I imagine you will see this all over the internets, but The Pope has released his playlist.

Sadly, Benny has better taste the average American teenager (and average American twenty-year old, thirty-year old, forty-year old, etc...)

Fleet Foxes? Muse?

Plus, like any scenester putting together a playlist to show how "eclectic" he is, Benny makes sure he namedrops both Tupac and Mozart.

Still, it's a pretty hip list, all things considered. It shows better taste than your average CHR programing director. That is for sure.

In fact, this is probably the hippest list I have seen since they released the Banned in Soviet discos list

I finally watched Anvil: The Story of Anvil (great title).

VH1was pushing the film, and I am curious if that helped or hurt.

It surely helped having that much promotion (VH1 had a five to ten minute promo that aired, oh, daily for say, six months, and though I am one for hyperbole, am not exaggerating much).

While bringing attention to the band and movie, one got the feeling from the lengthy ad that "Hey, I don't need to see this movie now".

One wonders as good as the movie is, if a word-of-mouth campaign would have done better in the long run.  Anvil was in comparison to similar movies, a dud.

It would be fair to say the VH1 commercial does spoil the first third of the movie.  The good news is that there is another hour after that.

The premise of the movie is great, if a bit unfair.  Anvil shared a festival bill, and was the one artist on the list who didn't get superstardom.  It's unfair as Anvil never made music that had crossover appeal like Bon Jovi or Whitesnake.  Having been friends with metal fans all my life, Anvil only appealed to those hardcore fans, and though some of these fans grew up to be Metallica and Anthrax, they were never going to be much more than a cult band.

Heavy Metal bands pre- ... And Justice For All generally weren't going to cross over without some pop appeal like Bon Jovi, or with a ton of talent like, say Iron Maiden.  Add the usual problems- management, producers, record labels- and Anvil wasn't going to make it.

It makes for a fascinating documentary, though.  I won't spoil it, but there are so many amazing Spinal Tap-ish moments that will stick with you.

My experience from attending concerts, talking to musicians, etc., I find that it is probably not an uncommon story.  However, we get hundreds of stories of the before, we never see the after.

At the core of the story is the question of 'making money' versus 'doing what you love', and where do you find the medium, and which is most important.  It is a sad story (the story of the 'never was'), but to be fair, even after all the bad luck, the band still gets excited about the music.

It's a good film that most everyone here would probably like, regardless of if you like metal.  I like musical documentaries anyway, but I have to say that they don't get more watchable than this.  Even Some Kind of Monster for all its plaudits, isn't this good.

I also caught the Monks documentary about one of the first punk bands.  This movie doesn't have the across-the-board appeal of Anvil, but for those interested in the roots of punk, 60sgarage rock, and fringe bands, it might be worth checking out.

Longtime readers know this, but I have to know what songs are on the radio.  I looked for to Casey Kasem's countdown every week as a kid, and his accompanying video show America's Top Ten (and all it's wonderful Greg Kihn, Stevie Nicks, Thomas Dolby, and Bonnie Tyler videos).

I love music, pop culture, and statistics.  I am in.  Sure, nowadays, it's mainly to complain, but what's funner than making fun of what the popular kids like.  It's every bit as true now as when I was fifteen.

I still check in, even though, I pretty much know what to expect.  So, when I heard a song that was just a bit different, i was curious.

Not that it was that much different.  It's a generic love song with a light reggae feel - "Say, Hey, I love you".

My first guess would have been it was the Counting Crows.  Like the Crows, it's a little bit better than the songs that follow it; and more accurately, it sounds like it must be from a Disney film.

Anyway, come to find out, it's Michael Franti and Spearhead.

I'm not the biggest fan of Franti's music (and this song won't change that), but I was just amazed that he was breaking through (and equally amazing that Top 40 radio would play something reggae-themed that doesn't sound like Pitbull or Sean Kingston).

Franti's a pretty interesting character so I'd as soon as see him making money off the pop masses, more than say, Miley or Taylor Swift.

It is not every day that someone who used to be on Alternative Tentacles has a big hit (sorry Alice Donut).  Franti (probably best known previously for alt-hit "Television, the Drug of a Nation") is the biggest political/cultural leftie to crack the charts since probably those English anarchists, Chumbawamba.

I'm not convinced this song will make the masses go out and buy Joe Strummer or Manu Chao albums, let alone classic reggae.  Still, a new audience is introduced to the production work of Sly and Robbie.

I think it's cool.

- - -

I mentioned recently that I was a big Muse fan and looking forward to the new album.

Having listened to the new Muse album, A Night at the Opera, I will say I think John Deacon's basswork is excellent, and the single "You're my Best Friend" should be primed for crossover mainstream success.

In all seriousness, it is probably a bit too early to put my review in, but, I tend to be a bit disappointed with it.  There are good songs, and really no bad songs.  While I give them credit to answering the critics (all your songs sound the same), I have to say I probably won't spend as much time with this as I did Black Holes and Revelations.

Even if fans will get mad, the critics are right about this. The best comment I've heard is that Matt Bellamy is the one person in rock music who wants to be Freddie Mercury.. and Brian May.  He also (and this pisses fans off, but is still nevertheless true) seems to at any moment, be about to break out with "My baby's got the bends..."

