These Days: Tuesday, January 5th, 2016
Perhaps if they gave him a defense he could use?
These Days: Saturday, September 19th, 2015
It is not often I agree with Trump about anything, but I agreed with him about Syria: let Assad and ISIS fight it out and wait till the dust settles before you pick a side. Since nothings works for the Yanks, why not leave em to it? It is as though the US forgot what Russia learnt in their own excursions into Afghanistan: this shit will bankrupt you. Enough of wars, since you aren’t really on any side, let Russia go bankrupt for awhile.
Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 9-18-15 – 9-24-15
Whatever you might think of Beyonce, she has exquisite taste in collaborators and they don’t get much better than Naughty Boy. The master producer already has a track record and anybody who heard his Zayn Malik track from earlier this year can only pray they work together on Zayn’s solo comeback. Till then, this is a high falutin’ ballad with Bey tackling the hook like a real pro, absolutely giving over to it. Arrow, who handles a verse like a pro, I have never heard of but we all will after this – B+
Medium Cool: Best Talk Show Guests Week Of September 21st, 2015
Don Henley. selling a terrible new album, on Stephen Colbert, might be interesting in a trainwreck sort of way and James Taylor on Kimmel is always fun plus he is selling one of the best albums of the year, but I am going with Miss Piggy and Kermit -going through a nasty break up, on Kimmel.
Tommy Keene At Bowery Electric, September 17th, 2015, Review
He can dazzle you with his tight and smart band on point as one, and his constant inventiveness on every level, whether it be guitar on “Nowhere Drag”, a beautiful refrain on “Places That Are Gone”, or even on his own inevitable epitaph, like Bronson at the train station, leaving Dodge, “but what can a poor boy do…?” breaks through the clutter in our brain and lifts us somewhere we weren’t
Oldies But Goldies: Barack Obama’s Infinite Playlist from 2009
Soon the Obama Presidency will be history and we can all spend the next four years making fun of… well, who knows but someone. Still I predict this, the next President won’t have an Ipod playlist half as much fun as this one
10 Songs: Friday, September 18th, 2015
Bad Blood – Ryan Adams – While it isn’t my favorite Taylor Swift song at the same time, and while it is just one track off the upcoming Ryan does 1989 album, this is alright I suppose: it sounds like Ryan covering “Bad Blood”. Polite to its source, to a fault, it is a little bit strange. Why is he doing this? To teach us Taylor Swift is a good songwriter? Don’t we know that? – B
These Days: Friday, September 18th, 2015
People claim this is an important series, Mets Vs Yankees, but my friend Ben Buchwald claims otherwise. The Mets have the division sown up and home field advantage isn’t worth wearing out their players, and the Yanks have Wild card in pocket and don’t stand much of a chance of taking the division. So fun? Perhaps. Important? Not so fast.
UK Top 10 Albums: 9-18-15 – 9-24-15
Stereophonics were part of the Britpop explosion back in the 1990s and have kept going with a bunch of loyal Brits and Anglophiles as fans. Not me, though “C’est La Vie” is a goodie, Otherwise, I have seen the state of the charts and I am fast asleep.
UK Top 10 Singles 9-18-15 – 9-24-15
Justin back on top and of 10 songs, 9 are EDM, and one, “Fight Song” is so bad it should be illegal. The complete domination of the singles charts by dance is scary, it is ALL dubtstep and house and while I like both to a degree, who can take a steady diet?
Be Here Now: New Album Releases Reviewed 9-18-15 – 9-24-15
This Sixpence None The Richer singer releases an album of irreproachable country songs, Leigh’s voice has just enough undertow to suggest depth without solemnity, her ballads are subtle enough to draw you in and her singing is clear, clean and unadorned enough to gain your trust. Try “Cruel Heart” or “Chicago” or “”Tell Me Now Tennessee” -try anything, she co-wrote them all. Leigh name checks Dottie West but she reminds me of mid-period Iris DeMent without sounding like her at all – Album Of The Week – A
These Days: Thursday, September 17th, 2015
Cablevision: The worst run cable company, in a market that includes Time Warner, has been sold by the dreaded Dolan family to European telecom giant Altice is for $17.7 billion. Now if we can just convince them to buy the Knicks while they’re at it. But no. The fat pudgy face of James Dolan, a man so hated in this town he should run for President.
Oldies But Goldies: Rod Stewart As Serious Rock Star
This dates from 2009, and right now it reads a little like we take these truths to be self-evidently but at the time I thought Rod Stewart’s greatest achievements were more or less forgotten. So in a vail effort to rectify the situation… I wrote what everyone knows!
