El Blogo Del Juan

With the recent addition of the apple iphone application I have been sampling different apps and I installed the Pandora music player. As it turns out this app is just a mobile interface for the web site www.pandora.com. Pandora is a web site that you tell it a band you like and then it plays songs that it thinks you will like. You then give a thumbs up or thumbs down to each song and I assume it alters the future playlist based on what you like and don’t like. However, it occurs to me that it would be funny if it didn’t . That said I have Pandora’s reasoning:been fairly impressed on what it has played for me. I took 2 playlists I created and wrote down the next 5 songs it played. These weren’t the first 5 it played because I didn’t think about blogging it fast enough. It is interesting to see how they categorize certain songs. My comments in italics

Playlist #1
Band I Like: Pinback

Song #1
Pinback
Charborg
Pinback

Pandora’s reasoning: Electric rock instrumentation, electronica influences, punk influences, intereweaving vocal harmony, paired vocal harmony, minor key tonality, melodic songwriting, vocal duets

I tell it I like Pinback so it plays a Pinback song for me. Fair enough. Thumbs Up

Song #2
Mellowdrone
Fashionably Uninvited
Box (Explicit)

Pandora’s reasoning:mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, major key tonality, a vocal centric aesthetic

Thumbs Up

Song #3
Modest Mouse
Heart Cooks Brain
The Lonesome Crowded West

Pandora’s reasoning:Major key tonality, vocal harmonies

I’ve never been terribly fond of Modest Mouse but I liked this song. I hope it doesn’t rank based on band but song characteristics. Thumbs Up

Song #4
Pinback
Subbing For Eden
Autumn of the Seraphs

Pandora’s reasoning:mild rhythmic syncopation, interweaving vocal harmony, paired vocal harmony

Pinback again. Not terribly inventive but it’s hard to fault for playing the hits. Thumbs Up

Song #5
The Ranconteurs
Steady, As She Goes
Broken Boy Soldiers

Electric Rock instrumentation, a subtle use of vocal harmony mild rhythmic syncopation, a clear focus on recording studio production, mixed minor and major key tonality, a vocal centric aesthetic, electric rhythm guitars, a distinctive male lead vocal

I had never heard the Ranconteurs but had heard a lot about them. It’s interesting that they listed vocal centric aesthetic and distinctive male vocal because I think of Pinback having neither. I didn’t like this song. Thumbs down

Then I told them I like Quicksand

Playlist #2 Quicksand

Song #1
Clutch
Promoter(Of Earthbound Causes)
Blast Tyrant
hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, repetitive melodic phrasing

One of my favorite bands. Well played sir, well played. Thumbs up.

Song #2
Dinosaur Jr.
Lose
You’re Livin All Over Me
hard rock roots, punk influences , a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation, demanding instrumental part writing, minor key tonality, a vocal-centric aesthetic, electric rhythm guitars

It seems like every time I hear a dinosaur jr song just off hand I like it, ask who it is, and someone tells me it’s dinosaur jr. If I go listen to them on my own then I don’t like them. Thumbs down

Song #3
Unwound
Natural Disasters
The Future of What

We’re playing this track because it features hard rock roots, punk influences , minor key tonality dirty electric guitar riffs a gravelly male vocalist an aggressive male vocalist and many other similarities.

Generally I like Unwound but not this song. Thumbs down

Song #4
Three Penny Opera
Postcards From Far Horizons
Three Penny Opera

features hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, minor key tonality, heavy electric rhythm guitars and many other

Thumbs down

Song #5
Shotgun Messiah
Sexdrugsrockn’roll
Second Coming

hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, demanding instrumental part writing, minor key tonality and many other

I didn’t like this song but they would have gotten a Thumbs down just for their name. The first band played I have never heard of

Song #6
Gang of Four
Guns Before Butter
Entertainment!

hard rock roots, punk influences, a subtle use of vocal harmony, demanding instrumental part writing, minor key tonality and many other

I had heard of these guys name but not sure if I have ever heard them I dig it. Thumbs Up

All in all I really like this site/application. It definitely is getting me to listen to songs/bands I might not have otherwise. Based off listening I am going to go get Maritime We, The Vehicles as soon as possible. I was disappointed with their first album post Promise Ring/Dismemberment Plan but they are awesome now and Pandora showed me.