Completely dead on our feet, we decide to make it all the way through Day 3 we needed a break from the scorching afternoon sessions as there was no one we wanted to see until 4 anyway. We headed to Revolution Brewing for lunch which I can't recommend enough.
Our main goal for Sunday was staking out a good position for Foo Fighters. Unfortunately this meant we had to cut Cage The Elephant out of the schedule whom we all really wanted to see, but was the only band on our revised schedule not playing at Music Unlimited. Also Flogging Molly would have been great, but I've seen them twice before and they were on directly opposite of the Cars.
We got to the stage right as the Cars launched into their first song and pushed as far as we could up into the crowd. It's always nice to have a few nostalgia acts around. The Cars are a classic rock staple, but a little past their prime. Nothing special, but it was still nice to say I've seen them. The heat was bearing down intensely though as I chugged through my Gatorade as well as a bottle of water I brought within about 10 minutes of arriving. The girlfriend went out for reinforcements during the show and searched for a camelbak to keep us hydrated as we anticipated moving closer for the Arctic Monkeys show in blazing heat. She found no camelbak and instead came back armed with 3 ponchos.
This would prove very wise as the oppressive heat gave way to a very dark and swirling clouds a few minutes before the Arctic Monkeys were to begin their set. The already mud packed field was getting much worse as buckets of rains or a Box of Rain for deadheads out there poured down. All around mud people were forming as it was impossible to stay clean and dry in this environment. Finally the rain subsided and the Monkeys came out. A band I support, but find overproduced at times delivered exactly that live. Some of the drumming was a little heavy handed, but as they settled in for the stretch drive of their weather shortened set they got the crowd dancing and singing along to their big hits. The good thing about the rain delay: Foo Fighters were now only 35 minutes away.
Now the moment we've been waiting for all weekend and really the impetus of the trip. We were exhausted, wet and muddy, sore backs, hip flexors and feet that were on fire. The second Dave Grohl set foot on the stage it was all worth it. After releasing a string of just ok albums, earlier this year the Foo released Wasting Light a hard rocking masterpiece better than anything they've put out this side of The Colour and Shape. They immediately launched into the album opener Bridges Burning. Oh you can now add a sore neck to my list of maladies. Headbanging to this is natural instinct.
After playing Rope and launching into The Pretender the skies let loose again. This does faze Dave Grohl. He is superman. They ripped through a fantastic performance as I am now getting a little hoarse as well screaming the chorus of this song. Mother nature is not going to put a damper on this show. They play through the whole storm. There was one moment that was picture worthy when during Learn To Fly a close up on Dave Grohl appeared on the monitor with rain flying all over the place while he was chugging along on the guitar. Epic.
The rain settled back down and at this point really no one cared if they were wet or muddy. We knew we had no chance of leaving the grounds clean. My shoes are still recovering from the mud bath we went through while walking out. Maybe another washer cycle? Doing everything Cee Lo didn't Grohl keeps the crowd engaged during the whole show and they play an excellent mix of songs both old and new. I don't get my far fetched wish of "Hey Johnny Park", but it doesn't matter. This is great.
As the time is nearing closer to 10 p.m. they anounce there is no encore. They aren't leaving the stage, just playing until the time is up. This is what rock and roll is supposed to be. Finally after heaping praise on Lolla founder and Jane's Addiction lead singer Perry Ferrel they launch into the last song of the night and one of my personal all time favorites. I don't think anything could top singing "Everlong" in the rainy muddy field. It's the highlight of the whole weekend. I doubt I'll ever do the whole 3 day Lolla thing again and I don't know if everything will ever feel this real forever or if everything could ever be this good again. All I know is right now this is the pinnacle of a rock and roll show and I loved every minute of it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Lollapalooza: Saturday
Having learned the lessons and the tricks of maneuvering and surviving Lolla, we set out for day two of the weekend of music.
