So, I love Twitter. Probably a little too much, but as a music fan I think it's an incredible source of music I frankly haven't got the time to source out for myself.
Tweets from the likes of Gap My Mind and Morning After Pills (two New York-based blogs obsessed with disseminating new music) offering free mp3s have swelled my collection of miscellaneous tracks to new levels; tweets from rcrdlbl consist of multiple daily free mp3s and are always a good source of interesting new bands, plus the odd track from established bands / artists. The point is that I could just go to these sites and search endlessly; time-stretched as we all are, the regular tweets from these three sites prompt me to download things I just wouldn't get around to it, which would leave this blog to focus on my usual fall-back subjects – Interpol, Rufus Wainwright, Sonic Youth / Thurston Moore, David Byrne etc.
Ubuweb is another; their collection of Fluxus, modern / post-modern composition and Downtown experimentation keeps my intellectually inquisitive music radar sated. Daily tweets from them range from random Warhol quotes to links to 20CD compilations of early electronica.
Then there's the more interesting aspect, to me, which is bands / musicians / artists who just start following your tweets as a result of something you post - people using Twitter tend to search out people who post things that they're also interested in; you recipocate; everyone's peripheral network of followers is thus mutually swelled. This first happened early in my Twitter experience, late last year. I don't know what it was, but something I posted must have attracted the attention of the band SixtyFiveMiles, I got into a dialogue with the person responsible for updating their Twitter status, I listened to their MySpace tracks, then downloaded their debut album, Finnish Tango, which I reviewed here; further, because of the relatively easy access Twitter affords to musicians themselves, I secured a brief interview with Simon from the band, which I also posted on this blog.
The most recent occasion has been similarly rewarding. A New York musician, Ignacio Uriarte, began following my tweets and we struck up a dialogue centred around music (me saying how much I liked bands from NYC; him saying how much good music was coming out of the UK).
The five tracks he emailed me are what I would describe as anthemic alternative guitar pop. I found myself humming the strident, uplifting harmonies of 'Thugs And Thieves (You Can Have It All)' for days after the mail arrived; the urgent Brit Pop-meets-Eighties New Wave 'What It Takes', with its Beatles-y middle eight, is similarly instantly catchy, but the effect doesn't wear after a while as it does with some songs in the genre.
My personal favourite was 'Miles Away', sounding like it could have sat comfortably on The Virgins' debut album from last year; starting with some very Cars-esque spindly guitar, the subject matter – separation, mostly metaphorical – is hardly optimistic but the effect is to create a glossy, quality pop.
I only hope someone signs this talented songwriter and takes his songs to a wider audience. Meantime, navigate your browser to the links below and enjoy the songs for yourself.
Ignacio artist page
Tweets from the likes of Gap My Mind and Morning After Pills (two New York-based blogs obsessed with disseminating new music) offering free mp3s have swelled my collection of miscellaneous tracks to new levels; tweets from rcrdlbl consist of multiple daily free mp3s and are always a good source of interesting new bands, plus the odd track from established bands / artists. The point is that I could just go to these sites and search endlessly; time-stretched as we all are, the regular tweets from these three sites prompt me to download things I just wouldn't get around to it, which would leave this blog to focus on my usual fall-back subjects – Interpol, Rufus Wainwright, Sonic Youth / Thurston Moore, David Byrne etc.
Ubuweb is another; their collection of Fluxus, modern / post-modern composition and Downtown experimentation keeps my intellectually inquisitive music radar sated. Daily tweets from them range from random Warhol quotes to links to 20CD compilations of early electronica.
Then there's the more interesting aspect, to me, which is bands / musicians / artists who just start following your tweets as a result of something you post - people using Twitter tend to search out people who post things that they're also interested in; you recipocate; everyone's peripheral network of followers is thus mutually swelled. This first happened early in my Twitter experience, late last year. I don't know what it was, but something I posted must have attracted the attention of the band SixtyFiveMiles, I got into a dialogue with the person responsible for updating their Twitter status, I listened to their MySpace tracks, then downloaded their debut album, Finnish Tango, which I reviewed here; further, because of the relatively easy access Twitter affords to musicians themselves, I secured a brief interview with Simon from the band, which I also posted on this blog.
The most recent occasion has been similarly rewarding. A New York musician, Ignacio Uriarte, began following my tweets and we struck up a dialogue centred around music (me saying how much I liked bands from NYC; him saying how much good music was coming out of the UK).
The five tracks he emailed me are what I would describe as anthemic alternative guitar pop. I found myself humming the strident, uplifting harmonies of 'Thugs And Thieves (You Can Have It All)' for days after the mail arrived; the urgent Brit Pop-meets-Eighties New Wave 'What It Takes', with its Beatles-y middle eight, is similarly instantly catchy, but the effect doesn't wear after a while as it does with some songs in the genre.
My personal favourite was 'Miles Away', sounding like it could have sat comfortably on The Virgins' debut album from last year; starting with some very Cars-esque spindly guitar, the subject matter – separation, mostly metaphorical – is hardly optimistic but the effect is to create a glossy, quality pop.
I only hope someone signs this talented songwriter and takes his songs to a wider audience. Meantime, navigate your browser to the links below and enjoy the songs for yourself.
Ignacio artist page
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