One of the finest pieces of entertainment engineering ever….
The Boston Globe’s Coverage of the end of WBCN, Boston’s legendary rock station….
It’s interesting to see radio professional lay the demise of great radio stations at the feet of the iPod. I guess the choice to consumer from a personal media player is a major threat, but I would think that internet-based discovery of new music and the ability to purchase/stream just the tracks you want are really the culprits. That’s not an iPod thing, that’s a digital media reality. The problem that we face now is that instead of corporatized DJ’s determining what new music will be ‘discovered’, the key decisions on what’s going to succeed are being made by the folks that make product placement and website design decisions in iTunes.
Filed under: media | Tags: "Scouting for Girls", She's So Lovely, Song of the Week
Shameless pop from the UK; Scouting for Girls have this weeks Song of the Week with ‘She’s So Lovely’. The single and album have been out for a year in the UK, but never made it across the pond, so it’s fair game for SotW.
Scouting For Girls – She's So Lovely
K’Naan is a Somali refugee who settled in Canada with his family. HIs hip hop is crafted with influences from old line rappers and world music from diverse corners including Youssou N’Dour of Senegal and Wyclef Jean. The track ‘Wavin’ Flag’ of his latest album ‘Troubador’ can barely be described as hip hop, unlike most of the album, but it’s an exceptional track and this week’s Song of the Week.
It’s worth owning the studio version, because it is beautifully produced, but here is a live version done recently…the message is carried more than adequately even if the performance doesn’t have the polish of the album.
Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” has been on the charts for 9 months now, but the single and video for “Poker Face” also off her “The Fame” album is now climbing the charts and is getting a ton of airplay in my house. This is a serious case of an artist not needed more help, but if the main release doesn’t sell you, perhaps the cabaret-style acoustic version recorded at the office of Cherry Tree Records. The Lady can genuinely sing and play keyboards.
…and a more mainstream live performance at a live German music show….
…not sure what the four teens standing around looking awkward are about…..
Filed under: media | Tags: Alesha Dixon, Mambo, Music, The Boy Does Nothing
Not a Song of the Week, but this mambo piece by Alesha Dixon is a lot of fun….
Filed under: media | Tags: "Falling Away", "Jupiter Rising", Music, Song of the Week
This week’s Song of the Week is ‘Falling Away’ by LA’s Jupiter Rising, a hip-hop duo made up of veteran San Diego musician Spencer Nezey and vocalist Jessie Payo. They describe the music as “state of the art pop, with clever twists”.
Their album, ‘The Quiet Hype’ will be available March 17th.
Filed under: media | Tags: "About You Now", "Miranda Cosgrove", Song of the Week, Sugarbabes
Just because it annoys me when labels release bad covers and promote them….
The Sugarbabes had a hit in the UK with ‘About You Now’ which was a song of the week in October ’07. The cover is by Miranda Cosgrove, Nickelodeon’s answer to Disney teen/tween roster and star of the Nickelodeon series iCarly. The track would fade into the woodwork, except of course Cosgrove’s label has decided to make it the title track on the album and push it hard on the entertainment TV circuit.
The original has some great backdrop in London, better musical performance, and better visual performance, but that’s my opinion… You be the judge.
They won MTVU’s Freshmen Five a couple of weeks ago, and look like a band with the legs to become a success. The Freshman Five entry was their video for Turn Me Off. Below you can sample their single ‘Paper Face’ which is a little more frenetic but no less worthy.
The band was formed in 2002 and has evolved into a four piece band from its original two. 2008 brought a series of higher profile gigs, and it looks like the band is starting to crack into the mainstream with appearances at SXSW and NoisePop.
You can hear more at their MySpace page.
from Lenore Skenazy’s article on AdAge today…she says smartphones over and over to be politically correct, but every concrete example is an iPhone or iTouch….
“Is it just my kid, or is every child over the age of 8 carrying around a smartphone that’s making him dumb?
That’s what I’ve been wondering ever since my 12-year-old saved up his money for the do-it-yourself lobotomy known as the iPod Touch. (Yes, I know it’s not actually a phone. Same point.) This is a boy who used to pick up whatever book I was reading and read it faster. “Now what do you like to do?” I asked.
“Well,” he smiled. “I like to listen to funny sounds.”
“Funny?”
“You know — farts.” (read the full article)
Filed under: media
Old, but I just saw this posted on Facebook and had to pass it along…..
…oh why the heck would I re-post the bad and the ugly?
The funniest (Sorry, Guy Slapstick does it for me….)
The most inspiring
Best use of John Elway in a commercial…finally
Filed under: media | Tags: Music, Rock, Song of the Week, Springsteen, Working on a Dream
Bruce Springsteen’s contributions to The Wrestler won a Golden Globe this week, but the real hit off the album is Springsteen’s hopeful tone in most of the tracks, especially this week’s Song of the Week, ‘Working on a Dream’. This is more polish/production and less energy than his heyday hits like Born to Run, but much more sincere than 80’s/90’s pop he churned out, like Born in the USA.
You can catch the video and concert information for his tour starting April 1st at his Myspace page or his website. The video below is the trailer for The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke.
Filed under: Music, Song of the Week | Tags: James Morrison, Music, Nelly Furtado, Song of the Week
James Morrison’s ‘Broken Strings’ from his new album ‘Songs for You, Truths for Me’ is this week’s
Song of the Week. ‘Songs’ is Morrison’s sophomore effort, and show’s the benefits of 2 years of growing and touring following his debut effort, ‘Undiscovered’. Morrison’s style is slighly reminiscent of James Blunt, perhaps bit more soulful. This track also features Nelly Furtado in a very understated duet.
