I was just thinking, well, just, not just just, but well, just. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's always trying to find some great new bands and artists - sometimes you succeed (*thinks of all the great bands he discovered this year*), sometimes not. In any case, I personally love looking for new stuff, and I love getting recommendations as well - since when one searches him- or herself, he or she often doesn't stray far away from what he or she generally likes already. That applies/applied for me as well (not as much any longer, but still quite a bit I think - a habit hard to shake). Therefore, this thread.
What to do? Recommend three albums you love we should all listen to. I'm sure everyone has a couple of albums he or she loves to death - so, by all means, tell us about them! It'd be particularly nice to see some of the more unknown bands and artists to pop up here, but of course you could recommend Hikki, BoA, or even Ayu as well!
Without further ado, here's my three recommendations to begin with!
Envy - All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead (Japan)
2003
Envy is a Japanese band that brilliantly blends post-rock, emo, screamo, and hardcore - absolutely astonishing! Everything about this band is intense, from the guitarwork and the rhythm-section to the vocals and the melodies. If I had to describe Envy in three words, those words would be 'intense', 'emotional', and 'genius'. Recommended to those who can appreciate it.
Why I chose this album: Envy is one of the most brilliant bands ever to have roamed this planet. I personally find that their music represents sheer emotion - so incredibly touching and intense.
Envy - A cage it falls into (8.5 Mb)
Explosions In The Sky - Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever (USA)
2003
Explosions In The Sky hail from Austin, Texas. Their music is probably the best sonical representation of Texas you'll ever hear - dusty, yet vibrant, moody, yet romantic, and at all times, alive. Their instrumental songs do never get boring (mind, the song I uploaded has some whispering but no actual vocals) - it's always real, it's always something that sounds familiar, like life, like love - Explosions In The Sky are nothing short of brilliance.
Why I chose this album: Explosions In The Sky know what life is - whenever I hear their music, I realise how beautiful life is again.
Explosions In The Sky - Have you passed through this night? (6.7M)
Mono - Walking Cloud And Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered And The Sun Shined
2004 (Japan)
Mono consists of three guys and a girl, and their music is somewhat comparable to that of Explosions In The Sky. However, Mono has a somewhat different instrumentation - on this particular album they even lean towards classical music at moments. Their songs are long, but beautiful to say the least. An absolute masterpiece.
Why I chose this album: Somewhat similar to reasons I mentioned for Explosions In The Sky and Envy - this is what life is.
Mono - Lost snow (20.9 Mb)