Online Radio Review

ORR is back

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:27:00 +0000

After an extended absence, Online Radio Review is back.

I'll be have tuning in to a few stations over the holiday period, but for those who've still got the RSS feed for this blog, take a trip to Soma where they have there seasonal radio stations Xmas in Frisko and the safe for kids Christmas Lounge.

See you in the new year

Fourth Street Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:27:00 +0000

This one will be short and sweet, you'll see why soon...

Again, another station picked out of the thousands cos it's name lept out at me while scrolling through on my Wi-Fi radio. In my effort to avoid commercial stations I try to skip anything with FM or a frequency number anywhere near it.

Fourth St radio was tucked away in the RnB genre, but I wanted a bit of a change and even though it's not a style I'm immediately drawn to, I like to give these things a go. I guess this was part of the problem, as a genre I've only dipped into, I thought this would strech my musical tastes. All I really got was RnB pop from the last 20 years, some I'd heard before, but most I hadn't. I get the feeling the reason the unknown track hadn't been heard was less to do with there niche value and more to do with them being not vey good.
>

And here's where the review comes to a screaching halt. Despite advertising there site on there shows, I can find no online presence for them. Someone also needs to have a word about domain names, I mean if you're going to have a domain name primarily read out to people, why choose one which has at least four legitimate ways of spelling it (fourth, 4th, Street & St). Anyway I couldn't find a website under any combination and google gave me no hint either.

So for fairly drab lack lustre music and no site at all, Fourth Street Radio gets a big fat DROP-IT rating.

Soma - Secret Agent

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:22:00 +0000

The Soma series of radio stations were really responsible for my interest in internet radio. A friend had their Christmas station playing and I loved the idea of a channel popping up for a season then disappearing once the holidays are done. So yes, expect me to review their Xmas stations as soon as they're up!

But on to one of their permanent channels, Secret Agent. Soma describe it as "The soundtrack for your stylish, mysterious, dangerous life. For Spies and PIs too!" Does that help you any? Me neither, but I can understand why they haven't tried to pigeon hole it into a genre, it doesn't really fit neatly into any category. Bizarrely Reciva classifies it as Easy and Talk? I'm not certain how they come to these conclusions sometimes...

The music mix is at times sublime, blending from an upbeat modern rock number to some laid back 60's lounge via a Sean Connery soundbite. Similar to many Soma channels Secret Agent plays a LOT of instrumental music, but unlike with Illinois Street Lounge here I don't feel it limiting the mix at all. After all this is supposed to the soundtrack of the film, IE music to support the onscreen action of your life... Most of the tracks hover on the edge of recognition, but most of them draw me in and provide interest in the music.

Soma's stations are ad and DJ free, but you do get the very occasional plea for donations, but even these are quick and unobtrusive. Connections either via the PC or Wi-Fi radio is rock solid and other than the occasional rebuffer on the Wi-Fi, trouble free.

Having looked at a number of stations now, I have to say that the front end to Soma.FM's web presence is simple, bordering on the plain. They give you the music and little else. No forum, no music background, no hints about schedules. Their enhanced content in Windows Media Player is good though with links from the 'now playing' tracks and performers to Amazon.

Overall? I love it... It's just listenable too, put it on, leave it on, loud and out there, or quiet and in the background it does the job. The lack of an obvious genre makes it hard to recommend to people, but I say, give it a go if you've ever put on a Dinner Jacket (or tuxedo) and looked in the mirror at yourself with 1 eyebrow raised... Secret Agent gets a very deserved TUNE-IN rating for good music from a good theme.

Malt Shop Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:11:00 +0000

Sometimes you hear a track and it inspires you to listen to more of that type of music.This happened to me recently, so when I started looking for my next station to review I tuned in to the 'Oldies' genre hoping for a bit of swing or early rock.

I'm not sure whether Malt Shop Radio delivered what I was after, and I'm not sure it delivered anything I'd be interested in returning to. This is not to say that it's particularly bad, but I'd not say it's much good either.

