What are you listening to?

Waited a few days so I could listen to Fiona Apple’s Pretrial (Let Her Go Home) - her first new music in 5 years - on my birthday.

Harkens back to 60s rhythmic drum circle and protest chant music with a theme that reminds me of Bob Dylan’s Hurricane - all with Apple’s The Idler Wheel / Fetch the Bolt Cutters common object percussion and layered vocals flair.

Thanks for dropping by Fiona. Hope to hear from you again soon.
 
Warhawk said:
Just got back from a quick overnight jaunt with my wife to Las Vegas to go catch a couple of icons in concert together that we had never seen live before - Billy Joel and Sting. Billy Joel was one of my wife's "bucket list" performers to see (and Sting is obviously great too) so we celebrated our anniversary a bit late with the trip to catch this.

They were fantastic. I couldn't believe how good they sounded, especially in a football stadium. They had that place dialed in. It sounded great. And they both did some medleys or had a little fun with their songs while playing most of their hits. For instance, Billy Joel worked in a little Elvis (Viva Las Vegas) and had Crystal Taliefero (who is also freaking great) splice in a little River Deep - Mountain High in a song - just awesome. Sting mixed up Roxanne with some new rhythm in the middle (pretty cool) and kicked it up a bit on some other songs (more drums, great guitar work). Just a whole lot of fun! A little article on it:

Billy Joel, Sting performed during packed Las Vegas show | Kats | Entertainment | Entertainment Columns

As you know, these two would not be in my top 10 artists or anything but they put on a heck of a show.

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Wow, glad we got to see him (Billy Joel) when we did! Hope he heals up!

 
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Also, my wife and I went to go see Simple Minds on Tuesday night in Concord. They put on a very entertaining show and sounded pretty darn good themselves. Very cool.

Was not really impressed with Soft Cell (opener). Pretty meh.

I was bummed we missed Modern English as the first opener. There was a 6-car pile-up as we got close to the amphitheater and the diversion around the back side of the facility was about 3/4 of an hour.
 
after a 16 year absence, its as if they haven't missed a beat. Clipse returns with Let God sort em out (2025) and this will be in constant rotation. much love
 
Tonight, this: Candlelight: Queen vs. ABBA

These aren't my videos, but it was just like this, except in the Sacramento Railroad Museum surrounded by the metal behemoths of a century ago. ABBA in particular was transformed using the quartet of stringed instruments and no vocals - beautiful music in its own right yet the words are just playing through your brain at the same time. Very cool event.



 
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Caught this concert tonight. My wife likes the Indigo Girls (just not my vibe for the most part) but I'm a MUCH bigger Melissa Etheridge fan. She puts on a great show and rocks the place. If you like rock music, go see her live if you can - I think she's better live than on her albums. KT Tunstall was good in her own right.
 
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We've been expanding our vinyl collection so most of my really focused listening is to those albums, especially the most recent ones. Right now that's been Mk.gee's debut album, "Two Star and the Dream Police". It's really good.

Last Friday I took my two oldest to see Nine Inch Nails at Ball Arena here in Denver. It was supposed to be my wife and daughter (who are both big fans) but my wife was unfortunately sick. So my son (who knew nothing about NIN) went instead. His only review was that it was "very loud", even with the earplugs we gave him.
 
the Wu dropping some goodies this summer with Raekwon's Emperors New Clothes and Supreme Clientele 2 by Ghostface
 
Went to Santa Barbara to a concert for my wife’s birthday: Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips.

Had a lot of fun and really enjoyed The Flaming Lips headliner set. Listened to the full album of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots today and dug that too.
 
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Löwenherz said:
Went to Santa Barbara to a concert for my wife’s birthday: Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips.

Had a lot of fun and really enjoyed The Flaming Lips headliner set. Listened the full album of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots today and dug that too.
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Man.... I had tickets to see their show the previous night in Griffith Park and couldn't go. Just a bad timing thing that came up. I've seen Modest Mouse several times in the past but I'm super bummed about missing out on The Flaming Lips.

