MCA, AdRock, and Mike D. As it should be.
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Adam “MCA” Yauch: 1964-2012
There is a moment in one’s life where you just suddenly realise that yes, the youth you cling to desperately is truly over. The feeling of getting old is always present, but then you get a gut shot of reality when those who you still think of as of your childhood start leaving the world. It’s not the suicide of Kurt Cobain or the death of Michael Jackson that got me. They were troubled creatures, doomed even. Their early demise affected me differently.
Adam Yauch was still simply too young to die in my eyes.
A lot of it has to do with the fact that I still hear the Beastie Boys almost daily in my little world. They are one of my all time favourite bands, supremely gifted MCs and talented musicians. They sounded as fresh and amazing on my iPod this morning as they did when I heard “Fight For Your Right” back in 1986. They were the first hip hop I owned. They might be among the last things I listen to when I leave this earth. I have never felt anything but love for three boys from New York who turned the rap game on its ear.
I also admired Yauch’s activism- he did a lot to bring Tibet’s plight to the attention of a jaded, cynical generation.
The news of his illness back in 2009 was a shocker. I feel too young still. My heroes cannot become ill in their forties. It’s a ridiculous thought- my mother was diagnosed with cancer at 38. But as you hold on to your memories and try not to feel the effects of time, you tend to drop into denial and move ahead without thinking of it more than you have to. He wasn’t there a couple of weeks ago when his band was inducted, rightfully, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He sent his thoughts in a letter. Still, I wandered through in denial.
I cannot stay there today. Denial is wonderful up to a point.
Adam Yauch changed my life through music. He changed a lot of people through music. He gave us a great gift. And there isn’t a way to thank him enough for that.
If you don’t own Lisence to Ill, Paul’s Boutique, or Ill Communication, what the hell is wrong with you? Go now, buy them, and thank your chosen deity that we got Adam Yauch to help create such magnificent art over the past quarter century. You won’t regret it. In fact, you will be happy to be able to enjoy such craftsmanship. The Beatie Boys were truly wonderous, and MCA played a huge role in that.
My thoughts are with his wife and daughter, and with Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, his band mates. He was simply taken too soon.
Stop Bill C-11
http://action.cwa-union.org/c/779/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3515
Click the above link to sign the petition to stop the Canadian Parliament from passing their very own version of SOPA. Please?
Thanks.
Hitch
“The essence of the independent mind is not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks,”
-Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011
So long. Farewell. And thanks for the words you wrote.
The Album List #20: Neutral Milk Hotel “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea”
I want them to come back now. Jeff? Your move.
One of the best things about the recent OWS protest in Zuccotti Park was that Jeff Mangum, NMH’s erstwhile leader, played music. In the twelve years since the band famously just stopped, Jeff has been a mercurial creature. Recent activity might indicate a future for the brilliant man to come back to. He curated ATP and has played some shows. I can’t tell you how much I want this to happen.
The Athens, Georgian based NMH were ten years ahead of the new folk rock boom that spawned Mumford and Sons. As much as I love Mumford, they aren’t as great as the rawer, more stripped back NMH, who would throw in musical saws and uilleann pipes in their melodies. NMH are simply one of those bands that could have been, but never were, and almost forgotten if it weren’t for the faithful.
Polaris Music Prize 2011
Once again, the best of Canadian music has come together to celebrate all that is wonderful and perfect about my home and native land’s music. This years short list has ten great records on it. But one is the clear favourite.
The ten albums on the Polaris 2011 short list are:
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Austra Feel It Break
Braids Native Speaker
Destroyer Kaputt
Galaxie Tigre et diesel
Hey Rosetta! Seeds
Ron Sexsmith Long Player Late Bloomer
Colin Stetson New History of Warefare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd House of Balloons
The Album List #43: King Crimson “In The Court of the Crimson King”
Creepy doesn't even begin to describe the album art.
I have a distaste for prog rock. It was often indulgent, if you allow me to quote Simon Cowell. This is not to say that pop and rock are not in any way as indulgent, and lord knows classical and jazz has its moments, but proggers- well, 2112 is my justification. Rush, bless ‘em, is a Canadian institution. That album makes me want to shoot myself. It doesn’t help me that it’s a major level on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. They make me PLAY IT.
But King Crimson always fascinated me. A lot of it has to do with above cover art, which haunted my dreams for years. A lot of it is Robert Fripp. I revisited this album time and again after Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, in which West cannily uses the vocal hook from “21st Century Schizoid Man” in the song “Power”. The album in many ways is all that I hate about progressive rock. So why do I love it?
The Album List: #71 Prince and the Revolution “Purple Rain”
I have a very complex relationship with this album.
