So here we are, the end of 2011, a brand spankin’ new year less than a week away! I know I haven’t been all that present this year on this blog and I do apologize for that. But I’ll do my best to update more in 2012. I may move over to Word Press soon! But enough of that. Just as I did last year, I wanted to give you all, the very small number of readers, a list of the albums I have listened to from the past year year. So that way, when you say “Where is The King of Limbs on your Favorite’s list?” I can say, “I didn’t listen to it, didn’t you look at the list of albums I listened to?” and you will be sad. So here it is folks in alphabetical order.
2011 Albums I listened to:
1. Adele-21
2. All Pigs Must Die-God Is War
3. ASAP Rocky-LiveLoveA$AP
4. Atmosphere-The Family Sign
5. B.o.B.-E.P.I.C. (Every Play Is Crucial)
6. Bad Meets Evil- Hell: The Sequel
7. Battles- Gloss Drop
8. Beastie Boys- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
9. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- Rocket Science
10. The Black Keys- El Camino
11. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
12. Cage The Elephant- Thank You, Happy Birthday
13. Chickenfoot- Chickenfoot III
14. Childish Gambino- CAMP
15. Childish Gambino- EP
16. Chris Brown- F.A.M.E.
17. Common- The Dreamer/The Believer
18. The Cool Kids- When Fish Ride Bicycles
19. Danny Brown- XXX
20. Death Grips- Exmilitary
21. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows- D.R.U.G.S.
22. Drake- Take Care
23. Everlast- Songs of the Ungrateful Living
24. Evidence- Cats & Dogs
25. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
26. Frank Ocean- Nostalgia, Ultra
27. The Go! Team- Rolling Blackouts
28. Grives- Together/Apart
29. Hail Mary Mallon- Are You Gonna Eat That?
30. J. Cole- Cole World: The Sideline Story
31. Jay-Z and Kanye West- Watch the Throne
32. Kendrick Lamar- Section .80
33. Lights- Siberia
34. Lil B- I’m Gay (I’m Happy)
35. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter IV
36. Limp Bizkit- Gold Cobra
37. Little Dragon-Ritual Union
38. The Lonely Island- Turtleneck and Chain
39. Lupe Fiasco- Lasers
40. Mac Miller- Best Day Ever
41. Mac Miller- Blue Slide Park
42. Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math
43. Mastodon- The Hunter
44. Patrick Stump- Soul Punk
45. Primus- Green Naugahyde
46. Pusha T- Fear of God
47. Pusha T- Fear of God II: Let us Pray
48. Raekwon- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
49. The Roots- Undun
50. Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
51. Slaughterhouse- The Slaughterhouse EP
52. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
53. Steel Panther- Balls Out
54. The Strokes- Angles
55. T-Pain- rEVOLVEr
56. Tech N9ne- All 6’s and 7’s
57. Thundercat- The Golden Age of Apocalypse
58. Tune-Yards- w H o K i L l
59. TV on the Radio- 9 Types of Light
60. Tyler, The Creator- Goblin
61. Wale- Ambition
62. The Weekend- House of Balloons
63. Wiz Khalifa- Rolling Papers
64. Yellowcard- When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes
The Preface:
Okay, sixty four albums this year. That’s a lot. A lot more than I’ve listened to in past years. There are some obvious ones that’ll get knocked off just because they don’t live up to the hype, or I just expected them to be bad. But this year has been a year of real musical discovery for me. Maybe it’s because I had a lot more free time over the past several months than I did in college, or maybe it’s because I’ve been reading blogs like The Needle Drop and a little Pitchfork, or watching reviews on Youtube, but I have expanded my pallet a lot more this year. But don’t let me listening to more give you the impression that these blogs and websites and vloggers have a stronger influence on how I feel about what I'm listening. I love suggestions, but I still have the same tastes I’ve had in the past. So you can say “So he listened to St. Vincent, how can he put Yellowcard or Limp Bizkit above them on a ‘best of’ list?” and I remind you this is NOT a ‘best of 2011’ list, this is my FAVORITE albums. Don’t confuse the two. You may see some albums on this list that don’t show up on others, and that’s because I love what I love. So, I hope you enjoy the list as it comes to you! It was a tough one to make!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Review!
I remember the first time I heard the Beastie Boys very well. My mom and I had driven to pick my brother up from his trumpet lesson, I was in middle school and was too young to be left at home to my own devices for small periods of time. However, I was allowed to be left in a Subaru Outback while my mom went inside and paid my brothers instructor and chatted for a moment. I’d usually dart the radio to Connecticut’s “alternative” rock station 104.1 and pray to hear some Linkin Park, Nirvana or whatever else I had heard on MTV2 that week. But one day, as I turned the dial I heard something unique. An alien-like voice rapping over a heavily layered and catchy beat, repeating one line over and over again. Fast forward to getting home and logging onto Napster, when I typed “Intergalactic” into the search bar, my view on music changed forever.
So, here I am, ten years later, and the Beastie Boys have become one of my favorite groups of all time. Over the years I have come to own all of their LP’s, even the awfully recorded punk rock demos Some Old Bullshit. And after their last two albums, my love and anticipation for new material has sort of stagnated, 2003’s To The 5 Boroughs was a step back in every aspect, it came off as a generic, run of the mill hip-hop record, from a group synonymous with changing the game, and 2007’s The Mix Up, while entertaning, did nothing to further the artistic vision of the Beastie Boys. So in 2009, when Adam “MCA” Yauch announced that an immediate need to treat lymph node cancer would put their forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part One on hold, I wasn’t all that upset (for the lack of an album, I was upset he was sick). I did enjoy the collabo-track “Too Many Rappers” that came out, featuring another prolific New York rapper, NaS. But even with that one new song, I wasn’t back on the “The Beastie Boys are the greatest group in hip-hop!” train.
Then, just a few weeks ago, the rumblings started. Amidst the obscene hype of new-coming hip-hoppers like Odd Future, Lil’ B, and the slew of other characters trying to catch my attention, the Beastie Boys released a trailer. It featured comedians Danny McBride, Seth Rogen and hobbit Elijah Wood in the same get-ups that the B-Boys wore in their iconic music video “Fight For Your Right” walking down the streets of New York crossing paths with the likes of Ted Dansen, Susan Sarandon, Orlando Bloom, Will Arnett and a load of other notable comedy names. Fast forward to the film’s release, and it is hilarious! But the music stood out between the a-list cameos and hijinks. There were a few tunes highlighted that were downright awesome. And with that, I was back.
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two picks up creatively where their iconic Hello Nasty ended. Within the first few moments of the album, we are given a new vision on the classic B-Boys sound. The first track, which is chopped up throughout their film, “Make Some Noise” is everything us Beastie fans have been without. Funky keyboards and live instruments reminiscent of Check Your Heads and The Mix-Up with the catchy and trademarked lyrical style that has made the group the icons they are. This song is a perfect opener, because it really sweeps the listener back into what the Beastie Boys are all about. While the chorus is a tad cliché (“Party on the left / Party on the right / Party for your mother fucking right to fight”) the sheer catchiness of the ordeal overshadows that. The next track features a bass line very similar stylistically to Herbie Hancock’s classic “Watermelon Man” over minimalist drums and tinny vocals. Mike D has a fun verse, but as the track goes on it gets a tad boring, especially when the vocal mix gets more and more tweaked. I mean, I understand stylistically this is something we’ve never really heard, but considering the beat is so minimal and the flow is laid back, that’s not necessary in my opinion.
The next track “Ok” kicks off with a more rock-feel, frequent collaborator Money Mark plays a simple keyboard lick and Mike D plays a straightforward rock beat. The verse lyrics are kind of boring, but in the chorus we see the Boys properly utilizing vocal effects, as a robot-like character gets soloed in a catchy and appropriate way. “Too Many Rappers” follows “Ok”, touting a ‘New Reactionaries Version’ following the title, and considering how much I loved the original version of this song, I am floored by this version. The easiest way to describe the remix would be inflated. It’s as if the 2009 version was stuck with a plug and pumped full of air. Everything is so much more resonant, the vocals echo from time to time and an added keyboard layer really adds a spacey dimension to this. My only problem with this track is minor, and it’s that NaS didn’t come in and spit a new verse. We hear changes from the boys, but NaS’s output is exactly the same as it was 2 years ago. His verse was good, so my complaint comes only as a super-fan.
A highlight follows “Too Many Rappers”, the song “Say It” feels like it belongs on Ill Communication. It’s dirty, features a punky guitar line and chorus. This fits very nicely next to their smash hit “Sabotage” and while that albums sound turns off some fans, I think it’s great, and this song is a nice throwback to that style. There’s a feel of angst and aggression that made me forget that these guys are in their mid 40’s. After a skit, the album changes pace with the reggae sounding “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” featuring Santigold. At first, I was really turned off to this song, it sort of sticks out like a sore thumb, but the more I listen to this album, the more I like this track. It’s really an area the Boys haven’t approached in this style. It’s got a catchy chorus from Santigold and the verses are solid. The next few tracks are more of what has been established on the first few tracks, “Long Burn the Fire” and “Funky Donkey” are both decent songs.
“Tadlock’s Glasses” follows another interlude and is one of the coolest beats on the album. This song was originally the title track of the album, and with good reason, it’s really unique. The samples are really cool, and the returning spacey vocals actually fit properly. “Lee Majors Comes Again” is another punky number that reminds me of their days as a legitimate punk rock band. It’s an odd track, and I can see it being something that the true hip-hop fans don’t like, but I think it’s pretty cool. They follow that with “Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament” a funky instrumental that acts as a nice cool down point following the loud and perhaps polarizing “Lee Majors”. The album ends with two decent tracks and a final skit, all of which entertain, but don’t do too much to make the album better or worse. Ending on a more bland note is a bit upsetting, but considering the bang of the first few tracks, it’s entirely forgivable.
At the end of the day there are visible errors with this album, problems that I can point at and say “I don’t like this thing” or “I wish they hadn’t done this,” but for every one of those moments there are two or three ones where I find myself going “That is really cool.” So the minor errors, ones that don’t have a truly negative effect on the songs, are entirely overshadowed by the unique, refreshing sound of the Beastie Boys. Having listened to this album several times, I can gladly say that it ranks among their best, and is sure to please true fans of the group. Also, I think it’s worth noting that this album has a much wider appeal, in the diversity of songs and beats, non-fans may find this album easier to dive into than say Check Your Head or even their debut. As of this moment, this is my favorite album of the year thus far. Will it hold onto that coveted title? Only time will tell.
So, here I am, ten years later, and the Beastie Boys have become one of my favorite groups of all time. Over the years I have come to own all of their LP’s, even the awfully recorded punk rock demos Some Old Bullshit. And after their last two albums, my love and anticipation for new material has sort of stagnated, 2003’s To The 5 Boroughs was a step back in every aspect, it came off as a generic, run of the mill hip-hop record, from a group synonymous with changing the game, and 2007’s The Mix Up, while entertaning, did nothing to further the artistic vision of the Beastie Boys. So in 2009, when Adam “MCA” Yauch announced that an immediate need to treat lymph node cancer would put their forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part One on hold, I wasn’t all that upset (for the lack of an album, I was upset he was sick). I did enjoy the collabo-track “Too Many Rappers” that came out, featuring another prolific New York rapper, NaS. But even with that one new song, I wasn’t back on the “The Beastie Boys are the greatest group in hip-hop!” train.
