Music, like any other artistic endeavour, is endless progression. Artists influence artists who then write new tunes tempered by their culture. It’s in this steady march of evolution that we can lose sight of the bands that got us to this musical modern day — that’s where Spotify’s “Taste Rewind” comes in.
Right now, I am listening to “Dites moi m’sieru chevalier” by Maurice Chevalier as I write these words. It’s a static-y number from the 1920’s that I would have never in a zillion years stumbled upon, but Spotify believes it’s somehow related to three of my favourite bands: Phoenix, Arcade Fire, and Sia (dude whatever “Chandelier” is a great song).
And that’s exactly how “Taste Rewind” is supposed to work — decade-specific playlists generated from current artists based on your taste. Powered through a separate website, Taste Rewind asks you first to pick three of your bands/singers from a seemingly endless list of modern artists. Once three artists are selected, click “See My Rewind” and a handful of playlists will be generated. After taken a quick listen, you can choose whether to import these playlists into your Spotify account.
Is it a neat (and well-designed) way to discovered new-yet-old music? Definitely. Is it the most new or accurate way for finding tunes? Ehhhh, not really. Only picking three bands — who could be as diverse as Slayer, Kanye, and Elliott Smith — isn’t really enough information to accurately pick artists you might love. Then again, maybe that’s the point. To be guided by your musical interest and not a slave to it, so that you might stumble upon a little piece of music history you’d never discover otherwise.