The Death of Music Journalism

I just read an interesting piece on Slate.com about the death of music journalism. In his article “Spinning in the Grave: the three biggest reasons music magazines are dying,” Jonah Weiner paints an intriguing picture about the cultural function music magazines such as Blender, SPIN, and Rolling Stone have historically performed, and he explains why we, as a music-loving public, no longer seem to need them.

Check it out.

“Please Don’t Leave Me” by P!nk

Wait a second. Do I like P!nk?

It’s not an easy thing for a heterosexual male to admit. I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe it’s because while “guy music” doesn’t seem to be a coherent category, “girl music” definitely is. It’s palpable and readily identifiable, located somewhere between chick-lit and movies about dancing on the pop culture landscape. We men know girl music when we hear it, and as soon as it starts playing, we know that we’re supposed to pretend we aren’t caught up in its infectious beats and its liberating, self-affirming messages.

There’s some music men are just not supposed to like, and it’s for this reason that I think I have heretofore resisted the urge to stand up and be counted as a P!nk supporter. I’ve always thought of P!nk’s music as girl music, and so I’ve kept secret my long-standing love affair with songs like “Just Like a Pill.” But now, since hearing “Please Don’t Leave Me,” I’m starting to think I was wrong about P!nk.

Perhaps P!nk belongs among the ranks of female pop-artists its okay for music-loving men to admire. Maybe it was never accurate to assign her a spot alongside the Kelly Clarksons and the Christina Aguileras. Maybe it’s time to admit she belongs with the Beyoncés and the Gwen Stefanis.

“Please Don’t Leave Me” has been stuck in my head since I first heard it a few days ago. It’s an apologetic love song, and it’s catchy as hell.

I don’t know if I can yell any louder.
How many times have I kicked you outta here,
Or said something insulting?

I can be so mean when I wanna be.
I am capable of, really, anything.
I can cut you into pieces
When my heart is broken.

Please don’t leave me.
Please don’t leave me.
I always say how I don’t need you,
But it’s always gonna come right back to this.

P!nk’s voice is undeniably sexy, and hearing her breathlessly whisper the words “Please don’t leave me” over and over again makes one wonder how any guy could consider leaving her. “Please Don’t Leave Me” should be added to the increasingly long list of respectable P!nk songs, and I would encourage my fellow men not to make the same mistake I did, and to give the tough chick with the raspy voice another listen.

So, yeah, I guess like P!nk. You got a problem with that?

Listen to Another Song.

“Wake Up” by The Arcade Fire

“Wake Up” by The Arcade Fire has been getting some play lately as part of the preview for the Where the Wild Things Are movie (which, incidentally, looks awesome).

If the children don’t grow up,
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We’re just a million little gods causin’ rain storms turnin’ every good thing to rust.

I guess we’ll just have to adjust.

“Wake Up” can be found on The Arcade Fire’s 2004 album, Funeral, a solid album, though probably not as strong as 2007’s Neon Bible.

In all honesty, I had all but forgotten about “Wake Up”; since being reminded of its existence, however, I’ve awarded the song a spot on my July 2009 playlist.

Listen to Another Song.

“With or Without You” by U2

Okay, this is an opinion piece, but it’s a correct opinion.

U2’s “With or Without You” is the greatest pop song ever written. I won’t even entertain any argument to the contrary. Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” are the only other two songs that even come close.

And if a critique of “With or Without You” lends itself to hyperbole, maybe that has something to do with the way Bono’s trademark Irish holler oscillates so effectively between desire and regret throughout the last half of this song, stretching a single syllable into an epic simile of rock-n’-roll pathos.

Look me in the eye and tell me truly that you have not, when alone, tried to imitate that anguished, tear-soaked wail. Swear to me that you have never shut your eyes and shouted out your own “Woah-oah-oah-oah! Woah-oah-ah-oah-oah!” If you can do that, I will call you a liar to your lying liar face.

