Culture Greyhound

It’s finals week, and I am worthless. So much work…Here’s some videos, maybe tomorrow will be better, but no promises.

Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk. from Neighborhood Watch on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Black Bananas – Rad Times
Rihanna – You Da One
Black Keys – Gold On the Ceiling
Bleached – Electric Chair
Blink 182 – Wishing Well

One of the finest blogs out there for music and literature geeks, Largehearted Boy, has begun compiling 2011 year-end lists. Since this is primarily a music blog, I really only care about the music aggregate, which you can find here. Check it daily from now until they quit, as updates are happening regularly (they compile update posts if you miss a day or two). I also recommend becoming a regular reader of the blog overall, because it’s one of the best out there.

Grammy nominations are in, and Kanye’s been snubbed again. I mean, it’s nice and all that Yeezy leads the pack with seven nods, but no Album of the Year? No, instead that goes to….Bruno Mars? Oh, Grammys. Missing the mark….at least there’s something consistent in the music industry.

The aforementioned Mars earned six nominations, few of which he will win; Foo Fighters got the same amount, being deservedly recognized for their best album in years. But Adele, also in the six category, is the artist who will clean house this time around. She’s the perfect safe, AC-friendly, Grammy-loving, overrated nonsense the world rallies around. Like Taylor and Norah before her, Adele will bore us to tears with each tearful acceptance speech. God, please let Yeezy get up there and start yelling.

And then there’s Bon Iver, who scored some notable categories, including Alternative Music Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist (which in Grammy terms means “first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist”, so….yeah….can you say “arbitrary?”). So of course already he’s being hailed as the next Arcade Fire, who upset Grammy Nation last year by winning Album of the Year. Which was amazing and awesome. Unlike Bon Iver’s new, underwhelming, undeserving, overrated second album that’s ALREADY making everybody’s year-end list.

Here’s the straight poop: while Arcade Fire may have pulled the underdog bit last year, it’s not happening this year. I’d be surprised if Bon Iver walked away with anything at all. Alternative’s going to Radiohead. Record and Song are going to Adele, as is everything else. So who gets the BNA curse? It’s either the Band Perry (who I wouldn’t mark off right away, the Academy has shown in the past they love this lethargic style of country….remember Lady Antebellum?) or it’s going to Nicki Minaj, who has just blown up this year. So sorry Justin Vernon, you’re no Win Butler.

Radiohead, Skrillex, Lil Wayne, Foster the People, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Mumford and Sons round out the top nominees, and Daft Punk received recognition for their score to Tron. Also, I think I saw Fleet Foxes in the Folk category somewhere. So yeah, don’t let the nominations cloud your thinking….just because it seems like who they pick has been improving, who they actually award has not. Same as it ever was….I’m getting bored just typing this. February can’t get here sooner!

Probably the finest musical stocking stuffer this year as far as greatest hits collections go, Gorillaz have delivered a near-perfect package of their best songs. Every single from the group in their ten years of productivity is here, from the breakthrough “Clint Eastwood” to the iPad-created “Doncamatic.” My personal favorite treat is the Soulchild remix of “19-2000,” by far an improvement from the original and one of my favorite remixes from the last decade.

The collection is great at highlighting the mood shifts and subtleties from Damon Albarn and his crew masquerading as outlaw cartoon monkeys. It also serves as a reminder, in case one forgot, that Gorillaz quickly transformed from a gimmicky side project to a badass legendary entity. Add this one to your playlist for road trips and rowdy Friday nights. There’s nothing here that won’t make you grin from ear to ear.

Listen to Singles Collection 2001-2011 on Spotify.

It may seem a bit soon for this Akron duo to release a follow-up to the breakthrough album Brothers, but for those who have been following the Black Keys for years, we already know they like to keep busy. Their first three albums were dropped in the span of two years. The longest they’ve waited in between releases has been that amount of time. And while recent albums haven’t exactly packed the punch of early material, they’ve had moments of growth and sheer excellence along the way. Magic Potion was a critical darling. Attack and Release was a grand experiment. Brothers got them Grammys and Saturday Night Live guest spots and money. And now the Black Keys have returned with their most accessible work yet, this time produced in full by Danger Mouse.

There’s nothing new here, except for subtle growth. The duo has embraced their well-deserved fame and honed their trademark sound for a new legion of mainstream fans whilst keeping the hearts and minds of the longtime devotees. It’s the most focused Black Keys disc since Rubber Factory – it’s quick, powerful, and lacking any filler whatsoever. Perfect for an angry commute or a determined workout. “Lonely Boy” gets your booty shaking, “Gold On the Ceiling” gets your fist pumping, “Run Right Back” will compel you to challenge the mettle of your sound system. It hasn’t been that long, sure, but man it’s great to have these guys back.

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

32. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

Originally called Bleed American, but changed to a self-titled moniker due to the post-9/11 censorship mania, Jimmy Eat World’s breakthrough album is an undeniable power pop classic. Spawning four huge singles, including unavoidable hit “The Middle,” the album propelled the band into the mainstream almost overnight. Listening in retrospect, it’s easy to hear why: everything here is infectious from beginning to end. You’d have to be a robot to not find something you liked.

“A Praise Chorus” is a lovely nostalgic sendup to the 80’s, while “Sweetness” is a call-and-response shout-along made for arenas. “Hear You Me” is a somber tribute to Weezer fans Mykel and Carli, and “Authority Song,” quite possibly the best track on the album, pays homage to the old Mellancamp tune in name only. Overall, Bleed American is an easy pill to swallow, but by no means is it one you get tired of consuming repeatedly. Even after ten years, the melodies still click in a way the band has been unable to match since. Catchy, intelligent, precise, timeless.

Listen to Bleed American on Spotify.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Kendrick Lamar feat. Busta Rhymes – Rigamortus (Remix)
Escort – Makeover
The Dodos – So Cold
Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg – Young, Wild, and Free (feat. Bruno Mars)
A$AP Rocky – Peso (Star Slinger Refix)