I have stop and started this piece all week. I hate what Prince became after Purple Rain- a hateful, vengeful, misogynistic, derivative pop star who would alienate many of his former fans with his prickly personality. He would never be as good as he was in 1984-1987. I even think Sign O’ The Times is the better overall album.
Now, the truth is, Prince was always what I just accused him of becoming. The movie this album is a soundtrack for is a whiny, poorly acted piece of shit. And that personality of his is all over the damn thing. The only parts that are tolerable are the songs, and even then, “Darling Nikki” is one of the single most horrific pieces of music written. I am greatly offended by it, and I’m not a prude.
There is much to admire and love, though, about this record. The music geek in me wins out over the feminist.
Christmas Countdown: The Christmas Music List Day 5
Another request cam in, and I’ll throw it in the list even if it isn’t on my personal list. It’s the Waitresses with “Christmas Wrapping”, and I’ve found a lighting display to go with it. This is for someone’s DH, and I hope it’ll help him feel better.
Now, my pick for today is for my daughters, who love this song to bits. It is the Chipmunks. Come on, you love it, too.
American Idol Snark Post #I Give Up-I Am Just A Poor Boy Though My Story’s Seldom Told
Idol Gives back. Where the Idols sing “inspirational” songs and I vomit from all the fake caring. I kinda missed it last year.
But the Top Seven were given a list of totally lame ass songs ( fifty plus song, a fifth of them belonging to previous Idol contestants, and only a half-dozen I consider classics).
Now, I am devout Alicia Keys fan, but RyRy is making her sound like the second coming. She’s a lovely person, but she’s not all that and a TARDIS.
Casey begins the show with “Don’t Stop”, one of the greatest songs ever written ( Rumours is one of my fave albums). But he is in the wrong key, and the arrangement offers nothing new. Pleasant doesn’t make for good. I forgive him, but only because I know he will not be the worst of the night. If only because the guy rocks the axe like no one’s business.
Lee is tackling “The Boxer”?
Desert Island Picks: Albums
I have been asked on several occasions by various people in my life what I would bring to a desert island if only given a certain amount of music, books, and movies. I have decided to take this and turn it into a series of posts, because that’s what I do – take memes and think about them incessantly until I give in and write about them.
Generally, I’m asked what ten albums, books, and dvds would I take. I’m going to stick with those parameters. I started with books, since there was that blogger meme running around a few weeks back that made me contemplate it. Now, for the truly difficult one- albums. All those records, only ten to take.
American Idol Snark Post #11: I Was Born In A Crossfire Hurricane
Lacey went home instead of hellish Tim Urban ( oh, guess who’s my Gokey-Sanjaya!!!!). I can’t say it was a wrong choice, because Lacey was terrible. Still, I have to put up with UrbanHell for another week, so I’m still gonna be cranky.
Orianthi performed, and she seems pleasant enough as a rocker girl with a guitar, but I didn’t find her song all that special. The less said about Ke$ha, the better. ( How did this girl get a record contract?)
No, last night was all about the opening performance. Eschewing, thankfully, the group number, Idol brought back David Cook to rock out on “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and made me smile for the first time this season. Everyone has an Idol contestant that makes them happy. David Cook is mine. He sounded fantastic, and he’ll be back for Idol Gives Back later this year.
The only thing left to say is that the elimination shows are still ten minutes worth of material stretched out over an hour. Basically, I waste my time watching this crap.
SNARKY SONG ADVICE FOR IDOL KIDS #1
So, the Rolling Stones have sold their catalogue away to Simon Fuller’s behemoth, too. If it’s good enough for the Beatles…
( The Kinks still remain the best British band ever, with the Clash coming in a close second. Yes, I am saying that to provoke you all. It’s my blog, deal with it. Also, I like Coldplay. Bite me.)
The Stones catalogue is deep, as one would expect after forty-five plus years of Kicking Ass. I’ve been watching Tweets and thread comments since this morning, and I must ask- do you honestly think Idol will allow any of their singers to sing “Bitch”? Really? I doubt it. Nice thought, though.
So here it goes, my totally random and snark filled attempt to suggest songs that our top twelve should sing if they don’t want me to make fun of them next week.
Aaron: Oh, how sweet would it be for baby-faced Aaron to dress in black leather, go all emo, and howl off-key to “Sympathy For The Devil”? Sadly, I will never ask him to do that, because “Sympathy” is one of my favorite Stones tracks, and I don’t want to completely ruin it for everyone. Aaron to this point has mostly picked country songs, but I also think doing the most country of all Stones tracks, “Honky Tonk Woman”, would be creepy. Frankly, looking over the Stones song list, there is very little I want to see the teenaged Aaron sing. I sat give him ” Time Is On My Side”, with its very limited vocal range, and we’ll plot to get rid of him next week.
