I'm too young to be old.
June 30, 2010 11:49 AM Subscribe
What sites/podcasts/etc do you use to discover new music?
I graduated college in 2004, and since then life has moved pretty fast - job, marriage, kid, etc. I find myself listening to (mostly) the same music that I listened to in college. And while I've stayed on top of acts that I dearly love (Ben Folds, The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, Counting Crows, Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, etc.), I feel like I'm getting left behind musically.
I'm not even 30, and I feel really unhip.
But alas! The internet can save me. (Right?) Or, rather, you can - what sites, podcasts, magazines do you use to learn about great new music? And where can I re-discover the last six years of music?
I graduated college in 2004, and since then life has moved pretty fast - job, marriage, kid, etc. I find myself listening to (mostly) the same music that I listened to in college. And while I've stayed on top of acts that I dearly love (Ben Folds, The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, Counting Crows, Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, etc.), I feel like I'm getting left behind musically.
I'm not even 30, and I feel really unhip.
But alas! The internet can save me. (Right?) Or, rather, you can - what sites, podcasts, magazines do you use to learn about great new music? And where can I re-discover the last six years of music?
I listen to Hype Machine once in a while. The Anti-Hit List has turned me on to a few artists, and more than a few individual tracks.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:05 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by backwards guitar at 12:05 PM on June 30, 2010
Best answer: NPR's All Songs Considered.
posted by partylarry at 12:08 PM on June 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by partylarry at 12:08 PM on June 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
KCRW's streaming All Music Channel. They also have podcasts, DJ picks, tracklists (with iTunes & Amazon links), etc.
posted by ljshapiro at 12:09 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by ljshapiro at 12:09 PM on June 30, 2010
Best answer: The Music Ninja covers a pretty wide gamut, and has some great finds.
There's also
So Much Silence
Gorilla Vs Bear (Just relaunched!)
NPR & KCRW (already mentioned. always excellent)
Rawkblog
You Aint No Picasso
Sadly, Google Reader has made me forget which of these are the best....
posted by schmod at 12:31 PM on June 30, 2010
There's also
So Much Silence
Gorilla Vs Bear (Just relaunched!)
NPR & KCRW (already mentioned. always excellent)
Rawkblog
You Aint No Picasso
Sadly, Google Reader has made me forget which of these are the best....
posted by schmod at 12:31 PM on June 30, 2010
I use Last.fm, and Aurgasm always has some interesting, under the radar stuff.
posted by mikeweeney at 12:32 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by mikeweeney at 12:32 PM on June 30, 2010
last.fm, Gorilla vs. Bear, Pitchfork, and Stereogum.
posted by hazyspring at 12:45 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by hazyspring at 12:45 PM on June 30, 2010
nthing Gorilla Vs. Bear. The Culture of Me is also up there.
Discobelle is almost always first out of the gate with future-trendy dance/electronic tracks.
posted by mykescipark at 1:21 PM on June 30, 2010
Discobelle is almost always first out of the gate with future-trendy dance/electronic tracks.
posted by mykescipark at 1:21 PM on June 30, 2010
WXPN</a. They used to have a daily free download, too (not sure if they still do).
posted by leahwrenn at 1:28 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by leahwrenn at 1:28 PM on June 30, 2010
CBC Radio 3 is pretty good, I subscribe to the podcast with Grant Lawrence.
posted by axismundi at 1:32 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by axismundi at 1:32 PM on June 30, 2010
Best answer: Pitchfork has its "Forkcast" for keeping up with new music. Actually, I prefer the similar NPR Music. One of its features is "First Listen" (on the right side of the screen), which lets you stream a whole album for two weeks ending right when it's officially released.
Take random artists you like (e.g. Sufjan Stevens) and plug them into Pandora or last.fm. Even doing this with an older act -- say, Beach Boys -- will probably lead you to some music from the last few years.
As for buying the music, I've been a fan of eMusic for years. It's much more economical than iTunes or Amazon, the downside being that you need to use up a set number of "credits" every month. They used to have a limited selection (it used to be just indie labels), but they've been greatly expanding their major label offerings. They have lots of features that are conducive to discovering new music: (1) very nuanced genre breakdowns, (2) lists of albums/songs created by the site and by users (which get recommended, Amazon-style, when you're looking at any given album); (3) 30-second samples of each song. I usually start with the 30-second clips, then look for the band's MySpace page (google "myspace" and the band name) to hear samples of a few full songs. I believe if you sign up you get a two-week trial with 25 free tracks (make sure to cancel within 14 days if you don't want the paid account to start up automatically).
