Best of Music 2010: The Best Live Performances of the Year

January 25, 2011

jmunney Best of Music 2010, Music, Television Leave a comment

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of live performances every year.  Obviously I have not seen or even heard about every live performance of 2010, nor has any other music critic.  Even if I stick with only the performances that were broadcasted to a mass audience, there is still only a small percentage that I am familiar with.  Thus, the four performances that I am spotlighting may not be the four best performances of the year, but they are certainly memorable in their own right and would likely at least rank among the top one hundred performances of the year.  As it is, they are the four best live performances of 2010 that I saw.

Kanye West – “Power” on Saturday Night Live (October 2)
The SNL music stage is notorious for bad acoustics, drowning out any artist with a big sound.  It isn’t a very big stage, and history also suggests that the musical acts aren’t granted much freedom in adjusting the design of the stage.  Somehow, Kanye West convinced whoever makes the decisions that that needed to change.  Draping the stage completely in white – draping the stage in any color – is completely unheard of, as is the presence of approximately thirty backup dancers, ballerinas or otherwise.  This is prime video evidence of a musical genius at work, and evidence that he will not let anyone stand in his way as he brings his visions to fruition.

Florence + the Machine – “Dog Days are Over” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (September 12)
When you are a recording artist with a great voice, the question is always, do you sound as good live as you do on the record?  Better yet, do you sound better live?  If the answer is yes, then the rest of what you do live is just gravy.  So, it is always nice when an act like Florence + the Machine does not skimp on the gravy.  The blue people and the tribal outfits provided the spectacle, and the choreography was in sync.  Florence’s spinning platform set up a nice counter-synchronicity.  This performance also benefited from astute directorial choices, with plenty of ceiling shots showing off the full spectrum of the act.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”/Ann and Nancy Wilson and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Crazy on You” on VH1 Divas Salute the Troops (recorded December 3, aired December 5)
With a steady pattern of vocal breaks and several relatively instrumentally inactive moments, “Paris (Ooh La La)” – more than any other hit of 2010 – is perfectly structured for a great live performance.  The Nocturnals did not disappoint, hitting their riffs as they saw fit, their spontaneity winning over the crowd despite being the least-known act.  Of course, Grace really explored the space of the stage and had plenty of room to do so.  But the real highlight, no doubt, was the encore.  At the beginning of the show, I was thinking how some of these VH1 Divas, Grace Potter especially, must have been influenced by the Wilson sisters and that it would be great if they were to make a surprise appearance.  Somebody else had that same great idea.  It would have been unbearable if Grace could not have matched Ann note for note on this most vocally striking of Heart’s hits, but she pulled it off, and the reason she was able to was certainly not because Ann’s pipes have gone any bit rusty.  She was even bold enough to put her own screechy spin on the tune.  The vocal tête à tête was enough to forgive the Nocturnals for skipping a few notes on the guitar (it is a tough guitar song as well).
http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:vh1.com:602760

http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:vh1.com:603090

She & Him – “I Put a Spell on You” on Conan (December 9)
“That was unbelievable.” – Conan O’Brien
On the opposite end of what Kanye accomplished on the SNL stage is what She & Him accomplished on the Conan stage.  This is the sort of performance you have to come up with when you don’t have 30 backup ballerinas.  It’s not like you need 30 backup dancers when you have a voice like Zooey Deschanel’s.  Hell, you barely need a guitar.  Zooey possesses one of the richest-sounding voices in music today, and in this take on the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic, she really explored what she could do with it.  She made the risky decision of sounding like a petulant child at several points, but somehow it worked.  And M. Ward did manage to fit in a quick little guitar solo outro.

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 1/22/11

January 24, 2011

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

I love the idea that Paris may be a hit, but VH1 is the only source that has indicated to me that it might be.

