#1 The Red Hot Chili Peppers 3 - #64 Maximo Park 0 - The most successful band in the history of the Modern Rock charts crushes upstart Maximo Park.
#2 The Shins 3 - #63 Mates Of State 0 - Indie rock gods the Shins sweep the obscure but outstanding indie pop band Mates Of State.
#3 Wolfmother 3 - #62 Nappy Roots 0 - My pick for the best new band of the past few years sweeps Nappy Roots.
#4 Coldplay 3 - #61 The Spill Canvas 0 - Local favorites The Spill Canvas didn't stand a chance when they matched up against their generation's U2.
#5 The Killers 3 - #60 British Sea Power 0 - Seeing as barely anyone has even heard of British Sea Power, this one wasn't set to be one of the closer matches in the competition... and so it wasn't.
#6 Bob Dylan 3 - #59 The Goo Goo Dolls 0 - I doubt that the Dolls could have gotten a vote against Dylan even in their heyday.
#7 Nine Inch Nails 3 - #58 Starsailor 0 - Not even close.
#8 The Mars Volta 3 - #57 Against Me! 0 - You know what, give this one time and it might just change, but for right now, it's Mars Volta all the way.
#9 Rob Zombie 3 - #56 Cursive 0 - Cursive is too underground to compete, not that Zombie isn't one of the best in metal these days.
#10 Tom Waits 3 - #55 John Mellencamp 0 - The battle between a great songwriter whose voice sounds like shit and a singer with a pleasant voice who hasn't written a decent song in nearly 20 years. You can see how that turned out.
#11 The Flaming Lips 2 - #54 The Bravery 1 - The first non-sweep of this bracket sees indie rock wannabes The Bravery falling just short of the only indie prog rock band to ever become well-known.
#12 Frank Black 2 - #53 Nas 1 - Not the best panel for the innovative rapper to succeed with, but he might have been over-matched against the former Pixies front-man.
#13 The Decemberists 3 - #52 Jay-Z 0 - Another rapper goes down in the 1st round, this time to indie rock songwriters The Decemberists.
#14 Fiona Apple 3 - #51 She Wants Revenge 0 - A truly original singer easily takes down the most blatant of the many blatant ripoffs of Joy Division to come out lately.
#15 Dinosaur Jr. 3 - #50 The Barenaked Ladies 0 - They barely got their CD out before the brackets were decided, but Dinosaur Jr.'s new cd is brilliant and more than enough to take down the backsliding Ladies.
#16 The Buzzcocks 3 - #49 Morrissey 0 - Another band that barely qualified for this competition cruises past the former Smiths frontman.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Modern Rock Monday
Modern Rock Archive
Queens Of The Stone Age - Sick, Sick, Sick - A+
Finally a welcome return to the airwaves for a change. This song is more than just the clever play on words that the title implies. Singer Josh Homme with special guest Julian Casablancas of the Strokes tear through this song at a lightning pace that still manages to be light and smooth. An early contender for song of the year.
Placebo - Meds - A
One of the best bands that get almost no airplay in America, Placebo has yet another classic on their hands with this brilliant build-up and explode song.
Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks - A-
Whistling and a drum machine are a weird way to start out a song, but this light piece of indie pop makes it work.
Rise Against - Prayer Of The Refugee - A-
Another excellent political punk anthem from one of the best of the genre. The chorus is a bit long, but other than that, one of their best.
Placebo - Running Up That Hill - A-
Another outstanding song from Placebo, though not quite as well-paced as "Meds".
Rise Against - The Good Left Undone - B+
A solid release from Rise Against that doesn't rise to the level of their recent output.
Saliva - Ladies And Gentlemen - B
Basically a re-make of "Karn-evil #9" by Emerson, Lake And Palmer re-mixed as an 80s metal song. That being said, it's actually alright.
Razorlight - America - B
A decent emo pop song from an up and coming band, but they've still got a long ways to go.
