I Didn't Like It: We Are The World 2010

Those of you who tuned in before the Olympics Saturday probably caught the remake of Michael Jackson's We Are The World. The song was just supposed to make a bunch of money for Haiti, so I'll cut it a little slack, but seriously?  Justin Bieber got the first solo?  And really, Wyclef Jean?  You and the song lost all credibility as soon as that weird wailing came out of your mouth.  Yes, there were some good singers, but they all were brought down by autotuned Lil' Wayne, T-Pain, and Akon.  The part with Kanye and Will.i.am was sick, but by that point in the song I was already laughing too hard at Wyclef's THIRD solo and all the rappers yelling in unison (sounded like Kidz Bop).  We Are The World is a timeless classic which really didn't need to be remade. I'm sure no one will even remember this version in 6 months.  Next time, write a new song instead of doing a terrible cover of an classic.

I Didn't Like It: The Grammys

The Grammys were on Sunday, and left me disappointed.  I'm gonna start off by listing winners I agreed with (only in fields I am familiar with), and then move on to ones I disagreed with, and finally wrap it up by sharing a little bit about my views on music today.  This is one of the few times where a post will take on a more negative tone.  If you have a problem with other people's opinions or do not like having your views challenged (some would argue this describes me), then I would recommend not reading.  If you agree or disagree with anything I have to say, I would love for you to comment and let me know (there's been a total of like 5 comments total, which isn't bad considering how few people read the blog, but still).

Alright, on to the winners I liked (note that I agree with these in the context of the other songs nominated in that category), followed by any personal commentary.


Record of the Year-"Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon - I guess so...better than the other nominees.


Song of the Year- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé- What's the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year? Anyone?

Best Hard Rock Performance- "War Machine" - AC/DC- I mean seriously, Nickelback was nominated in this one.

Best Rock Instrumental Performance-"A Day in the Life" - Jeff Beck- A simply fantastic Beatles cover.

Best Alternative Music Album-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix- I would have been really really worried had Phoenix not won.  This eclectic and exuberant album blew me away from start to finish.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration- "Run This Town" - Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West- I don't disagree with this selection, it's a nice song, but it's tought to say that it was better than Knock You Down or Dead & Gone.  The Grammys also used this category to let everyone know that they don't give a shit about hip-hop at all, as evidenced by the nomination of I'm On A Boat (a fun song, but  clearly a parody of a bad T-Pain song which shouldn't have even crossed the mind of people who selected the nominees).

Best Rap Song-"Run This Town" - Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West- Again, all of the nominees were equally above average, so I don't mind Hov takin home another. I would have liked to see Cudi or Drake get one though. 

Best Rap Solo Performance-"D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)" - Jay-Z- See comments on Best Rap Song.


Best Compilation Soundtrack Album- Slumdog Millionaire - Various Artists, A. R. Rahman (producer)- The movie was fantastic, and the soundtrack fits the movie perfectly. Interestingly enough, I actually agree with the nomination for the Twilight soundtrack, which had a few decent songs and would have had a real shot at winning if Radiohead's 15 Step had made it on.

Alright, so that was the stuff I agreed with, or at least could live with. I also realized that I don't really mind Lady Gaga that much either, but I didn't know enough about the others in her category to know if she deserved her Grammys (plus she's batshit insane).  Keep in mind the only one I agree with unquestionably is Phoenix's album.  Did anyone see Jamie Foxx and T-Pain "perform" Blame It or the Black Eye Peas spaz around worse than Shakira during I Gotta Feelin?  I mean wow, really, I love these guys but they need to step up their acts. On that note, here's the not so nice stuff.

Best Short Form Music Video- "Boom Boom Pow" - The Black Eyed Peas- I liked the Boom Boom Pow video but I loved the video for Coldplay's Life In Technicolor II which  was really tons more creative and unique.

Best Rap Album- Relapse - Eminem- NO!! NO!! NO!! Eminem is a great rapper, but between the weird accents and nasty subject matter, this album was terrible. Mos Def and Q-Tip had much better albums. Also, how did Flo Rida get a nominated? Again, proof that the Grammys don't take hip-hop seriously.

Best Rap Performance By a Duo/Group- "Crack A Bottle" - Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent- Is this serious? Crack A Bottle was fun for like the first 3 listens, but the best group performance? Not even close.  Amazing, or even Make Her Say should've taken this one easily.


