Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with music and rock

Indie Yule Music

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:34:49 -0800

I need some Yule music. With kind of an indie rock feel if possible. Stuff that is a cross between Belle and Sebastian and the sountrack for the Wicker Man with a winter yule theme. This is anon because its for a surprise evening dinner/birthday party. Please suggest any songs/whole albums. Thank you!

Hot, dangerous… rock music?

nuala — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:03:45 -0800

Help me make a raunchy rock playlist! My best friend is looking for a playlist populated by dark, sexy rock music. Something that brings to mind tearing off clothes and messy passion. My recommendations (R&B based) were rejected so I'm turning to you. She wants something along the lines of NIN's Closer or Kings of Leon's I Want You. Help? I'm boggled by my own library.

Too twee for me.

invitapriore — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:56:42 -0800

Draw a line from the 1981 release of This Heat's album Deceit to today. What do you get? A little while ago I realized that all of my favorite bands are at least twenty years old. I'd like to fix this, but I haven't heard anything rock-related recently that's grabbed me. Most of the new bands I've heard seem to fall in a few orbits that I'm not too interested in: Man Man, Girl Talk, The Antlers, Beirut, Devendra Banhart; all different styles that I can't muster much enthusiasm for.

My problem is that it all feels very safe to me. I don't want polite music. I don't even want impolite music. I want something seething, like the This Heat album I mentioned above, or The Fall, or something wild like The Red Krayola. I've had a little luck with Angels of Light, Michael Gira being someone I can rely on for transgression and Swans being one of the aforementioned 20 year old favorites. Still, it's not quite what I want. Come to think of it, things outside of rock are very welcome, too. Help me, AskMefi.

(Note: I'm probably not interested in anything metal or hardcore or etc., but if you can make a really good case for it I'll give it a whirl.)

Not your grandma's Schumann records: give me piano bands that will rock my face off.

JaiMahodara — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:13 -0800

I'm looking for piano-based rock bands that rock really, really hard. I've seen this question, but I'm specifically looking for bands - not songs - that are led by a badass, hard-rocking pianist, like the Led Zeppelin of piano rock.

I love Ben Folds, Fiona Apple, Brad Mehldau...and suggestions in this genre are certainly welcome as well, but I'd love to find bands leaning more towards punk, heavy metal, hip-hop, or any hard-rocking, unconventional bands that are piano driven.

Bring me audio ecstasy, hive mind.

I wanna shred you up!

sprocket87 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:14:12 -0800

Looking for recommendations of modern indie rock artists that aren't afraid to shred & solo - on the electric guitar, not a Casiotone. I'm a major music fan with tastes all over the board. For the past couple years I've been super heavy in the indie world. Much of what I've been listening to is quite, shall we say, "eclectic", and very experimental. I've noticed that prominent use of the guitar seems to be languishing in such music. It's present, yes, but subdued, scrubbed through a sea of effects, and diluted either into a wash of supplemental melody or a wall of noise. The Moog solo has replaced the guitar solo - and though that isn't a bad thing per se, I want to get back to my roots, so to speak.

I feel like I'm ready to go through an electric guitar rennaissance. I miss the riffs, energy, and lead of yore. Few 90's alt songs were lacking a decent solo, and I really miss that.

So, what can you recommend? I'm NOT looking for "classic" examples of solo-centric bands (classic rock, 90s alt, metal, etc). I've got plenty to choose from there (though, for examples' sake, Pink Floyd fits the bill nicely - really experimental music that employed guitar solos masterfully, yet weren't a silly shredder hair band either).

I'm looking for recent/up & coming bands that aren't afraid to turn the amps to 11 and bust out some righteous solos, or, at the minimum, that use the guitar in a technically impressive fashion, instead of just a yawn-inducing strum box.

Note: I'm not just looking for loud, power-chord-weilding indie bands (Glasvegas, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, etc). I love this stuff too, but I want to hear some riffs, man!