Rush - Far Cry - B
Yes, it's the same Rush from the 70s. They're still around and despite recent efforts, they're actually pretty good in this song.
Rob Thomas - Little Wonders - B-
How Rob Thomas snuck onto a modern rock playlist is beyond me, but here he is. Like all of his career, the song certainly isn't bad, but it is dull and far south of the genre he's squatting in.
Saliva - Broken Sunday - C+
An entirely ordinary but yet still not completely pointless metal song from Saliva.
The Riverboat Gamblers - Don't Bury Me, I'm Still Not Dead - C
A dull pop punk song that tries hard to be Blink 182 or maybe even Green Day, but fails entirely. Here's a hint: Write a catchy hook and you're most of the way there. Try it and see if that doesn't work for you.
Red - Breathe Into Me - C
More sludgy Breaking Benjamin / Disturbed style metal. Hand to God, this must be about the 300th of the past 2 years.
Puddle Of Mudd - Famous - D+
Another revolting Nirvana-lite song from the least of the Nirvana knock-offs to come about in the past 15 years. On a side note, this is the return to the radio of Puddle of Mudd, a band I had hoped to be gone for good. So basically, Santa didn't get my list this year. Bastard.
Robbie Williams - Rude Box - D
Umm, what the fuck is this? Some sort of techno dance crap, I guess, but who would listen to it on the radio?
Queens Of The Stone Age - Sick, Sick, Sick - A+
Finally a welcome return to the airwaves for a change. This song is more than just the clever play on words that the title implies. Singer Josh Homme with special guest Julian Casablancas of the Strokes tear through this song at a lightning pace that still manages to be light and smooth. An early contender for song of the year.
Placebo - Meds - A
One of the best bands that get almost no airplay in America, Placebo has yet another classic on their hands with this brilliant build-up and explode song.
Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks - A-
Whistling and a drum machine are a weird way to start out a song, but this light piece of indie pop makes it work.
Rise Against - Prayer Of The Refugee - A-
Another excellent political punk anthem from one of the best of the genre. The chorus is a bit long, but other than that, one of their best.
Placebo - Running Up That Hill - A-
Another outstanding song from Placebo, though not quite as well-paced as "Meds".
Rise Against - The Good Left Undone - B+
A solid release from Rise Against that doesn't rise to the level of their recent output.
Saliva - Ladies And Gentlemen - B
Basically a re-make of "Karn-evil #9" by Emerson, Lake And Palmer re-mixed as an 80s metal song. That being said, it's actually alright.
Razorlight - America - B
A decent emo pop song from an up and coming band, but they've still got a long ways to go.
Rush - Far Cry - B
Yes, it's the same Rush from the 70s. They're still around and despite recent efforts, they're actually pretty good in this song.
Rob Thomas - Little Wonders - B-
How Rob Thomas snuck onto a modern rock playlist is beyond me, but here he is. Like all of his career, the song certainly isn't bad, but it is dull and far south of the genre he's squatting in.
Saliva - Broken Sunday - C+
An entirely ordinary but yet still not completely pointless metal song from Saliva.
The Riverboat Gamblers - Don't Bury Me, I'm Still Not Dead - C
A dull pop punk song that tries hard to be Blink 182 or maybe even Green Day, but fails entirely. Here's a hint: Write a catchy hook and you're most of the way there. Try it and see if that doesn't work for you.
Red - Breathe Into Me - C
More sludgy Breaking Benjamin / Disturbed style metal. Hand to God, this must be about the 300th of the past 2 years.
Puddle Of Mudd - Famous - D+
Another revolting Nirvana-lite song from the least of the Nirvana knock-offs to come about in the past 15 years. On a side note, this is the return to the radio of Puddle of Mudd, a band I had hoped to be gone for good. So basically, Santa didn't get my list this year. Bastard.
Robbie Williams - Rude Box - D
Umm, what the fuck is this? Some sort of techno dance crap, I guess, but who would listen to it on the radio?
