Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Top 20 albums of 2009: Pt. 2 10-1

Okay, the last entry of this blog covered numbers 20-11 of my top 20 albums of 2009, I recommend you check that out before reading this. But also before we begin the countdown, here are a few albums that didn't quite live up to their own hype in 2009...

The letdowns:

Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3- With “Death of Autotune” and “Run This Town” dominating hip-hop radio weeks before the release of this album, it seemed as though Hov was on his way to putting out his best album of the decade. Alas, The Blueprint 3 only furthers Jay-Z’s place as just another rapper who should gracefully leave the limelight to the guys who still spit fire.

Flight of the Conchords-I Told You I Was Freaky- Last year I put FOTC on this portion of the list because their debut album relied so heavily on their HBO show to retain their humor, and in retrospect that’s sort of wrong, their debut is actually a perfectly good comedy album that’s funny on its own. The sequel, I Told You I Was Freaky on the other hand, falls into my original reason for disliking the debut, only this time around, the songs aren’t nearly as funny even with the shows help. While they foray into a few good songs, notably the Police-esque “You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute,” FOTC have a hard time maintaining their comedy and being original composers.

Clipse-Till The Casket Drops- Clipse have put out two of the best hip-hop albums of the decade, and everyone was excited for them to round it out with another classic. However Till The Casket Drops is a weak attempt by the Virginia duo to become a more radio friendly version of themselves. It’s a let down to the fans as well as hip-hop as a whole.

Owl City-Ocean Eyes- While I was hooked in with the Postal Service sound and undeniably catchy “Fireflies,” I Found that Owl City's full length album had a hard time keeping its momentum up. I talked a lot of good about this album after hearing the first few tracks, but upon a full listen I realized I was only making a fool of others and myself. Just listen to Give Up by the Postal Service or The Listening by Lights if you want the same thing here only a lot better,

Now onto the main event...

10. Mos Def-The Ecstatic

mosdef2

Mos Def went from being an acclaimed rapper to one of the more well like rappers turned actors, but when he underwent that change the “rapper” portion of “rapper turned actor” suffered greatly. After his solo debut Black on Both Sides, Mos more or less sucked as a rapper to be blunt. He tried too hard to be innovative and frequently came out looking like an idiot for even trying. However, with his release of The Ecstatic, we see the classic Mos Def reemerge from the ashes to deliver an album that is downright great. His rhymes are on par with the old Mos, and the beats match as well. Mos Def has truly exceeded all expectations with this album.

Notable Tracks: Twilight Speedball, Auditorium, The Embassy

9. La Coka Nostra-A Brand You Can Trust

cokanostra

House of Pain members Everlast (a.k.a. Whitey Ford), Danny Boy O’Connor and DJ Lethal (also of Limp Bizkit) teamed up with indie rappers Ill Bill and Slaine a few years ago with the intent of making white hip-hop something that was more than just a joke. Opting to get everyone in the same room to record instead of working over mp3’s across coasts, La Coka Nostra ended up taking much longer than they had expected to release their debut album A Brand You Can Trust. However, the wait was entirely worth it. Describing themselves as hardcore hip-hop, the guys from LCN take no prisoners with their lyrics. However, for every line they spit about “totin’ a glock,” they come back with one about how a life of crime isn’t going to do them any good in the long run. Guest appearances from UGK’s Bun B, Snoop Dogg, Sen Dog and B-Real from Cypress Hill, Immortal Technique and others solidify LCN as a credible, and entirely real hip-hop supergroup.

Notable Tracks: “Bloody Sunday” “The Stain” “F*ck Tony Montana”

8. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

phoenix

I’m one of those guys that have a difficult time buying into the hype of bands I know nothing about. However, after a lot of good hype from both the internet and friends, I finally gave in and listened to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. And while I wasn’t blown away entirely, I certainly enjoyed their album. It runs a solid 10 tracks, enough to make a mark, and little enough to leave the audience wanting more. While this isn’t technically their debut, for most American fans it’s their first real taste of the band, and it is a delicious first taste indeed. The chemistry between the members is there, as they clearly know how to make fun music, but they still retain their ability to be true musicians. I look forward to getting to know this band more.