Coming in the north entrance, we were going to head all the way south, but while walking by the Playstation stage we enjoyed what we heard from Chico Trujillo. A band that was not our initial schedule, they were a latin jam band. I believe we used the term "Latin Polka Boy" to describe them. Quite an unexpected treat and I'll be looking up some of their stuff now that I know they are good live.
We headed down to the Music Unlimited stage to catch a day set from Fitz & The Tantrums. A fairly new band that so far has just released an EP and a single album, they have a wonderful classic motown sound led by French lead singer Fitz. They proudly say they feature no guitars in their band, but the sound is no worse for wear as they have some wonderful organ, saxophone and everything else in the kitchen sink going. I was disappointed they didn't play my favorite "We Don't Need No Love Songs", but they closed out with "Money Grabber" which I've heard playing quite a bit lately on XM Alt Nation. A tremendously catchy song, I really hope this band catches on. The live performance was good but not transcendent, but a scorching hot sunny day in mid-afternoon isn't exactly prime set time.
Again a mid-afternoon lull without any bands we are dying to see. We are dying to get out of the heat though so we seek out a pub to get some dinner and drinks before coming back later in the evening and stop by the Deftones on our way back down south to camp out for the rest of the night. Luckily they played "House of Change" the one song of theirs I actually liked when I was in college. The other couple songs we heard were pretty boring, generic and bad, much like everything else besides that one song. Meh.
We camped out as close as possible on dry land to catch Cee Lo and stake out our good position for Eminem at the same stage later. Cee Lo was ummm...interesting. Beyond the wonderful "Fuck You", a few Gnarls Barkley songs and a couple other listens, I was expected a soul/funk brigade and really didn't know what it was going to be like. Ceel Lo came out dressed in something out of a heavy metal cliche with big spiked shoulder pads and a leather clad all female band. They then ripped into a searing cover of Danzig's "Mother" wtf? Alright that was cool and unexpected, but the show went downhill from there. The whole show seemed very out of sync with lots of misstarts and confusion. Cee Lo tried to play to the crowd which I'm assuming was there mostly to see Eminem later and got very irritated when they didn't respond as expected. He pretty much threw a hissy fit and was very bizarre. In addition to Danzig he did covers of Violent Femmes and Billy Idol and many keyboard/tape loops of other popular classic rock songs without delivering. It really seemed like the work of a not talented artist which I now have to wonder if Cee Lo really is after seeing such a horrid performance. He played a mediocre rendition of "Fuck You" which was probably dedicated to the fans at that point then left the stage 15 shy of his set time, the only act we saw that didn't use the fully allotted time.
Finally after a mad scramble to the bathroom and to bring some more water back for the group, we settled in for Eminem. It looked like everyone else had the same idea. I love My Morning Jacket and would still like to see them, but Eminem was our obvious choice for the Saturday headliner. The crowd was pumped up and I'm pretty sure we were some of the only few in the whole crowd, or at least the only ones who staked a claim to a good seat that weren't smoking during the show. Apparently Eminem is clean now, but his major fans are anything but.
I have to admit I am not familiar with his whole discography as my taste lean more toward the rock than rap, but Eminem does transcend that. He's a amazing song writer regardless of genre and I was very eager to see him perform as I've heard he's even better live. The first half or so of the show was mostly newer stuff that I wasn't familiar with, but it was all pretty good so I'll probably get on Rhapsody sometime this week and catch up with his new album. He then launched into Stan and did a medly of his older hits from his days before recovery. As 10 o'clock neared there were still two songs left that it was pretty obvious he was going to play. He launched into "Not Afraid" which is incredibly powerful live with the whole crowd singing along with the chorus. After massive cheers he came back for an encore of what else but "Lose Yourself". I've written about this song before and it is still amazing every time I listen to it. This isn't just my favorite rap song, it's one of my favorite anything songs ever. I love the way it starts out slow with the steady drum and guitar beat throughout. As the song intensifies, so does Eminem's voice along with the pace of his wording. The frantic last verse races to get back to the final chorus as 50,000 fans sing along. Yeah it doesn't get much better than this. I expected big things and Eminem surpassed even those heightened expectations.
