I can make it good, I can make it hood, I can make you come, I can make you go! I can make it high, I can make it fly, make you touch the sky, hey maybe so!
Lately I've been in a mid to late 90's West Coast hip-hop state of mind. That explains why this song popped into my head a couple minutes ago, causin me to bump it from my speakers. Enjoy and good night!
uses this term all the damn time. We constantly ridicule her for it. "Ooh cuz, this outfit is the lick!" [She loves her outfits] But what's funny is, as of late, I have been hearing this term in songs and around the way. So sorry Angela. Guess you're more down than the rest of us youngins.
Wow. I don't know what to say. Wait. Maybe I do. If Maroon 5 were a few years younger, and didn't play instruments, they would probably look and sound like this:
Ahhh! So this must be what High School Musical looks and sounds like.
File Under: Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!/Have you seen my childhood?
What's love got to do with it? Apparently a whole lot...
My mother, flawed as she may be, passed on something to me that I can't thank her enough for; and that is her love of music and grooving along to it. All types. I was reminded of this last week as we rode along in cousin Carl's car and coasted along to country music. And not that of the hip, listen to it for street cred variety. No. Carl had the radio tuned to some contemporary country music station of the moment and there she was, my mother, in the front seat shouting heeeeeyyyy, and snapping her fingers to the George Strait/Toby Keith/Brad Paisely/I don't know who song coming through the speakers.
Wait.
Alright.
Cut to today.
Watching So You Think You Can Dance?, skimming the latest L.A. Weekly, and enjoying some Budweiser. Look to my left. There it is. A 7'inch vinyl given to me by my mom a few years back to hold onto and enjoy. Motown. On one side I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. On the other side Who's Lovin' You, also by the Jackson 5. All I could think was why is this out of the box, and where is that box?
The Box? you might ask.
Let me explain.
Go back a couple years. Eigth Grade. Apartment off of Western and 74th or so, right before Florence. Me and the little sis returning home from school. It's the fall or early spring of my eigth grade year. Get to the apt. Doors locked. No one home. Walk a few blocks. Head to grandmother's house. Mom is gone. No one knows where she is. A few hours [or the next morning] later we all learn that she is a halfway home to combat her various addictions.
And so it began, my neverending stay in the grandma's house. [Thankfully it was interrupted by my admittance to Bowdoin College, half the world away in Brunswick, ME] And with this "squatting" came me and my sister's belongings, including my budding music collection. And boy did I have me a collection; Mostly cassettes, packaged in an Addidas box. It was this box that I just threw the Jackson five vinyl in, not giving it too much thought, or a care in the world. And it was this box that I decided to return to tonight. The contents of which I would like to share with all of you. Enjoy!
-An empty case labeled Destiny's Child. I am guessing the self-titled debut was in here. That was my shit for a little bit. -Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream. Taped copy. -Quindon's self-titled debut. The real thing. Not taped. Remember him. It's You That's on my Mind was my shit!
