US Top 10 Albums 11-30-13
Well, I called Gaga as being better than Katy and it looks like I called it right, meanwhile why can’t Katy find a follow up to “Roar?
hear ye on spotify: what rock nyc is listening to 11-21-13
Sounds like a refugee from Wowie Zowie, all quirk and melody and none the worst for it. But it begs an answer to the musical question: exactly how much does Malkmus hate the rest of Pavement and also why does this sound like an influence on Vampire Weekend – B+
Kanye West At Barclay Center, Tuesday, November 19th, 2013, Reviewed
As a black man Kanye West’s ancestors were slaves and treated as property and the ramifications still effect West and black people till this day. His response is make music to enforce his absolute refusal to be anything but free. West is the sound of freedom.
Brand New- The Golden (Counterfeit) Ticket
Our request for press credentials was answered with an extremely kind note that the band would not be offering press opportunities this go round (nor last go round) but then again who needs press when social media has made you untouchable?
Watch Queens Of The Stone Age's Halloween-Theme New Video For 'Vampyre of Time and Memory'
I finally found my way to explore the dark room full of old books, carnivorous plants, antics, QOTSA memorabilia, taxidermied animals, and an ageless bulgy-eyed woman coming straight from ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’.
What If Kanye And taylor Made Up And Went On Tour together: Teezus 4EVER
Rock nyc is close with both artists and have come up with the perfect solution, Tay and Yeezus should tour together. Can you imagine the synergy…?
Gross Ghost's "Public Housing" Reviewed
Written in the aftermath of singer Matt Dillon’s break up with a girlfriend, the follow up to their debut album Brer Rabbit, the duo of Dillon and bassist Tre Acklin added drummer Chris Riddle and second guitarist Rob Dipatri., and came up with Public Housing, album # 2.
Kanye West Launches DONDA’s 'Design Lecture Series’ At Harvard Graduate School of Design
He is this kind of guy, getting excited about a word, having all kinds of thoughts vaguely related to each other getting on his mind at the same time, and producing this collage of words that can only make sense to Kim Kardashian, and will make you unnecessarily scratch your head for a minute or two
"We're The Millers" Reviewed
Jason has to smuggle weed (a lot, actually) from mexico in a Winnebago to settle a debt and pays off the other three to beard for him. On the way they become a family.
Subway Sounds Via James Murphy
Art is a very subjective thing. What if I don’t like the sound and end up hating my stop, thus never going home? It could be a nightmare
hear ye on spotify; what rock nyc is listening to 11-20-13
Hush – Eliza Doolittle – Not the keeper on the new album but still pretty damn good, a lovely, frustrated ballad – B+
Be Here Now: New Album Releases Snapshot Review 11-19-13
Perhaps the most thoroughly charming UK pop star to fail to make a dent Stateside, here he covers some swing, occasional folk, an original, sells his album title pun with one Rufus Wainwright, and adds Kelly Clarkson, Olly Murs and more to the mix – B+
‘Soaked in Bleach’, A New Movie About Kurt Cobain's Death
It was described as a film which ‘explores the death of Kurt Cobain and its aftermath, examines the competing opinions and theories surrounding his death (suicide or foul play/murder), as well as the various people tied to those theories.
Mariah Carey All Upset On The Bathroom Floor
I find it annoying when artists go on and on about how they do it for the ‘the fans’ and how they are so in love with each and every ‘fan’. Don’t kid yourself, you’re a necessary evil. They do it for the cash and they do it for the fame- you just have to be provide it.
Madonna At A Glance
As last years controversy swirls this year, let us be clear: for all of Lady Gaga’s many gifts, and despite Gaga’s last four albums being vastly superior to Madonna’s last four albums, Gaga is no Madonna. In the 1980s Madonna was pop music and until the 21st century she very seldom faltered. Here is a refresher course:
Neil Finn Tour Dates
Split Enz evolved into Crowded House and then disappeared from the US. Neil was the primary vocalist and well he is back without his brother and with a new album to boot.
Arcade Fire $70 Top Tix A Bargain In 2014
Arcade Fire must have a sense of humor, advising people trying to get tickets to the bands Barclay Center August 22nd and August 23rd , a Friday-Saturday axis in the heat of next summer, to dress in formal attire
Not With The Band: Did You Say Sex Scandal With A Minor?