Notable Tracks: “Lisztomania” “Fences” “Countdown”

7. K’Naan- Troubadour

knaan

After attending this years Rock The Bells festival, I was given an iTunes card that redeemed 25 tracks from artists on the tour. Many of whom I knew, some of the songs I already had, but there was one song out of the 25 that I played to death and that was “I Come Prepared” by K’Naan and Damian Marley. Thinking the album was from 2007 or 2008, I enjoyed listening, but had no rush on getting the album in its entirety. However, upon realizing it was indeed a 2009 release, I freaked out and got a hold of the album as fast as I could. And listening to it based on the one track I got for free made me realize that I had been dwelling too long on “I Come Prepared,” as the album as a whole is just great. K’Naan raps, sings, and strums the guitar in a way that lures you into the horrifying stories of his youth as a child solider in Somalia, as well as other subjects that range from happy to sad to everything in between. The music provides a perfect backdrop for these tales, and his unique voice blends well with everything around him. Guest appearances from Mos Def, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Kirk Hammett and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine only add to K’Naan’s chameleon-like musical versatility.

Notable Tracks: “Bang Bang” “America” “T.I.A.”

6. Dave Matthews Band- Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King

davematthews

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a general fan of the Dave Matthews phenomenon. I simply don’t understand all of the hype behind him. I don’t particularly dislike him as an artist, but at the same toll I’d never been really amped to get into his music. However, with Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King I was extremely surprised, not by the quality of the music, but how easy it was for me to get into it. The album starts with the droning saxophone of LeRoi Moore, who passed away in late 2008 after recording his parts on the album, and instantly kicks into what is a truly funky and original record, even for DMB. They manage to take their extensive jams from live shows and translate them into catchy tracks that still hold onto their improv-heavy signature sound. If Dave and company can continue to make albums like this; I may just have to convert to his cult.

Notable Tracks: “Shake Me Like A Monkey” “Funny The Way It Is” “Why I Am”

5. Lily Allen- It’s Not Me, It’s You

lilyallen

Lily Allen has all the makings to be a pop icon, yet at the same time, she still grasps onto the indie kids that were hooked on her debut album Alright, Still. On It’s Not Me, It’s You, Lily takes another stab at making her signature breed of obscene, rude and entirely honest pop music and upon the second time around, she’s done it even better. It’s easy to hum along to tracks like “Not Fair” and then go, “Wait a minute! This woman is singing about her boyfriends lack of libido!” and that is exactly what makes Lily Allen so great. While she hasn’t caught on as much in the states as she may have overseas, it’s pretty clear she doesn’t seem to mind with tracks like “The Fear” mocking the concept of being just another pop diva. Lily is the first woman to crack my top 10 list, and she earned her spot at number 5.

Notable Tracks: “The Fear” “Everyone’s At It” “F*ck You”

4. RX Bandits-Mandala

rxbandits

Don’t you hate it when a band you love kicks out members that helped them define their sound? After the release of their last album ...And The Battle Begun, the RX Bandits lost their sax player. It was unfortunate, but the two horned band charged onward, the trombone covering all of the wind bases. However, fans of the band were shocked to hear that the Bandits had parted ways with the last of its horn players this year for their new album Mandala. This had me scared, how could a band that I admired so much lose the two members that helped give them the signature reggae/progressive/metal sound that had grown on me so much over the past few years? Well, after much inner turmoil, I got around to listening to Mandala and I must say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Guitarist Steve Choi’s quick keyboard lines accentuate the frantic picking of guitarist/singer Matt Embree, covering the lack of horns very well. The album plays in a way that is both new and logical. One of those situations where you say, “I don’t like the band without the horns, but this is what they should sound like given the change.” Some compare the Bandits’ strange style of music as a more focused Mars Volta, but I must disagree, as the music of RX Bandits is much more calculated, heartfelt and downright awesome in comparison to Volta’s absurdly fast writing and recording style. Mandala is an awesome album by a band that does nothing but move up both in talent, and in quality. Way to surprise me, RX Bandits!

Notable Tracks: “It’s Only Another Parsec” “My Lonesome Only Friend” “Bury It Down Low”

3. Brother Ali-Us

brotherali

Last year my number one album was Atmosphere’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, and this year, the group’s affiliate Brother Ali has come oh so close to the same mark. For those unaware, Ali is an albino who moved around from state to state his entire life. With that very basic description alone you can assume the man has a whole lot to say. With Atmosphere’s Ant behind the beats, Ali spits pure genius on this album, approaching the “ghetto” checklist that all rappers follow in a completely original and refreshing fashion. While many rappers, even the greats, spend decent amounts of time spitting about their nice cars and the abundance of girls they get, Brother Ali is completely satisfied happily proclaiming that he has enough rent money for the year. And while other rappers talk about killing people in the street, Ali tells us a calculated tale of bad neighbors dealing cocaine one floor below him, and how easy it was to make a few dollars from their idiocy. To be quite simple, Brother Ali is a humble genius, and those that say rap is the weakest form of poetry must take a list to Us to see that.

