What's in your CDP tonight? the minority report

Jennifer Warnes, FBR is great. I have the remastered version. Pretty cool.

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity. Incredible record. -Alright, I admit, it was in my car. But I've listened to it four or five times. This one will hook you good and not let go.

Moonlit Sailor - So Close to Life. A recommendation from my friend Charles. Great Post Rock. My first two listens were yesterday.

Via my BDP 105:
Signal Hill: Self entitled

Bonobo: The North Borders

Pinback: Nautical Antiques

I originally read this thread at work! And it motivated me to have some fun this afternoon.

First up was Pinback, blue screen life. I have just discovered them in the last three/four months. I can say this is one of the best records I've heard in years. These guys really have a unique sound with many layers and they are quite introspective. This is also well recorded. I just can't say enough good about this record or band. Check them out.

Next was Sense Field, Building. A great record from 1991. Pretty well recorded and some great music. A real treat as I haven't listened to this one in a while.

Then came Simple Minds and the two-CD compilation "The Best of". Sounds excellent and really takes you back. And of course it has "Don't you forget about me" on it.

Finally, Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend. I have been a very long time fan. This record is still the best he's given us after all these years and is just a wonderful way to spend some time in front of the rig or in the car. A very key purchase in my collection.

I'm really enjoying this thread. I hope that it keeps going.

Ghosthouse, so glad you gave Pinback a shot. The first song I ever heard by them was the credit music. I don't remember which movie but that doesn't really matter. I must have watched the credits at least five times. My wife wondered what was wrong. Well, nothing. Just discovered a band that to me is so incredible. The song BTW was Non-photo blue from Summer in Abbadon. I originally thought that Summer in Abbadon was the best of the three records that I purchased but soon learned that Blue Screen Life is the one, for me anyway.

I have certainly had many experiences like yours having purchased a record (CD) and found that is was not very accessible on those first listens. But after repeated listening finally "getting it" and many of those records have stood the test of time for me. Pinback has really given me a new lease on my music life, kinda like the experimental genre with bands like Prefuse 73 that I discovered about ten years ago. I needed something new and stimulating and found it there. It really excited me about music again. I am still the most enthused by that genre.

While I'm thinking of it, Toy Matinee is a great record from the early 90s and is well recorded. Another one that has stood the test of time for me.

Yep, Pokey is Gumby's green-horse companion. He's also one of my birds. He is sitting with me now.

Information Retrieved is not as good as the other two I mentioned earlier though it is their most recent offering from 2012.

Toy Matinee is 90s progressive rock. One record only. They were local from LA and got a lot of airplay. Some one here on the gone' mentioned this a number of months back in a different thread and so reminded me that I had it in my collection. Played it on my Oppo 105 and found it sounded quite good sonically. I've always loved that record. I'm sure it is out of print but it may be available on one of the music services or used possibly.

I looked up Stars of the Lid on Amazon but they don't have any clips for that band. Did find on YouTube though and am listening now. Which albums do you like best? And the Keharak (sp?) Incident can't be found on either Amazon or a Google search; at least not by me. Also couldn't find on YouTube. I am planning to get a Sonos in the next few months so I should be able to check them out then and I do look forward to it.

I do like ambient music, quite allot actually. Bands like The Album Leaf, Dntel, Mum, FS Blum, Boards of Canada, Explosions in the Sky, The Books, etc. Some of these I'd file under experimental because they are ambient with blips and clicks and music clips and samples all mixed up. That's where Prefuse 73 fits in. The guy behind the moniker is brilliant and has a quite a body of work over the last decade. He's been quite prolific. The genre also borrows from R&B and even on occasion from Rap. But nearly all this stuff is always just instrumental with no or very few vocals. This is the stuff that has really sparked my interest in the last five years. It's given me so many new avenues to explore and I feel totally invigorated by it.

My other favorite genre is Alternative Country with bands like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco, etc. Most of those records though are not very well recorded. So they are mostly played in the car.

