News, Slideshow

Jean Michel Jarre Announces An All-Star Electronica Double Album

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‘I’ve wanted to tell a story for a while regarding electronic music history and its legacy from my point of view and experience, from when I started to nowadays. So I planned to compose for and collaborate with an array of artists who are, directly or indirectly linked to this scene, with people I admire for their singular contribution to our genre, that represent a source of inspiration for me over the last four decades I have been making music, but who also have an instantly recognizable sound. At the outset, I had no idea how this project would evolve, but I was delighted that everybody I reached out to accepted my invitation.’

Recorded, Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peaks: 9-4-15 – 9-10-15

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This is one of the more interesting weeks of music, Iron Maiden, Public Image Ltd, Travi$ Scott, should all have something of value coming down. A little further in, Against Me! live album has sounded great so far, but it seems to me to be a toss up between happy punks Fidlar and voice of a generation punks The Wonder years. I am going with the Katter despite not being crazy about any of the songs I’ve heard because… well, because they’re the voice of a generation.

News

Is This The Best Week For New Releases Of 2015

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We know Yo La Tengo, Foals and The Weeknd are at the top of the class, all three of which are improving the more I listen, but the real shocker is how much better the second ring of releases are: Motorhead, Liam Corcoran, Willis Earl Beal, and the ridiculously excellent Monk Parker, are all good enough to be albums of the week. Every single one will make my best of 2015.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, August 29th, 2015

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Under You – Willis Earl Beal – We all make mistakes and I make my biggest around 9am on Friday mornings after spending hour upon hour absorbing and reviewing new releases. I think my ears sometimes go wonky and that is definitely the case with this guy who I dubbed a “black Scott Walker” last night, which he is definitely, but then I decided this was a bad thing. How I came up with that assumption I can’t tell you, it isn’t, it is a wonderful thing – A-

Live, Slideshow

Quitapenas, Isaac Rother & The Phantoms And Fool’s Gold At The Echoplex, Thursday August 27th 2015 Review

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Red Bull was having one of its Sound Select show at the Echoplex, and it is always a cheap way to spend a night of music, while discovering 3 bands… so why not going? Because it is general held on a weekday,… but who cares, it’s almost the weekend anyway. The whole show was colorful and on the ethnic side, something always pleasant and prompt to remind you that summer is not over yet.

Recorded, Singles Going Steady, Slideshow

Singles Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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What Do You Mean – Justin Bieber – I never bought Bieber as the anti-Christ, just a garden variety teenage brat with a whole lotta power to wield his brattishness. But I never much cared for him musically either, so his post teens, post Diplo/Skrillex exercise in grown up EDM, this first single off his upcoming fourth album is an low key and pretty calypso flavored synth track that does the job. Good move – B

News, Slideshow

Grizzly Bear Slams Taylor Swift On Twitter, Then Capitulates

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‘My advice to those that are butthurt? Sit on the bidet and let it wash the shit away…‘Honestly I was treated like shit for no reason by the monster and thusly I’ve been called every disgusting slur there is #1989’… ‘Tired of everyone sucking up to the power. Just stop feeding the monster! Goodnight’… after a few more tweets he disappeared from Twitter, deleting his account.

Charts, Slideshow

UK Top 10 Albums: 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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If you can get past the godawful name, you are left with an album probably as inconsistent as the songs we’ve heard from Jess Glynne this year. Incidentally, and then there was one from 2014, only Sam is left to represent. Incidently, far be it for me to kick at children but if I was to I’d start with Bars And melody.

Charts, Slideshow

UK Top 10 Singles 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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I just listened to Rachel one more time to make absolutely certain it is the piece of absolute garbage I believe it to be. The cupidity is bewildering and the heartstring manipulations are all so stupid, I can’t believe people take it seriously. Fight Song? Life Song? Awful

Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Friday, August 28th, 2015

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Is there anywhere New York feels comfortable with topless women? We don’t want them breastfeeding in parks, we closed down all those topless clubs in Time’s Square back in the 1990s. and now we are back to chasing them from Times Square? Lemme tell ya, anywhere a 14 year old boy can see bare tit for twenty bucks is a good place as far as I’m considered. Hell, screw buying records, I’d have spent my last dime there when I was a teen.

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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Stuff Like That There – Yo La Tengo – This is exactly how I like my Yo La Tengo, a sequel of sorts to their masterpiece, 1990’s Fakebook , every song here has a reason for being and if none of them is “Did I Tell You” or “Oklahoma USA”, all of it as a whole has the tunefulness and character of the latter: a superb collection of covers, of theirs and others,performed to get every single melodic element out of every single song of those type of songs. And, hey, maybe “Friday I’m In Love” is as good as the Kinks. Their best album since 1997 – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-

Live, Slideshow

Oldies But Goldies: Prince At MSG In 2010 -Not Half Bad

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The worst time I ever saw Prince was also the last time I ever saw Prince and while time changes our memories, I guess it did a real job on mind. I coulda sworn he really sucked, but apparently he only kinda sucked. I’ve seen him so often and loved him so much and this wasn’t bad, apparently it was great, it just doesn’t remember that way. Now back to 2010….

