Song: Auld Lang Syne
Album: A Soulful Christmas
Artist: The Platters
Selected by: Linda Ryan
Date: December 31, 2007
There's no song more appropriate on New Year's Eve than the Scottish traditional "Auld Lang Syne." Although Guy Lombardo made it synonymous with New Year's Eve back in 1929, we've chosen the Platters' version -- which adds a dash of soul.
There’s never an opportune time to go to jail. But Prodigy’s upcoming three-and-a-half year sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun truly couldn’t have come at a worse time for him, professionally. In ’07, the more lyrical half of the legendary Mobb Deep ignited an underground buzz by releasing Return of The Mac, one of the year’s best albums, and by injecting YouTube with some grimy old-fashioned New York street rap, via his dark and violent, straight-to-internet videos. But the man born Albert Johnson has not rested on his laurels or been idle in the months leading to his up-north trip. March will see the release of another solo album, H.N.I.C. 2 (mostly produced by his Mobb partner Havoc, and Alchemist), and he’s shooting videos for its every song – ensuring there’s plenty of material left behind. P got on the phone with Rhapsody over the holidays to talk some things out, like his feelings on kids and guns, on his long-standing beef with Jay-Z, and on Mobb Deep’s legacy.
When Damon Albarn guest hosted an episode of the BBC’s "Today" radio show, the media seized on his comments about how celebrity culture (including "X Factor," the U.K.'s equivalent of "American Idol") needs to be eradicated. But hidden within Albarn’s episode, available here, is far more interesting material—including this examination of Iraqi refugee musicians living in Damascus, Syria. The segment is a fascinating look at some of the lesser known consequences of the war.
The Internet, for better or worse, is a great experiment in democracy, giving everyone a critical soapbox to shout from. That can be a wonderful thing, but it does make for a daunting number of year-end “Best Of” lists. Certain artists appeared with predictable regularity: M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Panda Bear, Arcade Fire and The National all got ample amounts of love. We’ve sorted through the web’s detritus to come up with a handful of our favorite lists, from the mainstream to the underground and the just plain bizarre.
And if the following links don't quite satiate your need for meta-list craziness, check out the archival work of those
gracious overachievers over at Largehearted Boy.
by Matty Karas
Commercially speaking, 2007 was a worse year for pop music than 2006, which was worse than 2005. The Internet is ruining everything. As of this writing, exactly five albums have sold as many as two million copies this year. Two are Disney soundtracks, one a classic-rock album available only at Wal-Mart, one a Christmas album, and one a rock band that got its break on "American Idol" (thank god for "American Idol"). Fortunately, actual rock fans don't subscribe to Billboard or look at Soundscan every week. They just turn on the radio or go to clubs or surf YouTube and MySpace in search of Lil' Mama or Lil Wayne or a lil' techno or a lil' acoustic number. Or they actually watch "American Idol." Or make their own music. When everyone else is bitching about the rain, they simply open an umbrella and carry on. In all those ways and more, 2007 was a fantastic year for pop.
Song: Cada Macaco No Seu Galho (Cho Chu?)
Album: Tropicalia 2
Artist: Caetano Veloso
Selected By: Sara Bardeen
Date: December 28, 2007
Blah blah Brazilian blah blah greatest songwriter of the 20th century blah blah. Blah. I never get tired of listening to this song. The opening alone is pure joy. Even if you don't speak Portuguese, a title like "Each monkey on his twig" might give you a hint of what he and Gilberto Gil are getting at.
The more we reflect on the year in rock, the more it feels like a long afternoon spent at the multiplex. There were well-anticipated (if only occasionally) satisfying blockbusters, nubile starlets debuting in breakthrough roles, and a sprinkling of art-house crossovers. Like sequels to our favorite flicks, the parade of marquee reunions offered both spine-tingling and unsightly results. The year's other rock-related stories, like Phil Spector's trial, Van Halen's roller coaster and the lumbering maneuvers of the record industry, were chock-full of surprise endings. Here are the top 10 memorable rock'n'roll moments of 2007.
by Dan Shumate
'Twas an exciting year for alternative, indie and punk. There were many a fine album, most notably from LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, M.I.A. and Spoon. Radiohead's DIY approach to selling music demonstrated how a single band could instill change in an entire industry. Indie rock went top 10. Against Me! and the return of Bad Brains revived punk's feeble pulse. And Daft Punk blurred the lines between performance art, theatre and live concert. And now, for the top 10 highlights of 2007 ...
Song: Northern Industrial Town
Album: William Bloke
Artist: Billy Bragg
Selected By: Nate Cavalieri
Date: December 27, 2007
By this 1996 LP, Bragg had softened up his politics from "red to green." Amidst all the brassy, poppy tunes that celebrated this new mindset, hides a gray-skied homage to the "bash-'em-out" bands and work-a-day lads from Belfast that's lovely enough leave your heart in pieces.