Then, just a few weeks ago, the rumblings started. Amidst the obscene hype of new-coming hip-hoppers like Odd Future, Lil’ B, and the slew of other characters trying to catch my attention, the Beastie Boys released a trailer. It featured comedians Danny McBride, Seth Rogen and hobbit Elijah Wood in the same get-ups that the B-Boys wore in their iconic music video “Fight For Your Right” walking down the streets of New York crossing paths with the likes of Ted Dansen, Susan Sarandon, Orlando Bloom, Will Arnett and a load of other notable comedy names. Fast forward to the film’s release, and it is hilarious! But the music stood out between the a-list cameos and hijinks. There were a few tunes highlighted that were downright awesome. And with that, I was back.
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two picks up creatively where their iconic Hello Nasty ended. Within the first few moments of the album, we are given a new vision on the classic B-Boys sound. The first track, which is chopped up throughout their film, “Make Some Noise” is everything us Beastie fans have been without. Funky keyboards and live instruments reminiscent of Check Your Heads and The Mix-Up with the catchy and trademarked lyrical style that has made the group the icons they are. This song is a perfect opener, because it really sweeps the listener back into what the Beastie Boys are all about. While the chorus is a tad cliché (“Party on the left / Party on the right / Party for your mother fucking right to fight”) the sheer catchiness of the ordeal overshadows that. The next track features a bass line very similar stylistically to Herbie Hancock’s classic “Watermelon Man” over minimalist drums and tinny vocals. Mike D has a fun verse, but as the track goes on it gets a tad boring, especially when the vocal mix gets more and more tweaked. I mean, I understand stylistically this is something we’ve never really heard, but considering the beat is so minimal and the flow is laid back, that’s not necessary in my opinion.
The next track “Ok” kicks off with a more rock-feel, frequent collaborator Money Mark plays a simple keyboard lick and Mike D plays a straightforward rock beat. The verse lyrics are kind of boring, but in the chorus we see the Boys properly utilizing vocal effects, as a robot-like character gets soloed in a catchy and appropriate way. “Too Many Rappers” follows “Ok”, touting a ‘New Reactionaries Version’ following the title, and considering how much I loved the original version of this song, I am floored by this version. The easiest way to describe the remix would be inflated. It’s as if the 2009 version was stuck with a plug and pumped full of air. Everything is so much more resonant, the vocals echo from time to time and an added keyboard layer really adds a spacey dimension to this. My only problem with this track is minor, and it’s that NaS didn’t come in and spit a new verse. We hear changes from the boys, but NaS’s output is exactly the same as it was 2 years ago. His verse was good, so my complaint comes only as a super-fan.
A highlight follows “Too Many Rappers”, the song “Say It” feels like it belongs on Ill Communication. It’s dirty, features a punky guitar line and chorus. This fits very nicely next to their smash hit “Sabotage” and while that albums sound turns off some fans, I think it’s great, and this song is a nice throwback to that style. There’s a feel of angst and aggression that made me forget that these guys are in their mid 40’s. After a skit, the album changes pace with the reggae sounding “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” featuring Santigold. At first, I was really turned off to this song, it sort of sticks out like a sore thumb, but the more I listen to this album, the more I like this track. It’s really an area the Boys haven’t approached in this style. It’s got a catchy chorus from Santigold and the verses are solid. The next few tracks are more of what has been established on the first few tracks, “Long Burn the Fire” and “Funky Donkey” are both decent songs.
“Tadlock’s Glasses” follows another interlude and is one of the coolest beats on the album. This song was originally the title track of the album, and with good reason, it’s really unique. The samples are really cool, and the returning spacey vocals actually fit properly. “Lee Majors Comes Again” is another punky number that reminds me of their days as a legitimate punk rock band. It’s an odd track, and I can see it being something that the true hip-hop fans don’t like, but I think it’s pretty cool. They follow that with “Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament” a funky instrumental that acts as a nice cool down point following the loud and perhaps polarizing “Lee Majors”. The album ends with two decent tracks and a final skit, all of which entertain, but don’t do too much to make the album better or worse. Ending on a more bland note is a bit upsetting, but considering the bang of the first few tracks, it’s entirely forgivable.
At the end of the day there are visible errors with this album, problems that I can point at and say “I don’t like this thing” or “I wish they hadn’t done this,” but for every one of those moments there are two or three ones where I find myself going “That is really cool.” So the minor errors, ones that don’t have a truly negative effect on the songs, are entirely overshadowed by the unique, refreshing sound of the Beastie Boys. Having listened to this album several times, I can gladly say that it ranks among their best, and is sure to please true fans of the group. Also, I think it’s worth noting that this album has a much wider appeal, in the diversity of songs and beats, non-fans may find this album easier to dive into than say Check Your Head or even their debut. As of this moment, this is my favorite album of the year thus far. Will it hold onto that coveted title? Only time will tell.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The WWE Draft: It All Starts (or Ends) Here
The following is essentially a rant, so excuse any misspellings or grammar issues.
So tonight is the WWE Draft, an event that has become synonymous with crushing momentum, prematurely ending careers, and very rarely, causing for some good feuds. Not to say that every single move in the draft is a bad one, but for the most part, the major trades have resulted in the previously mentioned negative things. We saw Jim Ross go from being the voice of WWE’s flagship programming to miserably calling Smackdown for a handful of months. Not to mention the Draft acts as a precursor to layoffs, which have been discussed for a long while. Here are my thoughts on the Draft, some obvious, some less so.
Smackdown obviously needs a major face with a lot of charisma and one who is not accident prone. Randy Orton obviously tops that list, as the WWE clearly won’t move John Cena off of Raw. But will they take that risk with moving Orton, another big ratings draw that has a good reputation among fans of all ages and genders? Smackdown is not short on face main event players, but they are certainly lacking that one guy who can carry them like Edge was and like Cena and Batista were in the past. I think this would be a great opportunity for them to start building Kofi Kingston as a legitimate main event player, or perhaps move John Morrison over and do something with him. WWE is failing at pushing young talents properly, and taking a risk of making JoMo or Kofi the posterboy for Smackdown is certainly a risk, it’s one that could yield long terms results, not to mention WWE fans won’t stop watching WWE because one aspect of the two hour show isn’t to their liking. I mean, I’ve lasted this long.
Another thing that I think this draft needs to do is re-evaluate the main event scene for both shows. The lines are so blurry, it’s confusing as to who is a legitimate threat and who is just being pushed to the upper mid-card just to hang there for a long time. The definite main eventers are clear, Cena, Orton, Mysterio, Undertaker, The Miz, and Aberto Del Rio (also Triple H, who is being less and less active). However, it’s the grey area guys that need to be defined. And that is a larger list of people who have held major titles or been contenders for a long time. People like CM Punk, Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Christian, R-Truth, Wade Barrett, Kane and The Big Show, all ride this constant purgatory of being pushed to the main event and getting title shots and then winding up in mindless feuds that never result in anything. A year ago Jack Swagger was the World Heavyweight Champion, now he’s Michael Cole’s lackey. For the entire second half of last year Kane was dominating a feud with the Undertaker, a well deserved bone being thrown his way after years of having no credibility, but now he struts around the ring doing the trombone thing with Santino. And the most annoying of all of these de-pushes (why isn’t the term PULL used more often?) are two of the best guys on the roster, Sheamus and Wade Barrett. Sheamus is a 2 time WWE champion and Barrett spent most of last year in a massive angle with John Cena, now both of them wear defining mid-card titles. I think if both of these guys dropped their belts and switched brands they would both benefit.
"We'll both be irrelevant in a matter of months."
You could have Sheamus drop the belt to Daniel Bryan in a good match, and move him to Smackdown and have him challenge the likes of Christian and Mysterio. Then you can have Barrett drop the title to someone along the lines of Chavo Guerrero, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins or one of the hundred other wrestlers who have nothing going for them. Then Barrett could go back to Raw, where he has beef with literally everyone from Cena to Orton to the Nexus to former Nexus members who are still around...no disrespect is meant to The Corre, but we all know that both Nexus and Corre have overstayed their welcome. You could even have Barrett go to Raw and leave the Corre behind, just to have the New Nexus jump him and have the Corre invade to make the save, which could culminate in one last feud for both groups with the Corre as faces and the Nexus as heels. It’d make the whole thing go full circle and could help establish the individual members of these groups rather than just Punk and Barrett, their leaders.
I also think strong tag teams need to be formed or cultivated in this draft. There are only really four functioning tag teams in the entire WWE, the champs Kane and Big Show (wait didn’t I bring their names up before?), Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, The Uso’s and Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov. WWE is certainly undermining the potential of their tag team division. Edge, Christian, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, John Morrison, The Miz, Triple H and countless others are all products of TAG TEAMS, so to package young, unused talents as credible tag teams could easily jet them to fame. Trent Barreta and Curt Hawkins are already essentially a tag team, give them matching tights and push them as another incarnation of the Dudebusters, bring back the Hart Dynasty (why did they even break them up?), make David Otunga and Mike McGilligutty a legitimate team, and have Yoshi Tatsu and Evan Bourne team up to be a new Rockers sort of team and you have some potential to have great matches! That way all of that wasted talent would no longer be wasted!
Also, the announcing situation has to be addressed. Good things have come of the recent Jerry Lawler/Michael Cole feud, and also several bad things have as well. The good, the best in fact, is that Jim Ross is back announcing. Ross is a god, the voice of the WWE, and having him around is a pleasure, and I pray that McMahon can understand that while he is aging, it’s better to have Ross wind down his career doing what he’s best at, than having him sit at home and squander his talent posting on Twitter. No offense is meant to Michael Cole of course, the man has a lot of talent and has been doing his thing for a long time, it’s just since NXT started and he became more of a heel, he’s been taking his toll on me as well as a whole bunch of loyal fans. If he were put on just one of WWE’s shows that’d be fine. Also Booker T is bad. Either Vince isn’t letting him be himself or he is honestly terrible at announcing. He has a few decent quips here and there, but his voice is so tolling and he just babbles. Isn’t Nash on the WWE’s payroll? Bring him in to replace Booker T.
This will give Jenna Morasca vs. Queen Sharmell a run for its money.
As far as cuts are concerned, I think a bunch of them are obvious if creative hasn’t come up with some plans behind the backs of viewers. Curt Hawkins, JTG, Trent Barreta, Tyson Kidd, D.H. Smith, Husky Harris, The Uso’s, and Tyler Reks have been doing absolutely nothing for the past few months. Not to mention Youtube sensation Zack Ryder hasn’t been given anything despite his amazing charisma and eagerness to perform (I do recommend those interested check out Z True Long Island Story if you are a fan of WWE, Ryder is funny and he really shows he should be used more prominently). Not to mention, the guys in the back have started confiscating Ryder signs for some strange reason. You think confiscating signs will make people stop wishing for more Zack Ryder? Come on...
