I've decided to start spotlighting select comments that are hidden here and there throughout the many posts on our website. Today I came upon this desperate request for information on a traditional style of music plus some sort of unwarranted self-deprecating apology.  

1. Shine Says:
   April 7th, 2008 at 9:14 pm

   I want to know about troat,
   It’s a music style. like traditional music.
   who do you know about that?
   Please explain to me..
   OPPPPP.
   I’m sorry about ucla.com manager.
   Because this writing is not so valuable.

 If anyone has any words of wisdom for dear Shine please share.

 Shine on, Shine.

-Jason

 

Third, the first studio album by seminal electronic group Portishead since 1997’s self-titled effort, accomplishes the improbable.  Not only is the long-anticipated LP brilliant musically, but it is the perfect album to release eleven years after their last.  The record is somehow true to their musical aesthetic, to the essence of Portishead, while still managing to sound entirely fresh and new.  The band clearly doesn’t feel the need to incorporate the superficial elements of their earlier works to create something that could be identified as recognizably, distinctively Portishead.  The music is simultaneously familiar and foreign; it is both satisfying to fans and their bold step forward. Turntablist and assumed mastermind Geoff Barrow has repeatedly expressed his dismay at the term “trip-hop” being applied to his music, as it hints at an audience of thirty-somethings eating meticulously prepared hors d’oeuvres while playing Dummy in the background of their wine-tasting.  Third refuses to be background music, forcefully making the listener take notice of its plentiful moments of uneasiness and the rare strains of melody that creep their way into the songs.  A defining trait of the group has always been its uncompromising adventurousness, and this new record definitely carries on this tradition.

At first listen, I hadn’t formed any opinion on the record, as the new songs were simply too strange to commit to liking or disliking.  I had no trouble accepting Third as part of Portishead’s complete body of work, something I find extremely difficult to do with work released a significant length of time after the artist’s prime.  Barrow’s great taste in drum sounds and rhythms are definitely present, as were Beth Gibbons’ delicate vocals and Adrian Utley’s distinctive guitar touch, but their approach to making music is entirely different.  Gone is the reliance on samplers and lush yet grainy production, replaced by minimal, live instrumentation fed through what sounds like defunct amps.  The vocal melodies are mostly beautiful strictly within the context of the dissonant, disorienting soundscapes created by Barrow and Utley.  The hooks around which the songs once revolved are absent, except perhaps on the penultimate track “Magic Doors.”  Gibbons’ singing provide the emotional center, though not necessarily the musical center, for the songs, a spot of warmth in each of the emotionally distant and icy instrumentals.  Only through repeated listens did I find Third to be an incredibly rewarding experience, as my head finally wrapped itself around its bizarre and beautiful sonics.  Portishead has set the bar high for any other mid-to-late nineties acts looking to reunite, motivated by their overdue cable bills or otherwise, by placing a great deal of faith in their fans to embrace their new yet old sound.  While the likes of Scott Weiland and Billy Corgan will inevitably bow their heads in shame at their attempts to imitate the pass, this trio can hold their heads high looking into an exciting future.

- Brother Amur

If you aren't already a part of it, it'd be a good idea to join our Facebook group.  We're doing giveaways via Facebook for practically every show we have tickets for so do yourself a favor and get in on the action.

Last.fm is the devil.

For the past three years, I've worn out my refresh button watching the social music networking site "scrobble" songs that I'm listening to. Even though I know what songs I'm listening to, because, well, I'm listening to them. Homework, social life, family be damned.

I guess it's kind of like drugs because some people really get into it and others try it and give it up as easily as they found it. But there's something in this gadget that keeps me coming back for more and more. I like to see which songs I'm a "top listener" on, like to see peoples' comments (especially on the random tracks I thought only I knew existed), and most of all, I go nuts on Sunday nights/Monday mornings (depending on what those sadistic bastards feel like) waiting for my Weekly Top 10 Artists to update.

As far as functionality goes, Last.fm is notorious for being… not that great. The people who run it run it the same way Lucy from the Peanuts ran her Advice Booth — kind of like you're lucky to even get the service and we'll set up shop and fix bugs whenever we damn well feel like it. I guess I'd have more to say about this if I felt like I could walk away from the program but I know I can't and so do they.

