I absolutely love writing this blog -- it's one of the highlights of my weekday -- but I'm in my last quarter of grad school, and Tuesday is my only (and therefore stressful) day of class. After the success of last Tuesday's Florence + the Machine full-length concert post, I hereby establish Daijams' Full Concert Tuesdays. These posts will involve less of me babbling and more of awesome musicians showcasing their talents.
This week's full concert is from Coachella 2010. I encourage you to put it on in the background at work, or save it for laundry hour tonight, or consume it however one might consume 1+ hour of Dead Fertita's guitar riffs, Alison Mosshart's gutteral vocals, Jack Lawrence's thumping basslines, and Jack White's drumset orgy. It's almost like being there, except you're probably not as whacked as the Coachella crowd.
If you're unfamiliar, the Dead Weather is a project of ridiculously talented (and at 36, relatively young) Jack White, who after a string of band projects -- the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather -- is finally releasing his debut solo album this April. Says Jack of waiting this long to make a solo album: "I've put off making records under my own name for a long time but these
songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs
were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything
else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas." I'M SO EXCITED. As of last night, the lead single is available on iTunes, or you can hear it for free here.
And if that isn't enough of a Jack Attack for one day, today Showtime is airing "The White Stripes Under the Great Northern Lights," a documentary made in 2007 about Jack & Meg White on tour in Canada. Set the DVR!
After a rollicking weekend filled with friends, curry, wine, music, laughter, excitement, intrigue, romance, and Bill Murray, Monday can be sort of a letdown. For a pick-me-up, enter 21-year-old Bo Burnham, a comedian with both musical talent and a fluency with language that translates into fantastical, fast-paced puns and plays on words. (His second album and lead single were titled, appropriately enough, "word words words.")
In today's jam, Bo ruminates on what it means to be an artist:
Entertainers like to seem complicated
But we're not complicated
I can explain it pretty easily
Have you ever been to a birthday party for children
And one of the children won't stop screaming
'Cuz he's just a little attention attractor
When he grows up to be a comic or actor
He'll be rewarded for never maturing
For never understanding or learning
That every day can't be about him
There's other people, you selfish asshole!
And it really only goes downhill from thereas he describes how he wastes time and money being a comedian when he could be feeding starving people, or otherwise being useful to humanity. He wears makeup, sleeps in, and expresses concern that comedic icon George Carlin is rolling over in his grave.
Of course, Carlin was probably one of those annoying kids at the birthday party too, screaming the seven dirty words at the top of his lungs while his compatriots, high on sugar and pure adrenaline, screamed and hooted and egged him on. And this is the guy who ended up earning five Grammys, millions of dollars, and the admiration of comedians and fans everywhere.
Despite his complaints, I'm pretty sure Bo would be fine with the same fate.
Released in 1997 on Marcy Playground's debut, self-titled album, "Sex and Candy" was the band's only hit. It reached #8 on the Billboard chart, spent 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and sent their debut into the platinum stratosphere.
Then, despite releasing four more albums, the three-man band -- frontman John Wozniak, bassist Dylan Keefe, and drummer Gonzalo Martinez De La Cotera (replaced a decade later) -- never came within throwing distance of the U.S. charts again. (They did get a little love in Canada, which makes sense when you realize Wozniak was born in Minnesota. They stick together, those nor'derners.) Marcy Playground did land a few songs on a handful of movie soundtracks, but I'd be willing to bet the royalties on "Sex and Candy" that they'd love to not be filed away as one-hit wonders. This is call to arms, Wozniak: You wrote a great song with relatable lyrics and a pop hook, and it was a huge commercial success. I know you've got it in you to do it again.
As do you, dear reader. Go forth toward your weekend with hope, joy, and stamina. And maybe some sex and/or candy, if you've got the time.
And hey, if you have even more time, come out to my band's show this Saturday night. It's also our drummer's art opening. We'll be playing 7-8 at J.J. Java in Evanston, followed by my a cappella group, Emanon (formerly Old Ladies in Red), and a bevy of other talented musicians. Come on out for some IN-PERSON live music!
Juke Box Hero back with a grunge-flavored, ginger tidbit.