The music is a mix of late 60's, early 70's tracks from a fairly wide background, but similar to previously reviewed stations, the blend just doesn't work for me. I'm sure some maths graduate could come up with an equation for the perfect music mix, but for me Malt Shop Radio needs more recognisable or catchy tracks.

Connection to the station is good, however the fade between tracks / ads is very harsh and often seems to cut a tune off mid stream. Assuming this is an automated process, they need to tweal the settings a little. As part of a small cluster of stations, the ads on this station only direct you back to the overall Audiocandy website.

And finally, we look at the supporting site, and here things take a turn for the worse. For the second review in a row we have to complete a 'free signup' in order to access the music. I'll not go into it again, but this is not a good thing, see my previous post for more details. At least with this one thought you get access to 4 station with your ID. The parts of the site I could access looked a bit drab to be honest, it was mainly about Audiocandy not the stations that it represents.

Another slightly dull and hard to access station, I give Malt Shop Radio a DROP-OUT rating, the only thing preventing this from scraping the bottom of the barrel is that the music is ok, if you love the oldies and know the genre a little better than me, this could be a station you'd like.

Ballroom Glitz

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Have you ever started something and almost immediately think why have I done this? Tuning in to Ballroom Glitz was a little like this. It started with good intentions, I’ve watched that Aussie classic Strictly Ballroom, I’ve watched several series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, the station will be a radio version of these surely?

Sadly no, as I enjoyed my other forays into this activity. Ballroom Glitz describes itself as “a variety radio show” and a “celebration of Ballroom and the Music of Dance”. I’m just not convinced it does it very well, or perhaps ballroom just isn’t meant for the radio?

The music was a bit of an eclectic mix, a little bit of disco, some old time swing, a little latin here or there. I’ll be honest, on paper this sounds pretty good to me, a hotch potch of different styles means I don’t have time to get bored, but somehow it just doesn’t gel. The disco isn’t that good and the mix doesn’t seem to flow, it’s as if someone’s selected the appropriate genre’s, then hit the random button. Individual tracks of interest pop up, but appear in a sea of mediocrity, rather diluting the effect.

So, the music is more miss than hit, what about the rest the technical side? Starting with the good, the Wi-Fi connection is strong, with very few ‘buffering’ pauses. The quality of the music does seem to differ, but that may be due to the age / availability of some of the older tracks. There is reasonably high level of self promotion, bordering on the intrusive at times, but the station does have active DJ’s to support, so maybe they need the extra cash? Now to the bad… To listen via your PC you have to sign up to their site. I don’t like this for places like Live365, but at least they are a collection of stations.

This idea really annoys me, not just because it inconvenienced me, I had to go via reciva’s site, but because it could really damage internet radio if everybody started to do it… I don’t really get it either, why make it harder for listeners to enjoy your station? I’m sure they’d say it was about keeping in touch with there listeners, but it feels more like a data gathering exercise.

So anyway, the bottom line… Ballroom Glitz has annoyed me on at least 2 fronts and we the listeners should actively discourage the ‘sign up to listen’ crowd.. For these reasons I give it a dismal DROP-IT rating. I liked the musical concept though, is there any other station that does it better?

Planet Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:51:00 +0000

For those of you who keep up with radio news, this one will need no introduction. Planet Rock has caused a huge uproar in the DAB market, as despite growing listener figures, awards and list of famous DJ's, their parent company (GCAP) is getting rid of them as they aren't profitable. There is a potential saviour though, as Brian May has taken an interest.

Putting all the publicity to one side, what's the station like for us Wi-Fi users? 2 words:-

ROCK ON!

Ok for those who like things a little less succinctly, Planet Rock is good. To be fair it's a niche station, but it's a pretty big niche you could easily include bands from The Beatles to the Darkness and still have room for ZZ Top and Alice Cooper (who as it happens presents the breakfast show). I do like my rock, and this station gave me a big fat load of it, mostly from classic bands, but not always there best known work. Some early Hendrix, a bit of Clapton, then back to earth with a large slice of Meatloaf. All good rock.

