Mar
20
2012
Dec
1
2011
Grammy Predictions: Bon Iver is No Arcade Fire
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!
Feb
14
2011
News Bits and Commentary – February 14, 2011
I don’t usually post about current news so much, I figure that’s what Twitter and Google News are for, and there are plenty of blogs/zines out there keeping us all abreast of what’s going on. But on this Valentine’s Day, things are shaping up to be an exciting spring in the world of music, and I figure I would try to sort it out a bit.
First of all, the Grammys were last night, and Arcade Fire won Album of the Year, the coveted top prize in music awards, or so they say. While so-called “music experts” are scratching their heads as to why Eminem didn’t take home the prize, as was predicted, I believe Village Voice acted as the megaphone for the rest of us, you know, people that actually listen to music. Others, meanwhile, are trying to figure out who the hell Arcade Fire is, and saying hilarious nonsense in the process.
Jan
9
2011
Honorable Mention Albums of 2010
Tomorrow I begin my listings of the top albums of 2010, but before I do, here are twenty great albums, listed alphabetically, that just barely missed the cut.
Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here Mixtape
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
Jan
6
2011
Top 200 Tracks of 2010 – 50-21
50. LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean
48. Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait
43. Josh Ritter – Folk Bloodbath
42. Diamond Rings – Show Me Your Stuff
Jan
3
2011
Top 200 Tracks of 2010 – 200-151
200. The Golden Filter – Solid Gold
199. Delorean – Real Love
198. Band of Horses – On My Way Back Home
197. Games – Heartlands
196. Cults – Oh My God
195. El Guincho – Bombay
194. Marnie Stern – Nothing Left
193. Interpol – Barricade
192. Ke$ha – Your Love Is My Drug
Nov
30
2010
My Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – 100-91
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
100. Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks
From that catchy whistling to the shaking maracas, how could this song not have been a huge hit? I knew it was gonna be everywhere the first time I heard it. I’m a sucker for the boy-girl conversation songs (Johnny and June’s “Jackson” is probably my all-time favorite, and “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” is up there as well), and “Young Folks” is no exception. It’s a percussive, melodic “I Got You Babe” for the iPod generation.
Oct
2
2010
Quarterly Review: July-September 2010
Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.
Aug
15
2010
Random Web Findings: Double Rainbow, Andre 3000, Oxford English Dictionary
25 Songs About Outdated Technology
Nine Things Arcade Fire Has Done Lately
Thirteen Paste Best of What’s Next Artists on Tour This Fall
Doom and Gloom: Pop Culture’s 13 Unluckiest Characters
We’ll Do It Live: The 10 Most Ridiculous News Clips
Four Songs Inspired by Double Rainbow
A Dozen of Literature’s Greatest Jerks
7 Most Outrageous Hotel Amenities
8 Food Words Rejected (For Now) By The Oxford English Dictionary
Think Before You Ink: A Gallery of Truly Awful Band Tattoos
The Most Unintentionally Homoerotic Vintage Ads
Mar
25
2010
My Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – 290-281
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
290. Les Claypool – Iowan Gal
Where do I begin? Les is one of my all-time favorites, and his past decade work will be represented well on this list through his Oysterhead project, solo work, and songs from his main band Primus. Needless to say, I’m a die-hard fan; I first discovered Les and Primus back in 1996 when my cousin Joe brought Pork Soda to my house during a Christmas visit.
Claypool’s solo work is weirder and leans toward jam-band noodling sometimes, but “Iowan Gal” is good ol’ Les, mostly just him and his mighty bass guitar slapping, popping, and showing off. It’s funky, humorous, and a return to form from the great weird one.
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