I do have to give them props for their increasing interactivity, however; recently the site announced it would begin streaming full songs by participating artists for free. And it's not just some mess you've never heard of — your favorite artists are up in this, too. Who knows what other features they will add in the near future, but it's exciting to watch the company grow. Even more exciting, though, is watching my plays build up and my charts give me a better idea of who I listen to most. Trust me, sometimes it's more surprising than you might think.

If you haven't yet, get addicted . "Last.fm fever - catch it!"

– J from the Bay

I find it interesting how over the last few years sports fans and some prominent journalist have justified cheating, specifically in relation to steroid use in baseball and most recently the NFL spy-gate situation with the Patriots, by stating "Well, everybody is doing it so what does it really matter!" And my only response to that is, "Just because everybody or every other team is doing it, doesn't make it right….it's still cheating; and if u get caught you have to pay the consequences. You rolled the dice one too many times and now it's your turn to 'do the time' "

Like the old-school proverb states "If your friends jump off the bridge, are you going to jump off too?"…….I hope not!

–Jokerpace (Sports Dept.)

Wuz Upper Laker Fanz

You have every reason to be in a state of euphoria right now, Mitch Kupchak turned into Jerry West for a day and turned a trade that will benefit the Lakers for years to come! (And to give more credit where credit is due, I'll compliment Mitch 'one more' for not making that Jason Kidd trade that the whole world felt like he should of did a year ago…Jason is a great point guard but he's a liability as a scorer and some nights he's good for ZERO pts and 10 assists, that's down right horrible on a team like the Lakers where they needed a consistent 2nd scorer more than they needed a distributor–and before you say it, I'll stop u right now and say 'No, Lamar Odom is not the 2nd scorer most Laker Fans thing he is, Odom is overrated and to passive to be the dominant player fans keep saying he's going to become'…Kobe alone is the floor leader for the Lakers and a Pt. Guard like Jason would have only made things uncomfortable on the court)But before u book championship victory parade tickets for the Lakers your going to have to wait another year becuase despite what the critics are barking (especially here in L.A. where everybody and their mother is drinking the purple and gold kool-aid) the Lakers HAVE NOT ARRIVED…Pau Gasol hasn't completed an injury free season in 3 or 4 years and despite Bynum's early season success before his injury, he's just now learning how to play like a real 'big man' and he has a few more learning curves to drive around before it really starts clicking in his head that he's 'the man'. Not to mention he's only 20 and never benefitted from learning from a great college coach on the fundamentals of hoops–he's just learning that now as a 3rd year proIn the meantime Laker Fans, enjoy a nice, much longer playoff run this year but start printing the 08/09 NBA Western Conference Champ. Round tickets now and expect your team to make an appearance and u never know they might be in position to hang another World Champ. Banner @ Staples…U think that will be enough to prevent Krying Kobe from opting out of his contract?

–Jokerpace (Sports Dept.)

Just as we received the news third-hand from the good folks at Stereogum who learned of these developments from the better folks at Getty blog, former sidekick to the bully on Boy Meets World and Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett will, barring any typical celebrity behavior, receive Winona Ryder’s hand (amongst other parts of her body) in marriage… forty-seventh-hand, I believe, although I lost count after the second dude with dreadlocks.  This engagement, if it is followed through with, would mark the beginning of a transitional period, a radical shift in lifestyle, for an oft-ignored (don’t feel bad though, your neglect makes for great material) sector of society hiding in the corner of coffee-shops or behind their tousled hair.  Yes, I’m talking about sensitive male singer-songwriters, the kind that Winona Ryder has been dating throughout the duration of her rise to fame.  Dating Winona has acted as a sort of confirmation as legitimate flavors of the month if not credible artists.  Sleeping with her had been the equivalent of winning a Grammy for singer-songwriters – initially gratifying in a narcissistic way but ultimately empty.  But now where will these poor souls go for artistic validation?  Will they wander in the wilderness until a new high-profile actress with a lust for pasty effeminate singers comes along? 

