ON THE RECORD: JIM CARROLLon music
SO WHERE do you go to discover new music in 2011? At a time of infinite choice for new releases and acts, and where discovery of new sounds is the meme of the moment, it’s a question which pops up again and again, as all involved seek to hone in on the filters which matter.
You might think, for instance, that a social media shining star like Twitter would be top of the pile when it came to music recommendations. Hence, why so many bands use their Twitter feeds to bombard people about their every move. Yet the recent survey by NPD/NARM on consumers and music discovery showed that Twitter is way down the list of reliable sources behind word-of-mouth recommendations, radio, TV, iTunes, YouTube and others.
It’s not news which will please the kool-aid drinkers in the social media cabal, but it won’t surprise astute observers who realise it takes more than a tweet to get people motivated. It’s also not surprising that a majority of respondents aren’t terribly interested in new music to begin with, unless it’s new music from acts they already know about.
But it’s obvious from the survey’s findings that it’s not just acts who find wading through the new rules of music discovery to be an onerous task. Music fans too are overwhelmed by all the channels to choose from. Add blogs, websites and traditional media to the pot and you’ve a stew of sources to filter before you even begin to find new bands you like. It really comes down to trust. Most new music fans and writers have a reliable list of online and offline sources and those recommendations are their first port of call. The trick for acts and labels is working out how to influence these. Time, perhaps, for another survey?
NEW MUSIC
TANDEM FELIX
Tandem Felix may be the best thing to come out of a Dublin secondary school French class in quite some time. What you get from the young four-piece is spikey, spacey indie rock with some interesting pop and quasi-classical strokes. Check out the Tweedledeecollection on Bandcamp.
Facebook. com/ tandemfelixareok
NETHERLANDS
Debut single Something or Nothinghas many going wow about Netherlands and their brand of dreamy, bittersweet, emotional pop. From Southampton but now based in London, the band have been recording with Big Pink and Florence The Machine duo Jimmy Robertson and Demian Castellanos. Sound cloud.com/netherlands
CITIES AVIV
Representing Memphis, Cities Aviv is rapper Gavin Mays with a winning combo of off-the-beam samples, sleepy beats and brilliantly skewered observations. His album Digital Lowsis a good starting point, but you can tell by tracks like Arawthat he's got plenty more under the bonnet. Facebook.com/citiesaviv
NOW PLAYING
Kate Jackson Wonder Feeling(Vinyl Factory) Former Long Blondes' front-lady sashays back into action with a delightful indie-pop nugget for her debut solo single.
The Dying Seconds Glimmerers(Self release) Second album from the Dublin band will satisfy all your widescreen arthouse musical needs this winter.
Teebs Verbena Tea With Rebekah Raff (Brainfeeder) Choice cut from ex-skateboarder Mtendere Mandowa's new album for FlyLo's label with Rebekah Raff's shimmering harp line leading the way.
Tom Waits Hell Broke Luce(Anti) Angry ball of fire and brimstone from the venerable contrarian's 17th studio album
WooWoos Fizzy Lettuce(Moshi Moshi) New girl band for 2012 step out into the limelight with this neat slice of downbeat noir-ish trip-pop.
