Thursday, December 5, 2013

Top 20 Worst Songs of 2013:



Just really, really bad songs...




1. Twerk It (Busta Rhymes feat. Nicki Minaj): it’s hard to take Busta’s desperate grab at cultural relevancy with a clearly-washed up voice and name-dropping that’s like so five years ago.





2. Chinese Food (Allison Gold): who doesn’t love some good Chinese food but, man, when it’s not good it makes you want to throw up. Kinda like this song.





3. Mass Text (Tay Allyn): Allyn is 24…a tad too old to be shamelessly parodying such vapid American stereotypes.





4. Too Many Friends (Placebo): a song about loneliness that could seriously lead to suicide for listening to it alone.





5. Shabba (A$AP Ferg feat. A$AP Rocky): I guess this is supposed to be hardcore but all I can think is how terrible it sounds even with A$AP Rocky along for the ride.





6. Walks Like Rihanna (The Wanted): as if we’re not already suffocating in Rihanna worship, along comes this crap.





7. What A Night (Loveable Rogues): the dark side of reggae’s influence on British youth.





8. Diaper Money (The Lonely Island): horrible alone for that line about having wife pussy on lock…





9. Ooh La La (Britney Spears); recorded for the Smurfs soundtrack…where was Gargamel and Azriel to scratch her throat out though?





10. I Hit It First (Ray J): who really makes this type of revenge song though, other than immature brats?





11. Hello (Lil Wayne): a weird hip hop/rock mash up of him ranting about pussy…like he was breathlessly running a 5K race.





12. New Orleans (The Dream): not only offensive because of the repeated use of the word ‘bitch’, but just a horrible song overall.





13. Mosquito (Yeah Yeah Yeahs): my how the mighty has fallen…a song about a pest guys, like seriously?





14. Started From The Bottom (Drake): his uninteresting vocals continue to amass a fan base…must be a Canadian thing.





15. Live It Up (Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull): the result of a dubious collaboration straining itself too far to sound hip.






16. Black Ops (They May Be Giants): the band states that was written from the perspective of an amoral drone operator who is unsure about his occupation and that they made it up as they went along in a car. No wonder it sounds so shitty.





17. Trampoline (Tinie Tempah): so, this is what hip/hop has come to.





18. Ready Or Not (Bridgit Mendler): the shameless chorus rip of the Fugees hit makes this song even more nauseating.






19. Roar (Katy Perry): as another critic said, more a yelp than a roar.





20. One Way Or Another (One Direction): thanks for ruining Blondie’s classic guys.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Best New TV Shows of 2013:



Every year great new shows are released unto the viewing public, some heavily promoted, others not so much. Below is my list of those that you definitely need to check out ASAP. This year, the minority market really came alive. The traditional media market got a jolt with stunning Netflix shows and online/ cable shows picking up chunks of core supporters. Hell, even your tweets now are gonna go towards Nielson ratings!


First, my pick as the best new show of 2013…



House Of Cards (Netflix): an adaptation of a previous BBC miniseries of the same name, which is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs, the series stars Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, a scheming Democrat who was promised the role of US Secretary of State only to have it snared away at the last minute. Naturally, this being a show about politics, he doesn’t go quietly along the party line but wreaks blood without mostly getting his hands soiled by implication. The series won three Emmys, marking the first time an online series was winning such an award.



and the rest…







In The Flesh (BBC): like the great Sherlock, BBC has limited this zombie show to a mere three episodes per season but that doesn’t diminish its impact. Kieren (Dominic Mitchell) has returned home not fully cured from his zombie condition but with make-up, pills and contact lenses, he “looks” fairly normal. What makes the show so great is the tenderness which it treats his condition and the family struggling to love and accept him while he struggles to accept himself.








The Americans (FX): created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, the show is set during the Cold War period in the 1980s. Two deadly spies-- Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), pose as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. Russell is particulary effective as the loyal Russian spy who has an issue with authority if it’s less than 100% zealous in retaining the status quo.








BroadChurch (ITV/BBCAmerica): a little boy is found molested and dead on the beach of a small village and a cop with a past is chosen to solve the case. He unearths much more than he bargained for…including his and the town’s darkest secrets.








Masters Of Sex (Showtime): based on Thomas Maier's biography about the sex ed pioneers, the show started slowly but as its progressed it has picked up Mad Men-like speed. Lizzy Caplan (Virginia) especially has added layers to her function as Dr. Masters’ assistant and love interest.








Orange Is The New Black (Netflix): I doubt many fans of this show realize that it’s based off a memoir written by Piper Kerman. It matters little though because Netflix has stated at least they’re watching as Piper (Taylor Schilling) tries to survive the sex-starved and crazy women she’s incarcerated with.








