Warsaw is not my idea of a terrific pace to see a band -who wants to deal with Brooklyn? It says here take the L Train to Bedford Ave but then what? Still, I did it for Roulette (which ended up being two blocks away from the Barclay center) so I guess I’m stuck doing it here.
I’ve always liked Ed, he is like a miracle of science, a guy who quite literally did it his way and yet managed to get away with singer songwriter angst and pop moves I’ve never seen him perform poorly. So consider this an absolute must see.
For the first song off the eagerly anticipated new Brian Wilson album No Pier Pressure (best pun ever), Brian hooks up with two Beach Boys for a minor though not unpleasant Wilson circa Imagination type work. It swings like the mid-70s, mostly because of David Marks subte guitar (his solo is lovely and lowkey). Al Jardine adds his voice of the harmonies – B+
A pretty good top ten though it takes so log for things to shake up on the charts that “Style” feels like a seismatic chage. “Style” is also ot “Blank Space” -it seems tot ake seriously what “Blank Space” funned at: all heavy glances and playing patty fingers in the Holy Water?
Sam and Beck got huge bumps from the Grammys but otherwise no big time action, right? More interesting, Drake in at # 1, for what amounts to a mix tape, nearly going gold , only digital, IN THREE DAYS. And with that, Drake gets a serious claim to Kanye (or Jay Z for that matter) crown.
Ex’s & Ohs – Elle King – A rockabilly groover with a very smart line of patter that manages to live up to its, “Always gonna come, but they never wanna leave” Elle claims as she takes stock og her love life and finds it quite succesful – B+
Suicide is the end of a persons story at the place they decided to end it, and murder is an interruption of a life just about randomly. It matters how people die, it matters how an artist dies. Would Sylvia Path read the way she reads if she didn’t kill herself?
What stands out here is what stood out before: the lack of the slamdunk. No one day blows your mind. Saturday is a dog, Friday is the best, and Suday? Do you really wanna hang around to catch the Black Keys… I dunno…
Helling and belling across an an arena, AC/DC are the essence of a huge rock band, a towering power swinging on hells belles from the roof. I will be sorry if I miss em. Brian Johnson is a stellar lead singer, he dictates his pace and he is a joy to watch at any time and he isn’t the only leader of the band
When I saw this guy open for Kanye iw as less than impressed whatever, and I guess it is weird calling a song this in your face subtle, but at least subtleties of rhyme, of tempo, is lost on stage. On this extremely vicious hit back at blacks who didn’t like him questioning Fergusson, Lamar makes his point and then some: emancipation of a real nigga, he claims at the end. I buy it – A
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros lead singer, produced by Marcus Mumford, so it could be twee folkieness and veers close from time to time, but the songs are very very strong and the production is sweet and clean. An addictive, talented album, alll the more surprising if you’re used to a steady diet of Edward Sharpe – ALBUM OF THE WEEK -A-
It has some of the innocence of a Jonathan Richman and by innocence I am claiming what feels like a lack of knowledge of wrongdoing, an unknowledge of misogyny and ill treatment of a woman. The story of a platonic love affair is unlike what you expect from anybody, let alone any rapper
“Skylight”is a hard rock ballad in the verses which explodes into an anthemic instrumental with a sterling guitar solo on the break and a kitchen sink expanded power source chorus.
Perhaps she wasn’t completely aware the tremendous love and affection pop fans have for her, how her songs have gone from generation to generation. There is something about these songs that are unlike any one else, she had a unique voice as a songwriter and as a person -the melody of intense feelings.
Diana La Cazadora – War On Women – Steve Crawford would like this, a hard rocking ode to the Mexican wrestler, includes a Spanish language break and a lot of hard riffing sweetness in this hard nosed call out for strng, yeah even physically strong, women – B+
the harshest winter I can remember living through continues with a cold snap that has left even the thieves and murderers unwilling to brave the weather and all of us stranded in our apartments and houses. God help the homeless, deadly cold and brutal loneliness.
The moral equivalency we see in Dostoyevsky’s “Crime And Punishment” where an equality is implied between the murderer Raskolnikov and the prostitute Sonya. Try as it might, “Cabaret” equates the “Kit Cat Club” with the Nazi Party, juxtapositioning of jingoists, Jews, and jollies, is morally idiotic.
