GRAMMY Nominations Reaction

So the Grammy Nominations were this week.

I am not impressed.

I've decided that the Recording Academy is really no expert of any kind because if it was, it wouldn't have nominated about half of the things it did.

Okay, that's probably not fair. I actually can't speak with any authority on most of the categories. Really the only place I feel like my opinion has any weight to it is in the "Album Of The Year" category. So let's talk about that.

The nominees: "21" by Adele, "Loud" by Rihanna, "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga, "Wasting Light" by Foo Fighters, and "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" by Bruno Mars.

The way I see it, two of these deserve the nod: "21" and "Born This Way". "21" was musically and sonically amazing, and Adele puts more energy and soul into her songs than anybody else. "Born This Way" is a thematic and artistic masterpiece. I would have nominated these two albums, and I applaud the Academy for those picks.

But that's it. The rest of these have no business being anywhere near the podium. "Wasting Light" is good, not great. Very little diversity of sound and seemingly rote songwriting make it more a collection of decent songs than an album. "Loud" (aside from not being released this year, another gripe with the Grammys) had two hits and bunch of mediocre filler songs. Two hits does not a Grammy make. "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" (also from 2010) had one hit. None of these albums had any musical or thematic flow, and what sonic diversity there was was misplaced.

I've decided that instead of griping about the nominees that we do have, I'm going to talk about the nominees we should have had. Here are some albums/artists that I think deserve mention:

1) Foster The People. "Torches" might be the best album released this year. At least, it's in my top five. There are no bad songs. Period. Mark Foster is a songwriting genius. The entire album is produced beautifully. The album artwork is fantastic. The music blends pop and rock into a new* breed to alternative, a breed which will be growing in the future. The fact that "Torches" received one nomination and Kanye received seven is criminal, and it shows a fundamental immaturity amongst the Academy.

2) Blind Pilot. Okay, I didn't really think they'd get a Grammy nomination. But wouldn't it be nice? "We Are The Tide" is another great album from this year, and speaking musically I think it is the most impressive. It's relatively easy to layer electronic sounds over each other to make a pop song. It is comparatively difficult to to the same with acoustic (and at times archaic) instruments. Blind Pilot did it with near perfection this year, and I think they deserve big-stage credit.

3) Arctic Monkeys. Yeah, yeah, they aren't about to be big-time Grammy nominees either. But "Suck It And See" was a really good album from every angle. The lyrics were insightful and enjoyable, bordering on funny. The music was well-written, not too complicated but interesting. The sound was recognizable but mature. Arctic Monkeys are a great band that released their best album yet, an album that was easily better than half of the year's AOTY nominees.

4) Joe Bonamassa. I think my measuring stick for when the Grammys have their shit together will be when they nominate Joe Bonamassa. He is (in my somewhat knowledgeable opinion) one of the best guitarists alive today. He released his NINTH (he's 34, that's a lot) studio album "Dust Bowl" this year. He consistently sells out mid-sized venues around the world. His band (ahem... SUPERGROUP) Black Country Communion released it's second album this year as well, and he also released a collaboration with Beth Hart. Three albums in one year on top of a touring schedule. They guy is a machine, and I will not put any stock in the Grammys unless and until they give him a nod.

Okay... That's most of what I want to talk about. I do know for a fact that there are good albums that have been released or that are soon to be released that are not eligible for these Grammys. Which makes me a little mad. I understand that you need time to decide everything, but I still think it's stupid to disallow pretty much a quarter of the year's releases (the cutoff is September 30) from the year's awards. It's also stupid to allow albums from last year compete against albums from this year. "Loud" and "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" were from 2010. They shouldn't be invading the 2011 awards (or any awards, they are not good albums).

I think I'm going to do my own awards show at the end of the year. It will include albums from 2011. I will decide what categories to include, but I'm thinking there will just be a few (Best Album, Best Song, Best Album Art, Best Lyrics, etc.). I will also probably have "Worst Album" and "Most Disappointing Album" categories. I feel like that's an equally important aspect of music that the Grammys fail to recognize.