It’s simple, there is a similar story around many many rock stars! May be all of them? Mick Jagger had allegedly a quick night with very young Mackenzie Phillips – but that may have been the least of her worries as she claims to have engaged in an incestuous relationship with her own father a bit later
Hear Ye on spotify: what rock nyc is listening to 11-19-13
Don’t Be Shy – Cat Stevens – “Love is better than a song”? Debatable, very debatable, but if anybody can sell the concept in song it is this guy: like the cult classic movie it comes from, “Harold And Maude” it is a primer on dealing with life – A
Rockin’ Legends Pay Tribute To Jack White
Jack White is 38 years old and has the ego of a much older man. Older as in having accomplished a whole lot more to be arrogant about. One of his greatest characteristics is his smugness. It is part of the whole eccentric image.
Roger Daltrey Collaborates On Keith Moon Biopic
It’s not going to come quick though, they’re actually still looking for a writer. But luckily with Daltrey on board there will be a bit of credibility. Who on Earth is going to portray these guys anyway?
Elliott Smith's Supposed Previous Suicide Attempt: Let's Revisit The Cliff Story
‘I don’t like when people talk about all the bad things that have happened to them as if that makes them unique. Because I don’t think I’ve had a harder time than other people.’
Joan Jett Kicked Off A Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Float Because She Is A Vegetarian
‘So, of course, when we learned that about Miss Jett, we were rightly concerned about her representing South Dakota and a state that is so heavily reliant on agriculture and livestock production to drive our economy’.
Sneak Peak: New Album Releases Week Of 11-18-13
Jake Bugg’s “Shangri La”, produced by Rick Rubin, has a lot of buzz and with Chris Brown delaying the release of X not much else worth bothering about (or do you like Daughtry?) gets the nod
Winner And Loser Week of 11-11-13: Howard Stern And Yellow Dogs Former Bassist
When Stern joined the judges at “America’s Got Talent”, regained his audience and became a mainstream TV star as well. Now he has a mass audience here and with his Lady Gaga interview last Monday got everybody else at the same time.
UK Top 10 Albums 11-23-13
Celine Dion: she might well be a working class phenom but she still is the most overblown singer on the planet; I can’t take her. She can’t express an emotion without drawing you a diagram
UK Top 10 Singles 11-23-13
This isn’t a bad top ten, 17 year old Dutch sensation Martin Garrixx has a wonderful slice of House beats here that have taken Europe by storm and Lily Allen, who I may well be congenitally incapable of saying a word against has for the second time in her career released a cover that cuts the original
Hear Ye On Spotify: what rock nyc is listening to 11-18-13
Sutphin Boulevard – Blood Orange – Devonté Hynes poppiest moment from two years ago sounds as fresh today as we eagerly await Cupid Deluxe which maybe I should have made my sneak peak of the week elsewhere – A-
Jay Z Continues His Collaboration With Barneys, Despite Racial Profiling Scandal
‘I am in a unique position to use my voice to affect change to this disturbing issue. The easy position would have been to walk away and leave policymaking to others hoping that someone addresses the problem,’ declared Jay Z
Lady Gaga Sales Down by a whopping 75%
ARTPOP is a very good album, it will eventually go platinum and it will perform its primary responsibility: it will maintain her career. But the days of Lady Gaga as the Queen of pop are now over.
Two Great Gigs Coming Soon: Monica Passin And Spanking Charlene
Two great shows are playing New York in the immediate future and these are so close to a must see that one is gonna force me to go out on a Sunday (something I truly truly hate doing), and the other will find me on the Upper West Side!!
