Archive for December, 2007

Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2007

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

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50. Tinariwen – Aman Iman: Water Is Life
49. Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English
48. Robert Wyatt – Comicopera
47. Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals
45. Ricardo Villalobos – Fabric 36
44. Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends
43. Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline
42. Ghostface Killah – The Big Doe Rehab
41. Life Without Buildings – Live at the Annandale Hotel
40. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup / Lon Gisland EP
39. The White Stripes – Icky Thump
38. Wu-Tang Clan – 8 Diagrams
37. Grizzly Bear – Friend EP
36. Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
35. Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil
34. James Blackshaw – The Cloud of Unknowing
33. King Khan & the Shrines – What Is?!
32. Sally Shapiro – Disco Romance
31. Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
30. Caribou – Andorra
29. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
28. Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond
27. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
26. Various Artists – After Dark
25. The Tough Alliance – A New Chance / New Waves EP
24. Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings
23. Studio – Yearbook 1
22. Okkervil River – The Stage Names
21. Dirty Projectors – Rise Above
20. Liars – Liars
19. Feist – The Reminder
18. Kanye West – Graduation
17. The National – Boxer
16. Lil Wayne – Da Drought 3
15. Justice – †
14. Deerhunter – Cryptograms / Fluorescent Grey EP
13. Jay-Z – American Gangster
12. No Age – Weirdo Rippers
11. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
10. Burial – Untrue
09. The Field – From Here We Go Sublime
08. Battles – Mirrored
07. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
06. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
05. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
04. Radiohead – In Rainbows
03. M.I.A. – Kala
02. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
01. Panda Bear – Person Pitch

MP3: Panda Bear – Bros
MP3: Jens Lekman The Opposite of Hallelujah
MP3: Jens Lekman Friday Night at the Drive-in Bingo
MP3: The National – Fake Empire
MP3: Grizzly Bear – On a Neck on a Spit
MP3: Of Montreal – Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
MP3: Iron & Wine – Boy With A Coin
MP3: Arcade Fire – Black Mirror
MP3: Black Lips – Not a Problem
MP3: Spoon – The Underdog

Celine Says Goodbye To Caesars Palace

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007


Celine called it a wrap at for her A New Day Show” at Caesars Palace Saturday night.

While the show was still in development in 2000, Dion, 39, became pregnant and told husband-manager Rene Angelil she did not want to continue. Poor reviews almost sank her five-year engagement, but she went on to gross more than $400 million!

“I had a life for the first time,” the French-Canadian chanteuse said in a video before her 717th show. “I knew then that I wanted to have more success as a mother than a singer.

[images: Splash]

Rihanna Performs in Glasgow

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007


She’s worn this trash before, but good lord, I figured they would’ve tossed that crap into a tire recycling pit by now to make new steel belted radials.

Amy Winehouse Has Been Arrested

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Romeo oh Romeo, where for art thou Romeo…. “I’m on my way!”

It’s on! The drug induced insane Amy Winehouse has been arrested in the case with hubby Blake.
Sky News is reporting that Amy was arrested “by appointment” at a police station in east London.

“It is not an unexpected move,” correspondent for Sky News, Brunt said.

“Her husband has been charged with grievous bodily harm against a pub landlord. He was then further charged with perverting the course of justice.

“It had been speculated that police might have an interest in any allegation about his wife’s potential involvement.”

It’s going to get interesting!

Hawthorne Heights Guitarist’s Death Ruled Accidental Overdose

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Casey Calvert‘s death has been ruled an accidental overdose by the Washington, D.C., medical examiner’s office .

Members of the pop-punk band Hawthorne Heights swore that he had no drugs in his system when he died in his sleep while on their tour bus.

Casey was just 25 and recently married when he was found dead on November 24 before the bands concert. The overdose was caused by the combined effects of opiates, an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medication.

Those antidepressants are bad news!!

[AP via Mlive.com]

Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks Of 2007

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

100 Ost & Kjex – “Milano Mugolian (A Thrilling Mungophony in Two Parts)”
99 Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew – “Backed Out on the…”
98 Old Time Relijun – “Indestructible Life!”
97 Sir Richard Bishop – “Ecstasies in the Open Air”
96 Times New Viking – “Teenage Lust!”
95 Groove Armada [ft. Mutya Buena] – “Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)”
94 MGMT – “Time to Pretend”
93 Antibalas – “Beaten Metal”
92 Air – “Mer du Japon (Kris Menace Remix)”
91 Menomena – “The Pelican”
90 Miranda Lambert – “Gunpowder & Lead”
89 Air France – “Beach Party”
88 The New Pornographers – “Myriad Harbour”
87 Sophie Ellis-Bextor – “Me and My Imagination”
86 Rekid – “Next Stop Chicago”
85 BARR – “The Song Is the Single”
84 50 Cent – “I Get Money”
83 Sonic Youth – “I’m Not There”
82 Tinariwen – “Matadjem Yinmixan”
81 Modest Mouse – “Dashboard”
80 Grizzly Bear – “Little Brother (Electric)”
79 Magik Markers – “Taste”
78 Amy Winehouse – “Tears Dry on Their Own”
77 The National – “Mistaken for Strangers”
76 Klaxons – “Golden Skans”

