Listmania 2007 - Part 1

Well, it's nearing the end of another year.. You know what that means...

Best of Lists! From EVERYWHERE.

Here's some highlights so far.

Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2007

#1. Jay-Z - "Roc Boys"

Really? Has anyone even HEARD of this song?


#2. Randy Newman - "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country"

Uh. Ok. I understand it's Randy Newman, and It's very political. But seriously..


#3. Rihanna - "Umbrella"

We will be so happy when this song finally goes away.


#4. Justice - "D.A.N.C.E"

Love the video, hate the song.

#5 Bright Eyes - "Four Winds"

We here at Inane Static aren't huge fans of Bright Eyes, but we respect the hell out of Conor Oberst. The video is engrossing as well.

Artists We Send Congrats To:

#7. Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
#18. The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
#19. Feist - "1235"
#25. My Chemical Romance - "Teengers"
#30. Lily Allen - "LDN"
#42. Fall Out Boy - "This Ain't A Scene..."
#44. Linkin Park - "Bleed It Out"
#77. The Fratellis - "Chelsea Dagger"
#87. Modest Mouse - "Dashboard"


WTF Are They Doing There:

#15. Britney Spears - "Piece of Me" (Didn't this just come out?)
#21. Soulja Boy - "Crank That" (ugh)
#31. Akon - "Don't Matter" (Pedophile)
#35. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend" (Yeah, you're so punk..)
#56. Lil Mama - "Lip Gloss" (......Why?)
#57. T-Pain - "Buy U a Drank" (Yay! Bad Grammer!)
#96. Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
#100. Nickelback - "Rockstar"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spin's Top 40 Albums of 2007


Our Congrats:

#7. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
#10. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
#15. The Black and White Album - The Hives
#16. Alright, Still - Lily Allen
#21. We Were Dead... - Modest Mouse
#34. Cassadaga - Bright Eyes
#35. In Defense of the Genre - Say Anything (despite the crappy cover art)
#39. Retox - Turbonegro


More WTFs:

#8. American Gangsta - Jay-Z (I thought he retired)
#11. Da Drought 3 - Lil Wayne
#14. Magic - Bruce Springsteen (really? In Spin?)

The New Yoko Ono

~~According to the NY Times, the rest of Fall Out Boy is pissed about their Grammy snub too. But unlike Pete, they're being less rational about it. They're blaming Ashlee Simpson. They say that the Grammy voters hate her and her lip syncing. Obviously, Pete's "50 year old white men' keep up with who's dating who in the music business because Ashlee is tainting Pete and the rest of the band's reputation. Come on guys, we said in another post.. It's not the world. Yeah, it IS a Grammy, but still. Look at all the great bands who never won Grammys. Google it, you'll find plenty.

(FYI: I have a feeling this just a rumor that FOB is pissed at Ashlee... So believe it if you want).

Update: Joe from FOB has stated on his blog that this is complete bullshit. They adore Ashlee ;)


In more important news...

~~Ike Turner, abusive husband and rock pioneer, died earlier this week. For those born less than 20 years ago, click here



~~Speaking of morbid, here's a new way to win an Ipod Touch! http://www.whenwillamywinehousedie.com/


~~Madonna will be immortalized in the US Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March. For those who don't know, this is an annual ceremony where a handful of artists are deemed worthy. This years batch also includes Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five, and The Ventures. How exciting..


~~Ever been front row to a concert and assumed that the artist on stage doesn't know or care what you're doing? Think again As you can see on the video if you click the link, Tori Amos stops midshow to kick two girls out of the audience. Apparently, they were screwing around the whole show, taking a bunch of pictures of themselves, getting up to get drinks every few minutes, etc.


~~Panic! at the Disco's website has been updated yet again. This time with a secret message.. oooo. Scroll down to find the missing letters. 5 seconds of amusement. Also the new single has a name! "Nine in the Afternoon". A casting call is floating around online for the video in Los Angeles.


And finally...

Perez Hilton (love!) gave out his Perezzie Award on Vh1.. here's some of the nominees, "winners", and generally silly comments:


--Who Got Hit With a Fug Stick:--
(they used to be hot, but weren't in 2007)

-Rumer Willis "Demon spawn of Bruce Willis and a potato"
-Kid Rock
-Clay Aiken "his transformation from cute lesbian to ugly lesbian was complete"
-Heath Ledger (winner)


--Biggest Douche of 2007--

-Justin Timberlake
-Jessical Biel
-Rosanne
-Larry Birkhead (winner)


The Jonas Brothers got a special Perezzie award for the "Hottest Teen Senastion"

Grammy Nods: Our Winner's List

WARNING: LONG POST!

