II. The Lolla-epic

Lollapalooza was a fantastically well-executed event. Every show went on right when it was scheduled to go, and that is all that you can ask for at a music festival. Combined with adequate facilities and reasonable prices, what could have been a hellish couple of days in Grant Park was made into a truly great weekend.

Those that bought single tickets were more than likely in attendance on Friday. Like 80,000 others, I had been waiting to see Radiohead perform live for three hours (on top of a decade prior to that), and the show did not fail to disappoint. All in all, the show was superb. All of In Rainbows was played, and at least one song was played off of each album except for Pablo Honey, a perfect compendium of 12 plus years of fantastic work.

I. Oh, the beauty of Lollapalooza

For three days, an eclectic, modest bunch of 80,000 festival-goers crowded Grant Park, Chicago, if only to catch a glimpse of themselves participating in what boils down (in the August heat) to 39 hours of pure, unadulterated madness. I myself was thoroughly prepared for this festival after 8 hours in a car, a few minor bumps in the road (no, we can’t go back and look for the tickets; we’re in Des Moines), a fantastic night in Wrigleyville at the behest of our gracious hosts, and a fat Giordano’s stuffed pizza (highly recommended by Barely Legal).

Because of aforementioned technical difficulties, I was unable to hear either Rogue Wave or Yeasayer, both of which I had intended to review. Yeasayer, I am sure, kicked ass, but to be fair I heard their set from across the street, behind a fence, standing in the Box Office line, etc. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. All Hours Cymbals was a very good indie album from this past year, so, yeah. It was a bit of a disappointment that I missed out. To make myself feel better, I will give them an arbitrary rating of 20. This is sort of like a Pitchfork rating, except more meaningful.  (follow the link for much more Lolla coverage)

My Question: Does the concept of an essential album still exist?

Music transformed thanks to technology. Nothing is more obvious in the modern state of the art, where MySpace pages, word-of-blog hype, and the virtually unavoidable album leak become the central ways we hear new music. It ain’t perfect, but it works.

The industry has to change. This much we know. Recently, we’ve seen iTunes exclusives, strains of viral marketing, and pay-what-you-will downloads take the place of more traditional pitch-and-push revenue streams. While the availability of new music really needs a music fan to stop and think a moment, moments that aren’t allowed since the Hold Steady record leaks today and the Oneida will leak sometime tomorrow (etc. etc.), my question is, is this detrimental to the art of studio albums and formal recording?

New Girl Talk.

Pick your price.  www.illegalart.net 

Buy This. Buy This Right Now.

A joyous affair.

\”Gobbledigook,\” Sigur Ros

Tha Carter III.

Lil’ Wayne

Tha Carter III

Cash Money Records

Rating: 7.5

If you’re a mixtape fiend who has hunted down every Lil’ Wayne release, official or non, memorized its content, and burned it for your friends over and over, Lil’ Wayne’s much anticipated studio album Tha Carter III will likely leave you disappointed. While some of the fire from the mixtapes does surface up on the album (“A Milli”, “You Ain’t Got Nuthin’ on Me”), the overall feel for The Carter III resembles a more calculated, pop-centered approach from Mr. Carter.

When Wayne started boasting that he was “The Best Rapper Alive,” the pundits came out of the woodwork to diagnose why that wasn’t true. Sure, the flow and the lyrical prowess on mixtapes such as Da Drought 3 and the DJ Drama-produced Dedication 2 were jaw-droppingly impress, but could Lil’ Wayne actually make songs, complete with hooks and structure that the mixtapes don’t have? After having listened to The Carter III several times, I think Wayne will silence those critics, but that won’t necessarily please his fans.

Evil Urges.

My Morning Jacket

Evil Urges

ATO Records

Rating: 7.7

From the first spin of “Evil Urges” to the last prog-drenched seconds of “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream pt. 2,” it becomes clear that Evil Urges is a mixed bag of My Morning Jacket’s latest studio work, spanning Prince-induced funk (“Highly Suspicious”), straightforward southern rock ‘n’ roll (“I’m Amazed”), rootsy soul (“Sec Walkin”, “Look at You”), and full-scale synthetic freakouts (the previously mentioned “Touch Me…pt. 2). While I don’t find Evil Urges to have the continuity and consistency of their two most previous good releases, Z and It Still Moves, Evil Urges still exhibits some new highs for the band, even if some treacherous lows are discovered in this “creative leap” of a record.

New Sigur Ros streaming…

At SigurRos.com.  They have a little widget that you’re supposed to embed on blogs, but I’m having trouble with it, as the code appears to be messed up/doesn’t quite click with WordPress.  Perhaps this statement can be interpreted as a reflection of my own technical limitations…but whatever.  Free streaming music, and I’ve heard it’s pretty good.

A Few Notes on the New Coldplay Record.

Let me preface this entry by saying this: I was wholly and completely bored by X&Y.  I thought it was a thoroughly disappointing record where Coldplay, fronted by the overrated Chris Martin, employed an “arena-rock” attitude to a song-writing that style that lends itself to simple, elemental rock and roll.

I just heard the new record today, and it’s another different-but-kinda-the-same affair–and I mean that in the best way possible.

Like I mentioned a few characters ago, Chris Martin remains to be one of the most overrated musicians of this generation.  I’ve never been one to read too much into the lyrics, but Chris Martin delivers some lyrical clunkers that confound even the most casual music fan (see: “Shoot the apple off my head”).

I like the new record, and it’s because of the other elements of Coldplay, the bandmembers who have been under-appreciated since their formation.

Mr. Martin is the principal songwriter, and, for what it’s worth, he fronts a band that sells millions of records.  Viva La Vida, while remaining true to the Coldplay form, embodies a great reason for those who had written the band off to hop back on the bandwagon.

Coldplay probably won’t get the credit they deserve for this record due to the humongous print ads in prominent media and their all-too-U2 TV ads, but this is a good record.

It’s still no…

Evil Urges.

Media Page Updated

Ah, the sweet smell of upcoming summer releases…I’ve heard a few of them and, for the most part, they are pretty swell.

I’m gonna get back into album-review mode sometime next week and I will size up a few records, like:

My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges out 6/10

Lil’ Wayne, Tha Carter III out 6/10

Apparently you can add audio now too (YEAH WORDPRESS!) so here’s some music for you to ponder as you wait for our site to be updated!

Pavement, \”Stereo\”