On Being A Music Blogger

The last few weeks in the life of VLM haven’t been particularly easy ones. Seems like everything I write that has any kind of substance to it gets cut down by some RIAA prick citing DMCA. Look, I know that under the law, operating a blog like this is kind of illegal. From the outset I’ve never disputed that. I firmly believe that the rules are unfair and in desperate need of change, but that’s the way it is right now. My dad linked me this article from the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago, and it more or less sums up my attitudes. The RIAA is trying to grab an entire beach’s worth of sand with its bare hands, and for the most part it’s all slipping through their fingers. And yet somehow in the last few weeks VLM keeps getting snatched up.

Some things to know about VLM and my web traffic: Based on the numbers I receive, Viva La Mainstream averages somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 readers a week. That stat is a bit wonky, since its hard to differentiate between people who come and read the blog and people who come to the blog while searching for some mp3 or image or something. On the Hype Machine this blog is way, way down on the list of hottest blogs. A vast majority of the time, by the time a story or leak appears on VLM, it’s been up at 20 other, more popular sites for several hours.

So, now I pose a largely rhetorical question; why is VLM perpetually taking the fall for posting mp3s? The logical answer (which I’ve discussed previously) is that someone at some record label has noted the blog as a spot to watch for potential DMCA violations. This doesn’t bother me so much. What bothers is me is the fact that this person/group, along with the RIAA as a whole, has shown a complete and utter lack of balls when it comes to this situation. They go crying to Blogger, who then go and tell me about it. And Blogger’s counter-complaint methods are so troublesome that trying to claim fair use or whatever is hardly worth the effort it’d take.
Now, I offer up a challenge to whoever’s got me in their crosshairs. Next time you see something objectionable that you want removed, before you go crying to Blogger, come to me. Leave a comment. Shoot me an email. Tell me that you’re taking issue with something and you’d like me to adjust my behavior. This is beneficial to both of us; you’ll get what you want, as I will take down any offending material when prompted to, and I get to keep the text of my entries intact (posting the Snow Patrol review three times in as many days was nothing short of irritating). I along with my fellow bloggers are actually agreeable people. If you treat us with some respect, we’re likely to do the same for you.

I’m well aware of the fact that the RIAA won’t do shit in response to that challenge. But I’m putting it out there anyway just in case someone with a brain and a pair of balls reads and is willing to treat me like a human being with something worthwhile to say, rather than a would-be scumbag criminal.

Thanks for reading to a frustrated blogger's ranting for a few minutes. Back a little later to keep this little game going.

==TJ==

Post Promising Another Post...

Today's show is posted below:

Viva La Mainstream on The ARC - October 28, 2008

Snow Patrol review has been re-posted...again. It also was one of MOG's album reviews of the week...nice.

Two posts coming tomorrow...one of them is gonna be a semi-response to the fact that VLM is being targeted for consistent DMCA bullshit.

==TJ==

Review: Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns

With the success of 2006's Eyes Open, Snow Patrol backed themselves into a corner. The album went platinum primarily on the strength of "Chasing Cars", and that song saw a lot of its success as a result of an appearance on Grey's Anatomy. So you can understand the potential pressure for a successful follow-up. But this Tuesday the Irish rockers (with normal names) release their fifth studio album A Hundred Million Suns, and anyone willing to take the time to hear the record out in full will walk away greatly satisfied, if slightly caught off-guard. Take note; this is not Eyes Open Part II

A Hundred Million Suns starts out with "If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It". The titles of the songs on this record are about as grandiose and epic as the songs themselves. Snow Patrol have succeeded where some of their Irish comrades have failed; A Hundred Million Suns is a record that not only sounds larger than life, but it's also interesting to listen to again and again. Gary Lightbody's voice soars both in pitch and in scale. While no song here matches the immediate draw that "Chasing Cars" had, across the board this album matches the high-stakes, textured beauty that song brought forth.

Unlike its predecessor, A Hundred Million Suns is a much more introverted album. Snow Patrol take the time on this record to create a texture and atmosphere on every song. That isn't to say that Snow Patrol is getting experimental on us; first single "Take Back The City" is a textbook rock number whose chorus begs to be sang out loud on the nearest rooftop available. Likewise "Disaster Button" is pure fun, no-holds-barred rock and roll, or at least as close as Snow Patrol has ever gotten. But conversely Lightbody & company offer up the acoustic singalong "Lifeboats" and the tribal "The Golden Floor" alongside the sweeping "The Planets Bend Between Us". While it might not be the radio-pandering record that people might expect or hope for, this album is fantastic, alluring, and demands to be heard over and over.