Rhapsody hip-hop editors Sam Chennault and Toshitaka Kondo linked up to try and make sense of it all. Read on for their take on the year’s 10 biggest trends, events and releases.
Country music chart-hawks and industry movers might be pleased to check out our 2007: The Year In Country playlist. But the following top 10 twang-based list is a bit more personal. I've been the Country Music Editor at Rhapsody for over eight years now, and 2007 was the first year that I went to Fan Fair in Nashville. It was there that I attended countless live performances and met a sea of truly interesting people, so some of those experiences helped make up this list. And as my luck would have it, there were some really crazy and cool things happening on the sidelines that couldn't go unmentioned. Of course, there were some albums and songs from off the beaten path that I'd like to share with you too. So here it is, my top 10 list of what I remember most about country music in 2007.
Rhapsody's 2007: The Year in Christian Music playlist headlined that CCM had grown three sizes this year. Now we bring you the rest of that story: an American "Idol"'s gospel debut, Christian acts rocking "Grey's Anatomy" and the House of Blues, plus heaps more. Read on for the top 10 moments in Christian/gospel music of 2007.
Song: Dracula’s Wedding
Album: Speakerboxx/The Love Below
Artist: Outkast: Andre 3000 feat. Kelis
Selected By: Angela Bruno
Date: December 26, 2007
Nosferatu confronts his commitment issues (“till death do us part” doesn’t apply in his case). On this camp little ditty, André 3000 plays a Don Juan Dracula in crisis: “I've cast my spell on millions, but I'm terrified of you.” Vampy foil Kelis bites back: “Don't run, I'm not the sun ... plus I make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
Yes, we work with -- and listen to -- music all year long. But we're not agnostic eunuchs -- we got views on what's good, what's bad, what's ugly, and we express these to each other, loudly and boisterously (sometimes, even explicitly). And the Rhapsody Poll is where our collective opinion stands up and gets counted - literally.
Here's how it worked. Every Rhapsody staffer offered their favorite 10 albums of 2007, the top 90 or so albums cited were put in a pool, and each member of the Rhapsody editorial staff assigned points to their favorite ten of those (10 points for #1, 1 point for #10). (The song poll was a complete free-for-all.) Capiche? Enjoy!
by Chris Ryan
Judged by the habits of Rhapsody listeners, 2007 was a year ruled by women. As it should be. Despite the disproportionate male domination on the release schedule, fully half the albums and songs in the Listener's Favorites Top 10 (compiled from Rhapsody statistics) were by ladies, including both top album and top song spots, and the top four songs. So roll on glamorous sisters, girlfriends, big girls, good girls and back-to-black girls. And may '08 see your success reach beyond the pop realm. We'll be listening.
Song: Glory, Glory
Album: Feels Like Christmas
Artist: Al Green
Selected By: Linda Ryan
Date: December 25, 2007
Al Green in his element. "Glory, Glory" is a soulful, gospel-tinged song of praise propelled along by horns and a groovy Hammond organ. At just under three minutes, this one is short, but oh-so-sweet!
by Piotr Orlov
Some years ago, a wise person pontificated that electronic music was the only real world music, because it could be made everywhere by anyone and could be understood just as universally. Many beats, many passports, one dance floor – discuss! And while the hippie dream of such shared-knowledge thesis is slightly unnerving, electronic music’s global march does continue unabated. No surprise then that the 10 highlights for the year in electronic/dance music feature, in no direct order, residents of New York, San Francisco, Detroit, London, Paris, Berlin and Norway, a Brazilian who records in Germany, a Sri Lanka-born Brit who recorded in India, Jamaica and Liberia before moving to Brooklyn, a budding Australian music scene, and robots who made the term “around the world” their own. Sometimes, globalization is a good thing!
2007 was a superlative year for music, and -- in its stubborn and eccentric ways -- classical music was a big part of the reason why. Amid larger signs of a music industry in turmoil, the classical institutions -- labels, concert promoters, orchestra administrators, performers, listeners, critics -- seem to have figured out that the Internet is surprisingly friendly to a thousand-year-old musical tradition. Here are the other reasons 2007 was a memorable year for classical music.
Song: No Christmas for John Quays
Album: It's the New Thing: The Step Forward Years
Artist: The Fall
Selected By: Dan Shumate
Date: December 24, 2007
Who says junkies -- or John Quays -- can’t have a Christmas? Well, The Fall’s Mark E. Smith does on “No Christmas for John Quays." They’re apparently too self-absorbed to care about Old Saint Nick or too busy “talking to the cigarette machine." We’ll just have to take Mark E.’s word for it.
