Apple Music - Beard Blog

I Made You a Mixtape: Piracy to Playlist

April 15, 2023 by Ben Beard

My fascination with music began at the age of seven when I received a portable CD player and Michael Jackson’s HIStory album as a Christmas gift. Ever since, music has played an integral role in my daily routine. In the early 2000s, when Napster emerged, I started downloading pirated music to satiate my growing appetite for discovering new songs. I attribute pirated music to broadening my knowledge of music beyond the popular mainstream. It was through free music that I discovered artists such as The Guess Who, Doobie Brothers, and Hall & Oates. During my piracy days, I made countless mix CDs containing 12 to 18 songs to fit the 80-minute limit of a CD-R for myself and friends. Over time, I amassed over 200 mix CDs and the number only increased when I started driving, always ensuring I had a fresh mix CD for the car. The advent of MP3 CDs eventually slowed my mix CD creation, but there’s nothing quite like a well-curated 15-song mix CD to make driving around during your teenage years more enjoyable.

Fast forward to today, I’ve abandoned music piracy and switched to a streaming service. Though I can still make mix CDs, they seem outdated and my current vehicle lacks a CD player. Instead, I create playlists to suit my musical preferences. These could be categorized by genre, artist, or release date, but more often, I like to personalize a selection of songs that relate to a specific theme or concept. One of my favorite playlist creation techniques involves finding songs that sound like my current favorite tune. This approach typically leads me to explore genres that are new to me. Since I’m creating playlists rather than burning CDs, I can add or modify songs over time, continuously expanding the list as new music is released or discovered. Thanks to Apple Music, I can even generate Smart Playlists that automatically add songs from my library to a playlist based on criteria such as release date, genre, or artist.

I have experimented with several music recommendation services in the past, which suggest similar artists or songs. While this approach serves as a decent starting point, I have discovered that algorithms are unable to capture the nuances of music. I also attempted using AI, which provided better results compared to conventional music discovery methods; however, it lacked diversity. Some aspects of music discovery still demand a human touch.

I have compiled a lovely assortment of my personally curated playlists, along with custom artwork for each one. To accommodate those who do not use Apple Music, I have provided links to both Apple Music and Spotify. Please feel free to discover and enjoy these playlists on whichever streaming service you prefer. Click or tap on the logo that corresponds to your streaming service of choice to listen to the playlist.

Americana

The music industry created the term “Americana” as a sub-genre of country music, but many artists have rejected this classification. They prefer to be recognized as country musicians rather than being segregated into a category that doesn’t align with Nashville or Texas country music. I support their stance, but my Americana playlist is not meant to force them into a category they reject. Instead, it’s a selection of music with a distinct sound that evokes images of country roads, up-tempo rhythms, and profound lyrics. This playlist features artists such as Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, Morgan Wallen, and more. It’s my current favorite playlist to play while driving with the windows down.

Beard Bangers

Beard Bangers is my constantly evolving playlist of the latest hit songs (or Bangers) that I’m loving right now. This is my go-to playlist for discovering new music, and I update it regularly with fresh tracks as they are released and remove older songs as they age out.

Pacific Reggae

Hawaii and other Pacific islands have a very distinctive sub-genre of Reggae music. This mostly modern style of Reggae features the unique island sound, setting it apart from other contemporary Reggae music.

Cookout

I throw a cookout or barbecue at my house a few times a year and always have music playing. This playlist is what I typically play at these gatherings – a dynamic mix of new and classic tracks that perfectly set the tone for the occasion.

Good Vibes

Good Vibes is a playlist of Reggae (or similar) tracks that exude positivity and always put me in a good mood. It’s impossible to feel down when listening to these songs.

Reggae-Rock / Country

This playlist features artists who typically perform reggae-rock, but also sing country songs or covers, which I’m calling the Reggae-Rock-Country genre.

The Top 100 Songs: 2000s

November 10, 2022October 28, 2022 by Ben Beard

As a follow-up to my Top 100 Songs of the 1990s, I think it’s time to revisit the actual best decade of music.

