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[Narr]

Seeing as I get to drive across the US again (4th time!) and I'll be all alone (my choice, actually, as my brother was going to fly out here and drive back with me), I will be doing a lot of music-listening next week after school gets out.

So 1) I need your suggestions for stuff to listen to on the road and 2) I'll tell you what I like to drive to (because lists are fun and that's the OBJECT of this particular thread)

I like stuff that is fun to sing along with.  Queens of the Stone Age and Stone Temple Pilots and The Strokes are probably my 3 most favorite bands to listen to while on the road because of this.  And you can't go wrong with Led Zeppelin, because the point is to only kind of pay attention when you can't really understand what Robert Plant is singing and then bust out when the refrain comes up.  Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains are also fun (at least for me, because I discovered I was secretly raised on grunge music.  While I didn't listen to any of these bands when they were first around and popular, I recognize just about all their stuff including the more obscure songs because my brothers were really into them.)  Iron Maiden is also fun to listen to on the road, although I'm severely lacking (only album I own is The Number Of The Beast, I NEED MOAR)

Now, this isn't EVERY SINGLE BAND that I like.  Just ones I like to listen to while in transit, and because I seem to tend to enjoy music most while I'm traveling, stuff like this usually becomes my favorite bands at any given moment.  I know I can't be the only person that feels this way about stuff they listen to in the car.

[Scytale]

The trick with driving long distance I find is putting something on that suits where your driving and the conditions. If you're driving through the city you want something non -invasive and passive, if your driving through the country put on something atmospheric that you can chill out too.

I remember I was driving up this mountain pass, it was a rather difficult road as it was narrow and hell and really twisty. It was raining there was fog everywhere and it was really dark as it was about 11pm at night. I had "Born of the Flickering" by Old Man's Child (It's a pretty atmospheric melo-BM album, with excellent keyboards) on the stereo and it was amazing, music suited the conditions perfectly,  It put me in these really awesome headspace, hard to describe...

I find a lot of the folk BM albums are really good for driving through the countryside, anything that has a nice atmosphere to it. Suits the open coutry, no one else in sight conditions.

Day to day driving in the city i'll play thrashier, rockier type stuff

[Ernest]

Unwound is pretty rad to drive to.  Check them out.  I'm listening to the album Leaves Turn Inside You.  Try that one.

[Will]

Long-distance drives are my chance to listen to a lot of the longer albums I have in my collection without interruption...I've always found Isis to be enjoyable (I recommend either Oceanic or Panopticon for this purpose) and also Old Man Gloom is some great atmospheric stuff if you like your tunes a little on the heavy side.

[casull]

I was driving through northern Illinois on the way back from a gig at 2 AM this weekend and had a great experience like this. The part of the state I was in never got steamrolled by glaciers, so there are massive hills and this gorgeous pastoral landscape, and a little twisty road running through it. I was listening to Bela Fleck's Tales from the acoustic planet, Vol II, which is an album of gorgeous prog instrumental bluegrass. It worked so well, I almost felt like I wanted to stay in the US after college.

[Liz]

I listen to Minus the Bear a lot when I drive. Otherwise I put in really odd mixes that keep me on my toes. I tend to tire out easily when I drive, so I have to listen to more upbeat music to keep me from falling asleep at the wheel.

[Narr]

It is a total blast to listen to area music or certain songs based off location.  When I drove via the I-40, I had to put on "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC when I went into the Texas border.  I also just HAD to listen to Proud Mary as I crossed the Mississippi river.

I am totally putting on Kansas when I enter that god-forsaken wasteland of a state.

[Jed]

Best driving music is the Hurriganes! Just awesome rock 'n' roll wich makes you put the pedal to the metal! They released their first album Rock 'n' Roll All Night Long at 1973.

[imapiratearg]

I like to listen to stuff that puts me in a good mood, because, i'm kind of new to driving (honestly, i don't even have my lisence yet, almost though).  So i usually put on like...Broken Social Scene, The Morning Of, stuff like that.  I like Race The Sun a lot when i'm driving.  They have a few songs that mention driving in one way or another.

Example:

though my hands are on the wheel, my feet stomp down
and the gas burns faster through every yellow light
and i wonder if i went even faster than this speed,
would my mind just stretch to the point where the pressure wrinkles my face
either way i go, i will still gain a year

I would totally listen to "Hooray" by Minus the Bear when driving through any big city.  Especially in the middle of the winter.

[IronOxide]

I have probably said it like twice a year, but when driving, one album must be played.



Not just because there's a car on the cover, either.

[Unosuke]

i love listening to Dandy Warhols - 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia on road trips

[Ernest]

How about Mogwai?  That's some good evening driving in the mountains of Virginia!

[kablaaamo]

This is my favourite thing to do with regards to music and vehicular transport:

1. Get myself some soft, acoustic-y folk. As thoughtful and melencholy as possible. Nick Drake is usually my go-to man.
2. Roll down all the windows in my 1993 grey minivan.
3. Crank that shit up.
4. Grab my laydeez.
5. Cruise.

