More great songs

Hello,

I was busy at work today, as I was working I listened to Nickelback. I listened to them for four straight hours. Their music grows monotonous very fast. Other than a few songs, I absolutely despise Nickelback. They represent nearly everything wrong with corporate America rock music. Their music is just blah, they only have three subjects they write about and their viewpoint on those subjects is very high schoolish. They sing about sex, partying and livin the rock star life. The only reason they are even in my music orbit now is because I may have to go see them again this summer. Here's an example of how crappy their music is:

The above song is the first single from their new CD "Here and Now". "Bottoms Up" would fit perfectly on any of their CDs, which is the problem. Not only do many of their songs sound alike, but they all are written with lowest common denominator lyrics. Those same lyrics are as subtle as a sledgehammer. I get they aren't trying subtely, but listening to their lyrics will lower your IQ by at least 10 points. So that no one will accuse me of being a 100% Nickelback basher, they do have some good songs. Also Chad Kroeger seems to be as big of a tool as what he looks like.

Unfortunately they didn't play two or three of their best songs the first time I saw them. I was going to put some of their better songs here, but I can't get them to play on youtube.com. Although I can get everybody else's songs to play. Two of their better songs are "Some Day" and "How You Remind Me".

Now here are some good songs to wipe "Bottoms Up" out of your mind. This is Paula Cole:

This is the song that's kicking my butt the most right now. Comparing this to Nickelback is unfair.... to Nickelback. This music not only rocks, but it's so much more melodic and entertaining. This is My Chemical Romance "Bulletproof Heart":

Nickelback wouldn't even have made a dent in the 80's. Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home":

themusicaddict

The Jimmer returns to Utah, Does Jerry Jones really want a winner?

Hello,

Just some random thoughts today.

Jimmer Fredette returned to Utah last night for the first time as a NBA player and showed why I'm glad the Jazz didn't draft him. Someday he'll find a team that will be a good fit for him and he'll be a decent player. However I certainly don't think he's worthy of being a first round pick. But that's one of the things that makes the Kings the Kings.

Potentially Payton Manning may be on the move from the Colts. If that's true and he's healthy enough I'd like the Cowboys to make a run at him. How many times does Tony Romo have to show that he's not the player to take the Cowboys to the next level before Dallas tries something new? (And please don't make the weak argument that Romo doesn't play defense. New England's defense isn't always the best but Tom Brady always seems to have the Patriots in contention every year.)

If Jerry Jones makes a big move like this it will show that he's serious about having a winner in Dallas. Most of his moves so far haven't shown that. I can't guarantee that signing Manning would work out for the Cowboys, but it would show a little more guts. Most of Jones moves look like they are about maximizing profit. That's fine because that's why people go into business. But then don't tell me you really want a winner when it's been 15 years of mediocrity. I don't really believe any more that Jones cares about having a winner in Dallas. A real winner doesn't pay a lot of money to Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett to be head coach.

The Super Bowl is a week from today and I could care less. Giants-Patriots might be the most boring match up I could think of. The only thing about the Super Bowl I'm looking forward to is Madonna at halftime and the commercials.

Also from checking out Seether on Spotify yesterday I'm not liking them quite a bit. I really like their CD "One Cold Night".

The following video goes without saying:

themusicaddict

Nickelback again?

Hello,

Sorry for the long absence, it's been just crazy lately. I had all sorts of computer issues at work which took up a lot more time than it should have. I'm thinking the problem has been solved now, I'm hoping things will return to normal.

My son is rapidly approaching his 16th birthday and for his birthday he wants to go see Nickelback. They are coming to Salt Lake City on June 12th. I'm hoping he can go with his friend, but if not I told him I would go with him. I love live rock music, but I think this night I think would be less than fun. First of all 4 bands are playing that night. And the night will end with Nickelback, perhaps one of the worst bands ever.

What does it say about the current rock scene if Nickelback is a headliner? What does it say about Nickelback if Seether has more quality songs than they do? I'm hoping that the sound is a lot better than the last time I saw them in concert. I hope they have also learned how to do a concert. In other words limiting the singing a song, taking a break to engage in some stupidity, singing a song cycle. I love my live music loud, but they were too loud. It seemed like they hadn't ever performed a concert ever. I just have no idea how they turned into the biggest rock band in the world.

