We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of MTV all month on Popblerd! Did you check out our list of the Top 50 videos of the ’80s ? While the ’80s marked the genesis of the music video revolution, the ’90s found videos in full flower. It was almost a prerequisite that any song released as a single had a video to accompany it (seriously–name one hit song from the Nineties that didn’t have a video). By the Nineties, music had changed as well. While MTV stuck to […]
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Spin Cycle: America’s “Back Pages”
Really, the concept of an artist, established or otherwise, churning out a covers record pretty much amounts to: “because I can, that’s why.” America is no exception – fourteen albums in, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley clearly have acoustic-flecked, reedy-voiced, lite-rock MOR compositions to spare. Still, Back Pages pays tribute to songwriters both old and young – it’s twelve cover songs, essentially, and if the concept of twelve cover songs by America either excites or repulses you, well, there’s your review […]
Aging Hip Replacement–Nostalgia Acts?
Is U2 nostalgia rock? Good question right? I’m going to see the band tonight (along with what seems like everyone I went to college with) so it begs the question, is U2 nostalgia rock? Are they The Rolling Stones? I think I can wonder this in my own column, it suits the parameters of what I write about. In my mind there are several types of nostalgia rock acts. There’s The Stones and Aerosmith. You know, bands that continue to […]
Spin Cycle: “Fly From Here” by Yes
It’s true, I’m a prog rock fan. I love the sound of a mellotron in the morning and love to hear talk of synthesizer filters and 12 string guitars. I’m bound to listen to anything combining the words rock, jazz, fusion, symphonic, epic, concept or progressive in any combination or order. That being said I know that I’m an odd fan of the genre. Most followers can’t get enough of Yes and Rush. They form the base of everything progressive […]
New Release Report 7/5/11: Banging the Doldrums
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Well, if you’re looking for a record-release bonanza to follow your gluttonous intake of grilled goods yesterday…you might want to look elsewhere. The release schedule for July 5th is incredibly light. I suppose everyone’s taking a break at the midway point of the year. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, right? If anyone has anything to say about the fact that I quoted Fall Out Boy in the title of today’s column, the comments area is below. At any rate, this […]
Spin Cycle: Big Sean’s “Finally Famous”
Seven years after The College Dropout, the specter of Kanye West’s opus looms large over the rap landscape. He’s put out better albums in the intervening years – arguably, his stunning sophomore set Late Registration – but Dropout was the game-changer. Never has Kanye’s notorious inward focus been quite as breezy and flippant, nor his boasts as tempered with something like genuine humility; and if Late Registration is a big-budget, melodramatic epic, Dropout was the winning indie comedy from a […]
Moonlighting: Michaels on Michael (Popdose Podcast Extra)
Get four supreme music nerds to do a podcast, and how long do you think they’re gonna talk? Well, when I, fellow PBs Mike Duquette and Dr. Gonzo (Zack Stiegler) got together with Popdose’s Michael Parr for an in-depth discussion about the life and music of Michael Jackson, we emerged dazed and sweaty over three hours later. My condition would be exacerbated by a case of food poisoning just a couple short hours after the podcast wrapped, but that’s another story. Our delightful conversation touched on […]
Award Show Sundays Special: The 2011 BET Awards Live Blog
It’s been a minute since we live-blogged an awards show around these parts. I gave some consideration to doing some commentary on the Billboard Music Awards, but got pulled into another direction-a move that turned out to be a wise one (since all of the clips I saw from the show and all of the commentary I saw on social media was lukewarm.) I have a love-hate relationship with the BET Awards (to say nothing of my largely HATE relationship […]
The Blerd & Gonzo Cover Convo: “Girlfriend” (MJ Edition)
Gonzo: So last time, you alluded to your selections for our next cover convo, and I’ve been waiting with curious anticipation ever since. Blerd: Well, we just finished up a lengthy conversation that was primarily about the King of Pop, so we’re gonna continue in that vein. Although neither version of this song is ESPECIALLY well-known, we’re gonna go with the reasonably popular version first-which, in this case, is the cover. G: Ah yes. B: one of the more incidental […]
Spin Cycle: Bad Meets Evil’s “Hell: The Sequel”
There’s something poetic about seeing musical legend come to fruition, like the moment we actually finally heard Brian Wilson’s SMiLE, or perhaps when The Band That Used To Be Guns N’ Roses dropped Chinese Democracy… okay, perhaps seeing musical legend come to fruition is occasionally underwhelming. After all, a wait that long serves no other purpose than to whet the appetite. Fortunately, while estranged ex-BFFs Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ were famously rhyme partners before infighting necessitated their breakup, the duo, […]