Again, the lyrics are typical Muse.  Hey, I am fine with that, it's just that it might not be the same for everyone.

As pointed out in multiple reviews, Bellamy's lyrics are  "Us against them" end-of-the-world shouty if somewhere empty sloganeering.

You know sort of like... Oh #$%@!!!!

Well, I should have saw that coming. 

It's a bad week to be a Kanye apologist (which reminds me I always meant to add a "Kanye and other egomaniacs" tag before. Why didn't I?).

There has always been something I found charming in Kanye's "Why is no one giving award to me?" affectation (Now, he's at least complaining why someone else didn't win. He's maturing.)

Even the Leader of the Free World called him a jackass.

It's tough to argue that. I find myself in the position of having decried Joe Wilson a week ago, and now forced to justify the heir to Little Richard's throne.

You can almost justify Kanye, mind. There doesn't seem to be any Top 40 artist that has come out in the last ten years who has consistent success that has been as talented as Kanye (sorry Jay-Z).

It also is the single best thing that could have happened to the VMA's. When is the last time you heard anyone over 18 even mention the VMA's (last year's Bruno/Eminem "stunt" included)?

I would decry the VMA picking the expected half-dozen videos (Single Ladies, 21 guns, You Made Us, Womanizer), but what's the point? MTV plays a handful of videos over and over, so why wouldn't they pick those. Do indie bands (or most established bands actually) even make videos anymore? I don't think they do.

So, no, I don't see any reason on picking on the fact that Beyonce's video (it's three girls dancing in black and white, I do remember that) and terrible accompanying song (Play faster. Play faster. PLAY FASTER!) won. For whatever reason, people seemed to like it.

No, it's easy to loathe music industry awards shows, so I should appreciate Kanye for making one this interesting.

Nor, do I feel any sympathy for Taylor Swift, who couldn't buy publicity like this. At the end of the day, she should give Kanye 10% of the proceeds off her next single.

I don't really have anything personal against Swift. She is probably a nice girl after all. Still her music is everything I loathe (as Mr Chinaski would say "obviousness")- generic by-the-numbers overproduced crap that wouldn't get near a radio station if it wasn't sung by a blond, elfin-looking 19 year old.

If I never hear "Love Story" again, it won't be too soon. Although, to be fair, I agree with her touchpoints. Scarlet Letter? Romeo and Juliet? A love affair that doesn't end in public humiliation, shame and at least a half dozen people dead isn't worth having. May I suggest, Taylor crack open a book?

Still, I suppose I shouldn't forgive Kanye for his behavior this week. It was rude and uncalled for. Even if it does turn into the greatest meme ever.

For the fourth year in a row, I spent my Labor Day on the St. Louis Landing watching the Big Muddy Blues Festival.

It's two days of free music, three stages, and local food and booze from the area bars.

The Blues Festival seems to be in financial trouble year after year, though it does a good drawing from the locals. So, though the recent years have seen some sizable names (Sonny Landreth, Shemekia Copeland, John Mayall, Bettye Lavette, Devon Allman's Honeytribe), this year didn't have the one or two big headliner names.

Still, every year, there's a bunch of good music, and I usually find one band or artists that I pick up on.

We had a bunch of stuff to do, so we didn't stay very long, but did catch three acts on the main stage- local gospel blues singer Denise Atty, the Guy Forsyth Band, and Walter "Wolfman" Washington (New Orleans funk n soul blues with a touch of jazz).

Forsyth was the one who stole the show for me, though. They warned the crowd that he doesn't like to be categorized, and it's easy to see why. Still I'll try. There's a lot of guitar blues rock (think Fat Possum), certainly some Americana, but there is also a bit of the eccentricity in the vein of Tom Waits, Dr. John, and Leon Redbone (At his concerts, one may see Ukulele, Sousaphone, harmonica, stand up bass, and that Waitsian favorite, the saw) .

This is a guy who introduced a song something like "Anyone in the crowd in love?.......Well, you won't be after this song", and has a recent album Love Songs.. For and Against.

His set blew me away and made me an instant fan. Not until I get home the next day, and find out he is the lead singer of the Asylum Street Spankers (who I have posted on here at least once), which puts things in sensical order in my mind, now.

If that doesn't convince you, here's some footage of him at South by Southwest.

I am at heart someone who cares at least some about the pop charts.  I know it is an exercise in futility, but when I grew up there was something (dare I say) magical about Casey Kasem's Top 40.

I can't resist looking at the Billboard list, and I can't resist the urge to turn on VH1 or MTV Hits as I first wake up in the morning (even if my second reaction is that I immediately turn it to something else).

Thus, it caught my attention that yer favorite Viacom channels are playing Beatles videos in coordination with the Rock Band video game tie-on. Videos being misleading as the song is accompanied by video game footage of the Beatles as if you are playing Rock Band.

I am not a huge Beatles fan, but I own several of their albums (in various formats), so I am indeed a fan.

The Beatles videos do raise my eyebrow and seem to prove my axiom- quite simply, the Beatles wouldn't be played on the radio today.

