So, seeing as I’m apparently getting sucked into buying The Fratellis en masse; now is as good a time as any to offer suggestions for good, current bands. I’m looking for stuff that’s… merry, I guess. Merry, but with some musical chops behind it. No whiners, no sob stories, no angry blind petulance at the world.
Or something.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band are pretty good, if you like blues funk and steel guitar.
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Mew
…There are people who don’t?
How about some Bela Fleck (one of the dudes that helped Steve Martin with his bluegrass record)? He takes banjos to strange new places (classical music, jazz).
Joe Satriani was someone I discovered on the Pandora. Crazy technical rock guitar playin’.
And you can always grab some video game soundtrack cover bands (Minibosses, The Advantage, the Black Mages (featuring the head sound design guy from Final Fantasy)).
Maybe not suggestions for band music, but I’m stuck on Hans Zimmer soundtracks. Can’t wait for Man of Steel coming out and the Batman soundtracks were all spectacular. I usually find any new music selections from soundtracks. There are generally some interesting choices to be found there.
The Piano Guys are great for the classical with a modern twist and for modern with a Classical twist.
The Cure and Depeche Mode are great fall backs.
I keep getting sucked back into Muse and the Foo Fighters as well as M83.
And finally there is the venerable Weird Al Yankovich.
I find myself pulling out the latest Foo Fighters album just to hear Walk again.
Since you like Led Zep then give Rival Sons a try.
You should try foreign language metal bands, like Arkona. This song is about the glory of death. Some Russian Pagans have crashed on rocks far from the shore and they know they won’t make it to morning (since they will freeze before too long), praising Rod while waiting death’s cold embrace.
How do you feel about The Killers? I find myself listening to “Miss Atomic Bomb” every trip home…
The new Daft Punk album is getting a lot of buzz, but I haven’t checked it out myself, yet.
If you’re not familiar with They Might Be Giants, I’d suggest giving them a try. Albumwise, Flood is probably their best album. They’re not exactly new (Flood was released in 1990) but last I checked they’re still making new stuff.
There is more to Celtic music that bar songs. I prefer the music of the Celtic revival that occurred in the last quarter of the 20th Century.
I really link early Altan, Capercaillie,
Déanta, Relativity, et al. These used many of the same instruments used in Blue Grass but played slightly differently.
There is nothing I enjoy as much as a clear voiced woman singing Gaelic.
If you need a little more kick ass in your music, Wolfstone is backed by Highland pipes.
Here are some examples – most of the whining tends to be about Bonnie Prince Charlie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8X0Vu6y-i4
Altan ~ Dónal Agus Mórag The New Rigged Ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERsf3E34EOY
Connie Dover Fear an Bhata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DvvfNACsYc
Capercaillie – Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXwIIHAmaw
Old Hag You Have Killed Me – The Bothy Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTPyvKrU1DM
Silly Wizard – “Wha’ll be King but Cherlie?”
I’d recommend Brooke Fraser…not a band but incredible vocal talent.