This Must Be...Pop!

The 54th Grammy Nominees!

2011-12-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hello, friends! Laura here. Sometimes I remember I have a blog. Sometimes that reminder comes in the form of Julia, and sometimes that reminder comes in the form of the Grammy nominees being announced.

Here are the nominees for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. I'd LOVE to hear your opinions! Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win? Are those answers the same person? How do YOU pronounce Bon Iver? What DOES happen If I Die Young? Answers, people. I need answers.

Record of the Year: Remember: this means a single song, and it's for excellence in sound engineering. Think, "recording of the year." It's also come to mean "The Recording You Couldn't Escape This Year." (Think: "Single Ladies.") So Adele might have this one on lock. The nominees are:

Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Holocene - Bon Iver
Grenade - Bruno Mars
The Cave - Mumford and Sons
Firework - Katy Perry

My producer friend Brendan loves Firework, and I tend to default to him on all things music editing. But I can't deny that all of these recordings are stellar. Again, if it goes to "The Recording You Couldn't Escape This Year," Adele takes it.

Song of the Year: for excellence in songwriting. I tend to give this category a mental "Acoustic Coffeehouse Check" and see which song still stands after you strip away all its production. So what do you do with Kanye's "All of the Lights"? In my opinion, that song is a work of art, and the orchestration of the whole thing IS a product of the artists' creativity, not an afterthought of the engineers. It unravels otherwise. So that song just might be my pick, though the nominations are all excellent. What do you think?

All Of The Lights (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie) Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters
The Cave (Mumford & Sons)Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters
Grenade (Bruno Mars) Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters
Holocene (Bon Iver) Justin Vernon, songwriter
Rolling in the Deep (Adele) Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters

Album of the Year: the whole CD. For the sake of full disclosure, the only one I've heard in its entirety is Gaga's, and it's a work of art. If you listen to the radio, however, you've heard several songs from all of the following albums. I love me some Foo Fighters. Then again, Adele had a huge year. Then again, Rihanna cranked out the hits like a champ in 2011. Then again, I begrudgingly acknowledge that Bruno Mars is talented. (But only begrudgingly. Why is that? You're with me, right?) Thoughts? Insights? Do you know any of the unreleased stuff?

21 - Adele
Wasting Light - Foo Fighters
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops and Hooligans - Bruno Mars
Loud - Rihanna

Can we also acknowledge what a bitch Adele is for naming them after how old she is when they're released? It's like she's rubbing it in. Pardon me while I work on my debut solo project, "26."

Best New Artist: the nominees:

The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J.Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

I know Julia hates The Band Perry. Wait. Maybe it's Lady Antebellum she hates. I get the two confused... (I don't, but you see my point.)

I'm hot and cold with Bon Iver, people. Rant starts here: I saw a friend tweet about their album, so I picked it up. Though beautiful, I honestly found it to be a bit redundant. I also don't understand why someone with such a naturally sexy, gritty, baritone voice would spend an hour singing to me in falsetto.

When it was announced that they were nominated for a Grammy, I, like a sheep, thought that I must have overlooked their genius and somehow owed the album another listen. Besides, when you play the 10-second-awards-show-snippet of each nominated song back to back, Bon Iver's ethereal orchestra is downright beautiful.

Then, I stumbled across the New York Times article of lead singer Justin Vernon saying that the Grammys don't matter. And while I agree with much of what Vernon says about the motivations behind the people in the popular music industry, I believe there is a time and place to say so. There's "too cool for school" and there's "ungrateful," and I think you have to toe that line carefully, especially if you want people to continue to support you and your music in this economy. So although the hipsters will love you for saying the Grammys don't matter, I take offense. I am someone who writes blog posts about the Grammys, you see.

There's no denying Nicki Minaj had a huge year, but last year the relatively unknown Esperanza Spalding took home the award, so we can't eliminate the possibility it could be Skrillex or J. Cole.

What is a Skrillex? You know Skrillex. The techno song with the "OH MY GOD!" sample? See, I thought you did.

What is a J. Cole? I, uh... don't know.

Popping Up 80s and 90s (Is Nothing Sacred?!)

2011-12-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

So I've been contemplating the use of 80s and 90s guilty pleasures in 2011 commercials for a while now. I think it all started when Old Navy and Target launched these campaigns around late summer/early fall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFz4pCl5CE4&noredirect=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp3COgnacmE&feature=related

I took notice because FACT: I may or may not have owned a Billy Ocean 45 AND/or Debbie Gibson piano book as an eight year old. I did, in fact, want to BE Debbie Gibson, so I found Old Navy's "Only in My Jeans" commercial blasphemy. You can't mess with Debbie! She's sacred!
Here's the REAL video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivGqwQvdCI&feature=related

I mean, she was only 16! And wrote all her own lyrics! Which is probably most evident in the song "Electric Youth" (which inspired the 90s perfume by the same name....LONG before J Lo's Glo or Spears' Curious...):

Zappin it to ya...the pressure's everywhere! Goin' right through ya...the fever's in the air! Oh, yeah! It's there! Don't underestimate the power, of a lifetime ahead....

I mean, any song that can start with the phrase "Zappin' it to ya" is nothing short of lyrical genius. Please.

Then there were M&Ms and State Farm respectively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHCgc48Z1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjO1AQZu2g0

And I started to take notice. Why the sudden interest in all my 80s and 90s pop music guilty pleasures?! Is nothing truly sacred anymore? Dirty Dancing? (Patrick Swayze, RIP) TLC? (Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez, RIP).

And, sadly, it took my mother to point out to me: Julia, YOU are the demographic marketers are marketing towards now.

So, in other words: I'm 30 and I'm old.

These marketers- particularly the State Farm TLC commercial- assume that my peer group a.) has the money and b.) the power to use it. They also apparently assume we are all married with children which- if they were to even consult with my 89 year old grandmother, she would all to eagerly point out this is NOT the case for all of us, namely yours truly (and this pains her greatly. She would "just like to see a wedding before she dies, already/" Ahem.)

I actually feel a little insulted that a.) I am now old enough to be the market target for these companies and b.) that they feel the need to distort my favorite pop memories and pull on my nostalgic pop heartstrings.

I suppose these campaigns are effective and that some of my peers actually do have the money to be their target focus group. Me, however? I just have a pop blog and a deep affinity for all things 80s and pop. Which is enough, I guess.

ps- Who's ready for the Grammys, huh?!?! It's that time of year again! Yeah!

Peace,
Julia

Just a Holy Fool Part 2

2011-05-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I totally didn't intend to be writing a follow up to my last Gaga post because I totally didn't intend to give Ms. Gaga a second thought. Or buy her second album. But then our friend @robcasal informed @lauravand and I that Gaga's new album was only .99 on Amazon and I said "FINE. I'll BUY IT. And I might even listen to it."

And listen I did. And now here I am giving you my play by play. It is a little of what I expected but a little better than I thought. Let me tell you why!

To do this, I really need to go through the album as a whole, because I believe that Ms. Gaga must've thought of this as a concept album. As the past 2 blog titles imply, there is lots of religious imagery. And while that may seem trite for a twenty-something singer/song writer ("we GET it. You are CONTEMPLATING stuff. You have deep thoughts and whatnot....") I think Gaga is grappling with her Catholic roots and does pay them homage. She also uses the line: "I'm just a holy fool" in not one, but two songs, so while she's thinking about stuff, she's clearly not using a thesaurus.

In fact, before I give the play by play, I must warn I have many "Colbie moments" with Gaga's lyrics. For example, I really wanted to like Gaga's tune- "Bloody Mary". It starts off haunting (as many on the album do) and it is interesting. We have the twisted Catholic image of a "Bloody Mary" which again, okay, is trite, but whatevs. But then she's all: "Hands, hands, hands, dance, dance, dance..." and I'm like: "might as well have gone with: nose, toes, froze, close....")

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The album as a whole is a religious, horror-show, theatrical disco with an attempt of an international fair (like the kind we have back home where all the different cultures in the town set up various vendor stations of cuisine and do cultural dances and stuff. You don't have those? Eh. I'm from Ohio.) Anyways, Gaga speaks like four languages in this album. Five if you count 'Gaga'-ese.

I also think (much like Sara Bareilles' sophomore album which we've discussed) Gaga must've thought of what this album would be like live. 'Cause it's got a 'Phantom of the Opera' kind of freak show written all over it.

The album starts with a haunting "Marry the Night" which I can just picture Gaga at her piano in the dark with candles lit in some obscure costume to begin her show. Cut to a few measures later when the track starts pumping and we are suddenly in a gay disco. Yup. Sounds about right. Typical Gaga, but I do actually really like this track. I like her concept of "Marrying the Night". It is kind of a lonely anthem, kind of like a Cher's "Song for the Lonely" but empowering and hopeful at the same time. She's not going to to let her loneliness get to her. She's gonna 'Marry the Night' which I imagine many rockstars end up doing in a way. Hey, the night probably talks back less and is a cheap date. Am I right?

Next is the anthem for acceptance that I've already written my 2 cents about (only 97 more and you have what I purchased this album for! Ha!). "Born This Way" has been covered by Glee and even last night's American Idol contestants (which I was a little surprised by, but whatevs). It is what it is and it's been embraced by America, so good for it.

Now, the next track I really wanted to like. And I kind of do...if it didn't just repeat the word "hooker" over and over again. And not that I'm prudish or anything- what ladies of the night do is not for me to judge- but because I'm sure in her mind, Gaga thought she was making some kind of political statement, but kind of fails at doing so. I think she could've done it in another lyrical way. The lyrics totally ruin the song for me, which is what I have to say about MOST of this album.

Judas I've done talked about too, but I will add: having now seen the video, it is TOTALLY NOT the worst, most scandalous video that she's done and the video actually makes me like the song MORE.

Enter Lady's first international attempt on the album a la"Alejandro" aka "Americano". The woman still thinks she's in Spain or something, but I actually like this tune because there's something really artsy about it. It also sounds like anything by ABBA, which you really can't go wrong with ABBA- it's so fun! It's typical Gaga, but it's what she does well- artsy, fun, and weird at it's best.

Hair. Ugh. I can't listen to this song because of the lyrics. I love the beat (though it sounds a little like "Edge of Glory" AND the unicorn song that I'll have to look up the actual title to in a second) but I can't do it. I don't know what she was thinking talking about how she wants to be "free like her hair". You couldn't think of any other analogy? Free like birds? Free like Ladies Night? Free like Buy One Get One? Really? Nothing else?

I can't even spell the next song BECAUSE MY COMPUTER DOESN"T DO GERMAN. But I like this song. It's like a feminst anthem. Or something. In German.

I've already spoken my piece on Bloody Mary.

"Bad Kids" is like a "Born this Way" for troubled teenagers. I also can't listen to this song because the lyrics are trite and I think of my angsty teens who I describe as "not liking themselves or anyone else" and who wants to think about that on the weekends?

Highway Unicorn is EXACTLY like "Edge of Glory" but less good. And it says nothing about unicorns.

Heavy Metal Lover is exactly just that. Gaga's tribute to Heavy Metal. It's a more rockin' tune, but again, trite. And she brings up "Born this Way" again. Not sure why.

Electric Chapel is interesting to me because it is super religious and haunting like "Marry the Night". She uses her "holy fool" line again and I really think this song is like her John 3:16 in a sense (to use religious reference myself!) It's a culmination of all the songs- a little heavy metal, a little electronica, religious imagery, dark....

I love "You and I". It is the "Speechless" on this album for me. I could listen to it over and over again, and I do. I first started to love it when Hailey sang it on Idol. The judges poo-pooed her, but I loved it. And I also loved Hailey. Girl can sang. But this song is good, chill, and I can see Gaga at her piano slow-jamming it with Elton John which is how I like her best :)

I also love "Edge of Glory". When I heard it on the radio, I just remembered it's awesome sax solo and it made me think of the 80s and that awesome Sergio skit from SNL. (Apparently some other dude thought the same thing!) That's really all I needed to think this song awesome, but I think it has an inspiring message too- standing on the edge for love, putting yourself all out there....it's one of the few songs for me that doesn't lyrically suck.

Overall, I was kind of impressed with the albumm though my expectations were kind of low. Like I said, it was a lot of what I expected, but Gaga does do what is expected of her exceedingly well- she's weird, she can sing, and she's artsy. Mission accomplished. And it was 99 cents!

It was definitely worth the buck for sure! And I'd probably even pay a little more...

Definitely want to see the girl in concert sometime. For now I'll just see her EVERYWHERE else (seriously the girl is everywhere! She even has her own Google commercial!

Anyways, meet you in the Electric Chapel...whatever that means....wherever that is...

Peace,
Julia

Just a Holy Fool

2011-04-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Oh, HEY THERE, Spring! Hey there Passover, Easter, and all things regarding making things new and resurrected and whatnot. How timely to be talking about religious songs with religious themes!

Oh, HEY THERE, Lady Gaga!

I suppose you've heard about Gaga's latest? And what "Christians" have to say about it?

Holy over-reacting, Batman.

Sooo....I actually happen to teach religion and am working on my MA in Theology and I'm not saying that makes me an expert or anything....but....

No, for reals. That for sure does not make me an authority on this in any way. But I just have been asked by every. single. person. and their grandmother about what the Church and Christians have to say about this song. And I can only really speak for myself since I am pretty sure Benedict XVI himself has not yet wrote an encyclical about it or even heard it on itunes.

All I know is Gaga is starting to impress me less and less and we all know how I loved her. When "Born This Way" came out (heh) I was on the "it- sounds-just-like-'Express Yourself'- laid-over-top-of-TLC's-'Waterfalls'" train. And now this Judas business which even the students I work with acknowledge that it sounds strikingly similar to "Bad Romance".

But, yet, Gaga still has our attention, even if it is much in the same vain (pun intended) as Madonna before her. And Madonna's shoes are not necessarily bad ones to be in. I happen to think Lady Gaga is even more of a musician than Madonna. Madonna perhaps, though, had more of a defined vision. Both certainly have drive.

So, yeah, even with all the hype, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's because I was, oh, I don't know, ALIVE in the 80s when Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' controversy hit (albeit I was about 8 and totally making up choreographed dances to the song in the parking lot of my Catholic School that I attended. Blasphemy? Meh, irony maybe.)

I'm sure the video will be shocking (Um, I was a little disturbed by the video for "Born this Way". Not because of any kind of lyrics but that the beginning reminded me a little too much of The Miracle of Life videos shown in health class. No one likes to revisit those, Gaga) but really all I can speak for right now is what I think about these damned (heh) lyrics. So here goes:

The lady herself has said it is about being drawn to the wrong kind of guy, and that's how I take the song 'Judas' as well. I do think she used all the over-arching imagery (ie- "a king with no crown" and "I'll wash my feet with my hair") to be shocking, but I do think she is also making her point with it. She says in the song "Jesus is my virtue." I take the lyrics to mean she knows what is good, but yet she chooses to "wash the feet" of the wrong guy instead. She sympathesizes with the betrayer for some reason, even though she knows it's wrong and bad for her.

That's really all I got. Like I said, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's what comes with turning 30. Last year, i was dressing up like Lady Gaga, this year, I'm over the drama.

I'm just kind of over the drama, Gaga : ( I'm getting to old for this.

Peace,
Julia

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Justin Timberlake

2011-01-31T16:57:00.000-08:00

So... math is hard. And I'm not sure if the subject heading actually expresses what I want to say. What I really want to say is today is Justin Timberlake's 30th birthday and I'm celebrating.

My love affair with Justin started briefly in 1998 when I went to my first Nsync concert Senior Year in high school. I had seen Justin on the MMC (Mickey Mouse Club- DUH) back in '94, but I was still partial to the original members (like those from the short lived pop band "The Party". Remember them? I played that cassette tape OUT:

I later lived my dream of seeing one of the original members live when I saw Dee Dee Magno in a national tour of "Wicked". Yes, I = geek)

Anyways, back to Nsync. My friend and I waited in line to get tickets the morning of our senior Homecoming dance instead of getting our hair did. Britney Spears was the opening act and it. was. amazing. I had no idea what this pop prince and princess had in store for us in the '00s.

Nsync followed me to college and my friends and college roommate will tell you that obsession was at its height in 2000-2001. Justin lived on my cinderblock walls (as well as his bandmates. If I am honest, Lance was my *favorite*, which makes sense since I seem to have a pattern as *that* girl who falls for gay men. Sigh. Gay men and I just have so much in common! Broadway showtunes! Cute boys! Clothes! Fashion! Double sigh).

My heart was broken even before Lance came out of the closet when in 2001-2002 (about the same time Lance announced he was going to be trying to fly to space...oy...) Nsync went their separate ways.

I held my breath when Justin's solo album was released. Would it be good? Or would my idol be the laughing stock of pop culture?

When I heard the guitar riffs for "Like I Love You" complete with the rap break from Clipse- I knew my boy would be okay.

I obsessively watched and showed all my friends the "Cry Me a River" video (pssst...it was about Britney cheating! And it was HOT. Justin? In the rain? Yes, please)

Then there, of course, he brought "Sexy Back" a couple years later and the world fell in love with the man I always knew had an impecible sense of comedic timing (what? I did. I had endless hours of footage of taped Nsync appearances on every talkshow circa 2000. I knew he had "it" ;) with his numerous SNL guest spots.

I hope Justin's 30th year brings A NEW ALBUM ALREADY. Humph.

This year is MY 30th year too. Whatdoyasay, old friend? Can you make my 30th year dreams come true? Sexy Back Reprise...please?

Peace,
Julia

Happy 2011: A Commercial Break

2011-01-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's the new year, y'all, and I still have those effing holiday commercials stuck in my head. Primarily this one:

If you combine my uncanny ability to retain any song I hear with a healthy dose of snow-related cabin fever and more than a little egg nog, this song becomes REALLY fun to dance to.

