45 Revolution

Spotlight On: Sabi

By Ira Madison

In the midst of the media frenzy over Britney Spears’ seventh studio album Femme Fatale, there’s been one woman’s name oft repeated — Sabi. But her name is pretty all Britney fans know about her. Whether you love or hate the verse she lends to the Benny Blanco & Billboard produced track “(Drop Dead) Beautiful,” you should educate yourself on Sabi before you write her off as a flash in the pan. Because if she’s riding the Britney wave, you’ll definitely hear more about her soon.

To crack the mystery surround Sabi, also known as Janice Portlock, look no further than the streets of Los Angeles where she’s gained notoriety through a rap duo by the name of The Bangz. They are part of the jerkin’ movement — a dance style based on bounce and improvised choreography. In 2009, The Bangz had made a name for themselves in the male-dominated world of jerkin’. Comprised of Sabi and longtime friend Korttney “Ella Ann” Elliot, they dropped a single — “Boys With Tattoos (We Jerkin’)” — and caught attention of MTV and Warner Bros./Asylum records. The girls were hard at work on a debut album, preparing to release an EP by the name of Girl Riot and were meteorically rising in the world of popular culture as chronicled by a profile in the LA Times.

But the friends’ plans came to a tragic halt on September 14, 2009 when Ella Ann was struck in the neck by a stray bullet. As Sabi told MTV in 2010, “I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. Ella parties a lot, so I was thinking, ‘Maybe she was out and about.’ She caught a stray bullet. I didn’t think it was gonna be as serious as it was.” But it was — Sabi soon learned that her friend was practically brain-dead and there wasn’t much hope.

Ella Ann surprised everyone, however, when minor brain activity was discovered soon after. Though she was close to unconscious for a month, Ella Ann survived several surgeries and managed to recover from her injuries. But the accident had left her unable to speak or walk.

While her bandmate recovered, Sabi continued to promote The Bangz as best she could. She teamed up with New Boyz for a single called “Found My Swag” and dropped “First Girl On the Moon” as a tribute to her struggling friend. Several songs that may have been on the mixtape are available on The Bangz’ YouTube channel, including “We Winnin’” (produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League) and a live performance from Sabi at a KISS FM Lady Gaga afterparty.

It seems that perseverance has paid off for Sabi, at least for now. Plucked out of mainstream obscurity by Britney’s creative team, she is featured on the pop diva’s album due out tomorrow. Whether the track will become a single and give Sabi more exposure remains to be seen, but you can guarantee this won’t be the last you hear of her. And you can mock her playful lyrics (Got me kinda hot but I ain’t sweating you / Steaming like a pot full of vegetables), but like she said, she ain’t sweating you, she’s on her grind.

The Strokes - Angles

By Ira Madison

The Strokes

Angles

RCA

Grade: A

I could spend this entire review dissecting The Strokes’ career trajectory and over-analyze the band’s importance to indie rock with the release of Is This It, but I won’t because I was never overly interested in The Strokes’ debut album. “Last Nite” was a great song, but I never bothered to listen to the album until after Room on Fire and at that point, nothing could compare to what remains one of my all-time favorite albums. For me, that album represents everything The Strokes is. If Room on Fire differs from an album that many consider its best, then that suggests The Strokes can be whatever they want to be. In television, no one wants a subsequent season of a show to be the exact same thing as what came before. In music, bands are often led to the slaughterhouse if their albums are anything but. Each band’s album should have a different sound, different flavor, reflecting all of the artistic impulses and egos and excitement swirling around at the time of creation. It just so happens that the creation of this album was incredibly fucked up. Julian Casablancas, convinced he was the sole creative driving force of the band’s previous albums, removed himself from the process completely to force his band mates to take ownership of Angles. It may have been an awful process, as guitarist Nick Valensi has suggested in interviews, but I think this particular album was the better for the experiment. After a near five-year hiatus, the band needed to shake up its image and make a statement. Love it or hate it, Angles’ warring points of view makes up an exciting, interesting mix.

This weird, experimental album is a one-off. A once in a band’s lifetime album that will probably be talked about a lot more 20 years from now than the rest of The Strokes’ catalogue because it’s so polarizing. The next album (if there is one) will probably not sound anything like this and I think that’s kinda awesome.

You immediately know something’s up when a synthesizer pulls you into the album and lays down a Michael Jackson-esque track for Casblancas to sing over. “Machu Picchu” is unlike anything The Strokes have ever recorded and if you’re adverse to this, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the album, but if you dig it, then you’re along for the rest of the ride. The track is followed by “Under Cover of Darkness,” the album’s lead single and it almost sounds like an extension of “Last Nite.” It’s a familiar sound, to remind you of the band you knew before and to give listeners some reassurance as they’re guided along this odd little Lewis Carroll-esque adventure.

