Having found out a short while ago that Maroon 5 released a single from their upcoming album Hands All Over (due for release on September 21), I’ve been wanting to hear it. I was never a huge fan of Maroon 5 until I was forced to listen to them over and over again a few years ago. They were always too pop for me; I prefer my rock hard, with a splash of metal. But like things tend to do, Maroon 5 grew on me and I became a fan.

Released on June 22, 2010, in the iTunes Store, “Misery” garnered favorable press from Billboard, MTV and Rolling Stone. It is currently sitting at 4.5 stars with 1438 ratings in the iTunes Store and is played with regularity on most mainstream pop/rock radio stations.

Rising to number 28 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, “Misery” is the sort of upbeat, rhythmic song we’ve come to expect from the band. Nothing new or adventurous here, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The song is easy to listen to and tells a good story, one of Adam Levine begging for another chance with his lover.

“Misery” is reminiscent of “This Love” in that it contains an almost funk-like melody and gets in your head so bad you need to play the song again and again to overcome it. If the whole of the new album is anywhere near as catchy as this tune, it will no doubt be a successful one.

The music video for “Misery,” which was directed by Joseph Kahn, chooses to go for violence over sex to tell the story, as we see Adam Levine getting his ass kicked all over the place by model Anne Vyalitsyna. The video starts out innocent enough with the two roughly throwing each other against a fence and kissing at one another, but that goes out the window quickly. In chronological order we see the following: a headbutt, a slap upside the head, a knee to the groin, a punch to the face, a kick to the face, Levine being hit by a car, having his head slammed into a wall and then in a door, then back into a wall, then being dunked head-first into a sink full of water. After this he’s kicked through a window, and thrown off a fire-escape and… well, it’s just too much to list and too campy and over-the-top not to enjoy. Check it out here.

When I first heard about this album and idea, recreating Beatles tracks with a crazy line up, I was excited.  However, I was saddened to find that there is only one Beatles track and the other is a John Lennon song.  There is also a Bob Dylan cover, but I was thinking that this album would be a lot different than it turned out to be.

You have to hand it to Herbie Hancock, he got a lot of talented people to contribute to this album and he flew all over the world to record with them as well.  For example we have: P!NK, Seal, Jeff Beck, John Legend, India.Arie, Susan Tedeschi, K’Naan, Ceu, Derek Trucks, The Chieftains, Los Lobos and Dave Matthews. Each artist adds their own touch to the songs.  Sometimes it feels like there are too many people contributing to the song and some of the pieces lack a little bit.

I have to say that my least favorite track is the cover of “Tomorrow Never Knows” which features Dave Matthews on vocals.  The original is practically shouted when Lennon performs it, but Dave seems to make too mellow and monotone.  If he added some of his flair, I would have enjoyed it much more.  I do like the version of “Imagine” with P!NK on vocals, she does well on the songs she sings here.  For the most part a lot of these songs are lost in a meandering state; if they were stretched out longer they may have sounded better.

Since I dig Herbie, and I’ll be seeing him in Lowell in a few weeks, I’m going to tell you to borrow this from the library since it isn’t his best but it is a good idea.  Some highlights: “Imagine”, “Tempo De Amor”, “La Tierra”, and “A Change is Gonna Come”.

And now a quick look at music artist Oren Lavie! I decided to bring him into the limelight after recently seeing that his music video for ”Her Morning Elegance” has gained popularity.

Perhaps his video of “Her Morning Elegance” has been on the charts for a while now, but I just looked at Yahoo’s top music videos, and I noticed that this music video was number 2! I could not believe it; I had no clue that people even knew what this song was! It turns out that I have been a little of out the loop; apparently it was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for “Best Short Form Music Video.”

I first found this song back in, oh when was it, July of 2009 maybe? I fell in love with the song first, but I loved the video as well.  It is done in a stop-motion style and featured Shir Shomrom, a beautiful Israeli born model/actress. My friend had done a stop-motion video for an interview process and I had just made one of my own as well, so I knew how much work must have been put into making this video. Granted, it may not have been as much work as other flashier videos, but there was a lot of effort and art put behind the creation of the video. I tend to like simple videos the best – like OKgo‘s “Here She Goes Again“.

So, who is this Oren Lavie guy? He is an Israeli singer, playwright, songwriter, and theatre director. He was born in 1976 in Tel Aviv. He went to London in 1998 to study theatre directing at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and after he graduated, two of his plays were produced in many London theatres. He then moved to New York in 2001, but soon went to Berlin (2003) to produce his own recordings. His first album, The Opposite Side of the Sea, was released in Europe in January and February 2007, and in the United States in March 2009.

From the USA’s point of view, it was a slow start for Oren, but I think that all of his hard work has finally paid off. I am very happy for him and his successes.

I have had the pleasure of seeing CAKE five times and this was probably the most memorable.  The format for this, and the previous tour, is “An Evening with CAKE.” There is no opener and the band plays two sets with a short intermission break.  The three of us were excited for a 7:30 start time when the rain and lightning decided to strike.  The show was delayed for 45 minutes and the band hit the stage at 8:45.  They didn’t have a light show, but nature took care of that.  You couldn’t have planned the lightning any better if you tried and it helped with some of the music.

