Matthew and the Atlas: I'm a Believer

Remember when I said I wasn't sure about the amped-up stylings of Matthew and the Atlas? I really, really take that back.

I caught the band at their one-off show at the Pickle Factory this past week. Along with old favorites like 'Within the Rose' and 'Into Gold', MATA played new songs (only two of which I knew—singles 'Elijah' and 'Temple') and now I'm a believer. They had that intangible something that takes songs from 'really good' to omgthisisspectacular. 

Of course, Matthew Hegarty has always had that power. If a gnarled old oak tree could sing, it would sound like him. But the new material doesn't sound like Matthew and a backing band—it's cohesive, and that takes their sound to a new level. 'Temple' is a perfect example, with its Arcade Fire-esque moments (see: the instrumental section around 1:10).

So, if Monday's show was any indication, new album Temple is going to be a triumphant return for Matthew and the Atlas. Preorder it here and check out the band's upcoming UK tour.

Who's Flo? A Pop Star With Heart

Say Yes - Flo Iriondo from Flo Iriondo on Vimeo.

When my friend and colleague Flo Iriondo told me she was recording an EP, I was impressed and excited, but not at all surprised. I'd heard her covers and knew she was an extremely talented musician—and that she lives and breathes self-expression. But even I couldn't have predicted just how Flo her EP would ultimately be. 

Now, you may be reading this and thinking, "Yeah, that's fine. But I don't know Flo, so who cares?"

By the end of her debut EP's six tracks, not only will you know Flo, you'll love her. Appropriately titled Who's Flo, the album is brimming with optimism, inspiration, and honesty—three words that absolutely describe the songwriter herself. These are accessible but authentic pop songs, universal in their themes but stemming from Flo's own experiences as she's traveled the world for the past ten years. 'Say Yes', the EP's first single, so clearly captures her own mantra. That openness to new experiences has gotten her from Buenos Aires to New Zealand, Ireland, Asia, Central America, and Europe, before ultimately leading her to her dream city: New York. 

Flo has a natural talent that will take her far. But it's her passion, positivity, and joie de vivre that really sets her music apart. Who's Flo really is Flo Iriondo set to music, and it's a beautiful thing. 

The New Single from Three Blind Wolves Makes Me So Happy

I tried to come up with a clever headline, but ultimately gave up; I was too blindsided (har, har) by the discovery that Three Blind Wolves had a new single. 'Stay Calm Ali' is the first track from their new EP, due March 25th, and I already know the song will catapult its way to the top of my most-played list. 

I hadn't seen much from the Glaswegians since the release of their debut album Sing Hallelujah for the Old Machine, an amped-up, rockier version of the Americana-tinged EP that first charmed its way to my heart, Sound of the Storm. 

I have a real soft spot for Sound of the Storm. I first discovered it in college (it got me through a lot of gym sessions, thanks guys) and I saw the band play it right after I landed at my very first SXSW. I'll probably adore that EP until I'm old and grey.

'Stay Calm Ali' feels like an extension of songs like 'Echo on the Night Train'—more polished, maybe, but just as infectious.

Singles Awareness Day: Songs You Should Hear

I had a pretty mellow and lovely Valentine's Day yesterday: wandered around Columbia Road Flower Market, listened to a busker perform 'No Diggity' like a 1920's jazz hit, found my way to a favorite cafe, and spent the evening chatting with one of my dearest friends and watching chick flicks. Absolutely zero complaints.

The holiday, AKA Singles Awareness Day, also reminded me of some songs I'd like to share. These individual tracks have come to my attention in various ways; in many cases, I haven't fully explored the rest of the band's repertoire (yet), but they've put the artists on my radar. So here we go. 

(P.S. Some of these tracks are on my Spotify playlist, and many are standouts from Discover. Thanks, Spotify!) 

Why We Love, 'Lucky One'

These guys are a bit like a really perky Ezra Furman. 'Lucky One' is an energetic piece of bubblegum pop, with elements of Belle & Sebastian and Pains of Being Pure at Heart. If you can avoid tapping your toes or bobbing your head to this, you're probably a cyborg. The band's EP comes out on March 25th via My Little Empire. 

