The Alternative Nation News Report 01.04.09: The Column That Nobody Missed

Posted by Taylor Martin on 01.04.2009

Hey, I’m back from my hiatus. What happened while I was gone? Not much really.



Column Start

Man, I've been gone for a while. I got a new job and so I was trying to adjust to that. And then I totally forgot about the holidays so I had to deal with that. So this week I'm ready to come back, but wouldn't you know it; there's no news to report. But I still have DLC and the Best Albums to fill up space so all 7 of my readers have something to read on Sundays. Hooray and on with the news!


News N' Stuff

I guess the biggest news that has come out since the holidays has been the engagement of actress/musician Zooey Deschanel and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. I didn't even know they were dating, let alone engaged. But I guess it sort of makes sense. It's like a match made in indie heaven.


Prince, who has actually been relevant these past couple of years (no, that wasn't sarcasm (no, that wasn't either)), will be releasing three new albums this year. MPLSOUND will be a heavily electronic affair, Lotus Flower (which totally sounds like an Insane Clown Posse album) will be guitar-driven (which is awesome because Prince is a very underrated guitarist) and his protégé, Bria Valente will release her new album, Elixir, which Prince will be heavily involved in. All of the albums will be released without the support of a label and will be available on Prince's website and at a retailer that has yet to be named. All of these bands nowadays have been going on and on about how labels are unnecessary and only care about money. Prince was really the first artist to break away from a label and although he was largely unsuccessful during his "Symbol" phase and only had a resurgence in popularity when he was on a major label again, these bands should thank Prince for what he did all of those years ago.

I don't really know where I was going with that. Like I said, it's been a slow week.


Billboard released its Top Ten Albums of 2008 and it reads as follows:

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
2. Santogold - Santogold
3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
5. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
6. TIE: TV On The Radio - Dear Science / Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
8. Metallica - Death Magnetic
9. TIE: Adele - 19 / Duffy - Rockferry
10. TIE: Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III / MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Man, that has got to be one of the trendiest lists I've ever seen. And I've read The Pitchfork 500. Vampire Weekend has got to be one of the most overrated bands in the history of music. Dear Science was pretty good, even better than Return to Cookie Mountain. If I had to pick a best album of last year, it would probably be Death Magnetic because it was the one I listened to the most and because it's pretty fucking awesome.


Quickies!

No Quickies this week. I told you it was a slow news week.


DLC of the Week

Rock Band:

This week, Harmonix offers up some good ol' fashioned rock n' roll from a very underrated, yet influential source:

Roy Orbison:

"Claudette"
"In Dreams"
"Mean Woman Blues"
"Oh, Pretty Woman"
"Ooby Dooby"
"You Got It"

Roy Orbison was one of the primary architects of rock n' roll and this is a selection of his best and most beloved songs. Highly recommended.


Guitar Hero:

This week's DLC isn't so good:

Rascal Flatts - "Me and My Gang"

Brad Paisley - "Ticks"

Brooks & Dunn - "Hillbilly Deluxe"

Bogus. Not recommended.


The Greatest Albums of My Life

The Best Albums of 1991

Honorable Mentions: Massive Attack - Blue Lines, Pearl Jam - Ten, Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger, Anthrax - Attack of the Killer B's, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik, R.E.M. - Out of Time


3. U2 - Achtung Baby: After the somewhat disappointing reception to 1988's Rattle and Hum, Bono announced that the band would have to "go away and dream it all up again". Achtung Baby was the result of said dreaming, but it almost didn't happen. The band disagreed about the direction that the band should take. Bono and The Edge favored a departure from their traditional sound, utilizing electronic and dance music. Larry Jr. and Adam Clayton were resistant to the changes, arguing that changing their sound could alienate their fan base. The band came close to breaking up during this period until The Edge wrote "One". The song gave the band a new sense of optimism and allowed them to finish the album. For this reason, "One" is referred to by fans (and by the band themselves) as the song that saved U2. It wouldn't matter if the rest of the album was shit, "One" would still make it a good album. Thankfully, the rest of the album is great. Songs like "One" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" retained the traditional sound, while "Until the End of the World" and "Mysterious Ways" embrace the electronic elements. While this is not U2's best album (that distinction belongs to The Joshua Tree) it is still a crowning achievement. How many bands can say they have not only one, but two of the best albums ever recorded?

Recommended tracks: "One", "Until the End of the World", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"




2. Metallica - Metallica: Metallica got their first taste of mainstream success with …And Justice for All initiated by the popularity of their breakout hit, which is, oddly enough, also titled "One". The anticipation for this album was off the charts. Produced by Bob Rock, the album's recording sessions were marred by conflict between the band and Rock. Three marriages were ended during the sessions and total cost of the album was about 1 million dollars. But even with all of that going against them, Metallica (sometimes referred to as The Black Album) entered to Billboard 200 at #1, the first of five albums to do so (the band holds the record for most consecutive debuts at #1). Metallica marks a significant change in the band's sound. The album is more polished than their previous works and has heavy Middle Eastern influences. The song "Nothing Else Matters" was an anomaly in the Metallica catalog at that time, as it featured an entire string section arranged by famed composer Michael Kamen. While I personally prefer the first four albums, Metallica is a solid record. It's just a shame that it took almost 20 years to realize that Bob Rock wasn't the great producer that everyone thought he was when this came out.

Recommended tracks: "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman", "Wherever I May Roam", "Sad but True"




1. Nirvana - Nevermind: Seriously now, what else did you think would be #1? Probably the most influential album of the last two decades, Nevermind had pretty low expectations when it was released. Geffen Records hoped that the album would sell as well as Sonic Youth's 1990 album, Goo, which was the label's highest selling album at that time with 250,000 copies. Released in September of 1991, Nevermind entered the Billboard chart at #144, which was actually above expectations. The album's first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", was making its way onto radio and MTV and became an unexpected hit. By November, the album had entered the Top 40 and was certified Platinum. On January 11, 1992, the album finally reached #1 on the Billboard charts, replacing, of all people, Michael Jackson. The meteoric rise of Nirvana and Nevermind can be attributed to many reasons, but the one that I like is that the youth of America were just fed up with all of the crap that was coming through the radio and MTV. Nirvana was the band that killed hair metal and for that alone they should be commended. The music itself is really just slowed down punk rock. That's not to say it's good, because it is really good. Songs like "Breed" and "Territorial Pissings" are pretty much just punk rock, while others like "Come as You Are", "Polly" and "Something in the Way" are a little softer in tone. Even "In Bloom" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are a mix of both. Nevermind may sound a little aged and it may not be the best album of the 90s (that wouldn't come until 1997), but it is certainly the most influential as it has, for better or worse, inspired a load of bands from Bush to The Vines. Nirvana would have a short reign at the top, but it was an amazing one.

Recommended tracks: "In Bloom", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Breed", "On a Plain"




Column End

Well, this concludes this edition of The Alternative Nation News Report. Tune in next week to see if I actually show up.

Bye forever.