The Recommendable Albums

[JimmyKoria]

Poe - Haunted
She wrote the album based on a book written by her brother. It's really beautiful album with bits of humor in it. I guess if the album were to be classified it would be under alt-rock.
Placebo - Meds
I thought Sleeping With Ghosts was as good as it was going to get but I was wrong. Meds has more of their old style fused with the Sleeping With Ghosts.
Hamasaki Ayumi - LOVEppears
I've never heard such depressing lyrics from a Japanese pop singer. I utterly hate the title of the album.
Motion City Soundtrack - I am the Movie
Never ever listen to this album when you're trying to go to sleep. I've done it and I get all excited and want to jump around and break crap. The beats so estatic and playful, they're a really good mix of pop and punk with 80's like elements.
Marlyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
I love this album to bits. I havent heard it in ages but it's really good. The idea of the album was about birth and how painful it is to come into the world.

I'm also really addicted the the klaxon's debut album :3

[Lena-chan]

Originally Posted by JimmyKoria

Hamasaki Ayumi - LOVEppears
I've never heard such depressing lyrics from a Japanese pop singer. I utterly hate the title of the album.

really???
O.o
I don't think fly high, Boys & girls and who... have depressing lyrics
to me Ayumi carrer could had begin with 'I am' and end with 'My story'
with rainbow and memorial address being her masterpieces
and to me the depressiest(and best) ayumi song is memorial address

[golem09]

So finally, I waited long enough, but now it deserves to be here.



Maia Hirasawa - Though I'm just me

There is only one song on the whole album that I don't like (Star Again), but the rest is just great. Especially Crackers and Gothenburg

Listen here if you want to
(And I knkow that you want to XD)

[justriiingo]

I'd download that if I'm not on dial-up. hmpf.

Maia looks like Bjork on the cover eh?

[golem09]

And she looks more asian than on any other photo I saw of her

[vayerism]

Blonde Redhead - 23.
Totally, totally amazing.[/quote]

Blonde Redhead Kick Ass

[JimmyKoria]

Originally Posted by Lena-chan

really???
O.o
I don't think fly high, Boys & girls and who... have depressing lyrics
to me Ayumi carrer could had begin with 'I am' and end with 'My story'
with rainbow and memorial address being her masterpieces
and to me the depressiest(and best) ayumi song is memorial address

I always skip over boys & girls and who, hahaha! But fly high is one of those sad optomistic songs I think. I guess Duty was one of her saddest albums along with My Story. I never liked My Story, the beats were mideocore and the lyrics felt unfinished. I am... will always be a good album but it's very commercial (which isn't a bad thing). Rainbow was really intresting because she wrote differently on that album and for the most part the lyrics didn't feel so much like jpop. Memorial Address is such a sad song. I'd rank it pretty high up there, especially when she played it live (in the most awful looking dress ever). I usually hate Hamasaki live but I loved Memorial Address live.

Originally Posted by golem09

So finally, I waited long enough, but now it deserves to be here.

Maia Hirasawa - Though I'm just me

There is only one song on the whole album that I don't like (Star Again), but the rest is just great. Especially Crackers and Gothenburg

Listen here if you want to
(And I knkow that you want to XD)

She reminds me of this one other singer. I love Crackers, it's so cute!

I might try and obtain this album :3

[Jonny]

I really tried Maia... but I hate it.

[zach]

Zach's Massive Recommendations Post

I love music. And I love learning about great music, so I'll definitely be watching this thread.

For the record: KSK is one of the best albums ever made. Okay, had to say it.

Now, I'm usually recommending Japanese artists like SR, Bonnie Pink, Yuu Nakashima, Yaiko, Mai Hoshimura, Tommy, Maaya Sakamoto, Ayu Okakita, Love Psychedelico, Orange Pekoe, Rurutia, Yukawa Shione, etc. But this time I'll give you some of my favorite listens from the world outside Asia.

After KSK, some albums I positively love are (in no particular order):


Soul of the Tango - the music of Astor Piazzolla
Piazzolla was an insanely clever 20th century nuevo tango composer. Some of his earlier works used very interesting tonalities (and if you're a piano player, the sheet music made you want to run and hide... it did me, at least). But early in his career he decided to devote himself to using only Argentine tango as the basis for his composition. He developed it further than it had ever gone. To hear his painful and passionate masterworks played by such a great cellist as Yo-yo Ma will make you want to delve deeper into the world of Piazzolla.


