French for Grapefruit

It’s Wednesday, it’s late, the finale of Lost was disappointing and my beloved Maple Leafs lost to the hated Senators by a score of 4-1/ What does all this mean? It means you getting a shortened list of 5 bands and some albums they wrote that I like and think you should listen to. It also means there is an October Daily Update archive page available but so far there is only one entry (yesterdays) in there. There will be more. Oh yes, there will be more.

The Beatles
Yeah, everyone’s heard of The Beatles. Hell, they’re bigger then Jesus, or at least they were. I’ve been listening to the Fab Four since I was a foetus. I’m pretty sure that I could say all of their names before I could speak whole sentences. I can sing most of their albums front to back. They are one of the few bands that write songs that can make me cry. This band has been with me so long that they are pretty much a part of who I am. Seriously, I’ve been referred to as “Chris, who likes the Beatles” more than once. If I’m asked to compile a top five desert island albums list I have a hard time including an album that isn’t written by The Beatles, because they wrote so many songs I cannot go more than a month without hearing. For album recommendations you should just listen to everything they ever wrote, in chronological order.

The Meligrove Band
Who are they? They’re four dudes from the Greater Toronto Area that kick some ass, that’s who they are. I got to meet them when they were a three-piece way back in 2001. I was a student at Centennial College and for a class we had to produce a music video, and my group was lucky enough to get these dudes. While their song was great our video was not. They are really cool guys who also write really cool music. I’m no good at analogies like “X band sounds like a cross between Y and Z if the bass player of Y actually knew how to play and the lead singer of Z wasn’t dead”, and besides, it would do no good. To be sure, they have a sound that has influence, but trying to class it is pointless. It’s simply good. I am recommending that you take a listen to their second album on Ductape records called Let it Grow. It was released several years back, just a little after I met them. From track one through to the end it’s a very solid album and a big surprise for a second album. I find a lot of bands try way to hard on their second album, but the Meligroves seemed to have tried just the right amount. Their playing is better, their song writing is better, their musicianship is better then it was on their first, self-titled, album (which I also love). Although I have yet to hear it and it’s been out forever their third album is getting some very high praise as well. Check them out and you won’t regret it.

Ben Folds Five
Piano, fuzz bass, tight drumming and insightful lyrics make this band a must listen. They can rick, they can balladeer, they can jazz you up and funk you down. They are great musicians individually and together they found this sound that just worked. They were also, from what I’ve seen in footage, so tight when playing live you could bounce a penny off of their concerts ass.

You know what I mean.

It’s just to bad they broke up. Anyhow, I really like this band, so you should too. For recommended albums I suggest any of their four commercial releases. Their self-titled debut is wonderful and their sophomore release Whatever and Ever Amen is very similar in sound and tone. Naked Baby Photo’s is a decent collection of B-Sides and The Autobiography of Reinhold Messner was their musical growth album. I loved it, fans loved it, critics hated it and it led to the bands demise (I think). You’ll love this band unless you’re a snob, a jerk or Baguette. But I love her so its ok. The rest of you who don’t like them aren’t smart.

So, what are we at here, three? Okay, it’s 12:14 so I’m going to do this quick.

Blind Melon
I like them, a lot. Their first two albums are solid efforts and much different sounding then what was coming out at the time. Their third album was also pretty good considering it was released after lead singer Shannon Hoon’s death. I initially became a fan because of Shannon Hoon. His lyrics and voice just drew me in, and to this day I swear he’s a male Janis Joplin. But once I got into the band I really got into it. Their drummer, Glenn Graham, has such a natural and organic flow to his drumming that it flows outward, surrounding the band and allowing them a smooth rhythm to play over. I’ve always thought they were underrated in their time and that they continue to be to this day. The only song of their that I’d actually consider skipping is No Rain, and that is more from over exposure then it being a bad song. For your money’s worth I’ll suggest either their self-titled debut or their sophomore release Soup, although their debut is a little more accessible Soup contains the track Skinned, which features a kazoo, which makes it a toss up for me.

The Cure
The Cure are a leftover from my depresso, almost Goth but not quite teenage years. So who do I hang on? Well, they’ve never sucked, not for a single album. Even though they aren’t at the top of the charts, and Robert Smith looks like he swallowed a dirigible, their music is as good as ever. But whether Smith is writing depression-inducing dirges or upbeat and happy pop masterpieces I’m always going to love this band. For albums check out one of the several greatest hits collections they’ve released over the years, of which there are quite a few. Otherwise you should check out Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers, which are a trilogy of albums that sum up The Cure pretty darn well.

That’s it for tonight. Tomorrow you’ll probably get a list of books or some stupid thing. Maybe to add some variety I’ll recommend a different number.

Nah, if the Internet isn’t even reading this site why do I need to reward it? Even though the question was rhetorical let me answer it. I don’t. But I will, because I’m like that.

Later Skaters
~Pamplemousse~