Notable Tracks: “The Preacher” “Fresh Air” “The Travelers”

2. Biffy Clyro- Only Revolutions

biffyclyro

A few years ago I was lucky enough to catch Queens of the Stone Age on their Era Vulgaris tour. What stuck out to me the most about that show, aside from the sheer awesomeness QOTSA put out, was their first opener. A schizophrenic, hairy trio of rockers known as Biffy Clyro, The music they played was loud and dingy, but it had all the qualities that make you love musicians as musicians, proficiency in their playing and originality in their style. After a few months of not thinking about them, I stumbled upon their breakout album Puzzle in a used bin at F.Y.E. I bought it, and found myself having a hard time not listening to it. Two years later, the band has released Only Revolutions, a suitable follow-up to Puzzle. The album hits all the marks it needs to, rocking out like madmen on several of the tracks, however it’s the deviation from their unique sound that really jets this album this high up the list. Instead of playing to their strict ballad/hard rock variety, the band mix things up, playing some undeniably catchy pop rock tracks, some more emotional tracks, all the while keeping their credibility and accessibility intact. While this album isn’t going to change the way the world looks at rock music, it certainly shows that breaking a working formula can sometimes yield good results!

Notable Tracks: “Born On A Horse” “Mountains” “Know Your Quarry”

1.Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...pt. II

raekwoncubanlinx

Oh boy. I wrote briefly about this in my piece regarding the Wu-Tang Clan as the artist of the year, but allow me to tell you just how good Raekwon’s new album is. . For fans of the Wu, this is gold, for non-fans it's probably platinum. This is the album that takes what made the early Wu-Tang solo albums special and progressively brings it forward to 2009. The original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, released in 1995, became a blueprint for the true gangster hip-hop album. It combined elements of the mob with those of the street, with skits breaking up brutally honest tales of life in the slums and the horrors of drug dealing. Every rapper who made a true gangster rap album following Cuban Linx was influenced by the album whether or not they’d like to admit it. And now in 2009 we were graced with a sequel. And 14 years later, Raekwon still has a whole lot to say. He doesn’t glorify drug dealing one bit, he doesn’t play to his varying audience and he doesn’t care about what a man his age is supposed to say, his rhymes are intricate, they hit with a resounding impact, and they make you realize that the man has truly grown. The production on the album is near flawless as well. When you have to say that Dr. Dre is the weakest producer on your album, you know that you have something great. The album plays wonderfully, guest spots from all of the living Wu-Tang members only helping in Raekown’s grand return. I said that the Wu-Tang Clan was the artist of the year, but I must hone that statement in and specify that Raekwon the Chef truly is the greatest rapper of the year.

Notable Tracks: “House of Flying Daggers” “Canal Street” “We Will Rob You”

So happy new year! Thank you for reading the blog and keep visiting!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Top 20 albums of 2009: Pt. 1 20-11

I was going to wait to post this until tomorrow, but it's finished.

But before I start I'd like to part one of my caption awards, this one being...

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Blakrok-Self Titled
Lights-The Listening
The Lonely Island-Incredibad
Dethklok-The Dethalbum II
Q-Tip-Kamaal The Abstract
The Cool Kids-Gone Fishin'
Wu-Tang Chamber Music

All of these albums are good, don't get me wrong. And there are several other albums that came in 2009 that were good. These ones however would fill my 21-27 slots.


20. Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon: The End of Days


manonthemoon

When I first heard “Day N Nite” back in the early part of the year I was a little annoyed. I don’t like that song that much and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was making it so popular. But as the months passed I got more and more into the way that Cudi crafts his music. He’s a rapper by definition, but the collaborators on this album only prove the fact that he is far from that. While Kanye West and Common show up and deliver decent verses, it’s Ratatat and MGMT that truly bring out the best in Cudi on the tracks “Pursuit of Happiness” and “Alive”. While this album is far from perfect, Cudi’s relaxed flow and spacey beats make it a worthwhile listen.


Notable tracks: “Soundtrack 2 My Life” “Alive” “Pursuit of Happiness”


19. KISS-Sonic Boom


sonicboom

The early reviews for this album were nothing but positive, screaming about how KISS had returned to their greatness. But then again, those reviews were written by Guitar Magazines and members of the KISS Army. The later reviews were in the middle, sure it was vintage KISS, but is vintage KISS even worth listening to? The answer, to put it quite simply, is yes. This album rocks from top to bottom. Gene and Paul still have it, and the “new” faces of Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer mesh in perfectly, never once making me say “I miss Ace and Peter.” The album wreaks of testosterone and alcohol, but isn’t that what we want from KISS? Even at 60 years old, Stanley and Simmons have the act in check, if there’s any event that has more than 2 men, beer, and overall awesomeness, Sonic Boom is the way to turn that awesomeness way up!