So, here goes

1.  The Beatles (with early exception) write their own music - Who does that?  The Top 100 is filled with American Idol alumni, country music's hottest stars (not a songwriter in this bunch, and pop singers like Katy Perry who "co-write" with Cathy Dennis and Desmond Child.

2. The Beatles are at the end of the day, a rock band.  Even lightweight songs like "Birthday" and "Here comes the Sun" rock harder than the songs VH1 sandwiches them with.

Even getting passed that, it seems like the Top 40 gets pretty stingy with rock artists.  I count six artists in the top 40 who could be counted as rock (and that's giving the benefit of the doubt to Daughtry and Shinedown- songs your grandmother would listen to).

3.  More than that, the Beatles are a British band.  It's been ten years since British bands (Oasis, Verve, Radiohead, Supergrass) got any kind of airplay.  Sure, the lasses (Joss, Amy, Adele, and Lily) get played, but name a British band that is big in America right now (Muse is close,  but they are still pretty fringe).

4.  The Beatles changed over time.  In ten years, Nickleback have went from "How you remind me" to "Someday" to "If today was your last day".  That's not exactly Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper's, The White Album, and Abbey Road.

5.  The Beatles are starting to get up there in age.  The Beatles were approaching the big 3-0 when they were breaking up.  The charts maybe aren't that youth oriented, but it does seem for every act over 30 (Green Day, Jay Z, Rob Thomas, Darius Rucker, Mariah - and all these guys grandfathered in from hits they had a decade ago), there are two that aren;t (Lady Gaga, Miley, Taylor Swift, Jeremih, Sean Kingston, Boys LikeGirls)

I suppose I am being a bit harsh.  Modern audiences might go for the Beatles if they were debuting now, though they might need a Kanye cameo or Timbaland producing, to do it.

I spent most of my life wishing that I had the creativity and talent to be a musician, but I have spent the last five years thanking the Almighty that I don't have to make a living as a music artist.

I joke, of course, but who would have ever imagined it would be like this.  The RIAA continues to win huge dollar amounts in court cases, though we've started to see class-action lawsuits that may end up reversing the tide.

-Political Parties have sprung up based on the right to piracy and seem to have gained significant support.  It's a bizarre time for the music industry.  Hell, even Lars Ulrich downloads now. 

Are you a hero to the masses if you are Radiohead and you offer the fans to name their own price: or are you really (as Sonic Youth argues) just making it tougher for everyone else?

I don't know that I know the answer.  How do bands make enough to quit their day jobs these days?

The only thing I can think of- you steal credit cards and then use them to buy your songs on iTunes and Amazon!

Oh, sure you can campaign radio stations to pay musicians more royalties, but at the end of the day, how do you know they won't just stop playing your music.

So, things are bad for musicians and the record business now. 

Right?

Fans downloading albums for free instead of buying them from the big box store.

The Fleet Foxes say no.  They think the current climate makes things better.

How about the suits, though?  Surely for all their whining, they're losing money had over fist.  What with youtube, torrents, file sharing blogs, CD/DVD burners, and all...

Not according to this report that ran in The Guardian last week.

The Gaming industry that cries the loudest has more than doubled their revenues in the last ten years.  DVD sales have doubled, and the music industry is only slightly down (which may just mean we buy only songs now, and not those albums with one good song and a bunch of filler like we used to).

I hopecrystalspires  let's me piggyback off his post which was inspired by Trent Reznor's decision to do a 180 on social networking sites, because it fits well here with what I was going to post.

The internet has changed how we interact with our artists.  Still, I don't envy the modern-day entertainer.  When you open yourself to an audience, you're bound to get hit by name-calling and your comments filled with spam. 

Myspace is essential for musicians to expose their music.  I admit that there is where I go to sample bands.  Still, I see little more use to it than that. 

I follow a handful of people on twitter, but given the limited capacity, even the most interesting artists only have enough room to say "Arrived in Philly for tonight's show.  Great show last night."

It's always a scary thing to get close to your idols, but there are some people who do it right.  I am thinking mostly writers (Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, Dave Barry).  It does enhance the experience if they can give their fan something more.  However, it works when it is mostly one-sided communication and I suspect, heavily moderated.  At the end of the day, I am interested in what Neil Gaiman has to say, I am not interested in what his fans have to say.

I like that these people have last.fm pages too, because I am always looking for new music, and would as soon as hear them deejay a the local Jack fm station.

Anyway, where I was going before all this was to point you towards the Chumbawamba website, where you can order the Margaret Thatcher Memorial EP and it will be shipped the moment the Iron Lady knocks off.  How positively anarchist! 

Though this is opening me up to possible ridicule, I'm a big fan of the band.  I was a fan before Tubthumper, through their five seconds of fame, and have followed their career through a series of satisfying albums to now and their almost all acoustic phase.

For those who don't know, Chumbawamba CDs and albums have always been heavy with the liner notes.  Ten years ago as the internet was gaining popularity, there wasn't a better musician site (or any website really) than Chumba.com.  Music business insight, personal blogs, an amazing list of interesting weblinks, and of course, a lot of history and insight on notable social reformers and activists.

Chumbawamba's site isn't nearly as essential nowadays, though still occasionally worth a look.

