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Bonnaroo 2010

I almost couldn’t ask for a better lineup than Roo this year, but I would like to have some words with whoever came up with the schedule. The Flaming Lips, the Black Keys and Chromeo are all playing at the same time! How does one pick?! And I’ll have to give up John Prine and most of The Dead Weather for Weezer. It’s like being stabbed in the heart.

Difficult decisions, but what excellent opportunities!

Music News

Subscribing to Rolling Stone and Billboard probably don’t cut it for getting your fix of the goings-on in the music world. Unless, of course, you are interested in the same 50 artists. Lately, I’ve been turning to Jambase to fill the void.

Jambase is a site dedicated to getting people to see live music – a worthy cause. On the site you can look up concerts in your area, concert reviews, and album reviews. The site also features articles about bands and venues, contests and email alerts.

Jambase is my favorite place to go for festival information. They sponsor contests and advertise for festivals all over the country, far and wide enough that there’s bound to be a decent one nearby wherever you are!

Roadtrip Mix: It’s An Art.

I’m a road trip person. Airport security freaks me out, and I just don’t have the desire to go places beyond a few days’ drive. I’d much rather just hop in a car and go. Rotate drivers and you don’t even have to stop until you get to your destination.

But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from road trips, it’s this: music is key.

Making roadtrip mixes is really fun. You sprinkle in some classic belt-worthy tunes (think Bohemian Rhapsody) with low-key music you can talk over (Indigo Girls?) and some songs you want to rub off on your friends (seriously, listen to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros).

The ipod has really enhanced the roadtrip musical experience. You get reminded of a song? Play it. You can make playlists as you go, tailor it to the trip during the trip. It is truly a beautiful thing.

But heaven forbid you have a friend with bad, or “different,” taste. For example, there is a limit to how many times I can listen to “Tiny Dancer” or “Sweet Home Alabama.” And if any Top-40-pop music comes on, Imma let loose. Real loose.

I’ve come upon a pretty solid way to organize mixes: by theme. The songs turn out surprisingly varied, and then you can have people guess your theme. Car game! Or break out the decades (make sure to throw in a 90s one).

Some suggestions for your next vacation:

-Ain’t Too Proud To Beg by The Temptations

-Sexyback by Justin Timberlake

-Lovefool by The Cardigans

-Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

-Psycho Killer by Talking Heads

-Night By Night by Chromeo

-Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty

The Best Of Collection: Internet Radio

Being a student teaches you a little something about your personal capacity for sitting. Ten pages left to write, and no other time to do it, but you can’t possibly spend any more time in this chair. But hark, what is that I hear? A slight distraction, perhaps? One that will keep you working, but make you hate it less?

Enter stage left: Internet Radio.

There are lots of types of Internet Radio to choose from. Most likely, whatever actual radio station you listen to streams online (if they know what century it is). But if you’re looking for something, say, newer, or, personal, look no further. Behold! A collection of internet radio stations just for you.

Pandora

Pandora radio began in 2000 and has been made famous by their Music Genome Project, where they analyze individual songs and relate them together. You choose the “station” by listing a (or a few) song, genre or artist, and Pandora will stream similar music. The stations are mixed really well enough that you’ll get some songs you know, and some you don’t, which makes it a great way to find new music. But there are some downsides. First of all, Pandora only lets you skip a limited number of songs, which can be a bummer when you have to listen to that Jack Johnson song for the millionth time because you’ve already passed your skipping limit. Also, Pandora plays commercials. They’re short, but a nasty interruption.

Last.fm

Last.fm offers a more social music experience. You can create your own profile, recommend music to friends and communicate with other Last.fmers. Last.fm also allows its users to scrobble, which requires listeners to download some free software that adds music to your profile when you listen to it on your computer. Lots of my hipster friends really dig Last.fm, but I find it a little complicated. As much as I like getting music recommendations from people, I don’t need any creepos asking me what I listen to as I fall asleep. Last.fm is a little too intricate for me.

Grooveshark

Grooveshark is the up-and-comer of internet radio. It has a feature similar to Pandora’s Music Genome Project called Grooveshark Radio that streams music according to your taste and allows you to vote on whether or not you like what the station plays. Downsides: Grooveshark also plays commercials (unless you pay $3 per month) and keeps asking me to upgrade my flash player to prevent security issues (probably a good idea).

Slacker Personal Radio

Slacker users can also choose to listen to pre-programmed stations or choose their own music. Slacker has done a good job expanding beyond radio into phones, a personal music player, and the classic social networking sites. Slacker also has commercials (I guess I should quit complaining since they all do) unless you want to pay for plus or premium service.

Am I missing any? What do you listen to?

Devendra Banhart- I Just Don't Understand

I can get down with Fleet Foxes, M.O.F., and Sufjan Stevens. I totally feel the bearded men, the out-there music, the whole freaky-folk revival.

But Devendra Banhart? I don’t think I’ll ever understand.

I picked up the album Oh Me, Oh My… after a friend recommended it to me, and I immediately had a hard time getting through it. The album starts off Tick Eats The Olives, 40 seconds of soft guitar picking and some this-might-not-be-so-bad wailing. Clearly an act of deception.