Notable tracks: “Modern Day Delilah” “Danger Us” “Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)”


18. Maxwell-BLACKsummers’night


blacksummer
I don’t generally listen to R&B music, especially modern R&B music. I feel like all that you’ll hear on the radio is auto-tuned guys with six packs that croon the women on stage and then go and act like they are thugs once they leave. Maxwell, however, is what an R&B singer should be. His voice is fantastic and the music that is very clearly written by himself and not a team of producers and record executives, follows suit. The single “Pretty Wings,” while overplayed on the radio is a beautifully crafted song with several layers of instrumentals that just make you feel good. A great listen, and proof that there still is hope out there for popular R&B.

Notable tracks: “Pretty Wings” “Phoenix Rise” “Help Somebody”

17. Manchester Orchestra-Mean Everything to Nothing

meaneverything

The rock music this year has been very diverse. Bands like Passion Pit and Mute Math followed the lead of MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular as far as psychedelic indie rock is concerned, but Manchester Orchestra really stood out on their own as a force in the rock scene of 2009. Mean Everything to Nothing, the bands third album, is a collection of really interesting and original rock music that seems to pull its roots from everything from blues to folk to pop rock. In a decade dominated by over the top theatrical bands like Coldplay and wailing vocals of Fall out Boy and Panic at the Disco, it’s good to hear a band rock out without remorse and still manage to get over with critics and fans.

Notable Tracks: “The Only One” “Pride” “Everything to Nothing”

16. Them Crooked Vultures-Self Titled


vultures

When the lineup of this band was announced, any true rock and roll fan cried tears of joy. Nirvana and Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age frontman (and best of the year regular) Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Let the weight of these three dudes sink in. With expectations so high, and early releases of snippets pumping up the fans, it seemed as though Them Crooked Vultures were going to make an album that topped the charts and lists similar to this before they even released one song. But alas, upon the release of the album the world had to come to terms with the fact that no matter how great the band may have looked on paper, greatness should never be assumed. While all three musicians have distinct styles, the only one who truly shines here is Homme, and while that makes for good bluesy riff rock, with the potential of this band, that’s not enough. The album is certainly worth listening to for fans of any of the three members, but it didn’t quite hit the mark it should’ve and thusly falls far short from number one.

Notable tracks: “No One Loves Me and Neither Do I” “New Fang” “Elephants”

15. John Mayer- Battle Studies

battlestudies

If there is one thing that’s certain about John Mayer’s career it’s that you can’t predict what’s next. After Room For Squares and Heavier Things, who could’ve predicted Mayer’s radical change to the blues with his Trio’s Try! and Continuum. I thought that Mayer would follow suit from Continuum on his newest album Battle Studies and I was proven wrong. While he doesn’t revert back entirely to his acoustic strumming days, he doesn’t truck forward with his Stevie Ray Vaughn blues either. There’s a strange vibe to this album, one that makes the listener question where exactly Mayer is not just as an artist but as an individual. Some say the album was rushed together, and others say it is heavily calculated. Wherever it really is, I don’t know, and honestly I don’t care to. What I can say is that I enjoyed much of this album, and it keeps beckoning me back in for more listens.

Notable tracks: “Heartbreak Warfare” “Perfectly Lonely” “Crossroads”

14. The Dead Weather-Horehound


horehound

Another returning list member is Jack White, who never seems to stop making new bands. This year’s The Dead Weather proves yet again why Jack White is one of this generation’s greatest musicians. Dead Weather is a supergroup of sorts, White teaming up with Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence, former Queens of the Stone Age guitar player Dean Fertida and The Kills singer Allison Mosshart. Together they play White’s now signature brand of blues rock, with a little kick of punk flare from Mosshart, whose vocals combined with White’s, flat out rock. Unfortunately, this album may fall into obscurity behind the White Stripes records and the two Raconteurs albums, but if The Dead Weather decide to put out another album half as good as this, it’ll certainly be worth a listen.

