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Music ArchivesJuly 12, 2006 July 9, 2006 Chart Watch: Chick Music Rules For the second week a solo female artist debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts while the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way held steady in the Top 5 for its sixth straight week. With 161,000 units sold India.Arie had her first No. 1 album with Testimony Vol. 1, pushing last week's debut from Nelly Furtado who fell to No. 3, the Dixie Chicks follow her at No. 4. Chick music is ruling the summer. June 28 , 2006 The Gayest Songs of All Time My iPod has long had a playlist called "gay songs" where I stash the most embarrassing love ballads and pop trash. That's what I mean by "gay," the sixth grade usage of the word referring to lameness and sappiness. May 1, 2006 Coachella is about choices I only made it to the first day of the Coachella music festival, which meant missing Tool, Madonna and Bloc Party on Sunday. But we did see Wolfmother, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Kanye West, Sigur Ros, Franz Ferdinand, Depeche Mode and Daft Punk. Apr. 27, 2006 Pre-Coachella: Depeche Mode album review As a tribute to Saturday night's Coachella headliner Depeche Mode here is a review of their new album Playing the Angel provided by Behrad Karbassi. Spring Sounds: New and Upcoming Music Releases To be sure, it has been a slow year for new releases. There has been no dominant album to rule the charts, with a menagerie of No. 1 debuts from varied artists that go on to sell less and less each week. Looking ahead the picture gets a lot better, especially in May when both Tool and the Red Hot Chili Peppers return from long breaks with new works. Feb. 27, 2006 Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock You probably have already heard this song, but if not, there is a novelty song that takes on Hot Topic, the mall-based bastion of poseur goth and punk clothing that adorn many kids under the age of 17. Feb. 20, 2006 Rick Rubin: Super Producer Metallica's last album St. Anger kind of sucked. So the news that Rick Rubin is producing their next album is a promising sign of a recharge. But I've also read that Rubin is producing Linkin Park, Justin Timberlake and the Red Hot Chili Pepper's new albums. Feb. 8, 2006 Grammy Reaction What a big bomb U2 dropped on Kanye and Mariah's presumed coronation! Full coverage includes reaction to the awards, fashion and performances. Delay for Pharrell The last remaining musical release of 2005 that I was excited about is being postponed to early 2006. The solo debut of N.E.R.D. and Neptunes maestro Pharrell Williams, In My Mind, is reportedly being held back until February 2006. (Although Amazon lists the release for Jan. 1, 2010!!). The lead single "Can I Have it Like That?" is currently charting and a new single "Angel" has just been added to radio rotation. It represents the R&B side of the album which compliments the hip-hop party side of "Can I Have it Like That?" Nov. 7, 2005 Ozzy Does Lennon This month a few albums are celebrating the music of The Beatles and John Lennon. This Bird Has Flown, a recently released track-by-track tribute to The Beatles' Rubber Soul and Ozzy Osbourne's Under Cover with renditions of "In My Life" and John Lennon's "Woman." Sept. 15, 2005 Hippie Time Warp What's with this new scene of soft singer/songwriter psychedelia? It has been called by many names - "neo-psychedelic," "avant-folk," "freak-folk," or even "the new weird America," by the Brits. The heroes are Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Antony & the Johnsons, Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Devendra Banhart. Aug. 28, 2005 The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards The Winners/Reaction /Fashion /Ads The moonmen have landed. First time host Diddy did what previous hosts like Jimmy Fallon could never do - freestyle to a teleprompter, give out a free watch and go through at least eight wardrobe changes. June 13, 2005 School of Rock: A Look at the Many Genres of Rock It may have started with Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis or some unknown southern guitar slinger, but in the first 50 years of what we call Rock music there have been numerous sub genres and styles spawned. Thus it is worth a look at the major styles of Rock according to the All Music Guide. June 8, 2005 ChartWatch: Gwen's Got Legs What are we supposed to be hollering back? I'm not really sure, but with that call out Gwen Stefani's solo debut is showing long life on the charts. Other Recent Headlines U2 to Re-Record "Pop" Two Members Exit The Cure  April