Active Viewin': rock nyc concert picks week of 11-18-13
This is the big one, Kanye west being opened for by Kendrick Lamar. Four nights, and I have tix for two, one at Barclay Center and, more importantly, a Saturday night gig at MSG. I’ve seen West twice In the past year, both times, the 12-12-12 gig and closing down Governor’s Ball, have been the sort of gigs you think about for a long time to come
Hear Ye On Spotify: what rock nyc is listening to 11-17-13
Slippin And Slidin – Otis Redding – One of the great covers mostly because Redding has one of the great voices, but also because Little Richard was a teen phenom and his original sounds like a pop song, Redding sounds like a soul song – A
Rick Ross At Beacon Theater, Friday, November 15th, 2013, Reviewed
Ross is not a hip hop leader, he is a male Nicki Minaj, a guy who works better on the edges where his performance can add shading and depth and get out before you realize how average his flow is
Quasi At The Echo, Wednesday November 13th 2013
They gave a tight show at the Echo on Wednesday night, with little stop between the songs, just the right amount of chatting and joking, building an enormous rock sound, whatever Sam Coomes was behind his keyboard or playing guitar
The Flaming Lips School Orson Scott Card, Author of Ender's Game
Wayne Coyne became very troubled by reports of Orson Scott Card’s very vocal and highly publicized homophobia and public tirades against marriage equality. He decided to arrange for the EP vinyl to be etched with “Hey Orson Scott Card You Are Wrong” on one side and “Gay People Are Cool” on the flip side
Jimi Hendrix Documentary "Hear My Train A Comin'" Reviewed
He’d go to the toilet with his guitar, he’d make breakfast with a guitar. In an interview with Dick Cavett, Jimi expressed his, more than disinterest, worries about fame, about praise, about really anything that distracted him from what he was born to do: play the guitar.
The Wonder Years "There, There" Music Video Reviewed
“Their whole “half pop punk half anxiety” shtick is not only lighthearted but also a message that Soupy puts out through his heartfelt lyrics that he, too, struggles and isn’t afraid to admit it and ask for help, but also acknowledge his own faults.”
Arcade Fire's 'Supersymmetry' Was In Fact Written For Spike Jonze's Upcoming Movie, 'Her'
Win and I started talking about the score about two years ago, and then it kinda seemed like the record sort of informed the soundtrack and the soundtrack informed the record a little bit, and there’s like a song on Reflektor — the last one, ‘Supersymmetry’ — that he wrote for the movie, but then it sort of became something else.
English Folkie Roy Harper Arrested For Sex Offenses
it is 36 years since the alleged assault and the alleged assault took place over two years. I don’t know whether it is true or not but whether it is true or not, that is a breathtaking amount of time to wait between the assault and indictment.
Hear Ye On Spotify:what rock nyc is listening to 11-16-13
This is the ultimate Ross song, and the most inspired use of the word
pussy ever, every verse works as a hook upon a hook upon a hook with Ross singing the hook on the space beat the beats – A
The Beatles "On Air – Live At The BBC, Vol 2" Reviewed
This stuff belongs to ages but it also belongs to me personally, it is my life, my childhood, I remember so well all three big sisters being huge Beatle fans, there music played all the time in 1963, 1964. It is as subjective and personal as humanly possible
Elvis Costello Solo, The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, 11-12-13
“Tonight’s all about love!,” he called out to the crowd after the first few numbers, though he later amended this to add, “But the other side of that is deceit, betrayal, and heartbreak.”
Balance and Composure "Tiny Raindrop" Video Reviewed
“First off, that’s been done a hundred times and knowing that Jon Simmons, the frontman, is so against ‘selling out’ and is, frankly, a bit full of himself for it, it’s pretty hypocritical. Also, it’s just plain and boring. Simple can be effective, but not in this case. “
Lady Gaga "Eating Art"
This isn’t about her music but rather her eccentricity. All drama queens require fresh drama so here is your current serving. Lady Gaga was addicted to pot. An addict so bad that it required a cold turkey intervention from none other that Maria Abromovic
James Murphy Wants To Turn The NY Subway Into A Musical Experience
‘It’s such a brutal city. I think one little gift of kindness would be nice’, he declared to Sound Opinions. And this gift of kindness would be to bring music in each subway station in New York, turning the whole subway system into a giant orchestra
'Sugar Won’t Work', By Elvis Costello And The Roots, Starbucks' Song Of The Week
So now he has teamed up with hip hop/neo-soul band called the Roots for this new album ‘Wise Up ghost’ and I just wonder, does he make him a better candidate for all these late talk shows?
9-11Transmogrified
The victims of, and the remains of the victims of, 9-11-01 did not lend themselves to what amounts to a form of anthropomorphism: essentially, changing their character to make them what Springsteen needed them to be in order to fit into his true blue collar tableau
Hear Ye On Spotify: what rock nyc is listening to 11-15-13
it is elegiac and heartbroken, it tears at the political fabric, and it tears at God, only to extoll us to “rise up” like the fire people rising through that tower forever upwards to eternity – A
Songs for the Hungry iPod – Ten Essential Non-Hits from the 1980s
Steve Crawford takes his Ipod out in public: something flickered for a moment and was gone, he claims, and then finds the 1980s songs to back him up all the way