Random Musings

If I post on Skype and I don't get a response, did I post at all?

This Thanksgiving I had Italian Food (chicken alfredo) with the family and I thought we never had Italian food for dinner.

Search and Destroy by the Stooges is the most rock and roll song created to date.

Give Important Things with Demetri Martin another chance. I gave up on it quick, but its streaming on Netflix and its way better than I remembered.

If you think Inception was too deep for you, and require more than two viewings to really "understand" it, well you're kinda dumb.

How about the Avalanches make another abum. Yeah?

Watch "Chinatown" because A) you probably haven't actually seen a movie by Roman Polanski B) you probably don't really get what Jack Nicholson did for most of his career and C) watching classics gives the depth of movie knowledge to really pick out great movies.

Happy New Years. Also can we call sexting Favring for the next month or so?

Random Musings

Sorry for the delay y'all. Real work took precedence to the blog and its loyal followers. While I've been away I've seen some cool stuff. Yup, sure have. Unfortunately I think you all already saw the Cee-lo "Fuck You" video.

Anyhow, I'll recommend a couple(?) things to check out:
http://vimeo.com/9737762
http://rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com
http://ifc.com/videos/portlandia-portland-dream-of-the-90s.php"
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-podcasts-of-2010,49466/2
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/11/agent_sebso_erik_weiner_boardw.htm
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/benheine/sets/72157623723956821/detail/"
"http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/100_websites_see_you_die_part_1"
"http://vimeo.com/5750937"
"http://theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com/"

I highly recommend checking all those out. Feel free to comment if I missed other cool ones.

"On matters of style, swim with the current. On matters of principle, stand like a rock."

-Thomas Jefferson

100 best movie insults

I've heard a lot of these insults either in the orignal movie or misinterpreted by some one trying to show off their movie knowledge, but either way this a great compilation of some great (excuse the high school nerd speech) p3wnage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSEYXWmEse8&feature=youtu.be

Cee-Lo Green covers Band of Horses

If you like dance/punk/electro type beats via the Rapture or DFA, and also happen to like Gnarls Barkley and Band of Horses you would like the new cover of "No one's gonna love you" by Cee-Lo. Then again even if you don't like all those, you still may like this cover, just because it is damn good.

Here's the link (via Pitchfork)
http://pitchfork.com/news/39333-video-cee-lo-covers-band-of-horses-no-ones-gonna-love-you-nsfw/

Listen to 2010

I have not kept up with music as much as I would have liked in 2010, but I have heard some good stuff that I would like to share with you all.

First is "Gasoline" by Dead Weather.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AesEA-U4GAU



Also, the new Chemical Brothers and Flying Lotus albums are both very good, but they work much better as a whole and not split apart as singles.

Snoop rapping along to "Clint Eastwood"

Remember when "Clint Eastwood" just came out. I do, every time I tuned into the alternative radio station it was on, it was talked about at school as we fifth graders tried to rap along to Deltron 30/30 verses. Now 10 years later, the Gorillaz took to performing this song on their headlining gig at Glastonbury. Filling in for U2 they had to take their performance up a level. So instead of having the always solid Deltron, they brought in guest performer Snoop Dogg to fill in his verses wit his own.

It resulted to be a memorable collaboration, and something that would have been great to see live.

(Via Antiquiet)

http://www.antiquiet.com/features/shows/2010/06/glastonbury-2010-review/

Westword Music Showcase

Last Saturday Westword Magazine put on their 16th annual music showcase. This is a festival which brings in several well known indie bands, but generally promotes the local music scene. It was my second year going, and the experience was much more enjoyable thanks to the fact that I was finally 21.

We got there right as the first act on the main stage Oh My Stars were finishing, and it sounded like we did not miss much. Sorry guys. Later we went to Vinyl which was the nearest bar with live music. On the rooftop, there was a heavyset rapper and dj combo by the name of Manerok. I was impressed with his flow and tenacity, but unfortunately its a bit hard to pick out lyrics, when the bass covers up just about everything. Anyway, when the dj put on some Wu Tang beats, the crowd was digging it. An energy filled hip hop set so early in the day, started the festival off right for me.

