Valentine’s Day — you either love it or hate it. It makes sweethearts swoon and others want to stab fat cherubs with a bow and arrow. Between the chocolate hearts, the red roses and the teddy bears shoved in our faces, the holiday stirs up a cocktail of emotions: happiness, despair, jealousy, grief, sadness, desire … MTV News has all your mood swings covered. In honor of this beloved and dreaded holiday, we’re rolling out the Best Love Songs, Best Breakup Songs, Best Makeout Songs and Worst Love Songs in recent memory. It’s our Valentine’s Day gift to you, minus the dinner-and-a-movie part. So slip into something comfortable, and stay for a while. Love songs tend to get dusted off and put on display at weddings. And it’s hard to take any song seriously right after doing the chicken dance. Our favorite artists know what’s up: They express those deepest, darkest emotions without the help of cheesy lyrics or a soprano-saxophone player. Give it up to Justin, the Jonas Brothers and these other winged matchmakers for making us all a little weak in the knees. 10. Jonas Brothers – “Lovebug” This is about the only “lovebug” we ever want to catch. Let’s leave it at that … 9. Alicia Keys – “No One” In this soulful song, Alicia belts out her emotions so we don’t have to. 8. The Postal Service – “Such Great Heights” Despite never uttering those three magic words, this 2003 hit puts us on cloud nine. 7. Jason Mraz (featuring Colbie Caillat) – “Lucky” This duet is bound to make the wedding-day rounds. Still, the old-timey lyrics are cute. 6. Miley Cyrus – “7 Things” This isn’t a typo. This certainly isn’t a typical love song, considering that Miley sings about hating someone. But listen a little closer, and you’ll see the teen queen taps into the heart of a relationship — the bad that also comes with the good. 5. Beyoncé – “Crazy in Love” Ms. Sasha Fierce escorts us over the edge of love and back again in her 2003 smash single. Uh-oh! 4. Taylor Swift – “Love Story” With the sweet melody and fairy-tale references, this teen songstress gives us hope there will be a castle and a lover in a low-cut top in all our futures. Give in and “say yes” to Taylor’s catchy chorus. 3. Gym Class Heroes – “Cupid’s Chokehold” Travis McCoy joins forces with Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump to talk pancakes, secret handshakes and other shared moments with a string of girls. You gotta love a guy (and a song) with a sense of humor. 2. U2 – “With or Without You” After all these years, Bono still melts our hearts. This 1987 classic addresses the question: What the hell would I do without you? That never gets old. 1. Justin Timberlake – “My Love” With the help of Timbaland and T.I., Justin Timberlake nabs the top spot with his 2006 hit. JT redefines the concept of the love song, proving it can belong in both the club and next to a roaring fireplace.
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February 10, 2009 - 6:04 am
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Music
I am convinced that artists in the UK are in cahoots with each other to keep the art of the great pop album from their American counterparts. In the US, pop continues to be a four-letter word for the self-respecting audiophile, while bands like The Whip continue to make catchy, progressive, and most importantly, listenable pop albums on the other side of the Atlantic. Maybe if I lived in the UK, I’d actually listen to the radio again. You remember the radio, right? It’s the thing sitting on your nightstand that used to play good music. On The Whip’s soon to be released album, X Marks Destination, the boys in the band (Danny Saville, Lil Fee, Nathan Sudders and Bruce Carter) bounce through ten tracks (plus another four bonus remixes). It’s their amalgam of indie rock, electro, dance, and pop that make it an interesting listen. The tracks are worthy of the club, but could easily find a place on the iPod of the girl who listens to Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes. In short, the album should appeal to a fairly large demographic, and yet, X Marks Destination doesn’t make any large compromises in style. For instance, most of the songs clock in around five minutes — an unfriendly length to the radio — and the opener, “Trash,” is well past six minutes. Refreshingly, the songs aren’t overproduced. Invention seems to take the place of good sense among many in the electronic music profession these days. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. The beats employed on X Marks Destination are fairly simple and allow for textured overlays of guitar and synthesizer. Only a couple of the tracks suffer from their simple arrangements. Specifically, “Sirens” sounds dated, a reject from a bygone era. It’s a small quibble that doesn’t really mar the overall effect of the album. The best surprises of the album, however, are the remixes nestled at its tail end. Normally remixes are simply filler and add little value to a “bonus tracks” album, but here, some even surpass the originals. “Trash (Crooker’s Remix)” is so much better than the original I’m seriously considering swapping the track order with its namesake. “Muzzle #1,” one of the weakest tracks on the album, benefits greatly from remix (though it’s still not a frontrunner on the album). The Whip may not be reinventing the disco ball, but X Marks Destination is a good pop record. So few can claim such a distinction this century. For that, at least, The Whip deserves your ears. In fact, after listening to the album, mail it to your most loathed, no-talent pop artist that is topping the charts these days and hope for the best. It couldn’t hurt. X Marks Destination will be released on March 3rd.
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February 9, 2009 - 7:41 am
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Music
It's rare to find a pop artist who can also write convincing lyrics in a sophomore album. So many new artists have managed to pull together amazing freshman releases — the contents of everything in their lives leading up to that point. But to be able to pull together a solid second album sometimes seems too difficult and quality falls to the wayside. Tough to cram a lifetime into a year or two, with so many other things screaming for attention – producers, concerts, press, fans… So to listen to Tyrone Wells' Remain and hear so many solid songs with thought- and emotion-provoking lyrics… it just doesn't happen often. Wells worked with a variety of artists, songwriters, and musicians to craft a set of twelve solid tracks. In the UK, he worked with Martin Terefe (who has worked with Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, and James Morrison) and Iain Archer (UK artist and Snow Patrol songsmith). In the US, he worked with Tim Myers (former member of OneRepublic), David Hodges (former member of Evanescence), and Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon). As a fan of Mraz, Tunstall, Snow Patrol, Evanescence, and Vertical Horizon — I have to say this is quite a pedigree of talent. In 2007, Universal Republic released his album Hold On, which was originally his first independent record (following Snapshot in 2003 and Close: Live at McClain's in 2005. Universal Republic saw the opportunity to release the album more widely as his first major label record. Songs from these albums have found their way into film and television soundtracks as well, so he's getting some great exposure. So far he's had tracks show up in One Tree Hill, Everyone's Hero, Rescue Me, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs and many others. I suspect that we'll hear many of the tracks from Remain in popular media as well. For me, what works for Wells on Remain is first and foremost the lyrics. And with those impressive lyrics, you then have his solid soulful voice that just lends each word credence. Add to that great arrangements utilizing acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, and a well engineered pop feel, and you have a heck of a musical offering.
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February 8, 2009 - 12:21 pm
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Music
Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold appears to be launching a side project, after a solo MySpace page was discovered by fans. The band, White Antelope, features Pecknold, and has posted two songs to stream on the page. One of the songs is folk standard ‘False Knight On The Road’, which will feature as a B-side on the upcoming Fleet Foxes single ‘Mykonos’, and on the re-release of their self-titled 2008 debut album. It was recorded solo by Pecknold. The band’s page, which can be found at MySpace.com/awhiteantelope, features little other information about the project, barring a description as “covers and assorted stuff, nothing serious”. He told Chocolate Bobka: “I used to post demos of songs on that page before the record came out. The ‘Guitar Duet’ thing dates from when we were recording the LP and the cover of ‘False Knight..’ I did about two weeks ago. I posted the first demo of ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’ (when it was called ‘Stirring’, before the other ‘Stirring’) on there before. I might put that back up, it had different instrumentation and was kinda cool…. Right now I am alone in this house we’ve rented to record the next record in and tomorrow I’m going to record a cover of ‘Ridge Rider’, the Judee Sill song, for this compilation. Trying to write new stuff is hard right now for some reason. I want to do a record of really spare stuff for White Antelope so it may be recorded this year. I dunno if that is a good name though.”
