A Cool Way to Find New Music You Might Like
I have often despaired that I seem to be caught in something of a musical rut. I have dozens and dozens of bands that I like, but I rarely find new bands out there that I really enjoy. I no longer have the same drive to experiment by buying albums I might not like. And I don’t seem to be around as many people with the same taste in music as I was when I was in college.
So, for whatever reason, I’m not finding a lot of new good music.
That may change, beginining today.
Via See Dubya comes a cool link to a site that purportedly helps you find new bands you haven’t heard of before. You tell it the name of a song or band you like, and it provides you with a whole “channel” of songs that you might like, based on your selection. You can listen to each song in its entirety, and bookmark the ones you like. Lots of fun.
So far I have tried giving it Toad the Wet Sprocket, Rush, Jethro Tull, and Uncle Tupelo — each on its own channel. (I also tried one channel that was a mixture of Toad and Rush, but the results were horrible.) The Tupelo channel has yielded by far the greatest number of songs that I have enjoyed.
Go check it out.
If you haven’t heard Nickel Creek by themselves, i.e. without the self-aborbed Mr. Phillips, ahem, you might want to give them a listen. Possibly their third album, Why Should the Fire Die? would appeal to you more than the first two. But then I don’t know what they did at that show you saw; if they did any Nickel Creek material, what did you think of it?
Anwyn (01a5cc) — 6/20/2006 @ 9:26 pmOh my gosh! This is the best! I just created a Jellyfish station….how fun to hear bands like the boys from the bay area….
Stacy (e5478a) — 6/20/2006 @ 9:42 pmA Jellyfish station is a great idea. I have one going now.
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 9:53 pmGlad you like that. I’ve mainly just been fooling around with one station, adding to it now and then and shooting down songs I don’t like (Badfinger? Beg your pardon!). It’s started to repeat some songs for me so I wonder whether I’ve reached the limits on that station or if it’s just going through albums and songs it knows I like.
(Ahem) here’s the link to my post, which has another good site I found in it.
See-Dubya (2cc395) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:31 pmOops! Link added to post.
What’s your problem with Badfinger? I’m considering doing a whole Badfinger channel!
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:38 pmI don’t know if you like modern rock, but since you mentioned Rush, let me recommend Marty Casey. Not that they’re in any way similar, but they both rock. Marty was the runner-up on “Rock Star INXS,” and his CD with his band Lovehammers is truly amazing for a first major release.
Unfortunately, the CD didn’t go anywhere, but I blame the record company for that. You’d think that given the publicity surrounding the show, they’d have supported it, but sadly, no.
CraigC (9cd021) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:43 pmOh, Badfinger’s not really bad, just jarring when it skips over there from Dwight Yoakam. I sure can;t see devoting an entire channel to them, though.
See-Dubya (2cc395) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:48 pmThe modern stuff I like tends to be Uncle Tupelo-style stuff like Son Volt.
The stuff you just recommended sounds a little too grunge-y for me. Not bad, just a little grunge-y.
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:48 pmI sure can;t see devoting an entire channel to them, though.
I’m doing it right now!
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:49 pmSay one bad word about Glen Phillips and my music suggestion is completely ignored? It’s almost like … retaliation … at least I can’t be fired.
Anwyn (01a5cc) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:50 pmOh, didn’t mean to ignore you. I’ve heard Nickel Creek by themselves before. Good stuff.
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 10:51 pmWhat did you do, Anwyn? Nickel Creek just came on my channel–way out of line from Ernest Tubb.
I guess I told them I liked Alison Krauss a few songs before and they made the bluegrass-harmony jump.
See-Dubya (2cc395) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:00 pmI have a Posies channel running now. The Badfinger channel was kind of lame.
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:10 pmWorked that Nickel voodoo I do so well … or something. Yeah, Krauss produced their first two albums, so probably not a stretch in the “artist association” department. 🙂 Like them, See-Dubya?
Anwyn (01a5cc) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:26 pmThe Posies channel rocks.
Patterico (50c3cd) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:32 pmYeah; not gonna run out and buy their album before Krauss’s but they were nice.
See-Dubya (2cc395) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:40 pmThat’s funny; I got New Favorite and Lonely Runs Both Ways this year and wasn’t blown away. I previously had the gospel album she did with the Cox family and also Now That I’ve Found You and liked them and her in general a lot, but those two were a bit mellow for me … not as much zip as, say, “Every Time You Say Goodbye” (the song; don’t have the album). Maybe I need to listen more.
I need to get some new artists myself, my music collection’s a little stale since my son was born, though I wasn’t exactly a rabid collector beforehand.
Anwyn (01a5cc) — 6/20/2006 @ 11:52 pmThanks Patterico. Good link.
Andrew (08ba2c) — 6/21/2006 @ 1:15 amlast.fm is better.
180 (1ad503) — 6/21/2006 @ 5:08 amMy preferred web site for finding new music is Acquarius Records wesite at this link. The site includes reviews of new releases every other week (I think this Friday will be their next update) and sound samples for about 40% of their inventory (usually the samples run from 1-2 minutes). The website includes an inordinate amount of death metal and something the reviewers call “twee” pop, but there’s enough good, and otherwise unheralded, music on their site to keep me coming back.
Sean P (256007) — 6/21/2006 @ 9:30 am