*Thanks to The Daily Swarm for reporting on this new sensation* Miami Herald: (on 8-year old reggaeton sensation, Miguelito)
It’s 11 p.m., the Puerto Rico Coliseum is packed, the reggaeton is blaring, and it’s way past Miguel Angel Valenzuela’s bedtime.
Despite the solo he just performed at Daddy Yankee’s sold-out concert, or the rhinestone-studded bling around his neck, or the backup dancers in short plaid skirts, bedtime was at 9. But on this night, the 8-year-old is Miguelito, a nominee in Thursday’s Latin Grammy awards who gets to stay up late, at least on concert nights.
’‘I have liked reggaeton since I was little,’’ he said on a recent evening a few days after his solo, sitting on a luxury hotel rooftop in San Juan. ‘When I was small, I thought I was going to be the boss of my father’s company. Then when I turned 6, I thought, `No, I am going to become an artist.’ I have reached my dreams. Now, I am an artist—Miguelito.
If you don't believe me, I unfortunately have proof...
You and I both know it, music is slowly and surely dying because of acts like this. Well, at least reggaeton is gonna die soon, that music had no real purpose besides dry humping people on the dancefloor to the same bass beats and random shouting and moaning in each song. Just a complete waste of musicality. Let's hope Miguelito kills it quicker than you can say "Crank Dat".
So, today, I give my love of The Chemical Brothers to you. The acid house duo has been around longer than their French counterparts, Daft Punk. The Chems started around 1992, when they started to DJ together and soon became "The Dust Brothers". Soon thereafter, they gained steam in the underground, and the American production team of The Dust Brothers threatened action if they didn't change their name, and thus, The Chemical Brothers were born. By 1993, their first album, Exit Planet Dust (an obvious title), came out to a staggering amount of praise. Their blend of big beat, rock and electronica started the electronica era of the 90s.
In 1995, Daft Punk surfaced with two of their early recordings, and The Chems obtained them, played them and DJ'd the fuck out of them...so much that they invited Daft Punk to open for them for shows in the U.K. Two years later, Daft Punk would be headlining European bills with The Chemical Brothers opening. Two-for-one is HELLA GOOD.
Throughout the last 12 years, The Chemical Brothers have been one of the most successful electronica groups in history. Pounding out hit after hit and gaining more and more praise on their albums, their live show, like Daft Punk, has evolved from mere turntabling and mixing to something of a spectacle. Enjoy the 2007 Glastonbury broadcast!!!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
So, I've got some of my favorite tracks down their for you to take. Enjoy The Chems, and make sure you hear that orgasmic BASS.
Ugh. The weather's getting really craptastic, and it's getting me annoyed with a lot of things; however, one thing that's been really annoying me is bad cover songs. The songs themselves aren't the problem, it's the artists covering them. Now, I understand someone putting up a YouTube clip of themselves covering a song and it's criticized, but when you take great songs by great bands and not-so great bands cover your songs, that's fucking BLASPHEMY.
i.e. - Radiohead - "Karma Police" @ Hammerstein Ballroom (1997)
Classic.
Then, this piling heap of putrid dog shit comes up:
Thank you so much, Panic! You really do make me want to self-inflict after that shit.
But, wait, kids!!! There's more...hang on to your seat and keep your ears open...because this one is sure to make your eyes and ears die at the same time...covering this song:
...and turning into a deafening blow to the music world...
Why can't someone do a cover with dignity?
This just proves how easy someone can ruin a good thing...doesn't anyone ever care to improve on their interpretations? They both sound nasal...and it's just...absolutely abysmal to me. There's no hope left in the world if the emo kids start saying Panic! and MCR's covers are better than the original songs from Radiohead and Blur.
What's next...a Daft Punk cover??!!?!?
Wait....no...no...FUCK NO, NO WAY....GOD HELP US ALL.
Well, at least it's not all Daft Punk, but shit...why do people have to take the best things in life, put in a blender, and SHIT IT OUT ON YOUR AUDITORY PLATE?
It's just musical murder. That's right, take the machete and severe the jugular on the best songs of this generation. Thanks, emo nation. You fucked up the world for good.
You're all dead...while wearing ridiculously tight pants and confusing your love for girls and/or guys.
Oh, and you're so sad you can't get the car for the weekend you have to mop around wanting to kill yourself.
Do the real music fans some good and just off yourself. Prove your self-worth.
kthx.
Music sounds better with you...just no emo kids....or scene kids.
Too much shit to recall in a whim; an extraordinary amount of things of happened in October...we'll start from October 1st.
October 1st - Radiohead ever so subtly announce their new album "In Rainbows" will be available for download on October 10th off their official website...but with no set price. Radiohead said "PAY WHAT YOU WANT FOR IT."
Indeed, everyone in interweb land went: "HOLY SHIT WTF!?!?!?!"
