When I was younger, hearing a band exhibiting a throwback sound always instigated a feeling of disgust. I was instantly appalled by the incredible lack of creativity that the band was ripping off someone else's sound instead of creating their own. I preferred completely unique and original bands like Guns N Roses and Depeche Mode.
It wasn't until I was older that I realized that Axl Rose was just trying to be Rob Halford and Slash was merely mimicking Brian May. While David Gahan and Martin Gore were trying their best to do their Roxy Music meets Kraftwerk impression.
Now, I get it. There is nothing truly original. So, when a band employs a quality throwback sound. I think I enjoy it a lot more than someone trying to sound different...just to sound original.
Here are the 11 Best Songs By N*E*R*D:
1. Run To The Sun (In Serach Of...)
2. You Know What (Seeing Sounds)
3. Lapdance (In Search Of...)
4. Tape You (In Search Of...)
5. Laugh About It (Seeing Sounds)
6. Maybe (Fly or Die)
7. Things Are Getting Better (In Search Of...)
8. Drill Sargaent (Fly or Die)
9. Rock Star (In Search Of...)
10. Sooner or Later (Seeing Sounds)
11. Stay Together (In Seatch Of...)
Buy N*E*R*D's new album, Nothing....now!! (only $4.99)
Showing posts with label N*E*R*D. Show all posts
Showing posts with label N*E*R*D. Show all posts
Friday, November 05, 2010
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (89-99)
Here are the the 111 Best Albums of the 00s (89-99):
89. Missy Elliott - Under Construction (2004)
- Her 4th album was by far her best...not that the others are too shabby. She may easily be the best female rapper of her day...if not of all time. This is her at the peak of her game.
90. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
- Adams' first solo album is actually a fairly tame start to the massive amount of music he would unleash on the public in the decade to come.
91. Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
- Is it folk, it punk, is it indie, is it alternative, is it chamber music? Chan Marshall's massive seductive voice finds its groove on her 5th and best release, setting the stage for a steady impact of other stellar releases in the years to come.
92. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)
- A blast of 80s retro energy, Silent Alarm was a reminder of how much fun alternative music could be. Even Ferris Bueller would have taken the day off to listen to this. (This Modern Love)
93. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
- The 00s were littered with hip-hop artists testing the genre of what the boundaries were. The Roots had been pushing those boundaries for years...but on this release, they merged some heavy rock groves giving birth to one of the funkiest albums of the decade. (Complexity)
94. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)
- This album was a like a rocket on the club scene, reminding the world what it was like to dance to actual music instead of mind-numbing pulsating electronic dial tones. The white boy dance movement was born on this puppy. (Tribulations)
95. N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2002)
- Now there are two versions of this album. The regular old hip-hop version with computerized beats...and the awesomely 70s throwback version with a full band. I'm referring to the latter. It sounded like something Stevie Wonder would have jammed on with the Jackson 5 had they shared a dorm room in college...had they gone to college. (Run To The Sun)
96. Sigur Ros - Takk... (2005)
- A rich rebound from their second more mellow release. It was giant leap forward in songwriting style, crafting epic musical pieces over plain old pop songs. They also proved that you didn't need to sing in English to captivate an American audience...or that Bjork was the only talented one out of Iceland.
97. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
- It had been a good ten years since some sounded as dark, depressed and moody as Interpol sounded on their debut. Ironically, the brooding din was a bright spot in the otherwise morbid landscape of alternative nu metal.
98. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)
- The band debuted in the Billboard top 10 with this year's addition. An unheard of achievement for an indie rock band. And the album doesn't disappoint. It's like the band is breathing fresh life into their music on this glowing release. At times it sounds like they managed to harness the sound of the wilderness into a harmony. It only grows more interesting with every listen.
99. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)
- Emo music was behind the 8-ball from the start. You can thank Dashboard Confessional for that. But if more of the releases sounded like JEW's refined pop brillance, the genre would have been much more tolerable. Instead, in its wake, we got Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. (A Praise Chorus)
Buy these albums now...Best of the 2000s.
