New Music

Is the fact that I really don't find too much new music interesting or even fun a sign that I'm too old for it all? I hope not because I love music so. If I was twenty years older would I have been bored by all the music I loved as a teenagers and young adult? the thought that I've reached the end of the line means either this is thought is true, music sucks today or I'm just refusing to get on board with what's happening in music now.
What is happening in music now? Eighties sounds and horrible acoustic stuff? Pop doesn't really count because that's a whole genre that's never been known for it's originality. I mean Katy perry didn't innovate auto tune and Mumford and Son's didn't do anything special when they wrote those songs.

I don't know, I just want new music that makes me happier than what I hear now.

Favorite Songs of 2011

I'm not going to put a flag down like some arrogant A-hole and say that these are the best songs of the past year and if you don't like . . . I'm just say that these are my favorite songs that came out in 2011. I think that's fair. This year seemed to be about being an indie band, having a big comeback and being Swedish, go figure!
Don't worry this is not a list of bands nobody's heard of to make my self feel like a snob absolute. Don't worry this isn't a copy of the top 40 charts to show that those people know what they're talking about.
I don't know if the music that came out this year gave me hope for 2012

25.Lay Myself Down by Mazzy Star
Returning after all these years to sound exactly like one would want, dreamy and half asleep.
24.Olé by Pearl Jam

I love it when Pearl Jam rocks out rather than gets that drone of seriousness. Short and punchy!

23.Open My Eyes by The BanglesMaybe this is the last album we'll ever hear from the girl group and that's okay with me, this song is better than some of the pop they did when they were huge. They have captured that indie sound perfectly.
22.Be Your Bro by Those Darlins
It's funny and catchy. A song about a girl who wants to be friends with a boy who just wants to have sex with her. Tough times.
21.Immigrant Song by Karen O
Maybe this is really Trent Reznor featuring Karen O. On the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  and the song in the preview it kicks ass and is almost as good as the original Led Zeppelin version.
20.Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO
It's a party jam and I don't mind the party so there's that.
19.Lie Down In Darkness by Moby

He's kind of dramatic and somber and melodious on this soundscape. It's actually quite beautiful.

18.Guilty Girls by Buffalo TomI would be lying if I said that I though I would ever hear anything from this Boston band again but here they are putting out a quality tune.
17.The Boat Song by The Black Angels

Sometimes I wonder who else likes this band. They put out an E.P. and this was my favorite song from it. Dreamy and simple; like a Mazzy Star tune with a dude on vocals.

16.Cocaine Chest Pains by Kopek

I've never had cocaine chest pains personally but it sounds horrible. The song however is a rocker.

15.Rope by Foo Fighters

Back again with more rock that satisfies even if it doesn't change the world

14.The Roller by Beady Eye
Liam Gallagher and some other dudes put out a an album and it sounds exactly like you think it would. Catchy with heavy sixties influence. This was my favorite song from the collection of songs.
13.Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine

Epic and witchy sounding this song swirls into some weird places which is why I like it so much.

12.Standing Still by Eat Sugar

I don't anything about this band but I do know I really think this song is some good old dirty rock.

11.Boogie de la Muerte by Guadalupe Plata

I don't listen to Spanish rock but these roots rock guys make me want to.

10.The No No Song by The Sounds

They should be huge  and maybe they are but because there's no radio or videos I'll never know. Swedish and awesome!

9. Go Outside by The Cults
This was a big song for these guys and their indie rock ways. These guys blew up with this song.
8. Blood by The Dears

These Canadians are making music like it should be, big and emotional. Maybe they sound too 80s.

7. Make Some Noise by The Beastie Boys

Another comeback! This song isn't even that good but it's so fun I can't resist it. Rap for your dad, that's kinda' sad.

6. California by EMA

Is it spoken word or a song? Whatever it's a FU to the golden state which is refreshing once in a while.

5. Otis by Kanye West & Jay- Z

Watch The Throne, this album could have been egos colliding in a mess but it worked so well. Special thanks to Otis Redding.

4. Under Cover of Darkness by The Strokes

They're back and they're sounding good. They don't branch out with a new sound but this time I don't care.

3. Take The World by She Wants Revenge

The 80s have resurfaced in this excellent song full of keyboards and a dance beat with spooky vocals.

2. Breaker, Breaker by Peter, Bjorn and John

It makes me happy when a band who came out with a superior song years ago (Young Folks) can make equal songs. This one is quick and catchy.

