I haven’t totally wrapped my head around Annie Clark’s newest St. Vincent creation, Actor, yet, but I’m pretty sure it scares me a little bit.

Let me back track. I am a huge St. Vincent fan. Annie Clark is a genius as far as I’m concerned. I can’t get enough of Marry Me, and I will love Annie for all eternity for naming that album with a quote from Arrested Development - my absolute favorite tv show.  I’m waiting on pins and needles for her to come play in my town.

It took me a while to get around to Marry Me – I had heard the name ‘St. Vincent’ batted around on Pitchfork and other like minded music sites for a long time. I think I had downloaded ‘Paris Is Burning’ somewhere, sometime, but never took a listen to it, and left it to gather dust in the ignored depths of my hard drive.

About a month or so ago, I came across the music video for “Jesus Saves, I Spend”. I was drawn to the video because: a) the Irish Catholic guilt instilled in me thought the title sounded scandalous! So immediately, I had to hear the tune, and b) the pretty face in the video didn’t hurt. But I loved the tune. I’m a pop guy at heart, and the melodies were fantastic. The whole song was challenging and creative, while still being accessible, which is a feat very few can pull off. I needed to hear more.

“Jesus Saves, I Spend” – from Marry Me

Good ol’ YouTube – I found ‘Now, Now’, the opening track to Marry Me, after a simple ‘St. Vincent’ search. I went looking online first because, cheap as I am, I wanted to hear more of the album before I spent hard-earned (well, that might be a stretch) cash on the album. I couldn’t get enough of Annie’s vocal on the track. I love a good female singer-songwriter, but too often these days, they possess these wispy, barely-there vocals that, while romantic and sweet, have no power to them. But Annie was clearly different. She had real power and emotion behind her words. That was it. I was hooked. I made the trek to Borders, got Marry Me in my possession, and I haven’t looked back.

So now, I’m an established St. Vincent fan. And even though it was only about a month before that I had paid any attention to Annie Clark, Actor was shaping up to be a very anticipated release for me. And usually, when I’m really looking forward to a new album, I try to listen to as little of it as possible before I actually buy the record. I like the surprise of it all, the feeling of not knowing what the fuck you’re in for. So I steered clear of ‘The Neighbors’ and ‘The Strangers’ on, again, Pitchfork and like-minded sites, and ignored the ‘Actor Out of Work’ video when I came across it on YouTube.

“Actor Out of Work” – from Actor

I went to the local record store to pick up Actor. Only two copies. And I got one of them. Score. Now, like I said, I had no idea what this album sounded like; no idea what to expect. Marry Me is so creative, and intelligent, and heartbreaking, and beautiful, that the bar was set very, very high for Actor.

When I picked up the cd, however, I started to get little hints of what I was in for. The cover of the album, much like the cover of Marry Me, is stark with Annie’s face prominently plastered on it. Other than that little bit of familiarity, however, I was thrown for a loop. The packaging is all bright pastel colors – light orange, pink and blue. Very pretty. But the song titles sounded unexpectedly brutal when paired with the spring-like feel of the art – ‘The Strangers’, ‘Black Rainbow’, ‘Laughing With a Mouth of Blood’, ‘Marrow’ – gone is the fun and quirky ‘Jesus Saves, I Spend’ and ‘What Me Worry?’ of Marry Me. I found that contrast very unsettling, but at the same time very intriguing.

But I had no idea what I was in for. This album is decidely not for everyone – which I love, mind you; I’ll take anything that pushes the envelope to wash away the bad, downright gross vibes bands like Nickelback infect the world with; SUPER BONUS if it’s actually awesome, like St. Vincent. It’s a dense album, slightly avant-garde, and not as – I hate to say ‘catchy’ or ‘poppy’, since music snobs of the world have attributed negative connotations to the terms – ‘immediate’ (maybe? That works?) as, say, Marry Me‘s ‘The Apocalypse Song’, or ‘All My Stars Aligned’. But that’s not there isn’t enough to love, because there’s PLENTY. I’m in LOVE with the record.

