When I was about 16 years old, I went with my family on the quintessential trip to Disney World in Florida. For my two younger siblings it was great trip. For myself, however, it was not. I was at the age when what I wanted least of all in the world was to be with my family. I bought a refurbished Sony Walkman at a RadioShack on the trip down and buried myself in the headphones.
Having grown up on Prince Edward Island, I was not used to having interesting music on the radio. I was amazed at what I discovered with that little yellow walkman while travelling down the eastern seaboard of the states. Discovering Bad Religion’s album Stranger Than Fiction stuck with me for years after. What I’ve missed since then is that feeling of discovering new music. MuchMusic and local radio just don’t cut it (although I do have MuchMusic to thank my discovery of Copyright).
Now that audio has come of age online (as opposed to the sketchy low quality realaudio we had two years ago) I want some new music. I spend my day at in front of a computer with a good set of speakers and a very fast permanent internet connection. The trouble is, I can’t find the music! There are loads of streaming audio sites out there (including biggies such as WindowsMedia.com and Launch.com) but I have a very hard time finding something I can listen to for more than a few minutes.
I want music that fits my tastes, but I don’t want to hear the same music. I have access to a 10,000 song MP3 collection (collected legitimately, for the most part) but that doesn’t help me discover new music. I’m overwhelmed with choices and the blinking cursors has erased my mind (it doesn’t help that the internet fried my brain either).
So help me out. What do you listen to?
MP3s currently in WinAmp playlist:
Swollen Members – Against All Odds
Anti Pop Consortium – Rinseflow
Sage Francis – Inherited Scars
The Pharcyde – Pack The Pipe
Swollen Members – Camouflage
William S. Burroughs – The Name is Clem Snide
Eminem & Dr. Dre – Guilty Conscience
etc.
CDs currently on desk:
The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs, Vols 1-3
The Guthries: Off Windmill
Black Sheep: A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
Nirvana: In Utero
Blind Melon: Nico Blue
The 6ths: Wasps’ Nest
And CDs currently in my car, though I’m not actually going to go out to verify:
Hayden: Skyscraper National Park
Weezer: Pinkerton
Method Man: Tical
Soundgarden: Superunknown
Cracker: Gentleman’s Blues
Gorillaz: Gorillaz
Song stuck in head:
Hayden: Dynamite Walls
Just bought:
Ryan Adams–Gold (song ‘New york, New York’ is stuck in my head)
Golen Smog–On Golden Smog
Bob Dylan–Love and Theft
The Inbreds-Kombinator (again, left the last one in PEI)
Beth Orton-Central Reservation (again, same reason)
Wilco–Summerteeth (again, ibid)
Veal-Veal.
All are highly recommended. Particularly the Wilco album. Amazing.
And, ah, yeah, I’m using Winamp to listen to them, computer geeks.
On web radio I am listening to BBC Scotland, BBC Live Five and WUNC Nation Public Radio. Musch of this is news and opinion but Radio Scotland has some pretty good music. At 3 pm our time each weekday there is really well selected and intellegently discussed music – Wednesdays is jazz, Thursdays is “Travelling Folk”. I have not clued yet to the new rock/indie/loud [whatever it is called] but I know it is one day as I walked into my office at about 3:15 one day to be met with something pretty pleasing and loud.
On CD, I just bought the new Sloan album (need to listen a few more times to form an opinion) at the sadly now defunt Halifax Sams. Being truthful, I have bought most CDs from CDNow or Indigo/Chapters in the last two years. My wife is listening to mainly country/bluegrass these days. The 1999 Steve Earle bluegrass Bill Monroe tribute called “The Mountain” should prove to any scoffer that this music is extremely vital. Other than that I am liking Rufus Wainwrights two albums, any Bragg, Ben Folds, XTC, Odds and any ska I can find. My buddy Ross says that ska is the music they play on the planet of beautiful women and he is right.
In my car – when I’m by myself – its all Ramones and Clash. “Give ’em Enough Rope” the second album by the clash is amazing. I was 15 when it came out. I think I won a copy from CBC Radio “90 Minutes with a Bullet” – I certainly remember them being interviewed. Bought my car tape in Poland for $1.50. So much integrity for such a tender age – boy wonder.
Al
I had an experience similar to Steve’s when I went to New Hampshire, and first heard WHOM 94.9. An amazing radio station. Unfortunately their internet broadcast is “being retooled”, so I am stuck with crappy Island radio.
As for CDs and Winamp playlists, I own all 3 weezer albums (the blue album, pinkerton, the green album), plus all the b-sides. I also own: Daft Punk – Discovery, The Who – Best of, and a bunch of others. Songs in my winamp playlist right now: Fatboy Slim – Funk Soul Brother, two newly recorded weezer songs (Death and destruction & Always), Daft Punk’s entire Discovery album, and the Horton’s Choice “Borden-Carleton Sessions” album.
