In a rematch of 2005's finals, The White Stripes once again took on Queens Of The Stone Age. Last time QOTSA pulled out a 3-0 victory. Each band has released only one release of new material since that time and the superiority of the new Stripes album has apparently tipped the scales in their favor as they won the 2007 battle by a margin of 3-0.
Congratulations to The White Stripes, the Best Band in the World in 2007.
Will there be a rematch in 2009 or is it finally Justin Timberlake's turn? (Note: It won't be Justin Timberlake's turn.)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Battle Of The Bands 2007 - The Final Four
#1 The White Stripes 3 - #11 Wolfmother 0 - One album just isn't going to get you to the title, no matter how good that album might be.
#2 Queens Of The Stone Age 2 - #5 Pearl Jam 1 - Queens squeaks their way into the Final Four where they face the unbeaten White Stripes. Good luck...
#2 Queens Of The Stone Age 2 - #5 Pearl Jam 1 - Queens squeaks their way into the Final Four where they face the unbeaten White Stripes. Good luck...
Battle Of The Bands 2007 - Round 6
Bracket A:
#1 The White Stripes 3 - #2 Tool 0 - Blues metal trumps prog metal in the Bracket A championship.
Bracket B:
#1 Queens Of The Stone Age 2 - #6 System Of A Down 1 - Not a good sign for our reigning champion, QOTSA, as they lose a vote this early.
Bracket C:
#3 Wolfmother 2 - #1 The Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 - The biggest upset of the championship round sees the Rookies Of The Year advance to the final 4.
Bracket D:
#2 Pearl Jam 3 - #1 Beck 0 - A minor upset to be sure, as Beck tends to be over-rated in these tournaments for whatever reason, but the last survivors of grunge (No, Silverchair does NOT count!) survive to the final four of the battle.
#1 The White Stripes 3 - #2 Tool 0 - Blues metal trumps prog metal in the Bracket A championship.
Bracket B:
#1 Queens Of The Stone Age 2 - #6 System Of A Down 1 - Not a good sign for our reigning champion, QOTSA, as they lose a vote this early.
Bracket C:
#3 Wolfmother 2 - #1 The Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 - The biggest upset of the championship round sees the Rookies Of The Year advance to the final 4.
Bracket D:
#2 Pearl Jam 3 - #1 Beck 0 - A minor upset to be sure, as Beck tends to be over-rated in these tournaments for whatever reason, but the last survivors of grunge (No, Silverchair does NOT count!) survive to the final four of the battle.
Battle Of The Bands 2007 - Round 5
Bracket A:
#1 The White Stripes 3 - #4 Franz Ferdinand 0 - A clean sweep for the blues rock over dance rock.
#2 Tool 2 - #3 The Foo Fighters 1 - Tool finally got off their ass last year and released an album, just in time to edge out the Foo Fighters, who have a new one out on a regular bi-annual basis.
Bracket B:
#1 Queens Of The Stone Age 3 - #12 Muse 0 - Not that they needed it, but QOTSA got a really easy bracket this year, full of a lot of upsets.
#6 System Of A Down 3 - #26 The Arcade Fire 0 - The underdog to end all underdogs finally runs up against a bigger dog that it couldn't lick. Dog.
Bracket C:
#1 The Red Hot Chili Peppers 2 - #5 The Killers 1 - The Killers are just getting started on the Modern Rock charts. The Peppers? Easily the most successful band in the history of said charts.
#3 Wolfmother 3 - #2 The Shins 0 - Not so much an upset as statistical adjustment, the Zeppelin-esque Wolfmother beat out the biggest thing in indie rock.
Bracket D:
#1 Beck 2 - #4 Incubus 1 - No two Beck songs sounds alike. Almost every Incubus song these days sound EXACTLY alike. I'm really surprised they made it this far, but it doesn't matter now.
#2 Pearl Jam 3 - #6 The Strokes 0 - The Strokes might have had the edge here, but Pearl Jam's last album was their best in 10 years and it easily blew the Strokes right out of their $500 leather jackets.
#1 The White Stripes 3 - #4 Franz Ferdinand 0 - A clean sweep for the blues rock over dance rock.
#2 Tool 2 - #3 The Foo Fighters 1 - Tool finally got off their ass last year and released an album, just in time to edge out the Foo Fighters, who have a new one out on a regular bi-annual basis.
