This dates from 2009, and right now it reads a little like we take these truths to be self-evidently but at the time I thought Rod Stewart’s greatest achievements were more or less forgotten. So in a vail effort to rectify the situation… I wrote what everyone knows!
I Was Doing Alright (Then A Few People Died) – Craig Finn – “Sometimes I wonder if anything means anything” a girl during a drunken late night three bottle conversations wonders. It’s a good question and we all know what Craig’s thoughts are, but it is good to hear him think his way through – A
If she manages to surpass 11 million units sold, I don’t know how you could possibly follow it. I’ve long felt that the sheer hugeness of Adele’s achievement paralyzed. She couldn’t see any way to compete with herself and fiddled and faddled for years on end (the promise is 26 will be out later this year, but who knows?).
“I’m feeling very nostalgic”, Madonna claimed about her return to MSG 30 years after her first performance here. But she shouldn’t be. Madonna didn’t have the rebel heart for it then, she hadn’t learnt how hard she could cry, how alone she could be. She didn’t appreciate human frailty the way she did last night. She is playing tonight, if you love Madonna this is the concert you must see.
Meanwhile Frank Turner was talking about being jet lagged, and was profusely and euphorically explaining his songs, he seemed to be in very high spirit and was joking around… ‘The tour starts in Pittsburg, but they sent me to LA first’… ‘This song was about being an asshole to my girlfriend, and this is an apology’ he added before singing another song of his new album ‘The Opening Act of Spring’.
Slide – Myke Terry – “”being a black guy in a metal band has its challenges” claimed Myke of his four years as lead singer of Bury Your Dead, so does coming back as a sort of MOR soul singer, doing to soul what Darius Rucker did to, played it straight and and close to the chest – B+
‘A lot of this record is us being like, “Look, we are a metal band. We do a lot of other stuff, but we can solo; we can have some Slayer riffs in there. There was a lot of, “Hey, what if we throw some traditional thrash metal stuff in here, but just make it our own?” And I think it worked really well.’
This is a real mess, nothing about Billboard’s charts means the slightest thing any more. For instance, Billboard had a post about how “Selena Gomez celebrates her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay chart, as “Good for You” rises 2-1.” Fine, but since it is # 7 in the Hot 100 what does it mean and what does it matter?
Jimmy and Margaritaville for New Years Eve? I am a little wary of jumping too soon, it might be a little early to make the decision, plus, Jimmy is such a sunny individual, do we really really want to see him in Latest of late December…
The last time I saw Gwen Stefani, nearly exactly a year ago, she was performing an excellent greatest hits package with her band No Doubt, at Central Park for Global Citizen. She was really incredible and the time before that, at MSG on her first solo tour, pushing the awesome Love Angel Music baby, she was, if anything even better. Me and my friend slip slided down to the 100s to the side of the street and she was practically sitting on my knee
The video will post from everyone’s facebook on September 16th at the exact same time. This will ensure that the videos progress is easy to track and promote. This video contains explicit language and difficult themes. If you do not want this content on your timeline or would feel more comfortable sharing this in the privacy of your home, that’s totally fine! If you would like to forward this campaign to others who might want to get involved, that’s great too!
P. Diddy is a thieving bastard? That’s a shocker. According to Danity Kane ex-member Audrey O’Day “We have two platinum albums, let alone grossed over $1millon on Christina Aguilera’s Back To Basics tour while opening for her, and we came off that tour $15,000 in debt.” Quite how this is possible, we will have to wait to find out. Quite how he managed to siphon off everything I have no idea, but I bet it is a lot more interesting than Diddy’s career as a rapper
Wearing Willie Nelson’s braids, holding his guitar very low and approaching his songs with some Springsteen muscles, Charlie Overbey and his Broken Arrows gave us a very energetic ballet of layered guitars, as they were a lot on stage and constantly moving around.
