dak4.com - Genius!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

How do you find your music? Apple iTunes has added a new "genius" system to help you find stuff you like, based on the stuff you got. I kinda thought iTunes already had that with recommendations it made, but apparently something is more "genius" in the new system than the old. What's the real genius? Checking out what this new system is supposed to do informed me of the "new" Beastie Boys album which has been out for over a year. Seriously, how am I supposed to find the music I like, especially since I can't stand what they pump out over the radio...

So, how is it? Well, it's not rap, it's not really even hip-hop. Did you like the "b-side" of Check Your Head? Do you like instrumental funky-groovy mood music? I like it, but I answered yes to both of those questions... More importantly, how does one find out about the new music when they've grown so old that all the popular music seems quite unpopular to their ears? Oh, and their taste is so eclectic that they want the new "old skool east coast hip hop" as well as great nasheed, mbalax, cool jazz, blues rock, and who knows what else?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:46:32 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3] -
music

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:46:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

First things first; I'm hoping that you already have, or have heard, the Beastie Boy's "The In Sound from Way Out!" If you don't, do yourself a favor and scamper to iTunes and check it out.

As for finding new music - I can totally relate to this problem. I despair when I hear "popular" music. I simply can't really relate. What do I do? I keep my ear to the ground, follow up with old favorites to see if they've released anything recently (Harriet Wheeler, I'm lookin' at you) and pay attention to the background music on TV. I was introduced to J Dilla's great album "Donuts" by Adult Swim's bumps. I also get nostalgic and raid my own collection - Papa Wemba is in the midst of a revival in my living room. I often find myself stuck in genres, or following musical threads. The Papa Wemba resurgence was sparked by a chance encounter with Cheb i Sabbah's "Toura Toura" - which set off a tour of North Africa. All that great stuff led me to West Africa, where I listened to some Griot, which called to mind a sample on Eno/Byrne's fantastic "My Life In the Bush of Ghosts" - which prompted me to see what they were up to, which led to my latest addiction (seriously, I need an Eno-vention.)

Basically, I just swirl around looking for connections in my collection, then I see where that takes me.

As for word of mouth, I've found NPR to be a pretty good source too. The iPhone introduced me to Pandora - I know, years late to that party - but it's done a good job by me. I occasionally hear about bands via friends. I would have totally ignored Camera Obscura if it hadn't been for Rob & Aly.

And who says you have to keep up with current music anyway? As long as it's not Skynard 24/7 there ain't nothin wrong with the past.

Dari

Thursday, September 11, 2008 5:54:57 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Actually I have never listened to "The In Shound from Way Out!", mostly because I was under the impression that there was no new music there. And I have just confirmed that all the tracks seem to have been taken from the "b-side" of "Ill Communication" and "Check your Head", the 2nd of which I have, and the first I should see if I need to get...

TV doesn't help, that just introduces me to new Children's Music. Za totally has control of the remote, and she won't give it to anyone... Pandora I like, that put me on a week long exploration of days gone by via Jethro Tull. They have so much good material, and if they were coming out with their stuff today, I think they'd be such a hit...

On a side note, the new iTunes seems to suck now. I can't listen to samples for a whole album at once? Wack.

Oh well, guess I'll just go listen to the 15 minute extended play album version of Free Bird again...

Kearns

Friday, September 12, 2008 10:26:19 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

I just realized the other day that I have stopped listening to new music. I used to be fairly knowledgeable about new bands and a few obscure bands, but any edge I had is completely gone. These days I mostly use my iPod/iPhone for listening to podcasts or passively watching vidcasts. I turned Pandora on for a few days, but quickly got distracted at work. I think I need to give it another shot as I'm quickly losing touch with current music (that I like).

Nate

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