Weary, dirty and stinky we head back to the apartment to catch some much needed sleep before the final day.
Coming in the north entrance, we were going to head all the way south, but while walking by the Playstation stage we enjoyed what we heard from Chico Trujillo. A band that was not our initial schedule, they were a latin jam band. I believe we used the term "Latin Polka Boy" to describe them. Quite an unexpected treat and I'll be looking up some of their stuff now that I know they are good live.
We headed down to the Music Unlimited stage to catch a day set from Fitz & The Tantrums. A fairly new band that so far has just released an EP and a single album, they have a wonderful classic motown sound led by French lead singer Fitz. They proudly say they feature no guitars in their band, but the sound is no worse for wear as they have some wonderful organ, saxophone and everything else in the kitchen sink going. I was disappointed they didn't play my favorite "We Don't Need No Love Songs", but they closed out with "Money Grabber" which I've heard playing quite a bit lately on XM Alt Nation. A tremendously catchy song, I really hope this band catches on. The live performance was good but not transcendent, but a scorching hot sunny day in mid-afternoon isn't exactly prime set time.
Again a mid-afternoon lull without any bands we are dying to see. We are dying to get out of the heat though so we seek out a pub to get some dinner and drinks before coming back later in the evening and stop by the Deftones on our way back down south to camp out for the rest of the night. Luckily they played "House of Change" the one song of theirs I actually liked when I was in college. The other couple songs we heard were pretty boring, generic and bad, much like everything else besides that one song. Meh.
We camped out as close as possible on dry land to catch Cee Lo and stake out our good position for Eminem at the same stage later. Cee Lo was ummm...interesting. Beyond the wonderful "Fuck You", a few Gnarls Barkley songs and a couple other listens, I was expected a soul/funk brigade and really didn't know what it was going to be like. Ceel Lo came out dressed in something out of a heavy metal cliche with big spiked shoulder pads and a leather clad all female band. They then ripped into a searing cover of Danzig's "Mother" wtf? Alright that was cool and unexpected, but the show went downhill from there. The whole show seemed very out of sync with lots of misstarts and confusion. Cee Lo tried to play to the crowd which I'm assuming was there mostly to see Eminem later and got very irritated when they didn't respond as expected. He pretty much threw a hissy fit and was very bizarre. In addition to Danzig he did covers of Violent Femmes and Billy Idol and many keyboard/tape loops of other popular classic rock songs without delivering. It really seemed like the work of a not talented artist which I now have to wonder if Cee Lo really is after seeing such a horrid performance. He played a mediocre rendition of "Fuck You" which was probably dedicated to the fans at that point then left the stage 15 shy of his set time, the only act we saw that didn't use the fully allotted time.
Finally after a mad scramble to the bathroom and to bring some more water back for the group, we settled in for Eminem. It looked like everyone else had the same idea. I love My Morning Jacket and would still like to see them, but Eminem was our obvious choice for the Saturday headliner. The crowd was pumped up and I'm pretty sure we were some of the only few in the whole crowd, or at least the only ones who staked a claim to a good seat that weren't smoking during the show. Apparently Eminem is clean now, but his major fans are anything but.
