Rdio Blog

New Music Tuesday - May 15, 2012

2012-05-15T11:58:42-07:00

By now, your summer playlists should at least be started, if not already well on their way to road trip-ready perfection. But don’t sign, seal, and deliver just yet — there’s still plenty of new music to add. UK garage-pop outfit The Cribs, Jack Black’s tongue-in-cheek rock duo Tenacious D, and party-starter Rye Rye all have new albums for your waiting playlists.

There’s more, too — listen to our weekly New Music Tuesday playlist, read our playlist notes to ensure you get all that’s good this week and cruise the New Releases for a peek at what’s new.

Playlist Notes

Best Coast - The Only Place
Break out the sunglasses and beach towel: California girl Bethany Cosentino and cohort Bobb Bruno return with their second album of sunny SoCal pop this week.
Beach House - Bloom
Beach House’s break-out 2010 album Teen Dream was lauded for its sweeping grandeur and haunting melodies. Their new album builds on that formula with even more majesty imbued into each track, so expect to hears lots about Bloom this year.
Craft Spells - Gallery
Craft Spells is the one-man project of Justin Paul Vallesteros. His new EP melds his love of dreamy melodies with his penchant for uplifting, beat-driven electronic dance music.
Willie Nelson - Heroes
Country hero Willie Nelson’s new full-length is an inclusive mix of covers and originals, featuring cameos by Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, and other celebrity collaborations.
Scissor Sisters - “Only The Horses”
The Sisters are back — Jake Shears, Babydaddy, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis, and Randy Real teamed with producer and DJ Calvin Harris to create this single off their upcoming fourth studio album, Magic Hour.

An Rdio Exclusive: Listen to A Lanky Swede’s Soon, Soon, Soon

2012-05-15T09:00:00-07:00

A Lanky Swede is the new project of Ola Klüft, former frontman of Swedish indie rockers The Perishers. His new sound is mellower and prettier than his previous work, throwing his gentle croon into a new, softer light. A Lanky Swede’s debut album is Soon, Soon, Soon, and it’s out next week.

But you can listen to the album soon, soon, sooner than you thought — Soon, Soon, Soon is on Rdio now, a week before its official release. Listen to it below and add the album to your Rdio collection.

Welcome to the New Rdio

2012-05-14T14:06:17-07:00

Change is good. Which is why we’re pleased to share that starting today, the new Rdio is available to all. We’ve taken everything that already makes Rdio the best way to discover and listen to music and redesigned it to be even faster, simpler and more social.

The completely redesigned new Rdio is available on Rdio.com and the Rdio desktop apps. You'll find an updated Collection, drag and drop playlist creation, a personalized Heavy Rotation, and private playlists and much more.

Get the most out of the new Rdio

A new look and feel — More than just a boring spreadsheet of songs, new Rdio puts music and people front and center.
All in one place — Spend less time navigating. Music, playlists and your network are in one view.
Add entire albums to playlists — One of Rdio’s most-requested features is now a reality.
Browse even faster — Find music at lightning speed because pages remember your place. Browse a continuous stream of albums, explore one and easily return to the place you left off.
Listen with your network — From the People Sidebar, see what your network is listening to in real-time and listen along with one-click.
Let your network inspire your listening — Wondering if you’ll like an album in the charts or why it appeared in your Heavy Rotation? Under every album, hover over photos to see exactly who listened to it.
Sharing made simple — Drag and drop music into playlists or collection and share with others on Rdio without missing a beat. Music can also be shared on Facebook, Twitter or via email.
Create private playlists – In addition to public and collaborative playlists, now private playlists can be created and shared with just a select few.
Easily discover people to follow — Check out Rdio’s latest music influencers in the People Sidebar and find others to follow such as artists, critics, record labels and brands.

Visit www.rdio.com/new to learn more and let us know what you think by Tweeting about #NewRdio.

If you encounter anything out of the ordinary, get in touch with our support team via the help site or @RdioHelp.

This Week on Rdio: May 7 - 11, 2012

2012-05-11T13:04:55-07:00

Here's what happened this week on Rdio. Don't miss a thing — Like Rdio on Facebook, subscribe to the Rdio blog feed, and follow @Rdio on Twitter and on Rdio. Or drop by every Friday for our weekly blog round-up.

Here’s what happened on Rdio this week:

Rdio Recommends: April 2012 — What tunes might you have missed last month? Consult our monthly playlist to discover something great.
Mother’s Day Music: Share What Your Mama Gave Ya — We’re celebrating Mom and their musical influencer. What tunes did your mother introduce you to as a kid? Add it to the “Thanks, Ma!” playlist.
Developer App: re/spin — Import any Last.fm or Spotify playlist into Rdio.
New Music Tuesday, May 8, 2012 — New music from Keane, Silversun Pickups, Passion Pit, and Fiona Apple kicked off this week in style.
Only on Rdio: Hear Cary Brothers’ Covers EP a Week Early — Singer-songwriter Cary Brothers covers INXS, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, David Bowie, Matt & Kim, and Duran Duran on his new Covers EP.
Hear Blood Red Shoes’ New Single Exclusively on Rdio — Stripped-down UK rock duo Blood Red Shoes’ new single “Cold” is only on Rdio.
Listen to: Wonky — Be persuaded by this review to give Orbital’s Wonky a listen.

