Sing me a song

[katiefoolery]

I need new music.  I look at my iTunes library and I laugh - laugh! - at how unvaried it is.  At how I listen to the same songs over and over again until I tire of them.

The only problem is, I have no idea what sort of music I want to try and quite frankly, the thirty second sample the iTunes music store provides doesn’t help that much.  What if it’s the worst thirty seconds that song has to offer?  Or what if, conversely, it’s the only good bit and the rest is all rubbish?

So I was thinking about it last night (in between reading my flist, checking two messageboards, chatting on msn and collaborating on making icons and sig images...) and I decided that I need recommendations.  I’m really quite tragic when it comes to music.  I grew up with classical and I love it, but I stand on the borders of everything else and don’t know where to start. I need help!

Please, recommend me your favourite song.  It doesn’t matter who sings it or what genre it is.  Don’t worry about second guessing me and working out what you think I’ll like - I don’t even know what I’ll like until I try it.  :P  I need variety; I need to try new things and you’re the people to help me.  Pretty please?

Comments

[nesmith.livejournal.com]

Baba O'Riley by the Who.

Hell, ANYTHING by the Who.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly!

[(Anonymous)]

I will get Damons music harddrive, it has 12 gig of Mp3's if you cant find something on that then you are beyond hope

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

But... when am I going to have time to go through that much music? Honestly.

P.S. Learn to log in.

[funaga.livejournal.com]

Favourite song? How can you ever pick one? :|

"Get To Me" by Train
"Should've Listened" by Nickelback
"They Weren't There" by Missy Higgins
"Ophelia" and "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly! I was hoping people would have more than one favourite song, actually, but I didn't want to be too greedy in asking. :D

[rilla06.livejournal.com]

I'm like you, I stand on the edge of genres :P Well, right now I'm listening to The Corrs. Oh, now it's The Beetles... erm...

I don't have a favourite song :(

Oh now I'm listening to Avril Lavigne...

(hurrah for shuffle :P)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I think about the top ten most-played songs on my playlist are the Corrs. :D

Shuffle is indeed a splendid thing.

[morbane.livejournal.com]

Rasputina - it seems somewhat necessary to adore a group of sarcastic Canadian rock cellists.

Blair Giles Band - Has a website (http://www.blairgiles.co.nz/BUILD/index.shtml), so not TOO obscure. Main singer has a lovely voice. My favourite song is probably 'Barricade'. Of the MP3s available I'd suggest 'Army' and 'Goodbye to Jesse'. Lovely melodies.

Jeff Buckley - 'Grace' album is neat. Also 'Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'.

Also I'm somewhat fond of Kris Delmhorst, maybe because the album I have of hers has TWO songs about trains. She's sort of folky.

Oh. And for a completely different genre, www.jonathancoulton.com. You NEED songs about evil geniuses, mathematical equations, how to cheer up Pluto since its loss of planetary status, and above all monkeys.

Please counter-recommend. I haven't updated my playlists in ages.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly, good Morbane!

Gah, I have nothing to counter-recommend! The dire state of my playlist is the whole reason for this post. :P

[cat-eyes-el.livejournal.com]

Well, I listen to all kinds of things, and currently have 'Stick to the Status Quo' from High School Musical stuck in my head *plots to kill Kathleen, damn her and her ipod!*

Anyway, my iPod has a lot of Disney music and music from musicals, which I think is good. So yeah, that's my suggestion.

If you want to be cool follow one simple rule, don't mess with the flow oh no, stick with the status quo AARRGGHHHHH

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Sooo.... are you recommending that or not?

[nikkidynamo.livejournal.com]

Well I attempted to get it down to ONE recommendation but with over 5000 songs it was just too hard so:

Ani Difranco : What if no ones Watching?
or : Little Plastic Castle
Counting Crows: Angels of the Silences
Ben Harper: Diamonds on the Inside
VNV Nation: Beloved
Wolfsheim: Once in a Lifetime
Tori Amos: Happy Phantom

Let me know if you like them!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you! I can imagine that was quite difficult, with five thousand songs to choose from.

