Change that ‘8’ to ‘64’ and you’re me from 18(!!) years ago!
Hip hop.
I’ve liked loads of random ‘cross-over’ songs I’ve heard over the years but it’s not a genre I really know anything about. Some more recent/less obvious stuff I liked is things like:
Nacho Picasso (who’s about the only one who I’ve explored a bit more and listened to full albums)
Jean Grae
Jidenna:
But who else should I check out?
I like Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) by Captain Beefheart, it’s a fun album. But I haven’t listened to anything else by them. I tried listening to Trout Mask Replica but found it impenetrable, I get the impression it’s one of those albums you need to hear about 20 times in order to ‘get’. Not sure I can be bothered to invest the time into it, it’s not even on Spotify which doesn’t help.
As a massive Cure/general 80s new wave/synthpop fan, Depeche Mode sound right up my street. But for some reason I get a feeling they’re just a lukewarm Cure (i.e. not depressing enough). Am I wrong?
Elder is a great shout
Will look forward to listening tof the suggestions I haven’t heard in response to your question as very few bands scratch my itch for this type of music as well as Titus andronicus.
I listen to them as a descendent of meat loaf, a lot of the harmonies on lamentable tragedy are a massive steinman rip off. Meat loaf gets a (largely justifiably) bad rap for the last 35 years, but the bat out hell album and Jim steinman’s bad for good (which was going to be meat loaf’s second album until he got a dicky throat) i still think are phenomenal.
Oh I agree. His music can be hugely enjoyable. It’s total excess, and he doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested in being cool. There’s something hugely appealing about that.
Think Madvillainy/Doom in general is a good place to start, he’s very approachable and fun but also SUPER talented and is also generally good at editing and not waffling, which helps.
Otherwise, EL-P was amazing a long time before Run the Jewels
This is boss.
How about Endless Boogie? They’re certainly epic, long almost improvisational rock jams. I’ve just seen they had a new album called Vibe Killer out in May, I missed that will have to check it out.
You had me at “improvisational rock jams”
Have you heard the album Blue Sky Black Death made with Jean Grae?
Mr MFN Exsquire’s Lost In Translation has loads of beats by El-P and was available for free download.
I’d never really listed to Endless Boogie until the between bands DJ played Back in '74 at Part Chimp a few weeks ago. It’s probably my favourite song of the year so far.
I SAW KISS…at a kite contest.
that’s tough to answer because it’s so wide ranging. obvs you’ve got all your usual classics - illmatic, 36 chambers, liquid swords etc etc etc but based on what you’ve said you already like, do any of these do anything for you?
Start with Dirty Mind, his first truly ‘classic’ album and a glorious riot of fun and filth.
You can’t go wrong with anything in this sequence:
Dirty Mind
Controversy
1999
Purple Rain
Around the World in a Day
Parade
Sign O The Times
Classics all and one of the great sequences of albums ever. It’s fun to listen to them in order, because the sound of him expanding and developing album by album is one of the most thrilling things in music ever.
I think this is good advice. Another suggestion would be Slates - it’s short, perfect and a 100% proof distilled essence of Fall.
Is Slates the live one with Older Lover etc.?*
*No, but my version has live tracks on it.
I love Older Lover Etc.
No. It’s got An Older Lover on it, but not the live version. I think you might have the CD version where it was coupled with the (inferior) live album A Part of America Therein.
Slates itself is a mini-album/long ep (it was originally released as a 10") with 6 superb songs.
There’s another CD version with a superb Peel session and the brilliant Lie Dream of Casino Soul/Fantastic Life single as bonus tracks.
Listened to this album tonight, what a blast, love it!
Don’t even know what you call this type of music but the stuff from Southern Africa that inspired/got appropriated by Paul Simon on Graceland. He tells the story of having this mix tape called Accordian Jive Hits or something like that and it completely owning him. Any pointers?