Twitter recently launched a social music discovery site, music.twitter.com. It’s pretty interesting. There have been a variety of music discovery music sites launched recently, including sites like Spotify, Shuffler.fm, ex.fm, Turntable.fm, and a host of others. Only a few of them have an explicit social angle. Spotify and Turntable are probably the most social of the lot. I’ve long since abandoned Turntable like everybody else (talk about yesterday’s darling!), whereas Spotify is one of my primary music consumption environments – although, the social piece isn’t really why I use it.

Twitter music, unsurprisingly, draws its inspiration from your twitter stream, and the larger activity happening on twitter. As a result, it’s naturally personalized, but also leverages all the activity happening in the twitter-verse. And draws on a broader crowd than Spotify (because it uses Twitter, where I have a large social graph, vs Facebook, which is more tightly controlled).

I think they’ve done something simple and elegant, and I’ve gravitated to it faster than many of the other music discovery services.

Basically, they present a vaguely pinterest-style view into songs, and the songs are selected according to one of a few primary criteria, and then ordered by recency. In particular, they show songs that are:

• Popular (new music trending on Twitter – essentially, a time-bounded popularity metric)
• Emerging (hidden talent found in the tweets – I am not 100% sure how they are doing this, but I expect they are looking for songs with a high-velocity recent tweet stream)
• Suggested (Artists you may like – presumably artists that are similar to artists I follow, see below)
• Now Playing (music recently tweeted by people you follow)
• Me (music from artists I follow on twitter)

All of these options could readily apply to other forms of content discovery – e.g., a books or reading discovery engine. But whereas Twitter music naturally generates a “stream” of music to listen to, all the books recommendations engines produce more of a static “if you like x you’ll like y” recommendation. For example, see Bookish, recently launched with much fanfare, but with a lukewarm response from the books community. It’s a lot of work to get recommendations out of Bookish – I have to come up with a book I like and get recommendations against – vs. a much stronger “push” user experience.

I found the “Suggested” music of Twitter Music interesting, but had a hard time figuring out why the particular songs were recommended. I expect it’s because they were from artists similar to artists I liked, but it wasn’t clear. Twitter Music could use a “why was this recommended” button. The “Me” music, music from artists I followed, I found really fun. But, it seems quite static. In the 3 days I’ve been playing with it, the music hasn’t changed. Not sure why that is.

A downside of Twitter Music is it designed to use with a companion music player, in particular Spotify or Rdio. With Spotify, you need a Premium account to stream the songs – I found twitter music sufficiently interesting I sprung for a Premium upgrade to Spotify – an extra $5/month over my Unlimited membership. Interesting. I wonder if Twitter gets a spiff on that?

Here’s a couple of screenshots:

Overall, I found Twitter Music to be a surprisingly strong offering – simple, elegant, and “right” surprisingly often. I hope that they don’t build Twitter Books, because I want to!

A new release from Rush is always a welcome treat, since it wasn’t that long ago we thought we’d never get another one. About 2 years ago they released a couple of teaser tracks, Caravan and BU2B. These lead off the new release, and BU2B gets a new intro. Both of these are thundering rockers with some lyrical meat behind them. Caravan starts off with some train or caravan bells, signaling the beginning of a journey. And Clockwork Angels is indeed a journey – a concept album, 66 minutes long, Rush’s first real concept album since 2112, and seems to be loosely based on, or at least influenced by, Voltaire’s Candide, as noted by Popdose. A bit esoteric for a rock album, but this is Rush we’re talking about here. It’s definitely a literate work – Caravan lyrics lead with “In a World Lit only by Fire”, a nod to Manchester’s well-known work on Medieval history. It’s the story of a young man’s journey through a steampunk / medieval world – and apparently will be novelized by Kevin Anderson, the Sci-Fi writer.

