Tropical Island Music Artist Draft - FINIS
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
These guys are great, and one of the best rock bands in the last decade and a half. Numerous albums, all of which have something to offer. Really great band live, too.
Foo Fighters
I'll keep it short so this thing can keep moving.
Foo Fighters
I'll keep it short so this thing can keep moving.
. These last few picks are really making me think now. This draft is becoming a little unpredictable
Sonic Youth (1981-active)
Favourite Album: Daydream Nation (1988)
Sample Song: Teenage Riot (from Daydream Nation)
Sonic Youth really were the cornerstone in the way I approached music growing up. Before knowing them I only listened to a couple of songs here and there whenever I got interested in an artist/group, but when I listened to Teenage Riot for the second or third time I loved it so much I felt the need to listen to whole record and when I listened to Daydream Nation I felt the need to listen to the whole discography and so on.
Unlike most people I like the noisier and more experimental stuff of their earlier years more than the more melodic approach they took after Daydream Nation. To me pre-1988 Sonic Youth are one the best bands ever, after that they somewhat failed to keep themselves fresh and even if they still put out some good albums they sounded more like their many imitators rather then like their old selves.
Anyway, Ranaldo and Moore's guitar sound is still one of the greatest things I've ever heard and five excellent albums in a row is a feat not many bands matched.
Favourite Album: Daydream Nation (1988)
Sample Song: Teenage Riot (from Daydream Nation)
Sonic Youth really were the cornerstone in the way I approached music growing up. Before knowing them I only listened to a couple of songs here and there whenever I got interested in an artist/group, but when I listened to Teenage Riot for the second or third time I loved it so much I felt the need to listen to whole record and when I listened to Daydream Nation I felt the need to listen to the whole discography and so on.
Unlike most people I like the noisier and more experimental stuff of their earlier years more than the more melodic approach they took after Daydream Nation. To me pre-1988 Sonic Youth are one the best bands ever, after that they somewhat failed to keep themselves fresh and even if they still put out some good albums they sounded more like their many imitators rather then like their old selves.
Anyway, Ranaldo and Moore's guitar sound is still one of the greatest things I've ever heard and five excellent albums in a row is a feat not many bands matched.
With this pick I draft, Prince.
I didn’t have him very high on my list originally but with most of my mainstream favorites already gone, I have to mix things up now.
Prince is arguably the best all around pop artist ever. The guy is a musical genius any way you look at it. The way he fused rock, funk, disco, soul, gospel, and pop together was pretty groundbreaking stuff at the time. He's also a great singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Pop music doesn't get any better than songs like 1999, Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain, Kiss, Take Me With U, When Doves Cry, U Got the Look, Raspberry Beret, etc.
He had a great run in the 80s. And unlike a lot of pop artists, his albums weren't loaded down with too much filler. 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign of the Times are all albums I can listen to front to back.
Some of the 80s production techniques and synths haven't dated all that well in my opinion, but the material transcends that so it's not really a problem.
Another aspect of his music I like is the frequent female guest vocalists. They added an erotic twist to his already sexually charged music.
I didn’t have him very high on my list originally but with most of my mainstream favorites already gone, I have to mix things up now.
Prince is arguably the best all around pop artist ever. The guy is a musical genius any way you look at it. The way he fused rock, funk, disco, soul, gospel, and pop together was pretty groundbreaking stuff at the time. He's also a great singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Pop music doesn't get any better than songs like 1999, Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain, Kiss, Take Me With U, When Doves Cry, U Got the Look, Raspberry Beret, etc.
He had a great run in the 80s. And unlike a lot of pop artists, his albums weren't loaded down with too much filler. 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign of the Times are all albums I can listen to front to back.
Some of the 80s production techniques and synths haven't dated all that well in my opinion, but the material transcends that so it's not really a problem.
Another aspect of his music I like is the frequent female guest vocalists. They added an erotic twist to his already sexually charged music.
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With this pick I draft, Depeche Mode.
I’m taking them a bit sooner than I’d planned because so many of the bands/artists I was going to take are already gone.
They're probably my favorite band that's not related to rock or metal in some way. I guess you could class them as rock but they're pop to me.
They had a run of excellent albums full of great tunes in the 80s and early 90s.
