Delightful.

Corin Tucker Band video

MxDwn.com review of Keane's Night Train EP

No Passengers, Please

When you look at some of the finer-tuned pop acts from the UK in the past decade, Keane make a lot of sense. With acts like U2 and Oasis paving the way for softer, polished acts like Travis and Snow Patrol to make a killing, you could see how Keane could achieve accolades like Q’s best album and track of 2008, or the Brit Awards’ Best Breakthrough Act. But with their eight-song extended player Night Train, Keane have steered the train right off the track.

A tour of their earlier singles reveal infectious and beautiful piano melodies (”Somewhere Only We Know” from Hopes and Fears) giving way to more complex and electrified work like “Is It Any Wonder?” (from Under the Iron Sea) and “Spiralling,” (from 2008’s Perfect Symmetry). Night Train finds Keane stridently embracing the electronics of some their idols—Depeche Mode, a-ha, Pet Shop Boys but in a dreadful direction. Their invitation of guests only adds to the ghastliness bringing rappers into the studio. Oh boy, is it dreadful.

After gentle opening instrumental “House Lights,” lead single “Stop For a Minute” starts with a melodic and joyous piano-driven vibe, but then features verses from Somali-Canadian rapper K’naan, whose voice is somewhere between Lil’ Jon and will.i.am fed through Autotune. “Back in Time” and “My Shadow” attempt to make things better, but the ghastly cover of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s “Ishin Denshin (You’ve Got To Help Yourself)” features the indecipherable and flat voice of Japanese baile-funk singer Tigarah. “Looking Back” brings K’naan back to disappoint again and samples, to cruel effect, “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky.

Night Train has nothing more appealing than anything from Keane’s past. Naysayers or newbies to the Brit superstars’ sound may now have a hard time cheering them on; fans will see Keane as clearly lost and this EP as atrocious.



MxDwn.com link.

Debbie Harry Worship

In my constant reverence for the diva in all shapes and sizes, I shine the light, now, on Miss Deborah Harry. The woman is 65 years old and one of the most iconic women of punk rock of all time. Really, who rivals her? Patti Smith, sure, Chrissie Hynde, OK. But Patti and Chrissie were grungy, dirty girls in all black with busted faces. There’s no doubt that Patti’s Horses (1975) beat Debbie to the punch with the whole “girls can rock and don’t mess with us” thing. But with 1978′s Parallel Lines, Harry and Blondie hit it out of the park. And boy did they have style doing it.

Blondie’s first was their self-titled album in 1976, attempting to cash in on the synergy of art, rock, glamour and punk evidenced by the success of NYC joints like CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, and Studio 54. Harry had been in some bands before Blondie: a folk rock outfit called The Wind in the Willows in the late ’60s, then a rock band called The Stilettos, where she met her soon-to-be-boyfriend and co-band leader, Chris Stein. By then, Harry had been a waitress, a dancer, and a Playboy bunny, and it was her famous two-tone blonde mane that attracted plenty of Hey Blondie!‘s from many a drive-by truck and a-hole. Well, she certainly cashed in on that crass catcalling in the most powerful way possible: becoming a music and fashion icon.

The band’s first two efforts were more or less commercial duds. But somehow the stars aligned with Parallel Lines and four of the album’s biggest hits have sold twenty million copies since its September 1978 release: "Heart of Glass," "Sunday Girl," "One Way Or Another," and my absolute favorite, "Hanging On The Telephone." This was also an album that meshed nicely with the emergence of music video culture; "Heart of Glass" and "Hanging" are GREAT videos where Harry’s cool, casual lip-synching are overshadowed by her expressive eyes and glossy, red lips. Or, furthermore, by the uncanny control of her voice, especially with "Hanging," during which her voice often transforms into one of the sexiest growls in rock history.

The following two records did fairly well with 1980′s Autoamerican giving us "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High," but it’s "Hanging" that, to me, represents the perceived mad woman, the woman on the edge of insanity, the woman who’ll destroy your world if you let her.

She’s the woman I want to know. She’s a woman I wish my world could’ve overlapped with 32 years ago.
–BILL CHENEVERT

SO VERY GLOSSY!

Fall Records Preview for Very Glossy

Summer was kind enough to give us some of the most exciting new releases of the year: Big Boi, Robyn, Kele, Kylie, Scissor Sisters, Menomena, and Arcade Fire… to name a few. This fall, we’re hoping another batch of musical wunderkinds give us something worth salivating over. Here you have a broken-down list including some of the records that show up on the radar of greatness within the coming months. Let’s discuss highlights, shall we?

Indie boys and girls have something to shout about on the front-ended tip: Chromeo, Of Montreal, The Walkmen, Flying Lotus, Deerhunter, No Age, and UNKLE all have records out this month. Then in October, they’ll get a new Belle & Sebastian, Badly Drawn Boy, and Sufjan Stevens (though let’s hope it’s not another BQE experiment)…

Oh, their twee-loving heads will want to pop! Punk princesses will delight with a new Corin Tucker experiment that promises to blow minds; and hip hop heads have plenty to look forward to as well, especially at the end of September: Gucci Mane, Ice Cube, Jeezy, T.I., and Akon have all got discs for us…

Some older folks are trying to come back this year with LPs, some are laughable and some are genuinely intriguing (you pick): Olivia Newton-John, Robert Plant, Weezer, Paula Cole (intrigued!), Bad Religion, Gin Blossoms, Neil Young, Bryan Ferry, Elton John, and Rod Stewart… go ‘head!

