bedsitter23

I have done this for years, but it has been awhile.  I have always had my pulse to Top 40 music.  While my passions have generally been those artists that don't make these kind of countdowns, I grew up attached to Casey Kasem's Top 40 and always looked enthusiastically at the local pop station's Top 30.

At this point of my life (I'm a Man! I'm 40!), things have inevitably-no matter how I have resisted- taken a turn for the unhip.  I inevitably don't have all the names and faces down that I would have once had.  In a strange way, having Sirius XM for three-plus years probably has me more attuned to things in the pop world than I ever would have before.

That said, I don't know for the most part what any of these artists looks like, I haven't seen music videos in years, and I often, don't even know the songs.  i just know that they scroll along at recurring rates.

So, I know Iggy Azalea is popular, even before "Fancy" took over the masses. I just figured they opened for Faster Pussycat and Guns N Roses at the Whiskey in '89.  (I am not here to bash Ms. Azalea.  I don't like her music but people are on social media every second bashing her so, I don't feel any extra need).

Sirius does play tricks on me.  Naughty Boy had a huge hit in 2014, and my assumption for some time was that Naughty by Nature.  I don't know why (obviously the number of characters) but a comeback by NBN in 2014 seemed like the most natural thing in the world.  Why hasn't Treach and the gang earned their "You Better, You Bet" moment.

Sirius has pointed me to some other comebacks, most notably Better than Ezra who had a minor hit on Adult Contemporary radio.  (I am not here to bash BTE either.  They were better than many of their contemporaries, and they had at least two bona fide hits, but they seem like the poster child for one hit wonders.



It was Sirius XM that alerted me to Tom Keifer's comeback a couple of years ago. Of all of his contemporaries, I thought he had the biggest chance of a late career redemption (Yeah, Cinderella were as made up in glam as much as anyone, but hidden was a real love for Stones-y blues). That comeback wasn't that good and the single stalled as well.

Sirius alerted me to the Adult Alternative success of Passenger's "Let Her Go" which means everyone around me was sick of the song a good four months before everyone else was sick of that song.

The state of music in 2015 also gives us the weird irony of indie rock critics fawning over the new Taylor Swift album. I don't have a problem with liking something popular, but I find it strange that the same people who complain that everything REM did after they signed to a major label, also love the pop stylings of Ms. Swift. Was 1Direction's new album too edgy?

Which reminds me, I did catch the American Music Awards. If you watched the AMAs, you were reminded that 25 years ago, the New Kids on the Block swept all the honors.

I used to hate that, but I have found a way to love the AMAs. This year, One Direction had a NKOTB-like sweep. And why not? They are probably the most popular band on the planet. Why shouldn't they win?

At least, it beats the Grammies, which tries to straddle the line of what is popular and what is 'serious' music.

For example, Christina is a serious artist, but Britney isn't. Adele is crowned as a modern-day Billy Holliday.

It also leads to the ridiculousness of awarding a metal grammy to Jethro Tull and the disgrace of that serious R&B institution that was known as Milli Vanilli.

At least the AMAs are honest about it, while the Grammys shunned bands like Led Zepplin, the Doors, the Who and so many others until many years after their relevance.

Funny enough, 1D did perform live on the show and at this point in their career look visually like Radiohead if you had the show on mute.

So that's 2015 as we start out, and 2014 in a nutshell. I wouldn't be me if I didn't leave without a joke, so here goes.

Bastille? Am I right? Is this a real band? Are we sure this isn't a Coen Brothers construct like Autobahn?

Bastille couldn't be more perfect. They sound like they want to be A Flock of Seagulls. They look like they should be in an 80s copy of Smash Hits.

And that name?

Is there a more perfect name for a nostalgic 80s act?

There's not. Verdun? Versailles? Degaulle? Marceau? Petain?

No, you can try, but there's no more perfect name. I only wish I had got there first.

Bastards.

I can't resist the appeal of the Grammys, which truly does feel like music's biggest night, and although Kanye wasn't there, draws the biggest names (I watched the People's Choice Awards and it was easy to tell who was going to win, because they were the only nominees in attendance).

While I don't feel that anything this year will be deposited longterm in my memory bank; it was still worth a look.

Start the complaining now:

- The thing I thought might be the highlight (and likely was) was the Bob Marley tribute featuring Bruno Mars, Sting, and Damian & Ziggy Marley.  The Marley tribute contained some of Bob's biggest songs - "Locked out of Heaven" and "Walking on the Moon".  Oh well.

-Elton sang the &^%$ out of that Ed Sheeran song.  I guess that's not really an opinion on whether that it was good or bad, but damn, he sang the &^%$ out of it.

