Tag: Top Releases

One Brick In the Wall For The Tour

Posted by Kat – April 12, 2010

If you grew up with parents who loved Pink Floyd like I did, or you were a fan yourself but never got to see the epic album “The Wall” while they were originally doing their tour, you can at least get a little bit of the experience all over again, as Roger Waters has announced the official tour dates for his 2010 to 2011 “The Wall” tour. This tour of North America will consist of 36 separate dates and will begin on September 15th in Vancouver, wrapping up in Anaheim on December 13th of 2011. You’re talking a full 16 month-long tour of an album from 1979 that was only performed 31 separate times. Pink Floyd had their ’80 to ’81 tour that was limited in London, New York, Los Angeles, and West Germany, and then in 1990 Waters held an all-star concert to commemorate ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This isn’t the first time Waters has been running through the old repertoire, as it were. In 2007 and 2008, he was playing all of “The Dark Side of the Moon” for his concert (and I hear that album syncs up remarkably well with The Wizard of Oz, too. That would be a concert!) and now will take on “The Wall.” Eventually, it’s going to Europe after North America, but there are no details just yet on how that will happen. As for the concert itself, fans won’t be disappointed. The show will be modern and using all the best tech, with a wall 35 feet high and 240 feet wide that will be constructed and then torn down through the performance. There are expected to be a great deal of props and special effects, too. At 2 PM Eastern Time today, you can expect the website to have been relaunched with information on ticket sales, but I’m sure they’re gonna go fast.

Just how quickly do I think they’ll be out of tickets? Well, look at the album itself. You’re talking an album that spent 15 weeks on top of the charts and was 23 times platinum, as well as winning a Grammy. Mix that with some of the most haunting music and catchy lyrics (“We don’t need no education”) and you’ve got the recipe for a cultural phenomenon.

Raymond v. Bieber?

Posted by Kat – April 7, 2010

While it took two years to really get the album out and to the public, Usher’s “Raymond v Raymond” album has hit the markets and has proven to be just as exciting and as wanted by the fans as we all hoped. The album, which features hits like “Lil Freak” and “OMG”, has officially bumped Justin Bieber’s album (oh, thank god and finally, that took long enough) to the number two slot. Now that Usher’s album is at the top of the list with a whopping 329,000 copies sold just in its first week available, it looks like Usher’s fate is secure for this particular album. Even though some critics state that some of his album is very typical, the sound is still fresh and shows an even more sexy player side of Usher than his last album. Granted, his recent divorce probably gave him plenty to  come up with for his more girl-crazy aspects of his album, but it has some punch and passion regardless.

To help promote his new album, Usher had been at American Idol last week, as well as the Ellen Degeneres show, where he performed “OMG” on both of the shows. Now, we’re all just waiting to see what the actual chart says to find out just how high “OMG” will debut. Unfortunately for anyone who would like to see Bieber drop further down the charts, his slip to second was buffered by all the Easter sales last week that probably made him an ideal present for parents to give to their kids. With luck, though, Raymond v Raymond will stay on the top of the charts for at least a little while, ensuring that Usher’s newest endeavor is secure. I dunno about you guys, but Lil Freak’s been stuck in my head for days, and it should be stuck in yours, too!

Really, Evanescence? You’re Back?

Posted by Kat – March 28, 2010

So, what does a band do when their first album was a raging success, but their subsequent album didn’t do nearly as well? Disappear off the face of the earth for four years, that’s what! It turns out that Amy Lee of Evanescence has let it slip that she has been back in the recording studio with the band for the last three weeks and are working towards the release of a brand-new album. It’s planned to be out in the fall, but with no title just yet, there isn’t much else to know other than what Lee is telling everyone.

Evanescence’s debut album in 2003 entitled “Fallen” went platinum seven times, shooting the group to the top of the charts and establishing them as a household name. Amidst flack from fans of Lacuna Coil, which, in my opinion, was doing what Amy Lee tried to do for longer and has been doing it better for a while, Evanescence then followed with a second album, entitled “The Open Door.” That album, though, only went platinum twice and was creatively lacking and criticized in comparison to their first album.