Hip-hop producer CHOPS (born Scott Jung) has worked with everyone from The Game to Chamillionaire, Young Jeezy, Raekwon and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The Philadelphia native got into the holiday spirit with Rhapsody by sharing his top 10 old-school christmas jams.
As the blues starts becoming more and more of a specialty item, it was great to see that the music was still being filtered through to the mainstream in various forms. Superior blues tracks could be heard on Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' priceless Raising Sand collaboration. And while John Mayer has become a star with softly rocking material, in concert he dazzles with some serious blues-guitar chops. But if you want to cut out the pop fat and head straight to the lean blues treasure trove, just listen to selections from Rhapsody's list of the Top 15 Blues Albums of 2007 here. Then, read on to discover more about the top 10 blues albums of 2007 in more detail.
by Jen Guyre
The past few years have been momentous for the hard and heavy, and 2007 was no different. Before we dive into the headlines, tours, trends and MASSIVE reunions this year has shown us, first, we must thank the dark lord for bestowing upon us five phenomenal releases from Dillinger Escape Plan, Baroness, Pig Destroyer, Down and High on Fire, in that order. Secondly, no small children were harmed, nor were any animals sacrificed to make this all possible – a notable feat for this group of nihilists and/or Satanists. And lastly, if these past 365 days of heaviosity are any indicator of the ferocious headbanging to come, 2008 will surely be the year of the beast. Behold the top 10 heaviest moments of 2007.
Rolling Stone points us to news that Wu-Tang Clan promises to play a city in which 1,500 fans "demand" their appearance, via the social networking and music site Eventful.com. At press time, New York City leads the pack with 205 demands for Wu-Tang -- but Copenhagen comes in a healthy third (135) and Sofia, Bulgaria fourth (128). Perusing the rest of Eventful's demand database can provide a rather unique, and somewhat confusing, snapshot of global taste.
In 2007, R&B was more like a year of discrete, memorable moments than it has been in the past. Sure, you could ascribe many of these moments to various momentous -- no, monumental -- singles, or perhaps to the ever-diminishing importance of the album, but there's more to it than that. Many of the year's most successful songs and acts carried a greater mystique than usual; that is, their songs managed to capture not merely most of themselves as artists, but also the particular perfect moment at which they arrived. It is both a model of how music is supposed to function -- for artist and listener -- and a sure sign that 2007 was a bumper year. Here, in no particular order, are the year's most memorable moments.
Song: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
Album: Merry Magic
Artist: Eric Reed
Selected By: Nick Dedina
Date: December 21, 2007
Tired of all the Holiday songs about family, Santa and snow? Need a little Xmas romance in your life? Try this new jazz reading of a classic tune. The young vocalist Erin Bode helps jazz pianist Eric Reed paint a Manhattan-style Christmas portrait that gives you more When Harry Met Sally and less Miracle on 34th Street.
It’s not often that an emcees drop names like Picasso, Nietzsche, Basquiat and Cornel West in conversation, but Lupe Fiasco is that dude.
His debut full-length, 2006’s Food and Liquor, was a dazzling display of technical acumen, and one of the most humble and honest hip-hop albums in a minute. It was a blast of fresh air and solidified his status as one of his generation’s most promising emcees. His follow-up, The Cool, is even more ambitious and tracks the arc of a character named The Cool. It’s part Nathaniel Hawthorne, part Jay-Z, and is probably the most experimental hip-hop release of the year. Here, Lupe explains the in and outs of his brilliant new album.
Beef and mixtapes. If you’re a rapper having label problems, keep those two close by and the people will remember your name.
Jersey City emcee Joe Budden has been armed with both since releasing a self-titled debut in 2003. His sophomore album, The Growth, has supposedly been ready to drop for over four years, but creative differences with Def Jam has kept it on the shelf. During his, the Internet-savvy Budden has gained legions of die-hard fans with his critically acclaimed Mood Muzik mixtape series, and has kept the streets talking by feuding with
Forget the doom-and-gloom scenarios -- jazz is alive and well in 2007. It may not get much airplay or mainstream promotion, but amazing jazz releases just kept coming out all year long. As a matter of fact, there have been so many fantastic jazz albums this year that we've broke things down into 10 broad topics below. As you read, why not listen to cuts from Rhapsody's list of best jazz albums of 2007. We're so jazz-crazed over here, we even created a list of Rhapsody's favorite jazz reissues of 2007. Whew!
