Best Songs Through January 31, 2014
Nothing so far has rung the clarion call for a new year. Still, new Warner Bros find TheChain Gang Of 1974 might be making some new friends for the third place WB. Persnally, I’m hoping Angel Haze has legs…
Best Albums Through January 31st, 2014
Adventures In Bluesland – Phil Gammage – A New Wave stalwart continues his career trajectory through Americana to an East Coasts rock and blues sound uniquely his own. Add to that one of the best rock and roll singing voices you’ll hear and a mean harp, Gammage’s album stands as an organic response to synthetic emotions.
Anatomy of a Song – Bohemian Rhapsody
“It’s one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them… ”Bohemian Rhapsody” didn’t just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not? –
The A+ List: 1-30-14
Walk Right Back – The Everly Brothers – Love them close harmonies, you can hear what Lennon and McCartney were listening to, and the background lick is very good -it moves right along, the lyric is sticky but the chorus, really the last four lines of the verse, is elastoplast.
When James Chance Beat Up A Woman On Stage!
at the end of the set during “Money To Burn”, James would pull out a wad of cash and put it on fire. Well, this night a woman jumps on stage from the audience and tries to snatch the money out of James hands and James jumps on her and hey fight and fall into Tomas who can’t believe his eyes and wonders if they’re gonna spend the night in jail.
US Album Top 10 2-8-14
Both A Great Big World and Young The Giant are happy to be here, one of these bands got that sort of break everybody dreams of, and the other one did nothing of the sort, but both of them are on the charts and are suddenly like really real bands.
US Top 10 Singles 2-8-14
OK, where the hell is “Trumpets”? He played it at Jingle ball and it has been on the UK charts for a couple of months now, but while Jason is back with the admittedly good “Talk Dirty”, “Trumpets” is a killer hook on horns come to life.
Party Animal Justin Bieber May Have Had Some Big Help From His Father?
The classic story of the young pop star with too much money and too many options, we have seen this so many times before I couldn’t care less. But The Guardian is reporting there may be another element in this too common story
Must See: Lorde At Roseland In March, 2014
“I’ve been in some situations where people have treated me like a fascinating toy. You know, it’s just like an interesting kind of fun thing to have a play with. It’s very weird for me. I feel like a tiny baby. But it’s all relative: when you’re my age in particular, every year feels like a massive change. The difference between 15 and 17 is colossal for everyone.”
Be Here Now: Snapshot Reviews Of New Album Releases 1-28-14
Choir Of Echoes – Peggy Sue – The difference between this English new folk bands third album and their last one, is the steady build of sound, like a choir of indie children, seems to go further. But the problem is that it can feel all of a piece which makes it hard to concentrate on particular songs; they become particular tracks – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
Spin-Ing Out Of Control
Spinmedia owns and manages over 40 websites including, obviously, Spin, Brooklynvegan, Pop Matters, Stereogum, I’ll stick em all up at the end. But it begs the answer to a question, how can they not be making money? I mean, surely if you’re looking for men in their twenties they can put em together like that, right?
Not With The Band: What Makes A Great Music Video?
I always prefer to discover a new song without a video, but it’s rarely the case these days. So I didn’t get a lot of this during their conversation, I guess music videos are a given now and we don’t even question their existence anymore
"Ride Along" Reviewed
Kevin Hart, small of stature but wide of mouth, only hits my funny bone intermittently but with Ice Cube adding his deadpan snarl, intermittent is enough to save this cop buddy funny movie “Ride Along”.
We Called The Grammys 2014 But How Were Our Predictions???
So we suck, though if we had gone with “Get Lucky” over “Blurred Lines” we’d have done a lot better. Included are all the results from 2013… Next…
Because We All Need A Cassette Coffee Table!
TAYBLE is run by three young entrepreneurs ‘who set out to make a product that would not only be a functional piece of furniture, but also a nostalgic piece of art. Influenced by homemade mixtapes, pop-art and modern design TAYBLE caters to musicians, artists and the young at heart’.
Sneak Peaks: New Album releases Week Of 1-27-14
The weather is killing live music and the release schedule is killing the album releases… except last year I had 8 albums on my best of list, and this year it will be at least 11. I don’t like David Crosby enough to be impressed that he is my pick of the week.
UK Top 10 Singles 2-1-14
Here is a name that might not ring a bell, Jimmy Napes. But he co-wrote Disclosure’s “Latch” and he co-wrote Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be” -a house meets classical ((yes, that is strings at the start) dance song. A wonderful track!
UK Top 10 Albums 2-1-14
Wow, this really sucks. Sophie Ellis-Bextor is the best of a bad bunch. And why is Blunt back in the charts? I guess Bastille got another hit from the deluxe version of the new album. Gary still hasn’t released the newbie in the US… for good reason is my bet.