The other bands that are playing that night are Bush, Seether and My Darkest Days. Did you know that Bush was still around? I think they broke up and have reunited. "Sixteen Stone" came out 17 year olds, yes before my son was ever born. Now don't get me wrong, Bush is good enough. But if they didn't become superstars before, what's the likelihood that they will now? Here are a couple of my favorite songs of theirs:

"Machinehead"

"Come Down""

"Glycerine":

I've been checking out Seether today on Spotify, they are a lot better than I expected they would be. I really like this song of theirs:

Then My Darkest Days are getting some attention for this song:

Other music notes, I've been really enjoying the music of My Chemical Romance lately. When I make my next Top 50 musicians list, they have a solid chance of making it. Nickelback has no chance at all, either do any of the other bands they are touring with. In honor of MCR, my favorite song of there's right now:

Other great songs: Big Audio Dynamite's "Rush":

Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal":

Robin Thicke's "Angel On Each Arm":

A couple from Taylor Dayne, first "Don't Rush Me":

My favorite Taylor Dayne song, "I'll Be Your Shelter":

One of the greatest 80's songs:

We The Kings "Check Yes Juliet":

"New York, New York"- Ryan Adams

themusicaddict

More Great Songs!, Boring Super Bowl Match Up

Hello,

With my school starting a new quarter and extremely slow work computers that has taken me away from blogging. Today I just want to write about the disappointing NFC Championship and show some videos of great songs that I've discovered or rediscovered.

I was so very disappointed by the Giants beating the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. I'm not going to blame the loss on one player. However on a kickoff or punt if you are not going to try to catch the ball, stay far away. The football is shaped weirdly and it bounces unpredictably. That game was so frustrating. I was so looking forward to a 49ers-Patriots Super Bowl. I would have enjoyed the two weeks of hype. But now I don't even know if I'm going to watch the game. The Super Bowl is just a lot less fun when I could care less about either team. This game interests me as little as the college football championship game.

Anyway here are some great songs, thanks to a very lovely lady for bringing this song to my attention.

For those who check out what I listen to on Spotify you know I've been rocking to the Damn Yankees lately.

"High Enough":

"Where You Goin' Now":

Here's an Iron Maiden song that caught my ear on iTunes this morning:

I'm still really enjoying the CD by Redlight King and another band that I've been a big fan of is Black Stone Cherry. I listened to their most recent CD the last couple of days and this song stood out. This is "Stay":

Go 49ers! Super Bowl Here We Come!

Hello,

I've been so busy lately with a new quarter starting at the school that I work at. That's why my blogs have been so few lately. Things should settle down this week and I hope to return to a regular blogging schedule.

A couple of quick movie notes. The new Sherlock Holmes movie is absolutely dreadful. I had no expectations going in that it would be good. And that's what happened. It was so bad I fell asleep in it. The whole Professor Moriarity story line was dreadful. Let's hope this is the last of this dreadful series.

I also watched "Courageous" with my kids last night. It's a Christian drama about becoming a better man and father. It's a good movie but very heavy handed in it's Christian dogma. I would have loved for that to have been toned down a bit. I say that and I'm a believer in what the movie is advocating. The Snake King scene is one of the funniest scenes I've seen in any movie ever. Watch just for that scene. My kids laughed their way through that whole scene.

Anyway on to the football being played today. In the AFC Championship game it will be New England playing against Baltimore. I have virtually no interest in this game and predict that it will be a boring game. In spite of Baltimore's ferocious defense, I predict that New England will win by at least two touchdowns.

For the record my favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys and they always will be. However I've become tired of their inept owner and his meddling ways. And both the quarterback and head coach positions are far from being fully solved. So over the years I've adopted both Tampa Bay and the 49ers.

Now on to what I think will be the best game of the day by far. San Francisco vs. New York. I hate the Giants and everything about them. From their lame head coach to their weak chinned quarterback. I love all the people jumping on the Eli Manning bandwagon. With some suggesting he may be the best of the Manning brother quarterbacks. Please!