lcdamfdjh-761222.jpg75 Escort – “All Through the Night”
74 Black Lips – “Katrina”
73 The Twilight Sad – “Cold Days From the Birdhouse”
72 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – “La Costa Brava”
71 The Shins – “Turn on Me”
70 Cassie – “Is It You?”
69 Roísín Murphy – “Overpowered”
68 Black Kids – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You”
67 Devin the Dude [ft. Andre 3000 and Snoop Dogg] – “What a Job”
66 King Khan & the Shrines – “Welfare Bread”
65 DJ Khaled [ft. T.I., Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman & Lil Wayne] – “We Takin’ Over”
64 No Age – “Neck Escaper”
63 Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – “I’m Not Gonna Cry”
62 Cool Kids – “I Rock”
61 !!! – “Heart of Hearts”
60 The White Stripes – “Rag and Bone”
59 Lil Wayne – “Upgrade U”
58 Shellac – “The End of Radio”
57 Electrelane – “To the East”
56 Aesop Rock – “None Shall Pass”
55 Studio – “No Comply”
54 Joanna Newsom – “Colleen”
53 Bat for Lashes – “What’s a Girl to Do?”
52 The Clientele – “Bookshop Casanova”
51 Kanye West [ft. T-Pain] – “Good Life”
50 Dude ‘N Nem – “Watch My Feet”
49 Yeasayer – “2080”
48 Liars -“Plaster Casts of Everything”
47 T2 -“Heartbroken”
46 Deerhunter- “Wash Off”
45 The Honeydrips – “Fall From a Height”
44 Pantha du Prince – “Saturn Strobe”
43 Deerhoof – “The Perfect Me”
42 Spoon – “Black Like Me”
41 Los Campesinos! – “You! Me! Dancing!”
40 Beirut – “Elephant Gun”
39 Sally Shapiro – “He Keeps Me Alive”
38 Matthew Dear- “Deserter”
37 Blonde Redhead -“23”
36 Okkervil River – “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe”
35 Dirty Projectors – “Rise Above”
34 The Tough Alliance – “Silly Crimes”
33 Dinosaur Jr. – “Almost Ready”
32 R. Kelly [ft. T.I. and T-Pain] – “I’m a Flirt (remix)”
31 Cortney Tidwell – “Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan’s Objects in Space Remix)”
30 Dan Deacon – “Wham City”
29 Arcade Fire – “Keep the Car Running”
28 Dizzee Rascal – “Pussy’ole (Old Skool)”
27 Lil Mama – “Lip Gloss”
26 Jay-Z – “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)”
25 Kanye West – “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
24 Gui Boratto – “Beautiful Life”
23 Simian Mobile Disco – “I Believe”
22 Animal Collective – “Peacebone”
21 M.I.A. – “Boyz”
20 Radiohead – “All I Need”
19 The Field – “A Paw in My Face”
18 Chromatics – “In the City”
17 Burial – “Archangel” 16 Feist – “1 2 3 4”
15 Jens Lekman – “A Postcard to Nina”
14 Caribou – “Melody Day” 13 Of Montreal – “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal”
12 Spoon – “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”
11 Grinderman – “No Pussy Blues”
10 Jay-Z [ft. Beanie Sigel] – “Ignorant Shit”
09 Animal Collective – “Fireworks”
08 Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.”
07 LCD Soundsystem – “Someone Great”
06 UGK [ft. Outkast] – “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)”
05 Rihanna [ft. Jay-Z] – “Umbrella”
04 M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy] – “Paper Planes (Remix)”
03 Panda Bear – “Bros”
02 Battles – “Atlas”
01 LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends”

Madonna to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007


The committee announced the list of 2008 Inductees today:

Madonna

Mellencamp

The Beastie Boys

Leonard Cohen

The Dave Clark Five

“The 2008 inductees are trailblazers — all unique and influential in their genres,” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman said in a statement. “From poetry to pop, these five acts demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself.”

To be eligible, artists must have issued a first single or album at least 25 years before nomination.

Madonna Louise Ciccone signed with Sire Records in 1982 and became one of MTV’s first stars two years later with “Like A Virgin.” She has constantly altered her image and appearance ever since, showing staying power that few ’80s stars could muster.

[source: Associated Press]

Jordin Sparks Set to Sing at the Super Bowl

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007


American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will be singing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLII in Arizona, which is her hometown.

The Super Bowl will be held the University of Phoenix Stadium on February 3rd 2008, according to The Arizona Republic.

Dan Fogelberg Dies at 56

Monday, December 17th, 2007

Dan Fogelberg, one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the ’70s and ’80s, died Sunday at home in Maine at age 56.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004 and lost his battle on Sunday.

Fogelberg was a key component of the golden age of the confessional singer/songwriter, joining the likes of James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne and more in turning pop music’s focus inward after the ’60s’ explosion of social commentary. He had started as a rocker in bands around his hometown of Peoria, Ill., but began performing solo while attending the University of Illinois.

One of his best songs is “Leader of the Band”, which was written for his father Lawrence Fogelberg who was a musician, educator, and band leader. Dan was so gratified that he was able to give him that song before he passed on. In his final years he was interviewed many times by the national press because of it.

[source: USA Today]

Being a Songwriter

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

What Makes a Great Song

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

It begins with the lyric. A great song expresses a feeling that inexplicable. You cannot have a great song without a very strong lyric.

What’s Happened to the Music Business

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

John D. Kalodner is arguably one of the most successful and influential A&R (artist and repertory) men in the history of the music business. Starting his career in 1976 with Atlantic Records, he was responsible for bringing AC/DC as well as Genesis, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel to the label. From 1980 to 1994, he entered a fruitful partnership with Geffen Records that made him the man behind many of that era’s most popular and enduring hard rock and pop records.