Recommended Listening, Or, Songs I Wish I'd Written
Don't we all have them...the songs you hear and think damn that's good, I wish I could have written that...! The list below are those songs for me. As a general rule I like songs that don't have a lot of instrumentation (like just guitar and vocal, or a capella) or instrumental backings that don't do what you expect them to do. I also put a lot of importance on lyrics - if I can relate to a song's lyrics I'll often turn on the stereo or computer just to listen to that one song over and over again. Songs should sound as if they were written by a real person with real emotions; use language that a real person would use; be honest and candid; and of course, catchy1 Hence, the list below. If I remember, I'll even update them occasionally, just for my own interest. :)
P.S. If asked about artists that inspire me I would say Elliott Smith and The Mountain Goats. If I had to pick a whole album as my favourite it would probably be the compilation "Something for Everybody", a Bazmark Inq. production (which of course means the groovy Baz Luhrmann). Trip away indeed...
Music for a lot of these artists can be found on Epitonic, the Live Music Archive, or Amazon's free music.
Read indie music blogs! It's good karma. :)
Alanis Morissette - Hands Clean
Amiel - Lovesong (no not the radio edit!)
Amy Sky - I Will Take Care Of You
Ani DiFranco - Studying Stones
Belle and Sebastian - Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It
Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper
Blur - Theme From an Imaginary Film
Bon Jovi - Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Bright Eyes - Lover I Don't Have to Love
Catatonia - Don't Need the Sunshine
Crooked Fingers - Call to Love
DAAS - Sailors Arms ;)
The Dawn Collective - Affirmation
Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body
The Decemberists - Engine Driver
The Dresden Dolls - Girl Anachronism
Dido - Here With Me
Ed Harcourt - Born in the 70s
Elliott Smith - I Better Be Quiet Now
Epicure - Tightrope Walker
Eve 6 - Promise
Fool's Garden - Lemon Tree
Findlay Brown - Don't You Know
Frente! - Bizarre Love Triangle
Gary Jules - Mad World
Graham Coxon - You're So Great
Hunters and Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
iOTA - Pockets
Iris DeMent - Our Town
James - Just Like Fred Astaire
John Vanderslice - Exodus Damage
Jonathan Rundman - Librarian
Kite Flying Society - Shipwrecks
Leah Andreone - It's Alright, It's OK
Lior - This Old Love
Love, Execution Style - Kitty Kitty
M. Ward - Carolina
Marcy Playground - Vampires of New York
Michael Penn - Walter Reed
Mike Doughty - American Car
Mount Sims - Rational Behavior
Mountain Goats - Source Decay
Nathan Asher and the Infantry - Sex Without Love
Nellie McKay - David
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand
Oasis - Live Forever
Pico - Hurt
Paper Chase - Said the Spider to the Fly
Placebo - Every You Every Me
The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Tonight
Prince - When Doves Cry
Reindeer Section - Will You Please Be There For Me
Rhubarb - Light On Your Shoulder
Ross McLennan - Gifts for the Kids
Sarah Harmer - Basement Apartment
Sarah MacLachlan - Angel
Shawn Colvin - Get Out Of This House
Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore
Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage
Sweet Honey in the Rock - Ella's Song
Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl
The Watchmen - Stereo
Wax Audio - Imagine This
The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
Willow Willow - Blood & Gold
Vic Chestnutt - What Do You Mean?