Country fans have a few gems already in the newly-released Justin Townes Earle and Megafaun gems, but what we’re really curious about is Kid Rock, aren’t we? Rick Rubin‘s behind him, maybe we can be too!

Last but not least, for our gay dancefloors, we have several gifts from the gods: Shontelle, Mark Ronson, Antony and the Johnsons (remixed, of course), Kelly Rowland, and the much-anticipated Nicki Minaj solo album will keep us giddy in wait…

Happy downloading!
–BILL CHENEVERT

SEPTEMBER 14 (just released)
Brandon Flowers – Flamingo
Chromeo – Business Casual
Little Beirut – Fear of Heaven
Nellie McKay – Home Sweet Mobile Home
Of Montreal – False Priest
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
The Walkmen – Lisbon
Bilal – Air Tight Revenge
Trey Songz – Passion, Pain and Pleasure
Olivia Newton-John – Grace and Gratitude Renewed
Robert Plant – Band Of Joy
Weezer – Hurley
Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
Megafaun – Heretofore

SEPTEMBER 21
Abe Vigoda – Crush
Flying Lotus – Pattern + Grid World
Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos – Buzzard
Shontelle – No Gravity
Vincent Minor – Vincent Minor
John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up!
Paula Cole – Ithaca
Maroon 5 – Hands All Over
Zac Brown Band – You Get What You Give

SEPTEMBER 28
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
No Age – Everything In Between
Pete Yorn – Pete Yorn
Mark Ronson and the Business International – Record Collection
Gucci Mane – The Appeal
Ice Cube – I Am The West
Jeezy – TM103
T.I. – King Uncaged
Bad Religion – The Dissent of Man
The Corin Tucker Band – 1000 Years
UNKLE – The Answer
Gin Blossoms – No Chocolate Cake
Neil Young – Le Noise
Kenny Chesney – Hemingway’s Whiskey

OCTOBER 5
Apache Beat – Last Chants
Royal Baths – Litanies
Clinic – Bubblegum
David Archuleta – The Other Side Of Down
Ciara – Basic Instinct
Toby Keith – Bullets In The Gun
KT Tunstall – Tiger Suit

OCTOBER 12
Meat Beat Manifesto – Answers Come In Dreams
Badly Drawn Boy – Part. 1 – Photographing Snowflakes
Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love
Sufjan Stevens – The Age Of Adz
Antony And The Johnsons – Swanlights
Simian Mobile Disco – Is Fixed
Hauschka – Foreign Landscapes
Sister Hazel – Heartland Highway

OCTOBER 19
Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
Elton John & Leon Russel – The Union
Ne-Yo – Libra Scale
Rod Stewart – Fly Me To The Moon…
Sugarland – The Incredible Machine

OCTOBER 26
Warpaint – The Fool
Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager
Good Charlotte – Cardiology
Bryan Ferry – Olympia
Taylor Swift – Speak Now

NOVEMBER
Elvis Costello – National Ransom (11/2)
Neil Diamond – Dreams (11/2)
Brian Eno – Small Craft On a Milk Sea (11/2)
Kelly Rowland – TBD (11/2)
Destroyer – The Archers On The Beach EP (11/2)
Matt and Kim – Sidewalks (11/2)
Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me (11/9)
Stereolab – Not Music (11/16)
Rascal Flatts – Nothing Like This (11/16)
Kid Rock – Born Free (11/16)
Akon – TBD (11/23)
Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday (11/23)

Very Very Glossy.

Janelle Is My Queen

Every once in a while you connect with a record, or with an artist in such a deep way that you can’t explain it. All you can do is listen on repeat. Or watch a music video over and over. Watching singles roll out of a record that you know from beginning to end intimately can be equally thrilling or devastating. When she’s more than just a brilliant musician but also a captivating artist and style-maker, it’s even more exciting to see what she’ll do next.

Right now it’s Janelle Monae, a 24 year-old Kansas City native who moved to New York City to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and then to Atlanta where she met hip hop’s crown prince, Big Boi. She made an appearance on the relatively dreadful Idlewild and shortly after released a debut EP in August of 2007. Then Diddy found her and signed her to Bad Boy. With her debut LP, The ArchAndroid, she’s reviving the theme record. It’s a little mystifying: she’s a robot, she’s a messiah and it’s all inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece Metropolis. But that’s fine. We don’t always have to wrap our head around the most complex and inspiring art to appreciate it.

The first single was the undeniably funky “Tightrope” featuring Big Boi, but at the moment, my obsession is “Cold War.” A video accompanying “Cold War” was released in August and it is captivating. It’s very simple. It’s a tight shot of her face and shoulders as she lip-syncs (or in this case, sings passionately behind a camera) and emotes with her eyes. I’m deeply attached to the lyrics, especially the first four astounding lines: “So you think I’m alone / But bein’ alone’s the only way to be / When you step outside / You spend life fightin’ for your sanity.” Then, a little later on, “I’m tryin’ to find my peace / I was made to believe there’s somethin’ wrong with me / And it hurts my heart / Lord have mercy ain’t it plain to see? / That this is a cold war, do you know what you’re fightin’ for?” This is what sends her over the edge. She loses it, tears come and what looks like a laugh is clearly an emotionally poignant moment for her. It’s startling; a moment that most starlets would edit out. But it draws me in even deeper into the Janelle Monae kool-aid. I want to drink gallons of it.
–BILL CHENEVERT

Very Glossy.

