Album Review: PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (4.5/5)

I have to say, the view from this bandwagon is looking pretty good.

When it was released in February, I decided to take a pass on PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. All I knew of her was her acclaimed 1995 album, To Bring You My Love, which I don't like. It's so nasty and growly sounding. Not my thing. So I assumed I wouldn't like this new album either. Even when it won the Mercury Prize, I still didn't get interested.

Well now everyone is naming it the album of the year, so I decided I should probably give it a listen. And I have to say...I love it. It's really great. And nothing like To Bring You My Love. Doesn't even sound like the same person, as she uses a completely different vocal style, singing in a higher register.

Needless to say, I haven't followed Harvey's career. Had I done so, I'd have known that one of her signatures is exploring different musical sounds on her albums, from the atmospheric electronica of Is This Desire? to the piano balladry of her last album, White Chalk.

There's no shortage of ambition on Let England Shake, an album about war, nations and England. And when I say "war," she's not just singing about the modern wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, but about history too, including World War I. And when she's sings about England, there are criticisms, but there is love there too. The opening of "The Last Living Rose" is particularly well written:

"Goddamn' Europeans! Take me back to beautiful England and the grey, damp filthiness of ages, fog rolling down behind the mountains, and on the graveyards, and dead sea-captains."

In the span of just one verse there's humor, of a very English sort, beauty, grime and death. How quite poetic. "The Glorious Land" continues the theme of nations, critical of England (and its trans-Atlantic partner in all things globalism) for "farming" its land not with plows and grain but with tanks and orphaned children. Dark stuff, but it's also beautiful song with a bouncy melody punctuated with the cavalry bugle charge. The love/hate nationalism returns strongly on "England," a gentle, sad song on which she sings about her homeland, "you leave a taste, a bitter one...to you, England, I cling. Undaunted, never failing love for you..."

She sings from a soldier's point of view on "The Words That Maketh Murder," describing seeing "soldiers fall like lumps of meat, blown and shot out beyond belief." "All and Everyone" is a lovely ballad; its opening notes remind me of Keane's "A Bad Dream," incidentally another song about war. Some research will reveal the song's subject: The Battle of Lone Pine, a 1915 fight between Australia and Turkey as part of the World War I Gallipoli campaign in what was then called the Ottoman Empire. Again the lyrics are grim: "Death's anchorage: when you rolled a smoke or told a joke, it was in the laughter and drinking water." That Downton Abbey's second season shifted the story into WWI couldn't have been better timed.

Googling some of the album's many unique references can turn up quite a history lesson. But what is Harvey's lesson? Clearly she's not a warmonger. Rather quite the opposite, as she sings about the costs of war, namely loss and destruction, such as on the stirring title track that opens the album with a kinetic melody composed of xylophone and autoharp. It's easy to ignore these grim lyrics and just let the gentle, soothing tune wash over you. Closing track, "The Colour of the Earth," has a gentle rolling melody, even though its another soldier's point of view story about losing a friend during battle. In "Hanging on the Wire," the album's gentlest tune, she sings of a "smashed up waste ground" with no foliage but "unburied ghosts." Since I'm usually not a lyrics guy, I enjoy the tunes immensely, but I found the lyrics to be interesting, and they do make quite an impact.

So a Harvey convert I now am. I'm definitely planning on checking out her 2000 album, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, which is apparently about New York City, as well as England, and also more mainstream than her other work. Along with To Bring You My Love, it's considered another highlight. I'm looking forward to it. I expect it will be totally different from this.

Best: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Last Living Rose, All and Everyone, The Words that Maketh Murder, England, The Colour of the Earth

Personal Chart, December 17, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, December 24, 2011

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna commands the Hot 100's top spot for a 7th consecutive week with "We Found Love." The run ties Adele's 7-week run with "Rolling in the Deep" for 2011's longest-running #1 hit. The song also ties Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "Love the Way You Lie," as her longest-Running #1.

3.(3) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars is the airplay gainer, again, but it's still not enough to move him past LMFAO and Rihanna. As "We Found Love" continues to lose ground, competition for the next #1 is stiff.

4.(9) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry climbs five notches to #4, her 8th single to reach the top 5. It's the 6th top 5 hit from Teenage Dream, moving her album into the very exclusive sphere of albums that have scored 6 top 5 hits: only two others have achieved this, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) and George Michael's Faith (1987). The push is on to see this single hit #1. This week, it's price was cut to $0.69. Next week, a new remix with B.o.B will be released. Personally, I love this song. I hope it makes it.

10.(11) 5 O'Clock - T-Pain (feat. Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen)

This single debuted at #6 on the UK singles chart this week and also enters the US top 10. This is Lily Allen's first appearance in the top 10 and Wiz Khalifa's fourth.

12.(NEW) We Are Young - Glee Cast

I'm behind in my Tivo queue, so I haven't actually seen the most recent episode of Glee yet, but this must be great, since it gives the show another big hit. It's a cover of a song from the group fun, yes "fun" is the band's name.

17.(35) Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith

Mmm...country. (zzzzz) The Digital Gainer and biggest mover within the top 40 this week.

21.(37) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

So she's not the biggest mover of the week, but Adele still makes a nice 16-notch jump to #21 with "Set Fire to the Rain," her third single from 21, which is topping all sorts of year-end lists. Adele's first #1 hit, "Rolling in the Deep," holds on to the top 40 at #40 while her most recent #1 hit, "Someone Like You," is still in the top 10 at #7.

23.(19) You Da One - Rihanna

It's possible this won't actually be a hit. The track has had an odd trajectory on the chart, buoyed at first by great out-of-the-box sales and a strong first-week airplay push, it's faltered ever since. It's growth at top 40 has slowed significantly. Expect another new Rihanna single very soon as this may be her "Judas."