Examples:

The White Stripes (their older, more guitar-centric stuff - Ball & Biscuit, etc)
Apollo Up! (This is pretty much exactly what I'm talking about)
Some B.R.M.C.
Alberta Cross, a little
Eh... can't think of any others at the moment?

Don't feel that it has to be restrained to a certain genre, per se, but I'm not looking for pure metal (Uneath, Skeletonwitch, etc). Like I said, lots of easy choices there. I'm looking for more eclectic, indie-oriented groups that incorporate heavy guitar lead into their music.

Thanks!

Rock Reggae Punk Funk Alt Goth Metal Thrash, who's playing?

ElmerFishpaw — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:08:10 -0800

What do you use to see what bands are playing in your area? Im tired of finding out a kickass band just played and I could have gone but didnt know about it. There should be a website with a massive database where you put in your postcode or town and it tells you what bands are playing within a specified radius. Shouldnt there? Is there? Any band that wanted to get seen would register their show to this website. Myspace kinda comes close but you have to go to each band's myspace account to see if theyre touring. Unless Im doing it wrong. The bay area has "The List" which is really close to what Im talking about but I want more! How do you find out who's playing around you?

Help me make a rock/metal playlist!

Sufi — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:47:28 -0800

I need about 40 musical artists that would please a crowd that likes mainstream rock & metal. The catch: I'm trying to avoid stuff that can easily be heard on the radio. Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Nightwish, Switchblade Symphony and Type O Negative are on the list because they are the few "heavy" bands that I actually enjoy and believe my audience would like. Could you guys help me put together a list of other artists that would fit with this genre?

I'd prefer not to play too much stuff that is or has been overplayed on the radio, and it must be danceable!

(I have looked at this askme post but I'm worried most of those recommendations may be too far off base. You tell me.)

Seeking dark, sexy rock music.

hazyspring — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:32:07 -0800

Looking for rock music that has a dark, sexy edge to it. The only thing that comes to mind at this moment is Queens of the Stone Age. I'm open to music from any time period, but primarily thinking modern rock.

Whole albums or individual songs are fine.

Why rock vocals are in such a high register?

BrooksCooper — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:18:21 -0800

Just a curiosity - why do you think that the overwhelming trend in rock 'n' roll / pop style music with male lead vocals is for the male vocalist to sing in a tenor / high tenor / contratenor or higher range - viz. Steve Perry, Triumph, etc.? I just wonder because that isn't the trend so much in other popular music - blues, R'n'B, country, traditional folk, etc. It's simply puzzled me for years and I wonder if MeFi has any theories?

Songs that are a throwback to the 1930s-1960s?

flibbertigibbet — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:29:49 -0800

I like Amy Winehouse, psychobilly, the Pipettes, the Acid House Kings, the O Brother... soundtrack, and even that throw-back-to-the-Andrews-Sisters Christina Aguilera song. I have a craving for music produced in the now but inspired by the 1930s to early 1960s, with my favourite era being the 1940s. Can you recommend anymore good contemporary rock/pop bands along these lines, including psychobilly bands I may not have heard about yet? I have seen this question, but I tend less towards Motown and more towards rock, pop and punk.

I know most O Brother songs are traditional, but except for the vintage recordings, they've all got that contemporary kick that draws me in.

I've only just gotten into psychobilly, so I've yet to plumb its depths.

Help me play with my feet!

metajc — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:59:19 -0800

I play guitar with my hands and want to play beats with my feet. Can't figure out what kind of (digital) equipment I would need to accomplish this. I didn't get the idea from Bob Log III but he definitely inspired me push for it. I already fool around with a little bass drum and cymbal stand but it would be nice to be able to rig up some triggers (?) and a drum machine. Is that what I would need?

Any ideas for the fullest foot-powered percussion possible?

if u live on the road theres a new highway code

Potomac Avenue — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:17:26 -0800

My band is going on a national rock tour: what should I know? Unexpectedly, a pretty big-time act wants this indie/psych group I play with to open for them on about 40 dates this fall. The dates are almost all booked, with a little break in the middle.