Notable Tracks: “I Cut Like a Buffalo” “Hang You From The Heavens” “Rocking Horse”

13. Easy Star All-Stars-Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band


eaststar

I’ve always liked the concept of Easy Star All-Stars, but they’d never really appealed to me. I’m not a big enough Floyd fan to enjoy Dub Side of the Moon, nor am I a big enough Radiohead fan to enjoy their OK Computer cover album Radiodread, but finally, they have done something that I wanted to hear, a reggae interpretation of The Beatles classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! This cover album is really fun, the All-Stars really have a way with retaining the identity of a song while still transforming it into their own work. All of the background noises anyone who grew up listening to Sgt. Pepper have nitpicked are still in tact, played by the incredibly tight horn section. The vocals seem to be the weakest point in this album, as there is no distinct Paul, John and Ringo voice throughout, but one can let that slide in favor of the overall experience.

Notable Tracks: “When I’m Sixty Four” “Within You Without You” “Lovely Rita”

12. Dylan Connor-Breakaway Republic


breakaway

Dylan Connor has a way with songwriting that tugs at my heartstrings. His uniquely familiar voice combined with his savvy writing skills make him a force to be reckoned with. On Breakaway Republic, we see him break through the weaknesses of his last album Plug In, to deliver an extremely fun rock album. On his last album Connor seamed to peak with no real crescendo musically, due to the fact that most of the album was just him strumming his guitar and singing. Here we have that same mentality combined with a competent band. His backing band is phenomenal, always tightly locked in a groove, while still making sure that Connor himself is indeed the true focus of the music. Not to say Connor ignores the musicians, as their parts are all intricate and wrap themselves together to make some of the happiest rock songs that don’t sound like every other group around. While it’s not a completely perfect album, it’s a very well put together piece of art that just works, it hits when it’s supposed to hit and during it’s down time you can’t stop tapping your foot.

Notable Tracks: “Breakaway and Burn” “I Want Everybody To Know” “Soundwave Surfer”

11. Chickenfoot-Self Titled


chickenfoot

Now when Grohl, Homme and Jones came together to form Them Crooked Vultures, people went “Oh man that is going to be the greatest rock group ever!” and I said, it falls a bit flat. But when Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith and Joe Satriani came together to form Chickenfoot, the music world collectively said, “Okay, well that’s going to be something we’ll pass up on,” due to the ungodly amount of cheese present in the lineup alone. But when the album came out, the cheese had the skills to back it up. Chickenfoot straight up rocks. Anthony departs from his root pumping basslines from Van Halen to deliver some groovy jams, complimented perfectly by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, who feels like he’s just having a good time. Satriani is amazing as always, shredding through songs and laying down fun chords, and Hagar proves that there is no point of being “too old to rock.” If you like good old fashioned American rock and roll there is absolutely no reason to skip this album. It’s funky, fun, and best of all it’s fresh.

Notable Tracks: “Soap on a Rope” “Sexy Little Thing” “Turnin’ Left”



Stay tuned for number's 10-1, coming your way soon!

Wrestler of the Year: 2009

To call myself a pro wrestling fan is one of the hardest things I’ve had to come to terms with. When all of my friends grew out of it I didn’t. I’ve explained this before, but I always feel as though it needs to be reiterated. In the past several years the wrestling industry has gone from bad to worse, and as my old TNA pieces pointed out the problems with particular divisions, I had such a difficult time writing the remaining pieces I gave up completely! The company had lost so much credibility that I just couldn’t justify writing critique pieces. It’s like critiquing a third graders art project. It may be terribly painted, but it’s a third graders! In TNA”s case, it may be a terrible wrestling promotion (at this juncture) but it’s people who have no idea what they’re doing! So you have to let it slide.

But all of that being said, in my Best of 2009 series, I’d like to present my wrestler of the year. Before I do so though, I’d like to go over some runner ups.

Jeri-Show. For those that don’t know, the tag team of Chris Jericho and The Big Show. When Y2J brought out Show as his partner at the Night of Champions pay-per-view I was upset. With so many talented undercard performers like Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, Chavo Guerrero, Jack Swagger, and former partner Christian on the roster, why would he “choose” a multi time heavyweight champion instead of putting over a younger guy? The answer came in the following months as the team proved to the world exactly why tag team wrestling is great. The combination of Jericho’s incredible microphone skills and proficient ring work alongside Big Show’s size, strength and vastly underrated ring work, they just dominated. So much so that they brought the tag team titles to the main event of WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.

