Idolator, All About the Music... If Only It Were

100 and single

Glimmers Of Light: Other Formats' Top 10s Juice Up Sleepy Summer Charts

The singles charts have settled into what we hope will be a momentary midsummer slumber. And that starts with the song in its fourth week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Idolator's distaste for Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" is well-documented, but I nonetheless have to acknowledge that this blandly titillating dance-pop smash is emerging as the nation's song of this summer, its chart run perfectly timed for the season of moist, exposed flesh.

Perry seems likely to hold the keys to the penthouse for a few more weeks, unless Rihanna's "Take a Bow" regains its bullet at No. 2, or Chris Brown's gradually rising, more enjoyably summery "Forever" (up two slots to No. 4 this week) experiences a left-field surge. Otherwise, it's a wasteland out there.

For those of us seeking good news, however, the simultaneous Top 10 entry of three cool songs on three different flagship Billboard charts—Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Country—provide a small dose of encouragement.

5:00 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Chris Molanphy
449 views, 6 comments

A little self-promotional note: I have a piece in Radar revisiting the back catalog of Billy Joel, an artist who, as you know, I have something of a "complicated" relationship with. (One that's made even more complicated by its one-sided nature, of course.) I actually made it out to his show at Shea Stadium the other night, and while a lot of my favorite songs were left off the set list (but "River Of Dreams" persisted, argh) and getting back to the 7 train was worse than it was for even playoff games, I had a pretty great time. [Radar]

5 comments

videodrone

Memories Of 1994 With The Grays

The Jason Falkner/Jon Brion fronted act the Grays weren't around for long, but pulling out their out-of-print album Ro Sham Bo today has been a wonderful trip down power-pop memory lane. Digging for YouTube material featuring the act led me to a treasure trove of Jason Falkner footage on YouTube—which includes nearly an entire Grays' concert recorded in Denver. Some footage from that show after the jump. More »

4:00 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
91 views, 2 comments

the truly detestable, the summer festival

While You Enjoy Pitchfork, Think Of The Little People

While you're enjoying Jarvis Cocker tomorrow night (I'm looking at you, Maura), be sure to enjoy the festivities a little extra thinking of the sort of festivals we get here in flyover country. Phoenix's abysmally programmed "active rock masquerading as alternative" station announced its one-day festival lineup and it's a doozy, with a few tolerable acts mixed in with some of the worst acts you could imagine being forced to watch in the midst of a working farm in the middle of nowhere. More »

3:30 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
411 views, 1 comment

Latest by NoOneCaresAboutYourFuckingBlog: Technically, the Pitchfork Festival happens in flyover country. At least according to Wikipedia: "Even Chicago, one of the larger cities in the U.S., is often considered part of the region." more »

leak of the yesterday

Glen Campbell's Having The Time Of His Life

ARTIST: Glen Campbell
TITLE: Meet Glen Campbell
RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2008
WEB DEBUT: July 17, 2008

Not Safe For Lunch Dept.

A tipster sends in a report from last night's show by Dave Navarro's rotating cast of semi-famous musicians Camp Freddy: "They knew Chrissie [Hynde] was in the audience and she was reluctant to come on stage. They goaded her on stage... Dave Navarro escalated the sexual tension by saying 'Hey Chrissie, I have something you know...' and then he started playing 'brass in pocket' (I'm gonna make you, make you, make you notice". After 'Brass in pocket,' the band did indeed play 'cant help,' and Chrissie and Dave started making out during the song. After the song, Dave said in to the mic 'Hey Chrissie, how about another kiss' (something like this) and Chrissie said 'I'm better at sucking cock.' Chrissie kind of pretended to go down on Dave, kneeling in front of him, unbuttoning his pants and sticking her hand inside. Her head was right on his body." The photos are at the link, if you can't wait for what will no doubt be a gangbusters Dave Navarro blog entry about the evening. [Rex Features]

