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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Reviews

music-and-concert-reviews-you-wont-see-anywhere-else

  • Contender For Worst Song of 2008?: Flobots’ "Handlebars"

    How do I know I’m getting old? Because I constantly get the feeling that music today is infinitely worse than it was when I was a kid. I mean I came up in the era of Paula Abdul, C&C Music Factory and MC Hammer, but while I’ll be the first to tell you that none of that music was incredibly substantial, I’ll also tell you that most late 80s/early 90s pop music has at least some sort of hookiness and pop smarts that justifies the success it had.

    So, I’m out of touch. Whereas you could sit me down with any Top 10 list from 1980-2000 and I’d be able to at least sing the chorus of every song back to you, there’s songs in the Top 10 now that I barely even recognize. Hell, Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop” has been the #1 song in the country for four weeks now and I’ve heard it all the way through a grand total of ONCE.

    That doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in today’s music, and when I get wind of a new band that’s making waves, I try to give them a listen to see what they’re about. Sometimes we come up with a winner (Vampire Weekend, The Fray), sometimes we come up with what we think is a winner that later turns out to be something else entirely (Colbie Caillat), and other times, we come up with foul pieces of horse doody.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you with Flobots. By the way, this isn’t the official video, but I couldn’t find a version on YouTube that contained embeddable code. So you’ll just have to suffer through this…if you dare.

    While it’s nice to see at least someone nowadays with a social conscience, this song is so terrible that any redeeming quality in the lyrical content is completely wiped away. First of all, guys, rap/rock died out about 7 or 8 years ago. Isn’t Fred Durst in the witness protection program or something? Not to mention the fact that these guys have the stiffest, most wooden rap flow of anyone I’ve ever heard before in my life. And I sat through the entirety of Kevin Federline’s album! (it’s not something I’m proud of).

    Anyway, what do you think of the song? I think Linkin Park are rolling in their graves whenever this song comes on-and they’re not even dead.

  • MY Best of, Vol. 1: Radiohead


    A column that I hope will become a MHW mainstay is “MY best of”, in which our fine staff of music lovers decides to create their own compilation of a band’s best work…and what better band to start with than Radiohead, who actually have a (non-sanctioned, but isn’t what record companies do when a band leaves their label?) “best of” album out this week. Enjoy! More to come…

    -Ed.

    So EMI have released the first “greatest hits” compilation of Radiohead’s esteemed career, and I’ve gotta say, considering that they’re digging for pennies in an abandoned couch, it’s not too shabby. No matter the circumstances behind this release, you just can’t argue with the power of the songs, though somewhat predictably, the label have taken a safe route, heavily favoring the Bends/OK era (together comprising ten of the album’s sixteen tracks), sparing a few awkward glances toward Kid A & Hail to the Thief, and basically confining Amnesiac & Pablo Honey to the attic and feeding them a bucket of fish heads once a month. Not only is this presentation of Radiohead rather lopsided, but the sequencing kind of sucks too, especially in the latter half (the decision to throw “Everything In It’s Right Place” right after “Street Sprit” was either the work of a complete boob or someone with a demented sense of humor).

    I remember awhile ago Money Mike made his own Prince retrospect in response to a set Warner was pushing at the time. So I figured I’d try and do something similar with the ‘Head’s EMI years, and this is what I came up with:

    1.) Creep (Acoustic) [from My Iron Lung EP]
    2.) The Bends [from The Bends]
    3.) You and Whose Army? [from Amnesiac]
    4.) Optimistic [from Kid A]
    5.) 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm) [from Hail to the Thief]
    6.) Paranoid Android [from OK Computer]
    7.) Idioteque [from Kid A]
    8.) Sail to the Moon (Brush the Cobwebs of the Sky) [from Hail to the Thief]
    9.) Pyramid Song [from Amnesiac]
    10.) Fake Plastic Trees [from The Bends]
    11.) Karma Police [from OK Computer]
    12.) Where I End and You Begin (The Sky is Falling In) [from Hail to the Thief]
    13.) Knives Out [from Amnesiac]
    14.) Just [from The Bends]
    15.) Lucky [from OK Computer]
    16.) Motion Picture Soundtrack [from Kid A]

