Scooter McGavin's 9th Green: Janelle Monáe

Showing posts with label Janelle Monáe. Show all posts

Monday, January 21, 2019

I Want My Music Television: January 21, 2019

7 rings - Ariana Grande

Weird that the first huge pop song of 2019 references The Sound of Music and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (I assume Ariana Grande means the Audrey Hepburn movie and not the nineties one hit wonder sadly). But it is weird at the height #MeToo movement that the biggest pop star of the time is making an exploitative nineties hip-hop music video.

Cop Shot the Kid – Nas featuring Kanye West

Nice of Nas to bring in Slick Rick for a cameo, but I forget how weak the Kanye verse was on this song since I have not bothered to listen to any of the G.O.O.D. month of albums since they were released.

Screwed - Janelle Monáe featuring Zoë Kravitz

Always nice when people are recognized but it is weird when someone gets a featured credit on a song but after the song is over you are note entirely sure what they contributed. Did Zoe Kravitz sing back up on this Janelle Monáe song? Does she play guitar like her father?

Land Of The Free - The Killers

Who would have guessed The Killers would make a protest song? Unfortunately is is not very good. Brandon Flowers singing about how nice it is to drive when white is pretty cringe worthy. Really, all the anti-Trump songs kind of sucks. Makes me wonder when was the last great and popular protest song was? Do we have to go all the way back to American Idiot?

Monday, December 31, 2018

The 100 Best Songs of 2018

1. Lottery - Jade Bird

2. High Horse - Kacey Musgraves

3. Somebody - Jillian Jacqueline

4. Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe

5. God is a woman - Ariana Grande

6. Love Has All Been Done Before - Jade Bird

7. Cumberland Gap - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

8. Bad - Lennon Stella

9. If Your Prayers Don't Get To Heaven - Brian Fallon

10. Good Kisser - Lake Street Dive

11. Short Court Style - Natalie Prass

12. Butterflies - Kacey Musgraves

13. Trust My Lonely - Alessia Cara

14. Beyond - Leon Bridges

15. Girlfriend - Anderson East

16. Volcanic Love - The Aces

17. Coolhand - Buzzy Lee

18. Fireworks - First Aid Kit

19. New Birth in New England - Phosphorescent

20. Once In My Life - The Decemberists

21. A Brighter Love - St. Lucia

22. Miracle - CHVRCHES

23. 1950 - King Princess

24. If You Know You Know - Pusha T

25. Light On - Maggie Rogers

26. Sincerity Is Scary - The 1975

27. If I Were You - Jillian Jacqueline featuring Keith Urban

28. Mistake - Middle Kids

29. Armor - Sara Bareilles

30. Twentytwo - Sunflower Bean

31. The Middle - Trampled By Turtles

32. Such a Simple Thing - Ray LaMontagne

33. Holy - King Princess

34. Reasons - Jillian Jacqueline

35. Back to You - Selena Gomez

36. Fast Slow Disco - St. Vincent

37. I Can Change - Lake Street Dive

38. Fallingwater - Maggie Rogers

39. The Outfield - The Night Game

40. What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get? - Snow Patrol

41. Bad Bad News - Leon Bridges

42. A Good Night - John Legend and BloodPop®

43. Us - James Bay

44. Kite - Lucie Silvas

45. Trigger Bang - Lily Allen featuring Giggs

46. Graffiti - CHVRCHES

47. Talia - King Princess

48. Last One - The Aces

49. Caterpillar - Royce da 5'9" feat. Eminem, King Green

50. Mary Don't You Weep (Piano and a Microphone 1983 Version) - Prince

51. Rebel Heart - First Aid Kit

52. Ring the Bells - JOHNNYSWIM and Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors

53. Give a Little - Maggie Rogers

54. Summer Fever - Little Big Town

55. Africa - Weezer

56. Bringing the House Down - CLOVES

57. Everybody Knows - The Jayhawks

58. Lies - The Tibbs

59. Delicate - Taylor Swift

60. Everybody Wants to Be Famous - Superorganism

61. Paradise - George Ezra

62. Don't Matter Now - George Ezra

63. Pussy Is God - King Princess

64. Get Out - CHVRCHES

65. Nina Cried Power - Hozier featuring Mavis Staples

66. Caught In the Middle - Paramore

67. Plastic Hamburgers - Fantastic Negrito

68. You Say - Lauren Daigle

69. Wait by the River - Lord Huron

70. Sad Girls - Jillian Jacqueline

71. Wait - Amy Vachal

72. I Like That - Janelle Monáe

73. you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

74. Broken - lovelytheband

75. Come Through - The Regrettes

76. If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be) - Leon Bridges

77. She's Kerosene - The Interrupters

78. Uh Huh - Jade Bird

79. Rose-Colored Boy - Paramore

80. Your Side of the Bed - Loote

81. Space Cowboy - Kacey Musgraves

82. Ohio - Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness

83. Happier - Ed Sheeran

84. Casanova - Rayland Baxter

85. Lovers in Love - Lindi Ortega

86. When the Curtain Falls - Greta Van Fleet

87. Nothing Compares 2 U - Prince

88. Can't Deny Me - Pearl Jam

89. 4 Ur Life - Danielia Cotton

90. Life On Earth - Snow Patrol

91. Rich - Maren Morris

92. Bad Luck - Neko Case

93. Field Sense - Amy Vachal featuring Kiyo Cato

94. Furious - Jade Bird

95. Hometown - Maddie Ross

96. It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) - The 1975

97. Hello Summer - Danielle Bradbery

98. Move - Milo Greene

99. Shotgun - George Ezra

100. Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin) - Dave Matthews Band