-Smashing Pumpkins. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Looks like I got it all on one cassette. -Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York. Taped copy. -Whitney Houston. My Love is Your Love. Taped copy. For some reason Vanessa Williams gets a few tracks on Side B after Whitney's album ends. I still don't know why and/or get that one. -Ozomatli. Cumbia De Los Muerots and Super Bowl Sundae cassingle. As you'll see later, I loved me some singles back in the day. [Back when you actually went out and bought actual singles in record stores.] I'm thinking this one was free though for some reason. [haha] -Supercop sdtrk. Bought copy. Yes the Jackie Chan movie. Guess I really loved that Warren G and Adina Howard track that sampled Tina Turner's What's Love Got to do With It? -Radiohead. Ok Computer. Taped copy. -Foo Fighters' self titled debut and The Colour and the Shape. One tape. Taped copy. -Ooh this one is hillarious. Taped copy. Side A. Mariah Carey. Daydream. Side B: Muse. Showbiz. HA! Empty case. I think it destroyed itself. -A recorded tape simply labeled DOC Music. -Spice Girls single. No cover. Spice Up Your Life with the b-side Spice Invaders. -Space Jam sdtrk. Bought copy. -Prince. The Hits 1. Taped copy. Empty case. -311. Taped copy. The debut. Side B ends with The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell. Something tells me that's not a 311 song. -Looks like I just found that Mariah/Muse collabo. Moving on... -Aaliyah. One in a Million. Taped copy. Empty case. Side B has a few bonus tracks: Johnny Blaze, Man Undercover, and Are You Somebody? -Vanessa Williams is back, this time she's attached to the taped copy of Al Green's Greatest Hits. Again I don't understand or get this one. -History: Past, Present, and Future. Michael Jackson. Both discs have their own taped copies. -Marilyn Manson. Antichrist Superstar. Taped copy. -Nirvana. Side A: Incesticide. Side B: In Utero. Taped copy. -Ginuwine. Ginuwine...The Bachelor. Taped copy. -The start of a Stevie Wonder Greatest Hits tape. [Got 5 tracks] -3 cassingles [purchased]: 1)P!nk - there you go 2)R.Kelly - You Remind Me of Something. With the Lookin for My Homie Mix of Homie, Lover Friend on Side B. 3)Christina Aguilera - What A Girl Wants -And finally a 60 minute taped copy of the Backstreet Boys' Black and Blue.
"I bartend at a club called the The Spot in Jackson, MS, where T-Pain was supposed to perform this past Saturday, June 23. People paid from $30 up to $100 to see T-Pain, and he did not show up, because a stretch limousine was sent to his hotel to chauffer him to the venue, instead of the four SUV's requested in his rider.
Mind you, I was not there for negotiation and do not know all the details of the contract, but I got this information straight from the promoters of the show, who announced to the crowd of about 2,000 that T-Pain was too ill to perform (instead of telling the truth and making T-Pain look like an asshole as I would have).
I understand business is business, but for someone who claims to have been begging for dollars outside of McDonald's a couple of years ago, that was a bitch move. T-Pain got paid tens of thousands of dollars to lay up in the Hilton for a night while his fans, who spent their hard earned money to see him, went home disappointed. T-Pain definitely owes Jackson, MS an explanation, or at least an apology. Better yet, a show." -- Ebony Mystique tells the folks over at
I blame being in a predominantly black club accompained by a female Howard grad who was up on all the urban hits and dance grooves. Damn. You gotta understand me though, sometimes it's hard to be ignorant and pout when the beat is being blasted through a club, EVERYBODY is feeling it, and you got that henny in your system. Still can't get over that "we in the bed like ooh" part. Ugh.
Crack open a nice ice cold bottle of St. Ides, kick up your feet, and enjoy this old school jam from one of my favorite cassettes from back in the day.
Look I think we already know how much I love Junior Senior. And it's all thanks to their stunner of a sophomore album Hey Hey My My Yo Yo. [Don't believe me? Just type in Junior Senior, search the blog, and you'll catch my drift] Luckily for us, said album [which I have been bumping for nearly two years already. Jesus]is finally seeing the light of day on this side of the Atlantic. I had already planned on buying a physical copy, but the band just gave me even more of a reason to add it to my ever expanding CD library. Check it out:
"...the US has been deprived of an official release of second effort Hey Hey My My Yo Yo for the past two years, so added incentive to American Jr. Sr. fans comes by way of the seven track Say Hello Wave Goodbye EP, coming to LP purchasers as a limited edition bonus companion disc..."
Oh hell yes! First up for us is this new track presented at the link provided below, Headphone Song. Check it out! And remember "If the world seems grey ... if you have a bad day, put your headphones on / If your friends won't play, put your headphones on..."
TXT MSGR 1: December 7th it's offcial! Are you going with? TXT MSGR 2: What? I have no idea what you are talking about.
