Was it fun? A little too strenuous to be fun and Katy Perry getting best Best Video music division was enough for me to go back to “The Godfather Part II” even though this is the business I chose. So i went on to MTV.com and got everything a day later.
I wish Mary was still that little girl who wrote for me five years, but change just is and I know how proud her Mommy is over Mary’s constant successes. As am I, though I have nothing to do with it except look at the last five years with a certain sadness she will never be that little girl again.
“Seven months ago we didn’t know each other and just three months ago we were still in our day jobs, so our lives have been flipped upside down and now we have an album out on an amazing record label! We are so grateful for the whole experience and to our fans for getting us here.” whoever these fans are they must be stopped.
Union J are a boy band with a hit, Taylor we know, and the other new releases are dance except Guetta, which is dance as well of course, but dance as a soundtrack to a Western shoot em up and pretty good stuff. Dunno how he snuck a new one out without me knowing.
Half As Much – Hank Williams – Yes, I did call Elvis Presley the Thomas Edison of youth culture, which would make Williams what exactly? The Grandfather on the mother’s side of youth culture, I guess – A+
I caught three DJ sets, eleven year old wunderkind Ju5tin, who played mostly house, La Mega superstar DJ Alex who mixed Reggaeton with hip hop and dance, and DJ Lobo who was hardcore Latin American beats. None of them were bad but watching DJs has very limited appeal and the sparse turnout didn’t help with the atmosphere.
The keeper here is Michael Cera on Letterman. Cera -the Superbad actor who made unassuming a lifestyle choice, has a pretty good album just released, True That, which you can stream (or boy) here and may I recommend the Blaze Foley cover “Clay Pigeons”.
So the summer is over, kids are back at school and we’re still hear readying for Autumn with a busy week of new music, starting with Ariana Grande, who has released two good tracks from this alum and has also appeared on a number of other killer tracks this year and will probably have come up with the goods for her second but really her first album.
I’ve been waiting to catch Phil Gammage on stage all year, his January release Adventures In Bluesland remains one of my favorite albums of the year and the man has some pedigree. Great on the harp, bluesy rootsy voice, and the aesthetic of an art rocker, this is a big gig for him. BB King’s on Thursday. And a four hour gig!!! For ten bucks.
True Love – Coldplay – They got one, two? hits off the last album, not enough to give em the smash they are use to but enough to justify the downer uncoupling album, This, attempt number three or four, is a good song, nice strings, pretty – B+
AF couldn’t quite cash in on the good vibrations, how can so many people fail to cease the moment and imprint themselves on our DNA? There were short sharp dance sounds and a sense of restraint that didn’t build into a singular vision, a singular event. Seldom did they manage to sustain it, they were like the 2014 Yankees, they couldn’t put three wins together in a row
the imbecility of telling your record label they don’t have a contract when you don’t need one? What is that stupidity, right? It is like your holding four aces and when it comes your time to bet you show your hand first. Can nobody play the game? You sign contracts and then if they aren’t signed you don’t warn your record company.
“A number of people said to me on Twitter, if you’re going to go to St Lou, are you going to go to Ferguson? But we didn’t want to just go there and walk through Ferguson and be tourists. We wanted to do something for the community.”
The thing about all these acts is they define ordinary, never gonna be superstars but fast the first couple of hurdles where they can be part and parcel of some sort of 2010s revival tour in 2023, all they need is three hit songs and they are in, five hit songs and they can headline, ten and they aren’t on the nostalgia circuit at all.
Underage sex, alcoholism, threesome, and a quick wit. A gorgeous melody, great anthem. If this was released today Scotland Yard would have him in handcuffs, be searching his mansion, and wanting more information about his friendship with late Jimmy Saville, and 50 year old alcoholic women would be suing him.
Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga – Not the epic disaster of “Anything Goes” mostly because Gaga gets a little muscle into her verses but otherwise an incredible waste of energy and the death knell to what remains of Gaga’s once earth shattering career. A real pity – C+
If “Black Rage” is an accidental commentary, J. Cole’s “Born Free” is an “Ohio” for a different generation and another outrage. “That there is no justice kills my soul” Cole sings (not raps) on the Michael Brown tribute, where Cole sobs somewhere between a rap and a song. It is a powerful piano ballad, and it went viral, directly hitting the mark and answering the concerns of many black people.
Aztec Camera aka Roddy Frame aka the bloke who looked like he shoulda been in Orange Juice but instead was a sorta grown up Haircut 100 and got lumped but wouldn’t fit in all that early 80s Postcard scene. Listen to “Oblivious” below if you wanna know what the sound of 1983, aka thirty years ago!!