If only he had the production budget of Raw or Smackdown, he would have more than a home made poster to stand in front of.
So that’s it. Tonight has potential to change things for the better in WWE, but will they take advantage of the opportunity or will they continue to disrespect their longtime fans with this poor quality programming.
So tonight is the WWE Draft, an event that has become synonymous with crushing momentum, prematurely ending careers, and very rarely, causing for some good feuds. Not to say that every single move in the draft is a bad one, but for the most part, the major trades have resulted in the previously mentioned negative things. We saw Jim Ross go from being the voice of WWE’s flagship programming to miserably calling Smackdown for a handful of months. Not to mention the Draft acts as a precursor to layoffs, which have been discussed for a long while. Here are my thoughts on the Draft, some obvious, some less so.
Smackdown obviously needs a major face with a lot of charisma and one who is not accident prone. Randy Orton obviously tops that list, as the WWE clearly won’t move John Cena off of Raw. But will they take that risk with moving Orton, another big ratings draw that has a good reputation among fans of all ages and genders? Smackdown is not short on face main event players, but they are certainly lacking that one guy who can carry them like Edge was and like Cena and Batista were in the past. I think this would be a great opportunity for them to start building Kofi Kingston as a legitimate main event player, or perhaps move John Morrison over and do something with him. WWE is failing at pushing young talents properly, and taking a risk of making JoMo or Kofi the posterboy for Smackdown is certainly a risk, it’s one that could yield long terms results, not to mention WWE fans won’t stop watching WWE because one aspect of the two hour show isn’t to their liking. I mean, I’ve lasted this long.
Another thing that I think this draft needs to do is re-evaluate the main event scene for both shows. The lines are so blurry, it’s confusing as to who is a legitimate threat and who is just being pushed to the upper mid-card just to hang there for a long time. The definite main eventers are clear, Cena, Orton, Mysterio, Undertaker, The Miz, and Aberto Del Rio (also Triple H, who is being less and less active). However, it’s the grey area guys that need to be defined. And that is a larger list of people who have held major titles or been contenders for a long time. People like CM Punk, Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Christian, R-Truth, Wade Barrett, Kane and The Big Show, all ride this constant purgatory of being pushed to the main event and getting title shots and then winding up in mindless feuds that never result in anything. A year ago Jack Swagger was the World Heavyweight Champion, now he’s Michael Cole’s lackey. For the entire second half of last year Kane was dominating a feud with the Undertaker, a well deserved bone being thrown his way after years of having no credibility, but now he struts around the ring doing the trombone thing with Santino. And the most annoying of all of these de-pushes (why isn’t the term PULL used more often?) are two of the best guys on the roster, Sheamus and Wade Barrett. Sheamus is a 2 time WWE champion and Barrett spent most of last year in a massive angle with John Cena, now both of them wear defining mid-card titles. I think if both of these guys dropped their belts and switched brands they would both benefit.
"We'll both be irrelevant in a matter of months."
You could have Sheamus drop the belt to Daniel Bryan in a good match, and move him to Smackdown and have him challenge the likes of Christian and Mysterio. Then you can have Barrett drop the title to someone along the lines of Chavo Guerrero, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins or one of the hundred other wrestlers who have nothing going for them. Then Barrett could go back to Raw, where he has beef with literally everyone from Cena to Orton to the Nexus to former Nexus members who are still around...no disrespect is meant to The Corre, but we all know that both Nexus and Corre have overstayed their welcome. You could even have Barrett go to Raw and leave the Corre behind, just to have the New Nexus jump him and have the Corre invade to make the save, which could culminate in one last feud for both groups with the Corre as faces and the Nexus as heels. It’d make the whole thing go full circle and could help establish the individual members of these groups rather than just Punk and Barrett, their leaders.
I also think strong tag teams need to be formed or cultivated in this draft. There are only really four functioning tag teams in the entire WWE, the champs Kane and Big Show (wait didn’t I bring their names up before?), Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, The Uso’s and Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov. WWE is certainly undermining the potential of their tag team division. Edge, Christian, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, John Morrison, The Miz, Triple H and countless others are all products of TAG TEAMS, so to package young, unused talents as credible tag teams could easily jet them to fame. Trent Barreta and Curt Hawkins are already essentially a tag team, give them matching tights and push them as another incarnation of the Dudebusters, bring back the Hart Dynasty (why did they even break them up?), make David Otunga and Mike McGilligutty a legitimate team, and have Yoshi Tatsu and Evan Bourne team up to be a new Rockers sort of team and you have some potential to have great matches! That way all of that wasted talent would no longer be wasted!
Also, the announcing situation has to be addressed. Good things have come of the recent Jerry Lawler/Michael Cole feud, and also several bad things have as well. The good, the best in fact, is that Jim Ross is back announcing. Ross is a god, the voice of the WWE, and having him around is a pleasure, and I pray that McMahon can understand that while he is aging, it’s better to have Ross wind down his career doing what he’s best at, than having him sit at home and squander his talent posting on Twitter. No offense is meant to Michael Cole of course, the man has a lot of talent and has been doing his thing for a long time, it’s just since NXT started and he became more of a heel, he’s been taking his toll on me as well as a whole bunch of loyal fans. If he were put on just one of WWE’s shows that’d be fine. Also Booker T is bad. Either Vince isn’t letting him be himself or he is honestly terrible at announcing. He has a few decent quips here and there, but his voice is so tolling and he just babbles. Isn’t Nash on the WWE’s payroll? Bring him in to replace Booker T.
This will give Jenna Morasca vs. Queen Sharmell a run for its money.
As far as cuts are concerned, I think a bunch of them are obvious if creative hasn’t come up with some plans behind the backs of viewers. Curt Hawkins, JTG, Trent Barreta, Tyson Kidd, D.H. Smith, Husky Harris, The Uso’s, and Tyler Reks have been doing absolutely nothing for the past few months. Not to mention Youtube sensation Zack Ryder hasn’t been given anything despite his amazing charisma and eagerness to perform (I do recommend those interested check out Z True Long Island Story if you are a fan of WWE, Ryder is funny and he really shows he should be used more prominently). Not to mention, the guys in the back have started confiscating Ryder signs for some strange reason. You think confiscating signs will make people stop wishing for more Zack Ryder? Come on...
If only he had the production budget of Raw or Smackdown, he would have more than a home made poster to stand in front of.
So that’s it. Tonight has potential to change things for the better in WWE, but will they take advantage of the opportunity or will they continue to disrespect their longtime fans with this poor quality programming.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Prowrasslin' Roundup!
This is the big weekend for pro wrestling, so I'd like to come here and just give my opinions on the goings on in Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action and World Wrestling Entertainment. I am also doing this from my now functioning dual monitor setup. I like it a lot, but it really strains my eyes after an hour or so. But how is that relevant?
Ring of Honor
-This weekend is ROH's 'Honor Takes Center Stage' series which are both pretty awesome shows (one of them is over and I haven't read the results). It's good for ROH to put on high profile shows Wrestlemania weekend in Atlanta. Especially considering they are putting on two. I am glad Shelton and Charlie are wrestling on both shows, and I pray the Briscoes destroy them.
-Eddie Edwards won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from my guy Roderick Strong. I feel like they are jumping the gun with Edwards. He's a phenomenal talent, and one that certainly is Championship material, I just think giving him the belt at this juncture is a bit quick, and really takes away from Roddy's title reign. Eddie Edwards was trending on Twitter, which is amazing! I pray that ROH fans keep up the networking regarding the product, it is amazing and it can truly vill the void presented by WWE and...
Total Nonstop Action
-A lot of stuff has happened in TNA since I last updated this blog. So allow me to pull my tweets from the now infamous 80 second main event where a stoned Jeff Hardy came out visibly inebriated and unable to perform, and after Sting won, he acknowledged the fans "Bullsh*t!" chants by shrugging and saying "I know!" Here is my tweet (remember to follow me @DH_Winchell, I have protected tweets, but accept pretty much all follower requests)....
-Bringing back Christopher Daniels is not a bad move, but it is an upsetting one. His move to ROH showed that he has passion for THIS BUSINESS rather than a paycheck. Aligning him with Fortune is brilliant though, and if they toss Samoa Joe in there as well and promote Fortune as the Whose Who in TNA it can really be a good stable of deserving people.
-I am sick of nearly every feud in TNA right now. I am sick of the main event, even though I like all of the wrestlers in it. It's stale and it takes away credibility from the wrestlers in it. Mr. Anderson is still young, I shouldn't be so tired of him yet.
-The hypnotizing angle with Angelina Love/Velvet Sky/Winter is absurd. It's so unrealistic. Not only because the hypnotizing is dumb, but because Winter was in WWE and garnered a decent amount of respect as Katie Lea Burchill. When they go "Where did she come from!?" I just want to call Dixie Carter and say "I remember her from ECW on SyFy 2 years ago."
World Wrestling Entertainment
-Wrestlemania is shaping up to be great. I am really proud of the people in WWE for putting on Monday's Raw. The energy was high, the star power was there, and the writing for the most part was good. In wrestling, it's upsetting to see such piss poor writing as of lately, because it makes non-fans who flip by it on TV go "Whoever watches this is a moron." but when they see The Rock in an awesome bit, or see guys like Sheamus, Daniel Bryan and more bust their rears on TV they may be more likely to leave it on.
-A lot of people have been criticizing the youth movement and saying The Miz and Alberto Del Rio have been pushed too quickly and neither deserve a major title. I disagree entirely. Miz has the work ethic of a poor person! The guy is working his tail off promoting WWE and for critics to say he's not a great wrestler and people hate him are jaded fans. As far as Del Rio is concerned, his buildup has been superb and completely logical. It made sense for him to have those series of matches with Rey Mysterio, and then injuring Christian only to take on his real life best friend at Mania is perfect. Not to mention that in the process of putting himself over, Del Rio has brought Christian up to the main event level without forcing him. If Vince denies him the chance for a good heel run or a face one against Del Rio he is a fool. Look at the pops Christian is getting.
-Triple H/Undertaker got really good Monday when Shawn Michaels came out. I had no excitement for this match until that promo. Does it deserve to close the show? No. Not in my opinion at least. We all know Undertaker is going to win. Triple H doesn't deserve to be able to say that he ended the streak.
-As far as The Rock's return, I am a bit jaded. I am siding with Cena here, or whoever wrote Cena's first and final promos against Rocky. I love The Rock, but for him to basically command the fans to turn on Cena is so dumb! Cena HAS been working his tail off for more than half a decade and The Rock has the audacity to cut a clearly unwritten promo where he said he loves the people and he'll always be with the people, yet he swore off WWE before so many of his films flopped. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Rocky is back where he belongs, I just think his approach to his return is disrespectful.
-Snooki is on Wrestlemania in a match with John Morrison, Trish Stratus, Dolph Ziggler and Layla El and Michelle McCool. Biggest waste of 5 people for buys? And honestly who is buying Wrestlemania for Snooki?
