Yeah, Em Is Back

I've had Recovery for about 11 hours and I can already tell this is going to be a staple in my collection.  "Won't Back Down" is the type of song with a beat so strong it makes me want to learn to play the drums, and Pink's strong tough girl voice is the perfect match for the power of music.  I've also always been a bigger fan of the clever Eminem as opposed to the goofy Slim Shady, and there is much more of sharp, quick witted mc on this album.  Welcome back Mr. Mathers, you have been missed.

The Albums I Need to Remember: Hip Hop Edition

Sometimes there is so much good music coming out at once that I forget what it is I want to download or buy.  And let me just say that this is another pet peeve of mine with the lack of record stores.  I have very fond memories of heading to Newbury Comics or Bull Moose Music with the mission of getting the new Jay-Z album  and walking about with four other albums I had heard about but hadn't picked up yet. Anyway, here the current list of albums if they were in a new release display I would remember to buy.

One I just downloaded to my phone that I know I needed and one friend keeps asking if I've gotten it yet is Eminem's Recovery. I am so glad that he is back, and really back, not like drugged out back.  I think it was like a year ago or so the Em beat out Jay-Z in Source magazine for best MC and I was not too psyched about that one.  At that point the latest album he had put out was Relapse and it seemed like he had lost it.  Then "Forever" came out.  Drake saved Em for last on this, and that is composing genius.  The song was already beyond impressive with Drake, Lil Wayne, and Kanye, and then Slim Shady comes out and blows them all out of the water.  The next big performance that won me back over is what Eminem laid down on Lil Wayne's "Drop the World", one of the only saving graces on Rebirth.   Finally what just pushed me over the edge to download the album (I usually like to go to a store and buy the physical product, but keep forgetting during the day) was Eminem's performance of  "Won't Back Down" with the Roots on Jimmy Fallon.  I just watched it on hulu, now I had to get the album.

Speaking of The Roots, I need to get their new release How I Got Over.  I would like to thank Pandora and Jimmy Fallon for reigniting my love for The Roots.  The Roots are constantly coming up on my Common station on Pandora, and it's always songs that I have forgotten about.  And Jimmy Fallon snagging The Roots as his house band has to be the best thing that's happened to both of them.  The Roots have been playing snip its of their new album all week on the show, and Late Night gets The Roots!

I don't really know much about Drake but his release Thank Me Later is supposed to be one of the biggest albums of the summer.  I really loved the song "Forever", but while I liked Drake's intro (it really was just an intro) I am more in love with that song for the aforementioned artists.  However, I recently heard one reviewer compare Thank Me Later to Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon.   If this is comparable it is worth a shot.  Plus it has collaborations with major talents like Alicia Keyes, Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, and Lil Wayne.  While I guess it could be just another pay day for these artists I highly doubt they'd be doing projects they didn't believe in at this point in their careers.

Finally, things I am looking forward to buying in the new future are Big Boi;s new album, a little M.I.A. and if the rumors are true, hopefully new Kanye or Lupe Fiasco by the end of the year.  Big Boi's appearance on Janelle Monae's the ArchAndroid and his new single "Shutterbug" have got me anticipating what the album is going to be like.  Also M.I.A., attempting to become the queen of controversy talking down to other artists, is getting a lot of attention for an extremely violent short film made for her single "Born Free".  According to a blimp at Coachella back in April, the album was supposed to drop today, but I guess that didn't happen.  Finally I have just seen the rumors on the internet that both Kanye and Lupe are planning on putting out new albums this year and that would be amazing.  I've missed Kanye musically, and while I know Lupe prefers touring to recording the man needs to keep making new music.

So there's the list... please feel free to add suggestions cause I know I'm missing some.

Whoops McChrystal

So, McChrystal got sacked and I was wrong.  The article is in this Friday's Rolling Stone, according to my mom.  But how would I know that since I didn't get the last one?  I'm at peace though because I go home next week and my dad promised not to throw his out.  HOVA!

General Stanley McChrystal in Rolling Stone

Have you heard about how General Stanley McChrystal is heading to the White House today prepared to resign from his post for comments made about President Obama and Vice President Biden in a Rolling Stone article?  Yeah I wish I could read that article, Rolling Stone has great writers when it comes to politics and economics.  Oh I can't read it though, because they never delivered my Rolling Stone.  They've extended my subscription by one issue, but I still want my Jay-Z and cutting military journalism!

