CJ Marsicano
GROOVE MUSIC LIFE VIDEO: Happy Holidays From The Groove Music Life!
We’ll start with, appropriately for this blog, Morning Musume’s legendary 60′s Christmas Medley:
…Followed by something to match the other focus of this blog from punk legends The Dickies. Trans-Siberian what?
A Tom Waits-ian take on “We Three Kings”, courtesy of Mojo Nixon, and done up for YouTube by this author, WPIX Yule Log style:
And speaking of Tom Waits, what would the holidays be without a Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis?
Here’s a skewed, ahead-of-its-time view of a commercialized Christmas from legendary pianist/satirist Tom Lehrer:
Here’s another number I’ve shared before, but with a different performance (the original SNL performance keeps getting kicked off of YouTube):
And as long as I’m digging in the crates, let’s hear from Yossi, Gocchin and Yasuda-chan:
Since we’re in the middle of Hanukkah this year, we’d be remiss to not play this little number:
…and finally, in the further interest of equal time, one for the Scrooges out there:
Happy Holidays, everyone!
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011: #6: MISFITS “The Devil’s Rain”
The Devil’s Rain
(Misfits Records/Red Ink)
Available on CD, LP, iTunes, AmazonMP3 and eMusic
By the way some people talk, the Misfits should have been written off a long time ago. The American Psycho lineup imploded thanks to the ego problems and lack of work ethic caused by the vocalist Jerry Only and company had chosen to take Glenn Danzig’s place, and after Jerry regrouped with Dez Cadena (ex-Black Flag) and Marky Ramone in tow for the band’s 25th Anniversary tour and subsequent “side project” album Project 1950. But now that the lineup is finally stabalized, the Misfits have come back not just swinging, but driving a stake in the hearts of naysayers who thought the band wasn’t worth shit without Danzig.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to…
Former Morning Musume vocalist Eri Kamei (damn, she’s been out of the band for a year already?)
She’s 22!
…to alternative icon Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, seen here channeling Husker Du circa Zen Arcade:
He’s 47!
…and to guitar hero Adrian Belew (of King Crimson, Frank Zappa, and Talking Heads fame):
He’s 62!
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011: #7: KODA KUMI “Dejavu”
Dejavu
(Rhythm Zone/Avex)
Available on CD, CD/DVD combo, and iTunes Japan
With Kuu-chin now off the market and one of the latest J-Pop MILFs to be, this album (and her forthcoming next album, due a month from now) are definitely going to be looked at in a different light. After last year’s 8th Universe, Kumi moved in an almost completely non-organic direction as if she were out to challenge Lady GaGa (whom she would later meet, furthering my hypothesis that GaGa was already a Kuu-chin fan) on her own musical turf. Artistically, she didn’t disappoint, save for the misstep of the faux-Shania Twain-wreck “Bambi”. If this is officially the last album of her bacherorettehood (it’s probably safe to say she got involved with her new fiancee after the album’s release), so be it.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011: #8: JAMES DURBIN “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”
Memories of a Beautiful Disaster
(Wind-Up)
Available on CD, iTunes, AmazonMP3 and Spotify
This guy had my attention from the moment he opened his mouth at the American Idol auditions earlier this year, and in the back of my mind I knew this kid was going to go far. While the Wal-Mart-shopping latecomers to the AI10 season picked an immature kid with Randy Travis’s voice and Alfred E. Neuman’s face (and a shameless tendency to lipsync at most of his post-Idol personal appearances) over James, the succeeding weeks after the tour ended and their respective albums dropped proceeded to prove that America fucked up back in May when they voted James out of the Top 4. No matter – there’s plenty of time for those people to repent by grabbing the debut of The Man Who Should Be Idol.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011: #9: OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANS (self-titled)
self-titled
(Dischord)
Available on LP w/download, CD, iTunes, AmazonMP3, eMusic, and Spotify
Given the label’s history, it’s understandable if during lulls in releases people start to worry about the future of Dischord. After one listen to this debut long-playing effort from the new project of ex-Jawbox leader J Robbins, though, it’s obvious that the label and it’s legacy will be fine for quite a while.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011: #10: MEAT PUPPETS “Lollipop”
Lollipop
(Megaforce/Red Ink)
Available on CD, LP, iTunes and AmazonMP3
It took them a couple of albums and a change of drummers, but the Kirkwood Brothers really got their footing back with this album, which while occasionally nodding towards past achievements (some of this material, as I stated in my review earlier this year, could have fit nicely on past MP’s long-players), is fresh from beginning to end and is pretty much a timeless album already. At this rate, I can only imagine how the next MP’s album will sound like.