38.(48) Domino - Jessie J

Jessie J scores her second top 40 hit, the follow-up to "Price Tag," which reached #23.

Leona Lewis "Hurt"

Following the fall release of "Collide," Leona Lewis's first dance pop single, fans were expecting a November release of her third album, Glassheart. Perhaps because of the underwhelming response to "Collide" (it debuted at #4, but suffered a swift descent out of the top 40 a month later), retooling was in order.

So fans have to settle instead for a three-song EP of covers. But really, they're hardly settling, for "Hurt" is quite amazing. This is as mesmerizing a cover as her take on Snow Patrol's, "Run," perhaps better even.

"Hurt" was originally released in the spring of 1995 to promote Nine Inch Nails' first full-length album, The Downward Spiral. It was the album's second-biggest hit after "Closer." "Hurt" was famously covered in 2002 by Johnny Cash, his last single released before his death in 2003.

Lewis's version nicely references both the original as well as the Cash remake. The backing arrangement is spot-on, a building storm of guitar and piano that is more in keeping with the Cash version but also nicely references the dissonant melody of the Nine Inch Nails original that Cash's remake didn't. Oh, and she sounds really great on it too, nicely resisting the urge to oversing what is both a fragile and very angry song. She holds herself in and cuts loose appropriately at the second chorus and bridge.

Her performance on X Factor looks to have ensured this a top 5 placement on the UK singles chart this weekend. She's apparently also set to perform this on the US X Factor finale later this month.

Album Review: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (4/5)

More and more the Swedes continue to prove they are masters of not just mass-produced pop music, but less mainstream pop subgenres too. Lykke Li got quite a bit of ink earlier this year as the indie pop act to watch--she even got a shout out from a Glee character bemoaning the show's tendency to cover only top 40 hits. Her second album, Wounded Rhymes, is a strong set of diverse songs grounded in a lo-fi production of booming drums and soulful '60s-era melodies. It's not as retro-kitsch as say Amy Winehouse or Duffy, but the Phil Spector-ish layering is definitely apparent on the track-heavy production. If '60s girlgroups were still around, she probably wouldn't join up, but she'd definitely be following them.

"Youth Knows No Pain" is a percussion-forward opener, followed by the gentler but tuneful "I Follow Rivers" and "Love Out of Lust," both with choruses that needle their way into your head with repeat listens. "Unrequited Love" stripes back the production layers to just a single guitar and some backing vocals, bringing Li's confident vocal to the fore. It's a bit folksy, in the way that Jenny Lewis sometimes was with Rilo Kiley. "I Know Places" is even more stripped down--just a raw vocal and acoustic guitar--until its dark, synth-based coda.

The album's middle delivers its best moments. "I'm your prostitute; you're gonna get some," declares Li on the fiery "Get Some," which charges along over buzzy synth bass and the unrepentant clatter of enough percussion to fill a small warehouse. "Rich Kid Blues," while less propulsive, fills out your headphones with multiple guitars and even some organ. "Sadness Is a Blessing" has the album's best hook, a sad and lovely tune with an unforgettable chorus. Closer "Silent My Song," in contrast, is its quirkiest tune, with a rhythm that sounds like bad plumbing, although I do like its big swooning chorus.

As I work my way through my albums queue, this was one I wasn't initially sold on. It often takes a while (if ever) for quirky indie pop to sink in, but when it does, it's often worth it--something I can appreciate in the long term, and I've listened to this enough since last April that's its gotten through to me.

Best: Sadness Is a Blessing, Get Some, Youth Knows No Pain, I Follow Rivers.

Album Reviews

This year, there were many albums that I didn't get around to reviewing that I wanted to. Coupled with the year-end lists, which always contain interesting ones that I missed, I've got of reviewing to do! I'll do my best to write about the highlights, especially those I'm considering for my own year-end list. Today's focus: electronic music.


Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - We're New Here (4/5). The late Gil Scott-Heron, who Wikipedia describes as a "soul and jazz poet, musician and author," released his final album I'm New Here in 2010. His first album in 16 years, it was a seen as a critical comeback for an artist dogged by legal and addiction problems. Although not a big hit, it did receive significant acclaim, showing up on a quite a few critics' year-end lists. I found the idea interesting, but after sampling the album ultimately decided the mostly spoken-word style wasn't my thing. However, this album, featuring remixes of the I'm Not Here by Jamie XX--best known as a member of the British electronic group XX--is right up my alley. It features dreamy, minimalist electronic arrangements, reminiscent of the XX album, on tracks like "My Cloud" and "The Crutch," but also turns up the tempo on "Ur Soul and Mine," which smartly samples Rui da Silva's 2001 dance smash "Touch Me" into a late-night lounge sort of mix. The last song will sound very familiar to many of you: Jamie XX reworked "I'll Take Care of U" into "Take Care" for Drake and Rihanna. Best: I'll Take Care of U, The Crutch, Ur Soul and Mine, My Cloud.

Little Dragon - Ritual Union (3.5./5). Thanks to the influence of dubstep and the aforementioned XX, minimalist electronica with an R&B kiss is all the rage. A decent example from last summer was Little Dragon's third album, Ritual Union, which also rides the (now fading) '80s revival. Dreamy opener "Ritual Union" is by far my favorite track, with keyboard that swoop in and out of its beat-forward production. The new wave vein that runs through the album is prominent on cuts like "Shuffle the Dream," with its bouncy '80s synths, and "Little Man," which has a minimalist R&B feel. As does spartan "Please Turn" and dreamy "Crystalfilm." Not everything is to my taste, especially more off-kilter tracks like "Brush the Heat" and "Nightlight" and "Precious" may be a little too minimalist. Best: Ritual Union, Shuffle the Dream, Cystalfilm.

