The biggest and best things in my musical life this year are more about the distribution channel than the music. The first is eMusic, the second Pandora.
If you are a regular music consumer, ie, not a casual listener, but a person who regularly explores and purchases music, you need to get an eMusic account ASAP. eMusic represents what the future of music distribution should look like. There will be tweaks to the model, but the key is that the product you get through eMusic does not contain any DRM/copy-protection — just plain old MP3s. It’s the legal online way to not both give someone your money for music and be accused of being a thief at the same time. Their catalog is huge, representing most of the great indie labels in the US, like Bloodshot and Yep Roc, and tons of interesting catalog music as well from some of the great ethnic/folk re-issue labels like Arhoolie and Yazoo. Pop, rock, jazz, blues, classical, country and any other genre you can think of are well represented.
If you are a regular consumer of major label offerings, eMusic may not be for you — they do not have major label music. To me, however, the statement, “they do not have major label music,” lays on the connotation continuum somewhere near, “Sir, your ice cream sundae has no anchovies.”
Do not give iTunes your money. Do not give the Zune store your money. Somewhere down the road, you will regret it. Their copy protection is a built-in expiration date for the music you buy there. Just like an 8-track, one day you’ll be wonder how you go about playing it when the devices and software that support the copy protection go away.
The other distribution goodness is Pandora, which turns radio on it’s head. Pandora is a smart internet radio service that lets you build your own radio stations, by seeding the channels with songs and/or artists. The interesting part is that Pandora fills the stations using the database of the Music Genome Project. Most recommendation engines, like at Amazon.com or the like, are based on the flawed assumption that people have similar taste patterns. If person X buys both CD A and CD B, when someone else buys CD A they recommend CD B. Doesn’t really work and is easily manipulated for marketing purposes.
The Music Genome Project has actual trained musicians (some 40-50, I believe) that sit down, listen to CDs and classify each song based on a complex set of musical criteria regarding the tonality, instrumentation, tempo and other traits, then Pandora uses that database to recommend purely on musical traits of the songs you say you like. As you go, you can train it with a “thumbs up/thumbs down” model.
I’ve got a bout 7-8 different stations on Pandora for different moods. I find that it consistent brings out music I like that I’ve never heard of. It’s an awesome way to discover music.
Now on the actual music. Mind you, this isn’t a best of 2006 list in the normal sense — many of these records did not come out in 2006, but simply came to my attention this year. In all cases I’ve provided a link to a location where you can at least preview the record online.
- Teddy Thompson, Separate Ways: Almost left this one out, but it’s got a strange hold on me. Yep, it’s Richard’s kid. He’s inherited his dad’s misogynistic bitterness and a good bit of his guitar-playing ability — yet seemed to have missed the ironic tone. The result is a rich melodic pop record that shimmers on the surface. After a few listens when you notice the lyrics, you start to wonder how this guy managed to make a record since he’s clearly clinically depressed and has a penchant for staying with women he hates. At any rate, I keep coming back to it, so here it is.
- Lonesome Bob, Things Fall Apart (1997): The drummer from the Ben Vaughn Combo also happens to be a great country songwriter. Who knew? Found this on one of Jon Langford’s best of eMusic lists and have been really digging it. The Waco Brother have covered his material. It’s sparse and the songs are right on.
- Patty Hurst Shifter, Too Crowded on the Losing End: This is the obligatory power-pop entry. Very enjoyable record, not quite a Myracle Brah record, but very good.
- Bobby Bare, Jr., Young Criminals’ Starvation League (2002) – F**ckin’ brilliant. Don’t know how I missed this one first time around. I’ve read really good things about his new release as well, but haven’t moved on to it yet. It meanders around indie pop/folk/country without ever really settling on what it is — but the songs are awesome.
- Paul Simon, Surprise: Paul Simon and Brian Eno? Yea, well it works. Simon seems to just keep coming up with relevant, mature songs. Excellent takes on parenting on this one as well. And Eno’s production is rich and dense as usual, and works well. Just goes to show, you lock a couple of old bald guys up in a room and good things happen.
- The Gourds, Heavy Ornamentals: The Gourds have been my favorite band for about 10 years now, but I must admit their previous couple of records felt a bit dry to me. For this one, they finally just sat down together in the studio and recorded the material live, like they should, and it shows. The energy is back on this one. Love these guys.
- Chatham County Line, Route 23 (2005): This is as close to a perfect bluegrass record as I have ever heard. Don’t know how else to put it. Chatham’s original material is completely true to the genre, and this record is just the right mix of heart-strings ballads, toe-tapping instrumentals, gospel tinged regret songs and just plain old love songs. The performance has dead on vocal and instrumental performances, without the showy overhead of a lot of modern bluegrass virtuosos. They have record both before and after this one, which are good as well, but this one’s just perfect.
