The VLM Awards, 2009 Edition, Part II

Here be the much delayed Part II of my VLM Awards. Part I is over here.

Album Everyone Else Loved that I Couldn’t Get Into: A couple albums probably fit this category, but the one that sticks out most in my mind is Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear. At first I had misgivings which probably clouded my listening, but I tried again a few weeks ago and I just didn’t really hear the massive appeal that people were writing about.

Album I Loved That No One Else Did: Again, a few entries, the obvious one being Chris Cornell’s Scream. Even though my initial love faded into “meh, it’s kind of cool”, that’s still more than a bunch of people gave it. Other picks include Green Day’s album (as good as American Idiot, in my mind), and Tinted Windows.

Best Freebie (to the best free release of 2009): Nine Inch Nails gets it for the 4 GB of concert footage Trent Reznor released about a year ago, but a bonus prize goes to the folks at This One Is On Us, a group of NIN fans who compiled the raw footage into concert films.

Nine Inch Nails – Closer (Lights In The Sky over Sacramento) (YSI)

Coolest Release: Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul. After EMI tied it up, claiming it owned the rights to some of the music (or some such nonsense), it ended up getting streamed from NPR’s website after an interview with the artists. The stream was such that one could download the MP3 tracks, essentially subverting the record label. In addition, the duo (plus collaborator director David Lynch) sold blank CD-R’s with a corresponding book on which fans could burn the album. Well played, gentlemen.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Little Girl (feat. Julian Casablancas) (YSI)

Biggest Music Story of 2009: Honestly, I don’t Michael Jackson think there was a particularly Michael Jackson noteworthy story that could Michael Jackson qualify for this award Michael Jackson. Oh, wait, there was that one about that pop star who died, but wasn’t he just, like, a one-hit wonder?

Dumbest Music Story of 2009: The three day speculation about surprise new album from Radiohead, right around the time “These Are My Twisted Words” was released. Seriously, internet, are we all going to go apeshit every time the words “Radiohead” and “new album” are uttered in the same breath?

Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words (YSI)

==TJ==

Awesome Music You Missed in 2009 (But Can Still Obsess About in 2010)

In the final weeks of 2009, a bunch of stuff came into my inbox that’s only making it to you, my loyal readers, right now. In the interest of giving these folks their due, they are all getting named the Awesome Things You Should Have Heard in 2009 (But Probably Didn’t).

First up we’ve got Andy Suzuki. On his debut 300 Pianos Andy Suzuki has the honesty and pop sensibility of folks like The Fray and Jason Mraz, but at the same time, he’s got the complex melody and pure talent of a Broadway singer. On this album Suzuki seems genuinely less concerned with becoming the next big thing and more about saying what he has to say. And for that, he becomes an interesting performer to keep an eye out for going forward. Andy’s giving away Free Hundred Pianos, a sampler of his album, for free, but believe me when I tell you the album is worth hearing in full. Check out the title track below

Andy Suzuki – 300 Pianos [iTunes] (YSI)

Next comes The Little Death. Imagine if Jack White joined Joplin-era Big Brother and the Holding Company, and they teamed up with vintage Fleetwood Mac and Dusty Springfield. That’s more or less what you’re getting with New York City outfit The Little Death. The band’s self-titled debut is simultaneously ballsy and soulful, and a refreshing throwback to rock n’ roll’s roots. Right now the album is only available digitally via iTunes or the band’s website, but the album will see a nationwide physical release on the 26th of this month. Fans of old school rock and soul would be crazy to skip this band’s promising debut.

The Little Death – Why My Baby [iTunes] (YSI)

Way back in May I did an Album A Day of Alex Gladwell’s Fantasia, and Gladwell is back with his self-titled second release. This one is just as raw and unpredictable as Fantasia, and if you took my advice the first time around, then Alex Gladwell will be just as good a pickup for you. Alex’s new album is available here, and a free sample track is below.

Alex Gladwell – It’s Only Life (YSI)

Lastly, our remixer friend Doctor Rosen Rosen compiled his favorite remixes from the last year into an album just for you, and damn if it isn’t a winner. Remixes of hits from Lily Allen, Weezer, Eminem and Britney Spears, among others, show off some of the Doctor’s finest work from 2009, and give us plenty of hope for what he’ll do with 2010’s releases.

