This isn’t subtext on Modern Vampires Of The City, with its strange echo of “The Elders Of Zion”title? I still don’t see why more isn’t being made of Ezra being Jewish when it reverberates through Rolling Stones album of the year
For many unbeliebers like me, I must admit it sounds like a Christmas present, People magazine has already set up a poll ‘Should Justin Bieber retire?’ and has so far received a 92% for a yes, but they have to be kidding right?
The “and I’m sticking to it” has more stickiness than the rest of the album combined, which is why it was a minor hit, though it doesn’t explain why Black Panties, is Kelly’s bestselling album in years. Maybe the album cover does that – B+
As much as Moz is a negative Nelly is as much as he brings awareness to topics you may not want to hear about. He is well schooled in politics and social issues and for a guy with no real formal education he gets the point across quite eloquently.
“They’re all so tight together and it fits so well, and is clearly extremely rehearsed. It’s so polished and addicting, and the deeper register of Brendon’s voice takes over and when it hits the chorus, the three of them harmonizing is absolutely stunning”
The band are a touch generic though it sure doesn’t hurt the knockabout “Super 8” ( and the accumulation of stories work themselves into a worldview and while it isn’t a happy one, it is true one, and while it is mostly a bunch of stories and they don’t always end well, they always show people at their most humane.
Pitbull is right back at the top after his phenomenal performance at Jingle Ball last week and “Timber” is the only song I’d listen to for, how you say, pleasure. I hate “Counting Stars” although I can hear how some other people might love it…
Beyonce is head and shoulders above the rest with a ridiculous 750K + units moved at fifteen bucks a pop and no overhead, no publicity, all digital. Brooks is quite impressive with his non-digital release. It might be more last hurrah than new paradigm but as hurrahs go, I’m impressed.
Low key, ambient dubby sound with Charlotte’s whispery willow vocal all adding something desirable and sexy to the blues song. From her upcoming movie “Nymphomaniac” –a picture of which nearly crashed the website. Produced by beck, maybe she should get out more – B+
A good set, all four bands gave everything they had, it was generous, the sets weren’t overlong, DVP played for only 65 minutes, and it allowed the audience to come to them, to join with them. More people of faith should use the Devil Wears Prada as their example.
As the RRHOF becomes more desperate for repeated visitors to their Cleveland pyramid and their online gift shop, the lowest common denominator will continue to define cultural excellence. At the 2023 induction ceremony, P. Diddy will strut across the stage and proclaim repeatedly with great bravado that, “It’s all about the Benjamins!”
The Junip frontman ended up singing 3 songs on the soundtrack, and watching the trailer of the movie, it is probably once again one of these perfect collaborations that becomes essential to the movie, like one of the characters. Shapiro even explained how it all started:
It’s the idea that heartbreak isn’t actually such a big deal. I know– that’s sort of weird coming from me. But it is. In fact, it’s almost minuscule in comparison to some of the other things that go on in a person’s life. Or just life itself
The album is strong and yet supple, it is a Taoist achievement about how life comes to it, to the couple and its friends, and how that is enough. In the familial, or at least in the communal, in the me and my friends at the center of these wonderful friends is a vision of a musical life as an ongoing community.
This year the tally put makeup legends KISS on the top of the heap. I’m not surprised but I’m also not overwhelmed with joy- since I have very little respect for the award itself. Although I will pause to say that the museum in Cleveland is a nifty idea I for those so inclined to look at Elton Johns car keys.
Tis the season to make lists and thank god for that because there is nothing going on in the music business and I’d be left reviewing Jingle Ball again in anticipation of next years where I think we will finally be getting Katy Perry. Or Taylor Swift. Or most likely both because they owe us for the disastrous 2013.
Interesting, but kind of ridiculous, the album has already reached some sales records (617,000 copies sold in the US and 828,000 worldwide through Sunday) in the iTunes Store after being only 3 days on sale, so if Target wanted to ‘punish’ Beyoncé for selling her album digitally before making it available to physical retailers, they look totally stupid!
