Alex Turner is 22 years old. That’s important to remember when thinking about the Arctic Monkeys front man. He’s not a youngster anymore. Although his quick rise to international stardom after his band’s debut, and all the hoopla surrounding the circumstances of that immediate success, seems destined to stunt the perception of Turner’s growth. He’s […]
MTV must be crazy to tell Gnarls Barkley to take their new video and run elsewhere. The news that the music conglomerate banned the footage of the neo-soul duo’s first single from the soon-to-be-released “The Odd Couple” is surprising. Despite failing the Harding Test – the standard set to prevent TV channels from triggering epileptic […]
During the next few weeks, as the March edition of Maxim Magazine gets delivered to countless college dorm rooms and bachelor pads, the men’s magazine’s pinup-starved readership will face some tough choices. Should they take a break from their “Punk’d” marathon to read a column called “Voyeuristic celebubabe sites cater to the bored and horny […]
Everybody can stop holding their breaths and let out a gasping sigh of relief … err … disappointment. The Writers Guild of America has agreed not to picket the 50th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. And in doing so, the group has all but ensured that the worst day in music will go down […]
25. “Graduation” (Roc-A-Fella) Kanye West Released: Sept. 11 While the Chicago rapper’s first two albums changed the face of hip hop (to look and sound like him); his third LP is arguably his best. His always-expansive production has grown to include even more oddball samples, including a pairing with 2007′s golden boys, Daft Punk. His […]
50. “The Cool” (Atlantic) Lupe Fiasco Released: Dec. 18 It would have been a whole lot cooler if the Chicago rapper didn’t cram 20 tracks onto his sophomore album. The release’s title would have been much more accurate had he slimmed back the number to include only his sharpest and most poignant rhymes, instead of […]
75. “Chase This Light” (Interscope) Jimmy Eat World Released: Oct. 16 Now in its third release as an mainstream name, the Arizona act has grown accustomed to writing music with arena-filling expectations. The band’s DIY principles are all but gone on this, its biggest sounding release to date. Yet it also stands as its most […]
With 2008 – and a crop of new records – just around the corner, putting a bow on the past 12 months would wrap up the year in music in a nice (not to mention great sounding) package. That is, however, if new music wasn’t constantly being discovered from years past. And because of that, […]
Disappointing does not mean bad. One more time – disappointing does not mean bad. With that out of the way, it’s true that calling something “disappointing” usually implies a poor product. But that’s not always the case. (See No. 9 on the list). The same way that saying a record/band is “overrated” also does not […]
Music packaging, just like the music itself, comes in waves of trends. This year saw an influx in LP/EP one-two punches during the past 12 months. Artists such as Ryan Adams, Ween, Bright Eyes, New Young Pony Club and Babyshambles to name a few (to name a few more see Nos. 6, 8 and 9 […]