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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 02:43:44 pm

Title: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 02:43:44 pm
http://obscurometer.com/

Clearly I have very "suspect" taste in music


<blanks> overall obscurity level is...

    Bev Lee Harling - 88.6%
    The Moons - 89.7%
    Cliff Hillis - 92.8%
    The World Record - 90.1%
    Shoes - 82.9%
    Milo Greene - 80.5%
    Jets Overhead - 82.5%
    The Stars Explode - 98.4%
    The dBs - 92.5%
    Tim Burgess - 86.4%
    The Heartbreaks - 81.5%
    The Primitives - 71.6%
    Alto Verde - 98.9%
    Jimmy Cliff - 51.0%
    The Heavy - 62.9%
    Saint Etienne - 54.9%

    The Red Inspectors -  96.9%
    Third Coast Kings - 93.5%
    The Bamboos - 69.0%
    Calibro 35 - 86.8%
    Hannah William & The Tastemakers - 97.6%
    The Monophonics - 96.5%
    Kylie Auldist - 79.5%
    Menahan Street Band - 76.9%
    John Boutte - 89.9%
    Elikeh - 96.9%
    The Cactus Channel - 92.7%
    Michael Kiwanuka - 68.7%
    The Funk Ark - 93.1%
    Lee Fields and the Expressions - 81.2%
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: hutch on January 11, 2013, 02:57:14 pm
so they give you an overall score?

I'd love to see Azaghal do this and get a 100% obscure score.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 03:04:32 pm
it's the band's "obscurity" level as determined via last.fm, i'm sure there is some mumbo jumbo going on with the final calculation.

The least obscure act is Coldplay- 0%

 
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: azaghal1981 on January 11, 2013, 03:06:14 pm
I have no last.fm account.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 03:22:05 pm
the obscure rating given an artist is based on other last.fm user's.

I'm assumed by this statistic

Average Artist Obscurity:    92.1%
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 11, 2013, 03:29:51 pm
http://obscurometer.com/

Clearly I have very "suspect" taste in music


<blanks> overall obscurity level is...

    Bev Lee Harling - 88.6%
    The Moons - 89.7%
    Cliff Hillis - 92.8%
    The World Record - 90.1%
    Shoes - 82.9%
    Milo Greene - 80.5%
    Jets Overhead - 82.5%
    The Stars Explode - 98.4%
    The dBs - 92.5%
    Tim Burgess - 86.4%
    The Heartbreaks - 81.5%
    The Primitives - 71.6%
    Alto Verde - 98.9%
    Jimmy Cliff - 51.0%
    The Heavy - 62.9%
    Saint Etienne - 54.9%

    The Red Inspectors -  96.9%
    Third Coast Kings - 93.5%
    The Bamboos - 69.0%
    Calibro 35 - 86.8%
    Hannah William & The Tastemakers - 97.6%
    The Monophonics - 96.5%
    Kylie Auldist - 79.5%
    Menahan Street Band - 76.9%
    John Boutte - 89.9%
    Elikeh - 96.9%
    The Cactus Channel - 92.7%
    Michael Kiwanuka - 68.7%
    The Funk Ark - 93.1%
    Lee Fields and the Expressions - 81.2%


I think their system for detecting obscurity is pretty broken.  Tim Burgess has had 3 #1 albums and 2 #2 albums in the UK as the lead singer of the Charlatans.  I dont' think you can get much less obscure than him and yet he is rated at an 86.4 percent. 
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 03:35:38 pm
the obscurity rating would be based on his two solo records not his Charlatans albums.   

see also James - 51.5%
Tim Booth - 84.5%
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 11, 2013, 03:43:35 pm
the obscurity rating would be based on his two solo records not his Charlatans albums.   

see also James - 51.5%
Tim Booth - 84.5%

I think you have the term obscure confussed with how much someone like someone's music. People know who Tim Burgess is so he is not obscure. They choose not to listen to his solo work becuase they do not like and thus it is not reported on last fm.

Anyway the most obscure I could find by typing bands names in was "the bible" at 90.5%.

Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 03:53:11 pm
since the "obscurity" appears to be based on number of times a track is scrobbled on last.fm... more people listen to the Charlatans/James than Tim Burgess/Tim Booth, thus the solo recordings are considered more obscure.  I'm sure your going to find that for most side projects, that only the most diehard of fans tends to listen to them.  And in the case of Tim Burgess his solo project is far different from what the Charlatans release, so it's going to appeal to less fans.