26, 2005The Best Albums of 2005, So Far Yes, it's still a pretty new year, but we can name the four best albums of 2005 to date. They are the breakthrough recordings that seem to get stuck in permanent iPod rotation. - M83, Bloc Party, Fischerspooner and the Kaiser Chiefs. April 13, 2005 The AMJ Music Report In our initial 2005 music forecast, we pointed out several major releases that will be coming out within the next three months. Thus the need for a highlighter on what to listen to in AMJ. March 28, 2005 So Long N.E.R.D. "N.E.R.D. is dead," said Pharrell Williams. Here follows an obituary of sorts for his band formed with Neptunes producing partner Chad Hugo. Feb. 14, 2005 The 47th Annual Grammys Awards The Grammy Awards once again provide ammunition for those who consider them irrelevant. Maroon 5 as Best= New Artist and Ray Charles as the face of 2004 music! Jan. 11, 2005 Hip Hop's Birthday 30 Years After the First "Breaks" Last November while America was being subjected to the release of Lil Jon's Crunk Juice, a little known anniversary was taking place. The 30th anniversary of Hip Hop, chronicled as being November 12, 1974. Jan. 6, 2005 Usher is No. 1 For 2004 With nearly 8 million copies sold, Usher's Confessions was the bestselling album of 2004. Here are the Top 10 albums of 2004 Jan. 3, 2005 What To Listen To in 2005 You may still be writing “2004”on your checks, (does anyone use checks anymore?) but we are moving on and looking forward to what “The Year of the Rooster” has in store musically. {more, including release calendar} Jan. 1, 2005 New Albums This Week A new feature for a new year. A semi-weekly roundup of new music and upcoming releases obtained early, as well as some retro picks and classics to consider. This section awaits a pithy, hip and wanna-be urban title like "Da 411 on MP3s, Yo!" or a subdued college radio name like "The Listening Post." For now it is what it is. A place to go for reco's. This week: The Chemical Brothers, Ludacris, 2Pac and Ashanti Jan. 1, 2005 The Hammer of The Gods Which song was voted the best rock song of all time by Planet Rock? What is Planet Rock and why do we care? Dec. 19, 2004 Top 5 Songs of 2004 Here are the best songs of the year. You can argue with the list, but these tracks were either stuck in your head all year or helped to energize a dying genre, like Rock. Dec. 19, 2004 Best of 2004 Mixtape To close down the year, here is a mix drawing from the 40 best songs of 2004. This is more diverse and less mainstream than the Top 5 songs list. N.E.R.D, Interpol, RJD2, Nelly, Bjork, Modest Mouse and more. Dec. 7, 2004 GRAMMY Award Nominees Named The 47th Annual Grammy Award nominees were announced this morning in Hollywood. Kanye West received the most nods with 10, while Usher and Alicia Keys each garnered eight. {see more} Dec. 6, 2004 GRAMMY Award Nominees Wish List The 47th Annual Grammy Award nominees will be announced Tuesday at the Music Box in Hollywood. U2 and Eminem’s new albums were released after the submission deadline (Sept. 30) but not so for the lead singles “Vertigo” and “Just Lose it,” which should factor into the “Record of the year” category. Here are some picks that should be considered. Nov. 22, 2004 NEW CD REVIEWS The biggest albums of 2004 have just been released - U2, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani - in time for the Holidays, gift-giving and redeeming of music gift certificates. Read the reviews and discover where to buy. Nov. 21, 2004 Has Pop Punk Grown Up This fall has brought a flair of new releases from Pop Punk princes like Green Day, Sum 41, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. Bringing politics, social issues and heavy themes like child abuse into their lyrics it is right to wonder if the genre has grown up? Certainly these examples show Pop Punk's ability to move beyond songs about high school and surfing. {read more} Nov. 15, 2004 The 32nd Annual AMA's Handed Out The AMA's or American Meaningless Awards further confirmed that this is the Year of Usher. Nov. 1, 2004 Pop Culture Politics Where once political protesting through music was relegated to angry punk rockers or pudgy folk artists, everyone is getting into the game now. Green Day, Eminem, A Perfect Circle, Bruce Springsteen. Oct. 31, 2004 Musical Hoax Do Not Support Kool Keith's "Dr. Octagon II." This is not a rant against Kool Keith, the ultra-intelligent MC/producer behind Q-Bert and the weirdo rap personas of Dr. Octagon and Dr. Doom. There is an unauthorized bootleg that Kool Keith is very much trying to have squashed. We have to support this boycott on the bootleg. Oct. 7, 2004 No. 1 Album: Who the Hell is Rascall Flatts? This week's Billboard Top 5 albums has something called "Rascall Flatts" debuting at No. 1. He is either A) a southern-fried rapper like Pastor Troy; B) a teen pop band in the style of The Little Rascals; or C) neither one.
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