Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now
Great new records chosen by J. Edward Keyes, editor-in-chief of eMusic.
Every week, titans of the mediasphere give Hooksexup their music recommendations. This week: J. Edward Keyes, editor-in-chief of eMusic and 17 dots.
1. Yuck, Yuck
At my heart, I'm a hopeless nostalgic, so bands like Yuck really trip my pleasure sensors. There is nothing about this band I dislike: they fuse the raggedness of prime Dinosaur Jr. with the honey-sweet harmonies of Teenage Fanclub. They manage all of this without ever sounding hopelessly retro, or sacrificing their own charming, naive identity. They sound like what they are: kids just out of their teens, making music that sounds like the music they love. The chorus of "Georgia" is Buzz Bin material, boy/girl vocals harmonizing on the heartbreaking conclusion: "Georgia, I'm still in love with you."
Listen: "Georgia"
MP3
2. Yellow Ostrich, The Mistress
We have a program on eMusic called eMusic Selects, where we find an unsigned artist and release their first album exclusively to the site for two months. We've been lucky enough to have had some of our selects bands — Best Coast, Crystal Stilts, Rural Alberta Advantage, and a few more — go on to find great success. Yellow Ostrich is our latest Selects act, and their full-length has been on repeat for weeks. Alex Schaaf loops, stretches, layers, and manipulates his voice throughout these gorgeous, bedroom-tiny songs. It's a masterpiece in miniature.
Listen: "WHALE"
MP3
3. Various Artists, Cartegena! Curro Fuentes & the Big Band Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia, 1962 - 72
There are few better labels putting out records right now than Soundway. All of their compilations are essential — they zero in on a particular genre from a particular region of the world during a particular time period, and assemble compilations that present the cream of the crop. Their chief compiler, Miles Celeret, is like the Indiana Jones of crate-diggers, scouring the globe in search of elusive gems. Their latest comp is dedicated to Cumbia in Colombia from 1962-72 and, shocker, it's great — packed with sizzling rhythms, darting horn charts, and enough rolling bongos to fill the dancefloor at your next fifty BBQs. This one is a must.
Listen: "Arroz Con Coco"
MP3
4. Charles Bradley, No Time for Dreaming
Rumor has it that Bradley was discovered during a gig as a James Brown impersonator in Brooklyn. He brings all of Brown's passion and intensity to the music here — a hazy, note-perfect throwback to '60s R&B that recalls Donny Hathaway at his most heartbroken. Bradley's voice is a thing of wonder. Cracked and pained, it passionately documents both personal and global despair, as the Menahan Street Band — with a sense of rhythm and knack for underplaying that rivals the Funk Brothers — shakes and grooves behind him. If this album had been released in 1969, it would routinely be making All-Time Greatest lists.
Listen: "The Telephone Song"
MP3
5. Inquisition, Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
Any doubts about this Colombian metal band's infernal nature should be extinguished by the film sample that implores, "Lucifer! Punish your enemies!" This is charred, pitch-black music, with split-second riffs that grind and spatter like a drill-press boring into the skull. If this were all velocity, it would get dull pretty quickly but, like the best metal bands, Inquisition know the virtue of a good tempo-change, and the songs stop short and downshift often, and without warning. It's like hurtling down the plummet-end of a roller coaster when someone suddenly throws a log on to the tracks.
Listen: "Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm"
MP3
Commentarium (48 Comments)
Nice for this knob-end to take time out from screwing eMusic members outside the US and Europe (higher fees! less available content! yay!) to show that its possible to be a pretentious tool and a soulless corporate shill at the same time.
it appears the list is
1) starbucks hipster band
2) starbucks hipster band
3) south american congo big band
4) james brown
5) generic metal
this has got to be the worst "must listen" list of all time.
I'm rather certain that Yuck isn't a "starbucks hipster band." Perhaps a Pitchfork hipster band. Anyway, they've got sum gr8 Dino. Jr.-esque songs.
By the way, I'm pretty sure that no one hip or pseudo-hip enough to be considered a hipster goes to Starbucks, unless you're from Iowa or something.
There are plenty of hipsters that go to Starbucks, they just do so 'ironically'.
What's ZW's problem with Iowa anyway? I'm not even from there, but you can tell when someone is about to get touchy about their starbucks hipster bands when they start snubbing midwesterners.
jesus dude, have you ever even been to Iowa? sure we have 9 million starpukes coffee holes, but our hipsters shop local at one of the dozens of locally owned shops... we have paved roads and multi-story buildings too!
I listened to each of these songs. They were all awful.
To love music is to know music is to listen all kind of music. The more kinds of music you know and like it, the more likely you will find great songs everywhere. But if you just like the music you "know", that kind you're familiar with then, don't worry soon you'll be old enough to understand what I'm trying to say. Listen, and know where it comes from, before comment anything, please!!!!
spam
im feelin 3 and 4 good finds
What an eclectic load of crap.
this is a horrible list.