Who will judge the judgers? I will! NPR have put up their top 50 albums of 2013 and I have only two questions 1) Do I know it and 2) is it any good… no wait here is 3) Where is Queen Bey!. Well, let’s take a look at what the lefty muckety mucks have been listening to, 11 of em
Kiss Me Last – We The Kings – A “Save The Last Dance For Me” for the 21st century and as sweet an idea as pop music can throw up, in a world of black panties, it is so innocent and emo in name, in nature it is pure pop for now teens – A-
Yes, folks, the industry is napping but B.o.B., the Georgia rapper who opened for Eminem and Jay Z back when he was 22 years old is back and he has his moments here, though not enough to justify a purchase.
She wants to be us and she wants to be Queen Bey at the same time, and she manages the trick by cutting in old footage of herself, it is a humanizing element. All of it wouldn’t matter if the songs weren’t so great and great they are; the equal of 4, maybe better, and after Yeezus the hip hop album of the year.
If you know about Merritt’s anti rock star image, you’ll probably think that the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree! And it seems that the two men have truly found each other, as Fagan wants to cover his son’s songs! He has started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the album, simply called ‘Scott Fagan Sings Stephin Merritt’.
Let’s start this off with Morrissey giant pants. Many people wish they could fill his shoes.. but no one..nobody will ever fill those pants. Ann Demeuelemeeter gets mad props for these luxe pantalones and ayyy it’s nice to see the Dries Van Noten zip front shirt back in circulation..
From the kick it into gear “When The Drugs Kick In” to the jammed out masterful Neil Young cover “Southern Pacific” this album doesn’t falter for a moment, the guitars are tactile, ringing, powerful -a thing of real beauty and smartness like scalpels of sound.
We have our homophobic idiots at home, but imagine an actor saying this publicly? He would certainly be under fire beyond recovery, since we aren’t talking about Alec Baldwin screaming his usual faggot slur at paparazzi.
Vivir Vi Vida – Marc Anthony – A “My Way” for the Latin American superstar stands as an anthem to living your life in the way you choose, for Anthony that means horns handling the melody – A
The setlist is about what you’d think, six off 8:18 (the latest album, guess what the album refers to, I’m sure you can do it), three off the one before it, the somewhat superior Dead Throne, three off the personal best genius Zombie EP and two off With Roots And Branches Below. SO no shockers there
What up US bands, we thought you had holiday spirit. I think its more a tribute to the Great White North that those fools are banging out holiday magic better than we do– so wrong and I cant help but wonder if Santa loves them more.
At 45 years of age, Anthony has had his midlife crises and has now returned to his roots on this huge hit in Latin American, a perfect album which proves Anthony has the voice and the chops, and the arrangements, and the ear, to still be the biggest Salsa star living.
“It was so nice to see them up there in front of such a massive audience because it truly is the recognition they deserve. The band was spot-on, clearly seasoned from over a decade of experience. This new hit is a perfect crowd pleaser and, consequentially, a good song for a runway.”
Because of the visual-album concept, her album comes at the hefty price of $15.99, at times when people don’t buy music anymore! And she is selling, selling a lot of them nevertheless. She can do whatever she wants she will always be the queen of sales… . But she preaches consumerism it’s normal that she inspires it.
I really do love the Eminem but the lyrics stop it from being a masterpiece, two Michael Bubles? Christmas we get, but To Be Loved??? But I am happy my old pal Olly Murs is back in the charts!
