Blog

1966 The Beatles: Revolver
1968 The Beatles: The Beatles
1969 The Beatles: Abbey Road
1973 The Beatles: 1967-1970
1974 Harmonium: Harmonium
1974 Supertramp: Crime of the Century
1975 Harmonium: Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième Saison
1979 The Police: Reggatta De Blanc
1980 The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta
1980 Talking Heads: Remain in Light
1981 The Cure: Faith
1981 Echo and the Bunnymen: Heaven up here
1981 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Architecture And Morality
1981 Simple Minds: Sons and Fascination
1981 Ultravox: Rage in Eden
1982 Duran Duran: Rio
1982 Joe Jackson: Night and Day
1982 Midnight Oil: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
1982 The Psychedelic Furs: Forever Now
1982 Simple Minds: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
1982 Soft Cell: Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing
1982 Ultravox: Quartet
1983 The Chameleons: Script of the Bridge
1983 China Crisis: Working With Fire And Steel
1983 Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
1983 A Flock of Seagulls: Listen
1983 Kissing the Pink: Naked
1983 New Order: Power, Corruption And Lies
1983 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Dazzle Ships
1983 Talking Heads: Speaking in Tongues
1983 Tears for Fears: The Hurting
1983 The The: Soul Mining
1983 U2: War
1984 The Church: Remote Luxury
1984 Cocteau Twins: Treasure
1984 Echo and the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain
1984 Everything but the Girl: Eden
1984 The Icicle Works: The Icicle Works
1984 Kissing the Pink: What Noise
1984 The Pale Fountains: Pacific Street
1984 Tones on Tail: Pop
1984 U2: The Unforgettable Fire
1985 The Colourfield: Virgins And Philistines
1985 The Cure: The Head On The Door
1985 Dead Can Dance: Spleen and Ideal
1985 Everything but the Girl: Love Not Money
1985 It's Immaterial: Life's Hard And Then You Die
1985 New Order: Low-Life
1985 Prefab Sprout: Two Wheels Good
1985 The Smiths: Meat Is Murder
1986 Depeche Mode: Black Celebration
1986 R.E.M.: Life's Rich Pageant
1986 This Mortal Coil: Filigree and Shadow
1986 The Woodentops: Giant
1987 Bel Canto: White-Out Conditions
1987 Dead Can Dance: Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
1987 The Housemartins: The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death
1987 The Lilac Time: The Lilac Time
1987 The Smiths: Louder Than Bombs
1988 The Church: Starfish
1989 Bel Canto: Birds of Passage
1989 The Cure: Disintegration
1990 Depeche Mode: Violator
1990 The House of Love: The House of Love II
1990 Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback
1990 The Waterboys: Room To Roam
1991 Joe Jackson: Laughter And Lust
1991 James: Seven
1991 U2: Achtung Baby
1992 Bel Canto: Shimmering, warm and bright
1993 Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth
1993 James: Laid
1993 Midnight Oil: Earth and Sun and Moon
1994 Portishead: Dummy
1997 Catherine Wheel: Adam and Eve
1997 Marcy Playground: Marcy Playground
1997 Portishead: Portishead
1997 Radiohead: OK Computer
1998 Deep Forest: Comparsa
1998 Garbage: Version 2.0
1998 Lenny Kravitz: 5
1999 Echo and the Bunnymen: What Are You Going To Do With Your Life
1999 Travis: The Man Who
2000 Catherine Wheel: Wishville
2002 Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head
2003 Muse: Absolution
2004 Interpol: Antics
2004 Keane: Hopes And Fears
2005 Coldplay: X&Y
2005 Doves: Some Cities
2006 The Killers: Sam's Town
2006 Muse: Black Holes and Revelations
2007 Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare
2007 Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
2007 Klaxons: Myths Of The Near Future
2007 The Shins: Wincing the Night Away
2008 Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
2008 Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
2008 Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
2008 The Stills: Oceans Will Rise
2008 Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
2009 Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!

The tracks listed on this page at least sometimes stream the wrong music. Visit the Boulevard of Broken Streams for details.

