I despise Jimmy Fallon. I love The Roots. So imagine my conflict when The Roots decided to announce (albeit unofficially) that they will cease touring in March 09 in order to be the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
The only way this can end well is if ?Love beats him to death with a drumstick on live, local television.
Filed under: Ben Harper, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jimmy Eat World, Monday Morning Shuffle, The Roots
Yesterday was a holiday, and i treated it as such. So the Shuffle is on Tuesday, makes more sense anyway.
So i’ve dug a little deeper into these Torrent programs and man is that a better way to steal music than anything else. I found some amazing stuff and got some things that have leaked and aren’t released yet. In the past 4 days i got the new Common, the relatively new Modest Mouse, the new Talib Kweli and in the greatest move of all time, found someone who was posting every Radiohead song ever. So i downloaded 20 albums, live stuff, unmastered, mastered, remastered, side projects, b-sides, everything. A couple hundred songs easily. So even though i’ve never been a huge fan of them i can now back my opinions up.
On with the shuffle,
1. Cautioners – Jimmy Eat World, off of Bleed American
I love this song. The bass track is so infectious and the drum beat so simple, it’s just a good song all around. Jim Atkins vocals are as haunting as the lyrics are poignant. And they have a new CD coming out in October, or so i’m told.
2. Almost Cut My Hair – Crosby, Stills and Nash
This is one of those protest songs we’ve chatted about before and our generation really misses out on the symbolism of this one. Cutting your hair was a big deal at the time…short hair meant you were a square, you sold out to the man, etc. And this song embodies a lot of the frustration in the movement at the time, a subject which those of you apart of our Vox blog will know, i’ve experienced a bit of lately myself.
3. 3 Libras – A Perfect Circle (Massive Attack remix)
This is my favorite APC song and the remix is kinda crazy…if Massive Attack was in fact involved in this, kudos to them. I like them. There’s not a whole lot else to say about this really.
4. Sexual Healing – Ben Harper, off of Live from Mars
Can you think of a better cover for Ben Harper to do? Is there a better combination of talents, music and latent sex appeal? I say no.
5. Rhymes and Ammo – The Roots, off of Phrenology
This song would usually be semi-annoying to me because of the hook, but you got Kweli doing it up on the track and it actually comes through as a pretty good tune when it’s all said and done. Kweli and The Roots together…man, that’s pretty epic.
Alright, have a good short week.
Filed under: Dispatch, Michael Jackson, Monday Morning Shuffle, The Roots, The streets, grace like gravity
On a long drive this weekend I attempted to listen to the following 3 CDs:
1. The Beta Band – 3 E.P.s
2. Radiohead – Kid A (again)
3. Thom Yorke – Eraser
I didn’t make it through a single one. I was tired on the drive and needed something that would keep my interest and engage me, as opposed to just being really clever background music. It didn’t happen.
I’m really making an effort to like this genre of music but it just doesn’t work for me. I’m about ready to quit apologizing for it.
Anyway, I did have an awesome experience with Andrew Bird and The Mysterious Production of Eggs while lying on Mission Beach Saturday afternoon. After a few beers and some hot sun, I pulled on the headphones for a little nap and I have to admit, that was one of the more spiritual moments I’ve had in a long time. It was just the perfect soundtrack to a nap in the sun. I actually stopped about 6 songs in and told the people I was with about the moment I was having. Pretty good stuff. (Again, someone send me the new CD if you have it.)
On with the shuffle:
1. Black And White Town – Doves, off of Some Cities
I feel like I’ve done this before…yup, sure have…
Starting over.
1. Walk With You – Dispatch
This song is just plain beautiful. The first few minutes have this really calming guitar part behind a flute solo in a very low register. Something about the low notes on a flute sound special somehow. I don’t know how to describe it really. It just sounds, well, good.
Anyway, this is an amazing song and one of my favorites from Dispatch. The lyrics are poignant and the song just flows along beautifully. Alright, i’ll stop gushing.
Dispatch gets caught up in that backward white hat, frat boy, college rock set, but they are a very talented band who, aside from being socially conscious, are just plain good to listen to. Music as it was meant to be, i think. Not too complicated, just some guitars, percussion and nice vocal harmonies. Sometimes the beauty is in the simplicity.
2. The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
Please, like i’m going to talk about a Michael Jackson song and do it justice. All pedophilic tendencies aside, he’s one of the greatest musicians/performers of our time. Madonna steals children from Africa, Michael sleeps in the same bed with them. Who is worse?
3. When You Wasn’t Famous – The Streets, off the The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
The Streets is a one man, gay British hip-hop act. And that’s every bit as weird as it sounds.
It’s even weirder that this song is about how it’s easy to pick up girls when you’re famous, but the cat is gay…yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me either.
