Soundtracks

26.2, thing 23

In a previous incarnation of my work life I listened to NPR, WGBH or other music most of the day. Traditional radio stations are plagued with enough irritating advertising and fund drives to make me want to poke my eye out, so when streaming audio arrived on the scene I was very happy. I would alternately listen in on Pandora, or Radio Paradise. I love the juxtaposed variety on Radio Paradise and I loved being able to listen to exactly what I wanted on Pandora. Catching my favorite shows on NPR and WGBH online was also a bonus, particularly if my radio reception was bad - that became a non-issue.

Today I went to check out Last.fm - I like that, similar to Pandora, new music is suggested to you based on what you're already choosing. Great that I could explore without registering (but was drawn in enough that I eventually did); nice to have download and purchase links right there if I decided to acquire or connect my ipod; cool 2.0 feature to 'shout about' the music (share a comment). Best yet, I found some old pals there - Laurie Geltman (but not on Pandora), Gonzalo Silva (have you seen him at redline T stations - soothes the nerves! Again, not on Pandora), Tribe. Like many I'm sure, I could spend endless hours here, reminiscing, checking out new tunes, and generally rocking out. There is, however, a studied classical side to my musical tastes too, so I think I'll make my way to the end of my day with something a little more mellow. Signing off with Schubert.....