Alright, that's everything I have... sorry again for being such a fail with videos. Let me know if you have anything to say about/contribute to my thoughts and I'll be happy to try to work them into a future post/video.

If you are reading this sentence, you are a fantastic person and I love you.


*It's newish, not new. Phoenix and MGMT do the same thing.

December 2, 2011: Got Music? Important Update

Three things:

1) Dear God, it's December.
2) If you're interested, I'm going to be posting a few new acoustic cover songs to my YouTube channel in the near future, so you can go enjoy those. The first is up (Helena Beat by Foster The People)
3) My webcam is no longer communicating with the rest of my computer in a way that is conducive to video-making. And since I have to try every video a few times before it works (and it only does like half the time), I'm just going to call it: I'm done shooting videos for a few weeks. I'm planning to acquire a good camera in the coming weeks, and my hope is that I'll be able to shoot better video with less brain-ache. Until then, I don't really want to screw around with bad video, bad sound, and a slovenly computer.

My video today was a reaction to the Grammy nominations. I'll be making a blog post with a more organized textual version of that shortly, so look for it in a bit.

Thanks for being cool.

Review: "We Are The Tide"

Blind Pilot: a band that totally snuck up on me. A band that I had never given a lot of thought to until one of my friends played "One Red Thread" for me and asked me to sing it (if you dare brave the tempest...). Since that moment, I have given significantly more thought to the Portland group. I have also given them significantly more listening time. This is a decision that I am quite happy with, for Blind Pilot are truly masterful on their 2008 debut "3 Rounds And A Sound." At this time, Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski constituted the band in its entirety. The two-man acoustic arrangements were tasteful, simple, and honest, and the dynamic was truly ideal for their unique brand of indie-folk/rock.

With this in mind, I was understandably unsure of the chances of inter-album consistency when I heard that their new release We Are The Tide incorporated four additional musicians. Using touring musicians was one thing, but I felt that tripling the size of the band would result in something else altogether. Something less than ideal, I might add. 

Oh, how wrong I was.

The opening song on We Are The Tide, "Half Moon," crescendos into prevalence with a fullness that immediately informs the listener that Blind Pilot has evolved. But any worries of over-evolution are promptly put to rest. "Half Moon," like the entire "Tide" album, sounds exactly like, well, Blind Pilot. It’s just Blind Pilot with a fuller sound. A fuller, richer, more mature sound. It’s a sound that grows and evolves even within the confines of the lead-off track, and it comes to a climax at the chorus about a minute into the song. At this instant, there is nothing but passion, energy, and beauty in the world. 

And it does not relent. "Half Moon" is undoubtedly my favorite tune on the album, but don’t think for a second that there is a drop-off in quality. Each song carries the torch with dignity, and brings a unique but equally powerful theme and dynamic to the collection. After "Half Moon," the next two songs slow down slightly and fall a little closer to the original simple Blind Pilot sound. The title track, listed fourth out of ten brings back the fullness and energy the album began with, but from a slightly more upbeat direction. It is with this song that I am convinced that Blind Pilot can truly make a masterful album, one which includes ups and downs, rises and falls, agility and languor.

After this, the album definitely slows down a bit. If you read "slow" as "boring," please excuse yourself from the remainder of the discussion. "Just One" and the album’s final track, "New York" are two of the most moving songs I have heard this year. "Just One" has a folky-country twist, employing sweeping slide electric guitars behind the chugging  (slow) acoustic strums. But the flawless vocal harmonies steal the show for these four minutes. Pay attention here, because this, kids, is how you arrange a song. "New York" is the ideal culmination to this album. It takes all of the passion and energy, and wrings it out over a chamber of strings. This is, lyrically, the most powerful song of the bunch. A slow-moving, growing, dirge for a broken relationship/quest for personal growth? That’s heavy stuff. This song is like the sonic equivalent of a solitary butterfly breaking out of its cocoon after it’s friends had left it behind (whoo, I sure am good similes).

The album ended. I just restarted it and listened to it again. And then again a few hours later. I’ve probably heard it 4-5 times total by now, and it still isn’t old. These are real songs by real people playing real instruments with real meaning. That’s a sound for sore ears, if you will. 