Ghosthouse – it is gratifying that you took time to make to all those suggestions, really. The Varese stuff is pretty ground-breaking to say the least. And I have to say that it reminds me of Prefuse 73 some. I like all the different layers and instruments. It is very cool. I put Ionisation / Ameriques on my wish list. From the reviews I’ve read, Pierre Boulez has the right take on Varese’ compositions. And I sure liked what I heard on Am*zon.

I’m listening to St. Germain right now, Boulevard. Also listed to other tracks last night and really like them too. Great background music and nice for reading or just relaxing to. The Tourist album is more Jazzy than Boulevards for sure and I think I like Boulevard better. I’ll be digging around some more on St. Germain in the future.

Ghosthouse, yes plenty of overlap. I really like Tycho. I've heard Past is Prologue and thought it quite good but could only find it as an mp3 download so I passed. I would really like to have it on CD.

Did you mean Zero 7? I have the CD Simple Things and like it allot.

Thanks for the other suggestions, I've got some work to do this weekend!

PS - Try the record "Extinguished: Outtakes" by Prefuse 73. This is the most accessible CD and I really do think once you've listened a few times you will be hooked. This CD is full of hooks and beautiful harmonies and repetitive wonders.

Had a great listening session yesterday. I started out with Mum – Finally We Are No One. This is not their best effort, but pretty fun nonetheless. They are a bit like Sigur Ros so that may give you some reference.

After the mellowness that is Mum, I was ready to turn up the volume a bit. So I moved on to Pinback – Blue Screen Life. They are a fairly recent discovery for me and I just can’t listen to this one enough. Very unique sound with an excellent singer as well. Excellent recording. I actually listed to about four of the tracks again because I didn’t want this to be over!

Next was Jason Falkner – Bliss Descending. I have a very high regard for Jason’s style of progressive rock. After a song or two on Bliss, I just wanted to move on to his masterpiece, presenting Author Unknown though. Not that Bliss wasn’t recorded well, because it was, but Author Unknown is such a great listen and of course I didn’t have unlimited time, so I just advanced to this brilliant record and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Wanting to stay on a progressive track, I pulled out Owsley’s self-entitled disc from 1999. Better recording quality than I had remembered and though I couldn’t find it written plainly on the disc, Gracenote says it is an HDCD.
Unfortunately that disc would end the session. But I guess that listening to four and portion of a fifth disc isn’t too bad for some quality listening time.

*So today I am online sampling some of the records that Ghosthouse has so graciously recommended. I first listened to Stars of the Lid – Virginia and Kahanek Incident 3 and then back to SoTL “and Their Refinement of the Decline”. Refinement was clearly my favorite out of these three ambient pieces.

Then I moved on to Younger Brother – The Last Days of Gravity. I really liked this one and it is now on my Wish List at Am*zon.

I did also listed to some Russian Circles, but not really new and different enough to keep my interest.

Also checked out Mono. Much closer to my likings and will go back to listed to a few other pieces.

Finally, I am now currently listening to Edgar Varese - Amériques. I think this is my favorite of the day. So many thanks to Ghosthouse for this recommendation especially. If you have not heard Edgar Varese, go to YouTube and check his stuff out. Very creative and enveloping. It is worth the listen.

Ghosthouse - I am familiar with Ulrich Schnauss. I have A Strangely Isolated Place from 2003. It has tracks of similar style to those you linked to above. I like the "A Long Way to Fall" track the best (of the links you provided)

Ghosthouse as for Prefuse 73, check out this YouTube of an awesome track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlGhG20BkWw. It is melodic and really grabs you. -I’ve noticed through cruising YouTube that some people also refer to this music as Glitch or Glitch Hop. Pretty appropriate name that I had forgotten. I will also note that I do not endorse the occasional cursing/expletives on a few Prefuse 73 tracks from various records. But I really like his sensibility and vibe. Prefuse is Scott Herren. Other monikers are Delarosa & Asora, Savath & Savalas, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord (more melodic, less glitch). Here is a very glitch track, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odAni_-Ftf4, and maybe what you may not like? But if you can get a hold of the underlying rhythm starting around :33 seconds, it will pull you in! –I’ll try to lay off the Prefuse comments but hoping that you can give it a real college try. I know that for me, Prefuse is what brought me back to a real love of music. And I’m really thankful for that for sure.

