Peanuts In My Pocket

The focus of my 2026 music goal is exploration. I want to discover new artists and genres and share the experience along the way. For years, my music projects have been rooted in looking backward. Favorite songs. Familiar albums. Soundtracks to earlier versions of my life. That’s been meaningful, but it’s also safe.

This project is about moving in the opposite direction.

Using Music-Map, I’ll start the year with a favorite artist as my anchor. From there, I’ll choose an artist I do not already know from the surrounding cloud. If everyone nearby feels familiar, I’ll jump to the edge and pick someone further out. The goal is discovery, not confirmation.

For each artist, I’ll listen to their top ten most popular songs or, if one exists, a “This Is {artist}” playlist. From that session, I’ll select one or more favorite tracks and add them to a running playlist. That playlist is the 2026 Music Discovery Project, and I plan to share it as it evolves.

Here’s a concrete example of how this works. I started with Sublime. Since I already know most of the artists clustered around them, I jumped to the edge of the map and picked A Tribe Called Quest, a group I mainly knew through my son and his love of hip hop. From there, I moved on to RZA, then Cannibal Ox, and then RJD2. Each step introduced artists and songs that were new to me. That alone made the process feel worthwhile.

Rules

1. Start with one artist you already know and love. This is the anchor.
2. Use Music-Map to select an artist you do not already know. If the center is too familiar, choose from the edge.
3. Listen to either the artist’s top ten songs or a “This Is {artist}” playlist.
4. Add one or more favorite tracks to the project playlist.
5. Each new artist should be chosen based on the previous one. No random jumps.
6. Spend enough time with each artist to form an opinion, even if the conclusion is that it isn’t for you.
7. Share the playlist and the journey. This is about discovery, not optimization.

Why I’m Doing This

Retirement has given me time and patience. I can sit with music longer than I used to and let it unfold without rushing to judgment. I don’t expect to love everything I hear. In fact, I expect to reject a fair amount of it. That’s part of the point.

Discovery only works if you’re willing to be occasionally bored, confused, or surprised. The goal isn’t to build the perfect playlist or prove good taste. It’s to stay curious and keep moving forward instead of circling the same familiar sounds.

I also have a second music project planned for next year. My friend David is building a list of award-winning film scores, and I plan to listen to one each week. Beyond Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, my knowledge of film scores is thin. That’s fine. New music is the goal.