I’ve been living with the CD for about week, listening to it constantly. I find that Rush CDs really require a break-in period of a few weeks to really appreciate them, there are so many layers. Behind the extraordinary musicianship one finds deep lyrics, and hooks and solos that resonate more each time you listen. There are a lot of atmospherics and textures in this disc, more than any other Rush disc in recent memory. Caravan bells, string orchestra backdrops, the wind sounds on Halo Effect, vocal processing effects, a carnival backdrop and a repeating, echoing ratchet sound on Carnies, all make their appearance, and lend a depth to the songs. But they are always subtle and not overdone.

In fact I find the word that most describes this disc to me, for a 30 year Rush fan, is “distilled”. All these songs are distilled to their essence and the core of Rush’s approach. There is a delirious, Middle-eastern inspired guitar solo in The Anarchist that is about 30 seconds of blistering guitar work that would have been a 10 minute interlude for Rush 20 years ago. Distilled. (And oh by way intermingled interestingly with a string ensemble – this song would have felt at home on Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, were that remade today). As always, the songs show the typical Rush bent for philosophical introspection together with a musical change of meter and change of key, and unwillingness to just play it straight – the title track Clockwork Angels packs three different movements (including a jazz interlude) into a 7 minute solid track. And it works. Scattered amongst the power rock are a couple of well done ballads, including Halo Effect, a song about seeing what you what to see in someone, instead of what’s there.

Interestingly I found many echoes and nods to previous Rush material scattered through the music. BU2B’s remixed opening immediately makes me thing of Permanent Waves; the guitar solo on Carnies cannot help but remind a Rush fan of YYZ from Moving Pictures, the winds on the opening of Halo Effect feel sampled direct from 2112, and if you are true long time Rush fan, you’ll hear By-Tor and the Snow Dog from 1975, echoed in the back half of Seven Cities of Gold. Headlong Flight clearly echoes Bastille Day from Caress of Steel. There are too many of these for it be un-intentional; much as Robert Plant did on Tall Cool One, they’re sampling themselves to remind you where they were, and that they’re better now than they were. I love it when people late in their career are still innovating.

A small bit of media commentary. It’s legendary how much the music “establishment” dislikes Rush. But how an album from a group that’s sold more music than practically anyone, can debut at #2, and have virtually NO reviews out with in a week, is beyond me. Rolling Stone, where are you? I’d like to think the reviewers were doing the same as I was, letting it sit for a week to really “get it”. But then Billboard throws up a review that’s 1 paragraph long and dismissive, with no content, that took about 30 seconds to write. Seriously?

Well, whatever they think, if you like Rush or any form of hard rock, or just appreciate powerful musicianship, get Clockwork Angels and let it spin for awhile. I’m not sure where this disc is in the pantheon of Rush CDs (Snakes & Arrows was a masterpiece), but it’s near the top….

The Daily Playlist…

iNexus – Insanity, via uDubstep.com
We’ve got a taste of INSANITY for the weekend here at uDubstep.com, in an incredibly massive release that was just put out for free by iNexus to celebrate 3,000 Facebook fans. 19 year old producer Tiago Nunez (iNexus) has been redefining the west coast dubstep game since he started… you’ll know just what we are talking […] iNexus – Insanity: the music>

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Distal: the music>

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KURT VILE, THE WAR ON DRUGS, REAL ESTATE [MONDAY THREESOME], via The Wild Honey Pie
Welcome to the Monday Threesome! This installment will examine a trio of artists who released exemplary records in 2011, each rooted in a similar sonic landscape. All three albums relied […] KURT VILE, THE WAR ON DRUGS, REAL ESTATE [MONDAY THREESOME]: the music>

AIRDROPS DROPS FIRST TRACK FROM DEBUT ALBUM [PREMIERE], via The Wild Honey Pie
Lots of people talk about music being the “soundtrack to their lives”, and while it’s true that certain songs and lyrics seem to perfectly capture the daily trials and emotions of the human condition, life’s more mundane activities could use some […] AIRDROPS DROPS FIRST TRACK FROM DEBUT ALBUM [PREMIERE]: the music>

BRANCHES’ THOU ART THE DREAM [7.3], via The Wild Honey Pie
Branches are the kind of band who charm you right from the start — it’s pretty hard not to love their cheerfully catchy melodies and subtle yet inspiring vocals. Having familiarized myself with their EPs, Cabin and O’ Light, I was […] BRANCHES’ THOU ART THE DREAM [7.3]: the music>