I can't end this review without mentioning the closing track, the epic 16-minute "The Lightning Strike". This is actually three songs melded together in a form that lands somewhere between The Who and Rush. I'm not sure I understand why Snow Patrol combined these songs onto one track rather than just have three gapless tracks, but it doesn't matter, since in the three times I've listened to the record, I haven't once been bored. Suffice it to say the track is aptly named, as the song appears to be the moment of pure, unadulterated brilliance.

When it comes time for me to prepare my Best Of '08 list, expect A Hundred Million Suns to be in the conversation. I feel like Snow Patrol's career is starting to mirror that of Jimmy Eat World. Both bands had massive success on one song ("Chasing Cars" and "The Middle") resulting in a platinum record and worldwide acclaim. Jimmy's follow-up Futures was a brooding, introverted affair that couldn't have been more different from its predecessor. But regardless it was a decent album that led to a continued great career for the band. Based on the marginal impact "Take Back The City" is making on radio right now, it looks like A Hundred Million Suns will be a disappointment in comparison with Eyes Open. But like with Jimmy Eat World, Snow Patrol sound like they've hit their comfort zone on this album, and when all the cylinders fire on this album, as they often do, the results are positively captivating.

Final Score: 9/10

==TJ==

Now You've Done Gone and Pissed 'Im Off...

First things first:

Viva La Mainstream on the ARC October 21, 2008

Now, I've got some good news and some bad news.

Good news: People are reading the blog. Great Success! That's what a blog exists for, right?

Bad News: Some of the people reading this blog work for record labels. In one 30 minute period earlier today, six posts from the last 3 months got taken down under DMCA violations.

No, this doesn't mean I'm getting shut down. No, I'm not getting sued. No, I won't be Kevin Cogill's cellmate anytime soon. It just means that I got someone high up's attention, and I need to be more careful for a bit. The two most recent pulled posts are back up without mp3 links, and I'll do what I can to recover the older ones. In the meantime, as always you can check out my SaveFile Archive for mp3s that you may have missed. I'm gonna go off the grid for a little while just so I can make sure the heat gets taken off me, but I'll be back before you know it.

And since we know how much the RIAA loves irony...

Weird Al Yankovic - Don't Download This Song

Back soon.

==TJ==

Today's Show; Kanye, Snow Patrol, Smashing Pumpkins...

Today on the VLM Radio broadcast at 3PM on the East Coast, I've got two of the new songs from Kanye West, Holding Mercury (as discussed here), Deas Vail, David Cook, new Fall Out Boy, Apocalyptica, and more! Plus IM me any and all requests to TheArcRequests. That's Today from 3PM-5PM on the Viva La Mainstream radio Show at radio.arcadia.edu

==TJ==

PS: I'll post the show once it's finished sometime tonight for all ye who can't listen live.

Re-Post: Kanye West Does Something Different, Artistically Interesting; Music Snobs Turn Up Noses

Reposted without mp3s this time

I have no idea what Kanye West's plan is with 808s and Heartbreak. Right now he's got "Love Lockdown" out on the radio and up on iTunes. But by the time that song hit iTunes and was available for sale, the blogs had it up for free for over a week. Now there are three songs making waves on Hype Machine; the aforementioned "Love Lockdown", "Heartless" (the mastered version of which hit the web last night), and most recently "Coldest Winter". Again, only one of them available for purchase. Even if "Heartless" were to drop to iTunes tomorrow, West has still lost out on so many potential sales there. Are we going to have heard all of 808s and Heartbreak in these little spurts between now and Nov. 25?

I've only heard "Coldest Winter" but once, and in a subpar radio rip quality, but so far I really like the direction West is taking. At its core nothing's really different. It's still hip-hop music that's gonna be heard in the clubs for forever. "Coldest Winter" is pure soul from Kanye; no rap, and a bare bones beat beneath West's warbly voice, assisted by any rapper's best friend, AutoTune. But even in the moments where it sounds like it might've come off a T-Pain album, there's something that sets it apart and draws it in. The subject matter of this record allows for it to be more melodic and honest than we've heard from 'Ye on the last two records (The College Dropout had some really powerful emotional moments in comparison). And once again, because a rapper is daring to step out of the genre-defined comfort zone, the internet is having a conniption. Yes, Kanye is actually singing on a number of these tracks. That's why they're called 'songs'. I think "Heartless" is the best track I've heard from Kanye West...and this is from someone who listened to "Stronger" a million times when it first came out. The bridge on "Heartless" is probably my favorite part of the song. It's completely the opposite of what we've come to expect, and yet if you stop and think about the song, about Kanye, and just keep an open mind (I know, I know...I'm speaking heresy here)...you might find something you like.