89. Missy Elliott - Under Construction (2004)
- Her 4th album was by far her best...not that the others are too shabby. She may easily be the best female rapper of her day...if not of all time. This is her at the peak of her game.
90. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
- Adams' first solo album is actually a fairly tame start to the massive amount of music he would unleash on the public in the decade to come.
91. Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
- Is it folk, it punk, is it indie, is it alternative, is it chamber music? Chan Marshall's massive seductive voice finds its groove on her 5th and best release, setting the stage for a steady impact of other stellar releases in the years to come.
92. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)
- A blast of 80s retro energy, Silent Alarm was a reminder of how much fun alternative music could be. Even Ferris Bueller would have taken the day off to listen to this. (This Modern Love)
93. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
- The 00s were littered with hip-hop artists testing the genre of what the boundaries were. The Roots had been pushing those boundaries for years...but on this release, they merged some heavy rock groves giving birth to one of the funkiest albums of the decade. (Complexity)
94. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)
- This album was a like a rocket on the club scene, reminding the world what it was like to dance to actual music instead of mind-numbing pulsating electronic dial tones. The white boy dance movement was born on this puppy. (Tribulations)
95. N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2002)
- Now there are two versions of this album. The regular old hip-hop version with computerized beats...and the awesomely 70s throwback version with a full band. I'm referring to the latter. It sounded like something Stevie Wonder would have jammed on with the Jackson 5 had they shared a dorm room in college...had they gone to college. (Run To The Sun)
96. Sigur Ros - Takk... (2005)
- A rich rebound from their second more mellow release. It was giant leap forward in songwriting style, crafting epic musical pieces over plain old pop songs. They also proved that you didn't need to sing in English to captivate an American audience...or that Bjork was the only talented one out of Iceland.
97. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
- It had been a good ten years since some sounded as dark, depressed and moody as Interpol sounded on their debut. Ironically, the brooding din was a bright spot in the otherwise morbid landscape of alternative nu metal.
98. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)
- The band debuted in the Billboard top 10 with this year's addition. An unheard of achievement for an indie rock band. And the album doesn't disappoint. It's like the band is breathing fresh life into their music on this glowing release. At times it sounds like they managed to harness the sound of the wilderness into a harmony. It only grows more interesting with every listen.
99. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)
- Emo music was behind the 8-ball from the start. You can thank Dashboard Confessional for that. But if more of the releases sounded like JEW's refined pop brillance, the genre would have been much more tolerable. Instead, in its wake, we got Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. (A Praise Chorus)
Buy these albums now...Best of the 2000s.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The 11 Best N*E*R*D Songs
Today I spent two hours in the car because of a car accident on the 405. In my new car, I have XM radio. I spent two hours switching channels, looking for a good song, for the entire trip. Even with over 200 channels at my disposal, I struggled to find something to listen to. And ironically, the best music I found was on the regular FM stations. XM is supposed to be the next evolution in radio...but sounds like it's a giant step backward. It's impossible to tell the theme of some stations...the metal station is playing Green Day...the alternative station is playing Tom Petty...and the 80s station was playing Nirvana.
Having this many stations is like going a giant buffet where your favorite dishes are always empty...and you stand around waiting for the server to come and refill the trays. And usually, by the time the server finally shows up...you're not hungry anymore.
Satellite radio is a novel concept but it's completely different than satellite TV. We watch TV when we want to...we decide when we want to watch the shows. We don't decide when to listen to radio...90% of the time, it's randomly when we are in the car. When you have computer decide what songs to play based on demographics, you get a playlist without and cohesiveness. And just because we have more crap to listen to...doesn't make the music sound any better.
The 11 Best N*E*R*D Songs:
1. Run To the Sun (In Search Of...)
2. Stay Together (In Search Of...)
3. Jump (Fly or Die)
4. Rock Star (In Search Of...)
5. Tape You (In Search Of...)
6. Lapdance (In Search Of...)
7. Drill Sergeant (Fly or Die)
8. Fly or Die (Fly or Die)
9. Things Are Getting Better (In Search Of...)
10. Loser (Clones)
11. Maybe (Fly or Die)
Buy N*E*R*D's new album, Seeing Things.
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