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Monthly Archives: December 2011

Year In Music, 2011

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Adele, Beyoncé, Big Sean, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Busta Rhymes, Cage The Elephant, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Fleet Foxes, Florence & The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Frank Ocean, James Blake, Jason Aldean, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie J, Joe Jonas, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, LMFAO, Maroon 5, MGMT, Miguel, Mumford and Sons, Nicki Minaj, Pink, Pitbull, Rihanna, The Strokes, tUnE-YaRdS, Year In Music, Year In Music 2011, Yuck

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2011 Music, adele, Album of the Year 2011, Artist of the Year 2011, Award Show Performance of the Year 2011, beyonce, Big Sean, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Busta Rhymes, Cage The Elephant, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Cobra Starship, Disappointment of the Year 2011, Drake, Fleet Foxes, Flop of the Year 2011, Florence & The Machine, Florence and The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Frank Ocean, Guilty Pleasure of the Year 2011, James Blake, Jason Aldean, Jay-Z, JayZ, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie J, JLo, Joe Jonas, Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady GaGa, LMFAO, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, MGMT, Michael Jackson, Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Mumford and Sons, Music Video of the Year 2011, Nicki Minaj, p!nk, pink, Pitbull, rihanna, Sabi, Selena Gomez, Single of the Year 2011, Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers, The Strokes, The Throne, tUnE-yArDs, tuneyards, Year In Music 2011, yuck

Honestly, 2011 was a pretty horrible year for Mainstream and Top 40 music. The bar is terribly low for a Pop hit these days, and even performance wise there’s nothing really exciting about the goings on of this year. So it’s a little difficult to try and make it seem exciting when it really was just BASIC on the whole. Adele slayed pretty much all year, and she was one of the only exciting things to happen to the industry this year. The under performing of Britney Spears and Beyoncé signaled a change in the winds, where formerly unstoppable Pop stars were being out peaked and out sold by the likes of LMFAO and Pitbull. Speaking of, Beyoncé may or may not be pregnant (*laugh). Katy Perry and Rihanna got closer to breaking chart records of Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. Nicki Minaj got her biggest hit from her Pop-iest song and Foo Fighters put in a bid as the last great rock band of the 90’s. Other than all of that, and a few hot-mess feuds and shady comments, not much else happened this year that’s really worth reporting.
So here’s my take on the year, try to enjoy! And let’s hope 2012 kicks 2011’s Basic Ass!!

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Artists Of The Year,

5. Kanye West

Coming off the critical praise of 2010’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, West took a seat instead of his usual loud-mouthed antics. He took a seat in the studio though with Jay-Z, and towards the end of the Summer released the Epic collaboration album “Watch The Throne”. So let’s raise our glass to Kanye shutting up long enough to keep the focus on his talent, which ended in him leading the Grammy nominations and co-headlining a sold out tour.

4. Lady GaGa

While the media excitement for GaGa trailed off towards the end of the year, Mother Monster still had a triumphant year overall. She clocked over a million sales of her third (or second) album “Born This Way” after record breaking sales of the first single of the same name. She was ever present on television, including an HBO concert and a network Holiday special that got healthy ratings. Most importantly, she made some risky single choices that worked in exposing a different and versatile side to her as an artist.

3. Pitbull

This might be a surprising choice, but Pitbull was every where this year. He’s been very consistent ever since his debut in the early 2000’s, but this year he almost became a household name. He had a Huge #1 hit with “Give Me Everything” and his feature work with Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Shakira further helped his exposure. He ended up being invited to perform at nearly every big Award ceremony of the year, and translated his new found mainstream fame into endorsement deals. He may just be the flavor of the moment, but he definitely crossed over to a new level of fame in 2011. And as hard of a worker he has shown he is, he could potentially get bigger down the line.

2. Katy Perry

Miss “I Kissed a Girl” didn’t necessarily break out as the “It” girl of this year, but she made a lot of accomplishments and set herself up to possibly be a force in the industry. Still continuing a hit streak from her 2010 album “Teenage Dream” she collected two more #1 singles this year, tying Michael Jackson for the most #1’s from one album. She ended the year with a hosting spot on “Saturday Night Live” and a 7th Top 5 Hit. Hopefully she’s in the studio working on a follow-up, and we’ll see how long her star will shine.

1. Adele

No surprises here, for whatever reason the beginning of the year all the way till the end Adele was on everybody’s lips and on top of every chart. And she did this without compromising her sound. In the field of sexed up Pop chicks talking about nothing on their songs with auto-tuned vocals, Adele really was a shocking success being the polar opposite of all that. Her “21” album, steeped in R&B Jazz and Balladry, became the #1 selling album of the year and her two hits “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” used proper instrumentation and strong vocals to become huge hits as well. So proud of her, and if she can just get her nerves together for a tour she’ll be a Legend in no time.

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Albums of the Year,

10. Chris Brown “F.A.M.E.”

Say what you will about Breezy, but “F.A.M.E.” showed off how truly talented he is. Not only does it cross genres from Pop to R&B to Hip Hop to Dance, but it’s all catchy and well-sung with some surprisingly great lyricism. A great step in the right direction, and a true testament to why he’s on top of the R&B heap these days.

9. tUnE-yArDs “w h o k i l l”

Crazy album, going from Folk sounds to Tribe Called Quest-like Hip Hop sounds and everything in between. This is something new and different and ultra experimental, but it works. It shows off the talents of Merrill Garbus, vocally and lyrically, and it gives listeners something totally fresh to counter-act all the same-sounding stuff released this year.

8. Beyoncé “4”

Like I said in my review of this album, it’s truly one from an artist that is so comfortable in her talents she can just do what she feels and not worry about fitting in. “4” is laid back R&B in a time when tempos must be high and lyrics must be repetitive, so in a way Bey took a risk but she really stayed in her zone and delivered a very solid and classic sounding album.

7. Adele “21”

Do I even need to go into detail about the album probably EVERYBODY has heard by now. Adele really goes back, with lots of early blues and soul inspired material, matched with a few funk tracks. The entire album is made to showcase the amazing voice of hers and why she’s one of the best singers in the game right now, and mission accomplished.

6. Frank Ocean “Nostalgia, Ultra”

This is a Mixtape, and I started not to include it. I couldn’t leave it off though because it was one of the most exciting and fresh pieces of music I’ve heard this year. From the out of the box concepts of the songs, to the pretty amazing and random samples he sings over, his knack for great lyricism and his love of singing. If you need to watch anybody that has major potential to blow up in 2012, than Frank is the one. “Nostalgia, Ultra” can be enjoyed by so many, even if it’s not what the masses are typically used to hearing.

5. Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues”

The mainstream-friendly Folk/Pop group delivered another set of very soothing, relaxing chill tracks that’s really true to the roots of the genre. A very natural continuation from their debut album, just elevated and with a much bigger sound. The stories clouded in very intelligent lyricism make it an album that can be enjoyed for decades, but it still somehow feels very now. And the harmonies and cascades of instrumentation is perfectly beautiful on every track. It truly deserves all the praise and hype it got, it’s definitely a go-to album if you need to relax.

4. Lady GaGa “Born This Way”

Unlike the rest of her Pop contemporaries, GaGa really tried hard on her third album to stand out from the pack. And she did in so many different ways with “Born This Way”, still catering to her Top 40 audience she manages to make little changes and explore different sounds. From Country, Industrial, House and Rock  the album is clearly one of the most diverse of the year, yet the overall album works. And it’s not just the tracks, her attacking different vocal styles and writing some pretty impressive lyrics this go round “Born This Way” shows the artist behind the crazy outfits.

3. Jay Z & Kanye West “Watch the Throne”

The event album of the year, I almost didn’t believe it would ever come out but luckily it did. The album is Anthem after Anthem, it definitely caters to Kanye’s more energetic and humorous side. However mixed with Jay’s more serious verses, they both end up rubbing off on each other with Jay sounding like he’s having more fun and Kanye even waxing philosophical on some tracks. A great collaboration by two utter geniuses, how could it go wrong really?

2. Drake “Take Care”

Drake really is a surprising character in the industry. As much as you want to, you really can’t hate on what he brings to the table and it’s almost always unexpected and to the left of what you might have assumed. “Take Care” is a surprisingly deep and personal album at times, that transitions seamlessly from an Indie/R&B feel to a harder Hip Hop feel, and you don’t really notice because you are just captivated overall. His sophomore is just as good if not better than his very impressive debut, and this does show he has the chops to stay in the game for a long while.

1. James Blake “James Blake”

An album that takes a few listens to really appreciate, Indie self-produced “Dubstep Prince” (still don’t know why his music is classified as dub step but whatever) James Blake delivers a very minimalist album that even without many lyrics has such emotion and heart in the soundscapes he provides. It’s an album that plays well altogether and really stands out above anything else released this year, because it’s so non-conformist in almost every way. Tonally and emotionally it’s really an amazing album that shouldn’t be missed.

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Singles of the Year,

15. Jessie J “Who You Are”
You would think the “love yourself” inspirational ballads died with Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”, but UK star Jessie J makes a great bid for bringing them back. The lyrics match so well with the emotion and rawness of her vocals, it doesn’t feel like sap it feels much more personal.

14. Yuck “Rubber”
An eery, forever building ode to 90’s Alternative. With it’s strange and creepy instrumentation and slowly changing tempos, and the vocal delivery of Daniel Blumberg. It’s almost like a scary movie you can’t stop listening to until you get to the end.

13. Britney Spears “Til the World Ends”
Easily one of the best songs of Britney’s career, and apparently she owes it all to Ke$ha who wrote this incredibly addictive call to the dancefloor. It’s perfection in it’s intentional stupid-ness, and a perfect song to suit Britney’s (*cough) limitations. (And the remix is even better than the original)

12. Lady Antebellum “We Owned the Night”
A beautiful yet underrated single from the power trio of 2010. The song works on many levels with a cute storyline, beautiful harmonies and a relaxed track that gets some real country energy in parts.

11. Maroon 5 “Moves Like Jagger”
Surprisingly great Pop track, not very deep but do you really expect that from a Top 40 song? No! What you expect, and what you get here, is a nice dance tempo and an insanely catchy hook. Add Christina Aguilera’s power notes and you have one of the best Pop offerings of the year.

10. Jason Aldean “Dirt Road Anthem”
Aldean has had a great run in the country world, and this rap/country hybrid (later remixed with a verse from Ludacris) does a lot to gain unlikely fans. He goes from his southern rap to belting it out towards the end over a very simple backing sample.

9. Rihanna “S&M”
The MOST Fun Dance song released this year, there are several portions that are crazy addictive and Rihanna’s sexy but coy vocal delivery takes it to another level. Another reason why no one can touch Rihanna in the Dance/Pop field, she consistently delivers the most dance-ready (and most true to the classic House sound) tracks of all her contemporaries. (And for the record, I’m pretending that Britney remix never existed! *awful)

8. Cage the Elephant “Aberdeen”
A great rock track, with clear homages to a more alternative 90’s rock sound but adding the groups standard weird effects and instrumentation to make the song totally fresh. Addictive and creative, what more do you want.

7. Chris Brown “Look at Me Now”
This is a Chris Brown song, but most of the praise for this weird electro/Hip Hop winner goes to producer Diplo and featured rapper Busta Rhymes whose flawless and breathless flow made this The urban track of the year, and once again showed he’s still a relevant player.

6. Lady GaGa “Yoü and I”
Mother Monster delivered a Pop Anthem, an Industrial Dance track, and a ballad-like House-r this year but her Country/Pop/Rock rump “You and I” is clearly the most memorable and the one that shows what a great artist she is. A great storyline, a confident vocal and a track so hype and powerful you’ll be singing and clapping along in no time.

5. James Blake “The Wilhelm Scream”
This is the genius of James Blake, at first the song is really unassuming. A simple repetitive vocal over scant electronic backing, but if you listen you start to feel and appreciate the layers and how the song builds to a beautiful climax. His songs just creep up on you and force you to feel something.

4. Miguel “Sure Thing”
In case anyone thought R&B was dead Miguel came through with a beautiful and loving R&B track that Urban Radio has been lacking for years. The writing is exceptional, a love song without any contradictions or stipulations like the “I love you but I’m probably gonna cheat on you” type songs we’ve been forced to accept in the past few years. A great return to form for R&B.

3. Jay Z & Kanye West “Otis”
Like I said in my review of “Watch The Throne”, this hit single has a very complicated and technical use of the Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness” sample. Everything else about the song feels so laid back and breezy in comparison, with two of the biggest Hip Hop Icons of the day genuinely having fun and not being try-hards with their second single. Epic song that’s downplayed to just being a fun record.

2. Adele Rolling in the Deep
Incredible vocals. Amazing (and LIVE) instrumentation. Killer lyrics. End.

1. Kanye West “All of the Lights”
One of Kanye’s most simple songs, in both production and verses. However the more you listen, the deeper it gets when you realize the story he’s trying to tell about the inner cities. And though the calvacade of featured artists are nice, they aren’t necessary. It’s a strong, powerful, energetic, catchy and flawless song.