 
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 11, 2013, 03:58:19 pm
further proof

Foo Fighters - 8.1%
Queens of the stone Age - 23.0%
Led Zeppelin - 18.9%

Them Crooked Vultures - 50%
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: HoyaSaxa03 on January 11, 2013, 04:06:12 pm
Artist   Obscurity   HoyaParanoia's Playcount

The Beatles   11.7%   906

The Magnetic Fields   47.9%   831

Bob Dylan   21.5%   701

Jens Lekman   54.2%   647

Drive-By Truckers   63.7%   632

The Replacements   56.8%   493

Belle and Sebastian   31.4%   445

The Rolling Stones   10.9%   441

M83   33.7%   414

Pavement   42.3%   392

Radiohead   3.1%   390

The Beach Boys   23.7%   388

Camera Obscura   45.8%   383

The Smiths   25.8%   347

Paul Simon   39.6%   336

Tom Waits   34.9%   331

The Decemberists   32.7%   296

Morrissey   38.6%   291

Wilco   37.4%   271

Ella Fitzgerald   34%   266

Charlie Parker   51.3%   266

Ryan Adams   41.1%   249

David Bowie   15.8%   246

Prefuse 73   55.1%   245

Cee Lo Green   46.5%   245

New Order   31.7%   238

The New Pornographers   47.9%   238

of Montreal   39.7%   231

The Byrds   39.8%   225

The Clash   24.8%   225

Pixies   25.2%   220

Against Me!   52.2%   220

Arcade Fire   22.7%   218

The Walkmen   46.5%   217

Ramones   29.8%   214

Miles Davis   35.2%   212

Superchunk   66.5%   212

Spoon   34.6%   209

Explosions in the Sky   40.3%   209

R.E.M.   18.2%   203

Creedence Clearwater Revival   24.9%   202

Elvis Costello & The...   56.6%   202

The Shins   23.4%   200

The Jam   46.9%   195

The Apples In Stereo   55.8%   195

The Cure   18.1%   194

Modest Mouse   22.7%   193

Guided by Voices   55%   193

Drake   19%   186

Yo La Tengo   42.8%   184
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 11, 2013, 04:08:18 pm
This one is pretty accurate on the relative quality of the music produced:

Phil Collins: 31.7
Genesis 37.9
Peter Gabriel 39.4
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 11, 2013, 04:19:15 pm
This only uses the top 50 artists from someones last fm account.  So if the artists music isn't very good people most likely it won't make very many top 50 whether it is obscure or not.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: Darth Ed on January 12, 2013, 03:00:30 am
I don't listen to a lot of obscure stuff, I guess. My average was 39.9%.

Here are my most obscure:

God Is an Astronaut   51%
The Magic Numbers   52.6%
Neko Case   53.4%
Natalie Merchant   53.5%
Big Star   57.9%
Sleater-Kinney   60.3%
A.C. Newman   61.6%
The Dears   62.7%
The Rosebuds   68.1%
The Essex Green   71.6%
Robyn Hitchcock   74.1%
Pela   79.1%
Dead Heart Bloom   86.7%
ilyAIMY   95.9%
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: i am gay and i like cats on January 12, 2013, 09:26:57 am
natalie merchant?

this meter should have a "sucks big dick as well"  rating
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: Bombay Chutney on January 13, 2013, 10:58:29 pm
My top artists are generally very mainstream.

My tastes are only more obscure than 21.3% of other users.
My favorite artists are 41.2% obscure on average.
Most obscure band  listed:  9353 at 94.8%

My top artists over the 50% mark:

The Dismemberment Plan   63.3%    2174
Bob Mould         69.5%    879
Jerry Garcia Band    84.8%    874
The Slickee Boys    92.7%    871
The Fleshtones    80.5%    791
Hüsker Dü    58.2%    780
X    65.3%    713
Government Issue    80.6%    579
The Damned    57.5%    541
Washington Social Club    85.7%    493
Joe Jackson    57.8%    485
Beauty Pill    88.9%    483
The Rosebuds    68.1%    466
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists    54.8%    411
The Psychedelic Furs    54.3%    392
The Hold Steady    55%    366
Black Flag    52.2%    357
9353    94.8%    350
Barry Manilow    56.4%    329
The Replacements    56.8%    327
Pansy Division    81.7%    325
Meat Puppets    57.6%    324

I'm a little concerned that I've listened to more Barry Manilow than The Replacements.  I'll fix that this week. :)


Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: Jaguar on January 14, 2013, 12:24:59 am
My musical tastes are more obscure than 90.7% of all other users.
My overall favorite bands and artists are 73.7% obscure on average.