MxDwn.com review of Dead Confederate's Sugar

You Sound Very Much Alive, Sir

Dead Confederate have wedged their way into a genre that doesn’t really have many followers or compatriots. Grunge country-rock could come close; maybe heavy alt-country? All kinds of bands come to mind when shooting for comparisons. We know they loved Pink Floyd and most likely Sabbath in their youth, but growing up in Georgia results in a starting point with acoustic guitars and bearded roots rock. My Morning Jacket always comes up and so does Nirvana; lead singer and guitarist Hardy Morris does seem to echo Kurt Cobain at some heavier moments. Yet Dead Confederate seem unconcerned with fitting in and with their sophomore LP, Sugar, they position themselves as pioneers of a new sound.

Their 2008 full-length debut, Wrecking Ball, had a standout single in “The Rat,” a song where Morris begs to be shot—behind a “bang bang” refrain, no less—and subsequently buried. Its hauntingly simple video shows a boy pushing a cowboy-booted foot into a trash bag and hauling it into the woods on his Radio Flyer wagon to bury it. Interspersed with shots of the band playing in a church with sparsely populated church pews and you’ve got yourself one hell of a debut single. While part of the Athens, Georgia scene they’re certainly closer to the Deerhunter and Whigs camp than to R.E.M. or The B-52’s—these guys are a little darker than most and we’re all the better for it.

For this record they chose John Agnello to produce, a man who’s worked with The Hold Steady, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. The second track on Sugar, “Run from the Gun,” is one of the slowest and softest of the batch but finds Morris’ voice front and center. Even after lumbering kick drums, keyboards, other voices and feedback, his positioning aids in understanding the complexity of their songwriting.

Another far different keeper is the two-minute “Mob Scene,” where from the get-go you get a barrage of chaotic percussion, keys, and herky-jerky guitar; it sounds like a hectic Radiohead song mixed with Queens of the Stone Age. Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis makes an appearance on the stellar “Giving It All Away,” where the band’s energy and tone suggest Band of Horses on a bender.

There’s nothing revolutionary about what Dead Confederate do. They’re a five-piece with a simple drums/two guitars/bass/keyboard equation. And with the title track to finish you off at the end of Sugar, you realize that injecting feedback, noise and charm into stoner rock is all the genre needs to offer back to them some well-deserved Southern hospitality.

LINK!

Kanye West has Magical Powers

This video, at under two minutes, has had almost eight million views in about three weeks. WHAT!

Reading Rainbow Slowed Down

Delightful new Menomena track

MxDwn.com review of The Melvins' The Bride Screamed Murder

Keep on Screamin’, Lady

The Melvins are a wonder. They’ve been at if for over 20 years and with The Bride Screamed Murder, their 20th LP (or so), they’ve given us one of the best of their discography. These guys don’t usually do staid and steady; they take detours and experiment. On 2009’s Chicken Switch they recruited friends to remix their brand of sludgy, chunky metal and it was turned into nearly unlistenable noise. Here they return to form with new originals and an epic cover of The Who’s “My Generation.”

Album opener “The Water Glass,” is a bizarrely awesome thrasher that turns into a call-and-response march halfway through. It seems a suitable starting point for a band who have done whatever they wanted. They started in Washington alongside Nirvana and rode the wave to Lollapalooza, but with album titles like Prick, Stoner Witch (both ‘94) and Electroretard (’01), a record deal with Atlantic just wasn’t their destiny. With Mike Patton and Ipecac Records, however, they’ve found a new home where their creative whims aren’t questioned.

Traditionally, The Melvins have elicited comparisons to the likes of Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Dead Kennedys and The Stooges, and “Evil New War God” churns and burns like the best stoner metal around. The funny and funky presence of an off-kilter cowbell does this song good, a hint that it’s not all long hair and headbanging. They’re into moments of dark silence with dramatic builds and crashes, and with standout “I’ll Finish You Off” their haunting, pounding metallics are accented nicely by an organ that’d fit right in at the Addams Family estate.

The whopping seven-and-a-half-minute version of Pete Townshend’s anthem sounds nothing like the original. It starts out very slowly with spare drums and a low, crunchy guitar before the choral vocals of “People try to put us down” comes in. For a song that was honest-to-goodness radical and poignant for a moment in time, covering it needs to be taken seriously and the Melvins do, which is a relief. The whole album is a relief, frankly. With the state metal’s in, the old weirdos who started it all need to drop gems like this on the heads of hardcore’s youth.

MXDWN link.

