Have you or are you into Jonathan Coulton? Nothing you've said leads me to believe you'd like him, but I just recently got into him, and he's one of those undiscovered but awesome artists. he's like Voltaire with and acoustic guitar and happier. and no Star Trek.
Save for no Star Trek, he sounds alright. I clicked on the YouTube link of him singing Still Alive, but it just stopped working. Not just that video or anything, all of YouTube. I try to go the main page and all I get is "Page Load Error." It just tards out for me sometimes. I'll be sure to check him out.
OH! I been meaning to ask. You're the big Talking Heads guy, righto? Psycho Killer interests me. What else is good?
Funnily enough, I came back here to edit the Talking Heads into the list of They Might Be Giant's influences. How they skipped my mind then, I don't know.
Besides the fanboyish response of "everything except True Stories and Naked," everything except True Stories and Naked.
Talking Heads 77: This the album that contains Psycho Killer. It sounds more like the CBGB New York movement the Talking Heads came from. Psycho Killer is without a doubt the greatest on the album, but everything else is up to par with the time.
More Songs About Buildings and Food: Like Talking Heads 77, this album coined another trademark Talking Heads fan favorite, a cover of Al Green's Take Me To The River. It surpasses the original by miles.
Fear of Music: This album is the beginning of the experimental Talking Heads. Keeping in mind that this is the first stage, it's still connectible to everything else at the time, but the sound is surpasses the time. My personal favorite Talking Heads album, check it out.
Remain in Light: This is where the Talking Heads really let technology have a hand in their music. It's just mind blowing. It contains one of their songs which people sometimes classify as "Pop," but trust me, these people have no ****ing clue about the album it is in and the context the album makes with it. It's called Once In a Lifetime, and it's one of the best songs of the 80's. Their second best release behind Fear of Music. Oh, and it was produced by Brian Eno, a bona fide genius. Although he also produced More Songs About Buildings and Food and Fear of Music, you can easily tell he helped with the album. He and Byrne (David Byrne, seen as the leader of the Talking Heads, although he's just a piece of the puzzle) would later team up again.
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: This is a live double-album. It's great, but save this for later if you think this band is for you. Besides, the next live album is much more famous.
Speaking in Tongues: This is NOT a ****ing bad album. The only reason die-hard fans would dare to say this (and even then, there really aren't that much) is because of the mega-hit Burning Down the House. Great song, but it is by no means a sell-out attempt. Maybe if you just hear that song and that song alone like so many did, you are REALLY missing out here. It was a step back from Remain in Light in terms being experimental or ambient, but you can tell the influence is present. Pick it up, my third favorite.
Stop Making Sense: Seen by many fans to be their magnum opus. It's great, even better than the live album that came before it, but as before, save it if you think this band is for you. Fourth overall, first live favorites.
Little Creatures: Good album. Tends to be everyone's opinion on last good album. Includes a little less ambiance or the like, but takes in a self-described by the band country influence, which I kinda like. Under-rated, but save it for later.
True Stories: It's alright. Not a gem, pick it up if you decide to be a collector.
Naked: An experiment gone totally wrong, and not in a good way like before. For the artsy crowd I can understand why they will get it, but I say pick it if you dare, newbies stay away.
I haven't got any compilations, so there ya go. Enjoy.
"The Big Talking Heads Guy," I like it. Maybe I should change my name?