The park was a fun place for a show and the band had a good time playing to their fans.  The interaction between singer/guitarist John McCrea was sarcastic and touching as always, while the band soldiered through their hits, fan favorites and a few new songs from their album due in the fall.  The band dedicated “It’s Coming Down” to Keith Relf, the former Yardbirds singer who died of electrocution; they were hoping to avoid the same fate.

To help keep the planet green, CAKE has been giving out trees if someone in the crowd can answer their trivia question.  This time the question was: what is percentage of people on the planet that have running water?  The answer: 35%.  After some time a woman gave the correct answer and got to take a tree home with her.

Setlist:
Comfort Eagle
It’s Coming Down
Arco Arena
Frank Sinatra
Sheep Go to Heaven
Love You Madly
Wheels
Stickshifts and Safetybelts
Sad Songs and Waltzes (Willie Nelson cover)
Jolene
-Intermission
Long Time – New
War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)
Guitar
Away, Away (?) – New
Sick of You – New
Mexico
Never There
-Encore
Short Skirt/Long Jacket
The Distance

One of the most iconic artists in hip-hop, Eminem has received eleven Grammy awards and in 2008 was voted “The Best Rapper Alive” by readers of Vibe Magazine. Though Eminem has seen great success with nearly all of his albums, it is important to understand what makes him such a great lyricist. Enter Infinite.

Stylistically unlike all of his subsequent albums, Infinite’s mellow instrumentals blend with less aggressive lyrics to produce an album that’s very laid-back. The reason for this, Eminem has claimed, is that he wanted to create “radio-friendly” songs in the hopes of getting airplay. When compared to The Slim Shady LP, which was released just three years later, Infinite seems like it was written by an entirely different person.

Produced officially by Denaun Porter and “Slim” for F.B.T. Productions (although it’s been rumored to have been produced by various producers), the album exhibits generic melodies and heavy bass lines. Eminem‘s lyrics contain both clichéd hip-hop themes, such as self-aggrandizing and becoming wealthy, yet also include themes of struggle, poverty and most unusual for Eminem, honest-to-goodness love. Because of the generic sound of the music, the album comes across like one of those bootleg Eminem “freestyle” compilations one might find floating around the internet. But despite the music, Eminem‘s lyrics do a good job of maintaining interest.

It’s clear when comparing this album to Eminem‘s later outings that he really shines when he is not holding back. Infinite’s rhymes are good and, for the most part, clever. However, when one listens to tracks such as “Space Bound” from Recovery or “Criminal” from The Marshall Mathers LP, and then listens to any track from Infinite, one can easily tell that the raps are neutered.

The lackluster performance of this album would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as when Eminem was finally picked up by Interscope Records and began production of The Slim Shady LP with Dr. Dre, he took the ball and ran; with that kind of backing, he was unstoppable.

Infinite is well worth a listen or several, depending on your musical tastes. It was re-released in 2009 on ThisIs50.com, however the download is no longer available. As it stands, only bootleg copies are widely available. If you have a chance to listen to it, take it. The album speaks volumes about Eminem’s progression and will give you a better appreciation for where his music is today.

There are some albums I listen to all year round, and there are some that only sound great in the summer months.  This is one of the latter.  After wrapping up Tiny Music, Stone Temple Pilots went on a hiatus where Scott Weiland released his first solo album 12 Bar Blues, a strange album.  The rest of the band had been jamming with singer Dave Coutts since 1995 and decided to release their debut album Talk Show.  I came across it at a record store in Keene some years ago and snatched it from a friend who claimed to be ‘the biggest STP fan’; he dismissed it and I treasure it.

When the weather is warm enough, I roll down my windows and crank the first eight tracks of this album.  Weiland’s solo record was a dip in the weird side, whereas, this album just rocks.  I do find it odd to hear STP fronted by somebody else, but unlike Van Halen, this is a project that could have had legs if it wanted to grow them.

I love the guitar work by Dean DeLeo, and the huge drums of Eric Kertz all over this album.  Robert DeLeo provides some great bass grooves and holds a lot of these songs together.  Dave Coutts does a fine job on vocals, much more subdued compared to the eccentricities of Weiland.  There is nothing too fancy on this record because the guys stick to what they do best.

This album is long out of print, but you can probably find some tracks out there: “Ring Twice”, “Hello, Hello”, “So Long”, “Peeling An Orange”, “End of the World” and “Wash Me Down”.  If the opportunity strikes; buy this and don’t look back, you’ll love the unpretentious 90s rock.

This week on Tunes News, I decided to showcase the U.K. artist Taio Cruz. In October of 2009, he released his third album entitled Rockstarr. His first single, “Break Your Heart,” debuted on the UK charts at number 1 and stayed there for 3 weeks and spent another 6 weeks in the top 10. On the US Billboard charts it debuted at #1 and stayed there for a week. On this single he collaborated with rapper Ludacris, which made it an automatic club hit.

