Music

[Hungryfreak]

I had it second favorite behind Amesoeurs' self-titled. That's fantastic, though. John Darnielle is amazing live. He's just so full of energy and emotion and it's infectious.

[OANST]

I had it second favorite behind Amesoeurs' self-titled. That's fantastic, though. John Darnielle is amazing live. He's just so full of energy and emotion and it's infectious.

That manic/goofy grin that he pulls out between vocal sections is simultaneously hilarious and endearing.

[Hungryfreak]

Exactly. You really can't help but get drawn into his energy.

Also, posted this in the random thread (since I didn't want to double post), where it got ignored, so I'll copy/paste it:

I saw Cynic live the other night. Amazing. They played through all of focus, some of Traced in air and a couple of new songs off of their latest EP. I met Paul Masvidal after the show and chatted with him about how this was my last concert before college. Got his signature on my wallet, which makes me many times more prone to carry it around. Awesome night.

[OANST]

There's something about The Mountain Goats (especially the last album) that makes me nostalgic. I think that a lot of it is the way that Darnielle writes pure Americana, and he does it in a blazingly intelligent way without removing the Christianity from it. I'm not saying that I like it because of the Christian themes within many of his songs. That would be silly seeing as I'm an atheist. I like it because he isn't the sort of hipster who take the religion out of Americana. He grew up with the religion, as did I, but he isn't writing bitter songs about it. He's writing songs from the perspective of almost a child, an innocent belief.

I don't know if any of that made sense.

[Hungryfreak]

It does in a sense. John Darnielle has some brilliant evocative songwriting, and a lot of that comes from his understanding of our lives better than we, ourselves, know them. He can bring up nostalgic imagery so easily, things you've experienced and grown up with, things that he had, himself. I think All Hail West Texas is the height of that, since it's just full of figures and places that you've known at one point or another in life.

[Insomnia]

Shit, All Hail West Texas is brilliant with that. It covers the football player who becomes a loser and goes to jail, the loveless marriage, the shitty garage metal band people talk down upon, and much more. If there has ever been an album with better lyrics, I haven't heard it. It all comes in with a bittersweet remembrance that helps you view the world in a slightly different way.

And yeah, I'm Atheist and the Christian themes in The Life of World to Come were very endearing because it reminds me of the time spent with my grandparents, who put the same themes into conversation a lot (they're still alive, I just don't get to see them as much because we moved away).

Edit: I reread Old And Not So Tasty's post and I have to add, while John Darnielle is a hipster, he's also a religious Christian.

[OANST]

Edit: I reread Old And Not So Tasty's post and I have to add, while John Darnielle is a hipster, he's also a religious Christian.

Every interview that I've read with him puts him in the "I don't believe, but think parts of it are really pretty" territory.

Actually, here's a quote from him.

"The short answer is yeah. It’s not that it frees you up so much as there’s an impenetrable mystery at the heart of it that I can’t get into. If you’re not a believer, you don’t know how a believer feels. You can’t know. You can guess. You can hear it described. You can listen to them, but until you’re inside it, you don’t know. Since I’m not there, I have this constant curiosity, this constant interest in it. I can guess at it, and poke at it and imagine, but I can’t get inside, so I’m very curious."

[Insomnia]

Ah, I've read a lot of stuff where he just said he was Christian. Also, I think I read something about him praying at night. Guess I was wrong.

[seniormeld]

What is this? A conversation about lyrics in music? I must remedy this NOW!!!

[OANST]

Ah, I've read a lot of stuff where he just said he was Christian. Also, I think I read something about him praying at night. Guess I was wrong.

He seems conflicted to me. It can be very difficult to shake the beliefs that you grew up with, even if you know that they are asinine and will cause nothing but pain.

I've even had moments of relapsed religiousness, and I am as diehard an opponent of religion as you are likely to find. I grew up in a church that was maybe just the tiniest step below what Westboro Baptist is. I have seen the worst of what religion can do, and have not seen any of the good that people purport to be there. But still, every once in a while, I fail to remember how inane the whole thing is.

