Idolator

Kanye West To Take On Something That May Be A Volcano, Or It May Be An Amusement Park Ride, Or... Yeah, I Dunno Either [Sketches]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Above, a sketch for the stage design of Kanye West's forthcoming tour, which may be called "Ye vs. th[photo cuts off here]." Gil Kaufman at MTV News wondered if the stage design was a portent that the tour would be themed after Joe Vs. The Volcano, but I'm wondering if it isn't going to be some sort of abandoned amusement-park-themed thing, with Kanye walking through a junkyard (metaphor for his emotions!) that's filled with decrepit Space Mountains et al (another metaphor!).

I'm probably overthinking, right? Anyway. If you have a better idea, feel free to toss it out there.

Also I love that this was the entirety of the post in question's title:

THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR MAKING 808'S & HEARTBREAK THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN THE WORLD!!!!! LOVE LOCK DOWN HAS SOLD 1.3 MILLION SO FAR ON ITUNES AND HEARTLESS AND SEE YOU IN MY NIGHTMARES SOLD OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND EACH LAST WEEK. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. THIS IS A NEW FRONTIER FOR ME AND MUSIC. ALL THE MIXED OPINIONS WILL BE OVER BY NEXT SUMMER WHEN I'M CLOSING FESTIVALS AND EVERYONE IS SINGING OKAAAAY ... OKAY. OKAAAAAYEE .. YOU'LL NEVER STOP IT NOW!!!! YOU'LL NEVER STOP IT NOW!!!! OR YOU WORRIED BOUT THE WRONG THINGS , THE WROOONG THIIINGS!!!!

Working with Jon Brion resulted in the strangest things rubbing off.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY ETC ETC [kanYe West: Blog ; HT MTV Newsroom]

The Arcade Fire Allow Their Music To Be Licensed In A Super-Literal Way [Synergies]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST

Pairing "My Body Is A Cage" with clips from The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, the forthcoming David Fincher-directed film in which Brad Pitt plays a man who ages in reverse, was something of a genius idea, if a little bit overly spoilerish as far as giving away the plot of the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald the flick's based on. How this will cause the film to fare among the all-important Arcade Fire Diehard Demographic is, of course, up in the air until Christmas Day's bells toll, but at the very least it should get Brad Pitt some Hype Machine love, which you just know he waas really jonesing for. [YouTube via The Playlist]

Former Idolator head honcho Brian Raftery's ... [Alumni Report]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Former Idolator head honcho Brian Raftery's book on karaoke, Don't Stop Believin': How Karaoke Conquered The World And Changed My Life, is available now—and if you'd like to sample before you buy, the first chapter is online thanks to the scanning elves at Google Books. [brianraftery.com / Google Books]

Viacom, the parent company of MTV, BET, and ... [Layoffs]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:45:00 EST

Viacom, the parent company of MTV, BET, and VH1, is laying off 850 people worldwide today. According to a memo from MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath, MTVN's Stateside division will be "consolidating some groups, centralizing functions and outsourcing others, and aligning our resources across brands and platforms." Also as part of the cuts, the New York office of Rhapsody is closing, resulting in about 25 jobs being chopped. [MediaMemo / Gawker]

Last.fm May Want To Recalibrate Their "Popular Tracks" List Next Year [Year-end Analysis]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

The social-music site Last.fm—which allows users to track the music they listen to on their computers via a process called "scrobbling," and also has full-song streaming capabilities for certain tracks—released its "most listened to" list earlier this week. The artists list was topped by MGMT; the most-listened-to album was Coldplay's Viva La Vida; and perhaps owing directly to the previous two factors, the "best tracks" list had one surprise on it, and that was the fact that Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" snuck in between repeated spins of "Electric Feel," "Viva La Vida," and other MGMT and Coldplay songs.

THE GOOD: I forgot that Foals (No. 7 on artists) existed. I liked that album!
THE BAD: Raise your hands if you thought Does It Offend You, Yeah? would wind up on any year-end lists, even ones that probably overweigh albums that came out early in the year.
THE WHAAA? So yeah, it's kind of hilarious that last.fm chose to do an unweighted track list, because the repeated listens to both Viva and MGMT's Oracular Spectacular were so intense, the top 10 tracks list looks like this: Coldplay-Coldplay-MGMT-MGMT-Coldplay-Coldplay-Katy Perry-Coldplay-Coldplay-MGMT. (Actually, you could probably write some sort of song based around that structure, where "Coldplay" = a verse, "MGMT" = a chorus, and "Katy Perry" = a shrilly annoying bridge.) So how does a writer do up a kinda-boring list in a punchy enough way to make people continually click through its attached gallsticle? After the jump, we put Last.fm's writeups through the text-matrix site Wordle to see just what words stuck in writers' and editors' minds. ("WTF can't people just listen to something else" not included.)

Coldplay:

MGMT:

TRACKS
1. Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
2. Coldplay, "Violet Hill"
3. MGMT, "Time To Pretend"
4. MGMT, "Electric Feel"
5. Coldplay, "Life In Technicolor"
6. Coldplay, "Cemeteries Of London"
7. Katy Perry, "I Kissed A Girl"
8. Coldplay, "42"
9. Coldplay, "Strawberry Swing"
10. MGMT, "Kids"

ALBUMS
1. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
2. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
3. Portishead, Third
4. Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV
5. The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
6. The Kooks, Konk
7. Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs
8. Hot Chip, Made In The Dark
9. Jack Johnson, Sleep Through The Static
10. Sigur Ros, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

ARTISTS
1. MGMT
2. The Ting Tings
3. Sara Bareilles
4. Fleet Foxes
5. Katy Perry
6. The Last Shadow Puppets
7. Foals
8. Bon Iver
9. Does It Offend You, Yeah?
10. Santogold

Best Of 2008 [last.fm]
ColdplayLastFM [Wordle]
MGMTLastFM [Wordle]

Jazmine Sullivan Will Not Be Wronged By You [Listening Station]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:30:00 EST