Washed Out - Within and Without (3.5/5). With Moby having apparently hit a creative rut, it's time to find a new master of doughy-eyed electronica. Washed Out's Within and Without makes a good case for itself. It feels very familiar: "Eyes Be Closed" sound an awful lot like Moby's "Porcelain," "Echoes" reminds me of La Roux's "Colourless Colour" and "Soft" reminds me of something too, although I can't quite put my finger on what (The Chemical Brothers' "Another World" or Passion Pit's "The Reeling" maybe). Not that I mind, as these are some of the album's best cuts. Within or Without doesn't try to push the bounds of ambient electronica (i.e. "chill"), but it does provide some nice tunes to relax to. Best: Eyes Be Closed, Soft, Echoes.

Album Reviews: Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

We all know what it looks like when a major band dismantles--sometimes messy press, always sense of loss. But what does it sound like? The 2009 breakup of Oasis led to two acts that released albums this year, each fronted by one of the Gallagher brothers.

Three-fourths of Oasis formed Beady Eye, comprised of its vocalist (Liam Gallagher), guitarist (Gem Archer), bassist (Andy Bell) and drummer (Chris Sharrock, who joined Oasis for their Dig Out Your Soul tour). The last fourth, its lead guitarist and songwriter (Noel Gallagher), formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds with support from other musicians.

As splits go, this is an interesting one. Beady Eye has most of the band's tools, but High Flying Birds has its songs. As such, I'd expect Beady Eye to have inherited Oasis' sound and High Flying Birds its soul, and in listening to these two albums, I think that holds true.

Of the two, Different Gear, Still Speeding is bolder and more upbeat with a definite retro feel. Jacked up "Four Letter Word" and mellower, twangy "Millionaire" both sound like like the '70s, while "The Roller" proves Beady Eye has inherited Oasis's love of The Beatles. As does "Beatles and Stones," quite literally, which has a kicky rhythm a nice guitar-driven, piano-kissed tune. "For Anyone" is a mellower '60s-flavored love song, while "Bring the Light" reaches even further back to early '50s and really pushes up the energy. I can't recall an Oasis tune that was ever this joyous.

Liam begin writing songs for Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and was responsible for writing later singles "Songbird" and "I'm Outta Time," both of which had definite retro flavor. While he lacks his brother's head for lyrics, he does come up with some good ones, like this zinger on the moodier "Wind Up Dream" ("If tonight is all we have, then make the bed with sheets of glass").

The album sags a little in the middle. "Kill for a Dream" has the ingredients to be a killer rock ballad, but feels undercooked, losing steam when its hits the chorus instead of kicking into higher gear. "Standing on the Edge of the Noise" isn't very interesting. "Wigwam" is a little too tie-dyed for my taste.

But then things pick up toward the end. "Three Ring Circus" is classic Oasis, which is fine, but the last two tracks are among the album's best. "The Beat Goes On" updates a Beatles in ballad mode sound as well as any Oasis song has with a rich production layered with horns and piano. But they save the best for last in "Morning Son," a touching guitar ballad that Liam clearly penned about him and his big brother Noel ("You go your way, and I'll go mine"). The first time the strings break through at about 2:35 is quite good.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds is a more elegant affair and, although the energy of Beady Eye is fun, the superior songcraft on Birds makes it the better album, even if it does basically nothing to distance Noel from the sound of his former band. It's apparent right from the start with the slow build to grandeur of "Everybody's on the Run," a perfect opening track. "Dream On" is simpler and instantly recognizable as the kind of song Oasis would have released as a single (something akin to "Lyla" but with horns). Really easy to get into and sing along with--in short, a great pop song.

"If I Had a Gun...," the strongest of the album's strong opening trio, is a ballad, also along the lines of what we've heard before from Oasis (I'd note "I'm Outta Time," except Liam wrote that one). Its electric guitar production, touched here and there with a slight country twang, grounds its lovelorn lyrics ("If I had a gun, I'd shoot a hole into the sun, and love would burn this city down for you").

"The Death of You and Me" was the album's first single, and although a lot of people really like it, it's actually a low point for me. After the richness of production on the first three tracks, its simpler sound feels a bit lacking. "(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine" sounds exactly like Oasis, since, well, it really is an Oasis song that, along with "Stop the Clocks," has existed in demo form for years (Oasis's 2006 retrospective was even titled "Stop the Clocks," although curiously the song was left off the setlist).

If people still bought vinyl albums, this one would work great, since "Record Machine" being the perfect soft ending to Side A and "AKA...What a Life!" the propulsive opening to Side B. It's as upbeat as this album gets and it's another definite highlight with a muscular piano and guitar melody. I'm not sure what the connection is supposed to be between it and "AKA...Broken Arrow" but there must be some reason for that common "AKA." It sounds a lot like Dig Out Your Soul's "Falling Down." "Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks" shuffles along nicely with prominent bass (think "The Importance of Being Idle" with a little less staccato).

Despite apparently different vibe on these albums, neither strays too far from what made Oasis great and its good that both succeed, particularly High Flying Birds. Dump the tracks from these two albums together in a playlist with tracks from Dig Out Your Soul and I'd doubt you'd really notice much difference.