Follow this week’s newest Influencers:

Developer Apps: re/spin

2012-05-11T10:00:00-07:00

We’ll now be calling our regular API feature “Developer App” — but the coolness remains the same. This month, the awesome app created with a little help from the Rdio API is re/spin.

re/spin imports your playlists from Last.fm and Spotify to Rdio with just a few clicks. If you’re on Last.fm, either enter your Last.fm username or playlist URL to select and transfer your mixes over to Rdio. Spotify account holders will need to batch select tracks in Spotify, copy (ctrl+c or cmd+c), and paste the links into the re/spin text box to import. re/spin can help you organize your plethora of playlists to one central location on your favorite music source, Rdio.

Do you have a great idea for an awe-worthy app, or just want to learn more about the Rdio API? Visit Rdio’s Developer page. If it piques your interest, register for an API key to start building. Your creation may even earn you some cash from the Rdio Affliate Program. Need help? Visit our Github and API Google Group for sample code and libraries, or just for support.

Mother’s Day Music: Share What Your Mama Gave Ya

2012-05-10T10:00:00-07:00

This Sunday is Mother’s Day — it’s your chance to show ol’ Mumsy just how much you appreciate everything she's done for you. What better way to start thinking about how she influenced your life than by thinking about the music she introduced you to?

Did your mom spin records for you at a young age? Play classical while you were in the womb? Take you to your first rock and roll show? Think about the music, good or bad, that you might never have found without her, and add it to the “Thanks, Ma” playlist on Rdio. And don't forget to tell her about it. Have a happy Mother's Day!

Listen to: Wonky

2012-05-10T09:00:00-07:00

“After a multi-year hiatus, they dusted off their vintage gear and brought us a blend of vintage and contemporary styles that is all Orbital.

In this album, I hear a bit of In Sides and a bit of Middle of Nowhere. Folded into this are some expressions of current trends and styles, which I believe they successfully made their own. The best part for me is that I find every song on this album listenable repeatedly, which hasn't been true for at least two of their last albums. In typical Orbital style, this album has some sublimely beautiful moments, and at other times has flourishes that seem a bit hackneyed.

Overall, a quality offering. I'm glad they are back. I hope they can keep the creative juices flowing, and get back in prime form with their next release.”

— Jeff Elder

Hear Blood Red Shoes’ New Single Exclusively on Rdio

2012-05-08T13:00:00-07:00

Brighton, UK rock duo Blood Red Shoes are all about simplicity. Their pared-down, guitar and drums sound resonates with rock and roll’s essence, and they’ve been channeling that for three albums now. Their latest is the forthcoming In Time to Voices — the first single from that album is “Cold”, a song featuring singer Laura-Mary Carter's desperate wails and the pounding drums of Steven Ansell.

The single is out now, exclusively on Rdio, a week before its release. Try “Cold” to sample Blood Red Shoes’ upcoming album.

New Music Tuesday - May 8, 2012

2012-05-08T10:48:09-07:00

Looking for some new tunes to add to your collection? Got some holes in your latest playlist? Relax — it’s Tuesday once more, which means we’ve got a whole smorgasbord of new music for you. Blur vocalist and renaissance man Damon Albarn has a new solo full-length, as does Bon Iver bandmate and collaborator S. Carey. For something a little more upbeat, go with Brooklyn indie-pop outfit Here We Go Magic’s new album, or listen to the new OFF! for your hardcore fix.

Still jonesin’? As always, there’s even more music on our weekly New Music Tuesday playlist, in Rdio's New Releases and more suggestions among our playlist notes.

Playlist Notes

Keane - Strangeland
English piano-rockers Keane release their fourth album today, which marks a return to the simpler, minimal sounds of their first album.
Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods
The LA shoe-gaze quartet are following up their 2009 breakthrough, Swoon, with an album produced by Jacknife Lee, the man behind albums by Bloc Party and Snow Patrol.
Porter Robinson - “Language”
DJ/producer Porter Robinson’s new single is a sunny, euphoric mix of synths and drums.
Passion Pit - “Take A Walk”
The electro-pop outfit finally recorded a sophomore album to their hit 2009 debut, Manners. The album is schedule for July, but until then, we have this first groovy taste to tide us over.
Fiona Apple - “Every Single Night”
The 90s queen of confessional, passionate songwriting has a new single out this week in the form of the elegantly-traipsing, conversational “Every Single Night.” A new album’s on the way, but we’ll have to patiently wait until June.

Only on Rdio: Hear Cary Brothers’ Covers EP a Week Early

2012-05-08T09:00:00-07:00

The Nashville singer-songwriter Cary Brothers found fame with the track “Blue Eyes” in 2004, but he’s no one-hit wonder. Since then, he’s released two solo albums and toured extensively in the United States, all on the strength of his songwriting skills, passionate voice, and social media savvy.

Next week, Brothers will release Covers Volume One, an EP featuring his take on INXS, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, David Bowie, Matt & Kim, and Duran Duran tunes — you can hear it on Rdio now, a week early. Listen to Covers Volume One.