Muppets and Horses and Artists . . .Oh My!

The Oscar nominations came out this morning. And the biggest disappointment I see is the Music (Original Song) and Music (Original Score) category nominations.

The nominees for Original Song are only two: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and “Real in Rio” from Rio. Now, first of all, what this means is that the movie, Rio, could potentially be an Oscar winner. The animated film, Rio could win an Oscar. I hope I am not the only one who would be completely confused by this. And, “Man or Muppet” was clearly a clever song and one of the best scenes in the film, however, someone is going to present this category on stage and actually say the words: “ . . and ‘Man or Muppet’ from The Muppets. And, the winner is . . .” Are we twelve?

It comes to no surprise, but I think that “Immigrant Song,” by Karen O, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor deserves to be nominated for best original song. Now, because this is a cover, I am not sure if it qualifies as “original.” Perhaps that is the argument the academy is using. However, if that is not the case and the song could be considered, the song should have made the cut.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo opens with the song. The song is the soundtrack to the opening credits. Honestly, it sets the tone for the whole movie—dark, sexy, twisted and frightening. It deserves to be nominated because as we know from last year, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor are a winning team (Oscar winning for that matter).

For best score, the movies that are nominated are Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, Hugo, The Artist, and The Adventures of Tintin. What?? Hugo and War Horse, maybe. The Adventures of Tintin? Absolutely not. What is going on with the choices this year? What about (need I say it again) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? That deserves a nomination for best score. The whole soundtrack is distinct in the sense that you are aware of the music, as subtle as it is, throughout the film. The plot captures you and the score helps you get to the captivated state.

So, if the academy cares at all about my opinion, I vote The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for both, best song and best score and screw all the other choices.

Curse you Tintin!

Karen O, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross: "Immigrant Song" (from The Girl Wit...

These are a Few of My Not-So-Favorite Things

I realize that I am usually talking about music I like or even in some instances, that I love. Music for the most part is all puppies and rainbows and I often have very few complaints. I don’t often say bad things about artists or albums or songs. However, there are the occasional bad apples. I decided to discuss a choice few with the hopes that I do not offend anyone. But, if you actually enjoy any of the music I am about to mention, you have offended me as a music fan and therefore, this is payback and you deserve to be humiliated!

First off, Modest Mouse, “Float On.” What an awful song. “I backed my car into a cop car the other day/well, he just drove off—sometimes lie’s ok.” What?!?!? Is this song supposed to mean something? I do not mind ridiculous lyrics, however, I get the vibe that Modest Mouse is trying to be witty and existential and I don’t like that. These lyrics are ridiculous, the voice is a screeching off-key bark, and the video is a scrapbooking mess. “And we’ll all float on okay.” Is this an omen? Is this referring to our death and our souls moving on into the next dimension? I really do not want to listen to music talking about death being all “okay.” I’m going to be honest, still not ok with death and I would rather not hear about it at a bar or restaurant when this crap comes on the radio.

Even worse than that, “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John—oh my good gracious, could a song be more obnoxious? They are trying to be cute by whistling and having cartoon characters in their music video, but it is really just a haunting and monotonous drone. I hate the whistling that I hear, the voices, the lyrics; this song has no redeeming quality and because this is the first song I ever heard by Peter Bjorn and John, I will never be able to respect any of their other work.

“Love Shack” by the B-52s never got my attention. I hated it from the first time I heard it. A big part of why I hate it is because they play it anywhere. It somehow fits into any category of music so no matter what radio station you choose, it may find its way into the mix. It is like a bad rash that just won’t go away . . .AND NO DOCTOR WILL WRITE YOU A PRESECRIPTION!

R.E.M is a completely over-rated band. I dislike most of their songs. I don’t necessarily hate their music, or them as a group but I just have yet to like a song by them. “Man on the Moon,” “It’s The End of The World As We Know It,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Losing My Religion”—all mediocre songs and truly over-rated. I mean, I used a blog about the 20 best R.E.M songs to find all their worst songs. Somehow I seem to be on the opposing viewpoint of most of the alternative rock fans when it comes to this band. The cheese stands alone.

