I Want My Music Television: 8/6/15

Nwa - Miguel


Who would have guessed two and a half decades after imploding, we would be having an N.W.A. reconnaissance? And there is not a better time considering the most popular rappers this year have no flow and are just really bad RnB singers (seriously, how are Fetty Wap and Future a thing?). Straight Outta Compton comes out this month while Dr. Dre is releasing a pseudo soundtrack to it (assuming it is not perpetually delayed but unlike Detox, Compton has a release date, we will see if it actually drops tomorrow). Beating both of those is Miguel's ode to the group that does not actually feature any members aside from a third degree of separation Kurupt instead. C'mon, do not tell me Miguel could not at least get MC Ren on the track.

Ditmas - Mumford and Sons


After shunning music videos when their album was originally released, now Mumford and Sons cannot stop releasing them. The got silly dressing up for The Wolf, not they are going a more serious, artsy path for their latest with a song that pretty much has the same structure as The Wolf. As I blindly hated on their new electric sound, I did not realize at the time how similar many of the songs sounded.

Freedom - Pharrell Williams


Pharrell Williams's last album was kind of annoyingly (pardon the pun) happy. It looks like he may go a little darker on the follow up. Sure Freedom is as dark as his darkest moments with N.E.R.D. but I think I like this better than anything on G I R L.

Go Away - Weezer


I should probably enjoy Weezer making fun of a dating app, but after Hilary Duff's blatant commercial a couple months ago masked as a music video, this just leaves me a little cold. It does not help that the song is not very good.

I Want My Music Television:7/23/15

Song For Someone - U2


The prison industrial complex looks to be one of the bigger issues in the upcoming presidential election and one that it seems like both Democrats and Republicans should agree on. It a rights issues for the dems and the GOP should not like our tax dollars being wasted on nonviolent prisoners. President Obama just recently became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. But like most of what goes on in Washington, I would be shocked if anything actually gets done other than a few more states decriminalizing the wacky weed. I am not sure sure if the new U2 video is part of that movement as we seem Woody Harrelson's final day in prison which gets kind of creepy after being picked up by his real life daughter. It is probably good that the video cut off where it did.

Good for You - Selena Gomez


Someone recently pointed out that the new Selena Gomez music music video was made for dirty old men. I think pretty much any red blooded American man can appreciate it, c'mon, it is not Fiona Apple Criminal type creepy or anything. Okay, close, but there is no seventies shag carpeting. (Sure I may just be talking myself into not being creepy for watching this somewhere between 100 and 1000 times.) The song itself is kind of boring. It sound like she went into a producer and said, "I want Lorde but sexier." Except I do not want a sexier version of Lorde. But at least the music video omits the unnecessary A$AP Rocky verse for multiple reasons.

The Wolf (Live At Bonnaroo 2015) - Mumford & Sons


Mumford and Sons dropped their new album without a music video saying they do not really like doing them but had come around and may end up filming a couple. Um, I am not sure transversing around Bonnaroo as Robin Hood, Maid Marianne(?), a chicken, and a wolf (natch) makes may not actually be better than no video at all. Like most people when the new album came out, I met it with a "huh?" and "why?" but after a couple listens I do not completely have The Wolf but still find their electric conversion unnecessary.

Goldmine - Kimbra


Is the Kimbra music video stop motion (live action stop motion is a weird concept)? At any rate it is freaky cool.

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2013

I have embedded the first couple video click the links to the others to be taken to YouTube. If you are interesting in downloading the videos, click on the iTunes badge.

1. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan


2. Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons


3. Royals (International Version) - Lorde


4. Berzerk - Eminem


5. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend


6. Holding On for Life - Broken Bells

7. Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

8. Come and Get It - Selena Gomez

9. The Woodpile - Frightened Rabbits

10. Blurred Lines (Unrated Verion) - Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell

11. Shot at the Night - The Killers

12. Sacrilege - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

13. Her Favorite Song - Mayer Hawthorne

14. Rap God - Eminem

15. Lego House (Lego Version) - Ed Sheeran

16. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers

17. Hot Knife - Fiona Apple

18. Team - Lorde

19. A Tattered Line of String - The Postal Service

20. Radioactive - Image Dragons

21. Torpedo (Lyric Video) - Jillette Johnson

22. Hearts Like Ours - The Naked and Famous

23. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'em Up) - Fall Out Boys

24. Over It - The Crystal Method featuring Dia Frampton

25. Too Drunk to Karaoke - Jimmy Buffett with Toby Keith

26. Breakfast Can Wait - Prince

27. Primetime - Janelle Monae featuring Miguel

28. Gorilla - Bruno Mars

29. Another Is Waiting - The Avett Brothers

30. Babel - Mumford and Sons

31. Odds Are - Barenaked Ladies

32. Trying to Be Cool - Phoenix

33. The Monster - Eminem featuring Rihanna

34. Pompeii - Bastille

35. Cups - Anna Kendrick

36. Nosetagia - Pusha T featuring Kendrick Lamar

37. Nothing Here but Love - Lenka

38. U Should Know Better - Robyn featuring Snoop Dogg

39. Song for Zula - Phosphorescent

40. Ways to Go - Grouplove

41. Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves

42. Graceless - The National

43. Still into You - Paramore

44. I Got You - Jack Johnson

45. Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran

46. Night Time, My Time - Sky Ferrera

47. Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood

48. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert

49. 365 Days - ZZ Ward

50. Roar - Katy Perry

The 25 Best Live Performances of 2013

I have linked the YouTube videos where available and click the iTunes badge to buy the performance where available.


1. The Weight – Elton John, Zac Brown Band, Mavis Staples, Mumford and Sons, Alabama Shakes, and T-Bone Burnett (2013 Grammy Awards)

2. Ignition (Remix) – R Kelly and Phoenix (Coachella)

3. Lonely Boy – The Black Keys, Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (2013 Grammy Awards)

4. I Will Wait – Mumford and Sons (2013 Grammy Awards)

5. Medley – Beyonce (Super Bowl)

6. Ain’t No Sunshine – Keith Urban and Miguel (2014 Grammy Nomination Special)

7. Locked Out of Heaven / Walking on the Moon / Could You Be Loved – Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna, Ziggy and Damien Marley (2013 Grammy Awards)

8. The Scientist – Holly Henry (The Voice)

9. Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke, Jimmy Fallon, and the Roots (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

10. Royals – Lorde (2014 Grammy Nomination Special)

11. Bottom of the River – Vocal Rush (The Sing-Off)

12. Put Your Records On – Danielle Bradbery and Caroline Glaser (The Voice)

13. Strong Enough – Haim and Lorde (VH1 You Oughta Know Concert)

14. Love Interruption / Freedom at 21 – Jack White (2013 Grammy Awards)

15. With a Little Help from My Friends – Mumford and Sons and Friends (Glastonbury)

16. Follow You Arrow – Kacey Musgraves (2014 CMA Awards)

17. Folsom Prison Blues – Midas Whale (The Voice)

18. Forrest Gump – Frank Ocean (2013 Grammy Awards)

19. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Jack Johnson and the Roots (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

20. The A-Team – Ed Sheeran and Elton John (2013 Grammy Awards)

21. Tiny Dancer – Caroline Glaser (The Voice)

22. What Makes You Beautiful – Street Corner Renaissance (The Sing-Off)

23. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift (2013 Grammy Awards)

24. Gravity – Ryan Innes (The Voice)

25. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘em Up) – Vocal Rush (The Sing-Off)

Previewing Another Day/Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Thirteen years ago, The Coen Brothers teamed up with T.Bone Burnett for the soundtrack for their film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. That album went on to sell almost eight million copies and picked up Album of the Year at the Grammy’s (along with two other statues for songs from that album) and some would argue launched the folk rock boom that has crashed the mainstream earlier this decade. So it was not surpising when the brothers wrote another music heavy script, T-Bone was their first call to produce the soundtrack.

The result is Inside Llewyn Davis, the titular character is a Bob Dylan type if Dylan had originally been in a Simon and Garfunkel type duo where the Garfunkel half died before they could break big. But unlike O Brother, where Dan Tyminski stood in for George Clooney in the recording studio, Inside Llewyn Davis actually features the cast including Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Marcus Mumford as Davis’s dead partner.