Self-link alert: I made this list of the best 200 songs of 2000-2009, which you might find useful (we seem to have some musical tastes in common -- for instance, I included Sufjan Stevens, the Shins, and Ben Folds).
posted by Jaltcoh at 2:50 PM on June 30, 2010
Take random artists you like (e.g. Sufjan Stevens) and plug them into Pandora or last.fm. Even doing this with an older act -- say, Beach Boys -- will probably lead you to some music from the last few years.
As for buying the music, I've been a fan of eMusic for years. It's much more economical than iTunes or Amazon, the downside being that you need to use up a set number of "credits" every month. They used to have a limited selection (it used to be just indie labels), but they've been greatly expanding their major label offerings. They have lots of features that are conducive to discovering new music: (1) very nuanced genre breakdowns, (2) lists of albums/songs created by the site and by users (which get recommended, Amazon-style, when you're looking at any given album); (3) 30-second samples of each song. I usually start with the 30-second clips, then look for the band's MySpace page (google "myspace" and the band name) to hear samples of a few full songs. I believe if you sign up you get a two-week trial with 25 free tracks (make sure to cancel within 14 days if you don't want the paid account to start up automatically).
Self-link alert: I made this list of the best 200 songs of 2000-2009, which you might find useful (we seem to have some musical tastes in common -- for instance, I included Sufjan Stevens, the Shins, and Ben Folds).
posted by Jaltcoh at 2:50 PM on June 30, 2010
Besides my own, obv, I enjoy the Songs By Toad podcast (when he's not being wildly twee) and several online music mags (rather than blogs) like Quietus, Rollogrady and Prefix and online versions of paper mags like Paste and the Fader.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2010
And Dusted Magazine also, for harder-edged stuff.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:38 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:38 PM on June 30, 2010
second "all songs considered"
also for blogs: said the gramophone (an mp3 blog) and daytrotter (great recorded sessions of stuff thats probably up your musical alley)
posted by jddizzle at 6:17 PM on June 30, 2010
also for blogs: said the gramophone (an mp3 blog) and daytrotter (great recorded sessions of stuff thats probably up your musical alley)
posted by jddizzle at 6:17 PM on June 30, 2010
Oh, and The Onion's AV Club generally has album reviews and ratings that match my interests.
Pitchfork's been on a long slide downhill for the entire duration of its existence. 4.2/10
posted by schmod at 7:18 PM on June 30, 2010
Pitchfork's been on a long slide downhill for the entire duration of its existence. 4.2/10
posted by schmod at 7:18 PM on June 30, 2010
The Current from Minnesota Public Radio, the aforementioned KCRW from Santa Monica, KEXP in Seattle, and Texas Music Matters from KUT in Austin all have weekday songs-of-the-day podcasts available through iTunes.
I second all the blogs mentioned, and am also a fan of: Kata Rokkar, MBV, Rollo & Grady, Comfort Music, and Indiehere.
A cool monthly music blog collaboration is the Music Alliance Pact. Around the middle of each month—the 15th or 16th—a bunch of blogs from different countries select a track from their country and post all the tracks on each of their blogs. You can check out the June 2010 M.A.P. post here—or at any of the linked sites. Good exposure to music from around the world.
The Hype Machine is awesome; the site aggregates tracks from hundreds and hundreds of music blogs. Another aggregator is Elbows; they're more helpful in searching the text of blog posts, as opposed to the Hype Machine, which focuses on the mp3s in each cataloged post.
RCRD LBL always has dozens and dozens of free tracks from current artists, and it's completely legal. Amoeba Music also features many free tracks for listening. To a lesser extent, so does Insound.com; and to a much greater extent, so does Amazon: free mp3s, free albums.
Nthing last.fm for typing in artists and getting solid recommendations. TasteKid works in that same vein (and does the same for movies, books tv shows, etc.).
metacritic scores new album releases based off of reviews of said releases from various magazines, papers, and websites. Maybe check it each Tuesday for the newest stuff? Other music review sites I like are Aiding & Abetting (generally reviews lesser-known artists), The A.V. Club, Dusted Magazine, and Tiny Mix Tapes.
Blip.fm is kind of the Twitter for music. You can type in a few artists and get a list of "djs" that have posted tracks from all of those artists. Then just click on one of their feeds and check out what they're listening to.
And finally, here's a more extensive list of legal free music sources; a wiki of categorized MP3 blogs from our sister site MonkeyFilter; and the now defunct Mega Super Mammoth MP3 Blog List.
(Ask MetaFilter is also invaluable in finding new music, just from reading other people's questions, asking for recommendations, or for help making a mix.)
posted by Korou at 8:37 PM on June 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
I second all the blogs mentioned, and am also a fan of: Kata Rokkar, MBV, Rollo & Grady, Comfort Music, and Indiehere.
