If we referenced a song here, that would be Quantum

[aesmael]

Music recommendations.

As mentioned a while back, I made the mistake of placing most of my music collection in a vulnerable storage medium and then tripping over it. Have since found a better solution and restored most of my current CD collection to an easily listenable state.

This also makes a convenient opportunity to do what I have been meaning to do for a long time and expand the range of music I listen to. There are probably lots of great artists I don't know about to listen to so... recommend me?

Have enjoyed music of a wide variety, including kinds people like to pretend are incompatible in taste, but the breadth of my experience and depth of knowledge are lacking. Hence to seek and cannibalise from the knowledge, taste and experience of others.

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

It would help to know your musical tastes. Just rock and pop or wider? (Say classical, folk, world, blues, jazz etc?)

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

Wasn't wanting to give any hints about existing preference, seeking broadening of experience instead of reinforcement, and willing to try things I may not like.

Collection mostly currently consists of classical music, 60s - 80s rock, and some more electronically constructed layered 'flowing' music (examples: Enya, Enigma, Delerium). We lost a lot of music by Japanese artists who work on anime soundtracks, newer rock and pop, some rap, game music and other pieces I don't know what the classification would be. Didn't have any country but that can be okay too.

I tend not to get into the jazz I've listened to, mainly because brass instruments tend to make me feel like I am overheating. Other types not mentioned either I don't know well enough to identify, or haven't had exposure to, or both. I don't consider myself well versed in what was mentioned above either. It really depends on artist and track, doesn't it?

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Perhaps female, blues inflected artists like Nina Simone, Joan Armatrading, Sam Brown, Willie Mae Thornton.

Folk artists like Sandy Denny, Eva Cassidy and the McGarrigle sisters.

For the classical end, Vaughan Williams's deeply layered string compositions are stunning (things like the Tallis fantasia and variations on 'greensleeves' for instance. I would also recommend the rather more cerebral compositions of Bartok and Janacek.

For world music, people like Abdul Tee Jay and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are well worthwhile.

I won't show my age by suggesting Hendrix, Joplin and Jefferson Airplane (and I suspect you'd already know them anyway :o)

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

Ohh, thank ye much. Am beginning to realise I should have just asked people about their favourite music - everyone wants to know what I like when I'm wanting to know what they think is good. Going to put these on the big list.

[infinitely-late.livejournal.com]

I recommend The Magnetic Fields - runs the gamut from sweet to bitter to humourous, and anybody who can use the word ampersand (correctly) in a song deserves applause.
Um. Vienna Teng? Thirteen Senses? Radical Face? All of which are shiny and gorgeous. Or Vast.
Do you like traditional Celtic? 'Cause Loreena McKennitt is always good.
I get most of my music recommendations from people I've never met on the internet, so my collection tends to be single songs rather than albums, and I never know what to classify anything as...

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

One track by The Magnetic Fields (100,000 Fireflies) and one by Loreena McKennitt (a remix of The Mummer's Dance) were among the treasured music that was lost. Therefore we can conclude you have good taste and everything else you recommend is worth investigation.