Inspired by the film, T-Bone brought together a gathering of some of the biggest names in folk for a one night only concert performance which is documented for Another Day / Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis”. The film, inspired by and including music from the forthcoming Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis, which is set in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s was shot live and includes performance by legends and rising stars from both folk and contemporary music— including Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Jack White, Marcus Mumford (without his sons), the Avett Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens (lead sing of Carolina Chocolate Drops), Punch Brothers, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Willie Watson, The Milk Carton Kids, Colin Meloy, Lake Street Dive, as well as the star of Inside Llewyn Davis, Oscar Isaac. (Timberlake is consipciously absent; but then again, no one needs to hear a folk version of SexyBack). The soundtrack to Inside Llewyn David may never get the acclaim that its predisessor did, but he documentary is a must watch for anyone who enjoys folk music, or just good music in general.

Another Day / Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis” premieres Friday at 10:00 on Showtime. Check out a preview below:

Previewing Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana

When you think of the Nashville music scene, it probably conjures up images of rednecks in a beat up pick truck blaring music that is played at the CMA’s but the city has been attracting more and more musicians that do not fit in the traditional country ideals like Jack White and The Black Keys. Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana premiering tomorrow on PBS (check your local listings) takes a look at that burgeoning sub-genre of country music: neo-folk from Emmylou Harris up to the new boom that bands like Mumford and Sons created.

The special includes an impressive list of artist performances and discussions about the genre and songwriting in general including Alabama Shakes, The Avett Brothers, Billy Bragg, Laura Cantrell, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rosanne Cash, The Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook, Rodney Crowell, Dawes, Jerry Douglas, John Fullbright, Shakey Graves, Emmylou Harris, The James Hunter Six, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Jim Lauderdale, The Lone Bellow, The Mavericks, The Milk Carton Kids, Buddy Miller, Mumford and Sons, Shovels & Rope, Richard Thompson, and Dwight Yoakam. You may want to keep that list handy because I found myself searching many of them out after watching the special. Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana is a much watch for any fan of the genre or anyone who needs a deep dive into the scene. Sure there were a few holes (Fleet Foxes, Ryan Adams) and I was hoping it would take more of an Metal Evolution approach to storytelling where they took a deep dive into the lineage, but still a great watch.

Nashville 2.0 kicks off the “PBS Americana Music Weekend,” which pairs this documentary with an Americana music concert from PBS’ iconic Austin City Limits (ACL) series. In a special episode, ACL travels to Nashville to capture performance highlights from the 2013 Americana Music Association Honors & Awards. ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2013 airs November 23rd on PBS in select markets (check local listings for broadcast dates and times) with an incredible line-up of artists that highlights the best of Americana. Recorded in September at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, the program -- like Nashville 2.0 -- showcases both established and rising stars. Many of the Americana Music Association award winners perform and participate in musical collaborations. ACL Presents features Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Shovels & Rope, Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, The Milk Carton Kids, Old Crow Medicine Show, Holly Williams, Dr. John, Duane Eddy, John Fullbright, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale. Full ACL episodes are available online at acltv.com following their initial broadcast.

Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana premieres tomorrow (Friday) at 8:00 on PBS (check your local listings).

I Want My Music Television: 8/12/13

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.

Hopeless Wanderer – Mumford and Sons


It was a shame someone already told me the video featured Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, and Will Forte because I otherwise I wonder how long it would have taken me to realize it was not exactly Mumford and Sons. But I feel bad for the bassist, he just had brain surgery and then gets stuck with Forte, who I think is a full foot shorter than him, as his doppelganger. Was Rhys Ifans not available?


The One That Got Away – The Civil Wars


Just days after dropping their album, The Civil Wars finally got around to releasing a music video for the lead single and not surprisingly it features neither of them as they continue to be on non-speaking terms. But the visuals seems so disconnected from the song. It basically looks like they took outtakes from The Bridge and repurposed it as a music video.


Supersoaker – Kings of Leon


When I first heard that the first single off the new Kings of Leon album was entitled Supersoaker, I thought it was a joke. And when I first listened to it, the chorus was clunky with the silly word stuck in it. But it has grown on my, I do like the “sentimental girls” line, and looking at the beginning of the video, maybe they should have gone with Sentimental Girls as the title of the song instead.


