Epic. Awesome. Music./The Decemberists

Whenever I decided to start a blog, I knew one of the topics I wanted to talk about was music. Problem is, I didn't know the best way to approach the subject. Unlike video games where I typically play one, maybe two at most, games at a time, I am constantly switching between different artists and albums when I listen to music. Also, it is often difficult for me to discuss new albums because I usually have to listen to an album multiple times before I really get a good sense on how well I like it. Perfect example is Kid A. First time I heard that album I thought it was terrible. I heard the album again a few years later and now Radiohead is one of my favorite bands. With this being said, I am going to attempt my first music post. I am sorry if it feels a bit forced, but music is such a big part of my life I feel like I must address it somehow on my own site.

I should start by recognizing Palladia. Palladia is an HD only music channel I discovered by accident shortly after moving to our current apartment. Palladia specializes in showing concerts rather than the traditional music video and the channel is fantastic. Just this week alone I have watched concerts from The Killers, Muse, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival from 2009.

Palladia has played a big part in influencing my music choices and introducing me to new bands over the past few years. I have a large music collection, and as a result I have a terrible habit of listening to the same songs and artists over and over again. Part of the reason for this is that FM radio is just terrible. I never listen to it. The office I was working at last had the radio on all day, and even though I enjoyed 2008's "The Fame," there is only so much Lady Gaga and Poker Face you can stomach before you want to scream. In addition, I find most of the music played on the radio to be quite terrible. There is no way you could look at me with a straight face and convince me the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" is good music, and yet that song is on the radio all of the time.

I enjoy discovering new bands. The trouble is finding a reliable source on rating new music when it is released. I used to use Pitchfork for such tasks because they specialize in independent music reviews and news, but found that I commonly liked albums they rated poorly and disliked albums they rated well. I have actually found music reviews to be not too helpful at all for discovering new bands that I like. Palladia does a decent job of this, but truthfully I have heard of most of the bands performing on that channel. At any rate, when watching the Austin City Limits Music Festival last weekend there was a performance by the Decemberists. This is a band I have heard of before but didn't know much of their music. I looked in iTunes and I already had 3 of their albums. I picked up another two albums this week. They are a rock band out of Portland, OR. Their music is very eccentric (it kind of reminds me of Doors music), and their albums are often based on plays or historical events. Their music is quite solid across all albums, and while they rate low on the rock-out scale, it's better music than almost anything playing on FM radio right now.