I have read this thread, and this thread, so I've got a pretty good idea about what to bring in the van, but mainly I'd like to know what you wish you'd known before your own band headed out on tour, or what you, as someone tangentially involved in the music scene in your town, wished that touring bands knew about.

Also: It's been 10 years since I went on the road what kinda stuff should I expect to have changed or be vital to know about now? What resources (besides BYOFL, which as far as I can tell is useless now) most came in handy when you were playing shows around?

FYI I am also the manager/publicist/booking agent and everything else. We have a self-released album and some t-shirts as a starter kit. We're buying a van. We walk the streets at night, we go where eagles dare.

Theoretical geek in 1981 needs records.

Weighted Companion Cube — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:53:47 -0800

More than a playlist, I'm trying to make an entire sub-set of my music collection: I want the music that a 17-year-old D&D playing geeky almost-metalhead would be listening to...in 1981. For the purposes of this, obviously the range goes 1981 (somewhat arbitrary, 1982's fine too, (I was just slightly too young at the time to have much recollection of the music.)) and backwards. It's actually the backwards that's tripping me up -- I can find 'best of 1980' and so on, but hunting through that for what someone would be listening to as part of their own collection is somewhat difficult.

As regards to availability: I'm not going out and finding rare LPs -- I'm looking for music that is available today. That being said, if it's not available in stores but is 'available,' that's ok.

Buying a keyboard amplifier

Tlogmer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:55:37 -0800

I'm looking for a keyboard amplifier for use in a rock band. Is the roland kc-150 (65W) going to be loud enough or should I spring for the KC-350 (120W)? Or should I look for a bass amp?

Jeremiah was a bullfrog.

sourwookie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:42:58 -0800

Help me think of famous keyboard intros to play during soundcheck. Difficulty rating: No synth sounds. I like trotting out some famous piano/Rhodes/Hammond intro during sound check at a particular gig every week. However, I'm using a Nord Electro 2 and it only makes Hammond, piano, Clavinet, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer sounds. I'm looking for short, famous, iconic keyboard intros to play while we check levels. Ones I've used in the past are:

Whiter Shade of Pale-Procol Harum
Evil Woman-Elo
Joy to the World-Three Dog Night
Logical Song-Supertramp

You get the idea. Since this keyboard only does the sounds listed above, synthy things like Take on Me by Ah-Ha are out.

Music memorabilia in London?

theraflu — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:31:09 -0800

Where can I find britpop memorabilia in London? Specifically, I'm interested in finding myself some apparel/vinyl/etc. from a couple of 90s britpop bands. I'm in London for one more day and would love to find this stuff instore so as to avoid insane overseas shipping charges. What's the best shop for this sort of thing?

Whaddya Mean You Don't Know Who Fats Domino IS???

Lipstick Thespian — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:18:25 -0800

American Music For A Tropical Island Emigre.... A buddy of mine is from Trinidad and wants to get caught up on American music. I'm making him a two-CD set of classic American rock/pop music to get him up to speed.

To get you up to speed for this Askme: He has no idea who Fats Domino or Simon and Garfunkel are. (Which will be included in my set).

What would YOU put on an iconic American Rock/Pop Mix CD for someone from another country who is starting from zero culturally?

Needs more accordion.

adverb — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:31:38 -0800

What are some good pop/rock songs that feature an accordion? I'm not looking for any polka/cajun/zydeco-influenced sounds, but more traditional rock tunes - think "The Last Beat of My Heart" by Siouxsie and the Banshees or even "What it Takes" by Aerosmith - where it's just another backing instrument.