TXT MSGR 2 goes through his morning motions. [Brushing his teeth, making his bed, getting the coffee started.] Plomps in front of his computer after all is said and done, with a cup of joe, checks e-mails, scans a few blogs and finally gets what TXT MSGR 1 was talking about at 9:47 AM. Writes back:
TXT MSGR 1: Haha. The Spice Girls reunion December 7th LA Dec 8th Las Vegas. I'm going to try to go to both. TXT MSGR 2: Seriously. I don't think you know how excited I am. Or maybe you do. The only thing that could make this better is if the LA show was on New Year's Eve. TXT MSGR 1: I'm just glad they're coming to us first! They said they'll add more dates soon. I'm soo excited!! We should go to the one in LA together and then take a flight to vegas to catch the other. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!*
**Okay so I neglected to mention in this piece that though I dragged my mentor to see the Spice Girls with me, he was repaid a few years later with a free Radiohead ticket to the Amnesiac tour at the Hollywood Bowl. Tickets I stayed up all night for with a hundred or so others, camping out at the Bowl til 10 a.m. Saturday morning when the box office opened and those wristbands passed out hours before got us first dibs on some good Radiohead seats. That was good times.
"Victoria [Beckham. Posh Spice if you're nasty] designed a $500,000 closet for her new L.A. home. It supposedly features a leather floor, Baccarat crystal chandelier, $80,000 Andy Warhol shoe print, a computer that tracks when she wears items of clothing and a camera to give her a 360-degree "cat scan" of her outfit before she steps out..."
If this is true, then that is like, totally awesome in a Cher getting ready for school in Clueless sort of way.
Are you bumping The Evolution yet? And yes okay, I'll say it; I get an aerobics instructor vibe here and there from the performance as well.
Though I am not on that whole, we are making history tonight tip that Monique was on, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed last night's BET Awards. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Still not sure how in love I am with this song, but I will say this: This video is fresh to def; Cassie dancing around looking pretty is a whole lot more fun to look at then your average non-dancing stripperesque video hoes present in every other rap or hip-hop video; AND anybody who makes Daft Punk's instant-classic Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger accessible to the folks in the club AGAIN, gets points in my book.
Yeah, fuck you Bon Jovi for taking the top spot on the charts this week with your Nashville themed album Lost Highway. Yeah it's your first #1 album since 1988, but I don't care. Man... I really wanted the White Stripes to grab this week's #1 spot. [Though I am happy that 223,000 copies of Icky Thump were sold, landing it in the number two spot, ahead of Brad Paisley]
"It's not the actual content of My December, Kelly Clarkson's just-released third album, that currently makes it unlistenable. I'm not saying that it's a bad album — it's a solid, heartfelt, occasionally beautiful exercise in mainstream modern rock, and most reviews are confirming that. My December is unlistenable in the sense that nobody can really hear it. Sometimes this happens to a work of art: The din around it from a controversy renders the thing itself mute...Everyone who loves pop music needs to feel a bit chagrined about this one and try next time to do as another often-besmirched pop star, George Michael, once advised: listen without prejudice."
A Sunday or two back I found myself in one of those social settings where you are just surrounded by all these boisterous, fun loving characters you rarely see out and about in public, prompting you to wonder aloud where all these people are when the sun isn't down. Well, apparently said characters like to wander the streets, and act a fool whenever Amy Winehouse is around, trying to get from point A to point B on the mean streets of Los Angeles
Chris Brown's debut album was quite the sleeper hit for me. Got my hands on it two summers ago, long after all the kids on the block were bumping it and adding his singles to their myspace pages. Go ahead. Go get your hands on Chris' self titled LP and try not to be entertained. 15 tracks where the steam doesn't begin to run out til about track 12 or 13? Quite a feat for a modern R&B record if you ask me.
Coming this August Chris comes at us again with his sophomore LP Exclusive. Presented below is the video for the lead single Wall to Wall. Now this song has been bouncing around the net for a while, and upon first hearing it I wasn't impressed. But with each listen I am warming up to it. Definitely a grower. Check it out!
We didn't change the channel. Entourage came to an end, and we didn't change the channel. We were nervous and excited. [Okay maybe it was just me] But we missed Flight last week, and were still riding on the high we got from Entourage. [Okay maybe it was just me]
But we had been here before.