John Mayer. “Your Body is a Wonderland” came out when I was in high school and I admit, I swooned for a day or two over the sugary sweet lyrics of this tune. But then, it all went downhill between Mayer and me. I hosted an event for an internship I had during college, and he was one of the main guests of honor. He arrived extremely late and rumor backstage was that he was late because he was getting an expensive haircut and would not appear without his hair being cut just right. He gave a quick speech where he was trying to sound deep and philosophical. Dude, when you pay over $1,000 for a haircut (rumor has it), there is no way I can respect anything that comes out of your mouth. That includes your crappy acoustic music. “Who Says” and “Daughters”—what a tool bag. I may have fantasized about you once after seeing you in a Gap ad but those days are long gone.

These are just a few negative thoughts I wanted to put out there, I hope even if you do not agree, you are able to find a slight truth to my explanations.

I Can Finally Respect Bjork

I recently watched a movie that kind of relates to my previous blog entry. When I had seen the preview for this movie when it first came out, it featured two great songs, “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin and “Panic Switch” by Silversun Pickups. These songs featured in the preview, made me want to see the movie. Sucker Punch had one of the coolest previews I have ever seen.

Such bad reviews once it came out in theaters, deterred me from seeing it but this past weekend, I got around to finally renting it. The movie is not what I am here to talk about, but rather the soundtrack. I hadn’t been watching the movie 10 minutes before I downloaded the soundtrack. Why?

Well, first off, the first song in the movie is a “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” cover. I have still yet to meet a cover of this song that I don’t like. All the remixes I have heard are great and never overplayed. This cover was actually a cover by the main star of the film, Emily Browning. It is slow, and innocent sounding, in a creepy, Children-of-the-Corn sort of way. If you took the Manson cover of this song and interchanged a child’s voice, this is what you would get. It is almost church-like. It is beautiful—I’m sold!

As the movie played out, it introduced so many other great songs. Another cover is featured on the album, “White Rabbit” by Emiliana Torrin. The original “White Rabbit” was so twisted to begin with, luckily this cover sticks to the original tone and vibe. So let’s see, so far, two covers of two awesome songs. I am sooo sold!

Emily Browning is actually featured on multiple songs. She sings one song on her own, “Asleep” which is actually a lovely lullaby. It is simple in its lyrics “sing me to sleep/sing me to sleep/I’m tired and I/want to go to bed,” however, most real lullabies are. They are meant to lull children to sleep and I bet if you played this song for a child, it would help him/her fall into a peaceful slumber (just make sure you turn the album off before it goes to the next song—that will scare the child out of its mind). Browning is also featured in the song “Where is My Mind?” by Yoav, a Pixies cover. It is a beautiful duet, totally worthy of any Nicholas Sparks movie (that is a complement for sad dreary love songs).

Another milestone came when I downloaded this album—I GOT MY FIRST BJORK SONG!!!! I have wanted to like Bjork for so long. I remember in high school, girls were putting artsy pictures of her on their binders and she seemed so alternative and edgy. But then I would go home, listen to some of her music or watch her music videos and I just couldn’t do it. Her music either irritated me, bored me, or just really did nothing to me at all. This has happened a few times. I revisit Bjork, hoping for the best. I do this with a lot of artists: Tori Amos, big hair bands from the 80s, the Foo Fighters.

Anyway, so when I heard the song “Army of Me” by Bjork in Sucker Punch, I recognized the voice (she has a very distinct voice—like an angry Icelandic panda (if those exist, and they sing). The song is awesome. It is naughty and raw. It is the naughty schoolgirl prostitute of all songs. This song sounds like they took a normal song and powered acid on it. Zombie music! I am so pleased to have found a Bjork song I like. Now I can hang with the downer art students in school!

All in all, the album is awesome. It is the alter ego of most soundtracks and that is really what artistic license is all about, taking what we know and messing with it.

Buying Lipstick Because the Speakers Told Me So

I recently bought tickets to see Sleigh Bells at Terminal 5 in NYC and I was thinking, “How did I get into Sleigh Bells; where did I first hear them?” Then I remembered . . . I was watching a football game (a rare occurrence) and there was a car commercial that came on, and it was playing the Sleigh Bells’ song “Riot Rhythm.” It was a Honda CR-Z sport Hybrid commercial. Now, I may not have given two shakes about the car, but I cared deeply about finding out what song that was. I googled “new Honda car commercial music” or something to that affect and found the name, then went on over to iTunes and bought the song. The entire album was only six or seven bucks so I bought the entire album, Treats.

A few weeks later, I was watching MTV (a shameful occurrence) and a preview for that scandalous teen show, Skins, came on and guess what? The song playing in the commercial was “Kids,” also by the Sleigh Bells. I shrieked out of utter excitement and was so glad I had already purchased the album. And it was all because of a Honda commercial.

