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Obligatory recommendations post
Until early 2009, when I wanted to listen to music, I would switch on my Launchcast Plus station. Launchcast was Yahoo's streaming audio service, and it supported above-average user customization. The Plus version was paid and ad-free, and allowed unlimited skips. After a few years with Plus, I didn't use skips, because after rating some 10,000 songs, I never heard crap. Moreover, their algorithm was excellent at matching my tastes and – here's the important part – recommending similar music.
You might notice a lack of linkage up there. That's because Yahoo discontinued Launchcast Plus. They were very good about it, giving quite a few warnings far in advance and refunding my balance promptly, but my custom station is gone daddy gone. That's tolerable in itself – I'm more of an iTunes guy anyway – except for one thing: no recommendations (not completely true . . . I could use Genius, but it sucks). I know that in a few months, that'll really get to me.
Now I work 10+ hours a day from home and don't get out as much as I would like, so where most people would simply ask a friend in person, I must do so on the Internet. The problem is that asking in a more general forum tends to yield all kinds of so-so recommendations from people who don't really know me . . . they just want to pimp their favorite band. My theory – which may well be badly flawed – is that anybody who wades through my blathering here might have enough in common with me to suggest tunes that I might like.
My tastes are fairly eclectic, but here are some basic parameters: I prefer electronic to acoustic; female vocalists to male singers; and in-your-face, up-tempo tunes to dirgy, ambient ones. I have a little Top 10/40/100 music on my playlist, but not much; it really isn't my thing most of the time. I don't identify strongly with genres, but I actively dislike country, gospel, and rap music; don't get much out of j-pop, jazz, metal, or R&B; and find that while I like early and classical music, I can't work to it. Setting aside the exceptions, however, I have no problem with explicit lyrics or shock artistry; artists that are outspoken for their politics, sexuality, or whatever; or music that's extremely fast, noisy, or syncopated.
The best way to paint the picture is to give examples. Here are the artists on my current playlist – cool and uncool, new and ancient, well-known and obscure . . . I haven't omitted anyone to save face. I have music by many times this many artists; if it's listed, then you can assume that I like it enough to hear it daily as opposed to "when the mood takes me." I will, however, chop the list into three parts on the basis of how many songs and albums by that artist actually appear, and qualify each sublist. The sublists are in naive alphabetical order; that is, how iTunes hands off data as opposed to massaged to put surnames first.
1. "I like these guys, but I have lots by them. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, but don't bother telling me about their new album."
2. "I like these guys and don't have that much by them. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, and wouldn't mind hearing about their new stuff or side projects, in case I missed it."
3. "I like a song or two by these guys. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, but they'd have to be really similar, I suspect."
You might notice a lack of linkage up there. That's because Yahoo discontinued Launchcast Plus. They were very good about it, giving quite a few warnings far in advance and refunding my balance promptly, but my custom station is gone daddy gone. That's tolerable in itself – I'm more of an iTunes guy anyway – except for one thing: no recommendations (not completely true . . . I could use Genius, but it sucks). I know that in a few months, that'll really get to me.
Now I work 10+ hours a day from home and don't get out as much as I would like, so where most people would simply ask a friend in person, I must do so on the Internet. The problem is that asking in a more general forum tends to yield all kinds of so-so recommendations from people who don't really know me . . . they just want to pimp their favorite band. My theory – which may well be badly flawed – is that anybody who wades through my blathering here might have enough in common with me to suggest tunes that I might like.
My tastes are fairly eclectic, but here are some basic parameters: I prefer electronic to acoustic; female vocalists to male singers; and in-your-face, up-tempo tunes to dirgy, ambient ones. I have a little Top 10/40/100 music on my playlist, but not much; it really isn't my thing most of the time. I don't identify strongly with genres, but I actively dislike country, gospel, and rap music; don't get much out of j-pop, jazz, metal, or R&B; and find that while I like early and classical music, I can't work to it. Setting aside the exceptions, however, I have no problem with explicit lyrics or shock artistry; artists that are outspoken for their politics, sexuality, or whatever; or music that's extremely fast, noisy, or syncopated.
The best way to paint the picture is to give examples. Here are the artists on my current playlist – cool and uncool, new and ancient, well-known and obscure . . . I haven't omitted anyone to save face. I have music by many times this many artists; if it's listed, then you can assume that I like it enough to hear it daily as opposed to "when the mood takes me." I will, however, chop the list into three parts on the basis of how many songs and albums by that artist actually appear, and qualify each sublist. The sublists are in naive alphabetical order; that is, how iTunes hands off data as opposed to massaged to put surnames first.
1. "I like these guys, but I have lots by them. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, but don't bother telling me about their new album."
- Add N to (X)
- Beck
- Björk
- Chemical Brothers
- Client
- Crystal Method
- Depeche Mode
- Freezepop
- Garbage
- Infected Mushroom
- Ladytron
- Lords Of Acid
- Massive Attack
- My Bloody Valentine
- Veruca Salt
2. "I like these guys and don't have that much by them. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, and wouldn't mind hearing about their new stuff or side projects, in case I missed it."
- Breeders
- Curve
- Daft Punk
- Fischerspooner
- Gary Numan
- Goldfrapp
- Jesus and Mary Chain
- Le Tigre
- Pixies
- Santogold
- White Stripes
3. "I like a song or two by these guys. I'd welcome recommendations for similar artists, but they'd have to be really similar, I suspect."
- Adult.
- Apoptygma Berzerk
- Devo
- Dot Allison
- Dresden Dolls
- Fad Gadget
- Flunk
- Fuzzbox
- Lida Husik
- M.I.A.
- New Order
- Nirvana
- Orgy
- Placebo
- Raconteurs
- Skinny Puppy
- Soft Cell
- Thomas Leer
- Traci Lords
If you have a recommendation, or simply want to say "OMG! I can't believe you listen to those dorks!", then just add a comment. Thanks!