So, when everyone else thought they were going to drop off the face of the earth into obscurity like so many bands that don’t quite match their first hits, it turns out the band has come together and is working towards an album that Amy Lee says fels like will be the “best album of [her] life.” Is it really that amazing? Who knows. Nothing has really come out in regards to the album, as it’s currently being recorded, but saying it’s the best album they’ll have yet is going to be a difficult, difficult statement to hold to. The sound is going to be different, but also very much the same band, and one of the new additions is that Amy Lee has since learned to play the harp, so that will be incorporated as well.

To be honest, I’m still dubious, at best, on the idea of this new album. The Open Door was almost generic in how much it sounded like a watered down, orchestral version of Fallen, and Fallen was played to death so many times that Bring Me to Life kind of makes me want to die.

“Bionic” Promises To Bring Christina Aguilera Back To the Spotlight

Posted by Kat – March 26, 2010

For those who have been wondering if Christina Aguilera’s career was going to fade softly away after her 2006 album “Back to Basics”, four years ago, and then her greatest hits album that came out in 2008, “Keeps Getting Better: A Decade of Hits,” you don’t need to wonder any longer. The fourth studio album for the pop star and diva extraordinaire will be entitled “Bionic” and is scheduled for release on June 9th. The announcement came yesterday with the added news that the first single from the album, “Not Myself Tonight,” will be premiering March 30th on her official web site. If you’d like to get a chance to hear a little bit of the song before it comes out, then today you can check out the website for an official preview of the single.
Aguilera recorded the new album from the comfort of her home studio, and so far, the descriptions of “Bionic” speak of very electronic and “organic” elements, and that the different subjects she touches on in the lyrics are from anywhere to the introspective and the playful. Aguilera herself seems excited about the new album, and thinks her fans will be, too. Her thought is that no one will expect the new sound and she hopes her fans will like it, and later tonight, we should find out what exactly this new sound is going to be like.

And Aguilera has also spoken of all the rumors that she will be collaborating with artists like Le Tigre, Sia, Ladytron, Hill & Switch, and Tricky Stewart. She has confirmed that there will be several different collaborations. The same woman who helped write the hits “Candyman” and “Hurt” from the Back to Basics album, Linda Perry, will also be writing one of the new singles for the album as well. Looks like Aguilera’s only been biding her time and is ready to make her move. Should be good.

Plastic Beach Gives New Life to The Gorillaz

Posted by Kat – March 16, 2010

A couple of months ago, I clued you in to the premiere of the newest single off of “Plastic Beach”: Stylo. The Gorillaz have been working hard to do something different, retaining their reputation of being both innovative and cooky. If you haven’t seen the newest music video for Stylo, or the thirty second teaser trailers for the album, then you’ve been missing some awesome music and an even more awesome change to their look: The Gorillaz have gone 3-D.

In the music video for Stylo, a piece that the band has shown a great deal of pride and excitement for, the characters of Murdoc, 2D and Noodle (Who is inexiplicably an android for this video, but who doesn’t love the weirdness that is Noodle?) have been given the 3-D treatment, and it’s a stunning and welcome change. The video itself is an enjoyable ride with a very surprising appearance – Bruce Willis. Willis’s appearance is as an unnamed man chasing after the Gorillaz in their car. To be honest, though, I’ve watched the video over a dozen times and I still can’t help but hope the next video they do directly ties to this one. The video leaves you hanging, but only after sucking you into what you’re watching.

On a creative note, the appearance of Bobby Womack and Mos Def really show a true collaboration. Womack, who hasn’t really recorded in years and didn’t even know who the Gorillaz were, did the song because his granddaughter likes them. In regards to the recording experience, Womack was given the opportunity to simply brainstorm and sing what he wanted.  He got “everything off [his] chest” for the lyrics he sang. Other tracks on this album show just as creative collaborations. Plastic Beach is new, innovative and a bit different from their previous albums in a refreshing way.