Chocolate Factory – R. Kelly – before all that godawful stuck in a wardrobe crap, Kelly was seconds away from being a modern day Stevie Wonder with a larger libido and maybe a tenth the talent (which means he was great), and this was the lead song off the album that made us take R. Kelly seriously for a year or so. A masterful Wonder redux, a beautiful soul song of faith in love and metaphor – A
Come on, the song has been used and re-used so many times, during hockey games, soccer games, in commercials and Super Bowls commercials, for the trailer of the 2009 movie ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and the 2014 movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’… even U2 used it for the Vertigo Tour! We have heard it, alright, too many times.
Much like the charts for the past couple of years, this is a strangely characterless state of affairs. The incredible homogenization of the charts means that the only curveball you ever get, the occasional OMI, comes from Youtube. It’s a pity.
Martha is such a dirty mouthed diva, such an histrionic and brittle ill-tempered and temperament folk rocker, and Lucy a well tempered smart and delicate folkie. But apparently, the duo are at least half sisters, Martha’s Mom was the late extremely great Kate McGarrigle, and Lucy’s Mom is a member of one of the greatest sister acts ever and of all time, The Roches.
170 (90%) of the world leaders are at the UN the same day, I figure someone decided to put every terrorist main attraction at the same place and at the same time, it is a question of organization, you know. it saves time if we all just stick a giant bullseye on our backs and wander around the city. incidentally, the very next day is Global Citizen…
I upgraded a couple of weeks and this sleep, smart operating system is the best in the business. Much better than the baffling 8.0 or luddite 7.0, it is a helluva easy system, a pleasure to negotiate and simple as 1.2.3. I have never had a Mac but I would be shocked if it is as good as this at getting you where you want to go. A personal favorite is the “Task View”. A great way to use your computer and if you have 8.0 the upgrade is free.
‘Throughout the process of writing this album—about two years—I’ve gone on this spiritual journey to learn more about myself and my faults and all this stuff that I’ve tended ignore for a really long time. It’s so much easier to go through each day and forget the previous day or forget the hurtful things you said to someone or whatever it might be, just the shitty parts of your life. This song is addressing that. It’s really examining what it is that makes me who I am, and what parts of that are disgusting.’
Southern Hospitality – Ludacris – So crude that if it wasn’t so great you’d be right to wonder what the hell is his problem? I saw Ludacris open for Outkast back when this was first released and it brought the house down. Plus Pharrell Williams, the one man hook factory, is all over it. Finally, any song that has you singing along to a request you rub Ludacriss’ balls can’t be all bad – A
It is music for a peer group dealing with similar battles between theory and practice, how things feel and how they are, the emotional range is noticeable and the disquiet is tempered, sometimes distempered by mooted desire: it is all burgeoning lushness and self awareness. Sixteen years old , but sixteen years old unblinking looking into the heart, and sometimes into the dark.
What is it with the singles charts? It’s like watching paint dry, a tiny move at the top (Bieber drops to third, the two Weeknd’s move up a peg) and Ed has his third hit off X… you remember X, it dropped FIFTEEN MONTHS AGO. It might well be a bitch to get anything to hit big in the music world of 2015 but if it does -watch out, folks, because nothing else has moved an inch. Meanwhile, expect nothing but the weekend for months to come.
The sound is broad, modern, owing as little as Whitley can manage to his antecedents, for a blues guitarist he is as wary as Gary Clark: completely unwilling to justify his sound through even his own past. It is post-modern mood blues for a 21st century audience and a world unwilling to justify itself to any one.
While speaking to BBC News, John said ‘I would like to meet [Mr Putin],’ ‘It’s probably pie in the sky… He may laugh behind my back when he shuts the door, and call me an absolute idiot, but at least I can think I have the conscience to say I tried.’ At least he is realistic! ‘Give me a break,’ said Elton John. “You are President of Russia, and you go and say stupid things like that?’ I guess he is preparing himself when he has the big meeting with the president whose anti-gay attitude is ‘isolating and prejudiced’ and ‘ridiculous’ according to John.
Four from Rebel Heart because business is business and I love the album any way, but none off Hard Candy, Confessions From The Dancefloor, American Life, I’m Breathless (though I seriously considered “Hanky Panky”) and Who’s That Girl? Two from Music and three from Ray Of Light.