30 Second Reviews from 8/4

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
(Hollywood Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Fiery VT native beefs up her band, employs a big producer, and gets some classy packaging to strive for indie rock success a la Florence & the Machine
FREE ASSOCIATION: A few feel like young Bonnie Raitt, some an old Carrie Underwood
FOR FANS OF: Lucinda Williams, Susan Tedeschi, recent Norah Jones

The Maine
Black & White
(Warner Brothers/Sire)
SOUNDS LIKE: Arizona dudes' sophomore and major label debut is more mature than their debut, but that just means it's less emo and punk, more soft and adult
FREE ASSOCIATION: The love child of Avril Lavigne and Rob Thomas has a band!?!
FOR FANS OF: The Starting Line, Boys Like Girls, Yellowcard

Miniature Tigers
Fortress
(Modern Art Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Phoenix boys moved to Brooklyn and took up with the Morning Benders' Chris Chu which gives their whimsical freak folk song that trendy edge
FREE ASSOCIATION: What often starts with acoustic guitar turns raucous and ecstatic
FOR FANS OF: Animal Collective, Arcade Fire x Grizzly Bear

The Books
The Way Out
(Temporary Residence)
SOUNDS LIKE: Typically weird hiccupy pastiche of samples, found sounds, electronic music and instrumentation; their brilliant fourth has a New Age/self-help theme
FREE ASSOCIATION: These brilliant weirdos make it seem like your life is just right
FOR FANS OF: Notwist x Aphex Twin, Squarepusher x Bon Iver, hypnosis

Miley Cyrus
Can't Be Tamed
(Hollywood Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Why does it sound like every song's been fed through a pasta machine of auto-tunage; it's like this woman is actually a robot, a Disney slut robot
FREE ASSOCIATION: She covers Poison! This is darker than the usual Ms. Montana BS
FOR FANS OF: Zac Efron, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, Hillary Duff

PW LINK!

30 Second Reviews from 7/29

Perfume Genius
Learning
(Matador/Turnstile)
SOUNDS LIKE: A Seattle gay goes home to his mother in the woods of Washington and starts crafting painfully emotional and personal songs with a piano
FREE ASSOCIATION: Every song seems performed on the verge of tears, in a good way
FOR FANS OF: Sufjan Stevens, Xiu Xiu, Antony and the Johnsons, journaling

Lost in the Trees
All Alone in an Empty House
(Anti-/Trekky)
SOUNDS LIKE: A re-issue of the 2008 sophomore LP from North Carolina's Ari Picker and his small army of orchestral and folk friends creating a lush folk pop dream
FREE ASSOCIATION: Ahhh! It's from NC; they got lots a beards n' grass down there
FOR FANS OF: St. Vincent x Joanna Newsom + Bonnie Prince Billy

Buckcherry
All Night Long
(Eleven Seven Music)
SOUNDS LIKE: LA's "hard" rockers were introduced by a tattoo artist nearly 15 years ago and on their fifth you wonder what their secret is; surgery and Monster, methinks
FREE ASSOCIATION: Remember "Crazy Bitch"? Man, that was awesome
FOR FANS OF: AC/DC, Aerosmith, RHCP, Collective Soul, McFadden's

Eli "Paperboy" Reed
Come and Get It!
(Capitol Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Where is white soul going to go? Not with Eli, the Boston-bred cool dadio whose spin on modern soul, horns section and all, is boring and tepid
FREE ASSOCIATION: Oh, Amy, please snap out of your drunken rage and put out a record
FOR FANS OF: Black Joe Lewis, Sharon Jones, Mayer Hawthorne

Street Sweeper Social Club
The Ghetto Blaster EP
(Gold Village Entertainment)
Sounds Like: Tom Morello and Boots Riley are a duo of '90s-inpsired rap rock activists choosing to fight the good fight with covers of MIA and LL Cool J
FREE ASSOCIATION: Sometimes, nay often, rap and rock do not mix; leave LL be, pls, thx
FOR FANS OF: Rage, The Coup, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, fist pumping

Screamin' Cyn Cyn & The Pons
Damn, Girl
(Crustacean Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Bizzare theatrical punk rock filled with moments of absurdity and rife with curses, male v. female banter and cringe-worthy low budgetness
FREE ASSOCIATION: Kind of like a harder B-52's but they did it right and thirty years ago
FOR FANS OF: Leslie and the LYs, King Khan & BBQ, press-on nails

Dan Mangan
Nice, Nice, Very Nice
(Arts & Crafts)
SOUNDS LIKE: Vancouver songwriter's second is more complex than strums and heartbreak, guests and instruments abound on a lively, thoughtful folk rock record
FREE ASSOCIATION: Moments of melancholy are punctuated by joy and swells of sound
FOR FANS OF: Louder Bon Iver, Jason Collet, Great Lake Swimmers

Mystery Jets
Serotonin
(Rough Trade Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: A grandiose third record from Brits adore XTC and Pink Floyd but here use throwback synths in romantic ways to flavor their baroque power pop
FREE ASSOCIATION: With each LP they change labels and sound, keep em' comin'!
FOR FANS OF: Arcade Fire x ELO, Travis x Smiths, Noah and the Whale

Philly Weekly link!

SONG OF THE SUMMER BATTLE ROYAL: Katy and the Homestretch

It’s August. Labor Day is a mere month away and with our last installment in the Song of the Summer battle, we named a Top Ten. Only a couple songs seem to have any kind of steam to push their way into consideration before a winner is crowned but a couple will enter into the list this week and push a couple suckers out of the way. But first, let’s talk about charts.

Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” currently sits on the top of the Pop chart having needled its way into your skull for 11 weeks now. Do we admit defeat? Do we let Katy lower that sash across her torso? Absolutely not. That shit is tired. A quick look at the rest of the Pop chart’s Top Ten is revealing, in that we needn’t let the charts weigh heavily on our consideration of what is actually good and gay. B.o.B. (or Bobby Ray) hit it big with “Airplanes,” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” is still at it. Both of these songs are completely boring minus Hayley Williams’ (of Paramore) appearance on “Airplanes.” She’s adorable.

