Work Out Tip

Wanna burn some extra calories throughout the day? Listen to the Girl Talk Pandora Station. I challenge you not to dance. I bet I burned 100 extra calories doing my make up this morning than I normally would. Also makes housework 100 TIMES more fun. Marry Poppins was right, a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down. "A song will move the job along".

Random Thought: Ew Axl

How could anyone even stand Axl Rose? He just seems awful on so many levels, the type of person who never got over being a bully in high school even if he was never bully in high school. What is even mroe surpising to me is that the other members on the original Guns N Roses seem pretty dope. How could Slash or Duff McKagan stand to spend even one minute with Rose?

Tehcno Virgin

This Saturday is my birthday and to celebrate my friend and I are going to my first ever techno concert, if you don’t include Girl Talk because I don’t really consider Girl Talk techno, he’s really just a mix master. We will be seeing David Guetta at the same theater that we saw Girl Talk, and I pretty much plan on dancing the entire time. As Dave Grohl would say, “celebrate meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

I am not really a techno fan, but when my friend said, what do you want to do for your birthday, I responded with, “Let’s see who’s playing in Chicago that night.” The best option was Daivd Guetta. I actually only really know one of his songs, “Memories” with Kid Cudi, and I love it, but I think that has a lot more to do with Cudi than it does with Guetta. I have been listening to him on the Pandora station and on youtube, and I can say that while I am still looking forward to Saturday I am getting a bit nervous.

I love concerts and I love music, but my two favorite things about music are usually missing from techno. I love music for its lyrics, I consider songwriters poets. I love when you feel a connection to something someone wrote, or it makes you think about something in a different way. It’s probably the same reason I love puns and clever people. The other thing I love about concerts is the chance to see people play their instruments live. Sometimes there’s nothing better than seeing a guitar solo in person, or seeing Flea jump four feet in the air while keeping the bass line perfect, and do not get me started on drummers. I think my obsession is that I have tried to drum and it is a talent I will never ever have so I am even more impressed with it. Seeing Guetta behind turntables I do not think will gratify me in the same way. Also I feel like there’s going to be less of a personal connection with the audience cause he’s going to have this huge set up literally blocking him from his fans. Though, having never been to a techno concert before maybe DJs somehow get past this and I will be pleasantly surprised.

What I am excited for is DANCING! In a way I’m glad that my first techno live experience will fall on my birthday and there will be absolutely no pressure to pay attention to his actions and I can just DANCE!

Great Mood Makers: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

This is going to be another staple in the blog, songs that no matter what mood I'm in can make me happy for at least 3 minutes, they also typically make me dance. Today's choice: Outkast's "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik".

"Rock the one and only Outkast".

Listen and enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T0SorIk3n0

(does make me a little sad that they no longer exist as a union.)

Broken Bells Bliss

This post is going to be a quick praise of the Broken Bells album of the same name. For those of you who don’t know Broken Bells is the combination of wonder producer DJ Danger Mouse and Shins lead singer and guitarist James Mercer. It’s a great combination of Danger Mouse’s insane ability to make anything better and Mercer’s subtle and melodic voice. Mercer has one of these voices that I could listen to all day. The Portland based musician has a hint of a European (mostly English I think) accent, most likely due to the years he spent in Germany and England as a child while his father was in the air force.

What I love about this album is that it is unique but also clean at the same time. While I love the Yeasayer album, and I have been a fan of MGMT for a while now, sometimes their attempts at experimentation can leave some of their songs convoluted. Maybe there are too many instruments in Brooklyn, or they are all trying to outdo each other in the noise department. (I want to stress the Yeasayer’s “Odd Blood” may turn out to be one of my favorite purchases of the year, which shows how much I am enjoying Broken Bells). It’s slow building, and heavy on bass lines, but will surprise you with strings and keys, lightening up at just the right point. I also think it has a god mix of songs that could be big hits and songs that retain Mercer’s indie street cred. “The High Road” is already out as the first single (I think, it was a free download), and I predict that “The Ghost Inside” will be the second single. Also for all you DJs out there, I think “The Ghost Inside” would mix nicely with La Roux’s “Bulletproof”.