The looks you get are pretty funny. Perhaps not what you're going for though.

Otherwise I mostly listen to Of Montreal and Architecture in Helsinki. Precious hyperactive pop. Or KISS.
I'm not joking.
Detroit Rock City when you're rolling down the highway is tops.

[Kid Carnival]

I like the soundtrack to jet set radio future.

yeah... I had a rough childhood.

[Dimmukane]

Bands I listen to when I drive that TC might like:
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets (Fun to sing along to, very upbeat and fast)
Aghora - Formless (prog-metal band with clean female vocals that are also fun to sing along to, and the sweeps are fuckin' awesome)

Bands I listen to when I drive that TC probably won't like due to me being somewhat of a metalhead:
Genghis Tron - (cybergrind at a mostly breakneck pace, with some nice electronica thrown in for good measure)
Windir - 1184 (Black Metal Polka!)
Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris (Possibly the only upbeat Death Metal album ever, that has an 11-minute song with bird noises in it)
Arsis (I like driving to sweeps, and James Malone does a lot of sweeps)
uneXpect - In A Flesh Aquarium (The overall weirdness of the entire thing is just cool, and track five makes me feel like I'm in the ultimate car/plane/boat/hovercraft/spaceship chase scene)

[Joseph]

I'm a big fan or Bruce Springsteen for driving to.  Deerhoof, Be Your Own Pet, Le Tigre, Gang Of Four, Wolf Parade, LCD Soundsystem, and Yo La Tengo are other favourites of mine.

But mainly, for city driving, I go with some sort of hip-hop or electronica, with a nice big bass sound.

[telephone]

I driving to The Beatles.  Theres something about Maxwell's Silver Hammer that makes me want to go fast!

[adritha]

-Neil Young (somehow seems to fit highway driving really well)
-Franz Ferdinand (try singing along in various accents, its fun I promise)
-Death Cab For Cutie (Title and Registration, and Passenger Seat especially)
-Of Montreal (warning: could be hazardous if you end up visualizing Kevin Barnes naked)

and some specific songs:
-Arctic Monkeys- I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
-Shiny Toy Guns- Le Disko
-Cobra Starship- Snakes on A Plane

and honestly any kind of "guilty pleasure" is fun to drive to...ya know, the Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, and my favorite Avril Lavigne.  Anything you'd feel dumb listening to around most other people

[Narr]

-Franz Ferdinand (try singing along in various accents, its fun I promise)

I just tried to sing "Do You Wanna" with a swedish accent purely because of your suggestion here, and you're right, it was hilarious and fun.

Of course, using a fake Swedish accent is always fun.

[Inlander]

IronOxide's on the right track. The best travelling music is electric blues - try some Muddy Waters.

Also, I guess you could just listen to the Modern Lovers' "Road Runner" on repeat until you get sick of it. So, you know, basically forever.

[McTaggart]

Either electric blues or (if you're like me and stop paying attention to the road real easy) the most startling and abrasive free improv you can find, to keep you alert and stop you stopping at red lights, looking at the light, then going and only noticing three quarters of the way through the intersection that the light is till red.

[fearghal]

i really like driving to Fair or Copeland (the first album). Very chill but has got a nice groove. Perfect for me. I too am about to drive across the country. So i just got a bunch of new cds i need to buy after reading this post!   

[adritha]

-Franz Ferdinand (try singing along in various accents, its fun I promise)

I just tried to sing "Do You Wanna" with a swedish accent purely because of your suggestion here, and you're right, it was hilarious and fun.

Of course, using a fake Swedish accent is always fun.

ooooh...havent tried that combination yet, I'll have to get on that.  My personal favorite is "Take Me Out" with an Indian accent, seriously...perfection

[mberan42]

Ted Nugent - Stranglehold

[öde]

Otherwise I mostly listen to Of Montreal and Architecture in Helsinki. Precious hyperactive pop.

I was just about to recommend them for driving. The New Pornographers also.

[Thrillho]

Uncle Tupelo.
If it's night-time, Primal Scream's Screamadelica.

[Valrus]

We drove four hours to see The Decemberists.

Wait, that's not what you meant

[Emaline]

I don't drive, but whenever I travel long distances I always like to listen to stuff like Modest Mouse.

[Johnny C]

We drove four hours to see The Decemberists.

I drove eight hours to see Wilco, lightweight.

Actually pilgrimages to Winnipeg have started to become common among my friends. I'm starting to get tired of being the first person I know in real life to do everything.

[Johnny Evilguy]

For long drives I listen to 3 Joe Satriani albums....

[Melodic]

Architecture In Helsinki, Minus The Bear, Broken Social Scene, Daft Punk in small doses, Godspeed You! Black Emperor! for short trips, You Say Party! We Say Die! in cities.