How Good?

The How Good? list will appear from time to time as I spontaneously hear something that I love so simply must share. Surely that is what its all about, sharing what we love, not to politicise my blog or anything. This list is not necessarily going to feature new albums, just albums that pop up into my consciousness for discovery or re-discovery as the case may be.

Land of Talk. APPLAUSE CHEER BOO HISS.

There are not a lot of good bands around with female vocalists which is a shame because I find their contribution to rock style bands particularly interesting. This album reminds me a fair bit Sonic Youth. The female vocalist in Land of Talk is one amazing talent and the band give her the room to really explore. This is a really indy sounding release and there's something about the songwriting that makes this a really compelling and fairly hard rocking album.


Counting Crows. AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER.

This one popped back up for re-discovery after not hearing it for years. This is such a great CD that in my opinion they never matched it. Great bands often start so well that the rest of their career seems a downward spiral and I think that applies to these guys of course many would disagree. This CD has some of the most heart-felt lyrics I have heard, some beautiful songwriting, ranges from totally sad stories walking in the rain down dark empty streets with a heart full of pain and a head full of mixed up mess to uplifting 'everything is going to be alight' tunes - the world's really an amazing place after all. Such a great disc.
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Clem Snide. HUNGRY BIRD.

This is a really tasteful album, kind of reminds me of early Counting Crows, maybe a bit of REM too, perhaps a little Wilco. Mellow, meandering, slow to mid tempo in most parts, keeps your head nodding slowly like you've had too many scotches. Alternative country might describe it but don't let that scare you off, this is one of the nicest albums I have heard in a long long while.


Black Mountain. IN THE FUTURE

Black Mountain remind me a fair bit of Black Sabbath except they have two vocalists one who is a female, and are way more atmospheric. This is my current favourite CD, its probably space rock, kind of like Monster Magnet was in the 90's but way way better. I think they are Canadian too and lots of great bands come from Canada so it is generally worth hearing Canadian indy artists. This is music for tripping out to, rocking out to and doing burn outs to, mind you, now that I am pushing the big 33 I don't seem to do much of any of those things these days. So I'm happy to sit in my office downstairs cranking albums with balls like this one while knocking back a few of Australia's finest and coldest. Really refreshing album that shows us that you don't need to reinvent music itself to make damn fine, fat and rocking tunes!