‘When we first started the war in Iraq, we were using Metallica music to soften people up before we interrogated them, he explained, ‘Metallica got wind of this and they said, ‘Hey, please don’t use our music because we don’t want to promote violence.’ I thought, Dude, you have an album called Kill ‘Em All.’
At your very bottom you will understand more clearly what you are capable of, the person you are under the person you are. “Love has No Pride” is masochistic, love as self-abuse, love as the horror where life is completely closed in
The violence of the music directly matches the slaughter on screen, or rather Pissed Jeans’ pissed off sonic fury has to be responsible for all this mayhem,… this is some bloodthirsty music!
Don’t talk to me about classical music, I am the guy who reviewed a six hour opera for you last December. But Josh is beyond the pale, Josh makes Andrea look good. This is high culture for lowbrows. It is rank.
Bruno is in twice, count em, with that boring album as him. And who wrote about “Locked Out Of Heaven” sounding like the Police, eh? Me, that’s who
Retrograde – James Blake – Children grow up so fast these days? This electronic soul song is a leap forward after the sameyness of the debut album. Plus, Blake’s falsetto sounds great and meaningful,and the beats like handclaps are fun – Grade: A-
Honestly, how can you compare The Black Keys’ ‘Lonely Boy’, to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)’, to Fun.’s ‘We Are Young’, to Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, to Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinkin Bout You’, to Taylor Swift’s ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’…. already my head is aching
Two things I love put together: vinyl and Jack White’s ideas.
I’m not the only one who felt “Where Are We Now?”, was weak. Former wife Angie blasted the poor old guy. What exactly has she done for the world other than birth Duncan Jones…
In many ways I see this as a golden age but only musically, culturally it is irrelevant. If you don’t agree, if you think the music doesn’t matter because the music is no good, than obviously you won’t connect it to the vapidness of its surroundings
WHAT WILL COSTELLO SING???? He wouldn’t go there, would he? I can’t believe he would do it but man will that make for an interesing side plot pn what feels like too much funk and not enough pop type of evening.
The epic track is actually complex, going from a totally triumphant jubilant opening, falling into metallic sounds glittering and fizzling all over the place, spiraling and then morphing into symphonic and keyboard weirdness.
Llet’s look at 2014. Let’s look not at David Byrne but Talking Heads. Since Byrne flat out refuses to reform the band and since he only plays an occasional song in concert, we are gagging to hear these songs live. And since you need bucks to go to Carnegie Hall and catch one of these tributes, and since older New Yorkers are more likely to have money
They have a captive audience and the Clubs and Arenas can ply them with overpriced alcohol and tee-shirts. Everybody knows Pianos, Arlene Grocery, all those clubs, make their money at the bar and not from the door. The longer you are there, the more they make.
I don’t think this is speculation, I think Wilson will be back on tour with the “fired” members of the Beach Boys by 2014 and I will be there one more time, hoping and praying they play Summer Days (And Summer Nights).
Started From The Bottom – Drake – Drake is really unique, he can take what would be dreary by anybody else and spin gold. This is the most depressing song ever written about the joys of success. It can’t seem to drag itself out of the nightclub – Grade: B+
The band is tight without being slick, the rhythm section a good one and the sound as memorable as the songs they sing. Imagine if Ronnie Spector covered “She’s The One” -there’s the vibe. That good? I have to admit it, the Normal Living is that good.
While sounding like the quintessential MCR song, it lacks I think something remarkable to make it go from being a good song to being fan-fuckin-tastic. That isn’t to say “Surrender the Night” is bad, just uninteresting
Why would ANYONE auction the priceless tangibles of a punk rock icons life? Money. Its a great idea the guy will make a mint but the thought of Joey being a commodity really clocked me in the gut.
I am beyond proud of Mumford and Sons for winning Album of the Year for their release “Babel”. I already named it the Album of the Year in my “Best of 2012” post; I couldn’t have called it any better. I teared up when I saw the tweets and texts from my friends about it;
He was already the king of TV a day before when hosting SNL but he also wanted this Grammy night to be his? This sounded like a terrible desperate-for-attention moment for the Bieb which turned to be a total flop
she has always been an attractive woman and of course this participates into the making of a more Caucasian look of her. Blame it on our racist and conformist society, but it’s a sad ascertainment a mixed race woman, who has reached the alpha female status, feels the need to do that.
Rock music is not movies and a Grammy is not an Oscar. It is an irrelevance when your job is changing lives a generation at a time (at least in theory). If I was a teenager in 2013 I would consider rock and roll to almost beyond redemption
Who could it be? fun. are too big, Shinobi Ninja too small. And neither represent a movement…
Your Painted Smile – Bryan Ferry – I was really surprised to discover Ferry’s 1996 masterpiece Mamouna is not available on digital. Indeed, a chunk of his best albums are not around on digital. I saw Ferry in concert pushing this album and I have never seen him better and I have seen him a great deal. This is a glamorous thing of haunted beauty (and it is digitalized on the More Than This hits album) – Grade: A
Fitz and the Tantrums are back with a new track off their upcoming record ‘More Than Just a Dream’, and honestly I didn’t expect this tamed sound from this R&B-bluesy band so wild on stage
Its the week of love…unless you’re looking for music on television. My theory that Tuesday was the best night for bands on late night got shot out of this water this week
Lovesick Blues – Chris Stamey – Eleven slices of Stamey stamped power pop, from the at the very least difficult dB. Three of them, including the title track with a near perfect strings drenched coda and one with Andy Partridge arranging the strings, are as good as it gets when it comes to still Big Star still influenced pop music. And the rest? A little boring – Grade: B
Back in full glory the bands tour sold out in seconds. Stub Hub became the saving grace for many but not all. There were ‘car crash hearts’ broken fans who sobbed openly knowing they wouldn’t be part of Mays shows.