Imagine my shock when my boyfriend had to tell me this was Vampire Weekend.

Clearly, I'm not as hipster as I'd like to think. Someone get me some PBR, stat.

Either I'm not as cool as I thought I was, or he is far cooler. I have a growing suspicion that both of these things are true.

Before we accuse them too quickly of selling out, I'd like to point out that several artists are using commercials as a launching platform for exposure. Vampire Weekend wasn't even the only one this holiday season.

Perhaps you recognized Pomplamoose:

A friend of mine described this one as "the car commercial with the awkward singing".

I'm quick to jump down the throat of people that overuse the word "awkward", but I have to say my friend was right on the money with this one. I also have to say that if this commercial were my sole impression of Pomplamoose, I'd go on a murderous spree because I'm not more famous than the girl with the awkward singing. Alas, I've heard some recordings of theirs that are pretty fun. Check out "Expiration Date" if you get the chance.

Another one of my favorites that introduced me to my beloved Ingrid Michaelson:

For reals. My friend just got his iPod touch a couple years ago, Shazammed that shiz, and found her. And now, she's all growed up and writing duets for herself and Sara Bareilles (Please check out "Winter Song" if you don't know it already. I don't know why this post refuses to post linky-majigs today, otherwise I'd do the work for you.) You go, Glen Coco! Whoops, I meant Ingrid. Sorry. #MeanGirlsReference

You can't blame these artists for looking to commercials to reach a broader audience. The old formula for fame went something like "Get signed to a label, they'll put you on the radio, and people will hear of you."

Enter: the internet. Suddenly, the radio isn't the only route to audiences. The good news: it's far easier to get exposure. The bad news: There's far more competition for your audience's attention.

So artists are turning to television. It works for them, because millions of people hear their music. It works for advertisers, because they don't have to pay high royalty fees for putting up already-popular recordings.

I'm so thankful that Phoenix did this Cadillac commercial, otherwise I don't know how much longer I'd have taken to discover them.

The upside: I now know an artist I really like. The inevitable downside: I can't hear this song without buying a Cadillac SRX.

Now that I've made you want three cars and a sweater, I'mma peace out. In the new year, keep your eyes open for new artists, and keep me posted!

Love,
Laura

Why I love 2010

2010-12-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, y'all. 2010 was kind of amazing. Nothing super significant or groundbreaking, but just fun stuff in music and in life in general. Do you agree?

Some of the reasons that 2010 was one of my favorites:

- Bruno Mars & B.o.B. Separate and together.

- THE RETURN OF USHER!!!

- Drake and his fancy-ness.

- Sara Bareilles' sophomore album- nothing sophomoric about it.

- "Deuces"- Chris Brown's redemption which had nothing to do with Chris Brown.

- indie returns from Arcade Fire AND The National! MY FAVESIES! Plus, they TOURED. AND I SAW THEM (saw Sara Barielles, too!).

Just saying, it was kind of an awesome year. Plus, I got snowed in with my bestie, lvd, got a new job that I can more than just tolerate but actually LIKE, and only went to TWO weddings NEITHER of which I had to buy a dress for! I WIN!

Also, Very Mary Kate kind of made my year. My roommate and I even dressed up like MK and Ashley for Halloween:

So where to begin? Okay, I loved everything Bruno Mars and B.o.B did this year. I was, of course, introduced to both of them together with this song

Then Bruno sang another hook on "Billionaire" with Travie McCoy, then every girl's dream song "Just the Way You Are" (because what girl doesn't like to be told she's perfect?) and I even kind of like his latest: "Grenade" just because his voice is very pretty and passionate.

I don't love that "Marry You" song that Glee covered, but I do love Glee, ergo, I kind of like that song.

As for B.o.B, he had Airplanes with Hayley Williams and while it was SO overplayed, it had this part 2 version feat. Eminem and we know everything Eminem touches in 2010 has turned to gold, so...

Now for USHER. SCIENCE FACT: I love Usher. I know that has nothing to do with Science, but my friend Lo of @elandlo uses that phrase all the time and you should read their blog because they are hysterical.

Anywho, I was watching Behind the Music on VH1 on like the ONE and ONLY night I had to myself this year (at least since mid-way through the year when I decided to become a first year teacher!) and it was on USHER. And it reminded me of my love for him. I immediately downloaded every song since like 1996 and I do not regret my decision one bit.

LVD and I are a little disappointed that Usher is so autotuned these days 'cause he DOESN'T NEED TO BE but I'm just glad he's back. The DJ does indeed have me falling in love again...just saying.

Since I am a teacher now, I try to be the cool fun teacher and incorporate pop culture and just pray to God that I am not emulating Gwenyth Paltrow's character on Glee.

One day some of my students came up to me saying: "Ms. S! Ms. S! We are going to see Drake this weekend!"

I respond (without missing a beat): "Nails done, hair done, everything did?"

And they immediately respond: "Oh, you Fancy, huh?!"

It was a proud moment for me. I love this song.

Okay, so LVD and I have written before of our love for S.B. and how we want to be her. Her second album came out this year and I think I can speak for LVD when I say we were a little afraid for Sara. We just loved "Little Voice" so. much. Would the second attempt be as good?

I heard "King of Anything" on the radio and cheered. It was a hit! But would the whole album be as good? I admit, when I downloaded it, I wasn't in love with every song. BUT THEN I SAW HER LIVE. And it was amazing.

LVD told me Sara B. had written Kaliedoscope Heart with live performance in mind. After seeing her perform these songs live, the album made sense to me. Well done, Sara B. Well done.

Speaking of returns...I don't think anyone was hoping for a Chris Brown return anytime soon. But I was driving home one day listening to the R&B station which I am known to do from time to time and I hear Drake, Kanye, and Andre 3000 drop all these crazy-funny-awesome verses and I am like, "what is this song?! And how soon can I download it?!" I didn't know who was singing the hook, and I really didn't care. Come to find later it is actually a Chris Brown song. Oops.

Deuces Up, Chris Brown. Thumbs Up as well.

It was wayyyy smart on his part to make his come back with these heavy hitters (no pun intended!! Okay, maybe) because who is hotter than Drake or Kanye right now? And everybody loves Andre 3000, right? Who doesn't love "Hey Ya?"

Lastly, I've said time and time again I love me some indie rock. Two of my fave bands- The National and Arcade Fire- came out with outstanding albums (High Violet and The Suburbs respectively)and then they toured. I don't know what else to say...

This year ruled. My hopes for 2011? Justin Timberlake finally makes a new album and T.I. can be released from (and stay out of!) jail. That would make my year!

Happy holidays, Happy 2010, and Happy New Year!

Deuces,
Julia

Remember the Night

2010-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, all 8 of you! Laura here. Check this out:

How can I say this without sounding completely shameless?

That song is my band, the Understudies. Those guys are my second family and I love them with all my heart.

Christmas has come early for me, as this song just hit iTunes. I'm so proud I want to cry. I'm so excited I want to run a marathon.

This video is a tribute that was made using our song. If you or someone you know are good at making slideshows/videos, we should talk. ;)

Hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Love,
Laura

GRAMMEEZZZ!

2010-12-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this year's show won't actually bring to life those extra ZZZ's I added...we had our moments last Jan, didn't we Laura?

So, Laura's post "got me all guh" about the Grammys, y'all. (I'm almost POSITIVE that I'm using that phrase wrong because I think that means it makes me angry. Which the Grammys don't.) Though the Grammys do kind of give me a headache because of what Laura said: those 47 blogposts this past January were no. joke.

I really liked last year's Grammys. I still get a little weepy when I see bits of Gaga and Elton's duet/mashup of Speechless and Your Song...are we surprised? And a joke about Pink hanging from a ribbon from the ceiling still makes me giggle.

What DID get me all guh last year at the Grammys was Taylor Swift and her inability to sing live and yet sweep up Grammys. But girl can write, so I'll give her that.

I'm hoping (as Laura said) that the pendulum does swing the other way this year, and by the looks of the Record of the Year contenders, it's going to be a hip-hop year. Buzz is already surrounding Eminem to take home many awards, which I believe he deserves. (Also, I just don't want to mess with him or get him all guh, if you know what I mean. Might end up in a song or something in which I end up figuratively six feet under...)

I also hope Em, B.o.B, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and others take home awards because that Lady Antebellum song (though I secretly love it) kind of makes me want to slit my wrists. I know that is UBER insensitive of me, but it- like Michael Buble's "Just Haven't Met You Yet"- taunts me with its sweet vocals yet all-too-truthful lyrics. You feel me fellow drunk, single girl whose tempted to text an ex a quarter after one? DON'T DO IT!

Whomp Wah. Okay. Moving on.

SO EXCITED about the Record of the Year category!!! Each one of those that Laura listed is unique yet similar in some ways. And I love them ALL!

I have to laugh about Cee-Lo. One of my Tweeps and personal friends who- is amazing but usually a year or two behind when it comes to pop music- actually sent me the original, unedited version of this song before it came out on radio (No kidding. She also called me semi-recently to discuss Akon's "Sexy Chick" which has been out for a good year plus :) I was so proud of her for this early find! ;)

So this song holds a special place in my heart. Plus, Cee Lo can sing, brings character to the piece, its got an old-school 50s feel...etc, etc.

AND it was done on Glee! Brilliantly, of course :) Though I still can't decide if Gwenyth Paltrow is the true triple threat we all want her to be, but that's another blog for another time....

Next, I'm pumped that Arcade Fire is nominated for Album of the Year! It won't win, but its awesome that it is nominated. I fell in love with Arcade Fire back in the day when their album Funeral came out. I wasn't as into Neon Bible, their next album, but The Suburbs that came out this year is truly different than other things they've done and also very enjoyable. Not to mention it has a socially conscious commentary. Definitely check it out.

Gah! Guh! Whathaveyou! Now I can't wait 'til January! Also, lvd- we gots to make our lists for own personal albums of the year! Sara Bareilles, anyone?! I think so!

Now you've gone and done it, lvd. Apparently mention of the Grammys is all it takes. Now I'll be back to blogging again...win?

Peace,
Julia

Happy Birthday, Princess of Pop!

2010-12-02T15:35:00.000-08:00

So my girl Laura has been all over and up and in this blog piece of late. Sniff, sniff... I'm so proud! You know what I've been doing? TEACHING. (Not that my girl Laura's not- she's also a teacher-but she's a veteran! She conducts choirs and bands in her sleep. AND she gigs on the side!). I'm new at this game. And you know what? First-year teaching is HARD. Who knew? (other teachers raise hands.. ) Well, NOW you tell me ;)

Instead of blogging I now have to use my creative energy and efforts to make learning FUN. Whatevs.

Actually, my students may not realize or appreciate it, but I like to think my being a pop culture geek does give me some cred in the classroom. I have, afterall, assigned multimedia projects and assignments involving Twitter.

But, I digress.

You guys...Britney Spears turns 29 today!

What kind of pop blog would this be without honoring she who embodies all that is pop? The sweet, innocent Mickey Mouse upbringing? The mid-drift bearing provocative school-girl virgin turned bad girl? The slutty, scandalous reality show with loser back-up dancer husband/baby daddy???

I mean...

her vocal abilities? Dance? Moves?

Just kidding. She's an icon.

Like Madonna before her, she hasn't made her name based on her vocals or songwriting, but rather- her image, her commitment to performance, and ability to re-invent herself in ways that still both draws people's attention and gets them to buy records.

I don't know how they do it. I scoffed when Brit-Brit came out with a "greatest hits" album at age 23 in 2004..but, by God, it is a party crowd pleaser. Or an in my car on the way to work pleaser. Or a I like to pretend I'm Britney a la Brittany Pierce in Glee pleaser (I totes love the Santana/Brittany "Me Against the Music" So brill).

Cheers to you, Brit-Brit! We are the same age! Here's to 29 going on fabulous :)

Peace,
Julia

Grammy Nominees 2010

2010-12-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Whoa! I guess sometime when we weren't looking, our blog turned one year old! Happy birthday, blog!

I know Julia is going to flinch when she sees this post. How do I know? Look to the right where you can see the number of blog posts every month. See how there's one or two a month, if that? (Don't judge. We have lives. Crazy busy lives. And we don't get paid to blog.) (Yet.)

Then, see how January has 47 posts??!

That was last year's Grammy awards, folks. And boy was it a marathon. Basically, both Julia and I were simul-blogging our stream of consciousness and posting at every commercial break. It was hours long, and intense. I may or may not have snapped at former roommates for talking over the winners. (Sorry, Johnny D!)

I can promise you that this year will be different. Nonetheless, I'd be remiss not to introduce the nominees and get you pumped about it.

Ready??

RECORD OF THE YEAR (aka a single song's award to the producers, engineers, mixers, and artist.Think engineering award or "Recording of the Year".)

Nothin' On You - B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars

Love The Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna

F*** You - Cee Lo Green

Empire State of Mind - Jay Z & Alicia Keys

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

I think the theme of this year is very cool, well-mixed piano parts. Think the catchy piano and drums on "Nothin' On You", the legato arpeggio on "Love The Way You Lie", Alicia's standard rhythmic seven chords on "Empire State of Mind", and the pretty, single-note countermelody on "Need You Now".

Then there's Cee Lo's "Fuck You".

What's that? You haven't heard of it?! Shame on you.

Here: Watch this. Quick. Before someone notices.

Don't worry. I won't tell on you.

Now that we're all on the same page, I'll move on to the other categories (we'll come back to this song momentarily):

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Recovery - Eminem

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga

Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

I still haven't forgiven the academy for last year's slight against Lady Gaga. (Sorry, Taylor.) It's well established that we are die-hard Gaga fans, and I'd love to see her prevail in this category. Then again, Eminem made a fantastic showing with Recovery and is better than ever, and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream is filled with gems. She gets consistently stronger, and has risen from a suspected flash in the pan to a real career artist. In case you missed it, see me gush about her here. And Arcade Fire?? How awesome to see them get such a huge nomination!

Maybe it's just me, but although I love Lady Antebellum, I suspect that last year's country album win will cause the pendulum to swing in another direction this year. But who really knows.

Finally, my favorite category of all time:

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beg Steal or Borrow - Ray Lamontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMongagne And The Pariah Dogs)

F*** You - Cee Lo Green, Phillip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green)

The House That Built Me - Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Love The Way You Lie - Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem featuring Rihanna)

Need You Now - Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

(Did you catch that? BRUNO MARS helped to write "Fuck You"? I just learned that today. The man can sing AND write.)

You have to love a song that rose to the mainstream despite the fact that it was far too profane to be designed for it. The melody is so damn catchy and upbeat despite it being a song about misery. I'm a sucker for intelligent contrasts like that. And with a vocal range like Cee-Lo's, the melody gets away with spanning more than an octave. In a time when it's trendy to write one-note hooks (Far East Movement's "Like a G6", Kevin Rudolph's "Let It Rock", Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"), a soaring, well-crafted melody is a breath of fresh air.

The rises and falls of the melody even coincide with what would actually get the emphasis in a spoken sentence:

"I see you driving round town with the girl I love, and I'm like, 'Fuck you!'
I guess the change in my pocket just wasn't enough, and I'm like, 'Fuck you!'"

When you speak these sentences out loud, which words get the emphasis? Probably the "fucks" first of all. Probably "change" and "pocket" and "driving" as well. It's no coincidence that these words end up being the highest peaks in the melody. It's intentionally designed to mimic a naturally spoken vocal inflection. That's why you can hear the attitude immediately.

Isn't that cool?? I'm such a geek for this stuff. Where are my musical theatre peeps at!?

Enough about the melody. Let's talk lyrics:

"I said I'm sorry / I can't afford a Ferrari
But that don't mean I can't get you there.
I guess he's an XBox / And I'm more Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair"

Um, internal rhyme with "atari"/"Ferrari"? The video game metaphor? So damn clever. It's also not often you run across ABAB rhyme schemes in songs nowadays- AABB is far more common.

I'm not even going to mention the choir who comes in at just the right moment when the chorus is about to get repetetive, then changes their vowel sound just to heighten the energy for us once again. Or his versatile, expressive voice. It's just a well-written, well-executed song.

All of the nominees are more than deserving, but I'm clearly rooting for Cee Lo to win this one.

We'll see, I suppose! Now if @julz422 would just return my phone calls to live-tweet this thing. ;)

Love,
@lauravand

Music Snob? Call me a Music Glutton.

2010-11-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. Laura here. If you're reading this blog, there's a chance you know me in real life, but in case this blog gets passed along (and I do hope it does), let me introduce myself.

I have been playing the piano since I was seven. I was raised by a father who sings and plays guitar and a mother who sang the alto line to every hymn in church. Once, when I was five, my mom missed church, and my kindergarten brain thought it wasn't okay for that harmony to be missing. So I did it.

High school was voice lessons, dance classes, choirs and musicals. I earned a Bachelor of Music in college as a musical theatre major. Testing out of a couple years of music theory, I used my extra credits to study more piano. I picked up the guitar from a girl who lived down my hall and fell in love with it. I wrote songs when I was supposed to be writing papers. I wrote melodies when I was supposed to be practicing my scales. If I learned about a chord progression rule in class, I'd rush to a piano and write two songs; one that followed it, and one that broke it.

Currently I'm a music teacher by day, teaching piano, guitar, jazz band, choir, and theatre. By night, I'm in a band that's been gigging and recording like crazy in hopes you'll hear of us one day soon.

I live and breathe music. I think about it all day. I love the intentionally crafted melodies of theatre composers. I love the rock harmonies of the 80's bands. I geek out over harmonizing guitar solos. I'm melted by bluesy, gritty voices. I'm blown away by the technical expertise of metal drummers. Concert pianists. Opera singers. I tear up over vulnerable and honest songwriting. Secondary dominance and other borrowed chords? Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

I'm a musician, and a lover of soul-stirring music. I've sung Verdi. Danced Bob Fosse. Played Chopin. Analyzed Beethoven.