Song: Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
Album: Christmas Time Again
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Selected By: Eric Shea
Date: December 20, 2007
When you think about Yuletide carols in a country-music setting, the first thing that usually comes to mind is a Nashville hitmaker waxing "White Christmas." But for those of us who find the holidays laden with the hassles and hustles of boozy family dysfunction, it's a bit easier to relate to the twangy, roadhouse rock of this Lynyrd Skynyrd song. When you start a Christmas carol with these lyrics, it’s pretty apparent that your holidays weren’t destined to reflect those portrayed on "The Waltons" or "Little House on the Prairie": “Now Mama’s in the kitchen cookin’/ And her children are fast asleep/ It’s time for Santa Claus to make his midnight creep/ ‘Cause Santa Claus wants some lovin’.”
by Piotr Orlov
You could be forgiven if you thought that reggae fell out of the limelight in ’07. Yet while there were no headlines to feed the populace -- no Sean Paul or Matisyahu, no “Ghetto Story” or “Welcome to Jamrock,” certainly no single riddim ruling the nation and no backward-/forward-looking trends taking over – reggae continued its 21st century expansion into the minds of the pop masses. The JA singles market may have fallen off due to the shortage in vinyl production -- coinciding with the riddim train running out of track. But the one-drop roots remained strong, and foreign talents from unlikely shores -- like the Italian, Alborosie -- gained reps and scored hits. Here’s a rundown of the year in reggae: the tragedies and triumphs, the hellos and goodbyes, the easily predicted and the highly unlikely.
Comebacks, reunions and tributes made for some of the best Latin music in 2007. New bands showed that bilingual was more beautiful than ever, Juanes set a digital record, immigration remained in the headlines, and everyone kept leaning like a cholo. Here, in no particular order, we revisit some of the most notable music and moments of 2007.
A six-piece female ska band from Sakai, Japan will be hitting American screens in 2008, courtesy of the savvy minds behind U.S. sensation High School Musical. The group, Oreskaband ("I am ska band") will star in the teen-friendly film, Lock and Roll Forever, directed by Chris Grismer, who has previously created music videos for Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. Producer Barry Rosenbush imagines the franchise as "A Hard Day's Night meets Lost in Translation," minus the condescending tone of Sophia Coppola's film.
In the past few years, hip-hop producers sampling Bollywood has become old hat; Mexican duranguense music found a home in Chicago; and a Sri Lankan/English bad girl became the darling of indie-rock fans everywhere. (Even Avril Lavigne got in on the global act -- check out her multilingual versions of "Girlfriend"!) World music is mixing it up -- and none too soon. 2007 was a banner year for both traditional world music and all the beautiful, insurgent hybrids redefining the term -- check out our top 10 picks.
Song: Christmas in Hollis
Album: Tougher Than Leather
Artist: Run-D.M.C.
Selected By: Sam Chennault
Date: December 19, 2007
Originally
released as part of the 1989 charity album A Very Special
Christmas, “Christmas in Hollis” perfectly distilled Run DMC’s b-boy
bluster for the holiday season and would become the quintessential hip-hop Xmas
carol. Think of this as rap’s “Jingle Bells.”
Welcome fellow folkies! There were some pretty cool things going on in folk music this year. For starters, six different people portrayed six different phases of Bob Dylan in the film I'm Not There (which also birthed a pretty stellar soundtrack). On a lighter note, the soundtrack to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, starring John C. Reilly, boasts a near perfect Dylan imitation (more on that later). Oh, let's not forget that Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And in San Francisco, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival featured more pickers, players, crooners and attendees than you could shake a dulcimer at. But most importantly, 2007 yielded some truly amazing songs. Here is our top 10 list of folk's greatest triumphs of 2007.
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New York magazine reflects on brand new National Guard spots that conscript 3 Doors Down into a music video-style promotion, screening in theaters before I Am Legend. The flashy footage of "Citizen Soldier" traces a questionable lineage between the Revolutionary War and our ongoing adventure in Iraq. ""Evil is evil, so we're behind our guys and whatever they have to do," singer Brad Arnold said, back in 2003. "People just need to realize that the U.S. is the daddy of the world and all the time daddy can't be the good guy." Love them or hate them for it, 3 Doors Down isn't the first band to rock out in favor of our military machine.
Song: No Presents for Christmas (Bonus Track)
Album: Fatal Portrait
Artist: King Diamond
Selected By: Jen Guyre
Date: December 18, 2007
Originally released on Christmas Day 1985, this fierce and fast-paced metal hymn is cheeky and anti-traditional, displaying King Diamond’s amazing vocal prowess and shocking manner. Always challenging mores, King explores nightmarish scenarios to create a classic for longhairs to share at Yule time. Plus, the maniacal laughter throughout is some of the best in the business.
After hearing the news about songwriter Dan Fogelberg, who lost his battle with cancer yesterday, it seemed appropriate to cue up his essential hit, "Leader of the Band." Fogelberg wrote it about being the "living legacy" of his father, a community bandleader in Peoria, Illinois, and put it square in the middle of what would ultimately be his career-defining album, 1981's The Innocent Age.