I'd been meaning to post about Jazmine Sullivan's sinewy breakup lament "Bust Your Windows" since I saw its destructoporn clip on some of MTV's digital-cable outlets a few weeks back; now I have an excuse, thanks to her nabbing five Grammy nominations last night. She was nominated for Best New Artist, and "Bust" got a nod for Best R & B Song; she also got nods for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for the Missy Elliott-produced "Need U Bad"), Best Contemporary R & B Album, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. (Generation-spanning!) The 21-year-old Philly native's Fearless came out back in September, and I especially dig "Bust" because of its simultaneous reveling in breaking stuff and admission that said destruction isn't as cathartic as one might think when one first picks up that crowbar. I know, honey. I know. [MTV / YouTube / MySpace]

The Best Fusion Of A Muppet And A Critically Acclaimed Album From 2007 You Will See All Day [Videodrone]

Maura Johnston — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:53:00 EST

Just make sure you watch it all the way to the end. (Trust me on this.) [simonowens.com via betelnut]

Live-Blogging The 2009 Grammy Nomination Special [Everybody's A Winner]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:55:00 EST

Welcome to Idolator's live-blogging of the inaugural Grammy Nominations Concert, which apparently kicks off the countdown to "music's biggest night." (Wait, I thought music's biggest night was going to be the Presidential inauguration next year?) Anyway, join me, the Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, and John Mayer and B.B. King (oh boy that is going to bring out the crankypantses) after the jump.

8:57 p.m. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is just finishing up. This is an odd night of programming for CBS: Prototype Claymation, then this Grammy thing, then Heidi Klum's boobies via the Victoria's Secret "Fashion" Show. What sort of person would watch all three? A horny 15-year-old with a secret Taylor Swift fetish?

9:00 p.m. Ooh, a perfume ad with Gisele wearing no clothes! I guess if nothing else will keep people tuned in...

9:01 p.m. I am following The Grammys' Twitter feed as well, in hopes that it inadvertently breaks a story.

9:9:01 p.m. Mariah Carey opens with "a holiday classic"... but it's not "All I Want For Christmas Is You"?!?! Perhaps "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" will segue out of it?

9:02 p.m. A shot of the audience reveals... a lot of confused people. Also, why are all the backup dancers wearing fur-trimmed shopping bags?

9:03 p.m. Oh, poor Mariah's voice is all blown out. I guess after, what, 18 years of octave jumping, something had to give. HOW DID THEY NOT DO "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" THOUGH. I MEAN SERIOUSLY. Sorry, that song is too good to be ignored.

9:04 p.m. Ah, here come the sponsor shout-outs! Staples! Nokia! That Grammy museum! When you hear the word "Grammy," you expect great music!

9:05 p.m Taylor and LL are tripping over the TelePrompTer a bit. Uh oh, tonight's apparently going to feature a lot of "classics" being performed.

9:05 p.m. BEST NEW ARTIST! Ne-Yo looks suave as always. The nominees:

9:06 p.m. Wait, what? The Beatles? Oh, OK—it's an intro to the category. Sure. The Grammys would like you to know that they are very pro-Internet! Look, there's even a lingering shot of MySpace Music's "Buy" Button!

OK—BEST NEW ARTIST NOMINEES
Adele
Duffy
The Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

No Katy Perry nomination! Ne-Yo brings the good news!

9:08 p.m. So, I was two-for-five on the Best New Artist nominees. No Leona Lewis nod seems kind of odd, doesn't it?

9:09 p.m. Ha ha, A-Rod. I'm calling the odds that Madonna's name is mentioned during the next 51 minutes at 10-1.

9:10 p.m. Oh man, here comes LL Cool J interviewing the Jonas Brothers. I guess having Taylor Swift chat them up would have been too awkward....

9:11 p.m. LL Cool J on the Jonases' nomination: "Always glad to see some brothers make it." Uh...

9:12 p.m. Celine Dion sings Janis Ian. Seriously, Grammys?

9:12 p.m. Celine has apparently tried to curb her multi-octave tendencies by sticking multiple marbles in her mouth.

9:13 p.m. When she is done singing, Celine is going to ask everyone in the audience to tip their waiters. In French.

9:14 p.m. Seriously, Grammy committee, putting people to sleep was probably not the way to go. Couldn't you have at least had Celine sing some Jethro Tull or something?

9:15 p.m. I'm now imagining the discussions that brought us to this performance. "Well, we really don't want to alienate the NCIS demographic." Is it really a Celine performance if it stays within an eight-note range?

9:16 p.m. Oh, now she's announcing the Album Of The Year nominees!

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Raising Sand
Coldplay, Viva La Vida
Ne-Yo, Year Of The Gentleman
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Radiohead, In Rainbows

9:18 p.m. Lots of surprises tonight already! No Katy? No Leona? No Eagles? I'll sit through Celine for any of that.

9:21 p.m. We're back! And so are the Foo Fighters, who are "updating a '70s classic." That classic is "You're So Vain." How inspired by Faster Pussycat will this version be?

9:22 p.m. Those of you who don't have to listen to this performance for professional reasons should take in this previously referenced, way superior version:

9:24 p.m. OK, so this song is unimpeachable, but this version is odd. Also oddly mixed. Again with the problem of mixing music for television. The guitars sound like they're being amped toward my living room's opposite wall. Why? Shouldn't we be past these sorts of problems?

9:26 p.m. Cut to the Jonas Brothers wondering, in sync, "who are the old guys?"

9:26 p.m. So the whole "performance leading into nominee announcement" thing is a bit awkward, although I guess that's what is making up for the lack of acceptance speechers. It's time for the nominees for Pop Collaboration With Vocals, with a special cameo by that Elton John/Eminem performance of "Stan" and that weird bit where Natalie Cole sang with her dead dad via transdimensional satellite!

POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
Alicia Keys and John Mayer, "Lessons Learned"
Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland, "4 Minutes"
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Rich Woman"
Rihanna and Maroon 5, "If I Never See Your Face Again"
(Grohl just shook his head. Yeah, that song was kind of a stinker, no?)
Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, "No Air"

But wait, there's more! Dave Grohl is hunching into the mic and looking kind of embarrassed!

COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
Brooks & Dunn, "God Must Be Busy"
(Grohl's putting on a twang here.)
Lady Antebellum, "Love Don't Love Here"
Rascal Flatts, "Every Day"
The Steel Drivers, "Blue Side Of The Mountain"
(The twang's getting more pronounced.)
Sugarland, "Stay"

And now he's saying it's an honor to just be nominated. Yeah, tell it to the guy on Top Chef you sent home last week, Dave.

9:30 p.m. OK, so here comes Christina Aguilera singing "(I Love You) Porgy." Again, a bit of a mellow choice. Why am I not drinking a martini?

9:33 p.m. Then again, it's nice to hear her not blowing out her voice to next week for once. She has really great phrasing.

9:34 p.m. Taylor Swift is announcing the Best Rap Duo Or Group performance... after the break!

9:38 p.m. "My co-host wasn't released for another 30 years," LL Cool J says of Taylor Swift.

9:38 p.m. Taylor Swift is singing about collect calls! And giving her ex-Jonas a lot of LOOKS, it seems like.

9:40 p.m. And here comes the segue into her new single! She's the only one who's been able to do this so far, I should point out. The host's prerogative?

9:41 p.m. Last week, she sang this song in a throne; this week, it's on a very well-upholstered stool. And she is singing right into the front row, still. Think a seat-filler's sitting in the seat she is aiming at right now?

9:42 p.m. Oh, this super-white announcer guy just said "the poetry of the street." And now the package has Ashanti in it. Sigh.

9:42 p.m. They "continue to keep it real," like Kanye West and his marching band.

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
Big Boi feat. Raekwon & Andre 3000, "Royal Flush"
(Taylor couldn't pronounce "Raekwon" quite right. Aw.)
T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne, "Swagger Like Us"
Lil Wayne feat. Jay-Z, "Mr Carter"
Ludacris feat. T.I., "Wish You Would"
Young Jeezy feat. Kanye West, "Put On"

9:46 p.m. Aw, poor Usher, relegated to the much higher rated show with the boobs.

9:47 p.m. Not to quibble with my local cable company ad, but I think those transparent phones with the brightly colored innards were more of a late-'80s phenomenon.

9:48 p.m. Taylor Swift: Much taller than Neil Portnow. Will he go off on illegal downloading? No, he's letting you know that all 110 categories are able for perusal at Grammy.com in 12 minutes! Taylor Swift, ever the pro, says she's going to look at the Web site right after the show. On her BlackBerry, no doubt.

9:49 p.m. B.B. King and John Mayer are now letting the good times roll. Can you guess what song they are collaborating on?

9:50 p.m. The Jonas Brothers are authentic blues fans, I bet.

9:52 p.m. Some fierce guitar face going on here.

9:53 p.m. Standing ovation. Of course. And now, the Record Of The Year nominees. Like "Smooth"! Remember that, you guys?

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Adele, "Chasing Pavements"
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
M.I.A., "Paper Planes"
(!!!!!!!!)
Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, "Please Read The Letter"

9:55 p.m. Not that it's ever going to happen, but if "Paper Planes" wins Record Of The Fucking Year, I swear I will never make fun of the Grammys again.

9:59 p.m. Wait, that's it? Only six categories and lots of John Mayer? I'm still sad about there being no "All I Want For Christmas Is You," but oh well. Time to go look at all the nominees!

Um, also?
BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
Brazilian Girls, New York City
Daft Punk, Alive 2007
Cyndi Lauper, Bring Ya To The Brink
Kylie Minogue, X
Moby, Last Night
Robyn

The 2009 Grammy Nominees [Everybody's A Winner]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:52:00 EST

Nominees for the 2009 Grammy Awards, announced Wednesday, Dec. 3:

Lil Wayne topped the nominations with eight, Coldplay garnered seven, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each earned six nods. Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead and Jazmine Sullivan received five each, and Adele, Danger Mouse, Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, George Strait, and T.I. each received four nominations.

BEST NEW ARTIST
Adele
Duffy
The Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Raising Sand
Coldplay, Viva La Vida
Ne-Yo, Year Of The Gentleman
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Radiohead, In Rainbows

BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
Beck, Modern Guilt
Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
Radiohead, In Rainbows

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
Kenny Chesney & George Strait, "Shiftwork"
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, "Killing The Blues"
George Strait & Patty Loveless, "House Of Cash"
Sugarland, Jake Owen, & Little Big Town, "Life In A Northern Town"
Trisha Yearwood & Keith Urban, "Let The Wind Chase You"

BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
Brooks & Dunn, "God Must Be Busy"
Lady Antebellum, "Love Don't Love Here"
Rascal Flatts, "Every Day"
The Steel Drivers, "Blue Side Of The Mountain"
Sugarland, "Stay"

BEST DANCE RECORDING
Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster Stronger"
Hot Chip, "Ready For The Floor"
Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis, "Just Dance"
Madonna, "Give It 2 Me"
Rihanna, "Disturbia"
Sam Sparro, "Black & Gold"

BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
Brazilian Girls, New York City
Daft Punk, Alive 2007
Cyndi Lauper, Bring Ya To The Brink
Kylie Minogue, X
Moby, Last Night
Robyn

BEST HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE
Disturbed, "Inside The Fire"
Judas Priest, "Visions"
The Mars Volta, "Wax Simulacra"
Motley Crue, "Saints Of Los Angeles"
Rob Zombie, "Lords Of Salem"

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
Dragonforce, "Heroes Of Our Time"
Judas Priest, "Nostradamus"
Metallica, "My Apocalypse"
Ministry, "Under My Thumb"
Slipknot, "Psychosocial"

BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
Alicia Keys and John Mayer, "Lessons Learned"
Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland, "4 Minutes"
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Rich Woman"
Rihanna and Maroon 5, "If I Never See Your Face Again"
Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, "No Air"

BEST POP PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Adele, "Chasing Pavements"
Sara Bareilles, "Love Song"
Duffy, "Mercy"
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
Katy Perry, "I Kissed A Girl"
Pink, "So What"

BEST POP PERFORMANCE, MALE
Kid Rock, "All Summer Long"
John Mayer, "Say"
Paul McCartney, "That Was Me"
Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours"
Ne-Yo, "Closer"
James Taylor, "Wichita Lineman"

BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Eagles, "Waiting In The Weeds"
Gnarls Barkle, "Going On"
Maroon 5, "Won't Go Home Without You"
OneRepublic, "Apologize"

BEST RAP ALBUM
Jay-Z, American Gangster
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Lupe Fiasco, The Cool
Nas
T.I., Paper Trail

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
Estelle feat. Kanye West, "American Boy"
Flo Rida feat. T-Pain, "Low"
John Legend feat. Andre 3000, "Green Light"
Lil Wayne feat. T-Pain, "Got Money"
Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos, "Superstar"

BEST R & B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
Boyz II Men, "Ribbon In The Sky"
Anthony David feat. India.Arie, "Words"
Al Green feat. John Legend, "Stay With Me (By The Sea)"
Jennifer Hudson feat. Fantasia, "I'm His Only Woman" b
Raphael Saadiq feat. Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton, "Never Give You Up"

BEST ROCK ALBUM
Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Kid Rock, Rock N Roll Jesus
Kings Of Leon, Only By The Night
Metallica, Death Magnetic
Raconteurs, Consolers Of The Lonely

BEST ROCK SONG
Bruce Springsteen, "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"
Radiohead, "House Of Cards"
Death Cab For Cutie, "I Will Possess Your Heart"
Kings Of Leon, "Sex On Fire"
Coldplay, "Violet Hill"

BEST SOUNDTRACK
American Gangster
August Rush
Juno
Mamma Mia!
Sweeney Todd—The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

BEST SONG FOR A MOTION PICTURE, TV SHOW, OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
"Down To Earth" (Wall-E)
"Ever Ever After" (Enchanted)
"Say" (The Bucket List)
"That's How You Know" (Enchanted)
"Walk Hard" (Walk Hard—The Dewey Cox Story)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Danger Mouse
Nigel Godrich
Johnny Karkazis
Rick Rubin
will.i.am

BEST SHORT-FORM MUSIC VIDEO
Erykah Badu, "Honey"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Alicia Keys & Jack White, "Another Way To Die"
Radiohead, "House Of Cards"
Weezer, "Pork & Beans"

SONG OF THE YEAR
"American Boy," William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle Featuring Kanye West, artist)
"Chasing Pavements," Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele, artist)
"I'm Yours," Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz, artist)
"Love Song," Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles, artist)
"Viva La Vida," Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay, artist)

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Adele, "Chasing Pavements"
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
M.I.A., "Paper Planes"
Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, "Please Read The Letter"

51st Annual Grammy Award nominations [GRAMMY.com]

Britney Spears Fashions Her Own Spectacle [Videodrone]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:45:00 EST

Was it a conscious decision to make "Circus," the title track from Britney Spears' new album, eerily recall "Gimme More" from her blackout-period opus Blackout? Either way, the song's video has enough meta to choke even the most semiotics-loving grad student. There's the "Britney leading a dance troupe down a hall" bit that recalls "...Baby One More Time"; a glittery nude bodysuit not unlike the one she stripped down to during the 2000 Video Music Awards; a shot of her self-branded perfume. Not to mention that the elephant's trunk reminds me of that snake from the next year's VMAs. (I guess she has enough metaphoric snakes plaguing her past few years for that little allusion to be left as not-so-literal.) [YouTube via stopwhispering]

Dr Pepper Continuing To Operate In "All Publicity Is Good Publicity" Mode [They Write Letters]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

So, after all the advance hype which led to disappointing sales numbers which led to people pointing their fingers toward Axl Rose for not promoting Chinese Democracy at all, the blame game surrounding the long-delayed Guns N' Roses album has finally focused in on... Dr Pepper! Yes, the soft-drink pushers, which offered the world a (coupon for a) free sample of its beverage in honor of Chinese Democracy's release date, got into a bit of (uncarbonated) hot water when the Web site it created for the promotion crashed under the stress of all those people who weren't buying Axl's album trying to wring their free soda out of it. Axl's lawyers whipped off a letter saying that the stunt was "a complete fiasco." (I'd think that in the grand scheme of things, the decision to go with the clowns at Best Buy for the exclusive distribution of a piece of recorded music, and not, say, a flat-screen TV, was the biggest fiasco of all, but who asked me, right?) What does Dr Pepper have to say about it?

We are disappointed that Gn’R’s lawyers are turning a fun giveaway into a legal dispute.... We simply commented on the delayed release of Chinese Democracy and openly encouraged the band to release it before the end of the year. Axl even expressed support for our efforts earlier in the year...

This was one of the largest responses we have ever received for a giveaway, and we’re happy we were able to satisfy the thirst of so many Dr Pepper fans. We wish Guns n’ Roses the best with their album.

"We wish Guns n’ Roses the best with their album"? Oh, that is cold. God, I hope that this whole fiasco inspires them to somehow hook up with Taco Bell for some "Who Cares About Music Anyway" value meal. (Just this time, guys, slip the coupons into the newspaper. People do still read them!)

Dr Pepper Responds To Guns N’ Roses Free Soda “Fiasco” Lawsuit [Rolling Stone]

David Lee Roth, Unadorned And Still Waiting For Something To Write On [I Brought My Pencil]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST

A few months back, a vocal-only take of Van Halen's "Runnin' With The Devil" made the Internet rounds, and as you might imagine, listening to David Lee Roth's exclamations and interjections without the counterpoint of Eddie Van Halen's guitar was a surreal experience, one that made you wonder just what sort of karate moves he was contorting himself into in order to hit the perfect "WAUUU!" Well, some nice person has decided to gift the Internet with another vocal-only Roth track—and this time it's "Hot For Teacher," which means that if you ever felt the urge to try and make out the mumbly conversation underneath Roth's between-verses jeering, today is your lucky day. Oh, and if you missed "Runnin'" when it was all the rage, it's after the jump. (Hell, even if you didn't miss it, it's still worth listening to again.)

Class dis-missed!

Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad... [Chunklet via offnotesnotes]
David Lee Roth "Runnin' With The Devil" Vocal Track [YouTube]

Gang Gang Dance's Album Of The Year, As A Matter Of "Fact" [Year-end Analysis]

Michaelangelo Matos — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST

London's Fact Magazine—which runs one of the sharpest-witted, up-to-the-minute music blogs around—has been doling out year-end lists for a few weeks now, the newest of which is its Top 20 albums, preceded in recent weeks by Top 20s of reissues and DJ mixes. These lists are thankfully different than the ones you'll find in the big U.K. mags, which we're thankful for even when their logic escapes us. The albums, reissues, and mixes lists are after the jump, but first, a few impressions.

THE GOOD: Sorry, Fleet Foxes: Fact's got other priorities. The Top 20 albums is the strongest publication list so far this year—nearly all of the titles I've heard on it (Gang Gang Dance, No Age, Zomby, Portishead, Jay Reatard, Flying Lotus, H&LA, 2563, Vampire Weekend, the Bug, Claro Intelecto) are good-to-great by my ears.
THE BAD: That Kelley Polar album (No. 17) is pretty weak sauce, guys.
THE WHAAA? Surely 2008's giant pile-up of African vault finds deserves a heftier representation in the reissues Top 20 than Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou at No. 18? (At the very least, the majordomos at the mag need to give Franco's Francophonic Vol. 1, just out on Sterns, a spin.) And grateful as I am to Fact to linking to that Prins Thomas Resident Advisor podcast (I'd tried to find it to no avail earlier in the year), surely the fact that it was posted October 15, 2007, counts against it as a 2008 mix, shouldn't it?

FACT'S TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2008
1. Gang Gang Dance, Saint Dymphna (Warp)
2. No Age, Nouns (Sub Pop)
3. Zomby, Where Were U in ’92? (Werk)
4. Portishead, Third (Island)
5. Late of the Pier, Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone)
6. Jay Reatard, Matador Singles ’08 (Matador)
7. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
8. Thomas Brinkmann, When Horses Die . . . (Max Ernst)
9. Deerhunter, Microcastle (4AD)
10. Flying Lotus, Los Angeles (Warp)
11. High Places (Thrill Jockey)
12. Hercules and Love Affair (EMI)
13. Ponytail, Ice Cream Social (We*Are*Free)
14. 2563, Aerial (Tectonic)
15. Vampire Weekend (XL)
16. The Bug, London Zoo (Ninja Tune)
17. Kelley Polar, I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling (Environ)
18. Claro Intelecto, Metanarrative (Modern Love)
19. Hush Arbors (Ecstatic Peace)
20. M83, Saturdays = Youth (Mute)

FACT'S TOP 20 REISSUES OF 2008
1. Gas, Nah Und Fern (Kompakt)
2. Arthur Russell, Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika)
3. Aphex Twin, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and Classics (R&S)
4. Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue (Caribou)
5. A Guy Called Gerald, Black Secret Technology (A Guy Called Gerald)
6. Liquid Liquid, Slip In and Out of Phenomenon (Domino)
7. The Prodigy, Experience Expanded: B-Sides and Remixes (XL)
8. Pavement, Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition (Matador)
9. BBC Radiophonic Workshop: A Retrospective (The Grey Area)
10. Robert Wyatt, catalogue (Domino)
11. An England Story: The Culture of the MC in the UK 1984-2004 (Soul Jazz)
12. Pole, 1/2/3 (~scape)
13. Basic Channel, BCD-2 (Basic Channel)
14. Mount Vernon Arts Lab, The Séance at Hobs Lane (Ghost Box)
15. Derrick May, Innovator (R&S)
16. Tubeway Army, Replicas Redux (Beggars Banquet)
17. Philip Glass, Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective (Nonesuch)
18. Gore, Hart Gore and Mean Man’s Dream (Southern Lord/FSS)
19. Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou, The Vodoun Effect 1972-1975: Funk and Sato from Benin’s Obscure Labels (Analog Africa)
20. Shining, In the Kingdom of Kitsch and Grindstone (Rune Grammofon)

FACT'S MIXES OF 2008
01: APPLEBLIM – RINSE APRIL PODCAST (Rinse FM)
02: METRO AREA – FABRIC 43 (Fabric)
03: MARCUS NASTY & MAC 10 – SEPTEMBER RINSE SET (Rinse FM)
04: OPTIMO – SLEEPWALK (Domino)
05: BOK BOK & MANARA – WHAT'S A NICHE? (Mad Decent)
06: ESAU MWANWAYA AND RADIOCLIT ARE... THE VERY BEST (Self-Released)
07: HYPERDUB SHOWCASE (Mary Anne Hobbs Experimental Show, Radio 1)
08: DJ /RUPTURE – UPROOT (The Agriculture)
09: TRIM – SOULFOOD VOLUME 3 (Self-Released)
10: PRINS THOMAS – RA.074 (Resident Advisor)
11: JUSTIN MILLER & JACQUES RENAULT – ANIMAL HOUSE (FACT)
12: GENERATION BASS (Mary Anne Hobbs Experimental Show, Radio 1)
13: CROOKERS – FIVE MINUTE MINI-MIX (Annie Mac's Show, Radio 1)
14: HESSLE AUDIO – FACT MIX (FACT)
15: RITON – THE EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK MIXTAPE (Self-Released)
16: SQUINCY JONES – NINTENDUB (Self-Released)
17: MIKE SIMONETTI – ALBUTEROL MIX (Italians Do It Better)
18: DEETRON – FUSE PRESENTS... (Music Man)
19: JACKMASTER – MIX FOR SINDEN'S SHOW (Kiss FM)
20: GHOST BOX – ADVENTURES IN MODERN MUSIC GUEST MIX (Resonance FM)

Fact Magazine

Three Pieces Of Not-So-Great News [Closings]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:45:00 EST

• The UK-based independent distributor Pinnacle Entertainment, whose distributed labels had a 4.3% market share in 2007 and included One Little Indian and Jeepster, is going into "administration," which is similar to Chapter 11 reorganization on these shores. AIM, the UK's trade body for independent labels, has called an emergency meeting to discuss this development. [Billboard]
• Australian label and distributor Creative Vibes, which was founded in 1994, is closing up shop "because of the recent, drastic drop in the value of the Australian dollar, combined with the spiralling demand for discounts and deals." [Billboard]
• The German vinyl distributor Neuton, which worked with labels like Bpitch Control and Playhouse, reportedly announced that it was insolvent earlier this week. [side-line via TDS]

The Top Five Albums That Are Going To Be Given As Holiday Gifts This Year: An Unscientific Survey [A Who Charted Special Report]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST

Sure, Black Friday was a disappointing day for artists who had new releases out, but a little bit of digging into SoundScan shows that the numbers weren't all bad. Taylor Swift, for example, had quite the banner week; her new album Fearless experienced a rare third-week upswing, one that was so dramatic, she nabbed the No. 2 spot on the chart, ahead of Chinese Democracy—and her old album surged back into the Top 30, too. There were many other artists whose albums' sales tallies improved from the prior week, no doubt thanks to some people out there still being OK with the prospect of holiday shopping. (Not too many, but a few.) After the jump, a look at which albums actually performed well on the first-gift-giving-week's chart, and the family members for whom they're likely being snagged.