Two last side notes, “The High Road” also is a great lyrical song, and might make a countdown soon for songs to listen to when trying to control your temper or disappoint in others. I’ve been working on this countdown for the past two weeks. It is not something I just want to throw together because for me music is something I can use to control my moods, and that is an important form of self control for me. I also can’t figure out exactly how to describe them, because they are not really “anger songs” more “anger management songs”.

Other side note, I bought the new album at Starbucks. All three of my faithful readers will remember that I am a big fan of holding an actually album and it’s accompanying art in my hands. I find it very interesting that in an era where record stores are dying the corporate juggernaut Starbucks might be filling some of the void. It’s a bit of the same mentality of major record labels acquiring indie labels right and left. To tell you the truth I don’t hate it.

Courtney Love Redemption

Honestly, I’m going to finish “Heavier Than Heaven” and come out of this Nirvana coma and realize that a whole week’s worth of music news and revelations has passed me by. The new Rolling Stone showed up in my mailbox two days ago and I haven’t even cracked it open yet. And it has Jimi Hendrix on the cover! For now though, I’m going to flow with the two decade old inspiration and focus on Courtney Love.

When I was 15 my friend and neighbor came over to my house with a copy of “Kurt and Courtney” a documentary that for the most part seemed to blame Courtney Love for the death of Kurt Cobain. I spent the rest of high school avoiding Hole and believing what one documentary hinted to me. Not that I know Miss Love, but I would like to take right now to apologize. I feel awful for her. Here was a woman who had lost the only person she felt ever loved her unconditionally. While most of us can get this from our parents and siblings, Courtney was estranged from her family. Kurt was her husband and the father of her child and he chose to end his own life. If that’s not bad enough, then Courtney had legions of people blame her for it! There was a pretty successful movie made about it, successful enough to get out to a 15 year old girl in the Boston suburbs. On top of all this she was accused of using Nirvana’s success and Cobain’s death to improve her own position in the music industry. What is not realized is that Hole was getting just as many good reviews as Nirvana when they both burst on the scene in the late 80s early 90s. I would point to sexism as the reason Hole was not as successful as it was for another decade. I’ve said this before, but the only female fronted rock band to really make it in the 90s was No Doubt. For some reason the public, and the rock music public that claims to be liberal, does not embrace female fronted acts. I commend Courtney Love for being s aggressive as she was and making it happen.

Finally, another myth that “Heavier Than Heaven” busts that I feel needs to be repeated is that Courtney Love was responsible for Kurt Cobain’s heroin use. The fact of the matter is that Cobain had been using heroin on a daily basis when the two began their relationship. Courtney Love had actually been clean for two years, and turned Cobain away when he came to her two days in a row wanting to do heroin. She told him that she would not do in consecutively. If anything Cobain got Love re-hooked on a drug that she has already detoxed from. It’s also made clear that Love’s friends wanted her to avoid Cobain because they were afraid she would get back into drug use. I’m sure as I finish “Heavier Than Heaven” there will be more revelations on this front.

Now, Courtney Love and the newest reincarnation of Hole are trying to make a comeback. The band just played the SXSW festival, and from what I heard did a pretty good job. They have a new album entitled, “Nobody’s Daughter” slated for release April 27th, the first Hole album in 6 years. Love has already called it, “more important than any record I’ve ever made.” As an atonement for my years of misguidance and misunderstanding of Love, I plan on buying this album the day it comes out, and you can bet when Hole makes a stop in Chicago I will be in the audience to see it.

Original

I am listening to Nirvana unplugged in NYC and i've come to the conclusion that Kurt cobain was emo before anyone new what emo was. Plus he was a genius and the only emo musician who might be able to compare is Elliot Smith who also killed himself. Oh, now i'm sad.

