best lo-fi bands

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my vote: smog

Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 04:02 (nineteen years ago)

the shadow ring

nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 04:04 (nineteen years ago)

fleetwood mac

electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 04:04 (nineteen years ago)

Memphis Goons

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 04:42 (nineteen years ago)

my favorite single disc might be this collection of EPs and singles:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc700/c770/c77004c7626.jpg

nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 04:51 (nineteen years ago)

additional votes for:

Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
Beatnik Filmstars - In Hospitalable
Beatnik Filmstars - Boss Disque
Grifters - One Sock Missing
BECK - Stereopathetic Soulmanure
BECK - One Foot in the Grave

nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 05:04 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know if they count exactly, but early Clean is great.

David Bachyrycz (David Bachyrycz), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 05:11 (nineteen years ago)

Iron and Wine.
Mountain Goats.

vartman (novaheat), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 06:01 (nineteen years ago)

my vote: smog

Dude, I don't know, he was better off when Jim was, y'know, PRODUCING him. Eeek, hope you don't get an allergic reaction here.

So what constitutes Lo-Fi? Faux-four track or hit-the-button-record?

Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 06:22 (nineteen years ago)

Funkadelic.

Toad Roundgrin (noodle vague), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 07:14 (nineteen years ago)

Dump.

Wub-Fur Internet Radio (wubfur), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 07:20 (nineteen years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf700/f726/f72656t69vp.jpg

nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 07:35 (nineteen years ago)

early pavement is great lo-fi. i could also vote for that. And beck's one foot in the grave is another great vote.

I also thought of Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billie. And Apples in Stereo and Olivia Tremor Control. All great lo-fi acts.

Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:19 (nineteen years ago)

The Soft Machine.

Toad Roundgrin (noodle vague), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:27 (nineteen years ago)

Expando Brain

NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:31 (nineteen years ago)

Do Boyracer count?

If not, Se[ntri|ba]doh.

Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:37 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.tripalot.com/ipr/images/polvo_vibracobra.gif

NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:57 (nineteen years ago)

the skaters

j fail (cenotaph), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 08:58 (nineteen years ago)

What, no Dead C?

Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

To me lo-fi is something that sounds like it was recorded on the boombox in the corner. And you can hear the click of the Record button at the beginning. Iron & Wine does not count.

Skullflower, Suckdog / Costes, Throbbing Gristle, Pussy Galore, The Fall, Olneyville Sound System, early Sonic Youth. Anybody remember Astoveboat?

Oddly enough, Kate Bush's The Cathy Demos is one of the most stunning lo-fi recordings evah.

Edward III (edward iii), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

Early Flying Saucer Attack
pre-Bakesale Sebadoh

Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

When was the last time Smog was really "lo-fi?" Red Apple Falls sounds painstakingly produced, if you ask me.

Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, I guess someone already more or less said the same thing.

Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

guided by voices 1992-1997

maarten maes (dice collective), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

THE MICROPHONES, people. It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water is the like the culmination of the entire K Records/Beat Happening aesthetic.

Also, The Blow, although the stuff I like best by them/her is the most "produced," IOW Pure Aim: Love Songs, which lands in my top ten for the 2000's easy.

Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

The Royal Trux (the singles box set)
Dead C
The Wooden Cupboard
Sebadoh (circa Sebadoh III)

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:57 (nineteen years ago)

Plus,

Temple of Bon Matin

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

The first Wu-Tang album.

you can email me if you wish to challenge the truth (nickalicious), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

Swell Maps!
Do the Frogs count?
Too early to induct them into any Halls of Fame, but that Times New Roman album is really good.

Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

The Fall

¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

I can't believe it took 29 answers for someone to say Eric's Trip.

Nü-ILM is suking big time these days.

Rufus 3000 (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

When was the last time Smog was really "lo-fi?" Red Apple Falls sounds painstakingly produced, if you ask me.

and indeed it was, in an expensive professional multi-track studio, with professional studio musicians, using a professional recording engineer who'd worked with (among others) the smashing pumpkins.

which, i suppose in some alternate universe, is exactly the same as a kid in his bedroom with a cassette 4-track. but, you know, that's nitpicking, innit?

Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:11 (nineteen years ago)

Jack Logan--Bulk has some great great songs

kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:20 (nineteen years ago)

Linda Smith had a pretty breathtaking run of home-recorded cassettes in the 80's that seem destined to be forgotten. Raincoats meets 60's pop, or something like that.

