eMusic recommends

eMusic has a new recommendation engine which uses information from past purchases to post items on the front page you might like to download.

So far I'm mostly impressed. Some of the albums recommended I either am already planning to pick up or already have. Really impressive is that it has correctly been surmised that I am interested in rockabilly when I have downloaded very little from that genre so far.

Less impressive is that, apparently based on my download of a Twisted Sister Christmas album, 80s hair metal is pretty consistantly recommended. Nothing's perfect I guess ...

eMusic August 08

Some actually from September, I think ...

7 Year Bitch - Viva Zapata

Well, what genre would you think? There's a story behind this one.

Abigail Washburn - The Sparrow Quartet EP

Trad. With cello. And some of it is in Mandarin.

Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet - Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet

See above.

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country

Indie pop with vocals best described as "sweet".

Hyperbubble -Solid Pop

Synthpop, with robots and everything.

Po' Girl - Vagabond Lullabies

Trad.

Rasputina - Cabin Fever

Goth. I guess. It features cellos. Cellos are cool. Not as cool as basses, but still cool.

The Be Good Tanyas - Hello Love

Oh how I dig this band. Trad.

The Gits - Frenching The Bully

A companion of sorts to Viva Zapata

The Wailin' Jennys - 40 Days

But how I do like harmony. Trad.

eMusic July 08

I started off July intending to concentrate on Japanese bands, but ended up getting some non-Japanese stuff, as well as springing for some extra downloads.

5, 6, 7, 8s Bomb the Twist

Japanese. Very reminisciant of late 60s pop. Mostly known in the US for performing in the movie Kill Bill.

The Arrows and Friends "I Love Rock & Roll"

Re-recording, but at least some of the original Arrows.

Funsong Band "I Love Rock & Roll"

Kids

Gito Gito Hustler Love Roll

Japanese. All-female pop punk.

Guildo Horn Party with Sven Parker "Ich Find' Schlager Toll"

German language rewrite of "I Love Rock & Roll".

Guitar Wolf Jet Generation
Guitar Wolf Planet of the Wolves

Japanese. Loud 50s-style garage.Guys, but they get away with it cuz they're so dang cool. Absolutely icebox. They cover Eddie Cocharan, pretty much worship Joan Jett, sing about UFOs, and in Wild Zero they fought zombies. Guitar Wolf pretty much drip cool from every pore..

Hayseed Dixie "I Love Rock & Roll"

Bluegrass. Band name is a play on AC/DC.

Hit Crew "I Love Rock & Roll

Kids.

Lenni Jabour "I Love Rock & Roll"

Anabella Lwin "I Love Rock & Roll"

Lwin was the vocalist with Bow Wow Wow.

Kizooks! band "I Love Rock & Roll"

Kids.

Kirsty Maccoll The Stiff Years

Stiff was her record label in the 70s and early 80s, and shame on you for thinking anything else was implied.

Malaria! Compiled 1981-1984

German. The '!' is part of the band name.

Pickin' On Series studio band "I Love Rock & Roll"

Bluegrass.

Musique "I Love Rock & Roll"

Raleigh Ringers "I Love Rock & Roll"

Bells.

Shonen Knife 712

Japanese. Pop-punk. Well-liked in the 'alternative' scene, deserved to be more widely known in the West.

Julia Stjerneskudd "I Love Rock & Roll"


Supersnazz Diode City

Japanese.

The Pebbles First Album

Japanese. Think 60s go-go club music.

Uncle Earl Going to the Western Slope

Very American. Trad harmony and bluegrass.

Victoria Williams "Love "On Time"

Trad, although "Love" is more of a standard.

June eMusic

Used up my 100 dls a little early ...

Girl in a Coma Both Before I'm Gone

Released on Joan Jett's Blackheart label. All-latina, fairly straightforward rock.

Go Betty Go Worst Enemy EP

All-latina pop punk.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Sinner

Joan'a first domestic release of the 2000s.

Period Pains BBC Session EP

Punk. Punkish, at least.

Shitbirds Famous Recording Artists

Elinore Blake is the vocalist. AKA multilingual girl-pop icon April March. Pretty far from the French pop she is known for under that name, though.

Skinned Teen/Raooul Bazooka Smooth!/Jail-bait Core

Released on the west coast's Lookout! Records. Pretty much the pop-punk you'd expect from Lookout!.

The Be Good Tanyas Chinatown
The Be Good Tanyas Scattered Leaves EP
The Be Good Tanyas "Opal's Blues"

Trad. The album is their 2nd full-length, the EP the band's debut, the track from a movie soundtrack.

The Carter Family "No Depression in Heaven"

The sole male vocal I downloaded in June.

The Coathangers "Dreamboat"

60s flavored 'clean' garage.

The Detroit Cobras Mink Rat or Rabbit

Garage. Mostly covers of mostly obscure R&B.

Couple of interesting download patterns in June. I bookended the month with trad stuff, starting with TBGT and ending the month with the Carter Family. Almost accidentally I picked up releases from two different all-latina groups. 99% of what I picked up features female vocalists, with several of the groups being in fact entirely made up of that gender.

