I’ve seen Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live any number of times and my feeling has remained constant: now here is a band that would be so much better if they’d just unplug their instruments. In a career spanning over 30 years, they’ve released two really good albums and everything in between has been a miracle of meh
The solos that intro and outro the 20s masterpiece written by the great man himself are there for dancing but once the vocal kicks in the song changes tempo and Louis growls an entreaty and a promise “If you just listen to me honey, I’ll tell you something you don’t know…” – A+
Everything Is Awesome – Tegan And Sara, The Lonely Island – The theme song to the hotter than July “The Lego Man” is Wiggle simple but without an ounce of condescending , this crossover nursery rhyme is really as awesome as you wish it was – A
12:51 – The Strokes – “Talk to me I’m older” Casablancas requests and it opens the door on what would have their eagerly awaited sophomore album which unlike this textured guitar fuzzy tuneful masterstroke, didn’t live up to exceptions – A
What part of animal abuse Rock and Jackson do not understand? Since the release of the powerful documentary ‘Blackfish’ nobody can ignore what’s going on in these amusement parks, and how wrong we are to believe we can keep these animals in captivity for the sake of our own entertainment
No one wants to be a pappy but time offers you no alternative- you grow old. You have three choices with Father Time. Go peacefully, Fight it like a psycho path, or resurrect your punk band and hope your grand kids don’t die of embarrassment.
Terrific olde English minstrel song about the cowardly Sir Robin, Knight of the round table. After fighting for seconds and seconds, Eric Idle scarpers, his retreat immortalized in song: “When trouble reared its ugly head, he bravely turned its tale and fled” – B+
Unless you are a 17 year old kid you most likely have no idea who Basement is. In the squeaky clean world of ‘alt rock’ these guys went on hiatus and by doing so boosted their ranks to God like status.
So right now it should be available. I will of course review it and I hope it is very good, really I do. Plus I support” “Red” and if a million people download it,. that’s some nice moolah. Of course, the assumption is that it will suck big time.
I love Maria Taylor any way but add one of the best albums of 2013 and her shouting me out as a “real sweet guy” at one of her concerts and I am, needless to say, am putty in her hands. This show at the Knitting Factory on Thursday, with a full band should be excellent as this review off “Lazy-I” would appears to prove
Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly) – Burl Ives – Not only was Ives an exquisite singer but this English folk song, dating from the 1700s, is completely timeless; it shoots through over 300 years of nursery rhymes and travelling minstrels completely in tact. Perfection – A+
Marchelle describes her music as ‘junkyard country’ and her tunes as ‘the simple songs about those feelings of longing for someone you can’t hold onto or seem to let go of against one’s better judgment’. One of her songs will probably end up on the soundtrack of some cool TV hip series
a random guy, at the right place and at the right moment, insulting a celebrity and getting rewarded by a large amount of money for this? He probably knew that he didn’t have to push very hard on the West button to get a reaction, and he milk the cow!
Who can remember the Eels’ last effort, ‘Wonderful, Glorious’? Not a very memorable one but it is possible that the prolific songwriter is back.
At the end, what does this tell us? That there is a life after punk rock? But do we need to know… I already wasn’t very found of chiropractors and their new-age-y-pseudo-medicine (it’s wacky what can I say) but a catholic chiropractor?
After Grand Theft Auto got through with the Hawaiian native, he’d move to L.A. and signed to WB. Nice work if you can get it, and the opening track of his first major label album, he gives them what they want: modern AOR with a mid tempo alt indie and a catchy hook, “leave your record on” he is more than willing to repeat till you get the point – B+
Now ‘lounge’ acts no longer exist and mega stars have ‘residency’ in posh resorts. Cruise ships now cater to rock and roll crowds but no matter what is said or done- both will never loose the ‘old folks” stigma.
Where have All the Flowers Gone – Pete Seeger – A circular story of dead young men and mourning young girls, and where all the flowers anyway? They’re on the young men’s graves. And in this a capella song, the yearning for a lesson to be learnt has an edge of threat to it – A+
Robin Zander, who has made his living as a singer for decades, has been given two opportunities to release solo records. Both have decisively proven that he has absolutely NOTHING TO SAY as an artist
he’s the one who started isanyoneup.com, which originally started with posting band member’s naked pictures. This caused a lot of controversy- A Day To Remember even refused to play a show knowing that Moore was going to be in the audience. It’s made and broken some musicians’ careers, and caused a lot of trouble.
But these Grammys were also about lots of old school stuff: Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson performed!! So there is room for everyone. I wonder whether Trent did a good or detrimental thing with this tweet.
Apparently Schultz hasn’t talked to a lot of fans, because I met quite a lot of them who are even more certain than me about what happened to Elliott! Saying that I am a murder theorist is so laughable, when he has developed an obsession with artists who have committed suicide,
In writing this I went back to listen to some of Alpert’s music. First off everything sounds like a 70s game show theme. It is a blast from the past that pretty much drove me insane. Just the pitch alone was like nails on a chalk board. Is this what is considered ‘beautiful music’?
I’m from the sit down, shut up and watch, school of entertainment so the last thing I would want is LaFondas weave slapping me in the head when shes busting a spin, dig?
