Star Trek: 30 Years - A Tribute

Time for a little shameless cross-promotion here ... for those of you who are both Star Trek/sci-fi fans and music lovers, I've taken the liberty of putting this post on both of my blogs at the same time, since it firmly touches on both points of interest ("the best of both worlds", if I may toss in a Trek in-joke). So, by all means, check out my other blog if you're so inclined, as it's quite nifty-neato in its own right, if I do say so myself.

various artists
"STAR TREK: 30 YEARS - A TRIBUTE"
(BMG Ariola Germany, 1996)


"Unendliche Weiten" by Illegal 2001


The surrealistically anti-hip "special" Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond (Ted Danson? Kenny G? WTF?!?) was forebodingly telling of how tired the once-venerable sci-fi franchise had become. But as terrible a train-wreck as that spectacle was, the occasion of Star Trek's pearl anniversary did produce a couple of unique and interesting pieces of memorabilia, even if they did come from outside of its home country of the United States. A prime example: this "curious" (as Spock himself might describe it) compilation of music, assembled in Germany, in honor of Star Trek's 30th Anniversary.

Given its origin, it stands to reason that the majority of this album's tracks are performed in German, but that's not nearly the deal-breaker in this case that it might normally be. In fact, a good part of the fun comes from listening for the recognizable Trek names that pop up regularly through the German language ("Kirk", "Picard", "Klingons", and I think I even heard "Tasha Yar" and "Cardassians" at least once each). Another thing that keeps this CD from becoming boring is the multitude of music genres represented: you'll find everything from jazz ("We've Lost The Captain", which employs a soundbite of that very quote from the original pilot "The Cage") to techno ("Die 4. Dimension") to pop ("Ich Bin Verknallt In Jean-Luc Picard", which sounds a little like something off a Dido album) to punk ("Ich Bin Knille, Pille") to hip-hop ("Reime, Räume Und Zeiten", full of the forementioned Trek shout-outs as well as a handful of authentic sound effects), resulting in a pretty safe chance that everyone will find something to like here.

I won't lie to you -- I was a bit disappointed when I first played this CD, as I was expecting more faithful interpretations, mostly instrumental, of the various Star Trek themes heard throughout the years; indeed, the first track, a cool synth-rock sort of take on the Star Trek: Voyager theme, got my hopes up a bit too much the first time around. But the dazzling cover design, and the fact that it was an official Paramount-licensed compilation from a major label, compelled me to more readily accept it. It's now safe to say that this album has come to hold a place of honor in my collection of Star Trek music CDs -- Worf himself would probably be proud.

Buy the CD (while you still can...!)

Shocked, Then Appalled...

Aha ... I knew there was a reason we were all surprised at the outcome ... how does this grab you? Far as I'm concerned, this is yet another reason why voting on "Idol" should be limited to one vote per phone number. And why the hell isn't web voting an option...?

And no, I'm not a "sore loser", at least not when winning is done fairly.

Dim The Lights...!

Well, poop. Actually, I said something a little stronger than that two and a half hours ago when I accidentally saw the name of the winner on the web. That was a fear of mine, that I'd prematurely stumble across the results ... should have known better than to get on the computer before the end of the results show in my time slot. Starting next year, it's a moratorium for me on the internet during results night. Oh well ... crap happens, right?

Now for the results. Am I disappointed? Yeah ... but, as evidenced by my prediction last night, I'm not terribly surprised. I still feel that Danny should have been matched against Adam this week. I know I'm probably being unfair with Kris -- heck, my CD collection is littered with plenty of sensitive male singer-songwriter types not unlike him -- but it's especially annoying in light of how Adam pretty-much outshone Kris in nearly every performance during tonight's show (until I remind myself that it was, obviously, many hours after the viewers' votes were cast). But then I shouldn't really let it disappoint me. Adam's getting a major-label album release just like Kris is ... and he still might be triumphant in the long run, since it's not an unusual occurrence for a runner-up or an also-ran to have more success than the actual "Idol" winner. So, I'll take this opportunity to hold up my white flag and extend a hearty "congrats" to Kris Allen, the latest American Idol.

