How do you find new music?

[Teuthida]

I'm pretty dependent on music to get any work done. The only thing is, each album's usefulness has a pretty short expiration date so I constantly need to find more.

At first I used to use Youtube's sidebar suggestions. Most if not all the suggestions are the particular band I would be currently listening to. Subscribed to a couple labels for a while as well.

Then I tried Pandora but they don't have many of the bands I want to find similar stuff to and rather have a list than random play.

Last.fm was working out alright until I noticed what they took into account for the similar bands. Such that if I search for a Japanese band I don't actually care if they're from Japan as long as the music itself is close to what I'm searching for, but all I get are Japanese bands. Just decided to search for the Chicago based band The Brokedowns that KG posted. It mostly gives me a bunch of bands around the Chicago area. That confirmed that.

Reddit's ListenToThis subreddit is nice for finding stuff I would never have thought to look for.

So yeah, is there anything better you guys use? I've seen a couple sites that use branches but I don't remember what they were called and didn't have a lot of what I searched for.

Not big on random radio play since I rather not have to keep skipping songs that don't mesh with me.

[Bube]

I guess I kinda use last.fm. Not that much though, I haven't been able to listen to music that much lately.. :(

And I recently discovered MySpoonful (www.myspoonful.com), and really like it. They talk about new/rising indie artists, three times a week. Some of them are really good, and the fact that they're not mainstream makes them even more valuable.

[Jason1]

I really dont use anything but word-of-mouth. My friends will be talking about some band, I will be like "huh never heard of them I will have to go home and check them out." That happens often.

I also discovered quite a lot of cool bands at this years Lollapalooza in Chicago. Among them: The Constellations, Metric, Hockey, Phoenix, Arcade Fire, Yeasayer.

[KillerGremlin]

Last.fm

I also found these two EPIC threads:

http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,19792.0.html
http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,25859.0.html

I also will search by genre on google, things like: "Underrated black metal bands" or something like that.

Reading reviews is a good way to get pointed in the direction of new music. I go to Sputnik Music. I read Pitchfork every week or two.

The radio and TV. I find myself listening to the radio in my car and I constantly mine lyrics to google for later when I hear a song on TV.

At this point I have experienced so much music that I largely will search for new bands based on my current mood. For example, if I am listening to some Dub Step or IDM or Techno in my collection I'll google around for similar or new bands.

But definitely check out those two threads, they are full of SHITLOADS of amazing music. Epic stash.

[Acebot44]

KCRW (http://www.kcrw.com/music/eclectic24), best radio station ever.

[Combine 017]

I listen to 100.5 The Peak.
They seem to play something ive never heard before every day.
And you can stream them online.
thepeak.fm (http://thepeak.fm/)

[Vampyr]

I let music find me.

Heard Mumford and Sons on the Grammy's (or Emmy's?), been listening to almost nothing but them ever since.

[Bond]

I let music find me.

Heard Mumford and Sons on the Grammy's (or Emmy's?), been listening to almost nothing but them ever since.
If you like M&S, I recommend Bon Iver ... from Wisconsin.

[Bond]

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ePatJIwB-sI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Bube]

If we're going to talk about Bon Iver.. you must mention For Emma.

[Acebot44]

If we're throwing around Bon Iver, Owen needs to get some love

<object width="480" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xeu5NbmPgQI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xeu5NbmPgQI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object>


and thus, American Football

<object width="480" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OV0LJ0Dnl7A?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OV0LJ0Dnl7A?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object>

[Bond]

If we're going to talk about Bon Iver.. you must mention For Emma.
That's awesome you've heard of Bon Iver, Bube. I assumed he wasn't known very well outside of the Midwest, let alone America. Sweet.

[Bube]

That's awesome you've heard of Bon Iver, Bube. I assumed he wasn't known very well outside of the Midwest, let alone America. Sweet.
I just love the snowy cabin sound :) And the way the songs seem to cry..

[Bond]

It's a great area of Wisconsin ... I go north frequently to cabins during the summer time. Not so much during the winter though - not really looking for somewhere even colder, haha.

[Bube]

I imagine I'd listen to nothing else if I ever managed to spend some vacation time in a cabin :)

[Bond]

What about Agnes Obel?

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vjncyiuwwXQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[manasecret]

Everyone who uses Pandora should switch to GrooveShark (http://www.GrooveShark.com). NOW! Go! You get the exact same "make your own radio station" stuff but with the ability to play the exact song -- or songs -- or playlists -- you choose. And their song stock is huge, since users upload music. I don't know how they get away with it, but they have for awhile now.

I haven't used last.fm in awhile. What's their draw over the others, like pandora?

[Bube]

I can't believe I forgot Grooveshark; I use it all the time :)

[manasecret]

I found out about it a long time ago here at GT, too. Maybe from you, Bube.

[Bube]

I remember having mentioned it a while ago. I had to find an alternative after Pandora blocked every other country :D