Bracket B:
#1 Queens Of The Stone Age 3 - #12 Muse 0 - Not that they needed it, but QOTSA got a really easy bracket this year, full of a lot of upsets.
#6 System Of A Down 3 - #26 The Arcade Fire 0 - The underdog to end all underdogs finally runs up against a bigger dog that it couldn't lick. Dog.
Bracket C:
#1 The Red Hot Chili Peppers 2 - #5 The Killers 1 - The Killers are just getting started on the Modern Rock charts. The Peppers? Easily the most successful band in the history of said charts.
#3 Wolfmother 3 - #2 The Shins 0 - Not so much an upset as statistical adjustment, the Zeppelin-esque Wolfmother beat out the biggest thing in indie rock.
Bracket D:
#1 Beck 2 - #4 Incubus 1 - No two Beck songs sounds alike. Almost every Incubus song these days sound EXACTLY alike. I'm really surprised they made it this far, but it doesn't matter now.
#2 Pearl Jam 3 - #6 The Strokes 0 - The Strokes might have had the edge here, but Pearl Jam's last album was their best in 10 years and it easily blew the Strokes right out of their $500 leather jackets.
September Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees
Inducted this month into my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame were:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Queens Of The Stone Age
The White Stripes
The Smashing Pumpkins
Nine Inch Nails
A Perfect Circle
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Queens Of The Stone Age
The White Stripes
The Smashing Pumpkins
Nine Inch Nails
A Perfect Circle
New Shit This Week
DVDs:
Death Proof - Well, I guess they had to make money off of these movies somehow, so they stabbed fans in the back by selling each half of Grindhouse as it's own DVD. What's worse? This one doesn't even have the fake trailers on it. Still, it's Quentin and the movie kicks ass, so I'm there.
VERDICT - Buy It.
We Are Marshall - Football Film #2334634 comes out on DVD after being in theaters for something like 10 months. If you've ever seen a football movie, you probably know how this one plays out.
VERDICT - Rent it.
The Condemned - The American ripoff of Battle Royale and the best they could get was they fifth most popular wrestler-turned-actor of all-time? And this somehow didn't go straight to video?
VERDICT - Skip it.
Gracie - Tweeners AND Soccer? Sign Me Up!.... for the list of people who never have to even watch this movie by accident.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Bloodrayne 2 - Ordinarily I don't mention movies that go straight to DVD, but this is a unique case. What we have in Bloodrayne 2 is a sequel to one of the worst movies ever made and one of the biggest financial disasters in recent memory. This movie shouldn't even exist, should it? What's the explanation? Is it some sort of cult classic because of how bad it is? Is that it? Oh well, I will enjoy never finding out.
VERDICT - Skip it.
CDs:
Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild - Eddie's the lead singer of my second favorite band of all-time, Pearl Jam. This is his first official solo album and the word is that it's pretty good.
VERDICT - Buy it.
Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy - Another singer from a legendary band (Sonic Youth) goes solo this week. I've never listened to any Thurston solo, but I figure it's worth a shot at least.
VERDICT - Buy it.
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic - I had Tunstall pegged as a one hit wonder and I'm very glad to be wrong. She's not reliable enough to recommend a purchase at this point, but she may be soon.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
The Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times - If the Murphys did an album of instrumental music, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but they insist on singing in their songs, which is tragic really.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven's Gate - The latest "big new shiny thing" on the indie rock scene. They're not quite big enough for a first week purchase, but if I hear good things, I'll reconsider.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
H.I.M. - Venus Doom - I do like metal, but this stuff here is over the top and cheesy. Plus, they have a new album out every six months, so why not just rent their CD until the next one comes out.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Death Proof - Well, I guess they had to make money off of these movies somehow, so they stabbed fans in the back by selling each half of Grindhouse as it's own DVD. What's worse? This one doesn't even have the fake trailers on it. Still, it's Quentin and the movie kicks ass, so I'm there.
VERDICT - Buy It.
We Are Marshall - Football Film #2334634 comes out on DVD after being in theaters for something like 10 months. If you've ever seen a football movie, you probably know how this one plays out.
VERDICT - Rent it.
The Condemned - The American ripoff of Battle Royale and the best they could get was they fifth most popular wrestler-turned-actor of all-time? And this somehow didn't go straight to video?
VERDICT - Skip it.