He has had recent success collaborating with other artists such as Ke$ha with his single “Dirty Picture.” The song itself isn’t something I would keep on constant repeat, but the video is certainly entertaining to watch. In true Ke$ha form, the video has her typical sex, drugs, and alcohol element to it, which may not be such a good thing for Taio. It has a really good beat to it and it is definitely something you can dance to, and overall it is a fairly decent song.

I decided to save “Dynamite” for last because that is the song I LITERALLY have on repeat. It has everything a summer hit single should have. Relatable lyrics, body poppin’ beats, and just make you want to have a good time.

Although Taio is on his third album, he is one to keep an eye out for. If he continues with some great collaborations and some more beats, he will definitely be in the business for a while.

With a much needed vacation coming up, I thought it would be nice to go through my fan mail and answer some musical questions.  Some answers are based on opinion and may not hold must truth but you can always verify anything using Wikipedia.

Will it ever be cool to listen to the Dave Matthews Band again?

Yes, on August 8, 2026 it will be cool to listen to DMB again.  By this time, no one will care about insects proceeding in an orderly fashion and maybe you won’t get berated for not seeing him in concert 12 times.  If you hold off long enough, people will forget and you’ll be in the clear.

Did Justin Timberlake really bring sexy back?

No, sexy never left.  Sexy might have taken a sabbatical or been in a coma for a few years but it never went any place that people couldn’t find it.  JT constructed the illusion that sexy left and he was bringing it back.  The only person that could bring sexy back is Prince and we’ll just have to wait.

What did Fred Durst do for the nookie?

Well, I can tell you what he didn’t do for the nookie.  He didn’t move to a remote island and take Scott Stapp with him only to never return.  While on the island they decide to remake the movie Castaway with Fred as Tom Hanks and Scott as Wilson.  After the production flops, the pair resort to cannibalism and it just gets ugly.

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Go past the muffin man on Drury Lane then make a left before Blueberry Hill.  After a few blocks turn right on Baker Street and you should see it right after Alice’s Restaurant.

Those are all the questions we have for today, thanks and keep them coming.

Well, Eminem has come out with yet another album.  I believe that this is his seventh studio album and it is another success! I actually had no clue that he has come out with so many albums until recently, but it does make sense. He has been a stable artist and has continued (minus a 3-year hiatus between 2006-2009) to have a presence in the music world ever since I started listening to music; this is something I will commend him for because he is not someone who went big and then went home.

Recovery, which followed Relapse and was originally going to be called Relapse II, was released on June 18, 2010. The production of this album took place from 2007 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers. In an interview Eminem explained that the album was more “emotionally driven” than the first Relapse record. There are many mixed feelings about the album. Some say that it was a failed attempt at rapping  with feeling about his recovery from the depression, drugs, and more.  Others say that he has done a great job. One thing is for sure, this album is a whole lot better than Relapse. Even he will admit that! In Relapse, Eminem was definitely trying so hard, while in this one, there is less of a sense of desperation.

This album has a sole focus on the rapper himself. Rather than bringing others into the subjects, he raps about his problems and his life.  In this album there are rants about suicidal depression and paranoid love. There is anger and remorse, and passion and self-loathing. There is a lot of emotion in this album, but many say that even though that this is a comeback from Relapse, they doubt that this 37 year old “new Shady” is any different than the old one.

If you are only looking to sneak a preview of the album, check out the hit single “Not Afraid”. It is probably the best song on the album, according to critics. However, it is not up to the reviewers and the critics to decide if you like the album, so take a few moments to check it out some time!

There is no better ‘get rich quick’ scheme in the music business than soundtracks.  I can understand why people buy soundtracks for musicals; that makes sense to me.   However, shelling out money for a movie or TV soundtrack is obscene, which is why I do it rather infrequently.

I hate to admit it, because I’ll lose my street cred, but I did buy the soundtracks for True Blood and Eclipse.  I had no plans on endorsing either until I read up that Beck and several other interesting artists were contributing original material.  And there is the ploy: original.

Why buy a soundtrack for a few songs you already have on an album?  There is no point.  Now, when you use phrases like: obscure B-sides, original material, rare tracks, etc. I begin to salivate.  One of my favorites is the Coneheads album since it is the only place you can get ‘Soul to Squeeze’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Stubbs the Zombie is a video game I’ve never played but the track listing is 50’s songs redone by Indie bands.  Pulp Fiction needs no explanation.  X-Files, Singles, Clerks and Mallrats are all out of print and had some great mid-90’s alt rock.  Until recently, Mallrats was the only place to get the classic ‘Susanne’ by Weezer.  O Brother, Where Art Thou?, is great and the Dexter album has some nifty Latin music.  Charlie Brown, need you question it?

Soundtracks are a clever way to suck money out of loyal fans, or tweens that don’t know any better.  For the most part I buy these albums for a handful of songs that you can’t get anywhere else.  It is a rare occurrence that I enjoy most of the material.  Of course, the evil twin of the soundtrack is the compilation but we’ll get to that another time.