The 2000s (aka Y2Ks, 00s, or the oughts) saw a dramatic change in popular music. Boy Bands flashed in the pan which led to R&B and Hip-Hop to top the charts. The early to mid 2000s saw one of my favorite musical themes, which still works well today. That being an R&B singer paired with a Hip-Hop artist creating collaborations like Ja Rule & J-Lo, Fat Joe & Ashanti, and Nelly & Jagged Edge.

I was in high school and college for all of the 2000s, so this era of music had a huge impact on my formative years. This is also when we first had the ability to download music through services like Napster. It was a simpler time, but also a time with a lot of really memorable music.

Much like the 1990s list, here are the rules I set for this list:
– Main singer can only appear once – Beyonce or Destiny’s Child, not both (this excludes features)
– No covers, original recordings only
– Must have been released as a single or on an album after December 31, 1999 and before January 1, 2010
– No compilations, best of, or greatest hits releases apply

To make these rankings, I started with a list of about 130 songs, then fed them through Pub Meeple’s ranking engine. Over about a week, I completed over 400 comparisons of two songs, head to head. This gave me the list I have below. I took the left over songs and culled the list based on what songs were not ranked high enough to make my list but couldn’t be left off a 2000s essential music list.

Top 10 John Mayer Songs

November 10, 2022September 9, 2022 by Ben Beard

John Mayer is by far my favorite musician and what better way to exercise that fact by creating a top 10 list.

I first discovered John Mayer in college when Daughters was at the height of its popularity. I had thought John was just a fleeting pop artist, but when a coworker 15 years my senior mentioned how good he is, and I must check him out. I started with the only two albums he had out at the time, Room for Squares and Heavier Things. Both of those pop albums were not the Mayer we know today. Outside of his hit singles, I was instantly drawn to Why Georgia and Neon where he flexed his guitar skills. Having an early appreciation for John Mayer’s deep cuts positioned me, as a fan, for the release of his masterpiece Continuum.

I’ve listened to the Continuum album probably more than any other music album in existence. Every song is great and conjures indivdual feelings, much like Usher’s Confessions. Since his third album, I’ve been a fan. More than 15 years later, he’s still putting out classic music and living up to what I would call the greatest guitar player of my generation.

I’ve had the pleasure and opportunity to see John Mayer live in concert twice in the past five years. Listening to his studio recordings are great, but being in an arena with him live brings it to a whole new level.

Dirty Heads – By The Numbers

August 30, 2022 by Ben Beard

My favorite band Dirty Heads recently released their eighth studio album which prompted me to update a long-running spreadsheet I’ve maintained. I like spreadsheets, stats, and organization so I paired that with my love of music and starting keeping track of my favorite band’s songs.

A few years back while listening to Dirty Heads’ back catalog I had wondered how often each singer in the band appears on their songs. Enter Microsoft Excel and a few hours of listening. I went through every song they’ve released and collected data based on who/when a singer is heard.

Over the last year, I haven’t really kept up with the spreadsheet and they haven’t released much new music. When the Dirty Heads announced a new album, Midnight Control, I was excited to update my list. The day that the album was released I went through the eight new songs and logged the data. After the updates, I made a graphic that I could share on Reddit and Facebook’s Dirty Heads groups.

I’ll probably continue to maintain this spreadsheet as the Dirty Heads are an independent band without the large following of a band like Maroon 5, so someone needs to do it.

Link to Dirty Heads spreadsheet

The Beard Blog Top Albums of 2021

December 30, 2021 by Ben Beard

Back again for 2021 are my picks for the best music albums released this past year. It seems we got a lot more music this year than a normal year since literally everyone was quarantined during most of 2020. I have a theory that many music artists forced themselves to make music with all that down time which resulted in large quantities of music, but not the best quality.

My picks for the best 5 albums of 2021, ranked not by best to worst, but by release date. These albums were selected for their overall enjoyability. It is becoming more rare that albums are enjoyable from beginning to end.

Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen (January 8, 2021)

This feels like it was released more than a year ago, but with the pandemic and Morgan’s racist slur controversy it feels a lot longer than it has been. Putting the video of drunk Morgan aside, this album is great. I attribute this album to my re-interest in modern country music. I think the genre is being redefined again and moving back towards its roots instead of trying to be pop. Because this album came out so early in 2021, I’ve logged the most hours listening to this than any of the others on this list.

Sob Rock by John Mayer (July 16, 2021)

The long-awaiting eighth studio album by John Mayer is a throwback to 80’s yacht rock and it’s intentional. While his last couple of albums were good Sob Rock feels like the most complete package since Continuum. My favorite song as of writing this on Sob Rock is Wild Blue, an upbeat mellow track with two great guitar solos. This album, like others on this list, was made to be listened to on vinyl. I wonder if that trend will continue in 2022 and beyond?

Heartland by Nelly (August 27, 2021)

Nelly finally released a country album! Sort of… After the commercial success of Over & Over featuring Tim McGraw Nelly fans have been clamoring for more country-ish songs from Nelly. The 2009 remix of Cruise with Florida Georgia Line increased that appetite even more. This album features some great guests including the aforementioned Florida Georgia Line, but my favorite is the track with Darius Rucker named ‘Ms. Drive Me Crazy’. I hope Nelly continues down this road as he may have found his niche in his second career in music, must like Hootie and the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker.

= by Ed Sheeran (October 29, 2021)

The first solo album from Ed since 2017 and we get another math symbol and he says he has one more coming (minus?). This may mark the first departure from pop music Ed has given us and that’s not a bad thing. As he matures he’s finding his artistry and that’s not always being at the top of the charts. This is a solid complete album, while not his best, is still one of the shining spots in year 2 of the pandemic.

An Evening with Silk Sonic by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, and Silk Sonic (November 12, 2021)

I’ve been waiting and waiting for new music from Bruno Mars for years and we finally got it! Much like his last album 24K Magic, his latest album has some sort of a theme and a guest, Anderson .Paak. The duo does a good job of being cheesy enough to fit their vibe without becoming an Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake SNL tune. Smokin’ Out the Window is by far my favorite song on this album with its funky sound, catchy chorus, and funny concept.

Honorable Mentions:

Sucker by Katastro (July 16, 2021)

A small independent album from a band I was mostly unaware of that came out over the summer and provided perfect summer driving music. If you’re a fan on the alternative/reggae genre, give this album a listen. It’s great from start to finish.

30 by Adele (November 2021)

How could I make this list and not include Adele? While this album is good, on my first three times through, I haven’t had enough time with for it to make my top list. The later tracks on the album hit hard emotionally and sometimes aren’t great for a casual listen.

Check out my lists from 2020 and 2019!

The Top 100 Songs: 1990s

October 5, 2021June 9, 2021 by Ben Beard

When you think about the best decade of music, you might immediately think the 60s or 70s. Some may argue it was the 80s or 90s. I was pretty sure the best decade of music was the 2000s, but now I’m convinced it was the 1990s.

This started as a top 10 list of 90s music, which was really hard because of all the different sounds during this era. Expanding the list to a top 100 was poised to be my most ambitious list yet. Turns out, my love for music and making lists made this a simple task. In the end, I decided to rank them using an online ranking generator allowing me to compare songs 2 by 2. I input my list of 110 songs into the ranking generator and did over 400 comparisons. The end results were very surprising.

The rules for this list, made up be me:
– No repeats for main attributed artist (e.g. Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson – Scream counts as an entry for both of them)
– No covers, original recordings only (e.g. Whitney Houston – I’m Every Woman originally recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978, not eligible)
– Must have been released as a single or on an album after December 31, 1989 and before January 1, 2000
– No complications, best of, or greatest hits releases apply

For your and my listening pleasure, I’ve created this list as both an Apple Music and Spotify playlist (see below)

The top 100 list is below in order based on my opinion, and because I’m me, there are 10 honorable mentions afterwards!

