So, Vampire Weekend is a pretty popular band right now. In fact, their Contra is the highest profile release of the year thus far. And I’m really seriously debating picking it up. But I’m torn. I’m all for good music and I enjoy trends as much as the next guy, it’s just that Vampire Weekend still seems like a ton of hype and I’m not really one to buy into hype. Plus, I feel like I’ve heard their stuff before. And I sort of have. »»
I'll never forget it; it was late August 2001. That's when I became a committed fan of Roc-A-Fella Records, right after hearing the bootleg of The Blueprint. The beats sounded like the evolution of the sound that was introduced on Jay-Z's previous album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia—it was a soulful throwback, sample-heavy yet modern. And it sounded like nothing else.
Flash-forward eight years... Kanye West, one of the architects of that sound, is a huge star. Just Blaze is the Art Garfunkel to West's Paul Simon and it's a shame because the guy is just as talented behind the boards.
»»
Come inside, come inside. There's some musical philosophy, a review of a free EP, a rant against posers, fun, frivolity, and a whole heaping helping of snark.
Poppin' Off on the Top
This week's Top 10 Hot Modern Rock Singles, as per Billboard.com:
1. Foo Fighters, "Long Road to Ruin"
Not to offend all the Grohl Trolls out there, but I keep wanting to be as impressed by the Foos as everyone else seems to be and I'm still not getting it. I loved the first album when it came out; I was too young and stupid to realize I was listening to Nirvana's reject bin. Every album since then, they've delved more and more into power pop to the point that I'm a little embarrassed to call them "rock" anymore. Dave is a talented songwriter and musician, and his side projects rarely if ever miss. His voice, though, is just too soothing and sedate to do justice to the songs he's writing. If "Long Road to Ruin" was made by Maroon 5 or someone rather than a band that everyone already respects, it would be written off as the lightweight trifle that it really is.
»»