On the other side we have the refined Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith. No one is under the illusion that Alex Smith is an All-Pro quarterback. However I think he really turned the corner last week with those two late 4th quarter drives. I loved the 28 yard run especially. The right play call at the right time and execute perfectly.

I predict San Francisco will win in a closely contested battle. Although I would love to see a 49ers romp as well. We will find out today if the 49ers are a team of density.

themusicaddict

Redlight King, Give Lana Del Ray a break, Go away "American Idol"

Hello,

I've really been enjoying the CD by Redlight King, "Something For the Pain". Here are some of the songs off that CD, check it out. This is my favorite song on the CD, I especially like the "a little roughed up" chorus:

Here are three more great songs from the Redlight King"Comeback":

"Something For The Pain":

"Built To Last":

Also Lana Del Ray has been getting a lot of negativity for her performance on "Saturday Night Live" this past weekend. I'm not sure why she's received so much hatred. She's not the most dynamic singer, but for her kind of music that's what is to be expected. She sings very subdued, off the beaten path music. However she has a great voice, a great look and also sings some very unique songs. It's actual music not the over processed Britney Spears pop that we usually have to suffer through. I actually quite like Lana Del Ray and look forward eagerly to her CD coming out on January 31st.

I love this song, "Video Games":

This is the weaker of her two performances, but I still like her intriguing sound:

This is another very cool song by Miss Del Ray. amazon.com doesn't have the track listing for her new CD, but I'm guessing all these songs will be on that CD. This song is called "Born To Die":

Speaking of things that people perceive as over rated, Season 11 of "American Idol" debuted last night. I was a big fan just a few years ago. I loved Simon, but could have lived without him on the show. But who did they replace him with? Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez debuted as judges and neither are very good. But that still wasn't the nail in the coffin for me. The nail in the coffin actually isn't just one thing, it's several things. There have been some boring winners of late and Scotty McCreery is one of them. The last great person that won was David Cook. In fact it's usually a non winner that goes on to have the best career. The most interesting person for me last year was Pia Toscano.

Nails in the coffin include Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson as judges. Tyler's lame critiques revolve around the word beautiful in some way. Like Jackson he only has two or three basic critiques. Then other than being beautiful I'm not sure what anyone gets from J Lo's advice. How the hell is Randy Jackson and his dorky laugh still around? He has to be the dumbest man in the music industry. When was the last time he put a coherent sentence together?

I also hate all the producer driven manipulated shenanigans to favor one singer over another. Of course since it's a Fox show, the hype is overwhelming. Also the sameness of the show is now grating. This show should have ended after David Cook won, it would have ended on a high note. Now Fox is milking this show for all that they can. Although this show should have ended previously Fox will keep it going until they've sucked possibly every penny out of it. Hopefully the viewership will drop enough this season for the show to be cancelled once and for all.

themusicaddict

Go 49ers! "Alcatraz", "The Firm"

Hello,

I was sort of happy about New York beating Green Bay last night in the NFL playoffs. That means the 49ers have home field advantage in the NFC Championship game. However it's longer that we have to see the goofiest looking head coach/quarterback combination in the NFL. Tom Coughlin, eww!, and Eli Manning. I don't know anything about Manning, he may be the coolest guy in the world. However he looks like a complete putz. If Waldo, from Where's Waldo, invaded reality he'd be indistinguishable from Eli. He seems like the annoying little brother that follows his big brother around everywhere. It also makes me laugh that people debate which Manning would they rather have. I only have to spend .002 seconds to come up with my answer, it's easily Peyton.

Out of the two match ups I expect the 49ers-Giants game to be the best. I really liked the great play calls of the 49ers. Even better I liked how the 49ers executed those, especially in the clutch. I'm still not completely sold on Alex Smith. However he does make the occasional great throw and he throws the ball away when he's in trouble. He has made considerable progress under Harbaugh this season. Also how can you not love their rushing game and their ball hawking, turnover causing defense? Go 49ers. I'll be glued in front of my TV watching this game.