Kid Cudi Arrest

For those of you who haven't heard, one of my favorites of 2009 was arrested a couple weeks ago.  A few days before he traveled to Tennessee for the Bonaroo festival, Scott Mescsdi was arrested in New York for criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.  Apparently that controlled substance was liquid cocaine and the criminal mischeif involved breaking a women's cell phone and breaking her apartment door off its hinges.  And while the police report does not say whether Cudi was intoxicated at the time, I can't imagine that is something a sober person does.  He managed to post bail on Friday and make it to Tennessee on Saturday.

The reason I care about this story is entirely selfish.  Kid Cudi is currently number one of my list of people I want to see live.  He is scheduled to come to Chicago in September, which I actually got ina  email and haven't seen on any of the websites run by his management, but I still trust it.  If a hearing or trial or whatever interferes with his planned trip to Chi city I'm going to be thoroughly disappointed.  I had been planning on seeing him in the Spring when he was opening for Lady Gaga.  I wasn't even that interested in seeing Gaga, even though those shows are supposed to be as artistically interesting as Michael Jackson or Elton John.  What I really cared about was Kid Cudi.  That show didn't happen because he left the tour after he jumped off the stage at a show in Vancouver and punched a fan in the face.  The fan found a wallet that was not his, through it on stage, Cudi thought he was throwing things at him, and took action.  Since then Cudi has blamed alcohol for his actions.  Once again I don't really care about the reason, more that I have not gotten to see him live.  So this is a plea for Kid Cudi to get a control on his substance consumption, or at least a control on his actions while taking those substances, because even though you were able to play Bonaroo,  you haven't been to Chicago in a while.

Rhymefest

In news of things I didn't know but probably should have, Rhymefest co-wrote "Jesus Walks" with Kanye West.  That song with probably go down in history as one of the best hip hop songs of all time.  This came up because Rhymefest makes a comment about the song on his new album,  El Che.  He basically says Kanye took the money from that single and ran.  I wonder how Kanye feels about that line...
 
El Che came out two weeks ago and I haven't picked it up yet, but what I've heard I like.  After penning "Jesus Walks" Rhymefest was picked up by Clive Owen's J Records, and had a pretty successful first album with Blue Collar in 2006, but since then has been dropped from the label for wanting to make the more political El Che.  As a result the new album is stripped down and less produced (this is what happens when you take Mark Ronson out of the equation).  The album is named for Rhymefest's real name, Che Smith, and yes he was named after Che Guevara.  With that spirit Rhymefest never seems to shy away from political conversations, no matter how controversial or unpopular his ideas are.  During the last presidential campaign he said he didn't even think Obama should be running for president.   Despite our different political views, the man is not afraid to say what he thinks, which is how songs like "Jesus Walks" are born, and if nothing else the man makes you think, which is always a good thing.  

Hidden Gems

Another reason to love Pandora is the hidden gems they uncover.  There's so much good music out there that I continually miss, and Pandora points this out to me.  My first major discovery was a super early Kanye West and Consequence spitting over A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation".  They just call their version "Electric" and it was like finding gold.  I now joke went online and playedit for everyone I saw for a week, being like, "have you heard this before?!?!".    Here's a link to the youtube in case you have not.

Early Kanye and Consequence

Well the another hidden gem unveiled itself this morning.  While listening to the Girl Talk station a Method Man song entitled "Say" came on.  It has this great guitar intro, but even better was the female voice in the intro belonging to none other than Lauryn Hill.  I think if you've read this blog before it's clear that I have a real obsession with Lauryn Hill and the lack of material out there.  I also love Method Man, partially because he's Cheese from the wire, and partially because he's awesome.  I feel like he sometimes be the butt of hip hop jokes, but Wu-Tang was a great group with a funny name.  I'm so excited to have "Say" in my collection now. Check it out...

Say

Planet B-Boys

I have never really gotten into shows like, "So You Think You Can Dance" or "America's Best Dance Crew", even though I would probably really enjoy them.  I know who the Jabawakies are, and I think I may have seen an episode or two of their competition on "America's Best Dance Crew".  I find it amazing what these people can do with their bodies and the pure strength and creativity they exude.  This same awe is what I felt this morning watching Planet B-Boys.  Planet B-boys is a documentary following five teams from around the globe and their journey to the "Battle of the Year" in Germany.  I love documentaries and this is probably one of the best ones I have seen.