I did listen to the full Yoshimi album myself that day in the car. Clouds Taste Metallic is still my favorite Lips album but that Yoshimi album somehow just keeps getting better and better over the years the more I listen to it. "Fight Test" in particular feels timely in a way I hadn't anticipated.
 
hrdboild said:
Man.... I had tickets to see their show the previous night in Griffith Park and couldn't go. Just a bad timing thing that came up. I've seen Modest Mouse several times in the past but I'm super bummed about missing out on The Flaming Lips.

I did listen to the full Yoshimi album myself that day in the car. Clouds Taste Metallic is still my favorite Lips album but that Yoshimi album somehow just keeps getting better and better over the years the more I listen to it. "Fight Test" in particular feels timely in a way I hadn't anticipated.
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I’d heard of both bands, but I wasn’t super familiar with either going in. Between the two, I know Modest Mouse more, having at least heard The Moon and Antarctica all the way through.

So I was a little shocked to learn The Flaming Lips were the headliner. And even more shocked when I hadn’t heard any of the songs they played (except Do You Realize and She Don’t Use Jelly), but was still loving the show.
 
Löwenherz said:
I’d heard of both bands, but I wasn’t super familiar with either going in. Between the two, I know Modest Mouse more, having at least heard The Moon and Antarctica all the way through.

So I was a little shocked to learn The Flaming Lips were the headliner. And even more shocked when I hadn’t heard any of the songs they played (except Do You Realize and She Don’t Use Jelly), but was still loving the show.
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I'm glad you had a good time. :) Genuinely. It actually makes me feel a little bit better about missing out.

Modest Mouse was one of my favorite bands in the early 2000s when The Moon and Antarctica and Good News for People Who Love Bad News were their most recent albums, though since then The Lonesome Crowded West has become the album that I listen to the most. Trailer Trash remains one of my all-time favorite songs and lyrics. Also this gem from their B-Side album. They haven't been very productive as a band since then (3 albums in 20 years) so I suppose it's not surprising that they still feel locked into a particular place and time for me. But it was a good place and time with a lot of happy memories.

The Flaming Lips in their second (third?) incarnation -- which started with the Zaireeka album in 1997 after guitar maestro Ronald Jones quit -- have built a reputation for putting on one of the best live shows in the rock business so perhaps they're less well-known as a radio presence but their status as a live band pushes them up the call sheet? The Greek Theater in LA is not one of my favorite venues to watch a show in anyway. I don't like going to a rock show and being trapped in my seat the whole time which happens at that venue. Also it's really hard to get to on a weekday afternoon in LA traffic. So hopefully I'll be able to catch the next Lips tour and it's in a venue more befitting their particular brand of joyful chaos.
 
Speaking of songs that seem timely much further down the line... (from 1989!) still a rocking tune, though:

 
Recently upgrade my stereo and giving all the old stuff to my son for his 17th birthday (and really as a pre-college thing, I guess, unless he can keep it at his mom's though we're 2 years away)

I was thinking of starting his collection with 5 records from bands we've seen together, 5 records from the year I turned 17 (happens to be 1991 so uhh, yeah, maybe the best and last singular year of transformative music in my lifetime), and 5 from his most played artists on his Apple Music account after I signed into his phone and snooped a bit.

For you younger folk - what are the best Ken Carson, Rihanna and Drake records? Maybe I just skip Drake and get him GNX and/or To Pimp a Butterfly instead since those are easy enough to find.

---------

Also back at programming football audio for their season. So much fun, I'm adding in sound effects this year too.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Recently upgrade my stereo and giving all the old stuff to my son for his 17th birthday (and really as a pre-college thing, I guess, unless he can keep it at his mom's though we're 2 years away)

I was thinking of starting his collection with 5 records from bands we've seen together, 5 records from the year I turned 17 (happens to be 1991 so uhh, yeah, maybe the best and last singular year of transformative music in my lifetime), and 5 from his most played artists on his Apple Music account after I signed into his phone and snooped a bit.
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Interesting! Seattle alone will score you Ten, Nevermind, and Badmotorfinger! I'd throw in U2's transformation-turn of Achtung Baby but the fifth is a tough choice.

