I'm Over Pandora

Although I listen to 6 or more hours of streaming music a day, and Pandora is still the go-to option for millions of users, I just don’t use it anymore. So what do I listen to while I work? Two things.

NPR Music

I love NPR for morning news (it’s my clock radio's default station) and its programming, especially This American Life and The Moth (subscribe to their weekly podcasts - you will not regret it). But if you dig around on their website, you’ll find that they offer dozens of amazing, commercial free stations of nearly every genre.

My pick: KEXP out of Seattle. I catch their morning show when I get in the office, and I might hear anything from Johnny Cash to Metric to Death Cab to KRS One to Sharon Jones. Not only do they feature a fantastic mix of indie and classic rock, but they also have a great catalog of live, in-studio performances.

Why is it better than Pandora?

Well, because Pandora’s catalog is actually quite small and although their predictive algorithm is fascinating (I even wrote about it), I don’t think it’s the best way to find new music. I get my recommendations from some very passionate DJs with years of experience and quirky yet sophisticated tastes. Also, there’s something to be said for the occasional 60 second interlude of banter, which provides a nice bookend for a three or four song set.

How do you listen?

You can go directly to KEXP’s website and begin streaming immediately (go to the Listen Now link on the top left of the page). If you want a change of pace, check out NPR’s music page and find a station that suits your interests.

Side note: I’d also recommend that you download VLC Media Player (an open source alternative to Windows Media Player), and use it stream music. Windows Media Player is terrible. Trust me, this is much better for music, videos, etc.

What if you want to hear a specific song or artist?

Are you not on the Grooveshark train yet? Go there immediately and start streaming artists and albums, or create a profile and share playlists and favorites. It’s fantastic, and if you really miss the suggestion feature of Pandora, then you can click on the radio button and Grooveshark with automatically add some tracks to your playlist.

If you work a desk job like I do, then give NPR Radio and Grooveshark a shot. They might make your day a little bit better.

Also, props to Dustin for turning me on to KEXP.

Best Music of 2009 According to Music Bloggers

Don't let the indie rock heavy lineup intimidate you - there's some great stuff on there. Why not check out a few albums while you're at work? The streaming interface is excellent.

Here's the stuff I've listened to over the course of the year.

Kid Cudi • Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Monsters Of Folk • Monsters Of Folk
Mos Def • The Ecstatic
The Avett Brothers • I and Love and You
Wilco • Wilco (The Album)
St. Vincent • Actor
Pains of Being Pure at Heart • Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Passion Pit • Manners
Yeah Yeah Yeahs • It's Blitz!
The XX • XX
Dirty Projectors • Bitte Orca
Phoenix • Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Grizzly Bear • Veckatimest
Animal Collective • Merriweather Post Pavilion

Rhode Island Man Wins Accordion World Championship

Normally I wouldn't write two Rhody posts in a row, but these are extraordinary circumstances involving alligators and accordions.

If anyone can confer sex appeal upon the stodgy old squeezebox, though, it just might be 23-year-old Rhode Island native and jazz accordion wunderkind Cory Pesaturo. Last month Pesaturo won the World Digital Accordion Championship in New Zealand, dazzling judges with his rapid-fire playing style and showmanship. It marked the first world accordion title won by an American in 25 years, earning Pesaturo, who’s been playing professionally since age 11, $1,500 in prize money and a priceless measure of coolness.

(via Boston Barstool)

Pandora Genome Decoded

If Pandora internet radio is one of the few things that gets you through your workday, then perhaps you'll enjoy reading this article from the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

The music genome project, the back end of Pandora, is an unbelievably labor intensive endeavor that identifies and rates hundreds of musical elements for more than 700,000 songs.

Some elements that these musicologists (who, really, are musicians with day jobs) codify are technical, like beats per minute, or the presence of parallel octaves or block chords. Someone taking apart Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” documents the prevalence of harmony, chordal patterning, swung 16ths and the like. But their analysis goes beyond such objectively observable metrics. To what extent, on a scale of 1 to 5, does melody dominate the composition of “Hey Jude”? How “joyful” are the lyrics? How much does the music reflect a gospel influence? And how “busy” is Stan Getz’s solo in his recording of “These Foolish Things”? How emotional? How “motion-inducing”?

Sufjan Stevens Again

I should have posted a song or two in my previous post about Sufjan.

