The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown

Rush Day (2-1-12): The 12 Best Songs By Rush of the 70s

2012-02-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

Thirty-five years into their epic ground-breaking career Rush is still not in the rock n roll Hall of Fame. Whoever thought when we reached Rush Day (2-1-12) four decades after the release of their album, 2112, that Rush would not only still be working men...not only would they still be a spirit of radio to be reckoned with...but that would still not have received the Limelight they deserve

The 11 Best Songs By Leonard Cohen of the 70s

2012-01-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

Recently, the hottest music news seems to be dominated by classic artists. There's Madonna at the Super Bowl. The Velvet Revolver reunion. The Van Halen reunion shows and new album. Bruce Springsteen's got a new album. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney have new albums. Will Guns N Roses reunite for the rock n roll hall of fame? and tomorrow is Rush day. I think there are two reasons why

Free Music Fridays: Paper Bag Records Sessions

2012-01-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

Wilco played in LA this week and I missed it. Here's the worst part...I didn't even know they were playing. There was a time where I went to see 3-4 concerts a week. Now if I see that many a year...it was a good year. Part of having kids and working all the time, you give up certain things. Concerts seemed to be one of the first things to go. But now my kids are getting old enough that

The 11 Best Songs By Rodrigo y Gabriela

2012-01-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

I will never understand Apple. They really have no ability except to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over. First off, I can't figure out how to turn off Genius from constantly connecting and using up the internet bandwith. But what's worse is that every time it tries to connect, it makes me fill out my password. It's annoying because I don't even want Genius to connect but it

The 11 Best Songs By The Hold Steady

2012-01-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

For music releases...the first couple months of a new year is usually a dead time filled with leftovers, new bands, and sophomore albums. It's very hard to make lists for bands with one album since their list is pretty much every song on their debut album. There's really no point in making a list. It's like eating a BLT and then making a list of the five favorite ingredients in the sandwich.

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2012

2012-01-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

There's no telling if any of these albums are coming out this year...it's all a massive guess...all for fun. Some of these may come out before Fall...some after...but rumors are flying. Here are the 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2012: Tool - TBA (Nov.) Stone Roses - TBA (Oct.) Pearl Jam - TBA (Oct.) No Doubt - TBA (Nov.) U2 - TBA (Oct.) Green Day - TBA (Dec.) The xx - TBA (Oct.)

The 11 Most Anticipated Summer Albums of 2012

2012-01-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

As we move into a new year, one of the strangest pieces of news has been revealed. Album sales in 2011 actually went up for the first time in almost a decade. Granted it was mostly due to Adele's incredibly popular album...that still proves that the album as a musical format is still very viable. And while all the news articles still like to pronounce the death of rock and how pop has

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2012

2012-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Tebow nation is on fire. Nothing will further propel his legendary status than throwing 316 in his upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But was it really an upset? Was it really that surprising that Denver won? I don't think so...in fact, I called it. (I swear...you can ask the one friend I told they were going to win). There's three things you have to take into account. First

The 11 Most Anticipate Albums of Winter 2012

2012-01-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

The final year of existence is upon us...and here's what we have to look forward to. They always did say Van Halen would reunite when hell froze over. I guess they were right. Here are the 11 Most Anticipate Albums of Winter 2012: Van Halen - Secret Title (2/7) The Shins - Port of Morrow (March) Craig Finn - Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (1/24) Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom (1/31)

The 111 Best Albums of 2011

2012-01-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here they are. The 111 Best Albums of 2011 as voted on by you my readers. If you don't like the results...then vote for something better next year. I personally, always like the results of this list much better than most critic lists. This list is always more honest to me. While Adele dominated most lists...she only cracks the top 40 here. Or the Decemberists who barely made it on many

The 11 Best Songs of 2011

2011-12-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

I usually don't like doing Top song lists of the year (ironic...huh?) but I wanted to give everyone a last chance to get your votes in for the top album of the year. Just list your favorite albums of 2011 in the comment section below. Monday is the final day to vote. Here are the 11 Best Songs of 2011: 1. Midnight City - M83 (Hurry Up We're Dreaming) 2. Holocene - Bon Iver (Bon Iver) 3.

The 11 Best Songs By Skrillex

2011-12-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

Back in the 90s...the last couple weeks before Christmas were always a mad dash to the CD shelves. Bands would throw out "best of" collections...holiday collections...etc. Now all that stuff comes out in November...sometimes you see Christmas stuff way back in October...right Zooey? After Christmas, we'd be hit with a dry spell for a few weeks...but things have changed in the digital era.

