Help expanding my musical horizons?
October 14, 2014 1:11 PM Subscribe
My music taste is quirky and mutable. Perhaps MeFites can help me find some new indie-ish wholesome-ish tunes. Details inside.
Currently I enjoy artists like Passenger, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Imagine Dragons, Lumineers, Fun. and Sin Fang.
My preference is light/clean themes. Example: I love Panic! at the Disco's sound but can't listen anymore due to some of the themes. Profanity is not a veto quality in and of itself.
I enjoy natural sounds, etheric sounds, proper instruments. I enjoy world music, as well, especially African drumming and South African music. Interested in finding more Icelandic music which matches the above preferences for style and theme.
Thanks so much for your help, everyone.
Currently I enjoy artists like Passenger, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Imagine Dragons, Lumineers, Fun. and Sin Fang.
My preference is light/clean themes. Example: I love Panic! at the Disco's sound but can't listen anymore due to some of the themes. Profanity is not a veto quality in and of itself.
I enjoy natural sounds, etheric sounds, proper instruments. I enjoy world music, as well, especially African drumming and South African music. Interested in finding more Icelandic music which matches the above preferences for style and theme.
Thanks so much for your help, everyone.
I strongly feel you will like Bishop Allen (cheery, tuneful indie pop, very well-made, wholesome as wholesome can be)
posted by escabeche at 1:27 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by escabeche at 1:27 PM on October 14, 2014
You might love Ásgeir, and if so, I would then point you toward Bon Iver, Sigur Rós, and Jonsi. Also, you will surely adore the bands Elbow, Iron and Wine, and Midlake.
For shimmery wall-of-sound deliciousness, my current go-to band is Glasvegas - 1, 2, 3. Some of their lyrical themes can be heavy and emotional, but fortunately, the guy's accent is so thick you probably won't be able to tell what he's saying anyway.
Finally, strongly recommend the soundtrack to the (amazing) movie Beasts of the Southern Wild.
posted by jbickers at 1:29 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
For shimmery wall-of-sound deliciousness, my current go-to band is Glasvegas - 1, 2, 3. Some of their lyrical themes can be heavy and emotional, but fortunately, the guy's accent is so thick you probably won't be able to tell what he's saying anyway.
Finally, strongly recommend the soundtrack to the (amazing) movie Beasts of the Southern Wild.
posted by jbickers at 1:29 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just to clarify (snark-free)--what do you mean by proper instruments?
posted by umbú at 1:51 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by umbú at 1:51 PM on October 14, 2014
Response by poster: I mean strings, woods, percussion which would also work (more or less) if the power went out. So less a fan of dubstep or heavy electronic stuff, but I recognize that progressive rock and space music break my own rule. But there is a difference between the stuff you hear on Echoes radio show and dubstep. That is the distinction for my ears, I think???
posted by hungry hippo at 2:01 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by hungry hippo at 2:01 PM on October 14, 2014
The guy from Sin Fang's other band is called Seabear. More folky, less quirky instrumentation, same great songwriting.
posted by matildaben at 2:22 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by matildaben at 2:22 PM on October 14, 2014
Seconding Asgeir -- young singer, lyrics by his dad, translated by John Grant (who is absolutely worth checking out too but may fail your wholesomeness test pretty badly). A sample: Was There Nothing.
Elbow are often wonderful both musically and lyrically. Try this: it's a performance of the album Seldom-Seen Kid with the BBC Concert Orchestra and a CHOIR! Yay!. (One Day Like This is 45m in and it is a fabulous mad version).
If you like Passenger, I would direct you to Tom McRae, though he is gloomier than Passenger. His most glorious joyful song is about death. A Thousand Suns. His version of A Wonderful Christmastime makes you want to chuck yourself in the canal. Love him.
Also similar to Passenger is Alex Cornish, whose new album is out soonish. He lacks the dour edge of Tom McRae, trading more in melancholy. Don't Hold Me Back; This is the Point ; his version of Brothers in Arms, which is sweeter than the original but beautifully simple.
Finally, I'd recommend without reservation King Creosote, an incredibly prolific folk singer-songwriter who I love to pieces. He can be sweaty or funny or lovelorn but he can also devastate you with a lyric. He uses a lot of found sound, lots of natural noise
From Scotland With Love, his latest album, written as a soundtrack to a film about his homeland, is just beautiful -- it looks outwards to the people around him, as well as the more usual love songs. Here are my five favourite King Creosote songs, just because more people need to listen to him and give him money. Just because.
Pauper's Dough [song starts at 1:00. Also CHOIR!]