He’s much better known in the UK, but will be crossing the Atlantic this year to tour for four weeks in the US followed by two months in Europe. You can find his music on his MySpace page or his official website.
James Morrison, Songs for You, Truths for Me
Lily Allen’s cranked out a lot of great tracks, but I keep liking each one more than the last. The latest, ‘The Fear’ is this weeks Song of the Week.
Filed under: media | Tags: Christmas song, Straight No Chaser, Twelve Days of Christmas
Filed under: Music, Song of the Week | Tags: Glasvegas, Music, Song of the Week
UK rockers Glasvegas have this week’s Song of the Week with ‘Geraldine’. The Glasgow based band chose a combination of Glasgow and Las Vegas, which is fitting when you hear the glam rock elements in their style. Glasvegas (not to be confused with Marshvegas, Chris) have been touring extensively and are beginning to be known in the States, two years after becoming fairly well known in the UK for their first single ‘Daddy’s Gone’.
Glasvegas is in the US in January, and touring for 6 weeks in Europe before returning to the States to tour through March and April.
You can check out their music on their MySpace page or the band’s official website.
Here’s a cool live performance of the Song of the Week.
Filed under: Music, Song of the Week | Tags: Kings of Leon, Music, Rock, Song of the Week
Kings of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ is this week’s Song of the Week. The debut single from the album ‘Only by the Night’ was Sex on Fire, which hit #1 in the UK and did well on US charts as well, but Use Somebody is more remarkable musically, and is just starting its chart ascent.
The band hails from Tennessee, and produced several albums of southern rock influenced music before define their own style. They have been compared to the Strokes, and you can hear some similarity in this track to the Strokes recent ‘You Only Live Once’, but Caleb Followill’s soulful vocals add character missing in the Stroke’s efforts. Caleb is joined by brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew Followill.
Check out both tracks at the band’s MySpace page or their own official site….
Filed under: media, Motorola | Tags: Cameraphone, Motorola, MotoZine, ZN5
T-Mobile is now carrying the 5MegaPixel ZN5 camera phone from Motorola. A joint venture between Motorola and Kodak, the ZN5 sports some impressive camera features for a phone:
– 5 megapixel camera, auto-focus, low-light setting, digital zoom
– Shutter speed: 1/60 – 1/1000 seconds in auto mode
– Multi-shot mode
– Editing effects: grayscale, sepia, negative, reddish, greenish, bluish,
brightness, sharpen, contrast, blur
– Panorama feature automatically matches continuous shots taken on
horizon line into single image
– Focal length: 5.56mm. Aperture: 2.8/5.6
– 15 fps Video
– Auto connect to Kodak bluetooth enabled accessories
And some nice non-camera, phone features including Wifi enabled, full-HTML browser and FM radio.
The phone doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a Nokia N95/96, but with T-Mobile offering the phone for $99 with a contract, it’s also going to be affordable for a much wider audience.
I knew there was a reason I was wandering aimlessly….
Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are
The Killers new single, ‘Human’ is this week’s Song of the Week.
I’ve been a Killers fan since their first album, but some of the singles have been forgettable. This is vintage Killers, a nice blend of melody, poetry and upbeat that draws you in and keeps you interested through the whole track.
You can listen to the full track at the band’s website.
Filed under: Music, Song of the Week | Tags: Hip-Hop, Live Your Life, Music, Rihanna, Song of the Week, T.I.
This was an easy week. Hip hop artist T.I. released another single off his Paper Trail album, “Live Your Life”,and this one features Rihanna, but the most remarkable thing about the track is the use of samples of the “Numa Numa song” (actually “Dragostea din tei” by the Moldovan band O-Zone) made famous as an internet lip synch video by Gary Brolsma in December 2004. Managing to produce an edgy, musical hip hop track while using samples from the Numa Numa song is an impressive feat, and deserves a Song of the Week nod.
The video of Live Your Life is not due out for a couple of days, but I will post it as soon as it is available. In the meantime you can check out the track on MySpace or TI’s official site.
The preview:
In the meantime, the original Numa Numa Dance….
Filed under: Music, Rock, Song of the Week | Tags: Gotta Be Somebody, Music, Nickelback, Rock, Song of the Week
Nickelback, better known for swaggering rock anthems, earns a Song of the Week for the simple, vulnerable “Gotta Be Somebody”. It’s hard to imagine that the band’s last album was released 3 years ago because the single ‘Rockstar’ got incessant play in the Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008 after releasing late in the cycle, but the new album ‘Dark Horse’ is due out November 18th. If this single is any indication, Dark Horse will surpass the band’s prior successes.
You can check out the single ‘Gotta Be Somebody’ on the band’s website.
Filed under: media, Music, Song of the Week | Tags: Elbow, Music, Pop, Rock, Song of the Week
The Song of the Week this week is ‘One Day Like This’ from English band ‘Elbow’, from their album ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. The best comparison that I can make is to say that several of their tracks sound like Coldplay but rougher and with more soul. The band is from Manchester, UK and is currently touring in mainland Europe.
The album came out this spring, but the single just caught my attention. It’s an excellent track, but weighing in at over 6 minutes long, it was doomed to get little airplay. Their other hit off the album, ‘Grounds for Divorce’ doesn’t strike my fancy, but fits into traditional radio playlists better and got more airplay.
You can hear a sample of their tracks at their MySpace page, or better yet watch the video here. Check out the band’s site, which has one of the coolest user interfaces I’ve seen in awhile on the intro page of the site.
Podsanity 