One of the things I love most about this documentary was that it showcased how universal hip hop has become, and what a positive force it is.  One of the B-boys from France pointed out there there's a lot of negativity coming from people who don't take the time to really look at the genre because many people just associate it as "gangsta rap", but there's so much more.  Hip hop has become more than just music, it's an art form, it inspires dancing, painting, clothing and culture all over the world.  Planet B-Boy shows how each of the teams are shaped by their countries interpretation of that culture.  The Japanese are cutting edge, the French are beautiful dancers, the Koreans have power in each of the moves and United States feel they are defending history as the originators of break dancing.  to each of these teams and individuals dancing is a positive force in their life.  It's truly inspiring to watch.

I also loved the focus on friends and family of each of the dancers.  They each obviously have their own biological families, some that are shown and others that are not, but they also see their team as a family.  The French team is mostly made up of Northern African immigrants or children of immigrants, and then they have one young white boy.  It's great to see how they take him in as a brother and to see how the boys mother's perception of break dancing the the culture around it changed.  They same family bond can be seen in all the teams.  When one Japanese dancer lost his father they said it was like the team had lost their father.  The United States team uses the word family to describe each other.  It is clear that this culture has made an unbreakable bond among these young men.  I suggest that if you have netflix you go online right now and stream the movie instantly to your computer or playstation or whatever. 

Finally, I think that most people consider break dancing to be a thing of the past.  It was big in the 80s along with Run DMC and LL Cool J.  This documentary proves that it is not only still relevant but that it is growing and evolving globally.  Each year teams try to come up with something more spectacular than anyone else and that the world has never seen before.  The creativity is immense, and you see it influencing these dance competition television shows, and the choreography of some of the biggest pop acts today.

Countdown Friday! Best Rock Books

Summer is here!  I don't know about you, but I tend to tear through books during the summer.  It's a combination of the week long vacation I usually take, and the sunshine that stays up well into the evening just makes me want to lay in the sun.  And on the plus side the books can block your face so you can avoid sun damage!  Unfortunately I have not actually read ten books on rock, or I can't remember them, and therefore I will not recommend them because they obviously sucked.   Anyway, here's my favorite 6 books that I've read about rock music and rock gods.

1. Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross - Charles C. Cross is such a good writer, and you get so wrapped up in Kurt Cobain's life.  The way he writes you feel like you know Cobain, and it's really devastating when he describes his death.  No shock that they are turning this into a movie.  Cross has also written books about Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen that I have to remember to check out.  

2. Shakey: Neil Young's Biograpy by Jimmy McDonough - Neil Young had once said that he would never let and authorized biography to be written about him or a greatest hits album to be issued.  Well both of those things have happened and I think the complement each other like Cabernet and steak.  I learned so much about the man behind the music from this book, and am happy that he is still "Rocking In the Free World".

3. Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Bealtes - by Geoff Emerick - Emerick was a sound engineer for the Beatles from 1966 to 1968.  I not only learned things about the Beatles that I never knew, but I also found in interesting to see how music production worked in the 1960s.  By far my favorite part of this book was the sections about the making of the The White Album.

4. No One Gets Out of Here Alive by Jerry Hopkins -  This is a in depth biography of Jim Morrison. I need to pick this book back up again.  I read it when I was about 13 during a time I was obsessed with The Doors and Jim Morrison.  I'm sure the parents of the children I was babysitting loved coming home at night and seeing their babysitter reading about a drug addict who drowned in a bathtub thirty plus years prior. 

5. No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan by Robert Shelton - Looking at this list I realize that I am very interested in the biographies of front men.  The friendship that existed between Shelton and Dylan allowed for a real in deep look into the man and the music.  

6. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation by Jeff Chang - I would have thought that hip hop started in the Bronx or in Rick Rubin's dorm room had I not read this book.  It also really looks at the sociology behind hip hop.  I think I'm going to read this again.  