Pattern:

<artist the stream is attached to> (<album if common>)

• <track the stream is attached to> >> <track the stream belongs to> (<artist if different>)

A
The Adverts

• Bombsite Boy >> Gary Gilmore's Eyes

Aerosmith

• Dream On >> Walk On Down

B
Natasha Bedingfield

• Pocketful Of Sunshine >> Pocketful Of Sunshine (Johnny Vicious Radio Mix)

Pat Benatar

• Hit Me With Your Best Shot (live) >> Heartbreaker (sometimes)
  
• hell is for children (live) >> Wuthering Heights
  
• We Belong >> Fire And Ice (sometimes)

George Benson (Givin' It Up)

1. Breezin' >> Breezin' (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
2. 'long Come Tutu >> 'long Come Tutu (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
3. Summer Breeze >> Summer Breeze (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
4. All I Am >> All I Am (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
5. Ordinary People >> Ordinary People (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
6. Let It Rain >> Let It Rain (Feat. Patti Austin) (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
7. Givin' It Up For Love >> Givin' It Up for Love (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
8. Every Time You Go Away >> Every Time You Go Away (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
9. Four >> Four (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
   
10. Don't Start No Schtuff >> Don't Start No Schtuff (George Benson & Al Jarreau)
    
11. Bring It On Home To Me >> Bring It On Home To Me (Feat. Paul McCartney) (George Benson & Al Jarreau)

Cilla Black

• Make It Easy On Yourself >> Yesterday
  
• Yesterday >> When I Fall in Love
  
• to be continued ...

C
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do (Live at My Fathers Place 1978) (disc 1))

1. Tropical Hot Dog Night >> Owed T'alex
   
2. Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles >> UNKNOWN 1:12
   
3. Moonlight on Vermont >> You Know You're a Man
   
4. The Floppy Boot Stomp >> Bat Chain Puller
   
5. to be continued ...

John Coltrane

• I Think >> Five Portraits: John Coltrane

D
Deep Purple

• Smooth Dancer >> Wring That Neck

Donovan

• Sunshine Superman >> UNKNOWN (sometimes)

Lila Downs

• Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps >> La Martiniana (sometimes)

The Dreamlovers (The Best Of The Dreamlovers - The Heritage Years Plus...)

1. If I Should Lose You >> While We Were Dancing
   
2. Pretty Little Girl >> If I Should Lose You
   
3. Together >> I'm Through With You
   
4. Amazons & Coyotes >> Together
   
5. You Gave Me Somebody to Love >> These Will Be The Good Old Days
   
6. Doin' Things Together With You >> You Gave Me Somebody to Love
   
7. The Bad Times Make The Good Times >> Doin' Things Together With You
   
8. Bless Your Soul >> The Bad Times Make The Good Times
   
9. Calling Jo-Ann >> Bless Your Soul
   
10. Mother >> Let's Twist Again
    
11. Happiness >> Mother

Dream Theater

• Misunderstood >> Cover My Eyes

The Dubliners (Original Dubliners - disc 2)

1. Bill Hart's Jig >> Darby O'Leary
   
2. The Nights Of St Patrick >> All For Me Grog
   
3. Darby O'Leary >> Cork Hornpipe
   
4. Cork Hornpipe >> Maid Of The Sweet Brown Knowe
   
5. Maid Of The Sweet Brown Knowe >> Flop Eared Mule
   
6. Quare Bungle Rye >> Poor Old Dicey Riley
   
7. Flop Eared Mule >> Whiskey On A Sunday
   
8. Poor Old Dicey Riley >> Gentleman Soldier
   
9. Gentleman Soldier >> Maids When You're Young Never Wed An Old Man
   
10. Navvy Boots >> Rattling Roaring Willie
    
11. Maids When You'Re Young, Never Wed An Old Man (redirected to Maids When You're Young Never Wed An Old Man which is okay) >> Mrs McGrath
    