There’s just something about redheaded female vocalists; they’ve got that special allure of being a rare and sometimes ridiculed phenotype, and seeing them really go for a song with confidence and passion onstage just seems that much more moving – maybe because it often looks like their heads are on fire. I didn’t mean to follow Bonnie Raitt and Florence Welch posts so quickly with another ginger siren, the smoldering Corin Tucker; in fact, I’d been listening to Sleater-Kinney’s last album, 2005's The Woods, and I decided to do a song from it for this week’s post before ever seeing photos or video of the group. Coincidence?
But what of this "siren" concept, so often used to describe a flame-headed singer? I think we can get more specific: If we compare the three ladies’ voices at full tilt to emergency warning emitters, Raitt is more of a town’s clock tower bell in the Old West – full-bodied, gold-tinted and, frankly, not that urgent – while Welch reminds me of Dick Tracy-era cop cars – that kind of biting, mid-rage wail with a warm, classic charm. Tucker, on the other hand, is a tornado warning. There’s a certain electricity and uncertainty to the high-pitched sonic blasts: Where did it come from, where did it go, will my eardrums ever be the same? What happened to my house?
And as opposed to Raitt’s soulful, powerful blues and Welch’s life-affirming super-pop, Tucker and S-K dig more into gritty, angsty post-grunge. This is music about not fitting in, about being upset, about wanting to stick it to the world – and about living in and with those emotions. You don’t just work through the negative feelings; you embrace them, ride them out, and see what you’re capable of while the juices are flowing. Tucker and her two gal pals are capable of quite a bit, as you can see. Now we just need them to get back together.
Today's is a selection from the vault. You don't need a good reason to crank up the volume on a live early Led Zeppelin performance of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," but here's one: the sound on this YouTube video is actually decent. The crowd is a little boring/flat, but I'll attribute that to the heavy doses of illegal drugs pulsing through their veins at the time.
The song has an interesting history: It was originally written and performed by American folk singer Anne Bredon in the 1950s. English rock band Led Zeppelin covered the song from their founding in 1968, when they were known as the Yarbirds. (This is when I'm guessing this video was taken, if the year tag is correct.) They changed their name to Led Zeppelin and released their self-titled, debut album in 1969 -- complete with Anne Bredon's song. But no one told Anne Bredon, and news traveled slowly across the pond. When she found out, a few decades later, she received some hefty royalties checks for a song she wrote in college. It's the American dream, ain't it?
Juke Box Hero returns tomorrow with another delicacy for your ear buds. Tune in!
In 2009, English pop band Florence + the Machine struck gold with their emotional debut album, Lungs, setting everyone's pants on fire with "The Dog Days Are Over" (hear it around 22 minutes in the video above). In November 2011, the band released their sophomore album, Ceremonials. Today's "jam" is actually a 30-minute concert, and it begins with the album's opening song, "Shake It Out."
This past weekend, as has been my habit lately, I bought myself a new album (Ceremonials, natch) and immediately listened to it three or four times through. I was thrilled and relieved: The emotion, the crazy risks Florence Welch takes with her voice, are alive and well in this, their second album; Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen characterizes the tracks as heaping portions of "Welch's banshee wails" -- which, assuming one is partial to such beastly and forceful wails, is quite the compliment. Rosen also determines the album's sound as markedly British, and I agree; I felt odd listening to it on my iPod, standing in the Chicago snow, waiting for the el. The troubling but beautiful music didn't fit the scene, but I found myself transported by Florence Welch's voice, as if I was following her as she wandered around London at night, parting the fog with her voice, her band gliding easily along behind her.
Is that weird?
Where does this music take you? If you need more time to think about it, here's something to get you going: the entire Ceremonials album, performed live at the album launch last October:
Florence + the Machine will tour 15 U.S. cities this spring. Sadly they won't be stopping in Chicago, but you can catch them in Milwaukee on April 28. Full schedule and tickets here.
American R&B singer Etta James, a.k.a. Jamesetta Hawkins, a.k.a. Miss Peaches, was born in Los Angeles in 1938. She died 73 years later and 60 miles away in Riverside, California, but her life stretched far beyond those miles or even those years. She sang with power and intention; she was not afraid to be gritty or dirty or unstructured, to trill and growl and explore the nooks and crannies of her vocal chords. She had no fear whatsoever, or so it seemed to me at age 10, when I first heard the song "At Last." Ten years later, when I auditioned for American Idol (season 7, in case you're wondering), that's the song I chose to audition with. I didn't make it on the show, but I walked away feeling like I did my best, and that Etta guided me through it. Her voice, at once new and inventive and invigorating, is also comforting, an asylum from the clatter of pop for the past 50 years and, I imagine, for at least 50 more.
