Modern music question

[eleneariel]

I have a question for those who are more knowledgable than I. All I know about most modern music acts (pop/rock) are what I hear on the radio. I'm thinking about getting some CDs off of half.com (anyone have experience buying used CDs from them? Good? Bad?). I like bands like Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, Train...anybody care to comment on these and others like them, in regards to what are their best CDs, etc?

ransomedsea, I'm thinking you could help me. =)

Comments

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

Is this a personality change? :-O

This is my favorite Maroon 5 CD, hands down: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006879E/qid=1138226653/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5815748-5600936?n=507846&s=music&v=glance

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Is this a personality change? :-O

Um, no. Why, did I shock you? *grin*

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I can recover!

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to have rattled your nerves so badly. *snorkle*

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Ha! That's just the CD I was thinking about getting, too. *orders it*

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

I tell you to buy something. You do. I tell you to buy another something. You do. I tell you, you're an easy customer! ;-)

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I just trust your judgement and taste. =)

Anything else I should be buying, while I'm at it? New car? House in Nampa? A private jet?

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

A house in Nampa would be cheaper than a private jet, and I'd get to see you more often if you had a house, so yes, a house! Trust my judgement and taste for what kind of house...? I could put down a down payment for you if you just hand over the cash...

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Music Update, Melinda: I got Songs About Jane in the mail a couple days ago, and I am very pleased. Thanks for helping! There's not any songs that I dislike, and quite a few that are fast becoming favorites.

Which songs do you particularly like?

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

Oh good! :-)

"She Will Be Loved" and "Round Here" are my favorites. Those are the songs that got my interested in Maroon 5.

There is one song I don't like of Maroon 5's because it's rather explicit, and I think it has some strong language in it too. It's not on that CD though (and I can't remember the title at the moment).

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Besides "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved" (which I already knew and liked from the radio), what's caught my attention most on this album is "Harder to Breathe". Good stuff.

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

Ignore what I said about "Round Here." That song belongs to Counting Crows (a band I like even better than Maroon 5). ::smacks forehead::

"Harder to Breathe" feels like an asthma attack to me. ;-) It does have a good sound, though.

Have you listened to the lyrics? It's better not to. I just did, and I discovered a word I'd rather not hear. Ha.

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I have read through them (from the CD booklet) but I honestly can't understand much of what they say in the songs except in 'She Will Be Loved.' Must be something about their voices or something.

[melyndie.livejournal.com]

They purposely misspell the word in "Harder to Breathe" so they seem more innocent than they are. ;-)

And I agree. I can't understand what they're saying right off either.

[ransomedsea.livejournal.com]

Haha, me?

Let's see here. What about The Wallflowers? They'd be sorta similar. Their first CD, Bringing Down the Horse, really is pretty good. Good ol' 90s radio music. If I go down the more "folksy" road, you could end up with The Jayhawks (they have an album called Smile that is rather good). Big Star, R.E.M. for more classics. Uh... Wilco? Early Wilco; the later stuff gets electronic. I don't know if you like that. Semisonic is also along that line of Train and the rest. They have an album called Feeling Strangely Fine that is good. The Lightning Seeds' album Dizzying Heights is good, but maybe a bit of a stretch. It's more Beatles-esque.

I'm gonna stop myself. :P

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd have plenty of suggestions! *writes them down*

[ransomedsea.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. ;)

If you want more.... I'm holding back, here; I really am. :P

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Keep going, by all means! I'll make a little list for future reference. You seem to have most of the same tastes I do, so I'm sure I'd love whatever you suggest. I'm not that picky about music, really.

[ransomedsea.livejournal.com]

Ironically, I'm off to my Jazz class right now. When I return, I shall bring with me a list!

Do you like twee pop? Meaning folksy-pop with a bit of a summery vibe to it?

I better go if I intend to grab a bite before class.

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Mmm...I don't know! Generally I more rock things like Bulevard of Broken Dreams, but then again, there's not much I don't like besides heavy metal, rap, and hip-hop. But suggest away, I can listen to clips on Amazon.com and see whether I like it or not.

[ransomedsea.livejournal.com]

List, as promised, attempting to pander to your tastes.

Collective Soul - "Dosage"
Crowded House - "Recurring Dream: The Very Best..."
Jars of Clay - "If I Left the Zoo"
Vertical Horizon - "Everything You Want"

Possible addition:
Fastball - "Harsh Light of Day" (get the limted edition with bonus tracks)

I think these are most like the bands you listed. Some are directly compared to such as Matchbox Twenty and The Wallflowers, whom I listed before, or some closely-related line from one band to the next and back again. Most of them are 90s bands that fizzled out when the 00s came along. But they're good, nonetheless. They always give me that lovely nostalgic feeling, too.

Hope you find something you like out of these. :)

[aftondays.livejournal.com]

I buy and sell CDs at Half.com and so far my experiences have been great. Of course, since it's made up of individual sellers, you could get a dud, but their seller-rating system is pretty good. It's unlikely that you'd be disappointed.