That's it! I've been tuning into a podcast by wrestling critics Bill & Doug (youtube username rvdtito4life) and I think it's something all fans should listen to. BUT, I feel like they are very, very extreme in their opinions. I mean, it is entertainment. I left them a formspring question and they called me a loser, saying the Miz is good. So I mean, a good listen for people critical of the industry, but not one to really stand behind, because they are just angry, cynical non-fans.
Ring of Honor
-This weekend is ROH's 'Honor Takes Center Stage' series which are both pretty awesome shows (one of them is over and I haven't read the results). It's good for ROH to put on high profile shows Wrestlemania weekend in Atlanta. Especially considering they are putting on two. I am glad Shelton and Charlie are wrestling on both shows, and I pray the Briscoes destroy them.
-Eddie Edwards won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from my guy Roderick Strong. I feel like they are jumping the gun with Edwards. He's a phenomenal talent, and one that certainly is Championship material, I just think giving him the belt at this juncture is a bit quick, and really takes away from Roddy's title reign. Eddie Edwards was trending on Twitter, which is amazing! I pray that ROH fans keep up the networking regarding the product, it is amazing and it can truly vill the void presented by WWE and...
Total Nonstop Action
-A lot of stuff has happened in TNA since I last updated this blog. So allow me to pull my tweets from the now infamous 80 second main event where a stoned Jeff Hardy came out visibly inebriated and unable to perform, and after Sting won, he acknowledged the fans "Bullsh*t!" chants by shrugging and saying "I know!" Here is my tweet (remember to follow me @DH_Winchell, I have protected tweets, but accept pretty much all follower requests)....
Good to know that at every corner of his career @jeffhardybrand continues to screw up and let his fans and employers down. Pathetic.
-Bringing back Christopher Daniels is not a bad move, but it is an upsetting one. His move to ROH showed that he has passion for THIS BUSINESS rather than a paycheck. Aligning him with Fortune is brilliant though, and if they toss Samoa Joe in there as well and promote Fortune as the Whose Who in TNA it can really be a good stable of deserving people.
-I am sick of nearly every feud in TNA right now. I am sick of the main event, even though I like all of the wrestlers in it. It's stale and it takes away credibility from the wrestlers in it. Mr. Anderson is still young, I shouldn't be so tired of him yet.
-The hypnotizing angle with Angelina Love/Velvet Sky/Winter is absurd. It's so unrealistic. Not only because the hypnotizing is dumb, but because Winter was in WWE and garnered a decent amount of respect as Katie Lea Burchill. When they go "Where did she come from!?" I just want to call Dixie Carter and say "I remember her from ECW on SyFy 2 years ago."
World Wrestling Entertainment
-Wrestlemania is shaping up to be great. I am really proud of the people in WWE for putting on Monday's Raw. The energy was high, the star power was there, and the writing for the most part was good. In wrestling, it's upsetting to see such piss poor writing as of lately, because it makes non-fans who flip by it on TV go "Whoever watches this is a moron." but when they see The Rock in an awesome bit, or see guys like Sheamus, Daniel Bryan and more bust their rears on TV they may be more likely to leave it on.
-A lot of people have been criticizing the youth movement and saying The Miz and Alberto Del Rio have been pushed too quickly and neither deserve a major title. I disagree entirely. Miz has the work ethic of a poor person! The guy is working his tail off promoting WWE and for critics to say he's not a great wrestler and people hate him are jaded fans. As far as Del Rio is concerned, his buildup has been superb and completely logical. It made sense for him to have those series of matches with Rey Mysterio, and then injuring Christian only to take on his real life best friend at Mania is perfect. Not to mention that in the process of putting himself over, Del Rio has brought Christian up to the main event level without forcing him. If Vince denies him the chance for a good heel run or a face one against Del Rio he is a fool. Look at the pops Christian is getting.
-Triple H/Undertaker got really good Monday when Shawn Michaels came out. I had no excitement for this match until that promo. Does it deserve to close the show? No. Not in my opinion at least. We all know Undertaker is going to win. Triple H doesn't deserve to be able to say that he ended the streak.
-As far as The Rock's return, I am a bit jaded. I am siding with Cena here, or whoever wrote Cena's first and final promos against Rocky. I love The Rock, but for him to basically command the fans to turn on Cena is so dumb! Cena HAS been working his tail off for more than half a decade and The Rock has the audacity to cut a clearly unwritten promo where he said he loves the people and he'll always be with the people, yet he swore off WWE before so many of his films flopped. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Rocky is back where he belongs, I just think his approach to his return is disrespectful.
-Snooki is on Wrestlemania in a match with John Morrison, Trish Stratus, Dolph Ziggler and Layla El and Michelle McCool. Biggest waste of 5 people for buys? And honestly who is buying Wrestlemania for Snooki?
That's it! I've been tuning into a podcast by wrestling critics Bill & Doug (youtube username rvdtito4life) and I think it's something all fans should listen to. BUT, I feel like they are very, very extreme in their opinions. I mean, it is entertainment. I left them a formspring question and they called me a loser, saying the Miz is good. So I mean, a good listen for people critical of the industry, but not one to really stand behind, because they are just angry, cynical non-fans.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Shuffle=Life
I read this thing on the Rate Your Music forums asking people to shuffle their iTunes and describe the first 20 songs and see how they define them as music listeners. I like the idea, but since it’s a 6 page thread that no one cares about I’d rather post something like this here, especially since I haven’t posted in a while. So...20 randomly shuffled songs from my iTunes. I’m going to hone down onto my “NO FAIL” playlist which is made of like 600 songs which I would listen to on the train during my NYC commute last year and working with Hofstra Concerts in the office. Yeah 600 songs on a playlist. It used to be called “The Unskippables” but since I end up skipping songs I felt that “NO FAIL” is better, because while I may skip songs, it doesn’t mean they “fail”. So let’s go.
1. Notorious B.I.G.- Machine Gun Funk
Biggie is an obvious rapper to have on ones iTunes, and “Machine Gun Funk” is one of his more well known songs, but it’s not like “Juicy” or “Hypnotize” where it’s gotten to the point where every annoying non-rap fan can spit along with him. This is a raw track, probably my favorite B.I.G. track. I remember one time at work this 35 year old black guy like challenged me when I said I liked B.I.G and put me on the spot to name one of his songs that I liked, and when I said this one he was like "Wow, good call."
2. The Dead Weather- Blue Blood Blues
Over the past year and some change I’ve really grown to love Jack White’s The Dead Weather. The textures and sounds that White and the crew choose to make their sound are pretty crazy. This song in particular kicks pretty hard, the bass has this effect on it where it sounds tougher than any distorted guitar. I mean, it’s not like a life changing song, but it creates this dirty, down south, real sex driven sound. Some people kinda hate on this album for White’s weird lyrics, but I dig ‘em.
3. Van Halen- Hot For Teacher
Don’t have to explain much here. This song has an awesome intro, the guitar tapping is pretty nutty. I remember I brought this song into Jim Clark, my old guitar teacher and said “I want to learn this,” and he was like “No, you want to learn that guitar part in the beginning,” and I was like “Yeah.” But the song is classic. Great song, great album it’s on. One of the best bands of all time.
4. The Doors- Peace Frog
I’ve never been a huge Doors fan, but this song I think is near perfect. The way it layers from drums to guitar to bass to keyboard to Morrison’s vocals is awesome. This song is on my mental list of tracks to cover before I die. Also when Morrison says “Blood on the street in the town of New Haven” I always go “Hey! My dad works in New Haven!’
5. Mos Def- Hip Hop
Oh boy, Black on Both Sides is like a perfect hip-hop album. What I think makes Mos Def great (and better than his Black Star partner Talib Kweli) is his charisma. Like he’s not the best rapper alive lyrically, but the way he delivers his words and adds the layers of himself rapping to add emphasis to what he’s saying. It also says a lot about the state of the game when he put this track out 12 years ago.
6. Black Milk- Give the Drummer Sum
I bought Tronic because people kept saying it was the best hip-hop album of 2008. But I remember I never found it when I went to FYE or indie record stores, and then like 8 months later I saw one copy at Best Buy and snatched it up. I really like the snare drum on the beat of this song, I think it drives Black Milk’s flow. I don’t listen to Black Milk enough.
7. The Who- Squeeze Box
There’s an episode of Freaks and Geeks where Lindsay’s Dad is skeptical about whether or not to let her go to a Who concert and he is listening to “Squeeze Box” with this look of horror on his face. I remember like being familiar with the song, but never really loving it until I saw that episode of Freaks and Geeks, I love the chorus’ vocal harmonies. And Mrs. Weir saying “They’re talking about an accordion!” I mean, they are. And there’s a banjo solo.
8. The Cutoff Frequency- As We Move Along
A few former band mates and a few friends make up this band, but that’s not the reason I have it on this playlist. I really like this song, I think the lyrics are really potent, and I think that anyone can relate to a song like this at some point in time. I also like the vocal harmonies a lot. And this version of the song (off their free LP Back to the Underpass) shows how a band can grow from release to release, even with the same material.
9. Tool- Schism
I’ve never been a huge Tool fan, but I feel like any rock fan under the age of 30 has to dig “Schism”. I remember in marching band one of the guys in my section used to play this guitar line all the time and it got me mad because A) I couldn’t play it and B) he wasn’t playing the marching band music. Also, this song really builds into a pretty heavy groove that rocks really hard.
10. Lily Allen- The Fear
I covered this song last year. It’s an awesome song. I like it because while it is a bitter view of fame and selling yourself, Lily kind of bought into a lot of this stuff between her first and second album. So like the line, “It doesn’t matter as long as I’m getting thinner’ is actually pretty resounding because Lily went from being like an average girl to like a super-hot pop star and this song kind of verifies that maybe it’s not all for personal gain.
11. The Kinks- This Time Tomorrow
One of the many songs I love due to a Wes Anderson movie. I remember learning this song on guitar and just playing it and singing along in my dorm. I really like the piano kind of simply going in the background while the guitar and organs are in the foreground. I also like the imagery here. This song kind of makes me feel like I don’t matter at all, but at the same time I am the man.
12. Guns N’ Roses- My Michelle
Dude. This song makes me want to fight someone. Axl Rose is not a great singer, but he is perfect in this song. He’s just like telling you that all of this terrible things are happening to you. Like when I’m listening to this song I imagine Axl pointing at me and telling me my mom does heroin. And I’m not like “My mom is a nice lady, stop that.” I’m like, “Okay Axl. Yes sir.”
13. Atmosphere- God Loves Ugly
The opening line “I wear my scars like the rings on a pimp” is totally awesome. And it’s just the beginning. The beat on this track is so bare and it has this dark quality to it, where the piano paints this slightly off, somewhat creepy plain in which Slug just weaves lyrics. I can’t recommend Atmosphere enough to people that haven’t given them a listen.
14. Billy Joel- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
I don’t like Billy Joel at all, but I love this song. And there is one reason. It’s the woodwinds that play in the chorus. Otherwise I’d say enough of this, but I can deal with Joel’s annoying lyrics if it means I get that cool sax line.
