Music
Best of 2010: Bands You May Not Have Heard of
End–of–year lists in the music world gain credibility by doing one of two things: they either compile a bunch of albums that have already been validated with critical acclaim, or they include obscure bands just to score some indie cred.
One Track Mind: Kanye West and Jay Z., “H.A.M.”
January 11 was a good day for music — Britney Spears dropped her new single “Hold it Against Me,” and Kanye West and Jay–Z released “H.A.M.” A few days after, 'Ye tweeted, “Yo Britney, I’m really happy for you and I’mma let you be #1, but me and Jay–Z single is one of the best songs of all time.” Sorry, Kanye: while we might have agreed with you on the whole Beyonce/Taylor Swift thing, we’re not as persuaded by your latest effort. “H.A.M.” is the first official single off the rap heavyweights’ joint EP, Watch the Throne, and stands for “hard as a mothafucka.” The track has all the bounce of Jay–Z’s best work, but Kanye’s verse is among his worst: his lazy flow sounds like a failed freestyle and features themes he’s covered better elsewhere.
Review: The Decemberists, the King is Dead
The Decemberists show few signs of life on latest full–length
Puntal/Contrapuntal: Big Bands Vs. Small Bands
Joke Issue: I LIKE BIG BANDS By Bubba "Hands" McNulty Hey fellas. Depression got you down?
Venues 'N' Shit: Homeless Haven
Joke Issue: By Rack 'Em Rack Willie Oh freight train. I remember when you used to come 'round these parts.
One Track Mind: Shirley Temple "Baby, Take A Bow"
Joke Issue: While we’re still years away from any comprehensive child labor legislation, one little girl is toiling away, and her hard work is paying off.
Defibrillator: Arthur Fields "Hunting The Hun" (1917)
Joke Issue: Back during the Great War, while most of my pals back home were drinking and carousing, listening to that “jazz” music, I was stuck, cowering in a trench in France.
Review: NIcky Minaj, Pink Friday
I was pretty much destined to have a complicated relationship with Nicki Minaj. On the one hand I just want her to succeed; one, because she is trying to revive the sadly lapsed tradition of fierce female rappers, and two — my more visceral reason — because she, like me, is a woman of Caribbean descent trying to do big things.
Guilty Pleasures: Peter Frampton, “Frampton Comes Alive!”
I wasn’t always ashamed of Frampton Comes Alive! I disowned it only in my mid–adolescent hipster years, after the following words, encountered in a magazine, dealt my innocence a cruel blow: “Frampton Comes Alive! is a fixture of record store bargain bins.” I hadn’t known that five–minute talk–box solos, exclamation–pointed album titles and cover art showing Frampton doing his best impersonation of Christ were not cool.
One Track Mind: “Doncamite,” Gorillaz
If you thought Gorillaz were satisfied with this year’s Plastic Beach, their epic, critically–acclaimed third album, you’d be wrong.
Review: Girl Talk, All Day
All Day is, by its very nature, an extremely difficult album to review. There aren’t really “songs” to highlight, themes to pick up on, lyrics to quote.
One Track Mind: “Together Baby,” Ghostface Killah
One of Wu Tang’s most active members in the current music scene, Ghostface Killah shows no sign of slowing down, following up last year’s misguidedly R&B–centered Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City with The Apollo Kids, set for release Dec.
One Track Mind: “Car Crash,” Telekinesis
After a first listen, “Car Crash” seems like a major contradiction: the song’s airy, unmistakably happy hook draws us in while the morose opening lyrics question this upbeat nature.
Review: Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
Kanye West has a lot of haters. With his type of personality, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t.
Defibrillator: Belle & Sebastian, “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” (1996)
Though I was only five at the time of its 1996 release, my awkward adolescence was in full bloom by the time I discovered Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister in high school.
Review: Rihanna, Loud
Rihanna’s fifth album, Loud, celebrates sex, love, and having a good time — a stark contrast with the anger emanating from her previous album, Rated R.
Beats On The Streets
While we generally feel pretty good about our music choices, we often seek the opinions of our musically–inclined co–editors and friends to round out our iTunes libraries.
Pump Up The Volume
If you’ve read the Music section, well, ever, you know how much we love to keep you in the loop about our favorite new releases.
Review: Matt & Kim
With their third album, Sidewalks, Matt & Kim seem to have captured the pulse of our generation.
