Here's a shot of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when Mayor Daley's cops launched a "police riot" (according to the Walker Commission report) while anti-war demonstrators shouted "The whole world is watching." Are we in for another year like 1968? Some people think so. The year was a crossroads of turbulent change culturally and politically; a watershed year for music and film against the backdrop of a divided nation, an unpopular war, and career politicians deaf to the shifting times. Are we at another crossroads, forty years on? Chicago 10 movie trailer
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973) was a pioneering gospel singer who played wild electric guitar way ahead of her time. Recently, Governor Edward G. Rendell proclaimed January 11, 2008 as “Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day” in the State of Pennsylvania. Robert Plant and Allison Krauss have a song on their new album called "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us." She certainly did!
J. R. R. Tolkien, the Oxford professor best known for creating "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit," was born on this day in 1892. (it's also my mom's birthday -- Happy Birthday, Mom!) Recently, after a long, drawn-out legal battle, LOTR director Peter Jackson announced he will indeed be directing "The Hobbit," though it will take years to get to the screen. I know, I sound like a geek but I really enjoyed these movies and I'm looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit."
This clip from "Broadway Rhythm" (1944) stars the amazing contortionists, the Ross Sisters. "They were billed as Aggie, Maggie, and Elmira but their real names were Vicki, Dixie, and Betsy. They hailed from Colorado City, Texas and were daughters of dirt farmers during the dust bowl days. They trained on their own and began working theaters and fairs in the Midwest. Pooling their money, they bought a trailer and moved to New Jersey to a trailer park about a mile from the George Washington bridge on Route 6. They earned minor roles in a George Kaufman play, Count Me In, and went on to Broadway Rhythm then Piccadilly Hayride at the Prince of Wales Theater in London. They were summoned before the King and Queen for a command performance on Nov. 4, 1946." -from IMBd
A highly subjective year-end list, starting with number ten and leading up to number one.
11. BACK TO BLACK, by Amy Winehouse We're starting with number eleven, because everyone thinks this came out in 2007 (it did, in the states) but I got my copy in 2006 and put it on last year's list. Since trouble girl Amy deserves a break, and it's such a killer album, I'll stick it here and it can join the other top ten lists this year in the USA. The Mark Ronson production is uncanny, and the girl can really sing. This is a much better album than her first (which, coincidentally is being re-released in the states to cash in on the buzz, and is NOT her new album). Anyway, you know all this.
10. RAISING SAND, by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss Okay, indie-snobs, forget about the dinosaur Led Zep reunion tour dragging out all the old warhorses -- this is a great album. This is the best of what used to be called "Americana." No rock-posing from Plant, just smoldering blues and rock, and Allison Krauss adds some beautiful playing and vocals.
9. SOUND OF SILVER, by LCD Soundsystem A masterpiece of trippy dance electronica. Club music for people who don't go to clubs. I imagine this will be the Moby of the year, and we'll be hearing all these tracks on commercials for cars and deodorant. "North American Scum" could be licensed for a basin, tun and tile cleaner.
8. AMERICAN GANGSTER, by JAY-Z Hove is back from retirement with hip hop inspired by the movie of the same name. This is solid stuff, and don' be turned off by the booming ego and gangster lyrics -- I mean, you like gangster movies, right? This is a gangster movie, yo. Roc Boys may be the single of the year, and I can't get those horns out of my head. The beats are unbeatable.
7. MAGIC, by Bruce Springsteen The gypsy biker comes home in a box, the trees are hanging with people, and your worst enemy has come to town. A dark album for a dark age, but also a rocker, and the best thing Bruce has done in ages. He may not be considered cool by the congoscenti, but who gives a rat's ass. Actually, now that he's been forgotten somewhat, a lot of newer bands are free to go back and enjoy his new albums. Witness the Bruce influence in The Hold Steady, Killers, The National, and even Arcade Fire, who are performing their version of "State Trooper" in concert these days.
