WaronWar Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 SYR 3. Actually, I am only kidding. Don't start off on that though I think it's rather good. I started a couple of years ago with "Daydream Nation" and I loved them since. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Day Dream Nation is where most people start, but frankly if you start anywhere you will get the idea. All the suggestions are good (I haven't heard every single album they made since there are a ton.) I would not go with the O'Rourke collaborations (not meaning the official albums, some of which are very accessable) since these are the least accessable but very worthwhile collaborations. SY is not always an easy ride. Yo La Tengo is like Sonic Youth without quite the same amount of noise....give them a shot too if you haven't heard them. They are like brother and sister bands. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yo La Tengo is another one of those bands I've been meaning to check out. I kick myself for not going to their show across town at Cornell a few months ago. Can anyone suggest a few albums I might start with? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yo La Tengo is another one of those bands I've been meaning to check out. I kick myself for not going to their show across town at Cornell a few months ago. Can anyone suggest a few albums I might start with?I haven't listened to a lot of Yo La Tengo, but I really like I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. For the most part, at least. I'm not a fan of SY, though. I've seen them live twice and have listened to a few albums and just don't see the appeal. One show was opening for Neil Young and Crazy Horse. I thought NY and Crazy Horse did the Sonic Youth noise-rock thing a lot better than Sonic Youth. Not a slam on them, they just don't work for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brianjeremy Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I started with Experimental Jet Set, Washing Machine and Daydream Nation. I also think that that their last three could be great starting places. I had given up on SY before Murray Street, but it's a great album. Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped are both good too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yo La Tengo is another one of those bands I've been meaning to check out. I kick myself for not going to their show across town at Cornell a few months ago. Can anyone suggest a few albums I might start with? I would start off with "Painful." It has guitar noise perfectly placed into a pop setting. Don't worry it's not weird, it's fantastic! I also only have "I Am Not Afraid Of You..." and "I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One." They are both very good too. Moreover, I need to get "Electro-Pura." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radiokills Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I Can Feel The Heart Beating As One is one of my favorite albums. i think its their best release. their latest, i am not afraid of you is very strong too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I am not afraid is surprisingly strong....there are few albums by YLT that are bad actually....none bad, but some better than others. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 well dudes, just can't get into it. been trying to get post-rock, radiohead, and sonic youth for sometime now and after this last effort, with some great input from y'all, i am giving up. i mean, some stuff out there is worth 'trying' to get into. for example, have been trying to get into Television for years, and it has finally clicked. Sonic Youth is just too alternative, if you catch my drift. just not pleasant enough. my wife is always telling me i shouldn't have to work at liking music, that it should be at least partly pleasurable. so i am sticking with the shit i like. ironically, some of that may not be as accessible to others, ie howe gelb, but it's where i stand. loving music can really be a double edged sword. it's awesome and a huge part of my life/identity, but also very anxiety inducing. i worry over missing out on something great and underground, i get frustrated that i don't 'get' stuff that others really dig, ie, radiohead, and i end up not really enjoying the stuff i really like. the ipod has actually been a part of this. having all this music at my fingertips is just overwhelming at times. so, hopefully this is a turning point for me. anyway, this post has been cathartic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hey Rider I totally empathize with you. I've given both SY and Radiohead (among many others) honest efforts and it just doesn't click with me either. I definitely agree that you shouldn't have to try to like a band/genre/category/style/ whatever. It's either there or it isn't. Valiant effort though, man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I'm still very touch and go with Radiohead. I like In Rainbows and some of their older songs, but most of their work still doesn't appeal too much to me. Over the last six months to a year, I've gotten a lot more into noisy, more experimental music, though, especially Sonic Youth. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I've also been getting very interested in a lot of Nels's non-Wilco work, much of which can be pretty noisy. There's something about the rawness of it that really appeals to me. I can definitely see how it could turn people off, though. I think it's good that you were open-minded enough to give them a try, Rider. It's much better than just writing them off without getting to know them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 radiohead, and i end up not really enjoying the stuffListening to music you don't like is just plain torture....and unnecessary. I have never found it necessary to like Radiohead. There are thousands or really tens of thousands of groups out there that have played music since the dawn of recording, so don't sweat it. Sonic Youth will always leave some people cold, hell they leave me cold sometimes too, which is why I suggested their slightly warmer and fuzzier cousins Yo La Tengo. You may not like them either, but basically they are doing the same thing, with different musicians and attitudes of course. LouieB It's much better than just writing them off without getting to know them.So being from Ithica, do you like Johnny Dowd?? Also not for the uninitiated.... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Listening to music you don't like is just plain torture....and unnecessary. I have never found it necessary to like Radiohead. There are thousands or really tens of thousands of groups out there that have played music since the dawn of recording, so don't sweat it. Sonic Youth will always leave some people cold, hell they leave me cold sometimes too, which is why I suggested their slightly warmer and fuzzier cousins Yo La Tengo. You may not like them either, but basically they are doing the same thing, with different musicians and attitudes of course. LouieB Yeah, I agree with you Lou. It actually took me a long time to realize that I should listen to music that I want to listen too and not what's in the top 100 of 2007 or what every critic raves about. This is what I usually cross-reference a lot or connect the dots between artists because I find it usually works wonders. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hey Rider I totally empathize with you. I've given both SY and Radiohead (among many others) honest efforts and it just doesn't click with me either. I definitely agree that you shouldn't have to try to like a band/genre/category/style/ whatever. It's either there or it isn't. Valiant effort though, man. thanks for the support lammy. a kindred spirit! at least we got wilco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Yeah, I agree with you Lou. It actually took me a long time to realize that I should listen to music that I want to listen too and not what's in the top 100 of 2007 or what every critic raves about. This is what I usually cross-reference a lot or connect the dots between artists because I find it usually works wonders. Lou, WaronWar, Lammy, everyone, thanks for the great posts here. really validating. actually, connecting the dots with bands led me to sonic youth because of jim orourkes involvement etc. and of course, the year end lists that just make me crazy because i usually don't 'get' what the critics get. anyway, rock on friends. gonna listen to some wilco and prolly some neil young now. peace. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parisisstale Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 While I always enjoy hearing great new music, I don't really go out of my way to look for it. I can always be perfectly content with a steady rotation of all things tweedy, westeberg, young, & malkmus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 O'Rourke's work along is enough to drive people crazy. Some is really wonderful and some is very noisy and atonal. The guy's career has led all over the place. Frankly I only know a fraction of it. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I can always be perfectly content with a steady rotation of all things tweedy, westeberg, young, & malkmus.Whoa, dude...it may be time to break out just a little..... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parisisstale Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Whoa, dude...it may be time to break out just a little..... LouieB I listen to alot more than them, just kinda saying that if those 4 were all there were, I'd be cool. As my tired brain recalls, people were discussing earlier in the thread how much time & energy they'll put into an artist that's new to their ears. With me, I don't try real hard. If there's not an instant connection (most recently Band of Horses have become a fav for me), I just move on to something new. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 I listen to alot more than them, just kinda saying that if those 4 were all there were, I'd be cool. As my tired brain recalls, people were discussing earlier in the thread how much time & energy they'll put into an artist that's new to their ears. With me, I don't try real hard. If there's not an instant connection (most recently Band of Horses have become a fav for me), I just move on to something new. right on. it seems that if i just relax the good stuff just comes to me. good movies, music, books etc. when i look hard i get tired and pissed. this also happens with concerts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 SYR 3. Actually, I am only kidding. Don't start off on that though I think it's rather good. I started a couple of years ago with "Daydream Nation" and I loved them since.Hah! Yeah if you're not into noise stay away from SYR3. It is really good noise however and O'Rourke is on it I would definitely start with Experimental Jet Set Trash & No Star, Washing Machine, Sonic Nurse, and Rather Ripped. Those sound the most like "music" in the usual sense I guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blue_94_trooper Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I would definitely start with Experimental Jet Set Trash & No Star... Really? I think of that as the one major dud in the catalog. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Experimental Jet Set is okay, but yeah, compared to the other things that they put out around that time, it's pretty unexciting. Definately not a good album to start with short of maybe the first two songs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Experimental Jet Set is okay, but yeah, compared to the other things that they put out around that time, it's pretty unexciting. Definately not a good album to start with short of maybe the first two songs.I totally agree. I just figured if you're not familiar with them, it's an album where you can go "oh, i've heard that song before." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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