However, I can't turn off the top 40 station on my radio.

On my way to work, I'm rocking out to Gaga. As I warm up for opera night, I'm harmonizing to Katy Perry. On my way to band practice, I've figured out the chord progression to a top 40 hit, a teeny-bopper flash in the pan, and a rap song, knowing for certain that the guys will smile and roll their eyes at me when I get there.

So much for being a music snob.

Am I shooting holes in my credibility? Am I risking being taken less seriously as an independent musician? Am I hiding my classical roots? Am I coming across as unintelligent? Vapid? A sheep that is easily swayed by the ebb and flow of mass trends and media? Sometimes I'm afraid so.

But by the definition of what constitutes a top 40 hit, people have to be flocking to these songs. People are requesting them. Purchasing them. Demanding them. People can't get enough.

I found a CD of the Top Billboard Hits of 1969 when I was a teenager and put it in my stereo. My mom came into my room, singing. She knew all the lyrics, verbatim, despite the fact that she hadn't heard these songs in decades. She regaled me with tales of the summer she first heard "Crystal Blue Persuasion".

As a kid, I saw the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and they had "Joy to the World" on the program for the Christmas Pops concert. The audience was delighted when instead of playing the traditional hymn, they started playing the hit by Three Dog Night.

Break out a pop song in a guitar, piano, or music theory class, and suddenly students that are having trouble with an abstract musical concept "get" what a I chord is. They've heard it a million times.

Michael Jackson was pop. The Beatles were pop. Hell, Lizst was pop.

In the year 2032, we're going to look back on the hits of 2010, and be instantly transported by the Far East Movement's "G6", regardless of the fact that the melody sits on the minor third the entire. effing. time.

I'm not going to turn it off.

These songs are time capsules. They're what's going on in our musical history right now. Someday, the very college kids that are using this as their new going-out anthem are going to be putting their children on the school bus.

These songs are conversation starters. Love Gaga or hate her, for damn sure you've talked about her. Whether or not she remains in the public eye for a good 20 years from now, we will all carry a distinct memory of when she first came on the scene. We'll remember where we were, what job we had, who we were dating.

Daniel Levitin wrote a book called "The World in 6 Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature." He argues that humans evolved alongside music for the sake of six societal needs: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love.

Did you pick up on what all of these six themes have in common? Of course you did, because you're smart.

Other people.

When I'm playing a show for people who've never met me before, I give them a break from all the stories I've written, and I play something for them that it's likely they know. I've seen contemplative, even apathetic audiences become transformed by recognizing the opening guitar riff of a song they love.

As long as there is dancing, there will be pop music. As long as there are parties, there will be pop music. As long as humans enjoy hearing something familiar, as long as people want to sing along with a tune they know, as long as we are unified by what we love, there will be pop music.

So the next time you tell someone you're into music they probably "haven't heard of", consider why you're doing it. To prove you're cooler than they are? Congrats. You also just ended the conversation, and severed a potential connection with another human being whose story looks different than yours.

By no means should you stop supporting independent and local music. (Read: please, PLEASE, support independent and local music. I'm personally begging you.) ;) By no means should you stop challenging yourself by listening to the complexities of the masterworks, or pushing yourself to change up your composition formula. You should never stop learning, never stop playing more complicated pieces, never stop refining your musical palette by discovering new things.

But don't lie about the fact that you know all the words to Smashmouth's "All Star". We've all heard you singing it.

Love,
Laura

A Clumsy Foray into the World of TextSlide

2010-10-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm taking a break from our regularly scheduled pop music discussions to talk about a recent development in pop culture.

Being that it's still "pop," I'm going to run with it.

Today Mashable tweeted a link to an article about a brand new startup called TextSlide: a service that randomly links you to other users via SMS texting on your cell phone. You have a few simple commands: #start, which begins your session, #next, which pairs you up with a new user, and #stop for when you are finished. It doesn't give away your phone number, only your name and area code, so you can rest assured a perfect stranger won't walk away with your number.

The comparisons between TextSlide and ChatRoulette are obvious, yet the article promised that because TextSlide uses only SMS technology, users would be safe from unwanted pornographic images from other users. At the very least, if someone's language is profane or offensive, you can always #next them.

I never once desired to try ChatRoulette. Partly because I'd heard it was full of genitalia. Partly because I found something unsettling about random strangers being able to see me. I don't want to have to worry about what I look like when I'm browsing the internet.

But for a few reasons, random texts seemed okay. First of all, if I wanted to try it at the end of a long day and my makeup has worn off, I don't have to feel self-conscious. Secondly, Twitter has made it okay to engage in conversation with people we've never met- to share opinions, comment on current events, or bond over like interests. I love what Twitter has become and what it can do, and personally, as a compulsive Twitter checker, something about the real-time response appealed to me.

Thirdly, I'm an aspiring singer-songwriter, and am openly trying to increase my connections with people, whether through real life or social media. I find the more I share experiences with others and I the more of their stories I hear, the more perspective it grants me. Naturally, I'm looking to increase my network and ambitiously spread the word, and a couple more Twitter followers couldn't hurt, either.

I'm @lauravand, by the way. It's nice to meet you. ;)

I go to the TextSlide link to discover it's a portal where I enter my e-mail address and am told that they'll notify me when they go public. Have I been one of the first to jump on this bandwagon? By no means am I a social media guru, but I'm feeling pretty savvy at this point.

Imagine my elation when, a few moments later, I receive an email telling me I've been invited. I'd been doing some stalking of the creator's twitter feed, and saw people asking him for invitations. I feel like a bona-fide VIP.

After a few technical issues, I give in and tweet at Matt Hunter, who created TextSlide. He notifies me that the server is experiencing problems and he walks me through a few different tries via @replies, DM's, and finally an e-mail. I'm super impressed at his timeliness and super grateful for his help, especially considering that today's a pretty big day in his career. Thanks, Matt!

In no time I was up and running.

First I talked to Travis, who notified me that he was in San Diego. He knew right away that my 410 area code was a Maryland one, and he punctuates and capitalizes everything properly, so I immediately imagine him to be an in-the-know, up-on-current-events, detail-oriented type of guy. At the very least, I know he reads Mashable.

My suspicions are confirmed when he tells me that he does coding for the Department of Defense (at least I assumed that's what DoD stood for) and is "bootstrapping a startup in every other spare second". First of all, nice use of "bootstrapping." Second of all, um, awesome? I can relate to that level of ambition. I echo his syntax as I tell him I work during the day as a high school music teacher but I'm "bootstrapping a songwriting career in every other spare second." I like this TextSlide stuff already. It's connected me with like-minded, go-getting individuals.

I'm not entirely sure what happened next. I remember asking him what kind of startup he's working on, and he said "ide down for most musical genres".

Perhaps "ide" is some kind of technical term that I don't know. So much for priding myself on being one of the first to jump on this bandwagon. A panic-stricken trip to Google tells me it may stand for Integrated Development Environment, and I start to suspect I'm in over my head. Maybe I've jumped in too early, and this mystical place of TextSlide is still full of only media and computer people. I'm the lone renegade musician.

Either his startup has something to do with musical genres and I've hit the jackpot and found a random stranger on the west coast that can make me famous (if not for being GOOD, well then for being FIRST), or TextSlide cut off the first half of his sentence. I'm not sure which. He asks me if I have any demos.

I say yes, even though I'm somewhat ashamed how low-quality the recording and mastering is on our MySpace and on iTunes. I'm more excited about this one that we have coming up soon:

but of course, I didn't send that link to him. Just the two-year old myspace page with our very very tinny two-year-old recordings.

This is when he doesn't talk to me for 30 more minutes. Two possibilities enter my mind:

1. He is so entranced by the myspace page that he's taking the time to check out our Facebook, our YouTube, our Twitter, and my own personal page. He's going to get me in on the ground floor of whatever it is he's working on, the next Napster I imagine it to be. So naturally *I* give one more look to our band pages, and cringe at every edit I dream of making to our online presence. If only I'd waited until next month to join this TextSlide thing, when I'd have a much better-produced recording to send to people. If only I'd waited until we actually have a domain name. If only I'd waited until my songs are topping the iTunes sales. (Naturally, they shall.) If only. I'm left with the more realistic and far less imaginative alternative:

2. He's pressed #next on me. Being that this is my first time on TextSlide, I have no idea if the program notifies me. (I still don't... can anyone tell me?) I ask Travis if he has a Twitter account (shameless), and wait five more minutes. After no response, and a few crushed dreams of instant, if unrealistic, stardom, I type, "#next."

I talk to ceejay in atlanta about life for a bit. He doesn't capitalize consistently and uses abbreviations like "U 2", so I imagine him to be a laid-back type dude who's game for having a casual conversation. It comes out he has a motorcycle and he assures me that even though I'm only 5'2", I could handle a smaller bike like a 650cc. I have no idea what that means, and he helpfully gives me some things to google. We bond over traffic, then call it quits when he checks in at Buffalo Wild Wings. We trade Twitter handles, and I'm on to the #next.

(I'd like to pause and say that as an avid Twitter user and reader, I love that the code contains a hashtag.)

Next was Souke from Michigan, who graduated high school last year and is waiting another year to go to college due to some family issues. Even though it's an anonymous forum, her language is so intentionally vague that something tells me not to pry. We keep things light and I learn that she cheered in high school and is dreaming of being an interior designer or journalist. We bond over black and white Ikea furniture, trade Twitter names, and call it quits around dinnertime when my roommate comes home, and my boyfriend calls.

NOTE: At this point, I'm drawing the line at choosing TextSlide over actual human interaction. (At *this* point, mind you. I can see how potentially addictive it could become, and I have a couple faculty meetings in my future for which I have some less-than-honorable plans.) I type #stop, and my first TextSlide session is over.

I'm left with several thoughts on TextSlide: its potential is huge, certainly. I could connect with fellow musicians, gain Twitter followers, Facebook friends, kindred spirits. You can imagine the extension of this list and cater it to your own life: clients, street teams, sympathizers, supporters, listening ears, business contacts, anonymous recipients of heated rants.

Someone once claimed that the reason Twitter was so successful was because it was "communication with low expectations." You can just as easily use your 140 characters to say "I'm booooooooooorrrrrrreeeeeddddd" as you can to tweet a link and get your community to register to Walk for the Cure. The expectations are low, but the potential is extraordinarily high.

I can't "expect" anything lower than "random texting", and as I was reading the initial Twitter backlash, it seemed reminiscent of chatrooms in AOL circa '98 - a bunch of inappropriate sketchballs, or a load of unintelligent, one-word exchanges.

I'm refreshed and surprised to learn that the art of conversation is not lost, and that strangers can still be gracious and kind even when there's little to no accountability upon which to hang their behavior.

Does TextSlide have the potential to be inappropriate? Mundane? Graphic? Certainly. But that's why there's #next.

Tonight, I follow a couple more people on Twitter than I did before, and I'm energized by having lent a listening ear to a complete stranger or two. Perhaps TextSlide is what a pen pal looks like in 2010.

And just you wait. My music WILL be enormous.

Love,
Laura

How I Fell In Love with Katy Perry

2010-10-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's true. It's official. I love her.

This wasn't always the case, mind you. I was unimpressed with "I Kissed A Girl" when it came out. I wasn't shocked, myself. *I* consider myself reasonably hip and edgy, and I can appreciate a song with a little shock value. It sells!

But I WAS shocked on the behalf of my future grandchildren. No way do I want my grandkids thinking it's perfectly normal to go about kissing girls, or taking such a cavalier attitude towards physical affection. I don't care WHAT flavor their chapstick is.

Why I'm unconcerned for my imaginary children (their parents I suppose they'd have to be...) I haven't the foggiest. I haven't even considered their existence, really. Maybe I assume my imaginary children will also be hip and edgy. They can totally handle it. Or, maybe my imagination skips steps sometimes. Don't worry about it.

I digress.

It's natural for every generation to have a "kids these days" attitude towards the music of the generation following theirs. Our grandparents thought ELVIS was shocking. What must they think of Britney Spears, singing about threesomes? What must they even make of Ke$ha?

I saw "I Kissed A Girl" as a cheap ploy to generate buzz. "Waking Up in Vegas" was catchy, I'd give her that. But I still didn't hear a lot of talent. "Hot and Cold" - Eh. "California Gurls" - please. "gurls?" I was seeing very little substance, and a whole lot of gimmick.

THEN, I came across THIS:

She plays GUITAR? She WRITES? She's a DYNAMIC PERFORMER? With a GOOD SENSE OF PITCH?

The dancy singles of jumpsuits and wigs did you no justice, my friend. After a little bit more digging what I felt was this brand new artist in my eyes, I come to find that Alanis Morissette is one of her influences. ALANIS!

Well, well, well. Isn't THAT ironic. (#SeeWhatIDidThere)

I can totally hear it, too! The snarky writing style, the breathy flipping in an out of head voice (were you paying attention, kids?), the intentional jumping of the melody, embracing the break in her voice...

It was like the earth opened up and swallowed me whole as I gasped and admitted to myself, "My gosh. I am a FAN of Katy Perry."

Congratulations, universe. You win.

Also, it should be said that "Teenage Dream" is fantastic- with a writing credit by Bonnie McKee, whom I'm just now discovering and on whom you should also do a little digging. And I have it on good authority that "FIREWORK" will be even bigger.

You go, "gurl"!

Love,
Laura

A Very Dorky Discertation on Head Voice in Pop Music

2010-10-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm beind the times on this one, but I was inspired by the VMA's to tell my students about the difference between head voice and chest voice.

Exhibit A: Rihanna.

I'm going to leave Eminem alone to focus on Rihanna's vocal.

(But you're not off the hook, Slim Shady. We have to have a discussion about your recent decision to sing your own hooks, and quick. Before Nelly releases anything else in 2010.)

If you scroll to about 2:50 in the video, you'll hear the distinctive hook on "Love The Way You Lie." This hook is FANTASTIC.

Only, hold on a second. What's this? Why do the words "stand" and "watch" sound like some poor kitten somewhere is in the process of going through puberty?

A singer has two places they can resonate their voice. The lower pitches resonate in the sternum of the body, and as the voice gets higher, the higher notes spin somewhere in the vicinity of your skull and cheekbones.

Kind of gross, right? Happy Halloween, bitches.

We call these two registers, simply, head voice and chest voice.

Hm. That was quite a convenient find. Thanks, Whitney. Dang. They sure don't make them like they used to.

To go back to the first video, Rihanna sings "just gonna" in her chest voice. More commonly put, she's belting. When she hits the pitch for "stand", she flips her resonance up into her skull.

Only, thank goodness for auto-tune. Because Rihanna, we could have used a little more height and spin on those upper notes. Make a more vertical space in your mouth by raising your soft palette (it's what happens naturally when you yawn). Now spin the sound there and bring it as far forward as you need to.

In your defense RiRi, it's a difficult passage to sing. It requires you to go from chest to head, back to chest, back to head, and back to chest again.

Next time, spend more time warming up, and less time skirt shopping with Sarah Jessica Parker.

I kid, I kid. In all honesty, I think she looked really cute, and she's got a powerful God-given instrument. However, we have the luxury of so much technology in the studio to make music RECORDING easier. Let's not become lazy and allow our live performances to become less than stellar.

Love,
Laura

P.S. - Rihanna is hardly the only person using her head voice. Check out Beyonce, Katy Perry, Regina Spektor, Alanis Morissette, Ingrid Michaelson and Imogen Heap for just a few others that like to use both registers.

Koncerned 4 Ke$ha

2010-06-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. When my car radio first digitally told me that I was listening to 'Tik Tok' by some new artist I'd never heard of named Kesha (my car apparently does not transmit dollar signs) I tweeted my girl @lauravand immediately. It was catchy. It was funny. It was different. She talked about waking up feeling like Diddy and brushing her teeth with Jack. Clever. I could already sense the presence of a new going-out anthem that I would embrace.

Then came "Blah, Blah, Blah" and I began to get concerned. Once again our new lovable artist is sing/autotune/talk-ing about meeting her in the back with Jack, but this time, with "no pants on" (holler).

Now, I myself will never go anywhere without pants, but I'm not one to judge. I have stated my love for Lady Gaga time and again who is notoriously never wearing pants. But for some reason, it is different with Gaga. She expresses herself without pants but also with...I don't know...talent. Our girl Ke$ha does not necessarily have the latter going for her.

"Your Love is My Drug" came along and I just could not take it anymore. This girl needs my help. While, this song actually does have something artistically relevant going for it- she carries the the 'drug' metaphor successfully throughout the song:

What you've got boy, is hard to find. I think it about it all the time. I'm all strung out, boy, my heart is fried...

Is she talking about drugs? Is she talking about love? The images go pretty perfectly with each. When you can seamlessly insert both images, I believe that makes a good metaphor. (Also, I appreciate that on her album she carries the dollar sign throughout with songs like: D.I.N.O.$.A.U.R. and BACK$TABBER. If you are going to be crazy, at least be consistent, that's what I say).

But she loses the metaphor (and me) with her breakdown section where she starts talking about slumber parties in basements and beards. She has given us mature metaphors, but then suddenly we are reminded that...oh wait...this is still Ke$ha.

And why all the drug/drinking talk, girlfriend? You haven't even been famous for that long, and you won't be if you keep these habits up! Humph!

"Party at Rich Dude's House" (yes, that is a song title. I can't decide whether to applaud her for her straightforwardness and simplicity or shun her for lack of creativity. Oh wait. I've decided. The latter. $eriou$ly?!) has our heroine vomiting in closets with no pants on AGAIN.

So I am concerned for Ke$ha. I really wanted to like her. But then I listened to her cd (thanks, @PkMikeyT!) and not only does she legit sample that schoolyard song we used to taunt boys with: "there's a place in France where the naked ladies dance" (see "Take it Off"- AGAIN with the pantslessness and nakedness!), you can also sing/talk/autotune "Your Love is My Drug" over pretty much every song on that album because they all sound the same.