PRINCETON’S REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS TO COME [8.2], via The Wild Honey Pie
With Remembrance of Things To Come, Princeton has put forth their most innovative and ambitious effort to date. By teaming up with the Los Angeles’ New Music Ensemble, the four-piece, LA-based band has found a niche that brings […] PRINCETON’S REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS TO COME [8.2]: the music>

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Ian van Dahl – Castles In The Sky (The Frim Remix), via uDubstep.com
We needed an absolute BANGER for the weekend, and The Frim’s rework of a Euro trance classic from Ian van Dahl is just what the doctor ordered! The Frim is as underground as it gets in the dubstep world, but this little-known producer from Lyndonville, Vermont should get a boost from this massive release that only just dropped […] Ian van Dahl – Castles In The Sky (The Frim Remix): the music>

Swedish House Mafia & Knife Party – Antidote (Schoolboy Remix), via uDubstep.com
We’ve been waiting for an ill remix of SHM & Knify Party’s new track “Antidote” to land, and Schoolboy brings it out in a new freebie that is absolutely floor-shakingly MASSIVE! In our opinion, while the original was certainly huge… we always wanted a little more out of that drop. Los Angeles native Schoolboy gives […] Swedish House Mafia & Knife Party – Antidote (Schoolboy Remix): the music>

Smoothiesforme – Forbidden (System Remix), via uDubstep.com
This chill, lyrical track comes to you fresh from Elliot Berger (System) from Southeast England. System sticks primarily to club-friendly grooves in the dubstep and DnB arena… and for a guy who’s only been producing for a year, this remix of “Forbidden” is a an absolute show stopper. He hasn’t reached a very wide audience to […] Smoothiesforme – Forbidden (System Remix): the music>

The Killabits – Motown 2000 (Ft. Riggadale), via uDubstep.com
We hope you are prepared for this utter FILTH that The Killabits just dropped for free on their Facebook page. Sam KBz & Biz Davis (The Killabits) from Toronto, Canada have been smashing the scene for the past few years… and now have grown one of the biggest fan followings out there. With the motown styles […] The Killabits – Motown 2000 (Ft. Riggadale): the music>

Nervo – We’re All No One (Back From The Future Remix), via uDubstep.com
Get ready for a BANGIN‘ remix from Back From The Future, a producing duo out of San Diego, California, of Nervo’s “We’re All No One.” Cheyenne Giles and Joe Garcia (Back From The Future) have really gotten their feet off the ground this month, putting out several brand new dubstep tracks like this one that have […] Nervo – We’re All No One (Back From The Future Remix): the music>

Distal, via XLR8R Audio Podcast

Over the past year or so, few artists have popped up more frequently on XLR8R than Distal (a.k.a. Michael Rathbun). Part of that has to do with the 28-year-old beatmaker’s inherently prolific nature, as he’s quickly amassed a hearty discography that includes releases on labels such as Tectonic, Grizzly, Seclusiasis, and Fortified Audio, not to mention his own imprint, Embassy Recordings, which he runs in tandem with fellow Atlantan Mite. Yet Distal’s rise can be attributed to more than just the volume of his output, as his music is definitely of a high quality.

2011 was a pretty busy year for me. In between trying to raise funding for goby, as well as eventually selling the company to Telenav, I spent an enormous amount of time on the road. That gave me the opportunity to listen to huge quantities of new music, and to see some great music live. This year I really discovered electronic music in depth. I also re-developed a love for acoustic music, in particular roots and Americana….and continued to explore African and Middle Eastern music. Here are some of my favorites.

On one of my trips west, I stayed in San Francisco and got a chance to go to 1050 Folsom, one of the epicenters of west coast Dubstep in particular and electronic music in general. I saw Mary Anne Hobbs, one of the legends, and discovered Minnesota, and one of my favorites, Lorn. Check out one of his 2011 tracks, Obsidian – feels straight from the Blade Runner soundtrack. Subscribing to the newsletters of the electronic music labels is a great way to get free tracks and be introduced to a variety of cool artists – I found Mux Mool and his track Raw Gore that way.

