So MTV just launched this online site that is nothing but straight up music. Crazy, right? I know, I know. Too little, too late…but it’s actually kind of great. Not only do they have all kinds of music videos from pretty much every era but also stuff from their shows, like this clip when emo godfathers Sunny Day Real Estate brought the pain live on the alternative centered show 120 Minutes (sorry, embedding isn’t playing nice with wordpress for some reason).
Martha Quinn Approved
Or what about the time Thursday played at the Dew Circuit Showcase? Yep, it’s right here.
Or some classic Peter Gabriel? You know “Sledgehammer” used to be your jam. Admit it. And then watch it again right here.
So, yes, believe it or not I’m actually advocating something related to MTV. I’m surprised it took them this long, but here’s hoping they’ll continue to update the library. To hit the main page, visit http://www.mtvmusic.com/
So, in case you haven’t heard hell has indeed officially frozen over. After working on it for more than 74 years, Axl Rose is finally bringing us the new Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy, on November 23. The release of this thing is such a surprise that it’s coming out on a Sunday, so that people can take communion and mass before hitting Best Buy and buying the album that many bet their souls and first born sons would never see the light of day. I’ll definitely be talking more about this release later but in the meantime here’s the first single and title track:
I have to say I like the tune. Is it old Guns N’ Roses? No. But then if that band had never broken up and this was the kind of music they were making in 2008, I think we’d all be happy. Of course, if this was just Axl’s solo album I think we’d all be a little happier still, but the point is it’s all semantics at this stage of the game. CHINESE DEMOCRACY IS ACTUALLY COMING OUT. The fact that all signs point to the notion that the album won’t suck means Axl won. So, I say “congrats”, Mr. Rose. I look forward to giving you my money.
We’ve got a rare morning off today so time for another dose of music that’s driving me crazy. To start things off, I want to share a video I saw this weekend that I liked a lot as a kid and now realize as an adult that I have no idea what’s going on. The song is “Nobody’s Fool” from the band Cinderella, whom you’ll remember as a B-level hair metal band in the 80’s. They never quite had the success Poison or Warrant had, but then their songs were also about 600 times less cheesy than those two bands as well. I always liked the singer’s Dio-esque howl, but I actually think the band was at its most interesting when he wasn’t screaming. At any rate, we can critique the music later but for now take a look at this video and see if you can make sense of the story:
And this song actually ties in nicely with the one song I’ve had stuck in my head for about two and half weeks now, thanks to someone whistling the little piccolo (or whatever) part in this other “Fool” tune. You’ve been warned:
Did the lead singer look familiar to you? No? Well, how’s this for trivia: that’s none other than Mr. Cuba Gooding, Sr. Yep, shoplifting the pooty, right there on Soul Train.
So here’s a weird coincidence: I was checking out the ol’ invisible oranges blog this weekend and came across this great song by a band called ASG. I started looking around for some info on this band and it turns out they’re based right here in Wilmington, NC where I’ve been working from this month. So, forgive my previous post on Carolinian metal because I realize I made a pretty bad oversight by not including ASG.
According to Wikipedia, the acronymn stands for “All Systems Go,” which was the band’s original name but was then shortened due to another band already existing with that moniker. It’s not a great name, but it feels like a pretty accurate description based on the music I’ve heard. They’re a riff-based band, not too far removed from a group like The Sword but there’s a bit more energy behind what they’re doing and a more melodic sensibility that maybe moves them a little closer to something like Queens of the Stone Age. In other words, they’re in some damn good company. Here’s the “Gallop Song:”
Here’s another one called “Horsewhipper” – which I have to point out is a GREAT song title:
Lastly, here’s the tune that was featured over at Invisible Oranges. This one’s probably my fave of the three here, so give it an ear or two. “Right Death Before:”
On my way home from work late last night I kind of zoned out listening to the radio and now I’ve got Van Halen’s “Finish What You Started” stuck in my head as a result. When’s the last time you saw this video?
Does Sammy Hagar really even play guitar in that song? It’s hard to tell if there’s a legitimate second part just from listening to it. But I love Eddie’s finger-picking style in this one. I’m not saying it’s a David Lee Roth era quality Van Halen tune, but it’s not bad. Has a nice groove. Allowed Alex to slick his hair back. Of course, when you talk Van Halen it’s damn near impossible to top this one:
