stereomood

Graham's review: I've been listening to stereomood for the past four weeks. Like Pandora, it streams music, but instead of starting with a song or artist I like, it creates a playlist based on the mood I select. The moods can be pretty specific, including choices like Lost in Thought, Foreplay, Need of Love, and Well-Read.

A radio station based on mood is perfect for me. I often look through my iTunes trying to find a song that will capture or transform my current mood. I mainly listen to Digital, or one of the stations that sound like it will keep me awake, usually Energetic or Let's Party. I turn on Digital while I'm working either at home or in the office, and just don't feel like listening to my regulars: Air, Thievery Corp, Zero 7, or classical. I listen to the other two stations when I feel super tired at work and I'm working on a task that doesn't require too much focus. I've heard a lot of good songs on Energetic and Lets Party, but the only one that comes to mind is "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire because it hit the spot the other day as I chugged away in Excel. Of course there are some missteps. Last week I listened to three horrible songs in a row on Energetic, which prompted me to return to my iTunes. Overall, it does a decent job of matching the songs to the mood, although it's probably hard to match perfectly for everyone.

Be careful, the volume starts out super loud and the meter is a little hard to find. Also, every time you click on a mood, it seems to start you out at the same song.