Todays music

Subject: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:39 PM

Not for a long time has there been, in my opinion, such a plethora of good music and talented musicians out there. On the way to work the other day three records were played one after the other which had me grinning from ear to ear.

David Jordan's 'The sun goes down', The Plain White T's with Delilah and A&E by Alison Goldfrapp's 'A&E'. Fantastic stuff. I also watched, believe it or not, the Brit awards, initialy just to see what Ozzie and family would do to the show:-) but I found that the music had indeed become the star of the show again, as it should be. And it wasn't Macca or any old timers that set it off for me but the new stuff. Mind you, Take That are much better than I remember but don't tell anyone I said that...

Is Mika Freddie Mercury reincarnated or what? Hell of a showman with a great voice and a range of songs that anyone would be proud of. Amy Winehouse was good but I thought the 19 year old (or is she 20 now?) Adele beat her for confidence and performance. Mind you, considering Ms Winehhouses current state I am not realy surprised! And while not exactly a brand new band I was realy happy to see one of my favourite US bands, The Foo Fighters, get 2 awards.

Well, I suppose there is either life in the old dog yet or music fasion has caught up with me. Again:-)

Keep rockin (and folkin)

:D

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:40 PM

Errrr, too many A&Es around Alison Goldfrapp. Too much red wine inside Dave Polshaw...

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 04:07 PM

Quite a whacky video from Ms G as well. Presume it is Will Gregory making the tea at the end?

One for David Jordan fans and, to complete trio how about a taste of Plain White T's?

Enjoy. Maybe...

:D

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 04:18 PM

Seeing as I'm on YouTube - nothing to do with new music but I remembered to look up Salfords answer to the Mississippi Delta - The Irwell mudbath blues...

Dai Thomas (as seen regularly at Swinton Folk Club)

D,

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 01:41 PM

Hmmm - Would have thought I may have got some reaction but I don't often get the chance to post 5 in a row so what the hell:-)

D.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: GUEST,Wayne
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 02:32 PM

There is a lot of great music around. Not enough on the radio, though, I feel. I spent some Christmas money at the weekend and bought a plethora of excellent c.d.s: Ann Wilson's debut solo album which is rootsier than Heart and feels wonderfully cohesive despite all the "special" guests; Hayseed Dixie's No Covers, a surprisingly serious album of self-penned material; the debut from the Swedish rock band Work Of Art which has huge melodies and an Isolation-era Toto feel and the debut from ChimpanA, a wonderful, esoteric Welsh prog-rock band, featuring members of Magenta and The Storys.

All of the above are highly recommended but a word of warning about the Plain White T's. I picked up their c.d. on the strength of Delilah and found the rest to be pretty ordinary.

I've never got Amy Winehouse (or even heard of Mika) but I quite like Amy MacDonald!

I'm usually more hip replacement than hip but I've got to admit these are exciting times, although, conversly, I found 2007 to be a pretty dreary year for folk music.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: GUEST,Acorn 4
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 03:04 PM

I agree - it's become fashionable again to be able to actually play your instruments, sing and write songs, although a bit hard to develop a style that's distinct and instantly recognisable.

Let's hope it keeps up and "twitch music" has been forever assigned to the dustbin

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: irishenglish
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 03:08 PM

Well of course it all comes down to what you like, but for me, the best bands of the past couple of years have been the Killers, the Kaiser Chiefs, and Scissor Sisters. Beyond all the hype, Winehouse's album is great too. What I tell people about all of the ones I just mentioned is that they are derivative:you can hear influences all over the place in their music, and they are not so conceited to make you think they have created the next best thing, a trap that other new bands fall into these days I think. There are too many bands out there with that attitude, the typical rock star "everything is shit, we are going to be the greatest, blah blah blah." A year later they are, as Spinal Tap says, currently residing in the where are they now category! But the absolute best band out there the last couple of years IMHO is Tinariwen-exactly what music should be about!

