rock nyc

Thank You – Alanis Morrisette – If ever a song was worth stripping for, this is it. Yes, it sounds like a typical dirge at first but it is a grower and the piano gives it a pacing then leads it to its natural spiritual mantra self deep in the soul – Grade: A-

Bathroom Laughter – Pissed Jeans – What is it about PJ that makes you think they just plain can’t run away from themselves. They might want to be the “Holiday Inn” of hardcore, playing three times in a busy year and spending (three!) years between albums. But they are too damn good, and this will force them into becoming a working band. Their next album, Honey, is out next year and this first song is terrific. A tasty, blunt, piece of cynicism that, as my friend James Reynolds notes is reminiscent “of ivan x (ritual tension) when he was drumming for Swan” – Grade: A

Its a darker more sad type song but the tradition of it remains the same. Its a classic and amazingly enough it is 25 years old. Forgive me for saying this but i thought it older

Punk rock was proving to be an excellent singles medium, with The Buzzcocks and The Jam and The (non-Tom Petty) Heartbreakers undeniably making that point. An English nerd named Declan MacManus excited critics with his wordplay and craftsmanship. Disco and Fleetwood Mac ruled the Top 40 airwaves, while groups like Television and The Ramones and The Talking Heads were establishing a New York dump named CBGB’s

So much of this album is why Costello sucks 101: “Sparkling Day”, and the first verse has such promise but then it all comes back to the samey crappy bridge. “Oh well”, “Life Shrinks”, “My Mood Swings” -none of it is any good. Indeed, a quick head count gives you 7 winners out of 15.

I know that he has died about a million times, like more than a cat. But between metal beams falling on his head, brain hemmorages and his diabetes its a wonder he can stop long enough to sing anything.

Wandered into the store during lunch. It looked like 1Ds career five years from now, more sales people than customers, and a kinda dusty day after Christmas vibe about the place. A 1D video is playing on monitors and some sale person is half heartedly singing along, the entire place is quiet and drastic.

The long wait is apparently over and if you go to Ticketweb you can pick a tix for Saturday, January 19th, 2013 at Cameo Gallery. This is a must see band in their element and I am overjoyed at the chance to finally see them live.

Pour It Up – Rihanna – The first keeper off the new one lays it out, “still got more money” is the rallying cry or is it “All I see is dollar signs”. There is a catchy downbeat and about as cheerful as Rihanna ever is, but everything she sings sounds like a hook, here the title sounds like a secret – Grade: A

The rousing chorus of ” kill, kill… kill the turkey’ pretty much sums up what has become of the holiday for appreciation. Uh oh dont get me started on that again or youll get a 300 word post on why you suck for eating meat.

There was a study published about a year ago that found out that strong right-handedness was associated with decreased liking of less popular musical genres such as bluegrass or reggae, and increased preference for more popular genres (indexed by recording industry sales figures).

There is something about the Twilight series that sucks the lifeblood out of actors. I just saw Anna Kendrick in “Pitch Perfect”. She was also in “Up In The Air”. Terrific in both, in Twilight? Terrible.

A little later on the two are drunkenly singing Beatles songs before they move on to Presley and in Jagger’s exaggerated funning sneer you can here part of what Jagger himself is. He reveals his influence even as he laughs at it. One of the greatest music documentaries I’ve ever seen.

The song has been submitted for an Academy Award in the best original song category, and everyone is suggesting she may win the Oscar as it is her first original composition for a movie; she recorded ‘Across the Universe’ for ‘Pleasantville’ and her song ‘Paper Bag’ was used for another Apatow production ‘Bridesmaids’

Let’s see he has eaten a live rat and guillotined his own head off and he’s done a bunch of stuff with snakes. But in the midst of all this showmanship he has created amazing anthems such as “I’m 18” and “Welcome To My Nightmare” along with the mega hit “School’s Out”.

The problem with American Civil War, as opposed to WW1, songs is that as well as think we know the songs, we don’t really since there were (obviously) no contemporary recordings. Which means, not unlike classical music, there is no template. Except classical music was scored and scored to be played as scored and except for Marches, American Civil War songs were not.

Cool Zombie – Adam Ant – AIn’t this a kick in the head? After his frankly terrifying concert at Best Buy last October, the last think I expected was this Bo Diddley meets Ant Music piece of walking r&b. A triumphant return and as close to a walking dead as you’re ever likely to see – Grade: A-

It’s for the cash and I say get it while the gettting is good. What Im most interested in here is Spurlock doing a 3D. Seems so mainstream and ‘film maker-esque’ from a guy who digs up the disgusting.

He is a smart fellow but at the heart of the matter he realizes a secret: he got very very lucky but he doesn’t want to say so. So we get boiler plate stuff, sometimes from the actual time, about the mythic qualities of the Stones and Jagger in particular.

Startling? Not particularly. Now Dylan’s singing on his current tour? That is startling, the title track off his new album? That’s startling? But this is just yucky. Not really art as we know and love it, more like a Photoshop extravanganza for a world at war. Or something like that.

This video occured during a taping of the show when the cast and crew performed a “Flash Mob” “Call Me Maybe” to the surprise of audience and director. As Sheldon puts it: Bazinga

I don’t get the Bruno Mars song at all, I thought it was like Usher after he gave up trying to be the next Michael Jackson. Wait a second, McFly broke up last decade, what are they doing back together? No wait, let me guess…

No shockers here, or maybe there is. The Grrreatest hits got in the charts? So did Strauss? And why is Lana and E back in there. And who is Aldie Boe??? No, wait, let me guess. But One Direction isn’t a shocker.

Burning Airlines Give You So Much More – Brian Eno – One of his greatest achievements, this strange tale about a girl who leaves him for China tracks a triumphant synth motif that is choice Oriental and yet nothing like it.Grade: A+