I will leave the review with this: album titles are not always very clear and understandable, and they rarely reflect the musical qualities of the album. But Blind Pilot’s new album flows in currents, it rises and crashes, it opens and closes, and ultimately it pulls you away with it. The music has a vitality that transcends mechanical influence, and I am left without a shred of doubt as to the group’s self-description: they are the tide.

Review: "Dust Bowl"

When I tell people about Joe Bonamassa, I like to say he’s "the best guitarist you’ve never heard of." But recently I’ve begun to think that I might need to rework that introduction to "he’s the best guitarist I have ever heard period." Either introduction is likely to conjure up images of a seasoned pro in the minds of new listeners, so most are somewhat surprised when they discover a 34 year-old white guy behind the microphone. But don’t be fooled by his youth. Bonamassa had logged more miles on a guitar at 15 than most guitarists do by 50. Keep in mind that this is a kid who opened for B.B. King (more than once) when he was 12, and who recently formed super-group Black Country Communion with Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, and Jason Bonham. Yes indeed, his 34 years have been prolific to say the least; his latest release, Dust Bowl, is his ninth solo studio album. And, where many artists will begin to fade, mellow out, or become redundant, Bonamassa has somehow one-upped himself again. Dust Bowl is, in my humble opinion, his finest effort.

The album opens with the chugging "Slow Train," a loud, powerful blues exclamation. The subject area is nothing new to the blues genre (nomadic symbolism, broken relationships, etc.), but the execution is refreshingly new. Bonamassa finds a way to make his song sound eerily like the metaphorical train he sings of with percussive riffs and driving rhythm. The second song is the title track to the album, and deservingly so. The multitude of stringed and percussive instruments introduced in the song provide a haunting backdrop for strong vocals and alternately eerie and fiery guitar riffs. I would say that it is unquestionably the strongest song on the album, but Bonamassa has a nasty habit of making every song count, and the remainder of the album stays impressively on-par.

On "Tennessee Plates," Bonamassa tips his hat to the big Nashville country sound, turning down the gain and up the twang. Well actually he keeps the gain up pretty high. He just adds some twang, and some John Hiatt. The result is a big, rolling song about a big, rolling Cadillac (with Tennessee plates!). Bonamassa makes every note count, right down to the end. But don’t turn down the volume just yet. In his cover of Bobby Troup’s "The Meaning of the Blues," Bonamassa takes all the Nashville energy and brings it, lumbering, into focus behind the loudest, bluesiest lens I’ve ever beheld. He simply wails on his guitar, tearing out gut-wrenching solos and leaving the audience sufficiently floored. In fact, it’s probably a good thing that the beginning of the next tune, "Black Lung Heartache" is toned down a bit, because otherwise the unprepared listener would not be able to handle the continuous influx of energy. Please note, however: "toned down" does not mean “less impressive." Bonamassa employs an orchestra of small stringed instruments, some of which I have never heard of, (all played by the man himself) to give a jangley, tumbleweedy quality to his composition. When he does turn the volume back up partway through, he is able to maintain the hollow tone he achieved in the beginning, and the song becomes raw emotion and energy for about two minutes.

"You Better Watch Yourself" is not, as an uptempo, bluesy, jam, particularly unique. It is, however, another opportunity for Bonamassa to showcase his mastery of the guitar and his trademark Gibson-driven tone. The diversity resumes in the following track, "The Last Matador of Bayonne." This is the slow song of the album. Primarily soft guitar, brushed drums, and a trumpet wailing in the background, the song finds Bonamassa contemplating history and solitude in (presumably) the French town of Bayonne. The middle third of the song is the heart of the composition, and possibly of the album itself. Bonamassa unveils some of the most soulful, incendiary, heart-wrenching guitar playing I have ever heard in middle of this song, before sinking back into the shadows, leaving as quietly as he arrived.