I have to admit I am not familiar with his whole discography as my taste lean more toward the rock than rap, but Eminem does transcend that. He's a amazing song writer regardless of genre and I was very eager to see him perform as I've heard he's even better live. The first half or so of the show was mostly newer stuff that I wasn't familiar with, but it was all pretty good so I'll probably get on Rhapsody sometime this week and catch up with his new album. He then launched into Stan and did a medly of his older hits from his days before recovery. As 10 o'clock neared there were still two songs left that it was pretty obvious he was going to play. He launched into "Not Afraid" which is incredibly powerful live with the whole crowd singing along with the chorus. After massive cheers he came back for an encore of what else but "Lose Yourself". I've written about this song before and it is still amazing every time I listen to it. This isn't just my favorite rap song, it's one of my favorite anything songs ever. I love the way it starts out slow with the steady drum and guitar beat throughout. As the song intensifies, so does Eminem's voice along with the pace of his wording. The frantic last verse races to get back to the final chorus as 50,000 fans sing along. Yeah it doesn't get much better than this. I expected big things and Eminem surpassed even those heightened expectations.
Weary, dirty and stinky we head back to the apartment to catch some much needed sleep before the final day.
Lollapalooza: Friday
After several years of throwing around the idea, I finally found some takers and decided to attend my first ever Lollapalooza. As we set out Thursday evening, the weekend seemed to be lining up perfectly. It may be hot, but only 80's hot and forecast for clear skies almost all weekend. Also we found a great Lolla app to easily navigate our days.
After a little delay caused by even greater than normal amounts of traffic on I-94 and a long line to go through security and in the gates, we made it inside the grounds at Grant Park at around 2p.m causing us to miss TAB the Band an up and coming, but retro sounding band formed by two sons of famed Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.
We walked to the Bud Light stage and caught the last 5 or so songs by Young the Giant. The lead singer seemed to have good energy and a few of their songs were catchy. They finished out their set with "My Body" an incredibly catchy pop-rock piece that I hope is receiving sufficient airplay around the country. I really dig that song and it's the only one of theirs I knew prior to the show.
Of course the reason we were at that stage was to move up after they departed to get premium standing space for the next act at that stage, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. I saw them in Indy a few months ago after discovering them earlier this year and if you've never been to a show it's simply a must. They are one of the best current bands around. Led by the sexy Grace Potter a sort of Tina Turner meets Janis Joplin presence, the band is very tight and talented putting on one hell of a live show.
I really don't know how this band hasn't hit mainstream yet although I have heard Paris (Oh La La) played on some trailers and teasers so maybe it's coming. On their three albums they've had it all so far: Flat out rockers: check Bluesy jams: check Softer ballads in the vein of a Sara Barellies: check. As good as their albums are all the songs are amped up even further during a live performance resulting in the closer "Medicine" where the entire band ends up beating on the drum set simultaneously while Grace Potter has a near wardrobe malfunction from all ends. As always they slay the crowd, leaving everyone wanting more. One hour is just not enough Grace for my life.
A mid-afternoon lull and severe dehydration lead us to seek out some food and air conditioning before coming back to the park in the early evening. My friend wanted to see A Perfect Circle so we headed to the Music Unlimited Stage. My view on this band has always been that they are very mediocre. None of the couple songs I heard live did anything to dispell this notion.
After a few songs, we went to stake out some good seats for OK Go playing at the tiny Google+ tent. The band came out dressed in mono-chromatic Google colored suits and delivered a great pop rock show. I like this band, but really can only say I knew a handful of their songs. They brought at the handbells at one point showing some amazing unique skills. All in all they put on a very entertaining crowd pleasing show ramping up toward the end with their better songs resulting in a show closing crowd sing along version of "This Too Shall Pass" which is personally my favorite song of theirs.
Afterwards we hurried back to the Music Unlimited stage where Muse had already started their show. As we were walking we heard the steady drone of "Uprising" already playing. Apparently Muse isn't into saving their best for last following that up quickly with "Supermissive Black Hole". Also after every song they seemed to do a little outro guitar lick from a classic song such as Back in Black along with a lot of great fireworks and other special effects. I've heard Muse put on a great show and so far not disappointed. We wanted to catch Coldplay as well and I remarked that since they had already played two great ones, if they played my favorite "Hysteria" now it'd be perfect and we could catch both. Sure enough the next song the droning guitar and steady drum kicks in and I'm in heaven. The drumming on this song is just amazing.
