ChordStrike

The Worst Lyric of 2009

For my money, this dubious honor belongs to Five For Fighting for the first song on their new album Slice (also called "Slice"). Behold:

"Have you ready my blog today/300 million little USAs"

Honestly, I've never really liked this band, but, BARF! Really? Really?? You're going there?

Everything about this lyric makes me cringe. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong--I'd love to hear what you think is the worst lyric of 2009. Please share the not-so-poetic lines that made you hate music this year in the comments.

--Alan Wiley

Adam Lambert Releases Album Art

Now, I'm not the biggest Idol fan, but I saw this just-released album cover for Adam Lambert's upcoming release, For Your Entertainment, and it kinda blew me away. I'm really not sure what to make of it--I feel simultaneously drawn to it and vaguely horrified:

What do you think?

--Alan Wiley

Do Song Lyrics Fit the Times?

While browsing through the October 2009 issue of Psychology Today magazine, I came across an interesting blurb titled "Pop Goes the Bubble: Song Lyrics Fit the Times," by Sophie Chen.  According to the blurb, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" was popular this year not just because it's catchy, but also because we happened to be going through an economic recession when it hit the airwaves. 

The blurb goes on to reference the soon-to-be-published work of professors Terry Pettijohn II of Coastal Carolina University and Donald Sacco Jr. of Miami University of Ohio.  Pettijohn II and Sacco Jr. looked at the correlation between hit songs and socioeconomic conditions from 1955 to 2003.  The results of their study showed that "popular songs dealt with more meaningful themes at times when socioeconomic conditions were threatening.  Lyrics also focused more on friendships and romances; in hard times, people feel a stronger need for close relationships."  The blurb goes on to provide an interesting snapshot of the #1 Billboard singles during a few key years:

• 1997 (Asian financial crisis): Elton John: "Candle in the Wind"
• 2000 (Stock market peak): Destiny's Child: "Independent Woman, Part I"
• 2006 (Slowdown in housing market): Daniel Powter: "Bad Day"

There may be some truth to this data, but I'm not sure if I fully buy the research team's conclusion.  If "Independent Woman, Part I" were released today, I'm inclined to think it would still be a hit single.  After all, Beyoncé's similarly-themed "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" was released this year (in the deepest throes of the economic downturn, coincidentally), and not only did it peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it also became Beyoncé's highest-selling song in the U.S. to date.

So what do you think--are song lyrics really a true reflection of economic times?  Or is this Psychology Today report just a load of pseudo-scientific twaddle?

--Bri Nguyen

Bob Dylan's Teenage "Poem" Actually A Hank Snow Song

An auction at Christie's next month purports to offer a “handwritten poem” by a teenaged Bob Dylan, written for summer camp newspaper The Herzl Herald in 1957 and signed ‘Bobby Zimmerman.’ But despite the story being covered by many big media outlets, often accompanied by effusive praise for Dylan’s early artistic development, few have noticed that it’s not an original poem of Dylan’s at all. It’s an almost fully accurate transcription of a song by country singer Hank Snow, which he later recorded for his album When Tragedy Struck. Both “poem” and song are called Little Buddy, and both tell the same sorry tale of the death of a family dog. The editor of the camp newspaper kept the manuscript for 57 years, and when told by Dylan to “do what you like with it,” decided to auction it with all proceeds going towards refurbished cabins and other equipment. But the current guide price estimate of $15,000 will not be met now that it’s been revealed to be no more than a hastily scribbled transcription of somebody else’s song.

Here's a video of the song set to pics of the uploader's own little buddy...

Actually, the mystery hasn't quite been solved yet. Instead of being a transcription taken by young Bob hunched beside his wireless, it could've been that Hank Snow read Dylan's "poem" in The Herzl Herald and decided to borrow it. But somehow, we think the former theory is far more likely!

Update: Christie's has noticed the error, and released a statement:

"Additional information has come to our attention about the handwritten poem submitted by Bob Dylan to his camp newspaper, written when he was 16, entitled 'Little Buddy.' The words are in fact a revised version of lyrics of a Hank Snow song."

"This still remains among the earliest known handwritten lyrics of Bob Dylan and Christie's is pleased to offer them in our Pop Culture auction on June 23."

Hmmmm, perhaps continuing to describe the item as the "handwritten lyrics of Bob Dylan" is still a little wide of the mark.

It's a shame for the campers, who will obviously not be happy about losing out on some swish cabin upgrades, although the paper will still attract some bids. Kudos to the Dreamtime blog for spotting it before almost anyone else.