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (3.5/5). Best: The Morning Son, The Beat Goes On, Bring the Light, Beatles and Stones.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (4/5). Best: If I Had a Gun..., AKA...What a Life!, Dream On, Everybody's on the Run, Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks, Stop the Clocks

Billboard Hot 100: Year-End 2011

Billboard has all of its year-end charts up now. Here's a rundown of the top 10 with peak positions of the year-end Hot 100:


1. Rolling in the Deep - Adele (#1, 7 weeks). 2011 belonged to Adele. No contest. "Rolling in the Deep" is the year's biggest hit, no surprise there. The song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and was a fixture on the chart all year long (it's still in the top 40). Her album, 21, was also the #1 album on the Billboard 200. Other #1 honors for Adele: Artist of the Year, Billboard 200 Artist, #1 Digital Song ("Rolling in the Deep"), #1 Digital Album (21), #1 Digital Albums Artist, #1 Adult Pop Song ("Rolling in the Deep").


2. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) (#1, 6 weeks). "Party Rock Anthem" was the summer hit of 2011. Like "Rolling in the Deep," this song stuck around a loooong time. "Party Rock Anthem" is #1 on Pop Songs.


3. Firework - Katy Perry (#1, 4 weeks). "Firework" was atop the Hot 100 when the 2011 calendar year began (Billboard's chart year runs from the beginning of December 2010 to the end of November 2011). It was her third #1 hit from Teenage Dream, following summer 2010's biggest hit "California Gurls" (the #4 hit of 2010) and fall #1 hit "Teenage Dream." Katy Perry was the year's #1 Radio Songs Artist, Digital Songs Artist, Pop Songs Artist and Adult Pop Songs Artist.


4. E.T. - Katy Perry (feat. Kanye West) (#1, 5 weeks). The fourth #1 hit from Katy Perry's Teenage Dream was also the fourth biggest hit of the year (the album's fifth #1 hit, "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" is just outside the top 10 at #14). The single version added a new rap from Kanye West, helping to propel the single's immense popularity last spring. Katy Perry is the only artist who appears more than once in the year-end top 10. For her effort, she is this year's #1 Hot 100 Artist. "E.T." is also the #1 Dance/Club Song and Perry is the #1 Dance/Club Songs Artist.


5. Give Me Everything - Pitbull (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) (#1, 1 week). Although this spent only 1 week at #1, it was a massive hit, especially at radio, where it was one of top 40's ubiquitous hits. In fact, the song is the year's #1 hit on Radio Songs.


6. Grenade - Bruno Mars (#1, 4 weeks). This, along with "Rolling in the Deep" and "Firework," is one of three Grammy Record of the Year nominees from 2011 in the year-end chart (a fourth from 2010 appears at #7 below). After he hit #1 with the sweet love song "Just the Way You Are," which is #15 on the year-end chart (penalized for having its chart run split between 2010 and 2011), he followed it up with this darker and even better pop hit.


7. Fuck You! - Cee Lo Green (#2). The F-word was big in 2011, forming the title of three top 5 hits from early this year. While Enrique Iglesias's "Tonight (I'm Fucking You)" is #16 and Pink's "Fuckin' Perfect" is #19, this Grammy nominee for Record of the Year was the year's biggest. Released in the summer of 2010, it slowly climbed the Hot 100 becoming a proper hit early this year.


8. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj (#3). Watching Nicki Minaj's career unfold this year was a magical thing. The buzz was deafening at the end of 2010, raising the stakes as to whether she'd live up to it. Initial singles failed to become big hits, but slowly but surely Minaj transformed into a star, with this single becoming far and away her biggest hit.


9. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera) (#1, 5 weeks). The biggest late-year hit, "Moves Like Jagger" became Maroon 5's biggest hit in 7 years. Their 2004 smash, "This Love" was that year's fourth-biggest hit. Christina Aguilera appeared at #7 on the 1999 year-end chart with her #1 debut hit, "Genie in a Bottle."


10. Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas (#3). Black Eyed Peas are no newcomers to the year-end top 10. In 2009, they had the year's biggest hit, "Boom Boom Pow," as well as the third-biggest hit, "I Gotta Feeling."

Personal Chart, December 10, 2011

Billboard Hot 100: December 17, 2011

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna maintains her hold on the Hot 100's top spot with "We Found Love." That makes the single the second-longest running #1 hit of the year, tied with Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and just 1 week behind the year's longest, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which stayed at the top for 7 weeks. Rihanna has now spent a total of 40 weeks at #1, making her #6 on the list of artists with the most weeks atop the Hot 100. More than half of those weeks (21) were earned within the last 2 years for "Rude Boy" (5 weeks), "Love the Way You Lie" (7 weeks), "What's My Name" (1 week), "Only Girl" (1 week), "S&M" (1 week) and "We Found Love" (6 weeks).

3.(3) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars holds at #3. Although Billboard reported his sales were down a bit this week, he nonetheless climbs to #1 on the Digital Songs chart. "It Will Rain" is also the Airplay Gainer this week, and the highest charting track with a bullet. Definitely a strong contender for #1 at this point.

8.(15) Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West

The rap duo whose collaboration album Watch the Throne has proved to be a favorite on critics' year end lists sees the album's biggest single climb into the top 10. The album's first single, "Otis," hit #12. Except for West's appearance on Katy Perry's #1 hit "E.T.," this is the highest-charting single this year for either artist.

9.(9) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Perry holds at #9 this week and loses her bullet due to sales decline. She's still going strong at radio though, so if the price cut helps sales, expect an upward move next week. #1 is possible but still a long way away for this.

32.(59) Marry the Night - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga scores her 13th top 40 hit with "Marry the Night," the sixth Born This Way track to reach the top 40.