I've read a few people complain about how long and drawn-out the finale results show is, but then that's for the people who ONLY want to know who the winner of "American Idol" is. This has really turned into an all-out two-hour celebration of rock and pop music that any music lover can sink their teeth into. I mean, just look at the lineup they've had tonight: Kiss, Queen, Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart, Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper ... how can you not like it?!?

As was the case last year, it was a lot of fun getting to see the rest of the Top 13 again ... although it was unfortunate in that it reminded me how much I've missed some of them, particularly Anoop, Michael, Matt and Alexis. (Yes, I miss Allison and Danny too, but they've only been gone for a couple of weeks.) I also kind-of like how they didn't take themselves too seriously in the show ... the clip montages of each of the judges at the beginning was a hoot ... and the "Idol Awards" were a cute little diversion, too. The always-entertaining Nick Mitchell's appearance was a show in itself! Oh, and Tatiana? Uh, yeah ... she's still just as -- how can I say this tactfully? -- bat-shit crazy as she ever was.

So, I guess that's it for this season ... it was over almost as quickly as it started. I can't wait until January!!

American Idol 2009 - The Final Round

Wow, can't you just cut the excitement with a knife? Well, I'd just need a butter spreader, since Kris is here instead of Danny, but I'm looking forward to these next two nights. Okay, so what do we have? A "favorite performance" (presumably they re-do a song they did before), then a choice by creator Simon Fuller (uhh ... okay), and then of course the prospective "coronation song". It's gonna be a busy and nerve-wracking night for Mr. Allen and Mr. Lambert, for sure. Oh, and Kris ain't no dummy ... he's exercised the option to go second. But then, what's worse: letting Adam follow you, or following Adam? We shall see....

Adam ["Mad World"] -- This was one of his best performances, so let's see if he can recapture the magic. I think he performed it a little differently than he did the first time, but it's still giving me goosebumps! I think he's doing a smart thing: performing a ballad here, and no doubt he'll be rocking out later on, to show one last reminder of his versatility. Right on, Adam!!!

Kris ["Ain't No Sunshine"] -- Ooooh ... he too picked what was probably his best performance of the season ... pullin' out the ol' boxing gloves, aren't we, Kris?! This is making me re-think my somewhat curt commentary of him in recent weeks ... a sweet guy and, of course, an excellent singer ... I still just find him a bit "white-bread" is all ... kind-of ordinary, y'know. But that's neither here nor there ... he just gave us another excellent performance. As it stands now, it's a dead heat between these two guys.

Adam ["A Change Is Gonna Come"] -- Hmmm ... blues is not Adam's strongest suit, so let's hope he can make it work. Yeah, he's trying to rock it ... might have taken it just a bit too far in the middle there with his screeching (almost thought he was gonna make like a rooster). I hesitate to call it his best performance, as the ladies just did, but it was definitely proof positive that he belongs in the final showdown!

Kris ["What's Going On"] -- A big song ... let's see if he can pull it off. Hey ... he pretty-much did! I'm still not totally in love with him ... like I often to, I came away from it feeling just a little empty, like I'm missing something. It's that thing about Kris that, most all season long, I haven't completely put my finger on.

Adam ["No Boundaries"] -- Fantastic!! A very good song, too. I can't totally disagree with Randy that it might have been slightly "pitchy" on a note or two, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less. Adam is certainly finishing at the top of his game, whether or not he wins the title tomorrow night. Way to go!

Kris ["No Boundaries"] -- Oh boy ... is he trying to throw the competition? I'm hearing clunky notes left and right through that performance. Maybe the key was a little too high for him on that song, like the judges said (they'd be the ones to know that kind of stuff). I just hope it didn't hurt him too much, but I'd have to give this round to Adam.

Who I think will be crowned American Idol: Kris ... as far as the number of fans each of these guys has, it's a neck-and-neck race, but Kris has that "everyman" relatability, whereas Adam is a little larger than life and perhaps just a bit too polished. There's something about the underdog that makes him win every once in awhile, and I have a feeling this may be his time.

Who I think should be crowned American Idol: Adam ... because sometimes larger-than-life wins. (I could be wrong, but of these two singers, Adam is probably the one most people more clearly remember the morning after they've watched the show.) Last but not least is the fact that Adam has been, arguably, the most consistently outstanding performer of the two.

Let's prepare ourselves for the pathetically padded and exhaustively long two-hour results show tomorrow night!