But it’s also a disarming record, somewhat disturbing. It’s not outright dark. Oftentimes, the songs are filled to the brim with really beautiful tunes and melodies. It’s what’s underneath those melodies, though, that’s a bit disarming. Whereas Marry Me was an album with moments of pure beauty – ‘All My Stars Aligned’? ‘Landmines’? I don’t need to say anything more – it’s the songs on Actor, in that same league, that are often the most disturbing.

‘The Bed’ has been especially taken note of in various reviews of the record. It’s a gorgeous sounding tune – layers of strings and orchestration that on the surface are devastatingly beautiful. But just take a look at the lyrics – there’s a lot more there than you might think, and might like there to be:

We’re sleeping underneath the bed

To scare the monsters out

With our dear Daddy’s Smith and Wesson

We gotta teach them all a lesson

Don’t move

Don’t scream

Or we will have to shoot

It’s that kind of back and forth that comes across most effectively throughout the album. ‘Black Rainbow’ begins innocently enough, as sweet as the second half of its title. But then the ‘Black’-ness rears its head as the song breaks down into a grating, industrial breakdown that does not let you go easily – it builds and builds and builds, beating you senselessly over the head, and then drops off abruptly into nothing. The song ends. No payoff.

It’s fucking BRILLIANT.

But it’s that kind of bi-polar back and forth, that tug of war between the light and the dark creeping underneath it, that I would imagine might turn some fair-weather fans, some newcomers, off. It’s a bit uncomfortable to listen to at times. It’s challenging, but the emotion, the beauty that is to be uncovered, makes the album well worth the endeavor.

I, personally, enjoy Marry Me more than Actor. But Marry Me is a genius, beautiful record – it’s a tough act to follow. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Actor. It’s just different. Like I said, it’s a dense record. I’ve got to let it sink in a little more.

But the good thing is, Actor is garnering a lot of good attention and press from the likes of Rolling Stone, the New York Times, you know, the Big Time. I wish Marry Me got that kind of press and coverage, but I’ll take whatever gets more people listening to one of my very favorite artists.

And I seriously want to watch Arrested Development with Annie Clark. Let’s make that happen.

I am no rocker. I don’t pretend to know a lot of things, but I am sure of this much.

I used to believe that I was. I listened to Aerosmith, man! 90% of the time, I was decked out in nothing but jeans and black t-shirts. The only black t-shirts I had were Creed and matchbox twenty tour shirts, but still. I was badass.

Don’t get me wrong. I still like to rock, and I occasionally still like to roll. But I’ve come to realize recently how my musical tastes are growing up. When I was younger (and not that I’m not young, I’m only in college) for every time I mentioned I listened to John Mayer, I had to throw in the fact that I was aware that Metallica was a band, and that they TOTALLY kicked ass.

But you know what? I’ve grown up, and I don’t care anymore. I’ve gotten past the point where I feel the need to hide the music I listen to that others might not deem “cool” or “hip” or “rockin’”. I do listen to hip, cool, rocking music. I do. I have a WHOLE Tom Waits album, and I just bought the Fireman’s Electric Arguments album. Aren’t I cultured.

I’ve come to recognize, though, that, moreso than being a fan of hip, indie, cool music, which I am, I’m first and foremost a POP fan. A fan of straight up POP music.

Yesterday, I fell back in love with one of my favorite favorite albums, I’m talking top 10 AT LEAST here, mad season by matchbox twenty. That’s a pop album. A gorgeously layered and produced pop album.

And right now? I’m currently loving Colbie Caillat’s Coco album. It is with this album that I found myself at very crucial, guilty pleasure, pop music fandom crossroads.

I was at Target the other day, and I ended up buying that Fireman album (which, by the way… the Fireman’s Electric Arguments at Target? Hoooooowwwwwwwww?), but I considered buying Coco. And, I’m really ashamed of this, I didn’t, because I was too worried about the CASHIER NOT THINKING I WAS COOL. At the time, I thought, “What’s this cashier going to think of this guy, walking up and buying this Colbie Caillat album? Next time, maybe…”.

