Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Eight: Carrie Underwood
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend two weeks ago and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on the individual services. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, StaticBlog shakes it up a bit by venturing into country with Carrie Underwood, who just released her third CD this week.
Pandora, play on:
1. Carrie Underwood, “Last Name.”
2. Rascal Flatts, “Feels Like Today.”
3. Taylor Swift, “Tim McGraw.”
4. Sugarland, “Want To.”
5. Carrie Underwood, “Wasted.”
6. Tim McGraw, “Please Remember Me.”
7. Faith Hill, “Breathe.”
8. Rascal Flatts, “Here Comes Goodbye.”
9. Kenny Chesney, “There Goes My Life.”
10. Carrie Underwood, “You Won’t Find This.”
Pro: In the Top 5, Pandora is just killing it in the pop-country category with strong tracks by Underwood, Taylor Swift and especially Sugarland, and there’s the Oklahoma commonality with Rascal Flatts.
Con: Pandora seems to lose the thread a little in the bottom five, when the tracks could find equivalency with just about any modern commercial country act. It’s almost as if the service ran out of ideas.
Last.fm, start the carnival ride:
1. Taylor Swift, “Teardrops On My Guitar.”
2. Allison Iraheta, “Cry Baby.”
3. Faith Hill, “Baby You Belong.”
4. Brooke White, “Dream On.”
5. Rascal Flatts, “What Hurts Me Most.”
6. Jessie James, “Blue Jeans.”
7. Brooke White, “High Hopes & Heartbreak.”
8. Matt Giraud, “You Make Me Wanna.”
9. Bucky Covington, “Hometown.”
10. Taylor Swift, “Tim McGraw.”
Pro: Well, there are two Taylor Swift songs to ease the pain of this list, a Rascal Flatts track and Faith Hill. But I think we see what’s happening here.
Con: Somehow, the brain trust at Last.fm decided that a Carrie Underwood request equals “American Idol” mixtape, so you get Matt Giraud, Bucky Covington, two Brooke White songs and Allison Iraheta — and no Carrie. Four years past her “Idol” win, Underwood’s appeal has far transcended that show. Epic fail.
Advantage: Pandora by a country mile.
Video of the Day: Jarvis Cocker, “Further Complications”
The former Pulp master takes the album art for his Steve Albini-produced second solo disc to its logical extreme in this video for the title track.
Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Seven: Prince
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend two weeks ago and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on the individual services. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, it’s Pandora versus Last.fm in the world series of love.
Last.fm, take us around the world in a day:
1. Vanity 6, “Pretty Mess.”
2. Prince and the New Power Generation, “Damn U.”
3. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry.”
4. Prince, “Diamonds and Pearls.”
5. Chaka Khan, “I Feel For You.”
6. The Family, “The Screams of Passion.”
7. Funkadelic, “Maggot Brain.”
8. Prince, “Gett Off.”
9. Prince and the New Power Generation, “The Morning Papers.”
10. Parliament, “Funky Woman.”
Pro: With only two exceptions — both Parliament and Funkadelic — everything on this list has a Paisley Park address — and don’t forget, even George Clinton had Paisley Park in his heart as a member of the roster for 1989’s The Cinderella Theory, so this fits. I cannot believe it, but this is probably the most parochial playlist Last.fm has ever generated. It’s nearly all P.R. Nelson — if U love Prince, Last.fm is 4 U.
Con: But, it’s not all quality Prince — Susanna Melvoin’s The Family and Vanity 6 will never make anyone’s collection of essentials, and my eyes always glaze slightly when I see the words “new,” “power” and “generation” grouped together.
Pandora, Take Me With U:
1. Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy.”
2. Michael Jackson, “Off the Wall.”
3. Lenny Kravitz, “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over.”
4. Marvin Gaye, “Got To Give It Up, Part 1.”
5. Prince, “Kiss.”
6. Janet Jackson, “When I Think of You.”
7. Earth Wind & Fire, “September.”
8. Carl Carlton, “She’s a Bad Mama Jama.”
9. Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”
10. Prince, “Somewhere Here On Earth.”
Pro: Here, we get a sense of both Prince’s influence and his influences — no Kravitz without Prince, and I would even argue no Janet Jackson without Prince — more important to her career than her own older brother. Solid, but not enough to set off a housequake.
Con: That last Prince track was from Planet Earth, a 2007 release that almost everyone has forgotten already, and Carl Carlton and EWF are a little stylistically off base, frankly. Overall, this is perfectly listenable but underwhelming, and on a personal note: if I want to listen to Michael Jackson, I’ll put on Michael Jackson. If I want to listen to Prince, which happens far, far more often, I do not want to listen to Michael Jackson.