The Showdown Is At Hand

Okay, so Katy Perry just made her entrance ... with Adam Lambert's name emblazoned on the cape of her goofy-ass outfit. Isn't this Adam-worship going just a bit too far? I mean, I totally love the guy, but enough is enough. Earlier this week Simon was practically declaring him the winner before the Top Three performances, and last week "Entertainment Weekly" made him the cover story ... and now this? I really, really hope someone puts any future kibosh on this near-favoritism. Once the winner has been crowned, they can love any contestant they want to -- winner, runner-up, or even below-the-bottom-32 also-ran, for all I care ... but not while the competition is still going on, please.

Oh, and don't even get me started on that idiotic "Night At The Museum" embarrassingly-shameless-plug intro ... jeez laweez. Okay, now let's wind up the last commercial break and, as Danny said, "get on with it"! (Once the pool gets down to the bottom four or five, they really need to chop the results shows down to a half-hour.) "Dim the lights...."

Kris is safe?!? Are they f***ing serious?!? Well, my enthusiasm for the finale just went down by 50 percent. ... Yes, we already know that Adam is in, thank you ... hearing that Kris was in was a blow, 'cause I knew that meant Danny Gokey was out. Just listen to the guy singing for the last time, for Pete's sake. Do that many people really hear a better voice coming from Kris? I sure as hell don't, and I'm sorry, but (as you've heard me imply repeatedly and are probably sick of by now) I honestly think the teenage girls out there got hypnotized by Kris' -- let me qualify that: happily married Kris' -- cute face and nearly fried their cellphones by repeatedly texting and/or phoning in their votes as many times as that two-hour voting window and the speed of their fingers would allow. And no, I don't think it's fair, I think it's a major, MAJOR flaw in the system that unlimited repeat voting is allowed, because it can ridiculously skew the results, as I wholeheartedly believe happened here. Trust me, allowing only one vote per viewer would have produced different results; I'd swear my most prized possessions on it.

Sigh ... okay, enough bitching. I must really be tired, 'cause I'm this cranky just hours after being blown away in the best possible way by the new "Star Trek" movie. Off to bed now ... and we'll see if I feel like apologizing for any of this after a good night's sleep.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 3

I can't believe how quickly we've come down to the Top Three already! (And this is the 300th episode of "Idol"? They sure add up fast, don't they?) So, we have each of the guys singing a judge's choice of song (sure to be interesting) and a song of their own choosing. Let's get the show started, shall we?

Danny ["Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby] -- A very curious and unconventional song choice, and a song I'm unfamiliar with. But damn, did he do a fantastic job of it or what?!?! This is a fine display of why Danny is in the Top Three, and I believe firmly so. It took me awhile to really become a Danny fan, but I am now. And I tell you, if he and Adam make it into the finale, the results show next Wednesday is going to be positively agonizing to watch.

Kris ["Apologize" by OneRepublic] -- Hmmm ... I just can't picture Kris doing a good job with this song, but then I guess that's the point of the judge's choice, to put the singers on the spot and see what they've got. Well, let's see what Kris has got. ... Well, I have to tell you I was a bit underwhelmed ... I can hear Simon already, calling it a "karaoke" or "copycat" performance. Kris has demonstrated that he can take a song and make it his own, and he just didn't do that this time. Now let's see if I was right about Simon's comments ... aside from putting Kara on the spot quite bluntly, he said a softer version of what I was saying: "a competent version of the original, but not quite as good."

Adam ["One" by U2] -- An interesting choice for sure, but then just about anything would present interesting possibilities for "the chameleon". Let's check it out ... Excellent as usual, except for the tongue-out screeching near the end (which was the first time that Adam's singing actually made me cringe ... the tongue thing more than the notes). Fantastic, and I agree with the judges: he's in the final round for sure.

Halftime assessment: Okay, the judges have gotten quite a bit out of control with their bickering and slap-fights and whatnot ... I hope they get some complaints about that and tone it down for the finale. As for the contestants: I hate to disappiont the "Kris-tians" or "Kris-py-kritters" or whatever the Kris fans call themselves, but as things have gone so far tonight, he's being let go after tomorrow night. If he isn't, then I'm gonna have a real problem. Of course I already have a problem with the whole voting system in the first place, which allows people to vote as many times as they want, so don't get me started on that. (If Kris makes it through to next week, trust me, you'll see how started I can get!!) Now, on to the second round.