No one can listen to “With or Without You” and not be swept up. It’s a broken-hearted manifesto, and it’s as close as any pop song has ever come to perfection. The greatest love songs are necessarily about not having a person. The best love songs – the really, really great ones – are never about happiness. They’re about heartache. They operate as stand-ins for the objects of our desire, and echo through the empty part of our hearts.

A happy love song makes us feel happy by reminding us of happy times; that’s an easy trick. By contrast, a beautiful sad song is tasked with making painful things pleasant. It’s the job of a sad song to make torment beautiful and “With or Without You” does that better than any other song; it sums up in its title and its chorus the drama associated with every screwed up, on-again-off-again relationship any of us has ever experienced:

With or without you,
With or without you,
I can’t live with or without you.

I write this with the knowledge that somewhere out there is a fifteen year-old kid who has never heard this song before, or at least never really listened to it. Somewhere there is a teenager whose heart is breaking for the very first time. And I want to send that kid a message: go out and buy this song – today. It will change your life.

“The Fixer” by Pearl Jam (New Single)

Pearl Jam’s new single, “The Fixer” just came out recently, and you should hear it.

I’ve been reacquainting myself with Pearl Jam recently. The band and I parted ways for a while after No Code. Just a few months ago, I picked up their self-titled 2006 album and really enjoyed it. That last album was borne out of protest. It was dominated by anti-Bush tracks with titles like “World Wide Suicide,” “Comatose,” and “Severed Hand,” songs with lyrics like:

I felt the earth on Monday. It moved beneath my feet
In the form of a morning paper. Laid out for me to see.

Saw his face in a corner picture. I recognized the name.
Could not stop staring at the face I’d never see again.

It’s a shame to awake in a world of pain.
What does it mean when a war has taken over?

It’s the same every day in a hell manmade.
What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her?

The whole world … world over.
It’s worldwide suicide.

It’s pretty easy to see where the band’s head-space was.

Pearl Jam’s new song, “The Fixer,” has a decidedly more optimistic outlook, which may have something to do with the changing political climate in America. Word on the internet is that “The Fixer” could be about Obama, but that limits the song a bit for me. Sure “The Fixer” is about Obama, but it’s also about change, restoration, resistance, and irrepressible optimism. In other words, it’s a classic rock-n’-roll song.

When something’s dark let me shed a little light on it.
When something’s cold let me put a little fire on it.
If something’s old I wanna put a bit of shine on it.
When something’s gone I wanna fight to get it back again!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
Fight to get it back again!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

When something’s broke I wanna put a bit of fixin’ on it.
When something’s bored I wanna put a little excited on it.
If something’s low I wanna put a little high on it.
If something’s lost I wanna fight to get it back again!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
Fight to get it back again!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

When signals cross I want to put a little straight on it.
If there’s no love, I want to try to love again.
I’ll say your prayers. I’ll take your side.
I find us a way to make light.
I’ll dig your grave.
We’ll dance and sing.
What’s saved could be one last lifetime.

Pearl Jam’s new album, Backspacer, will be out in September.

“Monday in a Month” by Adam Puddington

Here’s a Monday-morning song for those of you still trying to recover from the weekend. I heard Adam Puddington’s “Monday in a Month” for the first time a few weeks ago on CBC Radio. Puddington’s raspy, world-weary voice is ideal for this kind of drinking song.

Here’s a sample of the lyrics:

Well I haven’t seen a Monday in a month.
Though the weekdays where the week ends they get rough.
When those lights are bright I just can’t get enough,
So I haven’t seen a Monday in a month.

Lord knows I try, but it gets complicated
When you’re not the kind of guy to stay in line.
Lord knows I try! Lord knows I hardly try!
But it’s just my way, it’s just my way.

By Friday I have taken all I can,
But by Friday night, hey, I’m a brand new man.
The wine and dine on Sunday can be tough
When too much of a good a time just ain’t enough.
So I haven’t seen a Monday in a month.

