I have to confess, I have no idea why the Cuba trip by Jay-Z and Beyoncé caused such controversy. And I say that as a guy who lives in South Florida and is married to a Cuban woman.
Whatever your politics, and whatever your opinion on the Cuban embargo, who really cares if a rapper and pop icon pay a visit?
I suspect the outcry had everything to do with Jay-Z and Beyonce’s ties to Obama. It was yet another chance for Republicans to cause a distraction.
The National has been around for more than a decade, but I’d never heard of them before 2010.
That year I discovered their song ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio‘ during my annual recap of the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll. It’s a great one.
‘Don’t Swallow the Cap,’ the first single from the band’s new album, is in the same vein.
I had never heard of Laura Marling before a few weeks ago.
I came across a live clip when I was doing a week of radio station performances and was impressed enough to include her.
Then I saw a plug for today’s SOTD, ‘Master Hunter,’ in the Rolling Stone buzz list, tracked it down and was impressed once again.
My wife came home from work the other day and asked “Have you ever heard of a band called Daft Punk?”
I had, though I wasn’t able to offer any information about them. I knew the name but nothing else. Apparently her students were going on and on about the band’s new album and were incredulous that she was blissfully unaware.
Rolling Stone is one of my favorite magazines, not just for its music coverage but for its smart, well-written articles on politics, crime, the environment, television and sports.
But it is primarily a music magazine, and on that front it rarely disappoints. Sure, the editors have their favorites, as well as artists they like to bash for no apparent reason, but as a summary of mainstream and just-outside-the-mainstream popular music, it’s invaluable.
