What's your most recent musical "discovery?"

[kitsunebi]

This isn't a "who's the coolest?" contest.  A lot of us here are past the age when we're hip to all the latest musical trends.  I don't care if you'd never even heard of Adele/Drake/Beyonce/whoever is currently at the top of the charts until just recently but think they're pretty neat, or if you'd never actually listened to a tune by the Beatles until the other day but now you can't get enough of them.  Your pick can be popular or obscure, recent or classic.  I just want to know - what singer/group did you recently discover for yourself that you're really into right now?  As a bonus, I'd like to hear what led you to your discovery - recommendation from a friend, heard it on the radio, coincidentally caught their live show, etc.

For me, it's a band called Nerd Magnet.  I used to try to stay abreast Japanese rock music, but finding the good stuff amidst all the drek became too tedious and I pretty much gave up on the entire scene.  Recently, a Japanese cover album of Motion City Soundtrack songs was released (MCS was one of my favorite bands), and the Nerd Magnet cover stood out to me.  One quick trip to Youtube and I soon after bought their entire catalog of music. 

This is a really fun video, btw.  See if you can guess all the famous album covers without peeking at the real ones in the background.

 

[Areala]

So I've still not seen the Ghostbusters 2016 reboot, but a couple of weeks ago we put the soundtrack in the stereo at work and I absolutely fell in love with one of the tracks on it. This is "wHo" by Zayn Malik.

I've listened to some of his other songs, and they just don't strike anything with me. But this? This was beautiful. It makes me want to see the movie just to find out what scene it was used in.

*huggles*
Areala

[Areala]

Also, not a recent discovery, but one I keep coming back to is Hannah Trigwell. She does original music, covers of popular songs, guest-appearances with other bands...her voice is absolutely stunning. This is her cover of "The Scientist" by Coldplay with Boyce Avenue which, I'm not going to lie, I like WAY more than the original:

And here's Hannah & Boyce Avenue again with "Let Her Go", which is a trainwreck of a song when performed by Passenger, but absolutely nailed by them on this cover:

*huggles*
Areala

[twiztor]

Happened across this band called "Gun".  If you're looking for super early heavy metal, this. is. it.
can't believe these guys don't get talked about more, as their whole self-titled debut album (from 1968) is awesome.

This is a live performance from 1969. seriously, this predates Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. 

 

[Areala]

On 5/28/2017 at 5:56 AM, kitsunebi77 said:

This is a really fun video, btw.  See if you can guess all the famous album covers without peeking at the real ones in the background.

I got about 75% of them! I was so proud of myself, since I don't usually do very well with guessing album cover tributes. But many of those records (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Nirvana, Matthew Sweet, etc...) came out when I was a teenager, so that helped.

*huggles*
Areala

[kitsunebi]

For anyone who is wondering, the album covers recreated in the Nerd Magnet video above are:

1.  The Jam - In the City
2. The Who - Who's Next
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. Manic Street Preachers - Generation Terrorists
5. Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind
6. Queen - Queen II
7. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
8. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
9. Nirvana - Nevermind
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
11. Weezer - Weezer (the blue album)

[Areala]

YAY! I got The Who, The Clash, Dinosaur Jr., Queen, Matthew Sweet, Nirvana, RHCP, and Weezer! 8/11, totally fun, would play again.

*huggles*
Areala

[Data]

A few years ago I got interested in Underground Hip Hop.  I put together a list of some of my favorites which never get played in mainstream.

 

Akil the MC - One 4 the Money

Akil is a member of Jurassic 5 but he made this solo single.  Only thing I don't like is the camera sound censoring the dirty language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGKs7lBhCxE

Too Short - I'm a Player

One of the founders of west coast rap, this is another of his good songs about pimping, drug use and promiscuity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVfNmtovxrI

The Game - Bang Along

This is a wonderful throwback of everything which made the 80's great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1fenZrAFrs

K-os - Flypaper

Canadian performer releasing fantastic music but mostly gets ignored outside Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jqNakmpAYM

DJ Jazzy Jeff - Know Ur Hood

Jeff had the musical abilities and Will Smith had the on camera charisma.  This one shows off Jeff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GREXL0e_Wa0

Group Home - Livin' Proof

Listen to this if your OG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI264qcI2lo

Dizzy Wright - Killem Wit Kindness

More of a 21st century evolution of new age hip hop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMVfAAynx-M

Snak the Ripper - Forgotten

5 star rap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwRtm8tzwwY

Action Bronson - Imported Goods

5 star rap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKpd2Bua3Ug

Nutso - Str8 Talk

Gangsta beat with tight raps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKh0TMaa0sc

Crazeology - Microphone Masters

Monster base line bought from an unknown talent in Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcrwiPiH8jU

Crazeology - 365

5 star rap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4RiV98uabY

The Four Owls - Life in the Balance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCCc1vPFFo

Dillon Cooper - State of Elevation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqz4_sSaAk

Brothers of the Stone - Meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad9vhBTWeE8

Champ MC - Keep Shit on the Real

Old school girl owning this video.  No one can explain the Calgary Flames Jersey she prominently wears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge9xwGPlDsI

Mic Geronimo - It's Real

Sad that these guys couldn't afford better recording equipment for this single although the emotion and honesty makes up for a little loss in fidelity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsji8QJDXho

 

[vice350z]

 

 

I love finding a new song and loving it! Nothing lately but here's some tracks that I either heard on a tv show/movie or happen to hear on a youtube video or something.

