Music Listener's Guide to (My Favorite) Websites
BY İDİL DAMLA BİNGÖL (IE/IV)
This week I've decided to share my favorite websites for discovering new artists and music. There are a lot of websites and blogs focusing on genres or music generally nowadays, but some of them have better reviews, some are good for discovering new artists and others share news the fastest. So, these are my favorites:
1. Soundcloud: As you can see from my previous articles, Soundcloud is my all-time favorite, because you can follow artists you like, and if the artists you are following use the site regularly, you will be updated every time they release anything new. Also, it makes recommendations on the basis of the artists you follow -- however, its recommendations are not as good as those of Last.fm.
2. Last.fm: People use Last.fm for a lot of different reasons. Some go to it to find people who share their taste in music, some use it for its radio feature and some -- like me -- use it for reccomendations. I think Last.fm is in fact very useful for any of these reasons. Also, if you enjoy listening to new (I mean really new) bands with fewer than like 1,000 listeners, you can try Last.fm Discover (last.fm/discover).
3. Pretty Much Amazing: This one is my favorite blog. Among all the blogs I'm reading, PMA has the best reviews. Their reviews are easy to understand and usually very useful. As I almost forgot to mention, it focuses mainly on indie, rock and electronic music.
4. Bandcamp: The website describes itself very well: "Discover amazing new music and directly support the artists who make it." If you're interested in discovering new artists -- usually artists without a debut album yet -- Bandcamp is the place for you.
5. Stereogum: This is another blog similar to PMA, but unlike PMA, it has amazing mixtapes. Stereogum's Monthly Mixtapes are what make this blog special, in my opinion. The mixes are available on the website as free download files.
6. 8tracks: 8tracks is "handcrafted internet radio," which means on 8tracks you can create your own mixtapes or listen to those of others. To create your own, you have to have a free account. But if you are only interested in listening, you don't need an account. There are a lot of mixes on 8tracks, and you can find them according to your musical taste or even your mood.
7. Golden Scissors: If you're into electronic music, here is your place to worship. Golden Scissors is amazing because you can find reviews for newly released songs, and you can reach artists' histories that include songs, mixtapes and albums they've released. The site has a very assertive motto: "Educate your ears."
8. La.Ga.Sta: A music blog from Greece, like Golden Scissors it focuses on electronic music and does it very well. There's nothing that different from Golden Scissors: if you like it, you'll definitely like this blog, too.
9. Indie Shuffle: Another blog focusing on indie and electronic music but different from the others, Indie Shuffle is good for discovering new songs. With their "song of the day" feature and the site's music player, you start with the song you like, and the player then plays more tracks according to your taste.
10. Pitchfork Magazine: I have to add Pitchfork to this list because of their interviews. It's possible to find interviews with a lot of artists, and they're usually good. I also like their "Best New Music" feature -- it's good for discovering new artists and songs.
There are lots of blogs and websites on music -- these are just some of my favorites. If you're interested you have to take your time to find new artists, new songs and new websites. Maybe the ones I've mentioned can be a starting point for you -- I hope you like them.
This Week's Mini-List:
1. Poliça - Tiff (ft. Justin Vernon)
2. Dale Earnheart Jr. Jr. - Hiding
3. The Van Jets - Broken Bones (Moonlight Matters Remix)
4. Wildcat!Wildcat! - Please and Thank You
5. Drake - Girls Love Beyonce (ft. James Fauntleroy)