Hip Music for you Oh-So-Hip Gaming Den Gamers

[Joy_Division]

I just bought some CD's yesterday. All the Smiths stuff was going for $7.99 CDN and I thought to myself ... "Finally I can justify owning the Smiths, not listenting mind you, just owning."

Then I picked up Hayden's Elk-Lake Serenade and GYBE!'s Lift your fists like skinny antennas to heaven.

[Wrenfield]

1110642939[/unixtime]]I just bought some CD's yesterday. All the Smiths stuff was going for $7.99 CDN and I thought to myself ... "Finally I can justify owning the Smiths, not listenting mind you, just owning."

Then I picked up Hayden's Elk-Lake Serenade and GYBE!'s Lift your fists like skinny antennas to heaven.

Hatful of Hollow is actually a very good album primarily because Johnny Marr's most-excellent guitar playing - which is as prominent as Morrissey's self-effacing, effete croonery. Stuff like Meat is Murder is just horrid, with Morrissey's whining backed up by a significant blast of baroque orchaestral nonsense.

As far as solo Morrissey's later stuff. Oof. Not good. Funny how him and those Elvis sideburns now also have another characteristic of Mr. Memphis .... early-era Skinny Morrissey and now-era Fat Morrissey.

Congrats on the Godspeed You Black Emperor purchase! That album is the perfect soundtrack to play for your next neighborhood apocalypse. Dense, ethereal, enlightening, and demoralizing all at the same time.

[Oberoni]

Overall, my favorite bands are Bush, K's Choice, Alice in Chains, and the Screaming Trees.

Here's some other bands I like, in quasi-alphabetical order:
*Slipknot (I was surprised by this, too)
*countless video game themes
*Muse
*Black Lab
*Chalk Farm (Live Tomorrow is a very excellent song)
*Audioslave
*Breaking Benjamin
*Cold
*Cool for August
*Creed (say what you want, they have some very good songs)
*Depeche Mode
*Disturbed
*Evanescence (One of the rare times when a talented, unique band makes it big)
*Foo Fighters
*Garbage
*God Lives Underwater (the Vrenna remix of "From Your Mouth," mainly)
*Hole
*Incubus (some of the earlier stuff)
*Korn
*Leah Androene (the song "It's Alright, It's Okay")
*Limp Bizkit (a few songs)
*Linkin Park (a very talented band that gets lots of hate)
*Love Spit Love (their cover of "How Soon is Now?" by the Smiths, mainly)
*Metallica
*Natalie Merchant
*Nine Inch Nails
*Nirvana
*The Nixons
*Oleander ("Why I'm Here" is supremely good, and it took me years to find out that these guys did it)
*Our Lady Peace (back before they lost their genitals)
*Pearl Jam
*POD
*Radiohead
*Revis ("Caught in the Rain")
*Rob Zombie
*Roots ("The Seed 2.0")
*Saliva
*Sarah Mclachlan
*Seether
*Sevendust
*Shinedown
*Silverchair
*Soundgarden
*Sponge
*Staind (pre-wuss stage)
*Stone Temple Pilots
*Sundays ("Summertime")
*Tantric
*The Jayhawks ("Think About it")
*The Verve
*The Verve Pipe
*Toad the Wet Sprocket
*Tracy Bonham
*Trapt
*U2

[Zherog]

1110494494[/unixtime]]TMBG also does the theme song for a kids show on Nick - I believe it's the Backyardagins, but I might have the wrong show.

Well, I was way off base.

They do the theme for a show on the Disney channel called Higgly Town Heroes. So not only did I have the wrong show, I had the wrong network. C'est la vie.

[Boulie_98]

1110654239[/unixtime]]*Slipknot (I was surprised by this, too)

I had the exact same thing happen to me with their 3rd album, The Subliminal Verses! It's surprisingly good.

[MrWaeseL]

This is an example of the sort of music I like. Scroll all the way down to "more than special".

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Half of that link is in english, the other half is in dutch. For some reason, I find that disturbing.

[Wrenfield]

1110995517[/unixtime]]Half of that link is in english, the other half is in dutch. For some reason, I find that disturbing.

And apparently Laidback Luke loves posing for pictures. But then again, so do I! Whooo!!!

By the by, I'm still trying to figure out Mr. Trollman's classification on this:

Self-Important Rock (ex.: Korn, Linkin Park, Tool, Social Distortion)

Early-to-mid era (up to '91 or so) Social D. has nothing to do with those other guys. Korn and Linkin Park are definitely genre mates. Tool is sorta from a commercial standpoint, although I would definitely classify their music as more dark prog art-metal. Although they didn't benefit from Korn & LP's "pre-generated commercial success" bestowed upon them by Sony and Warner Brothers.

