There’s been a fair amount of bitching and moaning about the omission of several categories from the Grammy repertoire, and heavies like Jesse Jackson (what the fuck does he have to do with music?) and Carlos Santana (what the f…oh, never mind) have made their grievances known. Hey, has anyone noticed that they cut categories from ALL genres of music? Even pop categories are missing. The best pop collaboration category has been jettisoned, and as with Rock and R&B, the […]
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Popblerd’s Grammy Preview & Predictions 2012: R&B Categories
Who’s going to win big in the R&B categories at the Grammys this year? Have Chris Brown & R. Kelly officially redeemed themselves?
Spin Cycle Plus!: The Staff Poptificates On Van Halen’s “A Different Kind Of Truth”
Mike D.: Some time ago – probably after Bob Dylan released Time Out of Mind – it became common for music pundits to slap their foreheads and declare that, you know, the newest album by a major pop/rock act previously viewed as past their prime actually isn’t so bad. Koomdogg: After a month of previews and slow reveals, Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth is finally out. Jay: Considering it’s been 14 years since their last album (and that album was VH III, which […]
New Release Report 2/7/11: Van Halen, McCartney? What Year Is It?
Now, this is what I’m talking about. It’s less than a week until the Grammys, Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and I’m getting ready for my first legitimate trip to a record store to buy new music in 2012. Lots of stuff happening this week, boys and girls, so rev your engines and let’s get started. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for all of 2012 so far, you are well aware that A Different Kind of Truth, […]
Popblerd’s Grammy Preview & Predictions 2012: Rock Categories
Hey y’all! The same way that some consider the Academy Awards the Super Bowl for non-sports fans, the Grammy Awards is like the Super Bowl for a certain strain of music fan. Of course, I’m a football fan, so it’s kinda like having the Super Bowl a week after the Super Bowl…and it’s very likely that this year, Madonna will be at both. I won’t go into specifics about the history of the Grammy Awards. You all have Wikipedia for […]
From the Diamond to Developer: The Story of Curt Schilling’s Passion for Gaming
The man with the blood-soaked “red sock,” Curt Schilling , is a hero to many a Boston sports fan. Under the mentoring and friendship of Terry Francona, Schilling went on to set records and helped to win two World Series championships within his four years with the team. What most people don’t know about Curt, however, is that he’s an avid gamer. While he was on the road, he would constantly obsess over a 1980’s board game entitled Advanced Squad Leader . He also became […]
Who The Hell Are…If These Trees Could Talk?
It’s been some time since we’ve heard new music from Akron, Ohio’s post-rockers If These Trees Could Talk (their last album was released in 2009). Fans of heavy distortion, well-woven melodies, and layers of sound can rejoice knowing that the band has announced plans to release a new album, “Red Forest,” on March 20th. “Red Forest” was treated with a major sense of DIY, as it was entirely self-produced over the last calendar year. CD and digital download versions of the album will […]
The Singles Bar: I Come To Shanghai’s “In Your Own Way”
Nostalgia is in. With bands like M83 and The Radio Dept. dusting off many a drum machine and synthesizer, it’s fair to say that a reverence for the past is common building block for most modern bands. Music, in a way, is like your favorite cocktail. You stick with what you know, but it’s the twist that sets itself apart. That’s not to say that this Athens, Georgia-based duo sounds anachronistic by any standards. Conversely, I Come To Shanghai has the penchant for implementing the “blips” and […]
The Viewfinder: Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
I don’t mean to sound so blase about Madonna. I mean, I like the woman’s music. However, I can also say that Madonna hasn’t made an all-out great album since 1994. Euro-dance is generally not my thing, so the whole Ray of Light/Music/American Life/Confessions run, to me, added up to maybe 12 great songs and a bunch of crap. Hard Candy was alternately OK (Justin/Timbaland) and awful (Pharrell), and the two new songs on the Celebration compilation sounded like exactly […]
The Singles Bar: “Black Gold” by Esperanza Spalding
How stunned were you when Esperanza Spalding took home the Best New Artist Grammy last year? Not that I was expecting Justin Bieber to win (not only did he not deserve it, but teen pop singers never win Grammys unless they are ridiculously talented along the lines of Christina Aguilera), but I thought Drake had a chance. Spalding was the last name on my mind. Anyhow, the bass-playing musician got a sizable jump in popularity (as well as some serious […]
The Popblerd Staff Predicts Super Bowl XLVI
While our greatest strength as a pop culture website is on the music side, we know a little bit about sports too. If you followed my 10 Yard Fight column over the football season, you know that I’m a fan of the San Francisco 49ers and that I’m still feeling heartbreak warfare over my 49ers losing in the NFC Championship to the New York Giants. Those Giants face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on the biggest sports day in all of the […]
Blerd Appreciation: Don Cornelius
We’ve gotta stop and give props to one of the most influential men in pop and soul music history-Don Cornelius.