Mike Posner, now this one’s interesting. This “Cooler Than Me” song’s doing really well, and he’s sexy as hell. But, this song is brutal. The video is shiny and intoxicating, but the song just won’t cut it. Eminem’s success is slightly mystifying; “Love the Way You Lie” made it to our list, mostly because of Rihanna, but his presence on the Pop chart makes him a little gay, no? Must be tough for him.

Usher, Jason Derulo and Taio Cruz are holding down the R&B heavy hitting with “OMG,” “Ridin’ Solo” and “Dynamite.” Usher’s got it going on, always has and always will. But Derulo and Cruz are forgettable times ten. Rounding out the Top Ten are La Roux—the Brit electropop duo’s “Bulletproof” has been on the chart for 21 weeks—and the lovely and fresh-faced Shontelle, whose “Impossible” is a delightful power ballad. She’s a keeper and perhaps August will be hers for gracing magazine covers and talk-show couches.

As for our picks...
LAST WEEK’S LIST:

1. Adam Lambert – “If I Had You”

2. Nicki Minaj – “Your Love”

3. Eminem featuring Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”

4. Kylie Minogue – “All the Lovers”

5. Ke$ha – “Your Love Is My Drug”

6. Robyn – “Fembot”

7. Scissor Sisters – “Fire with Fire”

8. Big Boi featuring Cutty – “Shutterbugg”

9. Usher featuring will.i.am – OMG

10. Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta – “Commander”

THIS WEEK’S LIST:
1. Nicki Minaj – “Your Love”

2. Kylie Minogue – “All the Lovers”

3. Robyn – “Hang with Me”/“Dancing on My Own”

4. Scissor Sisters – “Fire with Fire”

5. Ke$ha – “Your Love Is My Drug”

6. Big Boi – “Shutterbugg”

7. Shontelle – “Impossible”

8. Janelle Monáe – “Tightrope”

Adam Lambert discreetly disappeared off of the charts and out of people’s minds, it seems. His big gay video was so exciting and it still is. But maybe America’s not ready for a huge forest rave with weird cabaret outfits. Eminem will never helm a gay man’s Song of the Summer, period. Kelly’s “Commander” sunk on the charts. Her November LP release is worth getting excited over but the lead single just doesn’t have what it takes to become a national gay sensation.

Robyn’s been kicking ass and taking names this year, including a raved-about performance at Chicago’s Pitchfork festival. And I’m totally cheating by naming two songs but whatever, the new single for a danced-up version of the stunning Pt. 1 single “Hang with Me” is the lead single from September’s Pt. 2 and it feels like a perfect end-of-summer reflection on the summer flings that will undoubtedly come to a screeching halt in the next few weeks. And with “Dancing on My Own” currently banging in clubs on the regular, she actually concocted dance moves to fit the lyrics and they’re the gayest.

Nicki, Kylie and Ke$ha are all in tight contention and their singles are neck and neck at the moment. Scissor Sisters, Big Boi, Shontelle and Janelle are the wild cards, really. The newbies, “Impossible” and “Tightrope,” have been slow builders but after watching Janelle on Ellen the other day, she’s just got to be involved with this list. I’d rather have “Cold War” or “Faster” from The ArchAndroid register on people’s pop-culture radar but it’s just not the case. She’s got loads of charm. “Impossible” feels like the perfect melancholic conclusion to a sweaty, hot summer. This will be the comforting ballad for your summer-fling breakup that’ll get you moving to the club again. —Bill Chenevert



NEXUS LINK!

Robyn live review at the Trocadero

If you didn't know, I can tell you for certain: Robyn is the hottest thing on Earth at the moment. She is talented as hell and she murdered a performance at the Trocadero last night in her usual charming way. She can move. She can fucking dance her ass off and you know what? It was hot as Hades in there and it was pretty packed. She came out in these high waisted white pants with a bold red floral, a small little halter tank and a billowy black jacket that she wore for about one half of a song before it came off. She got covered in sweat and thank goodness, for it. She put on a beret. She was like a sexy pop machine.

And she's working that futuristic vibe in the most delicious and almost understated way. She's slowly but surely buildinger herself up to giant international pop star status and while I will be absolutely pumped to check out future legs of this tour, when her other two Body Talk records are out, this might be one of the last times to have seen her at a smaller place like the Troc. Soon enough she'll be at the Electric Factory or the TLA. She came out with "Fembots" blazing, the charming should-be single from June's Body Talk Pt. 1 in which she likens herself to a sex machine. These are some of the most playfully sexual pop lyrics in recent memory: "Pull up in docking position, Pop the hatch and hit ignition" and "In fact I'm a very scientifically advanced hot mama, Artificially discreet no drama, Digitally chic titanium mama." One of the things I love most about Robyn is how hot she is in a modest, urban kind of way with clothes that are baggy on purpose. She's got a great body but because she's healthy, she dances her ass off every night.