Claudia Lewis – M83

Get More:
M83, Claudia Lewis - Directed By Bryce Dallas Howard, Music, More Music Videos

A couple years ago MTV introduced the “Supervideo” to show they still care about music videos, but stopped after four or five and have not done one in a couple years (the last time I featured one in my I Want My Music Television series, a not so subtle dig at the network, was August 2011) but apparently they have relaunched the Supervideo for an M83 song which features some Ramona Flowers knockoff who glows when wet. Alrighty. Maybe MTV should have stayed out of the Supervideo game because not only does no one go to MTV for music videos anymore, certainly no one is going to MTV.com to watch music videos either. If there is a video on the internet that is not on YouTube, it might as well not even exist.

I Want My Music Television: 7/15/13

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.


Babel - Mumford & Sons


I know Mumford and Sons are about ninety percent passion, but no one can look cool jamming out on a stand up keyboard. Even the accordion looked cooler.


Never Gonna Let You Go – Tony Lucca


I liked Tony Lucca before he was on The Voice, even had a couple albums by the guy. And though he has my favorite Blind Audition that season, he never really found his footing after that and the feud was Christina was a bit cringeworthy. This song is better than any of his Live Show performances though still a bit pedestrian. I do like the video, it looks that as if Tony learned one thing from his coach Adam Levine, is that every music video needs a token hot chick. Granted Adam usually take that opportunity to roll around with them naked.


If - Glassvegas


C’mon, Glasvegas, how do you recruit William Shatner for your music video and not have him do a horrible spoken rendition of your song? But I guess his all the great songs have already been written monologue was appropriate for a song the repurposes the Talking Heads’ Road to Nowhere.


American Girl – Bonnie McKee


I actually liked Bonnie McKee’s debut album, but apparently I was the only one because it bombed and nine years later she was not released another one. In the intervening years she has made a name for herself writing horrible pop songs for Katy Perry (including four number one hits), Adam Lambert, and Carly Rae Jepsen, all who repaid her for showing up in her new music video featuring a slew of other celebrities for a song that sound more like the horrible songs she has been writing lately that her much better earlier stuff. That probably means this will be much more successful. Ugg.

I Want My Music Television: 3/19/13

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.


Whisper in the Dark – Mumford and Sons


Mumford and Sons shot four videos for their latest single, but why release them separately when you can combine then into one? The lower left is my favorite.


22 - Taylor Swift


Taylor Swift with cat ears is way more attractive than it should be.


Radioactive - Imagine Dragons


I really have not put much thought into Imagine Dragons, they are good at what they do: soundtrack for movie trailers, nothing more and nothing less. And I really did not give much thought to them unless the latest sci-fi trailer is released. But I am a bit disappointed that I am just learning that their music video features a killer Care Bear, Lou Diamond Philips, and Adam Braverman’s hot assistant.


By Crooked Steps - Soundgarden


Who knew Soundgarden had a sense of humor? Though I have a feeling the thirteen year old version of myself would have hated Soundgarden doing basically a Foo Fighters type video (this was directed by Dave Grohl).

We On Award Tour: 2013 Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are always the best award shows of the year just because of all the great performances even if it is an off year for music. But a funny thing happened at this year’s Grammy, it was almost as if I programmed it. I loved almost all the performances (who invited Justin Timberlake, I hate when people who are not nominated get to perform unless they are a legacy artist; plus I do not see Suit and Tie getting nominated for anything next year) and it is almost as if I did the nominating. Sure I could nitpick that Call Me Maybe was nominated for a songwriting award or how Norah Jones was shut out despite releases her best single of her career, Happy Pills. But for the first time I actually endorse every nominee in the most prestigious category, each made my list of The Best Albums of 2012 (or 2011 thanks to the Grammy’s wonky eligibility rule). Usually one (or four) stinkers sneak in, somehow Lady Gaga was that past three years. Since it seemed like this year’s Grammys were geared specially towards me, I have a feeling the ratings will be way down and they will be back to nominating unworthy artists next year (maybe Suit and Tie will get a nod... or five), but I definitely enjoyed this year. Here are some thoughts on last night’s festivities.

- We may be witnessing the downfall of Taylor Swift, her performer, the carnival meets Wonderland meets Marionettes meets Marie Antoinette was way too much. Hopefully Red is her Pop and she will go back to basics with her next album like U2 did with All That You Can't Leave Behind.