You can listen to the whole song on CBC Radio 3.

Be sure to check out Adam Puddington’s myspace page too.

Listen to Another Song.

“Love Song For Everyone” by dotjr

When I discovered dotjr’s “Where the Stars Fall Down” a few weeks ago, I was also lucky enough to come across his ballad “Love Song For Everyone.” It’s hard to say which song I like more.

I think dotjr is a remarkable talent, and I’m happy to spread the word to those of you out there who may not have heard of him. One mark of a really strong musician, I think, is that he or she can sing about a very simple premise, using very simple lyrics, and the song ends up sounding timeless rather than generic.

Below are the lyrics to “Love Song For Everyone”:

I love your fingers and toes.
I love your lips and your nose.
Your ears and your eyes, I love your frown and your smile.
I love each hair on your head, and every tear that you shed,
Each move that you make, and every breath that you take.

I love you deeper than the sea.
Higher than the tallest trees
Much farther than I can see.
I love you with everything
Right up to the stars and back.
And if that’s not far enough,
I’ll circle the universe.

Did I forget to mention that I love you?
It’s true. I do. I love you.
I love you. It’s true. I do.
I love you.

I love you more every day.
I’ll love you more if there’s ways
To love you more than I say,
But I don’t know if there’s space.
My heart is so full of love for you,
It’s about to split in two.
My chest can’t contain the proof
That love will take over you.

Did I forget to mention that I love you?
It’s true. I do. I love you.
I love you. It’s true. I do.
I love you.

Who’s to say when I go that you won’t be alone?
And who’s to say when I leave that I won’t leave you anything?
Well you have my heart,
Every single part.

Did I forget to mention that I love you?
It’s true. I do. I love you.
I love you. It’s true. I do.
I love you.

I love you more every day.
I’ll love you more if there’s ways
To love you more than I say
But I don’t know if there’s space.
My heart is so full of love for you
It’s about to split in two.
My chest can’t contain the proof
That love will take over you.

Just this evening, I found this video on YouTube of dotjr performing “Love Song For Everyone.” Notably, the lyrics in this version are slightly different than the version available through his myspace page.

Have a listen:

Listen to more dotjr.

Top Ten Best Songs To Run To (According to Me)

I’ve put together a list of the top ten best songs to run to, assembled in no particular order. The best running songs have hammering, relentless bass lines and enthusiastic guitars. They make you want to run, and they pick you up and carry you when you don’t want to run any farther. Good running songs make you go faster, and workout harder.

These are the top ten best songs to run to, according to me. They’re the ones that keep me going on those too rare occasions when I drag myself off the couch and get my ass in gear.

1. “The Saints are Coming” by U2 (with Green Day)

I like a song that builds momentum as I run. “The Saints are Coming” by U2 and Green Day is a running song that starts off slowly and gets progressively faster and louder. It features Billy Joe Armstrong and Bono on dueling lead vocals and a chorus that will get your legs pumping:

The Saints are Coming! The Saints are Coming!
I say no matter how I try I realize there’s no reply.
The Saints are Coming! The Saints are Coming!
I say no matter how I try, I realize there’s no reply.

2. “Crazy In Love” by Beyoncé (with Jay-Z)

This might just be my favourite song to run to. The beat is loud and fast, and the combination of Beyoncé and Jay-Z just makes you want to kick ass. Every time I hear it on my iPod it makes me pick up the pace.

3. “All This Time” by The Heartless Bastards

I first heard this song on an early episode of Friday Night Lights. Minka Kelly, who plays Lyla Garrity, was actually listening to it while jogging.

“All This Time” by The Heartless Bastards was a classic pain in the ass to find. No one seemed to know the name of the band. No one seemed to be writing about the song on the Internet. I eventually happened upon a post on a message board which lead me in the right direction.

I’ll admit that it’s slightly mellow for a running song, but the beat is strong, and the chorus builds to a rocking crescendo.