"Maybe I need some rehab..."- Ke$ha, Your Love is My Drug

"Maybe" is no longer an option, honey. That went out a long time ago when you sang that hook with Flo.Rida's awful song about unmentionable acts (this blog is PG). Your song, "Hungover" (YES! THIS IS A TITLE OF A TRACK! NOW YOU UNDERSTAND MY CONCERN?!) makes me want to cry for you, friend!

So let's wipe that glitter out of your eye and pull you up by your boots (and boy) strap (a title of a song I REALLY wanted to like: "Boots and Boys". Because I LIKE Boots and Boys! I do not like this song, however) and get you on the right track.

Which is nowhere near a track called "Party at Rich Dude's House" or "Hungover".

You are welcome.

Sincerely,
Julia

Hip-Hop-Pop's Way with Words featuring Ludacris

2010-05-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

"Watch out for the medallion, my diamonds are wreckless. It feels like a MIDGET is hanging from my necklace." - Ludacris, "Stand Up"

God bless America, Ludacris has made a comeback. My friends and other middle to upper-middle class white twenty-somethings are rejoicing everywhere. We did, after all, grow up with Ludacris. He held all of our undergraduate anthems like: "Move", "What's Your Fantasy", and "Money Maker".

Can't you just see a frat boy with a dirtied, off-white backwards cap cruising around campus right now thinking he is the SHIZ-NIT!?

You think I'm kidding, but alas, I am not.

Anyways, so imagine my GLEE (it's only a matter of time before that show gets its hands on some Luda) when I turn on the radio (after my Lenten hiatus) and hear that Luda is EVERYWHERE. The pop stations. R&B stations. If he'd made a rock or country song, he'd BE THERE.

And I love Luda because he has a way with words like no one else. Maybe Eminem. But Eminem is SO. SERIOUS.

In the words of The Joker, Why So Serious??

Luda, however, is famous for lyrics like the above quote and also gems like these from his latest: "My Chick Bad"

"My chick bad, tell me if you seen her, She always bring the racket like Venus and Serena"

and

"She knock a b**** out annnnd fight. Coming out swinging like Tiger Woods' wife"

See what he did there? Pop culture references for the win. Clever, my friend, Luda. Always Clever.

It kind of reminds me of Lil' Wayne's gem in my #songIhavenoreasontolike from long ago- "Down":

"'Cause honestly I'm down like the economy"

Cultural relevance for the win! I love it.

Now the rest of Luda's "My Chick Bad" is not quite as clever or classy:

"And when we all alone, I might just tip her. She slides down the pole, like a certified stripper"

Come on, Luda! You are better than that. You are not just Ludacris from "Area Codes" you are also Chris Bridges from Oscar winning films like Crash!

But your song "Ho" is still clever and awesome, albeit not classy, so we will give it to you:

"Why you think you take a ho to a ho-tel?...Reach up in the sky for the ho-zone layer

Ah, it kills me ;)

I would also like to take this opportunity to discuss the recent developments in hip-hop pop vocabulary. It occurred to me just the other day that hip-hop-poppers are starting to get a little more verbose (or are at least using a thesaurus. I mean, I would. Not all of us can rhyme "tip her" and "stripper" all the time...)

Take for example another Luda-colabo: Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart" (and for the record, while this is a somewhat arrogant message on Mr.Cruz's part- "I'm only going to break-break, oh break-break your heart"- at least the dude's honest):

"No point trying to hide it. No point trying to evade it"

I don't know why, but I love that they use the word evade there. It would be a high scoring word in Scrabble, right? (Maybe not, I never play Scrabble). And while I'm pretty sure "evade" is just another fancy way of saying exactly what Taio just said, kudos for using a new vocab word.

Unlike Sean Kingston in "Eenie Meenie" (with Justin Beiber- SWOON!) who literally just re-instates what he just. said. :

"She's indecisive. She can't decide."

Yup, that's what indecisive means, Sean. No creativity points for you.

You know Luda would've come up with some culturally relevant way of saying it. I can see it now:

"She's as indecisive as Prince with his name change"

...clearly I'm not Ludacris. Don't worry, I won't quit my day job. Sigh. If only...

Peace,
Julia

The Evolution of Emo

2010-03-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is a pop blog and I think it is important to recognize all that pop encompasses. Pop music is really just whatever is popular at the time, though I think it's come to mean bubblegum beats with trite lyrics...

...Justin Beiber anyone? Oh, man. This article is great if you are looking for a mock-analysis of Justin Beiber....

But I digress.

Pop music has been many things through the years. Sometimes rock, sometimes folk. Sometimes rap, sometimes country. (And, yes, sometimes- A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll. Though whomever thought Donny Osmond was Rock and Roll. Really?)

But what happens when something meant to be non-conformist becomes mainstream?

I'm thinking punk. I'm thinking grunge. I'm thinking folk. All three genres started out kind of revolutionary but became- in their own way- "pop".

Emo? Revolutionary?

Nothing revolutionary about shutting yourself in your bathroom to "scream infidelities", I say.

Well As for now I'm gonna hear the saddest songs
And sit alone and wonder
How you're making out
But as for me, I wish that I was anywhere with anyone
Making out.- Screaming Infidelities, Dashboard Confessional.

Ah, I see what you did there...

Emo may be under the guise of something indie or revulotionary but only because of its angst, I think. This is my critique on hipsters as well- a movement that guises itself as something non-mainstream but is in fact ultimately just that.

I don't care how clever or ironic you think your outfits or your beer are. PBR is just gross. Humph.

And wouldn't you know Emo music is the First Stage in the evolution of a hipster?

But where did Emo come from? Is it pop? Is it grunge? Is it punk?

I would say emo is more pop than anything else because if we are taking the definition of pop music to be self-indulgent and trite, it's that. But if we are taking it to mean music that is mainstream and marketable...oh, wait. It's that too.

While people who listen to emo may think they are so different and against the grain, I would not say they are revolutionary. Folk music was revolutionary. It was popular (folk and folklore by definition is 'of the people'...) but it still went against the grain even without being musically abrubt. Hippies and folk artists of the 60s preached their revolutionary message of peace with a peaceful musical movement.

The punk music of the 80s also had some crossover appeal, despite its anti-establishment themes. I'm thinking the Clash, Sex Pistols. Bands that became popular and ironically similar in theme to folk music, however obviously not musically similar. A different approach to the "damn the man" concept. Anger just replacing peace and love, really.

Then we have the 90s. Ah, the 90s. The grunge movement was revolutionary perhaps not in message, but in lifestyle and musical achievement. I would say that emo probably has its roots somewhere in grunge. A type of music that is a little bit self indulgent, kind of whiny, and involves wearing flannel and jeans. But grunge was at least still about society and culture. Even if it was getting a little bit softer around the edges ( ie, Live, Soul Asylum, Nirvana, Hole...the message is there, but no ones burning bras or flags because of it).

So, if we are keeping track:

60s folk= whiny, but pretty.
80s punk= whiny, but loud.
90s grunge= whiny, but empathetic.
00s emo= just plain whiny

(oh, and the 70s have been eliminated because disco was pretty much the antithesis of all things revolutionary. However, does it thereby make it actually the MOST revolutionary? Hmmm...)

Now that I think about it...emo is probably as indulgent, if not moreso than disco....

Well, there you have it, folks. Emo actually gets its roots from disco. And well, that actually kind of explains alot. The End.

Peace,
Julia

An Open Letter to Colbie Caillat

2010-03-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Colbie!!

I was driving to work this morning listening to "Bubbly", and I have to thank you for something HUGE!

Please ignore the exclamation points, it's just that I can't write your name in this font with little hearts to dot my i's! I feel that's the only appropriate way to address you!

Anyway, Colbie (maybe it's the cutesy "ie" at the end of your name that makes me crave excessive punctuation), I have been struggling to write songs lately! I have three or four killer hooks in my back pocket, some pretty insightful verses, but simply not enough text to create a fully fleshed-out idea!

Then the part of "Bubbly" comes on where you go: (and I quote)

Da da doom do da da da da da da
dum da da da da da da
doom da doom da do do do do do do do do do
do oo ooooh

And can I just say, you are a genius!! Little did I realize, my songs are already DONE! I just forgot about that little trick right there. It's like the musical equivalent of the white rice in a Chipotle burrito! Does it add substance? No! Does it make the song longer? YES! So thank you so much for making my job ten times easier! Not only have I instantaneously finished the five or six half-written ones I've been mulling over, I've also created THREE entirely new ones that consist completely of nonsensical syllables! And BOY ARE THEY CATCHY!

Forgive me, Colbie. You're very pretty and you're about as skilled as me on the guitar, which makes me hate that you have a record deal. (Unfortunately, for you, guitar is not my primary instrument.) Sour grapes as usual. I still love pop music (stay tuned for my discertation on "Bedrock"), slash envy you for being able to sing that "Lucky" duet with my future husband, Jason Mraz. So kudos for that! You understand, girl.

XOXO!!!

Laura

Grammy Hangover

2010-02-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

I can't speak for Laura, but I know after that bout with live-blogging, my head was spinning like Pink from a couple of ribbons in the sky.

So many performances! So many questions left unanswered:

1.) what were those dancing washing machines with the Black Eyed Peas?

2.) why did the Grammys turn into a 90s love fest?

3.) why did Taylor Swift sound so bad live but still win so many Grammys?

I have all these answers and more friends.

I will first address the 90s memorabilia. Truth is, kids, the 90s was, oh 20 years ago now and that makes them VINTAGE. And we all know Vintage is IN, ergo, the 90s= IN. However, as for 90s vintage fashion? I'm not sold. The 90s were known for the 'grunge' look and we have seen the likes of 'recycled grunge', if you will, on hipsters and in Urban Outfitters stores everywhere.

Guess it's time for me to go back into the back of my 8th grade closest. We wore 'em baggy back then, but maybe it will be fitted now and I'll 'fit' right in. ha.

The biggest thing I took away from the Grammys- and I know, I know I am BIASED- was that Lady Gaga got robbed. Kind of like her current Olympic counterpart in flamboyant fashion crime: Johnny Weir (If you haven't seen this article, it is a WIN)

(Also, if you google images of 'hipsters' and 'Johnny Weir' you will be thoroughly entertained, I promise).

Now, I do love Taylor Swift. I think she is a talented songwriter, especially at such a young age. As mentioned in previous posts, my songwriting skills are non-existent, and if they did exist, they would be 'roundabouts the likes of Colbie Calliat (Starts in my toes, nose, grows, shows, hoes...you know ;).

So kudos to her. I also think she is such a breath of fresh air IMAGE wise. Too many young songbirds turn into psychosluttyhosebeasts (I'm looking at you Britney, Jessica, Mandy, Christina, Katy, Miley, Mariah...sheesh!) Taylor keeps it CLASSY. And for this I am GRATEFUL.

BUT

as for 'Album of the Year'??

Where is the innovation in Fearless? How is "You Belong to Me" any different than "Love Song" than "Teardrops on My Guitar" than "Fifteen"? All cutesy teenagey songs doing that pop-country-crossover thing (which I should also say I'm not totally sold on, btw. I really, really tried to like country once or twice. Namely when I had a crush on a guy who listened to country in high school. I taped every Shania, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, and LeAnn Rimes song off the radio old-school mix tape style. And he still never liked me. And I still never liked pop-country. So there ;)

Gaga, on the other hand, has really changed the music industry in many ways. I know I said this during the live blog, but it almost seemed like every musical act after her was trying to BE her with over the top performance art performances. Shoot, even watching ice-dancing this year on the Olympics has a smack of Gaga for me:

What the what?! And Gaga gets mocked for her attire?!

I know Gaga's fashion and performance art doesn't have anything to do with her ability to write a good album. And I will give you there is nothing extraordinarily genius about repeating 'pa pa pa poker face' over and over again. But "Paparazzi" sounds different to me than "Just Dance". And her latest "Speechless" is almost a nod to the Beatles, I will argue (It's got a little smidge of "Something" in it). It blended right in with "Your Song" when she did it with Elton, which I think is a testament to its genius. Granted, "Speechless" is on the extended Fame Monster album, and I believe just the original The Fame was nominated.

But girlfriend can sing live. So could B and Pink. I was really impressed with the first 3 performances of the night. Taylor was paired with Stevie Nicks for crying out loud for her "American Idol Finale"-esque duet. So much potential! But neither she or Stevie pulled through.

And then, of course, the live version of THIS happened

I have to agree with another music blog I read (videogum.com) What makes the Peas think they have earned the right to a 10 minute video epic? To quote the videogum blog: this is their "November Rain". Really?

At least it explains the washing machines. Oy.

In other news: I've given up listening to music in my car for Lent. In hindsight, this may have been a poor decision for an aspiring pop-blogger. I will try my best to keep up with the times, the jams, the awful, the awesome.

Also in other news: This blog post title is appropriately named after the multiple hangovers that ensued when Laura and I were snowed in a house for two weeks with friends with nothing to do but eat, sleep, and partake in alcohol. All I can say is we truly understand Ke$ha and her outlook on life now.

Peace,
Julia

Laura Grammys - ALBUM OF THE YEAR

2010-01-31T20:25:00.001-08:00

SASHA FIERCE

BLACK EYED PEAS

GAGA'S THE FAME

DMB AND THE GRUGRUX KING

TAYLOR SWIFT'S FEARLESS............................

TAYLOR SWIFT WON!

I'm crying. I really am crying.

Her reaction is so sincere and grateful. She brings tears to my eyes. Do you hear me, BXsmith? This is a dream come true.

Well folks, it's been real. Thanks for your tweets!

Album of the Year or Sweet Jesus, this is the Longest Awards Show with the Least Awards Ever

2010-01-31T20:25:00.000-08:00

Taylor Swift. Well done. Can I go to bed now?

My heart hurts a little for Gaga.

This was pretty fun, kids! What will be our next live blog venture, I wonder?

Looking forward to blogs to come. But right now I'm looking for my pillow and my painkillers...

Peace,
-J

Julia's Live Blog of the 90s Retro Love Fest

2010-01-31T20:12:00.001-08:00

I've taken a hint from Laura's loopy post headings. She's a funny girl, that LVD.

You know what else is funny? Quentin Tarrentino announcing Drake and his relevance. Hilarious.

11:13 Either our sound went out, or Lil' Wayne just dropped a minutes worth of F bombs.

11:14 I love Eminem. Dear Lil Wayne, Get your PANTS OFF THE GROUND!

11:15 Drake, I can't tell if you are a legit artist or not because all I hear is auto tune. More Eminem, please! Thank you :)

11:18 Fail, CBS. Yes, rappers swear, but not for 3 minutes straight. Censor guy was a little trigger happy there...

Homestretch? Now? Maybe?

Laura Grammys - Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne

2010-01-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

11:13 Is Quentin Tarantino speaking in (dare I say it) Ebonics?

11:13 I'm so excited to see this performance.

Lil Wayyyyne and some auto tune.

11:13 Profanity or sound problems? Big sound problems? Profanity paragraphs?

11:14 Marry me, Eminem. Turns out Caleb Followill is an alcoholic.

I love how he still brings the energy. Mental note number 2: Eminem entry.

11:16 I love that Jamie Foxx is singing along and recording this performance.

11:16 So is T. Swizzie!!

11:17 Eminem. Marshall Mathers. Slim Shady. You are skilled. And I love the energy that he brings to every single project he does. The guy has officially "made it" and he still raps like he's hungry for it. Respect.

Grammy Laura's. I mean... yep.

2010-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

I love you, Les Paul. And I love the electric solidbody guitar.

11:04 Ooo, and I love you Jeff Beck. Forget the girl with the bad hair.

11:05 Betting the fug girls are slamming the girl with the bad hair. Although I like her retro voice.

Laura Grammys - Maxwell performance.

2010-01-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

10:55 I'm shoving a slice of pizza in my mouth. This is exhausting. Stay with us, followers. All six of you.

Maxwell, you're dancing.

10:57 Oooh, the lights in the shape of a flapping bird while he's singing "pretty wings". Stop it. Just stop.

10:58 Roberta Flack. I'm so tired of writing about how many retro nods are going on. They could have titled this years Grammys:

"2010: Something Old, Something New"

"2010: Relevant People, and People We Forgot About"

"2010: A look back on a few decades because we're beginning a new one"

You at least could've given us some warning.

HOME STRETCH- Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T19:51:00.001-08:00

Must. Stay Awake. 10 more minutes...where's my vicodin? It might make things more interesting at this point.

10:55 Maxwell to close the show? Please say he's closing the show. I'm closing my eyes...

10:55 love how Maxwell is just now getting he's due. He's been out as a legit artist for years. Brendan is discussing his memorable naked album cover (not Brendan's naked album cover. Maxwell's ;)

10:56 And we have "pretty wings" made of lights. More theatrics!

10:58 Roberta Flack? The American Idol finale/retroflashback continues. This is the second most awkward mash up next to MOS DEF and Domingo...

11:00 I've kind of been waiting for this In Memorium. Is that sick? Maybe. But just 'cause 2009 was the year of death. RIP Mary Travers. My parents miss you. But you live on in the make-shift sit-ins we have in our living room.

11:02 DJ AM

11:02 moment of silence for Les Paul...so glad I got to see that exhibit with LVD!

11:03 Just now realizing this thing isn't over yet...yipes. I'm getting too old for this.

11:04 Okay. Jeff Beck guitar solo. THIS is what the Grammys are about. Are you listening, Will.I.Am? I am.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog

2010-01-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

10:40 Grammy dude just announced Adam Sandler, and the cluster**** continues. They decided to let one goofy 90s relevant guy who plays the guitar announce the other one, apparently. Cue the Dave Matthews...this one of your last acts, CBS?

10:41 And my 90's tally is now up to #451 with Dave Matthews taking the stage. I have completely re-lived all of junior high and high school memories in one night. Thanks, Grammys.