37.(56) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

Adele sees her third 21 single crack the top 40 this week. The previous two--both former #1s--are both still in the top 10, with "Someone Like You" at #6 and "Rolling in the Deep" up two spots to #36 in its 48th week on the Hot 100.

Best of 2011: Rolling Stone's Best Albums

The Rolling Stone list is out! Topping the revered music and culture magazine's list of 2011's best albums is Adele's 21. I'm surprised and happy to see Adele atop the list. It's rare that RS chooses a pop album. They generally go in for something rock or hip-hop. In fact, the last time a female pop artist topped the list was, appropriately, 21 years ago, when Sinead O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got was named the best album of 1990.

1. Adele - 21. I adore this album, so it's great to see it #1 here, as I didn't expect it would be the kind of album Rolling Stone would choose for its favorite album of the year, particularly considering that they gave it only a 3.5/5 when it was originally reviewed (recent #1 albums were from Kanye West, U2, TV on the Radio, MIA and Bob Dylan).

2. Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne. Kanye West had Rolling Stone's favorite albums in 2004, 2005, and 2010 (he was #5 in 2007), and Jay-Z has had four albums appear in the top 5, so it's no surprise the duo's collaboration finishes well.

3. Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. Rolling Stone likes to pay tribute to the legends, so this is not unexpected, but don't expect to see it on the "cooler" lists. He had RS's favorite album of 2006 and his 2000 album, You're the One, made the top 10.

4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. Fleet Foxes' second album outpaces their 2008 debut (it was #11), although personally I liked their first album better.

5. Radiohead - The King of Limbs. Surprised to see this in the top 10. The reviews were good, but not their usual. All of Radiohead's albums since OK Computer have appeared in the RS year-end top 10, with OK Computer and Hail to the Thief placing the highest (#2 in 1997 and 2003 respectively).

6. Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Another I didn't expect to see in the top 10, but it deserves it. Her best album yet and first appearance on the RS list.

7. The Decemberists - The King is Dead. Not seeing this on a lot of lists and I'm surprised. It's great. They were #23 on the 2006 list.

8. Wilco - The Whole Love. Great choice. I haven't reviewed this yet, but I like it.

9. Wild Flag. Don't know this one, although I know I've seen it (it has distinctive cover art). Described as post-punk girl group rock. Could be interesting.

10. Robbie Robertson - How to Become Clairvoyant. Don't know this one either. This is the only list I've seen this on so far.

Other selection entries:

11. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
12. The Black Keys - El Camino (nice)
16. R.E.M. - Collapse into Now
20. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
21. Bon Iver (strikingly low, but more in line with my thinking)
22. Drake - Take Care
25. Beyonce - 4 (glad this made it)
26. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
27. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials (a bit low I think)
41. Little Dragon - Ritual Union
44. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
47. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (shockingly low, considering how many lists have this as #1)

Enjoy the full list here.

Katy Perry Makes a Run for #1

Ever since last summer when Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" became the fifth #1 hit from her album Teenage Dream and tied Michael Jackson's record for the most #1 hits from an album, there's been talk of whether she could break it with her next single, "The One that Got Away."

When the single was first released, her label seemed to downplay that potential, saying the single wasn't chosen to be record-breaker. As reported by Billboard, EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson said that "If it goes to No. 1, that would be great," said Thompson. "If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter."

However, now that #1 is potentially in sight, things may have changed. "The One that Got Away" entered the Hot 100's top 10 two weeks ago, and it's the fastest growing track at radio. At top 40, it's #5 and the fastest-gaining track overall, well ahead of anything else in the top 5.

Perhaps most telling is what's happened at iTunes. While all of the tracks from Teenage Dream sell individually for $1.29, the price of "The One that Got Away" was cut to $0.69 this week--nearly a 50 percent discount. So far, it doesn't seem to be helping--the song is #6, which is about where it was before the price cut.

Best of 2011: Q Magazine's Best Albums

It's that time of the year! Get ready for the all the year-end lists.

Q Magazine puts out one of the best year-end album lists in my opinion, and this year they don't disappoint, naming Florence & the Machine's second album, Ceremonials, their favorite long-player of 2011.

Here's the top 10 and select others (see the full list here):

1. Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine. Great choice. The group's first album, Lungs, placed #2 in 2009.

2. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey. This is getting lots of year-end buzz. I just listened to it for the first time and I really liked it. I didn't expect to, as I don't care for some of her previous work, like To Bring You My Love, which appeared in Q's top 10 in 1995. But I might have to get this.

3. 21 by Adele. This is a no-brainer. Her previous album, 19, was #17 in 2008.

4. Bon Iver by Bon Iver. Not a personal favorite, but one I expect will show up on a lot of lists. For Emma, Forever Ago, which I think is superior, was #34 in 2008.

5. Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay. Surprised this is so high, given that its reviews have been, while good, not as good as their other albums (it has their lowest Metacritic score at 65). Viva La Vida was #3 in 2008, X&Y was #1 in 2005, A Rush of Blood to the Head was 2002's "Readers' Choice," and Parachutes was 2000's "Readers' Choice."

6. Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West. Surprised this is in the top 10. The album was good, but not that good. This is better than any Kanye West solo album has placed (last year's brilliant album was apparently released too late to be considered for the 2010 list).

7. Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys. Took a pass on this one. Still not really that interested anymore. Like Coldplay, Q has long had a soft spot for these guys. Humbug was #6 in 2009, Favourite Worst Nightmare was #3 in 2007, and their debut was Q's favorite album of 2006.

8. Strange Mercy by St. Vincent. I hadn't heard of this until I saw this list. I got the album and I think it's great. Nice end-of-the-year find. First appearance on the Q list.

