Expose Yourself: Picking Up On New Sounds
Published by Alex March 19th, 2007 in Music, Romance. Share This
One of the problems I’m discovering as I get older is that, like my joints, my taste in stuff requires more and more effort to stay limber; this is best illustrated in terms of music. Every generation inevitably finds itself becoming the outdated demographic sooner or later.
By the time you’re in your early thirties you are no longer culturally relevant. You are no longer part of the Youth Culture, which is both a good and a bad thing in ways both subtle and blunt. The radio stations aren’t playing music you can relate to, it all starts sounding the same and noisesome to boot. Then they start selling cars and luxury items with the beloved music of your youth. The wife and I almost shat ourselves the first time we saw a Carnival Cruise commercial featuring the music of Iggy Pop. Did it make us want to go on a cruise more than otherwise, or did it make us sick to our stomachs that one of the paragons of the counterculture had finally become so unbearably mainstream? I think you can guess. As bitchy as that is, though, the sadder day is when we find we no longer recognize the music they’re selling us crap with. And that day is coming fast.
Staying hip and on edge is becoming a chore, one very nearly worth abandoning. Too much of what is ‘current’ sounds the same, and I feel like a crotchety old fart when I say that bands such as Blink-182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, AFI, All American Rejects, Fall Out Boy, regardless of how they put together their outward appearance, all sound totally identical to my ears.
Stick with me, this rant is actually going somewhere.
It’d be very easy to stick with what I already like and insulate myself against that racket, but fuck that! I’ve always loved discovering new great music, I always will, and there are some great new sounds to champion coming out all the time. But as I’m no longer part of the mainstream demographic, sussing out the original and innovative and good from the trite and commercial is ever the more and more challenging. So many of the old sources have dried up; though most of the new bands that have played there for the last twenty years have largely been crap, the closing of CBGB’s last year was rather symbolic in this regard.
But music culture in this age is a hydra; as one old analog head falls, it seems that two digital heads emerge to replace it. And some of the new sources for exposure are surprising.
A relevant example: I’m one of those douchebags who likes to annoy people by having a ringback on my phone. For the last few months I’ve had the theme from TV’s Bewitched on there. My family and friends are sick of it, I’m sure. Last night I decided it was time to switch to something different and I went on the Verizon Wireless site to hunt for the new. I decided to me merciful and pick The Girl From Ipanema, largely due to my old post on the matter. Alas, it isn’t available. So I sniffed around for something else and eventually wound up sifting through the options in the Alternative genre.
How fucking lame is this? Arguably, if a band has the commercial backing to receive placement slots on Verizon Wireless’ media library, it’s hardly countercultural or even cutting edge, but nevertheless, though this source I found a rather surprising number of new bands (or new to me, anyway) that I now want to follow up on. Perhaps I would have learned about The Horrors another way, I have heard the name mentioned somewhere recently, but had I not I might not have clicked on one of their samples. Loved ‘em, sicced a friend in LA on their live gig tonight. Similarly, when I checked out a ringback from The Klaxons I was immediately struck by their structural innovation and unique approach, immediately sought out their twisted little website. Hell, I was listening to some Apples In Stereo for the first time last night because of this, and then Joel posts an aside about the very band the next day.
Today there are a fuckzillion different ways to get the new sounds online. The Music Genome’s Pandora radio project is getting sharper every day at pairing up new stuff to the old stuff you already like; Last.FM is a member-driven resource for music exposure and taste sharing, kind of community oriented but more about the music than the individual. Then there is the ethically-challenged method I’ve been using for a few years now: Soulseek is a wonderful peer-to-peer file trading service that I use almost daily. Quite often I’ll find a user who has a great upload rate and browse through his library; if he has stuff I know I already like, I’ll try out a couple of bands I’ve barely or never heard of just to see if I like them too. As often as not, I’ll discover something really cool and then pass it on to others. Viral marketing at its most basic.
Surely you folks can chime in at this point and contribute some of the ways you’re discovering new music. As fun as it is to discover stuff on my own, I still trust word of mouth over any other resource.