Mike Doughty - Haughty Melodic
Formerly frontman of the NY-based jazz/funk electro-noise quartet Soul Coughing, his solo effort has him sounding more mature and his songcraft more developed. Also, I believe fewer drugs were consumed in process. It's a thoroughly wicked album, with loads of great sounds.


Dave Koz - Off the Beaten Path
The all-acoustic band tracks and production are 100% enjoyable, especially for a saxophone player who made only keyboard-based smooth jazz before this disc.


Sixpence None the Richer - Divine Discontent
Pop Done Right. Always impeccably tasteful guitar texturings, love the strings incorporated throughout, love Leigh's voice.


Iona - Heaven's Bright Sun (live double CD)
This was a very bright spot in the career of the world's best Celtic progressive rock band. The modern and traditional meet like old friends, the compositions and arrangements are astounding, and the sheer musicianship of the (almost entirely multi-instrumental) band never ceases to amaze me. Some breathtaking stuff.

A Word on Guitarists

People mentioned great guitarists. Many great names were mentioned, but I've got a few gems for you that weren't yet mentioned.


Tribal Tech - Reality Check
A hard-edged fusion jazz album from four musical phenoms. The bass player Gary Willis can play changes better than any bassist I've ever heard. Straight up. And jazz/blues/metal guitarist Scott Henderson is something of a legend, having influenced many modern guitar players. He's a little too clean and outside for metal, a little too bendy and screamy for jazz, and ... well, he's great at blues. But he's too versatile to not fit somewhere.


Dave Bainbridge - Veil of Gossamer
This album is fantastic. Majestic and brilliant. With this album, Dave strongly reinforced his position as my favorite electric guitarist. The album is unexpectedly acoustic in flavor, with a huge array of instruments on board, most played by Dave himself. Dave was the composer/arranger/producer of this project, and it all flows together in amazing ways. You can find more reviews online.

Dave is a UK-based bloke, and lead guitarist for Iona (also above). His solos are some of the most melodic guitar solos I've ever heard. I love him because he doesn't always think like a guitarist. Many times guitarists (even amazing ones) stick to guitar-based licks, but Dave often thinks pianistically on the guitar. Sometimes he seems to employ Coltrane's idea of "sheets of sound."

Anyway, I'm obviously a huge fan. He's vastly musical. If you only want a guitarist who is "impressive" look elsewhere. A chopper like Yngwie Malmsteen can certainly play faster, but I would rather listen to one of Dave's perfectly chosen notes than 20 of Yngwie's. Sorry Yngwie.

Other great guitarists not mentioned yet that you may enjoy:

• Brett Garsed
  He is somewhere in between the rock-mindset technical speed wizards like Vai and the jazzy, interesting-melodies players like Henderson. He's got astounding legato technique and a great feel.
• Pat Metheny
  Do I really need to explain? Just saying it 'cause no one else did yet.
• Jesse Cook
  Fantastic modern flamenco guitarist. I love 95% of his stuff.
• Marc Antoine
  Unbridled melodicism and a great sound. Fusion artist in the smooth jazz vein who nicely melds many world influences. His ideas on solos are well-developed.
• Edward Gerhard
  Acoustic folk/classical wizard. I always love listening to his albums. He can claim responsibility for some of the most beautiful solo acoustic guitar tunes ever made.

Scratching the tip of the iceberg...

[justriiingo]

Originally Posted by zach

Soul of the Tango - the music of Astor Piazzolla
Piazzolla was an insanely clever 20th century nuevo tango composer. Some of his earlier works used very interesting tonalities (and if you're a piano player, the sheet music made you want to run and hide... it did me, at least). But early in his career he decided to devote himself to using only Argentine tango as the basis for his composition. He developed it further than it had ever gone. To hear his painful and passionate masterworks played by such a great cellist as Yo-yo Ma will make you want to delve deeper into the world of Piazzolla.

"Everything can change in Argentina, except the Tango."
And then came Astor Piazzolla.
I haven't heard this album, but I've seen a video of Astor Piazolla and Yo-yo Ma play Libertango and I wasn't too keen on how the cello sounded like. I'm more for his Quinteto/Octeto Buenos Aires stuff. I can't tell you how much I love this guy. I get into periods where I just listen to his stuff and only his stuff for months... (granted, only 2 so far, but your post might just start another one)

Cool to see a Piazzolla fan on board.