Advantage: Last.fm, for pure Musicology.
Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Six: Pixies
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend two weeks ago and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on the individual services. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, we focus on Pixies, one of the greatest bands of my generation, currently preparing to tour in support of the 20th anniversary of Doolittle.
Pandora, send me on a wave of mutilation:
1. Pixies, “Debaser.”
2. Nirvana, “Lake of Fire (live).”
3. The White Stripes, “We’re Going To Be Friends.”
4. Violent Femmes, “Blister in the Sun.”
5. Pixies, “Dead.”
6. The Strokes, “Reptilia.”
7. Modest Mouse, “3rd Planet.”
8. Nirvana, “The Man Who Sold the World.”
9. Smashing Pumpkins, “Today.”
10. Pixies, “La La Love You.”
Pro: This is a damn fine list — not a bum track on it, and it starts with one of Pixies’ all-time best, “Debaser.” Beyond that, Pandora pulled from bands that owed immeasurable debts to Black Francis and company: Kurt Cobain famously said “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was “basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” so it makes sense that Nirvana shows up twice, albeit with covers. And from that same era, there are few radio hits that sound as much like Pixies as “Today.” This is a station that could stay on for days and kick the living hell out of any commercial alternative rock station in the country.
Con: Pandora’s output could use more Pixies contemporaries and fewer descendants. The late-’80s were a ridiculously fertile period for Boston bands, 4AD bands, noisy college bands. Throwing Muses, perhaps? More please.
Last.fm, gouge away:
1. Black Francis, “You Can’t Break a Heart and Have It.”
2. Frank Black and the Catholics, “Six-Sixty-Six.”
3. The Flaming Lips, “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell.”
4. Violent Femmes, “Confessions.”
5. Dinosaur Jr., “Just Like Heaven.”
6. Sonic Youth, “Superstar.”
7. Pavement, “Secret Knowledge of Backroads.”
8. Jane’s Addiction, “Jane Says.”
9. Built To Spill, “Traces.”
10. The Replacements, “Take Me Down To The Hospital.”
Pro: Hard to argue with Dinosaur Jr. or Sonic Youth being on Last.fm’s list, and I’ll take the ‘Mats or the Lips in any context. Also, I think there’s a fair argument to be made that Gordon Gano’s ranting style must have seeped into Black Francis’ mind at some point, so the Femmes definitely work, and that Pavement track is a classic by any measure.
Con: This is becoming a familiar refrain with Last.fm, but there’s no Pixies here. I took it out about 35 songs, and Pixies never showed up. And even with superb Dino Jr., Sebadoh, Husker Du, and Sonic Youth regularly turning up, it never got closer to the mark than Frank Black/Black Francis solo material.
Advantage: Despite good scholarship, Last.fm got tripped up by a hole in their licensing. Pandora wins.
Video of the Day: Subtle Sexuality feat. Nard Dogg, “Male Prima Donna”
Not as great as I had hoped, but Mindy Kaling and Ellie Kemper (along with Ed Helms and B.J. Novak) are playing the target audience for Lady GaGa, so it only makes sense that their characters would use their free time to turn Scranton into a goofy, Auto-Tuned nightmare.
Weezer Snuggie Infomercial
And with each purchase, you get hands-free comfort and a copy of Raditude!
Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Five — Jay-Z
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend two weeks ago and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on the individual services. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, we let Pandora and Last.fm try to follow the blueprint with Jay-Z.
Alright Last.fm, justify my thug:
1. Jay-Z, “I Did It My Way.”
2. Fabolous, “Trade It All.”
3. The Notorious B.I.G., “Hypnotize.”
4. Lupe Fiasco, “Superstar.”
5. Ludacris, “Ho.”
6. Ma$e, “Lookin’ At Me.”
7. Joe Budden, “Old School Mouse.”
8. Mos Def, “Pretty Dancer.”
9. Drake, “Brand New.”
10. Wale, “Strings.”
Pro: A wide range is represented here, begining with H.O.V.A. himself and bringing in some Biggie, a new Jay-Z collaborator (Drake) and three backpackers, Wale, Lupe Fiasco and Mos Def (including a track from Mos’ odd and beautiful latest, The Ecstatic). Overall, the output is generous and diverse, most of the players are within the same general family, and past the top 10, you get lesser-known but substantial talents like Maino and 9th Wonder.
