Right, so Amazon thinks it knows what I want, does it? I'm the flea on the long tail, am I? Eh? Let's PUT IT TO THE TEST. Amazon recommends the following new releases for me. Right. 70 pages of them. That's impractical. Let's take the first five.

Two Door Cinema Club/Tourist History
Because I purchased: Yeasayer/Odd Blood and more
Good name. Cool cover. Maybe Amazon does know me. Let's listen to it. It's... propulsive... but... but it's... no, no, this is boring. Am I deciding to dislike it on the basis that I've been told I like it? Hmmm. No. No, it's the singer’s nothingy Scandi-but-not-actually-Scandinavian voice. And the ordinary songs. This is indie made with good equipment and bad ideas. There has been a record like this being made at any given time in the last 20 years. I don't like any of them. This is not in the same vein or league as Odd Blood.
Verdict: AMAWRONG

The Besnard Lakes/The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
Because I rated: Joanna Newsom/Have One On Me
Like the portentous album title. Like the portentous opening squall. This is big and epic and deep and heavy stuff. Wide eyed stare music, but pretty pumped-up too. I do like this. Boy/girl shared vocals, saying not very much about anything. Lots of layers. Sounds like Low playing with J Mascis. OK, Amazon, you got me this time.
Verdict: AMAWRIGHT

Goldfrapp/Head First
Because I rated: Hot Chip/One Life Stand and more
Well, Amazon thinks I like lightly intellectual electro pop. But, Amazon, do I like lightly intellectual electro pop? It seems like... I do! "Oh oh oh, I got a rocket, dooobie doobie do." It starts with the single, Rocket, which is currently setting fire to the Radio 2 playlist. All the songs are a little bit the same though. I do like this, but haven't lots of people made this record already? This is the problem with recommendations built on a complex matrix of things you've already heard - whatever it throws up, you've probably already heard that too, literally or historically. This is like having a chocolate you ate as a kid. A chocolate that tastes like Kylie. My analogy has broken down. On to the next.
Verdict: AMAWKINDARIGHT

Beach House/Teen Dream
Because I purchased: Yeasayer/Odd Blood and more
This, again, gets my hackles up, because it sounds like it should be right up my avenue. It's a bit Grizzly Bear. It's pretty. It's well made. But it's bloody boring. To do this sort of thing nowadays you have to be a bit more than this - the bar's much higher. The sort of record you like when you're trying to impress a girl who likes this sort of thing but don't when you're not. Lacks whelm.
Verdict: AMADONG

Field Music/Measure
Because I rated: Joanna Newsom/Have One On Me
Ah Amazon, you crafty internet monolith you - I definitely like Field Music. They sound like Paul McCartney if he'd been brought up on Pavement and Jim O'Rourke, not Lonnie Donegan and The La's. They like to be a little bit baroque as well. I'm getting to like baroque more and more as I get older. If it ain't baroque, erm, fix it, that's what I say. Go for baroque, that's another thing I say. Back to the point. Field Music. Yes. Amazon is right, I like these. Although this is a slightly lacklustre record compared to previous LPs.
Verdict: AMAWRIGHT

So what do we learn? Well, if you want to keep hearing the same sort of record - and there's nothing wrong with it if you do - then Amazon Recommends will help. But it's certainly not the best or only way, if you want to avoid ever-decreasing circles of interest. You can use Metacritic of course, but then consensus isn't always right. What about Spotify? Well, I tend to find Spotify recommends me stuff I already know (I do like David Bowie, thanks Spotify).

You can always check in with Shabby Culture of course. Better yet, tell us where you find out about new stuff.