They're pretty much the pinnacle of synth-pop in my book. I love their dark/moody atmosphere, evocative use of melody, and gift for great hooks.
I’m taking them a bit sooner than I’d planned because so many of the bands/artists I was going to take are already gone.
They're probably my favorite band that's not related to rock or metal in some way. I guess you could class them as rock but they're pop to me.
They had a run of excellent albums full of great tunes in the 80s and early 90s.
They're pretty much the pinnacle of synth-pop in my book. I love their dark/moody atmosphere, evocative use of melody, and gift for great hooks.
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Television (1973-sort of active)
Favourite Album: Marquee Moon (1977)
Sample Song: Venus (from Marquee Moon)
"Tom plays guitar like a thousand bluebirds screaming." -Patti Smith
Television debuted in the year punk music broke out, hung out with New York punk rockers and played in the same places as them but their music is completely different from what was going on at that time. Their guitar play is much more complex (Tom Verlaine may be my favourite guitarist ever) and structured, the songs are longer and the lyrics are less anthemic and more poetry inspired.
They don't offer much from a volume standpoint but Marquee Moon is one of my top 10 albums ever and is back up by two very underrated efforts as Adventure and Television.
Favourite Album: Marquee Moon (1977)
Sample Song: Venus (from Marquee Moon)
"Tom plays guitar like a thousand bluebirds screaming." -Patti Smith
Television debuted in the year punk music broke out, hung out with New York punk rockers and played in the same places as them but their music is completely different from what was going on at that time. Their guitar play is much more complex (Tom Verlaine may be my favourite guitarist ever) and structured, the songs are longer and the lyrics are less anthemic and more poetry inspired.
They don't offer much from a volume standpoint but Marquee Moon is one of my top 10 albums ever and is back up by two very underrated efforts as Adventure and Television.
This guy is not necessarily my favourite hip hop artist, but he's definitely up there and other favourites will last. He's a rare combination of intelligence, wit, talent and charisma, and he's a brilliant live performer (I can testify to this).
With my pick I select:
Jay-Z
"He's not a business man, he's a business, man!"
With my pick I select:
Jay-Z
"He's not a business man, he's a business, man!"
Well, I've put drafting them off for long enough. My second favourite band and 6th pick:
Modest Mouse
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You missed when Time and Life shook hands and said goodbye
(You missed) When the earth folded in on itself
(You missed) And said 'Good luck'
For your sake I hope heaven and hell
(You missed) Are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath
My First Album of Theirs: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Favourite Album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Why I Started Listening: The lyrics, mostly. There was just something about Isaac Brock's texts that stuck with me. Also, the versatility of Good News appealed to me. After getting it, I, of course, picked up The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon & Antarctica and all of their other stuff, but Good News just kinda stuck with me. To this day, it's my favourite album of all time, mainly for The World At Large and Float On, but basically every single song on that album, to me, is great in some way, even Bukowski, which I consider the weakest song on that record.
[video=metacafe;sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/[/video]
Modest Mouse
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You missed when Time and Life shook hands and said goodbye
(You missed) When the earth folded in on itself
(You missed) And said 'Good luck'
For your sake I hope heaven and hell
(You missed) Are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath
My First Album of Theirs: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Favourite Album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Why I Started Listening: The lyrics, mostly. There was just something about Isaac Brock's texts that stuck with me. Also, the versatility of Good News appealed to me. After getting it, I, of course, picked up The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon & Antarctica and all of their other stuff, but Good News just kinda stuck with me. To this day, it's my favourite album of all time, mainly for The World At Large and Float On, but basically every single song on that album, to me, is great in some way, even Bukowski, which I consider the weakest song on that record.
[video=metacafe;sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/[/video]
Well, I've put drafting them off for long enough. My second favourite band and 6th pick:
Modest Mouse
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You missed when Time and Life shook hands and said goodbye
(You missed) When the earth folded in on itself
(You missed) And said 'Good luck'
For your sake I hope heaven and hell
(You missed) Are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath
My First Album of Theirs: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Favourite Album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Why I Started Listening: The lyrics, mostly. There was just something about Isaac Brock's texts that stuck with me. Also, the versatility of Good News appealed to me. After getting it, I, of course, picked up The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon & Antarctica and all of their other stuff, but Good News just kinda stuck with me. To this day, it's my favourite album of all time, mainly for The World At Large and Float On, but basically every single song on that album, to me, is great in some way, even Bukowski, which I consider the weakest song on that record.