    There a few holes—many sacrifices, Pablo Honey still gets shafted, enough B-side material to make up a box set (hint hint EMI)—but I was going for a mosaic of the band rather a packaging of their “greatest hits” (and really, have Radiohead had anything in the way of an actual hit other than “Creep?”). So yes, this is what Radiohead means to me after a decade.

    So what do you think? You’re given the Herculean task of compiling Radiohead into a single disc (or with a “bonus disc” if you feel like cheating). What the hell do you put on it?

    -G. Harrell

  • New Music In Stores & Online: 6-3-08: Weezer, Ashanti, Jewel and more!!

    While there aren’t any blockbusters arriving in stores this week, there’s a pretty healthy bunch of new music. Here are some titles you might want to look out for.

    *Various Artists “Now That’s What I Call Music 28”: These compilations have been money in the bank for about a decade, but sales have slipped as the general public has realized that they can download the songs they like individually. Anyhow, this edition is significantly less R&B/hip-hop-centric than it has been in the past, with the likes of John Mayer, Fall Out Boy and Colbie Caillat joining recent hits by Lil’ Wayne, Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

    Home

    *Ashanti “The Declaration”: Remember about six years ago, when Ashanti was the hottest thing going? Well, this is her fourth album, and I’m not convinced that anyone really cares. She’s pretty much ditched Irv Gotti, Ja Rule and the Murder Inc. camp on this release, which features guest appearances from Babyface and Robin Thicke. “The Way That I Love You” has not made a lot of noise on the pop front, but it was a Top 5 R&B hit and definitely has one of the more interesting videos of the year so far.

    http://www.ashantimusic.net/

    *Jewel “Perfectly Clear”: A week or so ago, I posted Jessica Simpson’s new single, which found the pop vocalist heading into country territory. Jewel is another female singer who’s decided to do a genre switch (at least for now), and it probably goes without saying that Jewel’s adaptation of country flavors is probably a lot less forced (and a lot less blatantly commercial) than Jessica’s is. At any rate Jewel has never particularly interested me beyond a couple of singles, so I’ll skip this one. It is her first release on a new label, though, which usually means that a greatest hits compilation from her former label probably isn’t too far away. Now that, I’ll pick up.

    http://www.jeweljk.com/

    *Weezer “Weezer (Red Album)”: If you want short, hooky pop/rock songs, Weezer and The Foo Fighters are your best courses of action. Both bands have outlasted their contemporaries simply by doing what they do best. You know what a Weezer album is going to sound like, for the most part…or maybe you don’t! This, their fifth album, finds the band members switching up instruments on occasion and also finds band members not named Rivers Cuomo singing lead. First single “Pork & Beans” is already huge. Expect the rest of the album to follow suit. Also, keep in mind that this album wasn’t even supposed to exist, as the band reportedly split up after the release of 2005’s “Make Believe”.

    http://www.weezer.com/

    Also: Indie-rock darlings The Ting Tings, who recently scored the #1 single and album in the U.K. (as well as a coveted iPod commercial here in the States) release their debut “We Started Nothing” today…metal favorites Disturbed are back with “Indestructible” (alas, it features no Genesis covers)…soul siren (and daughter of the legendary Donny) Lalah Hathaway straddles the line between smooth soul and smooth jazz on “Self Portrait”, her new effort…meanwhile, two popular frontmen do the solo thing: Gavin Rossdale (formerly of Bush, currently Mr. Gwen Stefani) tries to re-establish his music career with “Wanderlust”, while Bret Michaels of Poison tries to capitalize on his reality show success with “Rock My World”.

    Happy shopping!!