Seeking Magical Portal to New Music Like the Old New Music
August 4, 2014 2:12 PM Subscribe
If my friends likes '80s David Bowie, The Cure, and New Order, what new artists would she possibly enjoy?
Here's her clarifying statement:
"I would really like new new stuff, like "now" stuff, because I think I know all the old stuff.
The best I can come up with on my own is the band Bastille, and that's ... you know, ok, it's a little too popular and accessible which isn't a bad thing; it's just ... I can find that on my own [too easily].
I want a portal into a land of new stuff I don't know yet."
[previous question from '06 noted and sent to her, but I'm pretty sure there are newer things out there!]
Here's her clarifying statement:
"I would really like new new stuff, like "now" stuff, because I think I know all the old stuff.
The best I can come up with on my own is the band Bastille, and that's ... you know, ok, it's a little too popular and accessible which isn't a bad thing; it's just ... I can find that on my own [too easily].
I want a portal into a land of new stuff I don't know yet."
[previous question from '06 noted and sent to her, but I'm pretty sure there are newer things out there!]
Best answer: More "new-ish," but Bowie himself likes Arcade Fire and Franz Ferdinand.
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:23 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:23 PM on August 4, 2014
Total Control and less recently, Interpol both basically worship the ground Joy Division walked on
posted by slow graffiti at 2:27 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by slow graffiti at 2:27 PM on August 4, 2014
Birp! is a good source of random "now" music. You have to be ready to skip what doesn't interest you, but it's enough of a mixed bag that I think most people would find something they like.
I find that it's next to impossible to recommend music to people based solely on their liking two or three other artists. Making the effort to listen to lots and lots of unfamiliar music can be rewarding, even if it's a bit time-consuming
posted by pipeski at 2:28 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
I find that it's next to impossible to recommend music to people based solely on their liking two or three other artists. Making the effort to listen to lots and lots of unfamiliar music can be rewarding, even if it's a bit time-consuming
posted by pipeski at 2:28 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Go to sites like Brooklyn Vegan or Gorilla vs Bear (eta: download their monthly mixtapes) and start clicking on songs to stream and working backwards. Many of the artists that will be suggested here will be mentioned on those blogs including the more obvious suggestions like Chvrches to the less popular like Brothertiger, Teeel, Thieves Like Us (yes, that's a band now), Still Corners, Dempsey, Cold Cave, etc.
posted by homesickness at 2:32 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by homesickness at 2:32 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
I will always and forever suggest listening to KEXP because they became my source for new and amazing music.
posted by mamabear at 2:38 PM on August 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by mamabear at 2:38 PM on August 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
Ice Choir.
posted by dekathelon at 2:42 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by dekathelon at 2:42 PM on August 4, 2014
Ad Frank & The Fast Easy Women.
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:50 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:50 PM on August 4, 2014
Moderat & PVT's "Green Light Go"
A few years old now, but Hot Chip's album One Life Stand.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:55 PM on August 4, 2014
A few years old now, but Hot Chip's album One Life Stand.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:55 PM on August 4, 2014
Cut Copy
posted by katie at 3:00 PM on August 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by katie at 3:00 PM on August 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If you'd have said that she said Depeche Mode I might have said 'Immolate Yourself' by Telefon Tel Aviv (2009), but you didn't (and is 2009 recent?). Also D. Mode-ish: G.D. Luxxe. If you'd have said some David Byrne / Talking Heads stuff I'd have come up with Dirty Projectors. These have both gone down well with a friend who's a David Bowie / New Order / Cure fan. I'd say FKA Twigs' stuff should fall neatly in several relevant boxes and tick a bunch of them. Arto Lindsay is both then and now, both auteur and inventor. British Sea Power might connect better with the rock-related element, but perhaps not now enough.
posted by Joeruckus at 3:02 PM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Joeruckus at 3:02 PM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
M83!
posted by sarahsynonymous at 3:38 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by sarahsynonymous at 3:38 PM on August 4, 2014
Best answer: Lykke Li, Savages, Robyn, The Big Pink, M83, and St. Vincent all come to mind as artists who call back in one way or another to the 80s alternative scene. I like Washed Out, too. Maybe Passion Pit. Daft Punk if it's not too obvious. And Arto Lindsay, yes, is fantastic but has old guy status by now. But still making vital music.
posted by Mothlight at 3:40 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Mothlight at 3:40 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
Also, Nick goddamned Cave is still making records.
posted by Mothlight at 3:41 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Mothlight at 3:41 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
Best answer: As a person who hopelessly LOVED new wave, here are bands I like.