-Is there any band that screams 'one hit wonder' than the Lumineers.  I don't mind them actually, but they remind me of one of those one-hit bands that flashed when I was a pre-teen.

- The big story, well, it was whether there was going to be sideboob.  After that, it was "Who the hell is Al Walser?"  Walser made the mistake of being nominated in the dance category with better known acts like Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia, and Calvin Harris.

Although the Grammys are terribly predictable.  Someone over at Slate called it "the newest people making the most traditional music", which is spot on.  That means Adele is perfect.  It means fun. is going to win and Gotye's single will fare well.

Personally, I think an award should go to the best musician of the year.  If Neon Piss had the record of the Year (and I could argue they did), then give them the statue  I realize the Grammys never go that obscure, and they have a history of getting it wrong (Not honoring the Beatles, Milli Vanilli's wins, and of course, Jethro Tull).

-I would be ok if fun. fell of the face of the Earth.

-  "Take five" played by Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea was barely recognized as it was used in a quick introduction to Ryan Seacrest (No one cares about Jazz,  So honestly no one really probably gives a damn about Joshua Bell).

-I won't spend much time on it, but Taylor Swift was a country traditionalist a year or two ago.  She is never ever going back to that.

-I really wanted to like Justin Timberlake's performance.  he surely was trying to do the right thing with black-tie soul,  Prince showed him how it was done and symbol-guy didn't even sing a note.

Overall, I wasn't too impressed, there were no performances I'd revisit (I know others may have favorites), but ratings were pretty good, and although I bitch and moan, I still want the Grammys to do well.

I complain time and time again but I enjoy watching the Grammies. I can't help it.

Here's all you need to know.

-The show is slimmed down from what you may remember from 20 years ago, but it generally works. Adele was the big winner. It always seems that the awards all go to the same person and their isn't a lot of distribution. I don't have anything against Adele. She seems pretty sweet, but I don't get the critics fascination with her. Still, she brought Rick Rubin on stage, so that was cool. With all the Rihannas and Katy Perrys, there will be a lot of ink I am sure that you don't have to be a tart to get airplay.

-I thought Springsteen's (who I love) opener was weak. I realize new songs have a tougher go, but it seems a let-down. I didn't think it was very powerful and seemed generic Boss. Usually, I would complain the other way, but I think he should have worked "Born to Run" in.

-No real memorable appearances this year for me. The Beach Boys was probably top of the list. It would have been better if there had been some education on the significance. There were plenty of close-ups of Brian Wilson, and it was called a reunion (but many viewers would confuse this with the Beach Boys that spent the last two decades playing state fairs and casinos).

-Bon Iver won best new artist. That was the wild card selection. I wonder if the New Artist has become such a jinx that they thought they would give it to someone with no commercial expectations in the first place. I like Iver fine, but it seems odd the voters wouldn't pick Nicki Minaj or The Band Perry over Iver.

-Whitney was the obvious shadow over the whole show. It would have been nearly impossible otherwise, but it did seem to slight others, most notably Amy Winehouse. Etta James did get a Bonnie Raitt/Alicia Keys tribute, so I guess that is ok. Don Cornelius got a shout out too.

Jennifer Hudson came out and sang "I will always love you" with no introduction and hair done up as Whitney. I think it was supposed to be poignant. Still, it felt to me, that ultimately most winners in these awards are replaceable. This is the place where Milli Vanilli won awards and (probably even worse) had them taken away.

-The Foo Fighters got two songs (their own and one as part of an electronic jam). I like the Foos alright, but it seems like the spot would have been better given to someone else. The same goes for Chris Brown (whose popularity is beyond me) who got two similar spotlights

-Nicki Minaj had the 'controversial' performance of the night, which now seems obligatory. I like Minaj (She seems original, though "Superbass" is such a gawdawful song). I suppose in the absence of Gaga, she did a piece that blended an exorcism, thus working in offending priest characterizations (from the classic Madonna playbook) and people floating in air (from Madonna's Super Bowl 2012 performance.) The whole thing seemed a mess.

-Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift's separate performances were fun (though I am not a fan of either). Katy Perry and Coldplay/Rhianna really didn't resonate with me.

-The aforementioned electronic jam didn't do anything for me, but it was a nice thought. It surely got a few people wondering who Deadmau5 is. Glen Campbell's tribute was enjoyable, though I am not particularly a fan.

Overall, not the most memorable year. LL Cool J worked well as host, and generally, things moved well. Paul McCartney performed Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End at the end of the show (He did an original song during the show, as well, which was nice, but pretty forgettable), which seemed a bit stale, but wasn't "Hey Jude" at least.