At first I was impressed by how well the two meshed, but then I thought about it and I really think the Roots could join up with anyone and make it sound great. What I really want to hear though is a Q-Tip and the Roots collaboration album.
"Galapagos"
The most underrated soft song that Corgan ever wrote. It seems kinda cheesy in it's progression, but damn if it doesn't hit the spot every time.
How can anyone call Aha Shake Heartbreak near hookless? Have you actually listened to it? It's about as hook laden as any alt-rock band can get while still being a rock album.
I will admit to being a complete Kings Of Leon fan (Their first three album are on par with the Strokes first three in my mind). I will admit they've slipped quite a bit on the last couple records, but if the new record is a lot like this then I will be very pleased.
I'm a big proponent of listening to the audio however it takes, but really committing to spending the money I save through things like Spotify and pirating on concert tickets, merch, and records. I will admit I've never paid for a Bright Eyes album, but I've gone to two of their concerts. In the end I figure more money goes to the artist for touring and things like that so it's better off that way, and like I said before, there is no way I can afford (now and likely ever) to pay for every single thing I want to hear.
As far as how to buy an album if you want maximum profit for the band, I saw an article in the Village Voice about how the band makes about 80% of a album purchase at a merch stand at a show, only about 20% if you buy on something like iTunes and even mp3s from the band website (obviously excluding things like bandcamp), and it's split about 50/50 if you buy the album from a store.
To summarize: I am a terrible person who justifies his pirating and Spotify-ing by going to shows and buying some records when I feel too encumbered by my wallet.
I don't think anyone has a problem with the organization bringing attention to it, I think the issue is the way they went about it. If they had left it at something like "We hope Timberlake will use this as an opportunity to get involved in the organization" or "We recognize the incidental nature of the name confusion but we would appreciate if Timberlake could find a way to avoid overshadowing our organization and cause," then people would likely be more sympathetic to their reaction.
However acting like it's ridiculous that somehow someone hasn't heard of your organization and offhandedly mentioning that you got your legal department involved and bringing up "permission" don't really give off a feeling that they are understanding and it comes off as unnecessarily aggressive.
I agree about hoping they get some good publicity, but frankly I'm uncomfortable with an organization that stands for something so upright getting money through a lawsuit about a song title. It's the kind of business tactics that make me feel that people put goals above being good humans to each other.
However if JT want's to donate the money out of a sincere apology (settling out of court don't count), then I'm all for it. I think we can all agree that he is most likely anti-sexual assault so he'll try to do some good, as most people would.
As much as I'll admit it isn't the best model from the musician standpoint, I will say it is damn useful.
Sure I have my own mp3 files on my computer, but do you understand the insane amount of music they have on Spotify? I mean, I own all of Arcade Fire's stuff so no need to have a program for that, but what if I want to listen to really obscure motown music, or random small indie stuff that doesn't stream and I've never heard so I don't just want to buy right off the bat? What if I don't make enough money to buy all the music I want to hear and I'm not comfortable pirating all of it (not saying I never do)? I have a pretty eclectic taste and I don't ever stop discovering something new I like; there's just no way I can have an ipod that has everything I'm going to want to listen to. It basically fills in for radio since I'll never hear something like Savages or Deafheaven on there.
The live version/video version of the song is in my opinion much more fun than the albums cuts. It shortens Trying To Be Cool into a quick pop injection and takes the crazy awesome breakdown of Drakkar Noir so you don't have to feel awkward blasting a guy singing "jingle jungle, jingle junkie, juggle juggle me."
I don't know if Tom is telling the truth, or if his quest to have K-pop catch on in the Stereogum community would push him far enough to lie about controversial lyrics.
Why the fuck does google matter? Don't give me that "some one might find it" shit. Who was randomly googling "Take Back the Night" without having the organization in mind? Yeah the issues the organization are taking on are important, but people never using the phrase "Take Back the Night" isn't in any way showing respect. It's a fucking saying that's been around for ages.