Rukhsana Merrise, 'So They Say'

A lovely little tune from her September Songs EP, 'So They Say' could easily fit on the soundtrack of a hip Sundance film. But not in a bad way; the percussive track is unique and doesn't fall neatly in any particular genre label. It's just a perfect song to listen to while sipping some tea and watching rain hit the window. 

Cardiknox, 'Into the Night'

Get ready: Cardiknox is about to be everywhere. The duo had a video premiere in Vogue back in November, they're about to embark upon a US tour, and their album Portrait comes out on March 11th. 

Grace Acladna, 'London'

Hard for me not to like to a song called 'London' that starts "I fell in love with a city." And, being a nerd, I like the nod to the Great Fire of London in 1666. Also, the song's just catchy. 

Treetop Flyers, '31 Years'

I love Treetop Flyers, so I'm very excited about the band's new album due March 11th. '31 Years' is the album's latest single, and it just got a video. It's a departure from the band's previous brand of Laurel Canyon-esque rock, and drummer Tomer Danan says the album incorporates more of their influences, "from 70’s Nigerian psych rock/pop to jazz and a whole lot in between." 

Siv Jakobsen, Martin Hviid, 'Dark'

I'll probably do a separate post on remixes at some point, but this one's just great so I have to throw it in. 

Andrew Butler, 'Fiona'

And, an actual Valentine's Day single release: Andrew Butler's latest 'Fiona', from his upcoming album. It's pretty adorbs, and there are few voices as rich and lovely as Andrew's. For a blast form the past, also listen to his Folkroom Records single from forever ago (which still gets stuck in my head), 'Love Is a Record'. 

2015 Favorite: San Fermin

Yes, it's February. No, I'm not done talking about the bands I loved last year. Today's round: San Fermin, the New York collective created by Ellis Ludwig-Leone. 

Although the music does come from Ludwig-Leone's genius brain, the ensemble features two lead vocalists, Charlene Kaye and Allen Tate. They trade off songs; Allen's standouts are 'No Devil' and 'Emily', while Charlene slays on 'Jackrabbit' (their latest album's titular track) and 'Philosopher'. (If you're looking for a duet, try the slinky, funky 'Parasites'—which feels like a creepy, dystopian hoedown.)

But, perhaps because the composer is not the singer, San Fermin isn't one of those bands where everyone else takes a back seat to the vocalists. The whole album feels very balanced, like its two singers are instrumentalists who just happen to use words. Strings, horns, and percussion all take center stage in turns, or sometimes simultaneously. I think the band's own website sums it up perfectly: 

"If San Fermin [the band's self-titled debut album] could seem prepared and guarded to the point of being polite, Jackrabbit lines that record’s complicated compositional maneuvers and grandiose pop eruptions with necessary aggression. It is urgent and in your face, like a band sweating and singing in a cramped venue."

'Complicated compositional maneuvers' is an equally apt way to describe some of the stylings on Jackrabbit. San Fermin's vibe is one part jazz and one part rock opera, with the rest something else entirely. I'd be lying if I said this always worked; there are certainly moments that feel overwrought. But it's successful more often than not, and when you hear the band live, everything suddenly, magically clicks. 

If you have the opportunity to catch San Fermin live, take it, immediately. They put on quite the show. 

5tktktktkt 

New Records, Old Favorites

I've always been in awe of Andrew Bird. The multi-instrumentalist is a joy to watch; he performs as if he's utterly alone, so engrossed in creating music that nothing else matters. And although his musical styles and influences have seemingly run the gamut, you can always pick out an Andrew Bird song.

Such is the case with his latest single 'Capsized': it's Andrew Bird like you haven't heard him before, but it's definitely Andrew Bird. He debuted the song on Conan and also released the lyric video above. The track has more traces of rock and soul than we've heard before, and it feels less meandering than some of his previous works. Next album Let's Get Serious is considered his most personal to date, and it features contributions from Blake Mills (who, if you haven't heard before, is amazing in his own right) and Fiona Apple. It's due April 1st, and I can't wait to hear more of this direction. 

Okay, so I don't have a new song to post from Frightened Rabbit, so I'm sharing this photo I took with them my junior year of college. They were due to perform on campus and I saw them at a pub before the show and utterly freaked out. (But don't I look calm and normal here? Like we're best friends?) 

A new (and excellent) piece from Stereogum leads me to believe we'll see something from Frabbits soon. The album, which was recorded at Aaron Dressner's Brooklyn studio, has been done for a while now, and the band recently announced festival dates at Sasquatch and Shaky Knees. I can do the math. 