Did your favorite 90s song make the list?

Artist	Title	Year	Rank
Lauryn Hill	Doo Wop (That Thing)	1998	1
Bone Thugs -n- Harmony	Tha Crossroads	1995	2
Usher	You Make Me Wanna...	1997	3
Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson	Scream	1995	4
Whitney Houston	I Have Nothing	1992	5
2Pac	Changes	1998	6
Luniz	I Got 5 On It	1995	7
Boyz II Men	End of the Road	1991	8
Big Pun	Still Not a Playa (feat. Joe)	1998	9
Sublime	What I Got	1996	10
Mariah Carey	Fantasy	1997	11
Hanson	MMMBop	1997	12
TLC	Waterfalls	1994	13
Aaliyah	Are You That Somebody? *	1998	14
Alanis Morisette	You Oughta Know	1998	15
Hootie & The Blowfish	Hold My Hand	1994	16
Warren G & Nate Dogg	Regulate	1994	17
Dr. Dre	The Next Episode (feat. Snopp Dogg)	1999	18
Snopp Dogg	Who Am I (What's My Name)?	1993	19
Kci & JoJo	All My Life	1997	20
Blackstreet	No Diggity (feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen)	1996	21
No Doubt	Spiderwebs	1995	22
Alice in Chains	Rooster	1992	23
T.Q.	Westside	1998	24
Ice Cube	It Was a Good Day	1992	25
Outkast	Rosa Parks	1998	26
Blues Traveler	Run-Around	1994	27
The Notorious B.I.G.	Mo Money and Mo Problems (feat. Mase & Puff Daddy)	1997	28
Matchbox 20	3 am	1996	29
Ginuwine	Pony	1996	30
311	Down	1995	31
Ma$e	Feels So Good	1997	32
Rage Against the Machine	Bulls On Parade	1996	33
Do or Die	Po Pimp	1996	34
Soundgarden	Black Hole Sun	1994	35
Destiny's Child	Bug a Boo	1999	36
*NSYNC	Tearin' Up My Heart	1997	37
Jay-Z	Big Pimpin' (feat. UGK)	1999	38
Salt-N-Pepa	Shoop	1993	39
The Presidents of the United States of America	Peaches	1995	40
Beastie Boys	Intergalactic	1998	41
Eminem	My Name Is	1999	42
Green Day	Basket Case	1994	43
Ini Kamoze	Here Comes The Hotstepper	1994	44
Barenaked Ladies	One Week	1998	45
Juvenile	Ha	1998	46
Bush	Comedown	1994	47
Everlast	What It's Like	1994	48
Puff Daddy	I'll Be Missing You (feat. Faith Evans & 112)	1997	49
The Smashing Pumpkins	1979	1995	50
Third Eye Blind	Jumper	1997	51
Red Hot Chili Peppers	Under the Bridge	1991	52
The Cranberries	Zombie	1994	53
Spice Girls	Wannabe	1996	54
The Goo Goo Dolls	Iris	1998	55
Next	Too Close	1997	56
Keith Sweat	Nobody (feat. Athena Cage)	1996	57
Montell Jordan	This Is How We Do It	1995	58
DMX	Party Up (Up In Here)	1999	59
Metallica	Enter Sandman	1991	60
Backstreet Boys	I Want It That Way	1999	61
Wu-Tang Clan	C.R.E.A.M.	1993	62
Sugar Ray	Fly (feat. Super Cat)	1997	63
Lenny Kravitz	Fly Away	1998	64
Master P	Make 'Em Say Ugh	1997	65
Aerosmith	Crazy	1993	66
Mark Morrison	Return of the Mack	1996	67
Brandy	Sittin' Up In My Room	1995	68
The Chemical Brothers	Block Rockin' Beats	1997	69
"Weird Al" Yankovic	Amish Paradise	1996	70
Color Me Badd	I Wann Sex You Up	1991	71
Radiohead	Creep	1996	72
Kid Rock	Cowboy	1998	73
Will Smith	Gettin' Jiggy Wit It	1997	74
Ol' Dirty Bastard	Got Your Money (feat. Kelis)	1999	75
En Vogue	Free Your Mind	1992	76
Marcy Playground	Sex & Candy	1997	77
Naughty By Nature	O.P.P	1991	78
Crazy Town	Buttefly	1999	79
Jamiroquai	Virtual Insanity	1996	80
The (Dixie) Chicks	Wide Open Spaces	1998	81
Robyn	Show Me Love	1995	82
Ace of Base	The Sign	1993	83
Oasis	Wonderwall	1995	84
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	The Impression That I Get	1997	85
The Tony Rich Project	Nobody Knows	1995	86
SWV	Weak	1992	87
Sisqo	Thong Song	1999	88
702	Where My Girls At?	1999	89
Beck	Loser	1993	90
LeAnn Rimes	How Do I Live	1997	91
Mary J. Blige	Real Love	1992	92
The Prodigy	Firestarter	1996	93
Kris Kross	Jump	1992	94
Crystal Waters	100% Pure Love	1994	95
Babyface	Every Time I Close My Eyes	1996	96
Nine Inch Nails	Closer	1994	97
Snow	Informer	1994	98
Garbage	Only Happy When It Rains	1995	99
New Edition	Hit Me Off	1996	100