Andrew: I still like Andrew, there is some real talent there. I’d like to see him liven things up a bit, grab an electric guitar, and launch himself into “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. I don’t know why I like that idea so much.
Casey: I’ve had trouble picking a Casey song, because he’s got a bluesy rock vibe that goes well with the Stones catalogue. So I turned it over to GC, who picked ” Paint It, Black”, because it’s one three Stones songs she actually knows and one of them she deemed better suited for one of the girls. I say it works, because if you strip away the sitar, it’s got a good blues underbelly. Continue reading
American Idol Snark Post #5: We’re Getting There. Slowly.
Tonight we get the girls back. I’m a little relieved.
Crystal is, indeed, performing tonight. Ryan pulled her aside to see how much she’d say, but she just said ” I’m a tough cookie” and walked away. Good on you, Crystal.
Question- did Randy see the same show I did last night? The guys were hot? Middling at best.
Crystal has a twin named Carl who is a “square”. God, I think she’s awesome. No one uses “square” any more. She goes with CCR’s ” Long As I Can See The Light”. Has CCR ever been on an Idol show before? She imbibes the song with soul and warmth. For someone who has had a tough couple of days, she was amazing. The stress doesn’t show. A good moment, the first real one of the season. Thank God.
Haeley Vaughn, the delusional wannabe country girl, singing a Miley song this week. Not just any song, the horrible vomitrocious “The Climb”. ( I hate that song. HATEHATEHATEHATEHATE). She’s a doofy, giggly teenager best left to text her girls about the Jonas Brothers. Going younger doesn’t help her stay in key, though, and she’s shakier than Miley herself. Hell, Taylor Swift can carry a tune better. ( I just found someone worse than effing TAYLOR SWIFT?) Just… soooooooo bad. Bad song, bad vocal, bad hair thingy. Bad. Terrible. Please send her home now. Especially after that “glory note” that sounded like Simon was dissecting a living cat.
Lacey Brown, who assassinated Stevie Nicks last week and somehow managed to stay, decided to take Kara’s advice ( bad idea). I still don’t like her. I also hate ” Kiss Me”. It’s one of those twee little songs by a 90s one hit wonder that makes me wish I skipped the last half of the decade. She also still can’t pick a key and stick with it. Not good. Not good at all.
Katie Stevens just reeks of pageant, doesn’t she? She can say ” Gimme a kiss” is six languages and has enough self-realization to know that’s a lame thing to be able to do. But picking the incomparable Corrine Bailey Rae’s ” Put Your Records On”? I might have been able to get behind that choice if her voice showed any of the sparkle and joie de vivre the vocal requires. No, it was kinda a sad mess. That’s not even with the pitch issues she was having. Ugh.
RyRy’s new obsession with Justin Bieber is disturbing.
Didi looks like the girl I hated in junior high. Tangent and now back again. She was a mascot in junior high ( we didn’t have one). She also meows as a vocal warm up. Are you kidding me? Looking up indulgent? Really? Gawd. She’s dim, isn’t she? She goes with ” Lean On Me”, and it’s a wreck. A pitchy, dull, soulless mess.
At this stage of the game, this season appears to be Crystal Bowersox’s season to lose. Isn’t that sad? ( I’m glad for Crystal, because she’s clearly great.)
Ah, Michelle. Doing a CREED song ( oh, God, my late 90s nightmare continues. I apologize to all Creed fans. I hate them. Violently hate them. And you have shitty taste in music. Go listen to your Nickelback albums). Michelle does have a lovely voice. Too bad she has never heard of a good song. It’s also really pathetic that I think it’s one of the better vocals of the night ( Better= less pitchy than normal). Pathetic because the song sucks donkey balls and the rest of the girls have been so disappointing ( save for Crystal).
Lilly Scott has been a favorite of mine since Hollywood Week. I have said it before ( see: Syesha Mercado). Do not sing ” A Change Is Gonna Come”. Just- don’t. Unless you are Lilly Scott. That was fantastic ( say ” fantastic” like Christopher Eccleston, everyone). I still think Crystal was stronger, but Lilly is strong competition ( I would die happy if two slightly indie girls ended up one-two this season).
Katelyn is a music geek, studying recording engineering. I like her well enough and hope that she takes my favorite Coldplay song ” The Scientist” and does it justice. She picks the right key, the right tempo for her voice and changes the melody just enough without making it unrecognizable. Another great performance. It’s well sung and another moment in a season that has had too few. ( I agree with Kara. Fucking shoot me.)