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Thursday, August 27th, 2015

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1Train – A$AP Rocky – Great sample to kick it in, this is as clever as you can possibly get when it comes down to money and success with a virtual who’s who of first tier young rappers (I mean two years ago, of course): Kendrick, Action Bronson, Danny Brown… and a great great hook – A

News, Slideshow, The Big Huerta

The Big Huerta Takes Five

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I painted the background with metallic spray paints, to give the portrait a shining golden look along with the sky blue to give it a nice positive feel. I used oil paints and the metallic still bled through that but I thought that gave it a cool look, so I left it like that, as if his spirit shined through the painting

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Thursday, August 27th, 2015

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If I had the time and money, y’ll know where I would be tonight? At the Beacon Theatre screaming for Fifth Harmony, the second year third place X Factor harmony band who are like One Direction if One Direction sang pop r&b, were female and there were five em so, yeah, not really BUT look at it this way: they have two good songs, the hit “Worth It” plus the current single “I’m In Love With a Monster”

News, Slideshow

Foals Launches A World Wide Treasure Hunt For Their Album

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Foals are giving away free cassette tapes of their new album – yes you read this correctly, cassettes are back! – but for this they have launched a world-wide treasure hunt, hiding cassettes at various locations, and sharing the GPS coordinates via social media. It’s cryptic stuff if you don’t know what they are talking about, stuff like 45.523047, -122.684571 ‪#‎WhatWentDown,

Live, Slideshow

AC/DC At Metlife, Wednesday, August 27th, 2015, Reviewed

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With the exception of “You Shook Me All Night Long”, they don’t have a memorable tune to their name and all their lyrics are ephemera, the audience chant hooks but the hooks have no real meaning, so that frees the set up from expectation. Sure “Hells Bells”, “Back In Black” and a coupla others get an especially loud cheer, but really the set just goes from one great song to another to anothe

News, Slideshow

Nirvana’s ‘Smell Like Teen Spirit’ Is By Far The Most Popular Song Of The 90’s On Spotify

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Of course there’s Spotify these days, and Daniels used this precious tool to produce the graph above and a few others, examining the popularity of the songs released from 1990 to 1999. Should we be surprised? Nirvana’s ‘Smell Like Teen Spirit’ is by far the most popular song of the 90’s getting more than 50 million play counts! Let’s hope Courtney Love doesn’t get any of this money.

News, Slideshow

The Cover Of The New Morrissey Novel

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The cover looks like somewhere between a relay race and Tom Courtney is “The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner”, and the list, is that what he is handing off? It is all very virile man from the late 1950s early 1960s, being masculine with other men -a thrill ride if ever there was one.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

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Girls Talk – Dave Edmund – there is no finer expression of edmund’s genius than the way he manipulates costello nightmare relationship into a verse chorus verse rock and roll Rockpile jumped up pop song.. wait for the instrumental break… short but so strong…

Live, Slideshow

The FYF Fest 2015 In A Few Pictures

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Despite the fact that I was not allowed to bring my camera inside the FYF fest, despite the fact that I had no access to the photo pit, I managed to take some pictures during the 2-day festival, mostly using my iPhone and a small camera. Here is a photo log of these intense 2 days, of course the big acts are missing because it was way too crowded to get close,… except for Morrissey! I was not really close but I found a spot close to a tree, a bit above the rest of the crowd, and it was not so bad…

News, Slideshow

Taylor Swift Nicer To Her Fans Than You Are

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That is one of the more asinine comments in recent history, the truth is that $250 a shot, Avril should be ashamed she can’t even get within arms length of the poor girl and all Taylor did was like it. I am not an all Taylor all the time guy (at least not this year), but she is miles ahead of nearly everybody not the late great Davy Jones when it comes to the fanbase.

Live, News, Slideshow

Sunday At The FYF Fest, I Wish Every Day Were Sunday, August 23rd 2015 review

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Faithful to himself, Morrissey still wants to convince us with bravado and courage… and I love the fact that he is still trying, I am well aware that lots of people may have taken all this for bad propaganda, but did you see these giant middle fingers flipped by the queen? And I haven’t even mentioned that his musicians were wearing ‘Crapitol Records’ shirts…

Live, Slideshow, Theatre

HAMILTON – An American Musical: August 17, 2015 – Richard Rodgers Theater, Reviewed

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At the center of the Hamilton’s story is the relationship between Hamilton and Burr. Burr’s motto was “smile more talk less … don’t let them know what you stand for” whereas Hamilton was an outspoken proponent for a strong central government and a modern economic vision and often in opposition with Jefferson and Madison. Hamilton became George Washington’s most trusted adviser and confidant while Burr’s political aspirations were repeatedly thwarted. Burr is often seen looking on contemptuously instead of being invited into “In the Room Where it Happened.”