Kraddy used to be a Glitch Mob member (more on them in a minute). His music’s been on near continuous rotation for me this year. He calls it Led Zeppelin 3000. Check out the mythologically-inspired Minotaur. Another great DJ/composer I ran across is Eskmo. He produced an amazing remixed setlist exclusively for Google music (check it out here). If you don’t have a Google Music account, have a listen to Moving Glowstream for a taste.

One of the pioneers of the dubstep movement, the nearly anonymous Burial, returned this year with an EP, full of dark atmospherics, beats and scratches, and spooky voices. If Aliens ran factories, Street Halo is what they would sound like.

Long timers Glitch Mob (with whom Kraddy used to play), also dropped an EP, We Can Make the World Stop. The anthemic We Can Make The World Stop is full of great melodies and powerful drops.

Battles’ first disc, Atlas, completely blew me away. Aliens would make music like this. If you haven’t heard the first disc, start here with Tonto. Groundbreaking stuff. They lost their lead singer, but returned with a second disc that, while perhaps not as a strong as Atlas, does contain some great tracks, like Futura.

OK. That’s enough electronic stuff. How about some music played on real live instruments and sung with real voices? Well, Fink provides a great transition. He used to be an electronic musician, but made the switch to acoustic guitar and put out a great disc this year, Perfect Darkness. Check out the title track, Perfect Darkness.

Gillian Welch and her collaborator Dave Rawlings have produced 5 albums, all of which feel like they would have been at home in the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl. They have some of the most heart-breaking lyrics, intricate guitar work, and hair-raising vocal harmonies being made today. If The Way It Goes is to your taste, get the full disc, The Harrow and the Harvest. The Civil Wars also burst onto the Americana/roots scene this year. Barton Hollow is a good place to start; more electrified than Welch & Rawlings, but cut from a similar cloth. I also had a chance to see Chris Pureka live at the Middle East in Cambridge. Burning Bridges is a great intro to her acoustic chops and powerful lyrics.

Indie band Dispatch regrouped and retoured this year, I saw them in Boston with my son, which was really cool. They threw off a few new songs as part of the effort, including Melon Bend. Seeing them in concert was really neat – since their last tour in 2002 they have really improved as musicians.

Well, the Occupy movement made big news this year. Occupy Boston was right down the street from the goby offices. Whatever you think of the movement, the spotlight shined on Wall Street and corporate corruption wasn’t pretty. Mark Knopfler was way ahead of these guys. Punish The Monkey was surely written about some mid-level manager in a Wall Street firm, about to get the whole thing pinned on him….

I had a chance to see some great Irish music live this year, in particular Solas at the Somerville Theater. I’ve since discovered John Doyle, who used to play with Solas. He has a great new disc out this year, and while Crooked Jack is from a previous disc, I think it’s the best introduction to his modern, yet traditional, Irish music.

Channeling traditional blues & soul singers from a bygone era, Adele took the market by storm this year. You probably don’t need me to tell you about her, but listen to Rumour Has It anyway.

Moving from someone everyone has heard of to someone nobody’s heard of. The oud is a fretless Arabic lute used in traditional music. Electrified, and in the hands of Mehdi Habbab, well, it’s anything but traditional – middle eastern rock with a hard-edged beat. Have a listen to some Algerian Rai, courtesy of Speed Caravan; the track is called Aissa Wah (Mo DJ Remix).

Finally, I had a chance to see Tinariwen at the Paradise this year. Tinariwen started as a Tuareg protest music band in Mali, and have since become something of a worldwide sensation in the world music community. I’ve been following them for awhile. One of my “bucket list” items is to see them play at the Festival in the Desert in Mali, but Al-Qaeda seems to be operating in Northern Mali at present so this year probably isn’t in the year. Aldachan Manin, from the Festival in the Desert CD, will have to do for now.