Capital Cities
New Politics
MGMT
Fitz and the Tantrums
Hope that helps.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:21 PM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Capital Cities
New Politics
MGMT
Fitz and the Tantrums
Hope that helps.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:21 PM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Bloc Party, Interpol, Editors, M83, Air. Agent Side Grinder.
posted by Occam's Aftershave at 4:21 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by Occam's Aftershave at 4:21 PM on August 4, 2014
Also: Austra, Blouse, Crystal Castles, Led Er Est, Grinderman. Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith.
posted by Occam's Aftershave at 4:33 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by Occam's Aftershave at 4:33 PM on August 4, 2014
Best answer: She might enjoy St. Nothing.
Bandcamp is a wonderful all-purpose rabbit hole for finding new music. For instance, this page could keep her busy for a while.
posted by prewar lemonade at 4:36 PM on August 4, 2014
Bandcamp is a wonderful all-purpose rabbit hole for finding new music. For instance, this page could keep her busy for a while.
posted by prewar lemonade at 4:36 PM on August 4, 2014
The first O.Children album (which is three or four years old now). Ruins.
The Big Pink, again, the first album (A Brief History of Love), which is a few years old now. Velvet.
Austra, probably, if she's okay with female vocalists. Darken Her Horse. Beat and the Pulse.
posted by crush-onastick at 4:44 PM on August 4, 2014
The Big Pink, again, the first album (A Brief History of Love), which is a few years old now. Velvet.
Austra, probably, if she's okay with female vocalists. Darken Her Horse. Beat and the Pulse.
posted by crush-onastick at 4:44 PM on August 4, 2014
If I were her, I'd delve into more obscure 80's greatness rather than seek out derivative contemporary options.
She doesn't know "all the old stuff". No one does! At any given point, there are tons and tons of great recordings from great bands which get no publicity at all....and sometimes it's better than the big-name stuff (cream doesn't always rise, especially in the music biz). There are 80's music nerds out there who could absolutely inundate her with obscurities to plumb. Even if she's pretty knowledgable, she's only skimming the surface!
Of course, if her aim is to be more current in her tastes, that's a different thing!
posted by Quisp Lover at 4:52 PM on August 4, 2014
She doesn't know "all the old stuff". No one does! At any given point, there are tons and tons of great recordings from great bands which get no publicity at all....and sometimes it's better than the big-name stuff (cream doesn't always rise, especially in the music biz). There are 80's music nerds out there who could absolutely inundate her with obscurities to plumb. Even if she's pretty knowledgable, she's only skimming the surface!
Of course, if her aim is to be more current in her tastes, that's a different thing!
posted by Quisp Lover at 4:52 PM on August 4, 2014
Maybe Metric, Frankie Rose, or The Spring Standards.
posted by ferret branca at 5:21 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by ferret branca at 5:21 PM on August 4, 2014
I feel like she might really like St. Vincent even though she's not all that similar in sound.
posted by Metafilter Username at 5:35 PM on August 4, 2014
posted by Metafilter Username at 5:35 PM on August 4, 2014
Best answer: Django Django: try Storm or Lifes A Beach
posted by artdrectr at 12:23 AM on August 5, 2014
posted by artdrectr at 12:23 AM on August 5, 2014
Cold Cave
posted by KogeLiz at 12:30 AM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by KogeLiz at 12:30 AM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I recently went with my 19-year-old niece to the gym and there was a song playing on the radio there. She started singing along and I said, "I like this song. I've never heard it before." And she replied, "That's because it came out this year, Auntie." (Yeah, she'll be paying her own tuition this semester.)