‘if The Satanic Verses had been published today, the members of the literary elite who rounded on Charlie Hebdo in the wake of the French satirical magazine winning a PEN prize for courage would not have defended him.’… ‘it seems we have learned the wrong lessons,’
Football season is upon us though with the sun still out I’ve held off taking any serious serious attention to it. The Jets drew the Browns and beat em well, journeyman QB Ryan Fitzpatrick everything the lousy Geno Smith isn’t. A couple more outings like this and guess who won’t be coming back. The Giants gave one away for no reason. The Yanks saved themselves from a sweep but with 20 games to go better keep their eye on the wildcard, the Mets keep on rolling, and have their first winning season 2008. Finally, Roger Federer lost to US Open winner Novak Djokovic.
For my 4th time I enjoyed a magical moment between cold wave music, ecstatic memories and Ian Curtis reincarnation. It’s quite true that not many bands have the caliber and consistency of Interpol. These New Yorkers and their British singer have a whole collection of songs divided into five incredibly classy albums
This is weird, Lana, Keith, Kurt and Gary? I’ve dismissed all of these guys recently but a specific song has hit my pleasure zone and who am I to deny it? In a perfect world. Garfunkel and Oates would write the lyrics to all of Lana’s songs. My only problem with G&O is when they make nasty noises like gagging on dick and being nauseated by pussy. It sounds terrible over earphones.
everything that has been building since Drake took over from Weezy(or at least Frank Ocean and the rest of Odd Future) is boiling over and hip hop as art form is completely undeniable after so much rough and tumble Rick Ross-y gangsta. The concept is simple: we are assholes yes, but we know it. There are worse ideas out there. The Five Finger Death Punch maybe the best hard rock album of the year not nailed down by Titus Andronicus.
With a fabulous album, Laugh in The Dark, just released and a deep back catalog to dip into, Tommy Keene is bringing along power poppers Dot Dash to Bowery Electric and for less than ten bucks (a ridiculously great price) all this can be yours on Thursday. I have never seen Keene on stage and wonder if he can deliver…
Brett Morgen’s ‘Montage of Heck’ received seven nominations for the Creative Arts Emmys which took place on Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, I don’t know how many he actually won but this is revolting,… revolting because Morgen has tried to sell this fiction for the truth, heavily promoting a story that simply is a lie. Didn’t Buzz Osborne say ‘Montage of Heck’ was 90% bullshit?
I guess you can call this the end of the Tony Blair era once and for all in the UK, the Labour Party has chosen to stop being a carbon copy of the Conservatives and voted socialist Jeremy Corbyn their new leader. Paradise redux? One thing is certain, unlike the States stuck with a right and an extreme right party system, the UK now has a serious alternative and possibly the first real change since Harold Wilson’s second term. The UK now has a two party system, two more than the US has.
Little Sister – Queens Of The Stone Age – I couldn’t take their last album but this one from 2005 is a doozy at least until they go riff mental… their glam instincts would work for em if they left it… nice bridge – B+
I did this painting on black canvas. Only special peeps get to the black canvas. I also used fluorescents to help dignify his intensity. I put his name in green like those old scary movies ads of the 50’s…as if he is “The Blob” and coming for your children. As Lenny once said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been funny. I am not a comedian. I am Lenny Bruce.”
‘This is a free, all ages event. Registration does not guarantee entry. Entry is available for the first 10,000 registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive at 10:00am to secure your place in the Largest human peace sign! On-site registration and peace sign placement will close promptly at 12:00pm. The aerial photograph capturing this historic event will take place at 12:30pm.’
Of the big ones I am not impressed with, put Keith Richards at the top of the list and then add Chris Cornell, Mac Miller, Metric, The Front Bottoms who are emerging into one of the biggest disappointments, then moved to the maybes with Lana Del Rey, Motion City Soundtrack, Mercury Rev, Robert Forster, David Gilmour and Lucero. Finally, the battle for most intimating, intimate, and anticipated album of next week… no not Robert Delong or Darlene Love but RUDIMENTAL!!! If only because it includes one of Bobby Womack’s last vocals. And not only because of that either.