Casting Cobain

Just a quick warning that the next few posts are going to be very Nirvana and 90s rock heavy. I am reading “Heavier Than Heaven” right now, by Charles R. Cross, and I cannot put it down. At the same time I don’t want to finish it because I know how it ends and its depressing. For those of you who don’t know, “Heavier Than Heaven” is THEE biography on Kurt Cobain. It is being turned into a biopic (though this project has been in the works for while). It’s amazing because even though we have his lyrics, Kurt Cobain’s brain was a complex and unexplained area. He kept extensive journals that Cross had access to. I find is fascinating to see how his mind worked. Today’s post is dedicated to finding the actor to play Cobain in for the silver screen. I have been thinking about this for a bit and it’s actually a bit more difficult to than I would have thought…

Here are some things to keep in mind when mentally casting. Kurt Cobain was a tiny man. He was 5’9” and because of drug use and a stomach condition that caused him pain when he ate and vomiting afterwards, he was rail thin. He was also pretty self conscious about this ordering weight gaining supplements off of late night tv. He also was extremely attractive even though he tried to hide it. He also had this big goofy grin, which may not be vital to the role, but I don’t think it would be complete without it. Finally, for obvious reasons the actor has to be young or at least look young. I think Leonardo DiCaprio 10 years ago, around Titanic – mania would have been a pretty good choice, but now he’s too old.

The other thing to keep in mind is the mental state of the actor. I’m a pretty happy person and this book puts me in a dark place. I can’t imagine what actually playing the man would entail. In some ways Jamie Foxx was perfect to play the heatbreak in “Ray” cause you know he would pull out of it in the end. It would be pretty tragic if the actor playing Kurt fell so deep into Kurt like depression that something awful happened.

So here are my suggestions, and I actually don’t think they are very good, but like I said this has proven to be much more difficult than I expected. The first is James Ransone. Ransone played Ziggy in the second season of “The Wire” and he also was the driver in “Generation Kill”. If he can get scruffy die his hair blond and put in blue contacts he might work. He’s little and goofy, but can play sullen and moody pretty well too. He just needs to bring his voice down and octave or two.

Also from “Generation Kill” and “True Blood” is Alexander Skarsgard. The main problem here is that he is WAY too tall, but they have camera tricks for that. He does however resemble Cobain, and he can play dark and troubled very well too.

My last suggestion would be someone who I think I’ve actually heard as a possibility, and that is Emile Hirsch. He does have the bone structure similar to Cobain’s. He also has to be a decent actor to get the stamp of approval from Sean Penn in “Into the Wild”. Penn doesn’t mess around. And if you saw taking Woodstock, just imagine that hair blond and then died red with Kool-Aid, and some piercing blue eyes and you might actually think you’re looking at Cobain himself.

Wishing I Were in Austin

Apparently Stone Temple Pilots are using South By Southwest to introduce new music. They have an album coming out this spring, the first in nine years. So maybe they are using the festival as a warm up to a tour?!?!

Oh and if that's not enough, Robby Krieger of the Doors joined them onstage.

Also now I'm off on a STP binge and Scott Weiland's makes me happy in a serious solemn way.

Countdown Friday! Welcome to Atalanta Where the Playas Play

In celebration of going to Atlanta tonight, the countdown this week will be my favorite Atlanta/Georgia based acts. I wonder if I can steal my grandfather’s car and get out Eddie’s Attic…

1. Outkast – This should come as no surprise to anyone. I love Outkast; they are the only rap group on my top ten favorite bands of all times. The poetry of Andre 3000 and the grit of Big Boi. They helped put southern rap on the map.

2. R.E.M. - I understand that they are technically from Athens not Atlanta, but I did put in Georgia based acts. I also get there there’s a large contingent of people out there who hate Michael Stipe and think he just mumbles his way through songs, but this is my list and I adore him.

3. John Mayer – All right he is not from Atlanta, but it is where he got his big break and recorded his first album Room For Squares. I also understand that he’s a giant d-bag, but he is one of the best guitarists of all time. Listen to Continuum; ask Eric Clapton or Buddy Guy. The man is a mix of talent and hard work when it comes to those six strings.