9. Go Tell Fire To The Mountain by WU LYF. I don't know a thing about this band. I listened to a few samples on iTunes and I don't think it's my thing.

10. Build a Rocket Boys by Elbow. This album was so-so. Not their best. Elbow was #8 in 2008 (their best album), #33 in 2005, and #12 in 2003.

13. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
18. Anna Calvi
20. The Weeknd - Thursday
21. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
24. Real Estate - Days
26. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
27. Ed Sheeran - +
29. Kasabian - Velociraptor! (Had Q's favorite album in 2009)
30. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
32. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
36. Katy B - On a Mission
37. Washed Out - Within and Without
39. James Blake

Best of 2011: Other UK Pubs

Mojo

1. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
2. Skying by The Horrors
3. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
4. Gentle Spirit by Jonathan Wilson
5. 50 Words for Snow by Kate Bush
6. D by White Denim
7. Last Of The Country Gentlemen by Josh T. Pearson
8. Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi
9. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
10. Smother by Wild Beasts

Uncut

1. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
2. The Harrow & The Harvest by Gillian Welch
3. The English Riviera by Metronomy
4. D by White Denim
5. Last Of The Country Gentlemen by Josh T. Pearson
6. Skying by The Horrors
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Smother by Wild Beasts
9. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
10. Slave Ambient by The War on Drugs

Four albums appear in common here (including obviously the #1, which is their only match in common with Q's top 10). Bon Iver appears in Q and Uncut. Josh Pearson sounds pretentious. White Denim sounds interesting. The Horrors album I might consider getting.

UK Singles Chart, December 10, 2011

1.(NEW) Wishing on a Star - The X Factor Finalists (feat. JLS & One Direction)

For the fourth year in a row, the X Factor finalists have covered a song, released it as a charity single and hit #1. This year the track is "Wishing on a Star," originally released in 1978 by Rose Royce, the track hit #3. A 1993 cover by, appropriately, The Cover Girls, saw the song reach the top 10 in the US for the first time, although that version only peaked at #38 in the UK. Over covers include those by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Seal.

Two former X Factor acts get featured credit, giving JLS their sixth #1 hit and One Direction their second.

2.(2) Dance with Me Tonight - Olly Murs

Olly Murs holds at #2 on the singles chart but scores his first #1 album as In Case You Didn't Know tops the albums chart, fending off stiff competition from Michael Buble's Christmas album while knocking Rihanna off the top spot.

3.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Speaking of Rihanna, she's also knocked off the top spot of the singles chart, although she climbs to #1 on the airplay chart, ending the 11-week run at the top for Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera's "Moves Like Jagger."

8.(37) Who You Are - Jessie J

Nice jump this week for Jessie J's "Who You Are." The track reached #28 two weeks ago, which looked like its peak, but her performance of the song on X Factor re-energized it, sending it into the top 10. Thus "Who You Are" goes from being her album's lowest-charting single, the becoming its fourth to reach the top 10, even peaking above "Nobody's Perfect," which reached #9.

15.(43) Fight for You - Jason Derulo

Derulo scores his seventh top 40 hit. "Fight for You" gets its official release next week, which could possibly send it into the top 10 to become his sixth top 10 hit.

21.(NEW) Daddy - Emeli Sande (feat. Naughty Boy)

This is very disappointing. Sande's first solo single, "Heaven," hit #2 this summer. Then just recently she hit #1 on Professor Green's "Read All About It." "Daddy" is another great single, but it limps into the top 40 at #21. #21?! Really? She deserves better.

23.(47) Fairytale of New York - Pogues (feat. Kirsty MacColl)
27. (64) All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

They're baaaaaack!

28.(54) Love on Top - Beyonce

Beyonce scores her fourth top 40 hit from 4.

Album Review: Rihanna - Talk That Talk (3.5/5)

Time flies, as they say, so it's hardly believable that Rihanna has now released six albums. What has releasing a sixth album meant for other major female pop stars? For Madonna, it meant turning away from her signature radio friendly pop to explore the steely, sexualized concept of Erotica. For Mariah Carey, it meant stepping further toward R&B and away from adult contemporary with Butterfly. For Janet Jackson, it meant a little of both, who incorporated more old school R&B while working her own fetishistic concept on The Velvet Rope.

In all cases (particularly for Madonna and Janet), those were pretty big risks, but if you're a pop star and you get to album #6, you're not going to be interesting much longer unless you take some. Hence, while shadings of those ideas are visible on Talk That Talk, the album unfortunately also plays it safe, rehashing a lot of what made her previous albums big successes but with less cohesive results.

Musically, Talk That Talk seems to have three main ideas: bubbly dance pop, slutty R&B and the uplifting ballad. Bubbly dance pop is an area where Rihanna excels, and she continues to do so here, especially with the global chart-conquering single "We Found Love" and the deeper dance floor groove of "Where Have You Been," both of which have renowned dance producer Calvin Harris' help.

R&B-leaning pop forms the core of the album, and here's where the results are markedly mixed. While the breezy, island-leaning fare like "You Da One" and "Watch n' Learn" work well (particularly the former, now a single, and clearly indebted to previous hit "What's My Name"), much of the rest does not. Particularly disappointing is the title track, which re-teams Rihanna with her "Umbrella" co-star Jay-Z, but fails in every way to match that single's appeal. In place of a catchy tune, we get Jay-Z making fun of pregnant wife Beyonce's increased need for the loo.

