Falling for Fall Out Boy
By admin | April 27, 2008
Casually browsing the music blogs not long ago, I read that the Roots are putting out a new album at the end of this month. Good news, I thought. I like almost all of their previous work and had recently watched them rage through a highly entertaining two-hour show full of new material, so as far as I knew, they still had the spark. To my chagrin, however, I saw that their new single, “Birthday Girl,” was a collaboration with Patrick Stump, lead singer of the punk-pop band Fall Out Boy.
Now, I don’t really know anything about Fall Out Boy, but I understand that I’m expected not to like them. They wear hair gel, and one of the guys in the band dates Ashlee Simpson, so it’s fair to assume that they suck and that their fans are vapid teeny-boppers whose heads would explode if they heard what real rock ‘n’ roll sounds like. What kind of lame middlebrow loser do the Roots take me for?
The Roots news was disappointing, but not surprising. Top-notch rappers have a history of puzzling collaborations with cheesy rock ‘n’ rollers. Off the top of my head, I could recall a number of otherwise-respectable rappers who’d worked with middle-of-the-road top-40 types: Kanye West (”Heard ‘Em Say” with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, “Homecoming” with Coldplay’s Chris Martin), Jay-Z (who released a version of his song “Encore” remixed with instrumentals and vocal tracks from Linkin Park’s “Numb”), Dr. Dre (who brought in Gwen Stefani to sing the hook for Eve’s “Let Me Blow Your Mind”), and even the Roots themselves, who employed Nelly Furtado on the track “Sacrifice” from their 2002 album Phrenology. (This was in Furtado’s nonthreatening songstress days, before she started giving her albums titles like Loose.) Indeed, the release most frequently and hyperbolically cited as the moment hip-hop ascended to commercial viability is Run DMC’s 1985 remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” While Aerosmith was cool then, they must be retroactively downgraded severely for releasing the love theme to Armageddon.
Why do rappers whose work I hold in such high regard have such terrible taste in rock? The answer started to become clear when I gave “Birthday Girl,” the Roots-Patrick Stump song, a courtesy listen and was greatly disturbed to discover that I liked it. It’s catchy; Stump has the right voice for the mellow hook, and the Roots’ estimable rhythm section gives a sharp edge to what otherwise would have been a straightforward mid-tempo rock song:
Upon searching my soul, I realized that I had to admit that I in fact liked almost all the songs that I named earlier. “Let Me Blow Your Mind” is an unjustly forgotten club grinder; “Homecoming,” “Heard ‘Em Say,” and “Sacrifice” all get stuck in my head from time to time; “Numb/Encore” is a staple of the various Workout Mega-Jam mixes that I’ve made over the years. I was a bit taken aback; cultural snobbery is such an integral part of my personality. I’d have to rethink a lot of things if it turned out I liked listening to Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, and Linkin Park.
Fortunately, a quick zip through the iTunes store reassured me that I don’t. Those bands have recorded some memorably hummable singles but don’t have much musical range and seem to almost purposefully employ instrumentation and vocal effects indistinguishable from all the other bands working in their already well-trod genres. (Fall Out Boy seems the most promising—I could see them making an album I really liked—and while Linkin Park is never going to be my thing, they’re not bad at what they do. Maroon 5 is elevator music from the depths of hell.) But these bands’ songwriting and production tendencies, I realized, are beside the point. They’re not in the studio to write and record a double album with a rapper; they’re stopping by for a day to lay down vocals for a single.
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Three Reasons To Believe
By admin | April 27, 2008
A conversation among Democrats about whether Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton is better positioned to win the general election can get very slippery very fast. The starting point is fixed: the upcoming race against John McCain. But the polls aren’t helpful in showing which candidate has the edge. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama perform the same, statistically, against John McCain. In the latest Gallup poll, Clinton is running two points ahead of McCain, 47 percent to 45 percent, while Obama is running one point behind, 45 percent to 46 percent.
