~ tinariwen plays the same style of sounds as ali farka toure. these are the real deal, true rebel nomads from the edge of the sahara desert in mali. they sing about oppression, revolution, and hopes of freedom. although in their native tongue, the power and passion they use to portray their message is quite clear. not your typical african music: these guys produce electric, hypnotic sounds from deep within the center of the universe.
~ yo la tengo is what most bands want to be. it's what most people want to hear. it is quite likely the best band in my collection. i like that they have only become popular with people who understand what it is all about. this music is intelligent, rocking at times, dreamy most of the time, and always a pleasure.
~ i'm proud to know i was in to calexico before their recent rise to alt-stardom...but what does that really matter? they are an excellent band. i'm actually glad to see their music being recognized as it should. it's the type of music that noone can not like. hipsters, music snobs, my mother, my sister, everybody. every song just flows off the c.d. and hearing it, at once you feel like you just might have found the ultimate band.
~ syd barrett is like no one else. now a sad acid casualty of the 60's scene, his music was madcap genious and no one can deny that. his music is often referred to as psychedelic, but when i listen to it i hear so much sadness in a way beyond words. i have never heard anything like it. when i listen to his music, i don't feel like i'm trying to recreate the 60's.... i just feel. there's much more to this music than that.
~ when i first heard modest mouse, i perked up and said, "yes". this was different. they produce emotions that can't be described, and in a really creative way. i always equate their music to integral calculus: it's the answer, and you know it's true. you just can't really understand what it is answering. i like that a lot.
~ soft machine is one of my all-time favorite bands. they make me really wish i would have grown up in an earlier decade, and in europe. they are all true poets and artists, not pretentious or unnecessarily hippy. true to the dada form of the canterbury scene they helped create, their music was an exploration into mysteries, realities, and wonder. their style was was a new jazz- fillling in the void that average jazz left untouched. i'm still searching for a modern sound like theirs.