Original Version
1. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
2. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
3. The Script – “For the First Time”
4. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
5. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
6. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
7. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
8. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
9. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
10. Train – “Marry Me”
11. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
12. Katy Perry – “Firework”
13. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
14. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
15. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
16. Sia – “I’m in Here”
17. Sick Puppies – “Maybe”
18. Josh Groban – “Hidden Away”
19. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”
20. Duran Duran – “All You Need is Now”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. All You Need is Now
5. Get Outta My Way
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Born Free
10. Maybe
11. Waiting for the End
12. Grenade
13. Firework
14. Hidden Away
15. The Time (Dirty Bit)
16. Give a Little More
17. For the First Time
18. Farmer’s Daughter
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me

SNL Recap January 15, 2011: Gwyneth Paltrow/Cee-Lo Green

January 16, 2011

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television , , , , , Leave a comment

Cold Opening – Fox News: Embracing Civility
Kristen, Bobby, Nasim, and Jason basically just sat there (and to varying degrees attempted an impression) while Bill took over the entire sketch as Carville. Which is perfectly acceptable, because it is a strong enough impression for that. I am surprised that Carville hasn’t been used in sketches before to antagonize Republicans like this. It seems like it would have been an obvious call. B

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Monologue
Pretending your way through something is ripe for laughs, but you can’t be lazy about it. When it quickly became clear that Gwyneth was obviously not immersed in country music, I laughed. But then she just mumbled through the song, and that was kinda funny. Jason’s Kenny Rogers was ultimately pointless. And Kristen’s Dolly Parton was not properly incorporated. C+

The Cape Spinoffs
This started out agreeably goofy, but since none of the premises were given time to develop, this was the ultimate in hit-or-miss comedy. There were a few hits, “The Water Bottle Holder” being the best of the bunch. I appreciated the line, “Viewers have spoken, and some of them say, ‘We like The Cape.'” B

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Best of Music 2010: The Best Songs of the Year

January 15, 2011

jmunney Best of Music 2010, Music Leave a comment

I have been assembling year-end best-of music lists since 2006 (or since 2007, for the music of 2006, as it were). Up until this year, these collections were a part of my radio show, Jeff Malone’s Magic Mix, on WLOY, Loyola University Maryland’s campus station. Now that I have graduated, the Magic Mix is no longer on the airwaves at WLOY, but that is no reason for me to stop espousing on the best music of the year. The format on my best-of-the-year Magic Mix shows consisted of a list of the top five songs of the year along with a sampling of some of the year’s other great songs, in no particular order. That is the format we will stick with. To be eligible, songs must have been released as singles in calendar year 2010 (or late 2009 in the case of some exceptions).

Top 5 Songs of the Year
After the top 5 took a decidedly indie turn last year, 2010 went in a more mainstream direction.

 1. Jay-Z ft. Swizz Beatz – “On to the Next One”
Jay-Z enjoyed a string of hit singles off The Blueprint 3; in a case of opposite day, the most deserving – “On to the Next One” – was the least successful of the bunch.  Jay’s team-up with Alicia Keys received much of the attention that ought to have gone to his collaboration with her husband.  A barely recognizable sample of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” played over and over and the occasional drumbeat provide the creepy, spare atmosphere.  Meanwhile, Jay raps about how he is staying ahead of the game while he does the same, more than on any of his other recent tracks: “Niggas want my old shit, buy my old album.”  He tweaks the excesses of the genre while simultaneously making expert use of them himself: “And fuck that Auto-Tune cause we [cue Auto-Tune] ooo-on.”  Some of the best work in any medium is about the medium itself.

2. Rihanna – “Rude Boy”
Rihanna’s dark gambit Rated R was not entirely successful, but it did produce the most interesting work of her career, and nowhere was that more clear than on “Rude Boy.”  It is quite the bold effort to have a song represent an entire slang term (“rude boy” is common Jamaican slang for a lawless male), but when it works, it works.  “Rude Boy” is ostensibly a love letter to such questionable fellows, but there is surely a wealth of irony, considering the Chris Brown period of Rihanna’s life.  And the musical aspect is as strong and well-produced as it can be: RiRi’s icy monotone is as biting as ever, and that steel drum lead-in to the chorus is perhaps the instrumental accent of the year.

3. The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”
How many wrenching blues-rock numbers about the heartrending nature of love are being made today?  About 15 – the number of tracks on the Black Keys’ latest album.  “Tighten Up” is the best of the bunch.  An opening whistle, musical enjambment (“I’m bound to fall, bound to fall/for you”), and a tempo-changing background that ushers in the final bit are some of the most notable pieces that make up the ultimate tight (appropriately enough) musical package.

