My Last.FM Log
Lately, I've been writing about my shift in interests in music and art. Sometimes I have something interesting to say here. Feel free to read on...
11 Jul 2009
I have to admit, I really prefer the streaming service that Pandora offers, to Last.FM - for two reasons: (1) It's not browser-bound. I can run the little app, and still fidget all I want with my browser, and (2) the customizable "stations". This feature is something I really wish Last.FM would improve in their own service. Last's recommendations are often very good, but the repeats are really irritating, and building a "station" is hard for folks like me, who have no idea *who* to look for (Pandora has a great suggestion feature).
However, one thing Last wins on hands-down, is the scrobbling. I am becoming obsessed with keeping track of my listening habits, thanks to Last.FM, and it's fascinating to see how the ebb-and-flow of my moods is reflected in the choices I'm making musically. Plus, the scrobble database is a GREAT place for me to share and make recommendations to my friends.
Last week, I was really into classical. This week, I'm gravitating back to rock. I wonder when I'll next get a craving for jazz or blues?
However, one thing Last wins on hands-down, is the scrobbling. I am becoming obsessed with keeping track of my listening habits, thanks to Last.FM, and it's fascinating to see how the ebb-and-flow of my moods is reflected in the choices I'm making musically. Plus, the scrobble database is a GREAT place for me to share and make recommendations to my friends.
Last week, I was really into classical. This week, I'm gravitating back to rock. I wonder when I'll next get a craving for jazz or blues?
23 Jun 2009
I'll keep posting here. The private blog is too much work to maintain. I just want to say something occasionally about the music I'm listening to, and this spot works just fine.
Speaking of which: Lately I've felt the call of my first love in music, again: Classical. It's a refuge from the storm for me, in a manner of speaking. A place to let my guard down, close my eyes, and just float away.
Don't get me wrong. Learning to find value in the voices of those who grew up on the same planet as I, has been a helluva good thing for me. But sometimes, I just need to stop and take a deep breath and return to my roots. There is a passion and an energy to both musical forms, each has it's own subtleties and insights. But for me, nothing compares to the deaf master...
Beethoven, here I come...
Speaking of which: Lately I've felt the call of my first love in music, again: Classical. It's a refuge from the storm for me, in a manner of speaking. A place to let my guard down, close my eyes, and just float away.
Don't get me wrong. Learning to find value in the voices of those who grew up on the same planet as I, has been a helluva good thing for me. But sometimes, I just need to stop and take a deep breath and return to my roots. There is a passion and an energy to both musical forms, each has it's own subtleties and insights. But for me, nothing compares to the deaf master...
Beethoven, here I come...
28 Mar 2009
Every time I try to post here, the embeds in the text that come over the RSS feed break the stylesheet of my personal website, so I'm going to post what I would have said here, there instead.
http://www.freeselfproject.org/
http://www.freeselfproject.org/
11 Jan 2009
Last.FM is great.
For decades, I have been restricting myself to two forms of music: Classical and Traditional Jazz (of the Stan Getz variety). I did this for a number of reasons, originally. I won't go into all of them, but one of them was the fact that Top 40 broadcast is like having to wade through an infinite swamp of junk, just to find one useful gem.
Over the last six months or so, however, I've been using Last.FM to expose myself to more and more varieties of music - stuff that, in fact, would never in a million years end up on top 40 broadcast stations.
Between the mixes that are generated by the tag searches I'm doing, and the playlists of my friends, I've discovered that it's really not a particular GENRE that I'm interested in, but a particular kind of artistic value, and certain messages that resonate with me personally.
What I mean by "a certain kind of artistic value", what I am addressing is the sort of "ear" for beauty in the world that is akin to the "eye" of a highly sensitive painter. Classical music (as well as several forms of traditional jazz) are highly sensitive to this, and tend to be quite sophisticated in the expression of that beauty.
I used to think that modern music was not capable of this. Most top-40 broadcast radio is high-volume, hard-sell, and low-nutrient, emotionally. It's like eating Burger King every day. So, just based on that sampling, I'd dismissed the entire industry as unhealthy.
But, just like there are lots and lots of great restaurants out there, if you only look for them, so to are there lots and lots of great sources of quality music in the modern industry, if you only look for them.
One thing I'm finding, in particular, is that many artists have significant moments of "genius" that are only available through outlets like this one, because those "genius" moments are ruled unworthy of mass consumption. Take artists like Pink Floyd or Annie Lennox, for instance. I don't ever remember hearing Floyd's "The Gunner's Dream" or "Coming Back to Life", or Lennox's "The Gift" on the radio years ago.
In addition to my yearning for subtlety and sensitivity toward and in the presentation of beauty, I also found certain artists or songs were helpful for "mirroring" certain aspects of my own personality and experience, back to me. I'd never experienced this before, and that feeling is quite gratifying (though, perhaps, somewhat self-indulgent). Well, more accurately, if I ever had experienced that in the past, I must not have been receptive to it, I think.
