Ain’t Nothing You Can Do – Bobby “Blue” Bland – I am so used to the Van Morrison cover, I was caught on just how close Van stayed to the original. Bland sounds great here, he wails himself out on the chorus plus it has the simplicity of a received truth – A+
Congrats abound: Mark and Bruno? 12th week at the top of the charts. Flo Rida? Back in the charts for the first time in two years and is it me or doesn’t this sound a lot like Lil Jon? Not that I have any complaints, the song works perfectly well for me.
I read the Modest Mouse interview in Rolling Stone and found Isaac brock much more interesting in person than he is on record where he is a but on the dodgy side. And I say that well aware that the man is a danger to himself and everyone else. Eight years between albums, eh? Personally, I go back to No One Is First, And You’re next when I wanna get my quirk on.
Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs Wooly Bully – The classic garage rocker everybody started their career with a flipped out Mexican holy surf guitar… just about immortal by now, that lick can ride anywhere – A
“Look Away” Chicago – Wow, this is terrible. You know how time improves a song, makes you feel like a nostalgia or maybe just a smile of pleasure for times gone by. This overblown horrorshow rock and soul ballad does nothing of the sort. It is worse than you remember – C-
: I’ve listened to the new Kendrick a lot and I am getting a handle on it but it reminds me of the recent D’Angelo album… shouldn’t this stuff not feel like homework? Like hard work? Like a slog, waiting for the songs to reveal themselves. And I guess they do slowly, “Wesley’s Theory”, “i” and “u”, the undeniable “The Blacker The Berry” but again, would I have spent this much time wthout the hype? Well, yes for “The Blacker The Berry”…
An uneventful week on the singles charts, James Bay is this years Hozier, Sam Smith is this years Sam Smith, but what else? Nothing. All quiet in the UK!
Words – Skylar Gray – Just her name makes you think Skylar must be more than this piano balladeer but no, “Love The Way You Lie” and that appears to be it. This is a terrible song, an overblown bore – C-
This masterful folklore (think John Wayne’s “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” for one) reached its apotheosis with this catchy pop soft rock and I for one remember seeing Neil Young’s MSG gig in the middle of Operation Desert Storm with the stage strewn with Yellow Ribbons. It isn’t as good as “Candida” – A
Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow – This is not the one, you will find the one elsewhere on this list, but this is a future for house music, just heavy beats and an addictive hook to take you out. It is all compulsory propulsion out of mind – B+
The Weeklings go back to the very beginning with this Beatle cover, and Allison Moorer makes her point and then some, “u” is the best song on the newbie and Evans The Death survives another day. One thing: it is the rare week where you can’t find ten really great songs.
When Doves Cry – Prince – This is where Prince mixed his blackness and his whiteness in equal measure and evolved his persona into a rock star manque with too much pain on his bands, if not indeed, too many women on his hand – A
If you add up the top three albums in unit sales you get around 350K, which means none of these albums are coming close to putting the charts on fire. Also, where is Kelly Clarkson and Brandi Carlile? Really? One week and out? Finally, “Empire”? Reaches 15 million viewers per episode, which means 1% of their audience bought (not bought, “equivalent album units”) the album. Terrif.
Congrats to New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap, his “Trap Queen” more songs and money and, also, his gal, which is kinda new! Also, the man only has one eye… here is the story: “I tell everybody it’s nothing, because it’s really nothing to me. What happened is, when I was little I had gotten into a little accident and it gave me congenital glaucoma in both of my eyes. The doctor saved one, I was blessed to still have my vision. That’s it. That’s the story.”
Cry – Johnny Ray – if ever a man sounded like his voice, a heart wrenching, tear stained throb for the proto-teen idol early precursor to Elvis and rock and roll. This song had the bobby soxers in an uproar like Roy Orbison would never exist – A
Happy – Marina And the Diamonds – If you’re so happy, why do you sound so sad? The vocals are arty pitchiness something like Florence Welch but less so and the song is a piano based slog – C+
Funky Ceili – Black 47 – Not the version you know, the earliest one they sold at their residency in a bar on 2nd avenue, the one with the extended ending where Larry is telling his friends in New York he has lots of girls and is on MTV and they should come and visit! Much more fun!! – A
Nothing personal, but the thing about pop music is it has to be popular and Madonna better start selling some more copies. Meanwhile, the X Factor winning Rebecca Ferguson and the five piece harmony band take on black music, with varying degrees of success and not a lot of it.
