Music Related News

       Music related news to interrupt some of the New Music Monday posts again. I don't know how to write in short form without my normal smart ass comments tumbling out so I'm sorry if anything I have written in the past two posts has offended you and you've been warned that this, and any future bulleted list, may be even less censored than that time I finally got to see Matt & Kim in concert (okay, nothing will ever be that uncensored again but now you're aware of the limits. Censorship will lie somewhere between the carefully crafted posts of songs I don't quite personally enjoy and excitement over Matt & Kim's utter perfection as human beings in general).

• Everyone came out with videos this week (but they still could not out-do Beyoncé who came out with seventeen videos this week; Beyoncé is a story-topper who has completely taken over iTunes and Buzzfeed and the internet in general): Matthew Mayfield premiered a lyric video for "Heartbeat". Strange Talk came out with a video for "Climbing Walls" and got me re-addicted to something I thought I finally had under control. Saintseneca premiered something that combines the best of everything I have ever loved about the alternative rock genre, going all the way back to R.E.M/early RHCP days and they're just begging for me to love, not only their music, but their video as well (hence the R.E.M reference [if you don't get that, major in the music field for a bit; then switch your major to business after you get tired of relatives claiming that you're majoring in 'unemployment'...]); check out "Visions". And Pompeya released the video for "90" and I love the song and the video just makes it better.
• Jupitr's first video for her first single "Relapse" will premiere January 1; you can watch a preview of the video here. "Relapse" is ridiculously honest (ridiculously awesome) and her other single, "The Good Die Young" cannot be listened to just once. 
• Beyoncé released Beyoncé Friday the 13th and threw off everyone's 'Best of 2013' lists, including that of Rolling Stone (it's like that photo of Ron Burgundy on the cover is mocking the magazine now and I love it). Beyoncé tried to depress the world by presenting us with the heart-wrenching "Heaven" then immediately showing us that even Blue Ivy has her life more together than we do (it's cool, I'll just drink my feelings; Blue Ivy can't do that). The songs will be available for individual purchase on December 20th but, honestly, just buy the whole thing. It's Beyoncé; if you can't talk about her at the holiday party what can you do?
• I'm still addicted to Young the Giant's "Crystallized" because it's still amazing.
• Jesse McCartney came out with a techno/jazz/pop album... It seems he's trying to emulate Justin Timberlake except it's a really soft-core version and you probably should not try to emulate a former Mickey Mouse Club member because I'll become more interested in looking up those videos than finishing one of your songs (I would like to thank the internet for allowing this '90's perfection to exist in this nearly 2014 world).
• Brendan Benson's You Were Right is compositional perfection with brass, playful piano riffs, percussion at every turn, lulling vocals, and amazing lyrics and, on a completely serious note, I love this album; if anyone's album could compete with Beyoncé's this week, it's Benson's. If you can't afford both Beyoncé's and Benson's, get Benson's You Were Right.
• Pia Mia showed that it is possible for a seventeen year old to write a mature song about their first love which is actually heartbreaking and painfully honest ("Red Love") and while I think it's kind of great, it's also kind of depressing. Don't worry about whether or not you think the video is 'inappropriate' and, if you're going to complain about the use of auto-tune, remember that this is a pop song and that this is 2013; auto-tune is all around you and hasn't been pushed out by the resurgence of indie/folk yet (and it won't be).
• John Butler Trio released "Only One" and their awesome sound made me hungry for summer. Watch the video for some zombies (though, I think we should all agree that the zombie trend should have died after Zombieland [because The Walking Dead kills off everyone]).
• Kanye West compared his career to that of a policeman's or veteran's in a recent interview with SaturdayNightOnline radio and proved, yet again, why is he is just an awful person; his words were "I think about my family and I'm like, wow, this is like being a police officer or something, or war or something" (he is truly, eloquently well spoken, or something). I know it must be super dangerous to get up on stage and "sing" in front of people who have made you rich for talking into a microphone, but we can't all have safe jobs like standing in the line of fire to protect the rights and safety of people whom you will never meet.
• Zac Brown Band proved why they're the most amazing thing that continually happens to country by teaming with Dave Grohl to release The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1 EP which features awesome music and honest lyrics with such fantastic tracks as "Let It Rain" and "All Alright".
• Lupe Fiasco is awesome and continues to speak out even when others get upset with him for it; he's always going to be underrated, but you should check out his music because it never fails to say something awesome. His first single off his upcoming Tetsuo and Youth features Ed Sheeran and is, unfailingly, gorgeous; listen to, and buy from iTunes, "Old School Love" now.

Check out "I Don't Wanna See You Anymore" from Brendan Benson for something amazing.

- E