Of course, I have not been alone in my admiration of the late James. Her vocal styling range is astonishing; she can pull off the sweet "At
Last" as well as this raunchy version of 1963's "Something's Got a Hold on Me." And so she's revered in many circles and many music genres: she won 6 Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards, and she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1993), the Blues Hall of Fame (2001), and the Grammy Hall of Fame (1999 and 2008). Rolling Stonenamed her one of the top 25 singers of all time.
Etta James was versatile, powerful, and truthful. In this song, she is at her finest in the last minute, singing scat, as well during as the semi-a cappella intro -- which you may recognize from the radio, as the unfortunately resilient Flo Rida has a single out right now called "Good Feeling" that samples from this song (though not the Etta James version). That soulful sample clip is taken from this intro: "Sometimes I get a good feeling, I get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no no." While that's the only saving grace in the Flo Rida song, here it's just the appetizer for a full five minutes of a decidedly happy blues song -- and how could she not be so happy, with such new and exciting emotions of love coursing through her, urging her to sing it out?
Etta James left behind an impressive discography of 58 singles, 28 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 6 compilations -- and with all that she only reached #1 once, in 1955 with the song "The Wallflower," which she recorded with her back-up singers "The Peaches" before embarking on a solo career:
It's far from her best song, but I do think it is fascinating to hear how much she grew as a vocalist between this1955 release and her flurry of 1960's releases, two in 1961 alone. As a soloist, she thrived on the freedom to define a song's shape and substance. When she was in full control of phrasing, tempo, dynamics, and so forth -- control that, by the time she was churning out records at a rate of 7 a decade, she demanded simply by setting foot in the room -- that's when she was capable of singing that would take the breath out of the room. Even if you
aren't much into the blues, you cannot ignore the impressive control
she had over her voice, the way she threw herself about with her vocal
chords, landing on this note and that, taking her time to get to the
point -- because really, what else could you watch that would be more
penetrating, more moving?
Despite a glittering career, James' voice was all the more soulful for the difficulties she endured. She and her husband both suffered with heroin and painkiller addictions. Near the end of her life, James was diagnosed with both Alzheimer's and leukemia, the latter of which was terminal. She died with her husband and two sons -- as well as the love of millions of fans and fellow musicians -- at her bedside. She obviously had a hold on something.
About five minutes after hitting "publish" on today's post about Bonnie Raitt, I learned that Etta James -- one of my music idols -- died today. I'll be memorializing her on Monday, but for now, enjoy this video from late in her life, singing her famous ballad "At Last."
(And don't forget to check out today's full-length post on blues idol Bonnie Raitt!)
Do you ever feel when you hear a song the first time that the singer is speaking directly to you? As if she's maybe been poking around in your diary, taking notes on your personal successes and failures, and using them as fodder for back-breakingly accurate blues ballads? No? Well then you haven't been listening to Bonnie Raitt (or your romantic life is less tumultuous than my own). But there's no question that 62-year-old blues singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt has been showing the boys how its done for more than 40 years.
After growing up in a Quaker family and arriving at Harvard to study African culture in the late 1960's, Raitt met blues promoter Dick Waterman, who convinced her to leave school* and embark on a career that has (so far) resulted in nine Grammys. I would have loved to see an early Bonnie Raitt show at some little dive bar in Manhattan in 1971, but in today's video, filmed in 1995, Raitt's years of experience shine. She's relaxed, playful, because she's basically been playing the blues since before you learned your colors. And to look at her website, which is under construction and announces a new album coming out this spring, you'd think she was just getting started.
Beyond the self-assurance and community respect that comes with spending four decades in the spotlight, Bonnie Raitt embodies an attitude toward men and relationships that, as a woman paddling through the murky metropolitan dating pool, I deeply appreciate. After all, the blues tell a story, and the very best blues artists exhibit not only musical talent but also storytelling skills. As one of the most prominent female blues musicians in the history of ever, Raitt obviously has a lot of stories to tell, and dammit if they're not ripped straight from my diary. "The men that I've been seeing, baby, got their soul up on a shelf," she croons, "You know they could never love me when they can't even love themselves." AMEN, SISTER.