But now that I’m listening to the album, and loving it, I honestly don’t know what was wrong with me. What does it matter what other people think about what I listen to? Why does it matter what other people think about me listening to Colbie Caillat? I could just tell them I listen to her because she’s hot, but that’s as lame as of an excuse as other guys telling the women in their lives that they read Playboy for the articles. (She is GORGEOUS, though.) I’m a guy who happens to really enjoy the music of Colbie Caillat.

I don’t know, maybe it’s some sort of stigma I had about being a guy listening to a girl with a guitar. It was immature of me to ever feel that way, and I so glad I’m past that now. All it comes down to though is the fact that she makes music that I like. That’s all that should matter. It’s all that does matter.

From here on out, I have no more guilty pleasures. I don’t mind people knowing that I absolutely love that song Elton John did with Leann Rimes for that Broadway musical. I like the music that I like. So there!

Thank you, Colbie Caillat, for making good music. I’ll make it back to Target, and I think I will buy your album. No, you know what? I’m going to buy the DELUXE version of the album. Yeah. That sounds good, both literally (as in, the album will sound good), and figuratively (as in, the idea of buying the deluxe edition of Coco sounds like a good idea to me).

“I spent so long writing the song, thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it — and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own”

“I did everything I could to avoid a court case with this situation. But Coldplay didn’t want to talk about it. They just wanted this whole thing to go away. Maybe they figured this little guitar player guy will leave them alone after a while, I don’t know”

“I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much. The second I heard it, I knew it was [my own] If I Could Fly.”

                                                                                 – Joe Satriani

So Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for copyright infringement. He says that “Viva la Vida” sounds an awful lot like “If I Could Fly”. And he’s seeking “any and all profits” the song has and will generate.

BULLSHIT.

FIRST OF ALL, Satriani makes it sound like the two sound exact. He directly said it! “…somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own”. Well, let’s see about that.

The melodies are similar, but not enough that, at least I believe, would ever support the claim that Coldplay just ripped it from “If I Could Fly”. Yes, the two root chords are similar. But dear LORD, if every band sued every other band for using similar chord progression, there would be NO POPULAR MUSIC. EVERYONE uses similar chord progressions. It happens. What’s important are the melodies, lyrics, etc., that the songwriters and performers use to build on those bases. Coldplay just haven’t done that.

There’s nothing wrong with an artist trying to protect what is rightfully theirs. If no one did anything about plagarism in music, radio would be nothing but “Ice Ice Baby”/”Under Pressure”-esque ripoffs. It’s very important, obviously to the artist, but also to the listening public, to preserve the integrity of the music we listen to.

But how convenient! Joe filed suit the day after “Viva la Vida” is nominated for two of the biggest awards of the Grammys – Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.

So, Joe. Let me get this straight, okay? Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends came out about seven months ago.  “Viva la Vida” has been a huge hit pretty much ever since. Pretty inescapable on radio, TV, etc. So you are suggesting, Joe Satriani, that you either:

a) hadn’t heard that song, one of the biggest hits in the country, all of those seven months

b) you had heard the song, and didn’t realize this rip-off you’re alleging until someone pointed it out to you, or

c) you knew they ripped you off, and just up and decided, again, after SEVEN MONTHS, that you couldn’t stand for this!

I’m sorry, but a), I just don’t believe. I mean, aside from being one of the biggest hits around, there was another copyright controversy, involving some band called “the Creaky Boards”, pretty much as soon as the song came out. YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD “VIVA LA VIDA”. If b) is true, then how blatanly could they have ripped you off, if you didn’t know! Or, if c) is the right way to go, WHY? Why wait, if it’s so

How about d), this is just you trying to capitalize on the success of the Biggest Band in the World with a desperate cash grab over a SOMEWHAT similar CHORD PROGRESSION. Because it’s not like your just trying to stop the song from being played on radio, or being distributed on future copies of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which might have been viewed as a legitimate attempt to protect the integrity of your song that was allegedly ripped-off. No. You want “any and all profits” from one of the biggest songs in the world, days after it’s nominated for the biggest music awards in the world.