*is impressed*

[jessentwistle.livejournal.com]

The songs I always come back to... Lightening Crashes by Live, Fishermans Daughter or London Still by The Waifs, Good People by Jack Johnson... cant think of any others right now...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly!

[decryption.livejournal.com]

My top 5 songs of the moment:

And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Caterwaul
Mogwai - Glasgow Mega Snake
Regurgitator - Pretty Girls Swear
Sean Lennon - Queue
Mindless Self Indulgence - Shut Me Up


Lots of loud guitars, aw yeah :p

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly! Loud guitars have a lot going for them, really. :D

[blindmouse.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I could pick one favourite song, but... OK, maybe:

'Crime of the Century', by Supertramp.

Also, noticed The Waifs got a look in a little above. I've been on a bit of a Waifs binge for most of this year, so I can heartily reccommend... almost anything they do.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly, good Blindmouse.

[purpletigress.livejournal.com]

I'll just go for my top 5 songs of the moment, because these things always change with me and my favourite songs of all time are probably things you already know. Anyway:

1. Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight - Amos Lee
2. Things between People - Holly Throsby
3. Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
4. Mountains O' Things - The Dukhs (a very cool band I've just discovered)
5. Prime Time Deliverance - Matthew Good Band

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly! :)

[(Anonymous)]

Jon Anderson - olias of sunhillow, and if i can ever find the CD ill be very happy, also anything else by Jon Anderson.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Learn.

To.

Log.

In.

Surely even a gamer-nerd can manage that? :P

[mysterikat.livejournal.com]

Hey Bunne,

I will give you a list of my fav albums (single songs are just too darn hard!)

1. Anything by Tori Amos (she is my goddess! that woman is incredible)
2. The Lotus Eaters - Wendy Rule
3. Any Johnny Cash
4. Extraterristrial Live - Blue Oyster Cult (love a good dose of early 80's rock)
5. Fumbling Towards Ecstacy - Sarah McLachlan
6. either of the Evanescence albums
7. anything by Morcheeba (nice and laid back, very groovy)
8. again, anything my Portishead
9. anything by Lamb (its all good!)
10.and currently on rotation in my car is the 2007 Annual from Ministry of Sound (great driving music - the 2006 is great too!)

i also like Air, Tricky, Ben Harper, Massive Attack, Orbital, HillTop Hoods, and heaps of middle eastern or african music.

Hope thats helpful!
MK

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks! That's a lot of music there.

[aeleson-mystic.livejournal.com]

Oh music, where would I be without you? =]

The Mars Volta are amazing, especially their song "Inertiatic ESP" and in general, the album "Deloused In The Comatorium".
George is a great Aussie band, try "Special Ones" or "Breaking It Slowly".
The Butterfly Effect, another Aussie band, "Phoenix" and "Beautiful Mine" are two of their best.
The Stray Cats, "Race With The Devil" and "Stray Cat Strut".
I'm a huge Tracy Chapman fan, "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason" are must-hears.
Queens Of The Stone Age, "No One Knows" and "Burn The Witch"
R.E.M, "Losing My Religion" and "Imitation of Life"

Queen, one of my fav bands, "Don't Stop Me Now" and "Somebody To Love".

Well, I could go on all day =P

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly, good Frankie!

[naelany.livejournal.com]

Hmm..music... I usually suck at remembering titles and whatnot.
The Monkees - tomorrow's gonna be another day
(well, anything by them, really ^_~)

Eric Clapton (I can't give you a song...because I can't remember the darn title...but most his stuff's good)

uhm...uhmmmmm.....