Without clarity in the numbers, the terrain quickly shifts to what it means for Clinton to have won big states versus Obama’s greater collection of little states; or the value of caucuses versus primaries; or states that count versus Michigan and Florida, which don’t. To help us out of the woods, here is a list of the top-three talking points for each of the two democratic candidates.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton talking point No. 1: Clinton consistently performs better with downscale voters, women, Catholics, and older voters. In Pennsylvania, for example, she won among whites without college degrees by 42 points. She won whites earning less than $50,000 by 34 points. These constituencies are crucial to Democratic prospects in the fall, particularly in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, and in Ohio. The corollary to this argument is that Obama is the boutique candidate of young voters and wealthy elites, which taps unwelcome memories of candidates like Michael Dukakis and George McGovern, whom Republicans easily branded as liberals.
Obama counterargument: There’s no evidence to suggest that his problem with these voters will carry over to the general election. Most of the Democrats voting in primaries are going to support the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is. Asked whether Obama “cares about people like you,” 66 percent of Pennsylvania voters said yes. Hillary Clinton received almost exactly the same rate of endorsement, suggesting Obama is not seen as an elitist relative to Clinton.
Clinton talking point No. 2: Voters consistently favor Clinton to Obama when asked which candidate can better handle the economy. In Pennsylvania, 75 percent said Clinton would do a better job of solving the country’s economic problems. When asked which candidate would make the better commander in chief, voters also regularly pick Clinton by a large margin as they did in Ohio by 60 to 37.
Obama counterargument: On the economy, Obama will be able to distinguish himself against McCain in a way he can’t against Clinton, with whom he has nearly identical economic views. On foreign affairs, Obama says that his early opposition to the war gives him a better argument in the long run against McCain.
Clinton talking point No. 3: She can take a punch. Clinton has shown extraordinary tenacity. Voters get proof every day of just how hard it will be for Republicans to beat her down. Obama, by contrast, can’t stand the heat, according to Clinton’s suggestion in her last ad. Clinton aides argue that Obama wobbled when challenged about his remarks relating to people who live in small towns or about his poor debate performance. Late-deciding voters in Pennsylvania saw this weakness and went overwhelmingly for Clinton, she can credibly claim.
Obama counterargument: He can handle adversity—look at his well-received race speech in the wake of questions about his relationship to his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. And he can also inspire voters—which is what they want, rather than more aggression and fighting for the sake of a fight.
Barack Obama
Obama talking point No. 1: He can capture independents and younger voters, bringing new people into the Democratic fold and into the voting booth in November. Obama consistently wins voters under the age of 44, who represent the future of the party. In head-to-head matchups with John McCain, Obama regularly does better than Clinton among independents. Clinton’s negatives, which reached their highest point in a recent ABC survey, mean that she’ll never break through a certain ceiling with independents and moderates.
Clinton counterargument: Obama isn’t well-known and Clinton is. He’s benefiting from that now, but once McCain and the Republicans attack him as a doctrinaire liberal, his negatives will rise and independents will run from him.
Obama talking point No. 2: He is the candidate of change. Eighty percent of those polled say that the country is moving in the wrong direction. More than any other candidate, Obama is more associated than any other candidate with the change voters want.
Clinton counterargument: The more Obama campaigns, the more he contradicts his promise to practice a new high-minded politics, weakening his appeal as a new kind of politician.
Obama talking point No. 3: The party will explode if superdelegates reverse the will of the pledged delegates, among whom Obama leads. Young voters, first time voters, and African-Americans will stay home in November in protest or even vote for John McCain. That could lose Democrats not only the presidency but also other races down the ballot.
Clinton counterargument: According to Pennsylvania exit polls, Clinton’s coalition would be more dissatisfied with Obama as the nominee than Obama’s supporters would be if Clinton won the nomination. Sixteen percent of Obama’s voters would stay home or vote for John McCain if Clinton were the nominee, but 24 percent of Clinton’s would if Obama gets the nod. In other words, there’s more to worry about, in terms of internal party dissent, from an Obama nomination.
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Hello world!
By admin | February 23, 2008
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Hello world!
By admin | December 19, 2007
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Led Zeppelin, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Top five tapes that may or may not even exist..
By admin | October 27, 2007
Every year collectors are confronted with many new releases covering old, previously released tapes. Many of these are upgrades, and many are simply pointless. But every once in a while a tape will surface that not only exceeds expectations, but also can be placed in the “Holy Grail†category. The following are the top five tapes that may or may not even exist, but would love to see them released and circulated one day. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Editorial, Others | No Comments »