For the age of this young guy (Prefuse), he is very prolific. He is the first Experimental (glitch hop) act I heard and still my favorite after more than ten years. Vernon Reid from Living Color also made an album that is a bit glitchy called Mistaken Identity and has some great guitar and samples. I’m also a huge Living Color fan by the way.

Finally got the chance to sit down for a listen (10/10/13). Started with Prefuse 73/Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives. Not for the uninitiated, but really fun if you like this Blip Hop type stuff.

Moved onto Blonde Redhead/Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. Not sure how to label this band but they are indeed an alternative to the radio and a fun listen. This one is recorded quite well too.

Next up was The Dirty Projectors/The Gettysburg Address. This is not for the faint of heart but for those that like a little something different, it is a real gem. It is a themed piece that is a bit comedic in its tongue-n-cheek delivery.

Ended this listening session with The Flaming Lips/The Soft Report. This is a gigantic achievement for this band and is well worth a listen. For those who are not familiar with the Lips, this is a good way to check them out.

Had time for a two discs today. They were Blue Sky Black Death/Noir and Grizzly Bear/Veckatimest. I bought both of these three or four years ago. The BSBD disc is fun but after nearly finishing it I think it’s time to let it go. That’s how I felt about the GB release too. I guess I can’t make every purchasing decision a keeper. Oh well. Hopefully tomorrow s listening session will be more fruitful.

On Willie Nelson, I have really enjoyed seeing him play solo on cable TV with just his well-used guitar. He has a real knack for that style. Don’t know if there is an album of that stuff, but if there is and somebody can clue me in, I’d love to check it out. The studio albums I’ve heard were too produced and I just didn’t enjoy them. Anyway, thanks for any comments on Willie. The minority report rocks!

This afternoon: Odetta - Blues Everywhere I Go. This is the best recorded CD, SACD or RedBook, that I've ever heard. My good friend Carole left me a copy in my mail box earlier this week. It is some serious good tunes. Check it out.

Finished off with Nils Lofgren, Acoustic Live. Well recorded live fun. Thanks again go to Carole.

It's hard to listen to anything else after these two because nearly all CDs that I know of cannot match the fine sound quality of these two CDs. Reference is certainly fitting here.

Listened to many discs on Saturday. Courtesy of my BDP 105 they were:

Phil Keaggy - The Master and the Musician
Phil Keaggy - Beyond Nature
Bruce Cockburn - Speechless (instrumental!)
Dntel - Life is full of Possibilities
Evax - Parking Lot Music

Well, I posted about 24 hours ago and not sure if that post is going to make it here since Ghosthouse has posted seemingly after I posted last night. This moderated post checking is killing me. Anyway, I digress.

So, today I listened to the following: Tycho – Dive. It was a recommendation from Ghosthouse and I’m finally starting to get it after a number of plays. I really like ambient and don’t have many in this genre so I’m glad to have been led to another cool band.

Then I listened to Younger Brother – The Last Days of Gravity. Another Ghosthouse recommendation. Also taking plenty of listens to get acquainted with but it has been a fun process.

Pinback – Blue Screen Life. I’ve actually listened to this one today and last Sunday as well. This is an incredible record. I just can’t seem to get enough of it. And it is superbly recorded as well.

Ending up the night as I type this is Pinback – Information Retrieved. This is their newest release and it is not as immediately accessible as the one above, but a great production as well. Really, just a real breath of fresh air for me.

Ghosthouse, I will go give a listen to the link you’ve left for me. Thanks. BTW – Still trying to work through some listening of the Varese piece I just purchased. It is Arcana/Ameriques/Ionisation conducted by Pierre Boulez. Hopefully it’ll grow on my.

And yes Ghosthouse, I’m still listening. Just hate the fact that when I post here on the Gon’ that every post is moderated and takes so long to go live. That really takes away from the continuity of the conversation. Thanks for all the great recommendations. And thanks for starting this thread. I really am enjoying it.