News, Slideshow

Band I’d Most Like To See Reform? Rockpile

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Since Dave will probably be touring behind On Guitar (it is great by the way) and Nick is always around, and since their music was more or less timeless rock and roll, and since Billy is still in the business, all they need to do is get Terry out of retirement for one more tour: cmon, guys, life is too short not to, there are indeed only seconds of pleasures

Slideshow

10 Songs: Monday, August 25th, 2015

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“The sun’s not so so hot in the sky today, you know I can see summertime slipping away…” The end of the summer is maybe the saddest season of the year, it brings everything to an end: it is like the embodiment of the end of childhood. Taylor’s masterpiece catches it in aural terms – A+

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

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The Time Of Year: Late August is nostalgia in the form of date, school is back or coming back, working is picking up speed, vacations have ended, and the city has one grows a little older and could look back to an earlier time, just yesterday. To quote Lewis Carroll: “Dreaming as the days go by,dreaming as the summers die”

Live, Slideshow

My First Day At The FYF Fest, Saturday August 22nd 2015 Review

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What are you thinking FYF fest, do you want to compete with Glastonbury or Coachella? … you were this cool DIY fest and now you are all grown up and so big. How much did you pay Kanye? More than Frank Ocean? I would like to know, as I was amazed to see that 2-day tickets were still available a few days before the festival,… which didn’t sell out?

Charts, Slideshow

US Top 10 Singles 9-5-15

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Fetty Wap has three songs in the top eleven, so that is it… the last time I bet against even ever. O keep pn saying he is gonna bomb and he keeps on having hits. I would make the world’s worst A&R man, when it comes to pop I’m happy if I hit 50%. Otherwise, so little movement!!!

News, Slideshow, That Was The Week That Was

That Was The Week That Was: Week of 17th, 2015

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The homeless and bare boobs and bare boobs and the homeless, the streets of New York and no one knows where to look any more. Yesterday 300 women took off theirs bras and walked from Columbus Circus to times Square. The feminist claim that by forcing women to hide their bodies they sexualized women, is a good one. In Islamic States, try showing your ankle in public, your lucky if you don’t get raped. As for the homeless, we don’t know what to do with them, harass them? save them? ignore them? The summer of 2015 right atcha.

Slideshow

10 Songs: Monday, August 24th, 2015

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Blank Space – Taylor Swift – Her greatest pure pop moment and while I personally have no problem assessing it as also a Max Martin greatest hit, in the end it doesn’t need his whoops and cranes, though you might considered it the difference between 2.5M units moved and 5M units moved – A+

Charts, Slideshow

US Top 10 Albums 9-5-15

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What is with Ed, you ask? I doubt the NBC special would have had much effect on sales, however a discount to a dollar a holla might certainly have had a rush of sales. Remember, sales doesn’t equate to money earned: that depends on price of course.

Charts, Slideshow

rock nyc Top 10 Songs 8-21-15 – 8-27-15

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This is a terrific list of songs, the only Bryan Adams song I’ve ever loved on topped, NxWorries right after, swell EDM pop, along with Paak’s best Dre track, a terrific “ABC” remix, the return of Jess, a hot r&b singer, post punk UK 79 style and a rapper dead too soon at 42.

Live, Slideshow

FYF Fest 2015 Starts Without A Hitch, And Loses Part Of Its Soul

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The FYF fest takes itself very seriously and the logistics are now those of a big and professional festival, something I regret, and not only because I was camera-free during the whole day, but also because the festival seems to have make a complete U-turn against some of its first core values. In the first years, it had a very local and familial feeling, I miss the days when the festival was held at the very dusty LA State Historic Park when the biggest names were Panda Bear, Thee Oh Sees, Broken Social Scene, Descendants or OFF!… Now we have to deal with Kanye West crowds, and some of the fun is gone.

Slideshow

10 Songs: Sunday, August 24th, 2015

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Suede – NxWorries – This has been out since February but completely new to me and let me tell you, I missed it then but not this beautiful soul song featuring next years The Weeknd, Anderson Paak. One of the best songs of the year – A

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Sunday, August 23rd, 2015

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August 23rd was designated European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism back in 2008/2009.It is known as Black Ribbon Day and was chosen because it coincides with the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union.

News, Slideshow

The Romanovs Abdicate

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In a flurry of accusations and hair-pulling, the Romanovs blew apart at the after party at the legendary Riot House in the early hours of Sunday, August 17. It was a night fueled by triple shot lattes and Starbucks induced mania.

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