Day 5 On Rolling Stone Watch

No Rolling Stone yesterday when I got home from work.  I feel like this happened with the Shaun White issue as well.  My dad got his issue, and my friend was at the doctor yesterday and they had Jay-Z.  The doctor's office! The place that is stereotypically known for having outdated magazines has more up to date Rolling Stones than I do.

What happened?  Did I forget to renew my subscription?   I don't think I got any paperwork to renew it... Did it get lost in the mail?  Something tells me that taking on the United States Postal Service in Chicago is a very bad idea, many more things might go missing.  I feel like the Jay-Zs on the newstands are laughing at me.

I'm calling RS today.

Disaster- Grace Potter and the Nocturnal Tickets!

The show has sold out!  I couldn't figure out the stupid eTix website (which upsets me because I like using merchants who are not part of the Ticketmaster/Live Nation monopoly).  Now the show is sold out!  They're popularity is racing against their venue capacity and popularity is winning!  Their self titled  album just reached 20 on the Billboard charts.  When I called my mom to lament and for comfort she informed me that is it the second top selling album in Portland, Maine right now.

I've put an ad on craiglist, but I am not hopeful.

At least I know that they are a great band and will most likely come around on tour again...

WHERE IS MY ROLLING STONE?!?!

FOUR DAYS I'VE LOOKED IN MY MAIL BOX AND NOTHING!  But I see Jay-Z's face every morning at the News Stand by my apartment!  JAY-Z!

Big Music Weekend In Chicago

It may become a very busy weekend for me here in terms of concerts.  I usually get annoyed with the concert scene in Chicago during the summer because Lollapalooza overshadows everything.  It also has a way of making some of my favorite acts swing through the city and only play the huge festival and none of the smaller venues that I love to frequent.  This is happening this year with Nneka, Phoenix, and Raphael Saddiq. It's a let down, you have this moment of excitement when you see Chicago on an artist tour schedule and then you see it's Lolla, and your heart sinks.   But that's all a matter for another post.  This weekend will be big in music.

First up, tomorrow night at Martyr's (one of the greatest places in the city) is Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  Grace Potter can rock.  She moans, she wails, she whispers, and she's backed by some great musicians.  My parents actually introduced me to the Vermont based band, which makes since she recalls the great rock bands of the 1970s.  Probably why their cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" was such a genius selection for the Alice and Wonderland soundtrack.  The Nocturnals also have a female bassist, and I am always one to support woman in rock. 

Saturday the Southside's Marquette Park will host the "Taking It To the Streets" festival being headlined by Mos Def and Brother Ali.  Mos Def is on my top ten list of artist I have not seen live that I think I need to, so despite my dislike of huge crowds I might have to travel down there.  Going 12 hours from 9am -9pm this festival will have music, MCs, DJs, graffitti artists and break dancing.  The festival is free so expect crowds.

Finally, Saturday Night Delta Spirit will be rocking The Metro.  First I love The Metro.  I have never been there and not been able to see the stage.  It also is just that right size between a large and small venue where you don't feel too crowded, like part of a herd, but you still get really great slightly more established artists.  Plus it's where Kurt and Courtney first really got together, so I feel the history when I walk in.  Now on to Delta Spirit.  They are from San Diego and have this great mix of California rock and maybe a little southern in them too, a bit reminiscent of Kings of Leon's  sound. Their 2008 album Ode to Sunshine produced one of my favorite singles, "People C'Mon".  They are now promoting their new album History From Below, and I think I might have to be there to see it.

Rolling Stone Annoyance

This is such a small and tiny thing to get mad about, but it really does make me annoyed.  Somehow new Rolling Stone issues hit newsstands before my mailbox.  Besides the monetary argument, the excitement of a new issue in your mailbox is the main reason to subscribe to a publication.  Seeing Jay-Z's face all over the place starting Saturday, and having two days of mail go by since then and still no new Rolling Stone is very irritating! 

Phoenix Rising

When you start your day on a "Horchata" kick it tends to lead to bands like Phoenix.  I was just listening to Phoenix's "Rome" and thinking about what an amazing band they are.  Last year's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix had to be one of the best albums of the year.  The intro to "1901" makes me giddy, which is fortunate since it is completely overplayed, including in Cadillac commercials. 

