Habits : Finding new music

The radio still retains its position as being my main source of new music. Without it, I suspect my music collection would consist solely of a growing number of albums from the 1980s. No bad thing perhaps but, as I've mentioned previously, I start to get an itching urge to hear something new. So the radio, notably BBC Radio 1, tends to be where I go to for the new stuff.

BBC Radio 1

Except... I'm aware that it's not enough. As the critics will repeatedly say, Radio 1 isn't especially diverse in its genres. Or at least, to be fair to the station, it's main daytime shows are the narrower ones (specialist shows tend to occur late at night or early morning). And of course there's also the fact that you are likely to hear the same tracks played several times throughout the day, as if they are insisting that you like them. Despite these flaws, I still prefer Radio 1 over any other station. But it does mean that sometimes I still feel like I'm missing out on something else.

So where to after radio? How do I find new music? Well... until very recently, I've not been entirely sure.

PeopleSound CDs

Way back in the mists of time, when downloading music was becoming possible thanks to new broadband internet connection, I spent a lot of time on a website called PeopleSound. Now it appears that the site no longer exists, but I especially enjoyed it due to a search function which allowed me to type the name of a particular artist I liked, and it would then find people that were creating music in a similar style. Many of the bands and artists were unsigned or quietly releasing EPs, but the quality was generally pretty good. The website even created (monthly? I forget...) a handful of compilations CDs with their own recommendations. At a time when I felt like I was still struggling to catch up on the previous decade's music, finding and enjoying this brand new music filled me with glee.

As time went by, and people started to realise just how lucrative the downloadable-music industry could be, PeopleSound - and other similar websites - started to become less about the new and/or unsigned acts that wanted to promote themselves, and more about existing acts that could buy up some feature space. And so I found myself moving away from such sites.

There are still sites out there that are doing something similar, and even offering more by allowing the artists to sell their music directly to the consumer. But whilst you can browse genres, or see who is currently the highest rated, I don't find it easy to find something that I enjoy. I could trawl through Bandcamp.com for hours and still not feel like I've discovered something golden.

YouTube

Until not very long ago, YouTube was definitely the next-best-thing to those old websites I enjoyed. The community aspect of it, the huge volume of videos, and the ease at which you could find something 'related' (and therefore, hopefully, equally enjoyable) to what you were listening to, made it an easy way to lose time to new music. Except, for some reason, YouTube recently changed the format of the music section and now, unless it is in their top-rated/top-viewed charts, it is very difficult to just discover something for yourself. No longer is it simple to just see what the latest upload in the 'music' section is. And for that reason, it frustrates me.

And so, despite the plethora of music-promoting/selling websites that continue to pop up, I've found myself actually going back to the old-fashioned way - albeit with a little Internet-quirk: individual recommendation. Except, it isn't just the case of having a friend with similar tastes say to me, "Hey! Have you heard of a band called...?".

No. This is how I've found new music recently:

• A band I already enjoy used Twitter to mention a group that they've just begun listening to.
• An artist I already like tweeted about how he enjoys the work of his newest label-mates
• A friend on Facebook is in a band of his own, and mentioned the other bands he is sharing a gig with.
• Facebook's ticker showed me that a friend was using Spotify to listen to an artist I hadn't heard before.

No doubt these methods aren't exactly new and I'm sure many people have been using Twitter (and similar sites) to find new music for quite some time now. But for me it's a new place, and new way, to explore.

www.pluginmusic.com

That's not to say that there isn't a place for music websites anymore. Far from it. I have plenty of time for individuals that blog about the music they personally enjoy, or for websites that are happy to diversify from what I can easily find every hour on Radio 1 (e.g. I still regularly return to Plug In Music, and have been doing so since it began in 2001). I will even risk some time by exploring the 'spolight acts' suggested by the big names in online music because there's still a chance I might find something I really like. But a recommendation from someone whose opinion I respect - whether via Twitter, Facebook, blog, face-to-face, self-run website, etc. - is far better for me than to just check the "most-listened-to" on iTunes.