And another ex-W becomes a MILF…
Ai Kago, the most troubled ex-MoMusu, has just gotten some surprise positivity in her life.
She’s married AND pregnant. (Translation of her blog announcement at Tokyohive).
To my knowledge, she hasn’t announced who the culprit (er, lucky bastard, ahem, new hubby/daddy) yet, but I hope he isn’t some douchebag twice her age like the last loser she was involved with. More than that, I hope she’s finally found the happiness that she deserves.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011 – Numbers 15 to 11
Even though my personal life is getting even more fucking hectic as Christmas draws near, I settled earlier this month on a plan to post my Best Albums countdown at a more timely basis. I will be posting albums #10 through #6 between December 20 and December 24, taking a one-day break on Christmas, and resuming the countdown with #5 on the 26th.
Since I had a few albums that didn’t make the cut but didn’t see fit to pass off, I decided to throw in five more favorite albums to kick off the countdown a day early. Without further (any?) delay…
Lulu
(Warner Bros., available on CD, LP, iTunes, Amazon)
It’s not for everybody – you’d have to appreciate or at least respect what Lou has done in his solo career from New York first – but the only thing tone-deaf about this album were the armchair OMGWTFBBQ1111!!! “critics” who thought this was a mistake for both Lou and the Metallikats. It’s definitely the toughest backing band Lou has ever had in his solo career. Give it another chance.
To Hell With God
(Century Media, available on CD, iTunes, and Amazon)
Changing record labels always seems to revitalize Glen Benton and company. While their last (almost for good) album Till Death Do We Part was no black mark on the rest of the band’s catalogue (That dishonor would go to In Torment In Hell, their last album for Roadrunner ten years ago), this album would prove to be the best album they’ve done since Once Upon The Cross.
Tha Carter IV
(Cash Money/Universal, available on CD, iTunes, Amazon and Spotify)
As a pun-dropping lyricist, he hasn’t changed one goddamn bit – which is a good thing. And he doesn’t intend to sit on his ass, either, if talk of a Rebirth 2 and an I Am Not A Human Being 2 is any indication.
The People’s Key
(Saddle Creek, available on CD, LP/CD combo, iTunes, Amazon and Spotify)
Conor Oberst’s songwriting skills are still as sharp as ever musically. Lyrically, I still haven’t made up my mind about the subject matter on this album. Otherwise, it was worth the wait after two “solo” albums released in the years between Cassadaga and now.
The Boys
(SM Entertainment, available on import CD only)
The title track ended up being better in the original Korean than in the English version released here by Interscope, although the song itself turned out to be a grower. While the entire album is not perfect, it’s the best long-player out of the three original editions they’ve done.
Another one goes off the market…
According to Tokyohive by way of her official website, Japanese R&B singer Koda Kumi – a longtime favorite here – announced her engagement to BACK-ON guitarist KENJI03, a man two years her junior. This would make a bit of bookending for two of the Avex label’s top vocalists, given that Ayumi Hamasaki eloped with her boyfriend to kick off 2011.
TGML extends their sincerest congratulations to the happy couple. I’m sure essential brother Ray Mescallado is already planning to whip out some “rotting ovaries” jokes over at IW as we speak.
