Yes by Yoko Ono

You can see this at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  Is Yoko Ono’s message of love and peace as meaningful today as it has been for the last 40 years?  YES!

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G's top albums of the decade - Part 2.

Here’s the long awaited second installment of my favorite albums of the decade. It’s hard to see from the above picture, but I was fortunate enough to get 7 out of these 9 albums autographed (the two exceptions are Radiohead and MGMT), and I saw all of these bands/singers live on the tours promoting these albums.  Thanks universe!  Again, these are not in order because I love them all. Read more after the jump.

Top Row:

Yes by Pet Shop Boys (2009).  The Pet Shop Boys have been around for an amazing 25 years.  They released a handful of uneven albums in the 2000s (Release, Fundamental, Disco 4), but this album is a return to perfection.  Every track on this album is fantastic.  They capture a perfect mix of dance music and gorgeous ballads with brilliant lyrics.  I dare you not to throw yourself a 4-minute dance party on the thumping “More Than A Dream.”  ”King of Rome,” a slower song, represents isolation in musical form with the lyric “If I were the King of Rome, I couldn’t be more tragic.”  ”Building a Wall,” is an uptempo track that “is not so much to keep you out, but more to keep me in.”  ”Love Etc,” the opener with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, talks about the things you don’t need if you have love.  The finale “Legacy,” is one of the greatest tracks the Boys have ever made and when I met them backstage at one of their concerts, I professed my love for this song, and singer Neil Tennant agreed that it’s his favorite song off the record.

Van Hunt by Van Hunt (2004).  The R&B singer Van Hunt had already been a successful producer, when he decided to release his first record, the self titled album Van Hunt. His music is a mix of Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye.  His manager is Randy Jackson (from American Idol) and why Jackson did not make Van Hunt a household name instead of karaoke i-dulls, is beyond my comprehension.  Tracks such as “Down Here In Hell (With You),” and “Dust” will make you love the neo-soul sound of Van Hunt.  Other standout tracks include “Out of the Sky,” and “Hold My Hand.”

Life In Cartoon Motion by Mika (2007).  If Elton John and Freddie Mercury had a baby, it would be Mika.  His debut album starts off with “Grace Kelly,” which gives a nod to Freddie.  Fun tracks such as “Lollipop”  and “Billy Brown,” penetrate the album.  My favorite track is “Love Today,” a song that will make you want to shower total strangers with love.  His live shows are as colorful as his music.  When his second record “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” was released in 2009, I was so excited to see what this musical prodigy would come up with. Unfortunately, to me, it sounds as if he took his first album and re-recorded it with different lyrics, but I am not counting him out just yet.

Middle Row:

Back To Black by Amy Winehouse (2007).  When this album was released, I played it over and over and over again.  Amy Winehouse’s album sounds like it was recorded in the 60s with producer Phil Spector and was lost for decades.  Tracks such as the infectious “Rehab,” had the world singing the chrous “No, No, No.”  The track “Me And Mr. Jones” introduced the world to the brilliant word “fuckery,” and tracks such as “Back To Black,” and “Wake Up Alone,” have so much isolation in them, you can picture the feeling of being hung over while you find out your lover has been cheating on you.  Her life has been a mess since the release of this album and I hope and pray that she is strong enough to make another album as good as this one.

Everybody Loves A Happy Ending by Tears For Fears (2004).  When Tears For Fears reunited in 2004, I saw their first show at Los Angeles’ Tower Records (RIP).  They looked so uncomfortable, I thought they’d break up before the show was over, but they pulled it together and recorded their first and only album of the 2000s.  When their last album was released (1990′s The Seeds of Love), they had broken away from being pop darlings who released accessible tracks such as “Shout” and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” and instead had started experimenting in the studio with luscious tracks such as the Beatles-esque “Sowing The Seeds of Love.”  ”Everybody Loves A Happy Ending” begins where “The Seeds of Love” left off.  ”Who Killed Tangerine,” and “Secret World,” are underappreciated anthems and the title track and “Killing With Kindness” are the best tracks the Beatles never got around to recording.

Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters (2004). America showed how homophobic it really is when Scissor Sisters released their debut album in 2004.  This is such a fun dance and pop record.  The rest of the world caught on quickly as Scissor Sisters sell out arenas all over the world, yet in their home country, they are reduced to playing medium sized venues.  Lead singer Jake Shears is not only sexy-as-hell, but his falsetto voice that recalls Mick Jagger on Stones classics such as “Emotional Rescue,” will have you swinging your hips like a drag queen in 2 seconds flat.  Tracks such as “Take Your Mama” make you think that Elton John is back from the dead and releasing classic tracks again.  The opener “Laura” and “Filthy/Gorgeous,” are romping dance numbers (that are extra fun when you see the Sisters in concert).  I will probably always remain on the fence about their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”  The original version is nothing short of perfection, with one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.  The Sisters cover sounds as if Abba decided to record this classic.  Aside from the lyrics being the same, the track has nothing recognizable from the original version.  While that is a pretty amazing transformation, there are certain songs that should never be messed with.

Bottom Row:

In Rainbows by Radiohead (2008). A lot of people disagree with me, but I think this is the best concept record since Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.  From start to finish, this album is perfection.  Towards the end of the album, there are a trio of tracks that make a brilliant album even better.  ”Reckoner” is filled with sadness and isolation.  The lyrics and music of the song will make you close your eyes and imagine that the world is ending.  Next is “House of Cards,” which sounds like you’ve opened your eyes and what you see is rock-bottom.  Again, beautiful lyrics and a sad melody.  The finale of this trio is “Jigsaw Falling Into Place,” that is a song of hope and rebuilding (after you’ve lost everything).  Not only did Radiohead make a brilliant album, but they perhaps changed the ever-changing face of music by releasing this album for free on their website.  Eventually, they offered a physical package release and a deluxe edition, but they were so confident with this record, they let their fans have a free test-drive. This freaked out the music industry, and you know me… I love it when people are uncomfortable.  It mixes it up.

Songs of Mass Destruction by Annie Lennox (2007).  The diva from Eurythmics made my favorite solo album to date with Songs Of Mass Destruction.  There are her usual gorgeous ballads, but often on her solo work, she forgets that she is a dance floor diva too.  She realizes that on this album with tracks such as “Love Is Blind,” and “Ghosts in my Machine.”  The track “Sing,” employs an odd mix of guest vocalists from Madonna to Celine Dion (but it was a charity track, so she’s forgiven).  The best track on this record is “Coloured Bedspread,” that not only sounds like one of the best tracks Eurythmics never recorded, but the sexy vocals and beats might make you want to get horizontal.

Oracular Spectacular by MGMT (2008).  The boys from Brooklyn are boring-as-hell live, but in the studio, they can hang with the best of them.  Their debut album Oracular Spectacular employs the Mick Jagger-esque falsetto voice that earned him lots of enemies in the 70s, but it works with MGMT.  The opening track “Time To Pretend,” is pure pop heaven.  ”Kids” and “Electric Feel” became hits in the trendy kids community instantly.  I read that their next album will have “no radio friendly singles” and will be reminiscent of their live shows.  That might mean they are about to release a career-killing dull record, but only time will tell what the next decade will bring for MGMT.

What were your favorite albums of the decade? Freedom of speech is one of the last things we have left, so let your voices be heard!!

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G's Top 9 albums of 2009

I can’t believe the year 2009 is almost over.  December marks the time to look back on the high and low lights of the year we are about to finish.

2009 was a pretty lackluster year for music and it seems that each year gets worse, but never fear – I was still able to come up with my favorite 9 albums of 2009.  I’ll take them row by row as pictured above.  Read my thoughts after the jump.