The technical side is as smooth as you'd expect from a profesisional station, although it does seem to take an AGE to buffer to the Revo, no worries though as once it's buffered, it's a solid connection. The site is... a little dissapointing, it has a forum, it has features on some rock stars, it's ok, its standard. It's dissapointing as the station seems to exist on it's passion for the music, so this basic site just seems so vanilla...

At the moment a commercial DAB station, with the obligatory online / wifi side, the station has DJ's, news and ads (although these seem to be relatively sparse and repetative, which is, as someone pointed out to me, possibly the reason they're not making money?). Even here though they're pushing the music. As mentioned Alice Cooper presents the breaky show, what he lacks in a sense of humour and vocal flow he makes up for in his huge knowledge of the people making the music. He seems to have a bit of a back story for almost every track he plays, and I love it, other presenters are also (if not equally) part of the Rock scene.

So without a shadow of a doubt Planet Rock gets a TUNE IN rating, seems a little 'small potatoes', as they won the Sony Digital station of the year award a week or so back, but there you go. Good luck to Brian May with keeping the station open, Planet Rock is so good, I've retuned my only DAB radio to it (although that was partially an objection to how bad Virgin / Christian O'Connell have become)

Radio Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:31:00 +0000

One of the few pages I could find reviewing online radio stations was actually an article in Guardian newspaper. Written by Miranda Sawyer in April 2007, the article is more about the phenomena of internet radio, comparing it with the older style shortwave radio and its plethora of exotic stations. The article does then go on to review a number of stations, culminating in a "best of" list of her favourites. Radio Paradise was described as "A gentle listen, Paradise plays mainstream alternative, old and new, with the occasional twist". Of all the stations she favoured, this sounded most like my taste, so I tuned in...

Dissapointing would be the first thing that springs to mind. I understand that the online radio industry must have come on a fair way in a year, but Radio Paradise just seems dull in comparison to some of the stations I've reviewed so far. Gentle? Yeah I suppose I'd go with that, gentle in the way that the gentle music laps dully against your ears, I guess the occasional twist just got too rare for me. I recognised some of the tracks, but testament to their dullness (how many times can I get that word in?) I can't recall a single one as I write this review. Ok, some new, some old, but truly nothing exciting.

On the connection side of things, there's no issues, they're not new to this so one assumes they've worked out how to balance things there side to serve their listeners.

Ad free, but not beg free, the station exists on donations only and they remind you fairly often (not as often as ad in a commercial show but still fairly noticable).

Their website is fairly well laid out, good links to a forum, pages to buy Radio Paradise branded gubbins but most impressively, a searchable music database. This allows you to "get more info on the artist, share your thoughts about it, see what other listeners think of it, or buy the CD". A couple of clicks to work my way around it and sure enough Divine Comedy's Our Mutual Friend comes up with 6 comments. A REALLY good idea and something I'd like to see catch on.

But perhaps this little foray into the database tells me why the mix isn't working for me. Divine Comedy is one of my favourite bands, but if I was to pick out their best track (as Absent Friends is the ONLY track of theirs Radio Paradise has ever played) I'm not sure I'd pick that one. It's not one of their most catchy or popular tracks, frankly it's not their weirdest either, I just can't see why they picked that track. Expanding this to other artists, are they just playing album filling, also ran tracks?

I didn't study the tracks long enough to decide, but I listened long enough to give them a DROP-OUT rating. Shame as I'd love to see the DB idea appear on other stations, but the music just doesn't keep you coming back for more.

Subcity Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Subcity Radio is the student radio station of Glasgow university, a non comercial station they "aim ourselves squarely at music lovers across Glasgow and beyond". As a genre statement that really doesn't help much, but Reciva classifies them as Alternative, College and Indie.

A student radio station seems to have the potential to be absolutely terrible, a load of overly trend conscious and eager to please DJ's picking out the most subversive / shocking tunes available. But Subcity's actually pretty good with one notable oddity.

The music is a pretty heavily dance and slightly indie oriented, but the mixes and tracks choosen are both interesting and engaging. I have a bit of a secret like of dance music, I haven't been to a 'serious' club in many years, but I still like the music. If you looked hard you'll even find a couple of dance CD's in my collection. Subcity Radio seems to give a good coverage of the genre, I've not doubt a full time dance nutter would turn their nose up at it, but to me there was a good mix of recognisable tracks (albeit in a new mix) and new songs I'd not come across before.