All the way back across the park we go to catch Coldplay which has a lot more sizable audience than Muse. As we are walking up we hear them start "The Scientist" which is by far my favorite Coldplay song. Everything is coming up Milhouse tonight. We stake a claim along the very west side of the field as barely any room was available. After a few lackluster songs, we admit we are all beat and don't feel like sticking around another hour to hear "Viva La Vida" the only other Coldplay song I really care for so we call it a night and hoof back to the apartment. We learned a lesson about pacing ourselves and setting up our schedule in order to get decent spots for our most highly sought after bands. Next up: Day Two.
After a little delay caused by even greater than normal amounts of traffic on I-94 and a long line to go through security and in the gates, we made it inside the grounds at Grant Park at around 2p.m causing us to miss TAB the Band an up and coming, but retro sounding band formed by two sons of famed Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.
We walked to the Bud Light stage and caught the last 5 or so songs by Young the Giant. The lead singer seemed to have good energy and a few of their songs were catchy. They finished out their set with "My Body" an incredibly catchy pop-rock piece that I hope is receiving sufficient airplay around the country. I really dig that song and it's the only one of theirs I knew prior to the show.
Of course the reason we were at that stage was to move up after they departed to get premium standing space for the next act at that stage, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. I saw them in Indy a few months ago after discovering them earlier this year and if you've never been to a show it's simply a must. They are one of the best current bands around. Led by the sexy Grace Potter a sort of Tina Turner meets Janis Joplin presence, the band is very tight and talented putting on one hell of a live show.
I really don't know how this band hasn't hit mainstream yet although I have heard Paris (Oh La La) played on some trailers and teasers so maybe it's coming. On their three albums they've had it all so far: Flat out rockers: check Bluesy jams: check Softer ballads in the vein of a Sara Barellies: check. As good as their albums are all the songs are amped up even further during a live performance resulting in the closer "Medicine" where the entire band ends up beating on the drum set simultaneously while Grace Potter has a near wardrobe malfunction from all ends. As always they slay the crowd, leaving everyone wanting more. One hour is just not enough Grace for my life.
A mid-afternoon lull and severe dehydration lead us to seek out some food and air conditioning before coming back to the park in the early evening. My friend wanted to see A Perfect Circle so we headed to the Music Unlimited Stage. My view on this band has always been that they are very mediocre. None of the couple songs I heard live did anything to dispell this notion.
After a few songs, we went to stake out some good seats for OK Go playing at the tiny Google+ tent. The band came out dressed in mono-chromatic Google colored suits and delivered a great pop rock show. I like this band, but really can only say I knew a handful of their songs. They brought at the handbells at one point showing some amazing unique skills. All in all they put on a very entertaining crowd pleasing show ramping up toward the end with their better songs resulting in a show closing crowd sing along version of "This Too Shall Pass" which is personally my favorite song of theirs.
Afterwards we hurried back to the Music Unlimited stage where Muse had already started their show. As we were walking we heard the steady drone of "Uprising" already playing. Apparently Muse isn't into saving their best for last following that up quickly with "Supermissive Black Hole". Also after every song they seemed to do a little outro guitar lick from a classic song such as Back in Black along with a lot of great fireworks and other special effects. I've heard Muse put on a great show and so far not disappointed. We wanted to catch Coldplay as well and I remarked that since they had already played two great ones, if they played my favorite "Hysteria" now it'd be perfect and we could catch both. Sure enough the next song the droning guitar and steady drum kicks in and I'm in heaven. The drumming on this song is just amazing.