For a clue into the future of the modern troubadour, we could look at the career path of a singer-songwriter who has had to endure life without (banging) Winona.  Baroque pop artist Rufus Wainwright at one point seemed to possess everything required to be the new idol to both coffee-chugging pseudo-hipsters and disaffected teens with a taste for confessional songwriting – the famous parents, the propensity for personal, emotive lyrics, the pretty boy mug, the instantly recognizable and eccentric vocal delivery.  However, while he’s had quite a taste of commercial and critical success through his career, he’s failed to become a qualified, undisputed star for his lack of taste… in female genitalia.  Without the publicity and attention that comes with dating Winona, the housewives that read the tabloids that feature this type of news weren’t able to complain to their kids (and inadvertently inform them) about the latest singer-songwriter that they should avoid listening to because he’s just going to be bad news for poor Wino.  Perhaps if Wainwright’s music, style of dress, theatricality, okay, his entire being, weren’t so flamboyant, they could have had a beautiful temporary sham relationship to bolster Wainwright’s career and Ryder’s reputation as a (sissy) man eater.  He could have just bitten the bullet and pretended that Ryder was a little boy, which wouldn’t be a stretch during her pixie-haired phase.  But it simply wasn’t meant to be for Rufus, whose career trajectory may be a blueprint for the path that all male singer-songwriters will follow in the post-Winona era. 

- Brother Amur

This past week, “Saturday Night Live” was hosted by Ellen Page, star of the painfully hip, Oscar-nominated Juno and heir apparent to the title of “the object of scene kids’ wet dreams,” one currently held by Scarlett Johansson.  Not only was the future queen of overexposure bestowed hosting duties, but Chicago’s favorite sons, Wilco, were featured as the musical guests.  To most college kids with floppy haircuts and white earphones dangling down past their skinny frames right down to their skinny jeans, this would be a fantasy lineup for the weekly sketch program.  But for the majority of mainstream America, I would assume that a collective “who?” was whispered once the guests’ names appeared in the opening credits.  It causes one to wonder if NBC is simply trying to give some airtime to people who deserve more exposure than the usual superstars they invite to the show.  However, that’s incredibly unlikely since the ratings-deprived network (in the post-“Friends” era) will grasp onto any and all of its viewers with every fiber of its being.  No, NBC has a completely different agenda than giving the underdogs a chance for the sake of creativity or altruism (a word largely absent from the vocabularies of industry folk). 

Excuse me if I think that Lorne Michaels is coming off as a desperate kid trying to earn himself some indie cred, but his selection of hosts and musical guests this season suggests a certain degree of pandering to a demographic that they’ve been slowly courting since the rise of Andy Samberg and his internet shorts.  Perhaps Michaels assumes that most hipsters are either too young to be out late on a Saturday night or that they’re too depressed to rise from their beds; either way, he obviously notices that there is a viewer base there waiting to be exploited.  In only half a season, Michaels has already invited the likes of Feist, Spoon, the aforementioned Wilco, and Vampire Weekend to perform on the show.  Furthermore, he enlisted the services of Seth Rogen, a hero in hipster circles for his role in cult phenomenon “Freaks and Geeks”. However, if Michaels continues to produce interesting programming, I’ll try my best to disregard his motives and just enjoy the show. 

Brother Amur

If you caught the Sunday, Feb. 17th's "Check One… Two" on Indie 103.1, at around 6:15pm you heard Mr. Shovel (yes, that Mr. Shovel) talk about how he got an Unsigned Music Compilation by some guy named DJ Octoon from UCLAradio.com.  Mr. Shovel then proceeded to play a track off the album! Check out the clip while it's still up on their website:

http://indie1031.com/c12_-_on_demand.php

It's in the first hour of the show.  Here's what he said:

Mr. Shovel: "Now I have a CD I got in the mail from a guy named DJ Octoon, from UCLA Radio. He's got a show called 'I'm in a Band.' It's on their internet radio station. He sent me a compilation of bands that he likes. I was just checking it out today. I appreciate that very much - you sending that to me, Mr. Octoon. And this is the first track on there, it's called 'Frantic Taste,' that's the band, and the song is called 'The Only One'…"

Mr. Shovel plays Frantic Taste and a few other bands, then comes back:

"…and before that we heard a band called Frantic Taste, 'The Only One' was the name of the song, and that was a recommendation from DJ Octoon of UCLAradio.com…"

Keep listening.  We'll make ya famous…

-DJ Octoon

*Big thanks to Frantic Taste for this heads up. Knew I had sent Indie 103 our Best Unsigned Music of 2007 compilation, but had no idea they would check it out that fast.

