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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

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  • Village Voice Pazz & Jop 2009: For the Hipster in You

    Every year, a group of respected music critics gather ’round the proverbial campfire and submit their picks for the Best Music of 2009 to New York’s alternative weekly The Village Voice for what has become an institution-the Pazz & Jop critics’ poll.

    The poll has honored the year’s best album since 1971 (a prize that went to The Who for “Who’s Next”) and has honored the year’s best single since 1979, when the honor went to Ian Dury’s “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick”. Over the years, top honors have gone to artists running the gamut from straight ahead rock to pop to R&B to hip-hop. Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” being voted 1988’s Best Album was a watershed moment when it came to the critical viewing of hip-hop as an art form. For comparison’s sake, it’s worth noting that, while Grammy voters are widely seen as being out of touch while the Village Voice crew are thought of as hipper than thou, the two have agreed on the Album of the Year choice several times-Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” in 1976, “Thriller” in 1983, Paul Simon’s “Graceland” in 1986, and most recently, OutKast’s “Speakerboxx/The Love Below” in 2003.

    This year’s winner for best album is Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavillion”. Animal Collective are fairly well known in the indie-rock world, and I must say that the overall flavor of this year’s Voice list is more Pitchfork-y than I’m comfortable with. Perhaps it’s a testament to how out of touch I am when it comes to current popular music, but I only own three albums in the Top Ten (Phoenix, Grizzly Bear and the Flaming Lips), and quite honestly, don’t really have an overwhelming urge to hear anything else on the list. So any argument about whether Animal Collective honestly have the best album of 2009 is one I’m gonna have to respectfully bow out of.

    The year’s winner for best single is Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”, which has been ubiquitous over the course of the past three or four months. Indie rock takes over the next several spots, until an explosion of Lady GaGa occurs in the lower single digits/early teens.

    Dear reading public, as someone who either scratches his head or shrugs his shoulders at the majority of this list, I leave it to you to school me. Check out the list and let me know: do you agree with these choices? What albums or singles got left out?

  • We Are The World 2010

    You had to think that this would happen eventually. But with the tragedy going on in Haiti, it probably couldn’t come at a better time.

    This news bit comes from The Hollywood Reporter.

    Reportedly, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are scheduled to do a sequel to We Are The World. It was originally scheduled to be a 25th anniversary project, but with the situation in Haiti, it’s now scheduled for the proceeds from the song (and video) to go to Haiti.

    So far, the artists who are scheduled to be included are Usher, Natalie Cole, and John Legend, but you can imagine that everyone and their mother is going to want to get on this, especially since it’s scheduled to be recorded after the Grammys.

    If only Michael Jackson was still alive to be a part of this. However, maybe somehow, his vocals from the original can still be used on the new song. Or maybe his brothers will be on the track.

    Here’s the original:

  • Port O’Brien Releases Online EP to Support Haitian Relief Efforts

    How often do you get a chance to support a good cause and get turned on to some good new music as well?

    California’s own Port O’Brien has been touring the country in support of their recently released album, “Threadbare”. I was fortunate enough to catch these guys play the Paradise in Boston a couple months back, and I was also fortunate enough to catch band members Van Pierszalowski and Ryan Stively at the merch table following their set. They were great, personable guys, the music was awesome, and Van (who was rocking a pretty sweet yellow Lil Wayne tee of his own) was nice enough to give me a Port O’Brien tee shirt.

    Anyway, this band is doing their part to support the relief efforts in Haiti. If you go to their website, you can download “The Pan American Sessions”, an EP featuring alternate versions of four songs from “Threadbare”. 100% of the proceeds from this release will be donated to Doctors Without Borders relief efforts in the hurricane-stricken country.

    Lots of us talk a good game, but don’t back it up. Four bucks is a drop in the bucket for most of you out there. By contributing, not only will you be donating to a great cause, but you might just wind up with a new favorite band, too.