I'm guessing she picked up some of this attitude as an undergrad at Harvard, where the male : female ratio was 1 : 4 when she arrived on campus, right after the summer of love. While in college she was discovered by blues promoter Dick Waterman. At the time, in the early 1970's, not many women were out there playing guitar, particularly with the talent and assurance of Raitt, and she quickly became a respected member of the east coast blues community, releasing her self-titled debut in 1971. She must have thought she peaked in 1975, when Rolling Stone featured on its cover:
But that was only the beginning. After 13 studio albums and 2 live/compilation albums -- almost an album every other year -- Bonnie Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. She's released four albums since then, not including 2012's Slipstream, which will hit your local record shop, as well as your digital music service, in April.
So ladies, let this be a reminder to make sure your man is treating you right. Sing it, Bonnie: "I need someone to love me, someone to really understand, who won't put himself above me -- Who’ll just love me like a man."
* Kids, no matter what Bonnie Raitt and Bill Gates, say, stay in school -- especially if you get into Harvard!
Leave it to American pop music's resident mad scientist Ben Folds to produce a professional-quality cover jam of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" out of not just a piano, but also percussive forks, glass, a box covered in a towel, tin foil, and a cell phone ringtone.
I love this cover, filmed in 2006 (it's a Ben Folds concert staple) and watched approximately 230 times that year, give or take, from the comfort of my dorm room in Evanston. Originally released in 2003 by the aforementioned and also very talented Postal Service, the song has been used widely in movie and TV soundtracks, and it even makes an appearance on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songs of the Decade list.
Needless to say, that's an honor that the "Macarena" does not share.
Take a walk with Juke Box Hero as he introduces us to a great track by an English guy named Ben Howard.
In listening to music, as with experiencing any art form, we allow ourselves to be taken somewhere; we follow the artist into the world they’ve created. Whether they really lead us anywhere is up to them, but that’s what’s great about consuming art: opening oneself to – nay, seeking out – new perspective, new places.
Ben Howard, a David Gray-esque twenty-something folk-popster from Devon (on England’s southwest coast), offers his perspective by taking listeners to places that are at once sweet, melodic, glimmering, shimmering, dark, brooding, and wholly enlivening. His recent debut album, Every Kingdom, is picking up steam in the U.S. and Europe after peaking inside the top ten in the U.K. Most of the beautifully constructed, nature-minded tracks buck traditional pop structure (who needs a chorus?) and are allowed more time than the average 2.5 minutes to grow and mature: What might begin as a tender, harmonic lullaby could end as a rollicking rhythmic anthem several minutes later.
"Old Pine," the opening track from Every Kingdom, is a prime example: Howard escorts the listener from a mellow hymn (perhaps a secluded hollow) to a lilting round of A and B sections (a sun-speckled forest hike?) before letting loose with the churning melodic mantra: ‘We grow, grow, steady as the morning…’ His airy tenor hovers through the verses, like wisps of morning fog burning off the wooded campsite-landscape he’s describing, until it finally soars out over the rapid strumming and a droning cello.
The "back to nature" trend in indie-pop music is immutable, with artists like Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Fleet Foxes, First Aid Kit, etc. putting fresh legs under folk influences – and being loved for it. And Howard is right in the thick of things. A friend commented that Howard’s music makes him want to take a six-month vacation of nothing but hiking, living in the woods, and being young. Many of us wouldn’t mind doing that anyway, but with Ben as a (musical) guide, we may find ourselves enjoying the trip and its destination in ways we never imagined.
I allow the weather to affect my mood too much. Today in Chicago, the sky looks as though it's actually trying to induce Seasonal Affective Disorder. The darkness is impenetrable, and the remaining patches of dirty, wet snow do nothing to add light. It's the kind of day that can only be cured with a warm beverage and a warm voice.
Nikki Yanofsky to the rescue! I discovered this Canadian chanteuse last spring, and the post I wrote remains one of the most heavily trafficked in this blog's history, so I'm positive that I'm not just seeing things: This 17-year-old has got some seriously skills. (And in this video, she's only 15 or 16.)
