Howard Devoto always seemed to be spiral scratching away from the Buzzcocks but really, when he left the band he took a lot of stuff they never got back and one of which was an experimental edge. Here it sounds like modified soul weirdness and while I am not clear what it means, Devoto sure comes through as completely dominant in his own paranoid, edgy way – A+
This sounds so much like Rocky it should be patented and he rhymes and vernacular are so wild you absolutely need an annotated website to figure out what the hell they’re talking about, “Auntie sayin’ turn it down, or she finna call the cops, ee be plottin’ on the ops, she the one who got the drop, just a free, quick fix, to the A and it’s okay, they gon’ take me back to my old ways…”
Tay nearing the 4 million mark and with “Style” making its way up the singles chart, I bet she adds another 2 million to it AND THAT IS LOCAL. The only new sign of life is Rae Sremmurd, who are kinda fun in their only little way. What else? Next week should see the end of the 1989 at the top after nine weeks -I think Mark or Meghan will unseat her. Stay tuned…
Sure, I went with Billboard’s great picture but I think I wanna take five minutes to praise my God liike genius in claiming “Thinking Out Loud” was the one when I noticed it during a first listen of X. Yes, folks I am the King Of The Pop Universe. and Ed Sheeran owes me (and Taylor) big time.
Hot 97 Presents: The Tip-Off starring Puff Daddy & Snoop Dogg on February 12 th. 2015. A Thursday, which isn’t a Friday but isn’t a Sunday either. And the chance to see two legends, one of whom stands as the inventor of modern hip hop and the other one of the great voices of rap.
Ain’t That A Kick In The Head – Dean Martin – Like the fella once said, right? Romance as a shocker and Dino manages to sound like a man on a spinning top, swinging from the rafters pop stroking home dreams tuff. The concept? Love makes him sick!- A
I once spent my Christmas holiday in the UK island Jersey, and it was a small hotel and for a week all the guests were best of friends but then it was over and everyone went their own way. But I ran into the couple purely by accident a couple of weeks later at home, and that’s exactly what the charts feel like in the third week of January. People you’re over.
I just gave Hozier another spin. Maybe I underestimated his voice a little, and the giggle at funerals line is a good one, but I can’t hear anything else as being much ore than Gospel tinged folkieness. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike it at all but I can’t feel anything much more stronger than a lack of contempt. How did it catch on?
I am not convinced. No, not unpleasant at all, but the song is a weak, lame, ethereal thing. It doesn’t hook and the lyric doesn’t help: “Love me like you do, what’re you waiting for” goes the chorus and it is even worse than you think. Pop by a confederacy of dunces – C-
Riding With Elvis – The Plastic Pals – Despite the reference, and despite the tie in to 80IF, this isn’t rockabilly or Americana, it is classic rock with jingle jangle guitars which seem to be in the backseat for the longest time, trying to crawl over the seat, till they finally jump through at the end – B
Wherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlisle – Nice strummy track by an arriveste country songwriter with the gift. This is a moving track, and I guess 2015 will find a new album finally – A-
Talk To You – The Small Faces – This is Steve Marriott feeling his way to the soul singer he would be a little later, he isn’t at “Little Tin Soldier” levels but he has the chops for it, and on this piece of garage soul, he seems miles from psychedelia but not miles from the Stones circa 12 x 5, less cool and more heart.
That is Crystal Torres singing back up and she sounds excellent, better still is the mid rap, lots of ratter splatter fast , “Keep it metal gear solid, lead the leaders, that’s how you file it, then clobber it / Low on energy, find peach cobbler then gobble it,” Good advice as well – A-
I was once in the back of the family car and this motorbike went flying in front of us and then maybe five minutes later we drove by this big crash, and I looked out the window and the guy was on the ground, on his side, head crushed, blood gushing out. I couldn’t stop looking. That’s the way I feel about this Kid rock song.
Perfect Storm – Brad Paisley – A big song off a big ham, this takes classic rock umph, 60s guitar and country twang and does not much with it… except get him to the top of the country charts – B-
The only excuse for Bruno Mars is huge sales, without huge sales he ceases to be anything at all, but with huge sales he comes a beacon of populist r&b, a Michael Jackson disciple, a true star. “Uptown Funl” is too derivitative up to the place where it hits the top of the charts. After that it is just right.