All the way back across the park we go to catch Coldplay which has a lot more sizable audience than Muse. As we are walking up we hear them start "The Scientist" which is by far my favorite Coldplay song. Everything is coming up Milhouse tonight. We stake a claim along the very west side of the field as barely any room was available. After a few lackluster songs, we admit we are all beat and don't feel like sticking around another hour to hear "Viva La Vida" the only other Coldplay song I really care for so we call it a night and hoof back to the apartment. We learned a lesson about pacing ourselves and setting up our schedule in order to get decent spots for our most highly sought after bands. Next up: Day Two.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
A simple way to determine the best song
After an interested debate over whether "Everlong" is one of the greatest songs ever (My vote: yes), I had an epiphany. What makes a song one of the "best ever"? After all, I love hundreds, thousands even of songs from all different genres and time periods. How can they possible be compared to each other?
The simple definition: If a song randomly comes on the radio while driving by myself, there is no way at all I ever turn the station until it's over.
Some songs are great sing along songs and great for party atmospheres (for example Whitesnake). Some songs are great to listen to with the windows rolled down on a nice spring day (for example Santeria). Some are great when you are in a melancholy mood (for example Fake Plastic Trees). The best songs are good in every cause you can possibly think of.
I love "Sweet Home Alabama" and consider it a landmark song, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood to listen to it, or at the very least explore the other channels just to see what's on before coming back to it. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, if I hear "Everlong" or "Thunder Road" on the radio, I'm hooked. That is what for me defines the tag "best songs ever".
The simple definition: If a song randomly comes on the radio while driving by myself, there is no way at all I ever turn the station until it's over.
Some songs are great sing along songs and great for party atmospheres (for example Whitesnake). Some songs are great to listen to with the windows rolled down on a nice spring day (for example Santeria). Some are great when you are in a melancholy mood (for example Fake Plastic Trees). The best songs are good in every cause you can possibly think of.
I love "Sweet Home Alabama" and consider it a landmark song, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood to listen to it, or at the very least explore the other channels just to see what's on before coming back to it. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, if I hear "Everlong" or "Thunder Road" on the radio, I'm hooked. That is what for me defines the tag "best songs ever".
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Best songs of 2010
After consuming all lists I've come across and giving a shot to some of the songs I hadn't heard until the best of lists, I've come up with my own twisted version of 2010's best. As with most years, I disagree with a good majority of the lists although at least this year the consensus number one isn't something as bland as Animal Collective was in 2009. I still don't see how people stayed awake during "My Girls" much less thought it was the song of the year.
While Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Gorillaz, and Elizabeth Cook all released albums I really liked, none of their individual songs made the cut. Worshiping at the altar of Springsteen, I of course found The Promise a great listen, but since most of the stuff on there was recorded in the late 70's, it doesn't really apply. The list goes to 11 because I couldn't decide which one I wanted to cut.
11. "Congratulations" - MGMT
While their sophomore album of the same name was quite a disappointment overall compared to the electric feel of their debut album, this song captured me from the very beginning. It almost sounds like a 70's era John Lennon song.
10. "Swim Til You Can't See Water" - Frightened Rabbit
This is a band I would love to see get more recognition. I can't quite put my finger on why I like their stuff so much, but I do. I don't really have much else to say about this song. It's not the greatest song ever written, but in a fairly weak 2010 crop it stands out simply because it's the best song of an album by one of the best bands around.
9. "Good Enough" - Tom Petty
Geezers made quite a strong showing last year. The previously mentioned Bruce Springsteen scraping tracks from the vault of his period as the best artist ever was the highly publicized event, but Neil Young had a great album and Tom Petty, again with the Heartbreakers, came back with a raw bluesy sound similar but yet different from anything they've released before. At almost 60 years old he still puts on a fantastic live show too. It's a shame they picked "First Flash of Freedom" as the lead single to Mojo because it's one of the worst songs on the entire album. This spot was going to Petty, but it was a toss up between this or "I Should've Known" off one of the secretly best albums of the year.
