Pierre's Spotify adventure

Spurred on by the burning desire to get the most out of my new Spotify Premium account I decided I should really be listening to more than my iTunes library in Spotify; hardly the most economic use for something costing me £10 a month.

I thought 'my friends are pretty cool', so turned to Facebook & Twitter to send out a plea for people to direct me towards some new bands I really should be listening to. To my surprise I got some pretty fast responses. To my even greater surprise they all seemed to be genuine recommendations. Shock horror.

The collective who responded - my very own dysfunctional, musical A-Team - included a dreadlocked expert in photography and coding, a Latvian with a penchant for herbal teas, a metalhead-at-heart online poker supremo, a pocket-sized music obsessive, the singer in my first band Rubber Bullet, and someone I grew up living opposite to back in The Shire. To all of you, thank you.

So I listened to the suggestions; flitting between the bands with little method, often during my commute for most of which I'm half-asleep. Sometimes I listened to them sober, sometimes not so sober. I listened while I walked, I listened while I sat and rode the London public transport system. It was a fun week.

So it seems only fair I repay the thoughtfulness of my recommendees with some feedback. Now Observer Music Monthly, this ain't. I used to review for now-defunct online magazine Dripfed while at university. I thought I was 2003's answer to Charles Shaar Murray, cutting my way through bands' reputations with my witty metaphors and a liberal smattering of swearwords. Now I'm too old/wise/lazy for that, so I'll try and keep things clear and concise.

Minus The Bear

I'd heard the name before but wasn't sure if I was thinking of a star constellation. I Google Imaged them and they look like a bunch of middle-aged Sociology PhDs, which in case you were wondering, is an insult not a compliment. Music-wise I imagine they're a band to be seen live - their songs lose a bit of energy when recorded and certain tracks feel a bit like the electronica has been applied with mathematical precision. However, I will be listening to them again.

Horse Feathers

Having delved into this a bit deeper, I'm pretty sure the two Horse Feathers albums on Spotify are by different bands. The second one 'Horse Feathers' sounds like a collection of songs which just missed the cut for Weezer's Pinkerton album. The other album on there 'Thistled Spring' is a truly beautiful affair. With Mumford & Sons steamrollering their heavy-handed brand of folk across every other TV advert at the moment, this album reminded me what first drew me to indie/folk; ten meaningfully-written and carefully woven songs. Well done Horse Feathers.

Jonsi

I had this whole 'like Sigur Ros with a rocket up their arse' simile ready for this review and then I Googled him to find he is the bloke from Sigur Ros. So I'm annoyed at him for ruining that. I also found a picture of him playing a guitar with a violin bow, which makes him a dick in my book. But his music is ok. Better than Sigur Ros anyway. Just.

Tame Impala
Yeah, I could listen to this 60s jaunty shizzle for ages! Tame Impala, consider yourself on my radar. Everyone should have a Tame Impala in their lives.

Animals as Leaders

Any band with the word 'animals' in their name, I already like [see Animal Kingdom, The Animal Collective and The Animals]. 'Post-hardcore instrumental' is probably a genre I'd steer clear of before this little musical show & tell exercise [except perhaps for 65DaysOfStatic]. But this bunch I could listen to again, they've written songs which actually sound like they are meant to be listened to, as opposed to the self-indulgent bullshit which is often found amid their peers.

Tall Ships
To start with I wasn't even listening to the right Tall Ships. Which is probably good as they are a friend of a friend's band and I was struggling to think of diplomatic ways to say 'I thought they were a bit shit'. I've since listened to the correct Tall Ships [the link is right] and they sound pretty good. They're also supporting 65DaysOfStatic on tour soon, so as long as they manage to play to people before 65DoS blow up the amplifiers they should hopefully continue to increase their following.

Jamie Lidell
I recognised the name from Simian Mobile Disco's Off The Map which had his input, so I was looking forward to hearing more from the boy. Now soul isn't really my cup of tea, so I didn't manage more than one song at a time - but listening was enjoyable. However if X Factor rejects with 'big soul' voices keep churning out cover albums there's a risk real talent like our Jamie might get lost in the mire. I'll keep an ear out for him, but won't be signing up to his mailing list.

Chiodos

A bit of a curve-ball from this particular recommendee. Having listened to his other recommendations I fully expected more of the same, but this 'post-hardcore' lot [according to Wikipedia, whatever that genre label means] have a strong melodic edge. An edge to which I can cling, in fact. Spotify also managed to throw up their cover of Flagpole Sitta which just reminded me of Peep Show, so that was nice too.

Emarosa & Dance Gavin Dance

The reason I've grouped them together is I found it hard to differentiate between them. I understand one might have even stolen the other's singer at some point or something like that [bloody incestuous west coast emo bands]. I didn't particularly enjoy the music - bit too formulaic, like emo-by-numbers. Saying that, I like Dance Gavin Dance's name as I have a friend called Gavin and it makes me imagine him dancing... *imagines Gavin dancing*. To be honest, I won't be seeking them out again though. Sorry.

Yeasayer

It's all a bit 'hey man, you reckon we could use this stapler as a musical instrument' which usually makes for a fucking mess of a record. They seem to have stopped just short of that though, and it has to be said that O.N.E was bouncing around my head for days. Like normal experiments, I think 'experimental music' should probably be conducted behind closed doors. Perhaps let everyone know when it's just 'music' and all the experimentation is over.*

*All jokes aside, Yeasayer have made it onto my 'bus to work' playlist..... so well done to them.

Anyway, all this has given me an idea for a new project which I will be working on and contacting you all about soon. Watch this space, and thank you very much for reading this.