Before the demise of Napster (and during my year of grad school), I was able to discover alot of new artists by looking at the song collections of those from whom I had downloaded music. So by downloading Massive Attack's Blue Lines, I was inadvertantly exposed to less celebrated artists like Hooverphonic and Godspeed You Black Emperor. However, because I can't do this anymore (just don't have the time), I find myself somewhat perplexed on how to check out new/semi-new artists. So the next question is . . . are there any music mags that write intelligently and informatively about music? When I was in my teens, I was able to get at least semi-useful information from Rolling Stone and Spin. However, neither of the magazines seem particularly useful anymore, as they seem more focused on the soap opera lives of big major label artists rather than the music. While there is definitely something perversely fascinating about which positions Britney Spears prefers during sex, I think this kind of stuff is already adequately covered by People, National Enquirer and other entertainment mags. Even when these magazines do manage an article that's really about music, it tends to be about the past and not the present. At this point in my life, there's not really a whole lot more I need to know about the Beatles and U2. What I want is good writing on the musical craftsmanship and innovation. Obviously, you can find some of this in musician-type mags (Guitar Player, Modern Drumming, etc.). In fact, I discovered Ornette Coleman via an article about Charlie Haden in Bass Player But these magazines tend to focus on playing an instrument rather than creating or listening to music. Also, I want to read what someone with good writing skills and a decent understanding of music thinks about new music, both specifically (i.e. new CD) and in general (i.e. music trends). So, in short (I guess I could have skipped all the previous stuff), does anyone know any place (magazines, websites, etc.) that has stimulating and informative writing about new music?
sub, I know this is going to sound really cheesey and somewhat tripe, but I use Amazon all the time for this. What I do is to go and read the reviews on an album that I already have like "Mezzanine" or "Siamese Dream" and at the bottom of the first page, Amazon has a listing of "other artists" that people who bought "Mezzanine" or "Siamese Dream" or whoever also bought these people. They also have a listmania function. That is probably the biggest way that I have found out about other artists. For example, at the bottom of the first page of reviews where you also see what other artists that these customers shopped for, you will see like 3 different lists that (usually) contain that album. A lot of times you will see similar artists in these lists like "Best New Rock Music for 2002" - White Blood Cells, The Vines, The Hives, Wilco, etc.