Blogs like Brooklyn Vegan, Idolator and The Daily Swarm praised them for a move that could've ultimately blown up in their face...without a label, Radiohead was taking a huge chance, but ultimately it paid off.
October 10th - In Rainbows is available for download for customers who paid and/or didn't pay. After a week of speculation, rumors were rampant that 1.2 million copies of the album were downloaded in the first week alone.
Holy shit, Radiohead. Congratulations. You could be changing the music industry forever. Keep it going, you limey bastards. I love thee.
October 20th/22nd - Justice invade Terminal 5, a new Bowery presents venue that used to be "Club Exit" on West 56th Street/11th Ave. The performance on the 20th was part of the CMJ Music Marathon (Oct. 16th-20) which was situated at many venues all over the city. Their openers on the 20th were Busy P (who is their label boss and manager, as well as a fellow artist on Ed Banger Records) and Midnight Juggernauts (an Australian indie/electro group). Midnight Juggernauts definitely caught some eyes and ears as at the second show on Monday, they were interview by music blog site IDOLATOR and magazine Blender. When Justice came on-stage, they shook Terminal 5's very fragile foundation. The show was a huge success and there were amazing moments from beginning to end. Spectacular stuff, man. The show I went to, the 22nd, was oversold.
The venue holds about 3000-3200 at max capacity. I was front and center and I'm not tiny (as shown above!). I'm a big guy with a good-sized frame and I got tossed around like I was an anorexic teen model from South Carolina who didn't know where America was on the map. It was in some ways worse than a metal mosh-pit. I went to a free Korn event at South Street Seaport during the summer, where there were at least 3000 people outside in the blistering heat, and it wasn't as tough to manuever as it was at Justice, an electro-dance duo. Half an hour into their set, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to leave the front over the barricade, because it was getting insanely crammed and wild. This shit wasn't bananas, it was DANGEROUS. Funny thing is that I wasn't the only one who left the front during their set, from what I counted, 22 people left through the front in a 70-minute set.
70/22 = 1 person leaving roughly every 3.2 minutes = Wow, that's some crazy shit.
All in all, it was an insanely good show by Justice, with probably the best acapella crowd ever for their first big hit, "We Are Your Friends", the remix of the original Simian track. Watch in awe :)
Fuck yes, WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS. One of the greatest shows of the year, but also one of the craziest. Terminal 5 needs to institute an overcrowding policy if they don't want someone to die in their brand new venue. Be wary, Terminal 5, you could get your asses sued very soon if this continues.
October 26th - OiNK.cd, the invite-only music torrent haven, is shut down and the owner is arrested. He was out of jail the next day. OiNK apparently was shut down because of the number of pre-release leaks available for download to their members. The number of OiNK users is limited to 180,000 or so, with some users being musicians and artists themselves. The number of pre-released leaks was up to 60, and Interpol had shut it down and raided the 24-year-old owner's flat. This was all concocted to prevented the "digital freeloaders" from stealing new music. Many artists have spoken out about this in disapproval, saying OiNK was a safe haven and the "best record store" in the world.
October 31st - Trent Reznor, lead singer/songwriter of Nine Inch Nails, admitted he had an OiNK account, in an interview with NY Mag:
"Trent: I’ll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often. At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world’s greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted. If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn’t the equivalent of that in the retail space right now. iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don’t feel cool when I go there. I’m tired of seeing John Mayer’s face pop up. I feel like I’m being hustled when I visit there, and I don’t think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc. Amazon has potential, but none of them get around the issue of pre-release leaks. And that’s what’s such a difficult puzzle at the moment. If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it? People on those boards, they’re grateful for the person that uploaded it — they’re the hero. They’re not stealing it because they’re going to make money off of it; they’re stealing it because they love the band. I’m not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
Also, Daft Punk released this video, of the best concert I ever went to:
Kanye West, you've been given a second chance by me... only because of this:
And going from someone who successfully sampled Daft Punk with their permission...to someone who totally remixed a song using the entire main hook of one of the most famous Daft songs ever...and got totally DENIED.
Excuse my rant from earlier, but it had to come out somehow. It was brooding. Anyway, I've stumbled upon three bands that have caught my eye recently...one in experimental rock, two leaning more towards indie, with those bands being Interpol, Liars and The Veils.
1. "Pioneer to the Falls" - 5:41 2. "No I in Threesome" - 3:50 3. "The Scale" - 3:23 4. "The Heinrich Maneuver" - 3:28 5. "Mammoth" - 4:12 6. "Pace Is the Trick" - 4:36 7. "All Fired Up" - 3:35 8. "Rest My Chemistry" - 5:00 9. "Who Do You Think" - 3:12 10. "Wrecking Ball" - 4:30 11. "The Lighthouse" - 5:25
Interpol's been around for a while, New York legends in a way. They all met at NYU and started some years back. Their new album has garnerded the attention of critics as "inventive" and "still have the same touch as their debut LP". They've gained quite a fanbase and are now headlining at Madison Square Garden with Liars being their support act.