- Of course Adele won the first award, after the great ratings of last year, the show want to continue that even if a live performance off a DVD is a bit cheap way to get nominated. But then again it was not like there was much competition in that category.

- When Fun. performed at the nomination special I figured they would not get invited to the big show because they already burned off their best song. But they did get to perform and we were stuck listening to the fifth best song off their album (same goes for Maroon 5).

- I think the suits Miguel and Wiz Khalifa were wearing broke my HD. And of course they went on to announce the Best Country Solo Performance.

- A couple weeks ago someone pointed out to me that We Are Young is a song about domestic abuse ("My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking 'bout a scar, I know I gave it to you months ago") I it is weird listening to it ever since. Even weirder is a song that may be about domestic abuse won a songwriting award.

- It was jarring seeing Mumford & Sons perform with an electric bass instead of their trademark stand-up bass. And what was with three of them being clean shaven?

- Alicia Keys playing the drums = awesome.

- Should I know who Micky Echo is?

- Best acceptance speech of the night, maybe ever: "I would like to thank the swap meet for his hat." - Jay-Z.

- I really like the aesthetic of the two The Black Keys, but I would like them to make a full band album at some point, preferably with Danger Mouse producing.

- After every review mentioned The Police, of course Bruno Mars had to bring in Sting for his performance. But I wish the Bob Marley part was much longer.

- I am not sure if there is such a thing as male groupies, but if there are, I am thinking about becoming one for the chick from the The Lumineers.

- Do someone slip me some acid or was Carrie Underwood's dress changing shapes and colors?

- How do you invite Prince to an award show and not get him to perform? This may have been the best awards in recent memory, but not getting Prince to sing was an epic fail.

- I guess it should go down as a successful Grammy awards because Chris Brown made it through an entire night without punching anyone.

The 25 Best Albums of 2012

I also included my review of the albums underneath the name for those I wrote about. If you would like to purchase the albums, the album artwork will take you to Amazon and clicking on the title will take you to iTunes.


1. Handwritten - The Gaslight Anthem
Turn the Record Over, I'll See You on the Flip Side

2. What We Saw from the Cheap Seats - Regina Specktor
Today We’re Younger than We’ll Ever Gonna Be

3. Babel - Mumford and Sons
So Give Me Hope in the Darkness so that I Can See the Light

4. Blak and Blu - Gary Clark Jr.

5. The Lumineers - The Lumineers

6. The Man With the Iron Fists (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Various Artists
I Could Take the Pitchfork from the Devil

7. Tempest - Bob Dylan

8. Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
Don’t Be Mad, It’s a Brand New Kind of Me

9. The Bright Side - Meiko
You Give a Little Heart, Give a Little Soul

10. The Carpenter - The Avett Brothers
Can You Tell That I Am Alive, Let Me Prove it to You

11. Little Broken Hearts - Norah Jones
You Tried to Replace Me but You Didn’t Get Far

12. Channel ORANGE - Frank Ocean

13. Vows - Kimbra
You Can’t Explain Away the Way I Feel

14. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - Fiona Apple
He Excites Me, Must Be Like the Genesis of Rhythm

15. Away from the World - Dave Matthews Band
Don’t Waste Time Trying to Be Something You’re Not

16. Born and Raised - John Mayer
I’m a Good Man with a Good Heart, Had a Tugh Time, Got a Rough Start

17. Blunderbuss - Jack White
Who’s Jealous of Who?

18. Sun - Cat Power

19. Write Me Back - R. Kelly
Love Has the Greatest Vision of All Time

20. Port of Morrow - The Shins
I Know Things Can Really Get Rough When You Go it Alone

21. ¡Uno! / ¡Dos! / ¡Tré! - Green Day
Tonight My Heart's on the Loose / I Don’t Want Your Sympathy, I Don’t Want Your Honesty, I Just Want to Get Some Piece of Mind

22. Sweet Sour - Band of Skulls
Something Good, A Little Trouble In Your Neighborhood

23. Voyageur - Kathleen Edwards
When the Weather Breaks We Can Sail the Great Lakes

24. Some Nights - fun.
Let’s Set the World on Fire We'll Burn Brighter than the Sun

25. Red - Taylor Swift
Find Your Peace of Mind with Some Indie Record Much Cooler Than Mind