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 One of my favorite bands. Well played sir, well played. Thumbs up.
Clutch
Promoter(Of Earthbound Causes)
Blast Tyrant
hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, repetitive melodic phrasing
Song #2 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
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
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.
Have you ever tried last.fm? It has a function that sort of does the same thing, but you can also listen to your own music (e.g., on itunes or Windows Media) but it also tracks (in last.fm lingo, “scrobbles”) the songs and shows you, each week, what you’ve listened to most.