Music Recommendations

Does anyone have any recommendations for unsubtle 80's rock? Songs with soaring melodies, overblown guitar solos, cheesy chord progressions, that sort of thing. Songs like Just Like Paradise, The Final Countdown, Don't Stop Believin', and Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now. I love this stuff unironically.

How's this?

edited 5th Aug '16 3:17:42 AM by PhysicalStamina

for Count on Us. I never was a fan of I Want To Know What Love Is, too slow and sentimental. Thanks!

Marillion - Kayleigh might also fit the bill, at least once the chorus kicks in.

Thanks, best one yet! I've heard of Marillion, but never checked out their stuff, they're a neo-prog band, aren't they? Definitely seems up my alley, I'll check out more of their stuff.

Anyone know of any really good acoustic covers of pop songs?

So I'm composing a piece that begins as a slow, ominous, threatening piece, almost dirgelike, and then turns into an energetic, almost frenetic creepy waltz. Part of the transition involves the piece going from 4/4 time to 6/8.

But I'm having trouble with the actual transition between the two parts of the song. Everything I've tried just comes across as jarring and abrupt when it actually switches to 6/8.

Does anyone know of a piece that exhibits any of the traits described above? I'd particularly like to examine something that transitions from a slow 4/4 or related time signature to a faster 3/4 or 6/8, but anything that is in the same realm as what I'm doing would be very helpful.

edited 8th Sep '16 8:20:53 PM by SolipSchism

Have you tried incorporating another section between each in a linking time signature (a la "Happiness is a Warm Gun")? I've done something similar with a track of mine that features bridges in 3/4 while the other sections are 4/4. I just used 2/4 to make it flow well. I suggest doing that - testing out different linking melodies and time signatures to see what fits.

That's an idea. I'm vaguely familiar with the song (I know, I know, burn the heretic) but I'll give it a close listen.

More ideas always welcome.

Limelight, by Rush has a large number of natural sounding time signature switches, especially between 4/4 and 3/4. It even manages to put some 7/4 in there as well.

I'll give it a shot.

I gave Happiness is a Warm Gun a listen. So I heard 4/4 and 2/4... but wtf is the one that comes next? 9/8 is my best guess.

But, even though that song was hard to parse, the overall idea of transitioning through a related time signature comes through; 4/4 and 6/8 can both be divided in half, so 2/4 is a natural link between them. (I don't know how 2/4 goes into 9/8, but then again I'm not the Beatles, so, eh.)

My piano teacher recommended Hedwig's Theme and Harry's Wondrous World from Harry Potter, Katniss Afoot from the Hunger Games, Black Rider from Lord of the Rings, Drink Up Me Hearties from Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Main Theme from Corpse Bride.

With the slight caveat of Katniss Afoot, in which I didn't hear any time signature changes so maybe I was listening to the wrong version, the rest of them are fairly straightforward—except most of them just stop before going to the new time signature. Like, a caesura. Which works for them, but I don't think I want to do that. And then of course the Harry Potter songs don't have much of a transition at all, they're just like "Fuck you, I'm a new song now".

But I think I figured out what I'm going to try. I'm going to try inserting a couple of 2/4 transition measures, which might faintly echo the 6/8 measures that are about to start. And it might also help if the 6/8 measures start out somewhat quietly (since the 4/4 section is slow and relatively quiet) instead of diving right into the rapid waltz.

We'll see if it works.

edited 9th Sep '16 2:20:38 PM by SolipSchism

The "I need a fix" part is 22 counts of 3/8 and the "Mother Superior jump the gun" section is 9/8 and 10/8 done three times. In fact, the doo wop section includes some 4/4 polyrhythmic drumming against the 6/8 time.

Wait do you mean 2/4 or 2/2?

edited 9th Sep '16 1:51:22 PM by golgothasArisen

Yeah, I meant 2/4, my mistake. Edited my post accordingly.

edited 9th Sep '16 2:20:54 PM by SolipSchism

I asked in the Metal thread but this is probably a better place. Can anyone recommend more metal with synthwave/chiptune influences like Master Boot Record?

edited 5th Nov '16 6:32:34 PM by PhysicalStamina

Not metal, but I suspect that you would enjoy VNV Nation and Goblin.

Wrong thread, mang.

edited 5th Nov '16 4:49:38 PM by JHM

Anyone knows any good folk albums in the 1980s that fit the criteria below?

• Entirely or mostly original songs (cover songs take up 50% or less of the tracklist)

• The credited artist/s had not released any music before 1975 (so no Joan Baez and Judy Collins albums please)

• Songs can be instrumental, performed with lyrics or both. Lyrics has to be entirely or mostly in English

• Albums with 50% or more folk rock songs not recommended (YMMV on this so this is based on your opinions). But I'm okay if the songs are folk music with elements of other genres such as jazz, country, blues and soul

A good example of this is the Indigo Girls' self-titled album. Are there any other albums like that?

edited 3rd Dec '16 1:37:07 AM by tropeslave

Well, it's more punk rock and folk punk at times, but have you tried out Violent Femmes' debut?

I heard a few Violent Femmes songs but I haven't listened to the entire album yet. Thanks for reminding me of the album.

Does anyone know any kind of country rock tunes, with an emphasis on wild guitar solos and/or pulsating rhythms?

Something in the vein of "Christine's Tune" or close to it.

I can't think of any whole albums like that, but some specific songs:

• Doug Burr: "White Night - Black Light", "I See Satan Fall Like Lightning", "In the Garden".
• Other Desert Cities: ""100 Percent Belief"
• Calexico: "Quattro", "Splitter"

I was already aware of Calexico, but I wasn't aware of the other two. I'll be checking the links. Thank you.

Recently listened through Chelsea Wolfe's Abyss album, and quite enjoyed it. Does anyone know artists/bands that have a similar sound?

Try Soap&Skin, "Lovetune for Vacuum"