Your Library
Subject Guide - Music
Welcome to the Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) music subject guide. Here we let you know selected new titles, our choice picks, help you to find music we hold and where to learn more. The titles are linked to the library catalogue.
So Browse, Explore and Let Us Know What You Think.
Why not write your own review? Just complete the Library review form, or pick up a copy from your branch and tell us what you've been reading or watching or listening to.
These Just In
Doves - Kingdom of rust
Royksopp - Junior
Leos Janacek - Intimate Letters
Jon Hassell - Last night the moon came dropping its clothes in the street
Paul Potts - Passione & Once chance
Eminem - Relapse
Bob Dylan - Together through life
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Gary Peacock, Keith Jarrett - Yesterdays 
PJ Harvey, John Parish - A woman a man walked by
Augie March - Watch me disappear
Manesh De Moor - Om Deeksha
Peaches - I feel cream
M Ward - Hold time
Various - Eurovision song contest: Moscow 2009
Lilly Allen - It's not me, it's you
Alice Russell - Pot of gold
John Dowland - Lute music Vols 1-4
White Lies - To lose my life
Picks of the Bunch
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School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
New York trio with a individual* sound, somewhere between shoegaze and a low-amp electronica. Sorta uplifting, sorta dreamy-like. * - If you have heard the Golden Palominos, they may sound like distant descendants.
Alice Russell - Pot of Gold
Upbeat 60s style. If you like Amy Winehouse, Duffy, this'll keep you happy. And she has a better voice.
Peaches - I feel cream
On her third album, Peaches gets somewhat less potty-mouthed, and more dancey. Not quite 'commercial', but more 'accessible'. So yeah, a little less thorny, but still edgy and good-to-great.
Nina Simone - Quiet now: night song
Has some fantastic renditions of magic songs: Black is the colour of my true love's hair, Ne me quitte pas, The other woman, The last rose of summer, Don't explain, and more. As the title suggests, it's the more mellow Simone. Superb.
Useful Websites
All music
http://www.allmusic.com/
A vast resource on all types of music, including cross-references, pointers to similar artists, biographies, discographies.
Myspace Music
music.myspace.com
The latest, the greatest. Discover, listen, worship, share, meet etc.
Beat
http://www.beat.com.au/music.php
Beat is a free Melbourne street paper, with music news, reviews and a gig/club guide.
Rollingstone
http://www.rollingstone.com/
The electronic sibling to the magazine, includes comprehensive listing of artists.
NME
http://www.nme.com/
The New Music Express online. News from the UK music scene and more.
The metal crypt
http://www.metalcrypt.com/
All things metal; reviews, interviews, editorials, band info; be warned - contains metal themes.
All About Jazz
Just like it says. Reviews, artist info, upcoming releases, as well as directories & guides to lots more.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Gramophone
http://www.gramophone.net/
Like the magazine, offers a wealth of reviews. Searching the archive (Gramofile) requires registration but that is free.
Music-Web International
http://www.musicweb-international.com/
Not the prettiest site, but there are squillions of CD reviews here, mostly classical, jazz, and film music.
Magazines
| Australian guitar magazine | As it says, all things (Australian) guitar |
| Downbeat | Jazz (US) |
| Gramophone | Classical - reviews, news, biogs, obituaries (UK) |
| Keyboard | All things keyboard (US) |
| Mojo | Reviews, news, in depth interviews (UK) |
| Q | Reviews, reviews, reviews, some news (UK) |
| Rolling stone | Australian ed. |
| Songlines | World music news, reviews (UK) |
| The source | Hip hop (US) |
| The Wire | New, progressive and/or littler-known music (UK) |
Looking for music? How to find material in the library
If you're looking for lists of what we have on CD select the ADVANCED search option and select the appropriate collection from the drop downlist. Try these collection searches:
CD classical
CD contemporary classical
CD jazz
CD blues
CD world music
CD new age music
CD soundtrack
A Guide to Shelf Numbers
| Subject | Find it at |
|---|---|
| General works on music | 780 |
| Dictionaries | 780.3 |
| Music history | 780.9 |
| Music biographies | 780.92 * |
| Vocal music | 782, 783 |
| Keyboard, electronic and percussion | 786 |
| String instruments | 787 |
| Wind instruments | 788 |
* There are more biographies in specific subheadings such as pianists, guitarists, opera singers and so on.
Reference Material
An introduction to some of the resources available. These items are not held at all branches so check the catalogue for locations. Note that reference items are not for loan.
The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians 20 volumes of information on music, musicians and almost everything music-related.
Oxford Music Online, the home of Grove music online (available from home and the library)
The full text of the dictionaries of music and musicians, opera and jazz, with selected links to the internet. Also offers audio samples of various musical themes, styles and composers. See the Library online resources page for access.
The concise Oxford dictionary of music
Dictionary of musical terms.
The new Kobbe's opera book
Detailed descriptions including characters, plot, selected history of performance, occasional explanation of the music.
Jazz - the rough guide
Biographies, selected discographies, and glossary.
The encyclopedia of popular music
A wealth of information about years of popular music including biographical references, discographies and indexes.
The encyclopedia of Australian rock and pop
Comprehensive and detailed information on Australian artists, bands including line-ups, histories/careers and discographies.
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