Best Rock Performance By a Duo/Group w/ Vocals"Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon- I like this song, but I think Life In Technicolor II or I'll Go Crazy If I  Don't Go Crazy Tonight were just as good or better. (same thing applies to Best Rock Song)

  
Best Rock Album- 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day- This concept album was well executed, but without much substance and pales in comparison to the soaring melodies of U2's No Line On The Horizon.


Best New Artist-Zac Brown Band- I don't know that much about the Zac Brown Band, but seriously, how do you not choose MGMT or Keri Hilson?


Album of the Year- Fearless – Taylor Swift - Taylor, Taylor, Taylor.  I understand your appeal, I really do.  You sing about your own personal problems, i.e. "she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts" which tween girls all across the country can relate to. You've found your niche, and I respect that.  Singing about that cute boy in 7th period French or whatever  is good and all, and I admire that you at least one upped Miley Cyrus in that you write your own songs, but do you really think that's what it takes to deserve a Grammy? I don't know, maybe your album destroyed all the other country nominees, but really? Better than The Ecstatic? Better than 808s? Better than I Am Sasha Fierce? Better then (I cringe to say this) The Fame? Oracular Spectacular? Prospekt's March? No Line? 21st Century Breakdown? Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix?  The list goes on and on. I'm sorry, Grammy voters, but this one was a horrific miscue, not even taking into account the lack of hip-hop nominations in this category.

So, there it is. I know I've offended some of you. Today, I was even called an "elitist" who"thinks that anything popular is automatically bad."  To that I say this.  I'm not an elitist, my music is just better than yours.  Haha, but in all seriousness, here is my response. Of course, I like the music I listen to better than the music  I don't listen to, otherwise I wouldn't listen to it.  To say that I only like music that isn't popular is completely untrue.  Many of my favorite bands and artists (The Beatles, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Kanye West, Coldplay, and Marvin Gaye are a few examples) are some of the most universally popular and loved bands of all time.  So that's that point proven wrong. "But Tanner," you say, "whenever a new song comes out on KISS FM you never like it." First of all, music to me is more about discovery than fitting in and liking what's popular. That's one reason I'm not very enthusiastic every time She Wolf comes on (ugh...She Wolf). I like to think about it like this: popular music is like fast food. Sometimes it's decent, and it may taste good, but in the end I'm unsatisfied. Why would you want something over-produced and over-processed when you could have something that the chef/artist put his heart and soul into (and unlike good food, good music doesn't even cost more and many times it's free), something that will make you marvel about the flavors and make you think? That's the difference to me.

I Liked It: KiD CuDi 1/6/10

Kid Cudi ruined my week.  And I mean that in the best way possible, because after that crazy concert, everything else just seems boring.  I have officially decided that concerts are pretty much the best way to spend your money, because you can't put a price on the fun and craziness of a good concert.  This concert, at The Rave in Milwaukee, was sold out and packed to capacity. Chip the Ripper opened, and did fine, although I could not understand a word he said (granted, I probably would have enjoyed his set more had I been more familiar with his music).  After he finished, there was a torturous 30-45 minute wait until Cudi came out.  As soon as he entered the stage, the crowd went crazy, and stayed crazy the whole night.  Cudi performed a mixture of old and new songs, ranging from Man on the Moon (The Anthem) off of his first mixtape through his latest recording, Memories.  I was going crazy along with everyone else while Cudi worked through his entire catalog, performing every one of my favorites except for The Prayer.  Cudi even gave us an acapella preview of a song from his next studio album, Cudder: The Revolution of Evolution, the full title of which was revealed for the first time. The only negatives were the abundance of young high-schoolers (most of which I suspect only came because they thought it was the cool thing to do and/or decided they wanted mommy and daddy to buy them tickets after hearing Day 'n Nite on Kiss FM) and haze of pot smoke which hung in the air.  All in all, the concert was an incredibly enjoyable experience due to Cudi's talents as an engaging entertainer. Next time Kid Cudi comes to town, get your tickets early, because they'll be going fast.

He's drinking apple juice....

photos "courtesy" of The Rave (I stole them)

I Liked It: In-N-Out

IN-N-OUT IS INCREDIBLE!! DELICIOUS BURGERS!! CHEAP PRICES!! GOOD SERVICE!! I'M PROBABLY GONNA BUY AN IN-N-OUT TSHIRT CUZ I LIKE IT SO MUCH!! IF YOU ARE EVER ON THE WEST COAST YOU HAVE TO EAT THERE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!! I LOVE IN-N-OUT!!