1.Gloria by Mando Diao
Epic and almost at show tune level with it's Tom Jones/Neil Diamond verve this song gets me going every time I listen. Some may call it cheese but they didn't get to put this list together.

How does this stack to the experts you ask? Let's be real these people listen to music for a living and are exposed to a lot more stuff than I have and because I am just one man there's a certain type of music that I like. This is why Adele appears nowhere on my list and tops these two, this is why you won't find Pumped Up Kicks or Lil' Wayne. Maybe I'm not concerned with being cool or important or authoritive.


Here's Spin's list.
20. Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues"
19. Eric Church, "Homeboy"
18. Lil Wayne, "6 Foot 7 Foot"
17. Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Otis"
16. Brad Paisley, feat. Carrie Underwood, "Remind Me"
15. Girls, "Vomit"
14. The Weeknd, "Wicked Games"
13. Britney Spears, "Till the World Ends"
12. M83, "Midnight City"; College, feat. Electric Youth, "A Real Hero"
11. LMFAO, "Party Rock Anthem" (Alesso Remix)
10. TV on the Radio, "You"
9. HyunA, "Bubble Pop!"
8. Lykke Li, " Get Some"
7. Clams Casino, "I'm God"
6. Tyler, the Creator, "Yonkers"
5. Frank Ocean, "Novacane"
4. The Rapture, "How Deep Is Your Love"
3. EMA, "California"
2. Beyoncé, "Countdown"
1. Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"

or Rolling Stone's
20. Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Welcome to the Jungle'
19. Lucinda Williams, 'Blessed'
18. Black Keys, 'Little Black Submarines'
17. Wilco, 'I Might'
16. Fleet Foxes, 'Lorelai'
15. TV on the Radio, 'You'
14. Sleeper Agent, 'Get It Daddy'
13. My Morning Jacket, 'Circuital'
12. Lloyd feat. Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne, 'Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)'
11. Foster the People, 'Pumped Up Kicks'

10. The Decemberists, 'Don't Carry It All'

9. Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz, 'Six Foot Seven Foot

8. Beyonce, 'Countdown'

7. Lady Gaga, 'Edge of Glory'

6. Radiohead, 'Lotus Flower'

5. Paul Simon, 'Rewrite'

4. Foo Fighters, 'These Days'

3. Britney Spears, 'Till The World Ends'
2. Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Ni**as in Paris'

1. Adele, 'Rolling in the Deep'

Best Albums of 2011

It's been a long, boring year for music or has it? I tend to think so but when I look at the year's best albums and songs it looks like it was okay.
2011 ' best albums
Gimme' Some  by Peter Bjorn and John
Watch the Throne by Kanye West and Jay-Z
Valley Heart by She Wants Revenge
Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters
Degeneration Street by The Dears

These are just albums you need to go hear, sorry no samples. Maybe I am boring

Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame time again.

So as you know I'm not psyched on the RNRHOF idea but it's an istitution and I can't ignore it. This year's nominees are as follows with my two cents.

Guns N’ Roses: Absolutely! There's no two ways about it.

The Cure: Unless you don't think they're rock they need to be in the HOF along with the Smiths, hand in hand. Put Robert Smith in that museum!

Heart: Yeah, man great in 70s, cheesy in the 80s but sold a lot of records!

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: I want her to be because Joan does rock and has the attitude but she doesn't really have the credits

Eric B. and Rakim: not for me thanks

the Spinners: I don't know

the Small Faces/Faces: no

Freddy King and Rufus with Chaka Khan: no

Beastie Boys: Longevity, big hits, sure

Laura Nyro: no

War: no

Donovan: I don't know

 Red Hot Chili Peppers: I guess, for all the same reasons as the Beastie boys, but man do they suck badly now. They used to be so cool, alas.

Left of the Dial

R.E.M. in many ways are the great American success story and gave hope to every band that played less than mainstream music out of their garage. This is a band that went from Radio Free Europe which only kids in Athens GA. heard to Everybody Hurts which everybody heard. They are the classic example of a band that with each increasingly successful album put out lost fans as they made even more. They are the band that appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone as "America's Best Rock n' Roll Band" and only got bigger from there much to the chagrin of their oldest fans.
Everybody seems to have their cut off point with R.E.M, for some it's Life's Rich Pageant, others it's Green and some will say that after their first album, Murmur they sucked ass; all the time critics loved them and their concert venues got bigger and bigger. Their singer Michael Stipe went from a shy mumbler on stage to being a tremendous front man who threw his body around, danced ridiculous and wore costumes. Bill Berry on drums, Mike Mills on bass and Peter Buck on guitar all seemed like dudes you would never pick out as rock stars, all unassuming in appearance, more like college students than musicians. Their sound a southern inspired cryptic style of rock that nobody else sounded like. Starting around 1980 they manged to avoid being new wave, metal or even grunge though they were without a doubt, indie college rock.