When we discover she has broken up with another twenty something, a Timor Steffens or a Brahim Zaibat, we don’t imagine her sitting on a couch with a large tub of Haagen Daz and “Sleepless In Seattle” on repeat. We imagine her looking through dancers auditions and picking out a replacement.
sounds like really weak “Runaway” plus SILENCE a la Yeezus but to less effect (it is more affected than effective) and Vic Mensa who is talented, like a rapping Frank Ocean and buddies with Chance The Rapper (plus, this is better than “Iconic”) playing the Pusha T role. Sia howling on a low track is weird but not terrible.
ot the greatest charts you’ll ever see but you can’t have everything, what it lacks in bang zoom it makes up with the Weeknd inching its way up the charts with the best 50 Shades track. Otherwise, the UK is reading more like the US charts every day, the only oddity here is Ella.
I am seeing #10, Gregory Porter, in a couple of weeks at the the Harlem Arts Salon at Harlem just as the supple grammy award winning jazz baritone reaches the height of his career with the most streamed jazz album of all times, 2013’s Liquid Spirit. The big man will be on the same bill as another big man, Tomas Doncker, who you might well claim is to the blues what Porter is to jazz.
Bitches N Marijuana – Chris Brown – Tyga and Schoolboy Q join Chris for a sound much closer to rap than dance, a somewhat bland and self-evident track, though hand it to Q,he has the best moment on the track – B
It works like an extreme ambient, it moves into the background with that steady flow and smooth voice, which he clips and stretches out over and over again. The songs are fully formed and samey, they could segue on the same beats, the same sounds, yet it works over and over again.
Absolutely the new Mavericks is the one we all have our eyes on, Juliana Hatfield? Really, doesn’t she hate everybody for making her play rock and roll or something? Why is she back with her old band? Kate Pierson? The B-52s stalwart has already released two great songs off her debut album so year, I am up for it. Colin Hay???? Still at work but yeah, it’s The Mavericks.
There will be EXTREMELY LIMITED tickets on sale today from 10am (EST) and available ONLY through The Irving Plaza Box Office. Tickets can only be purchased using cash and are limited to one per person.
Anyway, the increasingly tedious Moz is forcing another aging popular entertainer to change her life on the off chance he shows up for a six concert tour of the UK.Moz doesn’t just give veganism a bad name, he gives everything a bad name.
The former singer with the silky sensational 1970s band Shalamar, wh continued with an exemplary solo career, it is never not worth your while to pay your respects to the great singer and dancer, one of the original MTV superstars, and a terrific artist, Jody Watley. At BB Kings on Wednesday.
Upstairs By The Chinese Lamp – Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter – Billy Childs – I have to see Billy Childs live. Is he playing somewhere? This is just completely excellent, sweet and powerful jazz. This has the cultural cachet Americana just can’t get right. Wayne Shorter is God, simply the best – A
Snoop is laid back West Coast, Diddy is business class East Coast, and together they gave a thrilled to overflowing audience a trip through the 90s with huge stars, I mean Faith AND Lil Kim??? But as music, judged at face, these great songs didn’t translate well enough.
I am going with Chris Brown as the Talk Show guest of the week, with Taylor Swift (and John Oliver in the same show) a close second. I am not sure what Taylor has to sell, maybe her reputation as taylor and her gang of lawyers sue everything that moves every day of the week: she is like Disney suing Ma and Pa toy stores called Timberbell’s Home -as though the name belonged to Disney and not J.M. Barrie/ As for Chris Brown, who was 18 years old when he attacked Rihanna and Brown could join a monastery tomorrow and the headline would read: Woman beater finds God
A great week for songs and albums, the ew ones by Rhiannon, Martin, and Rumer are all excellent, and the current album by segments includes two goodies from Madonna, “Joan Of Arc” and (ot here) “Hold On”. Back to Rhiano, I do wish T-Bone wasn’t representing (again) but what the heck, at least she is a siger who deserves the overblown classicisism Burnett keeps on bringing it.
I can’t say I much care for “I Follow Seas” either and I just hope and pray they are not working on an album together. The couple bring out the worst in each other. It’s all so dark and lovely… The fiddle is dusky and not cool and the dup harmonizing is grating in its tastefulness. It sounds like the definition of middle class.
