Brad Paisley, who had his own weekend series, has decided to make an appearance on Random Weekends.
Today’s song is from Paisley’s fifth album, 2008’s 5th Gear, and it is not a favorite of mine. That album, in general, represents something of a slump for Paisley, falling between his four best records — Mud On the Tracks and Time Well Wasted on the one side and American Saturday Night and This is Country Music on the other.
What am I supposed to think about Lana Del Rey? Having never listened to a single song, I’ve seen her alternately described as indie rock’s next big thing and a vapid, talentless hack. Her striking good looks are admired as icing on top of a very talented cake or dismissed as the only reason she landed a recording contract.
How can all of these things be true?
Charting at #9 on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll is Adele’s second smash single, ‘Someone Like You.’ ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ predictably, sits at the #1 spot with a nearly 20-vote lead.
It’s impressive that Adele dominated the charts, the airwaves and critics’ year-end lists. Usually those things don’t happen at the same time. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time a year’s best-selling album was also its most critically acclaimed.
I almost featured ‘Yonkers’ by Tyler, the Creator a few weeks ago during my series on memorable 2011 music videos. But ultimately I decided that a clip of a man eating a cockroach and hanging himself was perhaps better left unseen.
So much for that.
Tyler, The Creator is the head of Los Angeles hip-hop act OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or just plain Odd Future). Everything I’ve written so far in this post has me thinking I’m too old for this shit.
Tied for tenth on Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop poll of 2011’s best songs is ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People.
I am far more aware of this song than I am familiar with it. I’ve read a lot about it, but I can’t say that I’ve heard it in its entirety more than once or twice. But that’s not a reflection on the song, which I find incredibly catchy.
