66 replies to this topic

[Paul]

I've been thinking about this idea for a while and wanted to see what everyone else thought of it. How would you like to see some of your favorite artists evolve what they are doing? I think this will work better if you think of how artists can move forward instead of just going back to what made them in the first place. So saying, "Beastie Boys should start rapping about parties and girls again" is kind of the opposite of what I'm looking for. Here are a few that I came up with.

Bruce Springsteen - Even though there is supposedly a new E Street Band album coming out this fall, my dream future for Springsteen is to record with a small rock band. Just guitar, bass, drums. No keyboards, no horns. Darkness on the Edge of Town is probably the closest he has come to the "rock" band sound, but I feel like going with a small band instead of a huge one could refresh how he writes songs, as well as provided a way to reinterpret has back catalogue, similar to how Sting did a few years ago when he did a tour with just a four piece rock band behind him.

Metallica - I'd like to see them try something like hard southern rock. James Hetfield's voice is almost shot in his "metal voice," but he still sounds good when he's actually singing. My favorite Metallica related things in the last 10 years have been "Turn The Page" and "Tuesday's Gone" from Garage Inc. and the song that Hetfield did on the Waylon Jennings tribute album. Trying to speed things up like they did on St. Anger almost seems like a step backwards to me.

Jay-Z - This one is pretty simple. I'd like to see him do a record with live instruments behind him instead of just samples. His Unplugged is probably my favorite release from him mainly due to the energy the Roots bring to the songs. It is still possible to do the sample stuff with a band, but Jay-Z sounds so much more energized and alive when you have live drums behind him.

[HandBanana]

Jay Z should do a new wave Jazzmatazz style project, backed by Split Enz.

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

There are a lot of bands who I think could really benefit from losing their inhibitions entirely and just cranking out a massive, diverse, sprawling, hour-plus mess. Albums like that are usually looked down on as 'unfocused' or 'cluttered' or 'shitty' or 'would have made a good EP', but sometimes you can tell when a band feels constrained by the regular 40-minute formula and needs to just go all out to produce the most interesting possible music. There's inevitably gonna be all kinds of awful crap to be found, but probably some of their best work too, and albums like that are always fun to listen to anyway.

good examples: the White Album, A Sun Came, Sign 'o' the Times, Bee Thousand, etc.

examples of bands who should do this (or should have when they existed): Shudder to Think, Liars, the Melvins (who almost did with Stag), Spoon

[Bleep Blop]

I'd like to see Boards of Canada do what they've talked about a few times w/ MHTRTC and realize a regular version of an album(electronic) and an instrumental version. Or maybe just do a whole album of compositions with instruments. Also want to see a collaboration between Boris and Susumu Yokota. No idea what kind of sound would come of that, but it's one of those things where you know it'd be good.

[54cermak]

It would be interesting if Sea & Cake/Sam Prekop would open up their instrumentation a bit more, include more horns, strings and some looser improvisation. Prekop's first solo album hinted at some strong jazz leanings, the new TSAC has some African high life elements and it would be interesting to see what he'd do if he let those impulses fly a little more freely. It might sound something akin to Astral Weeks.

[falling and laughing]

jack white should get a band of Nashville session men and do a country album. nothing original about that idea, but there it is.

[Agrimorfee]

Have (insert artist name here) write interesting music again.

[Waterloo]

Have (insert artist name here) write interesting music again.

end thread

[Undercooked Sausage]

I want Bruce Willis to travel back in time to the year 1982 and join New Order, and then release the greatest country rock/synth album of all time.

[Pavement Ist Rad]

I want Akron/Family to release an album every week.

[dice]

r.e.m. showtunes

[Pavement Ist Rad]

I want to see Jay Reatard, King Khan, and Mark Sultan all make a million dollars.

[UselessRocker]

Bruce Springsteen - Even though there is supposedly a new E Street Band album coming out this fall, my dream future for Springsteen is to record with a small rock band. Just guitar, bass, drums. No keyboards, no horns. Darkness on the Edge of Town is probably the closest he has come to the "rock" band sound, but I feel like going with a small band instead of a huge one could refresh how he writes songs, as well as provided a way to reinterpret has back catalogue, similar to how Sting did a few years ago when he did a tour with just a four piece rock band behind him.

Jay-Z - This one is pretty simple. I'd like to see him do a record with live instruments behind him instead of just samples. His Unplugged is probably my favorite release from him mainly due to the energy the Roots bring to the songs. It is still possible to do the sample stuff with a band, but Jay-Z sounds so much more energized and alive when you have live drums behind him.

As a huge Bruce fan, I always think about what kind of record I want from him. He's done enough stripped-down stark acoustic stuff now, definitely. The scaled-down rock band is definitely more of a Darkness thing. Plus, I have to admit that it's been long enough now (5 years since The Rising) that a new E Street record with Clarence and tons of glock and keys all over it would be fun again.

The Jay-Z thing is a good idea I guess, but then, he already did it with the Unplugged album.

I'd like to see Beck really change things up. In '00, he said that his next record was going to be a New Wave, post-punk, noise-rock record. This was exciting news. Then his girlfriend dumped him and the Strokes came around. Beck around that time said something like, "Well, I was gonna do this post-punky album, but now everyone's doing it". So I'd still like to see what Beck would do with that type of record because his influences, taste and talent would make it interesting. I'd also like to see him do a Steely Dan-ish, '70s record, though the new Wilco has kind of killed that idea for me.

[kinetic android]

I want to say that Mitchell said this first in another... but I'm not sure, and I don't feel like searching the board to get an accurate citation. Either way, I think it's a brilliant idea... Thom Yorke (and radiohead too I suppose) should try and strip away the sound and do a sparse acoustic record. The video of Thom doing "The Clock" on the Henry Rollins show is a great example of how he's still a gifted musician and performer.

[cerebralcaustic]

I'd like to see the Fiery Furnaces strip the pretentiousness and abrasiveness and make the pop album they are clearly capable of making

[Pavement Ist Rad]

I want to see the Fall make a good album again.

[UselessRocker]

Thom Yorke (and radiohead too I suppose) should try and strip away the sound and do a sparse acoustic record.

I've been saying this (and hoping for this) since Amnesiac. Because it seems that every band gets to that 'what else can we do, let's strip things down and remind everyone that we write great songs/melodies' phase.

[The Good Dr Bill]

Beck doing an entire album in the vein of Ricardo Villalobos's "Cell Phone's Dead" remix would sure be interesting but really, anything besides what he's doing now would be cool with me

[bleach]

i'd like to see prince do the 2 person guitar/drummer band. you know, like the white stripes but with a better drummer.

[The Good Dr Bill]

The Field could do a seriously great 80s covers album