Catablogue: Said the Gramophone

Said the Gramophone

The bloggers behind Said the Gramophone call it "a daily sampler of really good songs." They post MP3s of songs for visitors to listen to while reading the accompanying descriptions that they have supplied. You can play each song right in your browser, or you can download it to listen using your own player. If hearing the song or reading Said the Gramophone's commentary on it makes you want to buy the album (which is highly encouraged in the blog's sidebar: "Please go out and buy the records!"), you will find yourself usually able to do so by clicking on a purchase link provided within the post.

Points of mention:

• Count on an eclectic selection of music from Said the Gramophone. I haven't found any "Top 40" hits on the site, but I have heard international music, surreal covers of songs by other artists, alternative offerings, and lots of songs by artists of whom I have never heard. Ever. Which I think is terrific. This is a favor to the featured musicians (expanding their audience) as well as to us readers (expanding our musical horizons).
• You can peruse the site's archive of past posts, but don't count on being able to listen to songs posted too long ago. Said the Gramophone wishes for visitors to sample songs and then go buy the albums, not rely on the site as a music library.
• In the sidebar, Said the Gramophone recommends many favorite blogs, marking those that are music-related in case you're interested in delving deeper or finding even more music resources online.
• The bloggers are Canadian, which should be endorsement enough (Canada = cool).

Sometimes, the commentary accompanying a song will read less like a review or description and more like a narrative or perhaps stream-of-consciousness journaling inspired by the song. Don't be put off. Just go with it and trust that the overall effect (the blog's words plus the musicians' performance) is holistically harmonious. (Did I mention that Said the Gramophone is the brainchild of Canadians? We ought to support our friendly neighbors to the north. Don't ask questions; just log on and listen.)

(What is a catablogue?)