Oh All Songs Considered, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
When I think of the names of those who have influenced my personal music taste the most, a handful of names surface immediately: Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, Stephen Thompson and the rest of the critics that make up NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast team. I follow a number of music blogs and music recommendation outlets to keep up with what’s new, but All Songs Considered is, by far, my favorite. The hosts of the show have impeccable taste that is, unlike many music sources on the internet, open-minded and spans an extremely diverse spectrum of musical styles.
Kishi Bashi – Bright Whites
Off the top of my head, I can name you a string of artists I LOVE that I heard first on All Songs Considered. Kishi Bashi, Sharon Van Etten, Jonsi, James Blake, Olafur Arnalds, Delicate Steve, Here We Go Magic, Jim Guthrie, Ty Segall, Bombino, DakhaBrakha, Haley Bonar, Alabama Shakes, Shearwater, San Fermin and The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt. And that’s just off the top of my head. If I were to go through my music collection artist-by-artist to find all of the bands that I remember hearing of first from All Songs Considered, the list would be unbearably long.
The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt – Ride Frindship
All Songs Considered has shaped my taste, clearly, but more importantly, it has helped me better appreciate music. Especially music outside of my “wheelhouse.” The hosts of the show are so adept at describing why songs are good that, even if I don’t care for the song, I leave with an appreciation of it. This development of open-minded music appreciation has been a quality I treasure, especially when I see how snobbish some people can be with their music.
Jim Guthrie – The Rest Is Yet To Come
Look, I don’t want to sound weird, but I want to be Bob Boilen when I get older. The dude is in his 50’s and he sees more shows in half a year than I’ve seen in my entire life. I think he said that in 2013, he saw over 500 bands. I just… I want that to be me. Now, granted, he lives in Washington DC, where you can actually see multiple good bands each night, as opposed to Gainesville where you’re lucky to see 2 in a month, but still…
Bombino – Azamane Tiliade
If you want to hear some of the best music coming out today but can only devote 30-45 minutes each week to music discovery, let All Songs Considered be your guide.
It’s free. You have nothing to lose, but oh so very much to gain. Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on iTunes. New episodes are available every Tuesday.
By the way, if you do start listening to All Songs Considered regularly, you will begin to pick up the fact that the majority of the music I recommend to others, comes from this show. So… secret’s out.
The Rec Room 