My introduction to them was in 1985, Can't Get There From Here and I thought it was a funny sounding song with a funny looking video. After hearing this song I was introduced to more of their music by a friend of mine who flatly said ever other album they put out sucks. I was a big fan of Life's Rich Pageant as well as Dead Letter Office and as much as I liked those album I never bought their next album, Document which would be their introduction to the main stage of Rock N' Roll.

Document brought them from the basement and into the frat house with, It's the End of the World As We know It, and I feel Fine. The One I love however is a great pop/rock song still, a classic that deserves all the kudos it gets. It was also one of those ambiguous clues to Michael Stipe's sexuality. Green, their sixth album was one that I really, really liked despite that horrible song, Stand  that was played every hour on Mtv and was all over the radio. Orange Crush, Turn You Inside Out (even if it sounded just like The Finest Work Song), and my favorite track on the album, You Are The Everything held the album together. The Latter song would heavily influence their biggest song ever on their biggest album ever which came next.
Out of Time gave us Losing My Religion a song you couldn't avoid if you tried. It was played on rock stations, alternative stations, adult stations, your parents CD player and was Mtv all day; the video was gorgeous and weird and wone almost every VMA it was nominated for. The album sold 12 million copies world wide! While Losing My Religion was the high point of the album many of the bands hard core fans had jumped ship by then. Shiny Happy People may be the lowest depths the band ever sank to and made their future look unbearable. That song still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
With 1992's Automatic For the people the band's 8th album it seemed the pattern continued, old fans rejected them while new fans devoted themselves to the band. Everybody Hurts, another gigantic hit on the radio and Mtv made this album mega successful. As many people loved that song and that damned video there were as many who hated it. I remember sitting in my living room with my roommate who began playing they song on his guitar we changed the the lyrics to "everybody sucks . . . my ass."
When The biggest band in the land returned in 1995 with, Monster they tried to get away from their increasingly wussy status and put some fuzz and volume on the guitars with a an album that sort of rocked with songs like,  Star 69 and What's the Frequency, Kenneth? but it was also apparent that Michael Stipe and the boys weren't young anymore. Don't get me wrong one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, Let Me In is on this album.

And then it all seemed to stop. Something in the music world change, something in the hearts of Mtv changed. Their airplay was diminished quite a bit and even though the critics still loved them their popularity seemed to dwindle down to where it had been before Document. I know people who will tell you about their best work was put out after Monster but I'm not one of them. Maybe their decline was all due to Bill Berry leaving the band, I don't know. Maybe it's just not possible to pretend you're still and alternative/indie band after so many year, so many concerts and so many record sales, maybe they should have finally embraced just how big they were so they could continue being a huge act. Maybe they didn't want that.
Where do they belong in the rock pantheon after their 30 years of performing and recording? They deserve a place of note, that's for sure and while they haven't been relevant for the past fifteen years their first fifteen were damn good and they were damn cool. A little southern band with very astute melodies and a sound that while familiar was all their own, R.E.M. have been to the mountain top of popularity and back down and seemed to never give in to what music trends were going on. That in it's self earn my respect.

I never saw them live but I did see Stipe and super model Helena Christensen go into a bar in New York once, I kept on walking.

My Top 10 R.E.M. Songs (in no roder)
1. Let Me In, Monster
2. You Are The Everything, Green
3. Swan Swan Hummingbird, Life's Rich Pageant
4. 1,000,000, Chronic Town
5. Radio Free Europe, Murmur
6. The One I Love, Document
7. Low, Out of Time
8. Superman, Life's Rich Pageant
9. Orange Crush, Green
10.Fall On Me, Life's Rich Pageant

