Dreamy radio and new music

April 11, 2025 3:53 PM

I’m trying to save my pennies but I’m also starting to enjoy music again after a long spell of being numb to it. I’m currently using the free version of Apple Music, and I also have some CDs from the nineties and aughts. I have permanently quit Spotify for reasons and have lost all the playlist I built up over the years.

But I can listen to tons of radio stations just by looking them up on line. So I’d love to hear what you suggest. I’ve noticed that dreamy, gentle music similar to Sufjan Stevens has a nice effect in my mood - so I’m open to any stations that might play that kind of music. But I’m also happy to hear about any local radio stations you particularly like.

I’m kind of rediscovering my musical tastes but in the past I’ve enjoyed Paul Simon, the Pet Shop Boys, Lucy Dacus, kd lang, Lyle Lovett, and the Scissor Sisters. Am happy to hear about new music, too.

posted by bunderful to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

Best answer: I like KCRW's Eclectic Stream.
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 4:08 PM on April 11

Best answer: KEXP (Seattle public radio station) is my favorite music radio station in the world. Plays all kinds of great music all day every day. I believe you would especially like Pacific Notions on Sunday mornings, but you can check the streaming archive here (sadly can't link to the show itself, just click over to any Sunday). And honestly, looking at your musical tastes in general, I think you'll like just about any hour on any day of the station.
posted by General Malaise at 4:14 PM on April 11 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I assume you already know about Soma FM, but just in case.

Groove Salad is the classic but they have lots of stations that you might like.
posted by mmoncur at 4:21 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]

Best answer: 93XRT in Chicago is a good one, RIP Lin Brehmer
posted by phunniemee at 4:22 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]

Best answer: FIP started in 1971 as an idea for soothing music lovers stuck in traffic Paris’s Boulevard Périphérique. They play music - painstaking selected by panels of experts and with only occasional announcements, by sultry presenters, to tell you about some upcoming concert you would no doubt love to attend. It’s been described as empirically best radio station in the world. You can listen here.
posted by rongorongo at 5:08 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]

Best answer: SBS Chill: Chill out with an eclectic mix of downtempo, electronic, ambient and lo-fi tunes from around the world. Music for working, studying and relaxing. Can also stream chill visuals.

SBS is Australia's second public broadcast network. It caters for a multicultural and diverse society.
posted by Thella at 5:47 PM on April 11

Best answer: Hope a free podcast is ok to recommend: Sounds in the Dark.
posted by brainwane at 6:22 PM on April 11

Best answer: Check out NTS Radio for a wide range of curated playlists as well as livestreams, across many genres. Some are organized by vibe, including Slow Focus, Poolside, Low Key, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:46 PM on April 11

Response by poster: I am really enjoying exploring these! I had a weird day and this is the perfect activity for this evening. So far I love everything. Thank you, all of you.
posted by bunderful at 6:46 PM on April 11 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Check out dublab, despote the name it goes waaay beyond dub. Try the Genre dropdown. dublab's great (for me) for ethereal - eg Burial, Gqom and unique London stations like Metal Box which is very chill at times.
posted by unearthed at 7:04 PM on April 11

Best answer: It’s been many years since I’ve listened to Radio Paradise but I always enjoyed what they do there. The link is for their mellow mix which might suit you and they also have an ambient mix.

Personally, I really enjoy the eclectic stream in KCRW linked above.
posted by ashbury at 7:15 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I came in to rec KEXP as well and also to say that next week is their "six degrees" week (when every song has to have some sort of interesting connection to the last song they played, and while they are supposed to show up with a theme in mind they're generally winging it rather than planning ahead for a full multi hour set) which is always SO much fun. Just really letting the DJs cook and show off and they're all clearly having a fantastic time in the booth. Highly recommend a listen during that event as it's a great showcase for the tremendous knowledge and love the people working at the station have for popular music.
posted by potrzebie at 7:26 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Portland’s own xray has a wide array of shows- Saturday and Sunday are pretty goddamn stacked. Highlights are Beaches, Radio Bandelero, and the In Crowd. If you find a show you like, they keep good archives.

One of their shows that ran for years, named Tropicology was one of the best- introduced me to some of the best Brazilian, Caribbean and African music that I never would have ever heard were it not for the show. This shows archives alone are worth digging into.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:18 PM on April 11

Best answer: Melbourne has a really healthy public radio scene, my happy place these days is usually PBS, RRR is also worth a look.

Your music taste is not mine but there are programs on both that will cater to yours, have a read through the program guides and go from there. Both let you listen on demand rather than live.
posted by deadwax at 12:44 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]

This is such a lovely list of recommendations, first of all, thank you to everyone who posted. OP, this reco is just if you want to reclaim any of your old Spotify playlists... I also quit them for reasons, and have been able to transition some of my fave playlists over to Apple Music using SongShift. Hope this helps if you need it!
posted by HalfInScribbly at 11:12 AM on April 13

I really enjoy the variety from The Current, from Minnesota Public Radio. It's a nice variety, but on the "chill"-er end of things.
posted by hydra77 at 12:56 PM on April 13