--Ally @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We'll be posting a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike every week; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon.

Unintentionally Frightening Album Cover

I found this terrifying album cover while going through the Amazon MP3 site today. I don't think it's supposed to be scary, but something about it makes me feel really, really wrong--in a way that much of the intentionally scary Halloween albums can't touch. Nothing about this says "fun" to me--it's certainly more Gacy than Bozo. Then again, like many other reasonable people, I have a bit of an aversion to clowns. Check out some other scary album cover finds after the jump. Have you found any?

Happy Halloween!

Best of July, 2008: "Boy Reissue" by U2

Why it’s significant: Not only is Boy the first album that launched U2's prolific career which spans decades, but this month's anticipated remastered re-release edition includes b-sides, live tracks and rarities as well as a 32 page booklet with previously unseen photos, full lyrics, and explanatory notes by The Edge. While many a critic and fan alike adore their mid-career anthems like Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby as well as other great releases in recent twilight years, only a cursory listen to Boy is needed to understand why U2's strident trajectory into rock stardom began here in both attitude and spirit for the Dublin lads.

Starting off both the original album and this month's special edition is one of U2's all-time greatest tracks, "I Will Follow," which repeats a ringing chord and slides into themes of adolescent angst and evolution echoed throughout the track as clearly as Edge's trademark delay on the six string. Other elements of his guitar style started to develop here and can be heard on tracks like "Twilight," "A Day Without Me," and "The Electric Co" where his signature sound pans left to right and ricochets beneath Bono's vox with an edgy mix of chorus, delay, and reverb.

There were few if any other albums in 1980 that carried the musical technique and lyrical bombast offered on Boy. With innocent perspective and callow creeds, U2 stepped into the limelight unaware of the accolades to come as well as the journey ahead.  The band now celebrate the beginning of it all on this special reissue with new media to add perspective to the roots of their legacy.

--Lucas Hilbert

 

Introducing: Lyrics & Liner Notes

In the age of digital downloads, the process of experiencing music has shifted - some say adversely so - to focus squarely on the music itself while other accoutrements that traditionally shadow a release fall by the wayside. CD and Vinyl are still the only formats that offer a full palette for the senses including not only the music, but also art, mixed media, lyrical writing, and production info all in one package.

With that in mind, Chordstrike is launching a new blog category, Lyrics & Liner Notes, to recognize and pay tribute to our favorite lyrics, the unique packaging that they come in, and the venerable tradition of cracking open that new CD or record to behold the complete artistry and background information that goes into a new release.

To launch the new category, I went through my collection and found a few CDs that appealed to me strictly from the perspective of either the lyrics, the studio story, or the graphic design. This list would be radically different if I included special package releases and box sets for all the value-added content that comes with each. For now I'm starting with a few humble releases that are appealing mostly from a lyrical and information design perspective:

1) Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Why: One must be committed to read the lyrics since each song is jumbled into one massive paragraph of 6 point font. Serious time and energy is needed to scroll through at least 50 lines or follow the lyrics in real-time as the album plays in order to find the lyrics for a certain song. There aren't even any song breaks in this tome, emphasizing the album as a whole collective piece of work.

Favorite lyric from Track 9, The Ghost:  "She was born in a bottle-rocket, 1929 / With wings that ringed around a socket right between her spine / All drenched in milk in holy water pouring from the sky / I know that she will live forever, she won't ever die"

2) 16 Horsepower: Secret South

Why: Although they took an approach similar to the one described with Neutral Milk Hotel, the band decided to print the lyrics for each song separately and on their own page. However, they are still jumbled in a text block format with each word appearing in all caps and without any space breaks between each word. The effect is not only to challenge the listener to follow and find the lyrics, but also to give added consideration to the album title, Secret South, since each song looks like a cross word puzzle formed by lyrics in hiding waiting to be revealed like some secret.

Favorite Lyric from Track 7, Praying Arm Lane:  "Well I told it fast and glad / the color of a slow drink / or so they say / so they say by the light of day / hidden beneath their wings of black, brown and gray / the boughs they all will bend for us / and all the earth awaits thee / all the stones they will cry out / and every tongue confess thee"

3) Scarlett Johansson: Anywhere I Lay My Head

Why: Even though this is a cover album of Tom Waits songs, the Liner Notes are worth the scrutiny based on their own merits since the packaging includes rich and interesting fairy tale artwork to accompany a fairy tale-esque story about the making of the album. In addition, Scarlett and primary musician David Sitek (TV on the Radio) wrote a short paragraph about each track and the writing/recording process behind it.