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (1-11)

2011-12-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

So here it is...my top 11. My choices. My opinion. So, shut up. SEND ME YOUR LISTS! I'm still collecting your top 20 lists for a massive 111 Best albums of 2011. It doesn't have to be 20...just all your favorites albums you can think of. Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2011: 1. Yuck - Yuck (Holing Out) 2. <

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (12-22)

2011-12-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

No song was more infectious this year than Foster the People's Pumped up Kids. What started as a catchy indie rock diddy took off and became an international hit rocketing up the Billboard charts and propelling rock album sales. Most people still don't know the song is about a school shooting. Maybe that why despite its popular success, it's still retained its indie cred. Hopefully this

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (23-33)

2011-12-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

It was the year of the reunion/comeback. So many big artists came back together to put out one more album. Maybe I'm just getting older and there are more bands under my belt who have the potential to reunite...but this honestly has to be the most reunions I can remember in awhile. The strongest outing by far was by The Cars...and they seemed to have the most stacked against them. Missing

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (34-44)

2011-12-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

Just the other night, I informed a rather astute music person that the Book of Mormon was written by Matt & Trey from South Park. Even after I told them, they still didn't believe me. It took a web search on a cell phone to confirm my piece of incredulous information. It wasn't that it was impossible to think that Matt & Trey had the musical chops to write a musical...it was insane to

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (45-55)

2011-12-19T22:41:00.001-08:00

For the week I will count down my favorite albums of 2011. Like a holiday advent calendar I will only give you a little taste of the good stuff one day at a time. There's no denying that this year dubstep broke through to the mainstream like a ADD little boy hopped up on food coloring. For those of us listening to Burial years ago, this was an overwhelming "duh" moment. But for the rest

Free Music Fridays (The Saturday Edition): The 11 Best Free Albums of the Year

2011-12-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year...the best of the year lists. As every year...I ask for your help. Starting next week, I'll reveal my favorites of the year. But I want your help to make a master 111 Best Album of the year list. Send me your favorite albums of the year. Give me your top 20...if you can't think of the 20...then just 10, 5, or 1 is fine...whatever you liked. I'll compile the list

The 111 Best Songs By the Cure

2011-12-08T18:41:00.001-08:00

Since I did this about a year and a half ago...I figured I would just re-post instead of re-thinking something new. I have been listening to the Cure's Bestival album. It's their new live album with an insanely good track list Musically it sounds solid and Smith's voice sound stellar...although I'm sure it's just pro-tools track at this point (I'm trying not to think about it too much).

The 11 Best Song By The Roots of the 90s

2011-12-06T17:01:00.001-08:00

Recently, the Roots got in trouble for playing Fishbone's "Lying Ass Bitch" as the entrance song for Michelle Bachman when she appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show. Was is it a dick move? Sure. Did she deserve it? Probably not. Was it kinda funny? Fortunately so. Politicians have no sense of humor. Musicians have no sense of politics. Musicians are successful at what they do because

The Unknown: The Black Keys - Surrender & Grab

2011-12-05T18:15:00.001-08:00

I have to discuss my epic trip to the mini-Record Store Day last weekend because I wanted to wait to talk about it for a band that had a stronger association with the day and the people. Nothing against the Smashing Pumpkins...but the Black Keys are one of the few current bands who are still bonding with the record buying audience. Black Friday was awesome. I honestly think there were more

The Unknown: Smashing Pumpkins - Adore Sessions

2011-12-03T20:50:00.001-08:00

Adore came out when I was in college. No other album in my collegiate career or for that foreseeable future caused more arguments than this album. With Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins were the unstoppable force who had taken over rock music. After they kicked out the best working drummer of the day, they turned their sound on its head and did the unthinkable...they rejected rock music and put

The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins B-Sides

2011-12-01T22:32:00.001-08:00

Here's a little Smashing Pumpkins story for you. It's not enough that we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of these two albums when their releases really only seem like they happened yesterday. But I was trying to explain to a co-worker who the Smashing Pumpkins were. I named songs...which didn't help. I even tried to hum a few of the bars but I'm a terrible singer and probably did more

The 11 Best Songs By Smashing Pumpkins (Post-Break-Up)

2011-11-30T18:27:00.001-08:00

The post break-up years of the Pumpkins might as well be considered the dark years. Billy has had to endure years of criticism for everything he put out. Zeitgeist was criticized for sounding too much like the original Pumpkins (true story). Teargarden was criticized for being given away for free. I remember reading one review where the writer said that "A Song For A Son" was an

The 11 Best Songs By The Smashing Pumpkins (Pre-Break-up)

2011-11-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

Back in the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins were it. Nirvana had faded since Nevermind and wouldn't perk up again until Kurt died. Pearl Jam was big until No Code...then slipped away quickly. But the Pumpkins kept going strong. Through Mellon Collie in the late 90s, they were the biggest rock band out there. Even when nu-metal rap-rock took over...the Pumpkins stayed relevant. In hindsight, the

The 11 Best Chris Cornell Solo Songs

2011-11-24T20:58:00.001-08:00

It's the last few minutes of Thanksgiving. I hope you're all full of turkey and are ready to hit the mall. Stay tuned for my Black Friday experience. Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Chris Cornell: 1. You Know My Name (Carry On) 2. Sunshower (Great Expectations) 3. Can't Change Me (Euphoria Morning) 4. Seasons (Singles) 5. Billie Jean (Carry On) 6. Killing Birds (Carry On) 7.