I think the most amazing thing about Phoenix is that they are French.  The band comes from Versailles, and despite fitting right in with the indie music hipsters of Brooklyn, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was recorded in Paris.  "1901" is actually about Paris at the turn on the century.  Maybe now that I know it I can hear a slight accent in lead singer Thomas Mars' voice, but it's not something I ever noticed before.  It pretty clear that they are highly influenced American and British pop rock.  I'm also pretty sure that I heard somewhere that they got their start doing Hank Williams covers.  I would imagine that would do a pretty decent job of hiding a French accent. 

Either way, I'm going to go listen to "Litzsomania" and daydream about moving to Paris.

Good Mood Music

With everything going on in the world today sometimes it's just nice to put on a song that will put you in a great mood.   I was listening to Vampire Weekend's "Horchata" today and couldn't help but smile.  Maybe it's the fact that I have 18 days until I return to Maine for 10 days and a much needed vacation.  This song just makes me want to sit on the porch at the beach and hang out with family and friends that don't get to see each other enough.  The band is singing about a traditionally Spanish drink, but Vampire Weekend will always scream Northeast, no matter how many African influence they introduced on their sophomore album.  The strings that come in in the last 45 seconds of the song are my favorite.  I also think it's interesting that the band has ditched their guitars in lieu of keyboards and what sounds like a xylophone.  Fans of the first Vampire Weekend album (and there's tons of rapid ones) may have initially been disappointed, but this single grows on you.  It gets stuck in your head, and at least for me puts a grin on my face for the rest of the day.  

I'm going to make the perfect mellow beach mix now.

World Cup Music

Today marks the start of the World Cup in South Africa, and with the international event comes some amazing international music.  The World is well represented in the sport and the music. 

The Black Eyed Peas seemed like a fitting choice to headline the World Cup Kick-Off Concert in Johannesburg last night.  They are the biggest band in the world right now and they have and international membership, with three members from the United States and Apl.De.Ap from the Philippines.  Also one of their members, Taboo, is the perfect metaphor for multi-nationalism, with heritage that links him to Mexico, Ireland, Asia, and Native-American.  Other American artists at the event included Alicia Keyes and John Legend. 


Shakira also preformed, representing Columbia, a country that is not in the tournament but still contributed music.  Also from Columbia there was a rock musician, Juanes, who is not known well in the united States but has sold 15 million records worldwide.  There were also South African musicians and poets reminding the world of South Africa's difficult past with apartheid and where they have come since then.

This morning I heard a report from Nelson Mandela Square in front of an 18 foot statue of Mandela there were Mariachi bands from Mexico playing.  They were getting Mexican fans excited for the first game of the tournament between South Africa and Mexico.  I can only imagine that with each game being played more and more international music will be brought to South Africa.

Also, if you read this blog often you will already know that one of my favorites, Somali rapper K'Naan, has had his song "Waving Flag" chosen as a theme song for the 2010 World Cup.  While most people are probably excited for the games taking place, I think I may be more excited to hear the music being played. 

Whoop There's Obama?

There's a new conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is in the 1993 video for "Whoop There It Is".  I used to rock out to this song on Jock Jams discs, and impressed everyone at Friday night "Teen Center" with my knowledge of all the lyrics.

See if you can spot the presidential doppelganger.  He's on the phone playing dominoes.

New iPhone Paranoia

This is not a tech blog so I will make this quick.  I am intrigued by this phone considering how much I love my current mobile piece of heaven, but I am also frightened.   I think that sometimes I'm a little too paranoid about dumb stuff.  Like yesterday I Bcc someone on an email, and I get so nervous that some how that Bcc will be shown on the email.  This video chatting on the iPhone makes me nervous in the same way.  I already pocket dial much more with the current iPhone than I ever have with any other phone.   If I had the new iPhone I would have to worried about my singing along in my apartment to whatever I'm listening to being paired with dancing along to whatever I'm listening to!  Yikes!

Seize The Day / Bad Romance

One of my favorite movies of all time is Newsies.  A young teenage Christian Bale and many other boys sing and dance their way through a newsboys strike in New York City at the turn of the century.  This Disney musical ws watched and danced to over and over again throughout my childhood.  To this day I lend the DVD to anyone who has never seen it.  I was also in an elevator with Christian Bale once, and I have sworn if that ever happens again I will inform him of my love for this movie, depsite a fear of his infamous wrath.  I would want to tell him that I was a Newsie for Halloween one year.