True Blue – Madonna – Has doo wop ever sounded better. Just a straight up, 50sish perfect pop tune that everybody loves and if they don’t they miss the pop music gene in their soul… she is playing it on this tour!!! – A+
‘People ask: ‘These are your friends, right? This is a funny thing? I’m like, ‘I’ve never met these guys. I don’t know what they sound like.’ They asked me to play guitar with them on David Letterman a couple of months ago and I said no. But I guess somewhere in between that time and now they decided that they didn’t like me actually and yeah, if they have a problem, then that’s fine. Not everyone’s going to like my music. That’s fine.’…
Trent Gardner and Wayne Gardner, formed the band in 1985 and, much like their namesake Ferdinand Magellan have been navigating historic lesson songs with consistently prog-rocky effect till February 2014 when guitarist Wayne killed himself.That left brother Trent, who did everything else, to soldier on alone.
I only have to hear that Pitchfork and Consequence Of Sound like a song for me to doubt my own instincts. And absolutely, for me, popularity improves a sound. Lorde’s “Royal” is a perfect example where I dismissed it and dismissed it and though it took a live performance to turn me all the way around, its success was what had me wondering.
“A group of ten patrol officers on the nightwatch conducts end-of-shift get-togethers they euphemistically call “choir practices” (possibly to hide their true nature from superiors but actually a sardonic reference). These “choir practices” almost always involve heavy drinking, complaints about their superior officers, and war stories (and, occasionally, group sex with a pair of lusty, overweight barmaids). They hold the choir practices in MacArthur Park because it is in another division’s territory and “one does not shit in one’s own nest.”
Still waiting for its official release, this is a Stonesy meets punk workout with a great groove and a Stiv Bators via Mike Hudson (who is indeed the lead singer) vocal, all snarl and drugs, Richard Duguay’s guitar is fluid and fast and first rate. If Hollywood High was art rock by other means, “Hopped Up” is 70s punk by professional hit men – A
In which Kurt expands his horizon into MOR old school rock, with a piano motif up close and personal, and I hated it yesterday but I think I missed it because I was expecting something completely different. This is a beautiful and strange rhythmic hook, it is like there are two beats and one falls off and discombobulates the song and neither rests with the drums- B+
Miguel on Fallon wins, though Run The Jewels TV On The Radio come close… I wouldn’t mind catching Leona Lewis on Ellen.
They didn’t talk much, Josh was visibly touched by the loving demonstrations of the enthusiastic crowd, but he shouldn’t have, as only the most die-hard fans had probably managed to get a ticket. In any case, the time was for music and not talking, and they played the show with a formidable energy while dispatching their songs as if they were rockets sent to the moon. The band kept us on the edge of a hard rock cliff, showing us once again they are one of the greatest rock bands alive.
Six years ago I reviewed every single Dylan album, decade by decade. Why? Same reasons as ever I had room to fill. Here is my look back at Dylan in the 1990s. I haven’t read this in years and years -wonder if it is any good. I do believe I’ve improved of the years. But as a fan recently mentioned, I shouldn’t be allowed to write about music
went to see Michael Jackson with a girl named Christina at MSG the night before (with Whitney Houston! and Marlon Brando!) and we’d been out all night (Id taken the next day off work), we were at a bar in Queens when we saw it on the news, I took the last running train back to the city as my niece Louba was at work and I wanted to get her home safely… crossing 5th ave I watched WTC topple. Picked up Louba and no way out of the city we went on a pub crawl…
Listening to A Ha while deciding on a grade, I had chosen a “C” and was ready to move on when my PC froze but the album kept playing, and the last time I’ve hated a song I couldn’t get rid of was when I was riding a very busy subway and couldn’t get my hands to my IPOD to stop a Smashing Pumpkin’s album for twenty minutes. Truly cast in steel from hell.