Last Call: Final Songs Off New Albums 9-11-15 – 9-17-15
I Was Doing Alright (Then A Few People Died) – Craig Finn – “Sometimes I wonder if anything means anything” a girl during a drunken late night three bottle conversations wonders. It’s a good question and we all know what Craig’s thoughts are, but it is good to hear him think his way through – A
Taylor Swift At Adele Levels Of sales For 1989
If she manages to surpass 11 million units sold, I don’t know how you could possibly follow it. I’ve long felt that the sheer hugeness of Adele’s achievement paralyzed. She couldn’t see any way to compete with herself and fiddled and faddled for years on end (the promise is 26 will be out later this year, but who knows?).
Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” At Madison Square Garden, Wednesday, September 16th, 2015, Reviewed
“I’m feeling very nostalgic”, Madonna claimed about her return to MSG 30 years after her first performance here. But she shouldn’t be. Madonna didn’t have the rebel heart for it then, she hadn’t learnt how hard she could cry, how alone she could be. She didn’t appreciate human frailty the way she did last night. She is playing tonight, if you love Madonna this is the concert you must see.
10 Songs: Thursday, November 17th, 2015
Slide – Myke Terry – “”being a black guy in a metal band has its challenges” claimed Myke of his four years as lead singer of Bury Your Dead, so does coming back as a sort of MOR soul singer, doing to soul what Darius Rucker did to, played it straight and and close to the chest – B+
Billboard Not by The Numbers
This is a real mess, nothing about Billboard’s charts means the slightest thing any more. For instance, Billboard had a post about how “Selena Gomez celebrates her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay chart, as “Good for You” rises 2-1.” Fine, but since it is # 7 in the Hot 100 what does it mean and what does it matter?
Spend New Year’s Eve 2015 With Jimmy Buffet In Margaritaville (Or Barclay center Rather)
Jimmy and Margaritaville for New Years Eve? I am a little wary of jumping too soon, it might be a little early to make the decision, plus, Jimmy is such a sunny individual, do we really really want to see him in Latest of late December…
Gwen Stefani Playing The Hammerstein October 17th, 2015
The last time I saw Gwen Stefani, nearly exactly a year ago, she was performing an excellent greatest hits package with her band No Doubt, at Central Park for Global Citizen. She was really incredible and the time before that, at MSG on her first solo tour, pushing the awesome Love Angel Music baby, she was, if anything even better. Me and my friend slip slided down to the 100s to the side of the street and she was practically sitting on my knee
“I SAW A MAN DIE ON THE INTERNET” -Interactive Art From California
The video will post from everyone’s facebook on September 16th at the exact same time. This will ensure that the videos progress is easy to track and promote. This video contains explicit language and difficult themes. If you do not want this content on your timeline or would feel more comfortable sharing this in the privacy of your home, that’s totally fine! If you would like to forward this campaign to others who might want to get involved, that’s great too!
These Days: Wednesday, September 16th, 2015
P. Diddy is a thieving bastard? That’s a shocker. According to Danity Kane ex-member Audrey O’Day “We have two platinum albums, let alone grossed over $1millon on Christina Aguilera’s Back To Basics tour while opening for her, and we came off that tour $15,000 in debt.” Quite how this is possible, we will have to wait to find out. Quite how he managed to siphon off everything I have no idea, but I bet it is a lot more interesting than Diddy’s career as a rapper
10 Songs: Wednesday, September 15th, 2015
Chocolate Factory – R. Kelly – before all that godawful stuck in a wardrobe crap, Kelly was seconds away from being a modern day Stevie Wonder with a larger libido and maybe a tenth the talent (which means he was great), and this was the lead song off the album that made us take R. Kelly seriously for a year or so. A masterful Wonder redux, a beautiful soul song of faith in love and metaphor – A
Top Summer Songs 2015? OMI, But Don’t Call Him Maybe
Much like the charts for the past couple of years, this is a strangely characterless state of affairs. The incredible homogenization of the charts means that the only curveball you ever get, the occasional OMI, comes from Youtube. It’s a pity.
The Wainwright Sisters, Lucy And Martha, Record An Album, Playing City Winery, November 2015
Martha is such a dirty mouthed diva, such an histrionic and brittle ill-tempered and temperament folk rocker, and Lucy a well tempered smart and delicate folkie. But apparently, the duo are at least half sisters, Martha’s Mom was the late extremely great Kate McGarrigle, and Lucy’s Mom is a member of one of the greatest sister acts ever and of all time, The Roches.
Opening For Pope Francis At Madison Square Garden On Friday, September 25th, 2015…
170 (90%) of the world leaders are at the UN the same day, I figure someone decided to put every terrorist main attraction at the same place and at the same time, it is a question of organization, you know. it saves time if we all just stick a giant bullseye on our backs and wander around the city. incidentally, the very next day is Global Citizen…
These Days: Tuesday, September 15th, 2015
I upgraded a couple of weeks and this sleep, smart operating system is the best in the business. Much better than the baffling 8.0 or luddite 7.0, it is a helluva easy system, a pleasure to negotiate and simple as 1.2.3. I have never had a Mac but I would be shocked if it is as good as this at getting you where you want to go. A personal favorite is the “Task View”. A great way to use your computer and if you have 8.0 the upgrade is free.