Top Row:

Yes by Pet Shop Boys.  The other cds in this category are not in order of how much I like them, but the runaway #1 album of the year for me was Yes by the Pet Shop Boys.  After a 25-year career, the Boys are big as ever in the rest of the world and are little more than a gay novelty act in the United States.  It makes no sense to me!  This album has bangin’ beats that 21 year olds can barely make, let alone by guys in their 50s!  Every track on the record is solid from the opener Love Etc. to the gorgeous finale Legacy. Their lyrics are cheeky as ever and their musical textures just keep getting richer. They’ve released a few singles off the record and the B-sides and remixes are up there with their best work.  If you’ve ever liked the Pet Shop Boys and lost interest over the years, I urge you to check out this album as it is really fantastic.  The limited edition version Yes Etc., features a bonus disc of dub versions and one b-side (a track called “This Used To Be The Future” with Human League’s Philip Oakey). I saw the Pet Shop Boys live three times this year (twice in New York and once in London) and all three shows were awesome.  You can see pictures here.

Living Thing by Peter Bjorn and John.  My favorite Swedes.  PB&J had a worldwide smash a few years ago with the song “Young Folks” and each of their albums seems to get better and better. This album is a bit uneven (with the beginning half of the record being a bit stronger than the end of it), but it has a few tracks that will make you hit repeat. Notibly, the catchy “It Don’t Move Me,” and the melancholy “Just The Past.”  Plus the album features the track “Lay It Down,” whose lyrics state – “Hey!  Shut the fuck up boy, you are starting to piss me off!”  I also saw them live three times this year:  once as a headliner and twice as the support act for Depeche Mode.  Pix can be seen here.

Years of Refusal byMorrissey.  Mopey Morrissey returns to his rockin’ roots with an album about heartbreak, drug addiction and depression. For most artists, these topics would be career suicide, but for Morrissey, it’s one of his stronger points.  The lead off track “Something is Squeezing My Skull” literally lists a half dozen drugs that are available to combat depression, but as Moz so rightfully points out, they just make you numb instead of solving your problems.  Another key track is “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris,” because “only steel and stone accept my love.”  Hard to argue with that logic. I saw Morrissey live twice this year, but that was pre-blog.

Middle Row:

Tonight!  by Franz Ferdinand.  Franz Ferdinand started their career with a strong lead off album and then sunk into mediocrity with their second record.  For Tonight!, their third album, they are back.  The album has a mixture of rock and funk, which are two things I love.  The tracks Ulysses and No You Girls are the stand out songs on the record.

Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode.  When I first heard this album, I was not impressed.  I don’t easily give up on Depeche Mode and my perserverance paid off.  After a few listens, Sounds of the Universe quickly became my favorite DM album in over 10 years.  The album opens with “In Chains,” a song that tells of some of the trials and tribulations lead singer Dave Gahan has been through (i.e. drug addiction).  Songs like “Fragile Tension,” and “In Sympathy” recall the synth-roots of the band and the song “Come Back,” has enough isolation and longing to make you remember why people buy Depeche Mode records.  For the die-hard fan, a deluxe box set was issued that features really cool things such as the entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound, a disc of remixes and B-sides (including the best track that they’ve done in over ten years “Oh Well“), plus a disc of demos from various stages of their career.  Most of the demos are sung by Martin Gore, the bands primary songwriter.  Hearing his vocals on tracks such as “Clean,” “Walking in my Shoes,” and “I Feel You,” make you realize that he is definitely the brains behind the band.  The deluxe box set has 2 neat books and stickers as well!  I saw DM twice this year in concert and both shows were fantastic as always!  Pictures can be seen here.

