Each day this week, Hype Machine has been posting 10 of the top 50 albums of 2009, calculated based on the top 10 lists of 550 music bloggers, to reveal an altogether different sort of an end-of-year rundown. For Triple A programmers and listeners, this list is worth a look for several reasons.
Because bloggers tend to be weary of artists that have found a comfortable innertube on which to float down the mainstream, this list highlights scads of records that you may not have had an opportunity to hear (or even hear of). What’s more, the posting is beautifully designed, clean and bold, with an image of each album cover set against a live performance shot of each artist, as well as a quote from a featured blogger. You can also click for screenshots of every blog that chose a particular record. (Find an album you love, and you might find a few great new blogs to follow.) And best of all? There’s a full album stream of all 50 choices for your listening pleasure.
It took me a long time to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. I scratched my head at its usefulness until I bit the bullet and signed up to see what all the fuss was about. Quickly, you realize that it’s more about what you get than what you post. David Carr’s concise recent Times article does a terrific job of summing up Twitter’s value.
Oh, and you know how I found out about the article? By following Bruce Warren on Twitter.
One of our favorite annual pastimes is reading Roger Angell’s humorous rhymes of the holidays-soon-departed. Angell is also one of America’s best baseball writers.
We’d like to extend our congratulations to many artists on the Songlines roster this year who have been nominated for Grammys (and the clients who represent them)!
Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King (RCA) — Album of the Year / Best Rock Album
Rosanne Cash and Bruce Springsteen, “Sea of Heartbreak” (Manhattan) — Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Booker T. Jones, Potato Hole (Anti-) — Best Pop Instrumental Album
Bob Dylan, “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’” (Columbia) — Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Coldplay, “Life in Technicolor II” (Capitol) — Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals / Best Short Form Music Video
Booker T. Jones, “Warped Sister” (Anti-) — Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Pearl Jam, “The Fixer” (Monkeywrench) — Best Rock Song
Depeche Mode, Sounds of the Universe (Capitol) — Best Alternative Music Album
The Greencards, “The Crystal Merchant” (Sugar Hill) — Best Country Instrumental Performance
Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel, Willie and the Wheel (Bismeaux) — Best Americana Album
Bob Dylan, Together Through Life (Columbia) — Best Americana Album
Levon Helm, Electric Dirt (Vanguard) — Best Americana Album
Loudon Wainwright III, High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (2nd Story Sound) — Best Traditional Folk Album
Neko Case, Middle Cyclone (Anti-) — Best Contemporary Folk Album / Best Recording Package
Depech Mode, “Wrong” (Capitol) — Best Short Form Music Video
In case you haven’t been routinely tuning in lately:
The current Saturday Night Live cast has really hit its stride this year. Week after week, the show offers up tight skits, complete with terrific performances from Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg, and others.
This past weekend we were treated to “The Mellow Show,” which should be particularly hilarious to fans of Triple A. It featured Andy Samberg as Jack Johnson hosting a talk show, with guests Dave Matthews (Bill Hader) and Jason Mraz (host Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The writing is spot-on and the cast members and host are great, but it’s a visit from a surprise special guest that really turns this talk show on its ear . . .
Pearl Jam taped a stellar session during the ACLF in October that will run on Austin City Limits TV on November 21st (check your local listings). For a time-lapsed view of the preparations and performance (an exposure every six seconds), check this out:
There have been many songs about baseball and a few have honored the no hitter thrown by Doc Ellis on June 12, 1970. This is the best representation of that event we’ve ever seen.
If you ask us (and even if you don’t, because hey, it’s our blog), the Kooks are one of the most underrated bands in Triple A. We can’t wait to hear what they have to offer on their next studio record, but in the meantime, we were happy to come across this link. It offers streams of some great acoustic covers of theirs. Four terrific tunes that we either worked or wished we had: “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley, Coldplay’s “Violet Hill,” MGMT’s “Kids,” and “Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn and John.
Six-month-old Hank Ittigson is pictured here, taking his first subway ride on a recent visit to New York City. Whether he’s bemused by Gary Numan’s “Cars” coming from the man next to him or just enjoying the to and fro — clearly the kid has the right attitude for the Big Apple!