Kraftwerk In 3 or 4 D This April
I didn’t bother even trying for a tix to the Kraftwerk retrospective at MOMA last year, and stories of tix changing hands for $5K a pop but in reading on Brooklynvegan about their performance April 1ST and 2 nd at United Palace and then getting the BV password (COMPUTERS HAR HAR) the decision was made and a hundred bucks later I am planning my first sighting of the Kings of (OK) Komputers
OFF! Are Back And They Want to 'Void You Out'
They are enraged, they want to crush everyone against the wall and disintegrate the world, your neurons included, but sometimes you need a little bit of OFF! in your world. It may sound like some good all-fashioned hardcore, but damn it’s efficient, and Greg Ginn should feel sorry
"Beautiful" At Stephen Sondheim Theater, Friday, January 24th, 2014, Reviewed
Why did McGrath not tell this story? Why have I stumbled into an episode of “the Dick Van Dyke Show” ? Nothing in “Beautiful” works. Nothing at all. It is terrible and except for her daughter being the producer of this atrocity, I see no reason why Carole King would be associated with it.
Bob Dylan In The 80s tribute Album
I think where mxdwn and I seem to differ is in what constitutes an impressive list of musical guests. When your biggest names are Built to Spill and Craig Finn, you might excuse me for not jumping up and down and clapping my hands. Still, I loved Bob Dylan In The 80s so who knows.
Active Viewin': rock nyc Concert Picks w-o 1-27-14
With January’s best album under his belt, the Phil Gammage Trio are playing a record release part on Wednesday January 29th at No Malice Palace on 197 East 3rd Street in the village on Wednesday, January 29. Expect harp, bass and blues and Phil’s beautiful baritone.
That Was The Week Of January 20th, 2014 That Was
Laura Jane Grace came through!We were waiting for her and Against Me! to take alternative rock howling into transgender politics and that’s exactly she did with a rock and roll smackdown of the first order Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Must See: Katy Perry Bringing Her Roar To MSG This July
While her only real competition Lady Gaga explodes in angst and betrayal on the business side, Perry does it on the personal side, and while neither album has proven itself a slam dunk in the pop charts (which is precisely what they needed) certainly Katy should sell out this tour.
Aberdeen Will Have Its Kurt Cobain Day (Or Week)
Will they invite bands to cover Nirvana songs? Will the Foo Fighters be there? Will they screen that dreadful Gus Van Sant’s movie? And most important, will Courtney Love be invited? I hope not, and anyway she is currently way too busy crying at the stand
30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Deluxe Edition)? Bobby Leaves No Stone Unrolled
It doesn’t sound like that, most of the versions were kinda lame and except for Reed (and not except for Harrison who probably had a cold that night) the versions are nothing to really care about. In other words: you had to be there.
Arcade Fires 2014 Setlist (Annotated Of Course)
It is two years since I liked didn’t love Arcade Fire at MSG but while I realize my taste is certainly in the minority, I preferred Reflektor to The Suburbs and prefer dance to indie rock any dance so I am possibly more excited than you are over this.
A Personal Remembrance Of Donna Mcelroy
I found myself working more closely with Donna and I adored her. She was both no nonsense and caring at the same time, plus she was well organized and could execute any plan Joseph came up with on a dime. And she would have to. It is like Joseph had all these dreams and Donna made them come true.
Donna Renee McCray McElroy Dead At Age 48
Donna is remembered by her mother, Lillian McCray, as a take charge person and Mr. McElroy called her “fierce” and “passionate”, and a very spiritual and loving person. The accolades from friends are numerous and dramatically documented in social media, where her marriage and passing has been played out like a masterful form of performance art.
A Poem For Donna Renee McCray McElroy
Joseph Franklin McElroy remembers his beloved wife and rock nyc partner Donna moments after her death of cancer early this morning.
Karen Anne Returns With Girl Called Johnny: A Big Big Group
The selling point is Karen Anne who is excellent as the girl having her heart broken, all dark roots and white complexion and Vespas. In real life, Karen Anne is a straightforward pretty English Rose but on film she is like the English Rose all English roses take their orders
Saint Motel Revives Italo Disco In The New Video For 'My Type'
The Los Angeles indie band, which always do it with class and cinema, has just released a black and white video for their song ‘My Type’, a song that will be featured on their upcoming LP, the follow-up to their 2012 album ‘Voyeur’.