I’m sorry, but it’s just sad. And using blurbs in magazine interviews, pitting you, the “little guitar player guy” against Big Bad Coldplay, explaining how much it hurt you, like it was just like a “dagger through your heart”, gets you NO SYMPATHY. If it hurt you so much, you should’ve dealt with it when the song FIRST became a hit. Not AFTER it’s already made millions of dollars.

If only for your integrity…

DROP THE SUIT, JOE SATRIANI.

[The first of a number of imagined correspondences to people in the music industry that I have things to say to, whether they hear it or not.]

Dear Ms. Katy Perry,

I don’t hate your music. Yesterday, I was sure I did, but today, I do not hate your music.

I wouldn’t qualify myself as a fan, either. I can do without “I Kissed a Girl” and “Ur So Gay”. But up until the day before last, I was sure that within those two songs, I found out all I need to know about your sound, your lyricism, everything to do with your music. I’m very judgmental, I realize. Here, in a very short list, is What I Was Sure I Knew About Katy Perry:

1) Katy Perry is impossibly hot.

2) Katy Perry makes really trashy music.

And I stuck to those opinions. I was set. I didn’t need to ever listen to any more of One of the Boys. I read the reviews, I knew the lyrics and melody to “I Kissed a Girl” too well, from having it, plainly, beaten into my brain my radio andVH1.  I had had enough of you, Katy Perry.

But things change.

Now that it’s the holiday season, I’m all about all kinds of Christmas music. I’m always on the lookout for a new Christmas album. I recently picked up The Hotel Cafe Presents: Winter Songs. Quite a wonderful album. There’s a lot of other singer/songwriters on that album whose music I really enjoy – Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, and Brandi Carlile, specficially. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the album, for me at least, was your very lovely take on “White Christmas”. Having only known the singles from your album, I was not prepared for such a jazzy tune out of you. I never realized what a great voice you have. Brownie points for you, for sure.

I was taking a bus to the mall this past Saturday. The driver had some hip, local pop station blaring. There’s only so much top 40 music that I can take in one sitting. So I started tuning out, instead of listening in, trying to gleam some entertainment value out of the music, at the very least finding a particular song so horrible/tacky and cleched/intellectually offensive that I’d find it hilarious (i.e., Britney Spears’ “Womanizer”, anything by Nickelback, anything by Hinder).

That was, until, your “Hot N’ Cold” popped its way through my idle consciousness.

And you know what? That song is catchy as fuck. Killer melodies, great chorus. That’s a great pop tune. 

So when I got back to my room, I listened to your album. Well, not all of it. The first couple of songs. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were other tracks that were in the same vein – catchy, fun pop songs. And I’m a sucker for those. You had me reeled in, Ms. Perry. Well, for a couple of songs, at least.

Here’s my trouble. Like I expected, when I got to “I Kissed a Girl”, I had to skip to the next song. And when I got to “Ur So Gay”, I turned the album off.

It just makes me wonder why you have to strive to make such, I don’t know, outrageous music? “Hot N’ Cold” proves that you can write just a simple, catchy pop tune. On top of that, I realize now that you’ve got an excellent voice. You can sing, you can write a hell of a pop song. So why write, perform, and record songs like “I Kissed a Girl” or “Ur So Gay”, which are such blatant attempts at being ‘edgy’ or ‘sexy’?

I think “White Christmas” is my favorite song I’ve ever heard you sing. Now, I’m not saying that I’d prefer it if you stuck to real jazzy pop tunes. That’d be awesome… but that’s not what I’m specifically insinuating. What I mean, Ms. Perry, is that there’s nothing wrong with just good solid pop tunes. There’s no reason you have to be some Wild and Crazy! cross between Avril Lavigne and Madonna, singing tunes about, at least what the general public might believe are, taboo subjects, to get press, to get notoriety. You should just let your songwriting talents and your great voice get you attention and acclaim. Artists like your fellow singer-songwriters on the Hotel Cafe Winter Songs album have proved that it’s possible! Ingrid Michaelson, Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, Nicole Atkins, and like minded artists just write great, beautiful pop music. No gimmicks. Just great music.