Kanye West - Love Lockdown [iTunes]
Kanye West - Heartless
(Holding out for a decent copy of "Coldest Winter"...at this rate check back later this week)

Repost: In Which We Discuss The Merits Of The Remix

Re-posted without mp3 links

What does it take to make mashups and remixes good?

I've pondered that question a couple times since starting this blog a year and a half ago. As a general rule I haven't been a fan of either form of twisting a song. When it comes to remixes, too often I feel like they go on too long and end up being a lame way for some overactive GarageBand user to get his name on the internet. These remixes often only seem to use about a minute of the song it claims to remix, and the remaining 8 minutes are taken up by absurd beats and weird techno sounds that turn my brain into mush. Remixes too often, in my mind, don't stay true to the original intent and meaning of the song, and just grab something in the public eye at present as a means of seeming in touch with the mainstream while in reality ignoring it. In my mind the best remixes contain most of the original track, but with some twist or unexpected element added in.

Mashups are a slightly different story. They tend to use the entirety of the song in question, but just slap a different song underneath it. Too often mashups just end up being sloppy cut and paste jobs that sound hasty and messy, which in effect makes the project less enjoyable. A good mashup acknowledges both halves of a song, but only those which the mash-artist wants to recognize. Below are examples of a good and bad mashup.

Fall Out Boy and Kanye West - I Don't Care I Still Love Her
("Dance, Dance" and "Gold Digger")


Paramore and Panic! At The Disco - The Only Difference (Misery Remix)
("Misery Business" and "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage")


Notice that in the latter one, the instrumental from "Misery Business" is a hasty rip from another copy, and the backing vocals are still present and stick out rather ugly when matched to Panic's lyrics. On the other hand, the Kanye/FOB mash is very precise, only offering specific, detailed sections of songs, which makes for a very clean, more enjoyable listen. I realize I'm not being fair here (the Kanye mash is professionally made, whereas the Paramore one was made by Flipboitamidles), but that's the thing; it's so hard to do a GOOD mashup, that there are a bunch of subpar ones which turn me off to the style.

Which brings me to yesterday's Album A Day: Dean Gray's American Edit mixtape, a series of mashups centered on Green Day's American Idiot record. American Edit is an example of a fantastic, well-thought out series of mashups. This is what mashups and remixes are supposed to be about; mixing elements you wouldn't think to combine, while still keeping both of said elements distinct and unhindered by ridiculous beats. American Edit is a terrific album, the kind of thing I could legitimately envision listening to again and again.

Dean Gray - Whatsername (Susanna Hoffs)
("Whatsername" mashed with "Manic Monday")

Since hearing this, I've been on a hunt for good remixes. This means searching the Hype Machine and subjecting my roommates to all manner of dance music to mixed results. I'm not going to subject you to my findings, since I intend to keep VLM a strictly mainstream music blog, and remixes fall outside that category for the most part. But let it be known that there's been a shift in attitude, so they who claim that I'm as elitist and snobby as those blogs I rail against, consider yourselves wrong.

Except I do love this track

Radiohead and Kanye West - Reckoner Lockdown (DJ Earworm Remix)

I'll return you to normal posting and music discussions later today.

==TJ==

Holding Mercury Begin Their Ascent with a Downfall

I'm backlogged on my Album A Day project, but I assure you it's still active. Friday's album came to me by way of a recommendation from reader Beth. It's from a band called Holding Mercury, the album entitled Downfall of an Empire.

Holding Mercury sound like they got sandwiched between the electronica-fueled rock of the 80s and the smoother, everyman rock of the 90s. Imagine, if you will, what OAR would sound like if they mixed in some synthesizers. Now take that analogous sound, and make it AWESOME. Now you've got Holding Mercury. They've got the sensibility and intelligence of some of the better mainstream acts like Matchbox 20 or even shades of Everclear, but they've also learned how to be loud and shout-along friendly like 80s favorites Cheap Trick or The Cars. Downfall of an Empire sounds like what I expected from the hugely disappointing Carolina Liar record. If you like your rock and roll with equal parts good hooks and brains, then I implore you to pick up Downfall of an Empire on November 4th.

