It’s hard to sum up an entire year of pop music in one concise “best of” list. Instead, here’s a tidy little look at some of the highs and lows in pop music over the past year: Hip-Huh?: The New Yorker‘s Sasha Frere-Jones declared that hip-hop was dead and upset a lot of hip-hop heads. … [Read more…]
It was indeed “A Decade Under The Influence.†But while Taking Back Sunday could string together a few solid hits drenched in a post-hardcore milieu and cut with pop sensibilities, chances are no one in the band could have predicted how influential emo would become in the aughts. The presence of the word in the … [Read more…]
Uncle! Can I give up? I’ve kept a pretty upbeat attitude when it comes to Weezer as of lately. I always hope for the best, and if I’m disappointed I’ll just say “maybe next year” and move on. But, “Can’t Stop Partying” is, well not quite the Weezer folks have eulogized over the years, nor … [Read more…]
It’s hard to turn down a free concert, even if that means watching Taking Back Sunday. Especially considering the underlying theme o’ this blog. I’ve never been entirely “in” to TBS. Just something about them never really caught me, even though I was their prime target when they first hit it big. I can understand the … [Read more…]
 So, the research I’ve pointed out in a few earlier blog entries has come to fruition in an article for The Boston Phoenix. On scrunk. That’s right, the (un)holy matrimony between screamo and crunk as seen in brokeNCYDE, Millionaires, and various others. You can check out The Phoenix site for the article, or pick up the issue … [Read more…]
A new week, another great musician who’s words and work will be included in America Is Just A Word. Justin Pearson – currently the bassist and half of the vocal team that is grindcore/noise-rock/post-hardcore group The Locust – will be talking to me about his experience fronting the mid-90s emo/screamo/post-hardcore/whatever weirdo term is out their act … [Read more…]
I wish I could blame this sort of thing on April Fools Day, and perhaps the timing is all-out irony, but it’s stuff like this that reminds you how everyone lives under their own rock at times. What am I talking about specifically? Scrunk. That’s screamo-crunk. The Guardian already “discovered” scrunk a year ago. That … [Read more…]
You have to hand it to the Boston Herald on this one. The Weekly Dig usually dispenses the mean-spirited disses, but this Michael Marotta column on bad summer trends takes the cake. Specifically, the following point: Ivy League indie rock Right now, Vampire Weekend and Chester French are taking our hard-earned money with half-hearted indie … [Read more…]