From raucous teen-sex "anti-musicals" to moody movies about post-punk suicides, 2007 was an excellent year for music in film and onstage. To celebrate the fortuitous collaborations between these genres, we present our top 10 stage and screen moments of the year.
by Dan Shumate
What a depressing year. The unpopular war in Iraq seems unsalvageable. The U.S. economy is in the crapper. The housing market has fallen into a seemingly bottomless pit. The credit crunch. ... Is this the end of our great empire? Perhaps. But at least there's some comic relief to make your worries subside -- at least for a few moments. Shoo away those feelings of impending doom with our top comedy picks of 2007.
Building developers recently uncovered a pivotal graffiti mural composed by Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000 and—possibly—Basquiat himself. It's an art detective story that points to the origins of graffiti culture while showcasing how much downtown New York has changed since the late '70s. Michael and Izak Namer, who own the SoHo building in which the mural was found, cite it as "an iconic piece that created the renaissance of what downtown became — a viable and interesting place to live." As such, the uncovered piece of graffiti's history is a visual reminder of that old story in which artists, having cooled up a downtrodden neighborhood, find themselves swiftly priced out by rising rents. The fate of the SoHo building where Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000's work was made? Condos, of course.
Further Reading:
Exclusive Q&A with Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn (PLAY)
Song: Wonderful Christmastime
Album: Back to the Egg
Artist: Paul McCartney
Selected By: Nick Dedina
Date: December 17, 2007
In 1979, Paul McCartney was busy experimenting with synthesizers. This resulted in some very strange songs, including the simple but oddly lovely "Wonderful Christmastime." The most practical of ultra-wealthy music moguls, Macca states a very elegant Holiday thanks: "We're here tonight and that's enough." Try putting that sentiment under the tree for the kiddies.
After a huge 2006, and thanks to big moves from DJ Khaled and Plies, Miami continued to make its presence felt in 2007. Carol City’s Flo Rida looks to follow that lead with his T-Pain assisted hit single, “Low,” which has already reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Mail on Sunday, his forthcoming debut set to drop in February ‘08, will rep Florida in full force with features from Rick Ross and T-Pain, and production from Cool and Dre and The Runners. Flo talked to Rhapsody about working with Jodeci’s DeVante Swing and confirmed the rumors about an altercation between Plies and Trick Daddy.
Song: Accordion
Album: Madvillainy
Artist: Madvillain
Selected By: Sam Chennault
Date: December 14, 2007
The first proper track off Madvillainy sets the tone for that classic. The beat’s 808 bump and Daeladus’ forlorn accordion conjure antiquity’s bounce as DOOM slips into an adolescent unconscious where Joe Tex, Dick Dastardly and Sigmund Freud eat Doritos, crack jokes and trade puns.
by Chris Ryan
Ian Svenonius is, in the words of Wu-Tang Financial, diversifying his bonds. The former singer for such polemical post-punk groups as the Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up, has recently embarked on a new career as ... James Lipton.
by Piotr Orlov
"Heartbroken" by producer T2, featuring vocalist Jodie Aysha, is the commercial breakthrough (as of this writing, it's #2 on the charts) for yet another urban electronic genre from the U.K. In the wake of garage, two-step, grime and dubstep ... introducing, bassline (also known as bassline house).
Further Reading:
Interview with T2 (RWD)
Song: Buika, Mi Niña Lola
Album: Mi Niña Lola
Artist: Buika
Selected By: Judy Cantor-Navas
Date: December 13, 2007
Afro-Spanish singer Concha Buika is Spain’s new sensation, and she could be the Nina Simone of flamenco. Buika’s tobacco-stained vocals on “Mi Niña Lola” turn a classic lullaby to a motherless child into a heartrending love ballad made for late night listening.
Here's the Associated Press headline I saw about Ike Turner's passing: Rock, blues and soul pioneer, and the abusive ex-husband of Tina Turner, was 76.
Ouch. Imagine having that on your tombstone.
I don't think the world is going to go into mourning that Ike Turner has passed on. It's probably not going to make anybody popular to remember Ike Turner with fondness. But let's do it anyway.
UPDATE: Madonna has thrown her American Pie behind Hillary Clinton for President. Does that carry as much cultural cache as Oprah's plugging for Barack? Only time will tell.
Jeff Tweedy, of alt-country favorites Wilco, recently announced that he'll be playing a benefit show for Barack Obama, alongside Cool Kids and Jill Sobule (sadly, no Soulja Boy). Tweedy isn't the first musician to get behind the junior senator from Illinois: the band Extra Golden, comprised of members from Washington, D.C. and Kenya, went so far as to write him this song as a thank you for his assistance in facilitating their visa process.