I'm not sure what's up with the fruity outfits, but this is a great recording from Austin City Limits.

Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens

Here's a solo acoustic version of "To Be Alone With You."

Sufjan Stevens-To Be Alone With You

Sufjan Stevens is a Musical Genius

Wow. This show blew me away last night. Sufjan played four or five different instruments with virtuoso skill, sang flawlessly and jived perfectly with his eight piece band (guitar, french horn, bass, drums, two female accompanists, saxophone, synthesizer, trombone...). While it wasn't a high energy show, it definitely ranked among the top two or three most impressive musical performances I've ever seen.

Brooklyn Vegan has the review, photos and setlist here.

Fall 2009 in NYC

Here's what I'm looking forward to over the next couple of months, in no particular order.

Vermeer's Milkmaid at the Met
- It's just one painting, but it's iconic, and I'll be there anyway to see Robert Frank.
*check*

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Othello - Public Theater
- Not gonna happen. Tickets are nearly impossible to get.

The Informant
- Good cast. Darkish comedy. Should be good.

Fatty Cue
- BBQ and bourbon in Billyburg.

Deitch Projects
- A really cool gallery that I've been meaning to check out.

Where the Wild Things Are
- I'm not buying the outrageous hype, but I do like Spike Jonze. His first commercial film was the music video for Sabotage.
*check*

The Road
- One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. Do not ruin this Hollywood.

New York, I Love You
- Paris, je t'aime is one of my favorite films of all time and New York is my favorite city. This shouldn't be too hard.

Robert Frank: The Americas
- I love photography and America history.
*check*

Kandinsky at the Guggenheim
- Abstract awesomeness.
*check*

Mitchell Algus Gallery: Paintings and Works on Paper
- I don't know much about this, but it looks like a cool show at a cool gallery.

Sarah Anne Johnson: House on Fire
- I read about this in New York Magazine. It's not at the top of my list but I wouldn't mind checking it out.

30 Rock
- Along with The Office, Sunny and South Park, one of very few consistently funny sitcoms.
*check*

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- So far, so good. I'm not sure how the noose scene at the beginning of episode 3 was allowed on TV.
*check*

Curb Your Enthusiasm
- How can you not watch the Seinfeld reunion within the show?
*check*

Sufjan Stevens at Bowery Ballroom
- $15 tickets. Tiny venue. Should be an excellent show.
*check*

Inside the Artist's Studio: Chuck Close
- Probably the thing I'm most excited about on this list. A once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of my favorite artists. And I'm not even half as pumped as Tray Funk is.
*check*

Sufjan Stevens: BQE
- This could be an interesting film/album combo.

Monet's Water Lillies at the MoMA
- I loved the Water Lillies exhibit at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris and I'm hoping this is similar.

30 for 30
- One of my favorite writers, Bill Simmons, has been working on this series for the past 3 years. 30 mini sports documentaries by 30 acclaimed directors.
*check*

Frank Sinatra Has a Cold

Gay Talese flew to Los Angeles to write a feature about Frank Sinatra, but soon discovered that Old Blue Eyes wasn't receptive to an interview. Talese hung around near Sinatra for many months and talked with his closest family, friends and business associates, and ends up painting an unbelievably rich portrait of the man. The imagery of Sinatra swaggering through The Sands with Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin is cartoonishly debonair.

By four A.M. Frank Sinatra led the group out of The Sahara, some of them carrying their glasses of whisky with them, sipping it along the sidewalk and in the cars; then, returning to The Sands, they walked into the gambling casino. It was still packed with people, the roulette wheels spinning, the crapshooters screaming in the far corner.

Frank Sinatra, holding a shot glass of bourbon in his left hand, walked through the crowd. He, unlike some of his friends, was perfectly pressed, his tuxedo tie precisely pointed, his shoes unsmudged. He never seems to lose his dignity, never lets his guard completely down no matter how much he has drunk, nor how long he has been up. He never sways when he walks, like Dean Martin, nor does he ever dance in the aisles or jump up on tables, like Sammy Davis.

P.S. 22 Chorus

Try to spend a few minutes watching the 5th graders from Staten Island's P.S. 22 sing Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House, and not get goosebumps.



New York Magazine just did a short piece on them that focuses way too much on Perez Hilton and Lady Gaga, but it's interesting nonetheless.

