Charts, Slideshow

UK Top 10 Singles 9-11-15 – 9-17-15

/

Here is a funny quote for you pop pickers, Sigala on writing “Easy Love”: “This is so amazing. I had no idea this would ever be a Number 1 record. I wrote this song in my bedroom on a Sunday evening after a couple of beers. I had no idea it would go to the top of the charts!” In case you haven’t heard the song, the reason it is so funny is because the song is a pretty straightforward remix of “ABC”. It’s like adding drums to “A Hard Rains Gonna fall” and claiming you wrote it in a quiet hour at home.

Slideshow

10 songs: Friday, September 1tth, 2015

/

The Old College Try – Garfunkel And Oates – This is a very good and very funny song about a girl in college experimenting in lesbianism and finding cunnilingus the point of thanks but yuck. “When I looked a vagina in the eye I beat an ungrateful but hasty retreat… funny stuff – B+

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews 9-11-15 – 9-17-15

/

If there is nothing as great as “Honolulu Blues” it is much much better than the last Hold Steady album. Craig is like Snoop Dogg, his voice is so distinctive that when the song isn’t rock solid, the voice overwhelms it. This is better than his last solo album. a tremendous run of great songs from one end to the other and what it misses in the top rung, it makes up for in the middle – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-

Live, Slideshow

Queens Of The Stone Age At The Teragram Ballroom

/

Last night, Queens of the Stone Age played a ‘secret’ show, announced at the last minute at the Teragram ballroom, a tiny place for them. I got the chance to get a ticket,and they were fantastic as usual, but being in the front, at Josh Homme’s feet is really a treat… And now I have all these ridiculously good pictures of these guitar gods! The last true rock stars….

News, Slideshow

Chrissie Hynde Vs Pornographic Pop Stars

/

For one thing, if Miley Cyrus is pornographic, what on earth was Prince in 1979? And for another to claim the tragedy in Syria has ANYTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH, with discussing Chrissie’s statements regarding rape is pure asinine. If that is the case, why discussing anything? Why talk about music when a five year old child just died?

News, Slideshow

The Future Of Ticket Brokerage Is Here

/

It used to be that at least in New York City, everything you wanted to see sold out instantaneously, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. U2, Taylor Swift, Madonna, even The Weeknd, is not entirely sold out (The Weeknd has tickets available at Prudential and loads more in the secondary market).

Recorded, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Thursday, September 10th, 2015

/

Remember Sha Na Na? Sure you do, the old school rock and roll cover band who gave a spark of continuity to the Woodstock generation back in 1968. Dennis Greene was the black guy and a real talent, who appeared with the band in both Grease and Happy Days, before turning his back on the biz and becoming a Professor of Law (Harvard Grad, no less). Sadly he died earlier this week at the age of 66.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Thursday, September 10th, 2015

/

You Make Me feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester – The six minute twelve incher, not only does Sylvester’s voice simply soar, he also mutates a declaration of love till it is a declaration of dance, and presides over one of the greatest grooves ever recorded – A+

News, Slideshow

EMI Has A Problem With Kim Davis And Mike Huckabee’s Use Of ‘Eye Of The Tiger’

/

‘Many times, a record company will look the other way in a situation like this, as it serves as free publicity for their intellectual property,’ added Steiner. ‘Though, in this case, I believe that EMI does not want their song associated with someone like Kim Davis, or Mike Huckabee for that matter, and will most likely seek full damages for this incident.’

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

/

Knockin’ On Mine – Paul Westerberg – In retrospect, 12 Songs could stand as the final Replacements album, if anything it is even more professional than we were used to. This song is Paul at his best, the dodgy depressionalism getting burnt in the summer and wet in the rain – A

News, Slideshow

Miguel Performs In Families Living Room For Great Cause (See It Here)

/

“Make Room” is a non-profit organization that helps poor people pay their rent and with the current homeless problem in New York, it is even more worthwhile if anything. If the City or State really wanted to help the homeless, they’d give money directly to landlords to supplement rent for poor families. Just because you don’t see children on the street doesn’t mean there aren’t children on the street, they are just hidden from view.

Live, Slideshow

Diva At Amoeba, Tuesday September 8th 2015 Review

/

On stage, five women covered with pastel-colored veils were sort of entering in a yoga transcendental meditation, reciting a new age-y discourse about opening our minds and receiving a waterfall, some esoteric stuff they were taking very seriously,… like opening our feet into the earth to channel infinite love?… they were surrounded by flowers and I was wondering, when do they really start the show?

Charts, Slideshow

US Top 10 Singles 9-19-15

/

Really, Justin Bieber’s first number one, with 375,000 downloads, also entered the charts at # 1. Though I can’t quite hear it, it is a soft focused romantic ballad -one Selena Gomez, he cried while singing it, though quite how many times you can whine about a break up, I don’t know. A huge success for Bieber, after three years of relentlessly bad publicity, two huge hits in a row. Who said there are no second acts?

News, Slideshow

Madonna’s Most Important Tour Ever Starts Wednesday

/

I’ve read good things about this tour, if she plays it straight, plays the hits plus choice cuts off rebel heart, if she gets on stage at 9pm and performs 120 minutes of great dance pop, word of mouth will instantaneously sell out the tour. But if she gives us more of MDMA, art pop self flagellation and audience hatred, forget it

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

/

People think it is the end of warm weather and while that is certainly a part of the summer season, more important is children being away from school for two months . Look at two months this way: it is something like 0.25% of my life and 2% of a ten year olds. Translation, summer last forever for children but is a blip on ours and since many of us (me) are working stiffs, we more observe than participate in summer. But we observe well.