Joan Of Arc – Madonna – A melodic highlight of her new album, a heartbreak song with a weak metaphor (“I’m not Joan of Arc, not yet) which doesn’t seem to quite make sense after all but yet the bridge is so catchy the song should hit big any way – A-
Et maintenant le deluge, as Paul McCartney wrote in “Michelle” or maybe didn’t but still they are words that go together well because now Sir Paul has got his groove on with Yeezus and Ree Ree and it is time to suggest some more duets with the former Beatle
“Oh yeah, we had a meeting in New York with the boys, and we’re gonna come to North America again in the summer.” That’s blabbermouth Ron Wood telling GMI Rock News that, indeed, the Stones will be playing the States in 2015. Tidings of great joy no doubt though
Why is Costello opening for Steely Dan on what is a really pretty big tour? What sense does that mean. To be fair, Costello has played a whole lot over the past two years, you can’t throw a brick without seeing him and I personally have seen him something like five times since he opened for the Who at a charity gig a coupla years ago.
Raising The Skate – Speedy Ortiz – This is a big release for the band, the first post breakthrough soud and it is an artful indie rock with a great intro and an ace riff which repeats from oe end to the other, taking center stage here and there – B+
I have nothing against J.D., indeed I’d claim quite the opposite, I think it is sweet to have a real good rockabilly guy on the scene and I like this song, love the lick, but the song title? It didn’t work for the Cars and it doesn’t work here. The competition is too heavy- B
So I got my ticket yesterday for the Best Buy Theatre on West 44th gig on AMEX presale but what about folks without an AMEX card? Well, there is an AXS presale code and again rock nyc is proud to provide it. The tickets go on sale today (Thursday February 12th) at 10am.
On this live album “”12/31/75 Upper Darby, PA” Bruce was close but not quite Bruce yet. On the eve of 1976, “Devil In A Blue Dress” seguing into “Good Golly Miss Molly” into “CC Rider” as the minutes ticked into seconds, was the definition of the honest roar of rock and roll
Some days you wake up and a whole lotta shows go on sale and you really wanna see em and somedays they don’t. I hadn’t bought a ticket in over a week when boom boom boom, everywhere I looked, another show I wanted to see was on sale. Dig deep, Iman, I said to myself…
Whatever magic music weaves now it isn’t the magic of old, you don’t listen to it and think that you are finding the deep insides of an album, you can’t unlock or maybe even notice great albums the way you once did. Because one of the ingredients is missing, time
How about Bob Dylan’s 28th top ten album., eh? How about that. Costello on the new Dylan: “I think it’s really, truthfully, one of the greatest records he’s ever made. It’s so soulful. He’s obviously lived with those songs in his heart for a long time, and he sings them that way
The story is McCartney’s return to the top ten for the first time (as a solo artist, remember “Free As A Bird”) in a mind bending 29 years. Proof that hard work is its own reward, or at least if you insist on remainig contemporary at whatever the cost huess what will happen? You’ll remain consistent. McCartney is the antithesis of his fan base, he absolutely insists upon being part of the contemporary conversation. All those folks who didn’t know who McCartney was, the entire rap demographic give or take, sure does now.
Servilla – War Against Women – This is too hard rock for my tastes, if these guys were faster and less gothic in their mannerism they might be major and they might be major anyway… just not with me – B-
Here is further proof with the great Charli XCX’s cover of “Shake It Off” where she just about maitains the melody but speeds it way up and let’s it evolve into a beats heavy remix, punk by nature but not be birth, it is like the Ramones meet Morodor meets Joan Jett circa her poppy rocky “I Love Rock N Roll” Best
Everything kicks off tonight in Denver, with each night’s setlist featuring songs culled from across the band’s seven albums – including their most recent, 2012’s I Am Gemini – in addition to drawing heavily from The Ugly Organ. A cellist will also accompany the band throughout the tour to perform on all songs from that album’s era.
Set up by a jazz fuel obtuse and angular version of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Making Love”, the primary soul man of his generation followed the song with “Really Love” and “One Mo Gin”. This was a double up so great you may have to go back to Van Morrison following “Gloria” with “Caravan” in 1974 to find a better one.”
Up – Olly Murs, Demi Lovato – I’ve bee waiting for this to hit the US since last year, a terrific pop song –the sorta good guy track, one of the boys that Olly does so well. A catchy sorta English folk rock anthem dance track. Nice – A
Martin may not be the most popular singer songwriter of all time but he is a true rarity: year by year, song by song, album by album he either stays in place or gets better and better. This is just an excellent album, it will come and go but it is hard to fault this witty, literate, interesting, committed guy -ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