We stayed longer at Vinyl and saw a two piece female rock band perform their form of reverb drenched garage rock to backing drums tracks. Nothing great, but they did quite alright for what they were working with. Also, once the guitarist learns to play guitar a bit better, they will be worth seeing again live.

For the headliners:

Neon Indian played first at 4:30. If you are unfamiliar with Neon Indian, the songs "Deadbeat Summer" and "Should have taken acid with you" are stellar. Live however, they were not bringing it like I expected them to. They went through their deubt album, with not as much energy as I would have liked. In between tracks, there was also endless noodling and messing around that brought the momentum of the show to near a halt. The highlights of some of the songs did make up for an otherwise underwhelming show.

Next were the Dirty Projectors. Dave Longstretch tried to warm up the crowd by talking about how the Rockies are now good. Unfortunately his lack of baseball showed immediately as he called it Coors stadium, and did not know the Rockies have been good for a little while now. As they played, the crowd slowly began to fade away from them. The stellar guitar playing heard on the album was not present, and the pretentiousness of their sound drove me away from the act.

Also, my friend wanted to see a recommended heavy metal act. His act played at a nearby gay bar, which did not bother me at all except for the fact that unlike all the other bars they were not selling $2 PBR's. Anyway, after a very tired and redundant act, we left disappointed.

Arriving at the main stage just in time for noted indie rockers SuperChunk, we got settled into the middle of the crowd. This was the first show together for a long time, and they were playing this festival before they got started on their major nationwide tour. At first the apprehension of playing before a large crowd showed, but once they got going they were full on rocking. Classics like Slack Motherfucker raged on, and the set almost felt too short as they were finishing. This is a band I wished I heard of earlier, which is sad considering they have been around for over 20 years.

The last act of the night, which brought in all the festival attendees was Ghostland Observatory. The choice of Ghostland Observatory, an electro dance group, seemed strange since last year Built to Spill headlined, and the year prior Drive By Truckers did. Ghostland, did not disappoint though. Playing to a crowd, that I thought would exceed the capacity for music like this, the guys played with ton of energy and brought an exceptional light show with them. For the better part of an hour the crowd was having a great time dancing along to the synthesized and processed beats. A solid way to end a great day of live music and heavy drinking.

Chris Cunningham

Tonight I am going to a Chris Cunningham/ Squarepusher audio/video spectacular. Cunnigham is one of the more respected music directors, and his work is regarded at the same level as both Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze. Though Cunningham's work tends to be more creepy and demented but in an intriguing type of way. Working with electronic artists like Aphex Twin also allows him to be able to use the music as a soundtrack to an otherwise unrelated tale. Other music directors generally do a video based on the lyrics in the song, which Cunningham has the luxury of being able to go without.

Here is a link to one of the best videos I have seen in a long time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPULQdGLO7A&feature=related

Best Producer Ever?

Edit: The voting has ended and Dr. Dre was announced as the best producer in hip-hop. Guess there really were no wrong choices.

Vibe Magazine is having an online contest in a bracket format similar to March Madness to determine who is the best hip-hop producer in history. They have split the field into four distinct categories: Homegrown Sound, Soul Sample, Mass Appeal, and Boom Bap. The top seeds are fairly obvious and clearly deserving in my opinion of the top seed. Dr. Dre is the 1 seed for the homegrown sound division, Kanye leads the soul sample division, The Neptunes for the mass appeal, and DJ Premier heads off the boom-bap category.

I was familiar with DJ Premier's work, but not with DJ Premier. Though his discography is rather inspiring, and it can clearly be seen how his work transformed New York City rap during the 90's. Starting with his work with Gang Starr, and further with the production on Biggie's "Ready to Die", Nas's "Illmatic" and Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" he cemented his status as a legend. However, I am not sure about his relevance today as compared to the other top seeds, as well as some of the dark horses.