4. Missy Elliot – When is she going to put out another record? She has not put out a song or album I have not loved. I love her voice and I love that everything she does sounds fresh and new. Seriously, when is the new album

5. The Black Crowes – Thank you Chris and Rich Robinson for making one of the most important rock bands on the 1990s. Thanks for breaking them up Kate Hudson.


6. TLC – When I get around to making my top ten female MCs Lisa Left Eye Lopes will be on it. TLC has not done anything noteworthy lately, but Crazy Sexy Cool and Fan mail were two staple albums.

7. Little Richard – I am not a big listener of 50s rock. I tend to lean more towards the 60s and the 70s with The Beatles, The Doors, Buffalo Springfield and many many more. I am also not an Elvis fanatic, so that leads me to Little Richard. His music has so much energy and never gets old. I wonder when they will make a biopic about him

8. Arrested Development – I have a sweet spot for early hip hop, but “Everyday People” has got to be one of my favorite songs from that era. I always think of Lawrence Fishburne’s character in School Daze, which I think was supposed to be modeled after the Atlanta school Spike Lee attended. Anyway, good music.

9. The Allman Brothers – The epitome of southern rock, and who doesn’t love that guitar in “Rambling Man” in which it’s pointed out, “I was born in Georgia.”

10. Usher - I couldn’t decide whether to put on Usher or T.I or India Arie, but I went with Usher because he’s an overall entertainer, got his start as a teenager and has managed to stick around. Also they were playing an Usher c.d. at the restaurant I had dinner at last night, so that may have had some influence.

What I Would Say to Hova

So, Jay-Z and I are dangerously close right now, I mean in the same very vincinity. I do not tend to get too worked up over celebrity close encounters but this is a man who is a rap legend and inspires me on a weekly basis. Anyway this is not going to happen, first because I am frightened by people I adore, secondly there's just not really a chance, but if I could, these are things I would went to tell him.

First, I love the line in "A Star Is Born" about Andre 3000 being the male version of Lauryn Hill. I would tell him that this hit me because two of biggest musical tragedies are that Lauryn Hill only ever made one album and that Outkast's last album together was "Idlewild".

Then I'd tell him that it was also a tragedy when he retired from music, but he came back so it really was just like another gift from Sean Corey Carter.

Then I'd ask him if he made a Cameo in the new Lil Wayne video "Drop the World." Cause I thought I saw him but I'm not sure. Then I'd tell him that if the world needed to be rebuilt after and apocalypse that I would be comforted to know he was there.

Then I'd ask him how much involvement he had in DJ Dangermouse's "The Gray Album". I mean I know he didn't do anything, but he had to have given his consent right? Was he excited about the idea? I'd let him know that I think it made my brother give rap a chance (sort of a lie, but how would Jay-Z know that.)

Then I'd ask him how it feels to have been responsible for the new ode to NYC. I'd also let him know that "Empire State of Mind", Alicia Keyes, and Stephen Colbert got my mom to listen to rap.

Then I'd ask him if he was terrified when he started Roc-A-Fella records or if he figured if it didn't work out he could always make the money back selling drugs.

Then I'd tell him I woke up on September 11, 2001 psyched that The Blueprint was being released that day and had plans after school to go buy it. Those plans were changed with the day's event.

Then I'd tell him I'm not seeing him tonight, but I am seeing him in April at Coachella. I'd ask him if he had tickets he wanted to give me for tonight or if he wanted to hook me up in April with something sick.

I'd figure out some way to thank him a lot in all those blabberings and apologize the my mind was unleashed on him.

I Heart Music Technology

I am heading to Atlanta tomorrow and I get to see family and some warm weather, but I am also excited to get my birthday gift from my parents. My mom is bringing me my shiny new iPhone. The first thing I am going to do with this present is download the Pandora app.