Weezer – (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To (Doctor Rosen Rosen Rx) (YSI)

==TJ==

Looking Ahead to 2010

Now that the year-long Album A Day series is in the books, I’ve done a lot of thinking about where ¡Viva La Mainstream! is going to go over the next year and perhaps beyond. The Album A Day was fun, but also incredibly tiring, and at the end of it all, I didn’t get to do as much with it or cover as much as I would have liked to. Chalk it up to time, motivation, resources, or any combination thereof. I’m glad I did it, but now it’s time to move to something new.

As a result of doing the project, I feel like VLM inadvertently isolated itself from the multitude of other great music blogs in existence. While I certainly paid attention to what was going on in the music world, I didn’t really get a chance to comment or participate in the conversation. In 2009, Viva La Mainstream was kind of like the kid in the corner of the lunchroom building his time machine while everyone else had a social life and such. Sure, a time machine’s cool, but there were a bunch of missed opportunities too.

So in 2010 look for VLM to go back to basics. Reviews, news, commentary, and plenty of the unexpected. As always, I’m open to input from you, my loyal readers, as to what you want me to see and hear. In another day or two a “Music of 2010″ page will appear, where I’ll keep a running list of all the new music I hear this year, and you’re more than welcome to suggest stuff to me. Also, I hope to make better use of  the social media I’ve dipped into. If you follow us on Twitter, great, you’re already on the way. But we’ve also got a Facebook, MySpace (if anyone still uses that thing), and a last.fm, which I encourage readers to find me on (I just gave you links, so it’s not that hard). Also, if anyone knows how I can edit this blog’s CSS to add buttons to add content to Digg, Stumbleupon, et al, drop me a line and I’d love it if you could help out.

That’s all I’ve got for right now. Part II of the VLM Awards will probably not go up till tomorrow, and the Essentials lists are slated for sometime next week. Hope you all had happy holidays, and here’s to another great year. And now, a random song, as picked by iTunes DJ.

Foo Fighters – FFL (YSI)

==TJ==

Chris Cornell Cements Soundgarden Reunion, Denies Fans Scream, Part II

2010 wasted no time in delivering its first big music-related story. At the stroke of midnight last night, Chris Cornell confirmed the much speculated Soundgarden reunion with the following post to his Twitter:

The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again! www.soundgardenworld.com

As of right now the link only offers fans a place to sign up to learn more about the reunion as information becomes available, and the scope of the reunion (tour, album, etc.) is still unclear. But with Soundgarden returning, Alice In Chains back in action and Pearl Jam showing no signs of retiring, three of the four biggest bands of the 90s are active once more. The reunion, of course, comes at the expense of Cornell’s ill-fated solo career, which spawned 2006’s Carry On and last March’s Scream, which I will defend as a solid album till my final breath. That being said, I’ll still take Soundgarden over solo Cornell any day.

Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Album A Day: Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Artist: Johnathan Larson (Music & Lyrics)
Album: Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording
Released: 1996

Even though Rent is directly or indirectly the cause of many things about the current state of musicals that I really don’t like (that’s for another post), I can’t help but love it, and even though it isn’t the happiest story, it’s a nice thing to play around the holidays. For the record, this is the Broadway soundtrack, which is in almost every possible way superior to the 2006 film, and I will fight every last person who tries to argue otherwise. I don’t care what you think of the story, the characters and the things it promotes and glorifies (complaints about all of the above are some degree of valid), it doesn’t change the fact that this was the first of an uncomfortably large number of musicals to fuse pop, rock, and theatrics without sacrificing guts. And it did so while still saying something profound. Even though it’s legacy has been tainted by a subpar film and dozens of musicals trying to follow in its footsteps, most of which ultimately miss the spirit of the thing, Rent is still a brilliant story told through powerful music.

Cast of Rent feat. Stevie Wonder – Seasons of Love [iTunes] (YSI)

And that, my friends, marks the end of the Album A Day series. Certainly been a trip, huh? As far as I see, there will probably not be a 2010 edition of the series. Doing it this year took a hell of a lot of work, and it took away from other things that I would’ve liked to write about, but simply didn’t have time to. So starting in 2010, look for something a little different to occupy this space. Happy New Year everybody, and here’s hoping for another successful year here at VLM.