Among other things that you need to know is my opinion on the Britney Spears single "If you seek Amy".

The newer ones among you will likely laugh at this subject, but those you've been reading me for ten years on, know that i can't resist at least knowing about the world of pop music.

Sure, it's disposable pop music, and maybe it doesn't need this level of criticism, and I could go on for hours complaining about the profound lyrics of "I do not hook up" or the confusing metaphors of that Taylor Swift song which is apparently about a relationship with an adultress that leads to a suicide pact.

"If you seek Amy" particularly bugs me though.

Not that it's the banality of the song. You can sing "Womanizer' over it (and the video isn't much that different than "Piece of me").. No matter your opinion on Madonna, you can't argue that she didn't reinvent herself time and time again. Britney's career hasn't exactly been about artistic growth.

You see the reason there's a fuss is because the lyrics sound exactly like "All the boys and all the girls are begging to F U C K Me."

I have a problem with that.

Not the usual argument that it is going to destroy our children. I grew up with "Boom Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to my Room)" and can't say my generation is any worse for it.

No, to me the thing is too labored.

Yes, it works, but the way it is gone about is thrown together just to make the lyric play.

The song starts with a quick description of Amy which is necessary to set up the punhcline.

Still, who is Amy? Is it supposed to be Britney (I suppose)? Is it supposed to be Amy Winehouse? Who the if you see K knows?

This leads to "that part" which without the double entendre makes no sense.

"All the boys and all the girls are begging to (incomplete thought) If you seek Amy (start of another completely different topic)"

That's just lazy.

The Poster Children (among others) have had it right.

C'mon, Brit... errr.. Swedish songwriters, try just a bit harder. A lyric like "Hey paparazzi. Here I am. See you next Tuesday" would have looked like Martin Amis compared to what you actually put together.

So it annoys me, and I may even have let it slide if it wasn't for the video. Yes, the lyrics would have went by largely subtle and unnoticed (and probably still are) if the video didn't go to great lengths to point them out.

It is the equivilant of saying "The reason it is funny is because a priest, a lawyer, and a rabbi...."

Not the knowing wink then, but instead the "look at how clever I am" move.

I think it's dumb and I don't think I am wrong here, but I am all about being fair and balanced, so here's a differing opinion.

Chris Carter from Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey has posted photos from the TG tour.  He (along with Cosey) are on teh Twitterz.

Reminds me that it's not every day Chris Connelly walks by you.

I may or may not see me and/or the ever-elusive JM in the Chicago shot.  If it is us, it's so blurry you wouldn't know unless you knew where to look.

One last thing for any TG fans out there, BoingBoing seems to have had a bit of TG content lately.  Go here if you're interested.

I was lucky enough to have some cool people mentor me in the way of music.

What I didn't already know by the time I graduated high school, I picked up in college.  So it was my friend JM who first introduced me to Throbbing Gristle.  While I had an in-depth knowledge of what was then called the College Rock scene, JM introduced me to bands that made the Cure look like Kelly Clarkson.

I've only really got in to T's music in recent years.  Obviously, their history is something that will probably never be duplicated.  They shocked people like no one else, literally (with a few others) invented industrial music, and pioneered sampling.

I always kept track of the spin-off projects.  Chris & Cosey and Psychic TV stayed on my radar, as it seemed they were always turning up on mix tapes or cut-out bins.  My friend G (though mainly being a big fan of alt-country, actual emo music, and a huge Husker Du/ American Underground fan)  was a big Coil fan.  So, I mostly listened to a lot of Coil, and followed Genesis when he was performing with Pigface, but I always tried to stay aware.

I finally was completely won over two years ago when a couple of excellent albums hit the market- Genesis newest incarnation of Psychic Tv - PTV3 - Hell is Invisible, and Throbbing Gristle reunited for Step Two- and I finally went back to check out the old TG stuff.

So, when I heard Throbbing Gristle was reuniting for a handful of dates and touring for the first time since they broke up in 1981, I thought I would tell JM and garbagecanmusic .  Even pollstar didn't have this news.

I have a theory that the most out-there people artistically are the most normal looking, and while TG seems to be the exception to the rule, as they walked by me, I couldn't help but thinking that they were the most unremarkable people in the venue.  Granted, Genesis looks like Ann Jillian, and has a nail through his penis, but Chris and Cosey look like any middle aged couple.  Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (one of the most esoteric people in rock music) would be unremarkable except for his tribal arm tattoos (which he had long before anyone else).

The Throbbing Gristle reunion show offered two performances, and we went to both.  The first performance being TG recreating their soundtrack to the Derek Jarman In the Shadow of the Sun. 

It's just cool enough to see a Jarman film on a big screen.  I know him mostly from his video for "The Queen is Dead" as well as this and this, and his work with Suede, Marc Almond, Coil, and Pet Shop Boys, and just an interesting life.

Arresting visuals that were paired with a pretty amazing performance where TG played a mesmerizing ambient, krautrock style soundscape.
A great concert moment, but the best was still to come.

They cleared out for the second show, which started with a visual/audio performance by Bruce McClure, which was just okay (but at 40 mins. maybe too long), then TG took the stage to play some of their greatest hits.