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Disappointments of the Year,

3. Rihanna “Talk That Talk”

I LOVE Rihanna, this won’t change anytime soon. And because of my love, I was really excited for her 6th album even if it was clear it would be a bit rushed with the busy year she had. Now, over a month after it’s been in stores, I tend to listen to her previous album “Loud” over this one. Too many un-done songs, which gives the bare minimum in song structure, almost like her label said “whatever you have now is fine we’ll just release it”. I feel like her label jipped us fans and gave us a half-ass outing for Holiday sales, when with just a month or three more it could have been a pretty great album.

2. The Strokes “Angles”

After waiting 5 years for a new album from the once great Garage Rock band, when it album finally came it was a bit of a dud. “Angles” was way too all over the place and not making any real statement of their growth as a band. Not a terrible album by any means, but definitely not worth the long wait. Hopefully there is a quick follow up to redeem themselves.

1. Britney Spears “Femme Fatale”

I don’t know why (maybe because her team kept Tweeting about it), but I expected this album to be a sign of growth for Miss Spears who has been stuck in Robot-Mode for almost 5 years now. Unfortunately, the album was yet another Dance/Pop heavy, heavily vocally altered singles album with virtually no real effort coming from the star. And even with hype about insane choreography and performance lessons, Spears continued to disappoint by doing the bare minimum performance wise this year. Signaling the fact that Britney will probably never get any better as an artist, thus the potential demise of her career. (Her fans are the most faithful of any stan base though, as long as they are easily impressed she’ll be fine)

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Guilty Pleasures of the Year,

5. Big Sean “My Last”
This, for any other rapper, would have been pure filler. There’s nothing truly stand out about anything in the track, and the whole”we do it big out in public” concept is so annoying. Than the “a-a-a-all, a-a-a-all” hook pulls you in and you spontaneously start singing along.

4. Jennifer Lopez “On the Floor”
Could the lyrics get anymore elementary, or the track be anymore basic? I doubt it, but somehow the “La la la la”‘s and the overly repetitive “On the Floor”‘s were too catchy to deny.

3. LMFAO “Party Rock Anthem”
Overproduced, Pointless, Stupid, Basic… yet after a few times being forced to hear it on the radio you kinda get used to it. I know for me, the first time I heard it “Noisy Garbage” came to mind, after about 4 listens I was actually anticipating hearing it. Shameful, but that’s the beauty of a Guilty Pleasure.

2. Rihanna “We Found Love”
I called this when I first reviewed the single, the song is basic in every sense of the word. Random lyrics, and a hook that seems to never end. Not even the production is anything all that noteworthy, as Rihanna has had much better Dance singles. However that hook, after about the millionth time, engraves itself in your brain and you go a little crazy for 3 minutes.

1. Pitbull “Give Me Everything”
Pitbull’s verses are rather weak, Nayer is like a non-factor, the track is almost a “paint-by-numbers” dance track… but who can deny Ne-Yo’s infectious and addictive hook. Overall, everything comes together pretty nicely and you just get in a zone when the track comes on.

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Flops of the Year,

3. Kelly Rowland

Kelly’s solo problems have always been that she’s choked at the wrong opportunities. Her BET Award performance was all everybody could talk about, that was the time to hit us with a new single and video capitalizing on that exposure. But she waited until after her very decent album “Here I Am” had already flopped. And the supposedly “dance heavy” UK edition fared even worse, and that’s after all her “X-Factor” exposure. She seems to be stepping her performance game up, so there may be a chance next year.

2. (tie) Beyoncé, Britney Spears

How the mighty have fallen! Even though both divas posted respectable numbers in either album or single sales, 2011 showed that their time as relevant artists might be up.
Britney had major success on the singles charts, but her album sales took a steep dive given her track record. She truly became a singles artist this year, in the same realm as Ke$ha and LMFAO. And most of that is due to her consistently lazy performances, and refusal to do any interviews or press.
With Beyoncé, her album “4” posted good numbers but her single choices were disasters and … well, plain stupid. Her mistakes were clear, and she didn’t seem to take the hint (or maybe she didn’t care because of her pregnancy). She saves face with a few great live performances including the now iconic pregnancy reveal at the VMA’s, but now that she’s ditched her father as manager she’s totally accountable for this flop.

1. Joe Jonas

Poor Kid. He’s cute, he’s at least minimally talented, and you’d think with the success of The Jonas Brothers his solo career would make some kind of sales dent. Unfortunately, after hyping his first single for what felt like months it only peaked at #92 and the album “Fast Life” only managed to stay on the Billboard 200 for 2 weeks. I guess with Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber there was no spot left on the charts for another “teen heart throb”.

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Music Videos of the Year,

5. Beyoncé “Run the World (Girls)”

Beyonce went as big as she could to try to salvage the poor first single choice of “Run the World (Girls)”. Hyenas, Lions, Task Forces, Exploding Cars, a Few Hundred Backing Dancers. She threw the kitchen sink in there too, but luckily it’s saving grace is the dancing. She incorporates different styles and attacks, the type of big dance video Janet or Michael Jackson would do.

4. Jason Aldean “Tatoos On This Town”

They could have went a totally different way with this song, but they gave us the tear-jerker storyline. And it actually really works in a beautiful way with the lyrics of the song.

3. Lady GaGa “Born This Way”

Enter the crazy world of Mother Monster, where there’s no judgement and… blah blah blah. GaGa is known for being a bit pretentious, but overall this video came off visually very different from most Pop videos. And it’s always nice to see GaGa drop the seriousness and have fun, which she does towards the end.

2. P!nk “Fuckin Perfect”

Speaking of GaGa, P!nk this year proved you don’t have to make an 11 minute video to tell a compelling and emotional story that unfolds in surprising and beautiful ways. Really one of the most heart wrenching and inspiring videos of the year.

1. Rihanna “We Found Love”

This video is one that didn’t try too hard, but did an amazing job of bringing alot of depth and rawness to the basic song and it’s lyrics. In very quick glimpses yo almost see the entire length of a destructive relationship, the highs and lows, and with the flawless editing job it really does get surprisingly real, but still a beautifully shot video.

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Award Show Performances of the Year,

3. Bruno Mars “Valerie”

Bruno finally showed he has the chops to deserve his spot at the top right now. His 2010 Grammy performance showed a performer who truly loved music, but his vocals were a bit off. At this VMA tribute to Amy Winehouse, he really makes the song his own and is almost perfect vocally. His energy, and clear love for performance and singing really shined.