**Hugest thanks to Mr. Shovel (Mark Sovel) and Indie 103!!!1! Check out Shovel's show (Check One… Two) if you haven't already…

As the land known to most as the Gomorrah to San Francisco’s Sodom, Los Angeles regularly attracts the biggest names in music to its hallowed music halls and venues, presumably because of its reputation as a big market for music and a city of excess and immorality. Most expect Los Angeles audiences to be absolutely ruthless, completely devoid of any manners, and completely uninhibited (from a bit of help from the chemical lubricant of their choice). The overrule of common decency would seem to prevail during any concerts held in this apparent city of sin. However, I’ve found this perception of L.A. crowds to be not only inaccurate but completely contradictory to the truth of the matter. For the most part, audiences at Los Angeles shows are relatively tame and pretty lame.

People applaud when they’re supposed to. There’s rarely any room for spontaneity. The only time their legs move is when they’re shuffling off to the restroom. Hands remain concealed in pockets when they ought to be in the air. While I believe that audiences should be civil and respectful to a certain extent, Los Angeles crowds regularly transgress that line into the painfully stiff and reserved, as though the music Gestapo are on hand to punish any sort of outward expression of passion. Believe me, I hate having beer spilled on me or being knocked to the ground by a Neanderthal mosher as much as the next person, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should constantly be standing still with our arms to our sides when good music is meant to inspire movement.

Perhaps the astronomical price tags attached to liquor sold at the venues are related to the great inhibitions of the attendees. Maybe the majority of audiences consist of people that won tickets from Clear Channel and have no idea what the performer is about. Maybe they’re all attending their first concert ever and are uncertain about what exactly one does during the show. Maybe all the industry types in the crowd are making sure that they’re following hipster protocol. Whatever the reason, it’s about time that Los Angeles begins to live up to its reputation.

- Brother Amur

When searching the world for some good new hip hop to listen to, Japan may seem like the last place someone would start. However, Tokyo based MC bay4k’s debut album “I am…” has been generating positive reviews from Japan and abroad alike.

Bay4k first gained major recognition when he appeared on the Japanese comedy show “Lincoln.” He came on the show along with a crew whose name is a bit too dirty too write here, but he actually belongs to SCARS, a group that has been around since the late 90s. In the popular segment, he mentored a shy comedian by teaching him how to diss other MCs and write rhymes that come from personal experience. He and the crew led the comedian to success and let him perform his original rap during one of the crew’s festival performances.

One would expect no less from bay4k, who follows his own advice 2007’s “I am…” Many of the fourteen tracks contained on his debut album deal with his strive for recognition and his love for his craft. Also, most of the members of his crew are featured on this album which keeps it feeling interesting and varied. His straightforward style and raw passion offer up a refreshing break from the sappy and unoriginal style of soft hip hop that is all too popular in Japan right now; take Shonannokaze’s excruciatingly long sap-fest “Pure Love Song” or Ketsumeishi’s saccharine smash hit “Cherry Blossoms” for example.

Bay4k’s passion is clearly fueled by his unusual background. Bay4k is a third generation Zainichi Korean, or a permanent ethnically Korean resident of Japan.  Effectively, a foreigner in his native country. This served to ostracize him when he was young, causing him frustration and resentment toward his heritage. However, he turned that frustration into creative energy, and is now proud of who he is. In “Manifest,” my favorite track on the album, a sample of an audience cheers him on while he explains who he is and where he’s going. He proudly exclaims that he still wants to be Zainichi when he is reborn. It is this kind of confidence that lets his simple music tracks and smooth lyrics shine.

It will be interesting to see where bay4k goes from here. “I am…” is a strong debut album, but I would like to hear something a bit more complex on his follow-up. With a bit of work, I believe bay4k can achieve the goals of which he so often sings. In the meantime, you can listen to his single “Game Maker” on Youtube here.

 - Lara

Listening to the Grey Album remix of "Ninety-nine Problems and a Bitch Ain't One" by Jay-Z (and I suppose Danger Mouse had something to do with it), reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend Mel about this very song.  The basic idea of the conversation was that I thought the song had an underlying message, and she thought it was clever wordplay.  The conversation went approximately, (I mean, hey, it was two years ago, but I'm sure I remember it correctly) like this:

ME: Have you heard that song "Ninety-nine Problems and a Bitch Ain't One"
MEL: Who do you think you're talking to?  Dude, Octoon (not my real
name, but hey, who's counting?  The IRS?  Get in line…) welcome to 2003.
ME: Alright, c'mon, I got the Grey Album now, so I'm catching up.
MEL: Okay.
ME: Anyway, what do you think of that song?
MEL: Which one?
ME: Ninety-nine Problems and a Bitch Ain't One
MEL: The one off the Black Album or the one of the Grey Album
ME: Um.  Either one.
MEL: I don't think they're the same song.  Different beats, mixes…
ME: The lyrics are the same.
MEL: Okay, so you're asking me what I think of the lyrics?
ME: Damn, yeah, I should have said what do you think of the lyrics?
MEL: I like them.
ME: But let me ask you this: do you think this song is about Jay-Z
admitting that he is gay?
MEL: What?  You're crazy.  He was with Beyonce.
ME: You don't think there are gay mainstream rappers out there?
MEL: Maybe, but I don't think Jay-Z is one of them.
ME:  Have you heard the lyrics?  Ninety-nine Problems and a Bitch
Ain't One?  That's like, "I don't need women, and I'm bragging about
it."
MEL: No, if you listen to the way he uses the word "bitch" in each
verse, the meaning of the word changes.
ME: What do you mean?
MEL: I mean, in one sense it's used for women, but in another it's
used to refer to the cop's dog.  In other, he's talking about being a
bitch – backing down.
ME: So, couldn't one of those meaning be that he's gay?
MEL: I don't think so.
ME: Hmm.
(Mel looks at me skeptically)
MEL: Have you thought this out much?
ME: Not that much.
MEL: I'm really glad you brought this up..

And with that less than sincere comment, the debate seemed over.  But is it?  Who really won? Are there any answers…to the mystery of Ninety-nine Problems and a Bitch Ain't One?? Until next time…

-DJ Octoon

Barack Obama. The politician. The visionary. The teenage heartthrob. The pop.

Everything about Obama is pop.  He connects to voting newbies with pop art inspired posters (I’m loving the one on my wall) and proprietorship of the punchy words “hope” and “change” -  and that’s cool with me.  He not only inspires America’s youth to vote, but he gets their creative juices flowing as well.

There has even been a recent onslaught of Obama music, most of which is making waves on YouTube. The undeniably most popular Obama song is Will.I.Am’s “Yes We Can.” The lyrics of the song are taken directly from Obama’s moving speech (or boring rhetoric if you ask my Dad) of the same title, backed by acoustic guitar and some violin thrown in during the middle. The video, shot in black and white, uses split screens to feature a multitude of diverse stars, including the arguably overrated yet undeniably buxom Scarlett Johansson and basketball legend/nemesis of Bruce Lee, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The vocals are generally in sync with the rhythm of Obama’s speech, and the two are played simultaneously. Unfortunately, Obama’s volume tends to overpower some of the quieter singing, but the song overall is a success. The video has garnered over seven million views on YouTube (and counting), thereby assisting Obama’s permeation into the pop world.

Another song singing Obama’s praises is the up tempo “Fired Up, Ready to Go,” by the Bergevin Brothers. This song, which was inspired by another Obama speech, features male and female leads accompanied by a chorus and a plethora of instruments. The percussion and rhyming lyrics of “Fired Up” make this song catchier than “Yes We Can,” but the song feels somewhat out of date and unoriginal. It may appeal to those who are already fans of Obama, but I doubt it has the power to pull in those who are ambivalent like Will.I.Am’s star studded vid can.

Most bizarre of all Obama inspired media is “Barackula the Musical.” “Barackula” is the epic rock opera detailing Obama’s fight against evil vampires at Harvard. The short film stars newcomer Justin Sherman, whose “physical likeness to Obama is remarkable” according to the musical’s website (besides the fact that he’s, uhh, white, but that’s okay). The movie is not yet released, but two tracks, “Running” and “This is Our Time” are featured on the website. “Running” introduces our hero, and in “This is Our Time” Obama tries to convince the blood suckers that mortals and immortals can live together in harmony. The site compares the soundtrack to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” but “Cheesus Christ Superstar” is more like it (and “Jesus” is quite cheesy as it is). However, as much as I hate to admit it, the two songs are pretty catchy. By the end of “This is Our Time,” I felt like jumping into the chorus and belting out the phrase “I could never be Barackula” with them. This won’t do anything to inspire voters to head to the polls, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this gained a small cult following.

