I sit at my computer all day working from home so I need music on……wanted to talk about Online radio…where you can build your own ‘station’. I’ve used Pandora.com on and off for years now and it’s alright but usually ends up with about 25-35% that I can do without. So….a formal study!

If like me you enjoy music while you work, or read online this might be of some use to you. Sometimes setting all my 300 disc carousel players on random is too much work plus the rest of the house never seem thrilled with me. So I can just listen in my office. So tuck in – check out Pandora and (ideally) here some new stuff you might like and some old stuff that you may have missed.

OK… Pandora.com is supposed to build a playlist based on my ‘likes’

I typed in 15 bands I like…and they then generated for my listening pleasure….

Lloyd Cole – Forest Fire          (Bliss….. 9.1 out of 10)
James – Sometimes                 (Perfection… 9.5 of 10)
Milltown Brothers – Which Way (I forgot them…on purpose 3.2 of 10)
Band of Horses – Ode to LRC  (not one of their best…..4.1 of 10)
Pete Yorn – Turn of the Century (Pete Yawn more like….1.5 of 10)
Tokyo Police Club – Your English (I love them!!……..8.7 of 10)
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Dust      (I saw them in ’93…..5.5 of 10)
The Cure – A Letter to Elise       (not their best but still…….6.0 of 10)
Radiohead – The Trickster         (a decent B side………6.5 of 10)
New Order – Blue Monday        (biggest 12″ in UK history….8.5 of 10)
The House of Love – Crush Me   (so nice to hear them again…..8.8 of 10)

So..in summary

11 tracks…

5 I like a lot
3 I’m fine with
3 I didn’t need to hear

I was aware of all 11 tracks, and owned 9 of them

Considering the bands I put in….not enough new stuff and fairly mainstream. Do check Tokyo Police Club…I always listen to that disc.

Verdict – Not a bad tool….I’ll keep experimenting with it. Let me know how it works for you, I also plan to look at / review the others.

Tim