And people should put thought into shit? Really? Get off your damn high horse. Maybe some people don't have every damn thing in mind when they're writing a song because, you know, it's their prerogative to write a song and not to make everyone in the world happy. What's hilarious is that he didn't do anything actually controversial are harmful to someone. He just named a fucking song.
There are dozens of songs with the exact same title. Are we allowed to tell Timberlake he can't use the title or phrase because he's more famous? That seems like a ridiculous restriction.
Lastly, many charities and organizations use big songs as themes or famous lyrics as mission statements. If anything I would think this is a good opportunity for the organization to gain some exposure.
I had never heard of the organization before it was mentioned by stereogum a few day ago, but I have however hear the phrase "take back the night" before in plenty of pop culture.
I really don't expect him to change the hook of the song because there is an organization of the same name, and it's certainly possible, if not probable, that he didn't hear about the organization until long after writing and working on the track. That's just being way too PC.
I had a very relevant experience last night.
A group of girls next to me at the concert exemplified the issue I have with the smart phones at concerts. During Wilco one of them said "Try to get a picture of me with Wilco on stage while I'm wearing my Wilco shirt. The full Wilco experience!"
What?
The full Wilco experience if fucking hearing and seeing the band play, not having your back turned and annoying people with your cameraphone light in the middle of a set.
But Dan Deacon also has organized a dance party in a parking garage when his festival slot got rained out.
Dan Deacon can do a lot of things that most bands can't get away with.
There was actually a really good article by Joel Stein in Time magazine a little while ago about how much more narcissistic and self-focused people of the younger generation are and how it most likely stems from the growth of social media (and other things like coddling kids too much).
The article does attempt to show a positive spin in the end, but the stats were very clear in showing that people are right to view some of today's youth as having serious issues understanding their role in a bigger society and so on.
The analogy of comparing Gen X to the millenials is flawed because you compare tattoos and piercings (visual aspect of personality) to overindulgence in social media (emotional, social aspect of personality). Also, many of the older fold who knock the younger generation are using social media these days! It's not some completely foreign entity that scares them.
I will say that I'm not a fan of the stereotype Gen X attitude either, but it doesn't, in any way, validate the younger generations mindset.
Some 6'2" dick head thought it necessary to bring his cannon camera and go to the front only to stand, arms lifted, taking pictures the whole show, but then had the nerve to tell me to stop bumping into him.
Twas very upsetting as I like to think I was born to dance.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqeqovRiUT1r1draco1_500.gif
I'll admit that "drunk guy forcing moshing" is annoying, however I wouldn't mind if people made a little more room for dancing. Not aggressive pushing that intrudes physically on people's space, just actual movement as apposed to the jumping in spot and arm gestures that seem to be the only allowed form of physical enjoyment.
Especially if it's a god damn Toro y Moi concert. Who the fuck can resist dancing to Say That or So Many Details?
I certainly agree that it's nice to have a couple shots, no matter how shitty, to remember the show (especially because many of my friends won't remember due to certain substances).
However the amount of time many people spend on phones at concerts is ridiculous and I am fully on board with an artist just yelling at the crowd to cut that shit out. As someone who thinks too many people go to shows for the whole "social event" aspect of it more than the music, I think that it's a fine step in reminding people to try to enjoy concerts for the reason that concerts exist; music.
I thought the same thing, but I don't think that Youtube needs the money and I don't think that it's entirely necessary for JT to have the video on youtube. He gets plenty on top of plenty of publicity.
I came in really wanting to love it and I actually agree with Raptor for the most part. The tracks he names are also my favorites for the same reasons, although I really like "Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit" because Jay actually puts some oomph behind it and shows off some of his best flow on the album.