Given my obsession with this film, and the catchiness of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", I was beyond amused to find this on the web.  

Seize The Day/Bad Romance

I wish I was genius enough to think of things like this.  

Summer Music Is Back

Chicago has always been a great city for music, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs has always been amazing at brining free music to the people of the city.  Monday Nights in The Park are back for 2010 with a pretty interesting lineup.  Tomorrow night indie rockers She and Him will play, and on July 17th Kid Sister will be bringing her sound to the people of her city.  I love this Kanye West find, she has a fun voice and a great sense of humor.  She was also on Sound Opinions and just seems like a giant ball of energy.  That probably contributed to one of the danciest album releases of last year.  I highly doubt it would happen, but it would be cool is Kanye made an appearance for Pro Nails.

Anyway, just figured if people are in Chicago I would bring this information to anyone who doesn't already know.  Also the Prtizker Pavilion at night is a pretty great place for a show.  The sun goes down behind the the skyline while great music is being played.  Plus I've seen lots of people bring picnics.  Just another great reason to be in Chicago in the Summer.

Mondays In the Park Lineup

Broken Bells Photos

Good to know, when the sound is off at a concert I get really into taking photos.  Here are some of my favorite.  I spent a while playing with the shutter speed.  Play you'll get to see the different backgrounds I was saying that I liked. 

Countdown Friday! Bitter Songs!

Despite the 4 day work week I've felt pretty agitated this week.  Maybe it was the long weekend without the office nut jobs that made returning to them so much more difficult, but whatever the case, bitter songs feels right today.  I would like to say that I am not really so peeved to categorize myself as bitter, but the people who wrote these songs definitely were.  

1. Elvis Costello - Alibi.  Almost 7 minutes of lamenting of what I believe is suppsoed to be his ex wife's alibis for being a bitch.  My favorite lines, "You deserve cause you special. Alibi, alibi.  Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam. Alibi, alibi."  

2.Squeeze - Wicked and Cruel.  Another vengeful song on an evil woman.  Another great line, "When I die I hope I return as a spider, because she hates them so much."  I also love the chorus, "Did I say that? How could anyone be so wicked cruel?".  When ever I feel remorse about somethign rude I've said, but felt really cathartic I think of this sarcastic line. 

3. Nirvana - All Apologies.  I am noticing a pattern that with bitterness comes sarcasm.  This was Kurt Cobain's response to a negative Vanity Fair article written about him and Courtney Love.  "I wish I was like you, easily amused."  

4. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony.  "You're a slave to the money then you die".  This isn't even directed at one person, this is directed at life in general.  the thign is it is such a sweet melody with such bitter language. Love it.

5. Broken Bells - The High Road.  When I told someone I was going to the Broken Bells concert, they asked me what their big hit was and I told them "The High Road".  He said, "Oh like take the high road?", and I said more like, "the high road is hard to find".  How many times have you wanted to say this to people?  Especially hypocrites. 

6. Eminem - The Way I Am - Kurt Cobain and Marshall Mathers seem like they were working on the same wavelength at times.  May favorite part of the song is when Eminem asks why people blame Marilyn Manson and ask where parents are.  He points out how guilt never fells on the blamer,

7. Rihanna - Broken Dishes.  She's not going to stop her destruction until she sees police lights.  Rihanna does angry really really well.  And this was written and recorded before the Chris Brown fiasco.

8. L7- Shit List - This title is pretty self explanatory, but this is what punk rock is meant to be.  Especially angry female chick rock.  

9. Green Day - Good Riddance/Time of Your Life.  People always play this song at like graduations and other turning points, and it's not a happy song, it's a bitter bitter song.  People are entirely forgetting the first half of the title.  I guess they are not in on the joke, but here's a tip.  Instead of this song, play The Beatles "My Life", that is a sweet song, this is a bitter song.  Drake also has a song called "Good Riddance" and it is really really angry, not sarcasm there, just straight out hate.

10. Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River.  Seriously, sarcasm and bitterness go hand in hand.  "Don't it make you sad about it?".  