12. Rattling, Roaring Willie >> O'Carolan's Concerto
    
13. Mrs McGrath >> The Partin' Glass
    
14. O'Carolan's Concerto >> Muirsheen Durkin
    
15. The Partin' Glass >> A Nation Once Again
    
16. Muirsheen Durkin >> Whiskey In The Jar
    
17. Kelly the Boy from Killan >> Sullivan John
    
18. Croppy Boy >> Come and Join the British Army
    
19. Sullivan John >> (The Bonnie) Shoals Of Herring
    
20. Come and Join the British Army >> Mormon Braes
    
21. (The Bonnie) Shoals Of Herring >> Drink It Up Men
    
22. Mormon Braes >> Maloney Wants a Drink

E
The Emotions

• Love You Most of All >> A6 Emotions (Jamaica) - Love You Most Of All (Reggae to U.K. With Love)

Enya

• Storms in Africa >> UNKNOWN

F
Fall Out Boy

• My People >> My People (The Presets)

Frank Popp Ensemble

• Hip Teens Don't Wear Blue Jeans >> UNKNOWN

G
Girls Aloud

• Sound Of The Underground >> Shake Your Bon-Bon (Ricky Martin) (sometimes)

Max Greger

• Greensleeves >> True love

H
Home Grown (First inner city harvest)

1. Bud House (Ya Highness) >> Some intro by Lonzo Williams
   
2. Wanna Have A Good Time (Dynastee) >> Bud House (Ya Highness)
   
3. Tonight (Focus) >> Wanna Have A Good Time (Dynastee)
   
4. What's Really Goin On (1 Can) >> Tonight (Focus)
   
5. So Hard In My City (NML Hustlaz) >> What's Really Goin On (1 Can)
   
6. Whoop Whoop (Kimmie G) >> So Hard In My City (NML Hustlaz)
   
7. Death Comes (Phouls) >> Whoop Whoop (Kimmie G)
   
8. to be continued ...

The Human League

• Don't You Want Me >> Open Your Heart (sometimes)

I
In Flames (Trigger)

1. Cloud Connected >> Cloud Connected (Club Connected remix)
   
2. Moonshield >> Moonshield (C64 karaoke version)

Intwine

• Cruel Man >> Viben (K-Liber)

J
Michael Jackson

• Off the Wall >> UNKNOWN (sometimes)

Jean Michel Jarre

• Ethnicolor II >> First Rendez-vous

Joy Division

• New Dawn Fades >> At a Later Date

K
Katatonia (Night Is The New Day)

1. Forsaker >> The Longest Year
   
2. The Longest Year >> Nephilim
   
3. Idle Blood >> New Night
   
4. Onward Into Battle >> The Promise of Deceit
   
5. Liberation >> Day and Then the Shade
   
6. The Promise of Deceit >> Departer
   
7. Nephilim >> Onward Into Battle
   
8. New Night >> Liberation
   
9. Inheritance >> Forsaker
   
10. Day and Then the Shade >> Idle Blood
    
11. Departer >> Inheritance

Danny Kaye

• The Ugly Duckling >> No Two People (sometimes)

Carole King

• Up on the Roof >> Up On The Roof (Little Eva)

M
Jesse McCartney (Beautiful Soul)

1. She's No You >> Beautiful Soul (sometimes)
   
2. Beautiful Soul >> Come to Me
   
3. Take Your Sweet Time >> That Was Then
   
4. Without U >> What's Your Name?
   
5. Why Don't You Kiss Her? >> Why Is Love So Hard to Find?
   
6. That Was Then >> Because You Live
   
7. Come to Me >> Get Your Shine On
   
8. What's Your Name? >> Take Your Sweet Time
   
9. Because You Live >> The Stupid Things
   
10. Why Is Love So Hard to Find? >> Why Don't You Kiss Her?
    
11. The Stupid Things >> Without U

Rob McConnell

• You Are My Sunshine >> Lullaby of the Leaves (The Singers Unlimited)

Meat Puppets

• Maiden's Milk >> UNKNOWN

Sérgio Mendes

• Never Gonna Let You Go >> Through The Barricades (Spandau Ballet)

Mindfunk

• Sister Blue >> Dream On (Aerosmith)

Kylie Minogue

• On a Night Like This >> So Now Goodbye (sometimes)

Mott the Hoople

• All The Young Dudes >> UNKNOWN (sometimes)

Multi Interprètes (A Dozen Dead Roses)

1. I Walk Alone (Tarja) >> Pictures Of You (The Cure) (sometimes)
   
2. to be continued ...

