Archive | February, 2011

Grammy Slam – Arcade Fire’s Tour – “I’m a Believer”

21 Feb

Steve Stoute Rips the Grammy Awards

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110221/music_nm/us_grammys

Stoute believes the Grammy's are acting ancient (well, when your symbol is a phonograph)

Steven Stoute, a music producer who has produced such quality performers as Nas, recently ran a full-page New York Times advertisement declaring that the Grammy Awards are not in tune with popular music. I could not avoid the pun.

Stoute needed to get his opinion out to the world. He wrote, “Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture.” Oh, he’s totally calling you out Grammy Awards.

He cited the Grammy voters who snubbed Eminem and Justin Bieber.

“We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation,” Stoute wrote.

The Grammy’s awarded Arcade Fire with Album of the Year and Esperanza Spalding with Best New Artist. Justin Bieber was spotted with wads of cash in his pockets, disappointed, as he was driven home in his stretch limo with a jacuzzi in the trunk.

I agree, the Grammy Awards suck. But I completely disagree with Stoute. The Grammy Awards suck because they refuse to recognize good music. This year, the voters actually did an okay job for the first time in a few years. The Grammy Awards are a MUSIC awards show. They should award musicians who make good music. Justin Bieber is a teen idol whose music is immature, corny and about as mainstream as anything can get. He has no spine and has been molded into the star that others made him become. His is a musical Gumby. Yes, Bieber is insanely popular, but that does not mean he should be awarded for his popularity. The Harry Potter movies do exceptionally well at the box office, but you do not see them winning awards. They don’t because they are sub-par movies. Stoute, Bieber is doing just fine without golden phonographs. He will never have to work a day in his life. Just drop it.

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Arcade Fire Tours

Link: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/02/arcade-fire-announce-world-tour-opening-acts.html\

While we are on the subject, Arcade Fire, coming off the high of their unexpected Grammy for Best Album of the Year, will be touring in both the United States and Europe this Spring. Here are the dates:

April
9 – Broomfield, Colo. @ 1st Bank Center ^
11 – Orem, Utah @ The UCCU Center ^
13 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Comerica Theatre ^
14 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel ^
16 – Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
18 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Santa Fe Convention Center
20 – Kansas City, Mo. – Starlight Amphitheatre +
22 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
24 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
25 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
27 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Lawn at White River State Park *
28 – Memphis, Tenn. @ Orpheum Theatre
30 – Dallas, Texas @ Gexa Energy Pavilion #

May
3 – Austin, Texas @ The Backyard %
4 – The Woodlands, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion %
6 – New Orleans, La. @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

June
9-12 – Manchester, Tenn. @ Bonnaroo Festival
17 – Scheesel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
18 – Neuhausen, Germany @ Southside Festival
21 – Zagreb, Croatia @ T Mobile InMusic Festival
22 – Burgenland, Austria @ Festivalgelände Wiesen
26 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rock-A-Field Festival
30 – London, England @ Hyde Park

July
2 – Arras, France @ Main Square Festival
3 – Belfort, France @ Les Eurockeenes
5 – Milan, Italy @ Milano Jazzin’ Festival
7 – Novi Sad, Serbia @ Exit Festival
9 – Lucca, Italy @ Lucca Summer Festival
15 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Super Bock Super Rock Festival
17 – Bennicassim, Spain @ Benicassim Festival
30 – Moncton, New Brunswick @ Magnetic Hill @

August
31 – Manchester, England @ MEN Arena

September
1 – Edinburgh, Scotland @ Edinburgh Castle

– ^ = with Local Natives
– + = with the National
– # = with Okkevil River
– % = with Explosions in the Sky
– @ = with U2

Thank you Paste for such a radical chart. The bolded shows are the ones to make it out to because the opening acts are better than Arcade Fire (LOL)

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Hey Hey We’re Still the Monkees

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/21/the-monkees-60s-uk-tour

The Monkees have been spelling monkey wrong for 45 years and they will splatter billboards with this cutesy misnomer during their recently announced 45th anniversary tour.

The tour is the band’s first in 12 years and original members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones will smile through renditions of “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville” and other hits.

The tour will be a total of 10 dates kicking off on 12 May at the Liverpool Echo Arena.

Echo Arena, Liverpool – 12th May
Manchester Apollo – 14th
City Hall, Newcastle – 15th
Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow – 16th
Royal Albert Hall, London – 19th
City Hall, Sheffield – 20th
NIA Academy, Birmingham – 21st
Plymouth Pavillions – 23rd
CIA, Cardiff  – 24th
Royal Centre, Nottingham – 25th

Hey, Hey!