C.M. Punk. Punk has been a favorite of mine since he debuted a few years ago. The straight edge gimmick that he really lives is great, and can work easily as a face or heel alignment. Punk’s face run was great, becoming the first man to win the infamous Money in the Bank ladder match twice only adding to his credibility. But perhaps the most shocking and awesome move came at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view when Punk cashed in his money in the bank against Jeff Hardy after Hardy had won a grueling ladder match against Edge (fantastic match by the way, great finish). Punk slowly morphed into the manipulative heel that he is now, chastising the beer drinking audiences at live shows and converting the one time “slow” wrestler Festus into Luke Gallows, who claims everyone had him on sedatives to keep him from being himself. Punk has become one of the top heels in the company and he has done it quickly and effectively. While he has left the main event level for now, I have no doubt he’ll return to it.

Alright. To the main event.

Dave Winchell’s wrestler of the year for 2009 is Nigel McGuinness.

nigel
The shirt looks like the beer logo!

Wrestling fans shouldn’t be surprised by this call, but those that don’t keep their finger to the pulse of the industry may be a little weary about just what Nigel has accomplished in the past year.

He started the year as the reigning Ring of Honor champion, and he was a fighting champion, with a title length closing in on Samoa Joe’s record. He battled through much of the early year, and upon injuring his shoulder, STILL had a match of the year candidate against KENTA in New York City (I was there, it was fantastic).

Even after dropping the belt to Jerry Lynn, Nigel’s presence in Ring of Honor was felt. He cut promos on video wires, showed up to shows, basically did everything he could to keep his name relevant. He even took the place of Ric Flair in New York City as enforcer of a match after Flair stormed out ( I was there for that too, Nigel was on his game).

Perhaps the biggest shock came to the industry this year as Bryan Danielson signed with WWE, and Nigel followed suit shortly after. Ring of Honor is probably the number 3 federation in the country right now behind WWE and TNA, so losing its two top draws in less than a week was a devastating loss. After the announcement, ROH went on a “Final Countdown” tour that touted Danielson more than Nigel, but ended with an epic bout in New York (I did not attend that one...) between Nigel and Danielson. Ring of Honor gave them the grand finale they both deserved.

And as Bryan Danielson moved into WWE’s “before we put you on TV you’re going to have to adapt to OUR style attitude” Nigel seemed to veer off the radar. Nigel didn’t have the connections that Bryan did (he was Shawn Michaels and William Regal’s star pupil), and as if nothing happened all rumors about him seemed to fall off the face of the rumor sites all of us wrestling fans flock to.

But Nigel just couldn’t sit around, within days of his WWE rumors disappearing he reemerged, in the biggest way possible. The word had barely hit the air when Nigel signed with TNA, under the name Desmond Wolfe. But the signing wasn’t the big deal, it was the instant elevation of him, the fact that he was made a superstar in a matter of minutes after his debut. Against whom? Most big guys start their TNA run against the likes of Scott Steiner, Eric Young, Kevin Nash, anyone that can put them over, but not quite over that rope of title contender-ship. But not Nigel eh-hem, Desmond. He made his debut approaching none other than Kurt Angle and telling him just how much he respected Angle as a competitor, and within moments of shaking his hand he had him knocked out in the ring. Basically, Nigel said, “Hey WWE, you don’t want me? Well how about I go to your top competitor and make myself a star in 5 minutes.” Although he lost two pay-per-view matches to Angle, he still got his name, and his in ring abilities over in less than two months.



Rumors going around are that Nigel wouldn’t sign with WWE because of some qualm he had with the drug testing policy, and what that means about his use of drugs is beyond me, and I don’t care to know. But Nigel in TNA is the best thing for him right now.

wolfe
Bobby Lashley should stick with unscripted stuff.

So, all of that being said, Nigel McGuinness a.k.a. Desmond Wolfe is easily the most dominant and impressive wrestler of the year. While his win/loss streak isn’t flawless, the fact that he created such waves in the industry is enough to make people aware of his incredible in-ring and microphone abilities.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Artist of the Year: 2009

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I’ve been really busy with classes, filming and editing things. Also, I’ve been tweeting about things that may seem relevant to this blog instantly (follow me @DH_Winchell if you’re not). But I wanted to get on here before the top 10-20 albums of the year to give a little insight onto how I thought the year went musically.

I was thinking for a long while as who the artist of the year would be. Drake, Wale, and Kid Cudi all blew up but they really didn’t leave a huge mark as they should’ve, and honestly radio play downgrades many artists. Lady Gaga had a string of hits and more rumors about her sexuality than Kermit dolls sewed onto that dress she wore, but she didn’t encompass the entire year as a superstar in my opinion. KISS put out a really good new album that happened to come packaged with a greatest hits CD and a live DVD, which although it was only available at Wal-Mart, debuted at #1. They also went out on the most profitable tour of their career and rocked the house. But still, how can someone say that the 60 year old KISS guys are artists of the year? What about Michael Jackson? Dave Matthews Band? Britney Spears? Taylor Swift? No. No. No. After much thought there is a clear artist of the year and I have deducted them with plenty of numbers to back up my claim.