Danny ["You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker] -- Wow, a big song, and arguably overused, so let's see how it works for him. ... He did an excellent job! My only complaint was that he might have gotten a bit bombastic at the crescendo, but it looks like neither the fans nor the judges were bothered by that. I can definitely see these two performances of his carrying him through to the finale. (Aha ... I spoke too soon, as Simon wasn't happy with the arrangement either.)

Kris ["Heartless" by Kanye West] -- Well, Kris definitely gets one award, for the most unanticipated song choices for the night. And I'm not sure how I liked it, frankly. He did well with the singing and the guitar playing, but I don't think the song translated well to an acoustic-guitar arrangement. A good performance, but when it comes down to it, Kris is the one I'm least enthusiastic about judging from tonight's performances. (Simon liked it ... color me surprised.)

Adam ["Cryin'" by Aerosmith] -- Oh yeah, Aerosmith is the stuff ... let's see Adam rock it! They almost needn't have bothered showing it, 'cause I knew he was going to hit it out of the park! That settles it ... Adam's got this week in the bag for sure!!

Who I think will be eliminated: Kris (but then you knew that already).

Who I think should be eliminated: Kris (but then you knew that already, too).

I know I've basically conveyed this already, but if it's not Adam and Danny in the finale, I'm gonna have a serious problem here. Adam is way, way, way too good to be outvoted, and with Danny's late wife being his motivation for entering the competition, it would be downright criminal for him to make it this far only to be ousted. Not to mention my opinion that they're both more talented than Kris to begin with.

It's true that I'm not on the Kris bandwagon, but one thing that we all know Ryan's right about is that tomorrow night's results show will be unbelievable and unpredictable. After all, it doesn't matter who the best singer is, because the judges aren't the ones casting the votes. It matters who the audience casts the most votes for. That means that, put simply, anything can happen. I guess we'll find out tomorrow night what does, won't we?

Well, Duh.

I could have told y'all this without going to the trouble of doing a study on it. Better yet, you could have paid me for the study and I wouldn't have had to do any of the silly work!!

Tinted Windows

TINTED WINDOWS
"TINTED WINDOWS"
(S-Curve, 2009)


What do you get when you bring together Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, guitarist James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne co-founder/bassist Adam Schlesinger, and former tween-pop heartthrob Taylor Hanson? You get every bit as great an album as you can imagine coming from such a talented lineup. Meet the power-pop supergroup calling themselves Tinted Windows. Although the guys' ages span three generations (the youngest 26, the eldest 57, and the other two smack dab in between), and their individual backgrounds are spread over a broad array of musical styles and influences, they sound surprisingly solid and cohesive, especially considering this is their first recording together. To give you an idea of how well they meld: two of the tracks that sound the most like early-to-mid-era Hanson, "Kind of a Girl" and the delightfully catchy "Cha Cha", weren't written by Taylor, and the track that is perhaps more than any other on the disc reminiscent of Fountains of Wayne, "Nothing To Me", is actually one of the three on the disc that wasn't written or even co-written by Adam Schlesinger.

Since he serves as the lead vocalist throughout, fans of Taylor Hanson's always-appealing voice will probably enjoy this album, even though he doesn't hit that bluesy-soulful sweet spot that he regularly has on Hanson's last few albums. But then, that's partly the point of this album. If you're looking for any of the profound messages of a Hanson lyric, or the clever wordplay or witty pop-culture shout-outs characteristic of Fountains of Wayne, you won't find that here. What you will find is a set of blissfully addictive, straightforward pop tunes with just the right amount of rock punch, perfect for listening to on a summer afternoon on the highway with the convertible top down. Anyone who's a fan of those plain-and-simple power-pop groups of the past, like the Raspberries, the Knack, the Romantics, or perhaps even the Beatles, will find plenty to love on this album. My only complaint is that it runs only 35 minutes ... but I guess if it were too much longer, it wouldn't leave us craving more.