Radiohead – The King of Limbs – Album Review

20 Feb

 

* Brief Intro *

I traversed the old and treacherous forest path with careful footing and a steadfast swagger. While other human souls did exist every now and then along the path in this preserve, none of them where tuned into the show, not that they were fly enough anyway. With my random assortment of color, complemented by the length of my hair and the aviators covering my eyes, I stumbled with precision on the haphazardly placed stepping planks. I also was the only one, I think, who was aware of the festivities. All around green party-animals were getting drunk off sunlight and dancing to the beat of the breeze. I would stop to socialize, but I was an important guest. Like a peacock feigning bliss, I took the turn off the main path and climbed my way up the mountain, god knows what assumptions would be made if anyone saw. As I entered the hall, familiar bark faces greeted me, and as I made my way up to the majestic giant oak which resided in the center I was greeted by his booming voice. “Finally!” a brief chuckle, “The witness has arrived!!! Now let’s turn this party into an epic!!!” bellowed the Tree King.

* End Brief Intro *

And I thought I was the only person who talked to trees. It seems like Radiohead has proven me wrong, with their latest album The King of Limbs. I guess I’m going to have to find something else which is alt (alternative).

The title of the album is named after a tree which is located somewhere in the Savernake Forest in England, and according to the internet is one of the oldest tree’s in Europe. My tree is more gangster though. But I guess all woods have their respective kings and queens, and since now its the cool thing to do *sigh* get acquainted with your local forest king/queen today! Magic will help.

The sign's gotta be legit.

Apparently the whole album has been put up free to listen by the band  HERE
So listen to it while you read. Aren’t they a bunch of nice guys?

Basically, this album is amazing, and not like listen to it a few times and you get into it amazing. By my second listen, I’m sitting here typing this and rocking the heck out. It’s everything you loved about their previous albums, but in the future.

What I mean by this is that Radiohead is using cutting-edge elements of dub-step and even trip-hop in their songs. A friend of mine pointed out on facebook that it seems very Flying-Lotus influenced. I completely agree and it makes sense considering how they are on the same label and Thom Yorke has been featured in a Fly-Lo song. And the dub-step makes sense since they are British.

The very first song on the album, Bloom, showcases the Fly-Lo influence perfectly. While it opens up with some traditional Radiohead sounding synths, it quickly introduces a beat that normally would make no sense, but because of the way it is looped fits very well. Thom Yorke’s vocals then finish the song, with beautiful layering and harmonics, a trend that will continue throughout. A very experimental first song which pays off heavily.

The next song, Morning Mr. Magpie, goes in the completely opposite direction with a most basic dub-step beat, which is only truly revealed half-way through. At this time, the band chooses to implement what I like to call a chill-down (As opposed to a Hardcore Breakdown). The beat continues, while most of the other instruments cease playing, resulting in a sort of dreamlike sequence or bridge. This is very masterfully done, and, with a name like Morning Mr. Magpie, I’m pretty sure this song also is alluding to the British psychedelic era.

That is until you listen to the next song, Little by Little. The song sounds like something that was made in the 60’s and ripped entirely. The singing is actually the only thing that exposes the song’s true time period. It’s a modern day take on a 60’s style, absolutely proper experimentation on Radiohead’s part.

I don’t know the name Feral, or the ruthless trip-hop beat, but I’m pretty sure that this next song is my favorite off the album. This song captures perfectly that sort of mystic and eerie vibe which I have come to absolutely love. Something between the non-existent vocals, the unrelenting drums, and that one short synth riff that plays only a total of three times, absolutely sells me. Oh, and when it ends with that bass riff, even if but momentarily, just forget it. I’m going to write a whole post one day about the merits of outros, regardless the length.

The next song Lotus Flower, I personally believe is a reference to Fly-Lo. What I believe stands out in this song, while hard to notice since they are not the focal points, are the guitar and the background vocals. I enjoy the small things in music. Another very good song by all standards. Oh, and there’s this…

I cannot stress enough how much those dance moves speak to me. They are awe-inspiring.

The next two songs Codex and Give up the Ghost I refuse to review, the reason being that I have always been traditionally biased against Radiohead’s slower pieces. I have nothing against the quality of the music, it’s just my own personal preferences don’t allow for a sincere positive review. Basically they bore me to death and tread towards depressing. The only redeeming part in my book is the bird noises transition between the two songs. But don’t let me sour them for you; I’ve heard from a few online sources that people actually consider the last three songs to be the best off the album, so it honestly depends on your tastes.

And in that case… moving on to the last song Separator, the drum & bass line seem promising off the bat. The vocal’s teeter on falling into the same category as the previous two songs, but once the guitar comes in I’m thoroughly pleased to say that this song is an amazing, chill, vibe-out tune. A pretty synth kicks in and the album ends on a very light, mysterious, and optimistic note.

One word: Professional.

I said earlier, but just to re-iterate, the album is amazing.

If I had to scale it I would give it a 6.84/7.25

This has been my first ever song-by-song review of an entire album. The rating scale is here to stay and I might explain it at some point in the future, but right now I need to stop listening to this album on repeat before I kill it for myself.

Happy listening! And don’t forget to talk to trees now that it’s mainstream… conformists.

&D

P.S. Apparently there is crazy amounts of conspiracy that this is only half the album and that the psychical LPs have two records in them. I mean, the last line of the last song is “If you think this is over, you’re wrong”. This post might have a part two… just saying.

