Ought To be More Songs About That – Montgomery Gentry
These creepy Kentucky country shitkickers deserve having the shit kicked out of em. At least Troy Gentry is. Troy is the asshole who bought a tame brown bear for a wild life preserve, killed it with a bow and arrow, and reedited the video to make it like the bear was killed in the wild. Yeah, he’s an asshole, but “Ought To Be More Songs About That” is a very effective piece of agitprop on behalf of the blue collar working man. The ten year vets in the biz duo with over twenty country hits under the belts get under your skin with an econic awareness Springsteen can’t seem to capture any more. The moral: no connection between the song and the person singing it. The other moral: you can either not shoot tame bears and be Rock NYC’s single of the week or you can shoot tame bears and not be Rock NYC’s single of the week. BUT YOU CAN’T DO BOTH.
Walking With You – Ringo Starr
Considered the closest thing to a new beatles song since “Free As A Bird’ which also sucked bad. In truth, the closest thing there has been to a new beatles song since they disbanded was Regina Spektor’s cover of Lennon’s “Real Love”
American Honey – Lady Antebellum
Lisa Fay and I went to see em at Joe’s Pub back in the day and we both retain a great deal of affection for the country trio who write great songs they sing only OK. “American Honey” is their first new song since the break through in 2008 and it is a honey of a song, thick as molasses vocal from Hillary Scott and gorgeous strings behind her and back up vocals so near it’s like a warm wind ruffling thru the leaves in the tree in the summertime. It’s all nostalgia and ache and sway. Single Of The Week.
Drop The Bomb On ‘Em – Eminem
Maybe I’ve had enough of Eminem for one year but relapse: refill is where Eminem wears out his welcome chez Iman and this is the same old same old.
I Am – Mary J. Blige
I must admit to prefer Mary J when she was a mess then when she became the voice of, what?, female self righteousness. I heard her say “Girls, go after your man’s money because that money belongs to you”. But like I said bad politics does not necessarily mean bad music. However, bad sex might and Mary J. is getting it good right now. “The One”, her first single off Stronger With Every Tear (I mean, really, must we) is one of the top singles of the year and “I Am” with its hiccuppy coda is even better.
Brain Damage (featuring Henry Rollins) – Stardeath and White Dwarves
Yup, that “Brain Damage”. This has something to do with the Flaming Lips recording of Pink Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon. Now I like the Flaming Lips as far as it goes but no further and think they are way overestimated and even with that I can’t believe how cimplete useless this concept is. There is NOTHING LEFT TO DO WITH DARK SIDE. The Rollins ending is beyond ghastly, the sonic doodahs a straight drag.
Escape Me (Avicii’s Remix At Night) – Tiesto
I was pretty disappointed in Tiesto’s Kaleidoscope album earlier this year. A major DJ, Tiesto got together with folks like Tegan and Sara and Nelly Fertado and seemed ready for a Ronson like pop move and it didn’t happen. Neither one nor the other it pretty much died a death though this remix by House producer is a tonic for the troops. Avicii takes three notes, plays em, plays in reverse, over and over again. Seven minutes of awesome.
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