I feel bad for the folks behind John From Cincinatti. When the Sopranos ended we spent a good 20-25 minutes rewatching that ending and cracking jokes and talking jive over JFC. And when we finally tried to take JFC in, we quickly decided that right now, at this moment, maybe John From Cincinatti isn't for us.
No such problem with Flight of the Conchords.
It started and the laughs came with a quickness, especially when this song started. I didn't even mind that they were doing the whole song inserted into dialogue thing a la Dreamgirls. It all just worked. Check it out! And keep checking it out. Sundays. 10:30 PM following Entourage.
Believe me, I adore playing an old school hit like nobody's business, but sometimes there's nothing better than putting on one of your favorite long players, enjoying it for what it is: a tip-top, start to finish "headphone masterpiece".
Will you love me if I'm a mess?...
If you asked me right now how this record managed to weasel its way into my record collection, I couldn't give you a clear answer, cause I don't remember. But I will say this: in August of 2003, I was ready to return to my college campus and shout how in love I was with this gem of a record produced by that guy who used to star in Blue's Clues, with a little help from Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins of the Flaming Lips. Til this day I have yet to meet many people who I can hold a discussion with regarding this album. It's almost as if it came and went, and that's a shame, for this is an album filled with 45 minutes of heart tugging lullabies to paralyze. [in a completely good way of course] Right out of the gate, Burns' lets it be known that he is a 'mighty little man', singing clearly, rising above the "sudden crash" and "sonic booms" of the wall of sound he surrounds himself with. This track sets a precedent for what is to come for the rest of the album. The songs rise and fall, swell, and swoon, alloting equal amounts of time and space for the Soft Bulletin like inflections peppered throughout courtesy of Drozd and Ivins, and the evocative, soft croon of Burns himself, which in turn aids in highlighting his tales of simplicity, unrequited love, and songs for dustmites. Shame we have yet to hear anything else from him since.
KEY TRACKS: Mighty Little Man/A Song for Dustmites/A Reason
Now if you visit this blog often, you know that old school jams are more often than not posted under the "Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers" headline. But sometimes old school joints are so good, so well put together, so classic to a brotha, [see Montell Jordan's This is how we do it] that all I can do is marvel at their goodness as they boldly play on and show us how's it done. This jam, presented below, is one such example.
90's boy band magic at its finest courtesy of 98 Degrees.
90's fashion [turtlenecks, backwards cap, and bubble jackets/vests- OH MY!] - check Over emoting the lyrics - check Ducking, pointing, and singing - check Sports motif - check [gotta keep that masculinity in check] Random beefcake shots [weights included]- check Giving it to the camera - check Falestto ad-libs - check, check, check!
Don't ask me why, put this song popped into my head while at work today. And then I went and revisited the video.
"It was dope.[A new unreleased Britney track] It reminded me of that one song you hear at 1:50 a.m., when they call last call at a club, and it's the hottest, nastiest song you've ever heard in your life and you've just got to put your drink down and dance to it. You've got no choice. You're body is insisting on it."-25 year old dancer Sam Pete
"...Hill has recently gone back into the studio with the goal of making a new LP. In all seriousness...She theoretically has a library of unreleased material in the vault, since she has consistently recorded over the past decade (we just haven't heard anything yet). But the hip-hop star's camp says Hill has cooked up a batch of fresh new material and there will probably be some collaborations once the project is finally released..."
You know growing up I didn't care for sports. [which is quite sad seeing as how I was quite the running back and wide reciever whenever the gang and I played a game of touch football in the street] And I was quite fond of music and dancing in my bedroom as a form of working out. And you know what else I was super into? The Spice Girls. [I wonder if my close friends and family gave up on my masculinity from that point forward.] From the end of seventh grade to the end of my senior year of high school I was blessed with a wonderful mentor who shared a love of the arts, especially music, so it was only natural that I dragged him along, for my first concert, to Devore, California to take in the Spiceworld show. Yeah that's right. I said it. First concert. It's all good though, he flirted with single moms [cause there were plenty in abundance] while I sang and danced til my heart gave out with the crowd of [mostly] young and teenage girls. [It was the summer of 1998 so I was about 14 years old]
[Yeah that's right Teresa. That sleevless Spice Girls shirt I am wearing in one of my Myspace photos that you referred to as a Tunic is from the actual Spiceworld concert]
Yep big fan, this kid right here. Books, CD's, cassettes, and I'll stop here cause I want to hold onto a least a slither of whatever is left of my masculinity. [But rest assured I don't own any dolls. Nope. Not for me. I did buy my younger sister a Scary Spice doll for her birthday at the height of their fame though.]