==TJ==

Album A Day: Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Artist: Public Enemy
Album: It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Release Date: April 14, 1988

Look, I get that Public Enemy said some things that don’t go over well with…well…with just about anyone. But you know, I think Public Enemy might have been on to something, in terms of how they used their music. For Public Enemy, music was about community. It was a rallying cry, a beacon of unity, no clearer one than on It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back. In between its forceful message, the group take time to remember that for them, this is a party, something worthy of celebration. If you’re willing to look past the message of the album (not that hard, having just listened to the thing), then the sheer feelings of community that the album conjures make it all manner of enjoyable.

Public Enemy – Bring the Noise [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

The VLM Awards, 2009 Edition, Part I

As 2009 gasps its dying breaths, it’s time for VLM to join the fracas of those looking back on the year. A full songs and albums list will be coming, but those will not happen till sometime in January, since I intend to catch up on all the unheard albums sitting in my iTunes library. As is my standard practice, the aforementioned lists won’t be numbered, but more a gathering of greats with no ranking among them. But for now, it’s time to give out some other prestigious and dubious honors for the songs, albums, and artists that made 2009 what it was. For clarity’s sake, anyone who did anything in 2009 is fair game, even if it technically would have gone under ‘08 (essentially, singles released this year from albums released last year are eligible). So, let’s begin.

Most Meaningless Artist: (Awarded to the artist who barely showed up for 2009, and whose appearance was undeniably shrug-worthy. Adapted from Bill Simmons’ yearly LVP award): Sugar Ray. Not only was their reunion among the less-anticipated returns of the year (with only Limp Bizkit drawing less excitement), their album Music for Cougars was DOA on the charts and produced not one annoyingly catchy single. Hell, I pirated the album for curiosity’s sake and still haven’t found the motivation to listen to the thing.

MVP: You can make a perfectly valid case for either the Black Eyed Peas or Taylor Swift to take this one. On the one hand, the Peas had the Hot 100 in a vicegrip for six agonizing months. Swift, meanwhile, won over the hearts of millions with her sugary country pop and her grace in getting interrupted by Kanye West. Given that I’m fairly certain America’s average IQ drops 10 points every time the Black Eyed Peas get airplay, and that Taylor Swift has not sold her soul in exchange for immortality and immeasurable fame, Advantage: Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me [iTunes] (YSI)

Best New Artist (Awarded to the band/artist who released their first album in 2009): There were plenty of great albums released by first-timers this year, but no one stuck with me quite the way Paper Route did. Granted, they had an advantage, since I got to see them open for Paramore back in October, but they still have a great sound that translates to an indescribable energy in their live show.

Best Musical Discovery (Awarded to the artist who first caught my attention in 2009): Again plenty of candidates. Super 400, Valencia, The Gaslight Anthem, and Tegan and Sara all come to mind. At the end of the day, Super 400 get the award for simply sounding cooler than the rest.

Super 400 – Flashlight [iTunes] (YSI)

Worst New Artist: Owl City. I hate Ben Gibbard, but even I respect his work in The Postal Service. So the notion of some upstart kid rising to fame by recycling The Postal Service’s Q-sides into Top 40 fodder burns my soul with an unforgiving fury. It burns me even more to know that that damned “Fireflies” song gets stuck in my head at least twice a week.

Owl City – Fireflies [iTunes] (YSI)

(Note: Midway through posting this, I was notified that Owl City actually released an album in 2008, making them technically ineligible for this award. Nothing I said above is retracted, but for consistency’s sake, your new Worst New Artist is Justin Bieber. I hope I don’t need to explain myself, since that would mean I’d have to listen to his album again)

Guilty Pleasure of the Year: I know some people will take issue with a guilty pleasure category, and they’re right. But I have no other way of expressing my fascination with the music of Adam Lambert. By all accounts, I should friggin’ hate him. He’s an American Idol alum, his personality (read: lifestyle) gets more publicity than his music (and he likes it that way, it appears), and oh, God, that album cover. But damn it, his music is just too much fun to hate for too long. And at least his personality (read: personality) has more flavor to it than AI’s winner, the low-risk, lower-reward Kris Allen.