Beyonce and Lady Gaga’s Telephone Collab Truly Impresses

Posted by Kat – March 12, 2010

Fans of both Beyonce and Lady Gaga have been waiting with bated breath for the new collaboration music video, “Telephone,” to premiere, and it looks like Lady Gaga and her companion certainly didn’t disappoint. The new music video premiered last night at 11:30 PM Eastern Standard Time to a ravenous audience just waiting for the video. For the last two months, fans and critics have been given small, quick glimpses of what was going to be in the video, but nothing could have really, really compared to actually seeing the video. With a long intro of over a minute to set up the storyline – Gaga is a new inmate at a “Prison for Bitches,” and Beyonce is her contact on the outside world who later bails her out – the video just gets better from there.


For one thing, the full frontal nudity (Although censored and blurred out, it’s still quite obvious) and the fantastic costuming, it’s hard to tell where the video’s going to go for the moment, or where exactly it relates to the song itself. As most Lady Gaga fans would know, that last factor is strictly optional. With vivid and outrageous telephone-related costuming, it had marks of Lady Gaga’s style all over it. Then again, as it was directed by Jonas Akerlund, the same director to work with her on Paparazzi, you could see the same high levels of thematic care and stylization that makes Lady Gaga enjoy working with him.


All the fans and not-so-fans of the Kill Bill movies would have gotten a real laugh out of the storyline taking place after Lady Gaga gets out of prison, as Beyonce picks her up on the Pussy Wagon, the same exact truck used as the Bride’s escape vehicle at the beginning of Kill Bill Volume 1. On top of that, there are very Tarantino-esque moments in the video, and as Gaga loves to talk about, she is a fan of androgyny and breaking sexual barriers, and there is a healthy dose of that as well in her videos.


Without giving the ending away, this has to be one of the most complex music videos Lady Gaga or Beyonce have done.

“Haywire” Brings Josh Turner Into the Country Chart Swiftly

Posted by Kat – February 22, 2010

I’ll be honest. The way I first heard about Josh Turner was during a summer job as a cashier at Cracker Barrel, so I literally knew him as “That guy who we play on repeat at Cracker Barrel on the boom box to my left.” That being said, though, Turner is hardly what I would call generic on the country circuit. There’s something about his music that is classic country, but also has a little bit of tradition and heart to it in how he presents himself and how his music works. And after releasing on February 9th, this album, “Haywire” has become the third album to be on the Top 10, in a row.

So what has Turner been doing to help promote his new album? He’s been all over. From the Late Show With David Letterman to an appearance on The Martha Stewart Show, Josh Turner has been promoting the album quite vigorously since the release. He’s also been asked a great deal about how this particular album will be different from his past ones. He states that vocally he wanted to present more of a challenge and brings out more of his experience with relationships and love, so his lyrics and his songs really show the love and consideration he gave to his music.

In the technical sense, he’s working with the same creative team he’s worked with for his last three albums since 2003, one of which being Frank Rogers, the producer who has been credited as being able to really understand what Josh Turner wants to really acheive and has assisted him with that in the past. Turner is quite confident that this album is going to be one that his fans and simply fans of country in general will be able to connect with and enjoy.

Alice In Wonderland Video By Avril Lavigne A Pleasant Surprise

Posted by Kat – February 20, 2010

It isn’t often that I hear the words “Avril Lavigne” and “haunting” in the same sentence and it actually be a positive comment on her work. But, the compliment is really there and with good reason, as the contribution to the Alice In Wonderland soundtrack for Burton’s much-anticipated movie by Avril is just that, hauntingly beautiful. Instead of going with her Sk8r Boi roots and doing something punk rock and flashy, Avril tried for something much more gothic and ethereal than we’ve seen in the past. And it worked. Her video of “Alice” has been touted as a gothic fall into the rabbit hole that perfectly compliments Burton’s movie, and the music shows a truly desired contribution to the movie’s soundtrack.