Yeah...
So anyways, why all the nostalgia? Cause the girls may be coming around again to spice up our lives. And now that I can drink and get my grown man on, this may be a trip down memory lane worth taking. Who's with me?
You know, it took a few spins, but I must say, Rufus Wainwright's latest disc Release the Stars is quite stunning and easy to enjoy if you are already along for the ride. Presented below is the video for his new single Rules and Regulations. If you have a thing for fitness and excercise regimens from the olden times, tea and krumpets, and synchronized dancing, then this video is for you.
D.A.N.C.E. Still the gift that keeps on giving. And who better to remix the track than the boys of MSTRKRFT? Go on, press play, and add it to a playlist.
Have you gone out and bought a copy of Icky Thump yet?
"...I wrote yesterday that Kanye West is the only guy working who takes pop stardom seriously. Well, Jack White apparently is the only guy working right now who takes rock stardom seriously, and that's a different thing. He's totally determined to drag all of us into his squirming, feverish brain-space, and he's willing to write some amazing songs if that's what it takes to get us there. Icky Thump makes his universe sound like a fun place to be."
So I'm on a Queens of the Stone Age/White Stripes kick as of late. I can't help it. They both released new albums within a week of each other, and they both kick ass. And their previous albums are worth revisiting also. That's why I am currently bumping the Queens' previous effort, Lullabies to Paralyze, and wondering if the lead single off that disc, Little Sister was in any way popular with the listening public, cause well, it's simple, it kicks ass, and is, in my opinion one of the best singles of the 2000's. Just saying.
Okay, so what had happened was I couldn't stand this song. Nothing special. In one ear out the other. And since I don't listen to the radio or watch music videos that often, it was easy for me to neglect it. Then he went and performed it on So You Think You Can Dance last week which prompted me to spend the rest of the week perfecting my "GET IT SHAWTY!" impression. [Seriously, you should hear it. I'm actually quite good.] Now because of said impression I find myself wanting more and letting the song grow on me.
-Sigh-
Now if you'll excuse me, I got a track to download.
"...Billy [Corgan] and company would like you to know that they fully support the extinction of the American independent record store at the hand of large, faceless, little-guy-crushing big boxes. They also support bleeding their fans dry. How? By releasing FOUR different versions of Zeitgeist..."
I know, I know, another day, another struggling band trying to make it in Los Angeles. But this one might be worth your while. Plus it's not everyday that two dudes of a formerly, somewhat famous Christian boy band grab their wives and a friend or two, and hammer out some wholesome indie rock that bounces along to the vibe of Spoon or Elliot Smith. Just saying.
Another year, another graduation celebration. Congratulations Westchester's class of 2007! Now do the damn thing!
You finally made it! High school is over and done with. So big ups for walking across that stage and recieving your diploma from Westchester High School.
Sidenote: Now if you ain't Black and don't live in Southern Los Angeles, then you have never heard of Westchester High School. Now if you are Black and live in Southern Los Angeles, you know it is THE public high school to attend. Nobody cares that academically the test scores and all that jazz aren't that great; shit nobody even cares that the damn campus is so close to the water off of Manchester [pass Lincoln] that it might as well be on the beach. Nope. All that matters is that it's Westchester, the school is still all about kids looking too fly in their fits, and rolling around in nice whips. Basically it's Beverly Hills 90210 for the urban set in Southern Los Angeles.
