The Alternative Nation News Report 11.30.08: I Am A Patient Boy
Posted by Taylor Martin on 11.30.2008
Turkey is good to eat, but The Alternative Nation News Report is even better to read! Richey Edwards is “presumed dead”, more GN’R news than you can shake a stick at, Metallica using the internet to their advantage, KISS is PISSED, Jay-Z and Coldplay sitting in a tree, T-O-U-R-I-N-G, Amy Winehouse blah blah blah, No Doubt get back together, DLC of the Week, and the best albums of 1989.
Column Start
What up? This is 5th edition of The Alternative Nation News Report and I'm still tweaking the format a little bit, so please, bear with me. With that said, let's get into some news, shall we?
News N' Stuff
Sources: Rolling Stone, Ultimate-Guitar, AbsolutePunk, Pitchfork Media
Richey Edwards, the former guitarist and principal songwriter of the Manic Street Preachers has been declared "presumed dead" 13 years after his disappearance. Edwards was last seen in February of 1995 leaving his hotel in London. His abandoned car was found a few days later at the Severn Bridge, a place where suicides have taken place in the past. Edwards' parents have reportedly not accepted that he is dead, but did so to get his affairs in order. There have been reported sightings of him in the past, but nothing has come out of them.
A veritable cornucopia of Guns N' Roses news:
- China has reportedly banned Chinese Democracy for obvious reasons. But the Chinese government officially says that the album is "too noisy and clamorous" and that nobody likes GN'R anyway.
- Axl Rose is demanding an apology from Dr. Pepper for botching the free soda giveaway. Earlier this year, Dr. Pepper promised a free soda to everyone in America (except for Slash and Buckethead) if GN'R released Chinese Democracy before the end of the year. Axl is also demanding money from the company for "unauthorized use and abuse of their publicity and intellectual property".
- Kanye West's new album, 808s & Heartbreak, is expected to outsell Chinese Democracy, even though the latter had a two-day head start over the former. And the argument that 808s is available in more locations is moot (Black Ice, anyone? Long Road Out of Eden?).
Some interesting news out of the Metallica camp; the band is considering releasing their next album over
the internet. Lars Ulrich recently said this to Rolling Stone: "We're free of our record contract. We have that element of complete freedom with the next record, so we can do whatever we want. We could do an Internet thing or even put it on Andy Greene's record label." But he also said that they won't be putting out another album anytime soon. I know what everyone's saying: "Metallica hates the internet and loves money! Buncha sellouts!!!!1!!11one! I truly believe (and I always have) that Metallica didn't sue Napster for money. They sued them for stealing from them, plain and simple.
Gene Simmons is pissed that KISS (hey, that rhymed) that they haven't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. " There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss. I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK," In other unfortunate news, the band is currently planning a new album and tour next year. Whatever happened to the music industry being in the shithole and kids are just gonna steal your music, Gene? Oh, yeah, the economy is going to shit and Gene's bank account probably dipped below $100 million. Goddamnit, what a fucking douche bag.
Quickies!
- Jay-Z and Coldplay are planning a couple of dates together in September of 2009. This could be pretty cool but it seems a little premature to be announcing dates almost a year in advance.
- Amy Winehouse blah blah blah back in the hospital blah blah blah divorce blah blah blah
- No Doubt will be coming off of hiatus next year with a new album and world tour. As long as I don't have to listen to anymore of Gwen Stefani's solo stuff, I'll be happy. THIS SHIT IS BANANAS! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
DLC of the Week
Rock Band: Harmonix has put together a pretty varied (read: weird) list this week:
Children of Bodom - "Are You Dead Yet?"
I'm not really familiar with Children of Bodom's work, but I looked up the song on YouTube and it sounds like it would be a pretty fun track to play. Recommended.
Finley - "Tutto E' Possibile"
I haven't even heard of this band so, again, I looked them up on YouTube and found out why I'd never heard of them: they're from Italy. So if you like pop-punk and are fluent in Italian, this is for you.
Platero y Tu: - "Hay Poco Rock N Roll"
Once again, I looked up this band on YouTube and they kind of sound like AC/DC. Well, if they were Spanish.
Squeeze - "Tempted"
Finally, something I'm familiar with. This is probably Squeeze's best known song (to us Americans, anyway) but it seems kind of odd, considering that the song is not particularly guitar-driven. I'll give it a mild recommendation.
