Non Metal recommendations

Pat Metheny... his album One Quiet Night...great chill stuff).

I got that record within the last year...it's very good and I do enjoy it, but I find myself wishing that he would be slightly more typical sometimes in the chord changes. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about being creative and using unexpected with chord changes, but I almost feel like that album is a little too much for me...like every change leads to something so unexpected and everything is so endlessly unresolved that I have a hard time really feeling any emotions about it. Does that make sense?

No one has mentioned Jimmy Eat World yet, and I think those guys are in my favorite top three bands ever. Check out the "Futures" record... You can't really go wrong with any of their albums, but "Futures" is slightly more experimental and more ambient and texturally beautiful I think. Second best would be the self-titled (originally released as "Bleed American"). Look up the song "Night Drive" on Myspace Music (from "Futures").

Also, I really like Anberlin. It's punk-pop done very maturely. The new record "New Surrender" is great, as is "Cities" (really, really fantastically done vocal production on that one). Look up the song "Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)" on Myspace Music (from "New Surrender").
 
I forgot about The Tea Party... good one, James.

Also, Anathema... they used to be metal, but they're definitely not, anymore... but they're still a whole lot of fucking amazing
 
Many nice recommendations here, you guys have most of my non-metal collection already covered... big +1 on Oceansize and Three, maybe also check out Joey Eppard's solo stuff.

I'll also add Al Di Meola (my favourite album being "The Infinite Desire") and Dan Swanö's band Nightingale.
 
Eliott Smith
Wilco
Mazzy Star
Sixteen Horsepower
Lilium
The Denver Gentlemen
Otis Redding
MC5
New York Dolls
Johnny Thunders
Free
Alexander 'Skip' Spence (has possibly the worst album i keep listening to)
 
I got that record within the last year...it's very good and I do enjoy it, but I find myself wishing that he would be slightly more typical sometimes in the chord changes. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about being creative and using unexpected with chord changes, but I almost feel like that album is a little too much for me...like every change leads to something so unexpected and everything is so endlessly unresolved that I have a hard time really feeling any emotions about it. Does that make sense?

I guess it makes sense if you are paying attention to the changes and stuff. I just throw that CD on as background stuff most of the time.