2. Beyoncé “Love on Top”

(this clip is mirrored, so it looks a little weird. sorry)
Bey pulled out all the stops for her Billboard Award performance, but this simple VMA routine was the one that got everybody talking. She’s known as a great performer, so she doesn’t have to do much to impress. And her flawless vocals before her reveal already clinched this as another great one in her long list of live performances. It’s the pregnancy reveal, and the reaction of the crowds, that made this what it is though.

1. Mumford and Sons “The Cave”

This is the kind of performance I love to see, where the group is ecstastic to be performing and you get a true sense that they really love what they are doing. Mumford and Sons delivered an un-jaded, energetic, and technically perfect Grammy performance this year. It helped “The Cave” become a major player on the charts as well as their debut album “Sigh No More”.

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So, what have we learned this year. It’s actually a little hard to say because it was so crazy and unpredictable. You never really knew what song would hit, what promotional opportunity would help sales. Random circumstances like YouTube videos ended up helping singles more than “American Idol” appearances (case in point Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” aided by Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift videos). The industry continued to get majorly shaky, but it seemed whatever Radio was backing would determine who would shine.

Which brings up a weird issue with Adele being so huge, it was kind of funny to hear one of her songs (like the piano ballad “Someone Like You”) on pop radio than right after hearing Cobra Starship or LMFAO dance trash single. You’d think radio might take the hint that people are ready for talented vocalists and great song structure. Obviously they didn’t, but they need to realize that a little diversity never killed anybody.

And I have a few remarks for two of Radio’s biggest stars Katy Perry and Bruno Mars. They both get the Step Your Game Up Award, because both are talented in their own ways. Bruno is a great performer and a good writer when he wants to be. It’s just the songs he’s been putting out are very below the bar and elementary, when he’s capable of putting out some classic and creative stuff. And Katy really needs to take her exposure and step out of the “Pop Top 40” realm a bit and get a little deeper. “Teenage Dream” actually does offer some depth and artistry (“Circle the Drain” “Pearl”), so she needs to let the world hear a different edge to her.

My I Don’t Get It Award goes to Foster the People and Florence and the Machine. “Pumped Up Kicks” was a huge single this year, but to me it just sounds like a horribly distorted MGMT rip-off with a forced catchy hook. It’s not just that they took their sound and tried to process it through a Mainstream filter, but it doesn’t even sound good and it’s surprising that it fit into the Mainstream machine at all. With Florence, I just can’t get into her voice long enough to hear an entire song, but she’s hyped as this amazing vocalist somehow. I just don’t get it.

The Have a Seat Award goes to Rihanna, and we know I love her by now. She is just over-working herself, and I need for her to be healthy and ready because she’s clearly being run to the ground. I already talked about her latest album, but her performances went from a major high earlier this year to a drastic and saddening low at the Jingle Ball in December. Six months of not working wouldn’t kill her, but Three more months of her pace might actually do it.

I WAS gonna Go In on Nicki Minaj. With touring with Britney, the success of “Super Bass”, and her recent David Guetta collaboration has become more of a Pop sensation than a Hip Hop Star. I won’t though because I’m hoping “Roman’s Reloaded” will make me love her again. And that’s pretty much all I have for this year, which like I said was pretty boring but some good things came out of it I guess.

A Year in the Indies, a Indie Music Report : IMO

29 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Beach Fossils, Beach House, Cage The Elephant, Dirty Projectors, How To Dress Well, IMO, James Blake, Jamie xx, Local Natives, MillionYoung, Sleigh Bells, The Morning Benders, Toro y Moi, tUnE-YaRdS

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Beach Fossils, Beach House, Cage The Elephant, Dirty Projectors, HipsterRunOff, How To Dress Well, Indie, Indie Music, James Blake, Jamie xx, LastFm, Local Natives, Metacritic, MillionYoung, Morning Benders, Pitchfork, Sleigh Bells, The Morning Benders, Tom Krell, Toro Y Moi, tUnE-yArDs

2011 is nearing it’s end, and as I prepare my “Year In Music” post I decided I wanted to make a special post to talk about my year long venture into the world of the Indies. It’s actually been longer than a year that I’ve been lightly searching through the Indie lands for new music and something a bit inspiring, this year I got more serious about it.

Last year, there were a bunch of Indie artists that I happened to hear about and fell in love with, only to later realize that while I was thinking they were New Artists, a bunch of them had a slew of Albums, Mixtapes and EP’s out already. Sick of always being so behind the curve, I was determined to keep an edge on the Indie scene and try to discover more artists on the cusp of exposure (and not when the Hipsters are already deeming them sell-outs or posers… I want to be able to call them that myself *laugh)

As far as finding new music, I use a bunch of different outlets. The most helpful have been the internet radio site LastFm whose recommendations work really well. Also popular online music site Pitchfork has a frequent number of updates and samples of music they deem worthy, and they are quite diverse in the type of music they put up. HipsterRunOff is also very helpful, although a lot of the posts are very cynical they do expose under the radar artists. And than Metacritic, just to give me an idea of what the critics are raving about. Aside from those main ones, I occasionally will check the more mainstream publications like Rolling Stone, Spin and Entertainment Weekly and occasionally they are helpful (but generally, they are as behind as me and once an artist hits their pages I normally have already heard of the act).

Honestly though, I didn’t do that great a job in my search. As the year is over, and I’m reading a bunch of other “Best of 2011” lists I see that I really didn’t even scratch the surface of the Indie scene. Of course I did find some great music, there’s a number of acts I still didn’t even listen to. And even some of the highly praised acts I read about didn’t impress me much when I listened to previews and samples of their work. If in 90 seconds I wasn’t in love with the music or at least intrigued, I moved on.

What I was left with were sounds, voices and tones that were right up my alley. And since my tastes are diverse, the Indie acts I discovered were very broad and diverse themselves. Some of the artists, like a James Blake or Jamie xx, are very forward thinking, throwing tradition out the window and making something new with their sound. And than there are some acts, like Twin Shadow or How to Dress Well, that pay respect to a sound of the past but put a slightly new spin on things.

Some acts even stick to a basic blueprint of the melodic and conceptual song structure of the mainstream, but take it to crazy new levels. Like Local Natives and Cage the Elephant (pictured to your left), who make very catchy music but make it a little more edgy and unique with surprising vocal techniques or just random instrumentation that you wouldn’t think would fit but pleasantly does just that.

So over the past year, I’ve grabbed maybe 10 or 15 really great albums with fresh new sounds that work for me. But even than, there are some drawbacks to the Indie world. Even within those albums there are complaints.