Dave Winchell’s “Artist of the Year” is the Wu-Tang Clan.

wu

Now I see all of you going, “Aw man that’s so dumb, he likes them so he’s picking favorites!” And I would like to make sure that you know that I went into this process with an open mind, listening to bands, looking at tours, and checking out the way fans relate to them.

Let’s start with a little bit of background, there are 8 living “true” members of the Clan (R.I.P. Dirty). This year we’ve seen solo albums from two members (Raekwon, Ghostface Killah), a duet album from Method Man with longtime collaborator Redman and we’ve seen a compilation in Wu-Tang Chamber Music that might as well have played as a full Clan album. And we were treated to another digital only Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture album! Also, we were lucky enough to get the final release from Old Dirty Bastard, while I can’t say I listened to it, nor am I particularly interested to, the fact that it’s available only shows how much Wu there was in 2009.

But five albums from nine people is nothing. Right? It’s not just the number of the albums, it’s the fact that they even got made. In the end of 2007, upon the release of the Wu’s last full group album 8 Diagrams there was a huge fallout between RZA, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah that threatened to split the group in two. And last year, both RZA and GZA released albums that were good, but nothing particularly memorable. And then for the first half of this year the Clan kind of stewed. Could they re-unite after the public beef between the groups core members? They could, and by the looks of their works in 2009 they did.

Let me tell you that Wu-Tang Chamber Music is far from a typical comp. album from any hip-hop group. While their last comp Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture was a decent look at the Clan combining forces with incredibly competent indie rappers like MF Doom, Aesop Rock, and more, Chamber Music is much more a Clan album with their hand picked guests. Five members of the Clan are present on the album, and they choose their guests in more underground rappers like Sean Price, Kool G Rap, Sadat X and a few more.
Another really cool aspect of this album is that RZA had a live band play all of the instrumentals, and yet we still get that signature, kung fu funk that all of the Wu fans love.

methred
"Our album is better than The Blueprint 3!"

And let us not forget Method Man and Redman’s Blackout! 2, a sequel to their 1999 album. This album follows the path of it’s original, showing that even late 30’s men can enjoy the excess of life and still style their words with some originality (take that Snoop Dogg). They also feature fellow Clansmen Raekwon and Ghostface. It was critically acclaimed, and although didn’t top any charts, one must take into consideration it came out against Eminem’s Relapse.

Ghostface Killah also put out the album Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City and unfortunately I can’t say I’ve listened to the album aside from a few tracks, and honestly I’m not too big of a fan of the concept. Ghostface said he wanted to make a more R&B-centric rap album, and to me that’s a waste of his talent. But a 68 on metacritic as well as several notable guest spots from Kanye West, John Legend, Estelle, Ne-Yo, Lloyd and Fabolos make this a notch in the Wu’s post worth noting.

OB4CL2
TRUMP CARD

And then there was Raekwon...apparently the tension between RZA and Raekwon and Ghostface was because Ghost and Rae considered 8 Diagrams not “street” enough for the Wu-Tang fans. From what I’ve heard, RZA had to sit down with Raekwon and let him know that since the Wu is so well known that they can’t afford to be “street” when the whole world appreciates their art. But the words that sealed the deal between RZA and Rae was that while 8 Diagrams wasn’t going to be a ghetto banger, that Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II would be. And thank the lord it was, because that album is phenomenal. At Rock the Bells at Jones Beach they were plastering posters everywhere for the album and I said to my friend Corey McNair, “I’ll hang this poster up in my room if the album is good, but if it’s bad, I’ll take it down.” And surely enough the poster is still hanging proudly on my wall!

And all releases aside, the Wu had a prominent role in the aforementioned Rock the Bells tour this year. While they didn’t headline, RZA, GZA and Raekwon all dominated the second stage, giving credibility to their fellow side-stagers K’Naan and Slaughterhouse by simply appearing on said stage. Also, the group had a pseudo reunion on their New York date, getting the bump from second stage to a main stage set that featured Raekwon, RZA, Method Man, Inpsectah Deck and O.D.B.’s son Boy Jones. Apparently Ghostface was on hand but didn’t get up on stage to perform.

