November 28, 2007
Opening Riff
All Blogs Considered
by Joshua ValocchiIt’s no secret the folks behind the scenes at NPR have some pretty eclectic musical tastes. The tiny bumper snippets of tunes played on Fresh Air or You Bet Your Garden heading into sponsor breaks range from beatnik jazz and Delta blues to Bhangra and calypso. It’s always fun to play “name that tune” during the breaks.
Nonetheless, for many acts that four-second soundbite is the highest level of public exposure they may ever receive. In that sense it’s pretty damn refreshing when some hip producer drops the occasional New Deal or Seelenluft sample smack dab in the middle of Talk of the Nation.
In an effort to increase potential exposure for these artists (while raising their own image of course), earlier this month NPR launched NPR Music (www.npr.org/music), their newest foray into the blogosphere. While featuring longer versions of the songs teased on several NPR programs, the site also offers insight into the musical leanings of a handful of NPR hosts and producers. Most relevant, naturally, is the All Songs Considered blog wherein producer Robin Hilton confesses that he doesn’t get the allure of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and compares Lou Reed to David Lynch, deciding the former simply can’t sing and the latter is “just nuts.”
Naturally the site offers streaming audio of selected songs, even occasionally featuring full concerts. But the coolest aspect of the entire site may be Carrie Brownstein’s Monitor Mix blog. Brownstein, the co-founder of Sleater-Kinney, muses not so much about specific songs or albums, but the way in which people experience music. From her love for Blitzen Trapper to her deeply rooted concerns about what people’s choice of pets says about their musical tastes, Brownstein manages to keep matters on the light side with a friendly, conversational tone.
If you happen to walk your iguana while listening to System of a Down, however, Ms. Brownstein would like to have a word with you.
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