8. "Bang Pop" - Free Energy
The name of this song pretty much says it all. It is essentially a brash unabated pop song with one of the catchiest guitar licks I've heard in a while. The production quality on this is superb, making the guitar lick in the chorus almost sound "underneath" the main hook. I'm really looking forward to hearing more of this band. Everything I've heard has been catchy and well produced.
7. "Harlem River Blues" - Justin Townes Earle
This guy must have learned something from growing up on Copperhead Road. The son of great Americana artist Steve Earle delivers quite possibly the most upbeat song ever about committing suicide. It reminds me of old Johnny Cash gospel tinged music and in a dark way, I suppose it is.
6. "The Diamond Church Street Choir" - The Gaslight Anthem
If I weren't limiting myself to one song per artist, I'd probably just put the track list for this whole album. Why do 2nd albums always get referred to as "sophomore albums" but 3rd albums never as "junior albums"? Well this junior album American Slang from The Gaslight Anthem builds immensely on the first two. They have now released 3 very distinct, yet all very good albums growing closer to the mainstream with every one. Again I picked the best song off what was my favorite album of 2010.
5. "Macon" - Jamey Johnson
If more country music sounded like this, I might be swayed back to mainstream country even though if this song were released 35 years ago it'd be called Southern Rock. An ex-marine turned country singer, Johnson delivers his normal baritone voice to a rocking country number about getting back home to see his girl.
4. "Infinity Guitars" - Sleigh Bells
Sometimes a song comes along that is so far out of left field and so good it just blows my mind. This is one of those songs from last year from the Sleigh Bells debut. Brash female punk has always been a soft spot for me and this is one of the best song titles I've ever heard as well as doubling as what would be a great name for a southern rock band. It starts out with a punk rhythm and goes into overdrive at the end as the "infinity" guitars kick in. Very recommended.
3. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" - The National
I have to admit, even though I'd heard of this song in the summer, it took me quite a while to actually listen to it. Once I saw the title, I just assumed it was another half baked annoying rap song which is about as far from the truth as it could be. Again I learned to never judge a book by its cover. Had I known who Cee Lo Green was, it probably would've been another strike against it although I've learned I apparently hate Danger Mouse because I couldn't stand Gnarls Barkley, but quite enjoy the Cee Lo Green half of that duo.
This is a classic break-up song with a modern twist. I hate censorship and often curse words used in songs are completely unnecessary, but they don't detract from the song here. How many of us have wanted to say the same thing after a particular nasty breakup before? What makes this song fantastic is the soulful singing of Cee Lo. If I ignore the lyrics, I could slip this in a compilation cd of great motown hits and it would sound perfectly in place.
I'm already making a mental list of new releases from this year that have been on my playlist, but what I really hope is more songs come out of the blue to me that are fantastic as I discovered last year.
While Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Gorillaz, and Elizabeth Cook all released albums I really liked, none of their individual songs made the cut. Worshiping at the altar of Springsteen, I of course found The Promise a great listen, but since most of the stuff on there was recorded in the late 70's, it doesn't really apply. The list goes to 11 because I couldn't decide which one I wanted to cut.
11. "Congratulations" - MGMT
While their sophomore album of the same name was quite a disappointment overall compared to the electric feel of their debut album, this song captured me from the very beginning. It almost sounds like a 70's era John Lennon song.
10. "Swim Til You Can't See Water" - Frightened Rabbit
This is a band I would love to see get more recognition. I can't quite put my finger on why I like their stuff so much, but I do. I don't really have much else to say about this song. It's not the greatest song ever written, but in a fairly weak 2010 crop it stands out simply because it's the best song of an album by one of the best bands around.
9. "Good Enough" - Tom Petty
Geezers made quite a strong showing last year. The previously mentioned Bruce Springsteen scraping tracks from the vault of his period as the best artist ever was the highly publicized event, but Neil Young had a great album and Tom Petty, again with the Heartbreakers, came back with a raw bluesy sound similar but yet different from anything they've released before. At almost 60 years old he still puts on a fantastic live show too. It's a shame they picked "First Flash of Freedom" as the lead single to Mojo because it's one of the worst songs on the entire album. This spot was going to Petty, but it was a toss up between this or "I Should've Known" off one of the secretly best albums of the year.