The crowd (though I goof on them) were as respectable as a musical audience as one would find in 2009.  I probably would have went ballistic if I had seen a bunch of people texting while music legends were on stage.  I goof on the crowd because they all have to pay a couple of dollars more so they won't be seen with domestic beer.  I also goof on the couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other, and were slinkily grooving to "Very Friendly" (you know, the song about the Moors Murders) ostensibly because they think children dying is sexy.  Not to mention that even fans here yell for their favorite song, even if it is something as anti-commerical "Hamburger Lady"
 (which did get played).

Throbbing Gristle was pretty amazing though.  Each member in their corner- Cosey on slide guitar, Genesis on a variety of instruments including electric violin, and Sleazy and chris at their laptops making some intriguing sounds.

Genesis, of course  is an intriguing front man as anyone.  The platinum blond hair, lipstick and breast implants are only half of it.  The band played in a very cool well-lit performance hall.  Though some of the crowd were vocally unhappy about this (I was more than fine with it), Gen refused to turn the lights down because 1) TG is beautiful and 2)  "we aren't interested in show business, so shut the f--k up".

Gen had some great crowd interaction, and although his voice is a bit of an acquired taste (I like it), it really is an unearthly sound, that is like no one else's.

It was an amazing show, not only just to see a legendary band reunited, but some amazing live music.

Of interest to garbagecanmusic , if no one else.  Warrior Soul is back.

I was reading last month's (or this month's) Classic Rock magazine- a British music mag that is actually better than it's name implies (it's basically Mojo with the slightest of twists).

CR reviews the new album And We Rock and Roll, which WS is selling on tour and on their webpage.   CR gives it an impressive 8 stars out of 10.

Warrior Soul isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I always liked them, always followed them, and have virtually the whole disscography.

Bonus fact: the album was originally titled Chinese Democracy when they were planning it last summer.

Anyway, here's what's going on with Kory Clarke and the gang: WS split in 95, but Clarke put together a new European/American lineup in 07.  He also is busy fronting a band named Trouble.

You can catch the new songs here.  I think they sound pretty good if you liked clarke's previous output.

A couple of you have already mentioned this, but it bears repeating, today is National Record Store Day.

I have already recounted most of this story, but it bears repeating.  As cliche as it is (and it is), I can't imagine life without a passion for music, and specifically record stores figure into that equation.

I certainly empathise with Kurdt Cobain's decision to release an album with "Waif Me" so it could be sold in the discount stores.  The only store in my town that sold music was Wal-Mart.  To be a bit fair, their selection was more diverse than today where they carry maybe 50 or 60 titles.  In fact, incredibly enough, I bought the Godfathers' More Songs about Love and Hate and The The's Mind Bomb there.

I can't say that I don't have love for the chain stores.  As a teenager, I would seek out the top albums on Rolling Stone's College Rock chart, and brought home these amazing albums by Lou Reed, XTC, Camper Van Beethoven, and others.  While years later, I would go to target to find those bands that they wanted to push by selling $7 CD's- bands that otherwise weren't on the radio or MTV.  So, I was tuned into Muse ten years ago, before they got any kind of major stateside exposure.

I have hit plenty of chain stores, pawn shops, CD/video game resale stores, the Virgin megastore, and all matters of places that sell music over the years, but some are more iconic than others.

I still vividly remember a record store in the next town over when I was 15, though I can't imagine it was in business longer than a year.  It had a sizeable and segregated section for "Art Rock" ("Alternative" was not yet a universal moniker for new wave and post-punk).  If one was forward looking, those vinyl albums are probably worth a sizeable amount. 

I was just discovering something new- music that didn't get played on the radio, and it all was so exotic.  I can only hope that today's youth could experience somethig similiar (though, i don't know what.  Maybe they will tell their children about napster and MySpace, and how it was).

Not only was the music memorable and unlike anything else, so were those albums.  While the major albums looked like Tunnel of Love, Dream of the Blue Turtles, and Brothers in Arms, those images weren't nearly as arresting as this.

The albums in that store were like nothing else- the iconic Cure covers, the punk as f**k Dave Goodman Sex Pistols collections, the truly bizarre Zappa and Utopia albums, and many more.

There is another iconic record store in that town that has survived 20 years, mostly because though they weren't any cheaper, going in was the perfect Record Store experience.  The owner a true child of that 50's rock sound with a silver pompadour- modern enough to embrace bands like BR549, but traditional enough that he still thought the greatest rock album ever was Live at the Star Club (To be fair, I can't argue this point).

I have so many memories of this place- the local musician who worked there who would recommend a band I have never heard and so after a visit, I would leave, now with, say Ultravox in my collection, and also where I took bass guitar lessons (mostly paid for by running errands for the teacher).

Even better than the local stores were the record stores in college towns which I  would hit on the weekends as a High School senior.  I made it my mission to get as many of the Smiths (and Morrissey) 12-inch singles (I ended up getting most, and after a life of shuffling from place to place, actually am amazed to find I now still have them in my possesion).  Those Smiths records were unlike any others, not just for the music- the iconic pictures, the "made in England" stamps, they even felt different.

