, guitar (*also harmonica, tambourine, probably a few others), slow, every song I've heard so far tells a story...mostly mysterious stories.

Give these a whirl. Good luck.

(I know you said NEW songs, but just because his music's old doesn't mean it can't be new to you)
posted by whiskey point at 10:22 PM on March 27, 2008

Seconding Cohen and Cave, try "Famous Blue Raincoat" by the former and "The Ship Song" or "Where The Wild Roses Go" by the latter, and if you like those two, then try Tom Waits--I'd venture they're a bit more accessible . Seconding Bright Eyes. Try Rufus Wainwright, though I never saw the appeal. Cohen of course did the original of the Buckley song you like. Seconding Elliot Smith. Try Pulp, particularly "Common People" or "This Is Hardcore."
posted by zeusianfog at 10:33 PM on March 27, 2008

Broken Halleluiah – (various, Jeff Buckley)

This song is called Hallelujah and was written by Leonard Cohen, who would be my first suggestion. I also concur with The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:57 PM on March 27, 2008

Check out some Damien Jurado.
posted by comiddle at 12:48 AM on March 28, 2008

And it's just released and with a full band, but mostly stripped down, but Carolina Drama on the new Raconteurs album is a story-song, that sounds an awful lot like Dylan's Hurricane. It's my new favorite thing.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:38 AM on March 28, 2008

'The Ice of Boston' by The Dismemberment Plan
posted by JonnyRotten at 5:33 AM on March 28, 2008

I recently went through a mellow boy phase...

Darden Smith
Jeffery Foucault
Peter Mulvey
Mark Erelli
Greg Brown
Thad Cockrell

all on emusic, if you want song samples
posted by wg at 6:23 AM on March 28, 2008

FWIW, I find Pandora really limited in their suggestions...

Andrew Bird
Nick Drake
Leonard Cohen
Lambchop
maybe the Dears?
maybe Songs: Ohia
I like Peter Yorn's cover of the Smith's Panic, though not much else...
posted by mdn at 6:57 AM on March 28, 2008

Seconding Damien Rice and Nick Drake.

Also try Alexi Murdoch and a guy named David Berkeley.
posted by lpsguy at 7:37 AM on March 28, 2008

Anything by Palace/Will Oldham. I recommend I See a Darkness and there's a Palace compilation Lost Blues and Other Songs

Cosign on Smog - get Wild Love and The Doctor Came at Dawn.. Red Apple Falls is popular (I'm not as crazy on that one) and Knock Knock for the album cover alone..

Also Mountain Goats The Sunset Tree I can't recommend enough.
posted by citron at 9:26 AM on March 28, 2008

Also you might try the Twilight Singers, project of Afghan Whigs singer Greg Dulli..
and do you have any Big Star?
posted by citron at 9:43 AM on March 28, 2008

As an aside, Pandora Station is the most excellent website I have been shown this week. Good stuff.
posted by genefinder at 11:03 AM on March 28, 2008

Westfall by Okkervil River (kind of a creepy story and the last part kind of rocks out but thats kind of the awesomeness of it)
posted by katyggls at 8:51 PM on March 30, 2008

I would HIGHLY recommend Chris Merritt
posted by unceman at 10:25 AM on March 31, 2008

Josh Ritter is yer man.
posted by shannonm at 4:35 PM on April 2, 2008