Yeah. Westchester. The only graduation ceremony in Southern Los Angeles where you can here the remix of DJ UNK's Walk it Out after the presentation of diplomas. Which was interrupted briefly by the announcer* who mentioned that if anyone finds a pair of car keys to please return them to the DJ Booth. Yes, the DJ Booth. Good times.
*Apparently as I was walking to the car I missed the announcement regarding a lost fake diamond bamboo earring [just one] that needed to be returned to the DJ Booth. Damn.
Scariest trend [of 2007]: R&B showing more signs of creativity than Hip Hop. Between R Kelly, Rihanna, Amerie and Beyonce…rappers are in danger. If you count British girl-group revival...they’re straight fucked.
Prince: Don't you wanna come? Tauwan: 3121? Yeah. Don't you wanna pay for my ticket?
So a month or so ago I heard that Prince was coming to Los Angeles, Club 3121 style like he did in Vegas, and I was all sorts of excited. And then I read this:
"As expected, Prince's shows will not be a cheap ticket. VIP packages (for two), limited to a total of 65, will cost $3,121, with 70 standing-room only tickets going for $312.10. (Yes, numerals in the pricetags add up to 7; the guy has a fondness for that number.)...The show promises to be intimate. The evenings kick off with a 7:30 p.m. dinner in the hotel's Dakota restaurant, presented by Prince's personal chef Lena Morgan. After dinner, guests will go to the Blossom Room for a DJ set followed by a two-hour Prince performance. And at about 1 a.m., Prince will preside over a "free-form jazz jam." Expect cameos by special guests -- the likes of Elton John, Will.I.Am, Herbie Hancock and Kelis have sat in with Prince before..."
Am I still excited? Not so much. [Shrugs shoulders, crosses arms across chest, and pouts]
I like hip-hop. I grew up listening to nothing but hip-hop and R&B, but I am by no means a hip-hop head. Many of my favorite albums [rap included]aren't favorites based solely on the music housed within the disc[though that too is very important], but also because of the memories attached to it and the role it may have played for me at a certain point in time. So if you were to come around and ask what one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time is, I would go ahead and say 2Pac All Eyez On Me. This is an album from my childhood that spawned many a hit single, music video, and the clout of Pac's celebrity. This is the album I ran down the street to the neighborhood corner store to buy on double cassette for 19.99 with my own money. I loved the production, I loved Pac's rhymes, and of course, loved the singles. That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Some would agree with me, others won't. Take Mark Ronson for example...
Yeah that's right. I said it. It's Tuesday June 19th, 2007, and I'm still taking time out of my busy schedule to stare at Lindsay Lohan. Why? Cause, well...fuck you!
Oh why is this song so popular with the young folk? It came on in the club last night and I swear everyone lost it.
I guess.
Actually it looked exactly they way the boys and girls look in this video when they break out and dance out of nowhere in front of the fish fry or the car wash.
Did anybody else catch this set at Bonnaroo last night? I don't know what I liked more: Meg passionately singing [I mean the girl was projecting and emoting like a kid in front of her mirror with a hairbrush] In the Cold, Cold, Night as the sun began to set over the crowd; Jack falling to his knees and crawling towards the back of the stage, outta sight, outta mind, taking out every guitar in his path during yet another blistering guitar solo; or the back and forth he commanded so expertly between keyboards and guitar during an awe inspiring rendition of Icky Thump. [And how great was that old school hanging microphone? In the words of John Travolta on South Park: Oh my God!]
Look, it's Jack and Meg's world, and I'm just living in it. And after catching their Bonnaroo set live on the internet last night, I am glad to have them back in my life. And I also can not wait to get my hands on Icky Thump tomorrow. I have not downloaded a single track from the album, nor have I streamed it online, and yes, the anticipation is killing me, but I can wait. In the meantime I am going back, playing the old stuff, gearing up for the new release and allowing myself to be content with the fact that this week might just belong to the White Stripes. Yes, their catalogue will be in constant rotation 'round these parts. Trust.