Honorable Mentions:
101. Shaggy – Bombastic (1995)
102. Meredith Brooks – Bitch (1997)
103. Jewel – Who Will Save Your Soul (1995)
104. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
105. LFO – Girl On TV (1999)
106. Lil’ Troy – Wanna Be a Baller (1999)
107. Vitamin C – Smile (1999)
108. The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) (1998)
109. 98º – The Hardest Thing (1998)
110. New Kids On the Block – Step By Step (1990)

*Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody? is not available on any digital platforms.

In Memoriam: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Tupac Shakur, Big Pun, Bradley Nowell, Lisa Left-Eye Lopes, Aaliyah, Nate Dogg, Layne Staley, Christopher Wallace, Chris Cornell, Adam Yauch, Dolores O’Riordan, Earl Simmons, Russel Jones, Keith Flint, Chris Kelly, and Kurt Cobain.

Credits: Wikipedia, Apple Music, Pub Meeple

The Best of 2020: Songs

December 23, 2020 by Ben Beard

Much like my albums of the year, I’m listing my songs of the year. These songs are standouts and heavily rotated tracks in my library. Only one of the songs happens tp appear on my albums of 2020 list. Nevertheless, it was tough to only pick three, but by limiting that small amount I pull some truly great songs that I’ll be listening to for years to come.

My Nelly Top 10 List

March 26, 2019 by Ben Beard

Some might call me a Nelly super-fan but I disagree. However, I will say that there are very few Nelly songs I dislike. When I first heard Nelly’s Country Grammar song way back in 2000, I instantly thought to myself, “Wow, I need to buy this album!” That was back before I had a job and buying an album was a big deal. I think I played the Country Grammar album from start to finish, 314 times. Nelly’s sound was different when he came out, it was more R&B but with a Hip-Hop rhythm. Even almost 20 years later, people are still emulating his style.

Nelly

Much like I did for Eminem, I’m going to list my top 10 favorite Nelly songs (with descriptions this time).

