As you may or may not know, writing for Popblerd is merely what I do during the day; at night, I dive headfirst into the glamorous world of karaoke, where I make my money congenially badgering people into singing in front of strangers. (I also do the “Cupid Shuffle”, like, a lot. It’s a dance comprised of four simple steps, which really speaks to my whiteness dancing abilities.) But the simple fact remains that, while karaoke has gained a lot [...]
Election Day Special: The Popblerd Staff Releases Its College Records
Trump wants to see Obama’s college records? We’ll show him ours…
Spin Cycle: Sinch’s “Hive Mind”
After taking a long break, Philadelphia’s Sinch is back with a new album. Check out our review!
bLISTerd: The 100 Best Albums of the ’90s: The Top Ten!!
Pearl Jam has two albums in the Top 10, but do they lay claim to the #1 spot on our list of the ’90s best albums?
Pass the Popcorn: Pearl Jam Twenty
Rock documentaries can be a bit of a tightrope act for filmmakers. On one side of the line are the diehard fans, the ones who have followed the band for years and obsessively researched every last detail about their favorite musicians. On the other are the casual fans and general audiences that may barely know the subject at all. It can be hard to cater to both sides, and often directors have to choose who they want to favor: do [...]
Spin Cycle: Pearl Jam’s “Pearl Jam Twenty”
Comprehensive and wildly varied, it is nevertheless important to note that the Cameron Crowe-helmed soundtrack to his Pearl Jam documentary is not a catch-all for the casual fan, or even a career-spanning bid to win new converts. Indeed, Cameron Crowe has been an avowed Pearl Jam fan since jump street, and his soundtrack (and, presumably, his film) reflects this – the two-disc Pearl Jam Twenty has far less in common with their proper hits compilation Rearviewmirror than with their stellar b-sides record [...]
New Release Report 9/20/11: Tony’s Still Got It
Well, guess what, folks. We’re headed into the infamous 4th quarter: a place where the releases get bigger and brighter. Although there’s nothing coming out that really turns my crank, there are certainly a few records that will catch the attention of others—quite possibly you! So let’s move on and investigate. Last week would have marked Amy Winehouse’s 28th birthday. Her final recording-of the standard “Body & Soul”-can be found on Tony Bennett’s latest album, Duets II. This follow-up to [...]
bLISTerd: Mike D.’s Best Reissues of 2011 – In with the Old
With 2011 slightly more than half over, I’m realizing that I’ve probably bought more music in those seven months than I did in all of 2010. And I bought a lot. (Seriously, does anyone have more shelves? I need them badly.) But while I’ve enjoyed a lot of new music this year (Lady Gaga and The Cars immediately spring to mind), I’ve got to give it up for the fine folks working to provide great reissues and box [...]
Spin Cycle: Eddie Vedder’s “Ukulele Songs”
Every once in awhile artists need a change and go off and do something completely different. Bruce Springsteen put out a record of Scotch-Irish sounding Pete Seeger songs. The Black Keys teamed up with a bunch of hip hop artists to produce the oddly cool Blakroc . Some of these are more successful than others and some are just weird (anyone remember when Tom Waits and Kool Keith were on a record together?). Luckily, Eddie Vedder’s latest obsession is the ukulele. Vedder’s new solo album titled, appropriately enough, Ukulele Songs is his [...]
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