Seriously though, it's really good.

I Liked It: Avatar

Ahhhhh!!! That last week in Vegas with no internet has put me so far behind.  Today I'm just gonna try and get caught up and everything I missed.  New music posts will be coming later today. Yes, that means the College Dropout review is gonna be pushed back till next month.  I was also planning to do my own best of the decade type deal, but I'm gonna postpone that indefinitely (probably never gonna get around to it).  Yes, I know, I'm lazy. With that being said, I decided to get my Avatar review out before it comes out on DVD.

I'm gonna keep it real short. Avatar will blow your freakin' mind: though the plot is predictable and the acting is average at best, the stunning visuals keep your eyes darting across the scene, greedily drinking in the spectacular effects James Cameron and his team created.  This is not a movie so much as an experience,a preview of the future of cinema.  If you haven't seen Avatar, go see it as soon as possible: don't deprive yourself of this awe-inspiring experience.

 

 

I Liked It: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

This is will be the first of many positive food reviews (I didn't take any of these pictures, but I chose those most representative of the meal I had).

Yesterday, I went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for the third time.  The red and white themed restaurant is decorated with sacks of potatoes and complementary peanuts.  Reviews of the burgers and fries are posted on the walls, and a whiteboard near the cash register reveals where today's potatoes are from. The menu is relatively simple, consisting of little (single patty) burgers, and regular (double patty) burgers, as well as hot dogs and fries.  A few of my friends complained about the lack of shakes, but I didn't miss them.  Add-ons for the burgers such as lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are available free of charge, but be careful, as it is really easy to get carried away and overload your burger (something I learned the hard way my last two visits).  It should be noted that the jalapenos available are fresh, and I ended up taking them off of my burger the last time I dined there as they distracted from the taste.  This time, I kept it simple, ordering a little cheeseburger, a large fries, and a regular drink.  Unfortunately, this cost about $11, a little too pricey to pay for on a regular basis.  Burgers are made to order, so there was about a 5 minute wait.  Service was friendly, and the food came in a slightly grease-stained brown bag.  The burger was delicious, the meat juicy and flavorful and the toppings fresh. 

The fries, made from fresh cut skin on potatoes, were crispy and brown on the outside and soft on the inside, a nice departure from the frozen then fried fries found at most fast food restaurants.  The large fries, which cost me $5, came in a gargantuan cup, with an extra scoop of fries in the bag (I definitely would have been satisfied with the regular size fries).

 

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is definitely worth a visit for anyone who enjoys a good burger (though it should be mentioned that the quality of burger from nearby Kopp's is on par with that of Five Guys).

I Liked It: Waking Up

To be honest, I am really surprised that I liked OneRepublic’s new album.  I didn’t really like their singles (“Apologize” and “Stop & Stare”) from their first album, and if I don’t like the two songs I hear from a band that gets most of their plays on top 40 radio stations, I don’t give them another listen.  I made an exception in this case, which turned out to be a good decision.  The band shows an ear for great choruses, and can be easily likened to bands such as The Killers, U2 and Coldplay.  However, the outstanding production of their sophomore effort is the best reason to pick it up.  Unique drum beats, acoustic riffs, and lush string accompaniments create beautiful tracks such as “Good Life” and “All The Right Moves”.  Though some tracks drag on a little, OneRepublic's new, slightly tweaked sound is leaps and bounds ahead of their first outing, with great melodies and interesting lyrics creating a very nice album.


YES!!
 All The Right Moves,  Good Life, Marching  On, Secrets, Everybody Loves Me
No.
Waking Up, Lullaby, Missing Person 1 & 2

I Liked It: Attention Deficit

Fans of hip hop expect great things from Wale, an aspiring young rapper from DC, and they weren't disappointed with his debut album, Attention Deficit.  His first official LP combines clever rhymes and witty wordplay with his trademark go-go sound in order to convey his positive message.  His quick punchlines cover issues ranging everywhere from race relations to bulimia and coke addiction.  Wale shines on tracks such as the riff-driven Mirrors and the upbeat World Tour, but at times seems to be drifting away from the uniqueness that made A Mixtape About Nothing great.  All in all, this is a fantastic debut album from a rising star which should definitely be given a listen.

YES!!
Mirrors, World Tour,  90210,  Beautiful Bliss, Chillin', Triumph
No.
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