4 comments

start up the bubble bath

Your Half-Year in Adult Contemporary Report: Nostalgia For 2007 Is Already Kicking In

Most of our readership probably wouldn't claim that they prefer the smooth sounds of adult contemporary to other genres of music. But when life is a little rough and the mood is more white wine than Jagermeister, even the toughest mosh-pit veteran might tune in to the local Lite station. As a counterpoint to Al Shipley's excellent recap of the year so far in rock radio, we present the five most-played songs on Adult Contemporary radio in 2008. More »

1:00 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
469 views, 17 comments

Latest by Kodiak: Am I the only one that thinks Colbie Caillat is a gorgeous piece of woman?Togather with Heidi Range from the Sugababes!!Best regards, Kodiak. more »

videodrone

Robin Thicke Gets Inspiration From A College Bookstore's Poster Racks

"Magic," the new single from spawn-of-Alan Lil Wayne collaborator Robin Thicke, is a sweet little slice of retro disco, complete with swooping strings and booty-shaking beat. But the video is another animal entirely, and all I can really say about it is that it seems like it was storyboarded entirely on black velvet and mirrored surfaces. An out-of-context strawberry, a heretofore undiscovered constellation that looks... exactly like Robin Thicke, and a chorus line made up completely of clones of the same are just the tip of the iceberg. [YouTube]

12:30 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Maura Johnston
70 views, 1 comment

Latest by silkyjumbo: kudos to the choreographer for making robin look like he can dance. another brilliant move - cloning him so that there are no other dancers around. more »

on tv tonight

Now That Katy Perry Is Gone, I Can Watch "FNMTV" Again

The Pete Wentz project FNMTV promises a world of entertainment this week for those of you who aren't seeing Mission of Burma tonight (grrr). This week's all-over-the-place lineup of videos is rather charming—save the inclusion of the madness called Shwayze. More »

12:00 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
641 views, 8 comments

dr. drew, where were you?

A Great Week For Cocaine, A Bad Week For Steven Adler

I can't imagine their paths cross often, but Steven Adler and Steven Page have something in common this week... arrests for narcotics possession! The often troubled Steven Adler, whose stint on Celebrity Rehab 2 seems to not have been terribly effective, was picked up this morning by Hollywood police; he also has an outstanding warrant in his name. Only somewhat related: I wonder if Jani Lane's Google Alerts perk up every time "outstanding warrant" is used in a news article. [Blabbermouth]

11:40 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
189 views, 3 comments

Latest by Al Shipley: The stuff in Slash's book about kicking Adler out of the band is pretty depressing; they realized how hypocritical it was, but some of them were functioning addicts who could still play, while Steven just couldn't keep a steady rhythm more »

they were calcium tablets, apparently

Steven Page Is Having A Court Date

Steven Page's dalliance with coke parties and the ladies of Syracuse might not be the sort of image that Disney is looking for, especially with Miley Cyrus' latest troubles in mind, so the Barenaked Ladies have bowed out of the Disney Music Block Party Tour, which also features They Might Be Giants. "Members of the band completely support Steven Page," said the band's manager, Terry McBride, "but we don't want to put Disney in an awkward position before issues involving Steven's arrest are resolved." Note the language has moved from the charges being "strongly contested" to them being "resolved," likely thanks in part to Page admitting he snorted some coke with some rolled-up Canadian currency. Well, that's a revelation that should add at least a line or two to "If I Had A Million Dollars." [Marketwatch]

11:20 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
133 views, Comment

leak of the yesterday

Is It Too Late To Apologize For Chris Cornell's Solo Career?

