Recent weekdays spent working in a warehouse have clued me in on some empty undertakings of satellite radio. Commercial-free programming: check. No censorship: check. But that’s the extent of its advantages, as far as I’m concerned.
I (as a music listener) cast this statement based on the premise that satellite radio also promises a wide variety. But, based on my bonding time lately, I find that the variety found on each channel hardly transcends that of commerical radio (of which, you can likely guess, I am not the biggest fan either).
Yes, subscribers can select from a multitude of channels. However, most channels featured on the rotating music schedule at my workplace confine themselves to a constant repetition of the same hit songs every day. With the occasional—and much appreciated—anomaly sprinkled in here and there. I just don’t think my health can take hearing The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” every single day much longer.
(This is the cardinal crime of mainstream radio, a point that I’d like to elaborate on at some point. Because this “crime” is, of course, what keeps the “music business” afloat.)
Now allow me descend from my throne and explain a recent incident concerning satellite radio that I rather enjoyed. Just when I thought I’d drown in the current of top music hits for good, AltNation tossed me a lifebuoy when the station played a song by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Sweet, sweet salvation.
Not only was it a relief to hear something new, but this is a band that intrigued me from the moment I heard its debut album, titled “These Four Walls” and released June 2009. And these boys from Scotland have been receiving various types of praise ever since, including an appearance on Paste Magazine’s recent “Best of the Best” top band names list.
But a band’s name merely draws listeners in, while the music itself keeps them around. And while these indie rockers from overseas used their name as an opportunity to cleverly expose an futile facade of the “future,” it’s obvious that they’ve turned any bitter resentment into pounding clashes of rock music.
The Glasgow-based band is currently on its first headlining tour, making a stop in Denver to play at the Hi-Dive tonight. The band is also selling an exclusive EP “The Last Place You’ll Look” that is only available on this tour.