Been quite busy and not had many chances to escape and listen. Finally got the chance this Sunday afternoon and went to my less often listened to Rock section and picked Big Country - Come up Screaming! What an excellent two-CD collection of live hits. If you like Big Co. you will love this one.

Ghosthouse - I have barely scratched the surface of the last recommendation you made. Hopefully in another week I'll have time to spend listening to new music. Thanks for thinking of me. I am still really thankful that you started this thread some months back. - Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

The Big Dish/Satellites - Excellent early 90s rock. Didn't much care for the first two Big Dish records, but Satellites is, well, quite the Dish!

Robbie Fulks/Let's Kill Saturday Night. Excellent Alternative Country record. Very well recorded and the performances are passionate.

Ghosthouse - I finally pulled the trigger on Sonos and have listened to much new music but haven't gotten to your last recommendation yet. I should have some time this week as I've three days off. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ghosthouse – Sonos is a wireless music system. Yes, you can use the “Connect” box to integrate the Sonos experience with an existing stereo system. But what I’m doing is simply just using a Play 1 to play music from one of the many, many streaming providers like Pandora. I use a Play 1 to do this because I’m interested in the wireless aspect of it so I can have music in other areas of my home. All you need to make Sonos work is any of the speakers (Play 1, Play 3, or Play 5; can have up to 31 speakers in the network), a Bridge, and a tablet or other device that can be used to wirelessly control the system (can also control it with a PC or Mac). You connect the Bridge via a cable to your Router, plug speaker of choice into the wall, press a couple buttons, wait 10-20 seconds and then you are in business. I have mostly just used Pandora so far and am having fun; you can also play music on your hard drive or NAS. What’s really cool is you can place the speakers around the house and as you have more of them they set up a mesh network since they all have a wifi device built into each speaker. No drop outs, no problems. To get started with music, open the Sonos app, then a music app, like Pandora, then search the name of a favorite band and select the icon. Then it will play one song by that band and then after that it will start playing songs from other artists that are similar to them. The sound quality of the Play 1 is pretty good for a standalone speaker and I just like that I can have music in other parts of the house. Right now, Sonos is having a holiday sale and they will throw in a Bridge ($49) at no charge with any speaker purchase. So I spent $215 for a Play 1 with free Bridge and $140 for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.

I have finally had the chance to listen to Chronaut's "Modern Classical" all the way through. Pretty good stuff. I am now listening to “A Winters Dub” by lowlight mixes. Less interesting than Chronaut. But the Mixcloud service is pretty cool. I’ll see if it is available on Sonos. -I’ve moved on now to Chronaut's “Ideal Moment” and really like it so far. Have also listened to Helios and like it even more because it has a few more layers going on, making it more interesting for me. I also feel the same way about Eluvium. -Thanks for the recommendations Ghosthouse.

Been pretty busy and finally got around to listening to some shiny discs. The first was Robert Earl Keen – Gravitational Forces. This one is in HDCD and sounds great. Not his best effort, but fun nevertheless.

Next up was Lyle Lovett – Joshua Judges Ruth. Fantastic album and if you love Lyle, you probably already know this one. I heard Lyle play a song from this album, North Dakota, on the radio here in LA many years ago. I was on the way to work and it so moved me that I was all emotional but in the best way, being touched by the music. Lyle’s passion was amazing.

Moved on to Vigilantes of Love – Welcome to Struggleville. This is one of their stronger efforts and is from way back, 1994. Great listen.

Cibelle – The Dried Shine of Electric Leaves was in the CDP next and this is a well recorded disc with some neat arrangements. Really like this one.

Ended the session with Younger Brother – The Last Days of Gravity. This was a Ghosthouse recommendation that I purchased a several months ago. The more I listen, the better it gets. Just the way I like it.

Ghosthouse, I’ll have to take a look at Wondershare sometime. Just been pretty busy or out of town. It has been a good busy though. Happy New Years!

The Master & The Musician - Phil Keaggy c.1978. Great music and well recorded.

Wahoo. No more moderation wait for me!

Morning session:
From LA with Love – This is a various artists collection of electronic music. Not great, but good.

