rock nyc

The UK X Factor Winner is about the best you can hope for, a charming, smart, good looking pop product with the good old fashioned woman appeal to cut through generations and a handful of potential hits here to break him pop. “Troublemaker” has already set the tone and “Heart Skips A Beat” has built up the traction. They are both modern dance pop moves, but elsewhere Murs digs deeper, with calypso flavored rthyms and deep ingrained melodies. It should do the job – ALBUM OF THE WEEK -Grade: A-

Yes folks, the dream we all dream of: Shellshag release the album you always knew they had in em but they never quite pulled off –a melodic lo-fi masterpiece. And Paramore do the undoable, instead of falling apart they arrive with their best album to date.

50% of these songs I heard at Friday’s Diana Krall gig, 50% of these songs I heard while writing my album round up. I said the Art Brut album would be great and it most certainly is terrific, and as for Tom Waits, I saw him sing this at the Beacon in 1999 and the verse Diana gave us was much lovelier!

Michael Morisy filed a Freedom of Information Act public records request for ‘a copy of the backing track used during Beyoncé’s Inauguration performance, as well as copies of other backing tracks created in preparation for Inauguration events, whether or not they were actually used.’

In some ways, Shell Shag are a folkie indie DIY iteration of Yo La Tengo, an exciting exploration of love and monogamy, strength through love and friendship. A clear eyed view of love and how love can bring you through to the other side.

Cafe Nights Comes Alive!!! Before Jack Phillips changes genre’s yet again, his eagerly anticipated new album will be all blues and boogie, here is an opportunity to hear his last album, a personal favorite of mine, Cafe Nights In New York, performed live.

Senseless murders, senseless murders, all we ever get is senseless murders. So there are many reactions and most of them are various degrees of bewilderment. This one would be much better if it wasn’t just two stupid assholes but whatever. Unless it was your 8 year old son blow to bits, life carries on one way or the other. Still, the Metal fest would have been entirely within their rights to let down thousands of teenage boys (and Helen Bach) by cancelling the show in Worcester. It is too their credit that they decided the show must go on. Our reviews are forthcoming.

There is one known plus to getting your name in our obie column “Golden Slumbers”, you are dead but your music is being listened to, and #7 thru #10 are all reflective of recent deaths. The recently departed Dean Drummond played with Harry Partch and is represented with two songs here, the vocals hurt Drummons goth creaking horrorshow. Oh, and the new Daft Punk is a very very good slce of modern disco (not so much modern electronica)

What does this say about people who attend Coachella? That they are very young hipsters who don’t know who are the Stone Roses.

These three kids seem to be living as bizarre a half world existence as imaginable. It is like an extended Land of OZ with wicked and good aunts, dead parents, mysterious family connections and lots and lots and lots of money

‘Are you the DJ?’ He asked to Rostam Batmanglij after fooling around with some knobs and giving the band a few direct advices. ‘I don’t always understand the songs, to be honest’… ‘Let’s try to write a song that people can understand’

Charlie XCX has been opening for Ellie Goulding and singing with Icona Pop and for good reason, the 20 year olds electro pop debut album is a humdinger. In a very good week for music, Fall Out Boys, Kid Cudi, and most of all ShellShag jave just released good albums and in Shellshag’s case, career defining records.

How dishy old men can be. Seems bassist Bill Wyman is a bit displeased with his recent participation in the Stones anniversary shenanigans. He joined the band in London but only stood in for two songs.

It really feels like their older stuff, and I love it. The build up to “I’m fillin’ your prescriptions, the orange bottles stare me down,” is flawless and so wonderfully composed, the vocals becoming full and transitioning right into the chorus, full of potential for the classic pop-punk show gang vocals and moshing

“Its absurd that the squeaky voiced songstress with the absurd accent has been around that long.”. Absurd and exhilarating

Demi is back after the toweringly crappy “Skyscraper”, she kisses and makes upwith a halfway decent and sure it is product but rather good dance product than overcooked emotional vacuums. I’ve always liked demi, she plays her role as the all too human bff with panache. So i am happy to like a song by her as well.

Under normal circumstances I would be uniformly baffled by the success of Paramore, but this isn’t that. This is their best album to date and a complete triumph for Hayley. She deserves.

#1 – #5 all new releases with the Fkaming Lips taken pride of place just because it is such an uncompromising piece of pop, # 6 is a tp of the hat to Biffy Clyro for such a terrific opening set on Monday, and the last four are in immense admiration of the Monkee with the wooly hat.

Mali is currently held in solitary confinement in a Manila Zoo. She is constantly in pain due to foot ailments and since elephants are social animals- the solitary confinement is extreme torture. In pain and alone the public is requesting that she be transferred to an animal sanctuary.

The EP is a humdinger and the band is making their stage debut at Brooklyn’s Cameo in May. Among the people who are not confirmed to be making an appearance is one Sean Connery, who hs been sharing his 80th birthday with Jones and might well show up if Jones is there.

Not only The Silver Lake Jubilee is not happening in Silver Lake this year – it’s actually called the Jubilee Music and Arts Festival now and it is located downtown Los Angeles – but the organizers have just released the festival line-up with scrambled band names!

“Chicken Heads” is a blues classic I had never heard of, “my mama told me on her dying day, give up tour heart but never lose your head, you come along girl what did i do? lost my heart and my head too”. Hyper Crush are an electronic hip hop dance band who have opened for Far East Movement. OMD have a good new album Lavigne a good new single and I dreamt I was listening to Browne’s first album last night.

I am sick of the “we’re young and whatever” anthems because they’re so friggin’ stupid it hurts. No, you’re not still young. Shut up, you’re growing up. Plus, she’s gotten way older (older than Adele- WHAAAT) and should let it sink in that she’s no longer a teen and can’t get away with stuff like this.

Of course money is always in the balance, this and ‘pleasing the fans’, but at least the Sex Pistols had the decency to admit it when they reunited in 1996, with John Lydon declaring, ‘we have found a common cause and its your money’.

“Mama” is haunting the kids, a chimp has super intelligence, and the answer is somewhere in a cabin in the woods. It all ends very well for everyone but Mama and Sheen and Lohan.