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February 7, 2009 - 1:12 am
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Music
Every year the Grammy Awards come around and prove once again that I am listening to the wrong radio stations. The 2009 collection is no different. The 2009 Grammy Nominees CD includes an amazing cross-section of the radio waves, some of which I hadn't heard before listening to the CD. 2008 was a great year for pop, rock, and R&B artists across the board, and on February 8, 2009, we'll know who wins in the usual categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Coldplay's album and song "Viva La Vida" is up in multiple categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or group with Vocals. It's amazing how many times I've seen amateur renditions of this song on YouTube this year. Next we have Estelle with her song "American Boy" (featuring Kanye West) off her album Shine. "American Boy" is up for Song of the Year and faces some stiff competition in the category. After that we have Sara Bareilles "Love Song" released as a single in 2008, which is up for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. "Love Song" has received a ton of play on my local radio stations, and I have to admit it's pretty catchy. I haven't checked out the rest of her album Little Voice, but hope to do so. Ne-Yo's album Year of the Gentleman is up for Album of the Year. You'll find the first track, "Closer" on the Nominees CD. And Ne-Yo is competing with Lil Wayne for Album of the Year. Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III is represented on the CD by "Got Money", which also features T-Pain. One of my own favorite albums of the year, Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, is up for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. The song "Please Read the Letter" is on the CD, represents the album, and shows the fruit of this amazing duo. Radiohead, another great group with staying power, is up for Album of the Year with In Rainbows. "House of Cards" is here and proves that Radiohead still has what it takes to create amazing music. Lady Antebellum came on the country music scene last year and is up for Best New Artist. Their song "Love Don't Live Here" from their self-titled album was chosen to represent. The Jonas Brothers are also up for Best New Artist. Their song "Burnin' Up" is off their album A Little Bit Longer. This is a hugely popular group at my eldest daughter's elementary school. Jazmine Sullivan is another artist up for Best New Artist. Her album Fearless is represented with her song "Need U Bad."
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February 5, 2009 - 4:39 pm
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Music
In the booklet which accompanies the DVD release of Dream Of Life, filmmaker Steven Sebring describes the Patti Smith he came to know while making the film as essentially two different people. "She had been this really sweet, almost innocent, interesting woman," Sebring explains. "And then at Irving Plaza, she was raging, spitting music, and spewing poetry. It was fantastic." Playing as often as a visual and audio collage as it does as a documentary, Sebring's film about Patti Smith captures the essence of this iconic artist beautifully. It jumps around quite a bit between both times and places, but still manages to paint a picture that is as equal parts abstract and beautiful as the work of the icon herself. In fact, in some of the film's best moments, Sebring's unlimited access to Patti Smith provides a rare and often intimate look into the personal life of this legendary artist. We not only see Patti Smith as the iconic high priestess of punk-rock poetry — we also see her as a mother, a daughter, a wife, and sadly as a grieving widow. Patti Smith's story is already well known to fans and students of rock history. During the mid to late seventies, she made a string of four great albums, beginning with her classic debut Horses, and ending with Wave, before dropping completely out of sight for several years to move to Detroit, marry MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, and start a family. In the mid-eighties, she briefly re-emerged with the album Dream Of Life, only to disappear again for another several years. Sebring's film essentially tracks Patti Smith's life following the death of her husband in 1994. While his journey as a filmmaker begins there, it ends up lasting for the next eleven years and gains him unprecedented access to Patti Smith's life both on and offstage. By then Patti Smith has returned full time to live performance and recording — this time for good. With Sebring's unlimited access, we not only see the poet, the rock star, and the activist. We also see Patti Smith in her most private moments, which have unfortunately been overshadowed by death within the past ten years or so. In addition to losing her husband, the film reveals Patti Smith dealing with the loss of her brother, friends like artist/photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and even the keyboardist in her band. A significant amount of the film is shot at grave-sites, including those of her husband, as well as those of poets like Rimbaud and Brecht, where she makes frequent pilgrimages.