10 Songs: Tuesday, September 15th, 2015
Southern Hospitality – Ludacris – So crude that if it wasn’t so great you’d be right to wonder what the hell is his problem? I saw Ludacris open for Outkast back when this was first released and it brought the house down. Plus Pharrell Williams, the one man hook factory, is all over it. Finally, any song that has you singing along to a request you rub Ludacriss’ balls can’t be all bad – A
Taylor Upsahl’s “Viscerotonic” Reviewed
It is music for a peer group dealing with similar battles between theory and practice, how things feel and how they are, the emotional range is noticeable and the disquiet is tempered, sometimes distempered by mooted desire: it is all burgeoning lushness and self awareness. Sixteen years old , but sixteen years old unblinking looking into the heart, and sometimes into the dark.
US Top 10 Singles 9-26-15
What is it with the singles charts? It’s like watching paint dry, a tiny move at the top (Bieber drops to third, the two Weeknd’s move up a peg) and Ed has his third hit off X… you remember X, it dropped FIFTEEN MONTHS AGO. It might well be a bitch to get anything to hit big in the music world of 2015 but if it does -watch out, folks, because nothing else has moved an inch. Meanwhile, expect nothing but the weekend for months to come.
Dan Whitley’s “Calling All Gods” reviewed
The sound is broad, modern, owing as little as Whitley can manage to his antecedents, for a blues guitarist he is as wary as Gary Clark: completely unwilling to justify his sound through even his own past. It is post-modern mood blues for a 21st century audience and a world unwilling to justify itself to any one.
The Ultimate Madonna Concert Setlist… But She’ll Never Listen
Four from Rebel Heart because business is business and I love the album any way, but none off Hard Candy, Confessions From The Dancefloor, American Life, I’m Breathless (though I seriously considered “Hanky Panky”) and Who’s That Girl? Two from Music and three from Ray Of Light.
That Was The Week That Was: September 7th, 2015
Football season is upon us though with the sun still out I’ve held off taking any serious serious attention to it. The Jets drew the Browns and beat em well, journeyman QB Ryan Fitzpatrick everything the lousy Geno Smith isn’t. A couple more outings like this and guess who won’t be coming back. The Giants gave one away for no reason. The Yanks saved themselves from a sweep but with 20 games to go better keep their eye on the wildcard, the Mets keep on rolling, and have their first winning season 2008. Finally, Roger Federer lost to US Open winner Novak Djokovic.
rock nyc Top 10 Songs 9-11-15 – 9-17-15
This is weird, Lana, Keith, Kurt and Gary? I’ve dismissed all of these guys recently but a specific song has hit my pleasure zone and who am I to deny it? In a perfect world. Garfunkel and Oates would write the lyrics to all of Lana’s songs. My only problem with G&O is when they make nasty noises like gagging on dick and being nauseated by pussy. It sounds terrible over earphones.
US Top 10 Albums 9-26-15
everything that has been building since Drake took over from Weezy(or at least Frank Ocean and the rest of Odd Future) is boiling over and hip hop as art form is completely undeniable after so much rough and tumble Rick Ross-y gangsta. The concept is simple: we are assholes yes, but we know it. There are worse ideas out there. The Five Finger Death Punch maybe the best hard rock album of the year not nailed down by Titus Andronicus.
Let’s Active: rock nyc Top Concert Picks Week Of September 14th, 2015
With a fabulous album, Laugh in The Dark, just released and a deep back catalog to dip into, Tommy Keene is bringing along power poppers Dot Dash to Bowery Electric and for less than ten bucks (a ridiculously great price) all this can be yours on Thursday. I have never seen Keene on stage and wonder if he can deliver…
These Days: Sunday, September 13th, 2015
I guess you can call this the end of the Tony Blair era once and for all in the UK, the Labour Party has chosen to stop being a carbon copy of the Conservatives and voted socialist Jeremy Corbyn their new leader. Paradise redux? One thing is certain, unlike the States stuck with a right and an extreme right party system, the UK now has a serious alternative and possibly the first real change since Harold Wilson’s second term. The UK now has a two party system, two more than the US has.