And now for the oddity.... Subcity seems to have a terrible habit of playing Rick Astley songs... I try to listen to stations at a range of times for a number of hours and i must have heard the same Astley track a half dozen times easily. I didn't really like him in the 80's but at least he was in context. I just don't see how he fits in to this station, and it feels rather like a joke that everyone except you doesn't get...

Rick aside, the technical aspects of the station are fine. No problems connecting via the Wi-Fi, not problems over the PC with several codecs to choose from and a 'listen again' service to catch missed shows.

The website is functional, and may seem a little bland, but I like the minimalist options, allowing listeners to focus on just the station. Basic options to access things like the schedule are of course there, as is the popular online station forum. The only thing they've really missed is some background information on some of the varied music they play.

Overall I give Subcity Radio a TURN-ON rating. Enjoyable overall and possibly worth the highest rating if not for the "turn it off, turn it off, TURN IT OFF!" Rick Astley tracks.

Foxy \ Jewel??

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:01:00 +0000

I originally tuned into this one on my Wi-Fi radio, where it's named Foxy, something that left me a little lost when I tried to track it down online. It seems Foxy 88.5fm changed it's name over a year ago to Jewel (or "The Jewel of the dial", do you see what they did there...)

Ok, I know I said no more local radio stations, but they TRICKED me with there oh so snazzy single word name, lack of the strange letters US and Canadian stations seem to be made up of and not even a hint of an FM in their name... It was a while before I worked it out and by that time I was in too deep.

So anyway, what's Foxy like? Well like there name, the musics a bit stuck in the past. If I can liken it to a cheap compilation albums, and I think it's a fair analogy , this one would be titled "Second Love". Most of the content seems to be love based pop from a range of era's with a fairly high focus on rubbish covers. It's not pretty, there are some recognisable voices and some recognisable songs, but rarely together on the same track. For instance, Neil Diamond - a good singer, some great songs under his belt. The way you look tonight, a great song, from a great era. Neil Diamond singing The way you look tonight... just doesn't work...

On the technical side, the connections good from both Wi-Fi and PC is good, no issues / dropouts. For the most part the DJ keeps the chatter to the minimum only really coming in every 3-4 songs. again the same with the ads. Although these almost make the station worth listening too, they're the equivelant of shopping TV in their content (Tummy tuck jeans? Sleep apnia?)

The Site is minimilist, a link to listen to the radio and half a dozen other links to things like a gallery or local traffic information. Definitely nothing to write home about.

Even the amusing adverts (do YOU know how much waste your bowel retains without wonder clear powder?) can't save this station from an overall rating of DROP-IT. It's just too bland, it times it feels like they've gone out of their way to pick dull tracks and soporific voiced DJ's. Unless getting to sleep really IS a problem for you, avoid.

Kudos to Revo

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:48:00 +0000

I'm not going to make a habit of posts about Wi-Fi radio hardware BUT...

Thanks to Revo who got my little Pico Wi-Fi up and running within a day of me contacting them! It wasn't a complex problem, but I'd braced myself for a typical UK customer services battle (stage 1 getting them to accept responsibility, stage 2 getting them to fix it...) They volunteered the fix before I'd barely even got the problem out (the radio wasn't charging). My replacement charger arrived the next day and got me back up and running.

Always nice to find this kind of attitude - Thanks

Clare FM

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Ok, I admit it I generally choose which stations to review based on whatever whim takes me as I spin my little Pico's dial. This one was entirely personal, I had an feeling it would be a local radio station in County Clare, Ireland, but it's also the name of my wife (obviously without the FM bit...).

So station choosen, how did Clare FM get on? I had high hopes after my last foray into commercial territory with Brisbane's Best Mix getting my highest rating. I'll keep this short and sweet, Clare FM is everything Brisbane wasn't, and most definitely not in a good way.

