Stuff Tim Likes: Sound Opinions, Cassette From My Ex

Please welcome Soundopinions.org to my music blogroll on the right side of this page. I'm sure many of you are already aware of the show if you aren't already fans. I've been a fan since I discovered it on Chicago's WXRT early in college. About two years ago it made the move to Chicago Public Radio. This was a great move because the hour was now devoid of commercials and the show had the opportunity to be picked up by public radio stations across the country. Their current list of affiliate stations stands at 22.

The show is billed as "The World's Only Rock and Roll Talk Show" and is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, rock critics for the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune, respectively. It's a great mix of mainstream pop music and underground or older stuff I'd never known much about. They have news, amazing guests talking and performing, album reviews, listener comments and plenty of other special features. Most of all they have a great back and forth and their tastes are pretty solid as far as critics go. I discover new stuff, or at least start exploring stuff I vaguely knew about, all the time because of their show. Just this week I bought the new Saul Williams album based on his appearance on last week's show. In addition to the weekly broadcasts, it's also available as a podcast or a direct download so you can listen anytime. Anyway, Sound Opinions. Check it out.

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Cassette From My Ex is a site started by FOUND magazine's Jason Bitner. People (authors, musicians, film makers, radio personalities, website founders, anybody that's buddies with the founder I guess) submit a mixtape they made for a once-loved one, generally in high school. There's a writeup from the mix maker, liner notes and a stream of side A and B. Pretty entertaining and touching.