The 11 Best Black Friday Record Store Releases

2011-11-22T23:36:00.001-08:00

Every April...us old dudes who still own record players crowd around record stores to pay a lot of money for limited edition colored vinyls with one extra track. But Christmas has come early this year. The wonderful folks at RSD have a new day for us...like a teaser trailer for spring's epic event. Black Friday features a much smaller amount of releases but some exclusive and exciting ones

The 11 Best Moby Remixes of the Past Decade

2011-11-16T18:38:00.001-08:00

Why does everyone think that Tim Tebow is such a douche? What has the guy done really except be an uber outspoken Christian? Sure you could fault him for being outspoken. Or a Christian...but is anything that he's saying really that awful...or just annoying? The guy goes to foreign countries and builds houses for poor people. How does that make him a douche? He plays his own style of

The Unknown: Tegan & Sara - The Pro

2011-11-16T18:29:00.001-08:00

There's some sort of adverse reaction I have to live albums. Maybe it's years of buying them and expecting great things...only to listen to them one time and cringe at the thought of ever listening to them again. The only live albums that I have ever really found have repeat listening potential are acoustic albums. Mainly, this is because the songs sound much different than their original

The 11 Best Songs By Sigur Ros

2011-11-15T18:43:00.001-08:00

I don't know what it is about Sigur Ros songs but they are always disappearing off my computer. It's the strangest thing. I've bought all the CDs, so I'm merely burning them into my computer. But for some reason, every couple months when I check in to give them a listen...the complete song files are just missing from the computer. The actual folder is missing as if it has been deleted.

The 11 Best Remixes By Justice

2011-11-10T10:28:00.001-08:00

There's really only one news story that taken over this week and that's the horrid appall of the Penn State football program. It's a story so vile that it wouldn't even be believable in a horror film. But real life is always stranger than fiction. It's a story so disgusting you want to blame anyone and everyone involved in the situation. And I believe that's what happening. What bothers

The 11 Best Songs By Mutemath

2011-11-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm continuing on with my catch-up week with the very underrated Mutemath... This has been a busy week with sex scandals. Between Herman Cain's sexual comments, to Bieber's sexual exploits, to the sheer ugliness of Penn State. I mean how lucky are both Cain and Bieber to have their sex scandals break at the same time as Penn State. You hear what Cain and Justin did and your instant reaction

The Unknown: Middle Brother - Live at the Paradise

2011-11-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

With a slower music week, I decided to go back and hit a couple of releases from the past few weeks I may have missed. First up is Deer Tick's new album out about two weeks ago. When Middle Brother's new album came out a few weeks ago, I did a list for Deer Tick. Now with a new Deer Tick album I figured it's only fair to do a Middle Brother post. With only one album...can't do a best of...so

The 11 Best Songs By Florence + the Machine

2011-11-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

For an artist who only has one official album, Florence has been a busy artist over the past couple of years. She has four special deluxe versions of her album, each with 4 to 12 bonus tracks. She has three full length live concert albums, plus two concert DVDs and a remix album. She has two live EPs and one regular EP. Plus, she has a song on a Twilight soundtrack. That's a more impressive

The 111 Best Hair Metal Songs of All Time

2011-11-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Knowing this genre wasn't the most difficult part of making this list. I know this music better than I know the names of the members of my family. The difficult journey in making this list was figuring out what bands belonged. There are some giants of the metal field that have been obviously excluded. Metallica is too metal. AC/DC was too hard rock. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest didn't

The 11 Best Songs By Lou Reed of the 70s

2011-11-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

For fans of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music...his new collaboration album with metal giants, Metallica, might as well be its mainstream sequel. Lulu seemed like a match made in Bosch's Garden of Delight, where the anticipation was far greater than the actual delivery. But we all knew it was going to be a Monster Truck demolition...we just weren't ready to admit it. That said...is it that

The Unknown: Coldplay - A&B

2011-10-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I was turned onto an article by the AV Club referring to something called the five-album test. It's actually an old music cliche that was originally coined by Sting decades ago. I guess some writer thought he could pass it off as his own, hoping his audience wouldn't know about or have forgotten a 30-year-old theory. Basically the five-album test proves true greatness. It basically poses the

