Live Blogging the 2009 Grammys

6:57 Showtime is near.

7:01 U2 kicking off the Grammys? Were they even nominated? Ugh! Couldn't the Academy wait till next year to shower their eventual love on them?

7:03 First time I'm listening to the new single. It's not bad, but it's such a downer to start the show off with. Would have been better if we got a more familiar song, like say one from 2008.

7:07 Whitney looked decent, but something was real off about her presentation. J-Hud for the win in a pretty weak category. The Al Green and Saadiq albums were better but didn't stand a chance.

7:09 Man, The Rock, ahem Dwayne Johnson, always brings me a smile to my face, but this is just getting awkward. He totally needs to talk smack about a few stars and layeth the smackdown.

Grammy Winner Predictions for 2009

I've always tried my hand at predicting nominees for the Grammys, but I've never done any prognosticating as to who might win. We'll see how everything turns out this Sunday. I'll also be liveblogging the Grammys this year as well.

Record of the Year

Adele-Chasing Pavements
Coldplay-Viva La Vida
Leona Lewis-Bleeding Love
M.I.A-Paper Planes
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss-Please Read The Letter

Will win: Coldplay. This category usually rewards the most popular song and tends to lean toward more current acts.
Should win: M.I.A. The Grammys have yet to really go out on a limb and give this award to a hip and deserving act.
Overlooked: Estelle's "American Boy", Pink's "So What"

Best Movies of 2008

As promised, here is the list for my favorite films of 2008. Why so late, you may ask? Well, as awesome as Chicago is, we still have to wait like the rest of the country for a lot of movies to get wide releases. In order to make the eligibility deadline for the Academy Awards, studios often release films in New York and Los Angeles, where a lot of the voting contingent resides, just so they can qualify. So while a handful of films make critics' year end list all across the board, the rest of the country usually has to wait about a few weeks to a month until they actually see some of those films at a theatre near them. It's an effective strategy for less commercial films that need all the word-of-mouth buzz they can get and to gain that all important momentum during awards season. All this means is that I had to wait a little bit longer to view some of the movies I was looking forward to seeing and why this list comes to you now in early February.

I've been doing year end lists for movies for a few years now, but this is the first time I've done it for my blog. Here are my previous number one movies:

2007: Persepolis
2006: Children Of Men
2005: Good Night, and Good Luck

I can never understand how anyone says that a year is a bad one for movies. Not every year is going to be a canon year like 1999 or 1974 and it's only about once a decade where we get a special year filled with masterpieces and popular works that redefine cinema. The high standards that a lot of us hold for a year in cinema often overshadow the number of terrific films that are released every year. Would I consider 2008 a canon year? Probably not. One thing I will say that might have a lingering effect is the high IQ of some of the year's biggest blockbuster. Wall-E, The Dark Knight and Iron Man proved that you don't have to dumb it down to reach a wide audience. Who knows? Maybe studio execs will take more chances in the future. While I wouldn't consider 2008 a special year, it was still a great one for me at the theatres. Here are the reasons why.


1. Wall-E

No other movie this year amazed me more than Wall-E. The first half of the movie gets most of the attention and deservedly so. It follows a lonely waste management robot in the future longing for company on a deserted Earth, but the way it unfurls is as cinematically beautiful as anything animated or live-action.

HBE's Most Anticipated Albums of 2009

1. Asobi Seksu - Hush (pictured above)

Early word is that this album promises to be heavier on the shoegaze and the lighter sound is comparable to Cocteau Twins. Their albums have yet to disappoint and you can expect at least a few jaw dropping moments, a la "Thursday" or "Walk On The Moon" as on previous albums.

Top 200 Singles of 2008

1. Goldfrapp - A&E

Powerful. I could say no more than just that word and it would perfectly sum up why "A&E" is my favorite single of the year. It combines a double emotional wallop of romantic longing and self-destruction to a simple electronic folk background. There is no inspirational message here. There is nothing to be gained. Just a beautifully honest and human moment captured with no resolution. It's dramatic territory that's given the right amount of bombast to make the soul swell, but never feels overwhelming or melodramatic.

Best Albums of 2008

It's time once again for my top albums of the year. I've decided to keep the ranking limit to 50, but I'm bringing the honorable mention section back this year. I have to add a little disclaimer that had it been officially released, Van Hunt's Popular would have been my #1 album of the year. It was the best piece of work I had heard all year, but I don't think it's fair to rate something if it's not widely available to the public for purchase. My singles list will be up tomorrow next week and keep an eye out for Best Movies of '08 list which I'll try to do sometime in January. Since I don't have the luxury of living in New York or L.A., I have to wait a while till a few movies go nationwide. Moving along, let's talk music!




1. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
For those unfamiliar with this group of Welsh rockers, I am not to blame for that exclamation point at the end of their name. Although I have been guilty of being extremely excited about bands, that use of punctuation is all their doing. One listen to their debut and you'll understand why that exclamation point has permanently etched itself in the band's name. Hold On Now, Youngster... is as hyper emotional and hyper literate as any album you're likely to come across this decade, with nearly every song being either furiously jubilant or deliriously wordy or a lot of times both.

Grammy Nomination Predictions for 2009

It's time once again to predict who will get nominated in the general categories for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. Nominations will be announced Wednesday night, Dec. 3 in a one-hour special on CBS.


Album of the Year

The two strongest contenders to land a nod in this category are both past Grammy winners. Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends." is tailor made for a nomination here. They're one of the biggest bands in the world not named U2. The album was both a commercial and critical success and it shows the band tinkering with their formula while still making solid music.

My Summer in Pictures 2008

For a complete picture (no pun intended) of my summer, go here and here.


Los Campesinos!: Empty Bottle: May, 26, 2008

Why some kids in the front started a mini-mosh pit, I don't know. I was conflicted by it for two reasons:

1.) Los Campesinos! is so far away from moshing music that it irked me a bit. Wrong concert, goofballs.

2.) Being bounced around to "Do The Math(s)" is actually more fun than you would think.

Ten Years Gone: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

This entry is part of an ongoing series in where I take a look back at landmark films and albums released 10 years ago.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill may very well be the last great artistic statement that Ms. Hill will ever make. A series of bad decisions and unfortunate events have made a follow-up look less and less likely with each year. Think about that; it's 2008 and we have yet to receive a second studio album. Considering all the critical acclaim and commercial success, a sophomore album seemed inevitable. If a follow-up album were announced today, it would immediately become one of the most anticipated albums of the year, which says a lot for the quality of Miseducation.

Tilly and the Wall - "Chandelier Lake"

It's songs like this that remind me why Tilly and the Wall remain one of my favorite current bands going. You can call them cutesy or whatever, but their pop intuitions are nothing but serious business. While their latest album, o, doesn't have as many magical moments as their 2006 effort, Bottoms of Barrels, there is still plenty of that Tilly and the Wall charm to go around and the evolution of their sound will still make it worth your time. The first album, Wild Like Children, established their trademark sound, relying heavily on Jamie Presnall's tap dancing as the percussion and a minimal splattering of acoustic guitars, pianos and harmonies. Bottoms of Barrels, a top 10 album for me in '06, added a fuller sound, bringing more bottom and live drums to the mix. o sees Tilly and the Wall sounding more like a traditional rock band than it ever has, with its heavy use of distorted guitars and live drums on nearly every track. The tap dancing is still there, but it's no longer the backbone of the group. "Chandelier Lake" shows that they can still excite and remain unique with their expanded sound. It has all the elements that've made the group so beloved in the first place. Of course, the tap dancing is there, but what I've always loved about its use in the group is that it never comes off as gimmicky. The arrangements add to the music without taking too much attention away from the song, which is all you can ask for of any musician of any sort. And what would a great Tilly song be without twee harmonies and a sunny chorus? On paper, it may not seem any different than your average Tilly song, but the heavy guitars provide an exuberance and energy that hasn't been seen in their catalogue yet. It makes you smile, but instead of simply tapping your feet, it makes you want to bounce from side to side.


Tilly and the Wall - "Chandelier Lake"

To buy the CD, vinyl or MP3 of o from Insound, click here

My Weekend In Pictures

Friday: Jill Scott and Bilal: Charter One Pavilion

Bilal





Jill Scott

Monthly Muxtape: August 2008

AUGUST MUXTAPE

1. Little Boots - "Stuck On Repeat"

The real euphoria kicks in during the first breakdown when we're left with just one steady synth and a fugue of background vocals. It steadily builds and you know where it's heading next. Another wave of bubbling synths will eventually come in along with the drumbeat, but the breakdown is extended for so long that it almost teases you, and when it finally comes together, you're reminded of how exhilarating dance pop can be when it's handled with a mature approach.

Adventures at Lollapalooza 2008

Welcome again to my Lollapalooza recap for 2008. Armed with two frozen water bottles a day and a small umbrella, I made my way back and forth across Grant Park in the scorching sun for all three days with a smile on my face. It was also a treat since Saturday was my birthday and I usually can't think of a better place to be than surrounded by good live music. Also, I apologize for the quality (or lack) of some of the pics for the first two days. Stupid ol' me, I didn't have the same settings that I used last year and didn't figure out how to zoom closer until late Saturday. D'oh!

Day 1 - Friday

Bang Camaro



These guys started the festival off for me with a ton of power and presence. They play heavy metal covers with a ridiculous amount of bombast and musicians. Twenty vocalists in a rock band sounds almost like a parody on paper, but Bang Camaro was quite the opposite. I didn't dare laugh, but bobbed my head instead. I really didn't expect them to be that good.