Frank Kogan

Well, I'm a bit late on these, but here's a guy whom I almost overlooked, though I've had his album for about eight months. The single, "ABC's," is on my extended year-end list; the album is on the borderline for my P&J, sounding a little too "nice," though that's obviously not a thought-through evaluation.

K'naan ft. Chubb Rock "ABC's"

And since we were just talking about Kid Creole And The Coconuts over on Lex's lj, here is Coati Mundi's "Bundas Bom," a b-side that will also make my extended list.

Random thoughts in regard to the Jukebox poll that will create the qualifiers for the Jukebox year-end tournament which will also comprise polls:

--The chorus for Allison Iraheta's "Friday I'll Be Over U" works a lot better than I had originally thought, even if it still is too loud and crowded. The verses are the problem; they sound like a stumbling attempt at Joan Jett doing a Gary Glitter stomp, but without an appropriately Joan Jett–Gary Glitter chant on top. Fortunately, their only being verses, the chorus wins.

--Will says that, given the reviews he's received so far for the newly posted tracks, there is one with potential to break into the Top 16, and that we'd never believe him if he told us what it was. Well, I would not believe him if he told me it was Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," even though that's the new track I like best. Therefore, we can conclude that the track he is referring to is, indeed, something other than Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." I mean, I don't believe it possibly could be "Need You Now." Unless of course my disbelief means that it is "Need You Now." I think I'm losing control of the logic here. I would believe Will if he told me the track was the DJ Khaled, which means it probably isn't. The Jukebox server seems to have gone down in the last hour and I don't remember which other tracks had received more than a couple of reviews as of last night (Iraheta had received none but now is up to one), but when it returns we can speculate as to what this unexpected high-scoring track is - and then determine to defeat it, unless it's Lady Antebellum or DJ Khaled. EDIT: Server back up, and the only other track that seems as if it had several reviews last night was Florence + the Machine's annoyingly mannered, "You Got the Love," but I'd believe Will on that one because people in this neighborhood tolerate her with enthusiasm, so now I'd disqualify it for credibility. Would two votes for Annie qualify her if they're both 10s? Roisin Murphy is up to four but I don't think she was last night (kinda liked that one). Oh yeah and there's Iyaz's "Replay," and I've done my best to lower its score.

--You should review the Lady Antebellum for Jukebox, so that it will get enough reviews to get posted and to be eligible for the year-end tournament. For fans of the Art Of Mush, it is state-of-the-art country MOR mush, quite moving in its mushy way, all about late-night drunk dialing, and mushiness.

--Speaking of the Jukebox year-end tournament, it is the subject of this post. We are in the process of qualifying tracks for the tournament. Those that the Jukeboxers already rated in the top 16 are in; if any new track gets rated high enough to break into the 16 it's in as well. The remaining 24 tracks (or 23 or even 22, in case one or two new tracks do break in) are chosen in a poll. And I am participating in the poll. I get to vote my top 20 among songs the Jukebox reviewed this year that aren't already in the top 16, and all the other Jukebox reviewers vote their top 20, and the top 24 are into the tournament as qualifiers. And then there are seeded contests, eight groups of five songs, like football playoffs! And then there's something else!

( Current 20 )

( Have a shot at displacing the last several )

(  Probably have more of a shot, since they're on my list of Songs That Need Lots More Listens  )

( What I like that's already in )

( Reason to be cheerful )

On the charts it was the worst quarter since the Kansas-Nebraska Act; but, while dance-pop and r&b were tossing us candy-scented stinkbombs, a regular quota of pretty good stuff came in from wherever (country, grime, jerkin, and, I guess, dance and pop). Unfortunately, none of the new stuff got near the top of my list. Strange summer, good music coming in quantity, but the outlook uneasy.

The newbies include:

Tempa T "Next Hype": Guy on edge, starts baying, promises violence and vandalism, the promises coming so quick they fall atop one another like Keystone Cops.