Cant Get A Read On You - Tinted Windows

Back Into The Swing

Well, you're about to see a bit of a change in this blog ... not to worry, it's a good thing, especially for those of you who have missed my written album reviews. You see, not only have I gotten the itch recently to start writing reviews again, but I also realized that a once-a-month podcast alone is starting to not quite cut it. For one thing, I've gotten a lot of CDs lately that I've wanted to share with everyone, plus I've gotten so many nifty ideas for my podcast lately that it would take forever to get around to those recent acquisitions.

Not only that, but at the same time I realized that, while I am getting a lot of CDs, by the time the end of the year rolls around my Top Ten Countdown podcast will probably be made up mostly (if not entirely) of stuff I've shared in previous podcasts. Not to mention, something in the back of my mind has started making me feel like I've been "cheating" with regard to podcasting, since I don't seem to convey as much of an opinion about each album I feature as I do in a written review ... I just seem to say one or two sentences and then give you the song. (I may be exaggerating, or I may not.)

So, I've decided that I'm going to try to re-establish an at least semi-regular schedule of written reviews ... probably one every other week as of now, so I don't exhaust my "stockpile" of candidates too quickly or feel too overwhelmed by a heavy schedule. After all (shameless plug time), I have re-launched another blog and want to have time to keep that one running steadily as well. I've given it a lot of thought, and I think this will be a schedule that I can handle without feeling overextended ... not that I necessarily need to maintain a rigid schedule. (But be advised, the next podcast might be delayed a week or so.) So, get ready to read more crap from me!

Don't Cry, Baby

On the one hand, I'm satisfied that my prediction from last week has held true, but on the other hand I kind-of wish it had played out like I thought last night. Oh well, what's done is done, and Allison Iraheta is on her way. And, as I pretty-much knew was going to happen for several weeks, it's now official that this will be the first time in "American Idol" history that a male contestant will be crowned Idol in two consecutive years. I just don't think it should be Kris. Hate me if you will, Kris lovers, but he's not a whole lot more than a pretty face. Adam and Danny deserve to be in the Top Two. We'll find out if I'm right next week, naturally.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 4

It's time for the Top Four to rock and roll! At least we have Slash for a mentor tonight, and not someone oddly inappropriate like Jamie Foxx. Oh, what's this? The contestants are going to perform duets? I'm not sure how I'll like this ... or how Kris will do, 'cause he's probably the least rock-and-roll of the bunch. Let's see how things go....

Adam ["Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin] -- Hmmm ... did I say last week that I was looking at Danny to win? I'm not so sure about that now ... Adam did balls-out rock as much as he could without actually putting ... well, his balls out. Hee-hee ... Kara is cracking me up right now, but she is totally expressing what I'm thinking, or at least the way I'm feeing about his performance ... killer!!!

Allison ["Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin] -- Come on, we all knew she was going to do Janis as soon as we found out that the theme was classic rock. She was great, but I don't know if I'd call that my favorite performance of hers. And Simon was kind-of right ... when she sings Janis, she can't help but sound kind-of unoriginal, which she did. Will that help her or hurt her? We shall see.

Kris & Danny ["Renegade" by Styx] -- Well ... this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Their voices together were great, especially in the harmonies, but individually Danny was rock-solid whereas Kris was a bit pitchy. Is there a point to these duet performances? I guess if the viewers are compelled to cast their votes based on both the solo and duet numbers, then apparently so. Whatever....

Kris ["Come Together" by The Beatles] -- I'd have to agree totally with Randy's comments. Kris is just not a rock dude, so that kept me from loving the performance. That's not to say I didn't like it, but I didn't love it, and I wouldn't be voting for him if I were voting. Sorry, Kris.

Danny ["Dream On" by Aerosmith] -- I'm with the judges ... this wasn't Danny's best performance, but really only because this isn't quite his bag. He took a real risk taking on a song with such a notoriously hard-to-hit high note, and like Kara said, he gets points for taking a chance. Oh, Ryan just said that Danny's never been in the bottom three. Will he maintain that distinction? We'll know tomorrow.

Allison & Adam ["Slow Ride" by Foghat] -- Excellent! It was better than the Danny & Kris duet, for sure. I don't know about you, but I could feel that they enjoyed singing together ... didn't even need that cute hug they shared at the end to know that. Fun!

Who I think will be eliminated: Kris. I would have said Allison, but I think Simon was right that their duet may save her from elimination.

Who I think should be eliminated: Kris.

Well, I guess 24 hours from now we'll be down to our Top Three.