N
Olivia Newton-John (Have You Never Been Mellow)

1. And In The Morning >> The Air That I Breathe
   
2. The Air That I Breathe >> And In The Morning

Nine Inch Nails

• Closer >> REMIX

Nirvana (Singles)

1. Come As You Are >> Lithium (sometimes)
   
2. All Apologies >> Smells Like Teen Spirit (sometimes)
   
3. Rape Me >> Even In His Youth (sometimes)

O
OK Go

• Do What You Want >> Oh Lately It's So Quiet

P
Pernice Brothers

• Clear Spot >> UNKNOWN

Phuture

• Acid Tracks >> Your Only Friend

P!nk (Missundaztood / Can't Take Me Home)

1. M!ssundaztood >> Most Girls
   
2. Dear Diary >> There You Go
   
3. Eventually >> You Make Me Sick
   
4. Numb >> Let Me Let You Know
   
5. Family Portrait >> Private Show
   
6. Misery >> Can't Take Me Home
   
7. Don't Let Me Get Me >> Do What U Do
   
8. Gone to California >> Hiccup
   
9. Lonely Girl >> Is It Love
   
10. My Vietnam >> There You Go (Sovereign Mix)
    
11. You Make Me Sick >> Eventually
    
12. Private Show >> Family Portrait
    
13. Can't Take Me Home >> Misery
    
14. Do What U Do >> Don't Let Me Get Me
    
15. Hiccup >> Gone to California
    
16. Is It Love >> Lonely Girl
    
17. to be continued ...

Q
Queens of the Stone Age (Songs For The Deaf)

1. No One Knows >> First It Giveth (sometimes)

S
Santana

• Evil Ways >> La Catedral (Jaume Sisa)

Frank Sinatra

• Jeepers Creepers >> My Blue Heaven (sometimes)

Lisa Stansfield (Face Up)

1. Never, Never Gonna Give You Up >> Candy
   
2. Candy >> All Around The World
   
3. to be continued ...

Stream of Passion (Embrace the Storm)

1. Spellbound >> Wherever You Are
   
2. Passion >> Haunted
   
3. Deceiver >> Spellbound
   
4. I'll Keep on Dreaming >> Deceiver
   
5. Haunted >> Passion
   
6. Open Your Eyes >> I'll Keep on Dreaming
   
7. Embrace the Storm >> Out in the Real World
   
8. Breathing Again >> Embrace the Storm
   
9. Out in the Real World >> Calliopeia
   
10. Calliopeia >> Breathing Again

Matthew Sweet (The Bigtop)

1. Something Nothing Everything (Marbles) >> I Just Can't Keep Up with this Pace (The Owls)
   
2. to be continued ...

Swing Out Sister (Live)

1. Surrender >> Surrender / World Out of Control
   
2. Closer Than the Sun >> Closer Than the Sun / Forever Blue
   
3. Now You're Not Here >> Now You're Not Here / No Scrubs
   
4. Breakout >> Breakout / When Morning Comes

T
They Might Be Giants (Severe Tire Damage)

1. Birdhouse in Your Soul >> She's an Angel
   
2. Ana Ng >> Another First Kiss
   
3. to be continued ...