Final Score: 8/10
Holding Mercury - I'm Not Well

Again, the album drops November 4th. Look for Holding Mercury to be on the radio show for awhile.

Back later today to play catch-up from the weekend.

==TJ==

Rambling Through The Cracks

I was originally going to post a very simple, quick musical ramblings to catch you up to speed, but then 2 posts this week got taken down (both are back up) which slowed the process down. As much as it tickles me to know that I'm drawing the ire of the RIAA's copyright trolls, the whole mess gets a bit frustrating when there's stuff to be done. So instead this post is part ramblings, part stuff that fell through the cracks.

I started re-reading Watchmen late last week. I started reading it sometime freshman year (well before the movie trailer came out) and didn't get through it, but am now about 3/4 finished. If this gets put to film anywhere near as well as it was put to the page, it's gonna be fantastic.

Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning [iTunes]
(Song in the Watchmen trailer)

Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is The Beginning Is The End [iTunes]
(Alternate version of the above song)

Two rappers on opposite ends of the spectrum both debuted new material yesterday. Kanye West unveiled an unmastered version of his next single from 808s and Heartbreak "Heartless". The track is much more in keeping with what we're used to from Kanye, but not altogether boring. I like the fact that this album seems to be keeping true to hip-hop, while branching out into old-school R&B and soul. Props to Kanye for keeping it real.

Kanye West - Heartless (Unmastered)

Also coming out of hiding is one Marshall Mathers, alias Slim Shady, alias Eminem. After going into hiding since 2005's Curtain Call, Em is back in the studio recording new music. The first evidence that a new album is imminent came yesterday with "I'm Having A Relapse", a quick, largely unimpressive new song that I think does little more than remind people that Eminem is not, in fact, dead. No exact release date is set, but if 50 Cent is to be believed (he isn't usually, but it's fun to pretend sometimes), it could see the light of day in the coming weeks.

Eminem - I'm Having A Relapse

Speaking of the coming weeks, Best Buy has posted the tracklisting for the most anticipated exclusive in recent memory, Guns N Roses' Chinese Democracy. On an inactive preorder page, the 14 track setlist appeared, and showed us that the tracks that have been pirated around for the last year are legit, and that there are 3 songs that have never been heard by anyone on the web. Billboard has the tracklisting here. Chinese Democracy is set to drop in your local Best Buy on November 25th. Anybody know of a Best Buy doing a midnight release party?
(I'm only half-kidding there)

Two days have passed since my last Album-A-Day entry, so that means I've heard two full albums.
Wednesday: Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Thursday: Dean Gray - American Edit (2008 Re-issue)
Today: Haven't decided yet...will return when I have listened to it.

For those unfamiliar with the latter, its the mixtape project from whence the oft-traded "Boulevard of Broken Songs" originates. Highly recommended by VLM, which says something given my ambivalence toward mashups and remixes. The album is available by way of any torrent site worth its salt. Go forth, young pirates, and claim your bounty!

I've been fussing around with the iTunes Genius function, and I was right that the more music you have the better a playlist you get. Good for my ears, bad for my medieval computer. Anyway, my travels through the Genius list have a number of times landed me this song.

Slipknot - Before I Forget [iTunes]

This song is the biggest piece of evidence I have that Stone Sour did the rest of the band good. It's also the first proof I have that Slipknot is capable of producing a melody.

OK that shall be all. Back later today with my daily album and whatever else happens.

==TJ==

Fall Out Boy Get (Even More) Postmodern

The DMCA struck this post down, but luckily my MOG feed saved the text, so here it is sans MP3

In their continuing quest to get people to give a crap about Folie A Deux , Fall Out Boy released a third track from the album (now slated for release on December 16) yesterday. "What A Catch, Donnie" is certain to become a crowd favorite at shows, with a glorious singalong to end the track (featuring the voices of a number of FOB's friends, among them Elvis Costello, Gabe Saporta, Brandon Urie, and then some). Listen closely and you'll hear one of the voices singing the choruses to various Fall Out Boy tracks (I heard "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "This Ain't A Scene..." and I'm sure there are others in there). Sounds like the guys are going for the "All You Need Is Love" approach here. This is probably going to become my favorite of the new batch of tracks, and it certainly hasn't diminshed my expectations for the record, but numbers don't lie, and all three tracks from Folie A Deux are struggling to make an impact. I don't know what the band is gonna need to do to generate sales for this one, but at least now they have six more weeks to find a way.