And he doesn’t so much rap as just talk over a beat. I don’t know. It’s bizarre but totally worth listening to, just because of the novelty of the sound.
4. Rolling With Heat – The Roots, off of Phrenology
This song features Talib Kweli so you know i love it. Having The Roots and Kweli on the same track is probably my second favorite collaboration in the history of hip-hop (Blackstar obviously being the first. )
And…that’s pretty much all i have to say about that.
5. Moo-Goo Gai Pan – Grace Like Gravity
This is one of my favorite songs from the now defunct Boulder, CO-based punk band. I loved these guys when i went to school there. I saw them every time they played live and listened to them on my headphones just about every time i went snowboarding (so about 120 times). One night they covered One Song, Glory from the musical Rent and i almost went apeshit (yes, i like musical theater, you have a problem with that?)
Anyway, the first time i went to see them was just to hang out with some people from the snowboard team and they immediately impressed me. Seeing a band live before you hear anything by them is a really weird experience and one that i have a hard time being present for. I just get so distracted by everything else going on around me that i have a hard time getting into the music and really deciding if i like it or not. But these guys just had some really catchy hooks and immediately drew me in.
They used to play a lot of shows at this bar/restaurant called K’s China, which was a Chinese restaurant on The Hill (notoriously responsible for food poisoning and the scoots…) and it turned into a bar at night. It was always packed and had a roof area that would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people if there was ever a fire or emergency up there. I mean, there was only one small stairway down and at least 300 people on the roof. I can’t figure out why it was never shut down. My only time on the roof, i found myself looking at the neighboring buildings and figuring out my escape plan if something crazy happened. Not good. Well anyway, they named all the songs on this CD after dishes at K’s China. Kinda weird to say that your favorite song is Lo Mein, but hey.
Alright, i’ll do better next time.
Filed under: Before Braille, Built to Spill, Dispatch, Journey, The Roots
Feeling pretty basic and tired on this Monday morning so i’m hoping the shuffle cooperates…we’ll see.
1. Mellow My Man – The Roots, off of The Roots Come Alive
My freshman year of college we had 2 kids named Matt that lived on my floor in the dorms. One was like 6′2” and one was like 5′4”, so naturally they became “Big Matt” and “Little Matt” respectively. Little Matt was from LA, babysat for Samuel L. Jackson, lived in the Hills, and loved hip hop, so much so that he was like the only short, white Jewish kid to attend the Watts Riot benefit concert with De La Soul, Rebels of Rhythm (Jurassic 5’s former group) and other classic hip hop groups. This CD always reminds me of him. We listened to it straight through on the way to the mountains and and back and on the night before i moved, we sat in my room with a few people and listened to it while the party raged on outside. Good times. Good CD. The Roots are fantastic, if you didn’t know.
2. Liar – Built To Spill, off of You in Reverse
My verdict is still out on Built to Spill. I really like this song but then i’ll not like the next one i hear. I’m not really sure and i haven’t spent enough time listening to this song to really comment on it. This song usually doesn’t pass my iPod ADD test though, which means that while i’m driving, i’m constantly clicking forward on my iPod searching for the perfect song for that drive. And i’ll listen to the first 30 seconds of 20 songs instead of listening to 5 songs straight through. I have ADD and unless a song really fits my mood, i’ll probably just skip right past it. This song, and other Built to Spill songs, get skipped. If i practiced what i preached and actually listened to the entire CD in order, i’d probably like them a lot more.
3. Well As Well – Before Braille, off of Tired of Not Being Away from Here
I’ve talked about B4B a lot so i won’t go back through all of it, but i will say that Rajiv, their amazing guitarist, is back from Peru and i’m really excited to see what he’ll do in the next few months musically. I’m sure the South American influence will really be apparent in his new music. Here’s hoping that he gets to it soon. This scene is really really lame. I can’t tell you the last time i went to a local show. Oh yeah, probably since i don’t have any friends in local bands anymore (good work guys, see you this weekend at Shelly and Mia’s wedding…)
4. Lights – Journey, off of Journey’s Greatest Hits
My iTunes loves Journey, and as we’ve said before, what’s not to love?
5. Bullet Holes – Dispatch, off of Gut the Van
I’m really, really pissed that they broke up without me ever having the chance to see them live. From all accounts they were just an amazing live band and they’re concerts were just good-times all around. Bullet Holes is one of my favorite songs from them, it starts off all slow with this cool vocal intro and harmony and then it runs off into this cool double time action. Dispatch has that college rock kinda feel to them and you can pretty much take that as a description of their music. It’s not deep, it’s not experimental, it won’t change your life, but they do incorporate some cool keyboards, a ton of percussion (they have done entire CDs and albums without a drum set) and very cool vocal harmonies. For a road trip sing-a-long you really couldn’t ask for anything better.