The Unknown: She & Him - Volume II and 1/2

2011-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Recently Zooey put up some videos of herself singing covers of Patsy Cline and other various traditional songs by herself to a webcam...although one featured a cameo by Parks & Rec's Jean Ralphio, check them out here and here. How many singers could do this? Could Lady Gaga in her undershirt, lack of make-up and a guest spot by a supporting cast from Community not only generate some viral buzz

The 11 Best Songs By My Brightest Diamond

2011-10-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

My Brightest Diamond fans always seem to look exactly the same. They're usually all woman. They're tall but not tall enough to play basketball. Skinny. They like wearing felt trench coats and scarfs even when it's still rather warm out. They usually have black hair or black hair with a red streak down the side. And they always wear that stupid little hat that is a cross between a beret and

The 11 Best Songs By Puscifer

2011-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me a review of the newest Jane's Addiction album from the Onion's AV club. They slammed it. They gave it an F. Now, after giving the album a few listens I can verify it's not their greatest effort but it's no F quality. Here was my problem with the review. It sounded like the reviewer listened to the album already expecting to hate it. So then, he looked for things to hate

The 11 Best Songs By M83

2011-10-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

M83 ran into an interesting hurdle with their new epic double-album masterpiece. It leaked. Now, most albums leak these days. There's actually websites out there that keep track of the very instant an album leaks and links to them. When the Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration didn't leak...that was huge news! But not only did M83's new album leak...it leaked two months early. A week or two

The 11 Best Songs By Jane's Addiction

2011-10-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

One of my friends in college, praised Jane's Addiction as the greatest rock band of all time. He said there has never been a band like them and there will never be another like them. When Jane's Addiction broke up in 1992, he said he would never see the band reunite or buy another album if they got back together. To him, Jane's would always be that eclectic spirit that was frozen in time

Free Music Friday: Tokyo Police Club - The Polaroid Album

2011-10-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

I know this is a few weeks old but that doesn't change how much fun the music is. As a promotion for Polaroid, Tokyo Police Club covered 10 songs from the past decade. They covered one pivotal song from each year. And the choices are all over the place from the alternative smash hit The Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World to the indie darling Kim & Jessie by M83 to the tween pop smash hit Party in

The 11 Best Ryan Adams Solo

2011-10-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

Doing any sort of list for Ryan Adams is a complicated mess. The guy has so many different albums it's hard to compile them in any sort of comprehensive list. There's the music he made with the Cardinals, his dozens of B-sides, his unreleased albums and bootleg albums. Since I've done Cardinals albums and posted many unreleased tracks...I thought I'd go back to his solo work since this is the

The 11 Best Radiohead B-Sides

2011-10-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the Detroit Lions are 5-0. For too long, they've been the dirt that everyone complained about at the bottom of the NFL barrel. They were always the fodder on the schedule that gave good teams an extra win to pad their schedule. B-sides are kind of like the Detroit Lions of sports. While you always hope for them to be great, you never really expect them to be any good. But on

The 11 Best Songs By Feist

2011-10-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

At first I wasn't going to do a Feist post today with the new of Steve Jobs passing. But then, considering how Feist's career is so closely tied to the success of one of Jobs' marketing campaigns, I found it's actually rather fitting. I have always been a PC guy. I've never liked working on Macs despite being pressed into using them by all my apple friends. I have an ipod and appletv...so

The 11 Best Songs By DJ Shadow

2011-10-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

There's a new trend going around with rock stars creating their own wines. I think the Grateful Dead might have the been the first out of pure novelty. But Tool's Maynard really took it to the next level by quitting the band to focus on his grapevines full time in the Arizona desert. Once Maynard did it...and did it well, it opened the floodgates. Primus' Les Claypool has his own wine. Kiss

The 11 Best Songs By blink-182

2011-10-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

With the list of nominees up for this year's Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Induction, the irresistible question about a possible Guns N Roses reunion has already sprung up. I've talked about the GNR reunion in the past and although I was a huge fan of the original band...I'm not one who is expecting a reunion. People just want a reunion because it's nostalgic of the band they grew up with. But a

The 11 Best Songs By Mastodon

2011-09-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate the Jewish New Year than with a list by the metal band Mastodon. Five years ago, Mastodon was one of two bands I had stumbled upon that I never thought would try to go mainstream (the other being Fucked Up). It wasn't that I didn't think they would go mainstream...I wasn't sure they could. But early this year, Fucked Up or F'd Up now...found their way onto

The 11 Best Songs By VHS or Beta

2011-09-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

The other day I was trying to compare the choosing of song files (MP3 vs. AAC) to what it was like choosing between VHS and BETA. Back in the 80s, this was an issue that split societies. I remember losing friends because my parents went rogue with the less main stream Betamax, despite it being the higher quality choice. One day I was at a swim party and a friend offered to loan me his copy of

