Greener Pastures

I know I said I would have comments on the 2nd installment of the After the Final Rose but I couldn't bring myself to watch it yet...maybe tomorrow. In the meantime I decided to watch Idol which never let's me down or disgusts me. The final group of semifinalists fighting to make the Top 12 went at it tonight. When I saw the preview of this week's group it seemed a little unfairly stacked. All in all I'd say I was right - way too much talent for 3 spots in this group. Here's the breakdown...

Von Smith - surprise of the night. He truly wowed me with his performance as he got over the shoutiness he displayed in Hollywood Week. He's definitely one to watch.

Taylor Vaifanua - All I can remember about her is how much she towered over Ryan.

Alex Wagner-Trugman - If this singing thing doesn't work out the kid could definitely have a comedy career. Honestly I was too distracted by his "dancing" to hear too much but he had a few nice moments.

Arianna Afsar - Poor dear was off-key for the most of the performance. It reminded me of the talent portion of Junior Miss Pageant and the song choice again was atrocious. I really don't know what is happening this season but maybe we've just got a batch of people with really awful taste in music.

Ju'Not Joyner - Once again I'm thrown off by the unnecessary capitalization, punctuation and SONG CHOICE. If I have to hear another gussied up version of Hey There Delilah I'm going to stab a fork in my eye. The song was catchy but mediocre at best as a mid-tempo guitar ditty - what makes anyone think it will work as a power ballad?? But I digress - this is more my counterpart's territory. What I will say is that I totally disagree with the judges here. Maybe The Bachelor has made me a bit of a conspiracy theorist but I've been hearing rumblings of complaints that so far the Top 12 is a little too pale if you know what I mean. I wouldn't be surprised if the judges were giving Juneau the mittens treatment on purpose.

Kristen McNamara - I can't say that I was a big fan of the up-tempo rearrangement of "Give Me One Reason" but you can't deny that Kristen definitely has some singing chops.

Nathaniel Marshall - After his dramatics during Hollywood week ("It's not just your dream at stake here!!") and catching this clip on YouTube I was already a fan of Nate's. His take on Meatloaf didn't change that at all. I do fear that Adam Lambert may have already filled this year's quota of flamboyant, theatrical males with spiky hair and excessive accessories.

Felisha Barton came into this round with a significant disadvantage having only ever been shown on screen getting cut. I wasn't as impressed with her as the judges were - pretty forgettable in my book.

Scott MacIntyre - I don't want to be the asshole that says something mean about the blind guy so I'll just stick to the high points. He had some nice notes and his brother is hot. I WILL say something mean about the judges. I think it's condescending to tell him that if he messes up a note it doesn't matter because he "moves mountains when he sings." What kind of BS is that??

Kendall Beard - Not Carrie Underwood, not even Kellie Pickler...next.

Jorge Nunez - I kind of want him to move on just because I have so much fun saying his name. This song still belongs to Clay Aiken in American Idol world but Jorge was good...really good. And he made me cry. I read yesterday that this year the top 12 does not have to be gender balanced and I can only hope that that is true. There are simply more that 6 men that deserve to be there and this performance made be believe that Jorge should be one of them.

Lil Rounds - Wow...In the pimp spot and lived up to it. She really shouldn't even be in this group.

Who got my votes tonight? Von, Nate and Jorge (Lil doesn't need them)
My predictions for the Top 12 spots - Lil, Scott and Jorge edging out Von because he was closer to the end and I expect a Birmingham like voting block from Puerto Rico.

7 of 25: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

James Murphy is not from England. He's not. And he wants you and all your friends to quit putting him and his friends from LCD Soundsystem in a box. This is exceedingly apparent on Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem's second full-length LP (they've put out an alarming number of singles and EPs in a short period of time). Murphy is the co-founder of DFA Records, which hosts a powerful lineup of dance, dance-rock, disco, electronic, and other genre-fusing acts like Hot Chip and Hercules & Love Affair. In his spare time, he makes great records, and Sound of Silver is certainly one of them (I mean, it was nominated for a Grammy this year!).

The band's MO of repetitive guitar, drum and synth/piano lines starts right away with "Get Innocuous," as does Murphy's interesting vocal style (he doesn't sing like that on every song). Each track sounds distinctly essential, and if I had to pick one instrument to keep above all others, it might be the cowbell. Damnit that cowbell sounds great! "North American Scum," with it's opening statement of exasperation: "Well I don't know, I don't know, oh... where to begin. We are North American. And for those of you who still think we're from England... we're not. No." That frustration continues as a mock/serious criticism of American culture and how it's perceived domestically and abroad. "Someone Great" is one of the best songs on the album and pulsates for a good 6 minutes while toying with subtle changes in a variety of sounds: blips and bleeps, real and electronic. It's hypnotic. "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," is the album closer and a departure from the rest of the album: as a glorified piano ballad with witty lyrics, it serves as a focal point for a recurrent theme in Murphy's songwriting: growing older. And nowhere is this theme more pronounced and well-delivered than on album highlight "All My Friends." While looking through reviews when Sound of Silver was first released, I came upon the following:

" [On "All My Friends,"] the straightforward repetition of the same guitar, keyboard and bass lines, combined with lyrics about life without regret, and life with all kinds of regrets, pays off with a punch about what we lose as we get older."