Skipping quickly over the music, which was for me, an overly light take on the current pop songs and some of the eightes most vacuous hits, nothing different from any of your local stations and certainly nothing to make it stand out against the thousands of other choices on the dial. The biggest issue for me was the almost claustrophobic localness of the DJ's banter, it was like a radio version of The Framley Examiner, except without the satire. I tried to pinpoint why the Brisbane station felt exotic and the Clare station felt provincial and I couldn't. So it could just be too close to home...

Connection from the wifi radio was good, but the PC seemed to pick up a tinny vibe every time I tuned in. Nothing too serious but noticable if you wanted to tune in on a permenant basis. The Clare FM website needs some toning down colour wise, but is a servicable if basic front end for a small commercial station giving you a way to access the station, a basic schedule and some attempt to provide additional content.

I'm pulling back from giving Clare FM the bottom rating on the basis that they're no worse (although no better) than dozens of local commercial stations out there. They have however pushed me away from reviewing commercial stations, I think there's too many good internet only stations out there that need my attention... So back to the rating, Clare FM gets a DROP-OUT rating, please only listen if a.) you live in County Clare or b.) you lived their and need a nostalgia fix.

Whole Wheat Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Whole Wheat Radio, or WWR for short is a bit different to other stations reviewed so far, with only a few stations under my reviewers belt it's a little too soon to say it's a unique proposition, but its pretty rare

So what is it? Take a look at the URL linked to above for a bit of a clue, the page it links to is a wiki, a user built website. In a nutshell, that's what WWR is, a user built radio station. The site is built by it's community of listeners, tracks and even shows are requested by the listeners, it's so Web2.0 it's even won a web2.0 award...

Ok, so background to one side, what are you actually getting, music wise? It's a little hard to quantify all in all and the closest their website comes to specifying their genre is to say "We tend to appeal to grownups who don't take life too seriously". As weird as it sounds I'd say they're probably spot on, the eclectic mix provided does appeal to someone with a broader appreciation of a number of musical tastes. As I listened, the music swung from light rock to light blues to a bit of country finishing with a samba. Always fairly light and low on the more challenging aspects of these genres, but in no way a bad bit of music. There seems to be little chance of a mainstream bit of music appearing on the playlists as they cover around 3000 independent artists which the seek out via their wiki.

On the technical side, the radio came through clear and strong both via the PC and Wifi radio, I guess that their 6 years of operation from the town of Talkeetna in Alaska has ironed out any of the teething problems newer stations might suffer with. Again a 24 / 365 station with no DJ's and minimal advertising, the station really allows you to get the most music per hour.

The website is HUGELY informative as only a Wiki can be, the Nth detail about artists, songs and even their listeners are available. They even want their listeners to add to their station logo gallery (I did like the one with the moose though..). Standard features such as a chat room and upcoming events are of course available as well as oportunities to buy the independent music you are listening too.

Sometimes I know the overall rating for a station before I start the review, but this one has rather crept up on me as I stepped through the stations features for you. WWR was going to get 1 rating lower, as the music can tend to lack professional polish and end up a little cheezy / lounge singer for constant listening, BUT I love the fact that they're sticking 2 fingers up at mainstream music. So for their musical credentials, their community based content and no issues delivery WWR gets a TURN-ON rating.

BeatlesRadio.com

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:25:00 +0000

I thought I knew what I was going to get when I tuned into BeatlesRadio.com, with a little over 200 songs recorded by the fab four I did worry that an entire station to them would get a little repetitive. As it turns out although there is a heavy Beatles presence on the playlist there is also a fair amount of other tracks played. These mostly seem to break down into music of a similar style from the Beatles era, covers of Beatles songs and solo work by the members of the band (although you might be relieved to hear I didn't stumble across any of Ringo's stuff...)

So what's it like? Not too bad to be honest, I like a bit of Beatles every now and then and this deliver if not exactly what it says on the tin, something near enough to it that you're not disspointed. After all with a slightly generous average track time of 4 minutes, you'd have to repeat their entire back catalogue every 14 hours, all Beatles, all the time woul wear thin pretty quickly. They've got a good mix, the music from the era blends in well, as does the solo work. The covers gives the music a bit of a twist just giving a different slant to a song you've known for a while.