10:46 90's tally #452- Ricky Martin, ladies and gentleman. Still living that loca vida.

10:47 Funny how there have only been 4 awards actually broadcasted on this awards show

10:47 Well, B has redeemed not winning the AMA, apparently. Suck it, Kanye.

10:48 Beyonce "is nervous" that her chest will pop out of her dress is what...

Commercials are most welcome at this point, I must say...this is becoming a snoozefest.

Laura Grammy's - DMB/Female pop vocal

2010-01-31T19:36:00.000-08:00

As a music teacher, I'm all about this "keep music in our schools".

10:41 Adam Sandler? Random.

10:42 Dave Matthews looks downright dapper.

10:43 Whoa, we've got a big band and a gospel choir backing him up. This is one of the most polished performances of the evening. The energy in this room has got to be crazy. They are having a blast and Dave, whether or not you are sick of him, is a career performer. The voice on that man. The skills. Well done.

10:46 RICKY MARTIN???? Shake your bon-bon, shake your bon-bon...
Lea Michelle is beautiful.

BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE

Congrats, Beyonce, for Halo winning. You deserve it, as far as vocal chops go. Katy Perry, it is a joke that you were even nominated. Taylor, you're a good writer, but come on. In one song, Beyonce hits a low E flat AND uses her head voice. All seamlessly. And who can forget the riff that she does on "shining through my darkest NIiiiiggggggggghhhhhhht". This one was deserved. Go B!

I should also mention, Beyonce and I are born just a few days apart. And she grew up singing in the United Methodist church. Go Team!

The obvious conclusion is, someday I, too, will be winning many Grammys.

Grammies.

Grammy's.

Anyway.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, home stretch kids. This live blogging thing is tougher than I thought!

10:26 Bridge Over Troubled Water in Italian for the Haiti tribute. Of course.
Where's Simon and Garfunkel? And don't they know Van Duzer and Strukely are the next Simon and Garfunkel...

10:27 Mary J. bringing it as always. love her. She's so real. When she cries, I cry. And I don't cry alot. But she does. So it all balances out.

10:28 I may call it- this is my favorite performance of the night. Or maybe I'm just so over-stimulated I am just happy to hear something that I know is for sure classified as music.

Laura Grammys -Bridge Over Troubled Water

2010-01-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

I LOVE WYCLEF JEAN. VIVA LA FUGEES.

The haitian cecilians. or whatever it is you say in that song of yours.

10:25 : Wyclef, please translate what you said to us in Creole.

David Foster*, Mary J Blige, and Andrea Boccelli. This sounds epic. I'm clapping already.

10:27 Bridge over Troubled Water, kind of cool in Italian. My voice teacher would be proud.

10:27 Mary J. I really like your covers lately. Starting with the U2 song you're covering nowadays. Secondly, bridge over Troubled water fits your stylings. You're super tasteful but always show off your chops. I'd like to apologize to you on behalf of the People's Choice Awards sound engineers. They didn't do justice to your awesome instrument. Thank goodness the Grammys sound guys know their stuff.

10:30 Two high notes hit. One by Boccelli, one by Blige. Two very very different sets of technique. Bocelli is opening up his mask resonance and reaching up into his passagio's extension. Mary J Blige is putting it in her nose and is grinding it out like a rockstar. Somehow, it works together. #musicnerd.

*Thank you to Brendan Smith who corrected me on this last name.

Laura Grammys - Rap/Sung Collaboration

2010-01-31T19:17:00.001-08:00

Ego - Beyonce and Kanye West

Run This Town

I'm on a Boat

Dead and Gone

and it goes to...

RUN THIS TOWN Jay z Rihanna and Kanye West.

Well done. (Although Still tickled that "on a boat" was nominated.) Words cannot describe my love for Jay-Z. Separate entry to come on this subject.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

10:16 Mos Def and Placedo Domingo. MOSt DEFinitely MOSt awkward moment thus far.

Laura Grammys - Bon Jovi

2010-01-31T19:08:00.002-08:00

To reiterate, nobody told Julia and me tonight was 90's night. But Bon Jovi has remained pretty attractive.

10:11 "Who says you can't go home" w/ the gal from Sugarland (question mark?) I've seen you live, baby, and you're awesome. Too bad this is in Bon Jovi's key and not yours.

10:12 Although Kudos to her for hitting those low notes. Again, love the 3 part harmony. I'm predictable that way.

10:14 Shocker that we voted for "Livin on a Prayer". This concert is getting a little exhausting. Although I'm gonna pull a Michael Weinberg here and say that this song is not in the original key. I'm gonna say go ahead and say it's at least a whole step lower.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T19:08:00.001-08:00

10:08 That Taylor Swift/Michael Jackson combo took a lot out of me...this better be good, Sheryl Crow...I like your earrings...

10:09 Just decided I'm voting for this damn Bon Jovi song they are plugging...fine, CBS, you got me. Even though I KNOW it's going to be Living on A Prayer. "Always" all the way...

10:10 and...CBS.com is moving too slow to vote. RIGGED. I'm onto you, CBS...

10:11 I just told everyone who Jennifer Nill (?) is. That's right, ME. The anti-country person (she's from Sugarland, btw. You're welcome. And her voice annoys the crap out of me. I'm pretty sure that's why I know who she is)

10:13 And everyone is on edge...which song is it going to be??? Living on a Prayer. Shocking.

10:14 Richie Sambora with the auto-tune before auto-tune was auto-tune.

10:15 We all want to know...is this the orginal key, Jon?? We think not. We hear at least a half step lower. Truth bomb. #musicnerds

10:16 Anti-climactic, CBS. Not going to lie. But I will still sing it at karaoke and during Rock Band.

Laura Grammys - Earth Song

2010-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

Julia and I both agree that Lionel Ritchie plugging "This is it" out on DVD is tacky. We've probably both written it.

This had better be huge.

Celine Dion, I do love you. You still inspire the 12 year old girl that lives inside me.

Usher.

Carrie Underwood. Your dress is awesome.

Jennifer Hudson. Your voice is awesome. Carrie, yours is too, but your dress is way cute.

Smokey Robinson. Did not recognize you. Have you had work done?

9:58 Loving the stars in 3-D glasses and formalwear, even if it is a bit obnoxious that we have to see the faint blue and red outlines on our 2-D screen.

9:59 YES Jennifer Hudson. This song is in Michal Jackson's key, and yours.

10:00 Michael Jackson gets a standing ovation. That was pretty cool, albeit a little Fern Gully.

Michael Jackson's son accepting this award was the most captivating moment of this entire awards show so far. It was the first time Julia's and my fingers stopped tapping and we were glued to the screen.

You're missed, MJ.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T18:45:00.001-08:00

9:46 Taylor Swift time. AND... STEVIE NICKS! Holy crap...I am starting to understand and love this retro-ness now. Though, I also kind of feel like this is an American Idol finale. Anyone?

9:48 I was wondering why Taylor was wearing just a big flowy tunic...now I understand. Though she didn't do the spin.

9:49 Taylor is not the best live, but she's cute and can write.

9:50 What is that mini-banjo? And where can I get one?

9:51 haha- tweet from @Pasty: "It must be really easy to get dressed if you're Stevie Nicks. Same thing every day. It's like a uniform!" Truth. Mental note...

9:52 It must feel hella cool to have Stevie Nicks sing your song.

9:52 Lionel Richie! "All night long...all night long"

9:52 Cue Michael Jackson tribute...get out the tissues....

9:53 DVD plug? LVD and I say in unison: "Tacky"

9:54 LOVE EARTH SONG. Makes me think of my friend Mike Kenney singing it at karaoke to a giraffe

9:55 I'm going to refrain from making mean Michael Jackson comments. That whole respecting the dead thing...I do have some decorum.

9:56 Where are MY 3-D glasses, CBS?

9:57 Celine Dion?! Haven't seen her since 1992. Again with the 90's...

9:57 Brendan: "What is this, a PBS special?"

9:57 Carrie Underwood looks cute. LOVE Jennifer Hudson. Wish I could see her in 3-D, CBS!

9:58 3D glasses look normal on Rihanna. Just saying.

9:59 What does it mean when Michael Jackson's kids were the best part of that tribute with Celine, Usher, and Smokey on the stage? Can I say that? Too soon?

Laura on the Grammys - Taylor Swift

2010-01-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

"Today was a Fairy Tale"

Taylor, I hate to say it because you're a good writer, and a good person.

You're a little flat live. Sorry, John Meehan. Truth bouillions. She IS improving. I've seen some live performances that were painful.

Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift- Julia is again writing about the retro-ness of tonight.

9:50 I'm laughing out loud at Stevie Nicks singing backup to "You Belong With Me".

9:51 STEVIE NICKS IS PLAYING THE TAMBOURINE IN TAYLOR'S BAND! Shake-a slap-a...

I do like that they re-styled this song. It's a risky choice but it makes it not so familiar.

Laura on the Grammys -rock album, zac brown performance

2010-01-31T18:32:00.002-08:00

Best Rock Album:

Katy Perry, your dress is horrible and your demeanor irks my very being.

I feel uneducated in this Rock Album category, but congrats to Green Day. I'm jealous of you having shots with Kings of Leon.

Loving Leon Russel's blues piano. And Zac Brown Band sounds stronger while they're harmonizing. But they're growing on me.

9:39 Helloooooo, bluegrass roots! Zac Brown just broke out into a crazy picking bluegrass jam session at the end of this song, and it was RIDICULOUS and SKILLFUL.

I'm in, Zac Brown. I'm in.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T18:32:00.001-08:00

9:32 Katy Perry is helping Alice Cooper walk or vice versa? I can't tell. Either way, she should not be on the stage and should stop talking.

9:33 It's the night of Green Day apparently. And can we talk again about how they had a musical? So out of the loop on that one.

9:34 Yeah, Chris O'Donnell! It IS the 90s!!!!!

9:35 Zac Brown Band. Best New Artist apparently. And all they could come up with was the Star Spangled Banner? Or America the Beautiful, rather. Either way...not NEW.

9:36 I've never heard of Leon Russell, but I think I'm in love...

Laura's Grammies - Jamie Foxx

2010-01-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Robert Downey Junior just announced an opera performance, and it's Jamie Foxx.

AUTO TUNE CITY.

9:22 My roommate Natalie gasps as the auto-tune cuts out for a moment and we hear Jamie Foxx "speaking" along to his song.

The question is raised "shouldn't they have to do things live at the grammys?"

SLASH WITH JAMIE FOXX? playing November Rain? Julia is currently writing something about how this years grammy's are a nineties tribute.

not the best.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

9:18 Norah Jones doesn't even look like herself. Yeah, Ringo!

9:18 Record of the Year. OMG if BEP win, I will vomit.

9:19 This is a toss up...nail biting...

9:19 CHEERS! CHEERS! Victory! Kings of Leon!

9:19 Fergie is being a gracious loser and giving a standing O. Brendan: "There's no way that piece of sh** song would've won". Couldn't of said it better

9:19 Kings of Leon must've heard about the weekend we had...their entire speech was about drinking. Eh, it happens.

9:20 And...the Grammys is all about the theatrics tonight. What the hell...opera singers? Vikings?...JAMIE FOXX? Oh, NOW I get it...(???)

9:21 Johnny D: "I love how you can hear them switch on the auto tune"...

9:23 Natalie is scandalized by the lack of singing. Sadly, I am not.

9:23 Johnny D: "Oh, no! They let T Pain off the boat!"

9:24 All of us are confused as to what is live singing/beatboxing/whathaveyou and what is not. It's kind of a cluster....

9:24 SLASH!?@

9:25 November Rain?! Green Day? Alanis?! IT IS 90's Tribute night? Where's my flannel...

9:25 WOW. That was worse than the Peas.

9:26 Ke$ha! Beiber! haha! She TOTALLY brushed her teeth with Jack today. And maybe she took my vicodin as well.

9:27! Phew! I need a break after that...

Commercial Break 2!

2010-01-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

Laura is explaining the difference between Song of the Year and Record of the Year (I still can't believe Beyonce won for song...grrr...and I'm still analyzing the Alanis bit...)

Laura: "For example, if Julia and I wrote a song, but recorded it with Brendan, Julia and I would win for 'Song of the Year' and Brendan and I would win for 'Record'."

YES. Indeed. LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Laura Grammys - Best Record

2010-01-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

Let's review the difference between Best Song and Best Record, shall we?

Song of the Year is a songwriter's award, it goes to the ppl that wrote the song, which sometimes is the artist, and sometimes is not. Record is about the engineering and the track itself This award goes to the artist, the people that recorded, mixed, and mastered the track. I'm educating the people in my apartment about it.

Think best "raw song" versus "best track".

oo Norah Jones looks cute. Ringo looks old.

NOMINEES FOR RECORD OF THE YEAR

beyonce halo

i gotta feeling black eyed peas

use somebody kings of leon YES YES YES YES THIS ONE

pokerface lady gaga

you belong w/ me taylor swift....

and the grammy goes to...

USE SOMEBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!

Caleb Followill is a gorgeous gorgeous man. Apparently I say the word "dreamboat" when I'm drunk. And Caleb, you're drunk too. Surprise surprise. So I'll go ahead and call you a dreamboat.

I'm so glad Kings of Leon won Record of the Year! It was overplayed, yet amazing. And i think the fact that it was so overplayed speaks a lot for the mass appeal the track had. It was well made and tasteful.

Well done! I can go to bed a happy girl, and it has nothing to do with the two-hour snow delay tomorrow.

Laura Grammys - Comedy album

2010-01-31T18:09:00.000-08:00

Comedy Albums. Yawn.

Congrats, Stephen Colbert, you have a Grammy.

So does Obama, and Al Gore. For reading their books on tape. Question mark?

Give me MUSIC!

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T18:05:00.001-08:00

9:05 When did the Jonas' Bros go through puberty? Still don't get them. Maybe because I'm 28.

9:06 Lady Antabellum (sp?) yeah, i can't comment. I can't even spell their name. I will just sit and educate myself.

9:06 I've decided I do like this song.

9:07 Question. Why is their name Lady Antabellum if there are dudes in the band? Is that too gender traditional of me? Is SHE Lady Antabellum?

9:08 I'm so confused. I need Laura to educate me on this. But that was a good song.

9:09 Best Comedy Album? I suppose I can't really comment on this either

9:10 Who am I kidding? I can comment on anything. Weird Al is still alive?

9:10 I do love me some Kathy Griffin.

9:10 "Oh my God, Stephen Colbert has a Grammy"- Johnny D.

Laura on teh Gramies - Jonas Bros introduce Lady Antebellum

2010-01-31T18:04:00.000-08:00

9:05 - Do I know who Lady Antebellum is? I think not.

9:05 - Oh, you're a country singer.

Kind of cool with the scrim theatre thing. Brendan Smith is going nuts because he is rooting for this country music pop crossover. :)

Three part harmony. Yes.

9:07 "It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need youuuu now".

Amen.

9:08 The guy singer could be pop if he wanted to. The girl is irreversably country.

Laura on the Grammy's (the apostrophe is a gag now.) Black Eyed Peas

2010-01-31T17:54:00.002-08:00

Hahaha, Julia is a Black Eyed Peas hater and she just admitted she kind of likes this song "I'mma Be".

8:55 Much confusion over what the title of this song is. "I'm a beat?" "I'm a bee?"

8:56 BRENDAN SMITH (@bxsmith): "I just found out that Will- I-Am spells William!"

8:57 ooooooo "I Gotta Feelin" - Autotune on the mic!

I have to say, this performance is crazy and energetic. But after we've seen Gaga incinerated, and Beyonce with her army of droids, and Pink spin above our heads, it feels just meh to me.

8:58 I changed my mind. They have dancing boomboxes. Or washing machines, according to natalie.

Learn how to use a mic, Fergie. You're doing the "gangsta lean" with it and it's missing your mouth, and the sound is cutting in and out. This is amateur stuff right here. Come on. You're standing still.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:54:00.001-08:00

8:54 Miley- who are you talking to? Who will be posting and talking? You look more and more like Lindsay Lohan everyday...

8:55- IMMA BE. Imma be making fun of Fergie and her visor.

8:56 Sound just went out for a minute. Probably better that way.

8:56 Brendan just found out Will.I.Am spells William. Welcome to 2003, Brendan.

8:57 Oh, sh** just got real. Tonight's gonna be a...night where I wear my boots with my 'puter, Johnny D, thank you very much. I won't be smashing anything.

8:58: Julia: "what are those" (a la robot back up dancers) Natalie: "they look like Washing machines from here!"

8:59 And...it's over. Hopefully that's the last we hear of them in 2010.

Commercial Break!

2010-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Laura just started giggling at the M & M commercial for no reason. I do not join in her appreciation for animated characters. Or for country music, apparently.

Johnny D is laughing at my "boots and 'puter" comment. Yeah, I know it sounds dirty. Didn't mean it to be so.

BLACK EYED PEAS GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!!! (Target commercial)

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

8:47 Two Thumbs up for Walter Miller!!

8:48 Boo for country. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of country music. Give me MGMT. Silver Sun Pickups. So much goodness. I would love for someone to tell me what's Best and New about this Artist...Zac Brown Band...never heard of 'em 'til tonight.

Laura on the Grammys - BEST NEW ARTIST

2010-01-31T17:45:00.000-08:00

Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings - YOU SUCK!

Zac Brown Band! Way to go, country! @bxsmith was just talking about how the country-pop crossover is way bigger now than before. Congrats!

Also, to qualify for best new artist you just had to release an album in this past year that establishes your "national identity". Therefore, although the Silversun Pickups have been around since my high school years, they are eligible. But I have trouble thinking of them as a "new artist". Same goes for MGMT.

Ting Tings, you can't Sing Sing.

Sorry, but it had to be said... said.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:43:00.000-08:00

8:43 Pink is still Cirque de Solie-ing it...

