I usually listen to music on the computer using the "Party Shuffle" feature of iTunes on a playlist consisting of recently acquired music. It gives me a chance to get a good feel for new albums, and then when I'm at work or on the road, I listen to the four-and-five-star playlist.
I haven't bought much recently, though, so the playlist just clicked over to only one album, the new Fountains of Wayne record. Which just isn't that good-- it's not terrible, but it's not so good thhat I want to listen to it exclusively for any length of time.
So, what should I buy when I hit iTunes for new music this week?
(I have my own list of stuff that I'm going to get (assuming it's available-- I've been looking for the album by The View for months, and it keeps not being available, but that's a separate rant), but I'm always interested in new bands. So suggest some stuff.)
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Ayre by Osvaldo Golijov. It is a great mix of Arabic, Spanish, Jewish, electronica, and classical music (I'm sure I'm missing other influences). While the singer, Dawn Upshaw, is classically trained, her singing in this CD is not "opera voice."
There's a band out of Detroit called (regrettably) The Fags (apparently in honor of cigarettes) who I enjoy. If you're looking for a one-song purchase, go for "Mistake."
The new Wilco disk is fantastic. Available in stores in mid-May.
Others to check out...
I Am Kloot-"Natural History"
The Webb Brothers-"Maroon"
Kelly Stoltz-"Below the Branches"
Jens Lekman-"Oh You're So Silent, Jens"
Spinto Band-"Nice and Nicely Done"
The Silver Jews-"Tanglewood Numbers"
The new Bright Eyes album is really excellent. If you're looking for a sample track, try Hot Kives or Classic Cars.
The new Arcade Fire album, Neon Bible, is great.
Not sure if it's up there, but the new Tea Leaf Green studio album, "Taught to be Proud," is pretty incredible.
Thomas Dybdahl's new album, Science, is beyond amazing from beginning to end. Definitely give it a listen!
Do you have "Ys" by Joanna Newsom? It's better than it should be.
I've been listening to Hot Snakes recently. "Suicide Invoice" is darned good, though several years old.
Don't know whether any of these are to your tastes, but the ones I've been listening to lately are:
!!!, Myth Takes
Blonde Redhead, 23
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Living with the Living
I've started using the Hype Machine - http://www.hypem.com - and Critical Metrics - http://criticalmetrics.com/ - a lot at work to find new music. Both are basically a best-of-the-blogs for music. Some crap, but a lot of excellent stuff I would never have heard of otherwise. And also some old stuff - like the Kinks - that I had not listened to in ages.
I am not sure why anyone would really need more than The Smiths, The Cure, Billy Bragg and The Jam.
You should also check the Live Music Archive at archive.org. Lots of good stuff, all free, and a fair amount of it is in Mp3 format (almost all of it is also in some lossless format, such as FLAC or SHN). Tea Leaf (cited above) has some excellent shows up; also check God Street Wine (1993 and before are optimal).