1. Taylor Swift, Fearless
THE NUMBERS: Up 23% in its third week on the chart, Fearless sold 267,000 copies during Black Friday week, or about 6,000 more units than Guns N' Roses' much-talked-about Chinese Democracy. And her two-year-old debut album was up 68% week-to-week as well, selling 40,000 copies and coming in at No. 29.
THE GIFTEE: Oh gosh, anyone, really. She's adorable! And her sparkly guitar! OK, maybe those people who want Black Ice will balk at opening this. And so will the Jonas Brothers. But anyone else.

2. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
THE NUMBERS: Up 127% from the previous week, Viva sold 43,000 copies and vaulted to No. 25 (from No. 54). That's no doubt thanks in part to the release of a deluxe edition that tacked on the Prospekt's March EP—which sold 77,000 copies on its own and debuted at No. 15—but one can't overestimate the broad appeal of Chris Martin & Co, and the fact that they're one of the few rock bands left who actually have some sort of wide-spanning celebrity status.
THE GIFTEE: The cool aunt who has everything. (And who probably has this disc already, and will exchange it for a copy of the Killers' Day & Age.)

3. Pink, Funhouse
THE NUMBERS: A 46% increase over the previous week gives Pink a reverse bullet (she slipped from No. 19 to No. 20 on the chart, despite seeing a sales increase of about 19,000 copies); her two performances on the American Music Awards telecast probably helped her show the album's "serious" side to prospective buyers, since she eschewed the bratty "So What" for a wrenching performance of "Sober" and a duet with Sarah McLachlan on the tear-jerker "Angel." (I'm kind of surprised that song isn't available for purchase on iTunes yet, honestly—all the money could go to the ASPCA!)
THE GIFTEE: The awkward cousin who wears PETA t-shirts to family events.

4. Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer; Jonas Brothers; Camp Rock soundtrack
THE NUMBERS: The mop-topped siblings' new effort shot back into the Top 25 (43,000 sold, up 58%); the self-titled debut was up 94% (18,000 sold, No. 65); and the soundtrack to their Disney vehicle—which is just past the platinum mark—shot up 96% (23,000 sold, No. 53).
THE GIFTEE: The 12-year-old niece who seems excitable, but spends all of her time at family gatherings watching Disney On Demand.

5. David Archuleta
THE NUMBERS: Only off by about 300 copies in its third week on the chart (No. 19, 66,000 sold). Sure, David Cook's self-titled album has already lapped his to-date total despite being out for seven fewer days, but c'mon, even I am starting to warm to the newest Osmond, and I could just see many a lady cooing over his just-about-to-sneeze face when they open their gifts.
THE GIFTEE: Your mom. (No, really.)

Say Hello To Pitchfader [Partnerships]

Michaelangelo Matos — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:30:00 EST

Advertising Age reports that Pitchfork and The Fader have joined forces, though the degree to which the former is an "exclusive club" is, as always, tediously overstated. (Pitchfork didn't "consider itself too cool to bother reviewing" Black Kids before setting the hype cycle into overdrive in the first place, let's not forget.) The two are getting together for "an extensive advertising and sponsorship relationship across print, online, festivals, events and unique content exchanges," while keeping their advertising and editorial as is.

Though it's tempting to imagine each mag's editorial would somehow bleed into one another, I kind of doubt that'll happen; their styles, while paralleling each other greatly, are too different to really mesh, and besides, both seem to be doing fine without the other. My question, regaring the piece, is: why is Pitchfork "hipper-than-thou" and The Fader—which places a premium on being FIRST! to an even greater degree, particularly given its ink-and-paper flagship, which is costlier than being a Web site first—is not? Could it be that the writer of the piece has heard of the former, since it's been written about so extensively over the last few years, while The Fader hasn't been? If so, how—what's that word again?—ironic.

Indies Pitchfork and Fader Form Partnership [Advertising Age]

Britney Spears: No, She Can't (Speak To You Without A Chaperone) [Slight Returns]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:45:00 EST

Britney Spears' triumphant comeback lost a little bit more of its romantic luster today, thanks to Rolling Stone publishing an interview with writer Jenny Eliscu where she opens up about how Spears had become much more sheltered between the time the two first met in the summer of 2001—when a chatty Spears walked Eliscu through her then-new Hollywood Hills mansion—and earlier this year, when there were instances where the two people breathed the same airspace, but didn't speak to one another. Eliscu also talks about how Spears' legal status affected her reporting:

You've heard her quote from the documentary Britney: For the Record about how she feels like a prisoner. Did you get that vibe from her?
The thing is, when I met with her, I wasn't looking for that. I had started to feel uncomfortable with all the restrictions, like submitting my questions for approval and not being left alone with her. And whenever I asked who was making these rules, I was told it had to do with the conservatorship. Like most people, I didn't know much about conservatorships or how they're supposed to work. Of course, the funny coincidence is that the most famous conservatorship in recent years isn't even Britney's: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were being run by a government conservatorship. And we see how brilliantly that turned out.

Anyway, I had done some preliminary research into it, but I was not yet aware how hard Britney had tried to fight it initially and why. As my research progressed, it started to become clear to me that this might not be something that should still be in place. Because it is designed, ideally, to protect people who are seriously ill. We're talking about people who are non compus mentis, according to the lawyers I consulted. Or they're in a vegetative state. Or they're just so old that they can't take care of themselves anymore. But Britney? It was making less and less sense as time went on.