A mediocre snooze of a chart with Sam Smith ascendency AGAIN, with a snooze of a remix I might add. If they took it any slower it could never have reached the top of the charts. Truly, a well known drag
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo -Verna Felton – If the live action doesn’t have this? To hell with em, I’m not going – A
Till We Start To Kiss (Live) – Kat Edmonson – The best moment of her Le Poisson Rouge gig, is a soft samba of sauciness and Kat performs it with a quiet, slightly dizzy sensuality that has her whispering by the end – A
With news that JB is playing this middle of Brooklyn King’s Theatre in September, it is as good as any excuse to give the man a spin. This late period, romantic dream is everything Browne does best, reminds me of an ex, and the “solitary nature notwithstanding” line still hits home – A
The World Ender – Lord Huron – I dismissed this out of hand the other day but more out of pique that it wasn’t “Fool For Love” than anything personal, a coupla more listens and it reveals itself as a twangy West meets rockabilly song with a very tasty drum roil – B+
Nothing new here, last year it was Tay keeping Meghan down, this year Mark keeping ed out of the # 1 position. That ten weeks at the top is pretty damn impressive I will say that.
This was a great song when Van sang it with the Chieftains and who knows, this may be as good –his singing is warmer and Mark is tapping his Local Hero. Next, “All Day” is the return of Kanye at full power, every sound on this track will make you stop and listen. Finally, “Joan Of Arc” is the most emotionally naked song Madonna has ever written.
Impressed by Kelly? Really? She moved 83K units, or if you prefer, she completely blew it and it is a miracle she got to the top, a miracle or good planning, depending on your take. For sure, it ain’t great. Plus, where, exactly, is Kid Rock? I think the heart of the charts is stuck in place: 50, Tay, Drake, Maroon 5, Sam and Meghan., and the other four in flux. A little different than last year when the chart was much more volatile.
Bad Day – Evans The Dead – This London indie rock band will break big any second now, and one reason is this exceptional fuzzed guitar and keyboad track, it is really a deep album track but it stands out because everything stands out. This is a beautiful track, a rolling out roar of melody and mood – A
In which the former folkies attempt to widen their base by going for the rock sound of an earlyish U2… because, in rock, that’s where the money is: songs to be sung in stadiums where “I don’t know if I believe” and “tell me I’m alive” approximate deep emotions.” Ufortunately, they are a lot closer to a late period Coldplay. In artistic terms, a total disaster, in touring terms, who knows? – C-
Thorns Of A Rose (Interlude) – Ru Paul – Spoken word shout out to “the sweet sensitive souls who uncovers life cruel hoax”… Ru Paul advises prayer and stillness and why not? It isn’t a song but I don’t think it was written for me abd its audience might appreciate the sentiment – C+
Come to Me – Bjork – The difference between Bjork 20 years ago and Bjork today is not sentiment, certainly not her singing, but the way she uses melody. In 2015, she does give us the luxury of melody and replaces it with texture. In 2003, she did both – A
Well, I am sure Noel is one happy Oasis but the question isn’t the UK, the question is the US and there he may find it a little more difficult. Meanwhile, The Shires are a pretty darn good pop duo and I hope it hits Stateside. Try “I Just Wanna Love You”.
Now this is a fun list of songs, I will never like the Ellie song any more but I don’t hate it as much since watching that movie, and just about everything else is at least ok. Of the two new arrivals, Marlon is middling House pop and Years & Years is slightly above average synthpop.
Aluminum Crown – Of Montreal – Another piece of droney psychedelia that reaches nowhere as it changes tempo and sound at the midway point like the Only Ones but not really vocals , and reaches its end not fast enough. “I’ve been hurt by trouble tree”? – C-
For the week Of March 14th, 2015, Teenage Dreams will have spent 200 weeks amongst the top 200 albums and listening to it toay, it is still a blast, still huge amounts of fun (the concert was great as well).
