EventsAlternative 4 | Anathema
This is an album I’ve had for a week now. I had listened to it several times in the background while working, cooking dinner, or being preoccupied in some other way and I could tell it had potential. This weekend I finally gave it a dedicated listen with a respectable volume and 100% of my attention and I was really blown away.
Live at the Fillmore | Dredg
I’ve learned something over the past few months. It’s hard work searching for new good bands on your own. You can spend hours upon hours poking through various websites or music services and not find something you’d even consider stealing. Of course, I’ve had a few success stories starting out just like that. But doesn’t feel great when your friends do the work for you? Hopefully that’s us in your case… but Nirav and I actually have friends too.
Escape/Restart | Radius System
I came across Radius System only a few months ago. Their album caught my eye again today, I listened to it twice, and got the inspiration to spread the good news. As I do for all my posts, I check out the band’s website and do a little bit of research… but poignant only vaguely describes the feeling I get when I remember that making great music isn’t enough to keep the dream alive. As of August 27th, 2008, Radius system announced the project is over. They’re offering their album as a free download… get it while you still can!
Grace | Jeff Buckley
I know I’ve mentioned Jeff Buckley before in my Strongest Voices in Rock post, but his voice was just too phenomenal to actually think his music deserved just a passing mention. Sometimes he played alternative, straight-up rock, blues, or even folk. But what remained constant throughout was his amazing voice.
Flies the Fields | Shipping News
Occasionally I come across a band with a sound I can’t quite put my fingers on. Shipping News has some elements of indie-rock and some sort of mellow grunge. But neither genre does them justice. This band is all about tension and a simple sound to get across a theme.
Blackbird | Alter Bridge
I realize this post may put my credibility on the line, but just hear me out. Against popular opinion, I used to really like Creed. I thought their first album provided a fresh look at the grunge genre and was really good all the way through… I even liked the second album. Then it became quite apparent Scott Stapp was… well, we all know what I’d like to call him. Then I saw a single ray of hope… Alter Bridge, consisting of all original members sans Scott Stapp. What a wonderful concept.
Seer
I have a habit of trying to ascertain the essence of a band’s sound by mixing sounds well defined by two or three artists. I recently ran into a band with the most peculiar mix bands… Tool, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, and Coldplay. Four completely different sounds merged to form a unique, yet familiar sound.
The Dream | Open Hand
My list of punk/indie bands in my music library is admittedly very short. Perhaps it’s because that sort of music is typically more about the message than the music that comes along with it, but every now and then I come across a band that goes against the grain. Open Hand struck me particularly because of the guitar work and intricate drums, and their singer… actually sings.
Phone Interview | Pilot’s Wish
Our goal at Obnoxious Listeners was simply to provide an easy way for its authors to easily keep each other up to date with new music. The website launched this goal somewhere we hadn’t anticipated… Good music is now finding us!
Finger Eleven
I’ve mentioned Finger Eleven on the site a couple times by now, and it’s about time they got their own post. I was pretty lucky to find these guys as I found them back in my gambling days of buying cheap rock CDs I hadn’t heard of. While I don’t agree with their creative choices for their most recent CD, they still had a few great albums before they turned to complete mainstream. The first album I purchased was The Greyest of Blue Skies (2000), but my favorite is their first release under Finger Eleven, Tip (1997).