Lyrics are not included (see Tom Waits' catalog instead), but one thing I learned from the Liner Notes: David Bowie sang on two tracks. His voice is subtle and not immediately apparent within the mix, so I wouldn't have known this without the liner notes.

Other contenders for this list:

Radiohead, both OK Computer and In Rainbows: for their progressive graphic design and full lyrics transcribed and organized on the page in a unique way.
Eminem, The Eminem Show: with a wordsmith like Marshall on the mic, it helps to have the full lyrics in front of you to see and appreciate the range of his lyrical abilities. The photo montage is also intimate (with pictures of Em at work and playing in the pool with Hallie), but also a bit creepy with photos of undercover surveillance footage throughout the package.
Hayes Carll, Trouble in Mind: the CD package is pretty cool and offers complete lyrics, but the Vinyl version cannot be beat with a full-sized comic book story to accompany the album.
Band of Horses, Cease to Begin: no lyrics - just 8 polaroid-sized images of kitschy nature scenes. Okay, it wouldn't be fair not to recognize Pearl Jam as well here for taking the same approach on their No Code release which included polaroid pictures. I just happen to like Band of Horses more, so they get the call out.

There are obviously a ton of other releases out there that could fit the bill here. What albums are in your collection that stand out for their Lyrics or Liner Notes and why?

 

Live from Nashville! Wrap Up

It's 24 hours since CMA Music Fest ended and the stages have all been broken down. The artists and fans have gone back to their respective worlds, many of them not very far from the same streets of Nashville. As mentioned in the last post, we'll be posting more material from CMA Music Fest in the days and weeks ahead, including both one-on-one and press conference audio interviews.

There were a couple highlights on the last day of Music Fest worth mentioning here before signing off. One was the Randy Travis interview on his tour bus. He was so down to earth and willing to talk just about anything. I was impressed. The interview itself covers many topics, so look for the final version to be posted here close to the release of his upcoming album in mid-July. The other highlight was Dwight Yoakam at both the press conference (podcast coming soon), as well as his headline performance after returning  to Music Fest a full 20 years after his last appearance at the festival.

Here are some photos from the last press conference, pictured left to right: Randy Travis, Sara Evans, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Dwight Yoakam.

Thanks all for following along with this year's CMA Music Fest blog. Until next year, enjoy the boot stomping.

--Lucas

Live from Nashville! Jessica and Bucky

After stumbling into some shots of Carrie with the pink boot girl, I took my time looking around and seeing what might be behind door #2. Interestingly enough, it was Jessica Simpson signing pink toy guitars. For those who don't know, Jessica has a Country album coming out in the near future, so she's doing what she can to build her legitimacy as a Country diva before then. This blogger thinks she might need more than a pink guitar.

And wouldn't you know it, not only is Jessica building her base with Country fans, but with some Country music stars as well. Enter Bucky Covington, the ex-American Idol finalist and current Country star. But judging by this picture, Bucky is still getting used to the star routine as seen here looking more like a giddy groupie next to an idol of his own. I think they might have traded some hair tips. You go Buck.   --Lucas

Live from Nashville! Carrie Underwood

I'm glad I decided to head to the convention center, also known as autograph central. All the stars come in at different times and spread out across the convention floor in a myriad of booths for fans to stop by and get autographs. I must've come at the right time for in one corner of the convention floor had amassed a throng of people large enough to fill medium-sized venue. I soon realized who it was as I heard everyone around me whispering "Carrie" to each other as if it was some secret. Ahh, Miss Underwood I presume. Sure enough.

After her autograph session ended I saw her slowly exiting towards a set of doors lined with people on the other side of the ropes. I knew there was no way to get near her to ask about an  interview or a few photos for this here wonderful blog. No problem! About 100 feet away was another set of doors which presumably accessed the same area she was moving towards, so I headed on over and got through with my press pass.

I saw Carrie come "backstage" through (the same doors I couldn't get through) and then she got whisked away on a golf cart. I headed on foot in the same direction and eventually caught up to the loading dock area where Carrie was waiting for a car to pick her up. I snapped these shots of Carrie with the cutest little pink-boot cowgirl as they chatted it up for a few minutes.

It was a great candid moment as the little girl reached out to touch Carrie's dress. I don't think she really knew who she was, but she liked Carrie's dress and wanted to touch it. It was all a lot more intimate than the throng of people swarming her for autographs. Thanks press pass! Oh, and unfortunately she didn't have time for a podcast interview. That's okay, there's a podcast scheduled tonight and I'll be on a tour bus. Look for it soon! --Lucas

all photos copyright lucas hilbert, amazon.com

Live from Nashville! Along the Way

The podcast interview that I mentioned in the last post never materialized. Apparently someone at the label got sick and didn't hand it off to someone else, so I had some free time on my hands. I headed over to the convention center to see what was happening there. Along the way I snapped a few pics of the scene.