I am always on the prowl for new music to listen to. However, rather than someone telling me, “hey, you will like this,” there is something powerful about hearing a song somewhere and having it really catch your ear and with that, finding the artist, the album, and loving it. It becomes your little secret as you stand in the middle of Sephora, tracking down on your smartphone, the song currently playing and thinking that no one else even hears the music at all. Only you are paying any attention. I love that!

I have bought a lot of songs and whole albums in random locations. I bought Natalia Kills album, Perfectionist in Dylan’s Candy Bar on the East Side. Uhhh, I just lied to you. I did not buy the whole album there. I bought the single, “Zombie” in Dylan’s Candy Bar after hearing it on their Halloween-themed track list. The whole album I bought in Victoria Secret about 10 minutes later.

I bought Ne-Yo’s “Beautiful Monster” at a strip club in Times Square. That is also a lie. In the club, I was told to not take out my phone because the bouncers were on alert to anyone taking pictures of the dancers. So, I bought the song in the cab on the way home.

I bought the Beastie Boys’ song, “Sabotage” at a Lady Gaga concert in Fort Lauderdale. Gaga had not come out yet so it was still the part of the concert before the main performance, even before the opening acts when the venue just plays music from their speakers as everyone finds their seats.

Many television commercials, such as the Honda commercial have inspired me to buy music. I bought M83’s “Midnight City” from the Victoria Secret commercial, “Galang” by M.I.A after hearing it in a car commercial at the movie theater. Music is all over.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been shopping with a friend, or out at a bar, and I have totally secluded myself from the conversation in order to search vigorously for the song playing and download it for my very own. I bought “Breathe (2 AM)” in a bar in Brooklyn on a date (clearly the conversation must not have been that stimulating).

I used to buy a lot of songs at the gym. The gym used to have their own music station (before they got all fancy where you had to log in, pick a station, etc.). On this station, it just played a mess of random music videos. It was an extensive variety. I bought “Part of Me” by Chris Cornell, “Energetic” by BoA, “Blindfold Me” by Kelis, “One Day” by Matisyahu and “’Till I Collapse” by Eminem.
The point being, music is really everywhere. Department stores, restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops. I have often been convinced to buy something at a store based on the music playing. I consider it a sign. If Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” comes on, I know it is not the right time to be shopping. If “D’Yer Mak’er” by Led Zeppelin comes on, I’ll take one of everything.

I remember I was waiting on a date. It was a second date that I soooooo did not want to be on. I was sitting in the front of the restaurant, the “lounge area” (yah, it was that kind of place) and “Dancing Days” came on. Right there, sitting on that over-priced couch, I took a big sigh and felt better about the whole thing. Sure, I told this guy I did not want to ever go out on a date with him again and avoided his kissing attempts like the plague, but still—everything was going to be ok. “You know it’s alright/I guess it’s alright . . .”

So, the next time you are being dragged shopping for new clothes by a spouse, or watching crappy TV, or waiting for a concert to start, listen to the music around you. You may discover your new favorite song.

The Golden Age

I was introduced to Robert Plant pretty late in the music game. I really should have been listening to Plant and Led Zeppelin when I started asking for Beatles albums for my birthday but I guess my music palette had not yet matured.

I was in high school the first time I heard his voice. I should have listened to my mom when she randomly sang the lyrics: “we come from the land of the ice and snow . . .” and her random wailing; but I didn’t.

Many years later, I finally learned to appreciate the utter brilliance that is Led Zeppelin and the existential sensuality and soul that is Robert Plant.

I will forever honor Zeppelin, but as a Zeppelin fan, I feel it is important that we discuss some other successful avenues Robert Plant and the other members have taken.

Robert Plant and The Strange Sensation were established in the earlier 2000s and their second album, The Mighty ReArranger came out in 2005. I remember I was packing up my dorm room in college at the beginning of summertime and I first heard Robert Plant with something other than Zeppelin. I had a random Internet music station playing and I recognized the voice before anything else. I checked my computer and it was Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation singing “Shine it All Around.”

The entire album is calming and eclectic. It is beautiful and mellow. “Shine it All Around” is the most high-spirited song on the album. It gives you a feeling that life is beautiful and we should enjoy the moment here and now. When I first heard the song, it was May and the air was just starting to become warm enough for t-shirts and shorts. But, it was not overly hot like it gets in July or August. That is what the song is, in essence, the perfect day in summer.