Black Country Communion (BCC) bandmate Glenn Hughes appears on the cover of Paul Rodgers’ "Heartbreaker." If you were curious about what BCC sounds like, this song will give you a pretty good taste. Big, loud, classic rock with strong vocals and stronger guitar playing. Nothing too complicated here, folks, just some rockstars doing their thing. Another cover (this time of Michael Kamen and Tim Curry) follows in "No Love on the Street." The sound is not remarkably new, as both sonic and thematic parallels can easily be drawn between this and "The Meaning of the Blues." But at this point, any excuse to hear Bonamassa shred his way through a big, sexy blues song is fine with me, so I could not care less about the slight redundancy.

While we’re talking about redundancy, I suppose we’ll just carry on thorugh the next two tracks. Bonamassa’s own "The Whale that Swallowed Jonah" and Vince Gill’s "Sweet Rowena" (to which Vince Gill contributes his voice) are both uptempo country-based songs (the latter markedly more country-sounding than the former, but both retaining noticeable twang). While never totally repetitive, the songs don’t do much that hasn’t been done already on the album. But keep in mind that at this point on the album, Bonamassa has covered essentially all the bases, and redundancy is nearly inevitable. I choose to forgive the double-up because the songs remain strong and tasteful, and Bonamassa’s soft voice and hard guitar playing are as pleasant as ever.

The album ends on the highest of high notes (metaphorically speaking, here). Karen Lawrence’s "Prisoner" gives Bonamassa the opportunity to hit the area he hasn’t yet on this album. In fact, I don’t know that he’s sung/played like this before at all. I suppose it never hurts to begin with an already emotionally charged song, but Bonamassa takes that emotion and passion to levels that I previously didn’t know could be achieved musically. His voice is a perfect match for the song’s love-struck lyrics, and his final guitar solo on the album is one of his strongest. I honestly don’t know that he can hit a wrong note (at least while the monitors are on). 

As the final note rings into silence, the listener is left to reflect on an album that truly has everything. Loud vocals, scorching guitars, emotional choruses, guest stars, cool artwork, and a barrel of different sounds and styles tastefully and artfully woven together. Dust Bowl is a true masterpiece, and it is absolutely Bonamassa’s best album. At least, until the next one comes out.

November 29, 2011 BONUS

Now that I've temporarily excused myself from my only responsibilities with this blog, I guess I'll post one quick musical thing. The Black Keys are releasing their new album December 6, and it's going to be amazing. That's no longer just an opinion, I know it to be true. I know it because today they began streaming five songs off the album on their website. You can listen to all five here.

These songs rock. They're raw and loud and energetic. This is going to be one of my favorite albums. Get ready.

http://www.theblackkeys.com/elcamino/

(There is a lot of other cool news on their shiny new website, so if you're interested, head on over there.)

November 29, 2011

Shhhh. If you just stay cool, no one will notice how hugely I failed at posting videos/blog things these last two weeks.

I'm sorry for sucking at this, I'm busy. I have half of an excuse for last week (I was traveling through the sky in a tube toward my home for Thanksgiving), no excuse for the previous week.

Again, you won't see a video today, but it's not because I'm too busy or I forgot. It's because the most interesting thing that's happening this week and next is tomorrow night's Grammy nomination concert. I'm going to tune into that, and then post this week's video discussion of it on Thursday.

Thank you for not hating me.

Allan

November 8, 2011

This week's video is a little different, as I discuss music that is good, but not necessarily new.

Notes...

I did a phone interview with The NowhereNauts last week, which I will post as soon as possible.

The Rescues have an amazing cover of "Teenage Dream", check it out. Best cover I've seen recently.

The Odious will release some new material at 100 Facebook likes, so hit up their FB page!

November 1, 2011

My apologies for the lateness, I was busy seeing MASTODON and DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in concert. Amazing. I digress. Here is this week's video.

Additionally, I appreciate your patience while I figure out exactly how to make decent videos. I'm slowly getting better...

New Black Keys Album‽

Heh. I used an INTERROBANG in that title.

