I apologise for this thread. It started off innocently enough, but a few people have been outrageous cocks. Congrats to Amok though, who is on top form as usual. Go team!
Somebody recommended Cursive! And then praised the Ugly Organ. As if recommending Cursive to somebody who ask for things like "New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Wilco" wasn't funny enough.
I'm undoing this recommendation. As much as I love Tim Kasher, Ugly Organ is 'fans only'. Meaning...if you're going to get into Cursive...
Don't get that one. It's the boring one. Start with Domestica. It's still their strongest album, still has all their best songs, even their most recent sets contain a lot of material from this album. After that, there is no 'essential' cursive, but the Burst and Bloom EP and the last album, Happy Hollow are great listening. The 8 Teeth to Eat You split with Eastern Youth was inspired. But, either get Domestica, or don't bother really.
The Good Life? One amazing album. One very good album. Two that were okay. You want Album of the Year. Horribly depressing album, love it. Acoustic ballads about this couple that won't get back together. Sounds awful on paper. Then there's 'Blackout', which is full of electronic sounds and bleeps and is about a guy who is generally unhappy and drinks a lot because he's really insecure.
Cursive is angry, I guess. But Cursive albums always have upbeat endings. The Good Life, may seem poppier at first, but they have less hooks than Cursive, way more layers to the music and are much, MUCH more downbeat. Each Good Life album has been pretty miserable the whole way through. Cursive are the angry band, sure. But the Good Life ain't exactly something you want to listen to when you're home alone sucking a glass if you know what I mean.
Sure, you could be recommending good music...but really it seems like an oppurtunity to just whore bands out without consideration for the original post. That is why I am going to recommend...
*glances at CD pile*
Uhm...
The Beta Band-Three EPs*
Totally sounds like what you asked for.
(No, really though folks. It's nice to share, but keep within the confines of the request. A lot of this thread is like if I asked for punk and you told me to get into Gravenhurst. Leave your weird fetishes at home, freaks)