Damn it, this pains me, but I must give credit for today's post to the wannabe music guy Hunter Deuce. I was whining in this blog a while back about how hard it is to find quality new music, and he shared one of his techniques for doing just that.
It is a shocker, I know, but it made a lot of sense: Hunter looks at the line-up for our big Outside Lands festival here, and then samples some/most/all of the bands.
Clever!
But look at this - it's the poster for this year.
That's a lot of bands to sample, and many will suck, or more delicately, won't be to my/your liking. There are some familiar names, of course. Men I Trust and their KillerUntourable Album are a KLUF go-to and WTF Grace Jones? She's older than I am. The Killers? Yawn.
But what about the rest? How to sort through the sheer volume?
Well, being a full-service blog, I am proud to present undeadsinatra on Reddit for the solution.
You see, undeadsinatra analyzed all of the performers, put them into one or more genres, and published it on Reddit for everyone.
Here it is, and wow is this useful, at least for those interested in finding great new music.
Alt. Country/Americana/New Roots Sturgill Simpson Charley Crockett Paul Cauthen Sons of the East Katie Pruitt (see also: Indie: Rock) Dan Spencer
Alt Hip-Hop Tyler, The Creator Killer Mike Kevin Abstract (see also: Alt R&B) billy woods
Alt R&B Channel Tres Kevin Abstract (see also: Alt Hip-Hop) Corrine Bailey Rae [new album is out there, yo]) (see also: Pop, R&B} Ogi MiLES.
Alt Rock, In All Its Many Colors The Killers The Postal Service (See also: Indie: Pop, Electronic) Young The Giant Amyl and The Sniffers (See also: Punk) K. Flay (See also: Indie: Pop, Electronic) Wisp (See also: Indie: Rock)
Chill Slowdive (See also: Indie: Rock, Ethereal) Men I Trust (See also: Indie: Pop, Electronic) The Japanese House (See also: Indie: Pop, Electronic) Mindchatter (see also: Indie: Pop, Electronic) Ryan Beatty (see also: Singer/Songwriter) LEISURE (See also: Yacht Rock Vibes, Indie Rock: Ethereal) Vandelux (see also: EDM In All Its Many Flavors) Rocco (see also: Indie: Rock) Balthvs (see also: Chill, Indie Rock: Ethereal)
Country & Hip-Hop Viva La Bubba Sparxx, Cowboy Troy, and Big Smo Post Malone Shaboozey (see also Hip-Hop)
Disco Grace Jones Jungle Romy (see also: EDM In All Its Many Flavors)
EDM In All Its Many Flavors Kaytranada Chris Lake Gryffin Knock 2 Romy (see also: Disco) Snakehips Confidence Man Kasablanca Vandelux (see also: Chill) Devault Daily Bread
Hip-Hop Schoolboy Q Shaboozey (see also: Country & Hip-Hop Viva La Bubba Sparxx, Cowboy Troy, and Big Smo) Trueno (see also: “World” Music) AG Club
Indie: Pop, Electronic The Postal Service (See also Alt Rock As Heard On Alt Rock Radio) TV Girl Chappell Roan The Japanese House (see also: Chill) Roosevelt Mindchatter (see also: Chill) Dadi Freyer (see also: Synth-Pop) underscores
Indie: Lo-Fi Electronic Lael Neal (see also: “Sad Girl” Music)
Indie: Rock Men I Trust (see also: Chill, “Sad Girl” Music) The Last Dinner Party STRFKR Real Estate Amen Dunes Wisp (see also: Alt Rock just ‘cos it's a bit heavier than the rest here in this section) Medium Build (see also: Singer/Songwriter) Rocco (see also: Chill) The Lemon Twigs (see also: Power Pop) Katie Pruitt (see also: Alt. Country/Americana/New Roots) French Cassettes
Indie: Rock, Ethereal Slowdive (See also: Chill) LEISURE (See also: Yacht Rock Vibes, Chill) Balthvs (see also: Chill, “World” Music)
Jazz BADBADNOTGOOD (See also: Soul)