Honorable mention: Toys in the Attic, Dead Letter Office

Let's get the band back together, man

Seattle music and the grunge era is now twenty years old, firmly and securely letting me know that I am past due. Recently I've had conversations with friends of mine about that era what it all meant if anything. There was a time when all involved would say it meant nothing but as age has set in and paid off well as well a s a documentary on Pearl Jam I'd say that note has changed. At the time it was supposed to be counter culture or the rise of the underground but now I see it as just more Rock under a different label. There was great music and not so great music but the funniest thing is that I never saw any of Seattle bands live which makes me feel quite lame. I almost saw pearl jam in Boston about five years about I passed that up to have dinner with old friends.
So instead of lamenting that, I made a Seattle Mix which isn't just the early 90s big four Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alic In Chains it's the bands that I know and like from that region, even Aberdeen. No Tad, no Sir Mix-a-lot. It thought about putting a modern Alice In Chains song on here but as good as the song is it didn't feel right, I wasn't sure if the Foo Fighters counted so I left the  off also I almost put L7 on here before I realized they were from LA. No Stone Temple Pilots because while they fell under the grunge label at the time they were from southern California as well. This leads me another point would be a mix of all the bands who get lumped into the Seattle grunge department even though they had nothing to do with it, there were bands from Boston that got were lumped into that genre as I recall. Jeepers, I should put out my best of Boston mix too, i should go city by city. Anyway enjoy it. Click on the song title to hear it.

1. Queen Bitch by Green River

The band that started it all, members of Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone and then Pearl Jam made up the line up.

2. Crazy On You by Heart

Hell yeah, Heart! Sure they were horrible in the 80s but their music in the 70s was hot.

3. Bed of Roses by Screaming Trees

Not one of the big four, Screaming Trees were the authors of a lot of airplay. Their biggest hit, I Nearly Lost You was overplayed and got a big life from it's presence on the Singles soundtrack.

4. Touch Me I'm Sick by Mudhoney

This is what indie rock is all about, loud and obnoxious and dumb.

5. Here She Comes Now by Nirvana

Great little cover of Velvet Underground expanding the original version by three minutes of fuzz. The biggest band of the era. RIP Kurt.

6. I'm Above by Mad Season

Some called them a supergroup as they were made up of Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam members but when you take a look at all the mingling in the Seattle bands it's just another project. Temple of the Dog is not on this mix but they are a good example of the incestuous nature of the scene.

7. The King is Half-Undressed by Jellyfish
These guys were all the buzz for a couple months with a Queen/Beatles sound back in 1990. The singer was the drummer and stood upright when the performed. I guess Sheila E was also an influence.
8. Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden

It doesn't get much heavier than this or as frenetic. Some say nothing off the Badmotorfinger album can compare with the Superunknown album but I disagree. Chris Cornell has got the greatest pipes to come out of Seattle since the Wilson sisters of Heart, I mean holy shit that dude can sing!

9. Negative Creep(live) by Nirvana

This is my favorite Nirvana song and that may be an annoying hipster sort of thing to say but I just love how hard this song is, how out of control it seems.

10.Nutshell by Alice In Chains

None of the big 4 could be more dark Than Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell's band. This song is somber if not down right depressing and as per usual about addiction.

11.Lump by Presidents of the United States of America

You remember this ditty, right? Weird Al even parodied it. They preferred to be called PUSA for whatever Seattle reason. They were one of those bands that would have never made a name for themselves if it hadn't been for all the big bands in the area. Coat tails anyone? This was the Seattle band you little sister got into after it was over.

12.Are You Experienced? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

He was from Seattle and he was buried there so deal with that if you disagree. This is the greatest guitarist in rock, right? Hard, psychedelic beautiful.

13.Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden

Psychedelic and beautiful, spoon fed to the masses. This song more than any of the others has grown on me.

14.Would? by Alice In Chains

Not only soft and acoustic but big and aggressive with amazing harmonies. This song wasn't supposed to be on the Dirt album but it's notoriety from the Single's soundtrack pushed it on. This is my favorite Alice In chains Song.

15.Barracuda by Heart

Man did they rock this jam! Could anybody even cover this song and do it justice?

16.Do The Evolution by Pearl Jam

Those who know me know that this is my favorite PJ song. Why? I don't know. It's lo-fi, angry and doesn't sound like Pearl Jam. Additionally the video is super cool!

17.Silent Lucidity by Queensryche

Before the Grunge fad, this was Seattle. It's still a big epic sweeping song that I enjoy.

18.Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns by Mother Love Bone
RIP Andrew Wood, you were born to be a star but it wasn't meant to be. Pearl Jam also does a great version of this song.