Ride Wit Me – Country Grammar (2000)
“Must be the money!” This might be the song that put Nelly on the “map” and it was the first time we heard him really lean into the sing-songy melodies he became known for. Ride Wit Me is an ultimate car cruising song.
Just A Dream – 5.0 (2010)
Hard hitting bass and strings backdrop make this song great. Just A Dream is easy to sing along to as well put on while cruising down the highway. “Tryin’ to get my Usher on, but I can’t let it burn.”
Fly Away – Sweatsuit (2005)
Originally debuted in the movie The Longest Yard this song tells the tale of unfair treatment of prisoners, much like the feature film. Another R&B type song that Nelly makes unforgettable. “I keep a gamma ray, I’ma G-5 G, Take a G-5 jeep, G-5 deep…”
Dilemma – Nellyville (2002)
A duet with the fabulous Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child) that brings back some great memories for me. There’s never a bad time to list to Dilemma. “Play my position like a shortstop, pick up everything mommy hittin’…”
Grillz – Sweatsuit (2005)
The 1st Hip-Hop song on the list. Grillz came out in the peak of rappers getting teeth ornaments decorated with gold & diamonds. This song has a very memorable bass line as well as fun lyrics for a truly stupid fashion trend. “I got a grill I call penny candy, ya know what that mean? It look like now&laters, gumdrop, jelly n beans”
Hot In Herre – Nellyville (2002)
Definitely a club banger, Hot in Herre is one of Nelly’s most popular songs because it’s fun, it’s hot, and makes you want to get up and dance. This might be the hottest beat The Neptunes have every produced. “Check your reflection, telling your best friend, girl I think my butt getting big!”
Country Grammar – Country Grammar (2000)
Nelly’s first official single from his debut album introduced us to his country roots and melodic style. I obsessed over memorizing every lyric in this song and I still remember it all today. “Let me in now, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, let me in now.”
E. I. – Country Grammar (2000)
A very early-2000s feel to this one, E.I. has everything from talking about clothes to buying drugs. This is another fun song to sign along to with the “uh-ooooohhhhh” repetition.
‘#1 – Nellyville (2002)
Nelly snaps back at all his haters and criticism in #1. This is one of my favorites because is able to deliver his message with crafty lyrics while still throwing in his melodic tendencies. “Straight emulatin’ my style, right to the down-down…”
Hey Porsche – M.O. (2013)
This song might signal the end of an era as Nelly has yet to release an album since M.O. Hey Porsche is a fun double entendre song where he throws in a lot of car analogies seemingly talking about a girl named Porsche. “Come and let me slide under, so I can work on, work on you!”

Honorable Mention – Where the Party At – Jagged Edge – Jagged Little Thrill (2001)
Fan Favorite – Cruise (Remix) – Florida Georgia Line – Here’s to the Good Times (2013)
Best of the Worst – The Fix – Single (2015)
Best Remix – Girlfriend (The Neptunes Remix) – NSYNC – Celebrity (2002)

Apple Music playlist

It’s my top 10 list, I make the rules…

Beard Blog’s five best albums of 2018

January 5, 2019 by Ben Beard

My picks for the best 5 albums of 2018, ranked not by best to worst, but by release date. These albums were selected for their overall enjoyability. It is becoming more rare that albums are enjoyable from beginning to end.

Man of the Woods by Justin Timberlake – 2/2/18

Motw

Justin Timerblake’s 5th solo album (counting 20/20 experience as two separate albums) explores new sounds. JT is dabbling in some country styles and it lands very well with his new “Man of the Woods” persona.

Beerbongs and Bentleys by Post Malone – 4/27/18

The second album by Post Malone shows his growth in the music business as well as proving that he’s for real and here to stay.

Dan + Shay – 6/22/18

D+S

The third and self titled album by country duo Day + Shay who are famous for taking the Rascal Flatts style and bringing it into modern country music.

This One’s For You Too by Luke Combs – 6/1/18

The re-release or “deluxe version” of This One’s For You released a year prior by Luke Combs. The 2018 album completes his debut into country music after being discovered from Vine.

Kamikaze by Eminem – 8/31/18

The 10th album by Eminem and according to Marshall, a makeup for his last pop-ish album. This album goes back to classic Eminem with funny lyrics, great rhymes and personal attacks. No holds barred.

Take time, before we get too deep into 2019 to take a listen to these albums if you haven’t yet.

