I kid you not, I'm sitting here in my home office looking at my music collection -- and I'm currently at around 4300 CDs and 600-650 vinyl (mainly 7"s). I honestly lost interesting in counting and cataloguing, whereas as my interest in buying and trading has spiked over the last few years. Yeah, I'm one of those chicks who goes to the indie record stores in every city I visit and subsequently buries herself in the stacks for hours at a time. I now own more music than I can possibly listen and replay *again* within the normal time parameters of my lifetime. Hopefully, retirement 40 years down the road will allow me to catch up on my listening.
I primarily collect music from the independent labels, underground rock/punk/indie, experimental/art noise merchantry, and what have you. As a result, most of mymusic is from '76 to today, with the heavy portion of it from '87 onwards. I'm fortunate to have the full collection of the
Back to the Grave compilations by Tim Warren of Crypt Records. Whose 120+ songs over 6 CD's gives proof positive that in the late 50' and early 60's, proto-punk was being played in the garages of midwestern USA by some of the nastiest, anarchist, hoods this side of the Rio Grande. Funny to hear a rabid, high-tempo guitar rock song being played from 1958 by a nobody neighborhood band laced with the "F" word and a resulting guitar smash against an amp at the end of the song. Think punk started in '76? Think again! And of course, don't forget the Sonics, the Stooges, & the MC5.
In addition, I'm in 2 all-girl bands right now. My fave is my newest one. Me = Git & Vox, Annie = Trap Kit. It's a mash of mississippi river delta blues, trash punk, and noise exploration. Canyons of distortion, tons of feedback, super-wet reverb, and massively-echoing delay on my guitar. So we actually get the full sound of a 3 or 4 person band. Like a hybrid of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Bardo Pond, Mr. Airplane Man, & 50 Tons of Black Terror. We're working with In The Red Records to put out a 7" - hopefully in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year.
My other band is a trio. No axe, but 2 electric bass guitars (I'm one, but I sing backup) and one of the most powerful drummers I've ever played with. Yeah, a wiry Japanese girl with the longest, most sinewy arms I've ever seen. And she totally PUNISHES her kit. Boundless energy as well - I'm jealous! Anyway, we play an angular, skeletal form of Art Rock ala the Gang of Four, Pere Ubu, & Fugazi. It's hella loud and very danceable. I think we still suck, but Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth!) dropped by one of our shows and talked to us afterwards - she liked us! Said we had a lot of potential, so that's encouraging.
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I'll throw some stuff out later today that I am currently listening to at home and at work.
As far as the rest of you goes, well .. I love reading other people's music lists. Even if most of it is not to my liking, I love seeing everyone's passion for sonic delights.
Wrenfield's "Good Ear" Award goes to:
Josh Kablack!
Kudos to you for finding really fantastic music that's not readily accessible or is consider "challenged listening". As evidenced by your like for Nick Cave, Sergei Gainsbourg, the Fall (Mark E. Smith is the Drunken BOMB!), New Model Army, & Sonic Youth. Hell, I even got MDM's "Give It A Name". Although I think they sound too much like the New Bomb Turks ... whom I prefer.