So, as I say, it wasn't until after my last meeting with her that I realized how far beyond the scope of my interview this level of control extended into all facets of her life. And so, unfortunately, I wasn't, like, checking to see if she blinked out an S.O.S. code or whatever. But in hindsight, I did have a new understanding of the quote of hers at the end of the story, which is the last thing she said to me, in the context of being interviewed. She was describing this song she wrote about artistic expression and masquerade — pretending to be other people and putting on shows. And she says, "Through this, you create your world." The song is about a girl who likes to live in a world of make-believe, and she's got all these people trying to come into her world that she didn't invite in. It's pretty telling. When you think about it, Britney Spears is an artist — a pop artist, in the truest sense — and sometimes artists do crazy things. I'm not sure why Britney isn't allowed to act out in the ways that we normally consider acceptable from artists. And we're guilty too because we created this Britney Spears character and we won't let her change.

Eliscu goes on to note that one of the reasons Spears is under lock and key is because of "political pressure to keep Britney off the streets," what with the paparazzi around Los Angeles organizing themselves into mini-militias any time she tries to head out to rehearsal. And given that she's been betrayed by many people she's let into her life (oh, hi, K-Fed), the impulses behind protecting her from the unknown probably come from a place that isn't totally motivated by having her hold on to her fortune. But either way, the curious, sheltered state that Spears finds herself in while she's still pretty much the biggest pop star in the world certainly puts the line "my loneliness is killing me" in a new light as well.

Behind the Britney Story: A conversation with writer Jenny Eliscu [RS]

The Grammy Nominations Are Coming: Can You Feel The Excitement? [Everybody's A Winner]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST

Tonight, the Grammys try to stoke some excitement for their February broadcast—and the record industry in general—with an hour-long nomination special featuring Taylor Swift, John Mayer, the Foo Fighters (above), and Christina Aguilera, among others. We'll be right here at 9 p.m. ET—right before the Victoria's Secret Cross-Promotional Chance To Show Cleavage In Prime Time—to liveblog the whole affair, and to switch the channel to Top Chef as soon as possible once everything's over. To whet your appetite for this year's festivities, and to stoke a little argument, I've placed a few predictions regarding the big categories after the jump. (Warning: Lots of Coldplay ahead!)

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love": Because it sounds like something Whitney would have recorded back in the day, or something Mariah should have put on E=MC². Plus, it was completely inescapable.
~~Alicia Keys, "No One": Even I am unable to resist that "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh" breakdown at the end.~~ So, thanks to this song being relegated to the R & B categories last year, I forgot that it had already been nominated. But can we say that "Like You'll Never See Me Again" will take its place? Yes? OK.
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida": The closest thing to a U2 song this year can rustle up. Plus, that iTunes ad was so pretty!
Katy Perry, "I Kissed A Girl": Typing this pains me on every level. But it'll probably get at least one nod thanks to its running-everyone-over success.
Lil Wayne, "A Milli": Ha ha, just kidding. But wouldn't a big old medley with everyone who ever laid down a verse over the track really shake up this year's ceremony?

SONG OF THE YEAR
Alicia Keys, ~~"No One"~~ "Like You'll Never See Me Again": She's an artist, you know.
Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love": If this song doesn't get nominated in both "big song" categories, I will be shocked.
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida": The closest thing to a U2 song this year can rustle up.
Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours": A slow-burn hit by a singer-songwriter? Sure, why not.
Yael Naim, "New Soul": Yeah, I know—an iTunes one-hit wonder who will probably be a punchline on Best 2008 Ever soon enough. But I have a weird feeling about this one.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Coldplay, Viva La Vida: The obvious choice, and the likely winner. Hope Chris Martin has his extra hand-Sharpies ready!
Radiohead, In Rainbows / The Eagles, Long Road Out Of Eden: Two rock heavyweights, two big retail stories of last autumn (don't forget how Billboard changed its rules on single-store exclusives in the wake of Eden's success). Paired because probably only one of them will get a nod. (And it'll probably be the damn Eagles.)
Alicia Keys, As I Am: She should get points off for that awful bit of James Bond-branded yelling her and Jack White tried to pass off as a song earlier this year, but alas.
Ne-Yo, Year Of The Gentleman: I'm totally showing my cards here, because I love this album, but I really do think that its maturity and top-notch songwriting will fare well with voters. And don't underestimate the fact that it actually hung in there, sales-wise.
Metallica, Death Magnetic: This album seems to be showing up on lots of year-end "best-of" lists by people who don't specialize in writing about metal, which would seem to be something of a leading indicator, no? Plus, everyone loves a good "we're sorry" story.

BEST NEW ARTIST
Duffy: We've been over this already.
Leona Lewis: The last gasp of the old model.
Adele: A dark horse, sure, but the overwhelming response to her Saturday Night Live appearance a few months back makes me wonder if her overall presence doesn't get a lot of people right in the gut. (19 is actually quite good.)
Estelle: Shine is actually her second album, but technicalities like that never seemed to matter to Grammy voters before. Plus, Shine is kind of awesome.
Santogold: As Dan noted, her self-titled album is becoming the 2008 equivalent of Play, for better or worse. And having friends in the business certainly can't help her getting at least a nod.

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Radiohead, In Rainbows: Well, duh.
Kind of pointless to list the other nominees, because there's no way this doesn't win this category, right? Unless there's a sudden groundswell for Gnarls Barkley, although I'd think that they'll probably get tossed a lot of music-video related love instead:

(Pity the song doesn't really go anywhere, eh?)

