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I’ve never liked Coldplay.  I’ve always been indifferent to Coldplay.  That is until I heard the uncanny similarities between one of their hit songs (bonus points for anyone who can name the Coldplay song, because I can’t) and Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love.”  Kraftwerk’s song is my favorite song in the entire world.  My indifference towards Coldplay quickly froze in to a solid block of dislike.  Yesterday, that solid block of dislike petrified into absolute disdain.  Check out what NPR has covered.

Is Coldplay capable of writing their own hit songs?  I’m sure they can, but they almost certainly can’t write songs with any musical merit by themselves.

Note: to be fair, it is now my understanding that Coldplay “sampled” Kraftwerk.  Nevertheless, my last two sentences remain unaltered.  Further, if you really love an artist, do you pay homage by simply using one of their melodies as the melody for one of your completely unrelated song (I fail to see how the Coldplay track references Kraftwerk even slightly except via melody).  I would submit that Coldplay has merely taken an amazing melody, re-couched it in a completely different song and sold it to a multitude of people who may never know who is Kraftwerk.  Paying homage would have meant magnifying Kraftwerk’s melody.  Instead, Coldplay has taken their glory.  Of course, if the melody is truly sampled, Kraftwerk only have themselves to blame as they would have had to approved such a use.

“The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan

Allow me to take a few seconds to tell you about my new favorite band: Dungen.

I only have listened to “4.”  However, from that record, alone, I can tell that this is a band who understands what I subscribe to, musically.  A touch of metal, a touch of jazz, infectiously peculiar melodies, and other-worldly textures let me know that I will be listening to Dungen far into the future.  Also, the drummer is an arsenal of rhythm.

“I will bring you gold apples and grapes made of rubies
That have shone in the eyes of a prince of the breeze.
Bright cascading crystals, they danced in the sand dunes
On the beach of no footprints to harpsichord tunes.
A throne of white ivory, a gown of white lace
Lies still in the magic of a timeless place.
One hundred small children, they laugh at the white doves
That rest on their hands with the touch of love.
On a hillside of velvet the children they lay down
And make fun of the grown-ups with their silly frown.
And the sound of their laughter is the sound of the green sea
As it washed around the foot of the seashell tree.
The doves circle over and land in the trees
Where parrots are talking their words with such ease.
Thus spoke three wizards to the young ones that day:
“There’s sadness in the kingdom, make it go far away.”
If you follow the sunbeams through the valley of flowers
To the palace of the White Queen with its white jade towers.
The youngest, she sighed then the clouds drew away
And a hundred small fingers scratched their heads in dismay.
>From out of the sun a giant gull came flying
And the children got ready to sit on its wings.
They waved to the raindrops as they soared over the trees
The wind tossed their hair high, flashing gold on the sea.
They came to the castle and there they did fall,
And they saw all the sadness, through the crystal wall.
A princess lay a-sleeping so gentle and kind
Whilst her prince took to battle with his confused mind.
The clash of bright metal brought the children fear,
But their cloaks of blue satin dried up all of these tears.
Thus children held hands and they spelled out their name
All the golden children became a golden chain.
It lies on a white throne in a magic place
With a tunic of velvet and a gown of white lace.
My sword, it lies broken and cast in a lake
In a dream I was told that my princess would wake.”

What a beautiful thought I am thinking,
Concerning a great speckled bird.
Remember her name is recorded,
On the pages of God’s Holy Word.

All the other birds flocking ’round her
And she is despised by the squad.
But the great speckled bird in the Bible
Is one with the great Church of God.

All other churches are against her,
They envy her glory and fame.
They hate her because she is chosen
And has not denied Jesus’ name.

Desiring to lower her standard,
They watch every move that she makes
They long to find fault with her teachings,
But really they find no mistake.

She is spreading her wings for a journey.
She’s going to leave by and by;
When the trumpet shall sound in the morning,
She’ll rise and go up in the sky.

In the presence of all her despisers,
With a song never uttered before,
She will rise and be gone in a moment
‘Til the great tribulation is o’er.

I am glad I have learned of her meekness.
I am proud that my name is on her book,
For I want to be one never fearing
On the face of my Savior to look.