I also have to give him props for doing a decent take on trap/drill in "Tom Ford", and the hook is catchy, but lyrically it's weak. After I read along with a lot of the lyrics I realized that the whole album is basically hit-or-miss but the hits lyrically kinda fall flat in the style/flow departement. One of the biggest issues to me was that, like raptor said, the guests often outshine Jay, but also that in most of the songs Jay really can't get out in front of the production, despite the fact that I can tell that Timberland took it back a little in some songs just to accommodate Jay. This album has some tracks that I will for sure have in my best of hip hop 2013 mix, but as an album it falls short for me.
I personally feel like Lose Yourself to Dance by Daft Punk should be on here, as well as the Trying to Be Cool/Drakkar Noir mix that Phoenix used for the recent video.
What about my comment makes it seem like I've never listened to her other stuff? Obviously I "know" more than 212 otherwise I couldn't say that I don't like the stuff other than 212.
I'm all for defending an artist you admire, but you didn't really do much to make me want to reconsider my position.
Also, Best female rapper in a decade? I admit she can rap, but that's quite a stretch for someone who doesn't even have a proper album out.
I'll admit she can rap, but I don't really care for her lyrics and her music doesn't appeal to me in the least bit. Other than 212 I really don't know what people see in her.
When I first saw the commercial for this album my immediate reaction was, "Damn, that sounds like a pretty great Jay album."
Now that the initial excitement has worn off, and I've had to sit and contemplate the whole Samsung thing and how he'll probably only rap about his current interests (kid, wife, president, basketball, being a mogul), I'm considerably less excited and really will only download the album because I'll get it for free.
I still feel like the production could be great though.
I have no problem with people claiming Citizen Kane is the greatest movie ever made (I might not say that personally but I certainly understand it).
I agree with that more than Revolver being the greatest album ever made.
Out of interest I want to know what movie you would put at #1.
Also, only one album for The Who and Led Zeppelin each? Especially with Four fucking Beatles albums? I mean yeah they're the Beatles, but no way they have 4 in the top 100 without even including Sg. Pep.
But the most angering exclusion for me is The Strokes "Is This It."
I might be alone here, but since the first time I heard it, I've always considered it one of the greatest albums ever.
Here are some rules that I think should be used when creating a list like this:
1. Forget the numbering. These are already completely subjective so it's never going to be "right" to everyone, and numbering them all just makes it worse.
2. Force a quota for era's. Obviously we will see much more older albums on these lists because the albums are "classics" and great albums are like Supreme Court justices, they're there for life. But we have to acknowledge that there actually has been great albums made in the last 10-20 years. It's hard to put recent albums over, say, Sg. Pep., but if the author comes in with a requirement of minimum 5 albums from the last 10 years, it makes it easier to justify.
3. Limit one album pure band/artist. Obviously people will always put 3-4 Beatles albums on these lists (personally I think only 2 are actually deserving). How about just putting one, but having acknowledgements for other albums by the artist. Sure this might not lead to a true Top 100, but I think it allows for better diversity.
I really disagree. I thought Soft Will was a great venture out of the indie/garage rock sound a lot of people were hoping for. It certainly owes more to the classic rock bands (seems to have a good deal of influence from the '70's) than any of the current indie rockers. If anything they deviated from the indie sound that got them buzz in the first place and, like Tom said, they really seemed to have made an album that they wanted to make.
Plus 3am Spiritual is just about one of the tastiest cuts that I've heard this year.
As much as I don't want bands like the Strokes to release music similar to their old stuff just to please fans, I do really, really want to get more songs as awesome as Soma and The Modern Age.
I'm pretty sure he told BBC that he's already got like 10 songs written for the next album and it's based on the vibes of Channel Oranges closer "Golden Girl."
If Mac Demarco's album hadn't come out so long ago I would certainly have pushed for a song off of it. It's just a great summer album with the simplicity, great vibes from the production, and melodies all over the place.
I'm all for people accepting pop music, since enjoyment and entertainment are certainly main reasons people listen to music, but that doesn't mean I will be saying that Call Me Maybe and Since U Been Gone are great songs.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I would listen to JT over The National (Although I wouldn't mind debate who put out the better new album since they were both great).
I do agree with everything else though.
Comments