On the whole, though, I'd go with Flying Saucer Attack too, since they came up with a sound that doesn't sound particularly limited by its recording process. They/he did a great job of designing a sound around the strengths of a 4-track.

dlp9001 (dlp9001), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

The Folk Implossion and/or Lou Barlow
The Sugar Cookies
The Lil' Hospital - I wanna Be Well
Park - Alligator EP
Basil the Mouse - Your Hands Feel Like Home
Basil the Mouse - Self Released Demo
Le Shok - Soda Pop Smash
Le Shok - We Are Electrocution
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Twinkle Echo
All-Time Quarterback - Self Titled
Hormones In Abundance - Old People Are People Too
Mika Miko - Self Titled 7"
Little Wings - Magic Wand
Dump - Plea for Tenderness
Pajo - Pajo (David Pajo from Slint)
David Pollard - Not in my Airforce
Julie Doiron - Loneliest in the Morning
The Amps - Pacer (Kim Deal from Breeders)
Monroe Mustang- Plain Sweeping
Sleepyhead
Bingo Trappers
The Furtips
R. Stevie Moore
Vinyl Bill - What Lo-fi
Robinson Crucial

A lot of Asaurus label bands

and the best lo-fi band ever: THE SHAGGS: this mean lo-fi

antonio navarro (elbuenvigia), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

Electric Eels
Pussy Galore
Harry Pussy
Flying Saucer Attack is totally sweet.

I can't believe it took 29 answers for someone to say Eric's Trip.
If this was a top 100 all time best lo-fi bands and Eric's Trip came in at 29 then I'd say that's about right, maybe even a tad high. Then again, I've always enjoyed Elevator to Hell a bit more.

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:32 (nineteen years ago)

Microphones and Sebadoh for me. That the only Sebadoh record I ever drag out nowadays is III probably means that that's my favourite.

i do have a soft spot for Pavement's Westing though. Not soft mushy, more soft gently yielding.

Lee F# (fsharp), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

When did lo-fi mean being unable to play your own or anyone else's instruments?

Rufus 3000 (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

I can't believe it took 33 answers for someone to say David Pollard.

Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

and THE PASTELS and MELODY DOG, of course

el buen vigia (elbuenvigia), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

By Low Fi I presume that you mean 4 track or sonic equivalent?

If so, I heard loads of it back in the late eighties and early nineties and there were only two bands that really floated my boat

The Grifters
Guided By Voices (until and including Under the Bushes...)

Maybe Sebadoh started it but the pre Bakesale stuff was awful and the latter wasn't lo-fi

Some Peter Jefferies stuff was good lo-fi but he was not a band.

As much as I dug Polvo, they were not lo-fi to my ears

Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Dog (Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountai), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:10 (nineteen years ago)

x -post
Pre Sub Pop Grifters for what it's worth, if anybody bothered

Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Dog (Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountai), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:11 (nineteen years ago)

Are The Monks lo-fi?

you can email me if you wish to challenge the truth (nickalicious), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

No.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:19 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe Sebadoh started it but the pre Bakesale stuff was awful

I am temtped to say that if you claim to dig any lo-fi recordings but you don't like Sebadoh's "pre Bakesale stuff" then you don't really like lo-fi recordings. Of course, that's totally snobbish to say, but I've always considered Sebadoh to be one of the top three most definitive lo fi bands. Virtually all the "bedroom" indie from the late-80s on seems deeply influenced by "pre Bakesale" Sebadoh. That stuff was pop, noise, folk, and rock all at once.

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

I like lo-fi recordings but find "pre Bakesale" Sebadoh to be kind of pathetic and annoying.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:37 (nineteen years ago)

Well, I new I was sounding a little ridiculous.

I'm of the opinion that Sebadoh w/o Eric Gaffney wasn't all that hot. He made some of the most twisted lo-fi weirdness of the indie rock era.

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:46 (nineteen years ago)

Mountain Goats.

Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

who is david pollard?

electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 6 July 2006 01:31 (nineteen years ago)

Bügsküll
WCKR SPGT
Raunchy Young Lepers
early Crude
early Refrigerator
Goosewind
some Trumans Water/Soul-Junk
first Love As Laughter cassette

...a whole heck of a lot of Shrimper, that's for sure.

San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Thursday, 6 July 2006 02:11 (nineteen years ago)

GANG WIZARD

San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Thursday, 6 July 2006 02:12 (nineteen years ago)

NED RAGGETT

San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Thursday, 6 July 2006 02:13 (nineteen years ago)

Daniel Johnston "Hi, How Are You"

Marmot 4-Tay: forth-coming, my child. forth-coming most righteous champion (mar, Thursday, 6 July 2006 02:24 (nineteen years ago)

who is david pollard?
-- electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsoun...), July 5th, 2006. (electricsound)
David Pollard - Not in my Airforce
-- antonio navarro (antonio_navarro_ro...), July 5th, 2006. (elbuenvigia)

har har har.

Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Thursday, 6 July 2006 07:16 (nineteen years ago)

Badly Drawn Boy (EPs 1-3)

Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 6 July 2006 09:44 (nineteen years ago)

i guess it's really late to raise this point, but the shadow ring's best recordings weren't terribly lo-fi.

the eunuchs, Cassim and Mustafa, who guarded Abdur Ali's harem (orion), Thursday, 6 July 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

David Pollard is Jad Pollard's brother, duh. Don't you know anything about Sebadoh?

Marmot 4-Tay: forth-coming, my child. forth-coming most righteous champion (mar, Thursday, 6 July 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

Old Time Relijun is kinda cool

marbles (marbles), Friday, 7 July 2006 14:13 (nineteen years ago)


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