Some recommendations for the music nerds -
Maybe you've heard of them already but I had to share.

Fleet Foxes - their eponymous album and the accompanying CD 'Sun Giant' is just gorgeous pastoral folk. It's not twee at all IMO. Imagine CSNY at their peak had had children not ruined by a life of privilege.

Beirut - all of their stuff is lovely and hopelessly romantic European trad but the latest, 'March Of The Zapotec' might just surpass their prior work.

Imagine a man with a Scott Walker-esque warbly vocal and a passion for traditional European music recorded an EP with a Mexican marching band - it is oom-pah-pah tastic and the brass section soars in tandem with the vocal.

Lovely, skin-tingling, hair-on-end old-world romantic stuff.

rafter
baz
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 12:58, 20 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Listening to Fleet Foxes on lastfm now.....
I think they're going to play a big part in my personal soundtrack to this summer.... They're lovely! Thankyou.
(Fredz A graveyard of hopes, a dump of ambition, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:05, Reply)

Nice one.
Give Beirut a go as well. Yer man's vocals take a bit of getting used to but it's worth it.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:10, Reply)

Yeah... Giving them a listen.
They're not immediately catching me so to speak, but I do get the feeling they would after a few listens. They sound vaugely like some of the more experimental Radiohead stuff in some ways, and I kinda like the guys voice.
(Fredz A graveyard of hopes, a dump of ambition, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:25, Reply)

'Elephant Gun'
was the first track I heard from Beirut. You can youtube it - it has a cool artsy-farty video: Interpretive dance, Jackson Pollock paint-imitators etc...
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:28, Reply)

I shall give them a listen when I get home.
Recently I've got into various artists found by exploring the "similar artists" links and have enjoyed Jesca Hoop, Bastard Fairies and Dresden Dolls.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:40, Reply)

yeah I listened to Dresden Dolls
based on some of the lads heres reccy - the brother got into them then and he has been to see yer wan the singer live where he met Neil Gaiman as apparently they are best buds.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 13:42, Reply)

Have you listened to the acorn?
They're similar to FF, give 'Glory Hope Mountain' a listen, the album's based on the lead singer's mother and her life growing up. Really good stuff.
(gin'll fix it, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 14:11, Reply)

Will do -
thank you!
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 14:22, Reply)

It's like you've taken the Music section from The Times
and shat it onto my screen. I can tell those bands are all crap just by reading their names.

Fleet foxes? What a sack of old wank.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 15:43, Reply)

I just heard Fleet Foxes on t'wireless
Not heard them before, although I've heard the name. Fair play, they were fucking shite. Mentioning CSNY in the same sentence is blasphemy!

I thought I rated a lot of your taste in music as well baz, obviously not this time...
(username1, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 16:13, Reply)

I would suggest you work on your soft side, gents.
That stuff is not only a fantastic soundtrack to your sunday afternoon but a very effective knicker remover.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 16:21, Reply)

I recently had a marathon snogging session..
..to Martha Wainwright, after a good amount of time doing without that sort of thing, and now that's the perfect music for the sunshine. Beach Boys too; there's always room for the Beach boys.

*has been walking round in the sun all day in a complete daze and doesn't care about being unknown here* just telling the world..
(raymond "three griddle pans" luxury yacht lovin' the christmas action, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 18:10, Reply)

if we're talking knicker-lubricant
i can heartily recomend the mudhoney best-of album

edit: but not the 'rarities & b sides' disc
( mictoboy shitting in your cunt since, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 21:50, Reply)

@mictoboy
march to fuzz is well top!
but a bit samey, yeah? been mudhoney fan since '89, all albums, but such a narrow furrow.
last couple of years i've been well getting into NICK HARPER. check out www.harperspace.com

he's touring this spring and well worth the price of a ticket. seriously!!
( blaireau69 , the Cumbrian Travis Bickle., Mon 16 Mar 2009, 22:05, Reply)

On the topic of music
I've discovered Monica Queen. She's very good! She sings with Belle and Sebastian from time to time I think, but the 10 sorrowful mysteries album is spine tingling good. Well, I like it anyway....
(Fredz A graveyard of hopes, a dump of ambition, Mon 16 Mar 2009, 22:14, Reply)

You owe me bandwidth Baz!
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Tue 17 Mar 2009, 7:14, Reply)

dude, what's your thing so?
Betcha I can recommend something that will repay you.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Tue 17 Mar 2009, 8:09, Reply)

Fleet Foxes
Ahh - thanks for that.

I was collared in the pub by the local reprobate who breathes old English ale into your ear at close proximity last Saturday, about finding somewhere to buy a Fleet Foxes album.

I promised to have a look on-line for him, but by the time I got home I was so pissed I couldn't remember the name of the band.

All I knew was it had "foxes" in the title.
(dchurch bah, Tue 17 Mar 2009, 10:56, Reply)

Well, I liked the Monica Queen - Ten Sorrowful Mysteries suggestion. Some other stuff thats getting airplay in my place recently: Los Lonely Boys, Leonard Cohen, Alpha Blondy, Johnny Cash, Bankie Banx, Snuff, Bedouin Soundclash.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Tue 17 Mar 2009, 20:02, Reply)

got any Nick Drake, John Martyn?
or if you can handle a little twang in your diet, you should really investigate early Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.

Lots of songs about drinking yourself blind and losing yet another woman whilst being chased out of town by the corrupt sheriff for being a no-good-dirty-dope-smoking-hippy. It's like the blues for white boys!
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 18 Mar 2009, 10:37, Reply)