Connection wise I never had an issue. They seem to classify themselves as a stream, so there's a slighty odd american who introduces the station everytime you tune in to it, but it only lasts 10 seconds or so and then its straight into the music. BeatlesRadio.com is online online only, so no DJ's as such and only really advertises its own and sister radio stations \ websites. After a week or so listening to commercial stations I must say I find the lack of ads and introductions refreshing.

The supporting website is pretty detailed with a lot of supporting information and services available for the average Beatle fan. Picture and video pages are a nice touch and a forum to provide the community a voice is also available. They also seem to have a good line in merchandise, some connected to the station, some just Beatles memorabilia.

Overall it's a well thought out station, it provides a die hard Beatles fan enough to keep them happy while not boring the rest of us with an endless cycle of the same songs. Backed up well and with no connection issues I give BeatlesRadio.com a TURN-ON rating.

Brisbanes Best Mix 97.3fm

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:42:00 +0000

This one came up in the 80's genre again, and I have to admit that I choose it based upon a little twinge of nostalgia for the the 2 months I spent in the Queensland city of Brisbane.

The first time I listened to this station was a bit like listening to a 'Best of the 80's soft rock' compilation, and I loved every minute of it. The Australians to seem to like a bit of the rock and this station delivers it. Over time there is a bit more of a balance in the tracks but still heavily 80's orientated. The closest to current music I heard was an interview with James Blunt, based on the fact he was touring out there. I'd add one small note on this station, much as I liked it, there's only so much classic 80's a person can take. I can't see this station being one for day after day listening, there's GOT to be a lot of repeats (I've not heard it yet, but they've got to play Khe Sanh at least once a day surely...)

97.3fm is a local commercial radio station and as such has all the normal features such as news, DJ's, traffic etc. This in itself is quite an oddity, as I was getting ready for my commute to work I was listening to problems on the roads in Brisbane... One thing I haven't noticed is the adverts, maybe I'm just not tuned in to them like the UK ones, but if they're there they blend into the general DJ chatter. Again it could be the change from the norm, but I quite liked the Australian accent to the voices and the list of unusual place names.

The stream is pretty low quality, but one advantage to this is very few drops in the connection,in fact I can't recall one pause while it rebuffers the stream.

The 97.3fm website is a fairly typical commercial station site but really focuses on the lifestyle of it's listener rather than its choosen music. The site doesn't really add anything to the listening experience, unlike something like the UK's XFM station which realy trys to dig behind the music. But there are plenty of links to listen to the station, request songs and access podcasts /mp3's of the stations popular shows, all paid for by a number of banner adverts across the site.

A hard one to rate, I really enjoy the music they play but I can see it getting tired all too quickly (like a great song overplayed until it becomes irritating). All the same, I give this a TUNE-IN rating.

Houndogradio.com

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:21:00 +0000

This stations a bit of an oddity in that in ONLY seems to be available on wifi radio's. Searching for the station on google or going straight to the station name, houndogradio.com takes you to a placeholder site. No links to the station, no links to much at all...

But what about the station on wifi radio? It came up under the genre 'Bluegrass', but to my untrained ears, it definitely has a heavy country influence in it's playlists. I better start off by saying that country and western music isn't my normal genre, I don't especially dislike it, but other than the odd Johnny Cash CD I'm not a big listener. Having said that I really enjoyed the music on this station, I really enjoyed the mix of tracks played. The songs were interesting and that little bit different from my normal tastes while being accessible enough not to put me off. I didn't recognise even one artist or track, alhough that's probably no bad thing given my main knowledge of C&W finished at Shania Twain and that fella who had an achy breaky heart. Overall the music was a nice gentle introduction to a new genre.

Connection to the station via wifi radio was simple and relatively problem free. The station dropped every now and then, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Station jingles were relatively short and well intergrated with the music really not interrupting the flow of the station.

All this leaves us it the mystery of the missing website, a shame really as the station should be one to try out, but without a front end on the web I feel they're really missing out on most of their audience.