8. "Bang Pop" - Free Energy
The name of this song pretty much says it all. It is essentially a brash unabated pop song with one of the catchiest guitar licks I've heard in a while. The production quality on this is superb, making the guitar lick in the chorus almost sound "underneath" the main hook. I'm really looking forward to hearing more of this band. Everything I've heard has been catchy and well produced.
7. "Harlem River Blues" - Justin Townes Earle
This guy must have learned something from growing up on Copperhead Road. The son of great Americana artist Steve Earle delivers quite possibly the most upbeat song ever about committing suicide. It reminds me of old Johnny Cash gospel tinged music and in a dark way, I suppose it is.
6. "The Diamond Church Street Choir" - The Gaslight Anthem
If I weren't limiting myself to one song per artist, I'd probably just put the track list for this whole album. Why do 2nd albums always get referred to as "sophomore albums" but 3rd albums never as "junior albums"? Well this junior album American Slang from The Gaslight Anthem builds immensely on the first two. They have now released 3 very distinct, yet all very good albums growing closer to the mainstream with every one. Again I picked the best song off what was my favorite album of 2010.
5. "Macon" - Jamey Johnson
If more country music sounded like this, I might be swayed back to mainstream country even though if this song were released 35 years ago it'd be called Southern Rock. An ex-marine turned country singer, Johnson delivers his normal baritone voice to a rocking country number about getting back home to see his girl.
4. "Infinity Guitars" - Sleigh Bells
Sometimes a song comes along that is so far out of left field and so good it just blows my mind. This is one of those songs from last year from the Sleigh Bells debut. Brash female punk has always been a soft spot for me and this is one of the best song titles I've ever heard as well as doubling as what would be a great name for a southern rock band. It starts out with a punk rhythm and goes into overdrive at the end as the "infinity" guitars kick in. Very recommended.
3. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" - The National
This band is very unique. I've been hearing about them for a few years now, and they've always been on the fringe of my musical taste. I could appreciate it, but it didn't jump out at me. Their newest album High Violet has really stepped it up a notch. The more I listen to this song, the more I love it. The lead singer has a very deep baritone voice and his singing style reminds me somewhat of Johnny Cash adapted into an alternative style.
2. "Runaway" - Kanye West
I'm not sure if putting a hip hop song second is a condemnation of 2010 as a whole or justification that arrogance leads to brilliant music that can cross genre comfort zones. No matter what you think of him as a person, Kanye is very talented as a songwriter and especially producer. This song is so beautifully layered and textured and proves a single piano note can be very powerful. The end of this epic song is almost symphonic. My girlfriend who is a classical music aficionado even requests to hear this song every time we're in the car. Another song that gets better every time I hear it.
1. "Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green
I have to admit, even though I'd heard of this song in the summer, it took me quite a while to actually listen to it. Once I saw the title, I just assumed it was another half baked annoying rap song which is about as far from the truth as it could be. Again I learned to never judge a book by its cover. Had I known who Cee Lo Green was, it probably would've been another strike against it although I've learned I apparently hate Danger Mouse because I couldn't stand Gnarls Barkley, but quite enjoy the Cee Lo Green half of that duo.
This is a classic break-up song with a modern twist. I hate censorship and often curse words used in songs are completely unnecessary, but they don't detract from the song here. How many of us have wanted to say the same thing after a particular nasty breakup before? What makes this song fantastic is the soulful singing of Cee Lo. If I ignore the lyrics, I could slip this in a compilation cd of great motown hits and it would sound perfectly in place.
I'm already making a mental list of new releases from this year that have been on my playlist, but what I really hope is more songs come out of the blue to me that are fantastic as I discovered last year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)