News, Slideshow

For The Love of Crowd Surfing

/

Crowd surfing has become so common these days, at least where I live, in Los Angeles, people do it all the time, even when the music is not punk, they do it at any occasion as it seems to be part of the Southern California culture, a way for kids to express themselves, to have fun while taking some risks

Slideshow

10 Songs: Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

/

This is a perfect day for this day of the year, not an ending day but an instant nostalgia, a day where everything comes to a close and while it doesn’t aspire to death, it does aspire to an aching nostalgia. Morrison captures it perfectly, “when summer’s gone, where will we be?” The freest, warmest, youngest and most fun season – A+

News, Slideshow

Watch This Seriously Simple Eagles of Death Metal’s Video For ‘Complexity’

/

Wait, they had already this audio version on Youtube showing them in a Star Trek fantasy, but this time Homme and Jesse Hughes, aka Boots Electric, are playing their SNL’s version of Sprockets with black turtlenecks and intellectual glasses, which suit Homme very well I must say. Of course the joke is that this weird Krautrock-y German parody totally clashes with the music, a not-so-complex rocker that would require much more hip action.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Monday, September 7th. 2015

/

Career Opportunities – The Clash – A masterpiece of agitprop dead endism that heralded a world where people in the UK would never have a job in their entire life. Meanwhile, bus driver? ambulance man? Opening Letterbox. And it never ever knock – A+

Charts, Slideshow

US Top 10 Albums 9-19-15

/

Meanwhile, except for “New Americana”, Halsey is way too manufactured to be taken seriously, but there is a huge difference between a manufactured popstar who is ignored and one who is a huge hit. Half white, half black, hip hop production on Americana songs and attitude with a soupcon of Lorde and a little more than that of Lana Del Rey… hey, apparently it worked, with 115,000 units (of which 97,000 are pure album sales), any other week it would be # 1.

Elliott Smith, Not With The Band

Not With The Band: About These Elliott Smith’s New Releases

/

Producer Kevin Moyer revealed to Pitchfork that the track list had ‘20 Elliott songs from the film with only around four or five having been previously released’. ‘So hopefully we can keep him and his memory alive through the movie and of course his music too with this soundtrack release,’ he said Moyer to Pitchfork. I know that the producers have the best intention, Kevin was a close friend of Elliott’s and he obviously still misses him a lot, but is this the right thing to do?

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Sunday, September 6th, 2015

/

Crown – Jay Z – Years later, and I am beginning to think maybe I am underestimated Holy Grail. The problem with the album is it came out around the time of Yeezus and felt a little whatever in its shadow, but this song, with Travis Scott’s excellent hook, is actually pretty darn out there – B+

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Sunday, September 6th, 2015

/

Is this the year New York returns to grace after only the Rangers did any dame last year? It could be both the Mets and the Yanks get past the first round of the playoffs, maybe, just maybe we will be shocked by the Jets and the Giants, and finally I predict the Knicks have to improve over last year, But forget all that, the New York Liberty are in the playoffs!!! Isiah Thomas, possibly the most hated man in MSG history not named Dolan, baffles New York yet again.

Live, Slideshow

Let Active: rock nyc Concert Picks Week Of September 7th, 2015

/

The Kanye West find you first met on Yeezus (it is Scott who originally coined the phrase “New Slave”) and then cemented his reputation when he added his voice to Hova’s “Crown”. Now, a mixtape or two later, here comes the limelight. Travi$ debut album, the excellent Rodeo, was released on Friday and the Monday through Wednesday stand will stand as a CD release party at the tiny Gramercy Theatreseconds as a CD release party at the tiny Gramercy Theatre. The next time you see him in the city, Scott will be opening for The Weeknd at MSG, so get close when you can.

News, Slideshow, The Big Huerta

The Big Huerta And Jelly Roll Morton

/

This painting has a metallic spray paint background. I think I was trying to give him one of those Polaroid SX70’s type of look but with a cartoonish vibe…much like if he had a weekly Saturday morning cartoon show that kids would enjoy…like if the producers of Fat Albert distributed this

News, Slideshow

Still No News Of Frank Ocean Since His FYF Cancelation?

/

People were disappointed he wasn’t performing at the FYF fest, now they are turning angry with tweets like, ‘Remember when we thought frank ocean was gonna put out another album?’… ‘The greatest trick frank ocean ever pulled was convincing the world he exists’,… Ouch! But well deserved in a way.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, September 5th, 2015

/

Maggie I’ve Been Searching For Our Son – Craig Finn – Once every seven attempts, Finn nails it, this isn’t a masterpiece but it is a good song, nice riff he works well and a good lyric, better than most of the last Hold Steady and some of his first solo album – B+

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Saturday, August 5th, 2015

/

In sports, like rock and roll and unlike the blues, it gets late early, and so off goes Rafael Nadal who seemed like a man who could never lose at the US Open home early “3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 by 32nd-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday night”. It just happens and happens and it is one of the things about watching sports because unlike rock and roll, when you can’t do it any more you get fired.

Scroll to Top