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Grab
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 04:26 PM

I love the Scissor Sisters. No-one else I know of could sell a CD containing a song listing ways of killing someone to a perky little pop tune!

Also second Mika as the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. There was actually a French TV interview with him discussing this (BTW, the guy speaks at least three languages fluently as well as singing and playing piano - bastard!) and singing some Queen stuff. On his own, he's good. But he does need is a decent band behind him to add some better instrumental ideas to the songs, to make him truly great in the way Queen were.

Not sure about some of the others - OK but nothing special. Still and all though, I do like the fact that being a musician has come back into fashion in the pop arena, and Radio 1 is getting listenable again for the first time in about ten years.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Rasener
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 04:29 PM

At 62, I still listen to radio 1 most of the time. There is a lot of good music out there. Poeple just need to be a bit more tolerant and give them a listen, instead of branding them all as crap and turning off.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Mr Happy
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 05:09 AM

Agreed, after all, what lots've people revere as traditional music & song is in reality the pop[ular] music[s] of yesteryear.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Silver Slug
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 12:27 PM

At 55, I don't go anywhere near Radio 1 because I can't stand the clowns who act as presenters. I think there has been a lot of good stuff around for a few years now and, like the Sixties, there is a fair amount of good, diverse music.

My own favourite at the moment is Duffy, on the strength of her appearance on Jools Holland last Friday. Fantastic!

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Morticia
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 01:11 PM

Yep, totally in agreement, love Mika, love Amy McDonald, love the Scissor Sisters and David Jordan. Been buying seedys this year which I haven't for quite a while unless they were folk or classical.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: fat B****rd
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 08:47 AM

Duffy, Adele, Amy Macdonald, KT Tunstall and Amy Winehouse. The girls have it. IMO of course.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Mooh
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 09:52 AM

I think one's impressions of the value of commercial radio may depend on what's within range. Other than CBC, I live in radio wasteland. Same pop drivel dj-ed by selfamused and illinformed bozos. I think I need satellite radio service.

However, there are sources of new music without radio. Paste Magazine comes with a cd, as does Uncut Magazine, both of which I enjoy. I also cruise online sources from YouTube to recommendations from friends and..oh gee whiz...the Mudcat. Even of old fashioned tunes there are new purveyors, like Joscho Stephan. But what's really enlightening is listening to the music my music students recommend, much of which is predictable and mundane, but there are some exceptions like guitar god types. I figure it's my job to introduce students to alternatives.

All music is derivative, the challenge is finding new music which is inspired rather than tired.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 12:00 PM

Every so often I try to like something in pop/rock music and usually don't manage it.

On the Goldfrapp video, the music is forgettable, the words are unintelligible, and she has the same silly mannerism of beginning phrases with a desperate gasp that Bellowhead do. But the visual part is lovely. Maybe some Border morris side could use the costume designs?

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 01:42 PM

I KNEW I had seen that dance somewhere before:-) Good idea, Jack!

D.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Stringsinger
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 10:13 AM

The music is better today than when I was growing up. There's just so much more of it
that some of it has to be really good.

Then some of it is mechanical, devoid of musicality and splashy.

But we have more to choose from today.

Whatever opinions we have of music, we can rejoice in the fact that there is
so much of it that is fine.

There was fine music though back in the day. This should be celebrated as well.

I don't like the arbitrary time distinctions some people add to music. If it's good,
it's ageless.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: greg stephens
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 12:47 PM

Well, the best music I heard last year was Amy Winehouse and Tinariwen, both of who I had the good fortune to hear live at Glastonbury. Much as I love Enmglish folk music, I don't think the English folk scene is currently producing any acts to match those two I have mentioned, or many hundreds of others come to think of it.

Subject: RE: Todays music
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 02:52 AM

Mind you, that Boat Band are quite good and you can catch them at Shrewsbury if you get a ticket Greg