  I'm a sucker for guitar and stage photos.

--Lucas

Live from Nashville! Got Boots?

With the heat in full force I'm looking for just about any reason possible to go inside. I can't think of a better reason than cowboy boots. Being in Nashville brings about a certain level of boot envy that I never would've imagined. Even in 90 degree weather, everybody's got 'em, so I can too, right? As I ducked inside the Boot Company on Broadway I had to decide if I was really ready to cross over and commit to my first pair or not. After all, in the spirit of Music Fest, why not?

Well, fortunately or unfortunately, whatever the case may be, my urge to splurge had to wait since my label contact met up and took me to lunch before a planned podcast interview, so I didn't have time to finish trying on my first pair. But I have a feeling I'll be back! And I might even have to buy a hat a duster coat.

--Lucas

Live from Nashville! Intro Scene

The weather is going to be a major factor for the day with a forecast for low 90 degree temps and high humidity. This Seattle boy is not used to such extremes and may sizzle and fry, but at least heat goes well with loud Country music.

On the way to the festival downtown I got to ride shotgun in the shuttle van as long as I agreed to handle the stool step and help people out the side door. Fair enough. The driver had already been taking scores of other people downtown to Broadway since 7am. Apparently people were getting in line that early for  autographs at the convention center.

I then made it through one pass of all the different stages and heard a few bands including The Roys, Stephen Cochran, and Band of Heathens. I'd have to say that the latter were my favorites so far.

Here's a picture of Stephen Cochran's band at the Riverfront Stage. You can see it wasn't too busy at high noon as people stayed indoors. Ahh, but what a lovely view of the river. Click to expand. More to follow soon.

--Lucas

Live from Nashville! Watch This Spot

After a pleasant layover in Memphis, I've arrived in Nashville for CMA Music Fest which lasts throughout the weekend. Check here to see what it's all about, even though many Country music fans know all about it because so many are already here. All of Nashville is taken over by 4 days of Country music from literally hundreds of Country music artists and events. But for those who couldn't make it, we've got the insights and highlights covered from your managing editor on the ground.

Check this spot throughout the weekend for live updates, photos, interviews, and podcasts! As the picture proves, I've got my press pass and gear ready for some interviews that are already lined up with a few top names in Country, so check back for podcast interviews and blog posts throughout the weekend.

--Lucas

 

 

Sasquatch! 2008: Death Cab For Cutie and The Cure

Sunday's big headliners, Death Cab For Cutie and The Cure, both put on epic shows that kept the weary, sun-bleached, rain-kissed audience awake and excited.

Death Cab For Cutie

Before Death Cab's show, I briefly spotted the band backstage dressed in all black, prepping for their hour-and-a-half long set by stretching and having a quiet moment with each other. Singer Ben Gibbard, sporting a new longer haircut and missing his trademark nerdy glasses, along with his band blasted through a extended set of the band's hits as well as cuts from their newly released album Narrow Stairs. Highlights included "The Sound Of Settling", "Transatlanticism", and "I Will Posses Your Heart."

The Cure

I didn't know what to expect, but was anxiously awaiting the Cure's set. I (and I know I'm not alone here) have been a huge fan of the Cure for the greater part of my life, but had never had the opportunity to see them perform live. The audience by this point was seriously wiped, but once the Cure stepped out on stage, excitement trumped exhaustion and the crowd was on it's feet. Looking older and heavier, singer Robert Smith showed everyone that he still had it, playing songs spanning the band's entire career for nearly 3 hours--at least that's what I heard--I had finally reached a breaking point about 90 minutes into their set and made the nearly hour-long drive back to our home base in Ellensburg. Highlights included "A Forest," "The Walk," "Fascination Street," and "Boys Don't Cry."

Take a look at our photos from both sets after the jump. ~Alan Wiley

Sasquatch! 2008: Matt Costa and Thao

We're back for the final day of Sasquatch! and I've got reports from two of the festival's four stages.

Matt Costa struggled with some frustrating technical difficulties sound-wise at the beginning of his set. His vocals didn't come through until the second verse of his first song and his keyboards had weird feedback issues. Plus, the between-set filler music played through his first ten minutes. Still, the crowd, which consisted largely of high school-aged girls, seemed to barely notice and stuck it out for the duration.