New Movies
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - The first one sucked. The acting was awful, the story was stupid and no one seemed to be taking it seriously. Oh, and it came out right at the same time as all those brilliant X-Men, Spider-man, Batman and Superman movies, so that only made it worse. The story in this movie is a VAST improvement over the origin story and might even be the best story in Marvel Comics history. I will see this movie, but I doubt it will be a "great" movie, by any stretch.
VERDICT - See it.
DOA: Dead Or Alive - Now playing at a theater, umm, nowhere near most people. This long-delayed pile of crap is being snuck into theaters this week and then quickly pulled for a release on DVD where it's easier to convince people to pay a smaller amount to see it in a more *ahem* private viewing area.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Nancy Drew - Not for me. Could be good, but this is clearly not something I'd want to see.
VERDICT - Skip it.
VERDICT - See it.
DOA: Dead Or Alive - Now playing at a theater, umm, nowhere near most people. This long-delayed pile of crap is being snuck into theaters this week and then quickly pulled for a release on DVD where it's easier to convince people to pay a smaller amount to see it in a more *ahem* private viewing area.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Nancy Drew - Not for me. Could be good, but this is clearly not something I'd want to see.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full was the top debut of the week, entering the charts at #3.
Marilyn Manson's new CD Eat Me, Drink Me debuted at #8.
Also debuting this week were The Police's latest greatest hits album at #11, Chris Cornell's Carry On disappoints at #17, Dream Theater's new CD enters at #19, a new Springsteen live album opens at 23, the Vans Warped tour 2007 disc is at #31, for some reason Poison debuted at #32, Tesla's at #48, Tiger Army at #49, and a live OAR disc opens at #69. Lotsa debuts this week, but nothing terribly exciting.
Modern Rock:
Linkin Park's still #1. Damn it.
Velvet Revolver's new single hits the Modern charts at #18.
Mainstream Rock:
Linkin Park's still at #1 here too.
There weren't any new debuts this week.
Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full was the top debut of the week, entering the charts at #3.
Marilyn Manson's new CD Eat Me, Drink Me debuted at #8.
Also debuting this week were The Police's latest greatest hits album at #11, Chris Cornell's Carry On disappoints at #17, Dream Theater's new CD enters at #19, a new Springsteen live album opens at 23, the Vans Warped tour 2007 disc is at #31, for some reason Poison debuted at #32, Tesla's at #48, Tiger Army at #49, and a live OAR disc opens at #69. Lotsa debuts this week, but nothing terribly exciting.
Modern Rock:
Linkin Park's still #1. Damn it.
Velvet Revolver's new single hits the Modern charts at #18.
Mainstream Rock:
Linkin Park's still at #1 here too.
There weren't any new debuts this week.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
New Shit Tuesday
Albums:
Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris - Queens of the Stone Age is one of the two best bands that are active at the moment (The White Stripes being the other and their album comes out next week) and the tracks I've heard off of this album are sensational. I'm going to buy this the first chance I get.
VERDICT - BUY IT ASAP
Instant Karma - Save Darfur - While a lot of the artists on this double album are pop acts that aren't to my taste, a John Lennon tribute album that features Green Day, R.E.M. and U2 and benefits a great cause is something I'll absolutely purchase.
VERDICT - BUY IT
DVDs:
Breach - A sadly overlooked film that is easily one of the best reviewed movies of 2007, Breach is a spy thriller that doesn't have a lot of action, but has a lot of tension instead.
VERDICT - RENT IT ASAP
Ghost Rider - It may be the second biggest DVD release of the week, but that doesn't mean Ghost Rider isn't a massive piece of crap. The story sucks, the acting is awful, the villains seem to be lifted from the Underworld franchise (which I despise) and the special effects are fairly lame.
VERDICT - Skip it
Daddy's Little Girls - I've never seen any of Tyler Perry's films or plays, but he always gets awful reviews, so I won't blindly recommend this one.