Much of the album reflects on our current society and some of the corruption in war, religion. “Another Tribe” is one of these songs, reflecting on war and how it hurts us rather than helps us. However, we are often forced to make a choice to fight or not, even with lyrics such as “Another god, another mother/weeps to justify the damage done,” it is impressive how powerful these messages can calm across with such a mystical song. In other words, the messages are not overwhelming—the album is not preachy, it’s just significant. Another song with a similar vibe is “Freedom Fries.”

The album, overall, feels like it fell back behind a bureau many, many years ago. Then, only recently, someone discovered it, all dusty and worn and moth-eaten and re-mastered it and released in the current decade. It is from another time and it is that quality that makes it more delightful—the grass is always greener on the other side, eh? Well, whatever time this album’s spirit came from, I want to be there!

Many people describe Robert Plant as pompous and egotistical. I have read this in books, on websites and in magazines. To that, I have to say, if you were Robert Plant, wouldn’t you be an egomaniac? You are Robert Plant!?!?

I recommend this album as a feel-good, under-rated album. Plant is way older than he was in his earlier Zeppelin days and you can hear it in his voice which is really incredible to experience—some things really do get better with age.

Brrrrr . . .it's finally winter. Winter is a time for hot chocolate, for ice skating and snowball fights. It is also the time for staying in from the cold and watching movies, safe and warm under blankets. One of these films that I watched recently, happens to have an amazing soundtrack. I do plan to do a "best soundtracks" installment of this blog, but for now, I would like to spotlight an epic movie with an epic soundtrack . .I'll give you a hint:

"Spartan's! What is your profession?"

300, released in 2007 and produced by Frank Miller, is an amazingly beautiful, epic, fun and exciting, gory film. It has some of the best memorable one-liners of action films, in general, such as " . . .than we shall fight in the shade" and "come back with your shield or on it." On top of all of this, the film's soundtrack is incredible.

Tyler Bates was the composer on this film. There was controversy around this work, claiming that Bates copied previous work from films such as Titus or Troy. However, I am not here to attempt to defend or accuse that this was the case. I am here to say that however he did it, he did it!

The soundtrack is unusual--it stands out amongst it soundtrack peers, based in ancient times and provides the landscapes for gruesome battle sequences and noble death scenes of kings and emperors. The soundtrack has all the normal violins of your average score, however it also has the heavy guitar and drums of a rock album. Unlike a lot of other soundtracks, the songs are good individually. Most albums such as these, tell a story just like the film, and you cannot really take any song by itself. It is just like you can't really pick a scene from a film and just watch it on its own. You watch the WHOLE movie.

This soundtrack tells the story of the film, however you can take each song separately and enjoy it on its own. "Fever Dream" for example, is practically a rock ballad, good for running and working out.

"The Hot Gates" is another powerful song. Sure, you can see 6-packed Spartans assembling themselves before battle, but otherwise, the song is beautiful.

Not all the songs are so strong. "Xerxes' Tent" is a mystical and sensual song. Many of the songs on this album have a mellow undertone. "Message for the Queen" is your typical song of sadness and loss, meant to pluck at your heart strings when a war hero or favored character has died. But, it still stands on its own as beautiful.

Overall, the album is a winner. It is great for background music when reading, studying or cooking. But, it is also good for working out and getting pumped it. I have made many playlists for friends and for myself and taken a song from this soundtrack and embedded it somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and Adele.

I hope you all check it out, and remember . . THIS . . .IS . . .SPARTA!!

Shocker!

Most albums are good. Most albums I have, I respect as a good album and I enjoy most of the songs. There may be only one or two songs that I skip over on a regular basis—the rest I really do enjoy. There is nothing outrageous to report.

Then, there are few and far between albums where every song is worth listening to. Achtung Baby by U2 is an example; Songs About Jane from Maroon 5 is another. One song ends and I am just as excited to hear the next song begin. I can let the whole album play without ever rewinding or fast-forwarding. Just listening . . . .

Shockingly, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value is one of those albums. Are you shocked? (Pun totally intended)

I first heard this album in a McDonalds in Paris. I was using their free wireless on my laptop and I was seated at a counter with stools and televisions showing music videos above. (This is also where I first heard Muse). Anyway, I glanced up and noticed a video of a stage performance with Nelly Furtado. I looked back at my computer and then looked back up again a few seconds later and saw that Justin Timberlake was now with her. Then Timbaland joined them. What was going on? How were these 3 stars sharing a stage together? I could not really hear the song so I went online and typed in the search bar, “song with Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.”