678
Cockleshell
Your Young Voice [with Jon Hopkins]
Jump at the Cats
I'll stop now.
[okay, NPR Tiny Desk concert with Jon Hopkins here]
posted by finisterre at 2:43 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Elbow are often wonderful both musically and lyrically. Try this: it's a performance of the album Seldom-Seen Kid with the BBC Concert Orchestra and a CHOIR! Yay!. (One Day Like This is 45m in and it is a fabulous mad version).
If you like Passenger, I would direct you to Tom McRae, though he is gloomier than Passenger. His most glorious joyful song is about death. A Thousand Suns. His version of A Wonderful Christmastime makes you want to chuck yourself in the canal. Love him.
Also similar to Passenger is Alex Cornish, whose new album is out soonish. He lacks the dour edge of Tom McRae, trading more in melancholy. Don't Hold Me Back; This is the Point ; his version of Brothers in Arms, which is sweeter than the original but beautifully simple.
Finally, I'd recommend without reservation King Creosote, an incredibly prolific folk singer-songwriter who I love to pieces. He can be sweaty or funny or lovelorn but he can also devastate you with a lyric. He uses a lot of found sound, lots of natural noise
From Scotland With Love, his latest album, written as a soundtrack to a film about his homeland, is just beautiful -- it looks outwards to the people around him, as well as the more usual love songs. Here are my five favourite King Creosote songs, just because more people need to listen to him and give him money. Just because.
Pauper's Dough [song starts at 1:00. Also CHOIR!]
678
Cockleshell
Your Young Voice [with Jon Hopkins]
Jump at the Cats
I'll stop now.
[okay, NPR Tiny Desk concert with Jon Hopkins here]
posted by finisterre at 2:43 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeasayer is an American indie band but some of their songs, esp. on the first album have some "world music" qualities.
posted by oceanview at 2:57 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by oceanview at 2:57 PM on October 14, 2014
Mumford and Sons came out of a folk(ish) scene in West London. You might enjoy other acts from that scene, like Noah and the Whale; [2]; [3], Laura Marling, maybe Johnny Flynn. And also maybe Fleet Foxes; [2]? Or Villagers? I agree with Elbow and Midlake, mentioned above.
posted by Pink Frost at 4:47 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Pink Frost at 4:47 PM on October 14, 2014
I bet you'd like Andrew Bird. I'm partial to the album Noble Beast especially the tracks Fitz and the Dizzyspells and Tenousness.
posted by sockpup at 5:23 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by sockpup at 5:23 PM on October 14, 2014
múm might work. Some electronics and a wide variety of other instruments. I haven't really payed attention to the lyrics. They are Icelandic.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:38 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by hydrophonic at 9:38 PM on October 14, 2014
Listen to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Great show with a huge range of music.
posted by sholdens12 at 10:36 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by sholdens12 at 10:36 PM on October 14, 2014
Agree with many recs above, especially Sigur Rós, Jónsi (also Jónsi & Alex for extreme ethereal), Iron & Wine, Midlake, Laura Marling.
Some other recs: Amiina (strong resemblance to other Icelandic ones) and Efterklang who are Danish. Sufjan Stevens, who is neither.
I am personally also very hooked on The National at the moment, who have done a lot of stuff with Sufjan Stevens and vice versa. But it's much heavier. Though not always. You could see what you think.
Ok stopping now.
posted by Athanassiel at 12:00 AM on October 15, 2014 [3 favorites]
Some other recs: Amiina (strong resemblance to other Icelandic ones) and Efterklang who are Danish. Sufjan Stevens, who is neither.
I am personally also very hooked on The National at the moment, who have done a lot of stuff with Sufjan Stevens and vice versa. But it's much heavier. Though not always. You could see what you think.
Ok stopping now.
posted by Athanassiel at 12:00 AM on October 15, 2014 [3 favorites]
You might enjoy the recent album People by The Burning Hell: example tracks Wallflowers; Holidaymakers.
posted by misteraitch at 1:45 AM on October 15, 2014
posted by misteraitch at 1:45 AM on October 15, 2014
Seconding Fleet Foxes and Sigur Ros. How about Vashti Bunyan, or Badly Drawn Boy?
posted by gnimmel at 5:30 AM on October 15, 2014
posted by gnimmel at 5:30 AM on October 15, 2014
VAnce Joy?
posted by WeekendJen at 9:06 AM on October 15, 2014
posted by WeekendJen at 9:06 AM on October 15, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by saladin at 1:19 PM on October 14, 2014