VERDICT - Skip it
Primeval - Ordinarily, this type of thing ends up as a Sci Fi Channel movie of the week, but for some reason they put it in theaters and fortunately no one showed up.
VERDICT - Skip it
Blood And Chocolate - More vampire and werewolf bullshit because for some reason some people like it. Those people should be ashamed of themselves. Crying in the shower in the fetal position ashamed.
VERDICT - Avoid it like the plague.
Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris - Queens of the Stone Age is one of the two best bands that are active at the moment (The White Stripes being the other and their album comes out next week) and the tracks I've heard off of this album are sensational. I'm going to buy this the first chance I get.
VERDICT - BUY IT ASAP
Instant Karma - Save Darfur - While a lot of the artists on this double album are pop acts that aren't to my taste, a John Lennon tribute album that features Green Day, R.E.M. and U2 and benefits a great cause is something I'll absolutely purchase.
VERDICT - BUY IT
DVDs:
Breach - A sadly overlooked film that is easily one of the best reviewed movies of 2007, Breach is a spy thriller that doesn't have a lot of action, but has a lot of tension instead.
VERDICT - RENT IT ASAP
Ghost Rider - It may be the second biggest DVD release of the week, but that doesn't mean Ghost Rider isn't a massive piece of crap. The story sucks, the acting is awful, the villains seem to be lifted from the Underworld franchise (which I despise) and the special effects are fairly lame.
VERDICT - Skip it
Daddy's Little Girls - I've never seen any of Tyler Perry's films or plays, but he always gets awful reviews, so I won't blindly recommend this one.
VERDICT - Skip it
Primeval - Ordinarily, this type of thing ends up as a Sci Fi Channel movie of the week, but for some reason they put it in theaters and fortunately no one showed up.
VERDICT - Skip it
Blood And Chocolate - More vampire and werewolf bullshit because for some reason some people like it. Those people should be ashamed of themselves. Crying in the shower in the fetal position ashamed.
VERDICT - Avoid it like the plague.
Modern Rock Monday
Modern Rock Archive
Mink - Talk To Me - B+
A very catchy beat highlights a solid debut single for the band. A fun song, but it lacks the extra factor to put it over the top.
Operator - Soulcrusher - B+
Another excellent metal sing, this one borrowing heavily from Soundgarden's style of early 90s metal.
Chris Cornell - No Such Thing - B+
Chris is the former lead singer of Soundgarden, but based on this excellent solo single, you'd think he had previously fronted Stone Temple Pilots.
Paramore - Misery Business - B+
This is the first song by the band and it's good enough to make me want their CD. The song itself is a mature pop punk song with a solid chorus, good vocals and decent lyrics.
Incubus - Oil And Water - B+
As Incubus singles go, it's not one of their best, but it is a big improvement over "Dig".
Army Of Me - Going Through Changes - B
A decent, but not particularly great debut single.
Ozzy Osbourne - I Don't Wanna Stop - B-
Ozzy's first comeback single is a far cry from where he left off in the days before he became a TV star. The song is too poppy for Ozzy's voice and borrows too many elements from Rob Zombie's music.
OK Go - Do What You Want - B-
A timid rehash of previous OK Go songs that is still better than a lot of what's on the radio these days.
Papa Roach - To Be Loved - B-
Papa Roach seems to be changing direction yet again. At least this one isn't as annoying or unpleasant as every other direction they've ever tried.
Panic At The Disco - Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - B-
Yet another Panic song where the title is far more interesting than the song itself. This one has a fairly lame chorus that weighs it down as any pop song would be weighed down by a shitty chorus.
Pepper - No Control - B-
I'll give them credit. They're probably the first Chili Peppers rip-off I've heard on the radio. The song's not bad, but certainly nothing to write home about.
Blue October - She's My Ride Home - C+
They keep getting better with each single, but they still have a long way to go to be respectable.
Ozma - Eponine - C+
Poppy, but dull rock song that's too cutesy to be great.