Gracie - Tweeners AND Soccer? Sign Me Up!.... for the list of people who never have to even watch this movie by accident.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Bloodrayne 2 - Ordinarily I don't mention movies that go straight to DVD, but this is a unique case. What we have in Bloodrayne 2 is a sequel to one of the worst movies ever made and one of the biggest financial disasters in recent memory. This movie shouldn't even exist, should it? What's the explanation? Is it some sort of cult classic because of how bad it is? Is that it? Oh well, I will enjoy never finding out.
VERDICT - Skip it.
CDs:
Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild - Eddie's the lead singer of my second favorite band of all-time, Pearl Jam. This is his first official solo album and the word is that it's pretty good.
VERDICT - Buy it.
Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy - Another singer from a legendary band (Sonic Youth) goes solo this week. I've never listened to any Thurston solo, but I figure it's worth a shot at least.
VERDICT - Buy it.
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic - I had Tunstall pegged as a one hit wonder and I'm very glad to be wrong. She's not reliable enough to recommend a purchase at this point, but she may be soon.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
The Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times - If the Murphys did an album of instrumental music, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but they insist on singing in their songs, which is tragic really.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven's Gate - The latest "big new shiny thing" on the indie rock scene. They're not quite big enough for a first week purchase, but if I hear good things, I'll reconsider.
VERDICT - Borrow it.
H.I.M. - Venus Doom - I do like metal, but this stuff here is over the top and cheesy. Plus, they have a new album out every six months, so why not just rent their CD until the next one comes out.
VERDICT - Skip it.
Modern Rock Reviews
The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) - A+
The best song off of their latest album (a contender for album of the year for sure), this song is Jack and Meg channelling early Zeppelin like they never have before.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Berlin - A+
Another brilliant single from one of the best albums of 2006, highlighted by a great chorus and a nice build-up in the later verses.
Queens Of The Stone Age - 3's & 7's - A
What, Queens released a second single off of one of their brilliant albums? Weird. Anyway, this one isn't quite as good as "Sick, Sick, Sick", but it's still pretty damn close to excellence.
The Foo Fighters - The Pretender -
A Yet another brilliant single from one of the most reliably awesome modern rock bands of all-time. This song utilizes the old "slow-fast" dynamic that Dave learned with Nirvana. This song would have fit in nicely on "The Colour And The Shape".
Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker - A
Not the best song on the album (one of the year's best), but it's still incredibly catchy in a Karen O sort of way and one of their best singles to date.
Velvet Revolver - Last Fight - A-
My favorite ballad from Velvet Revolver has solid lyrics, great licks from Slash and a great GNR-esque chorus.
Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun - A-
A good start for the first single off of Vedder's solo soundtrack for Into The Wild. There's a lot of later-day Bruce Springsteen channelled in this song.
1990s - You Made Me Like It - B+
A catchy, Franz Ferdinand-lite dance rock song with clever lyrics.
The Editors - An End Has A Start - B+
The Editors out-Interpol Interpol with the second single off of their latest album.
Interpol - There's No I In Threesome - B+
The better of two new singles from Interpol is a slower song, but still has a better pace to it and much better lyrics.
Hot Hot Heat - Let Me In - B+
An above average indie rock song, but it doesn't quite distinguish itself from the pack.
Spoon - The Underdog - B+
I don't think I've ever heard a Spoon song on the radio, but this one would be a good place to start. It's one of their best, but the whole "displaced song from the 70s" thing doesn't work for me as much as it does for some.
Bad Religion - Heroes & Martyrs - B+
Yeah, it's a good song, but after awhile, every Bad Religion song seems to alike.
The Smashing Pumpkins - That's The Way (My Love Is) - B
Strike two in the "let's release the best song off the album" count. This one is good and might have fit in nicely on Mellon Collie, but it's no "United States" or "Doomsday Clock".
The Cult - Dirty Little Rockstar - B
A bit of a throwback to 80s style alternative, but a step back for a band that has hit a lot of home-runs in it's day.
The Bravery - Believe - B
A decent modern rock song, but like every Bravery song, they'll always be compared to the Killers, who could have probably done it better.
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan - B
More promising than great, the song never quite develops, but there's promise that the band itself might do much better things in the future.
Interpol - Mammoth - B
Not Interpol's best. The song has a good pulse, but doesn't have the drive one of their songs usually has.
We Are The Fury - Now You Know - B-
An average pop punk song that doesn't impress with lyrics, vocals or beat.
Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come - B-
Not quite as good as their 90s music, but at least this song is well-paced and not glaringly awful.