Her tone, her phrasing, her moxy in tackling songs by the most talented female recording artists out there -- Ms. Yanofsky makes it look easy. If I close my eyes and listen to her voice, I can almost make myself believe that when I open my eyes, the sun will be shining and the snow will be gone and I'll be presented with a basket of puppies and a week of paid vacation. Yeah, she's that good.
Stevie Wonder was a leader in establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national American holiday. In 1981, he wrote and produced this song to support the campaign. Of course, the chorus -- "Happy birthday to you!" -- is the catchy part that people remember, but the lyrics are, typical of Stevie, simple and matter-of-fact:
I just never understood
How a man who died for good
Could not have a day that would
Be set aside for his recognition
Because it should never be
Just because some cannot see
The dream as clear as he
that they should make it become an illusion
And we all know everything
That he stood for time will bring
For in peace our hearts will sing
Thanks to Martin Luther King Happy birthday to you! (repeated)
And so on, for a few verses. The campaign was, of course, successful -- President Reagan signed MLK Day into law in 1983. Held the third Monday of January (MLK was born January 15, but they wanted this to be a Memorial Day/Labor Day, always-Monday type of deal), the first MLK Day was in 1986 and was marked with a giant concert headlined by -- you guessed it -- Stevie Wonder. I looked for that performance but I couldn't find it on YouTube, but this one's got great sound and picture, plus bonus cameos from a variety of celebrities, including Aretha Franklin, Morgan Freeman, Josh Groban, and Cyndi Lauper.
Last year I read parts of Dr. King's book Strength to Love for a class on English prose style. As if being an inspirational social figure wasn't enough, Dr. King is also an incredible writer. His sentences are balanced and beautifully simple -- much like his message of love and peace. The book is composed of sermons, designed to be read aloud. Listen to the music of his words:
"Our planet teeters on the brink of atomic annihilation; dangerous passions of pride, hatred, and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; thruth lies prostrate on the rugged hills of nameless calvaries; and men do reverence before false gods of national and materialism. The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority...I confess that I never intend to become adjusted to the evils of segregation and the crippling effects of discrimination, to the moral degeneracy of religious bigotry and the corroding effects of narrow sectarianism, to economic conditions that deprive men of work and food, and to the insanities of militarism and the self-defeating effects of physical violence."
To hear his words in his own mesmerizing cadence, check out Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech here.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- and thanks to Stevie for helping make it happen!
Let Janelle Monáe get your weekend started with her 2010 Grammy-nominated single, "Tightrope." I was introduced to Monáe this week and I have a lot to say about her -- she's obsessed with Fritz Lang's Metropolis and she might be legitimately a little bit crazy, but she's a fantastic talent at 25 years old. I'm going to have to fill you in some other time (she was discovered by P. Diddy!) because this week is craziness, and it's ending, and then there's a three-day weekend! I'll serve up a special jam on Monday for MLK Day.
For now, enjoy Monáe's playful vocals and flowing choreography -- she dances with a self-assurance reminiscent of Michael Jackson -- on this modern throwback song featuring a full horn section and a James Brown-style caping. Now that's a show.
Sorry I missed you guys yesterday. My last quarter of grad school just started so Tuesdays may be a little sketchy. Be sure to check in regularly though, we post at least four times a week! Today, Juke Box Hero to the rescue with a killer track by Cults.
It’s pop as PSA. This song from the two-year-old, Manhattan-based, guy-girl project
Cults must remind many of their mothers insisting they get out of the house. "It’s
too nice a day to spend inside (watching TV, playing video games – pick your ass-growing poison)," is pretty much the language I remember hearing on repeat. Now,
stuck inside an office while the weather’s beautiful (it’s not, but hypothetically),
there’s nothing most of us would like more than "to go outside and make it light all
day."
Whimsical glockenspiel cutting through a simple, loping bass line, with basic
percussion and far-out happy-go-lucky vocals from Madeline Follin (Deschanel
on Vicodin?), all makes for a concentrated dose of Vitamin D: sunlight-induced
endorphins delivered directly through the ears. Though not the most complex or
technically impressive arrangement, it sticks in your head like Velcro. The steady-jam groove is a perfect head-bobber and a reminder that good music doesn’t have to be
overly thought out.