The new song ‘Family’ is very much in the same vein than his previous material, it works in-the-urgency with a devilish but sweet rhythm which is revisiting some old-school rock ‘n’ roll, engaging into some serious body-shaking thanks to crashing cymbals and tearing guitar, repainting the whole thing with a rawer and bluesier color.
I know you probably think the Courteeners are the sort of English rock band who pun on an obscure English car, and you are right of course, but they are probable the best band from Manchester around right this minute and Manchester being Manchester, that actually means something. I’ve streamed the album and on First listen Anna is the real thing, at least till the two thirds mark.
The week belongs to Grime King Dizzee Rascal, and I gotta tell you, “Bassline Junkie” is absolutely great. It is about as funky and as bass heavy and as flat out funny as you thought it might be if you really thought about it. The video is fun as well. Hmm, Fall Out Boy and Tinie Tempah are here as well…
Kelly Willis is always excellent so I am thrilled she has a newbie, and Bryan Ferry? Still recycling his catalog but why not? But I am not the only one who has been waiting since November for the release of the new Pissed Jeans albums. I’ve only heard two tracks, one is a masterpiece and the other one isn’t.
Apple Scruffs – George Harrison – Imagine this, Harrison was THE WEAK LINK IN THE BEATLES. A wonderful ode to the Beatle super fans, who waited outside the Apple HQ, day after day, year after year. The harp just rules this track – Grade: A+
On stage Bronson is a complete pro. He manages his band and and his audience with a gentle smartness. Despite the makeshift nature of the set, after Superstorm Nemo stranded a couple of members of the band despite the lack of rehearsal time or God knows a soundcheck, and despite the shortness of the set, Bronson triumphed
Personally I like Jimmy Fallons impersonation of Bieber better than Bieber but I’m just that way. The limping Saturday Night Live has grabbed this kid as host and musical guest in hopes of…….anything
Why am I being conned into doing business with Jann Wenner? Why should I have to cancell anyuthing? This is horrible and disrespectful to LiveNation’s clients, doesn’t the company make enough money without hoodwinking customers iinto subscribing to a magazine they have expressed ZERO interest in?
I remember having this weird vision of this odd Elliott statue in front of the wall,…Elliott, the last person on earth who would have wanted to have a statue erected for him…Today, I have the feeling we will never see this sculpture.
Jesse Lacey is a lyrical god, it’s angsty and brilliant musically. It’s a gorgeous album that tells a beautiful story. “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” is one of those songs that as soon as the chorus hits, you feel the urge to scream it at the top of your lungs
In the latest rock band to play the suspense -surprise axis, the popular in the 2000s emo band Fall Out Boy reformed after a four year hiatus. released a, frankly, lousy single and sold out a huge US tour, just about instantaneously
MBV have one of the great songs of the year here, as does Gary Wilson and Scott Krokoff (Krokoff late 2012) and while I don’t much care for what Fall Out Boys I never really did and I don’t hear much rust on em. Absolutepunk loved them in L.A. a coupla days ago.
Actually, I have tix for Lulu at BB Kings and Maroon 5 at MSG, so I plan to stay with Lulu till around 915 and then dash like hell to MSG and miss the first half hour or so of Maroon 5. M5 are awesome live and Lulu is a legend and I just have to see the Shout-er whose personal life alone reads like a who-whos of 70s rock. Being married to Maurice Gibb is one thing, dating David Bowie something else entirely. And managing both in one life time… Any way, Saturday night. M5 is sold out so if you don’t have a tix choose Lulu.
The Right Chemistry – Goldenboy – Alyson Camus faves bury the vocals so low they are like shoegaze meets lo-fi so-cal and a bridge that goes from brown to blue and a pretty good back up singer adding ooohs and ahhhs. All it needs is a synth and darker lighting! – Grade: A-
The picture, which was taken by Linder Sterling at a private party in 1992, shows both men acting quite friendly at the time but things have really changed and, according to a Morrissey fan site, ‘Bowie has ordered EMI UK not to run the proposal artwork’,
In the sense, is it too obviously political? ‘The Left is Right’… Can you be more direct than this? Desaparecidos sure doesn’t use any nuances for these new ones and I wonder whether art is really efficient when the meaning jumps at your face so vividly, when there is no mystery left… but, I know, that’s the point of Desaparecido, I should go listen to Bright Eyes for the cryptic meanings.
“Don’t” is what popular rock and roll used to be, easy to sing along, a contracted guitar break, and a feel good (and self referring) message, “don’t ever quit or you’ll never know”.
Inspired by exciting yet technically challenged groups like the Buzzcocks, Undertones, and The Damned, the Adverts were non-musicians ready for stardom. In 1977, the group released their first single on Stiff Records, “One Chord Wonders”
Manslaughter cuz your fan fell off the stage smacked his head and died… years ago.
[O’Neil is a ] fucking hood rat who is suing me for money that she didn’t earn. She thinks she’s just, like, the queen of the universe… And, you know what, she didn’t want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day.’
Video Star is a sign of a future arriving where technology is dirt cheap and everybody is a star if they have the ability and creativity of Miriam and Rosie. The future is here.
