Odd Music

People seem to be thinking that my musical tastes are completely restricted, especially to metal and punk. Now, because I don't let everyone see my iPod, and noone sees my iTunes, they don't really know what bullcrap that actually is. To the end of education, then, I hereby am posting twelve "odd" musical groups and artists that I listen to that I think everyone should check out. I'm going by alphabetical order, not by how I consider the artist in question.

1. The Adventures
Formed in 80s Ireland, Belfast, to be precise, they are early pop rock, with their lyrics generally focusing on love and romance and pain. That sounds emo, but it isn't. I think they effectively use mildly distorted guitar and blend it with acoustic, as well as a subtle but reasonably complex bassline.

click here for their song "Sea of Love"

2. Andy M. Stewart
Andy is of both Scottish and Irish ancestry, with a Scottish citizenship. Known for his previous work with the famous Scottish band Silly Wizard, on his own, Stewart worked less on popular ballads and more on writing his own music. His music often deals with themes regarding Scottish/Irish history, the struggles with the English, the in fighting, and the fleeing to America that is so prevalent in Scottish and Irish history, as well as composing many love ballads.

"Take Her in Your Arms"

3. Altan
Also an Irish band, they are an example of Irish folk that goes a little bit (being hyperbolic there. By a little bit, I mean a LOT) beyond the pub songs that everyone knows and loves. A good half of their music is in Gaelic and is left untranslated. You can read the lyrics, but if you can read Gaelic, more power to ya, I certainly can't. Even when singing in English, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh's gentle yet thick Irish accent makes the English sound almost foreign.

Stor a Stor a Ghra

4. The Cult
Now we venture a little bit into the pop music sphere, but I still think a 17 year old who listens to the Cult counts as a little bit weird. The Cult are my alternative to Aerosmith, with me much preferring the sound of Ian Astbury to Steve Tyler (plus, Ian's antics on stage are more amusing to watch than Steve Tyler's horrifically large mouth terrorizing the camera. I also prefer the more aggressive sound of the Cult to Aerosmith.

Fire Woman

5. The Dead Milkmen
If you want just plain old friggin' hysterically bizarre, there is not a band out there that can beat the Dead Milkmen. Imagine Weird Al meets Frank Zappa, both on an acid trip and simultaneously getting drunk and you still haven't approached the level of bizarre that the Milkmen routinely enjoy. With classics like "Bitchin' Camaro," "Stuart (What the Queers are Doing to the Soil)" and "Cousin Earl," the Milkmen are less music and more comedic stream of consciousness musing.

Cousin Earl ( a must listen, if this is the only thing you listen to in this post, let it be this one)

6. Enya
I've admitted before that I listen to Enya, but I'll reconfirm it here. Talent goes far beyond genres, and it is often mis-attributed, such as to Nirvana. However, Enya's talent is vast, the woman has an absolutely amazing set of pipes on her, and for mellow music, I don't think you can get better than Enya.

Book of Days

7. Mike Oldfield
For someone like me, who generally LOATHES (I use the word because I can't think of a more emphatic one) progressive rock, liking Mike Oldfield isn't something I would like to admit. However, his Tubular Bells series (three albums) are absolutely amazing. Most people know the basic Tubular Bells motif as the themesong of The Exorcist, but there is so, so, so, so much more to the song than that little bit of it. The first album is over 45 minutes long, involving over 50 different instruments, and is one of the most complex non-vocal progressive pieces in history. It serves as evidence that "classical" music is not necessarily superior just because it is old.

Tubular Bells I track 1 part A

8. Socratic
I first started listening to Socratic when I accidentally met the lead singer/guitarist at a metal show and had no idea who they were or why they were there. I later learned that Socratic is a local (relatively) band from North Jersey, with a gentle piano rock/emo sound. Emo, by the way, was originally a musical genre and has nothing to do with fat whiney goth-wannabes. Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 produced their last album, and I heard more about them on his podcast, and I liked their song so much I downloaded it ASAP (Legally, mind you) and have been listening to Socratic ever since.

Boy in a Magazine

9. Thurston Moore
Formerly of Sonic Youth, I expected Thurston to have more of a punk sound about him, but when I listened to his album "Trees Outside the Academy" I was pleasantly surprised. While the lyrics are a little out there, the talent that is exhibited by Thurston more than makes up for my usual dislike of stream of consciousness. The gentle sound he exhibits also defied my expectations, but made it very endearing to me.

The Shape is in a Trance

10. The Ting Tings
This probably means I'm gay, but I like the Ting Tings a lot. I have no reasonable or rational explanation that anyone would want to hear, but I just like them. End of discussion. lol

"Shut up and let me go"

11. Voltaire
I.like.Goth. I do not mean I like slamming heavy metal (though sometimes I do) I mean I like real Goth music, Goth as a genre. The genre of Goth is generally a mixture of post-punk, New Wave, Pop-Rock, Electronica, and, surprisingly, Folk. Voltaire falls into the last category, sounding more like a mix of dark Cabaret and gypsy music. His lyrics are often wonderfully macabre, calling to mind Edgar Allen Poe, Flannery O'Connor, and similar writers. Always lighthearted, Voltaire's lyrics skirt the lines of society, sometimes crossing over, and are delightfully dark and bizarre.

"When You're Evil"

12. 1927
Aussie 80s Pop music ought to have its own musical category, imao. They got the good pop music where we were left with Madonna. 1927 deal with love, loss, pain...the usual. I just think they did it with more originality and talent than the Americans or British did.

"All The People"