I have a serious love for music and technology and where it has comes in recent years. About two years ago I got hooked on Pandora. It had introduced to some of my favorite new artists. Thanks to the Queen Pandora Station, I met Mika and we have started what I believe will be a long and loving friendship. The Fray set me up with The Script. Oh, and I can’t not explain the genius of the Girl Talk station. Also, it’s so easy to bookmark songs, so I can be in the middle of something at work, and just hit a quick button and go back and look it up. I’m hoping the application will make this as easy. Oh I can’t wait for this phone! Also the concerts that don’t let me bring cameras in (talking to you House of Blues) won’t be able to stop me now! I guess I might get ejected though, and that would be sad.

Why I love genius for iTunes is it puts music together that I wouldn’t really have thought of. As we type I am listening to India Arie “Part of My Life” on genius. The next song was Lauryn Hill, which is where I figured it would go. Side note, the Lauryn Hill song is “Forgive Them Father”, and it made me think that maybe I should forgive Miss Hill because she knows not what she’s doing to me. Anyway then we had Alicia Keyes, another expected choice. Next was Robin Thicke! And an upbeat, makes me dance around my apartment Robin Thicke! I was not expecting that, but well done apple, great combination. The greatness of genius is that it’s going to be all music that you like, because you’ve purchased it, it puts together things you might not have predicted, and it re-introduces you to your library. I forget that I have things on my iPod half the time and genius pulls it up. Finally it’s so easy! I can be listening to shuffle and be like I love this song, let’s turn on genius so I can listen to more like it. It’s also perfect for working out when you want a series of upbeat songs. Try it, turn on Outkast’s “B.O.B.”, then turn on genius, then hit the treadmill, I guarantee you’ll run faster.

I can’t wait to see what computer genius music lovers come up with next.

Great Lines

"Each star is a setting sun."

I think that i'm going to start a new section called great lines, where I just put up lines from songs that I love. Especially cause I listen to songs and then want to ramble to friends about how great a line is, and I don't think they care that much. Whoever's reading this may not care, but that's the beauty of blogs, you don't have to read it if you don't want to.

Okay, here's the first one. It's from Wilco's "Jesus Etc." and goes, "each star is a setting sun." I love it cause it's poetic and provokes imagery, but then you start to think about it and it's scientifically true. The sun is a star, a dying star, so in that way each star is a setting sun. love it, thank you Jeff Tweedy.

SXSW Dreaming

This is just a few things that I would be stoked to see if I were going to SXSW, but alas I'm not. I'll be in Atlanta. Maybe I can track down Andre 3000 and Big Boi and convince them to get back together, cause they cannot end such an amazing partnership on Idlewild.

Travis Barker and DJ A-Trak. With the sudden passing of DJ AM last August it meant the end to the AM Barker collaboration called TRAVI$-DJAM. I guess when Barker decided that he was ready to return to the stage he gave Am's old friend A-Trak a call. Dj A-Trak is probably best known for working with Kanye, and he's another one of these techno hip hop fusion djs. After Barker and A-Trak jammed together they decided that it was the right fit and they'll be on stage together at SXSW.

I've already written one post about him, but I'll say it again, I wish I could be in Texas to see Olentangy John. I love his voice and his banjo, and I cannot think of a better way to spend what would be my first time in Austin than to see him perform.

Nneka is playing SXSW and from what I can tell it is her only upcoming U.S. tour dates, but I am sure that will change. This is another "new Lauryn Hill", and lable that infuriates me, but she is soulful. Do you ever listen to an album the first time around and you know that it's going to become one of your favorites in your collection? That's how I feel about "Concrete Jungle".

Scissor Sisters are playing Saturday night. They're from New York, but they remind me if Queen and the BeeGees had a baby. I dare you to listen to them without dancing. Also, if I were drag queen this would be my music of choice.

Drive By Truckers are also playing SXSW. I acutally don't know if I've seem them live before or not. My brother took me to a show in Seattle and I'm not sure who it was that was playing. The point is they are one of my brother's favorite bands so I'd either like to see them again or for the first time.