I’d just hate to see and hear you keep making such gimmick-y tunes, Ms. Perry, when I know that you can write a hell of a song, and can sing like nobody’s business. You can make some damn good pop music. If and when you make that album, I’ll be heading to Borders to pick it up the day it comes out. Until then, well, there’s a few good tunes I’m good with for now.

Concerned, but hopeful, and listening to “White Christmas” on repeat,

Sean

But The Teaches of Peaches may be the best album title ever.

I’m an indie guy. I wear thick black rimmed glasses, I hate the bands you like, and Chuck Klosterman is the only author that understands me. Arrested Development is my favorite television show, Garden State and Juno are a few of my favorite movies, and Elvis Costello is God as far as I’m concerned. I am a prototypical indie guy.

That doesn’t mean that I’m disgusted with mainstream, though, like other indie people. U2 is my favorite band, I’ve seen Dave Matthews Band four times (twice this summer, in fact), and I’m incredibly proud of the fact that John Mayer came from my hometown. Room For Squares is one of my favorite albums.

You see, I may be an indie guy, but I’m also a pop guy. I admit it. But as a purveyor of indie culture, there’s certain music I’m led to believe I’m not supposed to like. There’s a mentality within indie culture that if it’s mainstream, it’s somehow not cool enough. I never really agreed with that aesthetic. I just can’t resist good music, mainstream or not.

American Idol might not be considered cool. I don’t think I’ve ever really been a fan of it, myself. Popular music has always been plagued by sameness. And sometimes, American Idol becomes the pinnacle of that homogenization. At times, it takes on the form of glorified karaoke.

Sometimes, though, American Idol makes good on it’s promise to find the next American musical superstar. Twice, in fact.

My sister is a HUGE Kelly Clarkson fan. She’s her favorite artist. I, however, would take Carrie Underwood over Kelly any day. She’s amazingly talented. Out of the two, I think that Carrie Underwood would have had the best chance of making it without American Idol. She’s probably had as much, if not more, popular success than Kelly following her AI win, she’s got the critical acclaim (she’s already a full member of the Grand Ole Opry), and, on top of that, she has great music.

Carrie Underwood pretty much represents everything that’s right with pop music these days.

Case in point: “Wasted”, from her debut album Some Hearts.

I never had any interest in the music of Carrie Underwood. She’s an “American Idol”, I’m not a fan of American Idol, therefore, I assumed I wouldn’t be a fan of her music. It’s very stupid, immature reasoning, I realize. But I came across ”Wasted” while surfing through radio station after radio station one day, and had to stop.

It’s all in the chorus. The verses are great and all, but the chorus is a killer. The melodies, the pitch, just the sound of her voice; it’s all perfect and heartbreaking and full of down right goodness. I love this song.

The song is about just what you are probably taking away from the song title – it tells the story of a few different people who don’t want to waste their lives. The first verse, a woman is running from something. Probably a man.  The second verse, a drunk realizes that he’s a drunk, and goes and pours his whiskey down the drain. It’s an empowering song. And in a genre (country) chock full of super empowering songs that all kind of sound, I don’t know, samey, “Wasted” is refreshing, in that, it’s awesome, which I don’t find a whole lot of super empowering country songs to be.

But again, it’s all in the chorus. For those of you who know the song, or who might be inclined to take a listen to it, what really gets me is the way that she sings the line, “the still of the morning, the color of the night”. I don’t know what it is, but the sound of her voice, her infliction on the words, and the emotion she conveys in just two lines, moves me in a way that nothing else in popular music really does.

“Wasted” is great. In fact, all of Some Hearts is excellent. I’m listening to it as I write this. Her second album, Carnival Ride, is pretty great, too.

So I like Carrie Underwood. Maybe I’ve been wrong all this time. Maybe I love American Idol. Maybe American Idol is the best thing ever.

Well, it’s been a while. Not that I haven’t wanted to write, but I feel very compelled to return to my keyboard tonight.