Right on the money. And if you don't hit the "Back" button after listening to it for the first time, you weren't really paying attention anyway.

"You're Such a Bastard"

Congratulations Jason Mesnick - you just made America hate you. Let me begin first by being completely honest with you. I read spoilers about The Bachelor finale from Reality Steve about two weeks ago. The information seemed fairly legitimate but it was almost too shocking to believe. Well Steve was right...but I still wasn't prepared.

I am angry.

I'm angry that since June I have been led to believe that Jason is a good guy. ABC has been pimping him (and his son) hard since his first appearance on The Bachelorette. I was drawn in by his back story and aw shucks appeal. I started to wisen up as he started to show a skeevier side while shoving his tongue down every girl's throat. Now he's proven himself to be a spineless coward who whatever you believe is either a flip flopper OR went along with an absolutely cruel set-up.

I'm angry for Melissa. Good for her for being angry too and putting the heat on Jason. Her incredulous "mmm hmms" were the only thing that kept me from crying until I actually cried. (Yes even with spoilers I cried!! These are human emotions people!)

I'm angry that ABC more than likely orchestrated this whole thing. Never ever will I believe that Jason had not talked to Molly since the final rose ceremony. If it were true they wouldn't have had to emphasize it so many times. Reality Steve was right about the outcome and I think he's right about this too. There have been many reports of sightings of Jason in Molly's home town as early as December - WAY before this After the Final Rose was filmed. There's no way these people who are under lock, key and contract would be able to see each other without the network knowing. Maybe it would have been more believable if Molly and Jason weren't such horrible actors. Every time she kept turning to look at Chris Harrison I wanted to snap her neck off.

I'm angry that now I don't know who I want to be the next Bachelorette more - Jillian or Melissa. Dual season anyone??

So yeah I'm angry. Angry enough that I don't want to watch Part 2 of ATFR. But like the great Monica once sang "For You I Will." Expect thoughts tomorrow. Until then - A.Dub out.

PS - Did anyone else notice the color of Melissa's dress magically changed from the previews on the first episode. Those shots clearly showed Jason proposing to a brunette in a blue dress (left) but Melissa's dress was yellow.


PPS - Molly's hair looked horrible in the final episode and the after the final rose. Whatever...she's a strumpet.

6 of 25: Girl Talk - Night Ripper

Just a couple of things before we really get started:

1. Posts will be a little shorter this week due to exam week. I would apologize, but I' m assuming most people will enjoy the brevity.

2. We're kicking off DANCE WEEK!! That's right, today-Sunday, every album will have a significant electronic element to it. If that's not your style... well, it should be.

Alright, on to Night Ripper, which maybe technically isn't dance (unless you have ADD/schizophrenia and the fastest feet known to man) OR electronic. Girl Talk, the stage name for Pittsburgh native Greg Gillis, is a mash-up DJ. And while some may not consider his ability to mix, match, and mash song excerpts together into a seamless string of audio one-liners and "I can't believe he just did that!" moments artistic, it sure is a lot of fun. At the time of this album, Gillis was still pulling his Batman-esque "biomedical engineer by day, DJ by night" routine (he has since left his job as an engineer), and if you're to believe him, his co-workers had no idea that he would finish work, fly to Miami for a club show, then fly back and be at his desk by 9AM the next day. Unbelievable, and yet the story of his dual life is only half as interesting as the music he's putting together.

Night Ripper has served two purposes for a hip-hop-illiterate like myself... as both an endlessly enjoyable example of what you can do with a little computer software (and a LOT of patience/caffeine) and an index of popular music to begin my exposure to the world of Top 40. While many DJs are content to simply combine two songs for the sake of a funny song title, Gillis layers his layers with more layers. To describe all of the twists and turns that happen during Night Ripper would be an injustice, partially because I don't have the ability to do it, but also because it's unlikely that people will respond similary to each of the samples. For example, I can't get over the combo of Phantom Planet's "California" and Clipse's "Grindin" at the end "Too Deep," or the "Say It Ain't So"/"Laffy Taffy"/"Oh I Think They Like Me" trifecta at the transition of "Hold Up" and "Too Deep." You can spend hours listening to this album while browsing the album's Wikipedia page... trying to determine if you actually hear all the samples, and if those tireless Wiki editors missed something. Girl Talk's new album, Feed The Animals (which you can name your own price for) is just as fun and enjoyable, and if we're lucky, Johnny Law will continue letting the likely-illegal practice of cutting and pasting other musicians' work into something completely original and exciting.