"Sure, they make anthems. But they make anthems out of the most self-conscious and embarrassingly human things."

 

Welcome to the New Red Said.

It was a pretty typical evening for me: I was at a pub, listening to a band. I was watching an excellent folk group, really getting swept up in the music, when I got it: the writing itch. 

I used to write about music all the time. That desire to share my latest musical discovery with the world led me to start the first incarnation of my Red Said blog. It led to numerous other music writing opportunities, from interviewing one of my idols to news coverage for the 405 to covering the SF MusicTech Summit to the music-heavy work I did at Hipstamatic and writing Snap Magazine. 

But, as often happens with creative pursuits, I lost the spark. I got burned out on the blogosphere hype cycle. My focus shifted to new things, like my incredible job at LinkedIn (where I do quite a bit of writing, including about music-technology). Slowly but surely, thediscovery element of blogging got lost in life's shuffle. I moved away from the bit that started it all: talking about the bands I found and fell in love with. 

So when I got that writing itch at the pub, I paid attention. And when I got it again, and again, and again over the next few shows, I decided to do something about it. Thus, Red Said was reborn.

When I started this blog originally, from my college apartment in Berkeley, I lived vicariously through YouTube videos and prayed that these British bands would be able to make it to California. But now, thanks to my wonderful company, I'm finally in London and surrounded by the music I love. I spend my days exploring everything this city has to offer—including, and especially, its up-and-coming artists.

Being here, soaking up the vibe of this beautiful country, has gotten me excited about new music again. It's given me my spark back. And I can't wait to share it with you. 

The Weird, Wonderful World of Cosmo Sheldrake

"A lot of sounds came from this Bulgarian mountain I spent some time on," notes Cosmo Sheldrake before launching into a song from his 2015 EP, Pelicans We. He was on stage at the Waiting Room, an intimate venue beneath a pub in Stoke Newington, explaining his musical inspiration to an adoring crowd. And he wasn't kidding: this wasn't some spiritual 'finding one's self' on a mountain top, he literally recorded sounds like rocks falling, or sheep bleating, and incorporated them into his music. One song even includes the sound of the sun. The SUN. 

Cosmo Sheldrake is what you could call an eccentric. He sets William Blake poems to music, gets a whole room dancing to songs about tardigrades, uses the sound of cracking slate as a pretty sick beat. He covers 'Iko Iko' better than Sia. At his Waiting Room show, he made at least three songs up right on the spot. He's fascinating to watch: he makes odd chirps and noises between songs, like he just can't help but create all the time. You can feel the music moving through him, and it's contagious. Every single person in the jam-packed venue was enthralled by the performance, and most of us knew all the words—even to the nonsense songs. 

Cosmo Sheldrake is brilliant, seamlessly weaving in sounds, styles, and even languages to create music that gets you moving and thinking. If you have the opportunity to see him live, definitely take it; in the meantime, enjoy his oddly earworm-laden EP. 

Apple Music Didn't Kill Spotify. Amazon's New Streaming Service Won't, Either.

Amazon is working on a 'Spotify killer'. 

Sound familiar? Apple Music was hailed as such by basically everyone. Google's All Access was called the same, back in 2013. Even Tidal got the label. 

And now it's Amazon's turn. As first reported by the New York Post, execs from Bezos-land have started chatting with the music industry about licensing, whispering details of a $9.99-per-month streaming service. The product would replace (or at least supplement) Amazon's existing digital music offering, Prime Music—which is a perk of Prime membership, more than anything else. You can stream about a million songs, but you don't get the current hits. (Digital Music VP Steve Boom commented in 2014 about today's pop not having 'staying power'; more likely it's that they want listeners to actually buy the new stuff.) 

Amazon, like Apple, has something Spotify doesn't: a built-in user base. Nearly half of US households have a Prime membership, which likely explains why Prime Music tripled its streaming hours last year. But, as Apple Music teaches us, a massive pool of potential users doesn't mean an automatic toppling of the industry leader. 