FOund it looking for an aquarium video

 

heard it during a funeral scene in Sons of Anarchy

 

heard it at the end of an Eastbound and Down episode

 

[te72]

The way they put music to TV scenes these days is quite a powerful thing. I recall an episode of Sons of Anarchy where a song by Straylight Run is played on their way to a brawl, and it just made that song (by a band I was a huge fan of when they were still making music), even better.

 

Kitsunebi - Loved the video, that was a lot of fun. Even if I don't understand the language, it was still a fun song. About the only J-rock band I'd be able to recognize would be MOVE, they did a lot of the opening / endings of Initial D. Have heard a handful of other J-rock bands that I liked, but couldn't recall (or recognize, if they weren't in Romanji) the names of the band.

 

Twiztor, I dig it man, good find! I wonder where Gun originated from? I always found it interesting how music sprouts and flourishes, especially before the advent and influence of the internet.

 

As for my recent, I err... can't say I have anything. We kinda live in a hole where new culture is hard to come by and I don't really go out of my way to find new music like I did when I was younger. However, I did just recently buy my first vinyl! I would have inherited a bunch of them from mom, had they not been stored in the garage... in Phoenix. Oops. Turns out, vinyl melts when the ambient temps are upwards of 140, 150 degrees in a garage down there.

 

Anyway, the album I bought was Broadcasting to the Nations, by Authority Zero. Highly recommend those guys. About the only way I can describe them is if The Offspring and Sublime had a jam session that had some great mexican food beforehand...

[Data]

On 6/28/2017 at 5:33 PM, vice350z said:

I love finding a new song and loving it! Nothing lately but here's some tracks that I either heard on a tv show/movie or happen to hear on a youtube video or something.

FOund it looking for an aquarium video

 

heard it during a funeral scene in Sons of Anarchy

 

On 7/5/2017 at 9:34 PM, te72 said:

The way they put music to TV scenes these days is quite a powerful thing. I recall an episode of Sons of Anarchy where a song by Straylight Run is played on their way to a brawl, and it just made that song (by a band I was a huge fan of when they were still making music), even better.

 

When a song plays during a show or movie or something and you go looking for you're cell phone to I.D. it or write down the lyrics before you forget and then spend an hour searching google, you know you're under the age 45.  I could be strung out on the couch watching a movie and if a song triggers me I will do a push up out of my coma and either start typing onto a notepad, google or pen and paper.  This is how I find half the songs I never would have heard otherwise.  The other "half" may be random people on the internet that talk about something and I wind up liking it.

Like the other day I was reading about WWE and somebody mentioned rapper Lil Yachty wanted to appear on WWE and others laughed and said they hoped he gets power bombed off a bridge.  I listened to a couple tapes and found out why.

This video is why they wanted to power bomb him.

After I skipped through two albums I played them again while I was driving on a hot sunny day and I enjoyed listening to this.

I listen to stuff very different to this type of stuff but I appreciated this because it is like looking at someone when they don't know any one is watching.  Natural habitat.

 

I also remember watching Sopranos when it was in syndication season 3 episode 6 University.  Crew Chief Ralph Cifaretto was dating this girl Tracee who worked at the Bada Bing.  He treated her badly and when she fought back the rest of the family laughed so Ralph abused her until eventually he beat her to death.  Tony and his friends found her dead body after Ralph beat her head so bad she died.  It is not easy to kill a family member but Tony ended up beating up Ralph and letting him live, for now.  Disgusted at what Ralph did to this poor girl, they still had to go to bed tonight knowing that Ralph is a made man and so the credits roll with Tony trying to cope with the events of tonight.  The credits roll at the end with British band the Kinks with Living on a Thin Line.  Sopranos fans have already put together montages of this song with Sopranos because Sopranos popularized it with me and many others.

 

[Data]

I have been using virtual DJ since 2005.  Day One Ish!  In 2011 Virtual DJ version 7 was in it's prime and by 2013 the final updates were coming to an end.  A new option to drag a song in real time onto the programs's playlist which is labeled as Genius DJ,  searched the song's parameters against that of paid users and other so called DJ's and created a list of song that these users either played directly after or shortly after.

 Version 7 pretty much ended in 2011 when 8 came out.  Version 8 had the finger on the impulse of earth's Virtual DJ paid users.  I continue to find great music from current last decade pop dance radio stuff as well as even much older stuff from random different sounding localities.

I thought the video of this song showed artistic expression.  Who knows? Maybe he was a lunatic but the penciling was crazy.

 

[Terry93D]

John Robert Matz. This man is a fantastically talented composer - he did Fossil Echo and Rodina and a bunch of other scores and they're all absolutely fantastic. Fossil Echo in particular really got his name out there, I think, and he's currently working on four-five different scores. I can't wait to hear them.