A cool monthly music blog collaboration is the Music Alliance Pact. Around the middle of each month—the 15th or 16th—a bunch of blogs from different countries select a track from their country and post all the tracks on each of their blogs. You can check out the June 2010 M.A.P. post here—or at any of the linked sites. Good exposure to music from around the world.
The Hype Machine is awesome; the site aggregates tracks from hundreds and hundreds of music blogs. Another aggregator is Elbows; they're more helpful in searching the text of blog posts, as opposed to the Hype Machine, which focuses on the mp3s in each cataloged post.
RCRD LBL always has dozens and dozens of free tracks from current artists, and it's completely legal. Amoeba Music also features many free tracks for listening. To a lesser extent, so does Insound.com; and to a much greater extent, so does Amazon: free mp3s, free albums.
Nthing last.fm for typing in artists and getting solid recommendations. TasteKid works in that same vein (and does the same for movies, books tv shows, etc.).
metacritic scores new album releases based off of reviews of said releases from various magazines, papers, and websites. Maybe check it each Tuesday for the newest stuff? Other music review sites I like are Aiding & Abetting (generally reviews lesser-known artists), The A.V. Club, Dusted Magazine, and Tiny Mix Tapes.
Blip.fm is kind of the Twitter for music. You can type in a few artists and get a list of "djs" that have posted tracks from all of those artists. Then just click on one of their feeds and check out what they're listening to.
And finally, here's a more extensive list of legal free music sources; a wiki of categorized MP3 blogs from our sister site MonkeyFilter; and the now defunct Mega Super Mammoth MP3 Blog List.
(Ask MetaFilter is also invaluable in finding new music, just from reading other people's questions, asking for recommendations, or for help making a mix.)
posted by Korou at 8:37 PM on June 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
Oh yeah! Seconding daytrotter; a few other live session sites are Black Cab Sessions, The Take-Away Shows, and They Shoot Music Don't They.
posted by Korou at 8:40 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by Korou at 8:40 PM on June 30, 2010
Best answer: I hit up Aquarium Drunkard once a month or so...they do a nice mix of old stuff I know and love and new stuff that's usually pretty good. With the deluge of music out there, the trick is to find someone whose tastes are simpatico with yours, and let them do the curating.
posted by Bron at 8:50 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by Bron at 8:50 PM on June 30, 2010
I'm a huge fan of Triple J, an australian radio broadcaster funded by the government (NO ADS!), aimed at "youth". It's a mix of independent, alternative, rock and pop, but focusses on Australian and current and actively avoids the mainstream (unless they got there first, in which case it'll be played until the band is considered to have sold out and gotten too popular, except sometimes, when they manage to be popular, but still cool....it's a fine line!). They have new music podcasts, though I've never listened to them, as well as streaming online.
It's actually best for music in the middle of the night australian time, so work time in the US, as there's little to no talking.
posted by kjs4 at 12:45 AM on July 1, 2010
It's actually best for music in the middle of the night australian time, so work time in the US, as there's little to no talking.
posted by kjs4 at 12:45 AM on July 1, 2010
Another way that I find new music that I might like, is to peruse all the local music venues (in NYC currently) and see who's playing. Of course, 99% of them will be unfamiliar, but I read up on venue's descriptions and then go on the internet hunt for samples of their music (Rhapsody, myspace, artist website, etc). If I like it I find more info/dl album, maybe go see them live, if not I move on. The great thing about finding music this way (though this is very time-consuming), you'll be somewhat ahead of the curve and you won't be subject to others' opinons. You get to decide just by sheer listening pleasure. But I'm also willing to listen to 10 bad bands for one good band...
posted by getmetoSF at 5:40 AM on July 1, 2010
posted by getmetoSF at 5:40 AM on July 1, 2010
I really like gbh.tv
It comes in small doses and is usually good stuff.
posted by litleozy at 1:51 AM on July 2, 2010
It comes in small doses and is usually good stuff.
posted by litleozy at 1:51 AM on July 2, 2010
Feedmegoodtunes
Illegal Tender
Ropeadope
Also Caitlyn & AllSongs. And WRUR and WBER, which are two local-to-me independent/college stations.
posted by knile at 4:17 PM on July 2, 2010
Illegal Tender
Ropeadope
Also Caitlyn & AllSongs. And WRUR and WBER, which are two local-to-me independent/college stations.
posted by knile at 4:17 PM on July 2, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers. I marked best answers on a few, but they were all really great suggestions. Thanks again!
posted by po822000 at 7:22 AM on July 15, 2010
posted by po822000 at 7:22 AM on July 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Think_Long at 12:01 PM on June 30, 2010 [2 favorites]