"If your life had lyrics, would they be any good?" - Doug Coupland

The Jezabels - City Girl

Over a decade ago, I used to tune into American radio stations over the Internet in order to listen to music I hadn't heard of before. I'd be listening to bands that were unheard of in the UK, hearing songs that still floated within my little comfort bubble of Western popular music, discovering tunes that a massive nation had already regarded as popular and/or successful. I did it not only to try and find something new, but also because I found the whole experience a little amusing and interesting. It was somewhat curious that a song could exist just across the ocean: listened to, enjoyed, and bought by millions; yet 99.9% of the English population had probably never heard a single note of it. That's not to say that we weren't soaking up tonnes of American imports at that time. We were. But generally the American airwaves were entirely disparate to the British.

Now, things are a lot more similar. Leading music station Radio 1 might not play every single released by the top American artists, but chances are they've digitally spun at least some of them. Browse through their weekly playlist and there's a lot more airplay for our transatlantic neighbours, and of course plenty of British music too. Tune into an American station today as an English person and, if you happen to be keeping up with current popular music, there won't be an awful lot that takes you by surprise. Good thing? Bad thing? I'll leave that up to you (or for a later post, at least).

The Jezabels

What it does mean is that the USA is no longer my go-to for that fix of something-new-yet-"Western". With the slot empty, Australia has piped up. And it has shoved The Jezabels to the front as my initiation.

For an indie-rock band that have existed commercially for around four years, have won the Australian Music Prize for their album 'Prisoner', and have relentlessly toured the festival circuit, it really seems like they should be deserving of a little more recognition over here - perhaps that time has now come after being Garbage's support act last month in their UK tour. It's certainly easy to tell from the broadening swells and crescendos of their music that The Jezabels have concentrated on being a live act; but they have done superbly well in translating this onto a record and still maintaining that epic feel.

The most recent single, City Girl, stands comfortably beside their previous releases and shouldn't shock their fans at all. However, its sound surges into something much bigger and more anthemic than the likes of Trycolour or Endless Summer, and thus could well be the song that builds their popularity with newer listeners.

The lead singer has been likened vocally to Paramore's Hayley Williams, and although from her strong delivery it is easy to see - or hear - why, it would perhaps be more complimentary to suggest she shares a similarity in voice with The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. Furthermore, the band as a whole has much more in common with the likes of Arcade Fire, The Killers, or (White on Blonde-era) Texas when you take into account the expansive orchestration and jumps in range.

Will the UK get treated to a little more from The Jezabels, or will they remain solely the joy of our antipodean friends? I personally hope that it is the former, and they've definitely put the hard work in to become a treasure that Australia shares with us.

"I feel like an actor when I'm onstage, not a rock artist. It's not much of a vocation, being a rock and roller." - David Bowie

Radio 1 - The Chris Moyles Show

A few posts back, I mentioned my preferred choice of radio station: BBC Radio 1. It's the second most popular radio station in the UK, behind BBC Radio 2, and its daytime shows are very much geared towards chart-based music. It broadens its appeal significantly with the evening and late-night shows, covering various genres and niches, but certainly the 7am - 7pm slots are focused very much on 'popular music'.

And, really, that's to my taste. There's a lot of people that dislike Radio 1 because of this tendency to play the more "commercial" songs (although it definitely does do a good job of highlighting some lesser-known artists and giving them a huge audience boost) and, if your taste is a little less mainstream and a little more alternative, then you may well find it easy to complain about its playlist. However, whilst my musical taste isn't confined to "the hits of today", I am happy to stand up and say that, yes, I like what they play. Or most of it, anyway.

Up until about six or seven years ago, I mainly listened to local radio stations. At that time it was SGR Colchester, which is now part of the Heart network. They played chart music, but also threw in various songs from the last thirty years or so. But, although I knew it is necessary for a commercial radio station to have them, the advertising drove me crazy. A friend/colleague then declared that I should really be listening to Radio 1. He moved the frequency, put it on, and that's what I'd listen to each afternoon at work. As a result I found myself getting back into music a little more, having become rather restricted in what I was listening to.