I'm so stuck in the 80's, it's ridiculous. It is similarly difficult for me to find new music to appreciate--and I offer the following suggestions with the caveat that I don't have any idea about their current popularity, I just know they aren't Beyonce or Lady Gaga (she's still a thing, right?), so they're not super popular maybe? I dunno. Anyway, here are some artists your friend might like:
Morrissey's solo stuff, Years of Refusal (2009) and World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)
The Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hana's latest project)
Passion Pit
Tokyo Police Club
Kate Tucker
Fink
White Hinterland
Youth Lagoon
The XX
And maybe they're too popular? But:
Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Beth Ditto (solo and with her group Gossip), OK Go, and Scissor Sisters
posted by GoLikeHellMachine at 5:28 AM on August 5, 2014
I'm so stuck in the 80's, it's ridiculous. It is similarly difficult for me to find new music to appreciate--and I offer the following suggestions with the caveat that I don't have any idea about their current popularity, I just know they aren't Beyonce or Lady Gaga (she's still a thing, right?), so they're not super popular maybe? I dunno. Anyway, here are some artists your friend might like:
Morrissey's solo stuff, Years of Refusal (2009) and World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)
The Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hana's latest project)
Passion Pit
Tokyo Police Club
Kate Tucker
Fink
White Hinterland
Youth Lagoon
The XX
And maybe they're too popular? But:
Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Beth Ditto (solo and with her group Gossip), OK Go, and Scissor Sisters
posted by GoLikeHellMachine at 5:28 AM on August 5, 2014
Response by poster: More "best answers" coming - she's working her way through the recs.
Feedback so far:
She DOES like Depeche Mode.
"New question: what bands do my favorite bands like? Because I will listen to whatever David Bowie likes to listen to."
"[...] videos that include lasers are in the 'in' camp. They may be listened to by me. More lasers!"
posted by batmonkey at 9:01 AM on August 5, 2014
Feedback so far:
She DOES like Depeche Mode.
"New question: what bands do my favorite bands like? Because I will listen to whatever David Bowie likes to listen to."
"[...] videos that include lasers are in the 'in' camp. They may be listened to by me. More lasers!"
posted by batmonkey at 9:01 AM on August 5, 2014
Best answer: In that case we'd be remiss not to mention Vitalic's Birds which features both lasers and slow motion dog floppings. It made the rounds a while back and she may be aware of it already but it is too important to risk missing.
posted by contraption at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2014
posted by contraption at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2014
Best answer: From 2010: What's on David Bowie's iPod?
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:50 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:50 PM on August 5, 2014
Best answer: A few songs that bring to mind that certain kind of 80's je ne sais quoi. With more emphasis on the New Order / Depeche Mode / Kate Bush sides of the spectrum. Each artist is worth exploring further...
Chromatics - Kill For Love
Cold Cave - Confetti
Bat For Lashes - Daniel
Craft Spells - After the Moment
Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire
Postiljonen - We Raise Our Hearts
Wild Nothing - Chinatown
M83 - Kim and Jessie
posted by naju at 10:47 AM on August 6, 2014
Chromatics - Kill For Love
Cold Cave - Confetti
Bat For Lashes - Daniel
Craft Spells - After the Moment
Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire
Postiljonen - We Raise Our Hearts
Wild Nothing - Chinatown
M83 - Kim and Jessie
posted by naju at 10:47 AM on August 6, 2014
So, it's not new, more just 'in the last decade' but try:
She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart
They're big fans of The Cure, and toured with Depeche Mode.
This lead me to other bands that have Toured with Depeche Mode, including newer bands:
CHVRCHES - Lies - No lasers, but silly lighting effects.
Bat For Lashes, above.
Crystal Castles - Not In Love ft. Robert Smith of The Cure
Also, not sure what the connection is, but a friends of mine with very similar tastes has gotten into Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks, which is one of the newest new-music things she's gotten into.
For new-old:
Does she have David Bowie's latest, 2013 album?
David Bowie - The Next Day
David Bowie - The Stars Are Out Tonight
posted by Elysum at 12:55 AM on August 9, 2014
She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart
They're big fans of The Cure, and toured with Depeche Mode.
This lead me to other bands that have Toured with Depeche Mode, including newer bands:
CHVRCHES - Lies - No lasers, but silly lighting effects.
Bat For Lashes, above.
Crystal Castles - Not In Love ft. Robert Smith of The Cure
Also, not sure what the connection is, but a friends of mine with very similar tastes has gotten into Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks, which is one of the newest new-music things she's gotten into.
For new-old:
Does she have David Bowie's latest, 2013 album?
David Bowie - The Next Day
David Bowie - The Stars Are Out Tonight
posted by Elysum at 12:55 AM on August 9, 2014
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posted by contraption at 2:20 PM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]