Thursday, April 12, 2018

I Want My Music Television: 4/12/2018

A Good Night - John Legend featuring BloodPop®

The whole swipe right theme is so obvious; it is surprising no one did it as a video before John Legend. And I do like the disco vibe of the song.

Framed - Eminem

Hasn’t Eminem already done the creepy insane asylum music video already?

Pynk - Janelle Monáe featuring Grimes

Well Janelle Monáe is not at all subtle with visuals here.

Rich - Maren Morris

Well that was funny and a much better Maren Morris song than the horrible super bland EDM-light Middle song.

Monday, March 26, 2018

I Want My Music Television: 3/26/2018

Delicate - Taylor Swift

Now Taylor Swift is making videos complaining about fame and singing songs with a vo-corder. I still miss the oldTaylor.

Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe

Django Jane - Janelle Monáe

My first impression of Make Me Feel was that it sounded like something Prince would have written for Sheena Easton in the eighties. I am not sure I could come up with a higher compliment. And Janelle Monáe is certainly giving off an eighties feel in the video. I think Prince even wore that see threw mask at some point in his career. I like that song much better than the other song he released at the same time, Django Jane.

Over My Head - Echosmith

Echosmith’s debut album was cheesy fun but since then they seem to be chaseing a new mortre “serious” sound, but someone should really tell them there is nothing wrong with a little cheese. This video is fun; it is time to go back to making fun music too.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Five Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2018

Someone pointed out to me that my list of the 100 Best Songs of 2017 was very chick heavy. Looking back at previous year end lists, it looked like a bit of an anomaly with the fairer sex lucky to make up a quter of previous list. But looking at my most anticipated music of this spring, maybe it was not an anomaly but a trend because most albums I am looking forward to are by female singer. Here are five albums I am really looking forward to over the next couple months

1. Love Is Dead - Chvrches (May 25) - There used to be a sophomore slump, but I wonder if maybe the third album is the hardest. If you have a great sound, you can just duplicate that on your second album and still have it sound good. But it is hard to stretch it into three albums without sounding tired. Chvrches released two very good album based around melodic electronic sounds. From the first single they did not sound like they were switching things up but things got a little more interesting with the second single where they brought into the singer from The National whos voice is a start difference to that of the Chvrches singer. Hopefully the album takes more chances.

2. No Shame - Lily Allen (June 8) - Speaking of third albums, Sheesuz was a turning point for Lily Allen. It seemed like half of the songs were he same snotty songs that she sculpted to perfection of her first two albums, but the other showed huge growth with a more mature Lily. I am actually hoping for more maturity from her fourth outing.

3. Dirty Computer - Janelle Monáe (April 28) - Janelle Monoe started out as this weird alt-RnB songstress but her latest Prince inspired song, Make Me Feel, may be the catchiest pop song you hear this year but still does not lose that coolness from her early work.

4. Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves (March 30) - Musgraves is also on that tricky third album. Except her second album was a bit rougher. But both singles released from the new album definitely do not sound anything like the down home songs from the first two albums.

5. When My Heart Felt Volcanic - The Aces (April 6) - Rock's demised has been discussed for a while now, but one causality that does not really get talked about is that pop rock or power pop is pretty dead. Whether you consider it pop with a little edge or rock with a heavy dose of sugar, you just do not hear that anymore. Here are four friends from Utah, just a guitar, bass, and drums, and no weird computer sounds to be heard. Very familiar but very refreshing since no one does it anymore.

Here are a bunch of album that will at the very least be worth a spin on Spotify including the first album from a nineties one hit wonder, their first since that decades, and a bizarre collaboration from an eighties New Wave singer and nineties reggae artist.

March 23
Boarding House Reach - Jack White
Staying at Tamara's - George Ezra
The Two of Us - Chloe x Halle
Paradox (Original Music from the Film) - Neil Young & Promise of the Real
Castles - Lissie
Sex and Cigarettes - Toni Braxton

March 30
Yesterday Was Forever - Kate Nash
Liberty - Lindi Ortega
Electric Café - En Vogue
No Mercy in This Land - Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite

April 6
The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs - Wye Oak
Revamp: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin

April 20
44/876 - Sting & Shaggy
Vide Noir - Lord Huron
Primal Heart - Kimbra
Sparrow - Ashley Monroe
Volunteer - Old Crow Medicine Show

April 27
Last Man Standing - Willie Nelson

May 4
Good Thing - Leon Bridges
Free Yourself Up - Lake Street Dive
Lost Friends - Middle Kids
Dove - Belly

May 18
Electric Light - James Bay
Wide Awake! - Parquet Courts
Tell Me How You Really Feel - Courtney Barnett

May 25
Wildness - Snow Patrol

June 1
The Future And The Past - Natalie Prass
Hell-On - Neko Case

TBA
Ariana Grande
Black Star
Busta Rhymes
Chic
Christina Aguilera
Grimes
Herbie Hancock
Kanye West
Robyn
Smashing Pumpkins

And of course this could be the quarter that Dr. Dre releases Detox.