Con: Seriously, Fabolous and Ma$e? Fabolous enjoyed a low-level peak eight years ago and no one would confuse him with being even close to Jay-Z’s caliber — weak, weak, weak — and Ma$e was a flyweight even in his blink-and-you-missed-it prime 12 years ago.
Now, Pandora, can I get an encore?
1. Jay-Z, “Streets is Watching.”
2. Mos Def, “Ms. Fat Booty.”
3. The Notorious B.I.G., “Going Back To Cali.”
4. Dr. Dre, “Nuthin’ But a G Thang.”
5. Jay-Z, “30 Something.”
6. Ice Cube, “It Was a Good Day.”
7. The Notorious B.I.G., “The What.”
8. Kanye West, “Stronger.”
9. Jay-Z & Linkin Park, “Numb/Encore.”
10. Jay-Z, “On To The Next One.”
Pro: It’s nothing but all-stars — four S. Carter tracks, two from Biggie, some Mos Def, and a track from the days when Mr. West wasn’t scaring teenage country singers. This Top 10 is something you could play for someone who needed a quick Cliff’s Notes on the last two decades of hip-hop.
Con: Don’t include that Linkin Park mash-up — even Jay-Z doesn’t have iron-clad taste every time. It’s also a litte too rooted in the past, and I’m not sure why you would put two rappers so deeply associated with West Coast gangsta — Dr. Dre and Ice Cube — on a list constructed around the biggest player in East Coast rap.
Advantage: Last.fm, for going deeper with the artists, but please excise those lame catalog players from somebody’s 2000 mixtape.
Video of the Day: Weezer featuring Kenny G, “I’m Your Daddy”
Weezer has always enjoyed a good stunt, whether it was jamming at Arnold’s Drive-In, rubbing felt shoulders with the Muppets or covering MGMT and Lady GaGa in a “Kids”/”Poker Face” medley. But Cuomo, you’ve gone too far this time. Via Stereogum, via AOL, via Hell.
Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Four — Lily Allen
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend this past weekend, and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on each service. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, let’s try out StaticBlog fave Lily Allen. Pandora, it’s not me, it’s you:
1. Lily Allen, “Not Big.”
2. M.I.A., “Paper Planes (Diplo Street Remix).”
3. Lenka, “Trouble is a Friend.”
4. Duffy, “Mercy.”
5. Lily Allen, “I Could Say.”
6. Jem, “Come On Closer.”
7. Kate Nash, “Foundations.”
8. Regina Spektor, “Hotel Song.”
9. Lily Allen, “Smile.”
10. Kate Nash, “We Get On.”
Pro: Three strong Lily Allen tracks frame the rest, which is a combination of art-pop, alt-hip-hop, adult-alternative and one brazen Allen imitator. This seems to capture the general spirit of Allen’s music and works well for casual fans looking for an easy mix with the occasional interesting outlier.
Con: There’s an unfortunate tendency for these services to gear their music mixes chromosomally: there are perfectly good songs by Mike Skinner that could mix well with Lily Allen — when “Allright, Still” came out, I thought she sounded like the female answer to The Streets anyway. And seriously: enough with Kate Nash. It’s like having the Knickerbockers show up on your Beatles station.
Now, it’s time for Last.fm to knock ‘em out:
1. The Veronicas, “Untouched.”
2. Amy Winehouse, “Back To Black.”
3. Polaroid Fame, “Wanna Know.”
4. The Saturdays, “Why Me, Why Now.”
5. Ashley Tisdale, “What If.”
6. Alesha Dixon, “Breathe Slow.”
7. Ashlee Simpson, “L.O.V.E.”
8. Annie, “Happy Without You.”
9. The Arctic Monkeys, “Teddy Picker.”
10. Taylor Swift, “Change.”
Pro: Erm… Annie is superb, Wino and the Arctic Monkeys aren’t exactly crap, and Swift is just fine in the right context, but…
Con: This is the worst list of this entire experiment — the kind of toxic disaster that can cause one to lose complete faith in the entire enterprise. And the longer Last.fm played, the more low-grade teen pop blared out, including Miley Cyrus and more Ashley and Ashlee. This isn’t just a calamity because of this blog’s fealty to Allen — there is something intrinsically wrong with how Last.fm is grouping music here. Plus, there was no Lily at all. Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.
Advantage: Pandora by an epic long shot.
Video of the Day: Smoove & Turrell, “Beggarman”
Thanks to Tony, a kindred spirit in worshipping at the altar of British Northern Soul, for enlightening me about Smoove & Turrell. Auto-repeat, auto-repeat, auto-repeat.