A blip upwards this week at least because of Jason’s awesome ballad “Trumpets” and goes a long way to saving a short ripping, acrobat dancing, background taping loud mess at Jingle Ball! Looks like clear sailing for Lily’s song of Christmas
Runner – Laura Stevenson – Not only is her singing lovely, her lyrics are kinda great “Static transmit me to the other side of another room in pieces; like a steady beating, the summer hurts” but the guitars are all zoom lens Byrdsy excellence – A
A few weeks ago, we heard about Macaulay Culkin’s new band, The Pizza Underground, which basically recorded the Velvet Underground’s greatest hits with reworked lyrics all centered around a totally pizza theme, with cheesy titles such as ‘Papa John Says’, ‘I’m Beginning to Eat the Slice’, ‘Pizza’,
Helen Bach has made the point to me that I love “Autobiography” because his cultural references are the same as mine and that is certainly true of Hawtrey, the member of the “Carry On” movie series
I thought I’d contact my friend Joe Steinhardt and ask him if he’d ask Laura, who records for Joe’s Don Giovanni Records, whether she’d ask Dan for us. And she did. We didn’t get it because, well, I guess because they were rehearsing but, to be brutally honest, I assume rock nyc simply isn’t big enough. But at least we have friends like Joseph, and good guys like Laura, to help us. More important than a 100 interviews.
Some people have so much confidence it is scary, but sometimes it doesn’t serve them very well! This past week, R. Kelly dropped an album, ‘Black Panties’, and I have zero opinion about it because I can’t stand the guy (and his music).
Bobby Womack is one of the great soul men of the 20th century and after his cancer scare last year we are lucky he is still with us.In January of this year he announced he as Alzheimers disease so we are very very lucky that he will be playing three nights at City Winery and I am making my way down there on Friday
“Spoonful” is enormously difficult to play simply because it has been covered so much from every angle but this is a head rock and roll muscular version, the sexiness of “Shook Down” is shaken off through so much aggression, so much passion: it’s like you wanna say, Tomas, testify man, testify.
Give It 2 U – Robin Thicke – Emphasis is everything and at Jingle Ball, used silence to emphasis his “Angel” hook and the rest of the song followed, making a substandard Timberlake song become a major pop stroke – A-
May be this weirdo cannibal character is a bit too close of what we expect Henry Rollins to be in a movie, intimidating, lonely, pissed off at people and damn scary, but it looks interesting nevertheless. Expect to see this film during next summer/fall in the indie festival circuit.
“I find myself unable to take it really seriously. He’s just too clean cut and handsome and grown up now for me to look at this with a real critical eye like I would any of his newer work. It’s like something he did in his garage with his college friends.”
“Drunk In Love” is better than nearly anything on Jay Z’s album “I’ve been drink, I’ve been drinkin’…” , “Blow” a real good r&b ballad, “Mine” with Drake better than nearly anything on Drake’s and the Frank Ocean featuring “Superpowered” is as good as anything The Dream has given her (sorry, nearly).
They followed 29 parents and their 4-year-old children, tested the children and randomly assigned each of them to one of 2 classes: one with music training and one with visual arts. Both classes were taught by the same teacher (Mehr himself) to get rid of the effect of different teachers, and they tested the children on cognition, vocabulary, mathematics and special tasks:
hen all the planets are in line and all the cosmic pressures balance, magic happens. This year only three of those occured, but man oh man did they occur. Over the years I have seen many live shows and 2013 gave me ‘the show of my life’, and that’s no small feat
You can draw a straight line between Joe Strummer through to Billy Bragg, father and son, white riot to spy vs spy, but you can’t continue the line to Frank Turner and we shall not overcome
Just in time for the 50 th year anniversary of the day the Beatles landed at JFK February 7 th, 1994 (50 years, wow, the mind boggles), a box set of all 13 US only releases, some of which are making it to CD for the first time, will be available January 21 ST
Farshtaist – Scott Severin And The Milton Burlesque – Always good though a little hidden four tracks into Birdhouse Obligato, there is an early version on youtube where his singing is just about perfect, maybe with less of a mix it just sounds better – A
“This album is reminiscent of their first, and that’s a great thing. They were losing momentum with Ryan Ross and Jon Walker in the band, and by them splitting, it allowed P!ATD to grow into a superband that’s gonna continue releasing fantastic music and making teen girls melt.”