I'm not really interested in the AFC Championship game. I'm just glad the Denver Tebows have been kicked out of the playoffs. Thanks again New England. I'm hoping that there isn't a San Francisco vs. Baltimore or a New York vs. New England Super Bowl. I don't want to hear for two weeks about Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh or a rematch of the Giants-Patriots 2008 Super Bowl. Otherwise known as the how in the hell did Eli Manning win a Super Bowl? I've heard more than enough about those two stories so far.

Thanks to Comcast On Demand I watched the first episode of the the new TV series "The Firm". This is based on John Grisham's book of the same name. However the series is set 10 years after the events of the book and movie. I watched Episode 1 last night and it starts out slowly, but picks up speed. It had a good ending and I had to stop myself from watching Part 2 last night. I already had watched too much TV yesterday.

Josh Lucas is perfect and very believable as Mitch McDeere. I love seeing old friends from past classic TV shows. There are two actors from "Battlestar Galactica". The first is the barely recognizable and extremely hot Tricia Heifer as Alex Clark. She played Gaius Baltar's favorite Cylon, number 6. Although she looks a lot better as blonde. And another old friend from "Battlestar Galactica", the Cylon Leoben Conoy. I like Juliette Lewis as Mitch McDeere's secretary. Molly Parker does a great job as McDeere's beleaguered wife Abby. So overall a great cast. The McDeer daughter feels extraneous to me though.

The lovely Tricia Heifer:

I really like how "The Firm" TV series is set 10 years in the future. That still gives it a solid foundation to build on. However there's enough distance not to have to rely on the book or movie. I also like some of the story lines. That includes McDeere realizing the anger of the father whose son had been killed by McDeere's client. McDeere recognized the humanity of the victims father and did what he could to minimize the damage of a potential assassination.

Two story lines that I was disappointed in are Alex Clark's firm buying McDeere's practice. That's okay, but buying his firm to keep him silent is kind of lame. It seems like the TV producers are recycling the story line of the book about a crooked firm. I also dislike the mob ties story line.

I also watched two more episodes of "Lost" from Season 4. One of those episodes was "Meet Kevin Johnson". That's the return of Michael to the show. Why did they bring him back? Michael is one of the most boring characters in "Lost" history. The whole Michael/Walt storyline sucked. I was so glad when they left at the end of Season Two. Them exiting the show was a good idea and not having Michael back on the show would have even been a better idea.

I also watched another good episode of "A Gifted Man". The show is emotionally manipulative and a bit predictable. (I knew that the grandmother, Cristina Gonzalez I believe, would be coming in and picking up her grandson to raise him. And that she and Maribella would partially reconcile. Although I knew that was going to happen, I was okay with it.) In spite of those things I like "Gifted". I love the characters and the Dr. Holt/ Anna dynamic. I also love Zeke and Dr. Sykoro, played by the absolutely gorgeous Rachelle Lefevre.

Then tonight I'm excited about the two hour premiere of "Alcatraz", it seems to have the potential to be a good show. At least the concept is intriguing, but I'm disheartened that it's on Fox. Fox is notorious for ruining a great idea with their corporate America thinking. Of course, "American Idol" being the prime example. Also I thought "Terra Nova" had the potential to be a great show. It seems like Fox is one of those companies that doesn't trust their creative people and interferes with everything. Fox probably has an accountant to cut off the creative people at the knees on any idea that's too expensive. They also probably have a focus group on every decision they make. (The anti-corporate thinking was exemplified by Steve Jobs and Apple. Sarcasm alert: And look where it got them, they are nowhere as great a company as Fox.)

I'll be watching all two hours tonight and I hope Fox hasn't interfered enough to what could be a great show. I'm excited by "Alcatraz". Again I like the premise of the plot. I'm also heartened that most of the creative force of "Lost" is behind this series. Although as I work through Season 4 of "Lost' it certainly the series is following the law of diminishing returns. But still that creative force created some of the most amazing ideas and characters in TV history. Anytime I see the Bad Robot logo I feel like I'm in the hands of a gigantic creative force. Not every thing J.J. Abrams and fellow creators do is gold, but a lot of it is.

themusicaddict