Biggie Smalls Vs. Miley Cyrus "Party And Bullshit In The USA": The mashup works 'cause Luke's* pretty little gtr. lick is rhythmic enough to set up Biggie's virtuosity. The mix punches sound in and out for quick drama.

(*Presumably; I haven't seen the credits, but guitar is his instrument.)

Audio Push "Teach Me How To Jerk": Amused teens stroll through cut-rate house of horrors.

Cold Flamez "Miss Me, Kiss Me, Lick Me": More such teens; the track sounds about what you'd expect from hip-hop that goes, "Miss me, kiss me, now she wanna lick me/Seductive, got me walkin' 'round with a stiffie."

( Top Singles 2009, Three Quarters Through )

Way behind in my country listening, but my top 10 is already up to 17, and this is only mid year. I'd expect Lex (and possibly Moggy and Cis) to like the womanly tracks by Sarah Buxton and Jamie O'Neal (who have even better tracks than these on their résumés); don't know who if any o' youse over in Britain will like summer breezes like "Runaway" and "Barefoot And Crazy" and "Summer Nights" and "Out Last Night" and "Sideways."

1. Love And Theft "Runaway"
2. Jamey Johnson "High Cost Of Living"
3. Sarah Buxton "Space"
4. Caitlin & Will "Even Now"
5. Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me"
6. Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles "Do It For Free"
7. Taylor Swift "White Horse"
8. Jack Ingram "Barefoot And Crazy (Double Dog Dare Ya Mix)"
9. Brooks & Dunn f. Reba McEntire "Cowgirls Don't Cry"
10. Rascal Flatts "Summer Nights"
11. Randy Houser "Boots On"
12. John Rich "Shuttin' Detroit Down"
13. Jamie O'Neal "Like A Woman"
14. Kenny Chesney "Out Last Night"
15. Dierks Bentley "Sideways"
16. Holly Williams "Keep The Change"
17. Collin Raye "Mid-Life Chrysler"

Here's my list of top singles so far for 2009. Haven't been listening to enough country, hip-hop, reggae, um, not enough of everything, actually. "New Style" is the only one certain in my top ten at the end of the year. I was going to write a little blurb for each but realized I didn't have time if I wanted it posted today. But I do want to use the phrase "exuberantly grim," so, briefly, about the ones that we haven't much talked about on lj:

Jamey Johnson, "High Cost Of Living" (second track here): Exuberantly grim! It's a drunkalog, basically, and the apparent grimness is to try to fend off the call of the wild. The title and the lyrics in the chorus are built around a pun, and the track ends with Jamey laughing encouragement to his guitar player.

MC Lars f. Brett Anderson and Gabe Saporta "Hey There Ophelia": The rap is a witless retelling of Hamlet, the joke being that ha ha let's pretend the whole thing is about neurosis and let's mix our ordinary casual vernacular into Shakespeare's eloquence. It did make me laugh in exactly one instance ("I'll have them re-enact the murder, watch my uncle's expression/The play's the thing to catch the king, and teach him a lesson"), but what I'm rating is the music that runs through this, a recasting of Therapy?'s "Screamager" that ramps up the anger and drama and gorgeousness of the original, tremendous singing from Anderson (she of the Donnas), yanks me out of the dumb playlet and into the combined taunting and sorrow of actual punk rock: I'm fucked up and that'll show you/I'm fucked up and it's awful.

Caitlin & Will "Even Now": A duet where a couple play breakup and infidelity games to hurt each other and to get even, without knowing how to stop the hurtfulness or stop loving one another, but the way I've said it is clumsier than the song's way. I'm posting the video (under the cut) 'cause according to the person who posted it on YouTube, "it's totally country awesome, yes it is, just totally! Yes! OMG! It is just incredible, the best country video in years and probably the best ever made! WOW! Like OMG WOW!" I perhaps don't agree, but it's a good song.

( Top Singles, first quarter 2009 )

( Even Now )