Tokio Hotel - "Ready, Set, Go!"
No, just, no. Not recommended.
The All-American Rejects - "Real World"
It looks like AAR are changing their sound a little bit and I have to say, I like it. Recommended.
Miranda Cosgrove - "Headphones On"
Miranda Cosgrove is the little sister from that show "Drake and Josh". Now, the track is free to download, but do you really want to waste that space? Not recommended.
The Naked Brothers Band - "Body I Occupy", "I Don't Want to Go to School"
The Naked Brothers Band is another show on Nickelodeon, but it's actually pretty funny sometimes. "I Don't Want to Go to School" is pretty catchy and the band itself is pretty good, considering how young they are. For that, I'll give it a mild recommendation.
Guitar Hero:
This week, we've got some tracks that were supposed to come out last week but were delayed for some reason:
The Smashing Pumpkins:
"G.L.O.W."
"1979"
"The Everlasting Gaze"
Easy recommendation for "1979", although "G.L.O.W." is pretty good compared to their other new stuff. "The Everlasting Gaze" is good for a mild recommendation. Although, if I were to suggest a replacement, I'd go with "Drown".
The Greatest Albums of My Life
The Best Albums of 1989
Honorable Mentions: Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine, Operation Ivy - Energy, Neil Young - Freedom, Nirvana - Bleach, De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising, Fugazi - 13 Songs
3. Pixies - Doolittle: When Surfer Rosa was released in 1988, it was a critical hit. Commercially, however, it was a bust, failing to chart in either the US or UK. Nonetheless, the Pixies were signed to a major label and began recording their follow-up, Doolittle. The album is essentially a continuation of the style of Surfer Rosa while incorporating new sounds like cellos, violins, and slide guitar. The lyrics are just as surreal as its predecessor, addressing themes such as the environment, homosexuality, and The Bible. In the years since its release, it has garnered significant critical acclaim and unlike Surfer Rosa, the album was a commercial success, selling somewhere in the neighborhood of 800,000 and 1 million copies. Doolittle is considered an important album in the formation of 90s rock and is a must-have album for anyone who calls themselves a connoisseur of alternative rock.
Recommended tracks: "Here Comes Your Man", "Wave of Mutilation", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "Gouge Away"
2. Faith No More - The Real Thing: After Introduce Yourself, Faith No More fired vocalist Chuck Mosely due to infighting and creative differences. The search for a new vocalist brought them to Mike Patton, lead singer of his high school band, Mr. Bungle (who will make an appearance in a future edition of this segment). The rest of the band had already recorded the music that would make up The Real Thing. The album was released with little fanfare in June of 1989, but would finally take off the next year, thanks to the album's second single, "Epic". But if you think that The Real Thing is just "Epic" and a bunch of other songs, you would be sorely mistaken. "Edge of the World", in particular, is a disturbing, yet very mellow song about a child molester. However, Patton's voice is the highlight of this record with its range and flexibility. He can go from a nasally voice to a deep growl in the same song. The rest of the band is great, too. Jim Martin is a great guitar player and Roddy Bottom's keyboards add a nice touch to the songs. The Real Thing was FNM's first taste of success, and while they would never match it, they would still continue to put out great music for almost a decade after.
Recommended tracks: "Epic", "Zombie Eaters", "Edge of the World", "The Real Thing"
1. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique: In 1986, the Beastie Boys released their debut album, License to Ill. While very commercially successful, the artistic value left a little to be desired (don't get me wrong, it's a great album, but it is pretty silly). The Beasties were determined to make a more creative and experimental album, and with the help of the Dust Brothers they would make that happen with Paul's Boutique. The album is probably best known for its extensive use of sampling, containing over 100 different samples. The lyrics had also matured, with clever wordplay and pop culture references. The album was so well-received that Chuck D from Public Enemy said that the dirty secret among the black hip-hop community was that "Paul's Boutique had the best beats." Commercially, the album was considered a failure, selling only 2 million copies. Critically, however, it is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time, regardless of genre. Paul's Boutique is a one-of-a-kind- album, and due to a court ruling on sampling not long after the its release, it's unlikely that we will ever see an album like it again.
Recommended tracks: "Hey Ladies", "Shadrach", "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun", "3-Minute Rule"
It's Over!
Well, that does it for this edition of The Alternative Nation News Report. I'm gonna go eat a turkey sammich.