I am still amazed at the vinyl I have collected through the years- essential bootlegs like Metallic KO and It's Alive, picture discs, record company promos, interview discs, 80's new wave dance 12"'s, and a wealth of records given to me by my mother and by friends.

As I went off to college (and some of yer recollections may vary), but I thought the local college record store was pretty cool. An amazing collection of used discs and always the important new albums.  Plus, it had a record store feel, with a litany of band stickers on the door, and that smell of incense.  It even had a rastafari who worked behind the counter.

I was lucky that everything happened when it did, for in the last ten years, the way it was is no longer the way it is.

When I hear people talk about going to their local record store, it sounds so antiquated (I love it, but I don't expect it).  First, chain stores like Best Buy came along to kill off the record store.  They sold at half-price and dwarfed the selection.  It is hard to beat that as a fan.

Then there was Amazon.com, which would have bankrupted me as a kid (I spent way too much on those Columbia House and BMG get a dozen cassettes for a penny deals in high school).  It doesn't get much more convenient and customer friendly than Amazon.

With music blogs and P2P sharing, the concept of paying for music is almost done.  At the very least, with itunes, the idea of buying albums is near extinction.

We have a decent, if not particularly great local record store, which I don't frequent nearly enough.  They are celebrating Record Store Day with what may be the best band in the state, Poison Control Center.

This post is my contribution to Record store Day.  If you have a local store, continue to support it.

Though it pains me to say I like anything Maxim is responsible for, I will be sorry to see Blender go. 

It was my favorite of the airport newstand magazines. 

It wasn't perfect, but it aspired to be as great assome of the British music rags, and yet strived to be Maxim-hip.  It worked enough anyway.  They did a better job than Spin does nowadays.  They always gave a bunch of reviews, and it seemed like the staff at least knew their stuff.  So while the cover story might have been about Avril or Fall Out Boy, there might be a small news item on Nick Cave or a tidbit about say, British Sea Power.

I don't really have anything bad to say about them, because they gave exposure to some bands that otherwise might not appear on tv or radio.  Nothing wrong with that.  I suspect somebody else will fill the void, but for now, I am stumped on what to read while 39,000 feet above ground.

Also, considering calling it a day is one of my favorite bands of all time, U2.  It's a tough call for any band that has been around 30 years.  You can't argue about that too much - if the Beatles and the Doors were around in the 70s, if the Sex Pistols and Joy Division had made it to the 80s, if Nirvana and the Pixies were still making records- yeah, their legacy probably would be hurt.

U2 had a good run, but the last two albums don't do too much to add to the legacy.  I'm an apologist for a lot of bands that I will love no matter what they record (The Cure, New Order, Siouxsie, Psychedelic Furs, REM), but it's hard to argue that all their work measures up to their classic stuff, and one would guess they will never surprise again.

Still, though 2009 was disappointing for my long-time favorites U2 (and to a lesser extent, Morrissey), I want my artists to continue to create.  Alt-rocker pioneers Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie have made some terrible records, but I am glad they stuck around long enough to give us New York, American Caesar, and Heathen. 

I have been impressed with reunion records by Buzzcocks, the Stranglers, and Echo & the Bunnymen; that I consider some of their best work.

So at the end of the day, I want to see what Bono and the Edge bring us for years to come (even if that might mean their Emotional Rescue or Give My Regards to Broad Street).  Even though a layoff might do him  good, I don't want to see Morrissey to disappear.  Oh, I might complain about his artistic direction, and I will (For the record, I hope for the impossible.  I want him to reunite with the Guitarist responsible for his artistic heights, although I know that it will never ever happen.  That's right, I want to see him get back together with Vini Reilly.)

The Chris Isaak Hour (The Biography Channel) - Most of you already know this, but I consider my self a big Chris Isaak fan.

I always felt that Isaak is one of the most underrated musicians around.  Part of it I attribute to him having a song that was aboiut as big as you can get.  The other part is that all the cool bands sounded like they listened to Roy Orbison and 50's rock (Social Distortion, The Cramps, Horton Heat, the Ramones to name a few), Isaak sounded like he wanted to be Roy Orbison.

This post isn't about his music though (although if you are interested in where to start in the Isaak discography, I would recommennd Forever Blue).

Isaak is a likeable enough guy, and I suspect that is why this show makes sense.  I loved his comedy on Showtime, and am glad to see him again get some exposure in this hour-long (duh) interview show.

The obvious compariosn is Elvis Costello's Spectacle (which I have covered here before).  You can't help but compare the two shows, but this (like its host) as a different mood.

Whereas, Spectacle reminds me of Inside the Actor's Studio- superserious, A-list interviews, and the feel of a big event; if anything Hour reminds me of A&E's Private Sessions - laid back, inessential and the feel of a generic talk show.

Isaak is the X factor though.  Unlike Costello, he seems to step back from the subject more and let them talk.  Perhaps it's just his laid back personality, but Isaak gets the story going and sits back, with only gentle prodding to continue the conversation.

I have seen two shows - Stevie Nicks and Glenn Campbell - and they bring a lot of musical history with them.  Isaak's big coup will be bringing in Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) in for an interview.

Isaak, of course duets with his guets, but again, unlike Costello, the show seems to be less about him and he looks happy staying in the background.