Music in TV

Chuck
- Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
- Chromeo - Momma's Boy
- Benji Hughes - Why Do These Parties Always End The Same Way?
- Toto - Africa

Private Practice
- Ray Lamontagne - Be Here Now
- Otis Redding - I Love You More Than Words Can Say

Real World
- Bjork Ostrom - Long Drive Home

Privileged
- Deb Talan - Comfort

For the love of TAR

No stranger to critical acclaim, The Amazing Race has won the Outstanding Reality-Competition Emmy for all 6 years it has been awarded. While some may doubt the legitimacy of an Emmy for such programming TAR is undoubtedly deserving. It's culturally educational, sentimental and exhilarating at the same time. We're already on the third episode of the season so here's a quick recap of the remaining teams.

-Tammy and Victor - lawyer brother and sister. He's whiny and emotional- she somehow puts up with it.
-Mike and Mel - Obscure character actor and his father
-Margie and Luke - Deaf son and mother - this season's heart string tuggers
-Brad and Victoria - married couple...they are pretty boring and got eliminated
-Jaime and Cara - 1st set of girls with same colored hair heretofore only known as the Red Heads.
-Amanda and Kris - an attractive couple who will more than likely hate each other by the end of the show
-Kisha and Jen - black sisters - total opposite of what Tyra and I would be on the show. In other words they're actually athletic
-Mark and Michael - stuntmen who are very short
-Christie and Jodi - 2nd set of girls with same hair - The Blondes seem destined to be the team that will be plagued by stupid mistakes...like not reading the clues correctly

Lessons learned on tonight's episode
1. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze. Would you let random people on a train use your phone to book a flight from Munich to Bucharest?
2. Travelling sucks whether you're being followed by cameras or not. This episode alone proved that the racers are not immune to headaches such as flight delays, emergency landings, incompetent taxi drivers and lost fanny packs.
3. Dreams really do come true. Training with Romanian gymnasts...are you kidding?? Oh to wear that sacred leotard with the blue, yellow and red stripes!!
4. High stress situations bring out the worst in sibling dynamics. Just because you're the oldest Victor doesn't mean your decision to follow obviously wrong signs up a giant mountain is a right one!
5. Phil Keoghan's eyebrow is so awesome it deserves recognition all its own.

5 of 25: Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight

Glasgow, Scotland's Frightened Rabbit are insecure. And they think about sex. Like, a lot (see: album title). Midnight Organ Fight puts those insecurities on display, and while a number of their songs would fall squarely in the "emo" genre based on lyrics, they somehow come off less whiny and much more enjoyable because of their pop/rock leanings. Take opener "The Modern Leper," which focuses on the well-known theme of girl-going-back-to-guy-even-though-she-knows-he's-no-good. While lines like "Is that you, in front of me... coming back for even more of exactly the same?" might sound trite and tired coming from The Starting Line or Dashboard Confessional, you actually feel connected to the emotion of the song's voice... guilty and sickened at the ability to bring this girl down with him, but thankful that she's there.

And so you can listen to this album in two ways: for the stories or for the music. One way is more depressing than the other, but both offer great experiences. Throughout Midnight Organ Fight, what really jumps out is the sonic fullness: this three-piece band just SOUNDS big. Although they'll likely never play in an arena, their sound is befitting of one. The downbeat is a friend of Frightened Rabbit, both musically and thematically, which isn't suprising. "The Twist" is sure to be an early favorite for anyone on a first listen. Surprisingly, it isn't about the popular dance; rather, "You twist and whisper the wrong name. I don't care, and nor do my ears... I need human heat. Let's pretend I'm attractive... it's the night, I can be who you like, and I'll quietly leave before it gets light." Damn. Fall Out Boy WISHES they could reach that kind of level of self-loathing! And it only builds... listening to "Keep Yourself Warm" could potentially send someone entrenched in the hook-up culture of one-night stands and drunken trysts into a shame spiral (assuming they weren't there already); "You won't find love in a hole. It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm." But if you're not paying attention to the words, you'd never know how depressing that song should be. And that might be Frightened Rabbit's greatest trick. Although each song is distinctly depressing in some way (with maybe a sliver of light thrown in for good measure), they generally have one thing in common: straightforward, pulsating rhythms. Naturally... those are helpful when... well, nevermind. It should be pretty obvious by now.