This maybe the best ten songs list of the year. Right at the top are two songs which will be very high on my end of year list, along with a third at the very bottom which will also make the near top of the year, meanwhile three artists I am on the record as to loathing, McGraw, Chesney and alt-j came up with crackerjacks, Kimba, who I have never much noticed, has a good album (I underestimated it earlier this week).
With the first album already in the tank, this is Americana if the term means a thing to you, a splendidly constructed singer songwriterly classically attuned rock ballad with a guitar break which is a pure beauty, and a bridge which seems to hover in space. This duo has a back story and I will write it up when the album drops, but till then hear this here – A-
The album has also been taken down from streaming site Rdio as well as the Stateside Amazon store as a digital purchase, reports Slicing Up Eyeballs, who add that it is currently not known if the move was at the behest of Morrissey or Harvest, the label on which the record was released. A UK representative for Morrissey refused to comment on the removal of the album in the US.
I am willing to accept that I underestimated Lil Wayne, who was personable, smart and had tons of great songs and as for Drake? I have no idea what woke him up but he was wide awake and indeed he won the battle of the rappers
The summer of 2014 is about to enter the books and while most the world was burning up, we here at rock nyc did what we always do, we listened to music and enjoyed the lovely lovely weather. But it is over now and so let’s look into the future, all the way to… CHRISTMAS!!
Now this is more like it. The story here is both Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea being represented by three songs each -yes, they overlap but so what, right? And none of them are dogs, really they’re not. I saw Ariana on stage last year and she was dreadful but with a hit album, who knows,, right? Next week: Taylor Time
The first three albums are various artists albums, the first two are REALLY various artists albums. The Gaslight Anthem sold 33K copies, their best ever but hardly in U2 territory. Otherwise this is much less volatile than usual isn’t it, a bit of a snooze actually.
Crushin’ It – Brad Paisley – Say what you want abut Brad, and I haven’t been a big fan in over a decade, he sure is his own person, this is another piece of extended funny plus guitar solo – B
Taylor responds to claims she can’t hold a man, indeed, seeing her ex with another woman, by dancing. Cohen reacts to hell by dancing the samba. And both react to troubles with humor. At the bottom, both these songs are darkly humorous. It is almost like shaking with laughter, it is almost like darkness. But it isn’t darkness yet.
I have a really really bad feeling about this one. rock nyc have already voiced serious concerns about the T Bone Burnet (the man who gives bad taste a bad name) produced high concept album, where in big time pop stars of a certain type, let’s call em Americana follies wherever they might come from, write the music to recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics from when he was 26 years old.
This is very thrilling stuff as far as I’m concerned and I can’t wait to see if he can pull off a second album as drastically brilliant as his first. Smith and FKA twig, both UK stars by the way, are the sound of 2014 and the sound of 2014 is melancholia mixed with desire. It uses EDM but it isn’t EDM, and if its roots are in soul that is only at the deepest level.
to McCartney. certainly, if they get it right it will be big time.
Next, “All Day” -a mix of “N—-z In Paris” and Draker’s “Started From The Bottom”, “All Day” is the way Kanye performs pop songs in 2014. Basically, he builds the entire song around repeating the hook every second line and third time around at an increasingly fanatical pace. I love it but I would.
You Can Be Loved – Orenda Fink – A hushed piece of heartbreak, though how it fits back into the overall theme of the album, I am not sure. Like so much of the best pop, it is a statement which needs know further affirmation – B+
Look Again To The Wind: Johhny Cash’s Bitter Tears revisited – Various Artists – His 1965 concept album in support of the Native Americans (again, in 1965 -before “Bury My Heart At Wounded Hill”) is giving some fine performances by the Milk carton Kids along with folks like Emmylou, Earle, Kristoffersson and I for one didn’t know the original but love this folk album very much – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
The first track off Smokey And Friends, the Motown giant’s duets album was so indifferent, Cee Lo joining him on “The Way You Do (The Things You Do)” and for the most part I was right but the album did have moments. Smokey is in fine voice throughout but he gains nothing special from the duets, nobody spurs him to heights.