Yes, Apple Music has 10 million paying subscribers, about half of Spotify's current paid subscriber count. And it got there in less than six months(!). But considering there are more than 100 million iPhones in the US alone, and the service is pre-installed, that 10M number isn't quite as impressive as it first appears. Especially when you take into account Spotify's strong free tier: Apple has about 15 million users when you include those in its trial period, while Spotify (at last count) has more than 75 million active users.

Furthermore, Apple Music seems to be attracting an older audience: 62% of users under 35 canceled their subscription after the free trial. 67% of users over 35 are now paid subscribers. To be clear, I think that's a great thing. As I noted back in June, there's room in the industry for more than one streaming service. BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield told Quartz: "It appears that Apple Music has expanded the market for paid subscription music [instead of] taking share from Spotify." 

Read the rest of this piece on LinkedIn.

Band to Watch: Seafret

If I could steal anyone's voice, I might pick the multifaceted tones of Seafret's Jack Sedman. It's textured: gravelly but still pure. It's emotive: effortlessly moving between passionate belts and delicate falsetto. (I mean, this is a folk band that covered Bring Me the Horizon.) It's perfectly accompanied by the guitar stylings of Harry Draper, the other half of Seafret's soulful folk. The duo have just released debut album Tell Me It's Real, and mark my words: you'll be hearing Sedman's voice a lot this year.

I don't quite remember when I first heard Seafret, but the band's Oceans EP is filled with gems (most of which have found their way to the LP). The titular track is, for me at least, the real standout: especially in its acoustic form, 'Oceans' is raw, lovely, and perfectly crafted. 

The skillful songwriting that helped define their EP is just as present on Tell Me It's Real. First single 'Wildfire', inspired by that crazy 'love at first sight' experiment, is destined to spread like—well, wildfire. The album is jam-packed with radio-ready tunes, like the catchy 'Beauty on the Breeze', or the lilting 'To the Sea', which features lovely vocals from Rosie Carney.

But not in a bad way. I'm the first to run screaming from songs that sound overly commercial; Seafret somehow has that polish, that accessibility, without losing authenticity. They're master craftsmen, talented performers, and have created an all-around enjoyable folk album. 

Mystery Jets Are All Grown Up (and Singing About It)

Mystery Jets have been around for a while. The quartet first appeared on my radar in 2008, when their single 'Young Love' featured a lovely lady named Laura Marling. (You may have heard of her.) Even then, they peddled perfectly polished indie pop: bouncy and light and something you'd hum long after listening. They were shamelessly "in love with the girl two doors down" and full of quirky fun.

But, I'll be honest—I hadn't checked in with these guys in a few years. I'd missed 2012's Radlands, which took the group on a very American detour (exhibit A: the Texas-shaped album cover). If I had, I may have been less surprised by new album Curve of the Earth, which showcases a band that's all grown up: they've blended the bounce with something more sophisticated.

I caught Mystery Jets at Rough Trade East, where they played some of the new material, some classics, and an excellent cover of David Bowie's 'Five Years'. Their set really sold me on the album; you could hear the evolution of their sound very clearly. And, maybe it's because I'm a bit more grown up too, the songs that resonated most were ones that explore themes of growing older—like 'The End Up', with lines like "And as I listen to them talk/And watch their babies learn to walk/It's me who's finding my feet." (Ask anyone roughly in their mid-twenties: this struggle is so real.) I couldn't help but love the Beatles-esque touches in songs like 'Saturnine' (says the Guardian: it "sounds as if John Lennon joined the Beach Boys"), or the absolute jam that is 'Taken By the Tide'. And for fans of the Mystery Jets of yore, 'Bubblegum' or 'Bombay Blue' have you covered. 

In other words, Curve of the Earth is a mature, well-rounded album, bursting with ideas and themes. And I'm enjoying it more and more with each listen. 

2015 Favorite: The Lake Poets

The Lake Poets—AKA Sunderland's Martin Longstaff—released one of my favorite albums of 2015, a self-titled debut teeming with heartfelt, delicate folk songs. Although it was recorded at Nashville's Blackbird studio, The Lake Poets is very much a product of England; 'Vane Tempest' is an anthem for and from the Northeast, for example, while 'Shipyards' and 'North View' evoke life by the river. But these touches add to the album's accessibility—Longstaff's imagery draws listeners into his poignant stories, the themes of which can resonate with anyone.