20 Albums for Outer Space

So next in the Music Listography is the 20 almbums I'd take with me if I was leaving earth on a spaceship.
In no particular order and no best ofs
Achtung Baby by U2
Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses
Is This It by The Strokes
The Doors by The Doors
The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
Dirt by Alice In Chains
Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
She Hangs Brightly by Mazzi Star
Van Halen by Van Halen
Back To Black by Amy Winehous
Rio by Duran Duran
Bone Machine by Tom Waits
Green by REM
Bossanova by The Pixies
(What's The Story) Morning Glory by Oasis
Elephant by White Sripes
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
Supernatural by The 360s
Portishead by Portishead
The Smiths by The Smiths

List of Rock

Recently I purchased a book called, Music Listography inwhich one is supposed to write all these excellent lists of popular music. I'm not going to fill out the book but I'm going to complete the lists here.
The first is 20 favorite rock bands
In no particular order:

Led Zeppelin
Aerosmith
Muse
Alice In Chains
The Strokes
Queen
The Cure
Van Halen
Ston Temple Pilots
Jane's Addiction
Guns N' Roses
The Smiths
AC/DC
The Stone Roses
The Doors
The Pixies
Sex pistols
Mötley Crüe
White Stripes
Nine Inch Nails

It's impressively populist and not out of the ordinary one bit. Bands you may be shocked aren't here The Beatles and The Stones . . . well now you know!

White, Out!

So the best band of the 00s is done. The White Stripes have officially called it quits!
In a decade of a lot of bullshit music the best band was a throw back to electric blues with hits like My Doorbell, Seven Nation Army, Fell In Love With A Girl and Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground. The duo made up of former husband and wife Jack and Meg White have left behind a cool that so many bands don't as they plod along trying to maintain their inertia but can't. This is easy though when you're jack white and have two other bands (Dead Weather, The Raconteurs) to keep you energized.
Anyway there will always be a place in my heart for this band and when they reunite in a few years i will be happy to splurge for the tickets.

Top 2010 Songs

Here is my countdown of the ten best singles this year of 2010. It was a weak year for music but there were some salvageable tracks out there though I feel that there wasn't one big monster song that I'll recall as the years anthem.

10. Hollywood by Codeine Velvet Club
This band is fronted by the singer of Fratelis. it has a groovy 1960s vibe of something like a show tune.
9. Billionaire by Travie McCoy
Bruno Mars helped out on this little ditty of a song that in some respects is exactly how I often feel. The song is actually pretty shitty but it got stuck in my head enough to warrant top ten status.
8. Tighten Up by The Black Keys
Sounds like an old blue eyed soul number but it's really just a couple of dudes from Ohio.
7. Tatooine by Jeremy Messersmith
It's a little song that's really quite sweet on the ears. The construction paper video is also really cool, simple but cool.
6. California Girls by Katy Perry
This song was everywhere this past year and made east coast girls pissed off more than usual. Snoop Dogg lends his stoned vocals to this track making it better on the comedy scale. This song also had a crazy video that made me wonder about the sanity of Mrs. Russel Brand.
 5. Die By The Drop by The Dead Weather
This one sounds like being stoned. It's another organ heavy song featuring Jack White and the chick from the Kills.
4. Modern Man by The Watson Twins

Somber and sweet. This song got no notoriety but that's why this countdown is unique.

3. Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) by My Chemical Romance

The title is kind of a joke but the song seriously makes you want to raise your fist and chant along, this song is a crowd pleaser for sure!

2. Stylo by Gorillaz

Another song with guests cracking the top ten, this time it's Mos Def and bobby Womack. The Gorillaz gave us another hypnotizing track to groove to.

1. Bed Intruder by Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers 

How could there be anything better than a clip taken from the news, given a beat, ran through pitch perfect and magic! This is the modern world, this is the age we live in, this is the number one!

Daily Download

1990's Rock! Type by Living Colour

Daily Download

You love it! I Ran (So Far Away) by Flock of Seagulls

Daily Download

Haunting Melody: There Is an End by The Greenhornes and Holly Golightly

Daily Download

You may have heard this in commercials: Two Weeks by Grizzly Gear

Daily Download

Straight Outta' Boston! : Don't Run Wild by The Del Fuegos

Great Balls of Fire!

Today is Jerry Lee Lewis' birthday! The Killer is 75 years old and still making music. I don't know if he's still into 13 year old girls but that's no matter. Jerry Lee when young used to put on a rock show that squashed all others including Elvis.



Maybe someday they'll make a bio pic for you that doesn't suck. Happy Birthday Dude!

Daily Download

It's a sea shanty: Two Sisters by Tom Waits

Daily Download

Download this one; Just by Radiohead

Daily Download

Try this one; it's great: River Deep-Mountain High Ike and Tina Turner

Daily Download

Today's Song
The Rat by The Walkmen (2004)