The Wrong Mans (BBC/HULU): two idle British council workers get in a lot of trouble all for answering a phone in the wrong place and time.








The Bridge (FX): US and Mexican cops get together to solve a crime and so much more happen.








The Returned (Channel 4): a horrific accident takes place and while the small town mourns and tries to piece itself together, the dead suddenly start to return…







The Following (FOX): former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) attempts to recapture serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) and realizes how rabid Joe’s cult followers can get to defend him.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

2013: The Best New Artists:



Not particularly a great year overall but the new talent was abundant. None more than my pick as best new artist of the year…



Divino Nino: Divino Niño is Guillermo Rodriguez (guitar),Javier Forero (bass) and Camilo Medina (guitar); they share vocal duties. After reforming over a split from a previous band, their sound has retreated into itself and out comes tasty Hispannic-flavoured oldies. Their debut wonderfully juxtaposes a lot of soul into the process and it’s a huge winner.



The best of the rest, in no particular order…



Jamaican Queens: five years ago, a band called Prussia released a gem of a rock album then disappeared suddenly. I always wondered what happened to them. Well, here are two members from that project making great music so I need not wonder anymore.



Lorde; just still 17, Lorde has that smoldering vocals that will last even long after “Royals” dies down.



Norwegian Arms: this was the music Vampire Weekend wanted to make with their recent album.



Merchandise: relevant alone for successfully bringing back the bad hair band days of the 80s.



AlunaGeorge: English electronic music duo from London, consisting of Aluna Francis (vocals and songwriting) and George Reid (production and instrumentation. Making delicious Euro-pop is swiftly becoming their forte.



Popstrangers: three years of making underground music has finally led them to the mainstream.



Charli XCX: multi-talented and bringing a fresh new voice to pop music.



The Child of Lov: Cole Williams is all about that slow burn daddy pop funk.



Courtney Barrett: new Aussie folk pop singer on the scene.



Haim: it’s hard to believe these sisters are white and teenagers.



Radkey: mission to save the world from fake punk has been accomplished.



Protoje: around the local scene for a few years but this year he, as we say, ‘tek off’.



Chance The Rapper: yet another geeky rapper with an intellectual point to prove. Bring it on!



Autre Ne Veut: Arthur Ashin may use a moniker for his music but that crazed 80s vocals will always immediately register. With a stunning debut album that juxtaposed Prince and Van Halen aping, this dude’s unto something fabulous and this is his debut proper.

Monday, December 2, 2013

2013: Top 15 Worst Films (That I Saw):



It figures that in a year where most critics have struggled to come up with great films to highlight going into December, a bumper crop of really horrible ones flourished. This usually is a top ten list but I decided to add five more in recognition of the crap that we all went to see this year.


There may be more or worse films but these were the ones I saw…





1. Carrie: a remake of the Stephen King horror classic, this time so painfully wrought with clichéd expressions and lack of a cohesive script. Both leads should have known better.

MY RATING: 0/10








2. After Earth: Will Smith and his son…how the hell did this idea pass any studio meeting?

MY RATING: 1/10








3. A Haunted House: it matters little what Marlon Wayans comes in once its comedy, prepare for gut-wrenching crap.

MY RATING: 1/10









4. Scary Movie 5: Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan are in this unfunny franchise…you need no further deterrent.

MY RATING: 1.5/10








5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D: boring and utterly pointless, we don’t need another remake.

MY RATING: 1.5/10








6. Gangster Squad: Sean Penn acts as if he has lead in his mouth and poor Ryan Gosling’s downward spiral continues with this film that misses its mark despite packing an impressive cast.

MY RATING: 3.5/10









7. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: we’re accepting of all these fantasy trilogies but I’ll give this one the Gandalf quip…”you shall not pass!”

MY RATING: 3.5/10










8. The Lone Ranger: Johnny Depp…sigh.

MY RATING: 3.5/10









9. R.I.P.D: the undead battle fellow undead…police versus bad ghosts. Pass.

MY RATING: 3.5/10








10. Beautiful Creatures: yet another pointless coming-of-age witch story.

MY RATING: 4/10








11. The Hangover III: the characters starting to get collectively annoying now.

MY RATING: 4/10









12. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters: Jeremy Renner really should know better.

MY RATING: 4/10








13. The Host: had a fairly solid story but the boring levels of this film are unmatched in Hollywood.

MY RATING: 4/10







14. Oz The Great and Powerful: but for the talking monkey, this would have been totally forgettable.

MY RATING: 4/10






15. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters: still here wishing the lead characters drowned mid-way through this film.

MY RATING: 4/10