1. "Plaster Casts of Everything" - 3:56 2. "Houseclouds" - 3:21 3. "Leather Prowler" - 4:25 4. "Sailing to Byzantium" - 4:02 5. "What Would They Know" - 3:11 6. "Cycle Time" - 2:16 7. "Freak Out" - 2:30 8. "Pure Unevil" - 3:52 9. "Clear Island" - 2:38 10. "The Dumb in the Rain" - 4:21 11. "Protection" - 4:30
Liars is an experimental rock group that began in New York City as a dance-punk band, but after line-up changes and a move to Berlin, they had started to lean towards experimental rock. Their new record, the self-titled Liars, is quite a wonder and very catchy as well.
1. "Not Yet" - 4:54 2. "Calliope!" - 3:35 3. "Advice for Young Mothers to Be" - 3:25 4. "Jesus for the Jugular" - 4:46 5. "Pan" - 4:58 6. "A Birthday Present" - 3:43 7. "Under the Folding Branches" - 3:23 8. "Nux Vomica" - 5:30 9. "One Night on Earth" - 4:06 10. "House Where We All Live" - 5:08
The Veils are quite good, quite fucking good. "Calliope!", the first single off of Nux Vomica, is very catchy and so fresh to hear. Finn Andrews, frontman of the band, sounds like a cry from Nick Cave with today's turbulent melancholy piano riffs and simplistic basslines, followed by enchanting drums and some shagadelic guitars. Nux Vomica is quite honestly one the better records of the year.
Another VMAs, another massive debacle. Just a monstrosity from top to bottom, with no hope or payoff. It was just a complete crock of shit. This was really the downfall of all awards show...and you thought the Teen Choice Awards were bad. The show started with the massively hyped-up "comeback" of Britney Spears, and surprisingly she didn't actually disappoint; she instead BOMBED. Starting with her patented "I'm lip-syncing but you'll never know because the music's too loud" technique, she began the night saying: "It's Britney, bitch." First of all, don't call us all bitches. Second, you suck worse than a $2 whore. The performance was hilariously atrocious and undoubtedly effortless. Celebrity audience members that were stunned, repulsed and laughing included: 50 Cent, Nelly, Diddy, Chris Brown and Rihanna (laughing in front of her). It was shit-tastic. Bravo, Britney...way to come crashing down to fucking earth. You definitely deserve it, and you especially deserve Sarah Silverman's rip on you and those kids: "Those kids are the cutest mistakes you will ever see!!!"Damn right.
Anyway, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake cleared house with two awards each. Justin Timberlake challenged MTV to play more videos, which was a welcome suggestion...except no one at MTV gives a shit. There were some awkward moments because of the new "band suites" at the Vegas VMAs, because almost all the bands didn't finish a song. It was just cut-ins and cut-outs...and speaking of that...MTV used almost all of Justice's "†" album as intros and outros to presenters. Justice are nominated for one award, and the correspondents asked the guests about Justice...and guess what? No one knew who the fuck Justice was. Surprising? No. Predictable? Fuck yes.
And as usual, Kanye pulled another bullshit comment out of his ass, stating he should've opened the awards and "if I don't win, I ain't coming back to MTV, ever."
...He didn't win, and this was the result:
You're a whiny little bitch, stop fucking being a dumb little motherfucker. You're a sore loser and now you think YOUR RACE has something to do with it? Rihanna won two awards. Beyonce won another. Chris Brown won another as well. Well, Kanye...what I'm asking is, who the fuck do you think YOU ARE? Why would you automatically pull out the race card? Why are you so whiny when you don't win? Music isn't about being the winner, it's about being proud of what you've done. Stop making everything about you. You need to seriously SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE THE MUSIC BUSINESS FOR A FEW MONTHS. JUST FUCK OFF, YOU WHINY LITTLE FUCKER.
Anyway, Justice lost...no surprise.
This was my VMAs rant entry. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm never watching the VMAs again.
Seeing as how I'm unable to sleep, I might as well post the next day's entry a bit early. The big news today is that Britney is "REHEARSING" her VMAs performance. WOW. Amazing reporting, huh? That and Vanessa Hudgens nude photos were leaked onto the 'net. I'm thinking of a number...around 10-15 million males aged 15-40 all going on the internet simultaneously and checking out the photos. Good job, perverts.
Where's the music news, man?