Bonus: Here’s an Apple Music playlist with all 5 albums

My Eminem Top 10 List

September 20, 2018 by Ben Beard

I like Eminem’s music, but I’m not a super-fan. When he first burst onto the hip-hop scene, I enjoyed his funny stuff, but mostly liked it because it was the popular thing to do. As him and I grew older, I listened to him less and less.

I decided to make a personal top 10 list since he has put out a lot of different songs over a vast period of time.

When I’m Gone – Curtain Call
Rap God – The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Love the Way You Lie – Recovery
Forgot About Dre – (Dr. Dre) 2001
My Band – (D12) D12 World
Not Afraid – Recovery
Guilty Conscience – The Slim Shady LP
The Way I Am – The Marshal Mathers LP
Fast Lane – (Bad Meets Evil) Hell: The Sequel
Greatest – Kamikaze

Honorable Mention – Square Dance – The Eminem Show
Fan Favorite – Stan – The Marshall Mathers LP
Best of the Worst – Shake That – Curtain Call

I made an Apple Music playlist of these songs, if you’re interested.

Beard Blog Tech Reviews: Apple HomePod

March 9, 2018 by Ben Beard

The gadget you don’t need until you have one

HomePod: The iPod that lives in your home

HomePod

The latest product from tech giant Apple is their own take on the very popular “lady in a cylinder”. The HomePod aims to fill the gap where the competition lacks in areas such as sound quality, ease of use, and aesthetics. I’ve spent the last month with the HomePod, testing everything I could.

It Packs a Punch

The Apple HomePod is a small cylindrical device that is about the size of a two liter soda bottle, with the top cut off. It’s covered in a thick mesh that feels soft but also sturdy at the same time. Inside, the HomePod packs a large upward facing subwoofer and seven tweeters around the bottom circumference. In between those there is a six microphone array for hearing your voice as well as to fine tune the sound based on the surroundings. The speakers and microphones are controlled by a stripped-down version of the fourth generation Apple TV. The processing power allows you to shout anything at it and it responds very quickly.

High Fidelity

I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but I enjoy high quality music when I can get it. When I listen to music over bluetooth in my car I can hear the lower quality compared to playing over USB. That’s about the extent of my sound quality identifying experience. The HomePod does a great job of producing great sound in a small package. It sits next to my forty-eight inch, nine speaker sound bar, and the HomePod has noticeably better sound. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The music stopped and I thought “there’s no way she heard that.”[/perfectpullquote]The sound output fills my living room with high fidelity music so well that you would think I have a 7.1 surround sound system setup.

Apple’s Music

The HomePod only knows one music service and that’s Apple’s own Apple Music. That means the HomePod cannot play music from Spotify, Tidal, Google, or any other music service out there. You can play songs from Apple’s giant library, your own iTunes library, or songs you’ve previously purchased from iTunes, so there is a lot of variety. If that is not enough for you, you can still stream whatever you like from an iOS device to the speaker, just like you AirPlay to an Apple TV. The benefit of using Apple Music on the HomePod is you don’t need your iPhone or iPad to play it. In fact, if you turned off all your devices, it will still be able to play music from Apple’s streaming service. If you’re thinking of getting a HomePod, switching to or signing up for Apple Music is definitely worth it.

Hey Siri

Beyond playing great music, the HomePod packs the same helpful assistant as iPhones and iPads. Her name is Siri and she is very willing to help you any way she can. The HomePod doesn’t have a screen or a way for you to interact with anything, so Siri is limited. Speaking “Hey Siri…” into the air turns her attention towards you as she hangs on your next words. I’ve had moderate success with asking Siri random questions. I’ve been using Siri for a long time so I know how to ask her things and what she can and can’t do. Here are some things I asked my HomePod that resulted in the correct answer on the first try: What is 60g in oz?; What is the scientific name for a sloth?; How many tablespoons are in 20oz?; Who is Michael B. Jordan?; Who sings purple rain?