VH1 calls Talk That Talk the dirtiest album since Erotica, but frankly, it isn't nearly as clever, showing about as much finesse as a 12-year-old. Remember when Madonna coyly described cunnilingus on "Where Life Begins?" ("Colonel Saunders says it best: finger-licking good. Let's put what you've learned to the test. Can you make a fire without using wood?"). Rihanna takes a more straightforward approach on "Cockiness (Love It)": "I love it, I love it, I love it when you eat it." It's not a bad song actually--I like the spare beat--and even though its key refrain is clearly intended to send teenagers into titters ("Suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion"), I have to admit it made me smile too. The track that follows, "Birthday Cake," has a really cool minimal bass groove, and would have made a great song, except that after just a minute when Rihanna says "Ooh, I wanna fuck you right now." It was just a tease. Too bad.

"Roc Me Out" has that hard-edged electro sound that so many songs have these days, which frankly means it's a real snooze. Much, much more interesting is "Drunk on Love," which wisely samples "Intro" by XX, the group that made one of the best albums in recent years by realizing that a minimalist electronic approach was much more interesting that the layer-upon-layer approach most pop producers are doing now. It's a perfect sound for Rihanna, one I would love to hear her explore more.

The last element on Talk That Talk is its uplifting pop ballads, of which there are two, both not bad, but not knockouts. Cliche-ridden "We All Want Love" is the lesser of the two--a nice enough guitar-driven, mid-tempo melody, but it's just not that interesting, either musically or lyrically. Although it's also a cliche to end an album with a song called "Farewell," in this case, it's a good enough song that I'll let that slide. The chorus is particularly fine on this, achieving that delicious boost that eludes "We All Want Love."

Talk That Talk has some really great songs--in fact, as you'll see below I found five that I really like, which would generally accompany a four-star review. It's just that the album is so uneven, with some sparks of ideas that, if explored further, might have panned out to be something wonderful. This is the unfortunate consequence of Rihanna putting out an album every year--she doesn't take enough time to really hone it into something special. I say next year release a greatest hits album (there are certainly more than enough contenders to choose from) and spend the extra time to make album #7 something really, really remarkable.

Best: We Found Love, Where Have You Been, You Da One, Drunk on Love, Farewell

Album Review Supplemental: Rihanna - Talk That Talk

As I said above in the review, Talk That Talk rehashes a lot of sounds from previous Rihanna albums. Here's some key examples.

Talk That Talk track...	Sounds like previous track...	Because...
We Found Love	Loud's Only Girl	Both songs feature similar radio-ready dance pop productions and were chosen as their albums' lead singles
You Da One	Loud's What's My Name	Both songs feature breezy, mid-tempo productions with a definite Caribbean underpinning.
Talk That Talk	Rated R's Rude Boy	Both songs have a similar vibe and beat courtesy of production team StarGate.
Where Have You Been	Good Girl Gone Bad's Disturbia or Loud's S&M	These are clubby songs like "We Found Love" and "Only Girl" but with a harder, electro edge. All produced by different people though.
We All Want Love	Good Girl Gone Bad's Hate That I Love You	These songs slow down the tempo, but not too slow and go for a positive, uplifting sound.
Farewell	Loud's California King Bed	They are both ballads, but with epic-sounding production.
Roc Me Out	Rated R's Hard	They achieve that same synthesizer "growl" by making the song sound both highly processed but also a bit rough around the edges.

Grammy Awards 2012: Record of the Year

The nominees:

As a slate, this year's list isn't quite as hit-heavy as last year's, in which all five nominees charted no lower on the Hot 100 than #2 (except "Fuck You," which only achieved that feat after being nominated). Rather, this year's list has three massive hits, a modest (but very pro-Grammy) release and a real head-scratcher.

Adele - "Rolling in the Deep"

Of course, there was no question this would be nominated. It's the year's biggest hit, definitely in sales (5.6 million copies sold), if not airplay as well (look for it to top Billboard's year-end Hot 100 list that will be out soon). And everyone loves it...still. This is Adele's second nomination in the category, after "Chasing Pavements" 3 years ago. The song was co-written (with Adele) and produced by Paul Epworth, the British producer behind the latest Florence & the Machine album. [US peak: #1(7 weeks), UK peak: #2]

Bon Iver - "Holocene"

This, then, is the head-scratcher. Many considered Bon Iver's Bon Iver a strong contender for a slot in Album of the Year, but ROTY? Really? It's very odd. It's possible it got a lot of votes because 1) it was the track chosen to compete in ROTY, 2) a lot of people like Bon Iver and voted for it wherever they saw it, and 3) the band just missed out in AOTY, but made it in here. I don't consider it a very interesting song--it's not one I singled out when I reviewed the album (NME, Pitchfork, The Guardian praised it, even AllMusic, which didn't like the album, said it was a highlight, so maybe I just missed the boat on this one). Nevertheless, despite its nonhit status, or perhaps because of it, I would consider this a strong contender, given recent Grammy history (it's been 12 years since a #1 single has won ROTY and generally the lowest-charting nominee has been the one to win). [US peak: --, UK peak: --]

Bruno Mars - "Grenade"

Had Bruno Mars been a bigger name last year and the timing been a little different, his "Just the Way You Are," the first Doo-Wops & Hooligans single, would probably have been a ROTY nominee. "Grenade's" nod makes up for that (as well as Doo-Wop's AOTY nod). I'm not at all surprised to see this song on the list, but I would be surprised if it won, given that I think this is about fourth on the list. Still, in Britain, this is the single that kept Adele's aforementioned megahit from hitting #1. Counting his guest vocal on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You," this is Mars' second ROTY nomination. [US peak: #1(4 weeks), UK peak: #1(2 weeks)]

Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"