[naelany.livejournal.com]

anything Aerosmith! Man, you're going to get a lot of posts by me if I keep this up lol ^_~

[naelany.livejournal.com]

oh, anything by The Cranberries, they're good

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I love the Cranberries! You've just reminded me that I've completely forgotten to put them on my iriver.

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

You asked for it, O Katiebunne.

Pretty much anything by Arrogant Worms. I am particularly fond of "Carrot Juice Is Murder," aka "I Hear the Screams of the Vegetables."

I *heart* Steeleye Span, which also needs to go on my iPod and isn't there yet. I recommend "Lady Diamond" (a lovely traditional English ballad about love, murder, and cutting people's hearts out that is completely rocked out) and "Allison Gross."

If you can find her, Heather Alexander is the bomb. I think it's probably easiest to classify her as Celtic folk. She's a fiddler beyond compare, and she sings while she fiddles. I can't do that. She has this great song called "The Faerie Queen" that she wrote because she was sick of people asking her to play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in bars. You may find some inspiration for Black Fiddle in Heather's awesome music.

I am also in love with Queen, and I listen to them over and over and over and over and over. For some reason, "Bohemian Rhapsody" has yet to make it onto my iPod, but "It's a Kind of Magic" perks me up like nothing else. I also love "Can Anybody Find Me Somebody to Love"--the rhythms and harmonies on that one are awesome. I also second the recommendation for "Don't Stop Me Now (Mr. Farenheight (sp?))."

I adore the entire soundtrack for both Shrek and Shrek II.

David Bowie is awesome, as well. I mostly like the Labyrinth soundtrack (particularly "Magic Dance"), but I'm also fond of "Changes." Also, "We Could Be Heroes." I love that song. Love.

I've had They Might Be Giants' version of "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" stuck in my head, and I love that song. Another excellent song by TMBG is "Birdhouse In Your Soul." I think I recommend pretty much everything by TMBG.

Bare Naked Ladies is another excellent band. "One Week" is the one that gets played the most, and it's fun, but I also like "Light Up My Room" and "When You Dream," which is a lullaby.

I like Carole King--try "Far Away" for a wistful song and "Tapestry."

For some reason, I love "1985" by Maroon 5.

Also, because I'm kooky, The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" is an excellent song to shout along with.

That should give you enough to be going along with. ^_^

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Wow, Elfie! That's an amazing list; thank-you so much for that.

[chunkymonkey24.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I don't really know what you listen to now, so sorry if this is of no use! I've recently been branching out too and have found it to be very satisfying. I'll go for bands of the moment rather than songs, perhaps?

Colin Hay
Zebrahead
Snow Patrol
Arch Enemy
Dario Marianelli

I also agree with elfie_chan that the Shrek Soundtracks rock!

Also, if you want a preview of something that isn't only 30 secs check out www.purevolume.com a muchly excellent time waster :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It's all useful, good Lucy! Thank-you muchly for your recommendations. :)

[novel-tea.livejournal.com]

Hey, have you tried http://www.pandora.com? You can type in the artists and songs you like and it will suggest similar things you might like. Kinda cool.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Thank-you muchly! I shall definitely have a look at that. :)

[atfv2.livejournal.com]

A random selection of my faves:
"Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls
"Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5
"Holiday" by Geen Day
"Imagine" by John Lennon
"I'm A Bitch" by Meredith Brookes
"Desert Rose" by Sting
"Ireland" by Garth Brooks
"Hand In My Pocked" by Alanis Morrisette
"Sucks to be Me" by original cast of Avenue Q
"Boy Next Door" by Hugh Jackman
"The Show Must Go On" by Queen

is that varied enough for you?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It is indeed! Thank-you muchly.

[morbane.livejournal.com]

Another fun way to discover whether or not you like songs is to search for fan videos of them on YouTube.

Imagine my delight when I went looking for Kansas's "Carry On My Wayward Son" and discovered a Final Fantasy set of shots. Very amusing.

That's also a good song.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Ah yes - I've been doing that a bit of late. 'Tis very good advice.