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Vote Sheepdogs – Arizona Benefit Concert – Music’s Downwards Spiral

17 Feb

Sheepdogs Appear in Rolling Stone Contest
Rolling Stone magazine has posted an ultimate music contest for selected unsigned bands. The magazine will pin the musicians against each-other in a tournament for the prize of being featured on the cover of the magazine. Awesome, right? And guess who is in the competition? The Sheepdogs. I featured the Sheepdogs a while back and you can see the feature by clicking on their name.

On March 16, after the votes narrow 16 bands to eight, will be invited into a studio with a major producer before the next round of cuts. When the Rolling Stone are down to two bands, the bands will battle at Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Vote for the Sheepdogs.

Follow this link and listen to some Sheepdogs:

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Alice Cooper will be joined by Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash and other artists, at a concert in Tuscon, Arizona, to benefit a charity set up to after the Jan. 8 shooting.

Mark Kelly, the husband of wounded representative Gabrielle Giffords, plans to speak at the event.

The eleemosynary concert will raise money for the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, a charity set up by Ron Barber, a wounded Giffords aide.

The event will be held in the Tucson Convention Center and tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

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A Scary Chart

I pulled this chart from Business Insider’s Chart of the Day. They pulled it from another source so make sure to check it out. The chart paints a pessimistic picture of Global Music. Digital music sales are significantly down and the future looks grim. It’s a provocative chart.

Ari Hest: The Definition of Hard Working

16 Feb

Ari Hest knows the true meaning of hard work. After achieving many artist’s ultimate goal of releasing an album on a major label (The Break-In in 2007 on Columbia Records) he dropped Columbia and decided to gain more control over his art. This fearless act allowed him the freedom to release unadulterated music. And, in 2008, he embarked on the ambitious 52 project, where he recorded one song every Monday of the year and, at the end of the year, had fans vote for the favorite 12 songs for his 2009 album Twelve Mondays.

Understand something. Hest is an old-fashioned folk artist whose sultry baritone echoes. His lyrics are cogent and interesting, spanning from political commentaries to original love pieces, and he has expanded his guitar-wielding repertoire to include piano and strings. I tell you this because his 52-song salute was not just slouchy, pablum recordings. Each was fresh and original. So, what happens when you give a prolific performer like Ari Hest some time to actually work on a full-length album? Well, this!

Sunset over Hope Street is Hest’s first release in four years. It is a wide sampling of Hest’s fine content. As one can gather from the title, the album is not an ode to optimism, but Hest’s heartfelt songs do not overrun listener’s with clichéd pessimism. The album is realistic and candid, two concepts that Hest deals with in his music.

“Business in America” provides realistic commentary on how America often forgets about the poor. Hest croons, “It isn’t what you are it is what you got. Pay no attention to the dying man, if he ain’t got cash we won’t lend a hand.” The beat is constant and the picked guitar leads the lyric. It is catchy and informative.

“How Would I Know” adds Hest’s personal touch. He opens up about uncertainty about a relationship and what will happen in the future. It is somber and melancholic and held together by excellent singing and melody.

Hest’s album is most certainly worth a listen. It’s diversity is its strength and Hest continues to expand his music and lyrics.

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Buffalo Springfield Listens to The Music Court (ME)

14 Feb

Buffalo Springfield Will…might…tour

Awesome Picture of Buffalo Springfield

One thing I love about doing this blog is going back and reading old posts. Today, when I read the news that Buffalo Springfield may actually be touring, I remembered that I wrote something about this some months ago. I have a terrible memory. This news just sparked my memory. I searched the blog for Buffalo Springfield and, wouldn’t you know it, back on Sept. 14, I wrote about how Buffalo Springfield was reuniting for Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California. It was a two-night gig for original members of the band. It went well. Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay sounded young and energetic (as I have heard).

I wrote:

Will they listen to me and tour after the benefit?

“Whether anything happens after this, I certainly don’t know. Generally speaking, it’s Neil that gets these things set up and happening. We’re not really saying ‘Hey New York and Chicago and Miami and Denver, we’re coming to your city.”

Well, it is not a no.

The quotes in that section are from Furay. On Sept. 14, I was not particularly happy at the Jets for losing their opener against the Ravens. I still am disgusted at their loss to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. So, as I wrote there, news of Buffalo Springfield’s reunion should make everyone happy. Today I have news that will really have you saying hooray for our side.

David Crosby, longtime friend of the band and member of Crosby Stills & Nash, has confirmed that the band will hit the road this Fall, joining forces on tour for the first time since their 1968 break up. This has not been fully confirmed yet, but I do have to say Crosby’s word is probably solid. Crosby goes on to say that he wishes his old band, The Byrds, would tour with Buffalo Springfield, but folk-singer (and former Byrds’ member) Roger McGuinn is having none of it. So, let me work my Music Court charm one more time and start boiling the cauldron again.

Boy, I really hope The Byrds join Buffalo Springfield in the Fall. Now this must happen supposing the Jets continue to make me miserable…which is likely.

I may have some more links for you today. Keep posted.

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