The 11 Best Songs By Wilco of the 00s

2011-09-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

This week the Flaming Lips released a new song to hear online for free. Now this being the Flaming Lips...nothing is what it seems. Now I've always been told, you get what you pay for. So what's the catch? The catch is that the song is 6 hours long. Obviously, my curiosity is high to hear what a six hour song sounds like. But do I want to listen to six hours of the Flaming Lips chaotic

The 11 Best Songs By The Jayhawks

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Jayhawks are the perfect example of the bands we don't know we love until they're gone. I remember when they came out in the 90s. They were a cool filler in between Uncle Tupelo and Archers of Loaf. But they were never the band you stayed tuned to listen for. Though they had a very prosperous 90s...they were always fighting against the trends of garage grunge, adrenaline-charged rap-rock

The 111 Best Songs By R.E.M.

2011-09-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Alternative Trendsetters. Rock N Roll Legends. American Icons. January 1980 - September 2011 Here are the 111 Best Songs By R.E.M.: Country Feedback (Out of Time) These Days (Life's Rich Pageant) Losing My Religion (Out of Time) Harborcoat (Reckoning) Pretty Persuasion (Reckoning) Driver 8 (Fables of Reconstruction) The One I Love (Document) Orange Crush (Green) Talk About the Passion (

The 11 Best Songs By Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

2011-09-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

A recent article stated that most department stores a la Target, Best Buy, Walmart will completely remove CDs from their shelves by 2014. It's crazy to imagine that the entire physical element of the music industry will be gone in less than three years. It will exist in space, in a place between nowhere and our ears. Some will go kicking and screaming...clutching the physical form until their

The 11 Best Songs By Girls

2011-09-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

So here's a little rundown of my Spotify saga.... First, when I went to sign in Spotify told me that it could not connect to the server for an update. Then, I went to the website and they told me to download a new update from the site. So, I downloaded the new update and installed it. It told me that it could not connect to the server for an update. I went back the website they said I

11 Songs By Primus That Suck

2011-09-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Primus sucks! Only a real Primus fan will agree with me. Here are the 11 Best Songs By Primus: 1. Harold of the Rocks (Frizzle Fry) 2. John The Fisherman (Frizzle Fry) 3. Professor Nuterbutter's House of Treats (Tales From The Punchbowl) 4. Making Plans For Nigel (Miscellaneous Debris) 5. Speghetti Western (Frizzle Fry) 6. Fish On (Sailing The Seas of Cheese) 7. Over The Electric

The 11 Best Songs By St. Vincent

2011-09-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Wasn't sure what to talk about...but now I have something. My first issue with Spotify. I signed up for the Premium because I like being able to have this wealth of music on my phone. Even though I have spotty cell service in my car, I found it to be rather handy. Until today. Spotify needs me to update my player. Until I download an update...I can't use Spotify. Here's a big problem...

The Unknown: Sleater-Kinney - BBC Sessions

2011-09-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

With an insane week of new releases...I have no idea where to start or even where to go from here. New albums drop on Tuesday from Das Racist, Ladytron, Mates of State, Blitzen Trapper, Kevin Devine, Girls, Kooks, Lady Antebellum, St. Vincent, Saves The Day...not to mention some classic artists making big returns like Primus, Alice Cooper, Bush, Anthrax, Blondie, and the Human League. The

The 11 Best Songs By Samiam

2011-09-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Punk bands were never supposed to get old. When I was a kid, the whole point of listening to punk rock was to reject the big name dinosaurs making rock music. Those guys in their forties had no idea what they were doing. We listened to punk rock because it was louder, smarter, and better than any of that mainstream shill. Twenty years later, punk bands are not only in their forties, they're

The 11 Best Songs By The Rapture

2011-09-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow starts another NFL season...and better yet another fantasy football season. I have an ongoing argument with a friend whether fantasy football takes away from what football is about or that it makes it better. I believe the latter. I think the fantasy aspect brings fans closer to the sport. It makes us feel like we are a part of it. It's the closest most of us will ever be to

The 11 Best Songs By Lindsey Buckingham

2011-09-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend I watched "Take Me Home Tongiht" and "Gnomeo and Juliet." Both films relied heavily on soundtracks to help keep the audiences entertained. "TMHT" was slathered in 80s hits, strangely Eddie Money's party anthem (for which the movie is named) is not used in the movie. Nothing bothered me more when watching the movie as I was waiting through the entire film for that pivotal moment

Free Music Friday (Saturday Edition): Wilco - The Whole Love

2011-09-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hear the new Wilco album streaming for free. There is a catch. It's for 1 day only!! Stop watching college football and get listening. HERE