Travis (Singles)

• Sing >> All I Want to Do Is Rock
  
• Why Does It Always Rain on Me? >> The Distance

V
Various Artists (80's Valentines Love Mix)

1. Nikita (Elton John) >> Listen To Your Heart (Roxette)
   
2. I Can Dream About You (Dan Hartman) >> Leaving Me Now (Extended Version) (Level 42)
   
3. Leaving Me Now (Extended Version) (Level 42) >> Stop (Sam Brown)
   
4. Stop (Sam Brown) >> Forest Fire (Original Extended Version) (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
   
5. Forest Fire (Original Extended Version) (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions) >> Never Never Gonna Give You Up (12" Remix) (Barry White)
   
6. Never Knew Love Like This Before (Stephanie Mills) >> Secret Lovers (Atlantic Starr) (sometimes)

Various Artists (Electracoustic (Electronic Acoustic))

1. Black Sand (The Collectors) >> Cool Kids Keep (The American Analog Set)
   
2. That's Because You Drive Me (Acid House Kings) >> Wrecking Ball (Tunng remix) (Viva Voce)
   
3. Easy (Mooli) >> That's Because You Drive Me (Acid House Kings)
   
4. October (Matt Harding) >> Welcome To The Hotel (The Winston Giles Orchestra)
   
5. Home (feat. Chris Coco) (Afterlife, Chris Coco) >> Easy (Mooli)
   
6. to be continued ...

Various Artists (How Are You? 2)

1. What's the reason (Silkstone) >> Year 3000 (Bust) (sometimes)
   
2. Running Up That Hill (Within Temptation) >> What's the reason (Silkstone)
   
3. to be continued ...

Various Artists (Lost & Found: 1980's Pop Volume 3)

1. Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) >> Don't Pay The Ferryman (Chris de Burgh) (sometimes)
   
2. Don't Pay The Ferryman (Chris de Burgh) >> Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) (sometimes)
   
3. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions) >> Caravan Of Love (The Housemartins)
   
4. Caravan Of Love (The Housemartins) >> All The Way From America (Joan Armatrading)
   
5. All The Way From America (Joan Armatrading) >> Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)

Various Artists (True Party)

1. If I Can't Have You (Yvonne Elliman) >> Tease Me (Chaka Demus & Pliers) (sometimes)
   
2. Hot Stuff (Donna Summer) >> If I Can't Have You (Yvonne Elliman) (sometimes)
   
3. The Only Way Is Up (Yazz) >> Hot Stuff (Donna Summer) (sometimes)

Virginia Jetzt!

• Das Beste für alle >> Dreifach schön

W
Wet Wet Wet

• Goodnight Girl >> Let There Be Love (Simple Minds)

蘇打綠

• 无与伦比的美丽 >> UNKNOWN

Stuart
Zipper Cremallera - Saturday
The Royal We - All The Rage
Baskervilles - Day One Amanda Year
The Container Drivers - Skylon
Pocketbooks - Falling Leaves
Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan! - Acid DJ
The Supermans Can Fly - Shoot Me, I'm A Pin Ball
The Good Natured - How Can I Believe In You?
Metric - Combat Baby
Kanda - Artic

Aaron
The Garlands – David
The Lucksmiths – Song of the Undersea
Ballboy – Let's Fall in Love and Run Away from Here
The Go-Betweens – Casanova's Last Words
Fireflies – Strange
Paddington Distortion Combo – Chairman of the Bored
The Field Mice – You're Kidding Aren't You?
The June Brides – No Place Called Home
Biff Bang Pow! – I'm Still Waiting for My Time
The Popguns - Someone You Love

Debbie
Silver Jews - Animal Shapes
Elliot Smith - Son Of Sam
The Lucksmiths - Syncronised Sinking
The Concretes - Chosen One
Blur - Coffee & Fur
Rilo Kiley - Portions For Foxes
King Biscuit Time - I Walk The Earth
Wolfie - You're Gonna Fall Into It
Monkey Swallows the Universe - Fonz You!
Love Is All - Spinning And Scratching

Stuart
Yo La Tengo - Luci Baines
The Pipettes - Judy
Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!
Friends - Let's Get Away From It All
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
The Aislers Set - Red Door
Belle & Sebastian - Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
Comet Gain - Why I Try To Look So Bad
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

