The wonders of last.fm

It may have been around for a while, but I’ve only just started using last.fm. For those who don’t know about it, last.fm is a website that, with the help of an add on to your music player of choice, tracks the music you listen to and then – based on tags, users with similar taste and experience – it recommends other artists you might like. Some of these will undoubtedly be bands you’ve heard of and wished you never had to listen to again, but it’s also a great source for finding out about groups you’ve missed or artists from the other side of the world.

Like I say, I’ve only been using it very recently but so far I’ve been very pleased with the results. Below are some of the artists I’ve begun listening to on a regular basis thanks to its recommendations.

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Skye Sweetnam

Reading up about Skye Sweetnam, it seems as if I was living in America there’s no way I could avoid her, but in Blighty her impact seems non-existent. Named after the Scottish Isle of Skye, Miss Sweetnam describes herself as “Nine Inch Nails meets Britney Spears” but comparing her to fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne may be a bit more helpful, if a little less glamorous.

Start with Billy S.

Released as her first single in 2003, when Skye was just 15, this is the perfect rebellious, anti-school anthem. Billy S. in the title refers to William Shakespeare – “I don’t need to read Billy Shakespeare, meet Juliet or Malvolio” (which, as anyone with a bit of psychology training will tell you, is more likely to make listeners want to read Shakespeare – whether Skye knew that or not is another matter).

Similar artists: The Veronicas, Lillix, Brie Larson, Everlife, Fefe Dobson, Katy Rose.

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RBD

A six-piece, mixed gender group from Mexico who have so far stuck together to release five studio albums in their native tongue, as well as three in Portuguese and a 2006 English release. With the body of RBD’s work in Spanish, it’s unlikely that I’d ever have come across them in everyday life and the fact that I have no idea what they’re singing about means nothing – they can just sit in my CD collection alongside the likes of Natalia and Jacques Dutronc.

Start with Empezar Desde Cero

Translating (very literally, I guess) as ‘Begin from zero’, Empezar Desde Cero was released in 2008 after winning a vote on the RBD’s official website to be the band’s next single. Sung predominantly by one member – the gorgeous Maite Perroni – Empezar Desde Cero is the second single from the group’s fourth album.

Similar artists: Kudai, Belinda, Lu, Anahi, Reik, Thalia.

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The Wombats

Sure, I knew about the Wombats but I’d never really taken much of an interest in them and that’s another reason last.fm’s so great – it reminds you of bands you’ve sort of heard of but never really listened to properly.

Start with Backfired at the Disco

The first single from the band seems as good as place as any to start and the fact that even the re-release didn’t make it past number 40 in the charts means there’s a decent chance you’ve missed it as well.

Similar artists: the Pigeon Detectives, the Kooks, the Enemy, Maximo Park, the Subways, Good Shoes

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The Indelicates

An indie rock band with beautiful melodies and interchangeable male/female vocals, the Indelicates are of particular interest because former Pipette (who are a group I know and love) singer Julia Clark-Lowes is the band’s front girl. Of course, this discovery led me to find out what Rosay (solo) and RiotBekki (Electric Blue) are up to these days, but neither is up to the standard of the Indelicates. I also found out that Gwenno, while still in the Pipettes, also has some of her own solo stuff.

Start with America

The perfect example of the complementary vocals of the two singers, America shows off the poetical skills of the writers. They did meet at a poetry slam, after all.

Similar artists: the Lodger, Hefner, Lucky Soul, Love Is All, the Long Blondes, Los Campesinos!