The 11 Best Songs By Beirut

2011-09-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

I think great music is like a disease. It's contagious. I hadn't planned on doing a Beirut list. I was leaning toward Tom Morrello...but that meant listening to him sing for a couple hours which I wasn't looking forward to do. A co-worker asked me if I had heard the new song by Beirut. I had heard it months ago...but she started listening to it at her computer. I found myself nodding along

The 11 Best Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs of the 00s

2011-08-31T23:37:00.000-07:00

What interesting about the Chili Peppers that no other band can claim is that they they can replace the guitarist and not effect the overall chemistry of the band. For all intensive purposes, the Chili Peppers are Flea, Anthony and Chad Smith. No band has ever had the same amount of rotating lead guitarists as the Chili Peppers and remained a popular/relevant band. Maybe Fleetwood Mac... But

The Unknown: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Venus (Stadium Disc 3)

2011-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a week now that I've had a chance to digest the new RHCP album. I was a huge fan in the 80s and Blood Sugar Sex Magik years had everyone dancing. But when Navarro joined the band they never recovered. I always gave them a fair listen but nothing ever stuck...except Scar Tissue, which I had no choice but to absorb since it was played about 10 million times the year it came out.

The 11 Best Songs By Lil Wayne (Tha Carter Era)

2011-08-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Last night's MTV Video Music Awards continued its reign in celebrating mediocrity. I feel like a broken record as I continue to argue that MTV was much better when it was ground breaking, rather than too scared to take its feet off the ground. Granted, it wasn't as bad as it had been in year's past. Young The Giant stole the show in my opinion, considering they were the only real rock band

Free Music Friday (Thursday Edition): The Weeknd - Thursday

2011-08-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I like more about the Weeknd...is it the fact that he put out one of my favorite albums of the year so far, creating an entirely new genre with his dark heroine sheik beats and angst-ridden croon? Or, it is because that after his debut album (that he gave away for free) he turned down the massive avalanche of major label proposals to release his second album...a mere 7 months

The 11 Best Songs By Cansei De Ser Sexy

2011-08-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

I recently took a plane trip from LA to Boston and can't believe the overrated service of Virgin Airlines. Everyone raved about the airline. It was an all around better experience. I have to say I was taken in by the sexy music being played when I checked in. Even the plane had a softer atmosphere when I boarded the plane and was pleasantly impressed by the nice new seats. But after the

The 11 Best Solo Songs By Stephen Malkmus

2011-08-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

This past week I took a vacation traveling the New England states on a needed vacation. Besides being my first trip to many of these states and enjoying a "must-see" part of the US, I also tried out my Spotify mobile account for the first time. It was a surreal experience literally having control of hearing any song I wanted at a moment's notice. The possibilities were literally endless. So,

The 11 Best Songs By Warrant

2011-08-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

When it came to hair metal, Warrant seemed to be the butt of many jokes. They were the epitome of the stereo-typical hair metal 80s band. They had the cheesy songs...but they still managed to have the big hits. They had the big hair, the leather, and the hot girl in the video. Their songs were loaded with sexual innuendo and cliches about unrequited love. But despite the rolling of the eyes

The 11 Best Guest Collaborations by Kanye West

2011-08-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Expectations are high when two of the arguably best rappers in the game team up for a collaboration album. If this isn't at least the best hip-hop album of the year, it'll be a disappointment. For years, Kanye has complained about being snubbed for the Grammy of the Year. Right now, there is very little that stands in the way of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Album of the Year. Lady

The 11 Best Songs By Ra Ra Riot

2011-08-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's big news about The Smiths having their songs turned into a comic book, left me with mixed feelings. Of course, every time there is news about the Smiths, it's always a good day...but the more I thought about it, I became a little concerned. I know it's "based" on Smiths lyrics...so are these little short stories or is this going to be an ongoing epic about Super Morrissey: A mild

The 11 Best Music Videos

2011-08-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

Today, MTV turns 30. I spent a lot of years of my life sitting in front of the TV absorbing the mind-numbing awesomeness of MTV in the 80s and 90s when they still showed videos and knew how to have fun. A very surreal moment to see this young hip cultural icon step into middle age. I'm not sure what I'm more troubled by...the fact that MTV is spending the day playing a 16 and Pregnant

The 11 Best Songs By Rogue Wave

2011-07-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple weeks, the internet has been buzzing about Spotify. The new subscription-style music service. Any track, any album, anywhere for only $9.99 a month. It's not such a bad deal...but it also feels too good to be true. What happens when you're signed up, you stop buying music and have converted all your listening focus to Spotify, when suddenly they jack up the price? Do

The 11 Best Songs By Amy Winehouse

2011-07-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure it's more surprising to hear about Amy Winehouse's death...or that it wasn't that surprising. Truly a great talent. An incredible voice. A big loss. Here are the 11 Best Songs by Amy Winehouse: 1. You Know I'm No Good (Back To Black) 2. Tears Dry On Their Own (Back To Black) 3. Rehab (Back To Black) 4. Valerie (Back To Black single/Mark Ronson) 5. Someone To Watch Over Me