 4. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”
As I was beginning to realize just how great “Teenage Dream” is, I described it as the best pop song in a while.  By “pop,” I meant to exclude pop-rock, pop-R&B, pop-rap, dance-pop, electropop, and any other non-pop genre with songs that happen to make it on to the pop charts.  Then I was looking through Rolling Stone’s picks for songs of the year.  They also placed Katy at number four, and they described “Teenage Dream” as the “Best Pure Pop” – this was the description I had been looking for.  With a sound reminiscent of Kylie Minogue (particularly “Love at First Sight”), “Teenage Dream” conveys a taste of ecstasy that only pure pop music can pull off. 

5. Metric – “Gold, Guns, Girls”
Are you ready?  “Gold, Guns, Girls” is going to pump you up and get you moving by opening with that guitar riff, then keep things steady with the drumbeat during the verses, and then that riff will jump back in your face for the chorus.  And then Emily Haines’ call-and-response and overlapping vocals are enough to drive you insane.  What is the perfect question to accompany this aggressive sound blast?  You got it: “Is it ever gonna be enough?”

Just Outside the Top 5
Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start”
Rihanna – “Only Girl (in the World)”
Drake – “Find Your Love”
Kanye West – “Power”

And Some Other Good Ones
Paramore – “The Only Exception”
Florence + the Machine – “Heavy in Your Arms”
“Dog Days Are Over” was Florence’s breakout hit, but it was originally released in 2008.  And “Heavy in Your Arms” was better anyway.
Kings of Leon – “Radioactive”
Janelle Monáe – “Tightrope”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “I Should Have Known It”
This isn’t a classic act resting on its laurels or being experimental for the sake of doing something different – this is another solid entry in a great career.
Nicki Minaj ft. Sean Garrett – “Massive Attack”
Band of Horses – “Laredo”
Mayer Hawthorne – “I Wish It Would Rain”
Dance Song of the Year: Usher ft. will.i.am – “OMG”
will.i.am presents Usher with the best song of his career: a simple ode to the joys of the dancefloor and the ladies who populate it.
St. Vincent – “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood”
Eminem ft. Lil’ Wayne – “No Love”
La Roux – “Bulletproof”
3OH!3 ft. Ke$ha – “My First Kiss”
Bill Lamb of About.com said that 3OH!3 and Ke$ha “are probably the most gifted artists of the moment at riding a line between performing irresistibly catchy music and releasing tremendously annoying songs.”  “My First Kiss” is the pinnacle of the irresistibly catchy side.
Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
Silversun Pickups – “The Royal We”
Linkin Park – “The Catalyst”
Muse – “Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)”
That’s 2 (two!) songs from the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack.
Selena Gomez and the Scene – “Round & Round”
“Round & Round” gives no indication as to Selena Gomez’s vocal abilities, but it is a well-produced piece of pop.
Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
The Temper Trap – “Fader”
“Fader” is standing in a bit for “Sweet Disposition,” which was originally released in 2008, but was a hit in the Temper Trap’s native Australia before it broke though stateside.
Sara Bareilles – “King of Anything”
Most Awesomely Bad Song of the Year: Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
“You’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul” is 2010’s response to “I’m so two thousand and eight, you’re so two thousand and late.”

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 1/15/11

January 15, 2011

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

It’s ladies’ night.

Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
2. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
3. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
4. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
5. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
6. The Script – “For the First Time”
7. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
8. Katy Perry – “Firework”
9. Train – “Marry Me”
10. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
11. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
12. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
13. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
14. Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
15. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
16. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”
17. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
18. Sia – “I’m in Here”
19. Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
20. Kylie Minogue – “Get Outta My Way”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. Get Outta My Way
5. Right Thru Me
6. The Cave
7. I’m in Here
8. Jar of Hearts
9. Born Free
10. Waiting for the End
11. Grenade
12. Firework
13. Give a Little More
14. The Time (Dirty Bit)
15. For the First Time
16. Sweet Serendipity
17. Farmer’s Daughter
18. Stuck Like Glue
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me