Kudos to Maj for digging Dead Can Dance. I practice a number of central Asian and mid Eastern indigenous dance styles (including some fusion styles) - and DCD are quite popular with said community.

Last, I'll disagree with the majority of you who like Iggy Pop's later stuff (solo stuff). His presence in the proto-punk Stooges of the late 60's and early 70's was just beyond description in comparison to his rock peers at that time. At that time, nobody was mining the territory of such a savage, chaotic, and "Fvck You!" form of cock-rock than the Stooges and the MC5. Hippies everywhere where frightened of these bad boys ... and that's always a good thing.

[Username17]

Early-to-mid era (up to '91 or so) Social D. has nothing to do with those other guys.

That's not really fair, John didn't leave until 2004, and of course Mike Ness is still in the band. Mike Ness will be in the band until the sun burns out, because he lives off of the tasty ear nectar of young drummers. Admittedly, most of the good stuff is pretty archaic.

Korn, LP, Tool, and Social D all share some things in common:

1. The can rock hard. (they don't always rock hard, but they can)
2. They whine a lot. Like, really a lot.
3. So much whining that if you knew them in person you'd slap them.
4. Hard.

Kudos to Maj for digging Dead Can Dance.

This may be a minority opinion, but I honestly can't stand that atonal hippy bullshit.

And I'm not aware of Iggy Pop ever doing anything that anyone didn't like. He's like The Talking Heads, The Beatles, or GWAR, you can put him on in any social gathering of any size and noone is going to particularly object.

-Username17

[rapanui]

"This may be a minority opinion, but I honestly can't stand that atonal hippy bullshit."

They've got a few good songs. Black Sun is my favorite. And yes, the kind of... clique... associated with Dead Can Dance (and similar New Age stuff) is a bit off-putting. At best.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

I like to listen to a lot of 70's rock.

I like Jethro Tull, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith (Beforen they released the same album fifty billion times.), AC/DC, and so forth.

[Maj]

The Beatles

I hate the Beatles.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Eh, their later stuff is alright, if you ask me. I think their earlier works are pop tripe, but the loater stuff is alright.

[Username17]

I hate the Beatles.

What are your feelings on GWAR?



-Username17

[Joy_Division]

I don't like the beetles much but GWAR is freaking awesome.

[Maj]

What are your feelings on GWAR?



-Username17

Honestly, they're funny and talented, but there was nothing I heard that was a "must have." And probably, like with listening to too much straight rap or metal, I'd get really bitchy after a while. But overall, I wouldn't object.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

I don't know a whole lot about GWAR, but I heard that their live show is pretty impressive, I wouldn't mind checking that at at some point.

[Boulie_98]

Check out Daft Punk's latest album Human After All. Good stuff.

[MrWaeseL]

I was hoping it'd be good. I really liked Discovery.

[rapanui]

^
Hell yeah. My favorite Daft Punk song is Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Count Arioch said:
"I think their earlier works are pop tripe, but the later stuff is alright."

Yes, that's my general feeling too. Coincidentally, I was listening to a compendium of their stuff earlier today (not by choice, mind you) and I noticed that as the songs went on, the stuff got better. The first 10 songs that played, I shit you not, all had the word 'love' and 'money' in there somewhere.

[Wrenfield]

Korn, LP, Tool, and Social D all share some things in common:

1. The can rock hard. (they don't always rock hard, but they can)
2. They whine a lot. Like, really a lot.
3. So much whining that if you knew them in person you'd slap them.
4. Hard.

Keep in mind, SD is at the core, an Orange County old-school cowpunk band. Ness has been rehashing reinventing old Johnny Cash and Hank Williams songs from the beginning (SD's version of Ring of Fire is excellent). Albeit, esconcing said lyrics and underpinnings in buzzsaw-distorted punk guitars and Ness' unique grinding whine vox. SD has been around for like 24 years now. Amazing. Although as stated earlier, their conversion to major label formulaic rock started to rear its ugly head around '92 with Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell. Anything prior to that is pretty nifty. His first solo album is also worth a listen.

Your point on the whining with the others is dead-on, although Maynard isn't really a whiner. He seriously worships at the altar of the Jesus Lizard's David Yow. Although his attempt at imitating him falls far short - vocals and stage presence-wise.