4. “I Want You Bad” by The Offspring

The best part about “I Want You Bad” is that Dexter Holland, The Offspring’s lead singer, yells the whole thing. The whole song is just yelling. It’s exhilarating. Plus pop-punk makes great running music.

Your one vice
Is your too nice.
Come around now can you see,

I want you
All tattooed.
I want you bad.

Complete me.
Mistreat me.
Want you to be bad, bad, bad, bad, really bad.

5. “Stuck Between Stations” by The Hold Steady

There are nights when I think that Sal Paradise was right.
Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together
Sucking off each other at the demonstrations,
Making sure their makeup’s straight
Crushing one another with colossal expectations
Dependent, undisciplined, and sleeping late.

I love The Hold Steady and their brilliant lyricism is a big part of the reason why. The opening of “Stuck Between Stations” sounds like an anthem. It makes you feel like you’re in a stadium. A competition is unfolding, bodies are about to get bruised, and winners are about to be separated from whiners. Then we get a kick-ass chorus:

She was a really cool kisser and she wasn’t all that strict of a Christian.
She was a damn good dancer but she wasn’t all that great of a girlfriend.
He likes the warm feeling but he’s tired of all the dehydration.
Most nights were crystal clear but tonight it’s like he’s stuck between stations on the radio.

6. “‘Till I Collapse” by Eminem

I always think of this song as an alternative version of “Lose Yourself.” It’s got a similar heavy beat, and it’s got the same “never gonna stop” sentiment. I think Eminem is supremely talented; his ability to rhyme is off the charts. Add this song to your exercise playlist. You’ll be so impressed you won’t even notice that burning sensation in your quads.

Adrenalin shots
Of penicillin could not
Get the illin’ to stop.
Amoxicillin’s just not
real enough.

The criminal cop
killing hip-hop
feeling a minimal swap
to cop millions of Pac
listeners.

You’re coming with me,
feel it or not.
You’re gonna fear it like I
showed you the Spirit of God
lives in us.

You hear it a lot,
lyrics that shock.
Is it a miracle or am I
just a product of pop
fizzing up?

Fa shizzle my wizzle
this is the plot.
Listen up, you bizzles forgot
Slizzl does not
Give a fuck!

7. “Always” by blink 182

I’m not sure why I like blink 182 so much. I’m not a college freshman nor have I ever owned a skateboard. Something about their angsty-teen aesthetic speaks to me though.

It’s the insistence of the guitar in “Always” that makes this song one of my favourite songs to run to. There’s something a little bit 80s about this song too, which I like.

Have a listen:

8. “O.P.P”. by Naughty by Nature

Arm me with harmony. Here’s some old-school rap for your running playlist. I had forgotten all about this song until I randomly heard some snowboarders playing it one day a couple of years ago. It’s been a fixture on my running playlist ever since.

You ever had a girl and met her on a nice “Hello.”
You get her name and number and then you feelin’ real mellow.
You get home, wait a day. She’s what you wanna know about.
Then you call up and it’s her girlfriend or her cousin’s house.
It’s not a front, a F to the R to the O to the N to the T.
It’s just her boyfriend’s at her house (Boy, that’s what is scary).

Damn skippy!

9. “Oh My God” by Jay-Z

Hov’s “Oh My God” makes me want to run even when I’m sitting down. It hits hard and fast and delivers lyrically throughout.

Now I’m knee-deep in the concrete,
Like the streets made of quicksand, it’s beyond deep
I got a chemical romance, two left feet,
So now I dance with the devil, please G-O-D,
Save me from the black parade, release me.
My life like Grand Theft Auto PSP.

10. “Stronger” by Kanye West

Kanye West’s Stronger is the final song on my list of the best songs to run to. The lyrics are killer:

N-n-now that that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger.
I need you to hurry up now,
‘Cause I can’t wait much longer

I know I got to be right now,
‘Cause I can’t get much wronger.
Man, I’ve been waitin’ all night now;
That’s how long I’ve been on ya.