This should be a blast and more importantly a place for Doncker and the many groups and singers of all types and styles his label presents, to test drive material off their upcoming releases. Including September 9ths eagerly anticipated “FUNKY WORLD,” True Groove’s Club/Dub/Dance compilation, which you can stream here
Former Smiths members keep on sucking and stupid ass writers keep on lying about them. The only good thing about the death of the rock crtic is nobody has to read the twerps at Rolling Stone’s brain dead blather about stuff they don’t quite grasp. In pitchfork synths are icy, in RS bass’s throb. Never met an adjective they couldn’t sexualy abuse.
April’s Bathroom Bummer – Devonte Hynes – The face of new r&b has taken a collaboration with Solange and ran with it to the top of new r&b, this soundtrack track is a minor but haunting work for the latest female coppo;a to become a director- B
the living breathing embodiment of awesomeness. Catchier than it is humanly possible for a song, I taped it onto my cell and I can’t still stop listening to it. So bubblelicisious it sticks to your fingers and so jumpy you can’t stop moving to it.
This was the week of FKA twigs debut album, which had the music critic world on its knees to the former dancer and current sound of desire as baffling tell off of sound and vision. This debut album, LP 1, is so strong they might as well just give her the Grammy for best new artist right now and have done with it.
“Other titles to suffer include Q magazine whose sales fell 21.8% to 46,096, but with digital rose to 48,353. Elsewhere, Mojo saw a dip of 10.9%, Uncut 12.1% and Kerrang sales have dropped 12.2% to 33,02, IPC publishing director Jo Smalley said that their total reach across all platforms was now 3.6 million – “bigger than it has ever been”, with traffic on their website growing by 85%.”
This is, how you say, lame. The Saturdays are lame, Gaslight Anthem is lame, Paloma Faith is lame and ONEREPUBLIC stink to high heaven and are lame. Let’s pass on this week right now.
This is kinda lame mix of mainstream pop, “though the charms of “Ghost” and “Faded” are slowly revealing themselves. Still, I can’t hear Nico and Venz or Magic! and I have tried. Leave me with Iggy, Charli and Ariana thank you very much.
An Imprecatory Psalm socking it to the Native Americans worst enemy and greatest revenge, as sung by one Johnny Cash back in 1965. This version, off an upcoming Johnny cash tribute album, sports a typical Earle rasping vocal but is no worse for it as he delights over “The General he don’t ride well anymore” – B+
The thing about Ree and Em is they are both cool customers, they can’t feign feelings, they work distance, and neither compromised on stage. Something else, Ree is on the record as only finding black men attractive, so quite literally there is no sparks on her part for Eminem and it shows
Let’s pass on the repulsive kiss the throat comment (I mean let’s pass on it now) and let’s assume Presley didn’t make it to the studio (plus: getting permission from Sony for anything Presley related is a bitch, so it probably helps that she records for columbia) , some of this sounds like it might be of interest. Stevie and Babyface to name but two.
Alyson Camus wasn’t thrilled by Arcade Fire when she saw them earlier this year but she was a bigger fan than I ever was, and I also don’t believe she loved Reflektor as much as I did. My only problem with the album was it didn’t sell enough copies, and sales effects my opinion of pop music, but as albums go? It is a masterful and lush disco variant. And I can’t wait to see it live at Barclay Center on Saturday.
I am working up to a full Smokey Robinson review (sneak peek: I like it), but I am giving the honor to Dr. John because any time you’re recording an album of songs made famous by one Louis Armstrong is the time you have the album of the week. The Cash album? I’ve only heard two tracks but the Steve Earle one is killer. Midge Ure????
Diamond Rings And Old Barstools – Tim McGraw -I never claimed McGraw had no voice, I claimed he had no personality. And he has no personality. He also has lousy taste in songs. But this duet with his cousin Catherine Mann is more than a generic ballad, it is a lovely song with a smart metaphor – B+
In the US around 12.6 million people have cancer and 15 million people suffer from depression. This suggests depression is less a mental illness and more a social malaise. I mean, when one in every 3400 people suffer from depression, that goes beyond brain triggers and into the realm of a society malfunctioning
If you can’t decide to claim someone out for rape within a certain time frame, and if you have no proof whatsoever, how is possible you can just make this claim? It is ridiculous. Look: if you were indeed having gay sex with Cliff when you were 15 (the age of consent in the UK is 16), you should not be allowed to make the charge decades decades and decades later.
“Farther down the chart, Morrissey’s World Peace is None of Your Business sold an estimated 13,500 to place him somewhere between 18 and 20.” In a nation of 300 Million people it appears to clear the golden age of Moz is not upon us. On Spotify, the title track has been streamed 500K times and “Istanbul” 400K times ergo, in dollars and sense, some $3,000 worth.