[video=metacafe;sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/[/video]
Modest Mouse
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You missed when Time and Life shook hands and said goodbye
(You missed) When the earth folded in on itself
(You missed) And said 'Good luck'
For your sake I hope heaven and hell
(You missed) Are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath
My First Album of Theirs: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Favourite Album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Why I Started Listening: The lyrics, mostly. There was just something about Isaac Brock's texts that stuck with me. Also, the versatility of Good News appealed to me. After getting it, I, of course, picked up The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon & Antarctica and all of their other stuff, but Good News just kinda stuck with me. To this day, it's my favourite album of all time, mainly for The World At Large and Float On, but basically every single song on that album, to me, is great in some way, even Bukowski, which I consider the weakest song on that record.
[video=metacafe;sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-18502743/modest_mouse_float_on_official_music_video/[/video]
With my 6th pick I choose Weezer.
I went back and forth on if this was a huge reach and then I checked my play counts and was shocked to find that they are a lot higher on my list than a lot of bands I hold in much higher regard. Most of these plays stem from Pinkerton, which is easily one of my all time favorite albums and clocking in under 30 mins it was one I frequently listened to several times a week. Of course their self titled debut (The Blue Album) produced a number of hits and is more loved by many, and some even favor the green album. They even had some of their biggest hits after these 3 even though most long time fans consider them to have fallen off quite a bit. I do think they are good for at least one or two really good songs on their bad records but I'm predominantly picking for their first two here.
Favorites:
Also: The Good Life, Tired of Sex, No One Else, Across the Sea, Butterfly, Susanne
Plus all the singles everyone knows...
I went back and forth on if this was a huge reach and then I checked my play counts and was shocked to find that they are a lot higher on my list than a lot of bands I hold in much higher regard. Most of these plays stem from Pinkerton, which is easily one of my all time favorite albums and clocking in under 30 mins it was one I frequently listened to several times a week. Of course their self titled debut (The Blue Album) produced a number of hits and is more loved by many, and some even favor the green album. They even had some of their biggest hits after these 3 even though most long time fans consider them to have fallen off quite a bit. I do think they are good for at least one or two really good songs on their bad records but I'm predominantly picking for their first two here.
Favorites:
Plus all the singles everyone knows...
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You're blowing it jalfa. After the Sufjan Stevens pick you have now accidentally taken two bands in a row I have not only heard of, but whom I actually kinda like. Shame on you!
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It's actually harder for me to have almost no competition for my picks, mostly because I don't have many favorites and there's nobody to thin out my choices. There are so many ways I could go here. But I think I'll stick with my most recent plan and select...
Tracy Chapman
P.S. I am fully back now (or at least I will be by the time my next pick rolls around).
Tracy Chapman
P.S. I am fully back now (or at least I will be by the time my next pick rolls around).
That video gave me the willies when I was a kid. Big time.
Incidentally, I think I would appreciate the Genesis pick more if it was going for the kitsch value of something like "Invisible Touch," rather than the seriousness of their early stuff. One of those bands I've just never been able to take seriously. The same applies to Phil Collins' solo work, actually. I haven't dared say it out loud, but a big part of me hopes that pick was made ONLY for "Sussudio."
Incidentally, I think I would appreciate the Genesis pick more if it was going for the kitsch value of something like "Invisible Touch," rather than the seriousness of their early stuff. One of those bands I've just never been able to take seriously. The same applies to Phil Collins' solo work, actually. I haven't dared say it out loud, but a big part of me hopes that pick was made ONLY for "Sussudio."
You're cracking me up. Invisible Touch was the other song I was thinking would have made for an awesome Genesis pick rationale and as soon as you said PC solo I was about to respond Sussudio.
They were never my thing either... well I did like "That's All" when it came out. Pretty safe to say the real Genesis fans hate that one too.
They were never my thing either... well I did like "That's All" when it came out. Pretty safe to say the real Genesis fans hate that one too.