The most shocking seed to me is giving J Dilla a 6 seed. A producer who died of lupus much before his time, but without his work current west coast back pack rap would not be at the level it is today. His producing style has stuck with the proficient rap label "Stone's Throw." I have a feeling that Doom and Madlib would not be at the level they are wtithout his influence. Not to mention some of the carry over to some of today's pioneers in the category, namely rappers like Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, and Murs. Throw this on top of his production for groups like the Pharcyde and Slum Village. Considering the classic instrumental album "Donuts" as well, it is incredibly shocking to me that they do not rate him as one of the top 10 producers of all time.

The other seeding controversy that grinds my gears is that they Mannie Fresh a 2 seed. Sure, Mannie has been around a long time, and has made some banging hits. Stuff like "Back that azz up" will always get the crowd going. But the barrage of tacky ill produced beats he has recently been throwing out there has really diminished his image. If it was not for Lil' Wayne's tremendous popularity, I think Mannie Fresh would be forgotten about today. I suppose the only reason he is ranked as high as he is, is because he is in the home grown sound category, where there are few other big name producers.

The other two grievances I have with this bracket is the exclusion of both "The Dungeon Family" and Quest Love. The Dungeon Family is the producing team behind all of Outkast's albums, as well as having worked on Cee-Lo's solo stuff and his work with Gnarls Barkley. I don't think a group had a better sound to define the vibes of their town in the late 90's/early '00's as well as Outkast did. The slow funky bass lines and the excellent horn samples really make for the excellent kicked back sound. So it puzzles that the producers behind such an acclaimed group like Outkast are left off. Quest Love, who is the drummer and the producer for The Roots is another one that puzzles me. The Roots have consitently been putting out very good to borderline great albums, and much of it is owed to the pacing and eccentricity of the production.

For my final four, I would have Dr. Dre, Kanye West, RZA, and Timbaland.

I think the first two would have to be a given for the final four. No one can think of West Coast g-funk without mentioning Dr. Dre's name. Still waiting for detox though. Any day now Doc.

Kanye has revolutionized modern rap in a way that I believe is unprecendented. His production work especially has given way to singles from all different types of styles. His trademark soul samples are genuinely his own and he is in clear control of how he manipulaes and plays with the soul samples.

The RZA was in a world of his own with his production style. Not many other producers would include sampling of samurai swords clanging into his beats, all to match the flow of some of the premier MC's to grace the world with their prescence. As much as DJ Premier did, I think the RZA was just as influential on as many classic albums ad Premier was.

Lastly, in an upset over the Neptunes, I would choose Timbaland. Though I am not much of a fan of his rapping style, or his overall personality, but his production style is undeniable. The Neptunes did produce some classics, and this was a very tough choice, but the beats on old Aaliyah and Missy Elliot's albums are so bold and different, but banging nonetheless. Just listen to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" and you can tell how well picked out the samples are and how well it is sequenced together. His beats are so infectious and rewarding on mupltiple levels.

In the end though, I have to give the award to Kanye. I can admit to listening to "Overnight Celebrity" over and over, mainly for the production. The sped-up soul samples define his sound, but he does not rely solely on the samples to define his sound. He makes the samples his own. He manipulates them into different molds, until they become hooks to his otherwise competent beat. Can't wait until "Good Ass Job" comes out as it is supposed to be the successor to "Graduation" which I think in due time will be regarded as one of the classic hip-hop albums.

Drunk Girls

LCD Soundsystem has a new album coming out May 17th in the US and for it they put out "Drunk Girls" as their lead single, which makes considering it is by far the shortest song on a great album. "Drunk Girls" is obnoxious in a style that suits James Murphy perfectly, funky bass line, catchy hooks, and a song that essentially ends up making fun of its own listeners. Much in the same way "Losing My Edge" did eight years ago, this song ends up growing on you, and you appreciate it in a different way than just as a song.

Anyway Spike Jonze (!!!!!!) directed the video for this. It's strange. But I sort of like it. Though I expected something completely amazing with this combination, but this is enjoyable nonetheless.

http://lcdsoundsystem.com/thisishappening/

New Links to Check Out

1.