Of course, the second-level message is more about attitude than weather, about being
open rather than closed, up instead of down, et al. But interestingly, Follin isn’t
asking or even telling the song’s object to come along outside or share her outlook.
She’s more explanatory and observational: I want to go outside, you want to stay
inside/If that’s how it’s going to be, then roll over and let me through. She’s saying
they’re (read: we’re) each responsible for their own happiness. There’s an implication
that joining her will be far better than the alternative, but the ball’s not in her court.
The song generally works for me – I’m pretty close to following her on whatever
level she prefers – but I was left salivating for a few more choruses once the band of
dirty hippies starts to let it rip around the 2:55 mark. There’s nothing more uplifting
than a song that starts with glock, swells with dreamy ’60s guitar and vocals to an
unbridled sonic boil-over, then retreats to the initial coy pop-glimmer. Cults just need a little less bridle.
The Beatles were so, so good for music. They bridged all kinds of rock and soul and blues, they made a lot of money doing it, and they wrote incredible, meaningful, timeless songs. Originally released as the B-side to "Hey Jude," this song is called "Revolution 1" and was inspired by the political protests of the 1960's -- but it easily could have come out ten years later, or ten years after that, or yesterday. Wikipedia has an interesting breakdown of the genesis of the song -- and of its partner on the White Album, "Revolution 9" -- but the gist is that this was one of the Beatles' first really big political songs, after "Taxman," and it pissed off people from both ends of the political spectrum. Rock star swagger: check.
On the recording, John Lennon is credited with the "scream" at the beginning, but in this live version Paul takes the honors. I also love Paul & George's good time fun band, "shoo be doo wop" back-up vocals. In fact, Paul seems to just be yelling whenever he feels like it. It's very possible they're all high out of their minds, but they certainly had fun on stage. (As did the cameraman.)
There aren't a lot of live videos of the Beatles, so savor this one. And just in case you aren't full yet, check this out: the entire White Album in one video ("Revolution 1" starts at 1:09:09):
This whole week has felt somewhat surreal to me. I'm having trouble understanding how it could possibly be 2012 already. A lot is going down this year: Another U.S. election. The world's fiery end. My 25th birthday (and accompanying quarter-life crisis). Probably not in that order.
So it may be a bit early to plan for next year's New Year's Eve, but I just can't wait 360 days to use this video. Posted on YouTube a few days before this new year, this video was made by the multi-talented, acting, singing, dancing, producing, joke-cracking, and lion-taming Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The two starred together in 2009's (500) Days of Summer, though according to the Deschanel-penned video description, the two first met on a small film back in 2000. They've been friends ever since, growing particularly close the last couple of years, and it would seem that their separate music backgrounds -- she's got some albums out and he runs an online collaborative production company called HitRECord -- have finally met. Of course, with Deschanel recently split from musician-hubby Ben Gibbard, maybe this best friendship will turn into the cutest romance in the history of ever.
Adorable.
For this webcam production, a duet of jazz singer Nancy Wilson's "What Are You Doing For New Year's Eve?", Deschanel and JGL broke out the ukulele and guitar, a simple accompaniment that doesn't overpower their soft, sweet vocals. Deschanel starts us off with her signature syrupy, relaxed singsong voice, the lyrics delivered through a half-smile. JGL grabs a verse before the magic really begins. In the final pass through the verse and tag, JGL sings the melody and Deschanel lays a confident, honey-covered harmony underneath. Their voices blend together beautifully; I could honestly listen to an entire album of this.
But I'm serious, their life together might be too adorable to bear. Maybe it's better if they just stay friends. That would also leave JGL on the market a bit longer, which is fine by me. He's come a long way since 3rd Rock from the Sun.
In his first post of 2012, please welcome the fashionably late Juke Box Hero with, dare I say, his best post yet, in which he gets to discuss two of his loves: classic rock and "The OC."
On the occasion of my tenth post under the moniker 'Juke Box Hero,' I thought it appropriate to feature the song that inspired the name.
During my brainstorming I was reminded of Josh Schwartz's brilliant cultural saga for the small screen, "The OC." In one particularly memorable scene, it’s unveiled that "core four" character Ryan Atwood, a hard-edged, scrappy kid from rough and tumble Chino, harbors a secret love for mega-hit classic rock band Foreigner.