15. Chris Brown featuring Swizz Beats and Lil’ Wayne- I Can Transform Ya
This song is just awesome. The beat is awesome. Chris Brown is the worst part. I think this is a real moment in time song. Like everyone was like “Am I allowed to like this song?” and I think that’s why Wayne has two verses, because it’s sort of a pandering track. The easiest way for him to get back into relevance is with Lil’ Wayne. But it’s so damned catchy
16. Raekwon featuring Inpsectach Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah and Method Man- House of Flying Daggers
From Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...pt 2, this track is like Wu-Tang telling the world that they were still relevant and capable years after entering the game. It’s got that dark beat with the chorus looped in the background and the stringline chugging along. And the video for this song is awesome.
17. Lynrd Skynrd- Gimme Back My Bullets
Jay and Mark Briscoe used to come out to this song. And I remember when I first got really into Ring of Honor I listened to this song like 100 times a day. It’s such a badass, gritty song about southern boys bein’ southern boys. It’s also my ringtone.
18. Lordz of Brooklyn- Saturday Nite Fever
LoB is like an Italian version of House of Pain, which is pretty lame. But this song is cool because the beat is a sample of “American Woman” there is a line where the Everlast wannabe says “This is my pizzeria.” Like this song and this group aren't good by any stretch, but it's catchy.
19. Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer
Peter Gabriel is a nutcase but this song is pretty incredible. I think the arranging of this is it’s strongest point. Also the tone on the bass is really full and cool. I like the chorus chiming in letting Peter rock around like the middle aged freak he was when he wrote this song. Mike Falzone does a good cover of this song.
20. James A. Johnston- Break The Walls Down
Chris Jericho’s entrance theme is the best entrance song of all time. And I am not ashamed to listen to it. I am ashamed looking at how frequently I listen to it, but not at listening to it. It rocks pretty hard.
That's that. I've been getting some questions about writing about Wrestlemania, so I'll do something for that soon. I've also been SUPER busy on Rate Your Music, doing microreviews a lot, sometimes a few a day. So if you want short music-only stuff catch me over there! Until next time!
1. Notorious B.I.G.- Machine Gun Funk
Biggie is an obvious rapper to have on ones iTunes, and “Machine Gun Funk” is one of his more well known songs, but it’s not like “Juicy” or “Hypnotize” where it’s gotten to the point where every annoying non-rap fan can spit along with him. This is a raw track, probably my favorite B.I.G. track. I remember one time at work this 35 year old black guy like challenged me when I said I liked B.I.G and put me on the spot to name one of his songs that I liked, and when I said this one he was like "Wow, good call."
2. The Dead Weather- Blue Blood Blues
Over the past year and some change I’ve really grown to love Jack White’s The Dead Weather. The textures and sounds that White and the crew choose to make their sound are pretty crazy. This song in particular kicks pretty hard, the bass has this effect on it where it sounds tougher than any distorted guitar. I mean, it’s not like a life changing song, but it creates this dirty, down south, real sex driven sound. Some people kinda hate on this album for White’s weird lyrics, but I dig ‘em.
3. Van Halen- Hot For Teacher
Don’t have to explain much here. This song has an awesome intro, the guitar tapping is pretty nutty. I remember I brought this song into Jim Clark, my old guitar teacher and said “I want to learn this,” and he was like “No, you want to learn that guitar part in the beginning,” and I was like “Yeah.” But the song is classic. Great song, great album it’s on. One of the best bands of all time.
4. The Doors- Peace Frog
I’ve never been a huge Doors fan, but this song I think is near perfect. The way it layers from drums to guitar to bass to keyboard to Morrison’s vocals is awesome. This song is on my mental list of tracks to cover before I die. Also when Morrison says “Blood on the street in the town of New Haven” I always go “Hey! My dad works in New Haven!’
5. Mos Def- Hip Hop
Oh boy, Black on Both Sides is like a perfect hip-hop album. What I think makes Mos Def great (and better than his Black Star partner Talib Kweli) is his charisma. Like he’s not the best rapper alive lyrically, but the way he delivers his words and adds the layers of himself rapping to add emphasis to what he’s saying. It also says a lot about the state of the game when he put this track out 12 years ago.
6. Black Milk- Give the Drummer Sum
I bought Tronic because people kept saying it was the best hip-hop album of 2008. But I remember I never found it when I went to FYE or indie record stores, and then like 8 months later I saw one copy at Best Buy and snatched it up. I really like the snare drum on the beat of this song, I think it drives Black Milk’s flow. I don’t listen to Black Milk enough.
7. The Who- Squeeze Box
There’s an episode of Freaks and Geeks where Lindsay’s Dad is skeptical about whether or not to let her go to a Who concert and he is listening to “Squeeze Box” with this look of horror on his face. I remember like being familiar with the song, but never really loving it until I saw that episode of Freaks and Geeks, I love the chorus’ vocal harmonies. And Mrs. Weir saying “They’re talking about an accordion!” I mean, they are. And there’s a banjo solo.
8. The Cutoff Frequency- As We Move Along
A few former band mates and a few friends make up this band, but that’s not the reason I have it on this playlist. I really like this song, I think the lyrics are really potent, and I think that anyone can relate to a song like this at some point in time. I also like the vocal harmonies a lot. And this version of the song (off their free LP Back to the Underpass) shows how a band can grow from release to release, even with the same material.
9. Tool- Schism
I’ve never been a huge Tool fan, but I feel like any rock fan under the age of 30 has to dig “Schism”. I remember in marching band one of the guys in my section used to play this guitar line all the time and it got me mad because A) I couldn’t play it and B) he wasn’t playing the marching band music. Also, this song really builds into a pretty heavy groove that rocks really hard.
10. Lily Allen- The Fear
I covered this song last year. It’s an awesome song. I like it because while it is a bitter view of fame and selling yourself, Lily kind of bought into a lot of this stuff between her first and second album. So like the line, “It doesn’t matter as long as I’m getting thinner’ is actually pretty resounding because Lily went from being like an average girl to like a super-hot pop star and this song kind of verifies that maybe it’s not all for personal gain.
11. The Kinks- This Time Tomorrow
One of the many songs I love due to a Wes Anderson movie. I remember learning this song on guitar and just playing it and singing along in my dorm. I really like the piano kind of simply going in the background while the guitar and organs are in the foreground. I also like the imagery here. This song kind of makes me feel like I don’t matter at all, but at the same time I am the man.
12. Guns N’ Roses- My Michelle
Dude. This song makes me want to fight someone. Axl Rose is not a great singer, but he is perfect in this song. He’s just like telling you that all of this terrible things are happening to you. Like when I’m listening to this song I imagine Axl pointing at me and telling me my mom does heroin. And I’m not like “My mom is a nice lady, stop that.” I’m like, “Okay Axl. Yes sir.”
13. Atmosphere- God Loves Ugly
The opening line “I wear my scars like the rings on a pimp” is totally awesome. And it’s just the beginning. The beat on this track is so bare and it has this dark quality to it, where the piano paints this slightly off, somewhat creepy plain in which Slug just weaves lyrics. I can’t recommend Atmosphere enough to people that haven’t given them a listen.
14. Billy Joel- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
I don’t like Billy Joel at all, but I love this song. And there is one reason. It’s the woodwinds that play in the chorus. Otherwise I’d say enough of this, but I can deal with Joel’s annoying lyrics if it means I get that cool sax line.
15. Chris Brown featuring Swizz Beats and Lil’ Wayne- I Can Transform Ya
This song is just awesome. The beat is awesome. Chris Brown is the worst part. I think this is a real moment in time song. Like everyone was like “Am I allowed to like this song?” and I think that’s why Wayne has two verses, because it’s sort of a pandering track. The easiest way for him to get back into relevance is with Lil’ Wayne. But it’s so damned catchy
16. Raekwon featuring Inpsectach Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah and Method Man- House of Flying Daggers
From Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...pt 2, this track is like Wu-Tang telling the world that they were still relevant and capable years after entering the game. It’s got that dark beat with the chorus looped in the background and the stringline chugging along. And the video for this song is awesome.
17. Lynrd Skynrd- Gimme Back My Bullets
Jay and Mark Briscoe used to come out to this song. And I remember when I first got really into Ring of Honor I listened to this song like 100 times a day. It’s such a badass, gritty song about southern boys bein’ southern boys. It’s also my ringtone.
18. Lordz of Brooklyn- Saturday Nite Fever
LoB is like an Italian version of House of Pain, which is pretty lame. But this song is cool because the beat is a sample of “American Woman” there is a line where the Everlast wannabe says “This is my pizzeria.” Like this song and this group aren't good by any stretch, but it's catchy.
19. Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer
Peter Gabriel is a nutcase but this song is pretty incredible. I think the arranging of this is it’s strongest point. Also the tone on the bass is really full and cool. I like the chorus chiming in letting Peter rock around like the middle aged freak he was when he wrote this song. Mike Falzone does a good cover of this song.
20. James A. Johnston- Break The Walls Down
Chris Jericho’s entrance theme is the best entrance song of all time. And I am not ashamed to listen to it. I am ashamed looking at how frequently I listen to it, but not at listening to it. It rocks pretty hard.
That's that. I've been getting some questions about writing about Wrestlemania, so I'll do something for that soon. I've also been SUPER busy on Rate Your Music, doing microreviews a lot, sometimes a few a day. So if you want short music-only stuff catch me over there! Until next time!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
WTF TNA part II
Before I get into this let me just say that Ring of Honor is the best wrestling promotion going today and they are losing their TV deal in April. With that being said...
Total Nonstop Action wrestling is the most upsetting thing in the world. Literally. There is nothing more upsetting to me in the world of wrestling than the current state of TNA. And it’s upsetting for a few reasons, I’ll touch base briefly on a few of them and then go into detail on the more pertinent ones. A little over a year ago Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff “took over” TNA creatively. They took away the trademarked 6 sided ring, inflated the roster with WWE and WCW rejects, and made us all feel like we were in the sinking ship that was WCW 10 years ago. But as the year progressed we had our shares of ups and downs. The ups seemed a bit more logical than the downs, Hogan axed good friends Bubba the Love Sponge and Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags (The Nasty Boys) among others. We also saw the departure of Scott Hall, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Sean “Val Venis” Morely, Shane Douglas, and a slew of others culminating in the departure of Kevin Nash, a wrestler that many fans and critics wanted out of TNA years before he finally decided to leave. The downs were also present,, but forgivable, an attempted ECW reunion that ended up in a half-assed stable of washed up veterans, losing great talent like Christopher Daniels, Homicide, Awesome Kong, ODB, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Sojay Dutt and arguably Sting. So at the end of the day, TNA did beef up their roster with WWE rejects and did push a small handful notably the obvious Jeff Hardy, Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson, and the Fairfield CT native Matt “The Blueprint” Morgan. But they weren’t trashy rejects, they were deserving rejects. But the roster problem is one that has plagued TNA for years, it’s really not the roster, it’s how they use it.
