TGIF Hodge Podge – RIP Michael Jackson + Brent Randall and his Pinecones + TV on the Radio

In light of yesterday’s events, It is impossible to start off the day with anything other than a tribute to the King of Pop.  Michael Jackson may have never been considered an indie artist by any stretch of the imagination, but his brilliance and stature in the musical universe makes him one of the few greats who is able to transcend any type of label.  Fans of every genre from country to metal to classical can appreciate his career and should feel no shame in admitting it.  In fact, I would be willing to go so far as to say that his influence on music as a whole is so far reaching that you would be hard pressed to find a single man, woman, or child over the age of ten that doesn’t know at least 5 Michael Jackson songs.

When attempting to pay homage to such a legendary figure, attempting to do anything grandiose would be an exercise in futility.  I have found that the best thing that one can do is enjoy the memories and share them with others.  As such, I have compiled my personal top five all-time favorite Michael Jackson songs.  As a disclaimer, I am only including his solo work and am basing my list exclusively on my own most memorable tracks, i.e. the ones that I play or sing in the shower most often.  As such, nothing with the Jackson 5 will be included and I am not saying that this is a definitive list of his “best” work.  I invite all of you to share your personal lists with us in the comments as well.

1. “Dirty Diana” – I loved this song as a rocker child because of the electric guitar and sheer power of the riffs.  Something about it was just so raw and edgy in contrast with his typical pop/dance hits.  Of all the awesome tracks from Bad, this was by far the baddest.
2. “Smooth Criminal” – I must admit that the video had a lot to do with this selection, but in my mind this was his most infectiously catchy hit.  And MJ may have been the only guy who was so cool that you could actually see him pulling off that quarter in the jukebox toss for real.
3. “Off the Wall” – This was an incredibly underrated MJ track in my mind due to the fact that it is often overlooked on lists like this.  This is possibly the all time greatest weekend kickoff song, with the King insisting that you “leave your 9 to 5 up on the shelf and just enjoy yourself.”
4. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – One of the first instances I remember of an artist making a statement to the haters through a song.  Long before “rap beefs” were the norm, MJ was putting peeps in their place lyrically and he didn’t need to get personal or violent to do it.
5. “Thriller” – This is probably number one on a lot of lists, but for me it sits at five.  A great song no doubt, but t never did it for me the way the others ahead of it did.  Maybe I was just a smidge too young to be caught up in the phenomenon though.

Honorable mention goes to “Bad” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” both of which just barely missed the cut.

We always like to keep things on the straight and narrow around here, so we aren’t going to post any MJ tracks without permission (which we likely would never explicitly be granted), but I was able to dig up a pretty cool remix of “Dirty Diana” for y’all.  Enjoy and RIP Michael.  You will be missed.

“Dirty Diana” (Dexplicit Remix) – Michael Jackson

Buy Michael Jackson @ Insound!

Transitioning from a legendary artist to new music is never easy, especially under these circumstances, but when the new music in question was written for Paul McCartney the job becomes slightly easier.  Actually, it isn’t really “new” by the typical standards of this column, but it is new to me probably to most of you as well.  Brent Randall and his Pinecones actually released their sophomore record, We Were Strangers In Paddington Green, way back on January 20th of this year after two full years of work in the studio.  To say that these guys were heavily influenced by Sir Paul may be the understatement of the century.  After growing up listening to The Beatles, Wings, and solo McCartney, Brent cites Paul’s work as the catalyst that got him writing and performing his own music.  For most bands, giving credit in the liner notes and playing a few covers on stage would be an appropriate tribute to their hero, but Brent and several of his band mates have gone so far as to become vegetarians and vegans in honor of their icon.

You may be wondering why the McCartney connection is the focus of my commentary, or why I am writing about an album that dropped over five months ago.  Well, the answer is simple.  It has been reported that Paul is going to be hand selecting a local artist to open for him at an upcoming show in Halifax on July 11th, which happens to be the hometown of Brent and his Pinecones.  Brent and co are campaigning hard for the gig, and have even started a group and petition on Facebook to help support the cause. It seems like an obvious choice to me, let’s just hope that Paul realizes as well.  I’ll let you know how that all shakes out, but for now enjoy a track from their January release, the lush and grandiose “Strange Love (Don’t Be Lazy),” which was actually written for Paul himself.

“Strange Love (Don’t Be Lazy)” – Brent Randall and his Pinecones

In case you haven’t hear, the official after show schedule for Lollapalooza was announced earlier this week.  Much to my surprise (and delight), TV on the Radio are going to be headlining Friday night’s festivities at Double Door.  This was great news for me because when the Lolla schedule came out my biggest dilemma was deciding between Animal Collective and TVOTR, who play at the same time.  The announcement of the after show made that decision easy and provides me with the opportunity to see one of my favorite bands at a very small, historic venue that happens to be right in my neighborhood.  It also got me listening to a lot more TVOTR than I normally would lately, which is a good thing.  The three of us have varying opinions of their relevance, but I am the one screaming from the rafter that they are the best thing since sliced bread.  From the raw doo wop influence of their debut LP, to the full on reverb of Cookie Mountain, to the more polished sound of Dear Science, the boys from Brooklyn can do no wrong in my eyes.  To celebrate the after show announcement and get you all psyched to snag tickets in the AM, here’s a classic cut from their debut, and a song that is still one of my current favorites, “Staring at the Sun.”  If you know it, rock out.  If you don’t, why are you reading this blog?

“Staring at the Sun” – TV on the Radio

Buy TVOTR @ Insound!