Papa Roach - Forever - C
Not as abhorrent as the usual Papa Roach material, but still far from fun or entertaining.
12 Stones - Lie To Me - C-
A lousy, Hinderesque ballad with little going for it.
Mink - Talk To Me - B+
A very catchy beat highlights a solid debut single for the band. A fun song, but it lacks the extra factor to put it over the top.
Operator - Soulcrusher - B+
Another excellent metal sing, this one borrowing heavily from Soundgarden's style of early 90s metal.
Chris Cornell - No Such Thing - B+
Chris is the former lead singer of Soundgarden, but based on this excellent solo single, you'd think he had previously fronted Stone Temple Pilots.
Paramore - Misery Business - B+
This is the first song by the band and it's good enough to make me want their CD. The song itself is a mature pop punk song with a solid chorus, good vocals and decent lyrics.
Incubus - Oil And Water - B+
As Incubus singles go, it's not one of their best, but it is a big improvement over "Dig".
Army Of Me - Going Through Changes - B
A decent, but not particularly great debut single.
Ozzy Osbourne - I Don't Wanna Stop - B-
Ozzy's first comeback single is a far cry from where he left off in the days before he became a TV star. The song is too poppy for Ozzy's voice and borrows too many elements from Rob Zombie's music.
OK Go - Do What You Want - B-
A timid rehash of previous OK Go songs that is still better than a lot of what's on the radio these days.
Papa Roach - To Be Loved - B-
Papa Roach seems to be changing direction yet again. At least this one isn't as annoying or unpleasant as every other direction they've ever tried.
Panic At The Disco - Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - B-
Yet another Panic song where the title is far more interesting than the song itself. This one has a fairly lame chorus that weighs it down as any pop song would be weighed down by a shitty chorus.
Pepper - No Control - B-
I'll give them credit. They're probably the first Chili Peppers rip-off I've heard on the radio. The song's not bad, but certainly nothing to write home about.
Blue October - She's My Ride Home - C+
They keep getting better with each single, but they still have a long way to go to be respectable.
Ozma - Eponine - C+
Poppy, but dull rock song that's too cutesy to be great.
Papa Roach - Forever - C
Not as abhorrent as the usual Papa Roach material, but still far from fun or entertaining.
12 Stones - Lie To Me - C-
A lousy, Hinderesque ballad with little going for it.
Monday, June 11, 2007
New Movies This Week
Ocean's 13 - The first one was great, the second one sucked and this new one looks promising. There's definitely going to be a sequel fatigue setting in pretty soon, but this movie will undoubtedly be a hit and probably worth seeing. Oh, and the 13th person added to the gang? The ads make you think it's Andy Garcia, but based on role size, it's really Eddie Izzard, which for me at least is a VAST improvement.
VERDICT - See it.
Hostel: Part II - What does it say about this season that a sequel seems like a fresh new idea only because it isn't a threequel. The first movie was surprisingly good for it's genre and the buzz is that the sequel is just as good. Still, this type of film is an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone.
VERDICT - See it. Don't take the kids.
Surf's Up - A penguin movie? It's not a sequel, but it sure feels like it's either the sequel to Madagascar or Surf's Up. Still, Jeff Bridges virtually reprises his role as The Dude from The Big Lebowski, and in my book that alone makes the film worth a viewing... eventually.
VERDICT - See it, when it's convenient.
VERDICT - See it.
Hostel: Part II - What does it say about this season that a sequel seems like a fresh new idea only because it isn't a threequel. The first movie was surprisingly good for it's genre and the buzz is that the sequel is just as good. Still, this type of film is an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone.
VERDICT - See it. Don't take the kids.
Surf's Up - A penguin movie? It's not a sequel, but it sure feels like it's either the sequel to Madagascar or Surf's Up. Still, Jeff Bridges virtually reprises his role as The Dude from The Big Lebowski, and in my book that alone makes the film worth a viewing... eventually.
VERDICT - See it, when it's convenient.
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