About five years ago, I started having the odd day where I would have to start work a lot earlier. I'd be out in a delivery van from around five or six in the morning and, even with someone sitting beside me, conversation is difficult when my mind is still focusing on how much it wants to be back in bed. Therefore the radio filled in the early-morning silences. And it was Radio 1's breakfast show that did the job: The Chris Moyles Show.

For the past eight and a half years, Chris Moyles and his team have been doing the breakfast show (from 6:30/6:55am - 10am). I have only listened for the last five years or so, and only on those days where I'm actually awake at that time in the morning with access to radio. So perhaps three out of five weekdays I'm a listener. But it is by far my favourite radio show, and far surpasses any of the other morning shows available. The show, and Chris Moyles himself, have certainly had plenty of criticism and controversy over the years; the majority of which is unfounded. And even I'm happy to admit that, from time to time, there are moments in the show that are a bit "laddish" and not especially to my taste.

But... on the whole, I love the show. The zoo format works particularly well as each team member is very individual, and it genuinely gives the impression of a group of friends just sitting around having a chat and a laugh. And, as a listener, I somehow feel very much part of this.

Ironically, considering both the *cough* purpose *cough* of this blog and Radio 1's supposed commitment to music, The Chris Moyles Show plays substantially fewer songs that any of the other shows. Fortunately, the chats and interviews that make up most of the show are enjoyable, usually funny, and enjoyable to listen to overall.

During last Wednesday's show (the 11th of July 2012), Chris Moyles announced his plans to 'wrap-up' the show, bringing it to a close in September. The reasons, although not given during the announcement, seem to be varied. Although still the second most-popular breakfast show (again, Radio 2 has the top spot, with Chris Evans), the listening figures have been dropping a little - although this is generally the case throughout radio. Also, Chris has been doing a lot more work outside of Radio 1, including television and an upcoming stint on stage as King Herod in Jesus Chris Superstar. Perhaps more significantly, Radio 1 is desperately trying to attract its desired 15-25 demographic. The average age of a listener at the moment is 32. Chris Moyles is 38. Other shifts in programming recently have suggested an attempt to bring the age of the average listener down, and ending Moyles' reign on the breakfast show similarly falls in line.

Personally, as a 29 year old, I think the obsession with the required demographic is foolish. Just for starters, I don't believe that those in their late teens even have much of a desire to listen to radio anymore. Music is consumed in so many different ways now, and traditional radio is probably not the key port-of-call for the lower end of the age-group that Radio 1 seems desperate to attract.

But ho hum... that's not really what I've chosen to write about.

It is disappointing that in a couple of month's time The Chris Moyles Show, with all of its sarcastic self-inflation and playful dramatics, will be no more. It genuinely has been the highlight of many mornings over the past few years, and it will be strange to no longer hear it. The new breakfast DJ, Nick Grimshaw, will no doubt do an excellent job (I do like his evening shows whenever I catch them), but somehow I can't see myself listening quite as intently. With any luck, Chris Moyles will remain working in radio in some form or other; preferably with a show elsewhere on Radio 1, and hopefully still with his team. Or perhaps he'll come back to fill in when Nick is away, who knows?

I shall miss The Chris Moyles Show.


"Any good music must be an innovation." - Les Baxter

Habits : Rediscovery

In a previous post, I mentioned how I tend to alter between listening to the radio and listening to my iPod, because I start to get anxious about either neglecting a collection of music I already own (and much of which I might not have heard of), or about missing out on something new. One thing that both options can offer me though, is rediscovery.

Generally, if I'm listening to the radio during the day, then I am listening to BBC's Radio 1. In terms of musical variety, the daytime shows admittedly don't offer very much; focusing primarily on what is currently considered to be a chart hit, or is expected to be successful. I am not bothered by this at all because I do enjoy a lot of accessible, mainstream music. However, some of the evening and late-night shows are less to my taste. If I happen to be driving at night, listening to the radio, and Radio 1 isn't providing me with something I like, then I'll usually switch to one of two local radio stations.