So we'll just get this started. Grammy Nods just came out earlier this month.. Here are our opinions.

Record of the Year
(awarded to the artist and the producer, engineer, and mixers)

"Irreplaceable" - Beyonce Knowles
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"Umbrella" - Rihanna
"What Goes Around... Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

Meg: I definately think Amy Winehouse should win. The song mixes both a jazz and blues feel with pop and as close to a white chick can get to r&b. Do you hear any other popular song songs on the radio with saxophones as one of the main instruments? No. You don't.

Tristian: I agree. Not just because I worship her. I mean. I'm sure the other songs are mixed well. But two of the dumbest songs of the past year are on this list.. I hate when people repeat shit. Such as "ella ella ella" I HATE that. What is that?! And you truely don't understand the stupidity of "Irreplaceable" until you see this video. Justin's entire song is done on a string loop that I could probably accomplish in garage band. And it's hard for me to be impressed with rock mixing.. ala Foo Fighters. It's good, but Amy is better.



Album of the Year
(awarded to artists, producters, mixing, etc.)

Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace - Foo Fighters
These Days - Vince Gill
River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Handcock (and guests)
Graduation - Kanye West
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Tristian: I'm all for Amy Winehouse again. But of course Herbie Handcock is going to win. Because he's legenardy and most people haven't heard of him. The Foo just sounds like they always have. And Vince Gill can die. Kayne West has a good shot. Everyone's been raving about the album since it came out. I will admit, I love "Stronger" but only because I like the Daft Punk version.

Meg: Agreed.



Song of the Year
(awarded to the song writer)

"Before He Cheats" - performed by Carrie Underwood
"Hey There Delilah" - written & performed by the Plain White T's
"Like A Star" - written & performed by Corinne Baily Rae
"Rehab" - written & performed by Amy Winehouse
"Umbrella" - performed by Rihanna

Tristian: What is the appeal of Umbrella?! Really. Especially for a songwriting award. It just repeats the "ella" phrase half the song. That's not writing, that's fluffing to fill space. I'm for Amy again.

Meg: I hate Umbrella too. I just don't understand. I don't really like Before He Cheats because it's just too simple. My vote is for Hey There Delilah. It's what songs are supposed to be. It's personal. It's not a generic song a publishing company pooped out to appeal to the masses.



Best New Artist

Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

Tristian: Feist intrigues me. But she's not my cup of tea. Taylor Swift DEFINATELY isn't. I'm going for Amy Winehouse (again). Because she brought back a genre that isn't seen in popular music today.

Meg: So predictable Tristian. As much as I love Amy and Feist, I have to go the Paramore route. I love this band so much. That, and it's the ONLY independent label artist in that list. How great would it be if this band from small punk emo label won over the majors? long live Fueled by Ramen!



Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

"Candyman" - Christian Aguilera
"1234" - Feist
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
"Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

Tristian: It says vocal performance.. Predictable again! Amy

Meg: Agreed. Christina has a strong voice. But Amy's is stronger.



Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group (with vocals)

"(You Want To) Make a Memory" - Bon Jovi
"Home" - Daughtry
"Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's
"window in the Skies" - U2

Tristian: U2 will win. I didn't even know they had a new single. I like Delilah the best. But you KNOW they'll win. For the love of goddess, please don't let any other people who got famous from American Idol win..

Meg: Whoo! Go PWT's! I love this song, I love this band. It's rare that I like slower songs. So there must be something about it that's fantastic.



Best 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

Tristian: Paul will probably win. And I'm all for that. He's a legend. I haven't heard a single riff from the album. But I'm sure it's fantastical. I'm sill pulling for Amy though.



Best Dance Recording

"Do It Again" - The Chemical Brothers
"D.A.N.C.E" - Justice
"Love Today" - Mika
"Don't Stop the Music" - Rihanna
"LoveStoned" - Justin Timberlake

Tristian: We only mentioned this because..

Meg: MIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!