After that, the album completely takes off. “Two Kinds of Happiness” has a laidback vibe, with echoing vocals that are reminiscent of a deep cut from a Duran Duran album (mid-career, before Astronaut and the abysmal Red Carpet Massacre). Being a fan of New Wave, I have no problem with this at all. And it’s even more exciting when the Duran Duran influence continues on the bombastic, firing on all cylinders straight out the gate “You’re So Right.” It’s after that the tracks start to blend in an even more twisted, retro vibe by aping the kind of dream pop that The Velvet Underground is known for. At its best, Angles is reminiscent of tracks like “Femme Fatale” and “Who Loves the Sun,” which is where we end up on “Call Me Back,” my personal favorite.

“Gratisfaction” and “Metabolism” are classic Strokes, pumped up with energy that you think Angles is gonna ride to the album’s conclusion. But just when you least expect it, “Life is Simple in the Moonlight” arrives. It’s a beautiful song, heartbreaking at times. Casablancas sings along with the solemn track, but seems to get lost within the music at times — and it’s at this moment you realize how great an idea he thought his methods for recording Angles were and how at odds that was with the rest of the band. That realization lasts for a brief, sad moment, and then the album ends. And even if this isn’t the absolute last record The Strokes release, it will remain haunting forever.

Panic! at the Disco - Vices & Virtues

By Ira Madison

Panic! at the Disco

Vices & Virtues

Decaydence/Feuled by Ramen

Grade: B-

Is it embarrassing to like Panic! at the Disco? Popular critical opinion would lead one to believe that yes, it is embarrassing. Much like listening to Fall Out Boy is supposed to be. But FOB is a band I enjoy and Infinity on High is a fantastic album, so if Panic is cut from the same cloth, they ought to be great too, yes? Well, yes and no. On Panic’s debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, they were destined to be a weird and quirky friend. Fun, danceable beats paired with off the wall lyrics were their shtick. It was practically impossible not to hear someone jokingly quote, “I chimed in with a haven’t you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!” But then something weird happened. Panic started thinking they were The Beatles, dropped the exclamation point from their name and released a completely ridiculous, self-indulgent sophomore album. Weird thing was, Pretty. Odd was also oddly addictive. It’s still an album I listen to often.

Technically, Vices & Virtues is a better album from a production standpoint. Panic realized they’re not The Beatles, but maybe they could be the Beach Boys. This isn’t a knock at the latter band — particularly since I’m of the camp that Pet Sounds is superior to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the album that influenced it, Rubber Soul — but more of an observation of which is regarded as the more influential band. Panic will never be taken as seriously as The Beatles, but maybe they can reach some of the admiration of The Beach Boys. This is a huge maybe, however, since this album falls short in the one category that it needs for a band to receive any sort of critical acclaim. Its lyrics are kinda awful.

“The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” the lead single, is pretty much a mes. It’s an attempt to evoke the playfulness of the band’s debut, but it mostly just sounds pretentious. If even Britney Spears is singing songs about Mona Lisa, then you’re gonna have to stop waving your MoMA card around like anyone gives a damn. Pretty. Odd had a collection of haunting tunes paired with some really clever lyrics, but those seem to have departed the band along with former songwriter Ryan Ross. As a duo, Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith are able to deliver the fun that most people remember about Panic, but there’s nothing there to dissect beyond the sound.

Even the best songs on the album — “Sarah Smiles” (sadly not a Hall & Oates cover) and “Memories” — sound kinda stupid when you really listen to them. “Sarah smiles like Sarah doesn’t care / She lives in her world so unaware” aren’t really the lyrics of a band that begs to be taken über-seriously. Maybe that’s why they added the exclamation back to their name.

Sky Ferreira - As If!

By Ira Madison

Sky Ferreira

As If!

Capitol

Grade: C

Apparently Sky Ferreira’s first single “One” (crafted by Britney super producers Bloodshy & Avant) was created in 30 minutes. I’m surprised it took so long. The producers Ferreira worked with on her new EP As If! are the biggest producers in the pop game right now. It’s clear that whoever is managing her wants to create a worldwide sensation. From this EP, it is clear that is not going to happen. At least, not if this array of songs are any indication.

 
Originally set to release her debut album in January, it was pushed back to make way for As If! Which is probably due to the fact that her debut single and follow-up “Obsession” didn’t do that well on the charts. It’s not a surprise that I recognize “Obsession” from various CW commercials, because that’s what this music is designed for. It’s over-produced pop intended to strike like lightning in a bottle on first listen, instead of growing a fanbase like current icons Britney, Robyn or Rihanna had to do. There’s nothing that differentiates Ferreira from groups like The Pussycat Dolls, Girlicious or Danity Kane except that you don’t have the added drama of one diva trying to make everyone else into her back-up singers.

Ferreira seems destined to guest star on a couple teen shows, maybe a reality show, grace a couple of magazines and then fade out of existence. This EP lacks any sort of tangible identity. Even Rihanna’s lackluster debut Music of the Sun established the Barbadian singer as a new kind of voice. There’s nothing I haven’t heard on As If!, which is the most troubling aspect of the album. I’m willing to forgive dumb pop music if it’s fun, but this EP is full of weird trance-like almost-ballads that are anything but.

