Every month it seems that great canister of music streaming, Soundcloud, has yet another independent record company pouring in its catalogue. A good thing too because this is how music should be heard. For free. Then you hear something great and you want to buy it. It works. That's what radio was all about in the first place. But now mainstream radio is in the grip of major labels and DJ picks are replaced by preset playlists. You hear the commercial disc jock deploring the state of the business. The likes of a John Peel now don't exist, not in the UK anyway
But while major labels still struggle to get to grips with this 'interweb' thingy after just what er... 15-20 years!, Soundcloud amasses a vault of contemporary music from all comers of the world. That's what makes it so relevant. Of course the main problem now is how the devil can you get to find things you never knew about in the first place.
Well for one Vagrant Records have a serious upload of tracks to hear. They're a Los Angeles label founded in 1996 with a collection of releases by The 1975, Active Child, Alexander, AlunaGeorge, Band of Skulls, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Black Joe Lewis, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blitzen Trapper, California Wives, Craig Finn, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, EELS, The Elected, Fossil Collective, French Kicks, The Grates, The Hold Steady, James Vincent McMorrow, John Gold, Mark Lanegan, Missy Higgins, Pete Yorn, PJ Harvey, Placebo, Reptar, Rogue Wave, School of Seven Bells and Wake Owl.
Heard of some? Heard of none? Just go to their SoundCloud page and dig in. There are some gems.
Try this new track by Blitzen Trapper. A classic style of country folk blues that sounds so familier to the ear.. a slice of American Southern Rock you'll feel you already know the story.. almost. Their new album is due October 1st.
Or now try this piece of heavy psyche by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club released in 2010.
It's never been so good for the rock music fan. Go and check Vagrant Records here. They're just one label, you can be sure many more will be following.
