Finding new music

Anybody who knows me is well-aware of my music obsession. I have way, way too many songs on my Ipod, and I’m always on the lookout for new music. There are a lot of places to find new music, but these are my favorites.

Paste Magazine (www.pastemagazine.com). Cheap (only $20 for 12 issues) and always includes a CD, Paste has been the best music magazine out there for several years now. While the columns (and columnists) are incredibly hit-or-miss, they have great features on up and coming bands and a huge reviews section, as well as snippets on bands NOBODY’S heard of that I turned out to love (Slow Runner, Los Campesinos, etc.).

Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com). Not a music magazine per se–it’s actually a Christian magazine that follows pop culture)–but their podcast, magazine and website always feature new artists, some of which are pretty good. Some aren’t…but that’s why you actually listen before you buy.

Find a label….and stick with it. There are some GREAT independent labels out there, and usually they don’t sign crap. All these labels have streaming music on their site, and it’s easy to just go on there and give bands a shot. My favorite labels–Barsuk and Merge are the top two, by far, but also there is some good music on Saddle Creek, Sub Pop, Vagrant and Matador.

NPR All Songs Considered podcasts. All Songs Considered features several noteworthy artists, but the best part are the live concerts. Downloadable shows up to two hours long by the best bands in the world. No reason not to check them out.

Sound Opinions. Good music podcast (usually) that has good bands come through and has music news each week. Some of the ’special’ shows where they focus on a particular classic album or ongoing development are good too.

The Interface–Look it up on ITunes. Video podcast that has a band play for 20 minutes or so. Takes up a lot of room, but for the good bands it is worth it (and if it sucks, you can just delete it later)

~ by lettersfromsuburbia on April 30, 2009.