Dave Grohl

I have always loved Dave Grohl. From his drummer, to his guitar, to his signing/slash screaming, to the face that he sort of looks like my Uncle John, and my Uncle John is a really nice guy. Now I realize more than ever I love him, and wouldn't be surprised if he's a long lost member of my family. He apparently has an bit of an addiction to coffee. I also love the spazzy dances and random screaming and constant smiling. This is a gem and I am emailing it to my family to make sure he's not related to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhdCslFcKFU&feature=player_embedded

Apocalypse Now

Ummmm, is the world going to end like soon? There seems to be a new trend in music videos to go the post apocalyptic route. Maybe it’s the influence of recent films like “2010” and “Book of Eli” but let’s take a look at these recent destructive videos.

The first one that comes to mind is “Run This Town” by Jay-Z , Rihanna and Kanye. Maybe they decided to do this because Kanye likes to make the world fall in on himself by running his mouth a bit to much outside of the studio. I really wish he would run his mouth more in the studio so we could have a new album. People really are much less offended when you make your view known on a record as opposed to taking a microphone away from a 20 year old frightened fawn. It is good to know that if the apocalypse comes Hova, Riri and Kanye will be there to run the place.

“Imma Be Rocking That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas is a ruined world view meets Transformers. First off, this is a mix of two Black Eyed Peas songs, so the video is extra long. Second, robots are fighting each other in the desert and then in the street, and I can’t really figure out what’s going on. Also, it turns out to be all a dream Fergie has after crashing her motorcycle, so it’s not only Book or Eli and Transformers, but also The Wizard of Oz! Finally, when did Michael Bay start directing music videos and where is Shia?

Lastly we have the new video from Lil Wayne on the day he finally is sent to Rikers. “Drop The World” features Eminem and the title is fitting to the video’s motif. Also I’m slightly in love with the fact that in this post apocalyptic world there is a gang of skateboarders. Also, once again comforting to see Jay-Z (I think it was Jay-Z). Seriously, if the world needed to be rebuilt I would want Jay-Z there. On a more serious note, Eminem shows the world once again that he is the master. I am constantly impressed how he steals the songs that he’s featured on. He did it to Drake and Lil Wayne on “Forever” and he’s done it again here. I am hoping Slim Shady will fill the void that will no doubt be left by Weezy’s year in prison.

The Thrills Need to Thrill Again

This is another grieving post, but this time not for Lauryn Hill, who has once again been teasing us by performing in Australia, but for a much less known band called The Thrills. The Thrills were/are an Irish band that made California their adopted home. I think that I have been thinking about California, sunshine and the beach a lot lately and it naturally led to The Thrills. They have great songs with lyrics like, “San Diego, that’s where all the kids go”, “Just don’t go back to Big Sur” and “Santa Cruz you’re not that far”. They are/were this great contemporary rock band with a classic rock feel. I actually think that they got pretty huge in Ireland and Great Britain, once again proving my point the Brits know good rock.

The reason I use the past and present verbs in conjunction with The Thrills, is that I have no idea if they are even still a band and it’s depresses me when I think about it. They released three albums, the last on in 2007 called Teenager. Teenager did not do as well as was hoped. Despite two successful prior albums EMI dropped them from their label. The group has not toured since a 2008 Australian tour. I don’t even know if they broke up or they’re trying to get on a different label or if they even play live anywhere anymore. I really want to see them!

Here’s what I know. The Thrills have not released any new music since 2007. They have not played live since 2008. They’re myspace page has not been updated since this time. Most of the music on the myspace page is still from the Teenager album. Someone is signing into their account on a daily basis. The Thrills official website has been suspended, and it won’t re-direct you to another address. Also, according to myspace I am not the only one who misses them. So where are they?