Two of the biggest issues for me are as follows, for one there are times when a number of Indie groups become indistinguishable from each other. I blame it partially on some of these groups being around the same age thus having very similar influences. But I know groups like The Morning Benders and Beach House deliver nice music but if I heard them on the radio I wouldn’t know which is which (read my review of both acts latest releases here). They both have that very melancholy ambient sound with nasally vocals. There’s also a lot of Indie Electronic groups that make good music but generally do sound in the same vein.

And outside of the same sounding groups, certain artists have very limited sounds their full albums come off as same-sounding as well. Which, brings to mind another issue that sometimes an artists EP is miles better than an full LP because they can’t create a full albums worth of great tracks, only 5 or 8 tracks. I wrote about this earlier when it came to MillionYoung (pictured to your right) whose EP “Be So True” made such a better statement than his LP “Replicants” (read the review here) which was a little too redundant. And it seems this is the same issue with Beach Fossils who I recently downloaded. The tracks from their recent EP seem to flow better than the whole of their full album (but I haven’t given them proper listening time so I’ll shut up)

The other main issue with the Indie groups is their vocals. I was raised and still prefer most times R&B and Pop, so vocal technique is something I listen for. A stellar voice isn’t necessary, just the feeling that the artist enjoys singing and tries to do unique things with their voice is important, and you don’t get a lot of that in the Indie scene. Not only is there very little flair vocally, but I’d venture to say that MOST of the Indie lead singers are very whiny and nasally sounding, and some just straight up mumble their lyrics. Which actually makes the lyrics and concepts of songs hard to comprehend. This isn’t always an issue, if their backing music is strong enough you can ignore it.

Bottom Line, I’ve listened to so much this year I’ve become used to it. And really if it all flows well together, that’s the most important part. All the other short comings can be overlooked if the overall vibe and tone of the art is pleasant.

So in my year long search, these are some of the gems… the top artists that I personally feel expressed themselves the best and gave listeners something new and enjoyable.

Local Natives, the Southern California based group gave me possibly my favorite discovery of the year in their debut “Gorilla Manor” (read review here). They sound like a typical garage band, but softer somehow. They go crazy with different types of instruments and arrangements but melody seems to be key with them. And their lead singer Kelcey Ayer is also quite impressive, not the strongest voice but he’s not afraid to belt it out. They deliver some really great music, and deserve to be paid attention to by the main stream. I think of everybody I’ve listened to, if they blow up they won’t have to depart too far from their style.

TuneYards, Merrill Garbus is just uber-experimental. Her sound, found on her sophomore album “whokill” (review here), is a weird mash-up of Hip Hop, Folk, Pop, Jazz and even Electronica and Jazz at times. She’s also a great storyteller who uses her voice in very different and off-kilter ways. Her sound really pops and is exciting to the ears, in both it’s standing out and being completely fresh, and in the subtle homages she gives to the music that inspired her.

How to Dress Well, talk about lo-fi and muddle vocals and the debut album “Love Remains” from Tom Krell is a good example (again, follow the link for review here). And while that would normally turn listeners off, his use of harmonies and melodies is so reminiscent of 90’s R&B. Yet the overall sound is something totally different altogether, it’s very unique and forward thinking, and I think as a producer Krell can go pretty far in possibly changing the landscape of R&B and Pop.

Sleigh Bells, the only case in Noise Pop that I’ve heard so far that’s actually bearable. This Brooklyn duo does a great job of going full on “11” with the volume on their debut album “Treats” (review!) and adding various elements to their tracks to make it pop louder than anything you’ve ever heard. Still they keep a sensibility about it, the track lengths aren’t over long, and they manage to have really catchy lyrics on top of their sounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hooked up with someone in the mainstream world and created a radio hit or three. (and Beyonce, PLEASE release the track you did with them somehow! would love to hear it)

Dirty Projectors, even though I stumbled upon them last year they really are the most forward thinking out of the box artists I’ve heard in a long while. Their 7th official album “Bitte Orca” really blew my mind (as you can read in the review here), it’s folk-electronic-r&b and anything else you might want to throw in there. The beat patterns and song structures are so off, but they work so well. They are truly modern day geniuses in giving us something totally fresh… and looks like mainstream acts are already taking notice. They released a collaboration album with Bjork this year.

Toro Y Moi, his album “Underneath the Pine” isn’t great (you know the deal, here!) but the overall vibe is just one I love. The tone of the album and it’s track are a great mix of 70’s Disco/Funk sounds with “chillwave”-y and very subtle electronic futuristic type feelings. He may not be cut out vocally to play with the big boys, but his vision should translate well in producing for others.

So there you have it, my trip through the Indies. Overall a great trip, and it really did give me a different perspective of the mainstream music world. The execs just really don’t know what they are doing anymore, and the mainstream crowds seem to be so easily impressed. The great thing about the Indies, is you can find everything you want in a song, artist or album… you just have to search pretty hard. I didn’t do a great search, but there’s always next year right.

Rating the Rentals : Movie Reviews

26 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Bad Teacher, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cars 2, Crazy Stupid Love, Fast Five, Green Lantern, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Horrible Bosses, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, Super 8, The Hangover Part II, Transformers: Dark of the Moon

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Andy Serkis, Bad Teacher, Bad Teacher Review, Cameron Diaz, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The First Avenger Review, Cars 2, Cars 2 Review, Courtney Cox, Crazy Stupid Love, Crazy Stupid Love Review, David Arquette, Dwayne Johnson, Fast Five, Fast Five Review, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Review, Hangover 2, Hangover 2 Review, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review, Horrible Bosses, Horrible Bosses Review, J.J. Abrams, Jamie Foxx, Jason Segel, JJ Abrams, Julianne Moore, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, Neve Campbell, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Scream 4, Scream 4 Review, Steve Carrell, Super 8, Super 8 Review, The Hangover 2, The Hangover 2 Review, The Rock, Transformers Dark of the Moon, Transformers Dark of the Moon Review, Vin Diesel

Months ago, I wrote about “The Summer in the Fall” and how I rarely go out to the cinemas to catch movies but end up waiting for them to be released on Blu Ray. I had a list of 7 films I was eager to see, and now they are all out. Some were worth the wait, some… to put it simply… were not. So here’s a quick run down of those 7 films, plus some other ones I happened to see since making that post, I’m ranking them by how much I enjoyed them to the ones I could barely sit through.

1. Captain America: The First Avenger

As you may have read, I loved this movie. Definitely exceeded expectations and was really a excellent movie that was triumphant in so many different areas… acting, writing, special effects, pacing, humor and visuals. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor.

