Whitney Houston and the Grammys

So, Whitney Houston died yesterday. I feel bad for her kids, but only insofar as they lost someone they loved. I think they may possibly be better off without her, but that's impossible for me to know.

That she died right before the Grammys presents an irony, and a point on my moral compass.

The irony is that this was the most honoured female singer . To die right before what is arguably the biggest awards show of the year for American singers would be ironic, and not in an Alanis Morrisette kinda way.

But, the point on my moral compass is this- she's an example of why I left the business end of the entertainment industry.

See, in my opinion, she was screwed from birth. She was born into this- her mother was Cissy Houston, her cousins were the Warwicks, her godmother Aretha Franklin- how utterly horrible! We, as consumers, simply get to enjoy the fruits of their talents. They have to toil in the fields of manure to produce that fruit. Make no mistake, it's not that I hate them, it's that I pity them. Imagine a world with no true human interaction, but instead, everything is a transaction- a negotiation to get to the next negotiation. Imagine a world that necessarily rewards talent with creature comforts, but punishes it with isolation. If you wonder why so many go crazy, or get addicted to some substance or another, it's right there- the entertainment industry is designed to turn people into things, and trade emotions for commodities.

So, you have to ask why she was the most honoured? I think there's no escaping the conclusion that she was most honoured in the way that a slave is most prized by a master. She bowed the most to her master's whims. Yes, I know who Clive Davis is. As far as masters go, he's relatively benign, but still I think you can guess what I think his job is. That people like him are so well liked in the industry, and that people like Whitney are so celebrated- well, that's where my morals and the culture differ.

So, I hope Whitney gets to rest. I hope that her early death scares her kids away from Whitney's life, because I think there's still hope for them.

The Twilight Sad- No One Can Ever Know

This will be a relatively short review. These guys are bleak. Have been, and will be. They can make Joy Division seem like a party band. However, it's not bleak for bleakness' sake. It's not like Nine Inch Nails where the depression becomes a weird fetish of some kind of tough-guy stance. They're open and honest sounding. It's the sadness of growing into being cynical and bitter, not a pose. So, what's new on this one? Their sound, which was a variation on post-rock, like Aerogramme, is now like a post-punk/early industrial Shoegazer/post rock hybrid. It's like Caberet Voltaire running headlong into the Catherine Wheel, to play pages from a teenage suicide's diary set to music. Uniquely beautiful. This is something new under the sun. I think the bleakness, and chilly cynicism will scare off listeners, which is too bad, because this is some of the best new music I've heard.

That might be why it's called "No One Can Ever Know"

Ok, I'll do it

I'm going to talk about the new Mark Lanegan LP "Blues Funeral". Please note the phrasing. I don't want anyone to think this is a review. I cannot "review" this- I'm not qualified.

I can talk about it, though. Firstly, I can mention how little objectivity I've got. Lanegan could croon an LP of him singing the Universal Building Code, accompanied by a kazoo, and I'd be all about it.

But, immediately afterwards, I can mention that I'm unafraid of electronics. I remember being 8 and getting into an argument with a friend about Queen. He liked them, and thought it was cool that they put a "no synthesizers" tag on their record. I thought it was stupid-to me, it was an artificial and hypocritical self-limitation- they still plugged in guitars, and microphones, and used multi-tracking in the studio, right? So, it seemed dumb to me- like saying "We play basketball without shoes"- sure you can do it, but you'll just play crappier. So, without insulting Queen further, let me just say that from an early age, my stance has been- use every tool you need to get across your point. So, I've got less than no problem with the beatboxes and loops, and synths on this. For those in the "no synths" camp, I'd like to point out that I'm hearing a lot of electric guitars, too, so you won't be missing your favorite sounds, here.

I'm a pretty idiosyncratic listener. I know this, and if you read through my blog, you'll know that , too. In a way, this stuff reminds me of Iggy's post-Stooges work- it's the sound of a guy trying to see how he fits into the brave New world that he helped to usher in. So, just like The Idiot isn't exactly a Punk record, but isn't exactly not a punk record, this isn't exactly a grunge record, but it's not exactly not a grunge record. It's full of strange musings following personal obessessions, like Iggy did, too. I really like that quality- I don't want a singer to try to sound like how they think I want them to sound- that quickly devolves into Nickelback. I want them to have a muse, and to follow it, so's I can listen and expand my world a bit.

Still, I have to go back to that voice. Mark Lanegan could sing just about anything in that sandpaper worn smooth gritty voice of his, and you'll hear oceans of experience and misadventure in it. It's easily my favorite voice in Rocknroll.

I'll tell you another thing you won't hear in a review- this also reminds me of the Butthole Surfers. What I mean is that it smells of "studio psychedelia"- setting some creative people into a room with studio equipment that they don't fully understand, let 'em get ripped, and then let 'em rip on that gear- jarring effects, only some of which work, abound.