Support from a prominent musician can do wonders to cool up a candidate -- so who's playing for who this election season?
by Chris Ryan
I've had a week to marinate on this year's Grammy nominations, and while I may not know the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year, this is still America and this is still the Internet, so I am going to scream my observations from the digital rooftops just the same. What a country.
By Angela Bruno
MTV Tr3s Descubre & Download featured artist The D.E.Y. are South-Bronx bred MC Divine, songstress Elan, capable of channeling Asha Bhosle (thanks to her vocal training in East Indian pop) and Christina Aguilera, and Miami-based, Spanish-language spitter, Yeyo. Theirs’ is a unique, symbiotic brand of fusion, one where all the elements are decipherable yet inseparable. At first listen, their sound is as frenetic as a game of pinball – a ricocheting of rhythms, cultures, harmonies and flows. Their debut single, “Give You the World” takes on Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Fantasy,” and Timbaland has lent his Midas touch to the forthcoming single “I Get the Feeling.” Their debut album The D.E.Y. Has Come is slated for spring '08.
“It’s like the evolution of music,” says Yeyo.
“It’s the hustle, the bustle and the beauty,” adds Divine. “It’s yesterD.E.Y., toD.E.Y. and tomorrow!”
“It’s what’s missing in the whole Latino-urban experience,” says Elan, who like a “Disney baby” (as Divine describes her), has been working since before she can even remember, sharing studio time with a pre-“Hit Me Baby” Britney and performing in Paul Simon’s Broadway production, The Capeman. She also penned “Fuego” with J.R. Rotem for The Cheetah Girls.
The trio, who has been relentlessly compared to The Fugees, have got plenty to say about the legendary hip-hop outfit, Weezy, Timbo, J. Lo and more.
Song: Louis XIV
Album: The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Artist: Louis XIV
Selected By: Jaan Uhelszki
Date: December 12, 2007
Jason Hill may look like an overdone glam rocker, but he's more Mark E. Smith than Marc Bolan. If you listen to the words of "Louis XIV," it seems filled with self-absorption and lacerating misogyny, but actually it's the complaints of Hill's erstwhile girlfriend who attempted and failed to rescue him from his own rock-star-induced narcissism.
by Piotr Orlov
Karlheinz Stockhausen passed away during Art Basel Miami, the annual art-fair-cum-industry-convention-cum-culture-circus that took over South Beach and the city’s Design District last week. A fittingly scheduled departure for a composer who, over much of the 20th century, embodied classical music’s turn from the romantic and melodic, toward the theoretical and atonal, creating music more regarded for the processes and ideas behind it than for the sounds it forms. What better spiritual counterpart to an art world whose own values are too often misshaped by isolated navel-gazing conceits about beauty, than by the work itself.
by Chris Ryan
Martin Scorsese is one of film history's great directors. But he is also one of film's great historians—possessing a near encyclopedic knowledge of the art form's masters and masterworks. And now he has combined both of those talents into one, directing Key to Reserva; ostensibly a wine commercial, but in actuality, an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, and to Hitchcock's frequent soundtrack composer, the great Bernard Herrmann.
After weeks of feverish anticipation, insane ticket prices and desperate fans pleading to attend, Led Zeppelin finally played their reunion gig yesterday at the O2 Stadium in London. If, unlike some lucky people, you didn't get to attend and tailgate in one of these fancy Zepmobiles -- check out the bootleg footage of "Kashmir" above. Read what the critics had to say, then look back at a few of our own Led Zep Bluffer's Guides.
Further Reading:
Led Zeppelin Reunion (The Daily Telegraph)
"Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power" (New York Times)
Video Zeppelin (PLAY)
Review: Led Zeppelin @ Grande Ballroom, January 1969 (PLAY)
Song: Heartbreak
Album: The Modern Tribe
Artist: Celebration
Selected By: Dan Shumate
Date: December 11, 2007
Celebration is a Baltimore trio who combine squawking no wave with post-modern pop. On The Modern Tribe, they team up with godheads Nick Zinner and TV on the Radio. For “Heartbreak,” singer Katrina Ford channels a more restrained Karen O with moving results that feel like the real thing.
The Guardian’s blog looks back on the 25th anniversary of the Commodore 64 computer, reflecting on the influence computer-enabled music had on acts like Human League, Man Parrish and more. In honor of the 64’s birthday, take a listen to Output64 and Input64, two complementary compilations of Commodore-inspired music.
by Piotr Orlov
It was announced on Friday that Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the great composers and music theorists of the 20th century, had passed away at his home in Kuerten-Kettenberg, Germany, on December 5. He was 79. No cause of death was announced.