Countdown Friday! Soundtracks

I have plans tonight to go see the new Alice In Wonderland by Tim Burton, and I am looking forward to the music as much as the movie. Then I realized that it was time to countdown the best movie soundtracks according to me. This once again is going to exclude musicals, cause seriously how are you supposed to do that? Then I would have to include Sound of Music. It also is not going to include Help or Hard Days Night because the movies are too closely tied to the albums, and the albums were not meant to be soundtracks. That said here we go.

1. Clueless - I think that this is a defining soundtrack for my generation. It has The Beastie Boys, Radiohead, and Coolio. I can listen to this over and over again and be taken back to doing my 7th grade homework. Great great music.


2. Dazed and Confused – When I mention this does your mind automatically go to “slow ride, take it easy”. Also include Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin. Perfect 70s Rock.


3. Singles - This is another soundtrack for a generation, just probably not mine, the one right before mine. Seattle grunge rock at its best.


4. American Psycho – Apparently I want to hit every decade. The Cure and David Bowie come to mind, and thankfully even though Patrick Bateman enjoys Whitney Houston, she has been omitted from the soundtrack.


5. The Graduate – All Simon and Garfunkel and some of their most famous work. Sounds of Silence and Mrs. Robinson are both on here.


6. Pulp Fiction – I think one of the reasons this was so popular was because there was dialogue from the movie on the soundtrack, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great soundtrack.


7. Rushmore – It has The Who, The Kinks, The Faces, Cat Stevens and John Lennon. Genius


8. Save The Last Dance – I do not care if I get made fun of for this entry; it is a great soundtrack. “You Can Do It” by Ice Cube, “You Make Me Sick” by Pink, and Snoop is on there.


9. Good Will Hunting – Maybe I just love it cause it reminds me of the movie which reminds me of Boston, but I’m also and Elliot Smith fan (RIP). Miss Misery really is a beautiful song, and Mr. Smith makes up about half of this soundtrack.


10. Trainspotting – It’s very British. Iggy Pop, Lou Reed

Raptronica

I was listening to a Kid sister interview yesterday and she was talking about the fusion of hip hop and electronic dance music. Her album Ultraviolet is one the newer albums out there that embodies this mix. She was saying that she is at the forefront of genre, which is technically true. Her hit single “Pro Nails” actually came out two years ago and she explained that one of the reasons her album was so delayed was that she wanted the best album possible to represent the new genre, that one Rolling Stone article dubbed “Raptronica”. Kid Sister said she was not going to compromise and put out something she did think would fit the genre. She even left off collaboration with Pharrell because she said it was too slow. What new artist gives up a chance to have Pharrell produce and perform on their debut album? For our sake I hope this track makes it on either her sophomore album or an N.E.R.D. track.

That being said, “Raptronica” seems to be staking out its own territory within the hip hop genre. Obviously there is Kid Sister’s Ultraviolet. Another driving force behind this movement in French house music David Guetta who in 2009 was rated by DJ Magazine as the 3rd Greatest DJ of all time. All my techno friends out there now this man, and he has now become the go to producer for hit records. He was a prominent producer on last years The E.N.D. by the Black Eyed Peas. He also had a top ten hit with Akon called, “Sexy Bitch.” I have said it before, but I am obsessed with Guetta Kid Cudi collaboration of “Memories”. He is moving even deeper into pop music with rumors that he will be producing Britney Spears next album. He also won a Grammy this year for a collaboration he did with Kelly Rowland. If Kid Sister was at the forefront of Raptronica, David Guetta is becoming the Godfather.

It’s not just Guetta who is embracing this change. Also an early artist to Raptronica is the band LMFAO. No, they don’t just pick airplane fights with Mitt Romney. I also had a friend introduce me to Ninjasonik out of Brooklyn, who would definitely fall into this category. It’s not just new artist either, Lil Jon is coming out with a techno album. His thinking is that house music is what’s being played in the clubs and he wants to be played in the clubs. Three Six Mafia has a new record called “Shake My” that is techno infused. There is a Lupe Fiasco and Kenna have been also getting in on this. It’s not surprise the in Miami, home of many house clubs that MC Pitbull would come out with “Hotel Room Service” that plays heavily with synthesizers. Finally Flo Rida, also a Miami native, is sampling that annoying song “Blue (Da Ba Dee” for a new track called sugar. (Does Flo Rida understand the concept of non 80s and 90s pop?).