ARTIST: Chris Cornell
TITLE: "Long Gone"
WEB DEBUT: July 17, 2008

the curse of brooke hogan

Scott Storch Might Be Having A Yard Sale Soon

Scott Storch, who for a little while seemingly produced every song on the radio, has been having a rough time lately. Lucky for us, the AP is happy to catalog his troubles, and helpfully point out that producing hip-hop singles might not be the best long-term career move. More »

10:30 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
775 views, 5 comments

listening station

Karen O Messes Around In Her Bedroom Again

Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O has been recording what she calls "a body of love songs" under the name Native Korean Rock over the past two years, and now she's ready to show them off to the world; four of them are on her MySpace page, and they're stark, spare affairs with deliberate vocals that definitely fall under the "Melodramatic Popular Song" rubric that MySpace has given her. She'll be performing them live with "a motley crew of NYC natives"; there's a show scheduled for next week at the teeny Brooklyn bar Union Pool, and I'm pretty sure that if you want to catch what she promises will be a night full of high drama and high stakes, you'll probably have to start standing in line, oh, about now. [MySpace via ONTD]

10:00 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Maura Johnston
179 views, Comment

friday chart preview

Surprise, Surprise: Nas Takes Over The Top Spot

According to early reports, Nas has managed to pull off the seemingly impossible task of keeping Lil Wayne and Coldplay from the top spot on the Billboard albums chart. Of course, what with Miley Cyrus' album dropping next week, Nas shouldn't get too used to life on top, but around 200,000 albums sold is a decent take for an album with minimal radio airplay. Meanwhile, Tha Carter III appears to have Viva La Vida beat in the longevity game, taking second with an estimated 110,000 album sales to Coldplay's 85-90,000. The Camp Rock soundtrack slots into fourth with a projected 80-85,000 copies sold, while Kid Rock's resurgence continues with another 75,000 albums sold this week for fifth place. The rest of the top ten is a logjam in the 50,000-sold range with the Mamma Mia soundtrack, John Mellencamp, O.A.R., David Banner, Taylor Swift and NOW 28 all falling somewhere near that number. [HITS Daily Double]

9:45 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Dan Gibson
123 views, 4 comments

Latest by tigerpop: O.A.R. -- O RLY? more »

Things That Happen When Page Six Writes About Music

Ryan Adams is turned into an "emo rocker." Note to the gossipmongerers over there: Having a blog does not make a musician "emo," even if said blog has ridiculous tendencies. It just greases the wheels for the inevitable book deal a little better than your average lyric sheet. [Page Six]

9:30 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Maura Johnston
160 views, 3 comments

goofing off

R.E.M. Wonders If Living Deutsch Is The Best Revenge

Soundchecks often serve as safe zones for musicians, a place where they can feel free to goof off and take chances that might not be suitable for an audience of people who've paid big money to hear straight versions of their favorite songs. R.E.M., however, is a bit less precious about the moment's sanctity; the band's 1996 album New Adventures In Hi-Fi is partially comprised of music recorded at soundchecks, and more recently, the band opted to share a peculiar version of their song "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" recorded before a concert in Dresden. The tune starts off about the same as the version that appears on Accelerate, but by the final minute, the drums have gone a bit haywire, and MIchael Stipe has started singing in a strange, quasi-Germanic accent. It's a funny moment, and it's nice that the band has enough confidence to let fans hear it mess around. [R.E.M. HQ]

5:00 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Matthew Perpetua
96 views, Comment

American Recordings

Crosby, Stills, And Nash Ask Rick Rubin To Help Them Restore Their Dignity

When I read that Rick Rubin was going to produce the new Crosby, Stills, and Nash record, for a split second I got excited, thanks to imagining the trio harmonizing sweetly over the top of some badass "99 Problems" boom-bap. For better or worse, that is not the case. Instead, they'll be teaming with Rubin to record an album of covers—so what we'll probably get is a ripoff of Johnny Cash's dour, cred-resurrecting American Recordings album, right on down to the production credits. It's a rather transparent and uncreative bid for gravitas, but if they pick the right songs, it may actually be successful in improving their image and their legacy. More »

4:30 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Matthew Perpetua
380 views, 6 comments

Latest by Thierry: @Underclassed: If they want to cover the Jayhawks' "Blue", I'm okay with that... more »