Sunday, May 8, 2011

Music Appreciation


Baroque pop is a genre of rock music that originated in the mid 1960's. Baroque pop expanded from rock and roll by bringing elements of classical music to its music which gave it a more refined orchestral sound. Below are some of the internet's most informative websites that feature everything there is to hear and know about baroque pop and indie rock.

This is the site of the online version of the weekly music oriented Volcano. This online version of the weekly Volcano is very informative about local indie rock music and where to go see live shows. The website features reviews of new albums and also live performances. This site also has a very complete music calendar that features recent events and upcoming shows all over the entire Northwest area. It also features a band profiles page which features today's popular indie rock artists, their biographies, tracks from their albums, videos of performances and album art. I love this website because it is difficult for me to acquire the physical version of the Weekly Volcano on a regular basis, so with this online version I can easily discover new artists or learn about a new indie rock music event that is coming up with the convenience of opening my laptop. 

Like the Weekly Volcano, Nylon is actually first and foremost a published periodical that encompasses many different topics and aspects of social media, fashion, lifestyle and current events. But it also has a very strong emphasis on music and in particular, current indie rock artists. The music section of the website features many interesting and informative articles that showcase new and popular indie rock and baroque pop artists. My favorite weekly article that Nylon features in their music section is the, "GOOD LISTENER - Five favorite songs of the week." The songs are always new and old, for example this week's favorite songs are a Beatles song and a Fleet Foxes song. The music section also has many free music articles that provide music videos and tracks of new artists that they particularly like.

This website is a good tool to have for an indie rock music lover who needs to know about the new upcoming albums and events. It features an article called, "Best Indie Rock of 2010" which was a very informative read about what was worth listening to last year. This website also has a very complete playlist and free mp3s that are available to anyone who goes to the website. I particularly enjoy all of the photos of the bands that they feature in their band review section. This is a very audio intensive website, but provides the necessary information about what you are listening to and what the artists look like.

This is a blog that has a very full list of album reviews that are very thorough and extensive. If you want a detailed and honest opinion of an album before you buy it, go to this website. The albums that the blogger reviews are all very popular indie rock artists, as well as some baroque pop artists. I particularly like this blog because of its simplicity and the at which it is to find certain album reviews. This blog is notable also because it  features very accurate information about the bands it is talking about, and it is very strong in its background information on bands. Overall, this site is great for comparing your thoughts on an album to someone's whose opinions are seasoned and detailed.
This is a very informative website that I am very fortunate to have stumbled upon when creating this blog. What is great about this website is that it is very up to date, and features daily news about just released albums and performance and album reviews. This website also conducts interviews with artists that you can read on the site, and there is also a photo section that shows photos from live performances. On the right side of the page there is even a playlist of the website's favorite songs that you can listen to while browsing the site. There are also very informative articles on the website called, "Best New Music," "Best Music of 2010" and "Best Music of 2009." This website might be the most informative site for new indie rock music that I have come across. A must see!

http://www.1077theend.com/
As many people know, 107.7 the end is a very popular and listened to radio station in the greater Seattle area. The website, in my opinion, is almost as interesting and informative. What is great about the website is that it actually streams what is being played on the air. So basically visiting the website is also listening to the radio station. The 107.7 the end website is very informative when it comes to all types of activities regard music or not around the Seattle area. The site features EndSessions, which are live performances that the radio station puts together for indie rock artists that they play on the station. You can also listen to The End Unplugged performances on the website, which are popular indie artists performing their songs acoustic. Going to this site, you will learn about upcoming shows and the best ways to buy tickets for them. 


This website is very informative about all types of music, not just indie rock or baroque. But its indie rock section is very extensive and features staff reviews of albums, new music releases, music news and message boards for people to discuss amongst each other music of their liking. What is cool about this site is that along with featuring staff album reviews, it also features reviews written by the visitors of the website. I visit this site when I want to read about new music news or read some interesting and often times hilarious album reviews. Overall, this is a well structured site that is informative where it matters most.

If you are wondering where to go to listen to live baroque pop or indie rock performances, The Crocodile Cafe and The Showbox in Seattle are very popular venues that hold events of that nature. The Crocodile Cafe serves as a restaurant when there is not a show going on and when there is, the whole place is turned into a loud and vibrant venue. It was recently in danger of being shut down because of expensive property costs, but the owners pulled it together in time to stop that from happening. It is a great venue with a lot of history and personality, and I have a great time whenever I make the trip to go see a show there. The ShowBox used to have only the one location in Seattle near Pike Place Market, but due to its popularity it expanded to another venue near SafeCo Field. Both venues have shows that feature indie rock and baroque pop artists exclusively. Of course there are many, many other venues in Seattle that showcase indie rock groups, but the two I mention are my favorite in terms of sound quality and experience. ;)

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