Adam Lambert – Music Again [iTunes] (YSI)

Biggest Surprise Album: Kelly Clarkson’s All I Ever Wanted. Everyone was lowering expectations for this album once we heard the dry “My Life Would Suck Without You”, but for the most part that was the worst of the storm, and Clarkson’s new album had plenty to like or love.

Biggest Letdown: No one quite wet the bed the way U2’s No Line on the Horizon did. After all the talk of the band reinventing itself, we got little more than a mess of mediocre ideas stretched out to give the appearance of a broad scope.

Best New Supergroup: Them Crooked Vultures. Like there was any doubt about this one. Chickenfoot was vastly overrated, and Tinted Windows, while good in their own right, didn’t have the sheer force of awesome that Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones have when placed in a room together.

Worst Comeback of the Year: Chris Brown and Graffiti. Brown was the guy who needed to make a big splash more than anyone else, and instead he turned in this pile of crap that was either out-of-touch or insincere. Hell, even Creed was self-aware enough to do something better than this.

Comeback of the Year: Green Day. Sure, Alice in Chains had their first new album in 14 years, but Green Day had one of the best albums of the decade in American Idiot, a mountain of expectation and hype to overcome, and an army of people hoping they’d fail so that the claims of “sellout” and “they’re not Green Day anymore” could finally ring victorious. But though it’s no masterpiece, 21^st Century Breakdown is still a classic in its own right.

That’s all we’re going to do for right now. Part II will come tomorrow, and any subsequent installments will come in January. If you want to submit a category idea, by all means leave one in the comments.

==TJ==

Album A Day: Sum 41 – Chuck

Artist: Sum 41
Album: Chuck
Release Date: October 12, 2004

This was the last really good Sum 41 album. It still had a mountain of guts, delivered a ferocious punch of punk rock and quasi-hair metal that packed some punch and had just enough brains as well. “We’re All To Blame” isn’t the most profound punk rock anti-war song, but it certainly isn’t for lack of trying to send a message. And in spite of cracks that the band was taking a turn toward the emo side of punk rock, “Pieces” is quite possibly one of the band’s best tracks ever written, a simple, jangly song that cut back on the bite and instead just bore all. Sadly, it was at some point after Chuck when Deryck Whibley married Avril Lavigne, and that sent both Lavigne’s career and Sum 41’s sound into the drink. But Chuck still stands out as a highlight in the band’s creative arc.

Sum 41 – Pieces [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Avenged Sevenfold Drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan Found Dead

Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, drummer for metal act Avenged Sevenfold, was found dead in his home early this morning. He was 28. The band issued the following statement this morning via their website:

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Jimmy you are forever in our hearts.
We love you.

M Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance and Johnny Christ

Rev’s percussive assault was frequently what defined Avenged Sevenfold’s music, and his presence as the public face of the band and the force behind their music will undoubtedly be missed by his bandmates and fans alike (Avenged Sevenfold and RIPtherev are already trending topics on Twitter, where this blogger first learned of the news). Sadly, the request for privacy is unlikely to be honored (TMZ allegedly broke the story before the band could), but no further reports on the story will be posted to this blog.

Rest in Peace, Rev, and our thoughts go out to the Avenged Sevenfold community.

Avenged Sevenfold – The Beast and the Harlot [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Album A Day: Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking

In the interest of keeping the blog mostly SFW, I’m refraining from posting the album artwork for this album.

Artist: Jane’s Addiction
Album: Nothing’s Shocking
Release Date: August 23, 1988

I missed the boat on Jane’s Addiction when they were popular. This album came out two months before I was born, and their only release since I’ve been musically conscious was 2003’s Strays, best known for the theme from Entourage. Until now I never thought I was missing much. Their singles never did a whole lot for me, and while Dave Navarro is a kickass guitarist, I’ve always had a hard time getting past the fact that Perry Farrell sounds like a 14 year old boy. But I have to admit, Nothing’s Shocking is better than I thought. It’s more straightforward and ballsy than the sonic image I had in my head, and even though history only really remembered two songs from this album, it’s got a slew of wholly enjoyable rockers from a time before doing whatever you call what Jane’s Addiction did was cool.

Jane’s Addiction – Jane Says [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==