I saw this video and I love the album already, despite the fact that it tells me nothing about the music. The Black Keys are amazing. I'm really looking forward to their new release, out December 6! Check out this hilarious ad:

They say the album is faster paced and less soul-y than Brothers. Some people (mostly people who liked them after Brothers came out) will probably be irritated by this. I think it's going to rock. These guys have proven that they know how to make an album right, and as this is their 7th go at it, I have high expectations. Check out this article from SPIN for more details.

http://www.theblackkeys.com/

October 25, 2011

Dumb video and sound aren't working together... Sorry. Also this video is too long. BUT I HAVE A LOT TO SAY DAMMIT. Enjoy...

October 20, 2011

This week's video is both late and tragically bad! Hooray!

Maybe I'll do these artists some justice at some point and give them real reviews...

October 18, 2011

Fail. I didn't get a video done today. I will do my best to have it up tomorrow, Thursday if not. Sorry. As a teaser, I will be discussing the new album by Cymbals Eat Guitars.

NowhereNauts

The NowhereNauts are one of my favorite new bands. As someone who can be, at times, excessively picky about his music, I like to think this says a lot about the alternative band from New York. Probably not. But the music speaks for itself. It’s raw, but not ugly; loud, but not intimidating; fun, but not crazy. The female lead and just-distorted guitar/bass dynamic remind me of The Ettes, but maybe just a bit less grungy.

The NowhereNauts’ self-titled debut album is well constructed and easy to listen to. I’ll be the first to admit that none of the songs is particularly noteworthy; none stands out. But it is equally true that none of the songs is weak. The album holds up all the way through. And, after three listens, I am quite sure that “all the way through” is the best way to take this album.

I’ll be keeping tabs on the NowhereNauts. I get the sense that they don’t particularly care about developing a following, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves one anyway. This is the kind of justice that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. The music can, in fact, triumph over the money. The NowhereNauts have a niche in the alternative music scene, and I’ll be listening intently as they settle into it and become participants in the everlasting redefinition of new music.

October 11, 2011

In which I retroactively cover things I missed the first time.

October 4, 2011

Good lord it's October...

Anyway, here's this week's video. It's about Ben Howard.

September 27, 2011

My apologies if the video seems a bit choppy, and for the late hour. Apparently my mic wanted to record sound much faster than my camera wanted to record video, so I had to adjust all that. Which sucked. Whatever... here's "Got Music?" for this week.

September 20, 2011

I am learning to make these shorter. That may or may not be related to the fact that I failed to do anything  productive on this front this week... bah.

Review: "Watch The Throne"

Okay, so sue me. I didn’t like "Watch The Throne." I thought it was over-produced and without insight. I think Jay-Z and Kanye West both can do better. There, I said it. Go ahead and hate me.

The truth is, I found this album very inaccessible. I claim no authority in the realm of rap and hip-hop, and I will not be trying to convince anyone that my knowledge thereof is extensive, but my head simply couldn’t grasp it. It may be true that I did not understand and appreciate this album for all that it was worth. But I submit that if one person found this music inaccessible, there must be other listeners in the same boat.

We’ll get to that. First we need to talk about the music itself. Because I didn’t like that part either.

The album begins with a driving, grooving riff. It’s catchy enough, it builds through two verses, and just when it seems the music will break out, climax, and leave everyone wowed, it does the opposite: it sinks into apathy. This is going to be something of a trend on this album. Jay-Z seems to begrudgingly keep up his end of the bargain, Kanye keeps his head above water (which was probably his end of the bargain), but that’s it. Nothing stands out, nothing pops, nothing makes me feel like playing the album twice. Through the majority of the album the music is flat and un-insightful.

Well, I think it is un-insightful. It’s actually difficult to tell at times, given the amount of extra-topical production. Songs like "Lift Off," "New Day" and "Made In America" are all great examples of music that tries too hard. Lesson of the day: music doesn’t have to be sonically complex to be good and expressive. And, frankly, unless you’re a 24-piece orchestra, it shouldn’t be. It’s the law of diminishing returns: there is a point where you’ve added too much. "Watch The Throne" goes beyond that point on nearly every track.