Aaron
The Deidres – Choose a Partner
Los Campesinos! – All Your Keyfabe Friends
Fuzzy – Glad Action
Go Sailor – Fine Day for Sailing
I'm From Barcelona – The Painter
Tullycraft – Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend's Too Stupid To Know About
Hefner – Hello Kitten
Stereolab – John Cage Bubblegum
The Hidden Cameras – Learning the Lie
Los Campesinos! - Frontwards

Debbie
Pipas - Yrrhkdbk
Stereolab - Lose That Girl
I Am the World Trade Center - Metro
The Wannadies - Yeah
Hefner - Trouble Hid
Super Furry Animals - Baby Ate My 8 Ball
Le Tigre - Hot Topic
Operator Please- Zero Zero
Stereo Total - Supercool
Go Team - Huddle Formation

Stuart
Le Tigre - Decaptacon
Pulp - Disco 2000
The Housemartins - Happy Hour
Television Personalities - This Time There's No Happy Ending
The Flatmates - Shimmer
Clothilde - Saperlipoppette
The Chesterfields - Ask Johnny Dee
Error Error Die- I Will Never Hide
The Foster Kids - Heavy Petting
The Field Mice - Fabulous Friend

Aaron
The Galactic Hereos – Get Up
Asobi Seksu – Goodbye
Salty Pirates – Black Minds, White Lies
All Girl Summer Fun Band – Not the One for Me
The Chesterfields – Last Train to Yeovil
the razorcuts – A is for Alphabet
Talulah Gosh – I Can't Get No Satisfaction
Comet Gain – Kids at the Club

Debbie
Voxtrot - Start Of Something
T-rex - Jeepster
Bob Dylan - To Be Alone With You
Kenickie - Punka
The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Is This Love?
Los Campesinos! - Death To Los Campesinos!
Suede - Beautiful Ones
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Belle & Sebastian - Me & The Major

091008
I started to listen to The Housemartins when I was a teenager, I don't know how did I come across with it, but I think it's one of the first contacts to "britpop". One of the favourite tracks, still, is Flag Day.

"Too many florence nightingales
Not enough robin hoods
Too many halos not enough heroes
Coming up with the goods

Too many hands in too many pockets
Not enough hands on hearts
Too many ready to call it a day
Before the day starts"

101008
Matthew Good day. Advertising on Police Cars. Fine example of what a great musician Matthew Good really is. Awesome track.

111008-121008
-

131008
Track of the day: Imogen Heap's Clear the Area.
White, clear, hospital, cold.

141008
Stars' Ageless Beauty
Beautiful song, love this one.

"oceans won't freeze
so loosen your heart
underestimated
undefeated in this love"

151008
I don't know how I came across this track, but WOW, what a interesting tune. I heartily recommend everyone to check out this one: Slow motion car crash.

161008
Stereophonics' Dakota makes me feel always good. :)

171008
-

181008
The Arcade Fire is one of my favourites, and here's a good example of their great music: Cold Wind.

191008
Joy Division day. Failures. I get to thank my former colleague for introducing me the music by Joy Division. Thanks Jouni.

201008
Good mood music: 40 Days by Carpark North.

211008
The best Robbie Williams song ever: Feel.

"I just wanna feel
Real love feel the home that I live in
Cos I got too much life
Running through my veins
Going to waste
I don't wanna die
But I ain't keen on living either"

221008
Track of the day is a classic by Depeche Mode and Enjoy The Silence.

231008
Discovery of the day: Breaking Benjamin's Breath.

241008
-

251008
Liekki is one of my favourites bands, and I really regret at the moment that the album I own "Rajan piirsin taa" is in Finland, since I really miss now their music. Sinun luona kerran is a good example of their really great style of making music. Very lovely tune, very lovely indeed.

261008
Finnish music day. Track of the day: Lapko's Mary the Queer. Very epic stuff.

271008
-

281008
Yeah Yeah Yeahs day. Down Boy.

291008
Discovery of the day. Going Nowhere by Cut Copy. <3 Makes me feel good.

301008
The Shins - So Says I
A good tune for a day.

311008
N*E*R*D day. She Wants to Move

I got into a conversation about buying music the other day.