Contrary to your iPhone, Siri on the HomePod doesn’t know who you are. Whomever sets up the HomePod initially can choose to allow some details to be passed through the Apple account, but it’s still very limited. The nice thing about this is anyone that can yell “Hey Siri!” can control the HomePod. This can also cause some disagreements between people who want to hear two different songs.[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]One of my favorite HomePod activities is when I wake up with a random song in my head, I can shout out loud and have it played[/perfectpullquote]

One place where the HomePod excels over the competition is how well it can hear you. Even at whisper with music playing the HomePod picks up the “Hey Siri” command. I was in my kitchen cooking with the exhaust fan on, the HomePod was about twenty feet away with a wall between us. The HomePod was playing something from Apple Music when I said “Hey Siri skip” at a volume that a person next to me would struggle to hear. The music stopped and I thought “there’s no way she heard that.” The next song began to play and I was taken aback by how well it could hear my over all the noise.

The Kit of Home

Another way Siri on the HomePod is helpful is by controlling HomeKit devices. These are smart home devices that are compatible with Apple’s home ecosystem. I have structured the smart devices in my home around this ecosystem allowing me to take full advantage of Siri for automation and control. By shouting at the HomePod I can close my garage doors, turn up the heat, turn on/off lights, and trigger scenes I have setup. homepod The HomePod also acts as a HomeKit bridge that allows you to (if you don’t already have an Apple TV) access your HomeKit devices from outside your home network.

Who should buy one?

If you’re deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem (which is easy to do) with a subscription to Apple Music, HomeKit compatible devices (Philips Hue bulbs fit this bill), like listening to music in your home, and use an iOS device; the HomePod is definitely for you.

It’s going to be hard to find a lot of people that meet those criteria, which is Apple’s fault, but at the same time it helps get more people into their ecosystem.

One of my favorite HomePod activities is when I wake up with a random song in my head (which happens almost every morning) I can shout out loud and have it played, and it sounds great!

Measuring the Competition

Apple is late to the “lady in a can” game, which seems to be their modus operandi as of late. There is plenty of competition in this space and surprisingly the first mover here was Amazon with their Echo line. Amazon has released nine products with their Alexa assistant before the HomePod shipped. Google now has three different types of devices that use the Google Assistant for your home. Amazon, Google and Apple’s devices all have the same functions; play music, control smart devices, and try to answer your dimwitted questions.

Which one is the best? That’s a hard question to answer for everyone, and each person you ask might have a different answer. The best one for you is which system you’re invested in. Do you have Apple products throughout your home or are you more in the Google ecosystem? Amazon has the advantage of being the cheaper solution and throwing their products at consumers every way possible. It’s more likely you know someone with an Amazon product in their house than the other two.

HomePod

Apple’s HomePod is another great first generation product. A lot of people are comparing it to the the original Apple Watch, which is fair. Both of those devices are late entries to a new market for Apple and so far, both have been received very well. My time with the HomePod has been great and I don’t regret the purchase at all. I’m looking forward to the near future where Apple makes smaller/cheaper versions of the HomePod that I can stick in various places in my house.

In summary, John Gruber put it best when he wrote, “What AirPods are for your own ears, HomePod is for your home.”.

Which is better Apple Music or Spotify?

August 11, 2015 by Ben Beard

“HIStory”

My musical taste has always been under scrutiny by anyone who rides in the car with me. On any given day, my music library could play the likes of Nelly, followed by 2Pac, Michael Jackson, then John Mayer, and sprinkle in some country too. I call it eclectic, but others just call me confused. All that considered, I enjoy music very much and consider it vital to my existence, especially in the car. I used to be the guy who would be browsing through hundreds of CDs at the stoplight trying to find the right album. My history of music follows all the major trends as I was never afraid to adopt the latest craze. In high school it was all CDs and Napster.

It wasn’t until college that I got my first iPod, but I didn’t really jump in completely at first. I had an older car with an aftermarket stereo, so I was limited to options at the time. My favorite thing was the MP3 CD where you could load up a regular CD with 100-200 songs opposed to the traditional 15 or so songs.

“A Junkie’s Lament”