So a Friday or two back Diplo touched down in Los Angeles to put it down. Everybody under the sun went. [and when I say everybody under the sun I mean all the shiny happy people I call my friends]And the verdict? Well, it was aight. Many found themselves stuck in the middle, enjoying what they heard, but expecting so much more. So to Diplo I say this: it's all good homie, keep doin you and I'mma keep doing me... As long as you keep chruning out these fly ass remixes.
Believe me, I adore playing an old school hit like nobody's business, but sometimes there's nothing better than putting on one of your favorite long players, enjoying it for what it is: a tip-top, start to finish "headphone masterpiece".
At the end of Lost in Translation, Bill Murray says goodbye to Scarlett Johansson and is escorted through the streets of Tokyo by a personal driver, getting one last look at the dazzling and congested city through his backseat window. Sofia Coppola then pulls back from the car, giving the viewer one last look at the hustle and bustle of Tokyo also. As all this is going on and the movie draws to a close, Air's “Alone in Kyoto”—the slow and contemplative closing track from their album Talkie Walkie—plays hauntingly in the background. Produced by OK Computer producer Nigel Godrich, the French duo's album is equipped with all of the atmospheric soundscapes and emotional poetry present in many a Radiohead release. Divided between vocal and non-vocal tracks, Talkie Walkie is a gorgeous album that goes down smoothly, coasting by without being forgettable.
Key Tracks: Run* (So haunting, so good), Venus, Biological
Let's not kid ourselves, Timbaland's latest album Shock Value, was kind of a letdown. [Surprise Surprise] But then again, let's not sit here and act as though 50 to 75% of isn't actually quite good. [Again, surprise surprise]One of the better tracks on the album, hands down, is the percolating space funk of The Way I Are starring Tim, D.O.E., younger brother Sebastian and another one of Timbo's new, sexy, and talented femme fatales Keri Hilson. The video? It's aight; like Promiscuous Girl - lite shot on the streets of London. Song still knocks though. Check it out!
I don't know who I think I am or who I intend to become, but tonight for the first time, I will be dipping into my giant new jar of Twinlab's 100% Soy Protein, mass producing, VEGE FUEL. [Good looking out on the free jar cousin lil bro]. Who knows, maybe it'll put me one step closer to fulfilling my childhood dream of being called American Gladiator or Shaq diesel. [Did you see his arms in Kazaam?] Holla!
So I finally got around to breaking in my copy of the new Queens of the Stone Age album, Era Vulgaris today. Woo Doggy! I'll tell ya what, there are few bands out there today that are as consistent and entertaining as Los Queens of the Stone Age. Don't believe me, give this track , presented below, and also known as track one, Turning on the Screw, a spin, and try not to nod along or be reminded of another one of my personal faves; the gone, but not forgotten Stone Temple Pilots.
Am I right or am I right? You too can hear traces of Scott Weiland and co. right?
I have been in love with this track ever since I first read about it two months or so over at Fluxblog. [It even provided the sdtrk to my myspace page a few weeks back. And as we all know, song on myspace page = love] And you should too. Just be sure to not let Daniel Merriweather's "Thicke goes street" look bother you too much. [That or the cool mint Listerine flowing from every orifice]
So... are we to assume that this video is a four minute appreciation for masturbation, seeing as how she loves to wiggle about seductively whenever Ne-Yo's face pops up onscreen?
This past Tuesday I was fortunate enough to catch this little known indie band poised for greatness, Menomena, at the Troubadour. [Big ups to my homegirl Teresa Electro for hooking that up] Be sure to get your hands on some of their tunes. Definitely a band to watch. In the meantime, click below to see the fantastically juvenille new video for their song Rotten Hell.
"Listeners don't recognize boundaries, people in the music business do...They think you have to focus on a certain group to market...You gotta break the stereotype. The guys cruising the Wal-Mart parking lot, trying to pick up girls — they're blasting urban music. Ludacris, Jay-Z, 50 Cent...That's the music with that beat. It's not their world, but it's the groove they're looking for."-Rich, of the "country" duo Big & Rich
Look, I enjoy this show just as much as the next man. As a matter of fact I became a full fledged fan last summer during the show's second season. So one would think that the mere sight of last season's winner Benji Schwimmer hamming it up on last night's results show would have had me on the edge of my seat smiling from ear to ear. Wrong. I turned the channel immediately. And this morning as I scan through the clip on the world wide web I am glad that I did. Don't believe me? Scan ahead to two minutes and twelve seconds and don't look away til the clip ends.
