If you like Grandaddy, Midlake etc...

Bruce,

I think you've got that pretty well spot on. Listening to the Myspace samples it's refreshing that, like Midlake, someone can deliver straight-ahead stuff that's neither anodyne nor trite.

Good call, that's gone on the list. Thanks.

Gary,

Consider it a trade, how about a recommendation from you in return?

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Gary,

Consider it a trade, how about a recommendation from you in return?

Bruce

Hmmm. I've had a quick scout through your recent(ish) music posts. You've got the immediate recommendations that I'd have gone for (e.g. Damaged, Avalanche, Espers II) that would have paired with the above, so I'm going off a bit leftfield, so bear with me because this will be a bit scattergun...

You like Part. Now Einojuhani Rautavaara is not like Part at all on the surface, but I suspect will push some of the same buttons, i.e. reasonably accessable without being bland. To start off with, try Cantus Arcticus. Getting decent samples of classical music online is a nightmare but this was the best I could do. The Cantus is effectively a concerto for Birds and Orchestra - he went to the Arctic Circle and recorded birds and the orchestra plays a haunting and ethereal backing. It's 19 minutes of bliss in my opinion (but no you're not going to go around humming the tunes). Amazon UK have the Naxos version for just £3.

You like Espers and American New/Wyrd folk. I have two ways to go here...weirder: Stone Breath are one of a guy called Timothy, Revelator's groups. They're a bit of a mournful bunch but the nearest I can come to a pat description is if someone mixed up Nick Cave's genes with those of Sufjan Stevens. On first listen you might want to run and hide underneath the bedclothes but I find their dark wanderings rather captivating after a while.

The other way to go is safer. Jack Rose is the guitarist with post-rock band Pelt, but as a solo artist he's very much in the mold of John Fahey, playing a mixture of blues/folk/raga guitar, either picked or more occasionally bottle-neck. Either Kensington Blues or Two Originals Of... are top drawer. (N.B. if you like this sort of thing I have a few more of that ilk).

Getting straighter, there's Black Mountain, who combine a variety of rock styles in a can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it sort of way (though some Neil Young, Patti Smith and Songs:Ohia will give you some idea). The album is very good. On their Myspace site the bottom two are from the album, but I can't get the first one to work (most of the vocals are male).

Hardly new on the scene, but MIDIval PunditZ may appeal to your world affections - Indian DJs, mixing beats with traditional Indian classical sounds. Their second album is a bit more mellow than the first (both excellent). See also Karsh Kale, Cheb i Sabbah.

And finally. My current find of the last two months which you'll probably cordially hate but I'm going to try it anyway. In The Labyrinth are mostly the work of Peter Lindahl, a Swedish multi-instrumentalist. They're ostensibly Prog but without any of the signature tricky-dicky time changes and pomposity that might normally be associated with the genre. What you get is a load of beautifully layered sounds, mostly influenced from the Middle East or India with the occasional song thrown in. His lyrics are sometimes a bit naff but the overall effect of all three albums is that of having an old friend round for a drink and a chat in the evening - warm, relaxing and without the need to fill every silence with something meaningful. Oh, and what's more, if you buy the CDs from his site (via Paypal) they cost a princely £6.50 including postage. The first album is deleted, but if you buy the seond two he'll send you a CDR of the first (and artwork in an email which I knocked up into a kosher sleeve).

Hope that fits the bill. If I've missed the mark I'm happy to try again!

D'oh.

The Milk And Honey Band are from Brighton. and they're probably the sort of melodic mainstream this thread was originally about before I went off on one.

None of those tracks are on the album Boy From The Moon but Amazon have it at £2.36 and it's all very much like those.

Gary
I'm hugely indebted-and impressed by your background reading.

This is what the forum is for!

I'll offer some 'melodic mainstream' myself-from last year Essex Green: Cannibal Sea is a sparkly little number, kinda Magic Numbers with more indie sensibilities. Mojave 3: Puzzles Like You is more uptempo than some of their previous albums and none the worse for that. I also rate Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous, Jenny Lewis has a voice that will endure (and is pretty good on her 'solo' album Rabbit Fur Coat).

Can I suggest you avoid Willard Grant: Let it Roll, which is a bit of a mess, and Calexico: Garden Ruin is not great either but if you fancy a real variety pack then Yo La Tengo: I'm Not Afraid Of You... etc has much to enjoy. All over the place, but in a nice way.

Bruce

I'll give the Essex Green a whirl and the Rilo Kelly. I'm already a YLT and Mojave 3 fan so you were right there!

I also seem to be one of the few Calexico fans who really rate Garden Ruin. At first I was a bit dismayed by the lack of mariachi, but the quality of song was much better than the previous couple and it's won me over. A bit like Damaged after Aw C'mon, if you know what I mean.

Don't overlook Grand Champeen