Fall Out Boy - What A Catch, Donnie [iTunes]

==TJ==

The Closest Thing To A Podcast I'll Ever Do

So I've come to a realization that people aren't often able to listen to the Viva La Mainstream Radio Broadcast because, well, its on the interwebs at a time when people are either at work or leaving work, making listening impossible. So I finally found a purpose for the archives of shows I keep on the station computer. Effective this entry, every Tuesday night I will post that day's radio broadcast in its entirety for everyone to listen as they may choose. The sound quality is only about 64 kbps, so its not perfect, meaning I feel OK about the fact that full songs are in the broadcast.

The audio files are titled as follows: TJ O'Neill [date of show] [time show started], so this first one looks like this:

TJ O'Neill 20081014 1504
(My show on 10-14-08, starting at 3:04PM)

Feel free to rename shows as you deem fit. This is better than a traditional podcast for me because I recently learned that if you don't update your podcast in a certain period of time it gets deleted. Since come December the show will be going off the air for a month for Christmas break, the podcast would die, and that'd suck. much easier this way, no?

So here's Tuesday's show. Let me know what you think/if there are any problems.

Viva La Mainstream on the ARC - October 14, 2008

==TJ==

EDIT: So I just listened, and you can hear me talk...but the music is absent. Huh. That will be fixed for the next one.

Have you ever had a moment where you heard a song for what you thought would be the first time only to realize "Holy Crap! It's THAT song!"? Well, as I was typing the last entry (this one) the song below came on and I had exactly that moment. Enjoy

Del Amitri - Roll To Me [iTunes]
(Matt, I'm betting you're all kinds of pleased at the moment)

==TJ==

Viva La Mainstream Presents an Album A Day!

I mentioned in a post last week that I have a metric ton of music sitting idly on my computer, never listened to, doing little more at the moment than taking up space. Much of this music is actually made of full albums that friends or band managers give me. So in an effort to expand my musical knowledge, increase the breadth of sound that this blog covers, and to give meaning to countless gigabytes of data on my computer, I'm hereby starting a project in which I listen to an album in its entirety every day. For the movie fans reading who also frequent Ain't It Cool News, this project is borne of my appreciation Quint's A Movie A Day project.

I might not write about each daily album I listen to, but I'll let you know what that day's record was and probably give a few words on it. I'm excluding greatest hits albums and similar compilations, but soundtracks are still fair game (though they'll probably be rare). Furthermore, not every album will be something I'm hearing for the first time; of course I'm gonna go dig out the old favorites, but this is also a project to give me new bands to talk about, and thus share with you, so everybody wins!

Some of the records I've listened to in the last couple days:
The Black Crowes - Amorica (1994)
Until last Thursday night The Black Crowes were in that very large category of "Bands I had heard of and been recommended, but never actually listened to". Justin handed me Amorica, the album largely considered their breakout album. Make no mistake; The Black Crowes rock, but it's not the kind of rock where you roll down the windows, turn up the speakers and sing along while driving. Suffice it to say it was quite appropriate for me to have listened to them shortly after midnight in a largely empty library. Very chill, bluesy rock and roll. Whoever said that rock and roll fell off the face of the earth in the 90s after Kurt Cobain died missed the boat as much as I did.

The Black Crowes - Nonfiction [iTunes]

The Black Keys - Attack & Release (2008)
Much of what I said about The Black Crowes just now applies to The Black Keys as well. This does virtually nothing to help the fact that I get the two confused easily. But where the Black Crowes take a more mellow approach to blues rock (think Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton), The Black Keys turn the volume up a bit higher and channel more Led Zeppelin than they do Slowhand. Attack & Release comes in as unassumingly as it exits, and at just under 40 minutes, it's something that demands multiple listens. So perhaps you can look for this record to be the subject of a future Album A Day post.

