Articles in the Editorials category »
Would a song by any other artist be as sweet? Ok, enough of my attempt at Shakespearean-esque humor. The issue I am getting at, though, has often bothered me. We label songs and artists as “bad” or “good,” but do we really take the time to dissect why we have this feeling? Have we ever tried to look at the situation from a different perspective? If a song is bad, is it because of the lyrics of the song or because of the artist singing it? If an artist is bad, is it because of his or her voice or because of his or her song choices? Do the same rules apply to a song that is “good?” If a song was sung by another artist would the song turn out better? Would it turn out worse? Should some songs just never be... Read More »
**The following awards came solely from the mind of me, Max Neibaur. Obviously, no one else could have come up with such brilliant, or, depending on your point of view, idiotic opinions and validations.**
Most Prolific Artist of the Decade: Regina Spektor
Spektor wrote well over 100 songs this decade without a clunker in the bunch. Spektor’s brilliant originality gets slightly watered-down on her big label releases Begin to Hope (2006) and Far (2009), but not too much for one to recognize how special she truly is. Critics and music fans will disagree on how good Spektor is, but fellow musicians nearly unanimously credit the Russian-born, Bronx-raised, anti-folk artist as one of the most gifted singer/songwriter/musicians ever.
Best Debut Album of the Decade: Get Away from Me (2004) – Nellie McKay
The album title is a play on words of Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. With Get Away from Me, McKay wanted to reclaim jazz as a genre... Read More »
With this most successful of public holidays basically around the corner, it is inevitable that every record label, pop artist and his dog will be in a mad rush to release a song for the shopping crowds. A synthed monstrosity with a key change just after the second verse, or a tinny cover of "Last Christmas" sung by a teeny bopper that is just one notch away from being muzak in and of itself. You know the kind. But I'm not writing about those. Nor am I writing about the more valuable Christmas offerings, like those offered by the Killers every other year or so.
No, this is a hug, an ode to some of those Christmas songs that everyone knows. Yes, they plague every department store you muster the courage to enter for your Christmas shopping and yes, they will be pumped out at Christmas work parties and coffee houses. If you are unlucky enough... Read More »
Country music star Wynonna Judd snarled through her ogre-looking face on the red carpet of the Country Music Association Awards that Taylor Swift didn’t deserve her accolades because she’s too young.
“You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon,” Judd said.
Once a very young CMA Award winner herself, Judd also told interviewers before the show, “My thing is, being a home-school mom, I want kids to earn it, and I think some time ... 'cause mom and I rode in a car for the first year of our career to visit radio stations. There was a making of the star; there was a rising up…”
It is easy for one to perceive Judd’s statements as a huge slam on Swift when Judd uses words such as “I want kids to earn it,” insinuating that Swift has not. One could give Judd the benefit of the doubt and say she was just worried that all this... Read More »
The CMA Awards air tonight on ABC at 8/7c. I thought I'd share my thoughts on some of the categories including who should win and who will win(And will be updated with winners as the show progresses). Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
If Kanye West’s hijacking of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech was not a publicity stunt, then I am ready to believe that Marilyn Manson really is the Antichrist.
I could be pissed at Kanye, Swift, Beyonce and possibly Jay-Z (rumor has it, he is the mastermind behind the PR stunt); however, these kind of foolish antics would never be possible in a world where media consumers were not so gullible and stupid. I blame the nincompoop mainstream masses for making such a big deal about and believing in this kind of stuff.
The Event
MTV had all of its cameras perfectly positioned to capture this supposedly spontaneous outburst. Also, MTV’s cut to Pink perfectly timed out so that Kanye was already onstage to make it look more abrupt and shocking than if the audience saw Kanye gradually making his way up onto the stage. Later, when Beyonce called out Swift to finish her speech, they had color-matching red... Read More »
Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins can only be described as a complicated character. A once-revered hottie, Berkeley grad, epic procrastinator and eccentric wordsmith, Jenkins now spends his days duking it out with his bandmates, hardcore fans and himself. His current position is the result of years of conflict, both in business and his personal life.
Musically, Third Eye Blind has undergone many changes in lineup, from its early studio days while the band was still settling on a final roster, to the firing of lead guitarist Kevin Cadogan, and, most recently, finding a stand-in for a fan-favorite, ex-bassist Arion Salazar. Salazar was once described by many as the very heart and soul of Third Eye Blind; a laid-back musical badass with an electric connection to his fans. There are still many unanswered questions that pertain to Salazar’s departure; unfortunately, Jenkins and company have proved mum on the subject, assumingly to protect his privacy.
The loss of their... Read More »
This list is the start of a new feature here where we look at all the songs of an artist we can get our hands on and pick which ones are the best. We didn't have set criteria or a set definition of what best meant but just what songs stood out to us. We chose the Backstreet Boys as the first artist due to both of our loves for the music and in hopes to share with those that are not fans, the songs that they should give a listen if they want to hear the best the Backstreet Boys have to offer.
It should be mentioned that this project took weeks for us to do as it was difficult to get both of us to agree on which songs should be on here. In the end, compromise was the only thing that made it possible. At one point, there were... Read More »
I’m going to state the obvious.We live in a digital world. It is assumed and expected that music would make the inevitable transition as well.
The major downside? Since file sharing became huge, music sales have gone down immensely.
True or False: One of the (if probably THE) biggest misconceptions about file sharing is that it results in lower record sales.
Are you surprised to know that the answer is false? Yes, that is right it’s FALSE.Felix Oberholzer-Gee, a professor at Harvard Business School is conducting a study about file sharing. “Our study provides the first serious evidence that file sharing cannot explain the decline in music sales in the last couple of years…music sales increased while file sharing has become even more popular.”
He even goes further saying that, “(RIAA) now states that file sharing is only ‘one factor, along with economic conditions and competing forms of entertainment that is displacing legitimate sales.’” And that, “the... Read More »
CDBaby is the largest independent aggregator of digital music. Today it houses over 250,000 albums and grows every day. Ben Hubbird, CD Baby Large Account Representative, recently answered our questions regarding the... Read More »
Would a song by any other artist be as sweet? Ok, enough of my attempt at Shakespearean-esque humor. The issue I am getting at, though, has often bothered me. We label songs and... Read More »
Corinne Bailey Rae, the bubbly, bike-riding, curly-coiffed "Put Your Records On" crooner, returns with The Sea, an eleven-track tribute to love, loss, and no regrets.
Rae is certainly no stranger to loss, losing husband and bandmate... Read More »
If you’re slightly oblivious like I am you might not recognize the name Jessica Harp; a new artist making big waves on the country scene. Jessica is best known as the “not Michelle Branch girl”... Read More »
The music history in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia is known for its Hip-hop/R & B roots. From Teddy Riley of BLACKstreet to Timbaland, it is very rare that a rock band comes out... Read More »
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