A little bit of pop culture for the blog.  Tah-dah!

Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements

The Parenthetical Girls is a band from up north (originally from Washington but are now based in Oregon) that make melancholy experimental orchestra-driven pop/indie/folk music. They are best known for their dark and cryptic lyrics and the exaggeration in the lead singer’s voice. Their music is beautiful and haunting. For their 3rd and most recent album, they have chosen to record with a full orchestra, creating a completely different sound than before, filled with elements of baroque and classical music. Imagine it as what it might sound like if Beethoven had a voice to accompany his already emotional works. My favorite song on the album is a cover of The Windmills of Your Mind, which has been covered by many artists before- though nothing can compare to the transformation this song undergoes when the Paranthetical Girls translate it into a classical and tragic masterpiece. 

You can listen to the song here and buy the album here.
http://www.myspace.com/parentheticalgirlsband

People Under The Stairs (myspace)

 The legendary Los Angeles based hip hop group People Under The Stairs put out a new album titled FUN D.M.C. and it is BUMPING with flavor. These dudes have been making beats and spitting verse since 1998, with 4 albums under their belts… my favorite of which is Stepfather…. they rock the underground hip hop scene with their jazzy funky beats. Their verse is witty and their production is excellent, every song gives off a sense of indulgence, makes you wanna take a dip in a pool. With such soulful samples complementing topics of bbq’s, food joints, and chill kickbacks, how can you not indulge? 

And if you enjoy their music, you will love their live shows. I just saw them in Long Beach at the ever so intimate but crowded Fingerprints record store. There, they showcased a few new songs off the album and went on to take requests from the crowd. A few loyal fans had driven all the way from afar and already knew every word to every song on the new album. The crowd got so involved and People Under The Stairs returned the favor by providing one of the better hip hop performances I have seen in my lifetime.

Anyway all their albums are 10 bucks so I would buy one… they’re also playing at Fat Beats on Melrose this saturday at 5pm. Its free! You wont be disapointed.

True Blood makes me love country. Not Shania Twain pop country, but true, bluesy blue grassy country, and the kind of music that traces its roots back to the old country twang.  It might just be that my obsession with the show has sunk to freakish levels of nerd-dom, but I walk away from every episode mimicking a southern accent and hankering to listen to some Jessie Coulter. For those not so into the show, the musical selection is really good, and has a lot to offer in the way of an introduction to country, a musical genre hitherto much misunderstood by myself (and, I suspect, many others). Here’re the top songs they’ve played so far:

“Lake Charles” Lucinda Williams

“Stumble and Pain” Joseph Arthur

“Bones” Little Big Town

“Two Wheels” Alligator Stew

“Honky Tonk Queen” Big Sandy &  His Fly-Rite Boys

“Snake in the Grass” Vallejo

“Far Far Away” Wilco

“Downtown” Alex Chilton

“Good Times” Charlie Robison

“Brand New Cadillac” Wayne Hancock

“Sparks Fly Out” Paul Burch

“Feel Alright” Steve Earle

“I Play Chicken With the Train” Cowboy Troy

Something for everyone.

Here’s your weekly update of the chart KSCR submitted to CMJ for our most played music:

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Their new album is due out in January on Domino Records. Entitled MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, Animal Collective’s latest is sure to be spectacular, considering it’s named after a venue in Columbia, Maryland… one of the nation’s first planned suburban cities - a 20 minute drive from AC’s hometown of Baltimore. Check out their website for some crazy noise and a fishy video. I think they reworked a Boogie Bass.

A lot of artists in history (and a lot of artists these days) have been trying to make bank off of their past popularity. They seem to either reunite with their former bandmates and put out an album/go on tour, or just one of the band memembers scrambles to put out a solo record. Has anyone else noticed this?

