Overall, 2010 has been an amazing year in the world of music. My year-end list is swamped, and we’re not even into fall yet, where the majority of hyped and acclaimed releases are dropped. But alas, like every hit-filled year, there are some misses. I’ve listened to a lot of albums in 2010, and I’ve heard some fascinating work, some boring duds, and a few completely atrocious, “what were they thinking?” moments. Sometimes we know what we’re getting into, but it hurts the worst when a highly-anticipated album does not impress. Here are a few examples of albums from groups that failed to deliver this time around.
For the most part, when browsing Pitchfork’s recently-posted Top 50 Music Videos of the 90’s, four names dominate: Chris Cunningham, Hype Williams, Michel Gondry, and Spike Jonze. And all four of these men completely deserve their recognition – they all, in their own way, directed only the finest of what is considered to be the best decade for music videos. MTV was still influential and watchable, and the medium of video promotion was still powerful in the music biz.
This burgeoning new phenomenon had transformed into a well-produced, highly-financed, ultra-creative artistic landscape that the 80’s products couldn’t touch. By the time of the 2000’s, however, the luster was lost – the best videos were buried in the over-saturation of the Web, and the “music” cable channels ceased music programming. Still, we have the 90’s – the golden age of the music video, and Pitchfork, more or less, covered the highlights.
There are many personal favorites of mine that didn’t make the cut – perhaps one day I will compile my own list of top videos from the 90’s. While video lists usually lean towards either ranking in terms of influence or innovative spectacle, Pitchfork teeter-tottered between the two, leaning toward the latter. With this in mind, it’s a decent list – like most lists, it has some glaring omissions, which are recognized after the jump.
Reddit users have been posting their picks for the funniest things they’ve ever seen on the Web, and if anyone knows what’s funny on the Internet, it’s these people. Huffington Post rounded up their favorites. I urge you to spend hours upon hours of your life going through these links. Because life is just too damn short.
-Sure, we’ve all walked 6th Street and heard the live bar bands playing Journey endlessly, but the Spazmatics have taken it to a whole new, marketable, and sad level. A great diatribe on the way bands ruin the great name of Austin.
It’s a few weeks old, but by no means is it irrelevant – the New York Times recently published a lengthy article regarding the ongoing debate and progression concerning what we forever leave in cyberspace and what will ultimately be deleted forever. Keeping information around may be damaging to some, but informative for others.
On almost a weekly basis nowadays, we hear about someone who has been fired or denied a job or promotion because of their “online activities.” Whether this be bad-mouthing their company or boss, complaining about being bored at work, or posting pictures of themselves at a keg party, the consequences of what we post and type are more serious than ever before, and the young and old are starting to care a lot about it.
Jeffrey Rosen’s piece is very informative, very well-written, and very long, so I would set aside a good half-hour to read the whole thing. But read it – at some point in time, this subject will affect all of us.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
190. Pete Yorn – For Nancy
There’s no getting around it: musicforthemorningafter is a masterpiece and by far Yorn’s finest hour. And “For Nancy,” the breakthrough single for the Jersey-born musician, is the finest song off that disc. A tale of love lost that’s parts optimistic, parts well-wishing, and parts purely bitter, every confusing emotion associated with a breakup is laid out plain here. That’s always been a specialty of Yorn’s – no confusion, no abstraction, just a straightforward, “it is what it is” approach, musically and lyrically. Here, when wishing the best/worst for an ex, it reminds me of another great American songwriter. Don’t think twice, it’s alright, indeed.
As expected, last night Green Day stole the show in Chicago, performing well over the park’s curfew and giving every Lollpalooza ticket holder their money’s worth and then some. It’s doubtful Soundgarden will be able to top it tonight. Consequence of Sound has the rave review and more coverage of the day.