This guy is the Noel Gallagher of redneckdom and this is a pretty good Southern rocker but it uses Johnny’s name for no good reason (“I walk the line because you love me” is Kid’s excuse) and so it seems like a rip off. The Noel name drop? It is highly derivative as well but where from? – B+
Rain Or Shine – Young fathers – Scotland’s finest sing an ode to absence set in place by an insistent organ and with the three leaders sounding both distracted and cool. The rap isn’t great but everything else sure is – A-
Not a great week for albums or singles, though Flo and Carly released songs that may well still be around three months from now. “All Day” feels like a big time album track, like “Wolves” and not like “Fourfiveseconds”. “Febreze”? “Yeah, I’m the shit, I should have Febreze on me”!
“Van Halen are an immaculate conception: the bastard child of Jimmy Page and Groucho Marx. And they were immaculate on stage, they did no more and no less than every single thing they had to do.” That’s what I wrote about the tour this song is culled from, nearly exactly three years ago – A
Crazy about the new Pitbull. No, not at all, but it is a long long time since “Hotel Room Service’ and at the very least the thrill of Pitbull has gone… though, a fried of a friend is Pitbull’s manager and he swears the guy is the sweetest guy in the biz…
Ugh, if the year was based solely o the charts so far so iffy. The top three are all lousy, all of the albums are C or lower and except for Drake nothing from 2015 is all that thrilling at all. Big Sean was a real dig and Tyga ruins Brown’s best dance moves (Tyga? Cmon, guy). A real snooze of a list.
All Day – Kanye West – Here we go, better than “Wolves” and “Only One”, this is a piece of ego inflation but it is more than that, as his Brit Awards performance proved, it was also a call to arms for disencfranchised and ignore, plus that sample sounded like it was busting a guy and the whistling at the end? Paul McCartney – A
Where Are U Now – Skrillex, Diplo, Justin Bieber – people don’t mind that Justin is a bad boy, they mind that he is a monster , but don’t dislike this track because of Monster Justin, who does is a great job, he always sounds sweet, in fact don’t hate it at all; that’s a classic sample hooking you – B
Sunday afternoon I was still considering going to see JH3 when it dawned on me, she kinda sucks.This Is another annoying sing songery piece of meh, why do I try so hard? She doesn’t like me… still if it had been a Saturday evening… – C
Royal Blood are opening for Foo Fighters at Citifield this summer (and man does it seem far away as I write this, with the snow snowing, and the wind blowing) and despite our hopes and prayers for a wonderful summertime, that is one night that sounds like a nightmare. Royal Blood, is bombastic deep throat modern rock. Dreadful.
Emeli Sande sucked so bad when I saw her at Central Park a coupla years ago, but she has a terrific voice and before she turns into Adele or Amy Winehouse (I know, Amy has a good excuse…). Still, as house disco ballads, this is pretty hot stuff.
Wherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlile – A flagwaver for new women country stars with the chops and the skills that seem beyond their male brothers right now. If the album maintains this level of songwriting, it will be a biggie – A-
Who’s Counting – Kat Edmonson – Her Paul Simon song, not a cover but it has the same DNA as some of his bests tuff, it is Simon not circa Graceland, as she claims, but Rhymin’ Simon. Not better, not worse, just other… a moving and intelligent song about how tie passes – A+
West has a good line, “if you leave Mickey you’re gonna end up with Goofy” and the other guy? “My crib done got bigger, my women got badder”. Plus, Sean’s beats are a little stale, plus plus if he is the closest thing to Michael since Janet, I am Malcolm X- C-
Well, Imagine Dragons had one job on earth and when you have one job and you do it, well, more power to you. Personally, with the exception of a song here and there I find them fairly abysmal but to add rock to EDM beats actually hit # 1… good for you.
Baywatch – Drug Cabin – Sounds like soft rock put through a hot tub time machine and replanted into 2015, and I mean that in the nicest way possible, sickly sweetness and medium tempo prettiness, but like the man said, it can make graves – B+