8:44 How does she sing like that? When did she become a circus act?

8:45 Everyone wants to be Lady Gaga now. But as Johnny D. just said..."better than the Britney era when they tried to out skank each other...". Well put. I'll take performance art spectacle any day.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:39:00.001-08:00

8:39 Laura just gasped at Seal. hahaha....

8:40 This is the year of the ladies...Pink, Beyonce, Gaga...

8:41 Pink can sing. I'll give her that. I kind of like the outfit. Classy but provocative? Maybe? I'm afraid she's going to like tear it off any minute though... I've come to expect wardrobe malfunctions from my pop stars...

8:42 Why don't I know this song? It's lovely.

8:43 And the clothes are off...let the crazy begin.

Laura on the Grammy's (Is there an apostrophe or not?) on Pink

2010-01-31T17:39:00.000-08:00

8:40 - Julia is right. They just played Seal's "Kiss from a rose" - This IS the year in which we pretend we're in a different decade.

AND NOW PINK:

You do have a good voice, you do. And your eye makeup looks gorgeous. You are so soulful and gorgeous when you're not putting out the "I'm going to beat you up" vibe.

Gosh. And the way that most your songs are mixed really does diminish what a good voice you have naturally. Release more things like this, and I will love you.

8:42 She took her clothes off and is spinning above the stage in an acrobat-mobile. She is trying to be Gaga. But I can't blame her.

Side note: Can you imagine what rehearsals for this must have been like? "ok, go back two bars, and let's go over the part where we dip Pink in water."

8:44 Very cool. Very very cool. Gaga, if you're making everyone do performance art, to compete, I thank you.

8:45 Pink, you have no boobs. Good for you.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

8:31 Beyonce is still singing. Alanis Morrisette shout out?! WTF?? Apparently 2010 is the year we pretend we are in a different decade....

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:28:00.003-08:00

8:28 Beyonce wants to be Lady Gaga right now. Just saying. Love you, B...but didn't Rihanna walk in like this at AMA's last year??

8:28 "If I Were A Boy"? Haven't heard this since 2008.

Laura on the Grammys - Beyonce's performance

2010-01-31T17:28:00.001-08:00

BEYONCE! Although I'm bitter about you stealing Kings of Leon's rightful award for best song, you're a talented lady and you work hard.

IF I WERE A BOY- Girl, if I could only belt like you. Guess I'll just have to stick to my guitar-and-piano-playing songwriting chick thing. Like Gavin.

Is Rihanna Drumming? or does the Drummer just have a Rihanna haircut?

I'm LOVING the big-band arrangement of this song. The horns really fill it out.

8:31 BEYONCE COVERING ALANIS????~!~!! Oh my gosh she's killing it. Edgy and unexpected. Definitely fresh.

8:32 Oh I see, it's a medley.

8:34 An argument is happening between @bxsmith and @julz422 (like that twitter speak?) In brendan's corner, he says beyonce's was the better performance. In julia's corner, she's rooting for Gaga and Elton John. What makes a good pop performance? A voice? A presence? Special effects? I'm going to say that Beyonce has the better voice, absolutely. But she doesn't write her own material. So that gives miss Gaga points in my book. I'm Switzerland and refuse to decide.
I'm a dork and I loved them both. They both gave me chills

They both have such energy and presence. They each know what their "gimmick" or their "trump card" is, and they work it.

Well done.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T17:25:00.001-08:00

8:25 Ugh...When in Rome? Looks Awful. And they can stop promoting now already. No one is going to see it.

8:25 Bon Jovi's never performed on the Grammy's?? Really? Why now????

8:26 Aw, Taylor. This is your year. You earned it. But apparently you already won like 3 awards? Why weren't these broadcasted?

8:26 "Impossible Dream" makes me want to sing Man of La Mancha style.

8:27 What..no Kanye???

Laura on the Grammys

2010-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

8:24: Kristin Bell is cute. Wow, she's about a foot shorter than Josh Duhammel.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM!

George Strait, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, LeeAnn Womack,

8:26 Taylor Swift wins! Due to a loud and HD-tv snobby roommate, we've missed what some of the nominees are. But I'm proud of you, Taylor.

Gosh she's just SO DARN CUTE! And GRACIOUS.

Either you're a really good person, or you're a PR genius.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog

2010-01-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

8:15 Green Day the musical? I'm confused. Intrigued, but confused.

8:16 Aw, my dad loves Green Day. This makes me think of him :)

8:17 I feel bad for Green Day. They are like the revolutionary movement we never had, I suppose. Does that make sense? If only it were 1994 again. Dookie was the...well...yeah.

Laura on the Grammys

2010-01-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

J- Lo, you're kind of tired lately. And I still haven't forgiven you for your New Year's outfit.

8:15 Wow, i forgot they made Greenday's stuff into a musical. And it kind of works so far, I feel.

8:16 Wow, I changed my mind. One twenty one guns does NOT work as a musical.

Laura on the Grammys

2010-01-31T17:11:00.000-08:00

SONG OF THE YEAR

I'm voting for Kings of Leon all the way.

No one has heard of Maxwell, go away.

Beyonce, it's a good dance song, but no.

Gaga, I love you, but not your best song.

Kings of Leon YOU'RE MY BOYS!

(ps. Marry me, Caleb, Followill)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It's Beyonce for Single Ladies!

(It's ok, Caleb. Call me anyway.)

Laura on the Grammy's

2010-01-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

It's 7:45. I'm warning you, sometimes I cry when I watch the Grammys. Seriously. When Amy Winehouse won and her jaw dropped and her band was going wild around her, I teared up.

My friend @bxsmith understands.

You see, I have this band. I'm a songwriter. I don't know if it's happiness for these artists that makes me tear up or imagining it happening to me, but I'm shooting for the top. You should just know that. So if I sound a little catty sometimes, perhaps it's envy. Envy envy envy.

Let's talk about Taylor Swift, shall we? First of all, she looks stunning. Second of all, she will be big in the music industry for a long, long time. She can write her own songs, and she maintains a very gracious, humble, and ladylike public persona. She's grateful for what she has, and darnit, she should be. She's in my "like" category- I think the whole package is what sells an artist- you can't be an inarticulate irrelevant ditz like Katy Perry and have people still want to hear what you have to say.

Also, how much do I want to be Lea Michelle?

7:58: Lady Gaga's outfit was expected to be crazy. But I want to talk about her SHOES! My designer sister goes nuts for Alexander McQueen.

8:00: I have the chills because of Gaga's entrance. A true performer.

8:02 And girlfriend can sing. And she's singing live. HOw I respect you.

But will you ever wear pants? Try it. We'd be SHOCKED if you showed up in jeans.

8:09 I HATE katy perry's BANGS! come on. you can be edgy. but gosh darnit at least do something flattering.

Julia's Live Grammy Blog!

2010-01-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I can't believe we are really doing this! Feelin' a little nerdy sitting with my girl Laura, computers poised, tv on. Wulp, welcome to the 21st century!

We've decided we will each be giving our invididual play by plays and then converging at some point...we'll see how this goes. I hope Laura's not wittier than I am (just kidding, LVD! Kind of).

First thoughts. E! Red Carpet Pre-Show:

7:53 Ashanti on the Red Carpet? Is it 2001? Where's Ja Rule? Didn't realize she was still relevant. My bad.

7:57 Laura just asked me if I "took my meds"...ha! Back story- gotta little slip of the disc in muh back. No biggie. Vicodin sure helps. I was tempted to take it before this Grammy business, ya know, to make for better commentary, but alas, I decided to be coherent. (Apparently, unlike Will.I.Am....)

7:59 Laura fumbles for remote to switch to CBS- "Not the Kardashians! NOOOooo!!!"

8:00pm Akon introducing Gaga. LOVE.

8:01pm Gaga singing a beautiful medley. She sounds great. Don't understand her 80s sequence outfit while she dances amongst the likes of the dancers from the Thriller video. But what's to understand?

8:02 of course she's not wearing pants.

8:03 I love the "Fame Factory" concept and Akon's vaudeville routine

8:03 (part) LOVE "SPEECHLESS". LOVE ELTON JOHN. All is right in the world. Can they please go on tour together???? NOW.

8:04 Gaga's owning the moment. She's looking into Elton's eyes. It's a match made in gay heaven.

8:09 I love that Stephen Colbert is 'hosting'. This is officially the best show ever.

8:12 Song of the Year already? BEYONCE?! I'm sorry, but Kings of Leon had the best song......BOO.

Do You See What I See?

2010-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Do you see that, popbloggers? That something way off in the distance? I know it doesn't look like much now but...

THE GRAMMYS ARE COMING!

I know that we have been on a way-too-long hiatus (for all 3 of you readers, God love ya!), but I am betting that this weekend's Grammys will give us more than enough fodder for blogs to come. So fear not! Laura and I just need to coordinate place and time and we are ready to blog perhaps even LIVE (from our houses) from the Grammys.

Until then, perhaps here is something to hold you over. Why YES it is about My Girl Gaga. How did you know?

1.) She is wearing what appears to be a She-Ra costume here. I HAD a She-Ra costume TOO. Okay, it was not quite like that. I was 5 and it covered my entire body. But I LOVED She-Ra. I wanted to BE her. Ergo, I love Lady Gaga even more.

2.) She is OPENING for the GRAMMYS! WIN!

3.) I love how Madonna sees herself in her. Of course you do, Madonna. When is it not about you? I know you contributed much to pop music as we know it, but a little humility goes a long way, Madge, if I may be so bold.

4.) Oh and- regarding that crazy video at the end... I'm gonna go ahead and say it. I don't like to brag but...Jesus and I are pretty tight. And I'm pretty sure He does not hate anybody. I did not even waste my time opening up that video from whatever Church hates my girl Gaga. Open at your own risk. Boo!

Hope to be writing something ruhl good for y'alls ruhl soon. Until then-
Peace,
Julia

So This is the New Year....

2010-01-12T06:21:00.001-08:00

...and I don't feel any different." ( from Death Cab For Cutie's 'New Year' from their best album to date, 'Transatlanticism')

Happy New Year! Okay, so we're two weeks late. You know how the holiday season goes.

Laura and I were able to celebrate 2009 and the year in pop music properly over the holidays, I feel. As she mentioned, she did indeed "wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy" a la Ke$ha after my Christmas party, which in my mind, is a Christmas party well done.

Between Christmas and New Year's we both took to the great state of Ohio- me to stay with my family and Laura to visit the bf's fam (btw- I gifted my father with the great gift of Lady Gaga, Green Day- he's a fan-and the Bob Dylan Christmas album for Christmas. As I believe I've said before, pop music runs in our blood! And he was GRATEFUL for the Gaga, I'll have you know!)

Laura and I were able to meet up for a whirlwind trip to the Rock Hall. It had to happen. I had to laugh when I saw that Colbie Caillat's tank top and macrame pull-over from the likes of Hollister had been added in the "New and Now" section along with some Modest Mouse, Fesit, and Sara Barallies paraphernalia. (You know, GOOD MUSIC. ;)

I think I may have mentioned this in October- the last time I visited the Hall with a friend- I get a little giddy (okay A LOT giddy) everytime I stand in front of Jim Morrison's Christmas Cards to his parents, Jimi Hendrix's cartoon drawings, and John Lennon's original lyrics for A Day in the Life. The Catholic in me wants to equate them with relics, but the GOOD Catholic in me knows I can't :) The men were not saints...clearly. But what they gave to music and to the world is kind of immeasurable. No?

I'll leave Laura to leave her comments about the whirlwind tour of the land of Cleve :)

For New Year's, it was back to DC for me and my friends from CA were in town. We decided to do one of those fancy New Year's parties- the kind where you pay lots of money and dress up and pretend you're rich for one night (cue Death Cab for Cutie lyrics here: "So everybody put your best suit or dress on. Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once", also lyrics from the same song as this blogpost).

Third Eye Blind were the house band for this event and while they were fun (yes, they played the hits. They HAD to. Who knows anything they've released since 1999? Not I.), I really think the all you could drink bar helped me enjoy them. I could not help but wish that they were a.) still relevant and/or b.) were Kings of Leon

Speaking of....Kings of Leon has a hipster clothing line!?! What?! I can't tell if this makes them incredibly artsy and innovative or sellouts. I know Laura wants to write about music and fashion, so I'll leave her to do so.

The NYE event also had multiple rooms with DJs and I did get SUPER excited when Ke$ha was played. So much so that I texted Laura with the very vague message of just: "KE$HA!" I then had to kindly explain to her the next day that No, Ke$ha herself did not make an appearance, it was just me expressing my excitement for the song through drunk texting.

Also, I do remember enjoying moreso than usual the overplayed "Empire State of Mind" (love JayZ and Alicia Keys, but my God, are the stations killing that song for me). I didn't know it would be fun to dance to, and it still may not be, but in that current state I was in, it was the perfect song to ring in the new year with. (I like to play 'air-piano' to it. It's like 3 half-steps down and up over and over again)

So now that we have rung in the new year- what's in store for 2010!? Any predictions?! Here's what I am looking forward to:

a.) seeing how is Lady Gaga going to top 2009? More music? More outfits? I hope so.
b.) I think I also would, indeed, like to hear more from Ke$ha. Not because she's any kind of talented, but because it's deliciously bad for me. And those are the kind of resolutions I make...
c.) live podcasting and/or blogging the Grammys with my girl Laura

I hope 2010 will NOT bring me:

a.) NO MORE PEAS, PLEASE! Black Eyed or anything else. I need something new in my diet.
b.) a little less auto-tune, thank you.
c.) Rhianna drama.

Bring it on, 2010! You and your new digits that I still can't seem to write correctly on checks or any important document....

Happy New Year, all!
Peace,
Julia

Best of the Decade

2009-12-16T09:18:00.001-08:00

lauravand: RT @Julz422: "I wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy..." Who doesn't?

Ah, Twitter. It has quickly become a mainstay in our blip-enduced culture. I figured I would include that reference so that you would

a) Follow us on twitter. We're the up and coming commentary on pop, I can feel it.

b) because I did, in fact, wake up feeling like P. Diddy this morning. I braved the snow-pocalypse last night to go Julia's Christmas party (the bond amongst pop bloggers is a strong one) and woke up in my party clothes. I imagine this is the way P. Diddy feels on a regular basis. (However, unlike P. Diddy I don't have a G-5 at my beck and call. Shoutout here to amazing friends who helped dig my car out of the snow.)

and

c) It's symbolic and stuff. You'll see.

Upon reading Julia's albums of the decade, I was having difficulty writing my own. Singles of the decade, I could do. Emerging artists of the decade? Yes.

There have been several articles that have debated about what to call this decade of the (200_'s) Among names suggested are the Oughts, the Noughts, the Oh's, the Two Thousands, and more cutesy ones like the "Oughties" or the "Noughties".

The one I especially liked was a suggestion called the Singles. Not just the single digit years, but also a commentary on our music scene as well. With the availability of iTunes, Shazaam, Pandora, and song-tagging, it's become much easier to pick and choose single tracks. What was the last album that you bought a hard copy of? How often do you actually open the CD case and put in a whole CD? Why not just plug in someone's iPod? We're a culture that skims, no longer reads. We've been Twitter-fied.

Are you still with me?

On the occasion that you DO buy an album, it feels intimate. It's a commitment. You are hearing the unreleased songs, the songs that 96% of the public is not hearing. And if the artist writes their own material, it's an almost voyeuristic look into what has happened to them, the way that they think, the way they put things into words.

And so, as we near the end of this decade, I think it's only right to pay tribute to the albums. It's not clear for how much longer they will be our chosen format.

In no particular order...

1. Eminem- The Eminem Show.

Eminem AKA Slim Shady AKA Marshall Mathers quickly established a public persona that was rebellious and vulgar in the late nineties. But reading through the lyrics on this album, it was evident that he took all of his issues and poured them with a vengeance into his songs. They are masterfully crafted, and powerfully executed. Dealing with everything from his messy relationship with his wife, to the pressures of the spotlight, to his evident abouding love for his daughter, this album paints a picture of a complex, self-aware artist that keeps his business very close to the surface. There's the gangster that will shoot you. There is the jilted, bitter lover. The doting father. Not only did I find myself thinking of him as a good guy who's gone through a lot, but his lyrical prowess is unmistakeable.

Although not from the same album, it should also be mentioned that the song "Lose Yourself" went on to become the longest-running rap single. So awesome to see an underdog master the artform and become the new standard. They study his lyrics in songwriting classes at Berklee. The man is a genius.

2. John Mayer - Room For Squares

Who can forget "No Such Thing" - (Shoutout to Dylan Galvin and Steve Colvin here) or "Your Body is a Wonderland"? His breathy voice and sweet lyrics made ladies swoon the world over. Little did we realize he was just putting us on with this album, and is actually an accomplished blues guitarist - don't even get me started on him. It also must be mentioned that Dylan and I (come see him open for the Understudies on March 3 at Wonderland Ballroom! #ShamelessPlug) covered every single song on this album, every week one summer at a bar we were too young to get into. Viva the Bad Fish Bar on the pier of Solomon's Island.

3. The Drumline Soundtrack

No really. This is a GREAT ALBUM. I did not purchase it, but I did borrow it. And it never left my player from the day I got it to the day I returned it. Nick Cannon, JC Chasez, Alicia Keys, the Jackson 5, and more. Great dance album. Also, the drum-battle arrangements make marching band seem like the most badass thing ever. Hmm... looks like I have a little iTunes credit left...

4. Parachutes by Coldplay

This album put them on the map with "Yellow." With songs like "We Never Change", "Trouble", "Don't Panic", "Shiver", and "Parachutes", this album is still my favorite one they've done. It's a quieter version of their now stadium-rock, but with everything we love about them still intact.