I'd been YouTubing and watching Vimeo videos of hers for a few nights leading up to Tuesday night. I had to educate myself on her self-titled 2005, her triumphant return to America's airwaves after the monster hit "Show Me Love" in '96. Robyn has some phenomenally solid pop tunes on it, too. I'd listened to the new Body Rock record on repeat, over and over, late at night coming home from the bar, cleaning house, drinking beers. I've grown to know this record very intimately and somehow I hadn't found the self-titled until recently. There are some awesome hits and she busted them out last night including the Knife collaboration "Who's That Girl?" The beat is drowsy and funky and she coos about good girls, they're "always pretty, like all the time, I'm just pretty, some of the time." Such a clever little girl, isn't she? I was slightly disappointed that she didn't perform "Handle Me," a quirky hip hop flavored single, but she did pull out the old favorites "Be Mine!" and delivered an unforgettable closing encore version of "With Every Heartbeat."

With Every Heartbeat from Robyn on Vimeo.

She also nailed versions of Body Talk gems "Dancehall Queen," "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do" and, most importantly, the seriously infectious and powerful single "Dancing On My Own." This is the song she performed on Letterman flawlessly and passionately, and made a video for that is outstandingly well made. In it she sings of that familiar feeling of being in a club and seeing the one you want kissing another guy, or girl. You can run to the bar and be the drunk one, or you can say 'Eff that, I'm gonna just dance really well and enthusiastically. He will notice and he will admit his mistake.' Obviously Robyn chooses option 2 and she even made up some dance moves in the process. They're so simple but they fit in perfectly with the opening of the second verse: "I'm just gonna dance all night." Her arms shoot up to her chest and she pops them cheerleader-like across her chest, then they fly up, fists pumped then down to her hips, one after the other. "I'm all messed up, I'm so out of line" she plays invisible drums to the left, to the right, more quick arm pops, slowly at tics with her right arm, swing it around to the other. "Stillettos and broken bottles, I'm spinning around in circles" and she punches right right, left left, spins her arm like a windmill and then herself. It's just so damn charming.

What was missing from last night show was the new and deliriously charming single from the upcoming Pt. 2. "Hang With Me" is on Pt. 1 as a slow, acoustic plee and for this new single she's turned it into a joyous, shimmery dance track. It's a perfect summer love song: "Don't fall recklessly, headlessly in love with me, Cause it's gonna be, All heartbreak, Blissfully painful and insanity." A perfect video accompanies of our pop heroine on tour in buses, backstage, getting primped and lying around in hotels, and working a whipped up crowd into a frenzy. I'm finding it more and more difficult to take her advice with this one, I'm just gonna go ahead and fall in love with you. I want the blissful painful insanity.

One of my favorite new songs and artists: Perfume Genius' "Mr. Peterson"

SONG OF THE SUMMER BATTLE ROYAL: Crunch Time

No more stalling, girls. In our quest to determine the ultimate Song of the Summer, we’re going to have to start hurting some feelings. Some songs just aren’t winners. And while there are potential contenders who might show up in August, we’ve got a pretty clear picture of who’s got a good grip on the bouquet.

New York Magazine named a Top Six at the end of May before summer even started and the chart monsters are definitely there (Usher, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga) but hopefully none of those duds are actually winners in this race. Is the Summer 2K10 much more than “California Gurls?” Let’s hope.

As we hit the hottest stretch of summer it’s time to shed some baggage. In the most recent installment we put nine pairs together, 18 artists with hits on the summer radar. So let’s make a Top Ten and keep our eye out for late-July and August hopefuls expecting to put up a fight for the title.

HERE SHE COMES (With the Momentum)
1. Adam Lambert – “If I Had You”
Oh, thank you. I knew from the second I saw that ridiculous For Your Entertainment record cover that this album would have one party-time gay smash hit. It was only a matter of time before he worked out the kinks and perfectly planned the drop of a club anthem. With this video, it’s like watching your coming-out-of-the-closet best friend take his shirt off on the dance floor for the first time.



2. Nicki Minaj – “Your Love”
This bitch took out Alicia Keys with the quickness. Her single from the Barbie World mixtape blatantly rips off Annie Lenox but who cares? It’s been on the chart for nine weeks and has already skyrocketed to Top 20 Radio status. We knew she had “spunk” from all her collabs, but maybe going solo is the ticket to her success. She’s struck gold with this one.

3. Eminem featuring Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”
It’d be weird for a gay-hater like Em to snatch the title, but you can’t deny the power of this song. While the entirety of Recovery, his newest LP, is a total downer and the previous hit, “Not Afraid,” is all basement-weight-lifter-white-male, this one’s got some serious steam behind it. It’s the No. 1 digital download and No. 2 Hot 100 track at the moment and it came out three weeks ago. DAMN.

IF YOU WANT TO WIN YOU’VE GOT TO GET THE GAYS IN YOUR CORNER
4. Kylie Minogue – “All the Lovers”
It’s much easier to root for Kylie now that we’ve heard the full album, Aphrodite, because it is awesome. This single, while absent on big Billboard charts, is easily topping (tee-hee) lists for gays who inhabit clubs. It’s a pretty simple song but on par with what we’ve come to expect from our goddess: synths, a swelling chorus, a euro-disco flare and the ever-present sex appeal.

5. Ke$ha – “Your Love Is My Drug”
Sweet Jesus, I almost can’t believe I just typed her name with a dollar sign. But, seriously, this song isn’t going anywhere. It’s been on the charts for 22 weeks. This video’s been watched over 11 million times. The late-May release of this one was perfect timing for SOS placement. And even though her voice is kind of awful, the production is spot on—just the right amount of auto-tune and tinny electronica.



