Back when I worked overnight at the paper I briefly got into Pandora, the music streaming service. It was pretty cool, except for the Death Cab for Cutie thing.
No matter what artists I requested or what songs I liked, Pandora just kept recommending Death Cab for Cutie. I started creating new channels with the strangest combinations I could think of, but it was insistent. Arvo Pärt and Blondie? It recommended Death Cab for Cutie. Amy Grant and Kanye? Death Cab for Cutie. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and the Ramones? Death Cab, again.
It’s not that I hated Death Cab for Cutie, mind you, but that I came to distrust Pandora’s algorithms. I began to wonder if there was some kind of payola involved. Or maybe if you picked any two pre-2000 artists, the algorithm just figured you were old and that old people probably all like Death Cab for Cutie. I dunno. It was weird.
Anyway, I heard this song last night and really liked it. It’s the new one from Death Cab for Cutie.
So I may owe Pandora an apology.
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