But I know of those mentioned through the boards, not the site...

I prefer Cokemachineglow's way of dealing with new bands to DiS's, i.e. just reviewing their albums and labelling them as "No Big Hair". If one of those albums then gets a high score, which they invariably do, I'm genuinely interested to know what they sound like.

With the DiScover section... I think I'd just prefer to see it done away with and integrated properly into the main site. In a way, sectioning the bands off is like a relegation for them. It's kind of like that old saying in sport - if you're good enough, you're old enough. If these bands are that good, they should be on the main site, otherwise I see no real motivation to dedicate any of my time to them.

Maybe another issue is that I've heard of a quite of a lot of the bands already by the time they're covered here. For example, I remember when Oppenheimer had they're DiScover feature, their album had already been out in the US for 6 months or something. And I'm pretty sure that MMISL and the like have usually already had DiScover shows before they have DiScover features, which again taints the newness.

i get just about all my new music from either DiS or from the two (maybe three) friends i have with reliable taste.

to 'tread the boards'.

I have a good idea of what sort of music DiS likes and I know what they've 'DiScovered' is unlikely to climb my totem pole very high. I'm sure it's all very worthy, but I have more alternative stuff to listen to!

or bands which have something reviewed most of the time if I don't already know of them.

Youthmovies were pretty much one of the bands who got me into this site, as there was a lot of stuff of theirs mentioned on here.

And I love Manatees and Rolo Tomassi and MMISL....

Deerhunter I'm still not quite sure on mind.

I have discovered some excellent bands and my favourite band of 2007 (Down I Go) through DiS, so thanks!

but i'm lazy and don't like much music, so there you go.

...do you (DiS) believe you're introducing these bands to people first? Because coverage, at least of the bands mentioned here, seems to arrive in lots of places at once. Surely lots of people knew about Rolo Tomassi (for example) through Rock Sound/Holy Roar/MySpace/their constant touring before you 'discovered' them.

Whatever.

most of those bands (excluding Rolo) were discussed on the boards before they had editorial, so I'd imagine someone is certainly supporting them, somewhere.

you guys write articles?

<perplexed>

Purely because there seems to be a new one every week. With the bands you put on at RoTa and then the DiScover pieces etc etc. If I checked out every band that you claimed was 'the future' or even just 'pretty good' I'd not have enough time left to tie my shoelaces.

i just find that it raises my awareness of a band somewhat. then if people are also talking about them alot on the boards, i'll go listen to em. the two go hand in hand pretty well really.

...over the editorial. i've checked out a lot of editorial recommendations, and i read a lot of the features... but rarely find anything to get me really excited. i've discovered a lot of ace stuff through threads on here though - it's a more eclectic mix of tastes and there's more room for the uncool. which is cool.

x

www.myspace.com/motherandtheaddicts

I just cannot understand why they are not getting any attention. Please please please do an article about them.

ps, appologies if you already have.

fits in with my usual taste, then I'll definitely give them a listen.

I've recently discovered Cutting Pink With Knives, Rolo Tomassi and Meet Me In St Louis through DiS.

are were its at for me. then i maybe look at the reviews (although often not just go listen) after. I trust a collection of users over one reviewer....

I don't like rolo tommasi :(.

i then am moderately surprised when i dont hate them. but then i hate everything, and i'm a cock.

seems to rely on 'the boards', it's ironic that DiS as an organisation is generally seen to view them as something of a thorn in their side.

I'm afraid I don't consider a DiS recommendation to mean that I will like a band at all. In many cases, I would even consider it a negative recommendation (as outlined by Kev Kharas somewhere above as what the received idea of what an editorial band selection might be). There are one or two writers I listen to as a rule, but they don't write loads.

I had tried to introduce a more eclectic strand of coverage, but found it heavy going with detailed articles not really taken seriously in their placement. A pitched idea about a series specifically covering more underground music was turned down during the redesign. An idea for a gig diary was "maybe later if we have space"d. Suggestions to liven up the editorial top 50 were nixed. So I tailed off as a writer and recently (reluctantly) have just about given up on it. Mike made it pretty clear that he doesn't consider my finger to be on the pulse of what's good or what DiS is about at all.

I would say the current idea of a DiS band (see: "Proper New Band", whatever that means - according to who??) is often actually at odds with that of the readership. Hence why the users pretty much pick their own "DiS bands" via the boards and are rarely led by the editorial. The community offers a diverse, responsive, way-ahead-of-the-pack look at what's going on right now, regardless of how "Proper" a new band might be or how serious they are taken by industry or other media, or what they've sold over the counter, with no artificial boundary on what's acceptable or worthy.

rather than the 200 board users?

Rhetoorical question because, rather obviously, the bands that you discuss are not new. In particular, the British bands that are not London bands, are, generally, very well-known.