And, I think that really is the biggest variable in this whole equation. Over the last year or so, I have to admit, I've been slowly gaining ground in the open-heart department. The opportunities offered by technologies like the internet, and Last.FM, are just that: opportunities. Opportunities not available even in the 90's, but still, just opportunities.
If you're not open to them when they come, you'll miss them. I think, in the past, I was not open to them. How did others learn about the "genius" that could be found in modern music before Last.FM, outside of top-40 broadcast? Well, they had friends of course. Friends who went to concerts and heard things, and they recommended those things to each other.
Alot like Last.FM
And friends - I have some of those now, too. And I find listening to them pays off sometimes :D
For decades, I have been restricting myself to two forms of music: Classical and Traditional Jazz (of the Stan Getz variety). I did this for a number of reasons, originally. I won't go into all of them, but one of them was the fact that Top 40 broadcast is like having to wade through an infinite swamp of junk, just to find one useful gem.
Over the last six months or so, however, I've been using Last.FM to expose myself to more and more varieties of music - stuff that, in fact, would never in a million years end up on top 40 broadcast stations.
Between the mixes that are generated by the tag searches I'm doing, and the playlists of my friends, I've discovered that it's really not a particular GENRE that I'm interested in, but a particular kind of artistic value, and certain messages that resonate with me personally.
What I mean by "a certain kind of artistic value", what I am addressing is the sort of "ear" for beauty in the world that is akin to the "eye" of a highly sensitive painter. Classical music (as well as several forms of traditional jazz) are highly sensitive to this, and tend to be quite sophisticated in the expression of that beauty.
I used to think that modern music was not capable of this. Most top-40 broadcast radio is high-volume, hard-sell, and low-nutrient, emotionally. It's like eating Burger King every day. So, just based on that sampling, I'd dismissed the entire industry as unhealthy.
But, just like there are lots and lots of great restaurants out there, if you only look for them, so to are there lots and lots of great sources of quality music in the modern industry, if you only look for them.
One thing I'm finding, in particular, is that many artists have significant moments of "genius" that are only available through outlets like this one, because those "genius" moments are ruled unworthy of mass consumption. Take artists like Pink Floyd or Annie Lennox, for instance. I don't ever remember hearing Floyd's "The Gunner's Dream" or "Coming Back to Life", or Lennox's "The Gift" on the radio years ago.
In addition to my yearning for subtlety and sensitivity toward and in the presentation of beauty, I also found certain artists or songs were helpful for "mirroring" certain aspects of my own personality and experience, back to me. I'd never experienced this before, and that feeling is quite gratifying (though, perhaps, somewhat self-indulgent). Well, more accurately, if I ever had experienced that in the past, I must not have been receptive to it, I think.
And, I think that really is the biggest variable in this whole equation. Over the last year or so, I have to admit, I've been slowly gaining ground in the open-heart department. The opportunities offered by technologies like the internet, and Last.FM, are just that: opportunities. Opportunities not available even in the 90's, but still, just opportunities.
If you're not open to them when they come, you'll miss them. I think, in the past, I was not open to them. How did others learn about the "genius" that could be found in modern music before Last.FM, outside of top-40 broadcast? Well, they had friends of course. Friends who went to concerts and heard things, and they recommended those things to each other.
Alot like Last.FM
And friends - I have some of those now, too. And I find listening to them pays off sometimes :D
20 Oct 2008
Finally, Last.FM has gained some traction with the Freedomain community. That took a while, but now that we're hear, it should be interesting and fun to keep my playlists up to date.
:)
:)
31 Jul 2008
iTunes patch update today. The last.fm client spiked after starting iTunes back up. I shut it down, and restarted it, and all seems to be well now...
I'm watching you, last.fm....
I'm watching you, last.fm....
17 Jul 2008
Enjoy a whole day of Medieval and Renaissance selections today.
10 Jul 2008
Two days, and no hangs, crashes or storage overruns!
Yesterday was all Cello. That was nice, but today, the playlist will primarily be ambient and electronic music. It's just what I feel like today.
Enjoy
Yesterday was all Cello. That was nice, but today, the playlist will primarily be ambient and electronic music. It's just what I feel like today.
Enjoy
10 Jul 2008
After a long series of screwy last.FM application upgrades, which caused all sorts of havoc on my iMac back in December, I had to bail on my second attempt at scrobbling my daily intake of Classical and Jazz (and sometimes ambient).
But I'm back again. This time, the application seems to be pretty stable. We'll see what happens...
But I'm back again. This time, the application seems to be pretty stable. We'll see what happens...
3 Dec 2007
In the mood to imbibe my jazz collection today.
You're welcome to browse it as well!
Greg.
You're welcome to browse it as well!
Greg.