For Radio’esque stuff I usually go to Mp3.com and find a genre I feel like listening to. You get to discover some really cool stuff and none of it goes through a DJ first,.. So it’s uncut lovin’.
Since this is turning into a music taste forum I will mention a few albums I think are worth throwing out.
If any of you get you hands on or near a copy of “Music From Another Room” EP by “The Juliana Theory” then listen to it. It’s short (being an EP) at 27 or so minutes but it is definitly an album that won’t leave you. Especially after listening to it a few times.
Michael Knott’s Life of David album is slowly crawling to the top of my list of all time favorites. It’s hard to explain, Just don’t listen to the version of Halo on it. Find the acoustic version.
A friend of mine recently introduced me to the new Ryan Adams album. Good album. Worth checking out (which I still need to do fully)
Fountains of Wayne is too catchy. I’m sure that they are all Music Therapists or something… I’m having trouble finding their Self-Titled debut.,. but I know it’s around.
Joyelectric is real music., except it is fake… It’s hard not to love if you give it that one crucial first chance. Anything from the “Christiansongs” album is sure to please,. “Robot Rock” should not be forgotten either. (If you do give them a chance DO NOT TURN THEM OFF RIGHT AWAY – Throw them in a nice stereo or set of headphones and give them/him a fighting chance…)
MxPx probably defined some of your teenage years. They are working on a new album and if you like pop-punk, they now practically define the genre. Well, mabye that’s pushing it.
Noise Ratchet are younger than Sum41 and just as rockin’. But not the same type of music… This is the Genre “EMO” if any of you were wondering. 😉 [Just ask DennisA, he knows all about EMO]
Dashboard Confessional, FurtherSeemsForever, Sky’s the limit, Zao, Luti-Kriss, Crashdog, Sum41, Mest, GoodCharlotte, and Delerios D: the difinitive worship experience are all making my cut these days as well.
Sadly, very few of the artists mentioned actually are not in said 10,000 song collection (its actually closer to 16,000)
Going back to the original idea of steve’s post, “where is new music”, I just listened to a long interview with Tom Paxton on BBC Scotland. I am interested in learning about US folk music and find that the BBC and NPR are amazing sources of new folk music information – the music may not be new but my need for the information is. I would also be interested in knowing where to find an equivalent of “new rock music” information – is John Peel still on the BBC or is there a particularly good college radio station anyone knows on the web? [Rock is such as difficult word for music now – is there a better word?]
I answered one question myself:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/peel.shtml
check out the new wilco album at wilcoweb.com… great album.. hopefully it wont be too long before someone will pick it up and distribute it. [since their label dropped them].. there are also a couple of live shows there too…
pastemusic.com has some free mp3’s up of some great artists.. mostly mellow/folky stuff… some cuts from aaron sprinkle’s new album … denison witmer…. old elliot smith… pedro the lion [‘big trucks’ is one of the catchiest songs ever written]… and lots of other good stuff you probably havent heard…. worth a listen…
also, take a look for the new starflyer 59 ‘leave here a stranger’.. they have a couple of tracks on mp3.com- great album… the new jimmy eat world cd is rockin… ryan adams ‘gold’…. just picked up the new matt good band album, and its worth a listen too….
oh, and contrary to the opinion stated above, i’m no expert on “emo” [aka ‘angstyblog music’].. if you want the ‘lowdown’ on whiny-love-sick-boy music, ask jevon… he be the know it all on that subject..
Best news in a longtime – a new Wilco album. From what i could track down, labels are actually fighting for the rights to it. But it was in a a fanboy review, so who knows.
I had the pleasure to see them open for REM a couple of years ago. Sadly, nobody knew them, and their music is not really suited for a large amphitheater concert. It was still cool though.
It seems that everyone is trying to make old music new again. With some great stuff out there, I think its worth a shot.
Steve, what about Garrison Starr’ and ‘Superhero’? How soon we forget.
I am also pleased to see Beth Orton mentioned, look up her track with the Chemical Brothers ‘Where I Begin’ on their album Dig your Own Hole, or try Orton’s own Trailer Park.
Has anyone heard of the Swedish band called Kent? Their album Isola is worth a listen, just make sure you get the English
version.
And for anyone who knows about Afghan Whigs… good! If you don’t, start with 1965, track #5. If you are still interested after that you can slow it down some with Greg Dulli on an album he helped produce, and sings on with guest Shawn Smith (great voice) among others called Twilight, as played by the Twilight Singers.
Ok, only 3 more.
How about Stereophonics? I think you have my two in the collection there Steve. May I suggest Performance and Cocktails first?