'Shipyards', about the death of his grandfather, hits me right in the feels. The buoyant 'See You Tonight' is an infectious ode to his fiancée. 'Edinburgh', Longstaff's most popular song on Spotify, is also his most accessible (who can't relate to "In that Edinburgh bar you said nothing was wrong, why were you lying to me?"), 

The Lake Poets is one of those albums you should listen to all the way through, with a cup of tea in hand and time to reflect. You'll get a bit emotional, but you won't regret it. 

Matthew and the Atlas Is True to Form in New Single 'Elijah'

Matthew and the Atlas is one of those bands that gets into your soul. I still remember the very first time I heard a MATA song—'Within the Rose', from 2010's To the North EP. There are few songs that have affected me so strongly, given me the feeling that it's tapping into something innate and visceral. Instantly, I was hooked. 

The band, AKA Matthew Hegarty, has gone through some changes over the years, although it's never lost that straight-from-the-earth spirit. 2014 saw the release of full-length album Other Rivers, and although it's a lovely LP, it felt more produced than previous works. Single 'Pale Sun Rose', for example, is robust, with electric guitar and synth mingling with Hegarty's gravelly vocals. It's beautiful, no question, but it's a departure from the band's rustic, unplugged sound of yore. 

I was thrilled last week to hear the first new song since Other Rivers, 'Elijah' (above). I would have been anyway, of course; but the track is a perfect hybrid between MATA's early simplicity and later polish. When I listened to it for the first time, I couldn't help but think: "I didn't even know how much I missed this."

If 'Elijah' is any indication of music to come, I think we're about to see the golden days of Matthew and the Atlas. Grab a ticket to MATA's one-off London show at the Pickle Factory in February—I would wager that bigger things are on the way, and you should catch this band now. 

2015 Favorite: Flyte

I discovered Flyte sometime in September, and by the time Spotify's Year in Music came out, "Please Eloise" had already topped my streamed songs list. You might call that embarrassing (I might agree), but it just confirms what I'd known after the first listen: Flyte's music is catchy as hell. The London quartet specializes in perky indie pop, with tight harmonies, funky riffs, and a polish that makes it clear why Island Records scooped them up in 2013. 

I caught the band twice last fall, first for their sold-out show at Sebright Arms and again at St. Stephen's Church for the Communion New Faces tour. If I hadn't already considered them a band to watch in 2016, these two shows confirmed it. With songs like "Light Me Up" (a standout track, and incidentally my third-most streamed on Spotify) and "Faithless", they got the crowd of new listeners at St. Stephen's dancing—which is no easy feat when church pews are involved. And at Sebright Arms, the band didn't disappoint their diehard fans: the intimate venue was filled to the brim with people singing every word. It was one of the most invigorating shows I saw all year. 

So, friends, keep your eyes on Flyte. They're radio-ready, put on an excellent live show, and play the sort of music that will win anyone over.

Taylor vs. Goliath: Only Swift Could Take On Apple

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. 

Taylor Swift spoke up, and Apple couldn't shake it off.

Yesterday Swift published a post on Tumblr threatening to pull her latest album from Apple Music. Her explanation for keeping mega-hit 1989 off Apple's new streaming service: the company wasn't going to compensate music writers, producers, and artists during the three-month free trial period. The star, who could easily endure the pay cut, decided to speak for the 99% of the industry who couldn't. She wrote:

These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

She's right on all counts. Swift is not a lone voice in this battle against Apple's policy—she's just the latest and loudest. Beggars Group, which houses indie labels like 4AD, Matador, and Rough Trade, released astatement about their decision to steer clear of Apple's contract: "Whilst we understand the logic of their proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs." (It's worth mentioning that the best iTunes album seller in history—Adele's 21—belongs to Beggars Group label XL Recordings.) Another indie label exec told Rolling Stone, "A lot of independent labels are of the same mind – that it's kind of a raw deal." Even the American Association of Independent Music expressed some skepticism: "Please do not feel rushed to sign Apple’s current offer." 

And yet it was Taylor Swift who got Apple to back down.

Eddy Cue responded in a series of tweets:

I haven't always agreed with Swift's perspective on the music industry. When she pulled her catalog from Spotify, for example, I thought (and still think) she made the wrong call—one that's the equivalent of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. As David Holmes of Pando Daily said, "Taylor Swift is an anomaly. I think you could count on one hand the number of artists that could pull this off and remain popular – as digital download sales are in freefall."

