I’ve just been listening to a friend’s last.fm playlist wirelessy through the iTouch plugged into the stereo while doing the washing up. It small pleasures like this that can make a weekend. And another reason why blip.fm feels like a toy (albeit a good one), while last.fm is a mission critical musical life-tool.

Have just been messing around with the last.fm beta and have to say that after a quick play it looks like a great leap forward.

Conceptually, last.fm is now based around The Library, which acts not only as a repository of everything you’ve played, but also of things you’d like to listen to or want to save for whatever reason. So now you can tag and save recommendations, which was something I was always wanting to do previously. Before now, I’d add last.fm artist profiles to my delicious. This is much tidier. Most importantly my profile seems to now have value beyond being a list of everything I’ve listened to.

The other thing I’ve noticed after a quick fiddle is the recommendations all seem more relevant. I don’t know if the algorithm has been changed, or if the layout of the page just makes it more accessible, but either way I’m going to be much more likely to check them out. Actually, I’ve just compared my two  sets of recommendations and they’re completely different – so yay for that!

I’m looking forward to using this a lot more.

Enjoying Bon Iver‘s For Emma, Forever Ago. Well, I think I am, but it has the curious quality of not existing except for when it’s actually being played. If I try to think of it at other times, there’s nothing there, nothing to recall – save for the that was Wisconsin, that was yesterday refrain of the last song, which bounces around inside your head for ages.

There’s no residue. It’s zero-emissions music. It means putting it on is a bit of an adventure, because you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get. There’s a sense of anticipation, but you don’t know of what, quite. And I like that. It’s good to have to listen to an album in order to enjoy it, if that makes any sense.

Goodbye Mischa and Martha, hello JS.

And last.fm. What to are you supposed to do with classical artists? I’ve just gone through iTunes changing the artists (which should be the performer, really…) to the composer, just for the sake of clarity.

But it feels dirty.