Well, Enter Shikari, a trance/metal/core/electro band hailing from the U.K., is headlining Bowery Ballroom on the 11th of September. On the 13th, Jamie T will grace the stage of that same venue...and The Noisettes will on the 15th. Quite a nice schedule of artists booked. Good job, Bowery. What everyone really is banking on is the upcoming new venue from The Bowery Presents, Terminal 5. It supposedly is Club Exit turned into a savvy music venue, housing about 3000+ at maximum capacity. They've already sold out two shows before opening the venue, and those two artists are on my playlist; M.I.A. and Justice.
However, both acts have added an extra night due to popularity...or greed.
M.I.A. - October 18th/$25 All Ages Doors 7PM Justice - October 22nd/$25 All Ages Doors 7PM
Hooray for greedy musicians :)
One thing that really is testing my patience: MTV's partnership with Rhapsody and advertising the VMA Nominees. The song in the commercial is Justice's "Waters Of Nazareth". Are you fucking kidding me? No one knows that song but me, it's absolutely amazing and sad at the same time. Only the real music buffs know what's really playing. It's a shame the only time half-decent music comes on one of the MTV affiliates (MTV2) is Subtarreanean...at 1AM. Fucking idiots.
Tracklist: 1. It's Getting Boring By The Sea 2. You Bring Me Down 3. Box Of Secrets 4. Try Harder 5. Can't Find The Door *Personal bonus from me* 6. It's Getting Boring By The Sea (Blamma Blamma Remix)
Have a great weekend, there will be MUCH MORE TO COME. *insert evil laugh here*
Considering I'm pretty new to this, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Mitch, and I'm a creative person full of vigour, spunk and energy. I'm a musician, songwriter and genuine run-of-the mill asshole. I'm extremely one-sided with my musical opinions and sometimes my opinions push people away, but it comes with the territory of getting to know me. Most of the music I like isn't part of today's pop culture, meaning about 98% of it isn't being played on MTV/fuse. The rest is just a wild-ass coincidence. Also, most people will never understand how important music is to me, mainly because it is my air, my food, my water. One of the reasons I live is for music, because without music, we as a collective species wouldn't have been able to realize the beauty in other things. Music is art, beauty and it is part of life, for me a BIG PART of it. Anyway, let's get down to business. Blog entry numero uno :P
The MTV Video Music Awards are coming up, and you know what that means: Every kid ranging from age 12-17 is going to watch that and eat all that pre-fabricated horseshit up. Suffice to say, it's been getting worse year after year after year. This year's big shocker is that Britney Spears is planning her comeback by opening for the award show! *GASP* OMG LIEK BRITNEY IZ COMIN BAK!!!!
...Seriously, kids. Britney's been gone. There's no more Britney, it's just tabloid fodder. She's a shell of the pop princess from the late '90s. She is not THAT BRITNEY, nor she will ever be. She's going to bomb again in her career, just like every other star who's tailspinning into their own Hollywood demise. But, MTV decided this would just sweeten the pot on their most cathartic of televised events. Not only is this LIVE, but in Vegas...do you really think people are going to come being fully coherent of everything? I'm betting at least 3-4 presenters are going to be shitfaced and come onstage trying to flirt with their co-presenter. Fun television, folks. There's only a handful of artists I can actually root for, considering NONE OF THEM WILL WIN. Those unfortunate, talented artists: Peter Bjorn and John, Gnarls Barkley, Lily Allen, and Justice....are doomed to lose. Then, MTV has to make it seem like a soap opera more and more with each awards show, with the "MOST EARTH-SHATTERING COLLABORATION" category, or my personal favorite, "QUADRUPLE THREAT OF THE YEAR". Wow, seriously...where the fuck do you motherfuckers get off doing that? I mean, what motivates to think that people NEED TO BE A QUADRUPLE THREAT? What makes you think that collaborations need to be earth-shattering? I know ratings matter, but you get more and more viewers every year, and this year will be no different, thanks to ex-Mrs. Federline.
The only sub-plot MTV has going for them is if Kanye West fucks up again with Justice winning VIDEO OF THE YEAR (which will never fucking happen...if it does I will definitely shit myself out of sheer amazement, considering they are one of my current musical fixations). If none of you know what I'm talking about, Kanye had a little mishap at the MTV Europe Music Awards, coming on-stage...well...not fully aware of the situation. :D
Nice job, Kanye.
All I'm saying is, not even current pop superstars are giving the underdogs and underground indie artists their due. They, too were once a part of that. It's a shame to see people just put them down. I just wish, people would stop dismissing the music that isn't well-known. There's so much to offer in every genre, that doesn't mean you should be dismissive and egoistic and say: "YO, FUCK THAT SHIT, MAN. IT AIN'T KANYE/50 CENT/MIMS/YUNG JOC/whichever rap artist has a hit for no fucking reason" There is better, more creative stuff out there, and if people are going to stay in the box, then let them. In the end, they'll see how much they missed out on. But, to the real music lovers, keep exploring, because there's only more to love. Guys, music sounds better with you. Keep it gangsta.
