I'm Listening To - KEXP's "Song of the Day"

Photo Source: kexp.org

Warning: This post may introduce you to some indie band you'll never get to see.

I never really got into podcasts when they first made the rounds: partly because there's no way my net was fast enough to warrant a "quick download" to chuck on my pod. I'd much rather download songs I know I like, rather than waste precious time on what was mainly people chatting or interviewing other people back then.

However there are two podcasts I have indulged in over the last year; one deliberate and one entirely by mistake. The first was the Mandarin lessons put out by the lovely group over at Chinesepod.com. While the narrators of the show take some getting used to (especially Ken Carroll, with his "I'm not quite sure if I'm American or British, but I over-emphasise more than Shatner" accent), it was a great gateway for me to start picking up Chinese, not least of all because its repititive nature helps you pick up the tones and flow of the language. If you want to learn Mandarin, that's an excellent place to start.

The other is KEXP's "Song of the Day" podcast, which Danny inadvertently got me into when he sent me a track from the cast: Tournament of Hearts by the Weakerthans. Somehow in the typical fashion of the internet just opening the track subscribed me to updates from the podcast which, for once, did NOT piss me off. Actually with all the fantastic electro that this man has been shoving down my throat, its nice to have a source of balance in the form of indie rock. The majority of the stuff KEXP put out seem to be in this genre, though they sidle towards hip-hop, electro and punk from time to time, with Ladytron, Cut Copy, Aesop Rock among the artists that have featured. Finding out The Presidents of The United States of America still make music was enough fun to make the podcast worthwhile.

Check out the KEXP Podcast Page to find Song of the Day, available for iPod, Zune or just a nice old RSS feed.