The album is not without decency. "Otis" is a musically solid song (mostly because of the Otis Redding sample, but I digress). "Gotta Have It" is, all things considered, a good song, although it would be better without the weird underlying chant. "New Day" is lyrically strong, but sonically abrasive (see above re: over-production). "Who Gon Stop Me" is a hard-hitting track with decent, meaningful lyrics. Again, the bulk of the intensity is due to a sample (Flux Pavillion’s "I Can’t Stop"), but the sample is taken tastefully, and the arrangement and production compliment both the sample and the lyrics sung over it.

Aside form these tracks, and select sections of a few others, I think this album is a bust. Kanye does not work hard enough to convince me that he is a musical person, and Jay-Z skirts around opportunities instead of seizing them. I am left disappointed by their unwillingness to connect with the audience or to put much musical thought into their work. For an album coming from such distinguished figures in the music sphere, I really expected more.

While reviewing an album, it is of course crucial to listen to each track thoroughly and critically. But it is equally important to evaluate the album as a whole, to seek out recurring issues and general strengths/weaknesses. With "Watch The Throne," the most irritating and consistent flaw is the sheer inaccessibility of the music. I attribute this to two facts.

Firstly, that the level of production (as discussed above) is so high as to inhibit the listener’s ability to comprehend the lyrics. At times it is physically difficult to hear what  the rappers are saying over the beats and music. And even when there is not physical interference of sound, the music is often so complex that it distracts from the words being sung and spoken. As rappers are artists of language more than of music, I find that this defeats the purpose of rap entirely. If I can’t tell/am distracted from what is being said, what reason is there for me to listen to rap music?

Secondly, that a plurality of the lyrics provide a commentary on race in society. This is most certainly one of the most pressing issues of the day, but there comes a point at which I stop feeling invested in what I’m hearing. The law of diminishing returns has once again afflicted WTT; after seven or eight songs that discuss the same topic, I lose interest. I think that it would be a much better strategy to write one or two really strong songs on the topic of race, and then use those as a starting point for opening up a broader discussion between artist and audience, and ultimately making tangible social progress. When so much of your album is devoted to a single theme, the likelihood of continued audience interest is diminished, as is the likelihood of said album receiving a good review from me.

"Watch The Throne" just doesn’t quite fit together. The songs don’t flow, the lyrics don’t inspire, the beats don’t hit hard and the music isn’t catchy. It’s evidence that a resume alone does not good music make. In the end, I find the album’s title very appropriate; we only need to watch the throne if the throne is going to be empty. Hope those kings hurry on back...

September 13, 2011

September 13, 2011 Preview...

In this Tuesday's "Got Music?", I will be reviewing Blind Pilot's new release. But if you just can't possibly wait until then, you can head over to Young Provocateurs and find my written review in the "music" section. YP is a really cool young-adult blog/web-magazine, and I'm really excited to get to write for them periodically. Check out the site, my review(s) (I have done one other review, linked on the "Links" page, and a few other pieces), and then come back over here Tuesday for "Got Music?"!

September 6, 2011 Addendum: Lindsey Buckingham

Sorry for not posting this yesterday, our campus internet was down for most of the day (and I had, you know, classes). Here are my thoughts on Lindsey Buckingham's new release "Seeds We Sow" (9/6/2011)...


This album was just fine. When I say that, I don't mean it was boring, lame or monotonous, nor do I mean it was exciting, adventurous or thrilling. It was none of those things. It was just fine.


The album's opening track (also the title track), "Seeds We Sow" is one of the better songs on the album. It's simple, with one guitar voice and one human voice. It's a perfectly good arrangement, and it works for the song. I can't help but think that as the song comes to a climax it might be benefitted by some strings or an organ or something. But whatever. It works.


After a strong opening track, you'd expect an album to either continue on a rise, or settle down a bit. This does neither. It just kind of continues as it was, decent songs in decent arrangements (the rest of the album does use more instruments than the first track). None of the songs were particularly interesting or inspiring, and I doubt whether any will achieve "hit" status.


The one exception might be "Rock Away Blind". This is the song the reminds us that Buckingham was once a core member of Fleetwood Mac. The skillful fingerpicking, familiar tenor singing, and minimalist arrangement come together in a way that works well. Or at least better than anywhere else on the album. 