I hightailed it from the main stage to the Wookie stage to catch some music by Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down. This may be the first time any large group of hippies has ever totally vibed out to a band on Kill Rock Stars. The earthy melodies and Thao's Cat Power-esque wail surprisingly seem to do it for the Birkenstock set. It's hard to resist the charm of a song like "Swimming Pools,"  for hippies, hipsters and normals alike. Dig the brand-new video below:

I'm off to interview the soulful, charming Jamie Lidell in a few minutes. Hopefully we'll have audio later in the day.

~ Jeff Reguilon

Sasquatch! 2008: Festival Etiquette

I'll tell you who I didn't see on Sunday: the Kooks. It's disappointing, since they were one of the handful of bands I truly wanted to see yesterday, but if you're a band playing in the middle of a festival, it is not cool to hit the stage 40 minutes late-- especially if you're only slated to play an hour-long set. You'll either upset your fans with a short set, enrage the promoters by throwing everything off schedule, or anger the bands playing afterwards by eating into their sets.

I've always felt like the Kooks sound like premature late '90s nostalgia, which is far from a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. Sadly, one of the areas of my expertise is Adult Alternative radio hits from the last four years of the last decade. I was particularly stoked on the Kooks because the quasi-hit from their last album, "Naive," sounds like the b-side to "Semi-Charmed Life." I've never been sure if anyone else felt this way, but with the 1998-style jams from Kid Rock and Sum-41 playing pre-set,  I got the impression I'm not alone.

I got to hear more than I ever cared to hear. After 30 minutes, I walked away. Allegedly, they went on 10 minutes later, so I suppose it wasn't a complete disappointment for the fans who stuck around, but it was still poor etiquette.

~ Jeff Reguilon

Sasquatch! 2008: Tegan and Sara

Sunday's highlight for me was Tegan & Sara's mainstage performance which kept the crowd energized and singing along to thier string of catchy, inspired songs. Playing cuts from each of their last three records: If It Was You, So Jealous, and my favorite album of last year, The Con, the Quin twins left no fan unsatisfied with their killer hooks and legendary stage banter (including dedicating a song to the neon green-bandannaed drunk guy in the front row). Highlights included "The Con," "Where Does The Good Go," and fan-favorite "Living Room." Take a look at more up-close pictures we took from the stage after the jump. ~Alan Wiley

Sasquatch! 2008: J. Tillman, Blue Scholars, and Cold War Kids

The wi-fi hath returned! Rejoice! Now I can tell you about the following bands live from the festival:

• J. Tillman is a busy man. Aside from playing two sets as the drummer from Fleet Foxes yesterday, he played an early solo set today to a throng of seated admirers. His soulful singer-songwritery soothed the listeners, who looked like they needed it. His set seemed to serve as a hangover recovery area. These people had clearly partied hard last night. Most of them looked zoned out like Marky Mark on the couch just before the drug-deal-gone-awry scene in Boogie Nights. Hopefully they were at least half awake, because they missed some decent jams if they weren't.
  
• I knew Blue Scholars, the Pacific Northwest hip hop group, were locally popular, but I absolutely didn't expect the crowd greeting them at the main stage to be so loud, nor so into it. I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to them about the '80s nostalgia in one of their jams and what it feels like to play in front of this many people, so stay tuned for that.
  
• Cold War Kids are faced with the difficult task of living up to the hype generated by their first album. They shared some of their new songs to an unfortunately unenthusiastic crowd. It's unfortunate foremost because they sounded fantastic, but also because the band itself was so enthusiastic. They looked more like they were throwing a party than a concert, while a handful of folks sang along and the rest watched on, barely interested until a wave of recognition washed over the crowd as the band started into "Hang Me up to Dry." They didn't do themselves any favors by starting with new song "Avalanche," which features a dirge-y, amelodic intro, was the wrong way to kick off their set. They're facing an uphill battle with this new record, but I'm pulling for them.

I'm heading off to see Tegan and Sara now. Look for more photos after the jump and keep it locked for more updates.

~Jeff Reguilon

Sasquatch! 2008: Destroyer

Canadian songsmith (and Amazon favorite) Dan Bejar's band Destroyer took over the Wookie stage slightly late but delivered a dense set of selections from his huge catalog of material. Fans were eager to catch one of the super-shy singer's two appearances--his other as a member of Canadian supergroup the New Pornographers, who incidentally played immediately following Destroyer's set at the other end of the festival. Take a look at more great photos we shot after the jump. ~Alan Wiley

Photos by Matt Conlon