Well i wanted simple, and that’s pretty much what i got. And even though i said i wouldn’t, i’m working on a year in review type post so be sure to check that out later this week/weekend.
In yesterday’s shuffle, Ron provided a great idea in the comments and that idea was to have a running list of musicians we’d love to see doing new stuff, reuniting with old or different bands, or just reincarnating themselves in different forms, etc.
His idea was Zach De La Rocha getting together with ?love and The Roots band and putting out a new album. And i couldn’t agree more. I miss Zach’s voice, his lyrics and his energy (Download Blackalicious – Release, Saul William -Act III, Scene 2, Shakespeare). So that’s a great combo, and a great idea. Thanks Ron, for the comments and for the great idea.
So i could think of nothing, and i mean absolutely nothing, better than kicking this idea off with something that has already happened.
Preface: When Soundgarden broke up, i was sad. When Rage broke up, i was really sad. When i heard Chris Cornell and the remaining members of Rage were going to get together and form a band, i was super excited. When i finally heard Audioslave, i could not have been more disappointed.
So here’s my wet dream of a band, that fortunately has already been done: Chris Cornell by himself, singing Billie Jean. And it’s your lucky day, here is the link.
I always loved Cornell’s voice, and it alternately sounds great and horrible in that track. And some of the guitar bugs me, but seriously, how haunting are those lyrics when he sings it? It gave me the chills. Please provide your ideas in the comments.
1. False Media – The Roots, off of Game Theory
I’ll be honest, i just got this CD and i haven’t had a chance to really digest it. That being said, i love the Roots, i’ve heard nothing but good things about this CD, and i’m really glad the Roots took another turn at making a political statement. People with the loudest voices need to be saying these things. I talk about them on Everything is A-Ok all day long, but like 7 people read that right now. Anyway, this CD is going to have to be really damn good to compare to the Tipping Point (their last album), but i’m crossing my fingers. Bottom line, The Roots have always been good, they’ve been around a long damn time and unlike another formerly good formally underground hip-hop group i could mention, they haven’t resorted to hiring a meth-head with very little talent and a heinous face but a decent body to sell their records.
2. Running on Faith – Eric Clapton, off of Eric Clapton Unplugged
Remember when MTV did unPlugged shows with only the biggest groups and even then, only with people who actually had the talent to pull it off? Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Alice-In-Chains…all of them talented, and huge draws at the time they did the show. Yesterday while channel surfing i was a show that said “MTV Unplugged” so i clicked on it to see who it was, hoping for one of the greats. It was fucking Ricky Martin.
3. Midnight Show – The Killers, off of Hot Fuss
I love this CD when it first came out and then it got overplayed in a hurry. Some people think it compares to Pearl Jam in its longevity but i disagree. Does anyone have any thoughts on their new CD? I haven’t heard it yet but i have heard mixed reviews. Anyone who loves it/hates it can have their own post on this site if they’d like to review it for me. (And send me a copy.)
4. The Velorium Camper III: Al the Killer – Coheed & Cambria, off of In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
That’s a damn mouthful isn’t it? Full Disclosure: Co&Ca is one of my absolute favorite bands. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being a basic music fan, 10 being the obsessed kids flipping through the comic books and liner notes trying to pick up any single clue they can as to the story of Coheed and Cambria, i’m about a 7. I’m not trying to determine the story for myself, but i’m definitely interested in it and will be in line buying the next CD the moment it comes out (unless Perry can get it for me early, like he always seems to do.). So anyway, for those of you who don’t know, here is a basis of the story so far. And for those of you who have never listened, i definitely suggest giving them a try. They’re not for everyone so i can’t guarantee everyone who reads this will like them (Suzanne, ahem.) but if you like addictive guitar riffs, soaring solos and a lead singer with a massive afro who sounds like Geddy Lee from Rush, i highly suggest you check them out.
5. So Far Away – Dire Straits, off of Sultans of Swing
Not the song i would have picked from this Cd but hey, it’s the shuffle, you can’t argue. Anyway, back in the day, when i still thought i loved country music, i was in a car on the way to baseball practice when one of my friends (who may, or may not have been Brandon Peyton) had Money for Nothing playing in his Dad’s truck. The guitar solo at the beginning was so damn mind blowing that it just stuck with me. This is probably one of the very first glimpses i had of what rock music could be like and while it may not have been the defining moment in my conversion from country, it was definitely a crumbling in that foundation. Dire Straits is a great older band and really has a lot of the same characteristics of what i like in a band as coheed. Great catchy riffs, pretty great lyrics and awesome solos. I didn’t think i’d ever be comparing Dire Straits to Coheed but hey, that’s what you get with the Shuffle. Oh and MBFY.
Alright, that’s enough for today. Tune in Wednesday when i inject some major controversy into Championship Vinyl.
