Instincts Are Misleading, You Shouldn't Think What You're Feeling
Thursday. Today is website upload day, so here's hoping that all goes well. So far, so good, but I don't want to jinx it. I have been thinking that one way to cure some of my boredom around here is to re-brand my job function to a more relevant, contemporary description. So, from now on I am going to engage in X-treme Accounting, or "XA/R." I am going to spike my hair over the weekend and dye the tips blond. I am going to rip off the sleeves of all of my dress shirts and start wearing old-school Vans with my slacks. That should spark some excitement around here. Well, probably more for my co-workers since I would most likely end up an X-employee if I did...
When it comes to new music, I pretty much live under a rock. Since Clear Channel owns every output but the oldies station, I know I can't depend on commercial radio to provide enlightenment on anything new. When I'm close to home, I check out the local college radio station, and I can sometimes pick up some good tunes on there. They tend to be all over the board, though, so you can literally be listening to a hardcore punk tune, followed by gangsta rap then alt-pop. At least it's usually something new and different instead of the same old rotation.
In my younger years I would depend on word-of-mouth to find out about bands, but since now I don't have the luxury of that wide social network, I have had to find other avenues to expand my musical horizons. I know it sounds cheesy, but I often use Amazon.com to check out groups. It works like this: first I type in a band that I already like. Then I see what other bands they recommend, or what reviewers recommend. Another place to check is the "also bought" section to see what other albums people bought along with the one in question. Then, after making a list of the recommended bands, I search them on Amazon. Amazon allows you to sample almost every album on their site, so you can usually get 30-second snippets of each track to find out if the album is good or not. Sometimes that's all you need. If you are really lucky, there might be some free downloads on there as well.
Another place to check out is Music Plasma. This is like some kind of cluster/flow chart where if you enter in one band, it will map out connections to others. Sometimes I question the connections it makes, but it is still fun to play around with. I usually take a couple of suggestions from there and go back to Amazon to hear the samples. If all is good, I then move to add that selection to my collection.
The point of all of that? It is just a long, convoluted segue into how I came across today's band Death Cab for Cutie. They were recommended for fans of Modest Mouse. With a name like Death Cab for Cutie you would think they would be some kind of hardcore band, but actually they play the melodic alt-rock similar to Built to Spill and The Shins. I don't know the name of that genre, if there even is one. How about "melaltro"? That's what I think I will call it from now on. Anyway, DCfC is pretty good. I don't know if they are the caliber of Built to Spill, but I derive enjoyment from listening to them. Recommended tracks on Transatlanticism: We Looked Like Giants and Lightness.
When it comes to new music, I pretty much live under a rock. Since Clear Channel owns every output but the oldies station, I know I can't depend on commercial radio to provide enlightenment on anything new. When I'm close to home, I check out the local college radio station, and I can sometimes pick up some good tunes on there. They tend to be all over the board, though, so you can literally be listening to a hardcore punk tune, followed by gangsta rap then alt-pop. At least it's usually something new and different instead of the same old rotation.
In my younger years I would depend on word-of-mouth to find out about bands, but since now I don't have the luxury of that wide social network, I have had to find other avenues to expand my musical horizons. I know it sounds cheesy, but I often use Amazon.com to check out groups. It works like this: first I type in a band that I already like. Then I see what other bands they recommend, or what reviewers recommend. Another place to check is the "also bought" section to see what other albums people bought along with the one in question. Then, after making a list of the recommended bands, I search them on Amazon. Amazon allows you to sample almost every album on their site, so you can usually get 30-second snippets of each track to find out if the album is good or not. Sometimes that's all you need. If you are really lucky, there might be some free downloads on there as well.
Another place to check out is Music Plasma. This is like some kind of cluster/flow chart where if you enter in one band, it will map out connections to others. Sometimes I question the connections it makes, but it is still fun to play around with. I usually take a couple of suggestions from there and go back to Amazon to hear the samples. If all is good, I then move to add that selection to my collection.
The point of all of that? It is just a long, convoluted segue into how I came across today's band Death Cab for Cutie. They were recommended for fans of Modest Mouse. With a name like Death Cab for Cutie you would think they would be some kind of hardcore band, but actually they play the melodic alt-rock similar to Built to Spill and The Shins. I don't know the name of that genre, if there even is one. How about "melaltro"? That's what I think I will call it from now on. Anyway, DCfC is pretty good. I don't know if they are the caliber of Built to Spill, but I derive enjoyment from listening to them. Recommended tracks on Transatlanticism: We Looked Like Giants and Lightness.
posted by john at 11:55 AM
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