Piano Overlord – Aninha Mission – electronic music from Scott Herren or maybe better known as Prefuse73. Both of his efforts under the Piano Overlord moniker are great.

I have not listened to any CDs in the last few days. But my CDP also provides access to several internet sources like Pandora. Lately I have been having much fun listening to the following channels: Prefuse 73 (glitch hop) and Pinback (amazing alternative) on Pandora. Because of this I have discovered more bands great-sounding bands such as Signal Hill, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Modest Mouse, Bonobo, El Ten Eleven, and have been reminded of Explosions in the Sky. I will be buying a few CDs by some of these bands as well.

Ghosthouse, I did listen to World Party. Most didn’t really grab me but the song “Hollywood” does remind me a bit of The Big Dish. I also listened to Andy Summers' "The Golden Wire" on YouTube. It’s like ambient accompanied by several instruments including his awesome guitar playing. Too bad it is out of print (as you probably know). I’ll try to play some on Pandora as well. Just listened to some Radio Head on YouTube as well. I like the album you recommended. The singer reminds me some of Jeff Buckley. Kinda also reminds me of the 70s band Television, a good thing. –Weird fishes is pretty awesome. I’ll be looking into this band more.

Finally got some time carved out to do some listening. Was a great afternoon.

Started off with two new purchases based on Pandora listening:
Pinback - Nautical Antiques. I have three Pinback releases and this is my forth. It is pretty cool but would be more for the complete-ist rather than as a first record.

Death Cab for Cutie - Plans. This was a fun listen with some pretty great writing.

Then I pulled out an old friend. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky. This is a real classic. One of their best albums IMO.

Finished with Radney Foster - See What You Want to See. If you like AltCountry or Country, you'll probably like this one. A very strong effort.

Hey Ghosthouse, ya, Sky Blue Sky is probably my favorite too. I really like Unlikely Japan. That can be found on the documentary DVD too and is quite an excellent live studio recording of that song.

Just one new CD to add here. It is another band I found on Pandora - Signal Hill, their self-entitled record. I just received it in the mail earlier this week and had time to give it a play a night or two ago. All instrumental and very fun to listen to. Was disappointed that it was not better recorded though. Lacks bass and is a bit veiled. I would still highly recommend this six-song EP though. I have also played it in the car and found it to be quite road worthy.

Last week I listened to a few records by Mum: Summer Make Good (my favorite), Finally we are No One, and Go Go Smodr the Poison Ivy. They are a great band. Check’em out.

Both courtesy of my Oppo 105.

Daniel Amos - Dig Here Said the Angel. Their first new studio album in over a decade.

Nils Lofgren - Acoustic Live.

Well, I had some time to myself to do some listening today and found myself listening across many genres. Was fun for sure.

A friend loaned my some speaker cables and so I pulled out a couple of known quantities for reference purposes: Pinback – Blue Screen Life (still my favorite by them) & Hugh Masakela – Hope. This is an SACD and it is one of the two or three best recorded CDs I have in my collection. Worth the purchase based on that criteria alone. Plus it has the ten-minute jam Stimela.

Signal Hill – self entitled. If you like instrumental post rock, this is one you may enjoy.

Switched to female vocalist: Robin Holcomb – Rockabye. Still wonderful after 22 years; moody, introspective, with excellent musicianship. Then on to JJ Heller – Only Love Remains. Largely acoustic and great songwriting.

Finally moved on to the experimental genre with Vernon Reid – Known Unknown (not as good as Mistaken Identity) and then to The Books – Thought for Food. This is a pretty strong effort by them.

After all these CDs, the only thing I wish I had was more time. I’m not sure I’m in the minority on that though!

I can attest to the albums noted above in Ghosthouse's last three posts. All good stuff, some great! It is so cool to find new music; it stimulates the soul.

Big Country - Steeltown

Robert Forster - Warm Nights

Bill LLoyd - Back to Even

The Grays - Roshambo

Afternoon session:
John Cougar Mellencamp – Scarecrow. This album and the song “Minutes to Memories” are what finally got me to take a closer look at JM. This is easily his best effort to that point in time.