So earlier this year I became a new found Fall Out BOy fan. See what had happened was all these critics in their fancy music mags and websites were proclaiming how the band's latest album Infinity on High, is an entertaining kick in the face that deserves to be heard, irregardless of whether or not you can stand Pete Wentz, or can't get with the overlong, too thought out song titles. And you know what? They were right. I copped it. I played. I like it. Definitely one of my favorites from 2007. And this song, presented in video form at the link provided below is a fine example of why FOB's Infinity on High deserves a quick spin from you and your comrades.
It's not that complicated, she's just missundaztood.
If you don't mind, I would like to take this time to address the somewhat endless drama that seems to be surrounding Kelly Clarkson at the moment. From the get go we have all heard the stories about her and this My December album set to drop in two weeks. Her and Clive Davis have butted heads over the tunes on the disc; those on high wanted her to actually re-record tracks off of Lindsay Lohan's last album; selling records is all fine and dandy, but really she doesn't give a damn about all that. In other words, but she really wants to do is write, sing, and emote.
Cut to this week. Manager fired. Summer tour, at the moment, canceled.
What in the world is going on?
It all seems so unfortunate to me. No, I did not watch the first season of American Idol religiously, but I am young and American, meaning I copped her debut disc, and later, went on to fall in love with the now ubiqutous pop classic Since You've Been Gone. And as of late I have kept the four other singles from that album [Breakaway, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Because of You and Walk Away] in constant rotation round these parts, which is funny, considering how at the time of their respective releases I saw them as nothing more than cloying Top 40 hits.
But then I stopped being a music snob and started being real.
Kelly Clarkson is the real deal. There's a reason those songs work and went on to sell millions of copies. Few of Kelly's contemparies can utter lines like "I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly" and give off the impression that they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. For example, I enjoy a fair amount of Avril Lavigne's latest The Best Damn Thing, but every so often, when the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts/Pat Benatar leanings give way to trite balladry, even I have a hard time not pressing the skip button, and wondering how at a much younger age her selling some of these same ruminations on love and longing felt much more genuine.
If anything, this whole My December fiasco makes me think of another one of my favorites, Pink. [Or is it P!nk?] When Pink burst onto the scene back in 2000 with her debut album Can't Take Me Home [remember that one?] she, like Kelly Clarkson had a "gimmick" or something pushing her out into the limelight. Here was a young pink haired Caucasian female with a big voice and R&B edge, backed by producers who enveloped her voice and persona in the popular R&B trappings of the time. It's a situation not too far removed from Kelly's debut: big voiced southern girl wins insanely popular talent show, recieves a team of backers who aid in hammering out her obligatory American Idolized debut album and single.
But with her second album Pink chose to do things her way. Downplaying the heavily manafactured urban motifs of her first album, Pink took a step back, applied more of her own words to the pad, and crafted an incredibly ambitious sophomore record, [where the first disc was aggressive and distant, Missudaztood was open and laid everything bare] caring less about numbers, and more about being true to herself and her fans. And I think her career and current catalogue is better because of that.
And this is what I see and hear with Ms. Clarkson. No, I have not downloaded the album or heard it all in its entirety, but what I have heard are three of four tracks of a young woman attempting to come into her own as an artist, and succeeding. As is the case with the wonderfully rollicking lead single Never Again, Kelly, like Pink before her, stands behind her words and sings them with such grit, such emotion, such clarity, that you can't help but listen. To not give My December a shot because of negative press, or because it's not Breakaway 2: Still crying Behind These Hazel Eyes would be a huge mistake, cause Kelly, as we all found out a few years back on American Idol, is a force to be reckoned with.
*I may be readin too much into all of this, but that isn't supposed to read like "she is Christ" is it? Cause if so that is a little, how do you say, ah yes, blasphemous.