Beck Goes Back To High School

It is true that we are in the middle of a 90s revival.  Hole, Stone Temple Pilots, Hole and Alice and Chains are all on tour this summer, and if you haven't noticed in my obsessive blog posts, a Kurt Cobain bio pic is in the works.  Now, I don't know if you can really call Beck straight 90s because he never really went anywhere, but I feel like high schoolers are seeing a lot more of him.

I am not ashamed to admit that I watch "Glee".  I know I make fun of American Idol for essentially being karaoke,  but at least "Glee" is professional karaoke with a plot.  I am sadly getting more and more into it the more I watch it as well, and I was beyond thrilled when I heard that opening guitar line for Beck's "Loser".  I thought, this can't be "Loser" can it?  Then I remembered how dark "Glee" can get and was reminded why the show is so good.  "Loser" was released in 1993 and was responsible for Beck going mainstream.  After the success of this genius of a song he was signed to major label, two years later we had One Foot In the Grave and then a year after that the world was introduced to the masterpiece that is Odelay.  I applaud Beck for allowing "Loser" to introduced to a new generation of fans, and hope they look into his other work as well.

This is not the only instances of Beck hitting the high school market.  Beck is one of what has become an amazing line up of artist for the third "Twilight" Soundtracks, "Twilight: Eclipse". Vampire Weekend, The Dead Weather, The Black Keys,  Muse and Beck all have new songs on this album making it possibly the best soundtrack of the 21st century so far.  Interesting that the song Vampire Weekend submitted was written by Ezra Koenig in high school.  He knew his audience.  Beck's contribution is a song called, "Let's Get Lost" and is a duet with Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes.  I think this is another great way to introduce the musical genius to a new younger audience.  Also maybe it will get crazy tween girls off Taylor Swift and into some of these other amazing artists.

While I appreciate that Beck's music is reaching new audiences I doubt his intentions were entirely artistic.  Both "Glee" and "Twilight" are huge franchises that make tons of money.  With records sales barely holding on, tapping into these two bases is probably one of the easiest ways for an artist to make money.  I'm sure this was not lost on Beck, or at least not his manager.  Either way, bring on more Beck!

God I Love My iPhone

I have talked before about how much I love my iPhone in terms of music, but mostly that has been all about the Pandora application.  When I was first introduced to Pandora I couldn't stop telling people about it.  Now two years later I can't help but tell people about what I think are the best stations.  So when I got my iPhone I was beyond excited to be able to travel with Pandora, but there have been other great aspects to my iPhone that I never realized would so influence my musical life.

The first is that you can download music anywhere.  This has been so useful at concert.  Before I would go to a show and hear the opening band and often think, wow that was really good.  I never really bought their album at the shows because they are way over priced and there's usually a crowd around the artist trying to become buddies with the people they just saw on stage.  So I was left with trying to remember who it was I saw and getting to a record store or finding them on iTunes once I remembered.  But those days are over.  Two weeks ago at the Them Crooked Vultures concert I was able to look up online the name of the opening band (cause you really couldn't understand what the lead singer was saying), then I was able to go online and download Alberta Cross's EP.  The next morning on my way to work that's what I was listening to.

It's not just concerts.  Yesterday I was at one of my favorite coffee shops and Jurassic Five was playing, a band I hadn't thought of in so long, but used to be obsessed with seven years ago.  They didn't play the song "Thin Line" but I kept thinking about how much I loved that song.  I was able while waiting for my coffee to be able to find it on iTunes, download it, and add it to a playlist that I then listened to as I left the coffee shop.  The ability to mobiley download music when I think of it has been an Apple blessing I never thought of.

The last aspect is an application a friend turned me on to called JamBase.  JamBase is a lot like Eventful where it tracks artist and tells you when they are coming to your area so that you can purchase tickets and see your favorite shows.  Like downloading music I feel like I think about looking up when an artist is coming to my area when I'm nowhere near a computer.  JamBase has become the fastest way for me to look into that.  

I'm sure that as I learn about more music themed applications I will fall in love even more, and become even more dependent on my little piece of plastic. 

Arizona Sinking

I usually try to stay away from politics on this blog because that's not what this site is for.  That being said I've been pretty disgusted by Arizona's decisions to pretty much legalize racial profiling.  I understand that it is written in the law that police are not to racially profile, but law enforcement can ask for papers if they suspect you might be an immigrant.  Something tells me that my blue eyed pale self would not be suspected of that.