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February 4, 2009 - 1:11 pm
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Music
The Byrds returned to the studio during the second half of 1967 and the relationships between the members were not pretty. Michael Clarke left, Gene Clark returned, David Crosby was fired, Gene Clark left again, Jim officially became Roger McGuinn, and the resultant album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, was brilliant and became a classic 1960’s release. Rolling Stone Magazine would rank it number 171 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The original album cover featured three human Byrds and a horse. The horse was supposed to represent the departed David Crosby and at the time I thought he was lucky that they faced the horse forward. Despite all the turmoil, McGuinn and Hillman soldiered on. They would change several of the tracks that Crosby had left behind and ultimately would write or co-write nine of the eleven songs. They also hired musicians to fill in the blanks. Session musician deluxe Jim Gordon would provide some of the best drum work of the group’s career. The most important addition would be guitarist Clarence White, who had also played briefly on their last album. He would later join The Byrds as an official member and provide the perfect foil for guitarist Roger McGuinn. The album would be a compromise between McGuinn’s psychedelic tendencies and Chris Hillman’s country leanings. They would unite to present a fairly mellow affair which featured hauntingly beautiful music. Producer Gary User, a former associate of The Beach Boys, was back for a second album. He is one of the forgotten studio wizards of the 1960s. He created a number of studio bands such as The Hondells and The Superstocks, who featured layered harmonies and catchy music. His production of The Notorious Byrd Brothers was impeccable and his ability to give the vocals and the music an almost sonic quality was outstanding. His greatest achievement, however, may have been his ability to keep the recording sessions focused in the middle of all the chaos. The two non original tracks were written by the legendary team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin and continued the group’s tradition of superior cover work. “Goin’ Back” featured Roger McGuinns legendary 12 string guitar plus the vocal phrasing gave the lyrics new life and meaning which enabled the song to escape its pop foundation and become a memorable folk-rock tune. “Wasn’t Born To Follow” would feature one of the best vocals of McGuinn’s career. The album contains a number of other delights. “Draft Morning” is a gentle but effective anti-war song that remains a social commentary about the late sixties. “Change Is Now” is highlighted by Chris Hillman’s bass beat and gorgeous harmonies on the chorus. “Old John Robertson” is the best of the country songs and looks ahead to the coming of Gram Parsons. The final two tracks are a last hurrah for the pure psychedelic Byrds. “Dolphin's Smile” is David Crosby’s final brilliant gasp as a member of the group. “Space Odyssey” was written with the Stanley Kubrick movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, in mind. While it was not used in the film it remains a unique psychedelic relic of the era. The Notorious Byrd Brothers has a timeless quality about it and is one of the better, if not the best release, in their outstanding catalogue of work. It is a stunning album that was meant to be listened too with head phones firmly in place.
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February 3, 2009 - 12:28 pm
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Music
Kreator are one of the Big Three of German thrash metal. Alongside Sodom and Destruction they've flown the flag high ever since forming way back in 1982. Their early demos saw them getting signed by legendary genre label Noise, and under the stewardship of founder member Mille Petrozza, they've been pounding away ever since. Their début album Endless Pain came out in 1985 and was an instant hit with metalheads, and it's one of the albums that is constantly hailed as a major influence by subsequent generations of bands. The follow-up, 1986's Pleasure To Kill, is even better. Kreator broke all the speed limits as they thrashed their way through classic after classic, with "Flag Of Hate" hailed as a metal anthem. Their final indie album of the eighties, Terrible Certainty continued their momentum and saw the major labels sniffing round, with Epic Records signing them for the LA recorded Extreme Aggression, complete with a big name producer in Randy Burns, MTV videos and US tours. However, as with many metal bands, signing to a major saw the first cracks in the Kreator story. With a new guitarist in tow, "Coma Of Souls" saw the critics knives sharpening. In response, Kreator threw their toys out of the pram as they responded with a series of experimental releases that saw them dipping their toes into industrial metal, goth rock, and the just plain weird, on albums like Renewal and Endorama. There were more line up changes, leaving vocalist / guitarist Petrozza as the sole original band member, and it seemed as though there days were numbered as Epic dropped them, and they headed back to indie land. But then the 21st century arrived, along with a new guitarist, Sami Yli-Sirniö, and suddenly Kreator returned. Violent Revolution was a fabulous return to form and to their roots, and the band saw their profile raised, and a new generation of fans arrived. A live album and a new studio release, Enemy Of God were also well received, but with four years passing without any new material, is there any gas left in Kreators tank?