6. Robyn – “Fembot”
The buzz around this Swedish blonde is strong. She just killed it at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival, proving that she’s got game in a number of arenas: the indie world, big crowds, international success and places to dance. Put on Body Talk and try not to smile and move. She’s clever with her slutty lyricism (“Pull up in docking position/Pop the hatch and hit ignition”) but also packs a punch with hypnotizing beats. She might just be the one to watch.

7. Scissor Sisters – “Fire With Fire”
While we wait with bated breath for more singles and videos from the unbelievably fabulous Night Work, for now we work with “Fire.” But, seriously, in the ridiculous “Any Which Way,” Ana Matronic coos that she’s going to find that man “that’s the right shade of bottle tan/A man that smells like cocoa butter and cash.” I gag. Good idea, Miss Thing.

ALSO BLASTING FROM CAR SYSTEMS
8. Big Boi featuring Cutty – “Shutterbugg”
Sir Lucious Left Foot knows what’s up. This is the future. We need our hip-hop to be more than just ’hood. We need soul, we need style and we need to cut a damn rug up. This song’s been populating Saturday nights for a month or two now, and it’s not tiresome. He just turned it out with the Roots on Jimmy Fallon and it was sick. The whole record is a masterpiece kind of like Janelle Monáe’s. These two are the future’s future.

9. Usher featuring Will.i.am – OMG
What can you say? He hit it out of the park with this. You can’t stop it. If a gun was put to my head and I was told to choose a song to listen to on repeat between “California Gurls,” LMFAO’s “Shots” or this one there’d be no question. Usher’s a talented man (remember “U Don’t Have to Call”?) and even though Will.i.am is pretty much the devil incarnate, this is no “I Gotta Feeling.”



10. Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta – “Commander”
She’s Top-Ten status, no doubt. Especially with her presence last summer, now, with this track she’s vogue-ing mirror-style with herself in tight latex. You’re in!

NEXUS link!

MxDwn.com review of Converge's Axe to Fall

SHARP AS HELL

In Pitchfork’s 8.5-rated review of Converge’s Axe to Fall, Cosmo Lee compares the Boston quartet to pretty much the biggest punk band of our time, Black Flag. He even likens singer Jacob Bannan’s imagery on the covers of Jane Doe and You Fail Me to Black Flag’s bars. So whether they’re intentionally going for it, Converge have done well in achieving influence, acclaim, and success in the hardcore metal market. There’s a reason this album is their most commercially successful effort to date: it bowls people over with their talent.

What seems to be clear is that an artistically impressive hardcore metal record must have more than just balls-to-the-wall thrashers. Converge certainly deliver those in the first four tracks with “Dark Horse,” “Reap What You Sow,” the title track and “Effigy.” But then you get “Worms Will Feed,” an ambient and disturbing slow build with a reverb-heavy feedback intro that you’re just expecting to explode. And it does, with Bannan’s howl, Kurt Ballou’s needling guitar and Ben Koller’s patient drumming. “Worms” ushers in a lovely slower-paced portion of the record with “Losing Battle” picking the pace back up with a blistering, punishing drum part at its core.

Bannan, Ballou, Koller and bassist Nate Newton invited a host of musicians to guest throughout the record. Members of Cave In provide guitar and drums on “Effigy,” Steve Von Till of Neurosis offers lead vocals on “Cruel Bloom,” and Genghis Tron show up for “Wretched World,” the record’s exquisite closer. These are Converge’s contemporaries but this is not a “guests” record, so to speak. In fact, with this collection of songs they’ve shot to the top of the class. Few bands achieve their level of artistry in the metal field, but perhaps sharing the genre’s spotlight with Isis, Mastadon, Dillinger Escape Plan and Deftones would be appropriate.

It’s rare to find a hardcore metal record that induces headbanging and moshing the way that, say, “Dark Horse” would, and also includes a first-rate stoner voyage on “Wretched World.” Axe to Fall is an impressive record with diversity, good pacing, tempo varieties and passionate playing.



MxDwn link!

30 Second Reviews from 7/22

Kylie Minogue
Aphrodite
(EMI Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: At last, a sustainable crop of dancefloor gems from the Aussie whose "All The Lovers" is as good as the record; beat-heavy, ecstatic, simple and joyous
FREE ASSOCIATION: She's no opera singer, but she can make a damn fine pop song
FOR FANS OF: Cher, ABBA, Annie, Olivia Newton-John, vodka

Sting
Symphonicities
(UMG Recordings)
SOUNDS LIKE: The English legend employs New York and London philharmonics to back his songs from Police days to now, and it's not as terrible as it could be
FREE ASSOCIATION: "Roxanne" sucks bad; still better than that horrifying Xmas record
FOR FANS OF: Don Henley, Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul MCCartney

Hanson
Shout It Out
(3CG Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: Oklahoma boys are get older and settle into a soft rock niche; some of these have solid craft and execution, but some are so vanilla, not even vanilla bean
FREE ASSOCIATION: Say what you will, Middle of Nowhere was a sick record in 1997!
FOR FANS OF: One Republic, Five for Fighting, Jonas Brothers