The disappointing lack of a front end website is just outweighed by the excellent blend of music to give houndogradio.com a TURN-ON rating.

0180's Lost Dance Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:39:00 +0000

This one popped up on my 'You might like this' list on Reciva, the site that supplies all the listings to my wifi radio. I'm not a huge fan of the site, it's exceptionally slow and really doesn't make finding a good online radio station that much easier, but I thought I'd give there recomendations a go.

0180s.com has a collection of channels, each with a slight different 80's theme from Dancefloor to Power Rock Ballards they cover a range of styles and tastes. As I was recommended Lost Dance Treasures, it was here I started.

I'll come straight out with it, I'm not a fan, neither was anyone within listening distance, in some cases, the lost need to stay lost... The music,as you'd expect from the station logo, is heavily 80's orientated, so at times there was a pleasant tingle of nostalgia. Unfortunately the tracks chosen more often led to a shudder of the 'I'd forgotten how bad that was' variety. I'm also not 100% sure they've got their themes right, from some soft rock to the Petshop Boys to Aciiiiiid to The B52's Rock Lobster. The consistency / flow of the music didn't really get going.

This leads me to possibly the biggest problem, in between EVERY track there's a 10-20 second pause. No station ID, just dead air. I guess it could be just scarily regular connection problems but it makes hard listening to whatever the reason.

0180s.com's website is very simple, it provides access to it's stations, it's sister sites (like 0170s.com, 01Jazz.com & 01Urban.com to name a few) and copious amounts of advertising. The nearest we get to some kind of extended service is a link to buy tracks heard on the radio.

Overall Lost Dance Treasures gets a DROP-IT rating for poor music, poor connections and a poor website. I originally gave this the next rating up, on the grounds that 80's music is popular, but I can't believe there's not a better 80's station out there, possibly one of 0180s.com's other channels...

Beach House Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:09:00 +0000

Beach House Radio or BHR as they call themselves, promises to bring you "the best Chillout, Funky House and acoustic summer music to help you relax & de-stress no matter what time of the year", which to a large degree fits its music perfectly.

Another internet only, 100% music, no DJ's, no ads station, Beach House Radio relies on donations to buy it's bandwidth. It does also offer branded merchandise where I assume part of the profit would support the station. They even have a "Funds raised this month" caption to inspire people to donate

BHR delivers pretty heavily on the chillout, in fact I wasn't sure for a track or 2 whether I'd accidentally switched my wifi radio on to stream from a Ministry of Sound chillout cd. The tracks seem to be pretty mainstream when I've tuned in, but they do publish a schedule showing slightly differing music mixes, so there maybe newer unknown track played at other times. This all sounds good, but it felt a little too comfortable, there was no surpise at liking a track you've never heard before. I guess that's the trade off, known chillout favourites makes for few turn off moments, but few exciting moments too. They do include some station ID jingles every couple of tracks, but more strangely they also seem to just pause for 20-30 seconds between the occasional tracks. I've not worked out why yet, but it seems to well placed to be a connection dropping

Connecting through the wifi radio can take a few tries to get a solid connection with an occasional pause to re-buffer the music. I faired less well on their website with it all seeming to load, but no music on a number of occasions. That's a shame as the player gives you some interesting options, it shows a couple of tracks either side of the current one and allows you not only to click on them to see more details but also to buy them

The supporting website is basic, but fit for purpose (if you'll forgive a redirection to the parents companies url). Basic details about the type of music are included, some attempt to give background or news about the artist and a new forum for people to talk to the station producers.

I've yet to make up my mind on this one, I've a feeling it could be one of those things that grows on you. But if, as they say on their home page, they continue to struggle to get donations they may close before they get a chance.

I give them a tentative TURN-ON rating for the connectivity issues

Xfm

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:54:00 +0000

Now a series of stations, Xfm started out in London playing new alternative music. Over the years, to my ears the station has either played more mainstream music or that their style of music has become the mainstream. I'd sum up their music as alternative or indie. There's no pop, although you'll find plenty of their playlist in the charts. Looking at the playlist as I write this I see the likes of Biffy Clyro and Hard-Fi as well as some classic indie from the likes of REM.

