Culture Blues

Clef Notes #1

Every Friday, or at least until his spectacular rock star flameout, Giovanny will be dropping a week’s worth of music knowledge on you with Clef Notes, proof positive that he’s a one man music magazine.

NEWS:

Mr. President: Wyclef Jean got super-duper-cereal this week by officially announcing that he is running for President of Haiti. The hip-hop icon was deeply affected by the catastrophic earthquake that ravaged his homeland earlier this year and, in order to help the rebuilding and recovery effort (as well as the numerous other social/humanitarian crises that currently plague the World's poorest nation), has decided to run for its highest office. This is truly one of the most admirable undertakings that any artist has attempted in not just recent memory (this trumps Elvis “enlisting” and bed-ins... hell Bono isn’t even Head Leprechaun of Ireland, nor does he hold public office in Africa), and it is one of the best things that could have happened to Haiti, where the devastation is still an everyday reality which the media has forgotten about. Jean’s candidacy will again help to shine a light on the country’s current state and his practically guaranteed victory will hopefully usher in a new era of progress and prosperity for the beleaguered people of Haiti.

Who knew the doctorate was in Astronomy?: Now that he has finished manning the mixing board for the likes of Eminem, Busta Rhymes, The Game, and countless others, Dr. Dre is finally poised to release his first studio album in about a decade. Dubbed Detox, the album is slated for a release this fall, but this blurb is not about the long awaited follow up to The Chronic 2001. No, it’s about the upcoming instrumental concept album that he claims is his interpretation of our solar system’s planets. In a recent interview with Vibe, the superstar producer claims to have been working on the record for the last two years, including doing some research into the characteristics and personalities of the planets, and has even said that the record would have to be heard in surround sound for “Saturn” to work. I am going to save my opinions on this, until I have listened to it completely sober (giggle).

You couldn’t get away from them if you tried: I am not sure if you guys are aware of this, but Arcade Fire dropped a record this week (complete with eight not too different covers). They are also touring, praising Bono, pledging to donate a million dollars to Haiti (only if the public does as well), and last night they even streamed their Madison Square Garden gig live on the internet (the band managed to tap Terry Gilliam to direct the extravaganza). The Montreal-based baroque pop outfit is so on fire these days that I read somewhere that the sun is jealous. I suppose the heat is understandable; Win Butler and his musical menagerie are the most darling of current indie darlings, and the anticipation for The Suburbs was undeniably massive. While I may not enjoy their newest release as much as their old records (more on that later) I do appreciate that the band tries. They are sort of like the anti-Ke$ha.

Are you listening, Arizona?: As SB-1070 continues to exist in all of its vivid horror, more and more entertainment luminaries are pitching in and engaging in fundraising efforts, or stage born PSAs, to help slay this horrendous legislative dragon. The most recent names to engage in such action are Rage Against the Machine (duh), and Lady Gaga (huh?). RATM held a benefit concert in their home town of Los Angeles (the first time they have played the city in a decade) for the Sound Strike Fund, a group that helps Arizona-based organizations fight against SB-1070. By all accounts, Rage played a blistering and inspired set that left the crowd at the Palladium utterly destroyed by awesome, and managed to raise over $300,000 for their cause. Meanwhile in Phoenix, Lady Gaga played to a packed house at the US Airways Center. Though she was not raising money, she did deliver a very impassioned message to the thousands of little monsters in attendance when she lambasted SB-1070, and called for her fans to stand united against the injustice that it represents.

Does anyone still care?: This week, MTV announced the nominees for this years Video Music Awards (or as the kids used to call it, the “VMAs”), and the word of the day was Lady Gaga (I know that was two words... screw you). The “it” Queen of the now made “VMA history” this year, by nabbing a record 13 nominations, and also became the first woman to ever be nominated twice in the prestigious Video of the Year category. The artist with the second most noms this year was Mr. Enimen, with 8 (man, MTV was dying for him to come back!). You can check out the full list of nominees here.

State of the Industry (#1 on the Billboard Charts): Having coped with the recent untimely death of their drummer James Sullivan, Avenged Sevenfold has shocked industry insiders by claiming the Number One spot on the Billboard Top 200 with the release of The Nightmare. The person who had to be most surprised by this week’s charts is Eminem, whose Recovery was toppled from its perch by less than 4,000 units. When reached for comment, Mr. Mathers’ sole reply to all questions was “Bullshit.” On a side note, I would like to point out that The Nightmare sold a total of 163,000 units; five years ago this week the highest selling album was R. Kelly’s closet-trapped-vanity project TP3 Reloaded, which pushed just under a half million units, and five years before that it was The Marshall Mathers LP, which was still number one in its 9th week on the charts and moving over 320,000 units. You kids and your computers have destroyed the music industry, and now our idols can only buy one golden unicorn instead of a herd. Buttercup is lonely.

REVIEWS:

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire: I know that everyone already considers The Suburbs to be a masterpiece. I am also aware of the fact that you all have this record already and have obsessed over every phrase and build in every track. Alas, I have to disagree with all of you. By no means am I saying that The Suburbs is a bad record, I just wanted more. I wanted more imagination, more grandeur; I love the Arcade Fire for its excess, for its magic, and I feel that this record just lacks something. I had a feeling this was coming when I heard their first “leaked” single (also called The Suburbs); as I absorbed the piano lines and Win Butler’s imagery, I found myself a teensy weensy bit bored. After hearing the whole thing, I would agree that while there are some undeniable gems on this record (Ready To Start, Rococo, Half Light II, Month Of May, Sprawl II), I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a masterpiece. It is a very strong record, maybe even a very good record, but I think you all need to calm down a bit.