Catching up

Bo Diddley passed away recently. You can read about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley. Bo was in the uncomfortable position of being incredibly influential but often being treated as a mere footnote. What was interesting for me was that the word 'hambone' was never used in describing the 'Bo Diddley beat ' - which is widely acknowledged as a hambone variant. But apparently the public can't be trusted with that knowledge ...

One downside of listening to a variety of styles is that it can be easy to lose track of happenings in one area because a different area was being focused on. For example, I've been reading about riot grrrl lately - completely missing the overhaul in the Pipettes front line! Wasn't keeping up on indie pop. But it is true. Becki and Rose have both moved on to other projects. That means 2 of the 3 Pipettes vocalists have been replaced. Hope to hear material with the newbies (Anna and Ani) soon. In other Pipettes news, they recently did a show with REO Speedwagon. I feel unclean now ...

U2 should can their manager (Paul McGuinness). I mean, really, the guy is just embarassing. Pretty much monthly he natters on someplace about how the music recording industry is being hurt ... by everybody else. This time he targets ISPs (old hat, there), cellphone manufacturers, and telecoms in general.

eMusic makes recomendations based on past download history. How embarassing that my 'new releases' list included an album by ... Tiffany. I only previously downloaded one song by Tiffany! I swear!

On the subject of eMusic, material by the band Po' Girl is split between different spellings of the name - with or without the apostrophe. This annoys me much more than it should.

Still on the topic of eMusic, I have discovered they have some Joan Jett stuff I don't have yet. That is beyond cool, and something I just stumbled upon. Never would have thought to look.

May eMusic

Just in case you aren't familiar with all the stuff I download I've put little descriptions on each.

Aje'h "Kids In America"

-This months cover project was the Kim Wilde classic.

Baby Guts Gasoline

-Twin Cities riot grrrls.

BP vs. Effcee "Kids In America"

-Cover project.

Harpies Deep EP
Harpies Lie Down Station EP

-Could just as well be considered singles. Doom metal, pretty much.

I Hate Sally Don't Worry Lady

-Metalcore. Probably not technical enough for the headbangers but too metal for the punks.

Kizooks! "Kids In America"

-Think Kids Bop. Cover project.

The Be Good Tanyas Blue Horse

-Trad.

The Indelicates American Demo

-British indie pop/rock. Not a demo despite the name.

The Long Blondes Couples

-British indie pop/rock, trending towards indie dance.

The Long Blondes "Fulwood Babylon"

-A B-side I didn't have yet.

Various Artists Backcomb 'N' Beat - Dream Babes Volume 3
Various Artists Let's Go: Joe Meeks Girls!

-British mostly early/mid 60s girl group.

Two highly anticipated releases downloaded in May - Couples and American Demo. I'm doing a better job of balancing my downloads to match my interests, so all around good month for emusic here!

eMusic April 08

1/3 through May and I'm just getting around to posting a list of my April eMusic downloads.

All Girl Summer Fun Band All Girl Summer Fun Band
Bodies Of Water Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink
Julie Ruin Julie Ruin
Lucky Soul "I Gots The Magic" "Give Me Love" "One Kiss Don't Make A Summer (Radio Edit)" "That Hollywood Glow"
Shebang "Kids In America"
Suffrajets Everything You Do EP
The Choir Practice The Choir Practice
The Dials Flex Time
The Eyeliners Confidential
The Gathering Mandylion
The Langley Schools Music Project "Good Vibrations" "God Only Knows" "Space Oddity"
The Muffs "Kids In America"
The New Pornographers "Failsafe"
Tiffany "Kids In America"
We Start Fires "Play You (12" Mix)"

eMusic March 08

In January I started a subscription with eMusic. Thus far I am very satisfied. There are folks who complain (like there are for anything), but many of the complaints I see stem from two sources:

1) Apparently there are folks who don't understand that a service that deals mainly with independants isn't going to have material by Shakira or Metallica or The Beatles or [insert most acts on the big 4 labels here]

and

2) There seems to be confusion resulting from nobody telling you what to buy

The solutions here are simple. Taking the time to know what you're getting in to before forking over any cash is always a good policy. As for the second, well, the recording industry seems to think you want cookie-cutter winners of televised talent shows on your iPod, so marching down to the local mass marketer (where won't you be confused by a deep selection of options) and demanding the latest as-seen-on-TV thing may be considered your instructions. Somebody's gotta buy this stuff. And if you look at sales figures for American Idol winners after Kelly Clarkson it is obvious somebody's not following directions.

But I'm very happy with eMusic. Here, as much for my benefit in keeping track as for your curiosity, are my March 2008 purchases:

Bikini Kill Pussywhipped
Cat Power eMusic Sessions EP
Dressy Bessy California EP
Gossip Standing in the Way of Control
Gossip The Gossip EP
Heavens To Betsy Calculated
Lucky Soul The Great Unwanted
Ray Wall Band "The X-Men Song"
Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out
God Damn Doo Wop Band Broken Hearts
Traci Lords "Sunshine" "You Burn Inside of Me"
Portishead "Mourning Air"
Sinead O'Conner "Ode to Billy Joe"
Indelicates America EP
Carter Family "Single Girl, Married Girl"