I’ve always liked Kings of Leon. The first time I was exposed to the music of the three Followill brothers and one Followill cousin was when they opened up for U2 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, on May 17th, 2005. They were touring in support of their second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, an album I’ve grown to truly love.

At the time, though, I was too freakin’ excited about U2 to sit up and pay attention! You want to know what I honestly, vividly remember about that set? For one, I found the tag to the song “Rememo” highly entertaining (“And the motherfucker’s goin’ to jail”). Also, I was a little irked that the drummer kept blowing bubbles with his gum while playing. This was a balls-out rock show! No place for bubblegum!*

But that was all I could recall. Being that U2 is my favorite band, I was too wrapped up in my live U2 surroundings (“Look at the elipse!”, “I’m going to be in the same room as U2!”, “What is this song? Don’t know it, but I know I like it. WhoooaaaaaOOOOOAAAAAoooooooaaaaaa…”**).

That’s really a shame. I grew to become a fan, albeit a casual one at best, of Kings of Leon. I familiarized myself with Aha Shake Heartbreak. I saw them live again in 2007, at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans. I paid attention this time, I swear.***

So they’ve got this new record coming out, right? Only By the Night. I read this little blurb about it in Rolling Stone a few issues back, and they were praising it, how amazing it was. I was cautious. For one, I wasn’t too crazy about for Because of the Times, their previous,****, and the fact that they gave the new Jonas Brothers a four star review, and Tha Carter III a four and a half star review*****.

Maybe an hour and a half ago now, I saw that KOL put up the first single from Only By the Night on their MySpace. Cool.

Then I saw that the name of the song was “Sex on Fire”. Ehhh…

Then I clicked on the song. And listened. And fell in love.

I cannot explain to you how absolutely in love I am with this song right now. I have listened to literally nothing else but “Sex on Fire” for the past hour. It easily bests anything from Because of the Times, and may have jumped up to #1 on Sean’s Super Sexy Top Favorite Kings of Leon Songs Countdown.******

I also happen to think that the song features Caleb Folowill’s best vocals on record. Yes, it’s still a bit of a challenge to understand every word he sings. If you have to, though, forget the lyrics. Just listen to the melody.

There’s no reason that, based on “Sex on Fire”, Only By the Night won’t be one of the best albums of 2008. Check it out on their MySpace, please, and see if I’m not right.

*I have since grown up, and become less of an idiot, and have no problem with bubblegum bubble blowing at a rock show. In fact, I find it quirky. Quirky is good.

**”Wake Up” – Arcade Fire. What, you didn’t get that?

***Totally worth it, too. Awesome show.

****I will admit that I haven’t listened to the whole thing. I’m just very ADD when it comes to what I listen to. If it doesn’t immediately grab me, I might be prone to skip the whole thing. No, it’s not fair, I realize. Bad Kings of Leon fan!

*****Sorry, but, aside from “Dr. Carter”, I just don’t get the hype. At all.

******Because, 1) Like John Cusack in High Fidelity, I randomly and arbitraily make lists relating to music, life, or music and life; but unlike High Fidelity do not make said lists with Jack Black or any other members of the Kathleen Turner Overdrive, and 2) Because I like to keep it super sexy.

Listen to the album, or we’re not friends.

Seriously.

That is all.

If you read my blog regularly at all, you’ll know that I’m a very big fan of Dave Barnes. A very big fan. He’s one of my favorite artists.

Well, here’s some very cool news. Dave’s video for his song “Until You” is in the running on MTVU’s “The Freshman”. Basically, you vote for Dave, and his video gets into rotation. And as of this writing, “Until You’ is number one in votes! Let’s keep it up! So go vote! The link to vote, and the video, are below.

Also, if anyone happened to watch TRL today, you will have seen Dave’s video! I happened to be out at the time, so I didn’t get to see it. But I’m sure it was awesome, and I’ll be hoping some other like-minded Dave Barnes fan will post it on YouTube in good time.

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

http://www.mtvu.com/music/freshmen/

And here’s the video you’ll be voting for:

http://www.lulu.tv/?p=24388