Both stations play a broader mix of music. Not so much in terms of genre, but in age. Although peppered with advertising between songs (and this is the main reason I don't generally listen to it), local radio can provide me with music from the last four or five decades.

Occasionally... very occasionally... I'll be listening to the radio and a song will begin to play that I haven't heard for a very long time. A forgotten song. And not just any forgotten song, but a song that I my have once loved. Pretty quickly I will spot that the introduction is familiar, and then I'll turn up the volume and suddenly find myself rediscovering the tune again.

For me, it can be quite a profound feeling. It's like finding a letter from long ago and, as you read through it, you begin to remember parts of it even though the details had left your memory. It's like getting a whole wave of nostalgia rush past... no specifics, no great moments from time picked out. Just a few minutes where the memory of the song is reignited again. I love that feeling.

It doesn't exclusively happen when I'm listening to radio either. If I scroll through the music I own in iTunes, there's plenty in there that I haven't yet listened to. They may be songs on a compilation album, or I may have just forgotten that I even own them at all. Regardless, shuffling through them can sometimes bring up one of those little gems.

Usually, once I've rediscovered a song, it'll then be played incessantly for some time (repeat is my friend, remember?). Then I guess time will pass. My love-affair with the song will burn out. Perhaps, a year or two later, it'll suddenly pop up once again, and we'll rekindle our affections.

All this means is that I'm pretty much feeling pulled between three musical options:

1. Stick with my familiar and comfortable musical partners, and remain content with what they give me.
2. Go out looking for a hot new fling: some new song that I've yet to hear, but can soon embrace.
3. Suddenly come across an old-flame - that song I once loved - and continue where I left off.

I flick through all of these options week by week. The only conclusion I can come to is that I must be some kind of manwhore for music, but also very lucky in that option #1 always takes me back.

DISCLAIMER: My musical habits do not mirror my relationship habits :)

"Music washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life" - Berthold Auerbach

Habits : Radio vs iPod

Although there are certainly many downsides, I am fortunate enough to have a job where I can listen to music fairly freely. I have access to a stereo for the majority of the day, whether I am driving or in the warehouse, and I am definitely happy about this. When a big delivery arrives and I will be spending at least a couple of hours wandering back and forth carrying sacks, it is a lot more bearable when I can have some music playing. In fact, almost any task - no matter how mundane - can be improved with a little bit of music. The only decision really is whether I listen to my iPod, or put the radio on.

There is plenty of music on my iPod that I haven't even listened to yet, and obviously a whole bunch that I love and play very often. So there's certainly a great deal to choose from. All those familiar favourites, all those classics, all those songs I own but have yet to hear. Great! So I choose my iPod and shuffle my way through the random selections, or cycle through my 'Most Played'. And that'll be my choice for the next few days.

But...

As a week passes, a nagging thought begins to irritate me. All this time I've been listening to my iPod, I have completely neglected the radio which, in turn, means that I am missing out on any newly released music. There could be some fantastic new songs that, due to my abandonment of the airwaves, I am completely unaware of. I'm losing out! What if there's something truly astonishing that has only just been created, something which I will connect with, and adore, and obsess over? If I continue to prefer my iPod, I might miss it and perhaps never learn of it.

And so, in a mild panic, I'll switch to radio. And, phew, I can begin to take in all the new stuff. And that's how things will remain for a few weeks.

Until...

What about the older music that my preferred radio station is unlikely to play? All those tracks I have already bought and paid for, yet haven't really discovered yet? What about those songs that I know I will enjoy?

And so the cycle continues.

The battle between new stuff and old stuff is constant, and I only wish I had the self-control and organisational skills to say to myself, "Right. I'm going to listen to my iPod on THESE days, or at THESE times. And the radio at the other times. Therefore I get a good mix of the two, and all is well."

But no. Instead I start a long-term relationship with one, then suddenly abandon it to flirt with the other.

"I love my own music" - Alicia Keys