The Black Keys - Strange Times [iTunes]

AFI - Decemberunderground (2006)
I said last week that a couple of my friends encouraged me to listen to more AFI. I've had Decemberunderground in my CD collection since it came out in 2006, but it never got much play. "Miss Murder" was a fun track and there were moments of alt-rock brilliance, but it never quite stuck with me. After finding that I liked Sing the Sorrow more than I expected, I decided it was time for Decemberunderground another spin. The album is by no means bad, as there are some fantastic tracks here ("Miss Murder", "The Missing Frame", to name two), and AFI's flirtation along the shores of glam rock are worthy of being explored on future albums. The problem here is that the album breaks too early. By the time "The Missing Frame" comes to a close at track 8, I've already heard the best the album has to offer. The final tracks are nothing to write home about, leaving about 15 minutes of music that does little more than tread water.

AFI - The Missing Frame [iTunes]

That's enough for now. I've got a laundry list of albums that are going to appear in this segment in the coming days. If you've got something you want me to hear, drop a comment with the artist and album here, or email it to TJ.ONeill1024@gmail.com

==TJ==

Amusement at 1AM

Today's XKCD comic (didn't know that XKCD updated so quickly...good to know)
For the record, the title of this one is "Steal This Comic", so go ahead and ask how my conscience is feeling right now.

Expect a piece on some of the ideas behind this comic later this week, as well as something that might become a new segment for awhile.

==TJ==

PS If you don't read XKCD you hate America.

Exploring the Other Side of the Rainbow: A Brief Profile of Radiohead

Music blog A Reminder astutely acknowledged that today marks the one-year anniversary of the biggest fuck-you moment any record label has ever had to endure; October 10th, 2007 was the day Radiohead released In Rainbows to the web, allowing fans and curious observers alike to name their own price. It was a brilliantly innovative thing to do, and it turned the internet upside down for about two weeks and got every music-based website to drop whatever else it might have been covering to pour on the praise every time Thom Yorke so much as covered his mouth when he coughed.

Radiohead - Reckoner [iTunes]

Those who've stuck with ¡Viva La Mainstream! for a while know that my first impression of In Rainbows was not a very good one. I thought it was the same pretentious, gratuitously artsy music I started this blog to rail against. After a couple listens and some encouragement from friends, I grew to truly enjoy In Rainbows and jumped on the Radiohead bandwagon after hearing their back catalog.

Myself and fellow music geeks Justin and Peter were discussing Radiohead's merits the other night, and Justin brought up something that just sort of sums up what can sometimes frustrate me about the band, and yet also always draws me in further; unlike other alt-rock bands which place emphasis on the lead singer and his presence, Thom Yorke treats his vocals as though they were another instrument in the band. You could listen to a Radiohead song and ingnore or flat out replace the lyrics with nonsense syllables, and you'd still have some damned good music. That's the fantastic part about it. What's frustrating is that Yorke's lyrics are so fucking great that the fact that they tend to be imcomprehensible when listening (unless you're listening while looking at the lyrics, a lesson I learned when I bought In Rainbows on CD) becomes a negative thing.

Another interesting schism as I continue listening: the band is constantly irritated by the fact that their music becomes what Thom Yorke calls "fridge buzz", which is to say ambient sound that just becomes background noise. And yet Radiohead's music is so atmospheric and lends itself to letting listeners' minds wander and just enter the world the band creates with their sound that there's a certain inevitability to the "fridge buzz" effect. I think the fact that the music has the potential to inspire me to drift into another place and time like that is a great thing. It shows a connection with the music that goes beyond just singing along to the words or something equally superficial.

Also, Radiohead albums aren't something you can listen to once and claim to have really heard. Not by a long shot. There are so many layers of meaning and substance that one listen carries with it so little that of course the average music listener (read: me this time a year ago) won't see the appeal. Peter pointed out that thematically Radiohead is brilliant; note that the beginning and ending of OK Computer are both about a car crash.

Radiohead - Airbag
Radiohead - The Tourist
OK Computer on iTunes

Again, showing that Radiohead are significantly more intelligent than so many of their contemporaries. I'm not certain I'd say their better musicians; I think that title gets tossed out too freely just becuase the band does things musically that others don't immediately think of. That's not good musicianship necessarily; that's innovation. And Radiohead has enough of that to spare.

Another interesting schism as I continue listening: the band is constantly irritated by the fact that their music becomes what Thom Yorke calls "fridge buzz", which is to say ambient sound that just becomes background noise. And yet Radiohead's music is so atmospheric and lends itself to letting listeners' minds wander and just enter the world the band creates with their sound that there's a certain inevitability to the "fridge buzz" effect. I think the fact that the music has the potential to inspire me to drift into another place and time like that is a great thing. It shows a connection with the music that goes beyond just singing along to the words or something equally superficial.