Then a little Travis perhaps? Either The Man Who or their newest The Invisible Band.
Lastly, I couldn’t go without including Moist’s Creature. After seeing David Usher rock out last week I’ve pulled this one out of the vault. Well worth a re-listen, I think.
Anyhow, hope you find something to amuse.
Yeah.. Wilco is definetly one of the most under-appreciated bands out there.. “Being There” and “Summer Teeth” are amazing albums. Apparently they have put together some sort of short film documenting the making of the new album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”.. That would interesting to see..
Last year, PBS showed “The Man in the Sand”, which was about the making of “Mermaid Avenue”, the Woody Guthrie tribute that Wilco and Billy Bragg worked on. Very well done. It was interesting to see the egos colide. [Billy Bragg and Jeff Tweedy].. They re-broadcast it every now and then, so watch it if you get the chance.
Best thing I’ve heard in a while is the new Tenacious D c-d, featuring Jack Black from “High Fidelity.”
Hilarious. Offensive. Rockin’.
Not only does melda have the fine eric cantona in his/her email address, he/she mentions the also fine and massively underrated afghan whigs.
i will say tho, that their album “Black Love” is a better place to start; and also thanks (not to melda) for the post about the new wilco album. i will assume you know jeff tweedy is in golden smog. yes, i will assume that. carry on.
she.
right.
rudy huxtable project goddam, these kids are good.
i’ve been compulsively listening to a compilation i bought in sydney that has a song they recorded for an upcoming 7″.
my win amp play list consists of kenny loggins’ “footloose”, sabbath’s “warpigs”, and burton cummings’ “break it to them gently”.
songs that i cannot get out of my head (hence no need to play them on win amp) are guided by voices’ “glad girls” and tricky woo’s “fly the orient”.
“i’m not a man, i’m a coleslaw.” – at least that’s what i think he says.
My list is so everchanging on winamp I am not going to even bother trying to list it in here..As of lately though I have discovered a snazzy little place to listen to online radio stations from right across the US….Stream Audio ,takes regular radio stations and bring them online to the world so to speak.This place has radio stations to suit whatever your music tastes maybe.The only flaws i have seen with this place is that every now and then the media will cut out [it maybe just my retarded island tel dsl though],and the quality of the audio is not the greatest but still worth a listen..Check it out if ya want..
CDs currently borrowed and forgotten for a long time:
Gentlemen’s Blues?
Rufus Wainwright’s Poses is terrific. In ‘California’ he longs for his new grandmother, Bea Arthur. Phish’s Billy Breathes never strays far from my CD player, Weezer’s first album, Counting Crows ‘This Desert Life’, Method Man and Redman ‘Blackout, and Badly Drawn Boy’s th Hour of the Bewilderbeast are all favorites. Recently stumbled upon old vinyls of Bob Marley and the Wailers Live and Van Morrison’s Moondance and immediately started to curse my infernal luck for not being born in 1960.
tenacious-d… on itunes v.2.
Just watch out that iTunes doesn’t wipe our your hard drive.
😉
Ah, yes. CDs borrowed and forgotten for a long time:
Cracker: Gentleman’s Blues
The Plan: Only These Movements Remain
Black Sheep: Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
Sloan: Something involving bridges. Right?
The 6ths: Wasps’ Nest (Try pronouncing that.)
The Tuesdays: Build a Horse
If you are into house or dance music, check out Grove Radio. http://www.grooveradio.com/
Matthew, the name of that Sloan album was Between the Bridiges.
Just thought I’d let you know.
Please disregard my blatant misspelling of the word “Bridges”.
An update on the new Wilco album from wilcoweb.com, 12.01.01:
Nonesuch Records and Wilco announced today an agreement for Nonesuch to release Wilco’s much-discussed new album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as well as several additional future Wilco releases. The eclectic label will bring the band’s 11-song CD to stores April 2002.
“It’s been what you’d call a pivotal year for us,” said Jeff Tweedy. “We’ve kept our heads down through all the changes and tried to focus our energy on music-making, as always. Nonesuch seems like a good fit – it looks like they’ve kept their heads down as well. It’s hard to find a label you can trust in this business. We all know that. But if you look at Nonesuch’s roster, it’s pretty hard to imagine them having the bottom line as their master.”
“After hearing Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it was obvious to us that Wilco has come into its own as artists who sound like no one but themselves,” said Nonesuch Senior Vice President David Bither. “Our enthusiasm for the band has to do with this and with the fact that we’re eager to hear what they will be doing five years from now.”
oh.. and you can find more info on the Wilco documentary here:
http://www.wilcofilm.com
now if one of you there web guys can give that link some click-a-bility that would be cool..
i like songs