Monday, August 04, 2014

I Want My Music Television: 8/4/14

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

Heart Is a Drum - Beck

Beck’s latest album is a bit of a downer, but that does not mean he cannot still get a little weird in his music video for a song off the album. And it may not get more trippy than seeing current day Beck walk with his “Loser” self and other images from his very first music video from over two decades ago.

Rollin' and Tumblin' - The Gaslight Anthem

I am not sure if the chicks in the black leotards in the new The Gaslight Anthem video are supposed to be a warped homage to the Single Ladies video, but I am just going to ignorantly go ahead and believe so.

Electric Lady – Janelle Monáe

Do we really such a blatant commercial for some picture taking watch at the start of the video? As someone who proudly had a calculator watch, I do not see anyone buying that. I was under the impression the only people who still wear watches are douchebags who think flashing a Rolex will impress people. The only new product from the Janelle Monáe video I would think about buying is the singing wall pictures. I would take a Kimbra one when or if it hits the market. Maybe a T-Boz one too if they are cheap.

Did We Live Too Fast - Got A Girl

Love Mary Elizabeth Winstead and her new group with Dan the Automator, Got a Girl, is good enough, but their first video just comes off like a bad rejected Twilight Zone episode.

Monday, December 23, 2013

The 25 Best Albums of 2013

While compiling this list I was tempted to put Beyoncé first even though I have not listened to the whole thing yet because even though it may not have the best collection of songs, Beyoncé won the year. While everyone else was trying to come up with a new way to market an album, Beyonce just went, “how quaint Katy Perry and your gold plated semi truck, I am dropping my album in the middle of the night on Thursday without any promotion and sell twice as many records.”

When I compiled this list last year, I was having problems because nothing seemed worthy of number one or even top ten for that matter. I chalked it up to listening music almost exclusively on shuffle. Basically when an album is released I would listen to it five to ten time, then the best songs go into shuffle never to be heard in its entirety again. So my New Year’s Resolution was to listen to at least one full album a day. And that worked, to a point, I am more content with this year’s list than last.

But Beyoncé really showed what is really hurting my enjoyment of albums: over-promotion. Much like no movies live up to the hype of their trailers anymore, the incisive promotion is so over the top by the time you hear it will inevitable be a letdown. The best songs were probably already released as promos and really all that is left if filler. And the promotion cycle has increased so much they last almost as long as presidential campaigns. Just this year, Drake released his first single in early February for an album that was not released until late September.

Granted some could argue that Beyoncé did not completely avoid marketing for this album considering she dropped a couple songs just prior to Super Bowl performance that were met with a resounding yawn. So instead of throwing more songs at the wall hoping something would stick, she finished the album on her terms and let everyone dissect it at once as a whole work of art, not parceled out over a couple months. And therein lies the problem with the current promotion cycle, by the time album is released, everyone has already downloaded the best song or two song that were pre-released as singles and have already moved on to the next big album that just dropped their new single. And in an era of diminishing album sales, Beyoncé was the first to figure out how to get people to buy your album, stop teasing and just give it to them. And it worked brilliantly. Just look at her first week sales which like every other artist were receding:

Dangerously in Love (2003): 317,000
B’Day (2006): 541,000
I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008): 482,000
4 (2011): 310,000
Beyoncé (2013): 617,000

And keep in mind Beyoncé was only available on iTunes and not physically, and that is only three days worth of sales instead of the usual six. Now the question is will this become the norm? Probably not, you have to be a global superstar like Beyoncé to pull this off and looking at next year, the only artists who may be releasing albums that could pull a stunt like this off could be U2, Taylor Swift (though she is the rare artists who's numbers are going up with each album), and Shakira (except she has already announced the date of her first single so she really cannot drop her album out of nowhere now). I do not think people will flock to iTunes to get that new Colbie Caillat album if dropped out of nowhere. Hopefully record companies do look at this and at least shorten the pre-album promotional period to a month or less.

So yeah, Beyoncé is not on this list, but the album just won the year because I spent over a page talking about it on my Best Albums of 2013 and I barely listened to it (my two word review: it’s alright; that only furthers the reason for a shorter promotion period, get the people to buy it before they realize it is only just okay; just imagine her first sales week if the album dropped a month or two after Bow Down was released; my guess it would have been lower than 4). So without further ado, here are the best albums of the year that I actually listen to all the way through (my original reviews are under each album for those that I did review while the album title goes to Amazon and the artist will take you to their iTunes page):

1.