If that isn’t enough, the Wu also saturated themselves even more by appearing as notable guests on some of the albums most highly anticipated and critically acclaimed albums, The Black Keys hip-hop project Blakroc which featured the likes of Mos Def, Jim Jones, Ludacris and more featured fantastic verses from RZA and Raekwon and a sex heaby posthumous track from O.D.B. Also on N.A.S.A.’s star studded album The Spirit of Apollo which featured the likes of Tom Waits, M.I.A., David Bryne, The Cool Kids, DJ AM, and more, Method Man, RZA and Ghostface were given prominent roles opposite several talented individuals.

So all in all, my love for the Clan aside, it’s pretty clear to me at least that these guys deserve the artist of the year. Now you can argue for so many more, and I’d love to hear these arguments. But to me, there’s no denying the work these guys put into maintaining their image, whether or not that image is mainstream I don’t care. And if you don’t think they deserve this honor, you’ve got to at least give them the E for effort!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

End of the Year Update

Hey readers. Sorry for the lack of updates, this semester has been killing me with work. I just wanted to let you know there are a few really cool end of the year updates coming your way. However, before I get to that, I just wanted to give you guys a list of the music I've been listening to this year. That way you can get an idea of what exactly is going into my "Best of 2009" list...so here is the list.

1. Andrew W.K.-55 Cadillac
2. As Tall As Lions-You Can’t Take it With You
3. Biffy Clyro-Only Revolutions
4. Blakroc-Blakroc
5. Brother Ali-Us
6. Bruce Springsteen-Working on a Dream
7. The C-4 Movement-Prepare 4 The C Sons
8. Chickenfoot-Chickenfoot
9. Chris Webby-The White Noise LP
10. Chris Webby-Teenage Mutant Ninja Rapper
11. Clipse- Til The Casket Drops
12. The Cool Kids-Gone Fishin’
13. The Cutoff Frequency-Back to the Underpass
14. Dan Deacon-Bromst
15. Dave Matthews Band-Big Whiskey and the Grogrux King
16. The Dead Weather-Horehound
17. Dethklok-Dethalbum II
18. Dizzee Rascal-Tongue N’ Cheek
19. DOOM-Born Like This
20. Dylan Connor-Almost Green
21. Dylan Connor-Breakaway Republic
22. Easy Star All Stars-Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
23. Eminem-Relapse
24. Flight of the Conchords-I Told You I Was Freaky
25. Franz Ferdinand-Tonight
26. Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3
27. John Mayer-Battle Studies
28. k-Os-Yes!
29. K’Naan-Troubadour
30. Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon: The End of Days
31. KISS-Sonic Boom
32. The Knightsbridge Fiasco-The Nights We Remembered
33. La Coka Nostra-A Brand You Can Trust
34. La Coka Nostra-The Audacity of Coke
35. Lights-The Listening
36. Lily Allen-It’s Not Me, It’s You
37. The Lonely Island-Incredibad
38. Lt. Headtrip- Lt. Headtrip (Raw Dog Version)
39. Lupe Fiasco-Enemy of the State (A Love Story)
40. Manchester Orchestra-Mean Everything to Nothing
41. The Mars Volta-Octahedron
42. Maxwell-BLACKsummers Night
43. Method Man and Redman-Blackout! 2
44. Mike Falzone and the Peppermint Trick-Do it for the Story
45. Mos Def-The Ecstatic
46. Muse-The Renaissance
47. Mute Math-Armistice
48. N.A.S.A.-The Spirit of Apollo
49. Owl City-Ocean Eyes
50. Passion Pit-Manners
51. Q-Tip-Kamaal The Abstract
52. Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II
53. RX Bandits-Mandala
54. Say Anything-Say Anything
55. Slaughterhouse-Slaughterhouse
56. Sneep Deepy-Big Move, Tiny Mixtape
57. Spinal Tap-Back from the Grave
58. Sparklehorse-Dark Night of the Soul
59. Street Sweeper Social Club-Street Sweeper Social Club
60. Tempest Edge-The Creation
61. Them Crooked Vultures-Them Crooked Vultures
62. TRV$DJAM-Fix Your Face Vol. 2
63. TV/TV-Not Enough Red
64. Various Artists-Wu-Tang Chamber Music
65. Wale-Attention Deficit
66. Weezer-Raditude
67. Wide Eyed Wanderers-My Baby Left Me/Rear View


There are a few albums I honestly just didn't care to listen to. Snoop Dogg, Ghostface, Ol' Dirty Bastard just to name a few. There were a handful of pop albums I wanted to listen to, just to see how they sounded like Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga but I honestly don't care enough to spend the time. So that's what you're getting for now. No clues as to what's best...