I was in New York City last week for work, and though my hotel room was surprisingly spacious for midtown Manhattan, the wi-fi was neither free nor reliable. I had the beginnings of at least one post, but trying to work with a stubbornly intermittent signal proved extremely frustrating, ultimately preventing completion of further research and editing.Being away from home base also meant no TiVo...
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With the movie Precious now playing in theaters, synapses in my brain triggered memories of Depeche Mode's 2005 song by the same name. Written by Martin Gore (who has penned the vast majority of the band's songs), "Precious" was the first single from Playing The Angel, and addressed the impact his then-recent divorce had on his three kids (sample lyric: "I pray you learn to trust / Have faith i...
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Despite containing two youth-culture slang words that drive me absolutely bonkers ("hella" and "boo," for anyone who cares to keep count), I otherwise can't resist "Hot Mess" by Cobra Starship (or space-snake captain Gabe Saporta, for that matter).The title track from the band's third LP serves as the follow-up to their #7 hit "Good Girls Go Bad," which sported a vocal (and visual) assist from ...
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Have yet to see Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, whose reviews have been universally good (many ecstatically so), but am very aware of the need to be emotionally prepared for the experience (thanks Oprah!). The film, about an illiterate, obese teen who suffers unimaginable physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by her parents, reportedly pulled in $1.8 million this weekend in lim...
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With a strong distaste for trance, it's no understatement to say that my tolerance for Tiësto has been tested over the years. But collaborations with female vocalists Nicola Hitchcock of Mandalay ("In My Memory") and Suzanne Palmer ("643/Love's On Fire") in the early 2000s helped soften his typically hyperkinetic productions, making them so much more palatable to me.More than half of the Dutch ..
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Having released his sophomore album Heartbreak On Vinyl nearly a month ago, American Idol Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis is now out with the second single from the set, the title track.The "Heartbreak On Vinyl" video premiered on the New York Post's PopWrap yesterday, with Lewis saying he was inspired to write the song after the Virgin Megastore he frequented in New York City was shuttered. As ...
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If you've ever wondered what Don Draper might listen to on his hi-fi, wonder no more. Last week, AMC and Verve Records launched the Mad Men Character AM Radio Playlists, available exclusively via iTunes.These five-song playlists were inspired by seven popular characters on the Emmy-winning drama: Don Draper, Betty Draper, Peggy Olson, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Joan Harris, and Salvatore Ro...
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While the throngs of screaming tweens made my concert experience less comfortable on Tuesday night, there's no denying the talent of Kelly Clarkson. The show had somewhat of a weird flow, but the huge highlight came toward the end, when Clarkson delivered her take-no-prisoners cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."I haven't been able to track down that evening's performance (seems I c...
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"Beautiful People," taken from the Pet Shop Boys' Yes, was released in Germany as an exclusive third single a few weeks ago (at the request of the band's label there, EMI Germany).But you don't need to "sprechen sie deutsch" to purchase the single via the Pet Shop Boys' official shop, which includes the song's original demo, the non-album B-side "Fugitive," plus the Tom Stephan mix of "Up And D...
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After spending 12 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, the Kings Of Leon's "Use Somebody" has dropped down to #13. The song peaked at #4 on the list in early September and is the band's biggest hit to date, hitting the top spot on the Pop Songs/Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40, Alternative Songs, and Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) charts.So now that Kings Of Leon has enjoyed a spec...
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Hold onto your headphones, Sir or Madam, because this Sunday's cover will surely shake your nerves and rattle your brain.I really have to thank John Mayer at the outset, since it was through an article the musician wrote for Esquire magazine that I was turned on to Teitur. Back in September 2004, Mayer was touting Teitur Lassen's unjustly ignored major-label debut, Poetry & Aeroplanes, which ha...
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Did you know today is National Boss Day (or Boss's Day, or Bosses Day)? Whichever moniker you prefer, my workload is preventing me from being terribly clever today, so please pardon me for taking Route Obvious: Let's flashback to a little something from Bruce Springsteen (because people call him, er, well you know).Now the Springsteen tunes I do like are few and far between, and some have a lon...
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After several weeks of auditions, we're edging ever closer to finding out which dancers will comprise the Top 20 for the sixth season of So You Think You Can Dance. The grueling Las Vegas tryouts are admittedly my favorite part of the competition, leaving me wishing we could see more (last night's episode seemed especially truncated, with so few solos featured).Of course, I've got a few favorit...
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It took a late-night fluke for me to finally hear the White Rabbits' "Percussion Gun," out since May. After staying up on Sunday evening to write about the premiere of the new Michael Jackson tune, I went to bed around 1:30 am. But just as I was about to doze off, a propulsive tune coming out of the clock radio grabbed my ears.I thought for sure it was Spoon, but Shazam set the record straight,...
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As promised, the previously unreleased Michael Jackson song, "This Is It," taken from the much-anticipated concert film of the same name, premiered at midnight EST.Based on the title alone (well, that and all the stories I've read of how committed Jackson was to pulling out all the stops for his comeback tour), I was expecting a more forceful statement of purpose, something grander. Instead, "T...
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A little over a week ago, the Pixies kicked off their European mini-tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Doolittle, their second studio album. The band's seminal 1989 release resulted in huge exposure ("Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone To Heaven" were both top five Billboard Modern Rock hits), and today Doolittle regularly secures a slot on many "Best Albums Ever" tallies.Having visite...
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Well, if Edwyn Collins has his way, you can have the song that made him a one-hit wonder gratis.The Scottish singer-songwriter was in the news last week after it was reported that MySpace had prohibited him from streaming "A Girl Like You" on his artist page. Warner Music Group claims it owns the copyright, though during Collins' career, he's made a point of refusing to relinquish rights to mos...
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One of the founding members of trip-hop group Sneaker Pimps, these days Chris Comer is consumed with IAMX, a musical alter-ego he calls his "subversive little kingdom." Birthed in Berlin, the music of IAMX is a mix of dark electro and industrial, the likes of which doesn't get much mainstream exposure around these parts.Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction, IAMX's third album, features a first--a duet ...
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Fresh off her well-deserved Emmy win as Best Supporting Actress for Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth appeared on Fox's Glee on Wednesday. The diminutive actress/singer was a total delight, going all-in as a washed-up glee-club star wooed back to help the high school team (conveniently her character hadn't graduated).The episode, of course, gave Chenoweth a perfect showcase for her Broadway-ho...
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I was reminded of Babyface's "When Can I See You" while perusing the "From the Vault" piece at the back of the current issue of Rolling Stone, a song I hadn't heard in years."When Can I See You" reached #4 on September 10, 1994, stalking the top 3 from that same position for five weeks straight. As a writer-producer, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds delivered hits for other artists, but while some of...
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