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?
Comic books are the new music videos. Or the old music videos, come back to the new. They’re something, anyway. Music is having a more direct effect on comic books, to the point where comic books are starting to refer to themselves in music industry terms. For example, the anthology PopGun (which is awesome, by the way, and will appeal to both old lovers of comic books and neophytes alike) bills itself as “the ultimate comics mix-tape.”
Musicians are finding a lot of success in the comic book world. Some admittedly are doing things of dubious quality (Courtney Love published a short lived series through TokyoPop which was incredibly underwhelming), but on the flipside we’re getting some really cool comics out of the music industry.
One of the most awesome things to come out of this are music/comic collaborations, wherein comic book artists and writers go back to musicians songs and adapt them into short comics. Tori Amos, for instance, has long been tangentially involved in the comic book arena (she wrote the intro for Death: The High Cost of Living) through a relationship with Neil Gaiman, the great author of the Sandman series. Amos has just published her own music/comic collaboration. Comic Book Tattoo, a massive book put out by Image Comics, is huge collection of comics based on Amos’s songs. It is so cool. Not everything in it is for everyone, but there’s at least one thing you will like.
Belle and Sebastian have done a similar thing with Put the Book Back on the Shelf. However, Put the Book Back on the Shelf just seems to be quirky for the sake of quirkiness — indie just to be indie. I love Belle and Sebastian’s music, and when this book first came out, just the idea of it blew my mind. But since its sequel and the subsequent publication of Comic Book Tattoo, the shiny veneer of novelty has worn off. Hardcore fans will still like Belle and Sebastian’s result, but bigger, more diverse anthologies like the aforementioned PopGun and Comic Book Tattoo are probably the way to go.
But for comic book nerds everywhere, our time in the spotlight is coming. We’re getting hip, my friends. Between awesome bands and Christian Bale, comic books are being drawn out of the basement and into the light. They’re claiming some of that cool that emanates around the music scene. Someday, someday soon, a sweet ass pen collection and a stack of Green Lantern issues will be as hot as a kick ass Fender Stratocaster.
Hello there. I’m KSCR’s Music Director and every week I submit a playlist with the top 30 most played albums at KSCR that week to the College Music Journal (CMJ), which tallies similar reports from college radio stations across the country. This helps them publish charts akin to the Billboard charts, but for music circulating on college radio stations as opposed to commercial stations. KSCR’s genre directors also submit the top 10 albums played within their respective genres: Hip Hop, Electronica / RPM, Jazz, Loud Rock / Metal, and World music. Here is the list for what was played last week:
Settle or be sued. These are the two options given by the settlement letters that many college students have received. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently sent out its thirteenth batch of settlement letters and of the 401 notices, 50 target USC students.
Most will probably settle, whether through the RIAA’s p2plawsuits.com or otherwise, but what happens if someone actually decides to go to trial?
Vampire Weekend came to the Echo last night and they killed. These witty preps from NY played a great live set, effectively translating their unique sound onto a live stage with a ton of energy. Long live danceable bass lines, airy island guitars, and diverse rhythms. Oh! and that keyboard! The boys got some chops. Did I mention the wonderful lyrics? Hold on, I think I’m drooling.
Indeed, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding this band of four Columbia grads - so much that even MTV got an interview with Ezra, Rostam, Christopher, and Chris. The best part about all of this? Vampire Weekend doesn’t even release their debut self-titled until January 29th. Granted, their notorious “Blue-CDR” of recorded full length promos was leaked and has been floating around the internet for awhile. But, that’s a lot of hype for a band with no official LP. So, why all the buzz?
Answer: Gloriously catchy tunes, excellent live shows, and a fresh sound.
Say all you want about Paul Simon’s Graceland, early Talking Heads, and African tribal music/drums. These kids can play fantastically well, and desearve the attention. Here’s a video of “Mansard Roof”:
Pick of the set: “Oxford Comma.” Vampire Weekend is out 1/29/08 on XL.
Yea so this electronica artist from Montreal keeps coming out with consistently good tracks on his myspace page. From Kanye remixes to straight-up orginals, CFCF brings a sound that is instantly familiar. Maybe not as technically impressive as Daft Punk, but certainly as original. The sounds this guy makes with his computer are superb. Enough said. Check it out. And if you don’t trust me, trust PITCHFORK WHO HAS NAME-DROPPED HIM MULTIPLE TIMES !!!!!
It’s a bit long, but a worthwhile read. There’s a section in particular that I want to post below, for it yields understanding to the incentive and opinions behind many of us here at KSCR.
“Unlike newspapers, record companies own the distribution and the product being distributed, so you can’t just start your own website where you give out music that they own - and that’s what this is all about: distribution. Lots of pro-piracy types argue that music can be free because people will always love music, and they’ll pay for concert tickets, and merchandise, and the marketplace will shift and artists will survive. Well, yes, that might be an option for some artists, but that does nothing to help the record labels, because they don’t make any money off of merchandise, or concert tickets. Distribution and ownership are what they control, and those are the two things piracy threatens. The few major labels left are parts of giant media conglomerations - owned by huge parent companies for whom artists and albums are just numbers on a piece of paper. It’s why record companies shove disposable pop crap down your throat instead of nurturing career artists: because they have CEOs and shareholders to answer to, and those people don’t give a shit if a really great band has the potential to get really successful, if given the right support over the next decade. They see that Gwen Stefani’s latest musical turd sold millions, because parents of twelve year old girls still buy music for their kids, and the parent company demands more easy-money pop garbage that will be forgotten about next month. The only thing that matters to these corporations is profit - period. Music isn’t thought of as an art form, as it was in the earlier days of the industry where labels were started by music-lovers - it’s a product, pure and simple.”
Hopefully, the digital revolution will eventually banish money grubbing executives from recycling music as a disposable flavor-of-the-week. In addition, I suggest anyone who believes “indie snobs” are informed not by personal taste but by a self-righteous, just-for-the-sake-of-it rebellion to the “sheep” of pop culture, to read the above essay and then consider the common defense of mainstream music: “Popular music is popular for a reason. It wouldn’t be popular if it wasn’t good.”
Belle and Sebastian have done a similar thing with 
But for comic book nerds everywhere, our time in the spotlight is coming. We’re getting hip, my friends. Between awesome bands and Christian Bale, comic books are being drawn out of the basement and into the light. They’re claiming some of that cool that emanates around the music scene. Someday, someday soon, a sweet ass pen collection and a stack of Green Lantern issues will be as hot as a kick ass Fender Stratocaster.