There’s something so familiar about Wale’s “TV in the Radio” that it didn’t strike me until just now, late in the evening when I should be fast asleep. Yes, the song is catchy as all else, but seems so grounded in a historical sense of hip-hop. Something fresh, yet something experienced. It hit me after … [Read more…]
I mentioned Wale as a saving grace in hip-hop when I critiqued the “death” of hip-hop. Well, tomorrow the D.C.-Metro area rapper will drop his official debut album, Attention Deficit. So, what’s the word on the album? The New York Times‘s Jon Pareles gave the album a pretty good once over, but closed out with … [Read more…]
Lil Wayne can do it all. Pleading guilty to guns charges. Dropping rhymes on a terribly conceived Weezer track. And now releasing the mixtape No Ceilings. Nah Right has all the info on the mixtape and a link to download the thing. All I can say is, in just experiencing the first couple of minutes … [Read more…]
So, your musical career is nothing but a joke, flush with riffs from a recent TV appearance. You’re tired of living a life on-and-off the road, not knowing where you woke up this morning and where you’ll be tomorrow. You’re anxious, tired and depressed. What do you do? Stage a fake balloon flight to freedom! … [Read more…]
Woodie. Whatever possessed mtvU to name their annual music award as such is beyond me. Is it supposed to be a joke aimed at their college audience? Cause I’m pretty sure college kids these days are smart enough to figure that one. Anyway, mtvU recently released the ballots for the awards show. What’s the big … [Read more…]
When I last dropped a line about America Is Just A Word, I mentioned that I’d be interviewing a few different artists who’s bands’ narratives are either barely known or not given the proper coverage. One of those groups is The Dismemberment Plan, fronted by Travis Morrison. Of the three groups mentioned in the previous … [Read more…]
I didn’t even bother watching the Grammys (nor have I in the past… well, who knows), because, well, for one thing, I rarely go out of my way to watch TV (especially on a Sunday night). But for one thing, of all the inumerable awards out there, the Grammys seem most meaningless; they toss aside … [Read more…]
I was flipping through the CD collection at the BPL in Copley Square today when a curious kid no older than ten caught up to my perusing area in the Popular Music Section. “Have you seen a My Chemical Romance CD?” The boy asked. “No, but if I do I’ll let you know,” I replied … [Read more…]
2008 is almost gone as the New Year will arrive in a matter of hours (or it may have already arrived depending on when you read this). So, in anticipation for the number of times I’ll forget to put “2009” on whatever documents need a proper year, here’s a little listing of 9 things I’ll … [Read more…]
It’s always nice getting some sort of personal email, especially when it’s in the form of a musical reunion between David Byrne and Brian Eno. Well, “personal” isn’t quite the right word, but I certainly took the message as a sincere and direct one: It’s with great pleasure we offer you a sneak peak by … [Read more…]