Similarly, her Wall Street Journal op-ed was, as she herself admitted, enthusiastically optimistic. In typical Taylor lingo, she wrote:

The value of an album is, and will continue to be, based on the amount of heart and soul an artist has bled into a body of work, and the financial value that artists (and their labels) place on their music when it goes out into the marketplace.

That's fine to say when your latest album hit $4M in sales in just twelve weeks. An EP uploaded for free on Bandcamp has, in my opinion, the same amount of value/heart/soul/etc as 1989. Her op-ed and Spotify decision idealize a revenue model and demonize streaming, without acknowledging that her experience in the industry is the exception rather than the rule.

With her stance on Apple, though, I'm in complete agreement. And, beyond that, it has solidified her role as the indie ambassador—a role that, because of her place at the top of the music food chain, she certainly doesn't have to take. She's speaking out simply because it's the right thing to do.

And she has a star power few others can claim. Thom Yorke of Radiohead has beenfamously vocal about Spotify, calling it "the last desperate fart of a dying corpse." He's made ripples in the public conversation, sure, but certainly hasn't made a dent in Spotify adoption. Most recently, the Tidal crew attempted to differentiate themselves as a platform for artists, by artists. The purportedly altruistic message got lost, though: it was overshadowed by attempts to earn a profit. Swift, on the other hand, had nothing much to gain by making a statement against Apple, whom she calls "one of my best partners in selling music." As Bob Lefsetz points out, 1989 has already past its peak in terms of sales. 

What Swift gains from this move is much more valuable than album sales. To quote Lefsetz: "Efforts like Taylor Swift's are career-defining moments of credibility that are trumpeted for eons, they're what cements artists' careers. It's not only hits, it's identity. Records come and go, people remain. If you stand for something, you're the hook that catches the velcro loop, and we're all loops waiting to be caught."

Why Apple Music Won't Be a 'Spotify Killer'

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn.

According to Nielsen, I'm not your average music consumer. I actively scour the Internet for new tunes and I never listen to radio (upwards of 90% of Americans listen weekly). I make my own playlists, and I'll try just about any new music service that comes on the market. Much of my social graph is the same—they're either music junkies, tech nuts, or both. Which is why, when Twitter responded to yesterday's Apple Music launch with a resounding 'meh', I had only one thought:

You're not the target. 

I don't think Apple Music will be a Spotify killer. At least at first glance, its feature set doesn't seem compelling enough to pull Spotify devotees over to the dark side. Its social feature, Connect, could be cool—or it could be Ping. Or Twitter Music. Or, heck, theMyspace reboot.

The product's emphasis on the human element—likely a hold-over from pre-acquisition Beats—may not be the differentiator it's cracked up to be, either. Its biggest bet here comes from new 24/7 radio station Beats 1, led by former BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. Lowe is great, but his new one-stop shop radio station will have a hard time competing with the endless degrees of specificity I could find on Spotify, Pandora, or elsewhere.

Moreover, Spotify is already excelling at human curation—and it got there organically. As Chris Taylor mentions, "Apple's chief rival in the music streaming space is king of the human-curated playlist. That's because Spotify actually built a social network, from the bottom up, without any hoopla, without even calling it a social network. Its users just like making playlists. You can find playlists for just about any artist or mood under the sun."

The human component of Apple Music seems to be the brainchild of Jimmy Iovine and Trent Reznor, and that makes sense. They're passionate, and highly atypical, music listeners. Says Matt Rosoff about music's divided audience:

The people who are really into music already know where to find it and take pride in discovering their own stuff, first. Those who aren't that into music and just want good background tunes probably won't hear that much difference between the experts and the algorithms."

And that's the biggest issue with Apple Music: it's trying to be everything, for everybody. When push comes to shove, though, that means there's room for both Apple Music and Spotify in a healthy music streaming landscape. If Apple Music tells us anything, it's that streaming is here to stay: it's now been vetted by the biggest game in town. As Sony Music CEO Doug Morris said at Midem last week, "My guess is that Apple will promote this like crazy and I think that will have a halo effect on the streaming business."

The strongest argument in favor of Apple Music is its sheer breadth of access: 800 million iTunes accounts is no joke. But that's exactly why it won't kill Spotify—it will force both platforms to differentiate their audiences. Ultimately, Spotify is most successful as a platform for music aficionados. People like me. It already owns that segment, and Apple Music is unlikely to move the needle much over the long-term.