What are some books or educational DVD's for learning rock, blues and jazz piano and Hammond B-3 soloing and licks

doppler68 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:28:52 -0800

What are some good books or educational DVD's, besides Jamie Abersol, for learning rock, blues and jazz piano and Hammond B-3 soloing and licks. I am a very competent keyboardist. I can play by ear, chord chart and written music. I am a good band musician. I can comp and sound great. But I can't solo for the life of me. I have a good digital piano and Micro B mark II. I don't really have any good licks. Where can I go to learn this stuff?

What is this song?

GrooveStix — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:49:44 -0800

Songfilter: I heard a prog-rock song with chanting in it, please help me find it. Sometime ago (I can't remember the date/time, so I can't track it down that way) I was listening to a college radio station, and I happened to listen to this song that's been haunting me ever since.

I remember it as a prog-rock song, which after a very good crescendo exploded into a long section of chanting that seemed to intertwine its chanters, that seemed like Buddhist chanting or something like that. The song didn't seem new, because it seemed like a 70s song, but I can be definitely wrong.

Does anyone have any ideas, I've been meaning to ask this question for a long time.

Why did Glasgow need it?

Joe Beese — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:52:05 -0800

ScotFilter. Or LedZepFilter. Why did Glasgow need it? The first disc of the Led Zeppelin DVD is a record of their January 9, 1970 performance at the Royal Albert Hall. [A must-hear, btw.]

During the oldies-medley section of "How Many More Times", Plant - while encouraging a clap-a-long - says to the audience in a knowing tone: "You're going to do it [sex, it seems] in Birmingham and Cardiff. You're going to do it in Glasgow... and Glasgow needs it."

Why did Glasgow need it - whatever "it" was? Were Glaswegian coal workers suffering in a strike at the time? Did the city have a reputation for being tight-assed?

Indie music to listen to while I write in my diary?

serak — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:43:07 -0800

So I just watched the fourth episode of Scrubs season 8 with the song Close Your Eyes by Young Love. What are some other sissy-rock songs that are worth crying over (more Further by Longview than, I dunno, Nick Drake or something)?

(Iggy and the Stooges filter) Ever heard the alternate, vinyl version of "Raw Power" with the different mix of "Search and Destroy"?

Waldo Jeffers — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:06:33 -0800

(Iggy and the Stooges filter) Ever heard the alternate, vinyl version of "Raw Power" with the different mix of "Search and Destroy"? I have a UK vinyl copy of Raw Power. There's a radically different mix of Search and Destroy. It's not the original, well-known Bowie mix, nor any of the Rough Power versions, nor the Iggy remix from the '90s. The vinyl is probably from the '70s or '80s. This mix of Search and Destroy has lots of reverb, a smashing sound on top of the snare, and louder bass. The main guitar is a bit quieter, and the overdubbed guitars sound different.

Any info? I'd really like somebody to tell me I'm sitting on a goldmine. And, if you're a Stooges fan, you gotta search this out. It's awesome!

Any info is appreciated, even if you just tell me you also own it and tell me when and where you got it.

Thanks!

Songs of Summer, Songs of Surf

LSK — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:12:35 -0800

Surf rock (another music recommendation thread for me) I've heard a little bit of surf rock lately. The original surf rock from 60s doesn't really cut it for me, but I like the later, heavier covers - particularly, Dick Dale's 80s-era cover of "Pipeline" and the Pixies' cover of "Cecilia Ann." Can anyone recommend instrumentals like those two?

What would I have been listening to in 2004-08?

Bookhouse — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:15:40 -0800

Please help me get caught up on the last four years of (certain types of) music. About four years ago I quit my job as a rock critic and, as a result of burnout, really stopped paying attention to new music. I think I'm ready to get back up to speed. I'll use year-end lists to get caught up in general, so what I could use are suggestions from the last four years of my favorite genres, which are:

1). Shoegazer-inspired stuff
2). Trippy electronica a la Boards of Canada and odd nosdam (I do have the latest albums from both of them)
3). Stoner metal
4). elephant 6-style psychedelica

Also, links to video or music blogs about the above would be welcome. Thanks.