There's one main reason this song is on the list and it's a really important one: During last February's Grammys, British indie folk quartet Mumford & Sons, nominated for best new artist and rock song, charmed critics and audiences with their stirring live performance of this song. It generated a lot of buzz, sending their single into the top 40 and making their album, Sign No More, a bestseller (it sold twice as much this year as it did last year when it was released). Good will like that is extremely valuable and thus "The Cave" becomes an unlikely although not unexpected ROTY nominee. [US peak: #27, UK peak: #31]

Katy Perry - "Firework"

In the middle of Perry's five-song streak of #1 hits from Teenage Dream (a 2010 AOTY nominee) came "Firework," the biggest of her singles from the 2011 eligibility period. Despite the cultural significance associated with her singles "I Kissed a Girl" and "California Gurls," neither snagged a ROTY nominee, making this Perry's first. I chalk that up to a bias against big summer hits (although Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" did receive nominations). [US peak: #1(4 weeks), UK peak: #3]

The snubs:

Don't really see any major snubs in ROTY this year; snubs in general are hard to identify, since the field is so wide open. Some people may think Lady Gaga was snubbed for "Born This Way," but she didn't submit the song for contention (she didn't even submit "The Edge of Glory"), and it's really not a surprise that "Judas" or "You and I" weren't nominated.

Among the other AOTY nominees not represented in ROTY, Foo Fighters didn't have a breakout hit like they did in 2007 ("The Pretender," a ROTY nominee from their AOTY-nominated album). And Rihanna didn't submit anything from Loud; she submitted "We Found Love" instead, perhaps too new to draw much attention.

The songs I'd have thought had a chance at getting in here that didn't make it are (in order): 1) Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks," 2) Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - "Moves Like Jagger", 3) Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson - "Don't You Wanna Stay," 4) Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - "The Lady Is a Tramp," 5) Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass," and 6) Taylor Swift "Back to December."

Personal Chart, December 3, 2011

Grammy Awards 2012: Album of the Year

The Nominees:

The nominating slate of Grammy's biggest award held more surprises this year than usual. Remember all that ink I've bled the last few years with my theories about AOTY spreading its nominations across popular music's biggest genres? You can throw that argument aside this year, as four pop albums made the cut this year with not a an R&B, country, rap or folk album in sight (at least my insistence that a rock album always gets nominated held true).

Adele - 21

This is one of two albums I picked as sure-bet nominees this year, so it's no surprise to see it here. Certainly she's the favorite to win, as 21 is the year's best-selling album (and the fastest-selling in the last 6 years)--a true phenomenon of the likes that hasn't been seen in a long time. The album has achieved a level of cultural consciousness few have reached in recent years, sending singles on to multiple radio formats, appealing to all ages, and getting props from the likes of Saturday Night Live and Glee (both in the same week even). Naysayers who say the album is dead were proven wrong this year.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Some people might be surprised to see the Foo Fighters' Wasting Light on the list, but I wasn't. The album was heralded as their best work in years, surpassing the acclaim of their 2007 album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, which was also an AOTY nominee.




Lady Gaga - Born This Way

I must admit to a little bit of surprise to see Lady Gaga's Born This Way on the list. Gaga experienced a bit of backlash this year, with "Born This Way" being called an "Express Yourself" rip-off and "Judas" flopping on the charts. And the album didn't sell as well as expected. Nonetheless, "The Edge of Glory" and "You and I" generated positive buzz, and "Marry the Night" is quickly looking it could be massive, so I'm glad to see it here, since I think it's her strongest album yet.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Two months ago I said that since Adele was a lock that if voters were willing to nominate a second pop album, it would likely be Bruno Mars' Doo Wops & Hooligans, a solid album that generated three big hits this year. Grammy proved last year that it liked Mars, nominating his productions of B.o.B's "Nothing on You" and Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You" for Record of the Year.


Rihanna - Loud

The biggest surprise of what's on the list is Rihanna's Loud. Although Good Girl Gone Bad was a bigger commercial hit and Rated R a more artistic album, neither managed an AOTY nod. Loud, which I would consider inferior to both of those albums, nonetheless scored three #1 hits, and so I think it's commercial appeal is what put it on the list (akin to last year's nod to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, which has since proven to be one of the all-time biggest producers of big pop hits).

The snubs:

• Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. After 21, this was the other album I was sure would be nominated. West has been nominated three times before, and his latest album was just as acclaimed as those--if not more so, with "masterpiece" being bandied about to some extent. Still, the album produced no major hits on par with a "Gold Digger" or "Stronger," which may have been what sank it against this pop-heavy slate of hit albums. Nevertheless, I consider this a snub on par with the recent omissions of Bruce Springsteen's Magic and Bob Dylan's Modern Times.

• Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. This isn't a snub against Simon so much as it is against Grammy pillars. Nostalgia has long played an important role in the Album of the Year category (see Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Robert Plant, etc.), but not so much this year or last, when Carole King and James Taylor's album was similarly snubbed. Foo Fighters have been around for awhile, but like 20 years, not the 40+ years for the artists listed above.

• Taylor Swift - Speak Now. This was tipped by some as a pretty hot bet, but frankly, I'm not surprised she didn't make it in. Speak Now wasn't nearly the crossover success that Fearless was and Swift was so well-decorated 2 years ago that voters may feel like honoring someone else this time.

• Bon Iver - Bon Iver. Bon Iver showed up in Best New Artist (despite having put out a popular album 3 years ago) and this was the year's hottest alternative album. So after a win by an alternative album last year (Arcade Fire's Suburbs), I thought this had a good chance of making the cut. Surprisingly, he shows up in ROTY instead for "Holocene."

• Tony Bennett - Duets II. There was some talk that he could get in there, but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way in the end. He's not really that interesting to me.