Banhart’s voice is painful. It’s nasally, and juts out of the music like a bone out of a broken arm. The music’s got no energy, it’s not soothing and it just makes me want to listen to something else. Please.

La Blogotheque Videos…

…Also known as “pure magic caught on film.” La Blogotheque (created by French filmmaker Vincent Moon) videos focus on artistic music videos for indie rock or lesser-known groups and musicians like Pheonix, Priscilla Ahn and Noah and the Whale.

I’m not one to understand or appreciate visual art, but these videos are magnificent. The Fleet Foxes video is especially moving. In the beginning of the video you might notice the unique colors and camera angles, but it’s when they get into the abandoned warehouse that the mind blowing commences. Watch the video, and you’ll see what I mean.

Stuff to Watch For: Nervous But Excited

Nervous But Excited. A quirky name for sure, but don’t be turned away. This self-dubbed “pleasantly aggressive folk duo” out of Michigan has been touring since 2004. Their music is captivating – utterly magnetic.

NBE has a distinctive sound, sprinkled with guitar, ukulele, violin, harmonica and mandolin. Oh, and some of the most touching lyrics I’ve heard in a long time. These are from “Lansing” (about a city for which I have a particular soft spot).

“I watch my rearview down one way streets

Just to get a perspective unfamiliar to me”

If you’re looking for music to connect to, look no further. I would recommend NBE to anyone into the Indigo Girls/Iron and Wine/Bluegrassy-folksy-jams scene.

This Just In: Public Library Becomes Less Uncool.

I’ll bet you thought the library was a place just for story time, old ladies looking for large-print romantic novels and where the top 10 percent hung out on prom night.

Tsk,tsk. Ye of little faith. You seem to have yet to discover the CD section of your local public library. Sure, it might take some weeding through thousands upon thousands of ancient recordings of the same 10 concertos, but it’s worth it. Totally worth it.

I have come home with a few gems from the library. Take a gander at this list:

-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips

-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco

-Time Without Consequences by Alexi Murdoch

-Beginnings by The Allman Brothers Band

-Neon Bible by Arcade Fire

I picked up these albums (not all at once, granted) without listening to the bands before. This leads me to classify my personal music-listening history into two categories: before the library and after the library.

Now these beauties didn’t exactly throw themselves at me. I had to dig through the whole “pop” section (which includes the non-poppiest-of-artists Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Jeff Beck) to find them. Also worth it.

So, take my advice: head to the library and walk out with a huge pile of CDs (they let you take up to 20 in my hometown) and have yourself a little meet-and-greet with some new tunes.

Stuff to watch for: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

I came across Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series (watch the video below) a couple weeks ago and immediately bought the album. Yup, actually bought this one, and I couldn’t have been happier about the decision. This is definitely one band I want to support.

Not only is every song entirely contagious, listening to the album just makes me want to BE in this band. Travel around with nine of my best friends and play music like this? Count me in, I’ll bring my tambourine.

(Just a tip: the lead singer of this band is not actually named Edward. It’s actually Alex Ebert. Edward Sharpe is a sort of whimsical savior-esque figure bringing peace to this here Earth.)

The band’s gotten some recognition for their song Home, which was featured on the show Community. Home has got to be like, the most brilliant, adorable, romantic song I’ve heard in a long, long time and it warms my little heart to see it featured on a not-too-terrible TV show.

I could truly not recommend this band any more, especially if you’re into stuff like Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver or any of those bearded, freaky-folk groups that are out right now. Give them a listen below!

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Perform on NPR Tiny Desk Series

Music: There Is Accounting for Taste

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can most certainly judge a boy by his music taste.

Now I’m not saying that you have to choose the same five desert-island albums or accidentally wear the same concert t-shirts when you meet up in public, but having a mutual respect for each other’s taste is a key relationship factor.

For example: A few months ago, I went out with a boy I had met recently. It was one of those getting-to-know you dates, and I was really looking forward to it. At least until I checked his Facebook. This boy’s music interests included Eminem and 50 Cent. And when we got in the car he had the radio tuned to the Top 40 Hits station, which he referred to as the only listenable thing on the airwaves.

…Excuse me, waiter? Yeah. Separate checks please…

If it had happened to be that music just wasn’t his thing, I could have forgiven the poor taste. But he was really rockin’ to Rihanna on the way. Like, fist-pump rockin’. It was clear that if I stayed in that car for longer than I had to I would end up as the sorry old maid who shanks her good-fer-nothin’ husband with a broken ladel when he rolls up the driveway blasting “Party in the USA”. For his sake, I had to refuse a second date.

It is imperative, at least for me, that you can compromise with your partner and listen to music that you can both enjoy, or at least tolerate. Music is something to discuss, to bond over, to share. Taste matters.

So remember, in the immortal words of Rob from High Fidelity: It’s not what you’re like, it’s what you like.

Carol is a Journalism student at Michigan State University who spends a lot of her time - outside of class anyway -listening to and thinking about music. She has been playing drum set for a number of years and still enjoys the opportunity to play when it arises, so let her know if you're in the area and would like to jam. Walk with Carol as she explores new artists, her concert experiences and a few personal musical whimsies. And, of course, comments are always appreciated! She would love to hear what you're listening to.

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