eMusic suggestions wanted.

[reddragdiva]

We have a subscription to eMusic — a pile of legal DRM-free MP3 downloads for five quid a month (and unlike allofmp3.com, it's plausible the artists and labels might get paid ever). The catalogue is very patchy indeed, so I'd like pointers from those who've used it on good stuff to get from them that they can actually supply. I'd like to be able to justify continuing to buy from them.

(I appear to have gone straight from vinyl to MP3. I never could get the hang of CDs.)

Update: w00t! (I suggest you start with the songs "Blood Red River", "Swampland", "The Human Jukebox" and "Distortion".)

Comments

[vatine]

Oh, CDs are easy. You nuke them in the micro, then they make interesting coasters. Vinyl and MP3s are obviously not superior tech, since one makes for sticky coasters (when using hot beverages) and the other is slightly too intangible for good coasters.

[steer.livejournal.com]

All of the Naxos collection if you like classical.

Things I have downloaded (from my profile -- I can't remember all this stuff). Not sure we have the same taste in music but there you go.

Bloc Party
Bruderschaft
Christian Death
Clan of Xymox
cut.rate.box
Delerium
Echo and the Bunnymen
Eddie Izzard
Einsturzende Neubauten
Felix Da Housecat
Fields of the Nephilim
Frank Black
Front Line Assembly
Gary Numan
Gene Loves Jezebel
godspeed you! black emperor
Gogol Bordello
Golden Boy With Miss Kittin
John Cale
Johnny Violent
Leaether Strip
Lemon Jelly
Louis Armstrong
Miss Kittin & The Hacker
Mogwai
Mortiis
My Chemical Romance
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Peaches
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Razed In Black
Revolting Cocks
Shadow Project
Skinny Puppy
Sleater-Kinney
Spahn Ranch
Swans
The Cruxshadows
The Futureheads
The Pixies
The Stills
The Wedding Present
This Mortal Coil
Tiesto
Various Artists - 4AD
Various Artists - Cleopatra Records
Various Artists - Matador
Varna Philharnmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Xmal Deutschland
Zeromancer

[reddragdiva]

Actually, a 7" vinyl record in a microwaves bubbles and forms a honeycomb. It's really weird.

(Do NOT try this indoors — the fumes are horribly toxic.)

[reddragdiva]

A useful response! Thank you!

Stuff I have and would recommend includes:

[zotz]

A girl called Eddy (easy listening, almost)
50ft wave (Kristin Hersh)
Arcade Fire (Funeral's a damngood album - Rebellion(lies) and Power Out especially)
Belle and Sebastian (Try Lazy Line Painter Jane if nothing else)
Big Star
Bill Hicks
Black Box Recorder
Bob Mould
Boss Hog
Camper van Beethoven
Carter
Clearlake
Deerhoof
Dirty Three
Dif Juz
Echo and the Bunnyrabbits
Electrelane
Firewater
Gogol Bordello
Hope Blister
J Mascis and the Fog (the track More Light is particularly good)
Ladytron
Magnapop
Merzbow
Michael J Sheehy
Momus
Morphine
Negativland
Stiff Little Fingers
Teenage fanclub
Test Dept
The Damned
The Durutti Column
The Fall
The Frank and Walters
The Futureheads
The Gits
The Raveonettes
The Smoking Popes
The Tiger Lillies
The Ukrainians
The Walkabouts
The Young Gods
Therapy?
Tom Waits
Tones on Tail
Violent Femmes
Yo la Tengo

[steer.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of use.

Other things I've found useful is that you can look at "similar artists" to people you are downloading and also on your profile once you have downloaded a few things you can see what neighbours downloaded.

Re: Stuff I have and would recommend includes:

[steer.livejournal.com]

Arcade Fire (Funeral's a damngood album)

Absolutely. I would have downloaded it had I not bought it anyway. :-)

[arkady.livejournal.com]

You know you shouldn't have mentioned this where I could see it - right?

[zotz]

Also duly noted . . . cheers.

[reddragdiva]

I'm sure I've told you this one before!

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Nope! I'd have tried it if you had!

[reddragdiva]

Told you we should have kept your old microwave for your mad scientist phases ...

