Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Temper Trapped

Well I've fallen in love and his name is Dougie... and Jonathon and Lorenzo and Toby-- or as most people refer to them-- The Temper Trap. This alternative rock band from down under is gaining momentum overseas and, without a doubt, headed our way. I always did have a thing for Aussies...

For those of you on "the music scene," you may have seen them this past year at South by Southwest. For all of you film buffs, you may recognize their song "Sweet Disposition" (one of my favorites) from the movie 500 Days of Summer. And for the rest of you- hopefully you watch some type of television in which case you've probably heard them featured on everything from "90210," "Greek" and "The Vampire Diaries" to major Chrysler ad campaigns.

Not ringing a bell? Okay- do yourself a favor and download or youtube some of their stuff. I hear a lot of late 80's/ early 90's influence in their music- sounds like Radiohead, Prince and what reminds me of Q Lazzarus's "Goodbye Horses." Check out their MySpace page and give these tracks a listen. My picks are "Sweet Disposition," "Fader," "Science of Fear," "Love Lost," "Fools" and "Soldier On." Actually... maybe you should just buy the whole Conditions album.

http://www.myspace.com/thetempertrap
Thanks, Lee.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

What the Grammys is going on?

Let me just preface the following review of the telecast by saying that I am the biggest advocate of supporting the Grammys and supporting music in general. Having also been involved in the production and execution of several award shows, I fully comprehend how difficult it is to pull off an award show in an industry that is constantly changing and evolving (or regressing, for that matter). In any case, it must be a tall order to please several generations of music fans- especially when the generation that established and perpetuated the significance of the Grammys is one that is accustomed to "good music" like that of Ol' Blue Eyes himself.

With that said, I was still not impressed. From the Michael Jackson tribute (did my 3D glasses get lost in the mail?) to Jamie Foxx's bit with Slash (blame it on the auto-tune, Jamie) and Beyonce's nothing-new, militaristic, over-the-top, glamizon number that, quite frankly, was my ultimate "Music Chik says what?" moment (was Alanis Morissette supposed to join her at any point?), it was kind of a mess.

What I DID like about the show? I LOVED how the different generations and genres of music came together. It almost seemed as though the elders were passing on the music torch to the genuinely talented artists of our generation. It was symbolic. Elton John and Lady Gaga were brilliant together, especially because they rock a similar wardrobe. Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift complimented each other well vocally and stylistically. And Mary J and Andrea Bocelli proved that two artists from opposite ends of the music spectrum could collaborate and make something beautiful.

All in all, it seemed as though the people who performed this year were all people with REAL talent and an amazing work ethic. And while I've never been more over Beyonce and Taylor Swift in my entire life, I appreciate that they represent our generation of music. The era of blond, untalented, studio-fabricated entertainers has (fingers-crossed) come to an end-- although I'm not sure how to explain Kesha, in that case. Nevertheless, let's continue supporting a tradition that is now 52 years young and keep *buying* the music that keeps that tradition alive.