With Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” having all the hallmarks of a protest album dated before its release, and with critics writing drivel like “If it is out of step today we may surely need it tomorrow,” I thought I would take a quick moment and think about protest music.Way back, in the 16th Century,…

Earlier this year I went to see Van Morrison perform “Astral Weeks” twice, once at MSG and once and for days later at the Beacon. The MSG set was excellent, glad to have seen it. The Beacon Theater was electrifying -mid way through the second set Morrison took off and everybody knew it, the band,…

The Static Age – Green Day (“21 Guns” pretty lame on SNL last night)Get Down – Cam’ronOn the Road To Find Out – Cat StevensSofter, Softest – HoleGood Ol’ USA – Billy Joe Shaver (this guy is a minor revelation)The Dream Of You – Bob Dylan (the keeper off the newbie)Missisippi – Sheryl Crow (a…

From today’s New York Times

It is June 1997 and Lil Kim is a mess -I know this because she is performing at a great women of hip hop concert and she can’t speak and she can’t talk and she is stumbling and crying. Notorious B.I.G. had died a coupla months earlier and she wailed and wailed and wailed. Two…

One day after writing the obituary of the album, I bought the album of the year and first runner up. I have only spinned Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” once but I can’t imagine hearing a better album this year and, mind, i didn’t like “American idiot” all that much. The lyrics to “Breakdown” are…

Chris Difford once claimed Frank Sinatra’s “In The Wee Small Hours Of the Morning” was the first record album as we know it. And he might be right. Produced by Nelson Riddle and recorded in three long sessions it was a series of songs on the theme of unrequited love. And so it began. Vinyl…

“Before there was Elvis there was nothing.” -John Lennon The last time I wrote about Elvis Presley I was a 20something and i did a think piece about how Capitalism destroyed a blue collar, working class hero. Not exactly a lie but hardly the whole truth either. I guess I found the Elvis I needed…

After listening some more I must admit to having underestimated Cam’ron’s “Get It In Ohio” -Cam’rons spits the lyric real good, gangstas in the mid-west. The other two songs I have from the new album “Crime Pays” are alright with me, “Silky (No Homo)” has an excellent King Floyd sample and “Cookin’ Up”is all percussion.…

Together Through This – Bob Dylan 11 Songs:1 Pointless studio rehearsal of “Lay lady Lay”.1 Middling Berry knock off (Chuck, is that you?)1 Croaking atrocity.1 Missed opprtunity-but really missed, missed by a mile the way the “When the night Comes falling from the sky” missed on “Empire Burlesque” only to be redeemed on “Bootleg vol…

Alphabetically by album name All I Ever Wanted – Kelly ClarksonArt Brut Vs Satan – Art BrutBl0od Bank EP – Bon IverCarolina – Eric ChurchCrack The Skye – MastadonDown The Line – Buddy HollyI Feel Cream – PeachesIt’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeah’s (Album of the year?)It’s Not Me, It’s You – Lily AllenJigsaw –…

Eleven years ago I saw Public Enemy open for Run DMC. PE had recently released their excellent soundtrack for (him again) Spike Lee’s “He Got Game” and they were pretty good. Flavor Flav hadn’t become a cartoon yet and Chuck D hadn’t become irrelevant yet but, and don’t get me wrong I don’t particularly care…

Love Your Love the Most – Eric Church (latest in a long tradition of real good country boys) Alcoholics Unanimous – Art Brut (angular satire produced by the bloke from the Pixies) Spoiled – Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (a keeper from the newbie) Bridge – Lucy Wainwright Roche (is it something in…

The first of a long, long series: Contrary to my earlier comment Cracker’s “Darling One” is a lovely ballad…. Also, Cohen’s “Live In London” is better than I gave it credit for. Finally, my break up with Angelica was entirely my fault.

What pictures and videos don’t show you about Branford Marsalis is his sheer presence on the stage. Leading a young (the drummer is just eighteen!) intensely vigorous sharp as hell quartet, he rminded me of the Denzel Washington character in Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues” -a movie Branford wrote the music for. With the exception…

LOS CAMPESINOS: THEY’RE GONNA GET DRUNK AND CALL YOU AT FOUR IN THE MORNING

Get Happy!! -Elvis Costello and the Attractions Are You Experienced? – Jimi Hendrix Experience In the Wee Small Hours Of the Morning -Frank Sinatra Ready to Die – Notorious B.I.G. Conor Oberst Here My Dear – Marvin Gaye Off the Wall -Michael Jackson Dragnet – The Fall In Utero – Nirvana Singles Going Steady –…

As a self-professed populist I believe that in a consumer society fiscal success is a hugely important part of artistic (or at least cultural) merit. In the 80s I championed as potentially big time stars: the dB’s, the Individuals, Bonnie Hayes with the Wild Combo, Marshall Crenshaw. All pop musicians. Which lead me to a…

STEP FORWARD FOR: ESP MEDIUM DISCHORD

This is a love story. In 1980 I was a huge Elvis Costello fan (still am: the albums have lost their consistency but the live shows are stellar and his TV talk show “Spectacle” was a must see earlier this year, especially the Elton John and Rufus Wainwright interviews) and so when I heard he…