Paige the previously non-existent contestant likes to color. I find that endearing, since I myself like my kids coloring books. She chooses a Kelly Clarkson song. Regular readers- can anyone tell me what my number one song selection rule is? Leave any answers in comments. But I like her chutzpah. She picks rock songs that she wraps her soul voice around, and it is a really good voice. Her big note was shaky and a bit thin, but overall I’m increasingly impressed by her. Now I just have to remember her name.
Siobhan remains a quirky joy to me. A formerly mohawked, lip drilling joy ( that sounded wrong). She launches into “Think”. Again with the do not touch songs? Seriously? And to the people who are going to complain about that last huge note- it’s the same damn note Aretha sang. Yeah, didn’t like her version of it either. The rest of it was great. Just that one note I have always hated in every version of that song. Even the Queen of Soul.
The girls still out sang the guys. They’ve been doing that since the first person got a golden ticket.
My picks to leave, God willing: Todrick, Jermaine, Haeley, Lacey. Then maybe with the really bad guys gone and the last two really terrible girls outta there, we’ll get to the real nitty gritty.
American Idol Snark Post #4: There Is No Where To Go But Up… Right?
Last week, the boys were so disappointing I was ready to jump off the nearest multi story building so I never had to hear them again. I was looking forward to the girls, but the guys were soul crushingly bad. So when I read that the girls performance show was postponed due to a medical emergency, I was almost devastated. (P.S.- get well, Crystal Bowersox, because we need you!)
Then the boys went, And it was better. Much, much better. That doesn’t mean, though, that it was a great Idol show. It just means I’m less likely to kill someone tomorrow.
Mike Lynche started it, though, with a bang, with a soulful, smart, great version of James Brown ” This Is A Man’s World”. It’s a personal fave of mine, that song, and it’s one I dislike when sung by anyone who isn’t the Godfather of Soul, but Mike did a really good job with it. It’s also a major achievement this season to stay in key, which he did.
John Park continues to baffle me, with a dull song choice ( John Mayer’s “Gravity”? Really? Dude). He has the tools to be a good singer, but I find him to be so milquetoast when he sings that I tend to forget he exists.
Casey James regressed this week vocally, but the man can play a Fender, so I forgive him his rather mediocre vocal on ” I Don’t Wanna Be” because there was some good fret work.
Alex Lambert wins most improved by not fainting on stage while singing John Legend’s ” Everybody Knows”. I still think he’s falling short on song choice, but he also shows promise and is a good guitarist.
Todrick ” I’m A Golden God Worship Me” Hall will be my Gokey-Sanjaya this season if he stays, because I cannot stand him, his voice, his attitude… And why take a classic if poorly aged song like ” What’s Love Gotta Do With It” and eff it up so much? Why? Does he hate music?
Jermaine Sellers also grates, and his choosing ” What’s Goin’ On” is a crime. (It’s a song that should never be touched ever by anyone. Marvin Gaye is dead. Quit killing him over and over again by destroying his masterpiece). Considering the song, it was an atrocious performance.
Andrew Garcia tackled James Morrison’s ” You Give Me Something”, and while I thought it was a fine vocal, it lacked a spark that I want from someone who is clearly a good and creative as Andrew. It felt staid and a little stiff.
Aaron Kelly, all of sixteen, massacred ( in a horrible, puppy killing way) “My Girl”. Why do Idol contestants insist on singing this song? Talk about old-fashioned. There is no way to update this song, it’s firmly stuck in the 60s Motown era. And boo to Simon for even mentioning Justin Bieber’s name on my Holy Grail of TV Reality Shows.
I would like to take this moment to mention that “Milquetoast” is not recognized by spell check.
Tim Urban, who looks like an Osmond with even worse hair, or Zac Efron with worse hair ( take your pick). He goes with ” Come On Get Higher” is another mid tempo guitar song with slightly racy lyrics for family friendly Idol audiences ( Gwen asked me twice if the line ” swing of your hips” was allowed on Idol before). It was not good. Not liking the song, not liking his voice., not liking anything. He should go home. And Simon was too fucking nice to the guy. Which makes me wonder what Simon was smoking earlier.
Le Dewyze was the guy who surprised me the most last week. Picking Hinder’s “Lips Of An Angel” gets me to roll my eyes, as I think Hinder is lame. But I still think he’s a really good singer. I give him credit for not trying to reach for notes he knows he can’t ( ahem… Tim Urban). But still hate the song. It wasn’t horrible.
So, yeah, it was a better show by the guys. We still have a long, long way to go. But we are getting there.