Pop Renee Rapp (see also Tik-Tok Ya Don't Stop) Fletcher (see also Tik-Tok Ya Don't Stop) Corrine Bailey Rae (see also: R&B, Alt R&B [new album is out there, yo]) Elyanna (See also: “World” Music) Mimi Webb CMAT
Power Pop The Lemon Twigs (see also Indie: Rock)
Punk Amyl and The Sniffers (See also: Alt Rock In All Its Many Colors)
R&B Snoh Aalegra (see also: “Sad Girl” Music) Victoria Monet’ Tyla (see also: “World” Music) Corrine Bailey Rae (see also: Pop. Alt R&B [new album is out there, yo])
“Sad Girl” Music Snoh Aalegra (see also: R&B) Men I Trust (see also: Indie Rock) Valencia Grace Lael Neal (see also: Indie: Electronic, Lo-Fi)
Singer/Songwriter Ben Howard Ryan Beatty (see also: Chill) Medium Build (see also: Indie: Rock) Chance Pena Odie Leigh
SOMA Angrybaby (“stutter-house,” deep house) Anish Kumar (India-flavored house with lush disco strings) Ayybo (house, with dynamic visuals) The Blessed Madonna (House/Techno/Disco) Buns (Glitchy Drums N Bass/Speedhouse) Chuck Gunn ("I'm a little bit acid house, and she's a little bit dub techno.”) Darius (melodic funky house, some electro-funk) Dusky (deep house/UK garage) Honeyluv (House, with polyrhythms) B2B Jaden Thompson (Hard house, with polyrhythms) Idris Elba (“big room” House/Dance music) Jackie Hollander (Techno & Trance) Joe Kay (Afrobeats/soulection) B2B Jared Jackson (House/soulection) Kaleena Zanders (Gospel & 90s influenced House) Marsh (faster-paced, electro-driven House) Seth Troxler (house, electro-house) Shiba San (mainstage, big room EDM/House) B2B CID (mainstage, big room EDM/House) Sidepiece (Funky House) Sofia Kourtesis(Tropical House, Ethereal-Vocals House) Ysha (Trance) Uncle Waffles (Tropical House, Afrobeats) Yulia Niko (Techno)
Soul Teddy Swims BADBADNOTGOOD (See also: Jazz) Allen Stone Lady Wray
Synth-Pop Mindchatter (see also: Chill, Indie: Pop, Electronic) Dadi Freyer (see also: Indie: Pop, Electronic)
Tik-Tok Ya Don’t Stop Renee Rapp (see also: Pop) Fletcher (see also: Pop) BADBADNOTGOOD (for Adult Swim [bumpers] song) Chappell Ronan (see also: Indie: Pop, Electronic)
“World” Music Tyla (See also: R&B) Elyanna (See also: Pop) Balthvs (see also: Chill, Indie: Rock) Trueno (see also: Hip-Hop) Cimafunk (See also: Yacht Rock Vibes)
Yacht Rock Vibes LEISURE (See also: Indie) Cimafunk (See also: “World” Music)
Kudos to undeadsinatra, whoever or whatever you are. I am just getting started, and I'm already making discoveries - perhaps the same will be true for you.
Assuming you care about music in the first place.
Have a great weekend.
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
I sincerely appreciated all of the nice feedback regarding Wednesday's Cute post. Naturally, I will feature the most flattering, that being from the noted literary agent Rikki Aurich.
You should submit this to a column. I don’t know: Vogue . . .Apple News. . .The New Yorker. It hits the right spot. And the writing is superb.
The New Yorker? Crack is whack, Rikki, but wow, thank you.
And thanks also go out to Fi Deuce, Lara Mohair,and Nikki Vale for their nice comments, although theirs weren't quite as drastic.
Because the day I get published in The New Yorker would be quite a day indeed, what with the Earth flipping on its axis and all.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
KLUF
Here's one I found right away, and undeadsinatra is correct to define them in a genre called Indie: Rock, Ethereal. Because that is exactly what this is - here is Slowdive and the nicely open-air everything is alive.