Youngster-adolescence helmed Korn and LP are indeed world-class whiners. Korn loves to try and simulate dementia in their songs ... and, well ... it doesn't work. LP sing their 8th grade angst-poetry lyrics ad nauseum and I just can't imagine a listening demographic out there that can either relate to said crap, or tolerate it. Talented musicians though. Although nu-metal, rap, & Backstreet Boy-croonery is not really a cool hybrid combo. They really need a focus.

This may be a minority opinion, but I honestly can't stand that atonal hippy bullshit.

I'm not gonna defend DCD *too much*. Because not all their stuff is good. And they definitely are not considered an essential or powerful band.

I have no clue why you are tagging them with the hippy label though. They are a classic 4AD musical ensemble. Their core demographic is solidly entrenched in the 1st 2 waves of Goth camps with bands like Bauhaus, Clan of Xymox, etc. (and 4AD bands like the Cocteau Twins & Lush). I've lived in 3 states, and I can't recall even one patchoulli-stink hippie going ga-ga over the DCD. Although they have ventured too far off into "new age" slop in their later stuff. Which is of course, total crap.

Your "atonal" tag is off too. Their timing signatures in most of their albums are incredibly advanced and really difficult to pull off for the vast majority of accomplished musicians. I know, I've tried with my guitar and bass to run some of their 14/16's in the past and it really hurts the fingers ...

And I'm not aware of Iggy Pop ever doing anything that anyone didn't like. He's like The Talking Heads, The Beatles, or GWAR, you can put him on in any social gathering of any size and noone is going to particularly object.

Gwar rules ... but only in the area of stage sets, costumes, and props. Their music is trite, boring, and lacking "oomph". BTW, I got tagged by their sperm cannon at one of their concerts. That stuff is frighteningly similar to the real stuff. Blech.

Mod Edit: Fixed tags - fbmf

[Joy_Division]

I went to a show last night it was pretty freaking awesome. I got to see Montag , Apostle of Hustle and Stars all for the low low price of $15 CDN. Man I love going to shows a small bars where you can wrestle your way to a few feet from the band just cause you want it so bad you can deal with the drunks.

Plus nothing is quite as satisfying as buying an artist's CD by giving them the cash and having them hand it to you personally.

It was pretty funny actually my Girlfriend hit it off with the guy from Montag famously he devoted a number of songs to a guy she knew in Junior High (The singer from Vitamins for You) and apparently they like the same french stuff. Have to keep a jealous eye on that one.

[User3]

Not to be a snob, or to bitch about music (two terrible character traits), but has anyone been listening to the radio lately?

I just heard Trent Resnor's latest, and it made my gag, then throw my car radio out the window at a pedestrian before plunging off a cliff to my not-so-firey doom.

I mean seriously, I like Closer just as much as the other 'kid who was almost goth in middle school,' but NIN should really have gone the way of Cobain.

Same to Marylin Manson, who is great at covers and has even made a few good hits himself...But even his latest covers have been bad

I'm postulating a theory that any band which has an awsome start (like Sneaker Pimps) should break up within the next 10 (or fewer) years (like Sneaker Pimps), or the lead guitarist or singer should kill themself before I think they should have out of shame.

[Josh_Kablack]

1113620689[/unixtime]]
I mean seriously, I like Closer just as much as the other 'kid who was almost goth in middle school,' but NIN should really have gone the way of Cobain.

This I have got to take exception to. I mean, unlike whiney-grunge bitch, Trent has a respectable family business he could go into.

[Wrenfield]

Not to be a snob, or to bitch about music (two terrible character traits) ...

Hey, that sounds like me! Yay!

I mean seriously, I like Closer just as much as the other 'kid who was almost goth in middle school,' but NIN should really have gone the way of Cobain.

Trent and his NIN are not "goth" at all. The closest tag you could put on them that would come close to that genre would be "Mall Goth" or "MTV Goth". If you talk to those in the goth music community, they don't really touch anything of Marilyn Manson or NIN. No matter whether you are talking 1st, 2nd, or 3rd wave gothsters.

Contrary to some folks belief, Marilyn Manson is very mainstream, as is evident by his platinum record status here in the States. Like Gwar, they both are terrific and creative visual artists - but can't write good music or lyrics to save themselves. They both have captured a way to ensorcel the American public with their aesthetic projection and imagery - especially via live performances and videos. Honestly, no one gives a damn about anything they have to say. Because none of it is memorable or important.

An neither one of them have done anything that musical artists like the Genitorturers, G.G. Allin (and his various incarnations), Genesis P. Orridge haven't done already before or in a more interesting/entertaining/creative fashion.