5. Little Voice - Sara Bareilles (Yep, Julia, You called this one.)

My initial impression of her was bubble-gum pop. "Love Song" was played on every radio station and the opening piano chords are instantly recognizeable. Liking her voice a lot, I looked at 30 second clips on iTunes and gravitated towards the song "City", which was sparse and thoughtful. I decided to purchase the whole album, which was THE best decision of the decade. Her accompaniment is complex, thoughtful, and masterful, yet never overpowers her text.

Have you ever come across a songwriter that is saying things you completely identify with? I actually stopped writing songs for a while after hearing this album. I felt she'd already said everything I wanted to say. Only she did it far more eloquently. And sexy to boot.

6. Mr. A-Z by Jason Mraz

Although by no means his biggest album, this one has some gems on it. Besides the singles of "Wordplay" and "Geek In The Pink", it was obvious he was writing this at a time when he was in love with singer-songwriter Tristan Prettyman. (Also one of my favorites.) And it seemed all of the songs looked at different sides of being in love. He explored the transcendent and spiritual in "Plane". The urgent and sexual in "O. Lover". The lonely and yearning in "Mr. Curiosity". Although they never hit the airwaves, these songs remain some of my favorites of his.

You should check out Jason and Tristan's duet "Shy That Way" - (off of Tristan's album twentythree.) It's easy to see how they're styles complemented/influenced one another's. Sadly, they are no longer dating. Not so sadly, this might be because he is destined to marry me.

7. Anna Nalick- Wreck of the Day

You remember "Breathe(2 A.M.)" But the rest of this girl's album was pretty darn good. Her voice, while not always polished, was always honest. And back in the days of AIM away messages that are pink and have cryptic song lyrics (oh-HO yes, 2005) her lyrics seemed to particularly echo my own mentalities. The whole album had a theme of "I haven't gotten it right yet, but by George, I'm trying." It was self-deprecating and optimistic at the same time. Although she never had anything else hit the radio, this album didn't leave my CD player for a long, long time.

8. Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope

"Fidelity"! Ahh! "Samson"! Mmmmm. "Apres Moi"! Oooo. This girl is all about making noises with her voice. Forget prettifying anything. Her piano accompaniments are sometimes epic, sometimes scant, but always make her point. I feel connected to her and proud when her avant-guarde material hits the public eye on talk shows and movie soundtracks. She's got a lifelong fan in me.

9. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black.

Have you ever heard the saying "You've gotta suffer to sing the blues"? I think Amy Winehouse epitomizes that. She's got a lot going on (and if you read all of her lyrics about alcohol, cheating, etc., you probably weren't surprised). But she pours all of it into this voice that is unmistakeably soulful. Her somewhat nasal placement is balanced by her deep open throatiness to give us a voice that cannot be stopped and hearkens back to Motown. Listening to this album granted me the epiphany that I didn't have to try to "prettify" my voice or my songs. I can very clearly tell whether songs I've written are pre- or post-Winehouse.

10. Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor.

I don't even need to explain this one. A win for classically-trained, singing-songwriting, piano-playing girls everywhere. I hope she continues to go big, big places.

Every time I think about this post, I get stressed out that I'm missing something huge. I loved Justified by Justin Timberlake. And Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American. Zach Braff's Garden State Soundtrack introduced me to some new favorites like the Shins, and Colin Hay, which I have yet to fully catch up on. (Come to think of it, what was I thinking putting the Drumline Soundtrack on this list?? There, you see how stressful this is?) I discovered several albums IN this past decade that were actually recorded earlier, like some by Lauryn Hill and Alice in Chains. I'm enamored with Gaga, Kate Nash, and the Fray, but I confess I don't have their albums. So I'm stopping here, wishing everyone a happy 2010 (How do we say it? Two thousand ten? Twenty-ten?) and hoping for several more amazing albums to come.

Now as for the singles?

"Easy" by Paula DeAnda is my #1, top-played guilty pleasure iTunes purchase of the decade. I'm not ashamed. #SongsIHaveNoReasonToLike

Now, let me go tweet this link.

Lists

2009-12-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

It's the middle of December which means Christmas carols, shopping, cookies, New Year's Plans, etc.

IT IS ALSO THE END OF THE DECADE. I KNOW. WHAT?! Who saw that coming??

And so, it is also the time for COMPILING LISTS. Lists of 'the best of this' and 'the best of that'.

And so, the Pop Blog brings you: Julia's Best of Lists (Hopefully, to be followed by Laura's ;)

This list is NOT extensive, but they are the FIRST albums that came to my head when I thought back on the music that got me through a decade.

*I feel I should also make a disclaimer that though this is a "pop blog", my secrets will soon be revealed- I really only spend my $$ on indie rock! That said, I'm sure you will also find some pop albums as well.

JULIA'S ALBUMS OF THE DECADE THAT SAW HER THROUGH COLLEGE AND POST-COLLEGE YEARS
20. Britney- Britney Spears- I can just picture that sweet, innocent pre-K. Fed girl on the album cover now...

19.Little Voice- Sara Bareilles- This album got me through 2007-2008 for sure, and I know is something Laura will agree with me on!

18.- Hot Fuss- The Killers- will forever remind me of my 2005 trip to Spain, England, and France- they were playing it there too!

17.- Room For Squares- John Mayer- which college student didn't play this album out?

16.- Give UP- Postal Service- Again, which college student didn't play this album out??

15.- Is This It?- The Strokes- This album introduced me to my love/hate relationship with hipsters...

14.- Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground- Bright Eyes- this album is crazy and I love it.

13.- In Rainbows- Radiohead- Thom Yorke does it again. I don't know how a band can re-invent themselves so many times...

12.-The Boxer- The National- pretty sure one of my best purchases of 2007.

11.- Breakaway- Kelly Clarkson- I prentened to BE Kelly every morning in 2004-05, I think...

10- FutureSex/Love Sounds- Justin Timberlake- my boyfriend came out with an album all his own, and it didn't suck! I was so proud

9.- Songs About Jane- Maroon 5- I still play this album out

8.- Picaresque- The Decemberists- this album introduced me to this band and I am so grateful.

7.- Funeral- Arcade Fire- I can't say enough good things about this album

6.- Plans- Death Cab for Cutie- #2 fav Death Cab Album...

5. The Fame- Lady Gaga- I know girlfriend just came out with this late in the decade, but she has earned her spot here in my book.

4. The Crane Wife- The Decemberists- I didn't think it could get better than Picaresque. Then it did.

3- No Strings Attached- NSYNC- an album that started a relationship with 5 singing, dancing men and me in my head....wait, what??

2.- Transatlanticism- Death Cab for Cutie- Best. Album. Ever.

1.- I couldn't pick just one album from this band, so I pick all three:
Oh, Inverted World, Chutes Too Narrow, Phantom Limb- The Shins. My band of the decade, apparently!

ALBUMS OF 2009- Again, sorry, not alot of pop here...

10. Merriweather Post Pavillion- Animal Collective
9. Fearless- Taylor Swift
8. I and Love and You- The Avett Brothers
7. It's Blitz- Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
6. The Hazards of Love- The Decemberists
5. Hold Time- M. Ward
4. Dark Was the Night- Various Artists
3. Monsters of Folk- Monsters of Folk
2. Fame Monster- Lady Gaga
1. Middle Cyclone- Neko Case

And Julia's Top Downloaded Singles of 2009...here are where the guilty pleasures lie. I don't always drop for the album, but the singles may or may not be download worthy...

5. Heads Will Roll- Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
4. Chillin'- Wale feat. Lady Gaga
3. The Climb- Miley Cyrus (I shutter to write the name...note, I only downloaded this after I heard the Kelly Clarkson version with her back-up singers)
2. Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
1. I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas

There, you have it, folks! My 'lists'! Also, items for honorable (or dishonorable) mention:

2008 albums that still made their way into my life-soundtrack in '09:
5. I am Sasha Fierce- Beyonce
4. Paper Trail- T.I.
3. 808 and Heartbreaks- Kanye West
2. Circus- Britney
1. Only By the Night- Kings of Leon

And albums that didn't make it to my 'best of decade' but may or may not have gotten stuck on repeat in my cd player...

3. Autobiography- Ashlee Simpson (pre-SNL appearance, of course)
2. Take it All Away- Ryan Cabrera- poor guy. He's actually talented, but since he dated the aforementioned Simpson, I don't think he gets credit. And that hair...
1. Celebrity- Nsync- To be clear- I AM NOT ASHAMED OF MY OBSESSION WITH NSYNC OR BOY BANDS. But this just wasn't their best...

Phew! That's a lot of music for one post! I could go on and on, but I do want to enjoy the rest of this decade, so bye, bye, bye for now! ha! It never gets old..

Peace,
Julia

Grammy Poetry, Part II

2009-12-07T12:03:00.001-08:00

Julia, you are a genius.

I was so excited about the possibilities when Julia suggested we write our Grammy posts in poetry form. I'm a songwriter. I love words. I am ALL ABOUT more poetry posts.

Consider yourselves warned. All six of you.

Wanting to be informed pop-blogger (That just rolls off the tounge, doesn't it?), I headed over to Grammy.com to educate myself. To clarify the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while they are both about singles, is a difference in perspective. "Record of the Year" is an engineering award having to do with the recording, mixing, and mastering itself. The award "Song of the Year" goes to those who wrote the song. So even if you see a lot of crossover between those two categories of nominees, (PokerFace, Use Somebody, and You Belong With Me are all nominated for both) keep that difference in mind.

Not feeling equipped to judge Record of the Year, naturally I'm focusing my poetry on the Best Song category.

BEST SONG - a Limmerick

There's a song by the band Kings of Leon
So oft played many think it should be gone
But I risk losing friends
(Relationships mend.)
I turn it up and sing loudly along.

BEST SONG - Haiku

Caleb Followill's
voice turns a key in my core
Use THIS somebody.

(Kudos to Julia for the "use this somebody" reference in one of her earlier posts. It's perfect and it had five syllables.)

Dear Miss Taylor Swift
Your songs make me think that I'm
A high school freshman.

Read my poker face
Fashion and piano playing
Are always in vogue.

The Single Ladies
Know when that song is playing
Kurt from 'Glee' can score.

Now how about this "Pretty Wings" by Maxwell business? I'm ashamed to admit when I saw it on the list, I didn't recognize it, or him. Upon further research (read: Wikipedia) of him, I found out that the man is a 12-time Grammy nominee, but he's never won a single one. His history with his labels involves his projects being shelved, his album release dates being delayed, or releasing fewer tracks than originally planned. This year's album marks Maxwell's return from a long hiatus from the music industry, and it has collected six nominations. I wish you well, dude.

I headed on over to YouTube to check him out. The man can sing, but I don't think this song is a contender against the other nominees. Keep your chin up, Maxwell. And watch out for levitating women.

To finish, my roommate asked me what I was doing. I replied "Working on my Grammy haikus." Knowing Julia's and my infatuation with Lady Gaga, he spontanesouly replied (counting syllables on fingers, no doubt):

"Oh Lady Gaga...
How Your Shows Are So Crazy
I Love You... A Lot."

Well said, Johnny D. Well said.

Grammy Haikus Part I

2009-12-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am not only an avid blogger, but I'm also a blog reader. And have recently noticed the trend of poetry to express view points like on this blog and my friends El and Lo's fabulous blog

So I can take a hint. I like to be hip to the trend, my friends.

Laura and I wanted to talk about the Grammy nominations anyways, so no time like the present. And so, we bring you:

GRAMMY HAIKUS AND CINQUAINS (okay maybe just Cinquains for now because I don't like counting syllables)

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Gaga
Poker Face
Not your best.
I feel you may
Lose.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Fergie
If You
Win then there
can not be a
God.

(I know cannot is one word, but I take artistic liberties, okay?)

SONG OF THE YEAR

Taylor
Imma let
you finish but
Kings had the best
song.

Laura, I pass the ball to you!

Things I Am Thankful For

2009-11-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Sorry we have taken a hiatus of late. I have been traveling and I know Laura was choreographing a show. I just wanted to stop by, though, and say some things I am grateful for since it is that great American feast day that we call Thanksgiving.

1.) First and foremost this year I am thankful for...Twiiter. As you saw from one of my recent posts- It All Started With a Tweet- that ingenious social networking tool keeps me in touch with co-blogger Laura, Rachel Zoe celeb stylist to the stars, and oh so many more. It also keeps my wit quick in 140 characters or less.

2.) My Google Reader. I would not be the pop blogger I am today if I did not have such a tool which allows me to read 300+ blog posts a day about Lady Gaga, her outfits, and other various pop culture events and stars of my choosing. It also makes slow work days a little more tolerable, and for that I am VERY grateful.

3.) I thank the good Lord for Lady Gaga and her fantastical artistry on a daily basis. Did you see that AMA performance??

4.) I am also thankful for my parents whom, when I was discussing Lady Gaga's performance with them this week a.) new who she was 2.) had seen the performance on youtube (though when my mom went to tell me she had looked it up on You Tube mistakenly said 'innertube', but whatevs. A win either way)

5.) I am very grateful for SNL as of late and their clever sketches involving my favorite pop artists, many whom we've mentioned on this blog. This latest one is great. Love Jason Mraz, even when he is played by Joseph Gordon whatshisface

6.) I am grateful for friends and fellow blog readers who keep me up to date on music and pop culture. Thanks to Pokey who sent us this video which I am currently obsessed with. Love Rivers Cuomo and Sara Bareilles. Anywhere. All the Time.

I think that's about it. It's been a good year. Can't wait to wrap up the year in Pop Music with Laura in the next few weeks! And actually, it's been called to my attention that we are starting a new DECADE. WHAT?! When did that happen?!! So may have to recap the last 10 YEARS as well! In the meantime, this may be of interest

Now for the turkey and cranberry sauce...let's be honest, all I care about is the pie.

Peace,
Julia

Songs I DO Have Reason to Like

2009-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me that I, we, perhaps have been a little negative on this blog in recent posts. Other than our love for Lady Gaga and a few cute boys, I feel like I haven't given pop songs that do stand the test of time their due, especially those from recent years. Clearly Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the like have past the test, but as my dad once asked me, 'Whom do you think will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from your generation?' Hmmm...good question. Certainly not the Black Eyed Peas (Boom, Boom, OW...eh?)

Again- picture it. Me. In my car. Listening to the radio. "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis from 2007 (?) ish comes on. I think to myself, 'this is a good song'. A song I have reasons to like:

1.) the beginning reminds me of the organ intro to "Faith" by George Michael. An amazing song that everyone likes. I don't know anyone who does not like that song. If you don't, whether you have a soul may be in question.

2.) Leona has the chops of Mariah or Beyonce and totally uses it in this song. Some of her more recent songs are somewhat forgettable. Eh, not somewhat. I really can't remember the names of her more recent songs. But she sounds re-uhl good on this one.

3.) It makes for a great So You Think You Can Dance routine :)

4.) Apparently it was/is written by Jesse McCartney? which is reason alone to like it because that boy's songs aren't generally good. 'Beautiful Soul' I will give him, but 'Leaving' and 'Body Language' of late you can literally sing on top of one another, pretty sure, and every note is the same.

So that's my love fest for that song. Another song I want to love all over is...

"Use Somebody" Kings of Leon.
1.) I loved this song from the first second I heard it. And then I heard it again. And again. Which leads me to say: I WISH IT WERE NOT SO OVERPLAYED. I first heard this song on a rock station and I was shocked to hear it recently on pop and slow jam stations. But I guess that it is proof that it is likeable, though.

2.) Dude's voice makes me swoon like my 'Soul-ja Boys' from previous posts. He can use this somebody. Just saying.

3.) This song is very different than "Sex on Fire" and some of the other songs on their album that are more hardcore rock. Love the diversity.

Which leads me to think of another over played song that I loved from first listen with driving beats....

"Viva La Vida" Coldplay
1.) It's just a good song. Coldplay is one of the bands I told my dad may make it to the Rock Hall from 'my generation'. They are consistant and inventive, yet mainstream (other bands I hope to see inducted in the Rock Hall when their time comes include: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, Jay Z, T.I., Justin Timberlake,Lady Gaga...wishful thinking?? What are your thoughts?)

2.) The instrumentation is undeniably unique and good. From the bass drum beats to the bells- it's just unique and makes you tap your toes at the same time.

3.) Coldplay wore costumes to honor the anniversary of Sgt. Pepper. And I heart the Beatles. Done.

Well, I don't know about you, but all this love-festing is making me almost nauseous. This blog post is getting borderline Despereaux cute now, right? We're going to be making a Pixar movie before we know it, so imma gonna stop. Feel free to leave posts of some more recent songs we have reason to like. I challenge you to find something decent from 2009...it's been a tough year...barring my girl Gaga (Viva la Vida de Gaga! ;)

Peace,
Julia

Mini-Blog: Songs I Would've Declined

2009-11-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is a short list of songs, that, had I been the recording artist being pitched them, I would have said no to. Yet, still became huge hits. Shows what I know.

Not that I don't love them. Because I do.

1. Shakira's "She-wolf": Imagine this: You're a sexy, internationally-known pop star who's been on the radar for a while. Your management approaches you and pitches you a song that requires you to howl like a wolf. What would YOU do?

2. Rihanna's "Umbrella": The mundane subject of this song was saved only by repeating the last two syllables of it. Well done, Rihanna. Never would've called it.

3. Beyonce's "Bootylicious": We can all get behind (heh) the girl-power message of celebrating a curvaceous womanly figure. But referring to your extra poundage as "jelly"? No, B. I'm not ready for it.

4. Britney Spears' "Circus": Song about commanding the room with your presence using the metaphor of being a circus ringleader. I get it. It's cute. Clever, even. But the line 'I'm like a performer/the dance floor is my stage'? Uh, Brit? Last time I checked, you ARE a performer. And you are, in fact, dancing on a stage.