I'm trying to decide if it was fate or a clever accident that I listened to OK Computer while at work last night and came up with the idea to blog about them on the anniversary of In Rainbows. I'm not even sure if it's worth trying to explain away, so I'm just going to accept the way it was and offer one final thought. I like every single Radiohead album; even Pablo Honey. To those who claim the first two albums "aren't really Radiohead", I offer the following counterargument. Pablo Honey and The Bends needed to happen in order for the band to get to a point where they could write OK Computer and the subsequent albums. Radiohead's evolution has been a very natural one, and you can indeed sense the change in sound coming; without the early stages of that shift on The Bends, I don't think an album as great or influential as OK Computer could have existed. Metallica's James Hetfield recently said that the much-maligned St. Anger needed to happen before the far superior Death Magnetic could take shape. Same idea applies here. Sometimes you need to get the cliche and less inspired out of the way before you can do something extraordinary.

Radiohead - Anyone Can Play Guitar [iTunes]

That's all I've got.

Get all of Radiohead's albums and then some on iTunes

==TJ==

Chinese Democracy Has A Release Date (Again)!!!

Sources close to Guns N Roses have confirmed to Billboard that the oft-delayed Chinese Democracy will hit Best Buy retailers on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008. For those who are skeptical, the band's label is re-issuing Appetite for Destruction on vinyl on October 28th. Doubt they'd go through the trouble if this was anything less than legit.

For those coming in late, Chinese Democracy was first announced as the band's new album right around the last ice age. A number of times over the last 13 years there have reports of release dates, struggles getting the album out, and dissension in the band (all of the band members on GNR's last release, 1991's Use Your Illusion, have left the band on less than good terms). Over the last two years material from the album has leaked in various formats, the only consistency being Axl Rose's displeasure with the leaks.

I think everyone reading knows the level of excitement I'm feeling over this one. Suffice it to say, I'm making room in my CD case, and there's a spot in my fridge for a cold Dr. Pepper.

Guns N Roses - November Rain [iTunes]
(I tried to find a reason to not post this, but with the album due out in November, it just felt right)

==TJ==

Paramore Writes Music For Vampires

I haven't read the Twilight books. I have no interest in them. My running joke is that if you shuffled together pages from a Dawson's Creek screenplay and pages from a Buffy the Vampire Slayer screenplay, you'd wind up with something close to Twilight. I find vindication in the fact that I told that to two of my friends who have read the books and they said I was more or less accurate. But regardless, Hollywood saw fit to adapt the series to film, complete with teen-girl-friendly soundtrack. Earlier this week the first track from said soundtrack, Paramore's "Decode" found its way to the public.

I want to like this song. I really, really do. I love Paramore and after being in love with Riot! I want to see where the band goes next. But "Decode" has something missing. The mood sets the song back to the band's debut All We Know is Falling. The lyrics aren't too bad, mostly basic Paramore. But something about the marriage of the two comes off as something written by Amy Lee. It's not a terrible track be any means, and perhaps with a few more listens I'll warm up to it more (I'm on listen #3 now and it's already growing), but "Decode" doesn't have the immediate draw that anything on Riot! did. The band is said to be doing at least two songs for the Twilight soundtrack, so perhaps this isn't even meant to be the single.

Paramore - Decode

And no, two Paramore songs is not enough to make me purchase anything with Twilight's logo on it.

Concert Tales: Springsteen on the Parkway, 10/04//08

So I ultimately managed to get hold of a ticket to the free Springsteen show/Obama rally that took place this past weekend. This story isn't just about the concert, it's about events prior to and after, so here's the story of how I spent my Saturday.

For a number of reasons, I didn't get a huge amount of sleep Friday night/Saturday morning. I woke up around 11:30 groggy and still unsure of who's coming to the show with me and if I'm even gonna go (I'm pretty sure I'm gonna drag my ass out of bed for it regardless of whether my compatriates are in). I text Justin, my immediate comrade in planning for the days events to see if this is still game. I unfortunately did not keep the text message he replied, but the first two words read "Hell Yes!" Justin comes to the door and we start to head to the car I realize I don't have my ticket printed. I bolt back to my room to print said ticket, which takes about a million years since I had to boot up my computer. Since SEPTA (Philly transit system) only runs hourly on the weekends and by the time we get to the car its 1:05, we're pretty sure we missed a train. And the gates opened at 2:00, so we're worried about getting halfway decent seating.