51st Grammy Awards [CBS.com]

Cobra Starship Are Everywhere That You Go [Videodrone]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST

In the wake of my continual pondering over whether or not Chinese Democracy is the Snakes On A Plane of music in 2008—in that its endless discussion on the Internet far outweighed its commercial success, although then again Snakes didn't have the whole issue of a not-all-that-excited retail outlet to further block its path toward profitability—here's the new video by Cobra Starship, whose theme song for the Samuel L. Jackson-and-pythons flick can still Velcro itself to my cranium now and again. "Kiss My Sass" is a little herky-jerky slice of synth pop with lots of attitude (and a cute video to match), and I swear if someone marketed this song to bloggers under a different name it would shoot up the Hype Machine like that. [MySpace via AbsolutePunk]

Coldplay's Status As "That iTunes Band" Remains Unchallenged [Year-end Analysis]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Yesterday the iTunes Store released its year-end lists, and while its "best of" lists are somewhat intriguing (the albums rundown is topped by Raphael Saadiq, while the "Best Songs" list has both Motley Crue's "Saints Of Los Angeles" and Hercules & Love Affair's "Blind" in its top 10), it's the sales charts, of course, that allow us to place our collective finger somewhere near the pulse of those people who buy albums from the comfort of their cubicles/drunken late-night outings. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Coldplay's Viva La Vida—which was promoted heavily by an ad for the iTunes Store—is the top-selling album of the year. Top 50 is after the jump, but first, a few impressions.

THE GOOD: I don't know why, but there's something hilarious about Disturbed's Indestructible (No. 28) being nestled between Paramore and the soundtrack for Sex And The City.
THE BAD: The overall MOR-ness of the chart—Leona, Amy, Duffy, Colbie, even Counting Crows all the way down at No. 43—shouldn't be all that surprising, although I did raise my eyebrows at the notion that enough people bought the OneRepublic album that it landed in the top 10. I know digital sales are a fraction of overall album sales even now, but really? Is the power of Timbaland's "ay"-ing that profound?
THE WHAAA? For all its power as a singles-sales force, there sure were a lot of soundtracks that flew off iTunes' virtual shelves—10 in the top 50 alone, including the Juno soundtrack, which placed third overall. Also in the upper reaches of the year-end chart: The Across The Universe soundtrack, probably because it brought together Bono and Evan Rachel Wood; and the unkillable Alvin & The Chipmunks soundtrack (No. 24—right ahead of Duffy!). Although if you click through you'll see that its most popular track by a far, far margin is whatever version of "The Christmas Song" has been included on the disc. For some reason, this comforts me a lot.

1. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
2. Jack Johnson, Sleep Through The Static
3. Juno soundtrack
4. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
5. Sara Bareilles, Little Voice
6. Once soundtrack
7. Jason Mraz, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things
8. OneRepublic, Dreaming Out Loud
9. Across The Universe soundtrack
10. Leona Lewis, Spirit
11. Metallica, Death Magnetic
12. Radiohead, In Rainbows
13. Taylor Swift, Fearless
14. Mamma Mia! soundtrack
15. T.I., Paper Trail
16. Amy Winehouse, Back To Black
17. Vampire Weekend
18. Taylor Swift
19. Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs
20. Camp Rock soundtrack
21. Madonna, Hard Candy
22. Colbie Caillat, Coco
23. Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
24. Alvin And The Chipmunks soundtrack
25. Duffy, Rockferry
26. Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer
27. Carrie Underwood, Carnival Ride
28. Paramore, Riot!
29. Disturbed, Indestructible
30. Sex And The City soundtrack
31. Katy Perry, One Of The Boys
32. Alicia Keys, As I Am
33. Adele, 19
34. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
35. Daughtry
36. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
37. Lupe Fiasco, The Cool
38. Eddie Vedder, Into The Wild
39. M.I.A., Kala
40. Mariah Carey, E=MC²
41. John Mayer, Where The Light Is
42. Jonas Brothers
43. Counting Crows, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
44. 3 Doors Down
45. Bob Marley, Legend
46. Led Zeppelin, Mothership
47. Weezer
48. Miley Cyrus, Breakout
49. August Rush soundtrack
50. P.S. I Love You soundtrack

2008 [iTunes]

Two of the executives involved in Terra Firma's ... [The Biz]

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST

Two of the executives involved in Terra Firma's acquisition of EMI have left the company, and there are rumblings about further downsizing at the littlest major label; the £2.6 billion ($3.88 billion) loan that the private equity firm took out to help bail EMI out was underwritten by Citibank, and thanks to the whole bailout, that loan—which, apparently, Terra Firma was scrambling to make a payment on back in September—is now overseen by the U.S. Government. [Variety]

Odetta Holmes, R.I.P. [Obituaries]

Lucas Jensen — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

Odetta, famed African-American folk singer, songwriter, actress, and activist, passed away in New York City at the age of 77 last night. Beloved by everyone from Maya Angelou to Bob Dylan to Martin Luther King, Jr. Born in Birmingham and raised in Los Angeles, she began her career in musicals before heading up to San Francisco and falling in with the folk crowd, mixing it up with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. She was signed to Vanguard Records, which was home to darn-near everybody who was anybody in the folk scene at the time. It's important to keep in mind that "folk music" of that time was more than just people singing sad songs on acoustic guitars. It was more of a movement than a sound, and it tied directly into the social movements of the time, of which Odetta was an active participant. It was also more than a little non-white, led by artists like Harry Belafonte and Odetta. In fact, MLK himself called Odetta the "The Queen of American Folk Music."

Odetta did some acting, too, and some funkier stuff in the late '60s and early '70s (see above). She continued touring until, well, until just a few months ago, when her health finally kept her off the road for good. She was even slated to perform at Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony! She received the National Medal of Arts, she was a Kennedy Center honoree, and Congress bestowed its Living Legend Award on her.

On a personal note, after reading various obits of Odetta, I hate that I only came to Odetta's music recently, and, then only as an indie rock dilettante who discovered her through Stephen Merritt's^* work with her on The 6ths' Hyacinths and Thistles. I bought a few Odetta records at yard sales and such over the years, and I've found them to be surprisingly stirring affairs, with her rich, deep voice working through traditionals in a manner that's downright odd to someone not used to her delivery. She jumps completely inside these songs and finds their hidden peaks and valleys. It's jarring at first for someone whose conception of folk music is strummy acoustic guitar sing-a-longs a la Peter, Paul, and Mary; ultimately, it's never less than fascinating and almost always completely engrossing. I'll make sure to rectify my lack of Odetta knowledge post-haste.

Odetta Holmes dies at 77; folk singer championed black history, civil rights [LA Times]

^* Does his work with Odetta give him any anti-racist points?