Andrew Loog Oldham delivers a fascinating requiem for the musical Svengali—dictatorial managers who molded the artists they represented. Oldham himself helped mastermind the Rolling Stones ("I told them who they were," he writes, "and, sure enough, they became it.") His focus is on the late Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish-born founder of Atlantic Records who died in December of 2006. (Monday’s Led Zeppelin reunion gig is a tribute to Ertegun, as well as a fundraiser for the Ahmet Ertugen Education Fund—check out these last-minute rumors about which other stars might be joining Zep onstage).
Song: Mother of Pearl
Album: Stranded
Artist: Roxy Music
Selected By: Nick Dedina
Date: December 10, 2007
Of all Roxy Music's brilliant songs, "Mother of Pearl" may be the Roxy Music-iest of them all as it bridges both of their different eras. The spiky, propulsive intro captures the early Roxy proto art-punk sound with Bryan Ferry doing his insane Casanova Frankenstein vocals. Then, 90 seconds in, Ferry slaps on his tux and the number morphs into a sophisticated Continental romance that sounds more sonically ahead of its time than anything Brian Eno ever did when he was a member of the band.
After crafting Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” one of the biggest hits of her career, and implanting the “ella, ella” earworm in the world’s auditory memory, The-Dream set out to become yet another big songwriter-turned-big singer. The Georgia native, who also wrote J. Holiday’s “Bed” and Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine,” is off to a good start, generating ample buzz for his debut Love Hate with “Shawty Is Da Sh*t! (10)” and “Falsetto.” The album, produced almost exclusively by Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Mya, Britney Spears), shows off The-Dream’s quirky lyrical style and a sound influenced by everything from chopped & screwed music to Prince. Rhapsody recently got him on the phone to discuss the making of the Love Hate, which was recorded in only nine days, and getting booed at the Vibe Yardfest.
When I first heard "Laffy Taffy," I assumed that D4L was destined to be on milk cartoons in no time. Then I started hearing about how one of the members Fabo was that dude and would blow this year. Although I didn't see it really, I thought maybe it was possible given the crazy response he received when he performed "Scotty" at the Ozone awards this past August. But while Fabo has been quiet, another D4Ler, Shawty Lo, has one of the hottest songs in Atlanta, "Dey Know." A message to haters over boisterous trumpets from producer, Bliss, this is the first song I've heard from D4L that I actually like.
Check the video out here.
Photo by Jerry Lacay
This past Tuesday, December 4, congas sounded across the hemisphere as Cubans everywhere celebrated the day of Chango, the fiery Afro-Cuban deity who rules over the drums. That evening, pioneering Cuban conga player Carlos "Patato" Valdes died at age 81.
Song: Web in Front
Album: Icky Mettle
Artist: Archers of Loaf
Selected By: Scott Indrisek
Date: December 7, 2007
That pin in your backbone is gentle compared to the guitar revolution Archers would unleash in the '90s, combining seriously gruff melodies with tortured squeals and lush layers of distortion. Consider this the ur-song for an entire generation later saddled with the "slacker rock" label.
Rhapsody Loves Sara Bareilles and the Cool Kids
In 1994, the highly successful Rough Guide travel series struck up a partnership with Phil Stanton and Sandra Aláyon-Stanton, the husband-wife team who founded World Music Network, and began putting out the Rough Guide music collection, a dizzying, dazzling series of audio excursions through the musics of the world. Since then, World Music Network has gone on to release more than 150 Rough Guides. The Rough Guide music compilations embrace the same adventurous spirit and insider knowledge that have made their travel books so successful for the last twenty-odd years. You can be certain you're going to get an informed introduction to the music of a particular region or genre or artist, plus a few wild cards: albums dedicated to internationally beloved stars (like Cameroon's Manu Dibango and Bollywood's Asha Bhosle) and familiar genres (like salsa and calypso), as well as to themes (Brazilian hip-hop, Latin funk), and tunes that push at the paradigms of "World Music."
In a story that proves Web 2.0 might save us after all, legendary rock band Journey has found their new singer -- on YouTube. The band has gone through several replacements following the departure of fan favorite Steve Perry in 1987. Based on live performance clips they found on the online video service, Journey has chosen musician Arnel Pineda to fill the slot -- watch how he channels Perry above, on "Open Arms."
Song: The Orchids
Album: Roots and Crowns
Artist: Califone
Selected By: Steven Joerg
Date: December 6, 2007
As songwriter/singer Tim Rutili has his
own magic way with indelible words and melodies, this cover of the
Psychic TV gem proves a perfect fit in Califone's strangely "urban and rustic" universe. Caressing the concept of an elemental rebirth,
it provides a perfect way to start or close your day.
by Chris Ryan
The tragic death of Pimp C yesterday has left the hip-hop nation mourning the loss of one of its great artists and most unique personalities. We decided the best tribute we could pay the man is to highlight some of the incredible music he leaves behind, and celebrate the brazenly honest person people will remember him as.