Kings Of Leon - Fans - B-
All the reviews said that Kings Of Leon finally made a good record with their new release, but I see it as a huge step down. This song is alright, but it's incredibly dull compared to "Molly's Chambers" or "California Waiting".
Adema - Cold And Jaded - C+
A dull but not completely repulsive hard rock song from one of the few remaining nu-metal holdouts.
Submersed - Better Think Again - C
A lame but competant Disturbed rip-off. Not a lot of fun.
Alter Bridge - Rise Today - C-
Another over-the-top rock song from the other guys from Creed. Believe me, we don't want people like that trying to rise today and change this world.
Another Animal - Broken Again - C-
Delightful, here come the Three Days Grace ripoff bands. Just what the world needed.
The best song off of their latest album (a contender for album of the year for sure), this song is Jack and Meg channelling early Zeppelin like they never have before.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Berlin - A+
Another brilliant single from one of the best albums of 2006, highlighted by a great chorus and a nice build-up in the later verses.
Queens Of The Stone Age - 3's & 7's - A
What, Queens released a second single off of one of their brilliant albums? Weird. Anyway, this one isn't quite as good as "Sick, Sick, Sick", but it's still pretty damn close to excellence.
The Foo Fighters - The Pretender -
A Yet another brilliant single from one of the most reliably awesome modern rock bands of all-time. This song utilizes the old "slow-fast" dynamic that Dave learned with Nirvana. This song would have fit in nicely on "The Colour And The Shape".
Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker - A
Not the best song on the album (one of the year's best), but it's still incredibly catchy in a Karen O sort of way and one of their best singles to date.
Velvet Revolver - Last Fight - A-
My favorite ballad from Velvet Revolver has solid lyrics, great licks from Slash and a great GNR-esque chorus.
Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun - A-
A good start for the first single off of Vedder's solo soundtrack for Into The Wild. There's a lot of later-day Bruce Springsteen channelled in this song.
1990s - You Made Me Like It - B+
A catchy, Franz Ferdinand-lite dance rock song with clever lyrics.
The Editors - An End Has A Start - B+
The Editors out-Interpol Interpol with the second single off of their latest album.
Interpol - There's No I In Threesome - B+
The better of two new singles from Interpol is a slower song, but still has a better pace to it and much better lyrics.
Hot Hot Heat - Let Me In - B+
An above average indie rock song, but it doesn't quite distinguish itself from the pack.
Spoon - The Underdog - B+
I don't think I've ever heard a Spoon song on the radio, but this one would be a good place to start. It's one of their best, but the whole "displaced song from the 70s" thing doesn't work for me as much as it does for some.
Bad Religion - Heroes & Martyrs - B+
Yeah, it's a good song, but after awhile, every Bad Religion song seems to alike.
The Smashing Pumpkins - That's The Way (My Love Is) - B
Strike two in the "let's release the best song off the album" count. This one is good and might have fit in nicely on Mellon Collie, but it's no "United States" or "Doomsday Clock".
The Cult - Dirty Little Rockstar - B
A bit of a throwback to 80s style alternative, but a step back for a band that has hit a lot of home-runs in it's day.
The Bravery - Believe - B
A decent modern rock song, but like every Bravery song, they'll always be compared to the Killers, who could have probably done it better.
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan - B
More promising than great, the song never quite develops, but there's promise that the band itself might do much better things in the future.
Interpol - Mammoth - B
Not Interpol's best. The song has a good pulse, but doesn't have the drive one of their songs usually has.
We Are The Fury - Now You Know - B-
An average pop punk song that doesn't impress with lyrics, vocals or beat.
Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come - B-
Not quite as good as their 90s music, but at least this song is well-paced and not glaringly awful.
Kings Of Leon - Fans - B-
All the reviews said that Kings Of Leon finally made a good record with their new release, but I see it as a huge step down. This song is alright, but it's incredibly dull compared to "Molly's Chambers" or "California Waiting".
Adema - Cold And Jaded - C+
A dull but not completely repulsive hard rock song from one of the few remaining nu-metal holdouts.
Submersed - Better Think Again - C
A lame but competant Disturbed rip-off. Not a lot of fun.
Alter Bridge - Rise Today - C-
Another over-the-top rock song from the other guys from Creed. Believe me, we don't want people like that trying to rise today and change this world.
Another Animal - Broken Again - C-
Delightful, here come the Three Days Grace ripoff bands. Just what the world needed.
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