Each of these projects are extremely different from each other, but each work in their own way to add to the pop entity and political force that is Barack Obama. Maybe Hillary should go and round up the Indigo Girls and Chingy to release a video for her…

-Lara 

The year is 2008, and we’re still a generation searching for our definitive contribution to music history.  The 60’s marked the evolution of rock n’ roll into an art form, the 70’s were characterized by the rise of hard rock and prog rock, the 80’s gave us new wave, and even the 90’s were known as the decade that gave birth to grunge and alternative rock (however broad that categorization may be).  Each decade seemed to offer significant advances, or at least interesting deviations, in music.  Then came our current decade, seemingly a wasteland in popular music’s timeline. 

Our decade lacks a cohesive, identifiable contribution to music, but it is not due to any lack of effort.  If you’ll remember, about six years ago, the media attempted to usher in the age of the “garage rock” revival with their endorsements of the plethora of “the” bands that were littering the landscape (some dead on arrival, commercially).  The Strokes, the Vines, the Hives, the White Stripes, amongst others, were all lumped together in the same group, despite their extremely varying styles, because of their raw and simple aesthetic and the fact that their names began with the same article.  This “movement” quickly fizzled as each band (excluding the White Stripes and, to a lesser extent, the Strokes) failed to hold the attention of music critics and the general public alike.

Perhaps the 2000’s are not quite a decade in decline but a decade without a direction.  Undoubtedly, there have been some great records released in the last eight years; I would be lying if I said this decade was so miserable that I refused to buy anything released after 1999.  In fact, I’d argue that the early 2000’s were a vast improvement over the end of the 90’s, which was dominated by the likes of Fred Durst and his nu-metal disciples.  If the 2000’s are unmemorable, then the late 90’s were certainly a period that the human race would like to forget about.  What the 2000’s lack is any type of consistency or cohesiveness in its works; the collective output from this decade does not fit neatly into one canon. 

This could be attributed to the advent of the MySpace age in which all types of music are so much more easily accessed, word-of-mouth on bands spreads like wildfire throughout blogs, and the radio is, to a certain extent, losing control of what people can listen to.  The internet has somewhat liberated music listeners from being force-fed music that Clear Channel decides it needs to sell, destroying the ubiquity of certain styles and songs and putting the quality control of music into the hands of fans. 

When we look back at our decade in music, I wonder how our music will be remembered.  Whatever reputation our decade garners from a musical standpoint, I’m just relieved that we’re in control of how we’re represented in the way most people will learn about us – Wikipedia.

- Amorn

In what should be the equivalent of Super Bowl Sunday for music aficionados, most of the people I would consider anything beyond casual fans of popular music are unaware that the Grammys are holding their 50th annual ceremony. This is not surprising considering the poor reputation the awards show has developed among anyone who doesn’t buy all their music from Starbucks.

Who is this so-called Academy comprised of? The majority of the artists and records nominated are certainly not the records that make anyone’s, much less even critics’, top ten lists. I refuse to believe that true music fans are behind this enterprise mysteriously known as the Academy. The nominations read more like the guest list for a party that the networks cooked up in a desperate attempt to create spectacle, a shameless ploy to attract ratings from the lowest common denominator instead of the legions of music enthusiasts that exist out there. One trait of the music-obsessed is, for better or for worse, an appreciation for “the underdog” (yes, the infectious Spoon anthem as well as the figurative black horse candidate). We are notorious obscurists who enjoy claiming lesser known music as our own, then griping about their overexposure once our collective word-of-mouth leads to their music being featured on our teenage sisters’ MySpace pages and in Nordstrom bathrooms.

Another huge problem I have with the Grammys is its insistence on giving the overexposed even more exposure, making the famous more famous, instead of recognizing the deserving and raising awareness for their achievements. I truly doubt that Feist would have been nominated at all if “1234” had not appeared on that iPod commercial, propelling it to banal ubiquity within days. If The Reminder had remained the quiet little singer-songwriter album, there would be no way she would be sitting there amongst such luminaries as Daughtry and Miley Cyrus. Whereas its cinematic counterpart at the very least nominates lesser known films in hopes of giving them the audience they deserve, the Grammys blatantly aims to score as many viewers as possible by stuffing as many big names into the expansive Staples Center as possible. Though I’m sure the Oscars have just as devious motives behind them as the Grammys, the music awards have strayed from what I assume was the initial purpose of the ceremony: acknowledging the greatest achievements in music of the given year.

-Amorn