Former Take That member Robbie Williams is still dealing with questionable lyrics from the song “The 90’s” off of his 2006 album, Rudebox. Evidently, the original track—before Williams went back and changed the words—suggested Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith had pilfered funds from the teen pop sensations. The star has paid Martin-Smith for libel damages.
Song: Crazy Love
Album: Before the Poison
Artist: Marianne Faithful
Selected By: Nate Baker
Date: December 5, 2007
Marianne Faithful returned to her public with attitude and elegance in 2005. Nick Cave and PJ Harvey both wrote songs and performed on this record—the more intriguing because the two darkling stars had recently ended an affair. "Crazy Love" features Cave on piano. For further study see Cave’s love letter to Harvey, The Boatman’s Call, and Harvey’s chilling White Chalk, whose half-mad prostrations may or may not be related to their break-up.
by Chris Ryan
Chad Butler, aka Pimp C, one half of the legendary Houston rap duo UGK, was found dead Tuesday in a Los Angeles hotel room. He was 33. The cause, as of Tuesday evening, was still unknown.
by Chris Ryan
Amidst the big-name releases, and headline-grabbing beefs that dominate most new-release Tuedays in hip-hop, Styles P's new solo album, Super Gangster, might seem like a modest affair. But if you look hard, you'll see a master craftsman working at the height of his abilities. Veteran Yonkers, NY emcee and member of the L.O.X., Styles has found a peaceful way to exist on the margins of the rap game. "In the industry you'd give me a C+, but in the barbershops, in the 'hood, on the streets ... they give me an A. And I'm good with that." With that kind of self-awareness, Styles has made a record that -- despite its aggrandized title -- is his most human and best effort yet. Which is what he talked about when he stopped by Rhapsody in late November.
In the age of MTV, brevity is often seen as a virtue. With quick cuts and three-minute pop songs, it's easy to forget the power of an old-fashioned epic. Rolling Stone has put together a rundown of their favorite songs over seven minutes long -- but don't worry, it's not all prog-rock fantasies and extended guitar solos.
Rhapsody is not only a great place to hear the hits, it's also an incredible resource for hard-to-find and out-of-print titles. Imagine our joy when, over the past few months, Universal Latino began quietly uploading a pile of classic Brazilian albums into Rhapsody. It's an embarrasment of riches, most of which are available only digitally in the United States. And while I found myself wanting to talk about all the artists -- the phenomenal samba singer Alcione, or genre-defining artists like Ivete Sangolo, Chico Buarque, Elis Regina -- I have to admit that the music I'm most excited about is the clutch of albums from Jorge Ben.
Song: The War Is Over
Album: Three
Artist: The Black Heart Procession
Selected By: Jen Guyre
Date: December 4, 2007
San Diego, CA's beautifully bleak quartet Black Heart Procession own a mopey yet introspective style that’s perfect for a season of grey skies and barren trees. With light piano melodies and cheerless vocals, it’s not depressing as much as it’s contenting in a time of hot chocolate and candy canes.
As the theatrical vocalist of Deerhunter, Bradford Cox is known for making dramatic punk statements—donning ill-fitting dresses, for instance, or fake-fellating band members on stage. For all that confrontational bluster, the self-proclaimed “true queer art punk” is entering a new, calmer phase in his career. He’s busy talking up Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, his forthcoming solo debut under the moniker Atlas Sound (out in February) . The album is an ambient slice of laptop-sculpted dream-pop, and Cox will be touring behind it with a live band comprised of Kranky labelmates like Brian Foote (Nudge), Adam Forkner (White Rainbow) and Honey Owens (Valet).
If you haven't learned to take your dance-rock with capes, pigtail braids or Jesus T-shirts, you haven't experienced Ghostland Observatory. At San Francisco's Mezzanine last Thursday night, the Austin, Texas act looked like a pair of irreverent superheroes.
by Chris Ryan
Next Tuesday DJ Drama's official debut, Gangsta Grillz: The Album is being released. Of course, it's hardly the Atlanta-via-Philly selector's rookie effort.
Song: Deanna
Album: Tender Prey
Artist: Nick Cave
Selected By: Linda Ryan
Date: December 3, 2007
On this ghoulish, first-person tale of murder/suicide, Nick Cave sings about how much fun he and "Deana" will have eating from the pantries of the people they just killed -- a twisted peculiarity to this fiendish tale of a murder spree. But it's those kinds of details that allow Cave's twisted genius to shine through. For example, when Cave sings "I am a-knocking/a-with my toolbox and my stocking" a shiver runs down your spine and you can't help but think, "Don't open the door!" -- just like in the best horror flicks. And perhaps most amazing is the fact that "Deana" is one of Cave's most commercially successful songs to date.
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