5. Fergie's "My Humps": ... 'nuff said.

-llv

It All Started With a Tweet or #songsihavenoreasontolike

2009-11-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

That's right folks, it all started with a tweet. This blog, in fact, was spawned from a direct message. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was listening to radio one day, as I often do, and suddenly this fun, vibrant, repitious song came on with a catchy beat and lots of synthsizers. And now I have just described about every pop song ever in existence.

I've already proclaimed my love for pop music that started with songs that fit the description above. Some songs fall into this category but they still have those one or two things that make them stand out (see my post: 'Ode to Hall and Oates' below). Some , however, will never be that special. They just sound like every other pop song. And for these songs I've come up with the category:

"Songs I have no reason to like" or, as I've created a trending topic on twitter: #songsihavenoreasontolike (make it catch on, people! Trend it now!)

These songs really have NOTHING that make them stand out, they just sound like every other pop song out there, and yet....I still find myself loving them, though I know I shouldn't. I will now make a case for three such current tunes:

"Down"- by Jay Sean.
This song is actually the one I was listening to when I began thinking about all this nonsense. I had to tweet Laura to ask: Why do I like this song? She mentioned that it is catchy. But is that enough, popbloggers? Is that enough?

If you've read my recent post on Colbie Callait, I rip the poor girl's lyrics apart. But yet, I find it justifiable for a man, who probably hasn't written a sentence, let alone a song, in his life to rhyme "down with down" and "only with lonely".

I know it's not fair. But the truth is, you just can't butterfly to "Realize". That's all I got.

"She-Wolf"- Shakira
The first time I heard this song, I think I literally laughed. I mean, the woman HOWLS IN THE SONG. I've got issues with Shakira anyways. The woman's voice just bothers me. I've been told it sounds better in other languages, and that also kind of bothers me about myself that I need her to sound 'more American' but political correctness isn't a fun topic for this blog, so Imma gonna stop.

There are some justifiable things in the song, though, that DO set it apart from other pop songs, I will say. The funky guitar riffs for one. No, they aren't remarkable. But they are funky. FUN-ky, ergo, FUN.

Also, unlike our friends Jay Sean and Colbie, Shakira happens to be a GREAT lyricist. And by GREAT, I mean RIDICULOUS. And I quote:
"Darling, this is no joke, this is lycanthropy" What the hell is lycanthropy? I don't know either, so this leads me to believe she must be a genius. (lycanthropy definition= a deluision in which one imagines oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal. No really, dictionary.com it)

"I'm starting to feel a little abused like a coffee machine in an office." YES. WIN. I love coffee! People in an office drink ALOT of coffee. Thank you, Shakira. You are painting a vivid picture for me here.

So I think Shakira wins based on the lycanthropy lyric alone, how about you?

"Good Girls Go Bad"- Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester
UGH. I did NOT want to like this song when I heard it. I mean, their name is Cobra Starship, which makes me think of the 80's which I know you are saying, 'but Julia, you love the 80's!" And the thing is, I DO. But having some kind of teen emo band (I don't know if they are really emo or even teens, but they sound teeny-bopperish to me) name themselves something that makes the 80's seem RETRO, I am NOT okay with. I am NOT ready for the 80's to be RETRO!!! Humph.

And don't even get me started on Leighton Meester. I know Gossip Girl is like the new 90210 or something, but I just don't care.

But, all that said, I turn this song up everytime. And I can't even justify it. I don't know what it is. And for that, it's a song I TRULY have no reason to like.

Can you help me? What are your current #songsihavenoreasontolike ? I know Laura recently tried to persuade me with '3' by Britney, but I can't get behind that. No pun intended.

Feel free to comment. Meanwhile I'll be singing, "Baby are you down, down, down, down, down- DOWN!" (for no reason).

Peace,
Julia

An Open Letter to Mariah Carey

2009-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Mariah Carey,

It's hard for me to say this to you, but things between us have changed. You can't just waltz back into my life after having left for such a long time and expect us to pick up where we left off, as if nothing ever happened.

Don't get me wrong, Mariah. What we had between us was life-changing. You were there for me at my first middle school dance. You were singing "One Sweet Day" with Boyz II Men, as Ryan Ihnacik approached me and asked me if I would dance with him. Nevermind that I was four foot five and he was six-two, having to hunch down to put his hands on my waist. Your sweeping improvisations sat perfectly atop soulful harmonies and you made everything in the room suddenly graceful. Nevermind that at age 11, I was weirded out by boyfriend stuff. Please, the rhythm of "One Sweet Day" is perfectly designed to keep slow-dance amateurs in rhythm, with or without chemistry. (Step...touch. Step...touch.) Did it matter that technically it's a song about death? Don't be silly, Mariah. I had you, and that's all that mattered.

You were there for me in the backseat of my parents' minivan in the form of my chic tech-savvy Discman on long family trips. Mariah, I read the lyrics and liner notes of "Daydream" from cover to cover. I still remember listening to "Always Be My Baby", reading the lyrics and thinking: "Where is the melody?? WHERE IS THE MELODY?" You so tastefully toed the line between virtuosic and excessive, Mariah. It's why I love you, and your five octave range. I'll never forget what we had.

Lately though, Mariah, things have changed. First, you go away and leave me to the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, and the winners of American Idol. And I loved them too, Mariah, but I continued to feel this emptiness. Do any of them have a "whistle range" in which they can access super high pitches known only to a rare handful of opera singers? Do any of them move their hands to the exact nuances of their vocal riffs? Are any of them the top-selling pop female vocalist of all time? Let me check: nope.

Next thing I know, you've come back, but it's not the same. Take "Obsessed" for example. I detected the distinctive smell of AutoTune on you. How DARE you do this to me, Mariah? Might I remind you that this electronic device is designed for people who CANNOT sing? It's akin to asking Monet to paint-by-numbers. Or giving training wheels to Evel Kenieval. Or enlisting Baryshnikov in beginners' ballet. You get the point, Mariah.

I understand that AutoTune is in vogue right now. And that you are trying to stay current. It's a wise move considering you've never really strayed from your "purple-sparkly-butterfly-14 year old girl" concept. I get it.

But you are disrespecting your art, and your very ability. Your voice naturally moves from one pitch to the next. Human voices aren't synthesizers; there is an infinite number of pitches in between one note and the next and voices are more like trombones than pianos in that it's possible to slide all around. But all great singers work towards that accuracy and clarity. I don't have to tell YOU this, Mariah. You know better. You were accurate and swift while maintaining the illusion of effortless fluidity. All of this while accessing a wide range of pitches with enviable technique.

I won't lie. I've always been very, very jealous of you. But now, I'm downright angry.

Love,
Laura

P.S. - Nick doesn't deserve you. And I never even SAW "Glitter." So take that.

If you just Realize what I just Realized...

2009-10-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

Then you'll see Colbie Caillat brings out the inner 12 year old school girl in me.

I really am indifferent about Caillat's music, though I may talk myself into a opinion through the course of this blogpost. It happens. The whole stream of consciousness thing. I open up a laptop and/or my mouth and words just come out. Works better when you have a delete button, though.

Is it weird that I remember the first time I heard 'Bubbly'? Well, there actually are probably a lot of things weird about the whole scenario (CONVENT. cough, cough. Wait, what?? yeah, you can read more about that here . Shameless Plug. See what I did there?)

Anyways, I was in a movie theater in St. Louis about 2 years ago and it was one of the songs they kept playing while we were waiting for the film to start and answering those 'Pop Quiz' questions (ie- what music video did Courtney Cox star in before she was a star in Friends? Then the answer is all jumbled up and you have to unscramble it: ANCDGNINIETHRKDA a: 'DANCING IN THE DARK') Weird that I know that too, right?

I remember kind of liking the song and thinking to myself she would probably be the next thing. Then I found out the name of the song was 'Bubbly'. It was kind of downhill for me from there.

Caillat isn't the best lyricist, nor really complex songwriter in my mind. Now, I may be a musician, but I am NOT a songwriter. The guys in the band that I was in in high school/college will tell you that. They mocked any attempt I made. It's a completely different gift. So that being said, I do have respect for Caillat that she writes music. That is, I think she writes her own stuff. They all sound the same, so I'm guessing it's her pattern...

But I'll be darned if the lyrics she does write, even if not the greatests rhyme schemes ('starts in my nose, toes, goes, know'...yeah, we get it. You also just rhymed 'realize' with 'realize'. congrats.), bring out the inner 12 year old Julia who was secretly pining about the boy next door or her best guy friend (the Friend Zone is a TERRIBLE place, my friends!) and Colbie Caillat seems to know this as well.

It's like she's writing my feelings from that junior high era. Except probably how as I would write them as an actual 12 year old which means, not well. I may even have written more creatively at 12.

Also, the whole me not being a songwriter thing, even given that, I still probably could have composed her new one- what is it, 'Falling For You'? Yeah. Basic chord progressions. Same 12 year old crush theme...there's a pattern.

Again, great respect for songwriting. Great respect. And she obviously taps into something that I do 'realize' for myself... But when 'Can You Count Me In?' is probably the most clever part of the Bubbly song??

Sorry to burst your inner school girl bubble.

Guess I have gone ahead and formed an opinion, haven't I? I knew it would happen!
Peace,
Julia

Gaga for...er, well...Lady Gaga.

2009-10-26T08:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, now that we've heard from Laura and we have covered our love for nerdy white boys who mix it up with R&B (Mr. A-Z, call us!) as well as awesomely bad 80's pop...NOW...NOW, my friends, it is time to talk about the ONE, THE ONLY:

Lady Gaga.

Shhhh...Stop. Just stop. We know what you are going to say. She is crazy. But you have made an opinion because she wears things like this

and this

She wears masks and poker faces, and we'll give that to you. She's a little scary.

BUT if you just CLOSE YOUR EYES and LISTEN you will HEAR why we heart her.

The girl can SING. And she can sing LIVE. And this is quite a feat for popstars today. Most pop "artists" record something and get it all T-Pained-afied so that their pitch can sound perfect, and then they get up on stage in a little outfit and SMASH IT (but NOT in a GOOD way, Fergie. Miley, I'm looking at you).

And, yes, her brilliance may be chemically induced at times, and I'm NOT advocating that. And yes, her outfits DO distract from her God-given vocal chords. And YES, she DOES write lyrics about DISCO STICKS and uses words like 'Fantastical', but what do you want from the girl?!! She is not about 'the Fame', she is about her art. (Which explains the whole VMA performance debacle- it was a performance art piece on the dangers of Fame, people. Didn't you get that?? ;)

So just go ahead. Close your eyes. Pretend she isn't wearing that Orb around her body, and listen. We think you'll agree.

Plus, she can make fun of herself!

I will leave Laura to once again elaborate, which she did so well last time with her words on Jason Mraz! Took the words right out of my mouth, Duze!

Peace,
Julia

Lucky I'm In Love with a Pop Star

2009-10-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, all 3 of you readers! This is Laura checking in for her first post. I used to write quite a bit, but I have to admit I'm a little apprehensive to start my first post, being that Julia is an amazing writer.

I also would be remiss if I didn't thank a fellow pop culture addict and roommate John Dellaporta who suggested we start this blog.

Inspired by Julia's last post about pop boys with soul, I felt the need to further elaborate on Jason Mraz. Here are some reasons you should love him:

Reason #1 (and a selfish reason at that): He was a music theatre major. For those of you who don't know me, I was too. It's evident in his singing and in his writing, and I have to say as a fellow former MT major and songwriter, I have been majorly influenced by his always honest and fresh, sometimes snarky writing style. And the man has a crystal clear tenor voice, despite his efforts to "grit it up" with his smoking habit. Alas, I can relate. Can't you just picture the dear boy singing "On the Street Where You Live" in a workshop setting? "Okay, Jason, that was really nice. Now I think you need to up your stakes in the second verse and just pay attention to your phrasing."

Reason #2: He listens to a diverse pool of music and manages to effectively incorporate it into his material in unexpected ways. Can't tell he used to be into freestyle rapping? Listen to the lyrics to "Curbside Prophet" or "Geek in the Pink", to name just a couple. Can't tell he was classically trained? Listen to "Mr. Curiosity". Can't hear the reggae influence? Listen to "I'm Yours" for crying out loud. Hellooooo syncopated rhythm guitar. Jazz? "Bella Luna." Trust me, I could keep going, but you'd be bored by my musical geekdom.

Reason #3: He's a surprisingly good guitarist for someone whose "trump card" is his voice. In a world where we're all just trying to get what's ours, he could have easily made it on his pipes and his writing. His dedication to his instrument belies an honest respect for his art. Check out the album "Live at Java Joe's" to hear him hold his own in a live setting backed only by percussionist Toca Rivera.

Reason #4: He just broke the record for the single that spent the longest time on the charts for "I'm Yours", off of the album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". (Previously holding that record? Leann Rimes' "How Do I Live".)

Reason #5: He gets increasingly more successful - no one-hit wonder here. His debut album had marginal success. His next got better. Most recently he's making history (see reason #4). He could easily have rested on his laurels (aka "The Remedy") and done a bunch of Burger King commercials, but he's still out there working hard. Once again, the man loves what he does.

That's all for now. There are many, many, more reasons to love him, but I don't want to be accused of gushing. Did I mention he's into everything organic and eco-friendly? Did I mention that we'd probably make beautiful music (and babies) together? Okay, I'm stopping now.

Soul-ja Boy Tell 'Em

2009-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Laura's busy working on some play or opera or something musical and theatresque, and I bide my time between a not-so-challenging job and paper-writing procrastination, so I will be writing the blogs, it seems. Hooray!

I also had twelve + hours to think this week when driving through the great state of Ohio for my high school reunion (btw, music from 1999 SUCKS. We tried to download songs for our 10 year, and while I am a lover of Nsync, let it be said, 'Tearing Up My Heart' was not their best work) which meant lots of time to think and listen to music!

And a pop culture/pop music side note, did you know that the term 'Rock and Roll' was first used in Cleveland? And this is why it is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Cleveland may be 'the mistake on the lake', but if you are a music buff, it may be worth the risk to see the Hall one day. Anyways...

This post is not a tribute to the young rapper gracing the pop charts as it's title may suggest (though, I did at one point find 'Kiss Me Through the Phone' rather endearing before it was overplayed) but rather, a tribute to all those pop boys who gots SOUL.

So think more a la The Killers circa 2005: 'I got Soul, but I'm not a Soul-ja'. Mmmm...why yes, DO think about Brandon Flowers, for I believe he qualifies. He's a little more indie than pop, and not quite the mash up of pop and soul I was going for, but he's quite attractive, so he'll do :).

Speaking of Mash-Ups, how great was that episode of Glee?? I'm constantly thinking of songs I want to see done on that show. 'Again' by Janet Jackson? Anyone? But I digress...

I'm talking boys by the likes of Jason Mraz, Eric Hutchinson, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, and why yes, my boy Justin Timberlake. Pop boys with soul.

They mix up the typical Pop/Rock beats with their borderline whines (only for lack of a better word). They make you want to jam and sway, while the rock is still rockin'. And their voices generally make me melt. There's something about a tenor, I always say (I did have a thing for Jordan Knight back in the day as well, but that may be revealing too much and make my claim slightly less credible). Yes, they may sound like a girl to you, but as Justin once said in his award winning SNL clip, 'it's a perfectly acceptable way for a man to sing'. Amen.

Also, I am aware that most of the lyrics for Maroon 5 and Justin songs are rather sultry and steamy which may or may not help my case. I am a Christian woman, afterall. I know that the Bible says 'Cut off your right hand if it leads you to sin' but if 'Gone' by Nsync or 'Secret' by Maroon 5 is wrong, then I don't want to be right. And I swear they could sing, 'Mary had a Little Lamb' and it would still do it for me anyway.

So, Pop/Rock boys with the soulful sway, I salute you. Thank you for doing what you do because you do it oh so well. Soul-ja Boy(s), Tell 'Em! This girl's gonna go cool off now....

Ode to Hall and Oates

2009-10-16T04:23:00.000-07:00

For Julia, it started on April 22, 1981. 'Kiss on My List' by Hall and Oates was number one, and no song could be more fitting to top the charts. Julia was born to two wannabe hippies who had succumbed to the 80s and traded in their Peter, Paul, and Mary for some Michael Jackson. Beatles albums filled the house, along with 'Thriller', and a year and a half later, this family welcomed another daughter, Janet... on a day which 'Maneater' was no. 1. Coincidence? I think not.

So, I'm Julia. And I love pop. It's hard to explain sometimes what I love about it, that's why I'm glad Laura suggested we started this blog.

I really do think it started at birth. It's in my BLOOD. Speaking of blood...You know how sometimes you're body is just craving protein and then you give it a tuna fish sandwich and it just seems to tell you, 'THANK YOU'? NO? Well, to this day, that's how my body reacts to really awesome pop music. And I believe I have Hall and Oates to thank.

It's a tense day at work, you're driving back in the car in gridlock traffic, and then suddenly the first chords for 'Private Eyes' comes on and my body just breathes a sigh of relief. If you're me, you literally utter "yessss...."

Hall and Oates wins everytime. I'm here to tell you why:

1.) It has the most basic chord progressions ever. Usually in major keys. This is what makes pop music pop, after all. A win everytime.

2.) It has SYNTHESIZERS. Being a child of the 80s, this is part of what makes my body breathe that sigh of relief. It just makes me happy.

3.) It goes really well with ridiculous videos (You Tube wouldn't let me copy 'Keyboard Cat'. Just search it for yourself: Keyboard Cat + Hall and Oates= perfection. You'll thank me later).

4.) Only in Hall and Oates can lyrics like- "ooooh here she comes. Watch out boy, she'll chew you up" and "No Can Do"- be made to sound NORMAL and socially acceptable.

5.) Other people agree with me. Lately, movies choose H & O for their montages (see 'The Wedding Singer' and '500 Days of Summer')

I could go on and on, but we have much more pop music to talk about. Just know, that for Julia, it all started with an H & an O.