2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Heard great things about this prior to watching, and yes this movie was really a step in the right direction for Hollywood. Of course, the filmmakers had to have a human interest story at the forefront, but the movie really excels when we get the point of view of ape Caesar. I appreciate the writers for trusting that film audiences aren’t complete morons and can follow his triumphant and inspiring story. And yes, I read an article not too long ago about Andy Serkis the genius behind Gollum, King Kong and now Caesar. Serkis definitely deserves some sort of recognition from the Academy. If he wasn’t as genius in his portrayal, the whole movie would have felt flat and lacked the emotion that makes it stellar

3. Crazy Stupid Love

Really wasn’t expecting much from this film. Though I enjoy nearly all the actors involved (Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling) I wasn’t sure if it would be super melodramatic, or kind of slapstick comedy or lame romantic sappiness. Luckily it wasn’t either of the three, but a rather great mixture with a very nice twist (less of a twist, more of a reveal) towards the end that brought everything altogether. Great flick, very true to life and thanks to the writing as a viewer you really liked all of the characters and wanted the best for all of them.

4. The Hangover 2

When I first saw this on bootleg this summer I had low expectations, just like with the original”The Hangover”. Generally with comedies and horrors, if they are raved about I generally find them to be overrated, but “The Hangover” really was better than the hype and I think the sequel did a great job at delivering. No, it’s not better than the original but it worked with the same components that made the first one so great. It has the same rhythm, and still some drop dead hilarious moments.

5. Fast Five

Very low expectations going into this one, I was a huge fan of the first “The Fast and The Furuious” over 10 years ago. After the third “Tokyo Drift” film (which wasn’t bad) I kind of lost excitement for the franchise (still haven’t seen the 4th one). However knowing all the players were back together for “Fast Five”, I knew I’d enjoy it. And what you get is some great action scenes, some nicely placed comedic moments, and one epic fight between Vin Diesel and The Rock err… Dwayne Johnson. “Fast Five” gives you everything you need from a “Fast and Furious” film, or just any good action film.

6. Scream 4

Another new addition to a franchise that I loved at first, until the third one left a sour taste in my mouth. “Scream 4” isn’t great, but it does a good job of updating the franchise to include Facebook statuses, cell phone apps and just pretty much all things “digital era”. Yet the returning stars of the franchise (Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette) keep the classic feel that we’ve come to expect from the series. The final reveal of the killer was just a tad bit lame, but overall it was still spooky enough and funny enough to make us forget about “Scream 3”, and it worked better than most other slasher flicks these days.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Surprise Surprise, I’m not one of the millions of Potter fanatics, but I have generally enjoy the films. They are fun, and visually stunning, but honestly the only one I have a good memory of was “Prisoner of Azkaban”, with all the rest kind of melding into one. Not being a huge fan probably is the reason I have just lukewarm feelings about the finale. Even as I’m writing this, I don’t really recall what exactly happened. There were a few bits that were pretty stunning, but overall it was just a decent film to me. I’m sure if I did a full on “Harry Potter” marathon, I’d feel more emotionally connected… as it stands, it was just good.

8. Bad Teacher

This movie is so over the top, with characters that are extreme caricatures and a plot that is so textbook “80’s comedy movie”, but somehow it worked. Cameron Diaz does a great job with the heartless uber-bitch role, and her nemesis Lucy Punch was good (if a little over-done) in the “good teacher” turned neurotic revenge filled chick. Justin Timberlake does a decent job of playing the dorky nice guy, and Jason Segel consistently provides laughs and balances the story a little back into reality.

9. Cars 2

Oh Pixar!! Hopefully this film isn’t an indication of the studio going totally downhill. Sure “Cars 2” was visually stunning as always and provided some laughs. But it also felt really bogged down in trying to cater to too many different areas. The 3D aspect, being action packed, and cramming “alternative fuel” propoganda down our throats. In trying to cover all these areas, the film lacked the heart of most Pixar films which is why they are generally so good. Pixar usually keeps things simple and this one felt like it was doing just way too much, not a horrible flick (it’s bearable) but definitely a step in the wrong direction for the normally genius company.

10. Horrible Bosses

There are silly comedies that work in surprising ways, and there are silly comedies that just come off as silly, and “Horrible Bosses” was the latter. There were some funny moments no doubt, and some of the performances were better than expected. (And I loved the little twist with Jamie Foxx’s character in the end) At the end of it though, the movie was just a little too implausible to really take seriously , luckily it provided enough laugh out loud moments, it’s just a movie you watch to escape reality and laugh, nothing to take serious at all.

11. Super 8

After so many great reviews, and even friends recommending this to me, and being a fan of J.J. Abrams… I expected so much more from this flick. The movie was Okay, on the pro-list is that it had some great young talents who were pretty convincing in their acting, and there was a bit of suspense and mystery during the first half. On the con-list, the movie was so incredibly cliche and predictable and almost completely implausible. In the end it just felt like an homage to 80’s kid-friendly classics like “The Goonies”, “E.T.” and “Stand by Me”, but in trying to feel like those old movies it seriously lacked it’s own originality and fell completely flat by the ending.

12. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Horrible. Honestly none of the previous “Tranformers” films have been good by any stretch of the imagination. Just decent popcorn flicks with non stop action and CGI and not much (who i am kidding)… absolutely zero substance. Sometimes they are good for some funny anecdotes, but overall they use any excuse for million dollar explosions and over the top special effects. “Dark of the Moon” was just totally stupid and not even really enjoyable (and me and my friend kept commenting on how the chicks white jacket stayed white the whole movie even with all the destruction). If you’ve seen the first two, there’s really nothing they could do special effects wise that could wow us anymore

13.   Green Lantern

What an incredibly cheesy movie, I don’t even want to waste too many words on this, it was just that bad. A weird mix of something that’s way too cookie cutter, way too desperate for a laugh or an intense moment, yet even with the total desperation to make this a relevant comic book movie, there’s nothing we haven’t seen before and not very memorable. Even Ryan Reynolds natural charisma couldn’t save this sorry excuse for an action flick.

 

(Wow, I’m done. It took me way too long to finally post this!)