And in 2010 we saw TNA make the strangest and most unnecessary alliances in TNA history. One extremely logical and amazing stable formed was Fortune, headed by the legendary Ric Flair and featuring four TNA breakout stars in AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, and Beer Money Inc. Robert Roode and James Storm. The group was phenomenal (pun intended) and then they started adding other guys to beef up the ranks. Morgan was in there for a bit, as was the incredibly underutilized Douglas Williams. They are both good performers, but they don’t need Fortune, and the Fortune certainly didn’t need them. Then....on the overhyped 10-10-10 we saw the tides change. A new stable formed that Hogan and Bischoff thought would be like the nWo, a “cool” group of heels that everyone wanted to like. So who do they make it up with? Hogan, Bischoff, the out of shape and never over enough Abyss, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett AND the entirety of Fortune? Aside from Hardy, none of this absurd stable, called Immortal, was shocking or cool. And from October to last month the stable ran the place, capturing all of the titles in the process (though losing the heavyweight title to Mr. Anderson in the end). However, during that time Hardy got over as a heel (most notably walking down to the ring puffing a cigarette) and Jarrett reinvigorated his career with his MMA spoofing Double J Double M A tournaments, but the rest of the group kind of floundered. The tag titles were an easy win for Beer Money, the X title in Kazarian’s hands was almost a waste, as the X title has been as of late. TNA’s breakout star AJ Styles had no real push, Abyss won the Legends title (that title still exists?) and we were treated to boring TV. Great. Not a surprise. At all.
So then the Amazing Red’s kayfabe brother Crimson comes in telling tales of another “they” coming. He speaks of a group that will put Immortal in their places and restore peace to TNA. And then Kurt Angle brings in Scott Steiner. And we start seeing hints of the return of the Main Event Mafia. Okay where do you start here? Where does one begin to criticize this? Because Immortal is so stagnant and it’s clear they’re being carried by Flair’s Fortune, they want to bring in a group of wrestlers that was never over that tout a youngest member who is 42 and an oldest member who is 51? The entirety of Fortune is 35 and under (sans the manager of Flair) and most of the members of the rest of Immortal are in feuds. How could a feud be believably booked where a bunch of retirees face a bunch of peak wrestlers who are widely considered some of the best in the game? And why would I waste my time watching a retuning Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Sting and Kurt Angle wrestle Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Abyss AGAIN. Who will the crowd get behind? The talented young guys? The overbooked guys? Or the old veterans? Clearly Fortune was the group to highlight and make babyfaces in this instance...but not according to their plan.
And what is perhaps the best part of this plan on TNA’s side is that after teasing the Mafia return, even putting a video together showing the group, they didn’t sign Sting, Booker and Nash to contracts! So when the WWE beefed up their Royal Rumble to 40 stars and wanted a few guys to get nostalgia pops, who would they go for? Kevin Nash and Booker T. So now TNA has re-signed Scott Steiner, booked a major angle, and then lost it all in the blink of an eye because of bad negotiations. The second that idea popped into their heads they should have had Booker, Nash and Sting in Orlando signing papers to ensure it would happen properly. Instead they assumed that these guys would want to wrestle in front of the rabid and unforgiving Impact Zone crowd for another several months, and then hang up their boots and call it a career. Little did they know that Booker and Nash had greater aspirations. So what does TNA do? After making a hype video for the MEM’s return they literally tell you “Anything is possible” and swerve Fortune to be faces. Great. In fact that is fantastic. That means that AJ Styles will go back to being a main event player and Flair can be the man again without Bischoff and Hogan on his side. But at what cost is this good news? TNA looks completely unprofessional, poorly booked, and entirely unbelievable. I am glad Fortune are the good guys, and I am glad that the members will not have to share the spotlight with Abyss and Jeff Jarrett, but I am completely offended as a viewer and as a one time super fan.
So what does the future hold for this company of fools (on the booking and writing side, not in the ring)? Well they have to do something really good to clean up this huge mistake. Turning Fortune face is a good move. But now that we have Scott Steiner under contract does that mean we have to be subjected to his god awful matches? And are Angle and Steiner part of Fortune now? I don’t know. TNA has unlimited potential and perhaps the best roster in the business but these mistakes they keep making are what is making them lose fans that at one time would do anything for them (myself included, I was on a street team for a little while). It is a common and upsetting question, but once again I find myself asking WTF TNA
Total Nonstop Action wrestling is the most upsetting thing in the world. Literally. There is nothing more upsetting to me in the world of wrestling than the current state of TNA. And it’s upsetting for a few reasons, I’ll touch base briefly on a few of them and then go into detail on the more pertinent ones. A little over a year ago Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff “took over” TNA creatively. They took away the trademarked 6 sided ring, inflated the roster with WWE and WCW rejects, and made us all feel like we were in the sinking ship that was WCW 10 years ago. But as the year progressed we had our shares of ups and downs. The ups seemed a bit more logical than the downs, Hogan axed good friends Bubba the Love Sponge and Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags (The Nasty Boys) among others. We also saw the departure of Scott Hall, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Sean “Val Venis” Morely, Shane Douglas, and a slew of others culminating in the departure of Kevin Nash, a wrestler that many fans and critics wanted out of TNA years before he finally decided to leave. The downs were also present,, but forgivable, an attempted ECW reunion that ended up in a half-assed stable of washed up veterans, losing great talent like Christopher Daniels, Homicide, Awesome Kong, ODB, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Sojay Dutt and arguably Sting. So at the end of the day, TNA did beef up their roster with WWE rejects and did push a small handful notably the obvious Jeff Hardy, Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson, and the Fairfield CT native Matt “The Blueprint” Morgan. But they weren’t trashy rejects, they were deserving rejects. But the roster problem is one that has plagued TNA for years, it’s really not the roster, it’s how they use it.
And in 2010 we saw TNA make the strangest and most unnecessary alliances in TNA history. One extremely logical and amazing stable formed was Fortune, headed by the legendary Ric Flair and featuring four TNA breakout stars in AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, and Beer Money Inc. Robert Roode and James Storm. The group was phenomenal (pun intended) and then they started adding other guys to beef up the ranks. Morgan was in there for a bit, as was the incredibly underutilized Douglas Williams. They are both good performers, but they don’t need Fortune, and the Fortune certainly didn’t need them. Then....on the overhyped 10-10-10 we saw the tides change. A new stable formed that Hogan and Bischoff thought would be like the nWo, a “cool” group of heels that everyone wanted to like. So who do they make it up with? Hogan, Bischoff, the out of shape and never over enough Abyss, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett AND the entirety of Fortune? Aside from Hardy, none of this absurd stable, called Immortal, was shocking or cool. And from October to last month the stable ran the place, capturing all of the titles in the process (though losing the heavyweight title to Mr. Anderson in the end). However, during that time Hardy got over as a heel (most notably walking down to the ring puffing a cigarette) and Jarrett reinvigorated his career with his MMA spoofing Double J Double M A tournaments, but the rest of the group kind of floundered. The tag titles were an easy win for Beer Money, the X title in Kazarian’s hands was almost a waste, as the X title has been as of late. TNA’s breakout star AJ Styles had no real push, Abyss won the Legends title (that title still exists?) and we were treated to boring TV. Great. Not a surprise. At all.
So then the Amazing Red’s kayfabe brother Crimson comes in telling tales of another “they” coming. He speaks of a group that will put Immortal in their places and restore peace to TNA. And then Kurt Angle brings in Scott Steiner. And we start seeing hints of the return of the Main Event Mafia. Okay where do you start here? Where does one begin to criticize this? Because Immortal is so stagnant and it’s clear they’re being carried by Flair’s Fortune, they want to bring in a group of wrestlers that was never over that tout a youngest member who is 42 and an oldest member who is 51? The entirety of Fortune is 35 and under (sans the manager of Flair) and most of the members of the rest of Immortal are in feuds. How could a feud be believably booked where a bunch of retirees face a bunch of peak wrestlers who are widely considered some of the best in the game? And why would I waste my time watching a retuning Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Sting and Kurt Angle wrestle Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Abyss AGAIN. Who will the crowd get behind? The talented young guys? The overbooked guys? Or the old veterans? Clearly Fortune was the group to highlight and make babyfaces in this instance...but not according to their plan.
And what is perhaps the best part of this plan on TNA’s side is that after teasing the Mafia return, even putting a video together showing the group, they didn’t sign Sting, Booker and Nash to contracts! So when the WWE beefed up their Royal Rumble to 40 stars and wanted a few guys to get nostalgia pops, who would they go for? Kevin Nash and Booker T. So now TNA has re-signed Scott Steiner, booked a major angle, and then lost it all in the blink of an eye because of bad negotiations. The second that idea popped into their heads they should have had Booker, Nash and Sting in Orlando signing papers to ensure it would happen properly. Instead they assumed that these guys would want to wrestle in front of the rabid and unforgiving Impact Zone crowd for another several months, and then hang up their boots and call it a career. Little did they know that Booker and Nash had greater aspirations. So what does TNA do? After making a hype video for the MEM’s return they literally tell you “Anything is possible” and swerve Fortune to be faces. Great. In fact that is fantastic. That means that AJ Styles will go back to being a main event player and Flair can be the man again without Bischoff and Hogan on his side. But at what cost is this good news? TNA looks completely unprofessional, poorly booked, and entirely unbelievable. I am glad Fortune are the good guys, and I am glad that the members will not have to share the spotlight with Abyss and Jeff Jarrett, but I am completely offended as a viewer and as a one time super fan.
So what does the future hold for this company of fools (on the booking and writing side, not in the ring)? Well they have to do something really good to clean up this huge mistake. Turning Fortune face is a good move. But now that we have Scott Steiner under contract does that mean we have to be subjected to his god awful matches? And are Angle and Steiner part of Fortune now? I don’t know. TNA has unlimited potential and perhaps the best roster in the business but these mistakes they keep making are what is making them lose fans that at one time would do anything for them (myself included, I was on a street team for a little while). It is a common and upsetting question, but once again I find myself asking WTF TNA
Monday, January 10, 2011
Best of 2010: Albums #10-1
Ladies and gentlemen...here it is...very late, as per the trend on this blog...but the top 10 albums of 2010 are here! Let's go!
10. OK Go- Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
OK Go is one of those bands that I wasn’t really sure that I would enjoy. I knew about the treadmills and loved the mousetrap-like video for “This Too Shall Pass” but whenever I’d ask for advice on whether or not they were good beyond their videos, it seemed that none of my friends has actually listened to them, even the hip Long Island friends! So, thanks to the magic of the internet, I acquired Of the Blue Colour of the Sky knowing that I enjoyed “This Too Shall Pass” and hoping that the rest would at least be listenable. And it is a privilege to say that the rest of this album is really listenable. The band definitely meshes together very well, and as an audio junkie, it’s awesome to be able to say that the album is mixed really well. And it’s not just the sound of the record, the songwriting is top notch too, frontman Damian Kulash Jr. has a firm grip on how to craft a catchy, fun pop-rock song. In the age where the music video is dying, it’s great to see a band make such bold videos that compliment equally bold pop rock music. I may have to go listen to their back catalogue now.