Have you ever played the game Portal? It is by the makers of Half Life and it is simply awesome. Basically it's this epic puzzle game, with a very dry but very funny voice leading you throughout the game. Anyway here are some kids singing the song from Portal.




Also here is a link to gifs of rappers. Stupid, but mindlessly funny nevertheless.

http://gifsofpopularrappers.tumblr.com/page/1

Russian Version of The Jersey Shore

Apparently they are now accepting to be on a show called "Brighton Beach". A show meant to exploit stereotypes about Russian Americans in the same way Jersey shore did. I can't wait to see what comes of this, if anything I'm sure I will have a love/hate thing with this show. Anyway they are accepting applications.

Applications: http://www.brightonbeachshow.com/

Story:http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/meet_brooklyn_8iMblsfXiWjR28fu1zbSsN

The decline of pop culture

This is an interesting link about what it means to be bad ass. I think the article is right in assessing the Cash photo as one of the best photos in rock and roll.
http://thechive.com/2010/02/24/everything-thats-wrong-with-pop-culture-in-two-photos-2-photos/

Pavement + Klosterman

Some of my favorite things put together in this wonderful article. Chuck Klosterman, author of a classic like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, as well as other great works like "Killing yourself to live" and "fargo rock city". In this interview he mainly just talks with Pavement lead vocalist Stephen Malkmus about the bands cryptic songs, break up, and general philosophy. Anyway it is a great read, especially for an indie nerd like myself.

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/201003/pavement-indie

Primavera Sound Festival

With all the summer festivals getting announced in the US, I would like to point your attention to this little festival happening in Barcelona this May 27-29. I'm not sure if bands like Pavement, Pixies, Wilco, The XX, Spoon, New Pornographers, and Broken Social Scene wet your whistle, however if they you are missing out on some of the best rock music known to mankind. If I can somehow stay in Europe for a while longer, I am definitely going. See the link for more details and the full line-up.

http://www.primaverasound.com/ps.php?seccion=home&idioma=en

Funny Yahoo Answers

There are some very good ones in here. It's like a funny version of Jay Leno's "Jaywalking".

http://www.holytaco.com/25-hilarious-yahoo-answers

Hipster Puppies

really enjoying this site

http://hipsterpuppies.tumblr.com/

Jimmy Fallon Lost Parody

Episode 1 of Late. Jimmy ends up on an unknown floor of the office.

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2010/02/the-premiere-of-late-nights-lost-parody-late/

Quote of the Day

"Anything that destroys obedience is anarchy, anything that destroys resistance is tyranny"
-Alain

A French Philosopher during the mid 1800's

Wu Tang Clan 'aint nothin to fuck wit

A couple Wu Tang related links I would like to share with you.

http://wutangvsthebeatles.bandcamp.com/

A mash up of several projects from the Wu Tang with a Beatles album.

Also this is a ?uest Love hosted program on how the RZA almost starred in Parks and Recreation.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4ac3ee6f36/parks-and-recreation-is-the-wu-tang-of-comedy

The Streets

Mike Skinner is a poet, kind of. Well he's definitely not a rapper. Not much of a singer either, but somehow he made two timeless records.

Touching, heartbreaking, funny, and shockingly personal records from Mike Skinner provide a soundtrack to modern day life. Skinner is not a man of great flow, and though his beats are solid they do not stand out by themselves. Rather it is the stories he tells, that make these records what they are. Instead of stereotypical rapping, Skinner rather focuses on average everyday problems in a way we can all relate to.

He talks about the issues with dating and the intricacies of attraction. He mentions just how dull life can become, doing the same thing on the daily with friends. A track like “It Was Supposed to Be So Easy” literally is just a narrative of his day and the frustrations that come with it. Whether it is how long it takes to deposit money at the bank or his phone losing its charge before he can make a phone call to his mom, Skinner just makes insightful and candid commentary.