So, yes, this is objectively a great new record, but I think it may take a few years for fans' subjective take to catch up to what's there. I love it on an instinctual level, but I think I'll be able to appreciate it in a few months or years.

NEW KILLING JOKE

IN APRIL. I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I'M PUMPED LIKE A FRAT BOY WITH A CASE OF MID PRICED BEER.

Read the news at Drowned in Sound. listen to the track....

Of all the things...

Lots of really good music out today. I've bought Die Antwoord's "Ten$ion", Mark Lanegan's "Blues Funeral" and The Twilight Sad's " No one can Ever Know" just today, and there are other things to buy. Very Nice. So, of all these things, why am I spotlighting Die Antwoord? Because, outside of MIA at the Superbowl, nothing was more "rocknroll" than Die Antwoord on Letterman? Nope. Because I really think, as far as dance music goes, they're at the top of the game, at this moment in time. Listen loud, and it will make sense....

Neu Die Antwoord

Best track since Evil Boy. I'm seeing them in a week. Yes, really. No, I don't think they're a joke. Yes, they're funny, but if they don't make you wanna move you're wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw

Lana Del Wha?

Ever get the feeling you're being cheated? The thing is, I'm not backlashing against her. I thought her music was overly mannered drivel from a half wit. However, that's par for the course. Supposedly, she is some overly packaged little twit who performed badly on Saturday Night Live. Now, kids, it's been years and years since SNL was even remotely cutting edge, so what's the big deal? But, then, I start hearing over and over and over and over like a sample on an MC Hammer track about how there's some massive hipster backlash against her for that performance. Really now? You expect me to buy it? I know a campaign when I see one. But, let's just say that you're not as cynical and bitter as me. If that's the case you may need a slight primer. See, you've got a sub-standard fake-alt singer. How do you generate buzz? Why do it just one way? Why not pump her up and get her over exposed, then, invent the backlash against her overexposure, and make it seem like the kind of tragically hip poseur that everyone hates, hates her. Et voila, her very sold-out fakeness become a selling point for her authenticity. Think that's paranoid? Well, ask Liz Phair. Ask Maria Mckee. Ask Fiona Apple. Ask Tanya Donnelly. Get the picture? This is an old marketing ploy, just sped up and put on Twitter.

Leonard says what I tell Him

I'm fairly depressed, about now. I'm prone to depressions, and I no longer take them so very seriously. There's an underlying understanding that the world isn't right, and that I'm not right, and that sometimes these things misalign, so I've just got to wait until things align a little better. I'm basically a positive dude, with a real will of steel, so I know that it's just the price I pay to live. This means I'm in a perfect place for the music coming out, now. I've not yet purchased the stuff coming out on the 7th, but I will. Today, I've got Leonard Cohen's Old Ideas. It's perfect for my discontent. The pace is fairly languid, the instrumentation sparse, and Leonard is actually in fine voice, here- he doesn't really so much "sing" as descant, incant and chant his way through his songs, which is exactly what they require. If he sang them, it'd be schmaltzy, like an unnecessary decoration. I think of his voice like a narrow black tie. It goes with most suits, but when paired with the simplicity of a black 2 button suit with a white oxford, and a black straw fedora, it is complete, and perfect in a way that either a big colourful cravat or a bow tie or some such would not be. So he simply pours drams of his life, soul and weary heart on to his authentic little tunes, and that serves as his voice- as if you could ask for more.

So, could you enjoy this? Well, unlike , say, some Goth Princess, Leonard's wounds aren't self-inflicted, but are all his fault. He's sitting on the lawn of the local cemetery, pouring himself a light drink, not because he wants to be there- but because he's got friends there, and he can't drink at the funeral. So, it helps if you've been there, too. This isn't music for wallowing in it, or for putting up some romantic front- this is the music of those who survive, whatever it is that that means, and are glad to have survived, but sad at the reason why it's called survival.

I'm not trying to make you interested. You don't have to earn the right to listen to Leonard Cohen, but if you are interested, and if you feel like he's earned the right to sing the blues, then, yes, I believe there are great rewards to be found here.

Leonard speaks the things I cannot, and sees the things I'm blinded by, while being kind enough to let me catch little glimpses. He allows me access to wisdom I haven't earned. He's been doing that for years. This isn't any different. My favorites are the one-two combination of "Darkness" and "Anyhow", but the end caps are the likely hits- Going Home and Different Sides are likely to show up on hipster playlists for the next few years. It's all amazingly perfect for me, though.

Words fail me

Don Cornelius. My son's middle name is partially derived from the man. Absolutely depressing. I hope there's another world for Don. I suspect that there isn't, and he knew there was nothing in store for him but pain, so I respect his decision, but it still really makes me sad.

Looking forward

I am really looking forward to a few upcoming releases- primarily, Mark Lanegan's Blues Funeral, but also Sleigh Bell's Reign of Terror, Leonard Cohen's Old Ideas and Dead Ending (AOF,Rise Against, Alkaline Trio and the Bomb? Wow!)