Simon Fairbairn – Aural Antidotes for a Prescribed Life

I’m not very good at discovering tracks that I haven’t heard before. I don’t have a TV, I find most radio stations to be too inane and safe and I’m not subscribed to any podcasts. I have a spotify collaborative playlist – which last year introduced me to the amazing Bat For Lashes and the inspiring Angus and Julia Stone – but other than that I don’t really have any major ways of discovering new music.

It’s a shame, because when I was at university I was a like a musical sponge. I had good friends that introduced me to a huge range of wonderful, original music – from chilled out electronica to 70s funk to traditional folk. It was a great time for my musical development, but since then I’ve been exposed to less and less.

In an effort to change all this, I have subscribed to the following interesting-sounding blogs to fill up my already-too-full reader:

• Aquarium Drunkard
• 20 Jazz Funk Greats
• Derek’s Daily 45
• FluxBlog
• Gorilla Vs Bear
• Mapsadaisical
• Pretty Much Amazing
• The Needle Drop
• The Quietus

I’m listening to a few songs a day and I’ll post details here of anything interesting that I find.

Mumford & Sons

The first track that’s caught me recently is Mumford and Son’s Little Lion Man:

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I love the fast-paced acoustic vibe, I’m a sucker for double basses and the catchy chorus and the darkness of the lyrics is the perfect balance between profundity and poppiness. I hope the rest of the album is as good as this tune.

Where do you go to discover new music? Leave a comment and let me know – I’m always on the lookout for more!