This typically only lasts a few seconds, though.

[Hungryfreak]

This should clear a few things up. Not really, but I do love this interview.

[Nice Cup of Tea]

Ooh, a music thread. Time to de-lurk.

Can I be the first to say that guitar groups are on the way out?

[Hungryfreak]

I'm sorry

wrong.

...

[Royal Flush]

How 'bout some Daft Punk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf5x3LtWzVA&feature=related

[Insomnia]

Anyone who doesn't agree that this album is awesome shouldn't be alive.

[OANST]

Anyone who doesn't agree that this album is awesome shouldn't be alive.

Rather be dead.

[Insomnia]

Anyone who doesn't agree that this album is awesome shouldn't be alive.

Rather be dead.

Tell it to the cleaning lady on Monday!

[Hungryfreak]

How 'bout some Daft Punk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf5x3LtWzVA&feature=related

Daft Punk isn't my bag. I've mostly been riding off of the latest synth pop and chillwave, haha.

Anyone who doesn't agree that this album is awesome shouldn't be alive.

Damn straight! I'm hoping to see them live in september, but it will be difficult with school and all...

Unrelated:

This is an awesome song/band

[OANST]

I've mostly been riding off of the latest synth pop and chillwave, haha.

Big Wavves and Best Coast fan, are you?

[Hungryfreak]

Nah, more of a Cold Cave and Neon Indian guy.

[seniormeld]

I have been getting into a lot of porcupine tree lately.

Oh and also both powerglove and Kamelot have an album releasing in september and Symphony X should be done with theirs (though I don't like the fact that I haven't heard ANY news since march)

September is going to be an amazing month for power metal, Can't wait for a power metal version of The Simpson's theme and the Pokemon (original TV show) theme. So much awesomeness!!! Read more here.

[Hungryfreak]

Porcupine Tree is fantastic. My favorite of the most popular modern prog bands.

And nothing will beat

!

[OANST]

My favorite band is Wham!. You should watch their videos if you like hot guy butt.

[dinnerordie17]

I have this theorie that every single good band comes from the UK

Case in point:

The Beatles

Black Sabbath

Led Zeppelin

Queen

Pink Floyd

Deep Purple

Rolling Stones

Anyway without sounding anti patriotic towards my own country I really don't like Australian music, with the exception of ACDC. I really wish the classic rock station I listen to would play less australian rock.

[Hungryfreak]

The majority of bands I listen to come from America, but America's a bit of an obvious center for musical creativity, if by sheer size and civil rights. Then England, then Germany, then Japan, then France. At least I think.

If you liked more extreme metal, Australia has both

and Austere.

If you're into shoegaze,

.

If you're into prog,

.

I'm afraid don't really have many other Australian bands, though, to be honest. I've spent time trying to discover the more important and well known bands in various genres, so naturally America and Europe are hot spots.

[seniormeld]

You forgot Black Majesty is from Australia, they are one of my favorite melodic power metal bands.

[Hungryfreak]

I haven't heard of them, actually, since I never looked through power metal all too much. Sounds pretty damn good, though.

Here's something you might enjoy, Senior:

Liege Lord

[seniormeld]

Indeed I did enjoy that, I love my metal fast and crazy. Which is the exact reason that my two favorite genres of metal are power metal and thrash metal. That said bands like

and

are the greatest things to happen to metal IMO.

[Hungryfreak]

I've always preferred to more dark and brooding, but there's nothing like heavy or power metal to make everything seem more epic. Speaking of which, I just picked up Armored Saint's March of the Saint on vinyl for five bucks the other day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHcxBhbLj38

[Nice Cup of Tea]

I've never really been a fan of either metal or indie, which seems to put me in the minority here

Anyone else a fan of

,

, bouncy stuff,

, angry shouty stuff,

stuff or just good old-fashioned funky stuff? Make your bad selves known!