On the flip side, Apple Music has literally hundreds of millions of potential users who don't fall into that camp. For those listeners, I beseech Apple: make it easy. Make it convenient. Downloading Spotify and listening to some advertisements isn't a deal-breaker, so Apple needs to create an intuitive and effortless experience for listening to music. Whether Apple Music has that remains to be seen.

My favorite response to yesterday's announcement came from Rdio, a smaller, sleeker streaming service that I've always loved. Their genius (and brazen) tweet mimics Apple's iconic "Welcome IBM" ad; and even though you can assume the note holds a healthy amount of snark, I think the message rings true:

Rdio (and, once upon a time, Apple) is right: competition is a good thing. The music industry is undergoing massive, fundamental change, and Apple's leap into the fray only makes things more interesting. It doesn't mean that the streaming war is won.

Where Have I Been?

Yesterday a coworker asked me for advice about starting a blog. I told him that it's easy to get blocked because you want to find the perfect topic to write about; you want to kick off your venture with something insightful, provocative, and illustrative of your own expertise. I told him to forget all that—the best way to start a blog is to just start. I clearly need to take my own advice. It's been a freakishly long time since I've written here, and even though I've posted a smattering of things for other sites, I've essentially been MIA from the blogging world. But don't worry—I haven't exactly been twiddling my thumbs.

What have I been up to? Well, the company I worked for was acquired by LinkedIn back in April. I'm now an editor working on the company's content branch, LinkedIn Today. This includes the Influencer program, where luminaries like Richard Branson, Barack Obama, Jack Welch, and many more share their thoughts on our platform. I help with all things editorial and also tweet over at @LinkedInToday. Come say hello.

I'd be lying if I said working for a 4300-person corporation didn't terrify me at first; coming from the start-up world (Pulse was my previous largest company at a whopping 25 employees), the prospect of a Real Company like LinkedIn was intimidating. But I've found that my team operates very much like a start-up—or, more accurately, a newsroom. I work with amazing folks who cut their teeth at publications like Fortune, Wired, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the AP. As one of the team's only non-journalists, I'm getting a crash course in the state of modern content. I'm learning about ledes and heds and higher ed and the Fed taper and all sorts of things I hadn't contemplated much since college. I've been mired in this music world for so long, I'd almost forgotten that most people don't get their news from Pitchfork or Consequence of Sound.

With that in mind, I'm not sure what's next for this blog. What was once a catalog of all the folky goodness I'd discovered on the web has now become a ghost town. I want to get back into the swing of blogging, but my focus is going to be a bit broader than the latest quartet coming out of Brighton. My new gig has given me a lot of food for thought, and I need a place for the feast.

Expect more from Red. It's been a while since I've been here, but it's nice to be back.

Guest Post: Adam Sharp's Top 5 Artists of 2013

I'm a big fan of Adam Sharp's Songs for the Day, a blog that surfaces amazing talent literally every. single. day. (Needless to say, he's a more diligent blogger than I am.) I asked him to compile some of the artists he bets will break this year—or, at the very least, will make 2013 sound pretty darn pleasant. Read on to hear more... ------------ Below are 5 artists you may or may not know already, but who will all be, by my estimation, heavily involved in the soundtrack to your life in the coming year. Let’s see what your year is going to sound like, shall we?

Shakey Graves 

Alejandro Rose-Garcia doesn’t make music that sounds like the stuff other folks are making. Not many people are rolling around the back roads playing their guitar and briefcase drum set while singing about things like gunslingers, women, convicts, booze and wary roaming (sometimes all in one tune). The music of Shakey Graves is at once fresh, familiar, unique and memorable, full of deep truths and wisdom under its cowboy exterior.

Night Beds

There aren’t a lot of artists that would dare start their debut full-length album with an a capella tune, but then again Winston Yellen isn’t most artists. In Country Sleep, the debut album from Night Beds, Yellen has created a stunningly personal, vulnerable and brave piece of work from beginning to end. It’s an album that packs quite the painful punch under the surface of its uniquely gorgeous arrangements, Yellen’s tales of lost love, loneliness, pain and depression always lurking below the strums and strings, armed and ready to reach up and shake you.