As lame as that may sound, it reflects the flaws with modern life and quite frankly I think we all can relate to it in some way. Most of us in our twenties can relate to drinking too much and starting trouble or issues with a girlfriend or the desire to make a name for yourself or to take a break from it all. It is just refreshing to hear someone who you will never meet, talk to you as if you were his friend about what is going on his life, and not as some stranger thousands of miles away.

LCD Soundsystem

James Murphy might be the coolest person going in music today. His hipster credibility is untouchable. Aziz Ansari agrees, in fact he apparently tells his favorite story about James Murphy. When Murphy was twelve he heard a song by the Smiths, I think he said it was “This Charming Man” a couple weeks before it was released for the general public. However he thought it was by the Smith Brothers, so at 12 years old he goes into a record store to ask about it and the clerk makes fun of him for thinking it was by the Smith Brothers. When I was 12 my favorite band was The Offspring.

LCD Soundsystem sounds like space age, post punk disco. It does not fall into any normal category. I don’t think anyone has made two albums so radically different from each other but also from any other artist ever. The self titled debut is more focused as a funky electronic album with less lyrics and more grooves. It has a sense of humor about it, downplaying its actual importance. A song like “Losing My Edge” clearly pokes fun of what amounts to be his largest fan base. It’s a cool album that questions what it means to be cool and how quickly it can go away. Murphy is essentially “too old for this shit.” He doesn’t belong on the scene, the kids do. They should not be listening to him; they should listen to Daft Punk. As a result this album really seems to be self-actualized, clearly defining Murphy at that particular moment.

Sound of Silver is a pop album disguised in layers of other genres. “Someone Great” and “All My Friends” are some of the most heartfelt and genuine songs to come out this decade, besides the fact that they happen to rock as well. This album contains tighter songs that restrain themselves instead of being as sprawling as they are on the debut and 45:33. Murphy sings more on this album, to make it more like a pop album, a blend of Phoenix and Hot Chip. Sound of Silver is a melancholy album, but it remains accessible and in some senses contains a semblance of optimism.

Dear Science by TV on the Radio

This is the album that TV on the Radio was destined to make. The other albums they have made deserve mention, especially “Return to Cookie Mountain” but none are as coherent and determined as this one. I will concede that “Staring at the Sun” off their EP “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” may be as close to perfection as TVOTR has ever come. Dear Science stands out more as an album and is more even than their other projects. “Wolf like Me” was a standout off Return to Cookie Mountain but no other song came close to matching it, leading me to find that album as more frustrating than rewarding.

TVOTR’s music comes from a variety of genres and makes them difficult to classify, but on Dear Science they really made their sound distinct and their own. An electronic song like “Crying” flows into the neo-funk “Dancing Choose”. On this album they really treat the studio like an instrument, making the production on this album stand out. Overall, Dear Science is about as tight and coherent album as a group like TV on the Radio can make.

Cross by Justice and Discovery by Daft Punk

I feel like these are the two most important records of the whole house electro scene this decade. For the first time, after Kanye’s “Stronger” came out did I think that Daft Punk made the mainstream. However they have influenced an entire generation of producers, and remain at the top tier of the scene. No album this decade quite showcases just how fun and addicting electro house music could be like "Discovery".

Discovery with songs like “Something About Us” and “Digital Love” showcased their pop sensibilities, and exemplified their diversity and really just how universal house music can be. On the album they also kept their “bangers”, songs like “One More Time” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” really can be pumped and take the notions of what house music can be to a new level. Combining pop songs with throbbing beats, Discovery was the anthem for the house/electro scene in the 2000’s.

Justice’s Cross came out in 2007 as a breath of fresh air to a genre that needed it at that point. Six years after Discovery came out; the house scene was diminishing in importance thanks in part Daft Punk’s “Human After All” which turned out to be a very lackluster album that reinforced many preconceptions about house/electro music. Namely the repetitiveness and lack of originality present in many electro songs.

So when Justice came out on the Ed Banger Label, it really turned heads. If I were to describe it one way, it would be the album Daft Punk should have made after “Discovery”. “Cross pulsates throughout beginning with the epic synths that lead off “Genesis”. The album has great flow especially in terms of pacing and fluidity among the tracks.