To love music is to know music is to listen all kind of music. The more kinds of music you know and like it, the more likely you will find great songs everywhere. But if you just like the music you "know", that kind you're familiar with then, don't worry soon you'll be old enough to understand what I'm trying to say. Listen, and know where it comes from, before comment anything, please!!!!
only good record on this list is Yuck. all the others blow. is eMusic even still a thing?
the only thing worth a darn is the cumbia and that one is retro. what a bunch of crap.
To love music is to know music is to listen all kind of music. The more kinds of music you know and like it, the more likely you will find great songs everywhere. But if you just like the music you "know", that kind you're familiar with then, don't worry soon you'll be old enough to understand what I'm trying to say. Listen, and know where it comes from, before comment anything, please!!!!
Um.....Yuck is getting rave reviews for their album as we speak. From pretty much every music publication and website. So if you're gonna do some trolling, I suggest doing at least a minimum amount of research. Starbucks hipster band indeed.
Who gives a shit?
music for deaf people.
To love music is to know music is to listen all kind of music. The more kinds of music you know and like it, the more likely you will find great songs everywhere. But if you just like the music you "know", that kind you're familiar with then, don't worry soon you'll be old enough to understand what I'm trying to say. Listen, and know where it comes from, before comment anything, please!!!!
Hmmm, while I don't feel it necessary to critique your current music picks in an inflammatory way - I will say that I respect that you have left the harsher comments up (instead of white-washing/erasing them).
haha, agreed. definitely not a must listen editor i'll be taking seriously in the near future!
early 90's is stoaked
To love music is to know music is to listen all kind of music. The more kinds of music you know and like it, the more likely you will find great songs everywhere. But if you just like the music you "know", that kind you're familiar with then, don't worry soon you'll be old enough to understand what I'm trying to say. Listen, and know where it comes from, before comment anything, please!!!!
Sheesh, give your copy and paste functions a rest.
funny, this was one of my favorites so far. a nice eclectic mix.
Yuck is not bad, but I'd rather just listen to Teenage Fanclub. Although its been said through the ages, and its probably just because I'm getting old, but I feel like everything out there, from satanic metal to indie sound derivative. Sometime I feel like the newer bands - even the ones I like - are tribute bands of older favorites. I wonder - out-loud to myself - is it because music is increasingly about the media and format rather than the art-form. Bands get more press for putting songs on the web than they do for recording a good album. Was it different in the days when hard dollars hard to be shelled out for vinyl? When artists like Coltrane, The Beatles, Zeppelin, Bowie, Lou Reed, etc. came out of speakers like a shotgun blast taking the top of your head clear off. Man, I want to find that in something new - not that you asked.
Migusanc, repeating that same thing over and over again is like trying to shine a set of turds. No matter how many times you say they are gold, the truth is painfully apparent. These bands are mediocre at best and anyone with a proper set of ears knows it.
When you have the phrase "you should" in the title of your article of music recommendations, you're just asking for some nasty commenting.
this is a music editor in chief? fire his boss first
All I had to do is look at the pictures of the bands to know they sucked.
I love music, they should have put some on this list. All I heard was whiny garbage.. If any of them are getting rave reviews, it's because they were paid for..
How can you possibly be an editor-in-chief and select these? Are you trying to go so far off the beaten path that you select obscure garbage? The 1 and 2 hipster bands are the fucking worst, don't you ever assert anyone should listen to such bullshit.
I love all types of music from heavy metal to indie rock and everything in between! I read a lot of blogs and i am continuously on the search for new music. I stumbled across your site and got excited about finding another source to hear about new musical artists but you failed badly. I agree with the comment that said this was the worst 'must listen' list of all time. How much does your job pay i want it,,,,its not that hard!!!!
I thought that Whale song was pretty good.
Agreed.
But that's the only one.
the Inquisition vocals sound just like Zorak from Space Ghost coast to coast!
Golly what a lot of really hip comments. Lost of pans, but not s single better suggestion. Ok, one: "Yuck is not bad, but I'd rather just listen to Teenage Fanclub."
If you think a choice is lame, why not suggest one that is clearly better. In the same vein. If you know any.
It's just music suggestions people. If you don't like it you don't have to be such cunts about it.
Keep up the good work Hooksexup. Nice list Mr. Keyes.
I liked 1, 2 and 4 a lot.
Definitely the most all reaching list I, personally, have seen. I liked it a lot.
Jesus a** f**king Christ for something I "Must" listen to every single one of these was utter garbage! Every person in this comment section that said any of this was good is either a 12 year old retard who lives under a rock, or is such a hipster that they say "I'm such a hipster that I hated hipsters before hating a hipster or even hating people who hate hipsters was cool"
You sir/madam/tranny
Are a f**king moron and I hope you burn in hell for trying to pass this shit off on the masses as "Music"
Being a person that mainly listens to metal, I find some of these songs...decent to say the least... But that shit at the bottom, dear god. I can see why they are not, and never will be, signed.
this list is fucking garbage. i wish stumbleupon had a double-thumbs-down
Uxfayn IMHO you've got the right answer!
v2eF72 Wow! Great thkiinng! JK
DONT FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO LISTEN TOO GODDAMNIT
I love how people limit themselves to what music to listen to in relation to how popular it is to make fun of the crowd that enjoys said music. Open your brains you fools.
Now you say something