Best Electronic/Dance Album

We Are the Night - The Chemical Brothers
*cross symbol* - Justice
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
We are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns
Elements of Life - Tiesto

Meg: I love Shiny Toy Guns. They're different than anything I've ever heard. They deserve it. Although I hear good reviews about LCD Soundsystem. So, I'm sure they'll win.

Tristian: They are really good, Shiny Toy Guns. I actually like Tiesto a lot. But I think STG is cool because they're actually a band that's making a dance album. Not a DJ.



Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group (with vocals)

"It's Not Over" - Daughtry
"Working Class Hero" - Green Day
"If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback
"Instand Karma" - U2
"Icky Thump" - White Stripes

Meg - As much as I love Green Day, I'm not going for them on this. Simpley because it's not their song. I love them for doing that song, but I just don't think it's fair to get nominated for a Grammy for a song that isn't yours. Instead: The White Stripes

Tristian: I hate Daughtry, I hate Nickelback. They sound the same. And their sound is pathetic. There's nothing original. The White Stripes whip out some of the weirdest shit (come on, bagpipes are in this song) and it WORKS. They deserve that Grammy.



Best Hard Rock Performance

Sweet Sacrifice - Evanescence
The Pretender - Foo Fighters
I Don't Wanna Stop - Ozzy Osbourne
Sick Sick Sick - Queens of the Stone Age
The Pot - Tool

Meg: OZZY! I think it's great that he's come back with this. It is sort of a simple song, yes. But it's just so good. It just can't compare. I really have lost interest in Evanescence. It's all just sounding the same as the last album.

Tristian: Foo Fighters are hard rock? I agree with the Evanescence comment. It's all just become the same formula. As much as I like the Ozzy song, it IS very simple. The Pot by Tool is incredible. The vocals are so strong on the song. And I'm not generally a Tool fan, but I love this.



Best Rock Song
Awarded to the Songwriter

"Come On" - written & performed by Lucinda Williams
"Icky Thump - written & performed by The White Stripes
"It's Not Over - partly written & performed by Daughtry
"The Pretender - written & peformed by the Foo Fighters
"Radio Nowhere" - written & performed by Bruce Springsteen

Tristian: Again.. The White Stripes. They're just so friggen out there but make it work. The lyrics are so random and go off in odd tangents. You'll never hear Daughtry say "You can't be a pimp and a prostitue too"

Meg - I agree. Bruce Springsteen will win though.



Best Alternative Music Album

Alright, Still... - Lily Allen
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Volta - Bjork
Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
Icky Thump - The White Stripes

Meg: Lily! Yes, I love Jack White, but I love Lily more. She has these sweet sounding songs that are perky and fun, but the lyrics are so snarky. It's just great. I heard a lot about Neon Bible. But I just didn't get anything out of it. Bjork scares me.

Tristian: The White Stripes. Lily is good, but The White Stripes are just amazing.



Best Compilation Soundtrack
(For movies, tv, etc. Awarded to the artists and producers)

Across the Universe
DreamGirls
Hairspray
Love (The Beatles)
Once

Tristian: I haven't heard Across the Universe, but I want to. Love I own though. Seriously, this is an amazing Beatles album. George Martin brought the Beatles to a new level with this album. The sound, and the mixes. Just great.

Meg: I agree, but woulnd't it be funny if Hairspray won? Zac Efron with a Grammy. Scary.



Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
(Awarded to the art directors, designers, and artists)

The Black Parade, Special Edition - designed in part by Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance)
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, Limited Edition Deluxe Box (Panic! At the Disco)
Icky Thump, Limited Edition USB Flash Drive (White Stripes)
Venus Doom - designed in part by Ville Valo (HIM)
What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (Various Artists)

Tristian: We brought this up because 4 of our favorite artists are on here. I love love love love HIM. And I think it's great that Ville is up for a Grammy, even if it isn't for the music. But the USB Flash Drive method is so new and innovative, I have to go with the White Stripes.

Meg: HIM HIM HIM HIM HIM HIM. Notice how they didn't do ANYTHING special. It's just the original packaging I think. HIM HIM



END..FINALLY

For a full list of nominations go to http://www.grammy.com/


-T & M

PS: We just want to point out near the end here, that the guy who has done ALL of the Harry Potter audio books is nominated for "Best Spoken Word Album for Children". He's GREAT. He does all the voices.