Slowdive                          57%         194
Destroyalldreamers              77%         184
Malory                               79%        181
Monster Movie                    79.5%    175
Fleeting Joys                      86.4%      165
Ride                                  60.8%      165
Hammock                           60.1%      161
Swervedriver                  72.3%    159
Trespassers William              69.2%    158
Air Formation                  77.3%    151
The Daysleepers              76.9%    140
Chapterhouse                      69.3%    126
Windermere                         89.6%    123
Readymade                         82.6%    120
The Radio Dept.               53.1%    119
Rachel Goswell                83.8%    114
Highspire                            81.6%    112
Douglas Heart                 84.5%    111
Hearts of Black Science     87%       109
My Bloody Valentine                45.5%    108
SIANspheric                        89.4%    107
Mojave 3                        71.9%    106
The Morning After Girls     74.8%    103
Skywave                         78.3%    103
God Is an Astronaut          51%       101
The High Dials                  85.2%    100
Massive Attack               21.1%    99
Phaser                               91.6%    97
lovesliescrushing              80.1%    96
Ulrich Schnauss               57.3%    95
The High Violets               83.2%    94
Airiel                                  74.9%    94
Flavor Crystals                 92.4%    91
January                              89.5%    91
Spacemen 3                    65.2%    90
Brian Eno                       43.6%    90
Sennen                              83.1%    86
Loop                                  79%      86
Spiritualized                        54.8%    86
Dulcesky                            92%      85
Experimental Aircraft         83.9%    85
Soundpool                           81.5%    84
Lali Puna                         57%       84
The Lassie Foundation       90.3%    81
Ivy                                    63.1%    81
Bowery Electric                77.3%    80
The Black Angels              62%       79
The Voices                      87.9%    79
Blind Mr. Jones                    84.5%    79
The Meeting Places              82.2%        78


What's not obvious is that my artist list is much longer than what my repeat plays would indicate. They often just don't get logged for a variety of reasons.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 14, 2013, 01:13:26 am
My top artists are generally very mainstream.


The Slickee Boys    92.7%    871
The Fleshtones    80.5%    791
Government Issue    80.6%    579
9353    94.8%    350


i have seen these obscure artists (in 80's). I am guessing they arent very obscure on this board.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: killsaly on January 14, 2013, 12:00:56 pm
Jaguar's list wins.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: kosmo vinyl on January 14, 2013, 12:03:58 pm
Since I no longer use last.fm my list is just me putting in my favorite records of 2012 manually. 
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: atomicfront on January 14, 2013, 12:04:26 pm
Jaguar's list wins.

i guess you like british shoegazing bands from the early 90's.
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: killsaly on January 14, 2013, 12:28:02 pm
Not really.  I listen to more of the nu-gaze/shoegaze bands currently (or recently) making music:

Malory                               
Fleeting Joys                     
Air Formation               
The Daysleepers           
The Radio Dept.             
Highspire                           
The Morning After Girls   
Skywave                     
God Is an Astronaut       
The High Dials               
lovesliescrushing             
Ulrich Schnauss       
Airiel                     
Sennen                             
Experimental Aircraft         
Soundpool                       
The Black Angels       

I have tried to get into the Classic shoegaze stuff, but do not like it as much as the new bands (I do not hate it, and have a ton of it in my collection).  I could add another 70 bands to the above list of shoegaze and dreampop bands I dig more than the old bands.   

(Also, i do realize not all of the aforementioned bands are shoegaze, they were the ones I dig most from Jag's list)
Title: Re: The Obscurometer
Post by: Jaguar on January 14, 2013, 09:37:47 pm
^ Not showing up on my list but I'm sure you would agree with being represented are:

93MillionMilesFromTheSun

Presents For Sally

The Golden Awesome

The Fauns

Oh, and how in the world did SPC-ECO not show up there!?! I've listened to them a ton of times and love them like crazy. Maybe it's the multiple spellings of their name that skews the charts.


* The Golden Awesome's album was one of my very favorites for 2012. So sorry I could not make it to their show when they were in DC, especially since they came all the way from New Zealand. Probably never get that chance again. Love where I'm living but it's sure completely killed my show life.  :'(

Edit:

LOL. Oh, my. Just entered The Golden Awesome into the meter and got this:

"95.8%

None of the users indexed by the Obscurometer have the golden awesome in their top 50 artists lists. Because of this, the Obscurometer can not show top listener data for this artist."

Guess I need to go do something about that for them.

Not sure what I find odder, my general obsurity level or how many people I know in the listener lists for the more obscure bands. Goes to show that we all kind of stick together.


Also, I think Kosmo deserves recognition and I too would love to see Az's list. Too bad he deleteed his account a long time ago. The only reason he wouldn't get a 100% would be due to that pesky My Bloody Valentine becoming so Mainstream, sort of, since their tour. Somebody always has to ruin things.  ;)