The girls return tomorrow. Here’s hoping that Crystal is okay and we get a good show.
American Idol Snark Post #1: Yeah, But Can They Do The Goose Lift On Thin Blades While Gliding Across The Ice?
Oh, Idol, how I have missed you and your inane judging panel. Welcome back.
The elimination rounds this year have a Billboard Hits theme, a theme I like this early on since it leaves it open to wide variation. So tonight it was shocking that three- THREE- girls picked Beatles tracks. Yes, one quarter of tonight was dedicated to the guys from Liverpool. There was also some not so original song choices which makes me bang my head against the desk.
We start off with Paige, who I don’t recall getting a single second of screen time during the early rounds. She tackles “All Right Now” by Free. Now, she has what is easily a great soulful rock voice, but you are talking to a David Cook girl here and I’m sorry, it didn’t come close to that performance from his second week. That being said, I found it actually pretty good. The judges all seem to really like that big voice, but seemed split on the song choice.
Next is Ashley, who is stupid enough to pick a song from Simon’s current pet Leona Lewis. Not only that, the song is one of my least favorite songs ever. So she didn’t even come close to making a good impression on me. She clinched it with a wobbly lower register and plenty of off-key notes. By the end, I began to wish Leona Lewis was singing. I hate Leona Lewis.
Janell, one of those quirky blonde types Idol discovered this year, went with ” What About Love”, a big huge rock song that dwarfed her thin little folky voice. Bad song choice kills you, Janell, and I’m thinking she might be one of the two who go home. Which is sad, because I loved her version of “American Boy” during Hollywood Week.
Lily Scott, another blonde ( although her hair, silverish blonde, makes me think of Fleur, the Veela from the Harry Potter books), came out and did one of the Beatles tracks. Granted, she went with ” Fixin’ A Hole”, which is not exactly a Beatles track people think of when they think Beatles classics, and she sang it with a folky, jazzy style that reminded me of Duffy meeting Tori Amos.
We get a third quirky blonde in Katelyn, who picked another offbeat Beatles track with ” Oh Darlin’”. She also has a slightly jazzy tone to her voice, but it’s more commercial than Lilly’s. She also seemed less interesting overall.
Poor little Haeley the wannabe country girl went with the third Beatles track, and man, was that a bit of a train wreck. She stripped the joy and poppy fun from ” I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, layered a hicuppy , screechy vocal, and made me want her to leave. I might get my wish.
That is if Lacey hadn’t made the ginormous blunder and sang a Stevie Nicks song ( Stevie Nicks is a No-no, people. Haven’t you listened to me ever?) She laid down a terrible, uneven, pitchy vocal that made me want to stick my pen through one ear and a q-tip in the other. How dare she wreck “Landslide”?
Michelle, a very pretty girl with a good voice, sang Alicia Keys “Fallin’”, which means that she gets no bonus points from me for being good because “Fallin’” is on my ” I never want to hear it on Idol ever again” list of songs I create every year. Pretty forgettable, honestly.
Didi, yet another quirky blonde, sang Ingrid Michaelson’s insipid ” The Way I Am”, crushing my soul a little bit. There are better female singer songwriter types.
Siobhan Magnus, out to teach North Americans how to properly pronounce Irish names, went bold with her choice of song, singing Chris Isaaks’ dark and haunting ” Wicked Game”, which she did pretty well. I found her compelling, although Kara’s point of her being nasal was valid.
Everyone’s favorite lady, Crystal Bowersox, came out in full Dylan mode and sang that terrible Alanis song, ” Hand In My Pocket”. I forgive her, because she’s so awesome, with that Linda Perry hair and that Melissa Etheridge voice. I love her. Let’s make this clear. I. Love. Her.
Finishing the night was Idol‘s pick for cute, precocious teenager we want you to vote for this year. Katie Stevens sang ” Feelin’ Good”, which was way too mature and intense for her seventeen years. And I am not as impressed with her voice as the judges are. I find it pretty middle of the road good, with little in the way of personality.
The judges this year start with a clean slate, even Kara, who made a couple of key points ( I mentioned her assessment of Siobhan’s nasal quality). So far, none of them have made an egregious assessment worth punishing them for. Kara can possibly learn to stop trying to read people’s minds, but she got a bonus point from me for naming the Sundays in her assessment of Lacey. But this year’s judging meme seems to be ” originality”. They seemed to mention it to every one, leading me to believe they have seen the light after two seasons where people who take style risks came out on top over big voiced divas and cute, barely pubescent boys.
This years crop of girls, though, do seem to be promising. The boys go tomorrow, where I am dying to see what happens. The boys seem underwhelming overall. But that’s what the elimination rounds are all about.
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