Iman Lababedi

Automatic Systematic Habit – Garbage – Electronic hard rock dance that mess field day and Shirley is in very fine voice. If this is anything to go by, Garbage made it back. Grade: B+

I am not offering a blanket condemnation, the title track, “Jericho”, “Welcome To the Ball” are all very good songs. But they can’t keep the album, a conceptual mish mash and a silly move into the mainstream, afloat. It is his worst album to date… though still pretty damn good.

Enrique Iglesias was worse. A mediocre set came to a complete halt when he brought out a child, she couldn’t have . It was one of the most mortifying thing I’ve ever seen. He was THIRTY YEARS OLD FOR GOD’S SAKE. He should have been arrested on the spot

Wow, this couldn’t suck mych more of it bought an I Suck For the USa and stuck it on its Chevy. Keane? Exist to make Coldplay look cool. I have only heard one song off the Damon album so it is hard to judge but if I had to…

Classy smooth jazz cat with a wicked sense of humor and, like many a jazz man before him, got picked up in Europe before the US. Perhaps it is the salted dryness of his tongue in check humor. Why doesn’t he worry? Because he knows nothing it is going to go right – Grade: A

wasn’t insane over the Unplugged album, but man can she sing. And Florence + The Machine at radio City Music Hall is about about big as it gets. Listening to the setlist, I am psyched in another pretty good week. On Tuesday.

With the exception of Rufus not much happenning here. But what is very strange is how Lana has held on since the begining of the year. Admirable, but strange.

Kinda drag here, except for B.o.B. not much action on the UK charts. As for carly, talk about the right song at the right time!

Good Times Theme – Silver Screen Symphony – Easy Credit rip offs? Temporary layoffs? The theme from the Inner City ethnic comedy couldn’t decide if they believed in them or not, but for all the edge, it was a blueprint for the arrived Jeffersons and top of the food chain. The song is a catchy so and so, pure, er, dy-no-mite – Grade: A-

6. Kathllen Edwards at Webster Hall gave overshare whole new vistas of meeting, she calls her boyfriend Justin Vernon anything she fucking wants to because she has size 12 boots on April 28th.

Masters Of My Make-Believe – Santigold – The poor man’s MIA only kills once, the mindbending beats ahoy Karen O “GO!”. The rest of this eagerly awaited dance pop album, is jam packed with modern tropes from soulful ballads to Africana tom tom hooks. But it is less than its parts – Grade: B+

Tulane and Johnny sell drugs from behind the counter of a novelty shop. When the cops bust in, Johnny trips and is caught but Tulane gets away in Berry’s 1970 last great flying car fantasy. From 1970, check out the harp as primary musical instrument. – Grade: A+

Beer Money – Kip Moore – By the numbers country boy, kicks some shit without getting his shoes dirty. Country rock, sure, but country rock for the girlies – Grade: B+

Is it me or does Gotye look like a young Barry Manilow. And sound like a seriously depressed tomcat. Funny how little movement compared to the BB200, but I got a feeling Payphone is gonna hang around… though not as long as Jagger.

Congrats to White though a # 1 isn’t what it used to be. The two rough neck country boy toys? Lee isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever heard.

Daughters – Nas – Written for his 17 year old kid, I dismissed this song as nothing special but it is at least somewhat special: as he writes about “his precious little girl”, Nas seems to invade her privacy and the song isn’t good enough to withstand the inappropriateness. On the plus side, the chorus is catchy and there is something so charming in an old time rapper being such a strong parent figure. In the end, the latter is more important than most anything else. grade: A

The two covers are from Dylan and the Everly Brothers, the absolute standards as far as a very clean clear version are “Run Of The Mill” and “My Sweet Lord”. the Naked redux is “All Things Must Pass” and the new song, “Woman Don’t You Cry”, isn’t up to much.

Jason Seigel and Emily Blunt meet AWESOME “Sweet thing” is playing in the background) in San Francisco, get engaged, and move to Michigan when Emily gets a post-doctorate,. Jason, a Sous Chef, is stuck making sandwiches at a Deli while Emily starts a fliration with her boss.

Two weeks ago, a phenomenan aoccured and while I noted it, I failed to mention it. Both Bonnie Raitt and Hoodie Allen were on the Billboard Top 10 album charts and both albums were self released.

So in all these years, what new tricks has MM learnt? Delayed gratification is its own reward and the sizzling ooos and 11111s enhanced intro is the modern equivalent of an acoustic intro to a hard rocker. And then it is a hard rocker – Grade: B+

Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way that You Feel About Me – Justin Townes Earle – Just about perfect singer-songwriter malais, a trip to nowhere and back in search of peace of mind.

You Won’t regret It – Ceu – Sensational lovers rock, ranking pop sensation. It is gonna be hard to topple this Brazilian beauty, though until she sings in English on a consistent basis, Shakira won’t be worrying.

1920s flapper? Sure and so much more. A near perfect swing gal with just enough personality to make what are now standards once her own. And little enough to record under different names for different styles. Ps? Best use of the word “necessity” in a song.

A blunderbuss is somebody “unsubtle or clumsy” -so let’s call it a minor self portrait and it will point you to what is wrong, or at least not quite right, with Blunderbuss: it is a minor work. a tinted mirror of White backing in on itself, and self-referential, self-absorbed, it doesn’t invite the listener in.

An exciting day! New Santigold, Marilyn, Elvis, Rufus (MY GIRL THINKS i’M GAY FOR HIM), B.o,B. , Beach Boys (and it is really good)… and the Harrison demo shows King exactly what it means to release demos.

Somethings Gotta Give – Frank Sinatra – Johnny Mercer wrote over 380 songs and had more hits than either Irving Berlin or George Gershwin. Here, Sinatra shows why. Grade: A

It would be cool if it was [released] this year. I always want to release music as soon as possible, but more and more I’m realizing it’s something you almost have no control over. We just never want to be in a position [where] when we put out something, we feel could’ve benefited from more time”

On one of those special weeks of pop in the city )(next weekend is pretty awesome as well), Scissor Sisters at Bowery Ballroom wins the place of honor. BB is T5 -where they are playing later this year, it is a small, first rate room and although it’s a Sunday night, it is also a rare oppornuity to see a built for Arenas dance band in a intimate quarters!