6. THE REMINDER, by Feist Incredible chanteuse formally of Broken Social Scene slaps you like the au pair you've followed into the kitchen. She has a great voice, and one song doesn't typify the entire album. You may have heard the poppy hit, "1-2-3-4," but there is a wide range of colorful, original music. Stunning on headphones.
5. GA GA GA GA GA, by Spoon Great driving rock music from this Austin band, with such undeniable gems as "Underdog," "Don't Make me a Target," and "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb." You want to be driving fast with the top down through scorching Monument Valley with a cooler full of cold beer and wispy vapor trails overhead. You have no past and no future, but you have sunglasses and this record.
4. NEON BIBLE, by Arcade Fire These people are circus performers, and they produce a beautiful off-kilter calliope of noise, warning us the circus is on fire. The animals are trapped in their cages. To say this isn't as good as their last record is beside the point, because it is so good. Exhilarating, elegiac, unique, grab the Thesaurus.
3. IN RAINBOWS, by Radiohead More famous for their pay-what-you-wish internet offer, this album deserved whatever you paid and more. Intelligent electronic atmospheres and soaring vocals. If you've ever crawled into a frozen garbage can at three in the morning evading the Thought Police, then you might remember this dream.
2. BOXER, by The National Dark brooding music and smart lyrics, just a hair from first place. I keep going back to this one, and the more I listen, the more I appreciate the irony and honesty.
You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends when you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery Citibank lights arm in arm in arm and eyes and eyes glazing under oh you wouldn’t want an angel watching over surprise, surprise they wouldn’t wanna watch...
"Fake Empire" 1. KALA, by M.I.A. Growl and jump and fly like a plane in this cultural jam. Third World beeps and radio interceptions from the wireless, with hip hop, Tamil pop, Bollywood, and a whole lot of attitude forming a fist that pounds on the door of your hummer hummer. This is the sound of the world, yeah.
M.I.A.'s Best Story Ever
"Come Around Here"
RUNNERS-UP Jens Lekman, The Hold Steady, White Stripes, Peter Bjorn and John, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Les Savy Fav, the Avett Brothers, Band of Horses, Manu Chao, Against Me!, Robert Wyatt, Wilco, Of Montreal, Iron and Wine, Kanye West, Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, Lupe Fiasco.
Honestly, we couldn't put on a show like this without your support, and we thank you most sincerely. Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday 9 Pound Hammer was selling mealy apples on streetcorners, and now we're one of the most successful enterprises in the blogosphere! I write this note at my desk on the top floor of the Hammer Tower, my heart brimming with gratitude, and my tumbler brimming with Scotch from the Speyside region of the Highlands. It would be bitter, indeed, without all of your support, and I assure you it is not bitter at all but rather smoky and expensive-tasting. This is good stuff. Still, I haven't forgotten the rocky trail I climbed -- we climbed -- to get here, and all the hard work, and perhaps I am surrounded by ghosts at this hour as I remember all that went into this seemingly rapid ascent to the Death Zone -- that supernal height where blogs succeed or suffocate from lack of oxygen. I'm surrounded with memories. I stare at an onyx ashtray as big as my old apartment. I remember the people I crushed to get here, the sacrifices I had to make of myself and others, and as I pour myself another fine Scotch I detect a note of sadness as I contemplate my success -- our success -- or is that just the Speyside talking? Serene here, at this height, looking over the city at the first blush of dawn. There are twinkling lights! Ah, the steam rises from the grates like loosened souls, and I feel like the only living man up here all alone. An empire, yes, but at what cost? Another drink for this husk of a man. A long, steady pour for this wide awake ghost. Sleep on, city, as I drink in darkness, my body slack and sunken into buttery-soft leather, my mind a whirligig. Sleep on, at this ungodly hour, as I stare with watery eyes into the new year.
Here's a shot of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when Mayor Daley's cops launched a "police riot" (according to the Walker Commission report) while anti-war demonstrators shouted "The whole world is watching." Are we in for another year like 1968? Some people think so. The year was a crossroads of turbulent change culturally and politically; a watershed year for music and film against the backdrop of a divided nation, an unpopular war, and career politicians deaf to the shifting times. Are we at another crossroads, forty years on?