The actual video was shot back in January and only took two days to film. At the Arborteum in Los Angeles, Avril and her director spent their two days in rainstorms talking in detail about ideas both of them had for the music video. Avril had ideas floating around and the director had a plan but wanted her input to create the video until they had the right kind of product. And while you know that Burton wasn’t actually there to be involved with the concept of the video, those who have seen the video have stated outright that it seems to be directly from Burton himself, as if in music form. With its very haunting and gothic tunes, Avril’s song and the video to go with it have really stunned critics everywhere and music fans.

And here’s the funniest part. Tim Burton has been so secretive about the video that no one has been allowed to see it until recently, which meant that the two artists had not seen the movie to even come up with their plans. It turns out, though, that after the fact, the director of the music video Dave Meyers was given a chance to see the film and said that it was incredibly exciting to see. The video fit the movie even more after that and even Burton was able to give his seal of approval on the video. So it looks like a job well done from the unexpected source of Avril.

Doug Fieger Leaves Us

Posted by Kat – February 16, 2010

 Who doesn’t remember the insanely popular hit from 1979 by The Knack “My Sharona?” A song full of crazy vocals, a wicked hook and some pounding drums that have inspired parody, karaoke and music videos, “My Sharona” gave the Knack the eternal recognition that they so richly deserved. Unfortunately, yesterday, the band lost the headliner who co-wrote the lyrics and sang the lead for the song, Doug Fieger. Feiger passed away just yesterday at the age of 57. He passed away after a long battle with cancer.

 In 1978, in the city of Los Angeles, the Detroit native Fieger formed the Knack. The band quickly grew quite popular all along the Sunset Strip’s copious rock clubs in the area, and it was only a year after that that the song that would define the group was written.

 ”My Sharona” was reportedly inspired from Fieger’s girlfriend at the time, who had been with him for four years and reportedly left a huge impression on him. The song had been an amazing, unique and thrilling rock theme that didn’t apologize and totally blew people away in the end of the disco era. It was on the Number One Billboard spot for six weeks and became the most popular song of the band.

The song had kind of fallen by the wayside over the years, but when the 1994 movie “Reality Bites” featured the song on the soundtrack and put it right back in the spotlight. MTV featured an official music video featuring parts of the movie and footage of the band that would forever solidify the song as an everlasting hit. And to think, Weird Al got his start from “My Bologna” and without The Knack, he never would have gotten there.

 Fieger’s battle with cancer lasted six years and a brain surgery to remove tumors, and he will be sorely missed.

Men At Work Sued Over Their FLUTE?!

Posted by Kat – February 5, 2010

When you think of “Down Under,” the famous song by the Aussie 80s band Men At Work, there’s no way that you can’t think of that telltale flute riff. Here’s the tricky part, though. According to lawyers in Australia, that riff is a plagarism of the song sung by Girl Guides everywhere, “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.” The song about that native bird of Australia was written by Marion Sinclair over 70 years ago, who was a teacher who wrote it for a Girl Guides competition. But, it turns out that the music publishing company Larrikin Music has own the copyright to the song since Sinclair passed away in 1988 and they finally filed for a copyright lawsuit in the last year.

Now, if you didn’t know the tune of both songs really well, you probably wouldn’t even realize that it had similarities. And as far as similarities go, I have to say that the Vanilla Ice sample of “Under Pressure”‘s guitar riff seemed like a more blatant rip-off than the flute from Kookaburra. But, the Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson says differently and has determined that the flute is taking a significant amount of the original music and replicated it for “Down Under.”

Earlier, the justice had already given both of the parties the orders to start looking into what kind of compensation Larrikin should receive from the record companies for Men at Work, EMI Songs Australia and BMG Music Entertainment, as well as Ron Strykert and Colin Hay, the songwriters of the band. And we’re talking MILLIONS here, as the settlement could end up giving up to 60 percent of all of “Down Under”‘s royalties since it was released back in 1983.

As for Men At Work? Well, Colin Hay has gone on record saying that he realized he was borrowing from the tune but thought that it was as generic and public domain as Ring Around the Rosy. Talk about an expensive blunder.