First let’s talk about the most recent “hit” comeback group, New Kids on the Block (who may not have left an impression on many college students today seeing as they’re… a little older). I remember my big sister listening to them on her tape player. Anyway, their new album recently came out, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200, and they’re currently touring around the U.S. selling out shows everywhere. But… did they come back with a quality cd? Are they money-mongers? Check out their summer success, cleverly named “Summertime“, which is actually quite catchy. You do have to keep in mind how old these guys are. Is it respectable to be making music videos and teen-pop songs like “Summertime” when you’re that old?

Next up on the agenda is the Spice Girls. Who could forget when they came to L.A. and rocked everyone’s world? I didn’t go the concert, but I can tell you that I didn’t stop hearing their songs escaping from overly-jacked up iPod headsets, people’s mouths, and various computer speakers in my dorm for WEEKS afterward. But, did anyone listen to their “comeback” song? The song did so poorly that they didn’t bother releasing an album, but the tour was such a success they added several shows nationally and worldwide. Where’s the new material? Cashing in nostologia can be great, but where’s the comeback kid? The performer that comes back to show that they still have it, not that they had it, and they can repeat what they did before.

A little further back we also have the uber successful and vocally talented Mariah Carey.  After her Glitter bombed as a movie and as a soundtrack, her record label, Virgin Records, dropped her.  Then she signed on with Island Def Jam and released Charmbracelet.  Remember that one?  Not really, that’s because it sorta bombed too.  Then, in 2005, the Emancipation of Mimi came out and all became well for the diva.  She won four Grammys and “We Belong Together” became a staple in pop culture at the time; it spent 14 long weeks at number one.  This past year, she followed up her comeback album with “E=MC²” which by all means was a success as well.  “Touch My Body” flexed it’s chart muscle and became Mariah’s 18th number one hit.  Should Mariah be labeled as best comeback of all time?  Are these two albums comparable to the hits that made her famous and respected in the first place?  (Emphasis on respected!)  I admit, “We Belong Together,” was a pretty smart song to release at the time.  The charts were dominated heavily by R&B type songs.

More recently, there’s been a lot of buzz about Britney Spears trying to get her stuff together for a major record and tour package.  Though Blackout was slated to (maybe) be her comeback album, it fell short of people’s expectations, especially after the VMA’s and absolutely no promotion on her side to support the work.  The album was not condemned by critics and fans; it debuted at #2 and Rolling Stone even wrote, “When she’s not gearing up for a meltdown, Britney’s wielding more melting-ice imagery than An Inconvenient Truth: She’s gonna “break the ice,” “hit defrost on ya,” ’cause she’s “cold as fire, baby, hot as ice.” Fire and ice — Robert Frost said the world will end in one of those two ways, consumed by passion or frozen by rationalism, and it’s clear which option Brit will take. But meanwhile, she’s gonna crank the best pop booty jams until a social worker cuts off her supply of hits.”  Now, she’s really gearing up for it, with a world tour in the works and a new album, “Circus” to come out in December, will the once “Queen of Pop” get it together for long enough to take the world by storm (maybe even take it away from Miley Cyrus?).  Do we hope so?

Now tell me, who’s your favorite comeback kid?

First off, if you’re not a fan of Black Flag, Black Sabbath, or any kind of punk/metal crossover, quit reading(and take this time to seriously rethink your life).  But for the rest of us, let’s talk a little about this awesome band called Annihilation Time.  And for those of you unfamiliar with the band, here’s a quick description of their sound: a quick kick in the jaw from a rusted iron boot, but due to masochistic tendencies, you secretly enjoy it and beg for more.  And if that description still doesn’t make sense, here’s a broader (yet a bit more boring) one: a fusion of 1980’s hardcore punk and thrash metal, glued together with wicked guitar solos ala Iron Maiden.  Trust me, it’s as sick as it sounds, but don’t take my word for it.  Just listen to Annihilation Time’s latest album, III: Tales of an Ancient Time, and prepare to grow your hair out and headbang like it’s 1981.  Give them a try:  http://www.myspace.com/annihilationtime.