Free Music Friday: Newermind - A Tribute To Nirvana

2011-07-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't post for the week since I've been out of town, traveling. I was down in the south for a bachelor party. We went to a hip-hop club that was supposedly the hottest club in town. I personally thought the music was terrible and I may not have been the only one. For the first two hours that we were there, no one danced except the occasional drunk girl looking for her friends as she

Free Music Friday (Thursday Edition): Wugazi - 13 Chambers

2011-07-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

This week while I was at home visiting my parents, they were playing this cutting edge Tango music to try and impress me. My mom was trying to sell me on the album by explaining that these songs were so good they could be played on the radio. I'll always give any music an honest listen, but my mom was so enthusiastic about the tango music, I knew something had to be wrong. I started listening

The 11 Best Songs By Buddy Holly

2011-07-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Been on vacation for the past two weeks...so not as much time to commit to the posting as usual. One catch up I had to do was a Buddy Holly post. With the crazy good new tribute album out, I had to do a list for one rock's trailblazing original stars. Buddy Holly had everything: geek appeal, hooky songs, was poppy enough to be mainstream but edgy enough to push off parents. He had charm

The Unknown: The 11 Best Depeche Mode Bonus Remix Tracks.

2011-07-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last week, Amazon ended its Affliates program for residents in California. This came about from a new law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. In crude terms, the new law put a new tax on retailers who were located in California. Since Amazon had affiliates located in California under the new law that would make Amazon a "California" business and be susceptible to the new tax. Therefore,

The 11 Best Albums of 2011 (so far)

2011-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July. We're halfway through 2011. Here's what's worth listening to so far... Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2011 (so far): 1. Yuck - Yuck (The Wall)2. Bright Eyes - The People's Key3. The Strokes - Angeles4. Jeff the Brotherhood - We Are Champions5. James Blake - James Blake6. Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing7. Foo Fighters - Wasting

The 11 Best Songs of 2011 (so far)

2011-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today, the killer band Gomez gave our humble little blog a shout out on their Facebook page and stirred a frenzy of fans. They argued whether our top eleven list accurately depicted their best songs. The issue shouldn't have been whether our list accurately depicted the band, it should have been could anyone make a list that would accurately depict their catalog. I would argue that it would be

The 11 Best Side Project/Solo albums of 2011 (so far)

2011-06-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

This week another project from the Dispatch family comes out. Chad Urmston under the moniker Chadwick Stokes has a very strong solo release hitting the digital shelves. Dispatch is a very interesting band considering their huge popularity on the east coast...while out on the west coast nobody even knows who they are. It's rare to see a band whose popularity is regulated to a region of the

The 11 Best Debut Albums of 2011 (so far)

2011-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

All these albums are solid and every one of these artists is someone you should keep your eye on. But there's one artist in particular I want to point attention to and that's The Weeknd. An unknown artist who came from nowhere that has taken the blog world by storm with his first mix-tape/album. Here's the kicker...he's giving it away for free. What is original about the debut isn't just the

The 11 Best Songs By Gomez

2011-06-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

If you read this blog you know that I really respect bands who try to evolve rather stay stuck in the same groove over and over. Gomez is one of those bands that’s been evolving from day one. Even on their debut, I remember friends initially discouraged by them because they thought the band was struggling to find their sound. But they weren't struggling at all, their revolving style was their

The 11 Best Songs By Bon Iver

2011-06-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our culture lost two sidemen. Two sidemen that may have been small parts of a bigger machine, but were integral to that machine's distinct existence. First and foremost was the loss of Clarence Clemmons, the infamous sax man from the E Street band. Usually, a sax player is a last second thought and is only thrown into the song to add texture. But Clemmons added more than flavor

GBU: Free Music Fridays - Warm Weather EP

2011-06-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have done a free Friday in awhile. Stumbled upon this EP this week courtesy of I Guess I'm Floating. Have to say I was very impressed. It's light, dancy, and has the perfect summertime vibe. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more from these guys in the very near future. You know that I rarely pitch new bands...so take note. Get Warm Weather - Dances EP - FREE!!