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

What he said. Also "related artists" and "influences". I like browsing on record labels too (Alternative Tentacles, 4AD etc)

Alien Sex Fiend
Angels Of Light
Angels of Light and Akron/Family
Babes In Toyland
Barry Adamson
Bauhaus
Bing Crosby
Black Velvet Flag
Blackmouth
Bongwater
Boss Hog
Brian Eno And John Cale
Calla
Chris Connelly
Christian Death
Cocteau Twins
Come
Congo Norvell
Creedence Clearwater Revival
David Coulter
David J.
Dead Can Dance
Eagles of Death Metal
Einsturzende Neubauten
Electric Six
Elysian Fields
Evil Mothers
Faster Pussycat
Fields of the Nephilim
Firewater
FM Einheit
Foetus
Fudge Tunnel
godspeed you! black emperor
Gotan Project
Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, Elizabeth Fraser
Iggy And The Stooges
Iggy Pop And James Williamson
Jarboe
Jarboe And Lary Seven
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jesus Lizard
John Cale
Khan
Killing Joke
Lard
Larsen
Loop (Rock)
Love and Rockets
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch / 8 Eyed Spy
Lydia Lunch / Clint Ruin
M Gira / D Matz
Marionettes
Martha And The Muffins
Ministry
Mortiis
Negativland
Nels Cline
Neurosis
New York Dolls
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Penthouse
Percy Howard
Peter Murphy
Pigface
Pussy Galore
Revolting Cocks
Rozz Williams
Scheer
Sex Gang Children
Skinny Puppy
Sonic Youth
Soundgarden
Suicide
Swans
Swans Related Project: Jarboe
Swans Related Project: M. Gira
The Birthday Party
The Body Lovers / The Body Haters
The Chameleons
The Cramps
The Cult
The Damage Manual
The Dickies
The Fall
The Gun Club
The Pixies
The Prodigy
The Southern Death Cult
The Tiger Lillies
The Yardbirds
The Young Gods
Theatre Of Hate
This Mortal Coil
Tom Waits
Tones on Tail
Ulan Bator
Various Artists
Various Artists - 4AD
Various Artists - Alternative Tentacles / Mordam
Various Artists - Avid
Various Artists - Cleopatra Records
Various Artists - Compose Records
Various Artists - Hannibal
Various Artists - Invisible Records
Various Artists - Matador
Various Artists - One Little Indian
Various Artists - Relix Records
Various Artists - Sympathy For The Record Industry / Mordam
Various Artists - Thirsty Ear Recordings
Virgin Prunes
Wiseblood
Xmal Deutschland

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

I would like to point out that I sometimes let Simon use my account...

[steer.livejournal.com]

I was looking at that list thinking "Electric Six"? "Alternative Tentacles"?

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

Alternative Tentacles is me, that's the record label.

[ihcoyc.livejournal.com]

IIRC, eMusic has a fairly deep collection of old 4AD/Beggars Banquet material, incl. a pretty complete Fields of the Nephilim collection. I got from there one of the few records that I didn't have of theirs, the live Earth Inferno, and now I regret not having it those several years. The live version of "Dawnrazor" is superior to the studio one.

Other folks' lists are more thorough than mine, which takes out all the work. Other artists I have seen there, that other folks have not mentioned, include:

The Handsome Family
Fretwork (look for the Purcell)
Taxxi (obscure 80s cheese)

I'm of two minds about recommending any classical recordings from there, if only because I am mostly interested in things from before 1750, and they charge by the track - meaning that you spend four choices to get the whole concerto or whatever.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can always pick up a cheap £30 one when I have an appropriate "mad scientist" shed down at the bottom of the garden. ;-)

[reddragdiva]

At 12½p/25c a track, I'd hardly call it onerous - compare to e.g. really unloved second-hand vinyl at $1 a record.

(That's one thing that pleases me about eMusic, the price seems much more in line with the fact that there's no physical medium involved.)

[steer.livejournal.com]

Ah.. fair enough -- it's a name I associate with Dr. T.

[reddragdiva]

I'm just picturing a quiet English suburban garden shed exploding one day. Birds tweeting before and after.

[reddragdiva]

A description?

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

In fact I've remembered the album - Terminal City Ricochet, featuring the Beatnigs original of "Television", later covered by the Disposable Heroes. It's a pretty good album.

[zotz]

The sillest example I'm aware of is 69 Love Songs - at 79p a track that's £54.51

Down at my local record shop, a new copy is £9.99

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. That one's a bit of a stormer. Especially the last track.

[hiddenpaw.livejournal.com]

How odd. I seem to have gone strait from MP3 to Vinyl.

[rosefox]

The catalogue isn't "patchy": it deliberately excludes the major labels. eMusic is indie-only and proud of it.

(sinboy does tech support for them, so if you ever have trouble with it, drop him a line.)

[reddragdiva]

From the buyer's perspective, "patchy" is an entirely appropriate word IMO. Frustratingly so. Hence this post.