SNL Recap January 8, 2011: Jim Carrey/The Black Keys

January 9, 2011

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television , , , , , Leave a comment

Cold Opening – A Message from Michael Bloomberg
The humor of snow bamboozlement is long overdue. There were several individual items in this sketch that were funny, but the list format rendered matters a little stale overall. This is a rare example of a sketch that was “too New York.” Fred’s Bloomberg impression may have been accurate, but I don’t really know. Bloomberg just isn’t as well-known outside of New York as, say, Giuliani was. B

Jim Carrey’s Monologue
This is exactly the sort of positive energy we could hope for when Jim Carrey hosts SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE! And Lisa Loeb’s sister sure is cute. Too bad she’s taken. B+

Bosley Hair Restoration
Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. Original Grade: B+

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VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 1/8/11

January 8, 2011

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Vampire Weekend is debuting? Apparently Tommy Hilfiger commercials don’t count.

Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
2. P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
3. Katy Perry – “Firework”
4. Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
5. Train – “Marry Me”
6. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
7. Maroon 5 – “Give a Little More”
8. Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
9. The Script – “For the First Time”
10. Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
11. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”
12. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
13. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
14. Linkin Park – “Waiting for the End”
15. Crystal Bowersox – “Farmer’s Daughter”
16. Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
17. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
18. Goo Goo Dolls – “Notbroken”
19. Vampire Weekend – “Holiday”
20. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Paris (Ooh La La)
2. Rolling in the Deep
3. We R Who We R
4. Right Thru Me
5. The Cave
6. Holiday
7. Jar of Hearts
8. Waiting for the End
9. Grenade
10. Firework
11. Born Free
12. Give a Little More
13. For the First Time
14. The Time (Dirty Bit)
15. Sweet Serendipity
16. Farmer’s Daughter
17. Notbroken
18. Stuck Like Glue
19. Raise Your Glass
20. Marry Me

2010: A Year at the Movies

January 2, 2011

jmunney A Year at the Movies, Cinema Leave a comment

2010 was another record-breaking year for the frequency of my moviegoing.  But this was no ordinary record-breaking; I smashed my previous high of 40-something with a total of 66 visits to a movie theatre, marking my first year of averaging at least one movie per week.  The following is a list of every movie I saw at a theatre in 2010, with dates, showtimes, and theatre locations denoted as well.  Movies that I saw multiple times (only one fits that category this year) are only counted once towards the final tally.