This isn't much-see tv, but if you';re a junkie for good music stories, you will probably want to tune in when you can.

You know I hate surveys like this, but I just can't resist them.

Basically, Indie Rock makes you smart, Lil Wayne and Dashboard Confessional make you stupid.

Hey, I am just reporting the news here.

I mean, I always suspected as much, but I have the numbers to prove it now.

I don't have an iPod, but in my antiquated music device I have U2, Radiohead, Bowie, Dylan and Muse.  That proves it, because let's face it, I'm a gawddamned genius.  I'm superbrain.  That;'s how they made me. 

Okay, that doesn't explain Beck and Phish, but that's what we in the business call 'survey error'.

I do hate these things though.

Sure the smartest person I know is a Sufjan Stevens fan, but I don't trust 'if x then y'.  It's not always that simple.

To an extent, yeah, maybe if you're smart, you want more out of entertainment than "My Life Would Suck Without You".  I will give you that.

Still, I've had a lot of metahead friends over the years, and they generally disproved the "Yer dumb if you listen to Napalm Death" rule.  So, that's why I don't like this stuff.

Moreso, I am afraid of this survey, because I was always under the impression that the band U2 was getting worse every album.   In actuality, it's just me getting dumber every year. 

If you haven't already been there, you can stream the new U2 album for free on teh MySpaces.

The album comes out on Tuesday, so i suspect that's how long it will be up there.  Pretty cool of U2 to do that, when I had started to consign them as a big evil band.

I don't need to tell you that U2 is one of my favorite bands ever.  The early albums are still amazing to me, and are always in constant rotation.  I am not a fan of The Unforgettable Fire, but it has a few career highpoints.  I no longer really listen to the late 80's stuff, but it is what turned me into a fan.

I like the experimental 90s stuff a lot - warts (or in this case Pop) and all.  In recent years, U2 no longer seems to be interested in pushing boundaries, but I still respect them.  All that you can't... is a solid album and though How to Dismantle.. showed the '2 might finally be out of gas had enough good songs on it.

So, i didn't expect that No Line on the Horizon would blow me away, but I didn't expect it to be this disappointing.  I don't want to go with finally the students have passed the teaches, but NLotH feels like U2 doing Coldplay doing U2, with nothing nearly as intersting as "Violet Hill".

I will admit that with repeated listenings, the album has grown on me more, but I still am likely to forget this record quickly.  I could be wrong.  The critics seem to be almost unanimously giving it rave reviews for whatever reason.  It just does not resonate with me at all. 

I don't expect U2 to be the band of old (though the track "Magnificent" hints at least that is possible).  I think they are at least capable of something like All that you can't.., but here it just seems that they're either trying too hard or not hard enough.

Well, at least we should have a new Bunnymen album soon.

The buzz on the internet (well, sorta) is that Touch & Go records has gone kaput. Well, if they're not completely dead and buried, they are on life support.

They are no longer distributing Merge, Estrus, Kill Rock Stars and some others. I am not sure exactly what that means, but I know it is bad.

Touch & Go had some great bands over the years - Laughing Hyenas, Big Black, Shellac, Jesus Lizard, Urge overkill,the Didjits, and a lot more.

Maybe some of you that are in public/college radio can correct me if I am wrong, but I think the age of the indie labels is over.

I was lucky enough to grow up in that environment. There were so many great labels that took chances on new bands, and each label had a personality of its own - Amphetamine Reptile, Sub pop, Epitaph, Dischord, Wax trax, K, Shimmy Disc, Invisible, Alias, Alternative Tentacles, and dozens more.

You might give an artist you never heard of a chance just based on the fact the label thought enough of them to sign them.

I think this current radio/media environment coupled with the freddom of the internet and the death of the record store killed off the importance, and frankly, the need for these labels.

There is alot to be happy about with the new music industy, but that is one negative (in my opinion), so I feel bad to see Touch & Go (and some of the others ) go.

Anyway, I've been looking for awhile for a good excuse to post some Didjits, so there is that.

Here's Mattoon, Illinos' pride and joy.

I think the last time I did an actual album review was a year and a half ago, but Years of Refusal is out, and well, I should say something....

This is album #9, and that means it's been over 20 years since Viva Hate came out.  20 years as a solo artist.  20 years since I got Viva Hate in the mail from Columbia House with 11 other cassette tapes for a penny (with minor committments to buy more stuff over the next few years).

So for starters, I really shouldn't be hard on the guy.  He at this point should have covered everything there is to say about despair and loneliness, and if he hasn't, his followers and disciples who came later (Brett Anderson, Gene, Echobelly, Pulp, Magnetic Fields, Divine Comedy, Radiohead, etc) should have covered it along the way.

I should say that while you would expect me to be a Morrissey apologist, with my level of devotion, the opposite is actually true.  I don't tow the "Moz is uesless without Marr" line either.  I do think Moz missteps, and quite frankly, he needs someone to say "no' to his self-indulgences sometimes (He's not Lindsey Buckingham bad, but he's pretty bad).

I need mention that Morrissey has written largely with his two guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte (although new guy Jesse Tobias usually gets a couple of songs on the recent albums).  My favorite songs have generally been Boorer's.  On YoR, he is credited with four songs (generally the high points), but for me, a bad sign. 