The two opening tracks “Genesis” and “Let There Be Light” are more reminiscent of big beat electro, relying heavily on pulsing drums and throbbing synthesized beats. After the lead off tracks, the album delves into its disco/dance side with “D.A.N.C.E” and “New Jack” before revolving back into heaver tracks like “Phantom Pt.1 and 2”. These two tracks are turning points in the album and give it a new life as a heavy electro album. The album then again slows down into its more poppy songs like “Valentine”, “The Party” and “DVNO”. The last three songs are staples of the Ed Banger sound. Starting with “Stress” which features a looping sample of Devo, then going into “Water’s of Nazareth” and “One Minute to Midnight” the album turns into heavily distorted beats and strays away from its melodic roots and plants itself firmly into the dirty electro category, serving as a benchmark for similar artists to this day.

The 2000’s in terms of music

My first experience with liking music came during summer camp came in the summer of 1999, where at 2 P.M, a group of about five of us gathered around the one communal TV to watch TRL on MTV. Yes, the one Carson Daly hosted when we was actually relevant. My first day watching was when my first favorite video got “retired”. Retired to those unfamiliar with the old TRL format meant that once a video made the countdown 65 times, it would never be played as part of the countdown again. That video was clearly a brilliant song by a legendary artist. Yes, you are correct it was “Bawitdaba” by Kid Rock; which somehow made VH1’s top 100 hard rock songs ever, EVER!!!

Throughout this decade I started to move closer and closer to figuring out what separates good music from the garbage that by and large dominates the mainstream radio airwaves. My first experience with indie was either hearing singles by either the Hives or the Strokes, and it continued to slowly blossom from there. Having dial up for most the decade did not help and not until college did I really start to get into indie and critically acclaimed music.

Looking back at the decade, I felt it was really a strange time for music. Back when Kurt Cobain died, it was one of the biggest stories for quite a while. While in the 2000’s that story belonged to Michael Jackson. So I began to wonder what death of a modern artist would conjure up the same reactions as Cobain’s did in the 90’s. This means that it would have to be a beloved artist to not just the indie community but all over. The artist’s music would have to be personal and emotional. It would also have to be someone actually critically respected who was active during that current decade.

I think back in the 90’s it would have at least been a handful of people besides Cobain. Bono comes to mind, as does Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor, Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe and maybe even Rivers Cuomo. This also goes along with the tragic deaths in hip-hop with the loss of Notorious Big and Tupac, and to a lesser extent the loss of Big L and Big Pun. Now, I am not sure anyone would have that effect except for Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor, although they are popular in large part due to what they did the previous decade. (I’m not counting Ben Gibbard because he married my dream girl, Zooey if you’re reading this it’s not too late to change your mind. Also, I do really like The Postal Service.)

I had to exclude three artists that I truly enjoy and wish more people did as well, but I do not feel they meet the criteria in one of the three ways. Jeff Tweedy is the leader of the well renowned and respected band Wilco. He is a beloved face in the music community and each of his albums with Wilco has sold over 200,000 copies. However I do not think I have ever heard Wilco on the radio. Considering I have listened to alternative radio throughout this entire decade, that is a statement about the overall relevance of the band. Another thing about Wilco and in part Tweedy’s former band Uncle Tupelo is that their relevance and influence to the music community is more firmly planted in the previous decade based on what they did to form alternative country as a more popular genre of music.

The same reasoning goes for Isaac Brock and his band Modest Mouse. Until their big hit in 2004 “Float On” Modest Mouse were relatively unknown indie darlings. For much of their early existence as a band, Modest Mouse toured and slept in vans. This does signify any sort of mainstream success, and though they are a much larger band now, their success pales in significance to a band like “Kings of Leon”.

