Recommendations
Exfm
Since the demise of Lala, which had previously been my favorite music site, I’ve been experimenting with different sites in an attempt to find a new favorite. Both Slacker and Pandora are adequate, although neither are very good at helping me find new music and despite numerous attempts to “teach” it my preferences, Pandora continues to slip in the occasional death metal tune even though I absolutely despise the genre. I like Last.fm a little better, since it gives users the option of indexing your library and listening history from third party programs such as iTunes or Windows Media Player and incorporating that information along with your activity on the site to give you more personalized recommendations. I had been using Last.fm almost exclusively until I learned about exfm, a site that scours music blogs for MP3s. Exfm is fully integrated with Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Last.fm so that users can browse and collect MP3s and then share them with their social network, as well as follow other users to see what they are listening to and what new music they have discovered. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari and an iPhone app are also helpful. I’ve only used the site for about a month but so far I like what I see. Exfm is excellent for discovering new music and the fact that it integrates so well with Last.fm makes it easy to go to Exfm when you’re in the mood for something new and then switch back to Last.fm when you want to listen something from your library – and all of your listening history will be recorded. If you enjoy discovering new music and sharing it with your social network, Exfm is definitely worth checking out.
Music for a Mellow Mood
I first heard Holcombe Waller on (D)early Departed, last year’s superb compilation CD of various Portland area musicians, on which Holcombe’s track “Down and Cried” was a standout. Curious to learn more about this artist, I checked out some of Holcombe’s other work and I quickly became a fan. His haunting voice and introspective lyrics are an irresistible combination and although I have not yet had the pleasure of attending one of his live performances, the clips I’ve seen on YouTube have been enough to let me know that seeing him live must be a rare treat. Check out his playlist on his MySpace page or watch the video below and you’re likely to become entranced as well.
New Releases
The Dead Weather: Horehound
I can’t help but love Jack White. Not content to rest on his laurels with The White Stripes, he has continued to collaborate with other artists and put out even more great music. His latest project is The Dead Weather, which released their debut album Horehound today. This latest group is comprised of Jack White as drummer and vocalist, along with vocalist Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), guitarist Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes). Several songs and videos from the new album are available on the band’s website.
I’ve just started listening to the album so I haven’t had a chance to fully absorb it yet… but I can say that so far it does not disappoint. I look forward to spending more time getting to know The Dead Weather.
Blip.fm
I have to limit the amount of time I spend on Blip.fm because its simple but satisfying blend of a huge music catalog with a Twitter-style interface can be highly addictive. Blip.fm allows you to be a DJ, creating your own playlists, sharing your selections, and interacting with other users who reply to your posts or give you “props”. Each time I log in, I quickly become immersed in finding new music, rediscovering old favorites, and connecting with other music lovers. If this sounds like a pleasant waste of time to you too, check out my blips and let me know what you think.
Coming Soon
More news, reviews, and recommendations. If there is something in particular you’d like to see here, send me an email and let me know.
0 Responses to “Music”