Even though I'm engineer by nature, I've never been fond of downloadable music. I'm against piracy in principle, and against commercial downloads in practice. I think the makers should have their rights, and even if the record companies were dirty capitalistic bastards, that doesn't give individuals the right to do what they want. Of course everybody wants everything to be free, that doesn't mean they can act as if it's true.

On the other hand, commercial downloads haven't actually been a viable choice either. They've been expensive, and restricted - and as we've seen with music services by Yahoo! and MSN, they give all new possibilities to screw you sideways. And even if the files don't have DRM and they are of decent quality, they are still... non-existant. Bits on a hard drive, to be taken away by a whim of the user, computer crash, or something else that haunts digital data.

Physical release gives you something concrete. They are pretty stable, they fill up your bookshelf quite nicely. They offer cover art - even if it's not the vinyl kind - and more than that, they actually give you a sense of possessing something.

So, I've taken a habit of going through the midprice section at local supermarkets, and ordering some CDs every once in a while, to keep my shelves filled and to, at least in some small ways, support my favorite musicians.

Keeping that in mind, I browsed through my collection and realized something: over the past year or so, I've bought over 80 CDs! Some are singles, some are collections, all of them have had significance. There are some clearly defined groups in my list of purchases.

The old reliables

The Beautiful South - I got introduced to them in the beginning of the 90's, and I've always liked them. I probably didn't understand much of the lyrics, but that didn't matter back then. I got some albums from the library, but during the spring I've actually bought most of the albums for myself.
CMX - I've listened to CMX for quite some time, starting from the early punkish records. They steered me away from it for a long time; I thought it was just artsyish noise. Surprisingly, though, once I got to listening their newer material, I've also started to enjoy the older albums. I replenished my collection with most of CMX albums last year, but I'm still missing the oldest ones.
Faith No More - Easy.
J. Karjalainen - One of the great Finnish lyricists. Some could say he's an institution, and he is, but that doesn't mean he's chiseled in stone. His latest album proves that - Lännen-Jukka is something that not many artist could pull off.
Kolmas Nainen & Pauli Hanhiniemen Perunateatteri - Probably unlike most fans, I never really got into the Kolmas Nainen boom, even though I was in ripe age for that. I first started listening Perunateatteri, and that in turn reintroduced me with Kolmas Nainen. Both have been on my playlists ever since. My latest purchases included some Perunateatteri singles that complete my collection more than actually give anything new to listen - just shows how irrational it is, sometimes.
Queen - The first band I really Listened. It started somewhere between Miracle and Innuendo, I was about fourteen and realized this is the best music there is. Best there ever will be. I bought just about all of their albums as vinyl records, and lately I've bought some of them as CDs. I haven't had any reason to change my opinion.
Viikate - Finnish melancholy combined with melodic power chords. I'm more fond of the older material, but the latest albums have found their way into my shelf as well.
YUP - The other three-letter-band. To me it's the more significant one, too. In addition to their newest album Vapauden kaupungit I've also managed to grab a few EP's and two compilations that I didn't have previously.

Familiar by relation

Hehkumo - Pauli Hanhiniemi turned into folk music, and I turned with him. I liked their first album, but Aukkoja Tarinassa really convinced me. Not in small part because of the incredible gig I attended.
Herra Ylppö & Ihmiset - I've listened to the "original band", Maj Karma, but most of their material just isn't for me. Their alnbum Ukkonen was something of an eye-opener, though, and Ylppö's Sata vuotta rubs the same nerve from a slightly different angle.
The Housemartins - I never realized Paul Heaton was member of The Housemartins. For that matter, I never realized Caravan Of Love was their song. Once I made the connections, I bought three albums, and I've been happily listening to them ever since. Bought the first Heaton solo, too, and I'll more than likely get the new one soon.
Jarkko Martikainen - His solo albums don't really sound like YUP, and that's a good thing. Not because YUP is bad (duh), but because he has quite significant story-telling skills, and different stories require different atmosphere.