I have always admired Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, and his devotion to his causes.  He has always been politically active and not afraid to really fight for what he believes in.  His newest call to action is encouraging artists to boycott Arizona until this law is off the books in a movement he calls Sound Strike.  A boycott of the state successfully worked in the 1980s when Arizona tried to resist the MLK holiday. (How did Arizona become one of the most racist states in the Union?).  Joining Zach de la Rocha in this boycott are Kanye West, Sonic Youth and a number of smaller less known bands.  Many of the bands that are part of the Sound Strike campaign are Latino bilingual musicians that have a huge market in Arizona, and there is not doubt that the state will be losing revenue without their performances.   We'll see if this makes an impact on the state government.

Shakira is another artist bringing attention to this problem in Arizona.  Soon after the law was passed the Columbian singer flew to Phoenix and met with the mayor who also opposes the legislation.  Shakira pointed out that this is a "violation of human and civil rights".   Linda Ronsadt is also a Arizona native and has spoken out against the new law.  Also has anyone realized that all these white legislators in Arizona, and many of the citizens of the state who support the law are themselves descendants of immigrants to the state.  I'm pretty sure the Hopi and the Navajo were there before Jan Brewer.  Hopefully the music community will continue to come together to rally against the blatant racial profiling that is happening in the Grand Canyon State.

Broken Broken Bells

Last Night was slightly sad for me.  My friend and I headed over to the Vic to see Broken Bells perform.  The last show we had seen was Them Crooked Vultures, who were amazing, but very very very loud, so we were sort of excited to see something a little softer and tamed down.  Some good cerebral indie rock if you know what I'm talking about.  Unfortunately something was off, namely the sound.

I can't figure out what it was, and it was super disappointing cause I would have maybe ten seconds of really getting into it, and then something would be off.  It was like the whole show was brassy.  Maybe the venue was too small for so much sound.  The only other show I've seen there was Robin Thicke, and while he had a live band, the focus was definitely on Mr. Thicke's voice.  What really seemed like the issue was that the drums were over miked, and there was a smallish drum kit, and then there was another smaller percussion area to the right of DJ Dangermouse.  I couldn't exactly see what was going on there because of where we were standing, but that mush percussion seemed unnecessary.   Also, there were three guitarists up there, and sometimes DJ Dangermouse would leave the drums and add a fourth to the mix.  Really, if you're this soft indie rock band you only need a rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist.  All that noise successfully drowned out James Mercers voice for about 85% of the time.  Depressing given his haunting voice is one of the most important aspects of the albums.  It was definitely a weird experience because you could tell that all these men were talented musicians, they just weren't coming together correctly.  Maybe they need a new sound engineer.

The concert wasn't all disheartening.  They started the encore off with The Miracles cover of "You've Really Got a Hold On Me".  Smokey Robinson wrote songs that really translate well to large groups singing together.  Also it was a bit charming when James Mercer restarted "Sailing to Nowhere" because he started with singing the second verse.  He stopped the band and told them and the audience that it was his favorite song an album and he wanted to sing it correctly.  The sad thing was that because of the poor miking I doubt many people realized he was singing the incorrect words.  James Mercer can be a very captivating front man.  When you could hear him he reminded me of a cross between George Harrison and Brian Wilson.  Also delightful was the trumpet player. His sound seemed to be fine, and he was featured on many of the songs.  Finally, the animation behind the band was amazing.  It fit the music so perfectly and I wish I knew who had drawn it.  I don't know if you ever saw that animated movie The Snowman, but it reminded me a lot of that.   I sort of wish that they would come out with a DVD of that animation accompanied by the studio album.

All in all the concert was upsetting, but some bands just don't translate as well in concert, and they might be one of those.  What was a bit frustrating was that it seemed like my friend and I were some of the only people who noticed it.  The other thing too is that while the drumming was solid, it's hard to watch anyone after watching Dave Grohl, and as endearing as James Mercer was, Josh Homme was one of the most entertaining lead singers I've had the pleasure of seeing.  Maybe any concert after Them Crooked Vultures was going to seem sub par.  Also, I don't want this review to take away from how good the studio album is.  Broken Bells is an album that I will be listening to for years to come.