I will also add I am a big, big fan of 2006's Ringleader of the Tormentors which was produced by Tony Visconti.  Visconti is best known for working with David Bowie, Badfinger, Thin Lizzy and T. Rex.  I am less of a fan of the critically acclaimed 04's You Are the Quarry, which was produced by Jerry Finn.  Finn is best known for producing Blink-182, Sum 41, AFI and Alkaline Trio.

It's not nice to pickon dead people (Finn passed away last year), but jeez, why couldn't have Moz played nice and worked with Visconti again.

Like Quarry, YoR is a good album, but I can't say that it will be my Moz album of choice.  The critcs seem to like it and the typical Moz fan will probably love it, however, to me (and critics who know the hell what they're doing), it's a bit of a letdown.  The best songs have been released or part of his sets for awhile, so there's not enough surprise, and the surrounding material isn't strong enough to elevate the album.

Track 1.  Something Is Squeezing My Skull - This one is a rocker that generally works, though Moz's self-indulgences overtake it. It starts out like something from CJ-era Ramones, and goes downhill after the opening seconds.   A song Moz admirers will love, but will not win any new fans.

Track 2: Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed - This one is virtually unlistenable.  There's nothing new here.

Track 3:  Black Cloud:  This one would surely have been a B-side years ago.  Not bad, but not particularly good either.  Luckily, the album does get better

Track 4: I'm throwing my arms around Paris:  One of the stronger songs that gets better with every listen

Track 5:  All you need is me:  This one is a keeper, too, but you should have it already if you're a Moz fan.  It is one of two songs that were tacked on to Greatest Hits, and you get it here again, because, well.. Morrissey hates his fans.

Track 6  :When Last I Spoke to Carol  This one is a surprise.  A newer song that is one of the best on here and one of his best in recent years.  Moz meets flamenco?  The rest of the album should sound more like this.  Sadly, it doesn't.

Track 7: That's How People Grow Up:  Truly a highlight in the Moz canon but you should already own this.

Track 8: One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell - You could probably argue that tracks 6,7,and 8 are reason enough to buy the album (and they are).  Like the opening track, it's a rocker, however, this one is lighter on the cheese factor.  The horns are a nice touch.  Sadly after the 3-song high point, it's pretty much downhill from here

Track 9:  It's Not Your Birthday Anymore - Is this a Maladjusted outtake?  Morrissey can actually make interesting ballads.  This is not one of them.  Bummer lyrics aside, this song wouldn't sound out of place on Celine Dion's setlist.

Track 10: You Were Good in Your Time:  More Moz in Easy listening territory.  This would have worked as a 60 second interlude.  However, this goes on for three minutes, just long enough for Moz to throw in laughably bad lyrics.; then finishes with another two minutes that are lyricless drone- not necessarily a bad idea in theory, but here it only sounds boring.

Track 11:  Sorry Doesn't Help- The first of Jesse Tobias' compositions sounds like Moz-by-the-numbers.  It might work or it might fall short, in this case it generally works.  This song has a great build-up.  It would make a great concert closer or a great album closer (it's not, there's one more song to go).  I will call this one a keeper.

Track 12:  I'm OK by Myself - the second Tobias composition is another Moz-by-the-numbers that could either just hit the mark or fall short.  This one falls a bit short.  Oh, it's not terrible, but Morrissey has been down this before, and done it so much better, so why listen to this tune. 

Sadly, the same can be said of this whole disc.

So, I watched the Grammys this year, or as much as I was willing to.

This post wil be short. I mean Coldplay, U2, and Radiohead all performed Sunday night. Gwynneth Paltrow introduced Radiohead. I don't even know where to begin with the jokes.

Probably the most memorable thing about the 2009 Grammys didn't even take place at the show. R&B good-guy Chris Brown and his (alleged to this point) domestic violence against Rhianna.

Blink-182 announced they are reforming, which seems to be the most boring reunion moment of all time,

The Rock ... err Duane Johnson was there, and sadly he has always been a better heel than a face (but we weren't getting "Take your statuette, turn it sideways, and shove it up your candyass!).

I still stand up for the Grammys as an American institution. It certainly has it's flaws (Milli Vanilli, Jethro Tull), but it still cares an air of importance. Sure, it's hard to take an awards show seriously that wants to celebrate the artistic merits of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, but it's not all bad.

Music blogs complained that Radiohead shouldn't have played, but I think they're wrong.
Although it is hardly what you would consider an obscure indie album, I think a lot of people got exposed to the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss collaboration for the first time this week. I also noticed a lot of the musicians in the Rock and R&B categories that didn't get alot of attention this year.

So in what I call the post music industry years (I suppose music industry version 2.0 is a better description), things at the Grammys aren't any better or any worse, but it is a way that underlooked albums can get a brief time in the national spotlight. i don't see that as a bad thing; which is why I don't think Radiohead performing Sunday night was a bad thing.

I haven't warmed up to the new U2 single and I dont know how many times Coldplay has apopeared on tv lately, so the real thrill for me was radiohead. Great song from a great album (even if they did go a bit Tusk with it).