The 11 Best Songs By Sebadoh

2011-06-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

There are some albums that not only define a band’s career, they define an entire genre. When it comes to lo-fi, in my opinion, nothing tops Sebadoh’s Bakesale. Being re-issued this week with another 25 bonus songs, it’s the perfect example of doing more with less. Some people might argue for one of the Doh’s early releases like III or Smash Your Head…even Bubble and Scrape are a better

The 11 Best Songs By Woods

2011-06-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

There’s a gift at being good at being lo-fi. Just because you have a 4-track in your bedroom and a guitar doesn’t mean that you have what it takes. In fact, it’s probably harder to be a good lo-fi artist than it is to be a mainstream pop artist. Yes, you heard that right. In a genre where less is more, there are no bells or whistles to cover up your faults. You have to be good at the most

The 11 Best Guest Spots By Eminem of the 00s

2011-06-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's great to see rock stars who don't take themselves too seriously. This week, the Foo Fighters tour rider was leaked to the internet. For those who don't know, a tour rider gives venues specifics on what artists want in their dressing room when it comes to food and drink...and what accommodations they need for their crew. Nothing too scandalous for the Foos, in fact, their rider makes me

The 11 Best Songs By Fucked Up

2011-06-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Many musicians say their only in bands for the music. Most of them are liars. At the end of the day, most musical artists would love to be atop the charts while driving around in a Ferrari and sleeping in a hot tub with swimsuit models. You know what band really means it when they say it? Fucked Up. It’s not because of their epic twelve hour concerts or their endless supply of 7-inch

The Unknown: Dawes - Daytrotter Sessions

2011-06-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Def Leppard have said that they are considering not releasing albums anymore. That the album format is dead. But I think dead is a harsh term. The album is just hibernating. For the moment, everyone is into singles. The single works better in the digital era. But this week Apple joined the cloud revolution which could change everything all over again. The cloud could create a whole new

The 11 Best Songs By The Arctic Monkeys

2011-06-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

With all the problems in the world this week, it’s no wonder that America focused on one of the most trivial…that of Andrew Weiner. It amuses me how we all act so offended from what he did…but we all have friends who have done this. And we’re still friends with them. What’s possibly the most troubling about this situation isn’t that he did it or that he got caught…but he’s more than likely

The 11 Best Solo Songs By Eddie Vedder

2011-06-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

At lunch today, I was impressed by the music selection in the franchised restaurant where we ate. It was a selection of early 90s rock, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains. I love this music, I grew up on it, but I was impressed how it had been adopted by such a mainstream establishment. It made me think about how back in the 90s eccentric bands were the trend-setting uber-stars.

The 11 Best My Morning Jacket Songs of the 00s

2011-06-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

My Morning Jacket is stepping into the future while recreating the past. Before the internet, MTV, and Twitter, there was an air of mystery about bands. All you knew about them was what came out in their music and what little you could glean from their record jackets. Now you know everything about them, from the time they enter the studio in the morning to the moment they take a bathroom

The 11 Best Death Cab For Cutie Songs of the 00s

2011-05-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

The one harsh reality about illegal downloading is the songwriter really does get screwed. I don't feel bad for the record labels that much. They've ripped off the customers for years and fucked over the artists even more. Labels are nothing more than bully distributors who charge a ridiculously large fee for use of their toll roads. The internet killed the label's monopoly over the rivers

The 11 Best Songs By Pedro The Lion

2011-05-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

This week, the media is pushing the biggest music release of the year…the new Lady Gaga album. Is this the biggest release of the year…or is it the biggest release because the media is calling this the biggest release? Sure, Gaga has stuck like lightning and been everywhere…and sold millions of albums in a dead market. That certainly makes her marketable…but how much of it is based on actual

The 11 Best Songs By She Wants Revenge

2011-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

The last Oprah to women is like the last Seinfeld to men. Both shows had the power to get people to look at their lives in entirely new ways that transformed our lives. Men do like Oprah but watch it to understand or appease the women in their life. Women liked Seinfeld because it helped them figure out what they hell their boyfriends were doing. Oprah inspired people to school and college

The 111 Best Songs By Bob Dylan

2011-05-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 70th birthday, Bob! Thanks for all the great tunes. Here are the 111 Best Songs by Bob Dylan: 1. Hurricane (Desire)2. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)3. My Back Pages (Another Side of Bob Dylan)4. It Ain't Me Babe (Another Side of Bob Dylan)5. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bringing It All Back Home)6. Lay, Lady, Lay (Nashville Skyline)7. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (

The 11 Best Albums by Danger Mouse

2011-05-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

One of the signs that a band or artist is truly unique is if it is impossible to cover their songs and do the material justice. Artists like Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Guns N Roses, even the Beastie Boys have such distinct styles that are so-intricately infused with their personalities that is it virtually impossible for another artist to come along and mirror that

The 11 Best Songs By The Elected

2011-05-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today at work the TV was on behind me. I was loosely listening while doing my real work. I heard a singer come on the TV. It sounded like they were talking about American Idol. But the singer on the TV sounded like a joke...like it was someone spoofing an American Idol singer. And I wasn't the only one in the room thinking that. In fact, it was a finalist for American Idol. It was the