This is a perfect character trait for Ryan, since on the surface he’s rugged but defensive – you’d imagine him cranking up some Rage, Korn, or even Anthrax. But underneath, Ryan is a bit nicer, a good kid who’s been dealt a few bad hands, who just needs to get some hard, fast rock & roll out of his system (a.k.a. fists of fury) every now and then. Foreigner: a bit nicer than Anthrax, but, you know, can still throw down.
Why ‘Juke Box Hero’? Well, for one, it sounds like a person’s title, rather than ‘Cold As Ice’ or ‘I Want To Know What Love Is.’ Don’t get me wrong, those are both classic tracks, and those megahits defined the careers of all 31 past and present members of Foreigner. Though it appears on the group’s best-selling record 4, it’s not your typical straight-ahead rocker, and I like that.
The track is a little frenetic. Its multiple-tempo sections prevent you from head-banging continuously throughout, and I can’t immediately think of another rock song where the chorus is dramatically slower than the verses. It has the effect of a slight emotional letdown since the increasing tempo and energy of the bridge signals that something faster and louder is on its way, but the "We Will Rock You"-esque slow jam perfectly sets up a shredding guitar solo.
The live guitar solo, as demonstrated in this video (along with the jukebox inflated mid-song – if only they’d lit it on fire!), is exactly the reason to go to concerts: Mick Jones’ solo on the studio version is just okay, but not very long or exciting. Onstage, he lights up the fret board like a stringed supernova. Lou Gramm’s face is just awesome as well; there’s some raw spirit in this performance that’s absent from the studio recording. It helps that he kind of looks like a lion roaring at various points (see Figures A, B below). Not too often you get man-lion transformations in the studio.
It's Wednesday, which usually means we'd hear from Juke Box Hero, but he's taking an extra day this week, so we'll hear from him tomorrow.
It's Wednesday. If on this mid-week hump day you're having difficulty locating your moxie, steeling your backbone, tuning your mettle -- Carrie has you covered. I hope against hope that the adorable Miss American Idol Carrie
Underwood -- who is cute as a blond button of a country singer should be
-- wrote this song from real-life experience. She's got it figured out, I think, strutting around on those crazy awesome legs, relishing the sensory details of smashing up her cheating boyfriend's car. And you know what? I bet he will think before he cheats. He'll think long and hard.
Meanwhile, Carrie might be in jail, because while it's quite satisfying to demolish something in that state of anger, it's also punishable by law. But hey, the girl's got spunk!
Released in 2006, "Before He Cheats" has won multiple Grammys and CMT awards. Regrettably, it was not written by Carrie Underwood, but by two dudes who have also written for Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Dia Frampton, Susan Boyle, and Tim McGraw.
Happy new year! We kick off 2012 with a relatively new artist, Jessie J, a British singer who released her first album last February. A few months prior she'd had a hit with "Do It Like a Dude" in the UK, but the first the U.S. heard of her was with her second single, "Price Tag," the original of which includes a rap by B.o.B.
This live version (sans B.o.B.) is taken from the highly respected British music show Later...with Jools Holland. The simple, upbeat reggae feel is accented by Jessie's voice, which she confidently slides all over the song's template, adeptly filling in the silence left by B.o.B.'s absence with audience participation, full-on R&B runs, and a dramatic retard ending. Jessie J is easy to listen to, from the quiver of her vibrato to the
lightheartedness of her lyrics, and she fits into the trend of young singers -- including Adele (23), Pink (32), and Bruno Mars (26), among others -- who are reinterpreting soul music for a new generation.
I can't find any news of a sophomore album, but Jessie J will appear as a judge in the 2012 season of The Voice UK. Hopefully she'll lay down some new tracks once she's done with that project.
This song is also included in the latest Wii dance game Just Dance 3,
which my young relations introduced me to over Christmas weekend. It's
fun for the whole family, though cute songs like this are listed along
with hip-hop and rap selections that I've only heard in the Chicago
clubs. The choreography for those is pretty entertaining. (As an aside,
any videos that were taken over Christmas weekend are officially banned
from the Internet. Got that, family?)