I am happily surprised to see “Into The Woods” in the top 10. Sure, it won’t do much compared to “Frozen” but it sure ain’t easy listening and I am just very pleased to note that enough people cared enough to listen. Sondheim is a great and every kid who could hear it and bought it, is better for it.
Two Cents – Alysha Umphrees – A nice little dis cabaret track, “I’m betting your two cents makes no sense at all” is the punchline. The piano sounds like it escaped from Diana Krall’s All For You – B+
The Planet – Young Ejecta – electronic pop singer songwriter dream stuff and really pretty, “Into Your Heart” lives up to its name and the other songs are like dreamlike states of intense beauty. The duo responsible dubbed Ejecta an “embodiment of universal longing and loss”. Sure, if they want- ALBUM OF THE WEEK B+
Lifestyle – Rich Gang, Young Thug – This is the Young Money crew, including break out rapper Young Thug, with a really great rap, please an autotuned singer, plus an excellent two note piano sample, “I got sisters and brothers to feed” is the excuse, but the bottom line remains a very expensive way of living- A-
Ezra is guy who gave us “Budapest” and “Cassy O” though a full album of the suckers is pushing it a bit but otherwise i remain with the same question: why the assumption people stop buying music the last two weeks and first two weeks of a new year. It seems to me that anybody with half a brain and a big enough fanbase would ONLY RELEASE MUSIC around this time. It isn’t 1987, people don’t have to leave their couch to buy an album.
something of a holding pattern though the more I hear the Ronson-Mars collab the more it sounds like a major rip off, I guess it might be considered something like the way “Let’s Dance” ripped off “Twist And Shout” but all of it is a 70s rip off with James Brown on top. It’s OK but really, are we at the place where we need James Brown interpreted for us?
Confessions Of A MILF – Viv Albertine – Off the how did I miss that The vermillion Booker, the former Slit current author of the brilliantly named “Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys” utobigraphy, this is a catchy smart little nursery rhyme with a kicker: “there’s no place like home” – B+
English to its very bone, the humor is drier than drier, it bends to the inevitable with a “pathetic” chorus: “I’ll be tickled to death to go”. Ouch? Compare it to George M. Cohan’s 1917 “Over There” and the difference is the US optimism versus the UK’s fatalism.
Play “God Only Knows” At My Funeral – Fireworks – Another song that can’t and doesn’t live up to its name but having said that, it is about the next big thing. I was planning on calling Fireworks a band to watch for in 2015. If I forgot to mention it before… Fireworks is a band to watch for in 2015 – A
1Train – A$AP Rocky – We all need a sap in our lives and this terrific ode to newfound wealth is still so close to the poverty line it has the ring of truth gangsta yarns can miss out on. Plus if you’ve ever had a ride on the train in question you might wonder if you’d stepped back to 1975 – A
“People would always ask, “Hey play that song about the wishing well or whatever it’s called!”… I vaguely recall my wonderful aunt mentioning that we finally had written a song she liked. So if you’re in the market for a family-friendly Screaming Females song, this is your chance”
752 songs I like enough, say “B+” and better, to include on this list though only the top 40 is in order of preference. I know it looks like a lot but think of it this way, with an average of 12 songs on album that is the equivalent of 62 albums so not incredible.
If it wasn’t for the desperate sexism of it all, the singles charts might be dubbed the year of the woman. But really, why should we single em out? Would that then make 2015 the year of the man? So on and so forth? But let’s be honest, that’s the way society judges it. Being female has its perks, and one is they get kudos for doing stuff men take for granted
I feel about Taylor Swift in 2014 exactly how I felt about the Yanks in 1999, you knew they were unbeatable and you knew you weren’t rooting for the underdog or anything, but they are still your team and you love em!
Take U There – JackU, Kleisa – This is Skrillex and Diplo’s remix and it is strong stuff. A pretty good track becomes a towering dubstep act of delayed gratification – B+
