While I have hyped Radioio multiple times here, I want to give another internet radio program some promotion.
Some people may be familiar with “All Things Considered”, the NPR news program. If not, head on over to NPR’s web presence at npr.org and take a look. A wide variety of topics are covered, some as boring as watching grass grow, some interesting. Contrary to what some folks thinks, it is a far cry from all-liberal politics. The layout is pleasing as well, a very good job of presenting a lot of information without becoming too fussy.
All Songs Considered is an internet only music program. It covers quite a bit of ground musically. This music program is where I first had the chance to discover Portishead, Jill Sobule, Tuatara, Snakefarm, and overflowing handfuls of other music. At the same time, I have heard music that I just wouldn’t be exposed to in another venue. The Thai Elephant Orchestra, where the musicians really are elephants, comes to mind, as it was a relatively recent program.
This post ties to TJM’s recent music review where the comments flowed into how great some of the music heard in TV commercials, car commericals in particular, have been. I commented that somewhere on NPR I had read or heard a piece on how TV was becoming the ‘new radio’ in the sense that one was more likely to hear breaking music from one’s television rather than the broadcast radio stations. The piece was actually an All Songs Considered episode. It talked more about television shows than commercials, but the gist is the same. The most recent show, #74, was really excellent. Highlights include new music from Luna (!), William Shatner, Alison Krauss, and U2.
As a doubleplus good bonus, be sure to check out the Open Mic section for listener submitted goodies. Music Buttons are the snippets of music that play in between the different NPR radio programs, etc. There is a section on the All Songs Considered website that has the music that gets played. I like that section, as hearing a snippet of a really cool song without having any idea what that song can get frustrating. It is even organized by radio show, making it easier to find the right songs.
Real Player required, the free version works quite well.