Here’s the video:

While you’re at it, why not check out Top Ten Best Breakup Songs (According to Me)?

“So Far From Your Weapon” by The Dead Weather

My mid-summer obsession with The Dead Weather continues. Since this morning I haven’t been able to get the song “So Far From Your Weapon” out of my head. I’ve been humming it while waiting in line for coffee, and freaking out passersby as I quietly whisper lines like “You’re so far from your weapon and the place you were born.”

There’s a cinematic quality to The Dead Weather music. Horehound is like a Quentin Tarantino movie turned into a rock album, only better. You should absolutely check it out if you haven’t already. The Dead Weather makes the devil sexy and darkness rad. Wickedness hasn’t been so hot since 1667:

“. . . Abashed the Devil stood,
And felt how awful goodness is, and saw
Virtue in her shape how lovely, saw, and pined
His loss; but chiefly to find here observed
His luster visibly impaired; yet seemed
Undaunted . . .”

(John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book IV, 846-51.)

Check out the lyrics to “So Far From Your Weapon”:

There’s a bullet in my pocket burnin’ a hole.
You’re so far from your weapon and the place you were born.
There’s a bullet in my pocket burnin’ a hole.
You’re so far from your weapon and you want to go home.

I try to give you whiskey but it never did work.
Suddenly you’re beggin’ me to do so much worse.
Well I knew it from the get-go the bullet was cursed.
Ever since I had you every little thing hurts.

You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!
You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!

You dream of seeing fire in them hills,
But you better wipe that smile from your lips.
Which of us will be the one to go?
He who hits the road’s the one lives.

You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!
You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!

There’s a bullet in my pocket burnin’ a hole.
You’re so far from your weapon and the place you were born.
There’s a bullet in my pocket burnin’ a hole.
You’re so far from your weapon and you want to go home.

You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!
You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!

You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!
You wanna get up! Let go! I said “No”!
You wanna get up! Let go!

Listen to Another Song.

“Rocking Horse” by The Dead Weather

Holy Hell! The Dead Weather are good! I just picked up Horehound, the first album from Jack White’s new super-group, and I’m totally satisfied with my purchase. Well worth $9.99 on iTunes.

If you’re a fan of The White Stripes, you’ll certainly enjoy The Dead Weather’s loud, bluesy style. Alison Mosshart of The Kills takes the lead on vocals and her collaboration with Jack White is deadly. (Remember when people used to describe things as “deadly”?)

The Dead Weather’s lyrics retain the same ironic, cooler-than-you quality that characterizes the best of The White Stripes. Take a look at these lyrics from “Rocking Horse,” currently my favourite track on the album:

I drink some dirty water. Shook evil hands.
I done some bad things. They get easier to do.

And then I wrote a nasty letter, and I sent it to the Lord
I said don’t you dare come and bother me no more.
Oh! Oh, Oh!

I had a good friend I could only destroy.
And lovers I loved less than anybody could afford.

Yes, but this old rocking horse just nods his head
And he’s gonna rock back and forth the way that he always did
Oh! Oh, Oh, Oh!

Baby don’t you bother, tasting the water.
And baby don’t you bother coming closer to me.
Yes, when you see my eyes.
They’re half the size,
And I’m not able to look at you.
No! No!
Oh! Oh, Oh, Oh!
Oh, Oh, Oh!
Oh, Oh, Oh!

I’ve done my best to transcribe these “Rocking Horse” lyrics. Some of them are a bit hard to make out because of Alison Mosshart’s kick-ass rock-n’-roll drawl. There’s no video of “Rocking Horse” available online as of yet. So feast your ears on this live rendition of “Hang You from the Heavens,” the album’s second-best track.

For more information visit The Dead Weather online. You can pick their album on Amazon.

Listen to Another Song.