An Infographic Tribute to MJ

A map of Michael Jackson songs that have been sampled by other musicians.

Senior Discount

Senior Discount is a band from Warren, RI that's comprised of four close friends of mine: Chuck Staton, Christian Staton, Alan Sousa and Tom Wells. They've been together since we were in high school and I think they've managed to produce an incredible amount of consistently creative content over the years in the form of music, film, art, performance, writing, etc.

Anyway, Senior Discount recently released a new EP and it's available as a free download on their website, www.seniordiscountmusic.com. It's a pretty strong album that really shows off their range and creativity. The EP features six original tracks, including a bluegrass version of one of their classic songs, as well as a cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It's free. It's fun. What are you waiting for? Just check it out.

In addition to the music, they've also managed to create some fantastic short films over the years (and one feature length), which are also freely available on their website. Me and my disturbingly bad acting make a few appearances. Their most recent video, Mexico City Standoff, really shows off Chuck's increasingly sophisticated touch behind the camera and in the editing room. Nicely done.

Also, Chuck does a weekly podcast called "Agreeing to Disagree" with another friend of ours, Brad Rohrer. You can subscribe to it on iTunes or find it on the Senior Discount website. For a real treat, check out episode 15 to hear me discuss topics ranging from time travel to Dane Cook. It's like having a one-sided, hour and forty minute conversation with Aaron Arcello!

Mexico City Stand-Off - watch more funny videos

Ducktales for Nintendo

In retrospect, that soundtrack was off the hook.

Nintendo Hip Hop

Enjoy the sweet sounds of Chamillionaire, Jay-Z and Kanye via 8-bit Nintendo sounds.

(via Kottke)

Stars and Stripes

Adrian Champion's mashup album, Stars & Stripes, combines the White Stripes with classic hip-hop tracks. It's definitely worth the free download.

(via Uncrate)

Harlem Renaissance

I just rediscovered a wonderful poem by one of my favorite poets.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

Langston Hughes wrote this in 1951, and it feels like it could be the birth of hip-hop. If it's not the birth, then perhaps it conceived the first MC.

Ali Rap.

Weird

Al.

Without facial hair or an afro. Remember Amish Paradise?

Mashups

The first mashup I ever heard was "Too Deep" by Girl Talk. I was in a store called Bodega in Boston and I heard Phantom Planet (the theme song to the OC) mixed with Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." I was hooked.

Let me pause here to explain what Bodega is. It's an urban boutique - designer sneakers, t-shirts, etc. - that you enter through a secret door in the back of an unassuming bodega in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. Go to this address, step inside, walk to the back right corner of the store, stand in front of the soda machines, and a secret door will slide open to reveal a cool boutique. I'm serious. Check it out.

Anyway, Girl Talk was the first mashup artist I ever heard, and he's still the best. If you don't have his new album, Feed the Animals, it's available as a "pay as you wish" download here. In my opinion, he's the master of the genre right now. After you listen to a few tracks, take a look at the Wikipedia pages for his albums to get a sense of how many songs he layers on each track. It's unbelievable. Play it at your next party and thank me later.

Anyway, there are a few other mashup albums that are worth checking out.

Collision Course
Jay-Z and Linkin Park

This came out a few years ago, but it's pretty good stuff. Jay-Z is one of my favorite artists of all time, and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I listened to Reanimation quite a bit in college, so this mashup is OK by me.

Jaydiohead
Jay-Z and Radiohead

I think Radioheads melodies work very well with hip hop beats, so this new mashup is a winner.

The Hood Internet
Various Artists

It's worth checking in to this website from time to time to see what they've cooked up. They dig pretty deep into the indie rock vaults, so it's a great way to discover new bands too. And free album downloads are always cool.

Ratatat Remixes
Various Artists

Ratatat is an awesome electronic music duo from Brooklyn that uses their sweet beats to make fantastic mashup albums. If you're like me and you prefer to read or write to music without lyrics, then download Ratatat's studio albums and let er' rip. When party time rolls around, throw on the remixes.

Bootie
Various Artists

Check out these creepy mashup posters and you'll get a sense of the music these folks create. You can download their annual "Best of Bootie" albums for free here.

Just add a few of these tracks to your iPod and you'll be sure to turn some heads at your next party.

Any good mashup artists that I've left out?