Skinny Friedman
Hundred Dollar Salad EP
(Young Robots)
SOUNDS LIKE: Philly DJ's funky as hell house, dancehall and dubstep collection of three new songs and three remixes from Sammy Bananas and DJ Apt One
FREE ASSOCIATION: Think you don't like house or dance music? Try to hate on this
FOR FANS OF: Hercules and Love Affair, Juan MacLean, UNKLE, disco

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
Dark Night of the Soul
(DNOTS/Capitol)
SOUNDS LIKE: Sparkles is mostly Mark Linkous and, obvs, Mr. Mouse is the Gnarls Barkley//Beck producer, and here's a muddle super-guest star record
FREE ASSOCIATION: James Mercer! Iggy Pop! Julian Casablancas! David Lynch! Enough.
FOR FANS OF: Traffic, messy bedrooms, banana splits, super sizing

Sia
We Are Born
(Monkey Puzzle/JIVE)
SOUNDS LIKE: The Aussie/UK songwriter leaves behind the nap-inducing jazzy vocals of the past and gives a big ole' bear hug to dance-friendly diva anthems
FREE ASSOCIATION: These are some stunning, funky times ten dance tracks, damn!
FOR FANS OF: Zero 7, Beth Ditto, Beth Orton, Nelly Furtado, reinventions

MIA
/\/\/\Y/\
(N.E.E.T. Recordings/XL)
SOUNDS LIKE: Her third sure is full of wolrdly bleeps, noises, scratchy rhythms and beats but most disturbing is that we realize that she can't really sing or rap well
FREE ASSOCIATION: Hype and production's only gonna get you so far, sister
FOR FANS OF: Peaches, Lady Sovereign, Amanda Blank, truffle fries

Big Boi
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
(Def Jam)
SOUNDS LIKE: "Shutterbugg" is just the tip of the Escalade, this is a dense, funky album of potent hip hop with excellent guest spots from Janelle Monae and T.I.
FREE ASSOCIATION: Speakerboxxx was gonna be tough to live up to but he KILLS it!
FOR FANS OF: Curtis Mayfield meets Cee-Lo, Goodie Mob, crunkness



LIVE LINK.

30 Second Reviews from 7/15

RJD2
Inversions Of The Colossus
(RJ's Electrical Connections)
SOUNDS LIKE: Another one from our local disc-spinning hero, some re-worked versions of his January release but some new, beat perfect jams here, too
FREE ASSOCIATION: There's nobody that harkens back to DJ Shadow quite like him
FOR FANS OF: Boom Bip, El-P, Danger Mouse, Daedelus, Diplo

The Gaslight Anthem
American Slang
(Side One Dummy)
SOUNDS LIKE: New Brunswick, NJ quartet of punk revivalists who have clearly adored Bruce their whole lives but have their own pleasant spin on heartland rock
FREE ASSOCIATION: So Jersey isn't your favorite, but you can't deny their rockness
FOR FANS OF: Calm Pearl Jam, The Hold Steady, Ted Leo, raspy vocals

Konono No 1
Assume Crash Position
(Crammed Discs)
SOUNDS LIKE: Congo's supreme street band, they use junk to make instruments and amplifiers that churn out rhythmic, modern-influenced joyful dance music
FREE ASSOCIATION: You'll have no idea what they're saying but it doesn't matter - dance!
FOR FANS OF: Fela Kuti, The Very Best, BLK JKS, happy times

Pan Sonic
Gravitoni
(Blast First Petite)
SOUNDS LIKE: Whacked out Finnish noise minimalists who've made instruments out of power tools creating compositions of tripped out beat-heavy electro
FREE ASSOCIATION: There's something wrong with this disc it's all glitchy and fuzzy
FOR FANS OF: Bjork, Autchre, Johann Johannsson, Matmos, challenges

Carissa's Wierd
They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003
(Hardly Art)
SOUNDS LIKE: Seatlle's chamber rock collective, birthplace of Band of Horses, issues a retrospective that's full of strings, piano, ambience and beauty
FREE ASSOCIATION: A reunion isn't necessary with this lovely collection of tunes
FOR FANS OF: Grand Archives, Death Cab, Modest Mouse

Chatham County Line
Wildwood
(Yep Roc)
SOUNDS LIKE: Rootsy Americana from a North Carolina foursome, their fourth LP with Yep Roc, is a beautifully picked and sang piece of countrified folk
FREE ASSOCIATION: If bluegrass is ever gonna do it for you this might be just the thing
FOR FANS OF: Uncle Tupelo, Del McCoury, Steve Earle, pedal steels

Jackie Greene
Till The Light Comes
(429 Records)
SOUNDS LIKE: California boy's been at it for almost a decade now, on his sixth he goes a pit poppier, a much more hook and melody-friendly version of his alt-rock
FREE ASSOCIATION: These are perfectly crafted tales that sound rich and complex
FOR FANS OF: Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Billy Bragg, Joe Pug, the Boss

Seu Jorge and Almaz
Seu Jorge and Almaz
(Now-Again)
SOUNDS LIKE: Brazil's resident musical genius gets a band, fills out his sound with a tight rhythm section, a casual electric guitar and his remarkable voice over the top
FREE ASSOCIATION: Life Aquatic was the tip of the iceberg, this man's a force of nature!
FOR FANS OF: City of God, tropicalia, maracas, Stevie Wonder meets Bowie



LINK!