LaRoux by LaRoux.  This is the only new act that earns a place on my top 9 list.  The British synth-based band has a sound similar to early Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Human League.  LaRoux is French for “The Red,” which is the color of lead singer Elly Jackson’s unique hair style.  The album has standout tracks such as “I’m Not Your Toy,” “Quicksand,” and “Coulourless Coulour.”  Their hit single “Bulletproof,” features my current mantra:  ”This time baby, I’ll be bulletproof.”  Again, logic that’s hard to argue with.  I saw LaRoux’ debut live performance in New York earlier this year and I enjoyed it.  Pix can be seen here.

Bottom Row:

It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen.  The second album from the hot mess Lily Allen is just as good as her first album. Songs such as “Everyone’s At It,” and “The Fear” deal with plastic surgery and tabloid scandals (which Lily Allen has fallen victim to).  The album has pop sensibility, but also flirts with reggae and Amy Winehouse style throwbacks to an era gone by.  My favorite track off the album is called “Fuck You,” and talks about what she says to haters.  That was such a fun song to hear when she performed it in concert as the entire audience was flipping the bird for four minutes.

Lotus Flow3r / MPLS Sound by Prince.  Everyone knows that I am obsessed with Prince, so he could pretty much crap on record and release it and it would make my best-of lists.  Well, he pretty much did that with this triple CD set that was released only at Target and through his own website.  The first disc “Lotus Flow3r,” attempts to be the rock record his fans have been dying for him to make.  Sadly, though the album is definitely rockin’, most of the tracks are forgettable.  He covers “Crimson and Clover,” and throws in the chorus to “Wild Thing” for good measure.  This from a person who has a reported 3,000 unreleased songs in his vaults collecting dust.  A song called “Dreamer” is so thinly disguised as a Jimi Hendrix tribute, he practically steals the riff from “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” for another forgettable track.  The song “$” is funky as hell though, so while Prince has many missteps, songs like this one let you know he’s still got it.  The album “MPLSound” is the funk album fans were dying to hear.  Again, instead of truly giving us the funk, it sounds like Prince covers his old material with new lyrics.  But MPLS sound has enough great moments to make my best of the year list.  The track “Chocolate Box,” the name of a Prince bootleg, is not preaching hateful Jehovah’s Witness crap and instead is just a funk jam that will definitely shake a few asses on the dance floor.  Speaking of dancing, the song “Dance 4 Me” is another classic Prince song, with funk that will make you contort your face, even in the most awkward moments.  The final track “No More Candy 4 u” is also funky, as it recalls Prince’s funky-punk period (aka the Controversy era), but it just makes you want to run to your cd shelf and listen to “Ronnie Talk 2 Russia” instead.  The 3rd disc of the set is by a new protege (read: the chick he’s banging at the moment) named Bria Valente.  The cd is described by Prince as a Sade record that she hasn’t gotten around to making.  Take the E off Sade and what are you left with?

At Your Service by Morphine.  Why Morphine is not a household name (for music, not the drug!) is literally beyond my comprehension.  The band consists of 3 people and together they make jazzy “low rock” that sounds like 20 people are playing on each track.  Lead singer Mark Sandman died 10 years ago but was so prolific in his brief life, every few years, compilations of unreleased tracks finally get to see the light of day.  This 2-CD set has 35 unreleased tracks.  A few of them have been released in alternate versions, but on At Your Service, these versions (some live, some studio) are drastically different.  Most notibly, a fast version of “Supersex,” and an early version of “All Your Way” (which is known on this album as “Put It Down (Wo-oh).”  There’s also a slew of tracks that have never been heard before, such as “Lunch in Hell” and “5:o9,” and all tracks have that signature Morphine sound. Perhaps if you are just discovering Morphine, this might not be the compilation for you, but if you are as addicted to them as I am, this set will surely keep you high.

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Neil Tennant - Live at the O2 Arena - June 19, 2009. Photos by G

Attention Pet Heads!  The Pet Shop Boys are offering a free mp3 download of the “Yes” megamix when you click here.

Enjoy some more photos from their “Pandemonium Tour” live at London’s O2 arena.

Domino Dancing

Why don't we live together?

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