Five Worst Albums of the 2000s. Number Five

So here I am sitting in possibly the most boring class ever in the history of any college course, I mean “Chartists are people who spend their lives studying charts”, no shit Sherlock. Anyway I thought to myself, what could possibly be worse than this class and you know what five albums came to mind, all from the last decade so guess what it’s time for my five worst albums of the 2000s!

Now part of me wants to give the number one and two on this list to the one and only Lady Gaga, because anyone who knows me knows I despise her to no end; I still maintain that I am the last sane person on this planet but alas even I must concede there is in fact far worse music than her…well that sent a shiver down my spine; so without further insulting of Miss Gaga or Gag as Ashley calls her, let’s get the list started, with my number five LOL!

Thoughts on The Who’s Haltime Show

Well, like with the Grammys, I figure I should write-up my thoughts on the music I’ve just viewed on television.  This time, with disgust.  Obviously, CBS already wank off to The Who, so it was obvious the set list tonight would include the songs chosen as the themes of CBS’ ever-popular CSI franchise.  What wasn’t expected, at least by me, was how much this halftime show would suck.  It is with a heavy heart that I present to you this rant, brought to you by Bridgestone.

The Fame Crossroads

Hey, Traviud here. Since I began writing for this site, I’ve given off something of an image of being a hipster schmuck. While that’s wholly accurate, it’s also misleading, as I do have a sizable appreciation for shimmering melodies and considerable hooks, and my interest in pop radio has increased as of late, due in part to bono_212’s own love for it, and partially due to a recent shift in sound from dunderheaded braggadocio rap to shiny synth pop. While I don’t often dedicate a lot of thought to music I hear on the radio (surely how it’s meant to be), occasionally an artist will burst onto the scene that garners such interest.

Thoughts on the Grammys – Because doing this is a given.

Well, I had to work most of the night, so any updates  I was getting were from a one-sided mobile MSN conversation between my boyfriend and myself. Regardless, I do have a few thoughts I’ll give now in a bulleted list!

Just Dance – Some Random Thoughts

This blog post is going to be short and sweet.  I haven’t had a computer for the last week +, but I’m back now.  I promise to start-up on the 2010 album reviews, as well as to get back on track with the Top 100 One Hit Wonders listening (next up is Men Without Hats).   Until then, just some random thoughts floating through my head about the Lady Gaga track “Just Dance”.

Invasion Day: Selections of Whitefella Music

Here in Australia, 26 January is Invasion Day – or in official parlance, “Australia Day”. It marks the day in 1788 when when the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove, illegally proclaimed British sovereignty over Aboriginal land, and proceeded to settle the continent under the lie of terra nullius. I would have liked to make an entry today that acknowledges and showcases how vibrant Aboriginal music is, but like many others who live in Australia, I am woefully ignorant in that regard. Sure, I know who Yothu Yindi are and I can name a couple of other Aboriginal musicians, but that won’t make for a terribly good entry. I’ll do something about this before the next Invasion Day.

Instead, I’d like to showcase some of the best music this country can offer that has been made by whitefellas such as myself. This country is a special place for us too, and some of Australian music culture is very rewarding, reflecting the sweeping diversity and intensity of the continent. This entry naturally cannot be truly comprehensive, and some legends of the local music scene are missing in the name of brevity – e.g. The Go-Betweens, Paul Kelly, Hunters & Collectors, and Nick Cave. I would also like to show people that Australian music is more than boorish pub rock and hard rock like Cold Chisel and AC/DC, or throwaway trash like Kylie Minogue and Savage Garden. So without any further ado …

Preliminary Album Review: The Never Ending Way Of OrWarrior by Orphaned Land

Well, it’s the big day. 25 January 2010. After waiting six years for Israeli folk/death metallers Orphaned Land to follow their masterpiece Mabool, an album I christened one of the best metal albums of the 2000s, they have finally put out another album. The Never Ending Way Of OrWarrior (“warrior of light” in Hebrew) was originally tentatively slated for a late 2007 release, but given the band took eight years to put out Mabool after 1996’s El Norra Alila, I suppose it is just par for the course that it did not come out until now! Those of you in the US still have a tad more of a wait ahead of you: the album isn’t out there until the 9th of February.

This album is astonishingly complex and dense, both compositionally and thematically. I am currently on my fourth listen, but it is going to take longer than that for the album to fully sink in. The following represent just my earliest impressions.

Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief – A Review

Let me preface this by saying that I fully support what George Clooney did by putting this telethon together. Haiti needed all the help they could get before the earthquake and now that need is exponentially higher. Please, give what you can to http://www.hopeforhaitinow.org.

That said, this is a music-reviewing blog, and music was played during the telethon. And I am a smartass. So let’s get rolling with the review.

A big-ass review for Big Star – #1 Record/Radio City

In the world of music, it’s all too easy to celebrate a martyr (even easier to misuse the term like I just did). In 1970, three rock legends passed away: Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. These deaths marked not only the end of brilliant music careers, but signaled a death of an era. A certain resentment occurs once a genre or trend has played itself out: look at punk’s determined modus operandi of simply NOT BEING PROGRESSIVE ROCK, or grunge’s nonchalant disowning of hair metal earmarks. Similarly, the acid rock overload of the early 1970s was formally shunned by Big Star, as was the fear of the Perfect Pop Song that FM radio fostered.

Album Review: Contra by Vampire Weekend (again)

Yesterday, Ashley reviewed Contra by Vampire Weekend and inspired me to listen to it. After hearing the band’s self-titled debut from 2008, I wasn’t sure there was much hope for them. Occasionally, they showed glimpses of catchiness, but quickly ruined the show with horrendous lyrics posing as deep and thoughtful, horrendous instrumentation posing as “diversity”, and horrendous singing posing as … god knows what. But with Ashley’s review in my mind, I thought I would give Contra a chance. Could Vampire Weekend redeem themselves?