Their online provision comes with its own player if your using your PC and a hi and low bandwidth version if you're using a wifi radio. This is a standard radio station with DJ's, news reports, the weather and most importantly ad breaks. This has a couple of effects, firstly it really eats into the music time and secondly as they are a commercial station they need to please their sponsors. To my mind this does lead them at times to a fairly repetitive playlist, often playing the latest popular alternative songs on a daily frequency. Having said that they do make a better effort than most with a number of features seeking out new music makers. They also sponsor a series of gigs showing their commitment to live music.

Strangely enough for a major station (compared to some of the internet only ones) I do have problems with connections to Xfm. Generally it's just a refusal to connect rather than the station dropping, but with all the choice out there I don't give a station a second chance in that sitting.

Their site is pretty detailed with a decent tracklisting showing what's been played, a schedule informing you about the next DJ and their features and a host of information about current music news.

Xfm have recently introduced mi-xfm a personalised radio station. Similar in essence to Last.fm, it allows you to pick an Xfm sub genre and then start to rate tracks allowing it to learn your taste. A great idea for the PC (although not as wide a choice as last.fm) the concept doesn't click at all with wifi radios.

Let down overall by it's unavoidably repetitive nature Xfm still scores a TURN-ON rating and is my favourite in-car station.

Lounge-Radio.com

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:46:00 +0000

It must be my favourite type of music at the moment (either that or I didn't want my second review to be about a 'normal' radio station), as Lounge-Radio.com also plays a fair selection of swing and gentle jazzy tunes. They describe themselves as offering "light summer-plate consisting of downtempo and fresh beats of nujazz - dipped into the warmth of brazil electro and finely served with a breath of ambient". Like overblown dishes on a pub menu where goujons of cod with hand made pommes-frite disguises a perfectly acceptable helping of fish and chips, I'm not sure these trendified lables for the radio stations actually help people understand what the station will be playing.

I'm happy to report that Lounge-Radio.com plays a good mix of swing, chillout music, often with a slight latin beat. All good stuff if rarely recognisable as a classic reading through the playlist on their site confirms that they stay away from "mainstream" artists, but in this case it's no bad thing. This is definitely not floor filler high energy stuff, but it's good music for the tale end of a party or a chilled out BBQ.

Lounge-Radio.com is another listener sponsored station, so is low on adverts. I've also not heard a plea for cash during the broadcst, but there is an occasional "you're listening too.." in the now standard deep voiced american accent. I've not noticed any gaps in the service and have no problem getting a connection or the connection dropping.

The site is nicely laid out with easy access to the current playlist, it even tells you what's coming next. There's a forum discussing the music and station and links for musicians and DJ's to send in their work.

My current favourite station for everyday listening, Lounge-Radio.com gets a TUNE-IN rating.

First post, first station - Soma Illinois Street Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Online radio) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:27:00 +0000

It could be a lack of googling skills, but I can't seem to track down a site detailing or reviewing any of the 10 thousand radio stations available via Reciva on my Wifi radio. I switch it on and there's just TOO MUCH choice. So this is my attempt to fill the gap. I'd love to hear other peoples opinions on the stations I review or stations they know and love. So add comments or drop me a line if you want to post a review.

Soma Illinois Street Lounge. One of the ever changing cluster of SOMA radio stations Illinois Street Lounge offers "Classic bachelor pad, playful exotica and vintage music of tomorrow" acording to the onsite blurb. I wanted to like it, and occasionally I do, there's a little bit of swing, some old crooners and even the odd recognisable golden oldie. Can you tell there's a but coming?

On the downside, the vast majority of playlist seems to be synthesised updates from that era, I guess that's the "music of tomorow" element. Unfortunately this ends up feeling like the hold music from a particularly boring telephone system.

On the technical side, the connections always good, the music seems to go 24:7 with no real DJ interruptions and only the smallest hint of advertising. I say advertising, but really it's a request to support the station with paypal donations I've listened for hours and could only really say I've heard it 2 or 3 times.

Overall I give this station a TURN-ON rating