Pickwick

Led by the powerhouse vocals of Galen Disston, Pickwick makes the kind of music that will simultaneously stop you dead in your tracks and force you to dance when it starts coming through your speakers. Combining equal parts soul, indie rock and psychedelic rock, this Seattle sextet is producing some of my favorite music being made today. Get your weird dancing shoes ready, kids- when Pickwick blows through town you’re gonna want to be there, and you’re surely going need said shoes.

Daughter

You could use a lot of words to describe the music that Daughter makes (I know, I’ve used most of them), but the only one you truly need is 'haunting'. The dark stories of love, loss and alienation being woven in Elena Torna’s songs are haunting. The arrangements that build and burst throughout are haunting. And Torna’s voice, sometimes confident and strong, other times frail and apprehensive, is haunting. Daughter makes music that sticks with you long after the notes fade away.

Noah Gundersen

There are two versions of Noah Gundersen: the one on tape and the one who plays live. There’s the songwriter just realizing his potential, penning stunning songs full of words that cut deep and raising questions that need answers. Then there’s the performer, the one who, with his sister Abby at his side, possesses a power that hushes a crowd from first note to last. You need both of versions of Noah Gundersen in your life in 2013.

Communion launches new show on Xfm

Communion further expands its reach with a new weekly show on Xfm, Communion Presents. Hosted by all-around rad dude Maz Tappuni, the show launches today and takes place Sundays at 10pm. The inaugural episode (which you can hear here) features music by Deap Vally, Frightened Rabbit, The Staves, Public Enemy (obviously), and more. And, as all good radio shows do these days, Communion Presents has its own psychic: Mr. Kev Jones. In other news, Communion band To Kill a King have released a new video for 'Cold Skin', the single from upcoming debut LP Cannibals With Cutlery. I'm not sure I totally 'get' the film, but watch it for yourself and analyze away. There's a bit of a Waiting for Godot-meets-Lord of the Flies vibe, if you ask me.

Updates

I said I'd blog more about my life, so here goes:

I'm getting more in the groove of things at Pulse, and even though I'm still working like a fiend, it's nice to be making some headway. I'm fleshing out our blog, and in the past two weeks have interviewed The 405, Saveur, and VICE. Getting the ball rolling!

I made these Nutella buns from the Saveur post. Mmmmm.

I saw Alt-J at Bottom of the Hill a couple weeks ago, and realized it was the first gig I'd gone to in almost two months. TWO MONTHS. Crazytown, right?! The show was great, and not just because the Mercury Prize winners are absolute geniuses: it turns out I'd really missed the live music fire-in-your-belly, and because I saw the early set, I was in bed by 10:30. I call that an old lady win-win.

After the show, my friend and I discussed a) how on earth you can accurately classify Alt-J (does 'art rock' really cut it?), and b) how soon their triangle hand gesture will become a meme/Instagram competition. Feel free to share your opinions on these urgent topics in the comments or on Twitter, as all I'm talking about currently is sleeping, the apocalypse, and baked goods. Save me from myself.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/64819931" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

I realize I forgot to share a true highlight of the year with you all: I interviewed Laura Marling. I owe the delightful folks at Mxdwn my hearty thanks, as they allowed me to geek out with one of my musical idols. See the full interview here. She has a new album coming up, about which she says: "I’m really happy with it, I’m proud of it, but I think I can say that it will be a challenge to listen to." Challenge: accepted.

A few of the things I've been listening to this week: Capital Cities - Caught these guys at Mezzanine a few months ago, haven't looked back. Their disco-pop is addicting. To Kill a King - Loved this London band for a while, and their LP will be out in February. Check out recent EP Word of Mouth. Dry the River - Just released an acoustic version of LP Shallow Bed! Intense hits like 'New Ceremony' have a totally different feel. Papa - still loving their recent new single, 'Put Me To Work', which is a bit more amped up than their A Good Woman Is Hard To Find EP. Listen here. The aforementioned Alt-J. Bonus: 'Matilda' quotes Johnny Flynn. Patch and the Giant - A Folkroom find. If you want to be transported to a 16th century English pub, check out this band's drinking-song vibes. Haim - Just one word for new single/B-side 'Don't Save Me'/'Send Me Down': obsessed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqIush2nTA&w=560&h=315]