I am all for fusion in music and I guess we’ll all wait and see who else gets on this Raptronica band wagon. It’s better than autotune.

One More Week for Weezy

So I guess they need to d repairs to the courthouse that caught on fire yesterday, so Lil Wayne's sentencing has been pushed back for a third time. He'll be heading to Rikers on Monday. What's even funnier is that he showed up at the Jay-Z show at Madison Square Garden last night and performed a song called, "I'm Goin' In". That, Alanis Morrisette, is irony. My guess is that means we will also see a third going away party.

Nirvana the Movie

I wonder what Kurt Cobain would have to say about the possible Nirvana biopic that is in the works? There have been rumors about making this movie going on for at least two years. I think I remember about two years ago hearing something about Scarlett Johansson being asked to play the role of Courtney Love, and Ryan Gosling to play Cobain. I believe in these rumors the date of release for the movie was supposed to be in 2009. I guess the recession has hit the movie business as hard as it has hit everywhere else. Though, according to an interview with Dave Grohl it looks like the film will be made. He was joking (I hope) that he wants Shelly Duvall from "The Shining" to play him. We've also all heard about Courtney Love's financial issues, and I would assume that she would see some money from this deal. It seems like now more than ever the film will be made. The movie is said to be based of the book, "Heavier Than Heaven" by Charles R. Cross. (I just purchased it Amazon.)

For some reason I feel like a lot of die hard Nirvana fans would be upset at the idea of a Nirvana film. I actually think it is an inspired idea and positive things could come out of it. It has been 16 years since the musician's death, and I feel it would introduce his music to a whole new generation of listeners. The people who would be making this movie would be the people who grew up listening to Nirvana and would respect the artist and the music. Plus it's obvious that we are in a the middle of an 80s rock revival when it comes to new music. It seems like everything rock related coming out of Brooklyn has a little 80s feel to it. Maybe a Nirvana biopic will usher in some 90s grunge inspiration into a new set of rockers.

I have to read the book, but my only hope for the movie is that they focus as much on Cobain, the coming together of Nirvana and the music as they do on the Courtney Love/ Kurt Cobain love saga. There is so much drama inherent in relationships that it is easy to focus on that, especially with all the speculation over Cobain's death and Love's involvement that is would be easy to make that plot of the film. but if that's something an audience wants to see they can rent the documentary Kurt and Courtney (I think I may watch that tonight too). Also Kurt met Courtney after Nirvana was established and already on tour. I want to know what happened before that. I also want to see more about the Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder feud. I'm sure these are all things that people who get paid a lot of money to make movies have already thought of.

I hope this movie comes together and I am beyond excited for the soundtrack.

Do Not Go Straight to Jail

A few weeks back I noted what was supposed to be Lil Wayne's last day of Freedom before he is to go to prison for a year on a weapons charge in the state of New York. It turned out that he did not go to prison that day because he needed extensive dental work done. Apparently gold grills do not prevent cavities. Good to know. I am also sort of hoping that during this dental work Lil Wayne found his way into a studio. How great would a Lil Wayne "Through the Wire" style song be? Plus you know that he's going to want to be releasing new music while he's locked up. Having the number one album while in prison has to give you major street cred.

Today Lil Wayne once again was due to be sentenced and transferred to Riker's Island prison. Quick not that Riker's also holds Plaxico Burress and used to be home to Tony Yayo. The sentencing has been postponed until tomorrow because a fire started in the the basement of the courthouse. I guess firefighters believe that the boiler may have started the fire. The whole courthouse filled with smoke and had to be evacuated and all court affairs have had to be rescheduled. Tomorrow now looks like the day Lil Wayne will be locked up.

It looks like the Martian lives another one more day on street, maybe.