1. It’s Complicated (1/5, 10:20 PM – Regal United Artists Oxford Valley 14, Langhorne, PA)
2. Youth in Revolt (1/8, 9:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
3. Crazy Heart (1/16, 2:30 PM – The Charles Theatre, Baltimore)
4. Edge of Darkness (2/5, 4:20 PM – The Rotunda Cinematheque, Baltimore)
5. Shutter Island (2/27, 7:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
6. The Crazies (3/1, 2:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
7. The Wolfman (3/4, 2:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
8. Alice in Wonderland in 3D (3/5, 1:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
9. Hot Tub Time Machine (4/2, 8:10 PM – Oxford Valley)
10. Clash of the Titans (4/3, 4:20 PM – Oxford Valley)
11. Kick-Ass (4/16, 10:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
12. The Losers (5/7, 2:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
13. Iron Man 2 (5/8, 1:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
14. Robin Hood (5/16, 3:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
15. How to Train Your Dragon in 3D (5/20, 12:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
16. MacGruber (5/22, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
17. Date Night (5/26, 12:10 PM – Oxford Valley)
18. Get Him to the Greek (6/6, 1:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
19. Splice (6/10, 1:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
20. The A-Team (6/12, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
21. Toy Story 3 in 3D (6/18, 9:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
22. Knight and Day (7/1, 7:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
23. Predators (7/9, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
24. Inception (7/16, 10:20 PM – Oxford Valley; also in IMAX, 7/26, 3:40 PM – Regal United Artists King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA; also 9/16, 6:40 PM, Oxford Valley)
25. Despicable Me in 3D (7/18, 1:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
26. Cyrus (8/4, 9:55 PM – AMC Neshaminy, Bensalem, PA)
27. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (8/11, 9:15 PM – Oxford Valley)
28. The Expendables (8/14, 10:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
29. Step Up 3D (8/16, 12:50 PM – Oxford Valley)
30. The Kids Are All Right (8/19, 3:55 PM – Oxford Valley)
31. Rifftrax Live: Reefer Madness (8/19, 8:00 PM – Neshaminy)
32. Piranha 3D (8/22, 8:10 PM – Oxford Valley)
33. The Other Guys (8/22, 9:45 PM – Oxford Valley)
34. Eat, Pray, Love (8/23, 3:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
35. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (8/27, 9:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
36. The American (9/3, 1:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
37. Machete (9/4, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
38. The Switch (9/12, 1:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
39. Devil (9/17, 7:20 PM – Oxford Valley)
40. The Town (9/17, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
41. Easy A (10/1, 9:20 PM – Oxford Valley)
42. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole in 3D (10/2, 1:15 PM – Oxford Valley)
43. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (10/5, 1:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
44. It’s Kind of a Funny Story (10/8, 1:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
45. Catfish (10/13, 12:20 PM – Neshaminy)
46. Let Me In (10/14, 2:05 PM – Oxford Valley)
47. The Social Network (10/14, 7:10 PM – Oxford Valley)
48. Red (10/15, 7:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
49. Jackass 3D (10/15, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
50. Paranormal Activity 2 (10/21, 10:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
51. Waiting for ‘Superman’ (10/27, 1:45 PM – Neshaminy)
52. Rifftrax Live: House on Haunted Hill (10/28, 8:00 PM – Neshaminy)
53. Secretariat (11/2, 1:05 PM – Oxford Valley)
54. Hereafter (11/10, 1:05 PM – Oxford Valley)
55. Skyline (11/12, 10:10 PM – Oxford Valley)
56. Unstoppable (11/14, 9:30 PM – Oxford Valley)
57. Morning Glory (11/18, 12:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
58. Fair Game (12/1, 7:10 PM – AMC Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ)
59. The Next Three Days (12/7, 1:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
60. Due Date (12/8, 12:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
61. 127 Hours (12/14, 2:25 PM – Neshaminy)
62. The Fighter (12/17, 7:40 PM – Oxford Valley)
63. Tron: Legacy in 3D (12/17, 10:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
64. Black Swan (12/27, 10:35 PM – Oxford Valley)
65. Little Fockers (12/28, 2:00 PM – Oxford Valley)
66. True Grit (12/30, 7:40 PM – Oxford Valley)

The Playlist Blog Post

December 27, 2010

jmunney Music Leave a comment

Taking a cue from Rolling Stone and its recent “Playlist Issue” (RS 1119 – 12/9/2010), I have decided to come up with a playlist of my own:
THE GREAT FEMALE ROCK VOCALISTS.
Rock ‘n’ roll is stereotypically a male domain, so it is always nice when a talented lady breaks through.  It is no surprise that there are women out there who can pull off the high-pitched screams of rock music, but it is doubly impressive when those same women can pull off the attitude required for such music.  I have taken notice of several noteworthy chanteuses in my years of musical connoisseurship, so much so that I would one day like to record an album of covers of songs originally performed by great female rock singers.  The songs on this playlist are among the sort of songs I would include on that album.

Pat Benatar – “Heartbreaker”
In her career, Pat Benatar was more often pop princess than she was rock queen, but when she was rocking, she was incomparable, obviously reaching her apex with “Heartbreaker.”  The trilling in “born to be-e-e-e-e” is enough to set your ear on fire, and the guitar playing of her husband Neil Giraldo makes for quite the partnership.

Heart – “Crazy on You”
Interestingly enough, I consider “Barracuda” to be Heart’s best song, even though I believe that “Crazy on You” is the best showcase of Ann Wilson’s vocals and of Nancy Wilson’s strumming.  Those bursts of “Crazy!” could only have come from a singer with one of the richest, deepest, fullest voices of all time.

Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit”
This entire song is little more than a slow build to Grace Slick belting out “Feed your head” at the end.  But, of course, that is a hell of a conclusion to build up to.