Jack White differs from the other two artists that just missed the cut. White has made amazing records this decade and has achieved a larger fan base than the other two artists. However, unlike the deeply personal lyrics that both Tweedy and Brock write, White generally avoids such songs and tends to focus more on the instrumental side of things. He definitely has some songs that are poignant and touching, but by and large White tends to avoid such songs. Meaning his songs may not have the same impact on people, that his absence would mean more to people than just the loss of a brilliant musician and overall funny and charismatic person.

As a note both Dave Matthews and Chris Martin were disqualified, partly due to my disdain of their music and a large portion of their fan base, and partly due to the fact that despite their popularity they did not really make any critically acclaimed records. I will admit A Rush of Blood to the Head is a decent album, but I refuse to give Martin the benefit of the doubt. As for Matthews, even his biggest fans tend to admit that his records are inferior to his live show.

So what does that say about music in this decade? First I think there are so many bands that it is hard to pick out the bands that really matter to so many people like it was in the 90’s. They say the music industry is dying, but I just think it’s changing. Quality music is definitely out there, it is just not on the radio as often as it was in the 90’s.

For example, the headliners at Lollapallooza this previous year (Tool, Jane’s Addiction, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Kings of Leon, and Depeche Mode) included three bands whose height of popularity was in the 90’s. Only one of these bands, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has made more than one acclaimed album this decade. Yet by judging the biggest bands in the music community by who headlines a major music festival, there is not much hope that a new band can become both popular and still make solid albums.

So who do I blame for this? I place blame largely on two entities: The internet and ClearChannel Broadcasting. The internet has made it possible for any band to have their music heard across the world. Meaning there are so many more bands with fan bases that there are less diehard fans for the bigger bands. Ed Droste and his band Grizzly Bear reached #7 on the Billboard Charts with their album Veckatimest, success that Droste credits largely due to the leaking of his album on the internet and the word of mouth that followed its reception, before the record even hit stores.
In a certain way I appreciate what the internet has done for music; Clear Channel however is a cancer to good music everywhere. Clear Channel owns most of the larger radio stations across the nation and has a large say in what music does and does not get played. This means that a large corporation has a bigger say in what bands get bigger fan bases than any other music source. So, in order to attain larger ratings, stations play safer and in turn more bland rock. I blame Clear Channel and tone deaf Americans for the success of Nickelback. Yet I am not sure what can be done to prevent the machine from further promoting such bands to attain main stream success.

My Top 50 albums of the 2000's

Albums in order
1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
2. Funeral by Arcade Fire
3. Is This It by The Strokes
4. A Grand Don’t Come for Free by The Streets
5. Elephant by The White Stripes
6. S/T by LCD Soundsystem
7. The Moon and Antarctica by Modest Mouse
8. Kid A by Radiohead
9. The Blueprint by Jay-Z
10. College Dropout by Kanye West
11. Stankonia by Outkast
12. The 4 Spoon Albums in the 2000’s
13. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
14. Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady
15. Original Pirate Material by The Streets
16. Since I Left You by The Avalanches
17. Kala by M.I.A
18. Turn Off The Bright Lights by Interpol
19. From Here We Go Sublime by The Field
20. Discovery by Daft Punk
21. Cross by Justice
22. S/T by Franz Ferdinand
23. Dear Science by TV on the Radio
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
25. Z by My Morning Jacket
26. De Stijl by The White Stripes
27. Fever To Tell by The Yeah Yeahs
28. Untrue by Burial
29. Radio Soulwax Vol.2 by 2 Many DJ’s
30. Silent Alarm(Remixed) by Bloc Party
31. Late Registration by Kanye West
32. The Black Album by Jay-Z
33. Speakeboxxx/ Love Below by Outkast
34. Boxer by The National
35. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
36. Arular by M.I.A
37. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
38. In Rainbows by Radiohead
39. Mirrored by Battles
40. Music Has The Right to Children by Boards of Canada
41. Songs For the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age
42. Boy in Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal
43. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
44. Madvillainy by Madvillain
45. Silent Shout by The Knife
46. Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
47. Deadringer by RJD2
48. Give Up by The Postal Service
49. Robbers and Cowards by Cold War Kids
50. Midnight Organ Fright by Frightened Rabbit