How to beat the algo-rhythm

Among my current fistful of earworms are songs from an early-1980s band named So-Do, whose music is a fabulous stew of post-punk, funk and dub music; a stew that emanated from reggae in the 1960s and '70s.

- Sanjoy Narayan

The Japanese band's unpredictably syncopated rhythms, singer and songwriter Hideshi Akuta's vocal style (he sings mainly in Japanese but with a smattering of English), and the overall catchiness of the music are infectious.

So-Do wasn't an algorithmic recommendation. It popped up on Bandcamp, on a human-curated list of new releases. I doubt I would have discovered this gem any other way. Even at their peak, they weren't known outside Japan.

It's easy to get hooked to streaming platforms and become overwhelmed by the largely AI-driven choices they push.