When He cometh descending from heaven,
On a cloud like He writes in His Word,
I’ll be joyfully carried to meet Him
On the wings of that great speckled bird.

“The Great Speckled Bird”
by Rev. Guy Smith

“I lie awake, staring out at the bleakness of Megadon.  City and sky become one, merging into a single plane, a vast sea of unbroken grey.  The Twin Moons, just two pale orbs as they trace their way across the steely sky.  I used to think I had a pretty good life here, just plugging into my machine for the day, then watching Templevision or reading a Temple Paper in the evening.

“My friend John always said it was nicer here than under the atmospheric domes of the Outer Planets.  We have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star of the Solar Federation.  The less fortunate gave us a few new moons.

“I believed what I was told, I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy.  Then I found something that changed it all…..”

Anonymous, 2112

Glenn Greenwald.

Also, Scott Hornton interviews regarding torture.

Finally, in the world of bread and circus, some relief.

The Stars of Track and Field – Belle & Sebastian

Slow This Bird Down – Boards of Canada

In the Court of the Bear King – An Albatross

Love Serve Remember - White Hills

In the Pines - Smog

My Rain - Boris with Michio Kurihara

We Share Our Blanket With the Owl - Brightblack Morning Light

Such Hawks Such Hounds - Dead Meadow

Winter’s Wolves - The Sword

Here’s a list of the 50th Grammy Nominations. I have made my guesses (not my picks).

At the end, I have also put my favorites in the categories.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Irreplaceable – Beyonce

The Pretender – Foo Fighters

Umbrella – Rihanna, featuring Jay-Z

*What Goes Around … Comes Around – Justin Timberlake*

Rehab – Amy Winehouse

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters

These Days – Vince Gill

River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock

*Graduation – Kanye West*

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

SONG OF THE YEAR (a songwriter’s award)

Before He Cheats – Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins (Carrie Underwood, artist)

Hey There Delilah – Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s, artist)

Like a Star – Corinne Bailey Rae

*Rehab – Amy Winehouse*

Umbrella – Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius “The-Dream” Nash, Christopher Stewart (Rihanna, featuring Jay-Z, artist)

BEST NEW ARTIST

Feist

Ledisi

Paramore

Taylor Swift

*Amy Winehouse*

POP VOCAL ALBUM

Lost Highway – Bon Jovi

The Reminder – Feist

It Won’t Be Soon Before Long – Maroon 5

Memory Almost Full – Paul McCartney

*Back to Black – Amy Winehouse*

ROCK ALBUM

Daughtry – Daughtry

Revival – John Fogerty

*Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters*

Magic – Bruce Springsteen

Sky Blue Sky – Wilco

R&B ALBUM

*Funk This – Chaka Khan*

Lost & Found – Ledisi

Luvanmusiq – Musiq Soulchild

The Real Thing – Jill Scott

Sex, Love & Pain – Tank

RAP ALBUM

Finding Forever – Common

Kingdom Come – Jay-Z

Hip Hop is Dead – Nas

T.I. vs. T.I.P. – T.I.

*Graduation – Kanye West*

COUNTRY ALBUM

Long Trip Alone – Dierks Bentley

*These Days – Vince Gill*

Let It Go – Tim McGraw

5th Gear – Brad Paisley

It Just Comes Natural – George Strait

Now for my picks:

RECORD OF THE YEAR:

Capricornications – Mika Miko

Runner-up: Can I Get Get Get – Junior Senior

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Good Bad Not Evil – Black Lips

SONG OF THE YEAR:

Put All Your Eggs In the Basket and Then Watch That Basket! – Marnie Stern

Runner-up: Can I Get Get Get – Junior Senior

BEST NEW ARTIST:

Aa

Runner-ups: Marnie Stern, Mika Miko
I’m forgetting some stuff I know it. So here are some honorable mentions:

White Hills, Boris (with Merzbow AND Michio Kurihara), The Go! Team, Growing, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Panda Bear, Animal Collective, M.I.A., and Child Abuse.

All are worth checking out. All are very good in their own right.

In other news…there’s this.

Brilliant article in Wired.