It might sound trite or opportunistic (in retrospect), but sometimes the music business might have to wait for the world to be ready for a new sound or idea. Such is not a regular occurrence (most recently, Streetlight Manifesto reportedly had to wait two years for the first installment of their 99 Songs Of Revolution series of full-length albums to see release), but the justification for occasions like that is simple; sometimes, a label may need to wait until it...
How ya doin' ya little junkie so-an'-so you? I'm feelin' pretty good about myself today, me. Other than artfully dodgin' the authorities on a coupla “business ventures” over da weekend, I still managed ta lift a fat bag o'SWAG for yer pleasure. Like I said las' week – wit' tourin' season startin' up an' lots o' bands packin' up ta get outta town, there's lots o' stuff gettin' left behind fer me ta pick up an' give to ya. A...
After twenty-two years spent in the modern rock trenches, the members of Sebadoh would have either gone crazy long ago or simply thrown in the towel out of complete frustration were they not able to make the best of a complicated situation. For over two decades now, the band has rolled with every imaginable punch and their current tour (the band's first in four years) has proven to be no exception; the series of dates was originally scheduled to happen...
It's unlikely that anyone could possibly have known what to expect from Britney Spears after the world class calamity the singer embarked upon a couple of years ago. If you were in a coma or only recently emerged a self-imposed media blackout (those are pretty much the only ways you'd have missed it), Spears divorced, had a breakdown, released Circus (the closest to an anti-commercial album that a pop queen could release – as songs like “If You Seek Amy”...
To be honest, I did not come into this album prepared to enjoy it; I was ready to tear it apart. I was prepared for generic, used-up guitar riffs straining to achieve the heaviness of their hard rock brethren. I expected some mainstream, radio-friendly, pseudo-country hard rock, a sound that probably should have died along with the sales of underground Y2K bunkers. I expected the classic major label practice of stuffing the best songs into the first third of the...
Awrighcha mugs, So this week my bag o' SWAG is feelin' a little lighter than usual junky, an' I'm still trying ta figure out why. Could it possibly be that the well's dryin' up? Ain't nobody interested in makin' music no more? Nah, I'm pretty sure the whole reason is because everybody's packin' up ta hit the road 'is summer, an' 'at usually means ther bein' a bit more careful. This mess they drop right as ther leavin' will be...
Waking up not being able to account for a few hours of your life due to intoxication next to a girl who’s name you can’t remember. Waking up in that state can amount to one of the longest, most awkward moments of your life and this is the visualization I get when I think of Ke$ha (Side note: the dollar sign is the most childish, white-trash, classless thing I have ever seen in my life), partially because I Am the...
Let’s try and look past the beating, the homo comments, the nude photos and, more recently, the window smashing after the past was brought up. Wait, nude photos? Sweet jesus, Chris Brown, you need to work on getting your PR people in line. It’s actually not a good idea to send a photo of your wang to anyone. Ever. Just some friendly advice. We could talk about how you’re being a moron in public right now, but instead I want...
Epic. This is my most difficult review ever. Glam Nation Live album represents two things I hate more than anything else on the planet. No, I’m not talking about how Adam Lambert is openly gay and one of the very few mainstream artists who speaks up about it, I’m talking about that goddamn TV show American Idol, on which Adam was a runner-up in the eighth season and a live album. I can’t comprehend why these albums go on the...
As a longtime fan of Bright Eyes, I approached The People's Key with both remorse and excitement. Prior to its' release, Bright Eyes' leader Conor Oberst had gone on the record as saying this would be the last album under the name and they would be retiring the moniker. While this was obviously disappointing, it's also respectable that the band was ending at a high point, despite there still being demand for more output. It was consequently exciting to ponder...