Paramore – “The Only Exception”
Most songs on this list have a signature line in which these ladies belt it out for all their worth.  In “The Only Exception,” that line is “I’ve got a tight grip on reality,” in which Hayley Williams makes it clear that she is the female rock voice to be taken seriously, in case you hadn’t noticed.

Florence + the Machine – “Heavy in Your Arms”
It turns out that even in rock music, violin accompaniment is quite the powerful addition for a lady singer.  In the case of “Heavy in Your Arms,” that power is best described as leaden.  With each declaration of “heavy,” you can just feel Florence Welch dropping under all the weight she carries, yet somehow simultaneously rising above it.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are not quite like any other artist in the musical world.  One simply does not hear any rock bands this brassy, this rootsy, this down-and-dirty anymore, at least not any fronted by a woman.  And it’s not like there were any rock ‘n’ roll bands completely like them at any time anyway.  They are quite the hodgepodge: Grace has a fashion sense more akin to Tina Turner as opposed to her rock goddess forebears, while the mustachioed nocturnals are a more nattily dressed Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Anyway, in “Paris,” Grace’s screeching counterpointed with irresistably face-melting riffage (or a well-timed drumbeat) is rock music perfection.

Bat for Lashes – “What’s a Girl to Do?”
Natasha Khan – proof that you don’t need to belt it out to be a rock girl.  If you are comfortable with being on stage, but not comfortable using your lungs’ full force whilst on stage, then that’s okay.  You may have to go with the indie route, but for some talents, that is the only appropriate way to go.

Janis Joplin – “Piece of My Heart”
The title says it all.

Metric – “Eclipse (All Yours)”
Well, look at that – two songs from the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack on the same playlist.  When Emily Haines announces that she is “all yours,” it is right on the edge of annoyingly cutesy and delightful ear candy.  Thankfully, it remains firmly on the side of an aural tickling.  She is hard to characterize, as her uniqueness is subtle, and not in-your-face like much of rock music.

Kelly Clarkson – “Already Gone”
I am stretching my category here, as I would consider Kelly a pop, and not even pop-rock, singer.  But her style does bear some influences of rock predecessors, particularly Pat Benatar.  I would like to see the original American Idol’s career head in a more rocking direction, but if she instead continues to put out ballads on the level of “Already Gone,” then that’s okay too.

Björk – “Human Behaviour”
With a strong electronic presence and otherwise wildly varied use of instrumentation, Björk barely qualifies as a rock singer.  But she could be a straight-up rock singer if she wanted to be.  Taking her songs’ vocal rhythms in whatever directions she wants to take them in, she is able to hit whatever notes she wants to hit, whenever, and as often, as she wants to hit them.

SNL Recap December 18, 2010: Jeff Bridges/Eminem and Lil’ Wayne

December 20, 2010

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Christmas Eve in Washington, D.C.
Well, there you go. Sticking with the political angle for the opening, but actually doing something out of the ordinary with it. It is clear that the writers have plenty of material on Obama, Hilary, Rahm, Pelosi, and Biden, but the focus has lately been getting fuzzy when they try to make a sketch around it. The solution, apparently: keep it simple. B+

Jeff Bridges’ Monologue
It was a treat to see Cookie Monster appear, though I imagine folks who weren’t familiar with his campaign to host found it only about half as amusing as those who were familiar found it to be. It was beautiful that Jeff introduced him as his buddy who’s always wanted to be on the show. The two of them singing “Silver Bells” wasn’t particularly funny, but it was surreal (as with much of what is actually on Sesame Street). Who else was thinking of the time Isaac Asimov and Crystal Gayle sang the same? By the way, I think Jeff broke the record for longest time between two successive hosting appearances, a title previously held by, I believe, Drew Barrymore.  (Update: It turns out that Sigourney Weaver broke the record for longest gap when she hosted this past January, and the previous record-holder had been Madeline Kahn.  So, as far as I can surmise, the order for longest gaps goes: 1. Jeff Bridges [27 years], 2. Sigourney Weaver [24 years], 3. Madeline Kahn [18 years], 4. Drew Barrymore [17 years].) B+

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