Notable Tracks: “WTF?” “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe” “End Love”
9. B.o.B- B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
I think B.o.B is one of, if not the breakout star of 2010. While I’d heard him a lot during the summer of ‘09 with his song “I’ll Be In The Sky” he seemingly disappeared without making much of a mark by the end of the year. But, The Adventures of Bobby Ray came out only a few months later, and made him a certified music superstar. Having three huge crossover hits with huge crossover collaborators (Bruno Mars, Hayley Williams and Rivers Cuomo) took B.o.B from having that one song that you heard on hip hop radio stations to having all of those songs that people quote on their Facebook statuses. And what I love about B.o.B is that he does it all well. It’s pretty clear that he’s the creative genius behind this album, whereas many rappers get handed beats and spit over them, Bobby Ray is undoubtedly steering the ship that is his musical career. And while he’s not the next Eminem or Jay-Z lyrically, his presence is a lot of fun, and he knows how to deliver catchy songs without making his audience feel like they’re being degraded (I.E. Soulja Boy, New Boyz, and my favorite V.I.C.). And while Mars, Williams and Cuomo appear on his radio friendly hits he has the guts to bring on performers that don’t get frequent radio play like Janelle Monae and Lupe Fiasco to help make some good tunes as well. If this list was based purely on mic skills and things that make classic hip-hop albums classic, this would certainly not be here, but to say that this album is not entertaining and absurdly catchy is a lie. And when an artist does that well without screaming “YOU!” a million times on his track, that deserves applause.
Notable Tracks: “Nothin’ on You” “Past My Shades” “Fame”
8. Elvis Costello- National Ransom
I’ve always liked Elvis Costello, but I’ve never really taken the time to listen to anything other than his epic two disc greatest hits album. So when I saw he had a new album out, I decided to actually give it a spin front to back. And it’s great. One of the most consistent albums of the year without question. Costello is an entirely unique entity in the rock and roll world, both historically and at the moment. While too many rock stars fade into the past making music that sounds like its in the wrong decade, or even going as far as to re-record classic hits, Costello makes tunes that sound fresh yet still retain his trademarked sound. Is this an album that re-defines the aging rock star? No, but it shows that you don’t have to sell out to keep the train going. KISS and AC/DC could learn something from Mr. Costello.
Notable Tracks: “A Slow Drag With Josephine” “Dr. Watson, I Presume” “My Jezibel”
7. LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening
I was in the front seat of my buddies car when he put on “Dance Yrself Clean” the first track on This is Happening, and I just had to listen in awe to the audio bliss that it is. The song just builds and builds and builds to the point where you’re almost done expecting a payoff, sort of like Coldplay’s eternal classic “Viva La Vida” but NO! It kicks, and when it does, my brain just imploded and I had to listen to the rest of the album. And what’s great is that the other songs are just as funky and catchy as track 1. I don’t really know any of LCD Soundsystem’s other albums, nor do I really know much about the dance genre in general, but nonetheless I was super satisfied by this album overall. Not too many albums can be so catchy and still have decent lyrics, especially in a genre like this. So hats off to the Soundsystem, good work gentlemen.
Notable Tracks: “Dance Yrself Clean” “Drunk Girls” “Pow Pow”
6. Wale- More About Nothing
Last year Wale released his major label debut Attention Deficit, which got decent reviews, but was a tame, toned down version of the Wale the world got to know through his mixtapes, the most well known of which was 2008’s The Mixtape About Nothing, which quirkily combined serious issues with sound clips from the TV show Seinfeld. When I heard Wale had released a sequel mixtape, aptly titled More About Nothing, I was torn. Having heard Wale lose his lyrical edge on Attention Deficit made me question whether or not it was worth my time, but thinking it could half as good as the original Mixtape About Nothing, I felt it was my duty to at least give Wale the 70 minutes of my time. And what this piece of work does is show that maybe Wale isn’t a major label kind of guy. While so many signed rappers use mixtapes as a way to bide time between albums, Wale actually says a whole lot on More About Nothing, even making mention that he wasn’t proud of Attention Deficit and the way he was treated by the folks at Interscope. At the core of this mixtape is Wale’s incredibly sharp eye for what to say and when to say it, that eye being the missing link on Attention Deficit, where studio executives placed him next to Lady Gaga instead of any serious political and social issues. So where other rappers would use this format to simply keep fans happy, Wale delivers a socially potent album that once again brings in Seinfeld lines to make light of some of the things he talks about. If the folks at Interscope know how to cultivate Wale into a mainstream artist that can say the things he says the way he says them on More About Nothing, he can become an unstoppable force in hip hop, but if they keep him on a short leash, mixtapes may be his only outlet to truly be himself.
Notable Tracks: “The Soup” “The Eyes of the Tiger” “The Work Workin”
5. Vampire Weekend- Contra
After their 2008 self titled debut, Vampire Weekend took absurdly catchy indie rock to a new level that alienated the hipster folks that helped them gain the attention that made them famous. After touring for a while and gaining a nice mainstream following they released Contra in early 2010, and the album certainly packs the same punch as its predecessor in many ways. The guitars aren’t heavily distorted, the subject matter is similar lyrically, and the music is still for the most part a lot of fun. What’s different this time around is the scope of it all. While on the debut Vampire Weekend is sort of a straightforward guitar, bass, drums, sometimes keyboards, vocals kind of band, on Contra they rely more heavily on the keys, as well as some samples, which in my opinion brings the band down. On the song “Diplomat’s Son” there is a just barely recognizable sample of M.I.A. in the background, which made me scratch my chin and say “Is this necessary?” but for their few missteps the band also charges forward musically. Songs like “Cousins” would fit perfectly on the debut, which is good, but increasing the keyboard presence gives us the poppy “Holiday” and tracks like “Run” and “Giving Up The Gun”. It’s pretty clear that this band knows what they’re trying to do and while there are a few more missteps on this album than on their debut, the goods far outweigh the bads on Contra and it is certainly worth any rock fans time.
Notable Tracks: “Cousins” “Run” “Giving Up The Gun”
4. The Dillinger Escape Plan- Option Paralysis
When presented with The Dillinger Escape Plan a few months ago, I was really perplexed. What on earth was mathcore and why should it be worth my time? However, after listening to their 2007 album Ire Works and their Mike Patton collabo-EP Irony is a Dead Scene I found myself unable to not go out of my way to listen to them. I don’t really like modern metal music for a lot of reasons, but Dillinger just hooks me in. Where a band like the Mars Volta just do things in excess for no apparent reason, everything in the Dillinger Escape Plan has a purpose musically, especially on Option Paralysis. While the vocals may be a bit tedious and obnoxious for those who dislike metal, any musician can appreciate the structures of each song and the musicality of each performer. It’s chaotic and schizophrenic, but it all fits like a glove. While I can guarantee most people reading this would not enjoy listening to the Dillinger Escape Plan, for those that enjoy loud, energetic, and best of all, musical tunes, check out Option Paralysis, it will blow your mind and probably your headphones too,
Notable Tracks: “Gold Teeth on a Bum” “Widower” “Parasitic Twins”
3. Gorillaz- Plastic Beach
In my initial review of this album (link here: ) I said I was upset that the mystique of the cartoon characters that made up Gorillaz was gone and that the music was sub-par in comparison to Demon Days. However, as each day passed and I found myself walking the halls of Hofstra, the streets/subways of New York City, and driving around suburban Connecticut, Plastic Beach always seemed to call my name. It is corny and sometimes the guest spots are a tad too mainstream or off-kilter for their own good, but it’s a perfect summer pop album. And this perfection is attained by one thing, the keyboard lines. While not to say the rest of the music lacks, in fact the rest of the music is above par, it’s just the synth lines are perfect. “Rhinestone Eyes” and “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach” go from cheesy to incredible thanks to these simple synthesizer chords, and they highlight the great songs on this album too, adding depth to more straightforward hip-hop songs like “Superfast Jellyfish”. While I still stand that it’s not as good as Demon Days, after being drawn to this album time and time again, I can’t deny that it is a fantastically fun, and perfect for those sunny days.
Notable Tracks: “Superfast Jellyfish” “Plastic Beach” “White Flag”
2. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
What is there to say about this album that hasn’t been said already? It’s a work of art. It’s an album that from top to bottom does everything it sets out to do perfectly, never once failing. I remember after buying Graduation, I knew the words to every song within a week, and I said to myself that that’s how I would gauge the greatness of MBDTF. And sure enough, within days I was humming along and rapping through every song with Kanye and his guest list of greats like Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, John Legend, the RZA, and too many others to count. The one thing keeping this song out of the number one position is the fact that the songs run on a bit too long. I find myself prone to skip tracks after it hits the 4 minute mark. But as an album, MBDTF is incredible top to bottom, it just seems that some songs run on a bit out of the context of this work of art. Is this Kanye’s best album to date? Yes. Can he make a better album following this? I hope.
Notable Tracks: “Dark Fantasy” “So Appalled” “Runaway”
1. Big Boi- Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty
After an undeniably catchy introduction that lasts less than a minute, Big Boi’s first words on Sir Lucious Leftfoot sum things up perfectly, as he says “Damn, and that wasn’t nothin’ but the intro.” The brief and casual show of confidence in his work throw this rollercoaster of an album off the track incredibly well. From top to bottom this an awesomely fun and well put together album. Does it tackle the social issues of The Mixtape About Nothing or does it boast a massive guestlist and grand instrumentals like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? No. But what it does do is deliver infectious song after infectious song with no remorse. Whether he’s rapping about banging girls or kicking someone’s ass, Big Boi always manages to make himself look great, and not just in his lyrics alone, but in his style and presence. While fellow Outkast member Andre 3000 always had an out-of-this-world appeal, Big Boi kept himself rooted in the southern hip-hop landscape that helped make him the star he was in his early career. While not to say that he hasn’t progressed musically, his sound is a bit more ambitious than it was in his Outkast days, he’s not going off the rails quite as much as Andre has been (there’s no cartoon for children that Big Boi is producing, at least not to my knowledge). In this day and age where everything is overanalyzed and hypercriticized, Sir Lucious Leftfoot is an album that indulges in the things that please our ears, catchy beats, simple yet well put together lyrics, and just the notion that we all want to have a damn good time. We should revel in this album, because artists that are still down to have this much fun without being ironic and obnoxious are getting to be hard to find.
Notable Tracks: “Turns Me On” “Shutterbug” “Tangerine”
That's it! Post some comments. I'm going to be posting a little ditty about misc. favorites of 2010 like Wrestler of the Year, Movie of the Year, Song of the Year, color of the year. I don't know what else I can do! CRAZY!
10. OK Go- Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
OK Go is one of those bands that I wasn’t really sure that I would enjoy. I knew about the treadmills and loved the mousetrap-like video for “This Too Shall Pass” but whenever I’d ask for advice on whether or not they were good beyond their videos, it seemed that none of my friends has actually listened to them, even the hip Long Island friends! So, thanks to the magic of the internet, I acquired Of the Blue Colour of the Sky knowing that I enjoyed “This Too Shall Pass” and hoping that the rest would at least be listenable. And it is a privilege to say that the rest of this album is really listenable. The band definitely meshes together very well, and as an audio junkie, it’s awesome to be able to say that the album is mixed really well. And it’s not just the sound of the record, the songwriting is top notch too, frontman Damian Kulash Jr. has a firm grip on how to craft a catchy, fun pop-rock song. In the age where the music video is dying, it’s great to see a band make such bold videos that compliment equally bold pop rock music. I may have to go listen to their back catalogue now.
