What a fantastic article! As much as I love to keep up with everything, I also need to maintain a connection to my GUT, that instinctual feeling that draws you to the music that feeds you. Here are my answers to your three questions:
What’s the best song you found in the real world? Just the other day, I was listening to Come Into Knowledge by Ramp and thinking I really need to listen to more Roy Ayers. Then I was at IndiePlaza (free festival put on by Rough Trade in Rockefeller Center every year), and one of the DJs played a DEEP groove that I loved instantly, so I whipped out my phone and Shazamed it, only to find out it was a rework of Love Will Bring Us Back Together by Roy Ayers! I told the universe I needed to listen to more Roy Ayers, and it provided. https://youtu.be/_SoouRjO2z4?si=oLTwB94Ejk9wH8SH
Any unexpectedly excellent record store finds that you had no idea about beforehand? I was in New Orleans last year, and found the first, self-titled record by a band called Womb. It came out in 1969, had a cool cover, and a quick preview on the turntable compelled me to buy it. It's an amazing album of psych-folk-prog (one of my favorite hybrids, LOL), and I recommend tracking it down!
What are other ways to discover new music outside of the internet? Go to shows where you only know one of the bands. Sometimes, I research the bands beforehand; other times, I let it happen in the moment, trusting the headliner to have picked someone I would vibe with to open their show. A recent example was when I went to see Mutual Benefit at Cassette in Ridgewood. He was playing with three artists I had never heard of (Alice Does Computer Music, Jadelain, and Joan Kelsey), and I ended up loving them all.
Wonderful, nourishing read. I guess I should... get off the internet now 😅 we all need a system crashout on our phone that plays Les Tigres' song after 5 minutes of doom scrolling.
I have a niche music discovery method. I go to a weekly trivia night where each clue is accompanied by a musical hint. If something sounds good or interesting I’ll make a note of it when the host states the song/artist
I've discovered quite a few songs via radio: PJ Harvey's "Dress", Magnetic Fields' "I Don't Need You", Womack and Womack's "Teardrops", Nanci Griffith's "Drive In Movies and Dashboard Lights", and Cootie Catcher's "Friend of a Friend" being the highlights. (Plus a belated recognition that Evanescence's "My Immortal" is really good!) It feels a bit like cheating, but a friend's internet radio show also introduced me to Paper Jam's "Skyscraper", which might be my favorite of them all.
fantastic article!! I loved reading it. Your note about "Let yourself use an imperfect system" really resonated with me. As a music collector (digital, ~1+ terabytes), one of the biggest pain points is the need to make sure everything is properly "organized". I always feel a little angst about the inconsistent foldering, incomplete albums, incomplete discographies, "when I have time I'll clean up the folder/labeling," But its sisyphean. It's like, thousands of folders, it'll never be properly organized. As long as my music player app can read em, whooo cares.
NGL, one of my biggest live "discoveries" was MacArthur Park by Donna Summer at a coffee shop lol. I felt dumb when the shazam showed up but hey, reminded me Donna Summer rips.
In the pre-Shazam days, I insisted on sitting in the movie palace, watching the end credits until near the end. That is when the song credits would finally scroll up the screen. Also, don’t use your bright-ass phone in a dark theatre.
What a fantastic article! As much as I love to keep up with everything, I also need to maintain a connection to my GUT, that instinctual feeling that draws you to the music that feeds you. Here are my answers to your three questions:
What’s the best song you found in the real world? Just the other day, I was listening to Come Into Knowledge by Ramp and thinking I really need to listen to more Roy Ayers. Then I was at IndiePlaza (free festival put on by Rough Trade in Rockefeller Center every year), and one of the DJs played a DEEP groove that I loved instantly, so I whipped out my phone and Shazamed it, only to find out it was a rework of Love Will Bring Us Back Together by Roy Ayers! I told the universe I needed to listen to more Roy Ayers, and it provided. https://youtu.be/_SoouRjO2z4?si=oLTwB94Ejk9wH8SH
Any unexpectedly excellent record store finds that you had no idea about beforehand? I was in New Orleans last year, and found the first, self-titled record by a band called Womb. It came out in 1969, had a cool cover, and a quick preview on the turntable compelled me to buy it. It's an amazing album of psych-folk-prog (one of my favorite hybrids, LOL), and I recommend tracking it down!
What are other ways to discover new music outside of the internet? Go to shows where you only know one of the bands. Sometimes, I research the bands beforehand; other times, I let it happen in the moment, trusting the headliner to have picked someone I would vibe with to open their show. A recent example was when I went to see Mutual Benefit at Cassette in Ridgewood. He was playing with three artists I had never heard of (Alice Does Computer Music, Jadelain, and Joan Kelsey), and I ended up loving them all.
Wonderful, nourishing read. I guess I should... get off the internet now 😅 we all need a system crashout on our phone that plays Les Tigres' song after 5 minutes of doom scrolling.
love this idea, sounds way more effective than apple’s screen time rules
I had "get off the internet!" inscribed on the back of my old iPod so this truly hits.
I have a niche music discovery method. I go to a weekly trivia night where each clue is accompanied by a musical hint. If something sounds good or interesting I’ll make a note of it when the host states the song/artist
that is so niche in the best way, i love it
I've discovered quite a few songs via radio: PJ Harvey's "Dress", Magnetic Fields' "I Don't Need You", Womack and Womack's "Teardrops", Nanci Griffith's "Drive In Movies and Dashboard Lights", and Cootie Catcher's "Friend of a Friend" being the highlights. (Plus a belated recognition that Evanescence's "My Immortal" is really good!) It feels a bit like cheating, but a friend's internet radio show also introduced me to Paper Jam's "Skyscraper", which might be my favorite of them all.
fantastic article!! I loved reading it. Your note about "Let yourself use an imperfect system" really resonated with me. As a music collector (digital, ~1+ terabytes), one of the biggest pain points is the need to make sure everything is properly "organized". I always feel a little angst about the inconsistent foldering, incomplete albums, incomplete discographies, "when I have time I'll clean up the folder/labeling," But its sisyphean. It's like, thousands of folders, it'll never be properly organized. As long as my music player app can read em, whooo cares.
NGL, one of my biggest live "discoveries" was MacArthur Park by Donna Summer at a coffee shop lol. I felt dumb when the shazam showed up but hey, reminded me Donna Summer rips.
In the pre-Shazam days, I insisted on sitting in the movie palace, watching the end credits until near the end. That is when the song credits would finally scroll up the screen. Also, don’t use your bright-ass phone in a dark theatre.
I appreciate the Shazam-ing suggestion. Some of my favorite songs came from random places, films or radio shows.