James Newton Howard and Friends – self entitled. Fun synth-rock instrumental record. Very nicely recorded. First heard it in Italy used as a demo disk for high-end equipment.

Kirsty MacColl – Electric Land Lady. Just the first few tracks, especially Track 1, Walking Down Madison.

Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Tails. Great record. Has the hit “Stay”.

Tracy Chapman – self entitled. Great record with the mega hit song “Fast Car”.

Back at cha' GH. You have pointed me in many right directions including Moonlit Sailor. Really have enjoyed the journey so far and look forward to the journey ahead. I hope the others are getting even just a little bit out if this thread. I know I am and thanks so much Ghosthouse for starting this very stimulating thread!

This listening session was inspired by the documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. It was also very much inspired by my life long close friend Nathan T. These four albums are all highly worthy of a listen and the first two have very good recording quality (I wish the last two possessed that as well). I have never purchased “2112” but should as it is a much needed album to connect “Hemispheres” and “Permanent Waves” below.

Rush – A Farewell to Kings

Rush – Hemispheres

Rush – Permanent Waves

Rush – Moving Pictures

BTW Ghosthouse, I did check out Dwight Twilley. That song was pretty cool as well as a few others I sampled on the Y**tube. Great call on this band.

Man, my system is sounding so good today! Toe tapping and even the occasional singing along. Just couldn't stop myself.

Bonobo - The North Borders.

Pinback - Nautical Antiques. The more I listen to this one the more I like it. And the recording quality is probably the best of any of their CDs (that I have) and just really sings.

Pinback - Blue Screen Life. Really love this record. Seems I just can't get enough (look at the many other times that I've reported listening to it here in the minority report).

Moonlit Sailor - My friend Ghosthouse turned me on to this band. I really like this post-rock rock. Great album.

Signal Hill - More post rock. Instrumental and uplifting.

Happy Memorial Day to all.

A Phil Keaggy trifecta:
The Wind and the Wheat
Find Me in these Fields
The Master & The Musician

Benson/Klugh - Collaboration

GRP - Live in Session

Special EFX - Slice of Life

James Taylor - (Live) 1993

Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992

Pinback - Self entitled (first CD)

Prefuse 73 - vocal studies + uprock narratives (also first CD)

Andreas Vollenweider - Book of Roses

Andreas Vollenweider - Dancing with the Lion

^^^^^^^ The Jayhawks are great!

An acoustic day.

Michael Coulon - Crossing Paths (solo guitar)
Steve Barta - Rossport (piano)

Bruce Cockburn - Big Circumstance

Hefty10Digest - Prefuse73 Mixtape

^^^^^^^^ Definitely like the Boats! (never heard of them before but they are great)

Adventure Time - Dreams of Water Themes

Justo Almario - Plumbline

Jason Falkner - Bliss Descending

Francis Dunnery - Tall Blonde Helicopter

Narada Mystique - Sampler

Francis Dunnery - Let's Go Do What Happens

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs

GH - Ya, I like Band of Horses for sure. First heard them on Pandora and many of the songs played there are from Cease... Makes me want to check out more.

GH, it's so good to hear you like The Grays and Bill Lloyd. Here's another recommendation. Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd did a couple albums together many years ago and then came back in more recent times (2011) with a new one. Very well recorded and nice to hear them playing together again.

Foster and Lloyd - It's Already Tomorrow

Lyle Lovett - Release Me (excellent recording and typical Lyle nuggets)

I do enjoy Bill Lloyd on so many levels. Amazing songwriting, incredible and innovative playing, and just flat out fun to listen to. I was working in a music store back in 1990 or 1991 and heard Feeling the Elephant and was hooked immediately. The records just keep getting better. Check out his website. There's allot to look into there.

The Boats - Sleepy Insect Music (tipped off on this one by my friend GH - big thank you there)

The Postal Service - Give Up (10th anniversary reissue) My long time friend Rico lead me there. Took me some time to come around, but thanks nevertheless. Also see Death Cab for Cutie and Dntel, both with ties to this band.

Daniel Amos - SONGS OF THE HEART sung by Daniel Amos

Amy Grant - Behind the Eyes