I guess Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a pretty obvious one, but I'll personally listen to the somewhat more indie Toad's Fear or Tori's Little Earthquakes over that 10 times out of 10.

There's also Use Your Illusion, but a strict rule would force either I or II, and the problem with those two records is that the 90 minutes of worthwhile material is pretty evenly distributed with the 60 minutes of iffy stuff across the two. II is probably the more consistent album but without November Rain and the proper version of Don't Cry, what's the point?

Out Of Time doesn't really speak to me as an album...The Black Album is transformative in a bad way. Honestly, side 1 of Sting's Soul Cages is nearly perfect, but side 2 is weaker and I doubt you're looking that direction.

For my part, I think I if had to Desert-Island 5 albums from '91 it would be Ten, Achtung, Fear, Little Earthquakes, and...yeah, I guess I can't leave Nevermind behind, even if I never really turn to it anymore.

Interested to know what you pick (I'm no help on the moderns though)!
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Recently upgrade my stereo and giving all the old stuff to my son for his 17th birthday (and really as a pre-college thing, I guess, unless he can keep it at his mom's though we're 2 years away)

I was thinking of starting his collection with 5 records from bands we've seen together, 5 records from the year I turned 17 (happens to be 1991 so uhh, yeah, maybe the best and last singular year of transformative music in my lifetime), and 5 from his most played artists on his Apple Music account after I signed into his phone and snooped a bit.

For you younger folk - what are the best Ken Carson, Rihanna and Drake records? Maybe I just skip Drake and get him GNX and/or To Pimp a Butterfly instead since those are easy enough to find.

---------

Also back at programming football audio for their season. So much fun, I'm adding in sound effects this year too.
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introduce him to Illmatic & 36 chambers...he'll thank you later in life for it
 
Capt. Factorial said:
Interesting! Seattle alone will score you Ten, Nevermind, and Badmotorfinger! I'd throw in U2's transformation-turn of Achtung Baby but the fifth is a tough choice.

I guess Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a pretty obvious one, but I'll personally listen to the somewhat more indie Toad's Fear or Tori's Little Earthquakes over that 10 times out of 10.

There's also Use Your Illusion, but a strict rule would force either I or II, and the problem with those two records is that the 90 minutes of worthwhile material is pretty evenly distributed with the 60 minutes of iffy stuff across the two. II is probably the more consistent album but without November Rain and the proper version of Don't Cry, what's the point?

Out Of Time doesn't really speak to me as an album...The Black Album is transformative in a bad way. Honestly, side 1 of Sting's Soul Cages is nearly perfect, but side 2 is weaker and I doubt you're looking that direction.

For my part, I think I if had to Desert-Island 5 albums from '91 it would be Ten, Achtung, Fear, Little Earthquakes, and...yeah, I guess I can't leave Nevermind behind, even if I never really turn to it anymore.

Interested to know what you pick (I'm no help on the moderns though)!
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The Seattle records for sure. I don’t care for any of the big three metal albums that came out then (black, Illusions or No More Tears) so they’re out. He has a RHCP shirt so maybe but I do think I may go more obscure on the final two.

Slint, REM and Mathew Sweet could be contenders in addition to U2.

There’s also Ice Cube’s Death Certificate.
 
Rhino is also dropping a reissue of Mr. Bungle for Rocktober and I was going to pick up my own copy so might give him that as #5.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Rhino is also dropping a reissue of Mr. Bungle for Rocktober and I was going to pick up my own copy so might give him that as #5.
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Wow! Actually Mr. Bungle was a bit much for me but I totally remember that. The Real Thing is two years too early to fit the criteria but a much easier way for me to digest Patton's work.
 
Looking at that wiki, Bullhead by Melvins is great for anybody interested in '90s rock. The Pod by Ween would be a great complimentary piece. I also recommend Dondestan by Robert Wyatt and The Ghost Sonata by Tuxedomoon. And if you're interested in Slint, Ween, and Melvins you should check out what Coil and Swans put out that year.
 
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