Saturday, August 21, 2010

Music of Athens

It's not a secret that Athens has produced some of the great pop, rock, and indie performers of the past few decades. But, I didn't realize how extensive and diverse the scene is here. So, I thought I would give you all a taste of the music of Athens, the old and the new, the known and the less-known.

The two most prominent figures in Athens music are R.E.M. and the B-52's.






Athens has also produced some of the more prominent indie bands of the last decade, including Deerhunter, Of Montreal and The Drive-By Truckers.







The last two artists on this list are my favorites. Neutral Milk Hotel and DJ Danger Mouse.

Neutral Milk Hotel released, in my opinion one of the best albums of the last 10-15 years In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Although not currently performing together their music continues to inspire.






DJ Danger Mouse is most famous for the album that put his name on the map, The Grey Album, a cross between Jay-Z's black album and the Beatles' White Album. He later gained success for his collaborations with Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer of the Shins (Broken Bells). Along the way he has produced albums by Beck, Gorillaz and the Black Keys.





2 comments:

bfbffgh said...

Sweet stuff... I'm excited to be able to see some good shows here in St. Louis... The Pageant, which is where most indie bands play here, is like a mile from our apartment... I'm hoping to see The National next month!

Steve said...

That's cool that you are so close to a good venue. The National is the one band I would love to see. They play in Atlanta in October. We'll see if it's doable. If not, I can go see Built to Spill or The Thermals here in Athens.