Enter: The Music Gods, who woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and chose to smile upon this day. We got to the train station and there were still dozens of people there, for there was also a train arriving at 1:15. For added fun, a guy who was pretty clearly an Obama supporter carrying a stack of the preferred seats for the concert (previously only available to volunteers) walked up to us and offered myself, Justin, Peter, and Megan (my comrades for the day) said preferred tickets, the sole catch being that we promise to vote for Obama. Done and done.

We get on the train, clutching our preferred tickets for dear life. It's right around here that Justin exclaims "Guys, we're going to see Bruce Springsteen!!" for the first of about 176 times that day. A million people get off at Suburban Station, the stop nearest the Ben Franklin Parkway, thus making clear just how big this event is. No matter: we've got preferred seats now. The four of us walk a few blocks to our designated entrance, and after some confusion about where we're supposed to be, we get into the staging area. For a Springsteen concert, the area near the stage was rather sparse. We weren't complaining. We start out about a half dozen rows from the barricade, and then Peter spots a hole much closer, and we set up final camp one row from the barricade. We estimated that we were about 15 feet from the goings-on on stage. The opening acts were OK, but nothing spectacular. Most of the first three rows stopped listening and started screaming as a black SUV pulls up to The Boss's tour bus and the man himself gets out of the SUV and onto the bus.

One last note about the warmup acts: one of the artist's was a local guy by the name of Amos Lee. I don't have any of his stuff yet, but check him out on iTunes here. Dude is worth checking out, and you know how I am about recommending local artists, especially solo singer-songwriters.

Finally, the main event comes to the stage. He legit sounds exactly how he sounds every time I've heard him before...on CD, on TV...he's just that fantastic. He played a pretty short, standard set of his more uplifting tracks, including the one song Justin and I think would make a hell of a campaign song for Obama.

Bruce Springsteen - The Rising [iTunes]
(iTunes is on the fritz, will post legit link tomorrow)

Setlist and video is below

Bruce Springsteen on the Ben Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 10/04/08

The Promised Land
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Thunder Road
No Surrender
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
The Rising
"Yes We Can" Improv/This Land Is Your Land/"Yes We Can"





The day ended with returning to Megan's apartment and watching Empire Records (which I hadn't seen before then) and pillaging each other's music collections. Great success.

==TJ==

Bruce Springsteen Playing For Free In Philly

In one of a number of The Boss's scheduled appearances in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen will be playing a solo acoustic set on the art museum steps here in Philly (for anyone not from Philly, he's playing on the steps from Rocky) this Saturday...for free.

Let me make sure this has been made perfectly clear...

Bruce Springsteen. In Philadelphia. This Saturday Afternoon. FREE!!!

Tickets are required for the event (wondering how they're gonna make that work...That's on Ben Franklin Parkway, where all the museums and such are...does the city plan to just block off the entire parkway), and can be acquired by going to Obama's website. I put my info in about 15 minutes ago and haven't gotten an email yet, so they might be a bit swamped. Hopefully they aren't sold out already. I'll let you know ASAP as to whether or not I'll actually be seeing BRUUUUUUUUCCCCCCEEEE this weekend.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia [iTunes]

==TJ==

Some More Housekeeping

So due to some arrangements that take priority right now, no radio show today. In fact, in all likelihood the radio show will be condensed to once a week, Tuesdays from 3-5PM. So I'll be back on the air fo' legit on Tuesday.

You can see some more layout changes on the site now, namely a return of the header image and one more ad (that's the last one, I promise). I'm not sure, but I feel like the site might be too cluttered now. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

In other site news, we've steadily cracked 1,000 readers for the last few days. Welcome to all new visitors, and glad to have you reading. The first two rules of Fight Club do not apply here; by all means, tell your friends!

(PS: anyone know how to get digg, reddit, and/or StumbleUpon links on each entry and wanna tell me how to do it?)

Since most of the tracks in question have now seen their official release, I'm restoring the links in this post. You can also find those links and many more by checking the VLM archives. Enjoy. In the meantime, here's something new to sweeten the deal a bit.

Oasis - The Shock of the Lightning [iTunes]

I'll be back again later tonight with the long-in-waiting Jack's Mannequin review. Check again late tonight.

==TJ==