Recommendations

[videoheadcleaner]

Noticing my lack of American albums in my top 50 and a personal drive to broaden my music taste, I created this thread for all to recommend their favourites and top picks for others. It doesn't have to be directed at anyone. Just a place to share music knowledge.

Now for my first recommendations:

For those who are unsure what ARIA is, it is the Australian Recording Industry Association. And last night, the award ceremony was held. For me, the awards are lacklustre as I am not the pop-orientated FM listener. But so you can brush up and if you want to listen to some current Aussie music, here is the good selection from last night.

2009 ARIA Awards Winners

Album of the Year
Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream ~ Empire Of The Sun formed from Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson) and Nick Littlemore (PNAU) and is probably tagged as a synthpop band. The album has good moments but personally not up there in my favourite Aussie albums.

Breakthrough Artist Album
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke ~ This is an interesting one because Ladyhawke is actually a New Zealander. But the album is engrained in the 80s new wave revival and she is heavily influenced by bands like ELO.

Best Female Artist
Sarah Blasko - As Day Follows Night ~ My favourite female and one of my favourites of the year. Co-produced by Bjorn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn And John), the album is beautiful and minimalistic in parts. A mature record and highly recommended.

Best Urban Release
Hilltop Hoods - State of the Art ~ These guys are from my home town and are highly regarded after several previous releases. If you want some good hip hop from Aus, this is a good place to start.

Best Dance Release
The Presets - Talk Like That ~ The track is from Apocalypso, which won album of the year last year. The track can easily get stuck in your head but I recommend the whole album. Tracks like This Boy's In Love and Yippiyo-Ay are my personal favourites.

Best Independent Release
Bertie Blackman - Secrets and Lies ~ Another favourite of this year and Bertie is great live. Her earlier albums were more acoustic and Bertie decided that this one would be more electronic-based. May have alienated some, but is a great album to listen the whole way through.

[cartoken]

'k, sounds good. as my knowledge of australian music isn't that great .... but where is CUT COPY ? looks like the ARIA prefered an MGMT's COPY.

[videoheadcleaner]

Ah yes, Cut Copy. They were nominated last year but the Presets just blew everyone away.

Empire Of The Sun has been more successful internationally than Cut Copy and EOTS are a bit of the flavour of the month band.

However, looking at wikipedia, EOTS has been in the top 100 of 11 countries with their album and 15 with their singles.

[Mr. Shankly]

I only like to make recommendations based on one what someone else already likes, so Harkan, these are American band recommendations for you based on what you have listed on your chart:

The Pixies
Sonic Youth
R.E.M. ('83-'89)
The Talking Heads
Note: All of the above are Radiohead influences

The Flaming Lips--The Soft Bulletin and any of their 90's noisy guitar stuff)
Television--Marquee Moon
Modest Mouse
Built to Spill--Perfect from Now On
Guided by Voices--start with their best of: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates
The Shins
Yo La Tengo--I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Wilco--Summer Teeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The National
The Decemberists
Death Cab for Cutie
Neutral Milk Hotel--In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

[purple]

I second everything from the above post (there's a moan ripped straight from Talking Heads' Fear of Music on Hail to the Thief).

And since I know you like 00s music, may I also suggest
Joy Division-Closer
Joy Division-Unkown Pleasures
Public Image Ltd.-Metal Box (Second Edition)
Wire-Chairs Missing
Wire-154
(none of these are American, but you can't listen to 00s music and not see the similarities)

[purple]

Oh, and from American music
Pavement-Slanted and Enchanted
Pavement-Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

[Charicature]

Grant-Lee Phillips (and his former band, Grant Lee Buffalo)
Better Than Ezra
The Black Crowes (my preference is their first two albums)
Matthew Sweet (Girlfriend and Altered Beast highly recommended for older albums, and Kimi-Ga-Suki is the only one of his more recent ones I'd recommend)
The Verve Pipe
Belly
Urge Overkill
Bad Religion
Green Day
The Cars
_________________
<(: @ >

[videoheadcleaner]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. Got some Talking Heads, Flaming Lips and Joy Division.

Will start with Pixies, Better Than Ezra and Pavement.