Sigur Ros

[hXc]

Alternative: Not mainstream.
To have an alternative, you need an alternative.

Mainstream music is often made, not created. If that makes sense. It's made for money, not for love.

[Usarka]

Heard them on bfm occassionally (www.95bfm.com if you aint in mianus auckland). not too shabby considering cant understand half their stuff.


Im always surprised looking in the "alternative" section in a record shop, it all looks mainstream to me....

[Coyote]

When they get heavier they're not so bad.

The band I'm really into now: Katatonia

[hXc]

Not bad. I was expecting crap vocals, but the guy can sing.
And the contrast between that brutal intro and the light verse is nice. I like it.

[xwhatsit]

Sigur Ros (Said like Ssigur - Ross)

For certain reasons I've hung around a lot of Icelandics, so they got me into Sigur Rós. Amazing how such a tiny nation (300,000-400,000 people?) produce so many talented people.

Anyway, it's pronounced `See-er Rose', apparently.

I listen to their albums from beginning to end on long rides. Helps you keep a good pace.

[Wiki Drifter]

First heard on them on the The Invasion movie trailer soundtrack last year, haven't stopped listening since. Gotta love Iceland

[hXc]

Anyway, it's pronounced `See-er Rose', apparently.

I listen to their albums from beginning to end on long rides. Helps you keep a good pace.

I just say it how Jools Holland said it really. Lol.

And it's very relaxing to listen to. Definitely.

[idb]

Radiohead's favourite band apparently.

[Sofa]

Alternative: Not mainstream.
To have an alternative, you need an alternative.

Mainstream music is often made, not created. If that makes sense. It's made for money, not for love.

Haha, I wasn't asking you, I was asking Fireball... I'm not silly, I know my music (being a classical, jazz and rock(in general terms) musician, both player and writer... )

[hXc]

Sofa, what do you play?

[Sofa]

Ha a lot of things... I don't want to discriminated against though I'm studying music at uni and have chosen to do the classical thing, on my favourite instrument, one that most people just find plain strange to be studying higher then year 3 at school... But I guess I'll tell you anyway and hope only for the best

I'm studying the recorder (yes the one you played at primary school and were awesome at) at uni (and yes it is just as difficult as the violin or trumpet) and I'm totally in love with it, despite all the crap it gets. I'm also studying oboe as a second instrument, having got to quite a high level on that also and not wanting to give it up.

In have also played the piano my whole life and played jazz piano through high school in stage band, combos and duos and I also picked up the drums in high school and feel I play them rather proficiently as well but am usually too scared to play in front of others

I also own (and play a bit of) a few acoustic and one electric guitar and I also quite enjoy world and ethnic instruments

I quite like mucking around on the harmonica as well

Ha, yeah... I'd kinda have to say its my life then

[hXc]

Yeh, I'm similar (as in I play a fair few instruments).

I started drums at the age of 8, having played on anything I possibly could have up until then, making little drumkits out of standard household items, using chop sticks as drum sticks and locking myself in the lounge after school, often playing to Split Enz' "Spellbound" or The Doobie Brother's "Listen To The Music: The Very Best" or even Status Quo's "A Few Bars More." What I didn't know was that although mum and dad couldn't get into the lounge, they could stand outside and watch me...bastards.

I joined a local concert band, and played drums, timpani, bass drum etc and decided I should learn keyboard, so as to be able to play Glockenspiel and Xylophone.

I wanted to play guitar too, so picked up the guitar in form 2. So this also means I can play bass quite easily, and pick up the violin or another stringed instrument in little to no time at all - impressed my girlfriend when I picked up her violin and asked her to teach me an A chord, D chord and E chord...started to play "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones and having never touched a violin before.

In 2006 I thought it'd be cool to learn the bagpipes. I learnt for about 6 months, picking it up fairly quickly, but had no time to concentrate on school, and no money to buy a set of pipes.


I've played in many bands so far, and don't plan on stopping any time soon. I love music - it's not a hobby, it's a passion, it's my life. I plan to have a career as a successful musican and have wanted that since I started.

[Sofa]

Awesome But I guess as I am studying it formally ( I assume you're not) that I have seen what the world of music that I am about to get into is like... I haven't really seen music as a career path for me lately because of this, which everyone finds very interesting/thinks I'm completely wasting my life because I'm apparently quite talented. But I can already feel the stress put upon me as a semi-formal/professional musician and I guess its not what I want out of life. Haha, but in saying this, I'm definitely not going to be going into a money-driven or "professional" career anytime soon.. I just want to enjoy my life and enjoy music, and I think the best way for me to continue enjoying it as much as I can is to make it an outlet rather than my whole life

Totally in awe of you by the way!!! However, yeeah, I feel quite similar in a way, having picked up so many instruments haha (including violin and digeridoo (sp)) Nice to see there's other out there who enjoy it as much as me, especially in a sport driven country like NZ

[Gubb]

Fireball: You say alternative? In my eyes, these guys are pretty alternative. Such a big generalisation...not good.

I would personally class them as more of an 'Indie' band, to me Alternative is still firmly stuck in the ground with the likes of Grunge and Hard Rock.

So all the crazy French avante-garde bands aren't any good? And Rammstein are rubbish? You need to grow the fuck up and expand your horizons dude.

Gojira - French band. Spectacular. Almost a moody, soundscapey-death metal band. Weird description I know, but fantastic.

Actually, along the same vein, check out 'Isis - Panopticon'. Clip here.

hXc, seriously, if you do one thing before the day is out, promise me you will download the Isis album, I think you'll love it.

[Sofa]

I would personally class them as more of an 'Indie' band, to me Alternative is still firmly stuck in the ground with the likes of Grunge and Hard Rock.

Indie? Really? Interesting. I would say that the word "alternative" as a very very very broad description and can encompass so many different "genres" of music... Punk, goth, grunge, experimental jazz, math rock...

There seems to be so many different genres around these days and I'd say Sigur Ros is kinda in a genre of its own Never heard anything like them before or since!

Oh and on the subject of French music, have any of you heard of Air... I'm getting the vibe that most of you are into harder/metal type music but I think Air has a lot to appreciate, in terms of musical intelligence and appeal They're very cute!!