Notable Tracks: “WTF?” “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe” “End Love”
9. B.o.B- B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
I think B.o.B is one of, if not the breakout star of 2010. While I’d heard him a lot during the summer of ‘09 with his song “I’ll Be In The Sky” he seemingly disappeared without making much of a mark by the end of the year. But, The Adventures of Bobby Ray came out only a few months later, and made him a certified music superstar. Having three huge crossover hits with huge crossover collaborators (Bruno Mars, Hayley Williams and Rivers Cuomo) took B.o.B from having that one song that you heard on hip hop radio stations to having all of those songs that people quote on their Facebook statuses. And what I love about B.o.B is that he does it all well. It’s pretty clear that he’s the creative genius behind this album, whereas many rappers get handed beats and spit over them, Bobby Ray is undoubtedly steering the ship that is his musical career. And while he’s not the next Eminem or Jay-Z lyrically, his presence is a lot of fun, and he knows how to deliver catchy songs without making his audience feel like they’re being degraded (I.E. Soulja Boy, New Boyz, and my favorite V.I.C.). And while Mars, Williams and Cuomo appear on his radio friendly hits he has the guts to bring on performers that don’t get frequent radio play like Janelle Monae and Lupe Fiasco to help make some good tunes as well. If this list was based purely on mic skills and things that make classic hip-hop albums classic, this would certainly not be here, but to say that this album is not entertaining and absurdly catchy is a lie. And when an artist does that well without screaming “YOU!” a million times on his track, that deserves applause.
Notable Tracks: “Nothin’ on You” “Past My Shades” “Fame”
8. Elvis Costello- National Ransom
I’ve always liked Elvis Costello, but I’ve never really taken the time to listen to anything other than his epic two disc greatest hits album. So when I saw he had a new album out, I decided to actually give it a spin front to back. And it’s great. One of the most consistent albums of the year without question. Costello is an entirely unique entity in the rock and roll world, both historically and at the moment. While too many rock stars fade into the past making music that sounds like its in the wrong decade, or even going as far as to re-record classic hits, Costello makes tunes that sound fresh yet still retain his trademarked sound. Is this an album that re-defines the aging rock star? No, but it shows that you don’t have to sell out to keep the train going. KISS and AC/DC could learn something from Mr. Costello.
Notable Tracks: “A Slow Drag With Josephine” “Dr. Watson, I Presume” “My Jezibel”
7. LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening
I was in the front seat of my buddies car when he put on “Dance Yrself Clean” the first track on This is Happening, and I just had to listen in awe to the audio bliss that it is. The song just builds and builds and builds to the point where you’re almost done expecting a payoff, sort of like Coldplay’s eternal classic “Viva La Vida” but NO! It kicks, and when it does, my brain just imploded and I had to listen to the rest of the album. And what’s great is that the other songs are just as funky and catchy as track 1. I don’t really know any of LCD Soundsystem’s other albums, nor do I really know much about the dance genre in general, but nonetheless I was super satisfied by this album overall. Not too many albums can be so catchy and still have decent lyrics, especially in a genre like this. So hats off to the Soundsystem, good work gentlemen.
Notable Tracks: “Dance Yrself Clean” “Drunk Girls” “Pow Pow”
6. Wale- More About Nothing
Last year Wale released his major label debut Attention Deficit, which got decent reviews, but was a tame, toned down version of the Wale the world got to know through his mixtapes, the most well known of which was 2008’s The Mixtape About Nothing, which quirkily combined serious issues with sound clips from the TV show Seinfeld. When I heard Wale had released a sequel mixtape, aptly titled More About Nothing, I was torn. Having heard Wale lose his lyrical edge on Attention Deficit made me question whether or not it was worth my time, but thinking it could half as good as the original Mixtape About Nothing, I felt it was my duty to at least give Wale the 70 minutes of my time. And what this piece of work does is show that maybe Wale isn’t a major label kind of guy. While so many signed rappers use mixtapes as a way to bide time between albums, Wale actually says a whole lot on More About Nothing, even making mention that he wasn’t proud of Attention Deficit and the way he was treated by the folks at Interscope. At the core of this mixtape is Wale’s incredibly sharp eye for what to say and when to say it, that eye being the missing link on Attention Deficit, where studio executives placed him next to Lady Gaga instead of any serious political and social issues. So where other rappers would use this format to simply keep fans happy, Wale delivers a socially potent album that once again brings in Seinfeld lines to make light of some of the things he talks about. If the folks at Interscope know how to cultivate Wale into a mainstream artist that can say the things he says the way he says them on More About Nothing, he can become an unstoppable force in hip hop, but if they keep him on a short leash, mixtapes may be his only outlet to truly be himself.
Notable Tracks: “The Soup” “The Eyes of the Tiger” “The Work Workin”
5. Vampire Weekend- Contra
After their 2008 self titled debut, Vampire Weekend took absurdly catchy indie rock to a new level that alienated the hipster folks that helped them gain the attention that made them famous. After touring for a while and gaining a nice mainstream following they released Contra in early 2010, and the album certainly packs the same punch as its predecessor in many ways. The guitars aren’t heavily distorted, the subject matter is similar lyrically, and the music is still for the most part a lot of fun. What’s different this time around is the scope of it all. While on the debut Vampire Weekend is sort of a straightforward guitar, bass, drums, sometimes keyboards, vocals kind of band, on Contra they rely more heavily on the keys, as well as some samples, which in my opinion brings the band down. On the song “Diplomat’s Son” there is a just barely recognizable sample of M.I.A. in the background, which made me scratch my chin and say “Is this necessary?” but for their few missteps the band also charges forward musically. Songs like “Cousins” would fit perfectly on the debut, which is good, but increasing the keyboard presence gives us the poppy “Holiday” and tracks like “Run” and “Giving Up The Gun”. It’s pretty clear that this band knows what they’re trying to do and while there are a few more missteps on this album than on their debut, the goods far outweigh the bads on Contra and it is certainly worth any rock fans time.
Notable Tracks: “Cousins” “Run” “Giving Up The Gun”
4. The Dillinger Escape Plan- Option Paralysis
When presented with The Dillinger Escape Plan a few months ago, I was really perplexed. What on earth was mathcore and why should it be worth my time? However, after listening to their 2007 album Ire Works and their Mike Patton collabo-EP Irony is a Dead Scene I found myself unable to not go out of my way to listen to them. I don’t really like modern metal music for a lot of reasons, but Dillinger just hooks me in. Where a band like the Mars Volta just do things in excess for no apparent reason, everything in the Dillinger Escape Plan has a purpose musically, especially on Option Paralysis. While the vocals may be a bit tedious and obnoxious for those who dislike metal, any musician can appreciate the structures of each song and the musicality of each performer. It’s chaotic and schizophrenic, but it all fits like a glove. While I can guarantee most people reading this would not enjoy listening to the Dillinger Escape Plan, for those that enjoy loud, energetic, and best of all, musical tunes, check out Option Paralysis, it will blow your mind and probably your headphones too,
Notable Tracks: “Gold Teeth on a Bum” “Widower” “Parasitic Twins”
3. Gorillaz- Plastic Beach
In my initial review of this album (link here: ) I said I was upset that the mystique of the cartoon characters that made up Gorillaz was gone and that the music was sub-par in comparison to Demon Days. However, as each day passed and I found myself walking the halls of Hofstra, the streets/subways of New York City, and driving around suburban Connecticut, Plastic Beach always seemed to call my name. It is corny and sometimes the guest spots are a tad too mainstream or off-kilter for their own good, but it’s a perfect summer pop album. And this perfection is attained by one thing, the keyboard lines. While not to say the rest of the music lacks, in fact the rest of the music is above par, it’s just the synth lines are perfect. “Rhinestone Eyes” and “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach” go from cheesy to incredible thanks to these simple synthesizer chords, and they highlight the great songs on this album too, adding depth to more straightforward hip-hop songs like “Superfast Jellyfish”. While I still stand that it’s not as good as Demon Days, after being drawn to this album time and time again, I can’t deny that it is a fantastically fun, and perfect for those sunny days.
Notable Tracks: “Superfast Jellyfish” “Plastic Beach” “White Flag”
2. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
What is there to say about this album that hasn’t been said already? It’s a work of art. It’s an album that from top to bottom does everything it sets out to do perfectly, never once failing. I remember after buying Graduation, I knew the words to every song within a week, and I said to myself that that’s how I would gauge the greatness of MBDTF. And sure enough, within days I was humming along and rapping through every song with Kanye and his guest list of greats like Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, John Legend, the RZA, and too many others to count. The one thing keeping this song out of the number one position is the fact that the songs run on a bit too long. I find myself prone to skip tracks after it hits the 4 minute mark. But as an album, MBDTF is incredible top to bottom, it just seems that some songs run on a bit out of the context of this work of art. Is this Kanye’s best album to date? Yes. Can he make a better album following this? I hope.
Notable Tracks: “Dark Fantasy” “So Appalled” “Runaway”
1. Big Boi- Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty
After an undeniably catchy introduction that lasts less than a minute, Big Boi’s first words on Sir Lucious Leftfoot sum things up perfectly, as he says “Damn, and that wasn’t nothin’ but the intro.” The brief and casual show of confidence in his work throw this rollercoaster of an album off the track incredibly well. From top to bottom this an awesomely fun and well put together album. Does it tackle the social issues of The Mixtape About Nothing or does it boast a massive guestlist and grand instrumentals like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? No. But what it does do is deliver infectious song after infectious song with no remorse. Whether he’s rapping about banging girls or kicking someone’s ass, Big Boi always manages to make himself look great, and not just in his lyrics alone, but in his style and presence. While fellow Outkast member Andre 3000 always had an out-of-this-world appeal, Big Boi kept himself rooted in the southern hip-hop landscape that helped make him the star he was in his early career. While not to say that he hasn’t progressed musically, his sound is a bit more ambitious than it was in his Outkast days, he’s not going off the rails quite as much as Andre has been (there’s no cartoon for children that Big Boi is producing, at least not to my knowledge). In this day and age where everything is overanalyzed and hypercriticized, Sir Lucious Leftfoot is an album that indulges in the things that please our ears, catchy beats, simple yet well put together lyrics, and just the notion that we all want to have a damn good time. We should revel in this album, because artists that are still down to have this much fun without being ironic and obnoxious are getting to be hard to find.
Notable Tracks: “Turns Me On” “Shutterbug” “Tangerine”
That's it! Post some comments. I'm going to be posting a little ditty about misc. favorites of 2010 like Wrestler of the Year, Movie of the Year, Song of the Year, color of the year. I don't know what else I can do! CRAZY!
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