One of the things I like most about my job is that I get to spend a lot of time listening to new music of all kinds. I need to do that so I can be as helpful as possible to clients working in different genres across the musical spectrum, but it sure doesn’t feel like work when I am doing it.
But why should YOU also listen to a lot of new music of different kinds when you have a band and think that you are certain you know what you want artistically? Good question, right?
The short answer is that a lot of musicians live in a vacuum and are only influenced by bands they already know they like. And nothing can cause you to create a record full of dated songs faster than ignoring what is going on in the musical atmosphere that you want to thrive in.
I am not saying that if you are making metal that you need to keep up with Raggaeton or Indie Folk. But there is a lot of great new heavy music coming out that does not fit the traditional definition of metal that you just might be able to learn from if you take the time to seek it out.
If you are making Indie Folk or alt pop/rock, I don’t think that you need to be conversant in Death Metal. But spending as much time as you can absorbing influences from new artists that you find interesting is a great way to make sure your new songs are more likely than not to get the attention of the people that hear them.
There are a lot of great ways to hear new music if you are willing to do more than turn on a mainstream, commercial radio station or stream Sirius.
You can check your favorite local NPR radio station’s playlist, or do what I prefer and go to Spotify and check out the playlists you can find by searching “BBC 6 Music”. There are national stations- BBC 1 and BBC 6- and regional stations from all parts of the UK. They play amazing music of all genres from regional artists, something I wish we had in the US.
Because of what the corporations that did a number on the music business also did to the radio business, there are not a lot of great DJ’s out there anymore.
But two who are and have been responsible for me finding more great new music over the last fifteen years that all American radio combined many times over are legendary Stooges frontman Iggy Pop, his BBC6 Music show airs Sundays at 11am EST, and Tom Ravenscroft, son of the legendary DJ John Peel- who has just moved his shows to Patreon.
BBC 6 also has a two-hour “New Music Fix” show that airs Mon-Thur at 2pm EST that is also worth checking out. One of the things that I love most about these shows is that they do not let genre or mainstream appeal dictate what they play- they play what is great regardless of the genre
I am very glad that I got to find out about the world’s preeminent church organist Anna Von Hausswolff- whose music is hauntingly beautiful- from the creator of punk rock. That is a fantastic story and Von Hausswolff also has some pretty heavy guitar oriented records that are just as wonderful as her church organ work.
I am going to list some artists and songs that- regardless of what kind of music you create- I think you should hear. These songs all came out this year and are from artists from around the globe of various sizes.
I picked these carefully and am intentionally not mentioning genre or putting them in order because I think everyone should listen to them all.
Remember-just because YOU like listening to the same 20 albums over and over doesn’t mean that your audience is going to stick with you if you don’t try a little harder to get their attention by doing something new and creative.
CMAT- Take a Sexy Picture
Pulp- Tina
Baxter Dury- Albarone
Sombr- Undressed
Sprints- Descartes
Kristen Ford- Whiplash
Princess Nokia- Drop Dead Gorgeous
Kojey Radical w Bravo- Rule One
Pink Pantheress Illegal Nia Archives Remix
Sven Wunder- Daybreak
The Ravonettes- Blackest
Robert Finley- Helping Hand
Maggie Rose + Grace Potter- Poison in My Well
Viagra Boys- Waterboy
Coach Party- Do Yourself A Favor
Ethel Cain- Fuck Me Eyes
The Marias- Back to Me
Mogwai- God Gets You Back
The Allegorist- Fata Morgana
Ratbag- King of Kingston
R Missing- Telepolarteers
Drain- Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow
Stereolab- Aerial Troubles
Wisp- Sword
Hardy- Favorite Country Song
Nine Inch Nails- As Alive As You Need Me to Be
Ezra Furman- Power of the Mood
Anna Von Hausswolff- Mountains Crave
Anna Von Hausswolff- The Mysterious Vanishing of Elektra
photo credit: Adrian Korte