Billy Joel's Back to The Future Setlist In Tampa Earlier This Month
After the Barclay gig I claimed it was gonna be a short MSG run if this is what he plans to present and apparently that was a one off for the uber-fans because at Tampa it was again the soprt of set dreams are made of
US Top 10 Albums 2-1-14
Impressed by Bruce? In 2002 The Rising hit the # 1 spot with over half a million units shifted, in 2014? Less than 100,000. And that’s with giving away a free DVD with each CD sold. A depressing state of affairs in the music business, no doubt.
Meet Run River North: Korean Rock Not K-Pop
“I feel there’s no one we can truly compare ourselves to because there isn’t another six-person Korean American rock band out there. We can’t be called ‘the next-anything’ because there isn’t something [like us] that came before.”
Pompous Muso Damon Albarn To Release New Album
This piece of additional info harbors plenty of ill wind: Albarn describes the album as “my most soul-searching and autobiographical yet, explores nature versus technology.” Really? Nature versus technology? Yeah, Damon, where do the children play?
"Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" Reviewed
It does the job smartly enough and ties up its loose ends in a pretty little bow just in time for the second movie in the newly minted series; though a lousy $17M box office in its first week makes you think Pine will be stuck with Star Trek awhile longer.
What Do You Do If Your Career Is Irrevocably Over? George Michaels Re-Records His Hits With A Symphony
He is off to plan two, re-record his hits and select covers with a symphony orchestra and while I personally would pay cash money to hear “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” with a symphony orchestra, maybe even “Faith”, but surely not this lot. Does he really need to re-record “John And Elvis Is Dead”?
Be Here Now: New Album Snapshot Reviews For Week Of January 20th, 2014
From the martial beats to open the album to the agit-prop declaiming “Osama Bin Laden As Crucified Christ” (“You’re gonna hang”), the lead singing changing her gender to a woman hasn’t changed Against Me! that much. A mixed blessing but on the best songs, a definite blessing. The re-recording “Fuckmylife666” sounds great – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
Watch Savages' New and Camus-Inspired Video For 'Strife'
The British all-female post-punk band Savages has released a new video for the song ‘Strife’ off their album ‘Silence Yourself’, and it is supposed to be directly inspired by Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger’.
Not With The Band: Exploring Google Music Timeline
But may be we have to be careful with these kinds of statistics for several reasons: First of all how many Google play users are out there? The Guardian writes that they represent a ‘pretty small subset’, and there are so many services these days that it is difficult to know if they represent a good statistical sample of music lovers
NME, Face Photographer Chalkie Davies Exhibition To Open In London
“I have been carefully restoring my Rock Photographs and you have seen many posted here on my page. Snap Galleries has just announced my first Exhibition in 33 years. It runs from March 15th to April 26th at their Gallery in the Piccadilly Arcade. More info to follow…”
What Happens To A Song When You remove The N Word And Replace It With a J? Jerkie What????
Four years ago rock nyc was a much looser place than it is now, not only did we have more energy but we were also convinced nobody was reading us and were free to write any piece of silliness we felt like. One memorable day, Mike Nessing, Helen Bach and I spent a day writing as many posts as we could think up reaching an astonishing 32!!
The A+ List: 1-20-14
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonders – Stevies scream that opens this song is so good he coulda sung anything after and it would have worked but what he sang was one of the great Motown tracks -a real slippy funk belter in the chorus, and a soulful chorus.
Madonna Apologizes For Using The N-Word?
‘I am sorry if I offended anyone with my use of the N word on Instagram. It was not meant as a racial slur.. I am not a racist. There’s no way to defend the use of the word. It was all about intention.. It was used as a term of endearment toward my son who is white. I appreciate that it’s a provocative word and I apologize if it gave people the wrong impression. Forgive me.’
UK Top 10 Singles 1-26-14
I’d bet money that Elyar Fox, a youtube cutiepie who the little girls will understand, breaks Stateside. Maybe now Scooter is about ready to give up on Bieber lightning can strike twice. After that, this is a darn good list and bublling under at 22? McMurow!!!
UK Top 10 Albums 1-26-13
I just checked it out again, I’ll give Bruce four out of the twelve tracks, plus two we know so well they don’t really count but let’s call it six tracks. In other words a not untypical batting average for Bruce in the 10s. Or in other words, the EP remains King.
Winner And Winner: Cat Stevens And Katy Perry
“Anything in the music business that’s not actually music is something else. It’s a competition, a great big competition. And that’s fine. It’s just not the reason I got into music.”
Lykke Li And Sharon Van Etten Will Both Release An Album In May
Spring always looks great, but this year it will even sound very good: two women with foreign-sounded names and whose music I really like, are going to release an album in May.You can all find them on Youtube, but I prefer not to spoil everything in advance. The month of May us gonna be glorious.