Nights at the Theater “You Can Call Me Eve”, “Race” and “Hair” : Theater Review

09 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Hair, Race, Theater Review, Uncategorized, You Can Call Me Eve

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Alex Rodrigo, Anthony Rusco, Chris Butler, David Mamet, Diane Paulus, Hair, Hector Rodriguez, Henry Alberto, Hollywood Theater Review, Irene Lewis, Kevin O'Rourke, LAThtr, Marina Palmier, Michael Coulombe, Misha Gonz-Cirkl, Natalie Camanus, Paris Remillard, Peter DiVito, Phyre Hawkins, Race, San Francisco Theater, San Francisco Theatre Review, SF Theater, SF Theater Review, Steel Burkhardt, Susan Heyward, Theater Review, You Can Call Me Eve

In the past two months, I’ve seen three live shows. Which really isn’t a lot, but it’s easily the most I’ve been to the theater in that time span my whole life. Theater has always been something I wanted to get more into, but sometimes things get in the way so I feel fortunate I have been able to see as many as I have. Now I’ve come to really enjoy live theater and can’t wait to see more (like I really want to see “Fela!” which is closing in San Francisco this weekend). The great thing is the three shows I did see were all very different from each other yet all still enjoyable in their own way. The shows varied from real big budget affairs, to smaller up and coming showcases. They each dealt with a number of serious social issues, but also maintained some lightness and humor about them. Of course some were better than others, but just being there was satisfying enough. So here’s the run down.

This past weekend in Hollywood was the opening week of Michael Coulombe’s “You Can Call Me Eve” a tragic, but hopeful play he wrote, and director by Hector Rodriguez does a amazing job of bringing the complex characters to life. Though it’s a small play in a small theater, it packs a huge emotional punch. The show feels so authentic and real at times you almost forget you are watching actors playing their roles.

The play opens with Eve (Marina Palmier) formerly Rosa, and older Latina woman who talks about her journey to this new persona she adopted as a result of the devastating events in her life. She goes back to her life as a young Rosa (Natalie Camanus), a naive love-struck girl who marries young with an almost delusional optimism about her future. Until her older sister (Misha Gonz-Cirkl) dies and Rosa is left with her teen son Danny (Henry Alberto) to raise with her husband Carlos (Alex Rodrigo). That’s when Danny’s story (easily the most difficult role to play emotionally, and thankfully Alberto pulls it off like a true star) is unveiled as  a conflicted youth who is battling with his homosexuality in the late 70’s, which causes conflict in their strictly Catholic home, forcing Danny to runaway and brewing more problems with Rosa and Carlos’ marriage.

Danny finds happiness eventually when he meets a loving and supportive boyfriend Eric (Peter DiVito), who Rosa also learns to love. Shortly after Rosa finds some peace and happiness in the company of her nephew and his boyfriend, tragedy strikes again. Continual heartbreaks and tragedies and loss of faith start the beginning of Rosa transforming herself into Eve. The hurt and pain she suffered in just the 20 or so years the play spans turns her into a stronger woman that can no longer go down the expected path of a Catholic Latina woman, and she is able to start a new life as the show progresses.

The play, though very sad, is very well paced and never felt long and that’s thanks to the direction of Rodriguez and writer Michael Coulombe. All of the actors committed and effectively pulled off the emotional weight their characters had to go through, but actors Marina Palmier and Peter DiVito stole the show for me. Eric’s role was actually too short lived as he was the shining light of love and positivity that balanced out the somber leaning portions of the play. Whereas Eve, who was present throughout the whole show narrating her story, was genuine and confident and really made us believe that Eve would be fine in the end. Palmier did an amazing job of making her feel real, and engaging the audience as if we were all close friends she was spilling her heart out to. A very inspirational story, and a story that will touch the hearts of anybody whose dealt with grief, love, or just wanting to break out of a shell (which pretty much covers everybody!).  Just remember to bring tissues.

“You Can Call Me Eve” (@YouCanCallMeEver) is currently playing in Hollywood’s Write Act Repertory, Tickets available here

When it comes to “Race“, a David Mamet written play, there is a bunch of nice dialogue and issues to sink your teeth into. However this big budget play tends to lack any of the heart or emotion that “Eve” possessed. Famous for the very talky “Glengarry Glen Ross”, this Mamet play follows suit in being abundant with words… almost too abundant. The play takes place in a law office, where a wealthy white man (Kevin O’Rourke) comes to potentially hire a firm co-partnered by a black man to try and beat a rape accusation brought on by a middle to lower class black woman. What follows is conversation after conversation about whether the firm should take his case and why, whether they believe him or not, and whether they feel morally right about the whole situation.

Several issues of race, power, class-ism and morals spring up as the three main characters go back and forth with their feelings. The partners (played intensely by Chris Butler and Anthony Rusco) debate about evidence that’s constantly coming into play, while their apprentice (Susan Heyward) challenges and debates their techniques and morals in the case. There are definitely some intense moments and even a lot of humor throughout, but somehow the show spoke of so many issues without ever really saying anything.

When I first heard about the play, I was excited to see how Mamet would tackle such a sensitive subject in America. And while it felt like they brought up a number of great issues involving race in the US, it also felt like they brought them up and didn’t really go into further detail which left the play a little underwhelming. The show wasn’t without it’s merits though, the acting was top notch across the board but specifically Anthony Fusco as one of the partners at the law firm. He was the standout performance with being able to pull off some genuine intensity, but also very much charismatic and true to life.  The direction by Irene Lewis was also near flawless, the main problem was that for all the talking not much was really dealt with. And even though the surprising little plot twists and admissions were exciting, it just never really went anywhere before the rather abrupt ending.

The most fun I’ve had at the theater (ever!) was watching “Hair“, a show which opened in the late 60’s that I was very familiar with due to the score and film adaptation. Seeing it live was a truly amazing experience as it was right up my alley. Very music heavy and set in mid-60’s, the American history era I love the most. A storyline involving the threat of going to battle in the Vietnam war was strung together in between the cavalcade of finely crafted and well-executed songs, but it really was just an after thought. The main greatness of this show is it’s genuine feel of the 60’s Counter Culture movement, for two acts you really felt like you were transported to that time. And with the energy of all the performers, their dialogue, just the whole vibe of the show really drew in the audience and truly made them part of the Tribe of free-spirits on stage.

A huge part of the success in that area has to do with the amazing set, which was able to work as a Hippie flop house and a more public hang-out spot thanks to the vintage set pieces and accessories that adorned and transformed the stage. Director Diane Paulus did a tremendous job with the staging, along with Karole Armitage’s choreography they worked together to make each moment shine. And it paid of to perfection for each of the over 30 songs and the sporadic sketches in between.

The entire cast really gave it their all as well, they all had tremendous comic talent as well as great pipes. The entire “Tribe” worked so well together, yet each one made strong impressions and were able to stand out with their small, but constant solo bits. Of course there were a the stand outs you couldn’t wait to see and hear more of.