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February 1, 2009 - 5:37 am
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Music
Not gonna make you wait on this one. No beating around the bush, no hemming and hawing – well OK, a little – but the simple truth is that Brazilian jazz icon Eliane Elias' newest album, Bossa Nova Stories, is one of the best I've heard in a long time. It's a new issue on the Blue Note label commemorating fifty years of Bossa Nova, and I can't imagine a better choice to celebrate the musical heritage of Brazil. Pianist/singer Elias has spent the last couple of decades establishing herself as one of the stars of the genre. A classically-trained piano virtuoso who's equally adept at performing jazz, she became known earlier in her career as one of the few individuals to have best-selling albums in both genres at the same time. But she didn't stop there. While continuing to build her résumé as a member – and leader - of some of the best groups around, she also added singing to her arsenal of weapons. Not surprisingly, she proved to be very, very good. Her warm, rich and full voice, along with her natural affinity for the material, gave her the ability to delight and entertain listeners, and she's become one of the most popular performers around. To commemorate fifty years of Bossa Nova, Elias and her producers have put together a 14-track collection that throws a pretty wide net over a lot of different musical – er – fish. Included are some nice performances on the Brazilian standards you'd expect, such as "Girl From Ipanema" and "Desafinado," along with some lesser-known pieces, such as "Falsa Baiana," a tricky little vocal exercise that Elias handles flawlessly. Many of the tracks showcase the instrumental side, and not just Elias' keyboard. On a number of the pieces she's backed by a lush orchestral sound, while on others the focus is on smaller and more intimate groups. Among her accompanists are guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves and drummer Paulo Braga, along with her regular collaborator – and husband – bassist Marc Johnson. Even legendary jazz harmonica master Toots Thielemans shows up on a couple of tracks, notably in support of Elias' outstanding performance of Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman." It's one of several non-Brazilian tunes that are included here and given a Latin treatment; among them "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and one of my favorite standards, "The More I See You." The inclusion of Latin versions of jazz standards might seem a little odd in a collection devoted to Bossa Nova's fiftieth birthday, but when the result is this delightful it's easy to forgive. And I would guess that it might make it more accessible to those who are a little new to Brazilian jazz, which is probably the purpose. In any case, it's an outstanding album — highly recommended, and not just for newbies.
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January 31, 2009 - 8:28 pm
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Music
Bell X1 lead singer Paul Noonan makes the following lyrical demands on upcoming release Blue Lights on the Runway: (1) he wants to make a new world or word order, and he wants to make it rhyme (2) he wants George to tell him about those rabbits (3) he wants to be a better band and possibly a better man (though Eddie Vedder called this one first) and (4) he wants to shoot fire from his hand like some kind of human fire-flower. Oddly enough, if taken literally, his third demand is the one that seems most irrational here and more than a little self-depreciating. We may be nubes to the Bellies’ brand of Brian Eno-infused, occasionally electronic, Euro-pop and Noonan may be trying to kick some sort of life-claustrophobia via the demand in question (see: “A Better Band”), but these Irish men have already pretty much stirred our souls with that great big stick of theirs, which kind of looks like an ore (see: “The Great Defector”). Meaning it’s difficult to imagine this band better. Of course, these fangirls’ hearts have always been hard-wired for any music that feeds their “where did all the good bands go?!” bitchin’ (so there’s no need to start cutting their red and blue wires. They need those. See: “How Your Heart is Wired”). What this means is that Bell X1 channels the best of the Talking Heads, James and Ireland’s original big-hitters, U2 (they were even called Ireland’s best band by Vanity Fair, though we doubt anyone’s bothered to run this by Bono), and that, we really don’t know how to kick the “heady glow” of this bloody-fine discovery. But we do know it makes for a good buzz, and, if we keep listening, Blue Lights and Bell X1 will keep feeding that above-mentioned need (and likely, yours too, once the words playing on your stereo start to swim). That’s the beauty of “time’s great elixir.” At times comical, asking that mysterious man named George about those equally mysterious rabbits, and at other times dramatically dark, waxing worrisome on this mad, mad world, but always brainy, the band’s lyrical tastes are seemingly reflective of the Psychedelic Furs (sorry, an obvious pun about those bunny references). But, seriously, the Bellies’ lyrical tastes are highly reflective of their affinity for evolution; they even played bar mitzvahs and wedding parties before gaining popularity on the telly and touring with such artists as Bon Jovi and the late Elliott Smith (which resulted in a “big hair, small music identity crisis,” as the band’s bio reports).
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January 30, 2009 - 11:11 am
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Music