Overall, Buckingham's album is absolutely adequate. It won't be given extended airtime, but it also won't be dismissed as garbage. "Seeds We Sow" earns a 6/10 from me. It should be noted that this album was entirely self-produced and released. I think that ended up being a mixed blessing; independence is always artistically beneficial, but it leaves more room for weakness. To quote Will Hermes of Rolling Stone, who reviewed the album as well, "Sometimes a man needs to go it alone, but sometimes it's good to bring your buds."


To read Hermes' review and to hear the title track, head over here. I don't always agree 100% with Rolling Stone, but I think they hit this particular nail squarely on the head.




In unrelated news, one of my good friends, Anthony Morones, has officially launched his blog/online portfolio. Go have a look. He has some really good art, and the blog features music reviews of things I don't necessarily cover (a lot of metal at the moment). We have been talking about potentially working together in the future on reviews and related stuff, so stay tuned to both blogs!


That's all for now, come back next Tuesday afternoon for "Got Music?".

September 6, 2011

Somehow it is September now... what...

Anyhow, videos have resumed. Tuesdays now. Here is this week's helping of news, reviews, and other stuff.

August 30, 2011

As I predicted in last week's video, there has been a lot going on this week (i.e. new college), and a video would be out of the question. But I do have a moment to write a little bit here so there isn't a huge gap in the story. My brief thoughts on the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album "I'm With You":

I thought this album was really good. From the moment it began, I felt all the energy, passion, and drive that I feared RHCP would lose. They totally lived up to standards. "Monarchy of Roses" is a great lead-off song, and it set my mind at ease straightaway. From here, the album stays fairly consistent in terms of energy and dynamic, with a few ups and downs. Enough that it doesn't get boring, but not so much that it loses coherency.

"Look Around", "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" and "Goodbye Hooray" all appear in the middle of the track list, and I think this is where the real heart of the album lies. I initially questioned the use of "Rain Dance Maggie" as the album's lead single because it is a somewhat flat song. However I have come to realize that, since the rest of the album has plenty of energy, "Maggie" fits into the flow easily. It is really a solid song, despite the low-energy feel it brings.

The album finishes strongly enough, and I am left totally satisfied. I don't think any of these songs will be instant hits, I doubt very much whether any will be chart-toppers, but I don't care. RHCP have rediscovered the art of the album, and have made a point of showing the musical world that, decades be damned, they still hit hard.


Final note for the week: my schedule is shaping up in a way that makes Tuesdays a much better day for "Got Music?" episodes than Mondays. So expect videos every Tuesday, not Monday. That is all...

August 23, 2011

My sincere apologies for not having this ready on time (again). I was really busy. But I totally didn't forget (I might have forgotten a little bit). Anyhow, enjoy.

August 16, 2011

Hello! I apologize for not having this yesterday, monday turned out to be a very busy day indeed! Nonetheless, here is this week's video and accompanying links/notes. Enjoy!

August 10, 2011 Update!

Almost forgot! My weekly concert recommendation was for KINK's Concert for Kids next Monday (link to tix on "Links" page), which is going to be great. But in my haste to promote this excellent benefit show, I nearly forgot that the Arctic Monkeys are going to be in town this week! In fact, tomorrow! If you can, go check them out because I have heard their live shows totally rock, and their new album (released June 6, 2011) is awesome! Check out both if you can!

Okay, back monday with more neat stuff!

August 8, 2011

Episode 1! Enjoy!

Note: I wanted to include my review of the new album by The Ettes, "Wicked Will", but the video got too long. But I really liked that album, and I think you should go check it out!

The Beginning

Hello, internet. My name is Allan Van Vliet. I make, listen to, and review music. I've decided that a good exercise to ensure I stay on top of all things musical will be to create a weekly video and blog in which I discuss the latest music news and releases. I am hoping that I will be finished with episode one later today, and will be able to post it soon. I am putting this post up so that, on the off chance that anyone finds this page before I am done, they don't see a blank blog.

Come back by later and check it out!