As one of the central characters (and probably the one with the most emotional versatility) Claude, Paris Remillard did a very convincing job. And member of the “Tribe” and show opener Phyre Hawkins was strong and sassy and full of vocal power and technique in her performance. And Will Blum as Margaret Mead was a hilarious comedic moment, and he worked every second of it.

However the bonafied star of the show was Steel Burkhardt as Berger who is basically the shows heart. He did an excellent job of being witty, charming, playful with the audience and even at times heartfelt.

There were just so many great moments, so many things you’d want to see again and again. It almost felt like a 60’s Rock and Roll concert at times, and than it was like a Hippie version of “Laugh-In” with quick little skits leading to amazing songs and amazing performances. I saw it on a Thursday and couldn’t wait to see it again, unfortunately it closed that weekend. Still it was easily the best show I’ve seen, because it gave me the chance to sort of live in a time I almost feel like I should have been part of.

 

The Billboard… errr Grammy Nominations say “VIVA LA MAINSTREAM!!” : IMO

01 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Adele, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Cage The Elephant, Cee-Lo Green, Foo Fighters, Frank Ocean, Grammys, IMO, J Cole, James Blake, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Miguel, Mumford and Sons, Musiq Soulchild, Nicki Minaj, Radiohead, Rihanna, Yuck

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adele, beyonce, Bon Iver, Brad Paisley, Bruno Mars, Cage The Elephant, Carrie Underwood, Cee-Lo Green, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Frank Ocean, Grammy Nominations, Grammy Predictions, Grammys, J Cole, James Blake, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum, Lady GaGa, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Miguel, Modest Mouse, Mumford and Sons, Musiq Soulchild, Nicki Minaj, radiohead, rihanna, Skrillex, The Band Perry, yuck

If you follow my blog, you should know that I’m usually really gung-ho and totally excited about each years Grammy Nominations. Generally I make about 4 posts a year when Grammy time comes around. This year is really different. I didn’t even do a nomination prediction write up this year, mainly because I’ve been venturing further away from the mainstream acts so I knew my personal picks wouldn’t be considered. However if I would have written a predictions post, I probably would have named all the big Top 40 artists this year as the Grammy’s have been trending towards awarding big sellers over critical favorites. And had I done that, I don’t think I would have been too far off.

The Grammy nominations were announced last night, and I’m not really surprised or shocked, I’m not even upset, I’m really just indifferent. The Grammy’s have really turned into a new Billboard Awards, nearly every big hit single and top selling album is up for awards — over more deserving well-reviewed but slightly under the radar acts. Which of course is no surprise and no different than the past two or three years, leaving little excitement about the list of nominees this year.

We all knew that Adele would be a top nominee, and she delivers with 6 nominations (she’ll easily win 5 of those 6). Though she’s not the top nominee as Kanye West scores that prize with 7 nominations. Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars are also up for 6 awards. Other obvious acts like Lil Wayne, Radiohead, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons and Nicki Minaj compete in multiple categories. Nearly everybody who made any kind of impression on the charts this year shows up with a random nomination or two.

Like I said before, I’m really indifferent about this years crop of nominees. I honestly could care less, but I did have some major gripes even though me griping won’t change anything. The biggest “WTF?” starts at the very beginning, Album of the Year. Adele is going to win, no doubt so it doesn’t really matter, but there’s no way Kanye should have been left out of this race with “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”. It was the best reviewed album of last year, and it’s singles garnered Kanye 3 of his 7 nods.

And another big omission, Bon Iver‘s self titled album. I’ve still not heard it, but it was a big critical success earlier this year, and his track “Holocen” made it in Song and Record of the Year. So why not Album of the Year? Seems like Rihanna’s “Loud” and Bruno Mars’ totally inferior album “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” took the spots that deservedly belonged to Kanye and Iver.

Other than that category, there’s nothing too upsetting really just a few weird things. Like why is Cee-Lo Green up for Pop Vocal Album for “The Lady Killer”, which is rooted in 60’s and 70’s Soul sounds (well, if you think about it Amy Winehouse was up for POP for her R&B album “Back to Black” back in 2007). Still, the Grammy’s are always a little off and weird here and there (just look at some of my posts about previous years).

As far as snubs, there are a lot. And it’s mainly due to the Grammy’s cutting out a number of it’s categories and consolidating Male and Female categories. Some of the biggest snubs of this year were Fleet Foxes garnering just one nod for their critically acclaimed “Helplessness Blues”, Beyonce for her album “4” which only garnered 1 nomination, Rock groups Cage The Elephant and Yuck (but Foster the People get multiple nominations?), Indie-Electro rising star James Blake, R&B Divas Jill Scott and Jennifer Hudson, as well as deserving R&B guys Miguel, Frank Ocean and Musiq Soulchild.

In the Country category, which I generally wouldn’t have any business speaking about but I’ve become a bit of a Country Music Channel nut for the past few months. Where is “Remind Me”, the duet by two Grammy darlings Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood? And last years big winners Lady Antebellum settle for one nomination this year for Country Album, no love for their singles “Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night”. And just one other complaint, Lupe Fiasco‘s Modest Mouse rip off “The Show Goes On” up for so many Rap categories? I Just Can’t!!

So that’s that! Hopefully this list of nominees will at least make for an interesting Award ceremony, otherwise this is probably the first Grammy’s in years that I just won’t care about. So much so, that this will probably be my only post about it until the actual winners are announced. So here are my predictions in some of the major categories.

Album of the Year

Adele “21”
Bruno Mars “Doo-Wops and Hooligans”
Foo Fighters “Wasting Light”
Lady GaGa “Born This Way”
Rihanna “Loud”

will win: No Brainer, ADELE! (and just to save myself from carpal tunnel, I’m gonna copy and paste that from here on out because I expect to use it a lot)
should win: Adele, even though I feel like GaGa’s was the most adventurous album of the 5.

Record of the Year

Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
Bon Iver “Holocene”
Bruno Mars “Grenade”
Katy Perry “Firework”
Mumford & Sons “The Cave”

will win: No Brainer, ADELE!
should win: Adele, yet Katy’s anthem is tough competition.

Song of the Year

Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
Bon Iver “Holocene”
Bruno Mars “Grenade”
Kanye West “All of the Lights”
Mumford & Sons “The Cave”

will win: No Brainer, ADELE!
should win: Adele, however Kanye’s track was epic and should be his consolation for that Album of the Year snub.

New Artist

The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

will win: Bon Iver or The Band Perry, can’t decide right now. They both have the best chances, with The Band Perry slightly edging him out.
should win: Bon Iver, he’s obviously not NEW but he’s made a name for himself with a very un-mainstream sound and that should be commended

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    • THEPLAYLIST
    • Year In Music
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