10 Songs: Sunday, September 13th. 2015
Little Sister – Queens Of The Stone Age – I couldn’t take their last album but this one from 2005 is a doozy at least until they go riff mental… their glam instincts would work for em if they left it… nice bridge – B+
Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Album Releases 9-18-15 – 9-24-15
Of the big ones I am not impressed with, put Keith Richards at the top of the list and then add Chris Cornell, Mac Miller, Metric, The Front Bottoms who are emerging into one of the biggest disappointments, then moved to the maybes with Lana Del Rey, Motion City Soundtrack, Mercury Rev, Robert Forster, David Gilmour and Lucero. Finally, the battle for most intimating, intimate, and anticipated album of next week… no not Robert Delong or Darlene Love but RUDIMENTAL!!! If only because it includes one of Bobby Womack’s last vocals. And not only because of that either.
10 Songs: Monday, September 14th, 2015
True Blue – Madonna – Has doo wop ever sounded better. Just a straight up, 50sish perfect pop tune that everybody loves and if they don’t they miss the pop music gene in their soul… she is playing it on this tour!!! – A+
Magellan’s Calls on Major U.S. Presidential Candidates to Quit… So How Is That Working For Ya?
Trent Gardner and Wayne Gardner, formed the band in 1985 and, much like their namesake Ferdinand Magellan have been navigating historic lesson songs with consistently prog-rocky effect till February 2014 when guitarist Wayne killed himself.That left brother Trent, who did everything else, to soldier on alone.
How Success Changes Songs Even If It Is The Exact Same Song
I only have to hear that Pitchfork and Consequence Of Sound like a song for me to doubt my own instincts. And absolutely, for me, popularity improves a sound. Lorde’s “Royal” is a perfect example where I dismissed it and dismissed it and though it took a live performance to turn me all the way around, its success was what had me wondering.
These Days: Saturday, September 12th, 2015
“A group of ten patrol officers on the nightwatch conducts end-of-shift get-togethers they euphemistically call “choir practices” (possibly to hide their true nature from superiors but actually a sardonic reference). These “choir practices” almost always involve heavy drinking, complaints about their superior officers, and war stories (and, occasionally, group sex with a pair of lusty, overweight barmaids). They hold the choir practices in MacArthur Park because it is in another division’s territory and “one does not shit in one’s own nest.”
10 Songs: Saturday, September 12th, 2015
Still waiting for its official release, this is a Stonesy meets punk workout with a great groove and a Stiv Bators via Mike Hudson (who is indeed the lead singer) vocal, all snarl and drugs, Richard Duguay’s guitar is fluid and fast and first rate. If Hollywood High was art rock by other means, “Hopped Up” is 70s punk by professional hit men – A
Going Steady: New Singles 9-11-15 – 9-17-15
In which Kurt expands his horizon into MOR old school rock, with a piano motif up close and personal, and I hated it yesterday but I think I missed it because I was expecting something completely different. This is a beautiful and strange rhythmic hook, it is like there are two beats and one falls off and discombobulates the song and neither rests with the drums- B+
Medium Cool: Best Talk Show Guest Week Of September 14th, 2015
Miguel on Fallon wins, though Run The Jewels TV On The Radio come close… I wouldn’t mind catching Leona Lewis on Ellen.
Oldies But Goldies: Through Bob Dylan Darkly Reached The 90s
Six years ago I reviewed every single Dylan album, decade by decade. Why? Same reasons as ever I had room to fill. Here is my look back at Dylan in the 1990s. I haven’t read this in years and years -wonder if it is any good. I do believe I’ve improved of the years. But as a fan recently mentioned, I shouldn’t be allowed to write about music
These Days: Friday, September 11th, 2015
went to see Michael Jackson with a girl named Christina at MSG the night before (with Whitney Houston! and Marlon Brando!) and we’d been out all night (Id taken the next day off work), we were at a bar in Queens when we saw it on the news, I took the last running train back to the city as my niece Louba was at work and I wanted to get her home safely… crossing 5th ave I watched WTC topple. Picked up Louba and no way out of the city we went on a pub crawl…
UK Top 10 Albums: 9-11-15 – 9-17-15
Listening to A Ha while deciding on a grade, I had chosen a “C” and was ready to move on when my PC froze but the album kept playing, and the last time I’ve hated a song I couldn’t get rid of was when I was riding a very busy subway and couldn’t get my hands to my IPOD to stop a Smashing Pumpkin’s album for twenty minutes. Truly cast in steel from hell.
UK Top 10 Singles 9-11-15 – 9-17-15
Here is a funny quote for you pop pickers, Sigala on writing “Easy Love”: “This is so amazing. I had no idea this would ever be a Number 1 record. I wrote this song in my bedroom on a Sunday evening after a couple of beers. I had no idea it would go to the top of the charts!” In case you haven’t heard the song, the reason it is so funny is because the song is a pretty straightforward remix of “ABC”. It’s like adding drums to “A Hard Rains Gonna fall” and claiming you wrote it in a quiet hour at home.