Sir Lucious Left Foot the Son of Chico Dusty - Big Boi: In my opinion, Big Boi has already dropped the best hip-hop record of the year and it is fantastic! Sir Lucious Left Foot the Son of Chico Dusty is an inventive, surreal and tremendous record that should finally give the Atlanta based MC the recognition that he deserves. For too long, people have dismissed Big Boi’s contributions to Outkast as merely the "normal one" who grounded the duo’s tracks and gave them their street cred. Once Andre 3000 got all mainstream with the release of the now unforgivably annoying Hey Ya!, people began to wonder if Big Boi would ever be able to step out of André’s shadow and get his own shine. Well he has, and in a fashion that should make you forget about polar bear toenails. This record is a masterful blend of incomparable production, stellar hooks, and fabulous flow. It features a Big Boi who must have been dying for this opportunity, and makes the most of it, with tracks like Daddy Fat Sax, Shutterbug, General Patton, You Ain’t No DJ, and Fo Yo Sorrows (my favorite hook on the record), all of which are dizzying portrayals of Big Boi’s ear for solid fucking gold.

Fang Island - Fang Island: What do you get when you combine some of the elements of Math-Rock and Neo-Psychedelia? The answer is simple, and totally awesome: Fang Island. A five-piece from Brooklyn (of course) by way of Providence, Fang Island released their debut studio album earlier this year and it slipped past my radar. I recently gave their self-titled debut a spin, and was so impressed by what I heard that I had to give it a positive write-up. If you enjoy guitars, sprawling production, three part harmonies and sick drumming, all with a heavy dose of prog flair then you will l-o-v-e Fang Island. Their debut is a ten track, thirty-one minute, firecracker that explodes in your ears and engulfs you in neon tinged waves of fuzz (I don’t even know what that means, but I know it is right). Whether it’s the odd-times shuffle of Life Coach, the dueling guitar lines of Careful Crossers, or the harmonious chants and stellar last minute and ten seconds of Daisy, you will find yourself practically awed by some of the audio you will be hearing, all the way up to Dorian, the spiritual successor to Ratatat’s Cherry.

MORE REASONS TO HATE RICH PEOPLE:

As if private jets, all-you-can-eat foie gras, and diamond crusted cell phones weren’t enough, this week’s example of infuriating excess is the rumor that Katy Perry (who has a record slated to drop later this month) and Russell Brand (who is currently working on a remake of Arthur) are in talks with Morrissey to have the 51 year old golden voiced singer perform at their wedding. Let that sink in for a second. Though Moz has yet to agree to the deed, the fact that this is even a possibility is enough to make you want to reconsider every thing you have ever done with your life.

16th NOTES:

Gavin Rossdale recently announced that Bush was reuniting. If that made you happy, I hate you... Steven Tyler finally put all the rumors to rest by stating on Kid Kraddick’s radio show, that he would NOT be taking the job as Simon Cowell’s replacement on American Idol. I would like to thank him personally for not making us have to endure that... In a recent interview, Kings Of Leon stated that they would be releasing a studio album later this year. Surprisingly, that news didn’t make me cringe... It was reported that rehearsals began this week on the Broadway production of U2’s Spiderman. Trust me, I wish this was a lie, too... In Hollywood related music news, Universal has signed Rihanna to star in an upcoming feature film titled Battleship. I bet that echo-plex will be hella distracting... Lastly, the interwebs have been buzzing rather loudly lately about Radiohead’s forthcoming studio album due out later this year. That is no joking matter...

TRUE STORY:

The annals of Rock N’ Roll are teeming with stories that, over the years, have gone from lie to rumor to legend to fact; we’re talking everything from Jimmy Page feeding a groupie to a shark to Rod Stewart getting his stomach pumped because he ingested a gallon of semen (what, you haven’t heard that one?). Today we will discuss one of my favorite Marylin Manson true stories. No, this is not the one about his ribs. This is the one where the shock-rock-star smokes human remains. In his autobiography (The Long Hard Road out of Hell), Manson claims to have broken into a New Orleans cemetery, stolen some bones, and carried them around in a plastic bag. Once boredom set in, he and his bandmates crushed up some of the remains, packed them into a pipe, and proceeded to smoke them! According to Manson, the bones made everyone sick and he himself was transported to an illusory world where he felt like he was possessed by an old Baptist minister. Over the years Manson has attempted to debunk his own story, but it is too late. It happened. He said so.

TOP TEN COUNTDOWN:

In honor of Dr. Dre’s upcoming celestial symphonies, I have decided to compile a list of the top ten concept albums of all-time.

10) Computer World – Kraftwerk
9) 69 Love Songs - The Magnetic Fields
8) De-Loused in the Comatorium - Mars Volta
7) Zen Arcade - Husker Du
6) Pinkerton - Weezer
5) In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
4) The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars - David Bowie
3) Tommy - The Who
2) The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
1) Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

TRACK OF THE WEEK:

Ready To Start - Arcade Fire: You should have seen this one coming; here is a taste of their new record The Suburbs.

Here’s your homework: 1)  What musician would you like to see run for President of the U.S.? 2)  What song would you want Morrissey to sing at your wedding? 3)  What do you think of The Suburbs? See you all next week.

Tagged as: american idol, Arcade Fire, Avenged Sevenfold, Battleship, Big Boi, Concept Albums, Dr. Dre., Fang Island, katy perry, Lady Gaga, Marylin Manson, Morrissey, Rage Against the Machine, SB-1070, Sir Lucious Left Foot The Son Of Chico Dusty, The Nightmare, The Suburbs, Wyclef Jean