Out Of Town

I have to go out of town for the rest of the year. I will try to write a little, but am not yet aware of my schedule I will be keeping. Please stay tuned…

Number 3 on my list, Number 1 in your heart

John Mayer. Taking over music since his debut album “Room for Squares” and with “Battle Studies” just being released he may be the Icon for breaking musical barriers. From his super pop stuff to his pallet rinsing blues trio goodness John show no signs of slowing down. JM is like Neil Diamond in the sense that there are three generations of woman that LOVE him.

Battle Studies just went to number one this past week. Which just puts him before the Grammy deadline.(maybe not?) I imagine his camp will want to prolong it. Which means he will perform at this one and win the next one.

Yes… he buys houses to turn them into studios… and yes he flew to Japan to get a tattoo.

Number 4 – LCD Soundsystem

When I was living in Burbank California I would walk to Backside Records on San Fernando every Wednesday and buy two CD’s. The first would be whatever was on my wish list. Generally it would be something that completes my collection of a band or artist I already have. I hate having an incomplete catalogue. The second would be a random CD that I would purchase either by recommendation or I’d just close my eyes and pick something.(not recommended as you can imagine I have ended up with pretty shitty albums before)

What made me buy LCD Soundsystem self titled album was their song “Daft Punk is playing at my house” it was on the speakers. It has a great beat and it just sounded dirty. To be honest I thought it was a new single from Jet. LCD has that Brit punk rock dance thing working for him. Who would of thought that it was a random American guy from Princeton Junction, New Jersey.

LCD Soundsystem is an album that you should always have ready in you mix of playlists. It’s never disappointed me thus far. I know it seems weird that two of my top 5 bands of the past nine or so years have both been “dance-punk” music. Kinda tells you where music has been. Now we are down to the top 3. Who will it be? Are there that many options? Not really…

Number 5 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A modern-day Romeo Void,(with a lot more hits) YYY’s formed in 2000, in 2001 they released a self titled EP and found themselves opening up for The White Stripes and The Strokes. In 2003 Karen O and her nerdy band mates released their first LP Fever To Tell on Touch and Go Records. Fever to Tell sold just under 1 million which is amazing for a DIY band.

Getting rave reviews from everybody mostly because of their third single “Maps” Interscope bought out their deal with Touch and Go and put them in the studio for the YYY’s sophomore album Show Your Bones. On it’s opening week Show Your Bones sold 56,000 records and debuted at number 11 US Billboard charts and number 2 on the UK charts.

In July of 2007 the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s released the EP IS IS. Released on USB and digital downloads the Ep sufficed while the band toured the UK and the US. after a long stent of touring the band went back into the studio tor record its third album. It’s Blitz! was released early in 2009 after it was “accidentally” leaked online. Selling 250,000 records thus far YYY’s are currently in the UK touring before they come back for the second leg of their US tour.

My thoughts on this band is simple. I think they are wildly creative and stayed true to the sound they wanted which is raw and artistic all the while writing catchy songs that are playable on radio or the club. Besides that Karen O’s voice has a sexiness about it. It makes me want to hear her more and is incredibly identifiable. I believe her when I listen to her songs, not many I can say that about… especially in today’s music scene.

This Decade in Music – Was it any good? – part 1

I was reading my usual sights this morning while at Starbucks and this question came to mind… What Bands are going to be forever remembered? The 50’s had Elvis and other Sun Records recording artist such as Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. The 60’s had The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and, Barry Gordy and Motown. The 70’s had The Eagles, Zeppelin, The Clash, and Elton John, While the 80’s had The Police, U2, Depeche Mode, Metallica along with some G&R and Duran Duran. The 90’s most known for the Seattle scene with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, then came Alice in Chains, The Smashing Pumpkins, Prince, The Counting Crows, and Weezer.

This is a huge group of amazing artist and it barely scratches the surface. Did the Y2K kids produce anything worth the stand of time? Listening to radio these days sucks! Most bands today that are on radio suck! It’s the truth! I’m not being harsh, just honest. Do you really think that anybody is going to listen to Lady Gaga or Katy Perry in ten years let alone twenty? Fuck no! If you think otherwise your just fooling yourself. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Katy Perry kiss a girl? Doesn’t mean I want to hear her sing about it!

Over the next five days I will give you my top 5 of the past nine years. Who will be remembered? Who have we already forgotten about? What are your thoughts?

AMA Winners

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

-saw this coming, Its her year and I can’t deny it.

POP/ROCK
Favorite Male Artist: Michael Jackson

-bullshit award. Nobody really listens to MJ. Is anybody else sick of his PR?

Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift

-maybe a better title then her association with country music

Favorite Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas

-I <3 BEP, however is it sad that this isn’t a rock band? …just sayin

Favorite Album: Number Ones, Michael Jackson
-should of been someone deserving

COUNTRY
Favorite Male Artist: Keith Urban

-great entertainer, great guitar player…songs? nope!

Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift

-yep

Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Rascal Flatts

-nysnc with boots on

Favorite Album: Fearless, Taylor Swift
-done and done

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES
Favorite Male Artist: Michael Jackson

-horrible

Favorite Female Artist: Beyoncé

- a bigger joke then mariah thinking she’s having a comeback year

Favorite Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas

-the only award the should’ve won

Favorite Album: Number Ones, Michael Jackson
-PR BS

RAP/HIP-HOP

Favorite Male Artist: Jay-Z

-I guess so, his work with coldplay is good.

Favorite Album: Blueprint 3, Jay-Z
-sure

ADULT CONTEMPORARY

Favorite Artist: Taylor Swift
-sure

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Aventura
-who?

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Green Day
-are they really alternative? didn’t you mean Pop Rock?

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist: Mary Mary

-?

 

SOUNDTRACKS

Favorite Album: Twilight Soundtrack

-overflow from Owl City

T-Mobile BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (ALL GENRES)

Gloriana

- shitty cell service…shitty award

 

Wynonna Judd….Jealous?

Wyonna Judd is not convinced the Taylor Swift fully deserves to win the award at such a young age – because she will have nothing to aim for in her career if she lands all the big prizes so early on in life. She told USA Today,  “You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon. Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. It’s just too much of a good thing too soon.”

“My thing is, being a home-school mom, I want kids to earn it, and I think some time… ’cause mom and I rode in a car for the first year of our career visiting radio stations. There was a making of the star, there was a rising up, and the fans went with us.

“Now it’s over coffee breaks, the success, almost. You have to play catch up… It’s like the girl who wins an Oscar and she’s under 20. What do you do from here?”

Note: here’s Wynonna’s release that is meant to clarify her statement:

“I understand that my comment about Taylor Swift’s Entertainer of the Year nomination came across as a negative statement. My intent was not to take anything away from her talent and contributions to the country music industry…all of which are truly unprecedented for an artist of ANY age. Taylor is a beautiful, hard working young woman that deserves the success she has had and I support her as an artist and as a woman in the business.”

Sound like a retraction to me.

Entertainer of the year goes to…

Taylor Swift. (btw, really cool of her to bring her band up upon acceptance of her award!) …Kinda saw it coming. The country music community is conflicted about this. Some think she’s too young(youngest ever to win) or simply a shallow writer. I read a few different comments on blogs and such I read thinks it might be the downfall of country music. Others thought Carrie Underwood should be the queen of country.

 

To me, although it wasn’t Jamey Johnson, I was glad to see her win. I appreciate her as a writer and can’t deny a good song win one is presented in front of me. The fact that she has nine songs in the top 30 of Billboard shows that other people like her too. Yes she is young, she writes about young things…go figure. I hope to see her next album mature in lyric context as her fans are also growing older. Only time will tell. Taylor’s victories last night(entertainer of the year, female vocalist, album and video) will only strengthen the battle over Taylor VS Carrie. I’m more of a Miranda fan myself…

 

In other CMA news Jamey Johnson won song of the year for “In Color.” Even country radio saw this coming. I’m happy for Jamey, I hope he’s working on another album that will  as Gorge Jones said …”take country back”

Postal Service …I mean …Owl City !**!

A new scenster is in town and He has grossly pop overtones. Adam Young(Owl City) has the number 1 single in the States at the moment with “Fireflies.”  His album “Ocean Eyes” has sold only 180,000 records, which to me is really low especially after being place in that teenster vampire movie… what was the name??? Oh yeah, Twilight.  None the less he had the most Itunes downloads last week.

Is it me, or does this sound like a super glossed up version of Postal Service? The sounds are similar, video game-ish sounds slapped with catchy beats and and dream like anthems. Almost too familiar lyrical content of lack of sleep and the hope for better days. Just wondering, am I the only one who thinks this?

Universal South has made sure not to bring him to the west coast yet. I’m sure they are nervous of our Sub Pop culture or our DIY Silverlake scene ripping his record apart. Owl City is Universal South’s way of being indie. Its a glossy imitation and a pathetic attempt at that. It almost sounds like these were your standard in the box songs gone synth.

Be original.

Justin Moore

At the end of the year a new country artist finally takes number one. Justin Moore celebrates his number one song “Small Town USA” by performing a set at BMI Nashville. Does it deserve to be number one from all the other artist out there? You tell me.