Gender bending sexual confusion reached a height on this proto-type for the Smiths and huge huge huge influence on generations of pop singers still to come, there is a sweet twist to its emotional destituteness thoroughly original and completely fascinating – A
I quite liked it right away, it was raw and jumping in your face, with a real interest into people, faces, guitars, skulls and revolvers, certainly more spontaneous than refined, and following the principle that ‘passion is more important than precision’. Some of these women were like a modern and punk version of Toulouse Lautrec’s
At age 68 most folk should be sitting on a porch but this guy is still drunk and disorderly despite pleas from pros and friends. With a hefty case of diabetes that he basically dismisses as intrusion
Runaway Dreamer – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – The album drags me but this is a clever pop rock MORer which snapped the UK to attention, not least because Sophis is a popular model, but also because the song is as catchy as this kinda stuff can kind – A
I am not sure why, but I had never associated Mogwai with old age whiskey, it’s not because they are both from Scotland that I should assume they go well together. However The Good Spirits co. In Glascow is releasing a special Mogwai edition to celebrate the release of Mogwai’s new album ‘Rave Tapes
A Weill-Mann classic, and the big boom drums spur it like an undercurrent of feeling and Ronnie sounds so deep into the feelings which are pretty awesome as well: this one is a real dream of love because it doesn’t even really exist, it is like a day dream of what it will be like – A+
I did love Black Parade and I did like some of Killjoys but ‘Greatest’ hits is a pretty grand statement from a band with one great and one OK album. But the DVD is the clincher.
Two big returns, Karen Anne and Beck, and a great live album from the Stones, but the week belonged to Against Me! whose grand return was even better than I hoped it would be. “Unconditional Love” is a great song. Jon Pardi is my token country beer and pick up trucks guy.
Walking Back To Happiness – Helen Shapiro – A huge hit in the early 60s, the hook, the “hoop hah oh yeah” is the closest the UK ever got to trouncing US girl groups, an infectious blast – A+
Although The Exploited never went away, they’re back to the studio on Nuclear Blast
Passenger have been around for about a year in one way or another (I caught up with them months and months ago while working on the UK Charts) and “Timber” is a very good Pitbull song but as always, the US single charts are notoriously slow in moving and this hasn’t moved much all year.
Me And Liza – Rufus Wainwright – “Famous till the day that we die….” After tributing her Mama, Rufus, on this Out Of The Game outtake, sings a pure pop Rufus style kiss to the legend; the song is a standard MOR sound which I kinda hope he grows out of – B+
In the second and final look at essential new wave tracks, we go beyond silly looking hair to chronicle yellow hazmat suits, energy dome hats, and the death of Marc Bolen. I hope the chorus of “People Who Died” leaves my brain before Valentine’s Day
The interior of a automobile is sanctuary. Despite its many open windows rumor has it no one thinks they can be seen nor heard while in its confines. Connect that seat belt and you’re invisible. Turn on the stereo and you’re in a sold out arena ala Queen and you’re the star.
Rockstar – A Great Big World – Written before they hit it big, this is a very good song about tempting to daydream about a future yet to be realized, a self-portrait waiting to come true and the meaning of success if there is one: “Take a ticket and get on the line..” Which they did – B+
I do understand the historic value of the word “nigger” but if in 2014 we still refer to it as the ‘n word’ we are pathetic. We have allowed a word to have control when we should simply stop equating the atrocity of what we have done to our fellow man with 5 letters in sequence
You get the feeling it is going to be wretchedly terrible self congratulations for four hours seen from miles away, Just the thought of Dave Grohl’s acceptance speech for Nirvana terrifies me. And yet, yes, for the chance to see Cat Stevens in person I just don’t feel like I have any choice in the matter
Wasting My Young Years – London Grammar – This band is a little special, the lead singer has a deep moving voice and the sound is all indigo and moodiness; it gets old at some point but not yet – B+
Twisted Sister is a band whose false sense of importance never failed to amaze me. Even in their ‘hayday’ they were nothing but a joke. Any right minded music fan found no redemption in Dee Snider he was a farce and well talent wise, he made a spectacle but that’s about it.
Chuck D wants a national holiday for MLK and will win this one: “Talking MLK, gonna find a way Make the state pay, I’m looking for the day” from 2002 and still an accurate reminder why Hip Hops golden age is over because that should be enough for any song except PE were going after the anti-immigrant Arizona bill as well – A-
Cool – The Time – Near the start of their career, Morris and the guys came out with this ten minutes of pure groove which sounds so like early Prince, the DNA is the exact same; the call response hasn’t changed since then – A
Not quite a conductor and not in the band he lead the band… so to speak and from 1955 through 1971 he showed up in your living room every week with easy listening music and light humor, and bubbles.
Rufus should have resurrected his Opera and put the best of it on Vibrate so those of us who aren’t tempted to jump into the deep end can get a taste for it anyway.
Him and Bruce and Jack and Bono: they all hate people, they hate em even when they are playing charity gigs for em, they’ve all been around for so long it is too hard to even feign indifference. Indifference is too much for Neil Young, Jack won’t even speak to the audience at an encore. Neil does it through gritted teeth but Jack just wants to deal with the proles when they are delivering his pizza after the show.
Coming Of Age – Foster The People – Poppier than Imagine Dragons but that textured drum sound is familiar to both and Foster The People have better songs; this is above average indie pop with an eye on the charts – A