I wait for Pitchfork to release their Best Of selection each year, then work my way down the list. It’s Pitchfork, so it’s got a definite indier-than-thou bent, but I often find a lot of quality stuff in the mix.
I’m also tentatively hopeful about http://slacker.com, which is for the moment a Pandora-like streaming station, but will soon add a hardware player with similar capabilities. (Including streaming music channels down to your portable player via satellite. Quite nifty.)
3wk.com is streaming internet radio, and their indie station is pretty awesome.
and there is no shame in thinking that all those listed bands sound the same. you can like new music and still hate that shit.
One thing for sure, do not just take the opinion of one music magazine or blog. Have several that will expose you to different genres. I have a list of 15+ that I check regularly and then jump off to other blogs if I find a link that sounds interesting.
But the best way to find the new stuff? You have to get out there. You have to go hear and experience the music first hand. Up and coming bands always play $5/$10/$15 shows. Find out who has the buzz and go check them out. Hit up clubs (if that’s too much, lounges) see what the DJ’s are playing. Talk to them (when they are NOT spinning…).
Maybe it is easier since I have very close friends in touch with the scene but in the end it was our interest in music and culture that brought us together.
Klaxons are a pretty cool new band. Going to go see Junior Boys and Lo-Fi Fnk next Saturday (it also happens to be the Klaxons album release party). And possibly Spank Rock on Thursday. I guess I’m just lucky to be living in Miami during Winter Music Conference…
I am all for scouring Pitchfork’s website as they usually have mp3’s to download on whichever indie band they are pimping that week and other mp3’s of new releases.
Also, I usually try to keep tabs over @ http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/, they’ve provided me with more then a few tips on some good bands and they also have a laundry list of links to follow to check out other sites.
And then there is the age old method that I have followed for years, any time I find a relatively new band I will always check out what label they are on and then listen to the other bands on that label. Sometimes its hit or miss, other times it can turn into a goldmine of a listening experience. In addition to this, I will usually check out what bands are coming to town and use that as a way to find some new tunes as well.
I find it incredibly difficult to try and steer myself towards new music and artists. I’m 32, a huge fan of jazz and songwriter-rock, and a professional desk jockey with a fifteen minute commute. Basically, I’ve got two problems. One, there’s a ton of great music on the shelf I haven’t purchased yet (last few albums bought: Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Sonny Clark, The Band), and two, I don’t have long walks to classes and dead time in the lecture hall to keep the earphones on anymore.
There’s so much stuff I want to buy that I already know I’m going to like, why do I want to take a shot with new artists anyway? With jazz, I can’t imagine I’m going to find albums I would like as much as I would if I added to my Art Blakey library, and if you’re talking about some dude and his guitar, who’s better than Dylan? Even after I’m done there, I’ve still got work to do with JJ Cale, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine anyway.
The only way I’ve managed to even try a little to keep up is through recommendations from a friend who sees a ton of live music. She steered me to Jason Molina (okay, I guess) and Jeff Klein (at least he’s not mired in that dude+guitar+minor chord aural soundscape shit that traps a lot of the lazier singer-songwriter types). I did just pick up “Illinoise” by Sufjan Stevens too, so I’ve got that to chew on.
But wouldn’t my $9.99 on iTunes be better spent on Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline?” Am I being too provincial when I’d rather by “GP/Grevious Angel” than finding music by someone with a pulse I might be able to see live someday?
I don’t think I wear this preference like a badge of superiority (i.e., all those MetaCritic end-of-year lists that are filled with bands you’ll never ever hear of just so they can prove their indie cred), but if I know I like Dylan between 64 and 70, why wouldn’t I want to buy all that stuff up? After that, Gram Parsons and maybe from there Emmylou Harris?
I ask this question with all honesty, and not at all in a snarky sort of way: Am I seriously short-changing myself by listening almost exclusively to music that was put under museum glass two or more decades ago?