The new ones

Fiona Apple - It just hit me. Actually this is sort of relation, since I noticed her voice in Bridge Over Troubled Water. Her voice is distinctive and her songs are strong. What's there not to like? I started lightly by buying all three albums after listening part of When the Pawn...
Audioslave - I never really liked Soundgarden, even if I tried to. It just seems too generic. Audioslave, on the other hand, sounds powerful from the first note.
Dream Theater - Well, yeah. When a friend is a huge fan, it's hard not to at least get to know the material. I still skip most of their 20-minute antipop tunes, but I actually liked just about every track of Systematic Chaos. Does that mean they're selling their souls?
Kotiteollisuus - Not that new, really, but I haven't actively listened to them before. I guess the heavy metal pummeling slowly softens me.
Kuha. - Hard to describe this one. They have a humorous attitude into music, but unlike some humor bands, they actually know how to play. Songs are weird, in a positive way, and if you get tired of that joke, there's still the music in itself.

In addition to these there's a bunch of random albums from different artists. One thing stands out, though: I'm getting more and more Finnish. Yeah, there's your regular row of Led Zeppelins, Queens and System of a Downs, but there's also hefty set of CMX, Kolmas Nainen, Nylon Beat, Perunateatteri, Sir Elwoodin Hiljaiset Värit, Zen Café...

Getting back to buying the music. Even though I don't download music, I've taken pretty freely advantage of local libraries: most of the albums I've bought I actually already have as mp3s. In fact, I have a few albums still in wraps, because I listen to the files. I just like to have the physical media as well. Stupid? Probably. But maybe, just maybe, that's more common than record companies would like to think.

I listened to a lot of music in high school in the 80's -- R.E.M., They Might Be Giants, The Icicle Works, Prefab Sprout, XTC, The Pogues, The Housemartins, The Colourfield, The Smiths, Men Without Hats, Ultravox... There was a guy in my crowd who would spend all his time at record stores picking out albums based on the track names and then he'd make cassettes for the rest of us (the early days of music sharing!). He found a lot of great stuff that way. And he probably listened to a lot of crap that the rest of us never heard.

Once I graduated and lost my source I wasn't really into music for about, oh, 20 years (rock music, that is -- I did develop an undying love of Broadway musicals during my 20's :D). And then, of course, I stumbled across Last.fm and could discover music for myself with no financial risk. Nice, that.

Over the last year at Last.fm I've noticed a few distinct phases I've gone through.

There was my starting-out phase, where I listened to all the big-name bands I'd heard of out in the world, like Muse, Linkin Park, Snow Patrol, Coldplay, and Travis.

Then I guess maybe I went through a little *ahem* emo phase, the less said about that the better.

And there was my British-bands-whose-names-start-with-"the" phase. The Coral, The Rifles, Maxïmo Park, The Courteneers, The Rakes, The Cribs, The Zutons, Dirty Pretty Things, The Kooks, Little Man Tate, Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, The Sunshine Underground... (okay, not all of them start with "the")

I also had an indie/folk-rock-bands-with-watery-names phase, which included Okkervil River, Shearwater, Great Lake Swimmers, and Midlake. Some bands in this phase with drier names were Crooked Fingers, Fleet Foxes, Flowers From the Man Who Shot Your Cousin, and Band of Horses.

Right now I seem to be in a guys-who-use-their-own-names phase. Um, also known as singer-songwriters. Josh Rouse, Denison Witmer, Ali Whitton, Terry Springford, Fionn Regan, Patrick Park, and Josh Ritter are current favorites.

There's been a bit of Scandinavian music (The Perishers, Kings of Convenience, The Whitest Boy Alive, Seabear), and after listening to bisa's library for a bit, I think I may have a Dutch phase next, starting with Johan and Solo. :)

Of course these phases are not consecutive and discrete; most of them are still going on, I just focus more on one thing than another at any given time. Further recommendations in any of these areas would be most welcome. What am I missing out on?