The song was “Give it to Me” and it rocked. I loved it and still do. Turns out, this album was not available yet. I could not get my hands on it for a few months. I requested this song at every club I went to. Some DJs had it, some didn’t.

Finally the album was released on April 3rd. I had a friend who was a DJ who had bought the record and the CD version. He didn’t really need the album so he gave it to me. We hung out at his apartment the night he bought it; listening to the whole album, start to finish.

The whole album is a modern “duets” album. Each song features different artists, from Elton John and Fall Out Boy, to Dr. Dre and One Republic. Each song is amazingly different than the next. Everyone knows the song “Apologize” with One Republic and “The Way I Are” with Keri Hilson, but that is not even the half of it.

“Bounce,” one of the best songs, features Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake. It is such a nasty song, in the best sense. It has the epic chorus of “Bounce/Like your ass had the hiccups/bounce . . .” Plus, Missy Elliott really breaks it down in this song, “I’m worth more dollars than make up beauty parlors.” Another good dance song is “Bombay” featuring Amar and Jim Beanz. It has a wonderful Indian hip-hop vibe.

Some more off-the-beaten-path songs are the ones featuring non-hip hop artists. For example, “Time” featuring She Wants Revenge combines heavy beats with the lovably dreary vocals of SWR who occupy the chorus. “One and Only” with Fall Out Boy shows that these guys can be little badasses. It is as if Timbaland inspired the group to get angry at all their emo ex-girlfriends who dumped them to date the star of the football team.

“Throw it On Me” is probably the best of these weirdo collaborations. This song features The Hives and it is has heavy drum and bass, and very hip & jive vocals. Timbaland and The Hives go back and forth, almost trying to compete over who can get the hypothetical girl to “throw it on him” first. In this corner we have the ever so talented Timbaland and in the other, the lovingly skinny-jeaned Hives . . . .

This CD really has it all, the angry song (“Come and Get Me”), the sexy song (“Scream”), the happy song (“Boardmeeting”), the artsy song (“Oh Timbaland”), the sad song (“Apologize”), and even the my-ass-has-the-hiccups song (“Bounce”).

I have recommended this album to many people, I have bought this album and given it as a gift, I have got drunk on champagne to this album, I have worried about a guy not calling while listening to this album, I have partied hard with friends and cried by myself to this album. There is nothing you can’t do with this album.

Enjoy!

Not Your Grandmother's Dance Music

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012! I hope everyone is as excited about what 2012 has to bring for music as I am.

As I danced the night away last night in midtown, celebrating an old year behind me and a new year ready to experience, I was inspired to write this blog entry about dance music. I often thought that if you liked rock music as I do, you could not also like techno, dance, house, electronica and assorted fist-pumping, dubstep anthems. However, when traveling around Europe and visiting my fair share of European discotheques and clubs, I discovered how much fun artists like David Guetta, Benny Benassi, Fedde Le Grand, and Supermode can be.

There is a lot to be said for electronica artists. These artists are able to revisit old and current songs and totally remake them. Most of the music is fun but can also be extremely edgy (in a good way). There is no real limit on the creative licence these DJs and groups can take.

So, in honor of a whole new year to celebrate, let's party!


“Shooting Star” David Rush featuring LMFAO, Pitbull and Kevin Rudolf
“Naughty Naughty” Porcelain Black
“Lights (Bassnectar Remix)” Ellie Goulding
“Take Over Control” Afrojack featuring Eva Simons
“Fuck the Pain Away” Peaches
“Smack My Bitch Up” Prodigy
“Ooh Yeah” Moby
“Not Gonna Get Us” t.A.T.u.
“Tell Me Why” Supermode
“Call On Me” Eric Prydz
“In For the Kill” La Roux
‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) [Steve Angello Bootleg]” The Eurythmics
“Pon de Floor” Major Lazer featuring VYBZ Kartel
“Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett GoonRock
“Antidote” Swedish House Mafia
“Midnight City” M83
“Cinema (Skrillex Remix)” Benny Benassi featuring Skrillex and Gary Go
“World Hold On (Extended Club Mix)” Bob Sinclar featuring Steve Edwards
“Stereo Love” Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
“Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” Skrillex
“Satisfaction” Benny Benassi
First of the Year (Equinox)” Skrillex
“Save the World” Swedish House Mafia
“Natural Blues” Moby