There is nothing at all wrong with listening to older stuff. Good music is often timeless, or if not timeless, able to be appreciated again removed from its context. I’m as likely as not to be “discovering” old bands and artists along with the new stuff. (See: Hall & Oates, ELO, Shuggie Otis, Harry Nilsson.)
There’s too much good music being created at any given point to be able to parse it all unless it’s your full time job.
BG said, “I ask this question with all honesty, and not at all in a snarky sort of way: Am I seriously short-changing myself by listening almost exclusively to music that was put under museum glass two or more decades ago?”
I feel your pain, man. While I do listen to a fair amount of somewhat recent stuff, the overwhelming majority of my collection is from the early-to-mid 20th Century. Primarily jazz and blues, with a lot of early rock, up into the beginnings of classic R&B, funk, psychedelic and proto-punk. After about the mid-1970s everything tapers off. It’s not necessarily that I don’t want to listen to newer stuff, it’s that I’m so busy going back over all this awesome “historical” material (which, in my opinion, is recorded in a way that sounds 100 times better than the slick-as-shit modern standard) that I hardly have time to seek out newer artists.
That said, I find MySpace (sorry, I said it) is actually a pretty good place to just surf around and find cool bands that I might otherwise never have heard of. I’ve found everything from awesome little obscure screaming noise jazz deconstruction bands from Toledo which I never would otherwise have heard of, to bands I probably should have already heard of but had been completely oblivious to (e.g., Wolfmother).
I usually find new music by accident. A lot of times by catching the opening band when I’m going to a show. Another way I’ve found some great stuff is by reading interviews with bands/muscians that I like - they usually mention what they’re listening to. Plus, Alex has steered me in the right direction once or twice ;) I can’t imagine scouring the internet for music - it seems like a colossal chore, and there just aren’t that many new bands out there with an ounce of originality, from what I can tell.
The Hype Machine is a great aggregator of hundreds of mp3 blogs.
http://hypem.com
I’ve really been enjoying Slacker this last week. I never used Pandora (although heard it was similar). At first I thought Slacker (sans the portable player bit) was just another streaming radio station, until I searched for a band, and it started playing tracks by that band and related artists. I’d been borrowing my friend’s Sirius online account to stream stuff at work/home lately, but I’ll probably just use this for now. It’s been great for when I want to listen to a type of music, instead of trying to find a certain streaming station that plays that specific genre, I just make a new station, add a few artists that fit what I’m looking for, and let it do its thing.
http://www.slacker.com (as Joel has already linked)
Dudes.
I wanted to address Alex’s complaint from earlier in the post: hearing music you love, in commercials.
Does anyone lose a little part of their soul when Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” plays during that baseball video-game ad?
Or what about “Blister in the Sun,” (Violent Femmes, obviously) being used to hock burgers for some unmemorable fast-food chain?
Boo.
Just getting that off my chest.
Or The Thamesman’s “Gimme Some Money” for Chase? I mean, are David and Nigel that hard up for cash?
Worse, I think that version of “Gimme Some Money” was actually a cover being performed by the Gories.
That is worse; we loves us some Gories. And that reminds me, I’m supposed to be interviewing Mr. Mick Collins. I need to get on that shit asap.
the pre-intenet solution, for men as they aged and lost touch with the music scene: befriend someone younger, expose them to the ancient stuff you dig, and if they like it, take a peek at what they listen to. the two will likely overlap and have a wonderful conversation.
i know this because ten years ago i was the young’un being exposed to eddie palmieri, early mingus, stevie wonder, dollar brand…while i was deep in my mos def, stone temple pilots, massive attack…
part of they key to never losing your passion for life is to keep the young with you; this happens to apply nicely to music, as well.
excelent post, by the way. it’s good to hear adult voices on the ‘net.
I used to DJ but over time my tastes became more and more diverse that I had trouble putting together a set. So I’ve rechannelled my music obsession to finding the best radio stations in the world for an eclectic range of music. After searching for years, I’m currently settled on
http://www.etherbeat.com
and
http://www.novaplanet.com
(annoying Parisian ads esp during primetime but their playlist is phenomenal IMHO)
Enjoy!