Opening track (and probably the only one we’ll get) “Sex Rules” is a pretty good song, however. It’s half upbeat, half an R&B slow jam in that fun Janet Jackson way. Not content to steal from Jackson once, though, we also “99 Tears” which unfortunately isn’t a sequel to “99 Luftballoons” and instead is a “Rhythm Nation” rip-off.  The most interesting song on the album is “Traces” (it showcases Ferreira’s voice, which isn’t actually half bad), even though it sounds like a Danity Kane b-side. “Haters Anonymous” is also slightly enjoyable, if only because it’s a clone of a Robyn song.

It’s a shame that this EP doesn’t have a personality of its own, but that seems par for the course with Ferreira who seems nice but completely uncomfortable with this “pop stardom” she’s been thrust it too. By the time she’s comfortable with it though, surely we’ll have forgotten who she is.

American Idol - One Voted Off

By Ira Madison

What a horrific assault on my eardrums tonight was. First off, we get a surprisingly expected “Born This Way” rendition that’s mashed up with “Born to Be Wild.” I don’t think the song was lip synched tonight, I’m guessing, since half the Idols were out of breath trying to do “choreography.” Or maybe Jacob’s mic cutting in meant the recording wasn’t working, rather than his mic just wasn’t on. Who knows? It was awful.

The Black Eyed Peas were announced as performers from the outset because people still flock to them like gawkers at the taping of a murder scene on a Law & Order set. Ryan waited until after the commercial break to announce Lee DeWyze was performing, because let’s be honest, he’s not getting anyone to tune in. He sang a sad little song that sounded like a sped up version of Elton John’s “Your Song,” but maybe it was just a similar chorus. He also announced his sad little tour with Taylor Swift, except he didn’t mention her name as if people would buy tickets just to see him? I was confused.

The Black Eyed Peas performed their new “hit” “single” “Just Can’t Get Enough” and I think I like this song and need to finish writing so I can go and blow my brains out.

I predicted the bottom three correctly, but assumed America was more irritated with Naima’s antics than they were with Karen’s blandness. What I neglected to consider was the fact that Karen is so bland, no one remembered to vote for her. Oh well.

American Idol - Top 12

By Ira Madison

Once again, Idol turns out another legitimate music competition season. It’s not like I’m watching a teen pop show anymore, it’s like I’m watching legitimately talented people compete against one another. Nevermind the fact that no one this season was born before 1984… the music was surprisingly eclectic for a “Year You Were Born” theme. That probably had something to do with a lot of the songs not even being from the damn year these kids were born in. And of course, we’re still in the phase of the competition where some people are crumbling under the pressure too, so on with it:
 
NAIMA ADEDAPO
Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1984)
Whenever Naima’s assigned producer says they wanna make her “current,” like with last week’s “Umbrella” disaster, I think what they really mean is “embarrassing.” Because this up-tempo, pop-ified version of Tina’s hit was a hot damn mess. She was bouncing all over the stage like a drunk hopeful at a Girlicious reunion and I honestly have no idea what kind of career she wants to have. But I’d like her to stop experimenting on my television screen.
Grade: C+

PAUL MCDONALD
Elton John, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” (1983)
How odd that this song came out in 1983, because Paul was born in 1984. This won’t be the first of Idol’s shennanigans as far as year discrepancies are concerned. The argument that it was released in the UK first doesn’t even fly either, since it hit the US charts six months later. At any rate, this song was the usual Paul fare. He’s always good, if you’re a fan of his voice. I’m a huge fan of his, but for some reason, maybe it was him being sick, I wasn’t really into his rendition of an Elton John tonight. The falsetto came across folksy and light, which contrasts with how Elton delivers his songs in a mostly earnest way.
Grade: B

THIA MEGIA
Vanessa Williams, “Colors of the Wind”  (1995)
It was at this point that I really got over Thia. First off, I hate it when high schoolers get on Idol and have an obsession with singing ballads. We get it. You have a good voice. Now do something else with it besides pander for votes from pageant enthusiasts. But aside from singing a ballad, this heffa picked a song from Pocahontas. I know Vanessa Williams got a Grammy nom out of it, BUT REALLY. She also had the gall to claim that she felt it was appropriate, with what’s going on in the world right now. Because people in Japan are fucking talking to animals and trees.
Grade: C+

JAMES DURBIN
Bon Jovi, “I’ll Be There For You” (1989)
James managed to stay in his comfort box of trying to single white female Adam Lambert by tackling hair metal this week. It was good, as it usually is with James. He has a great control of his voice and he really does sell rocker. But in the context of the show, he hasn’t stepped out of Lambert’s shadow yet and really made a song his own yet. This sounded somewhat like a really good karaoke song and less like he was murdering the stage.
Grade: B+

HALEY REINHART
Whitney Houston, “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (1990)
Maybe I was smoking crack last week when I thought Haley’s rendition of “Blue” was awesome. But my high definitely wore off by the time I heard her slaughter a Whitney song like Lizzie Bordern hacking away at her parents. She was warbling like a pre-sacrificial goat and was hardly on pitch and just made me pity the hell out of her, the judges and the audience.
Grade: D

STEFANO LANGONE
Simply Red, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”
This is a cover of a 1972 song, but it was made popular by Simply Red so I’ll allow it. Stefano is a really, really good singer. At first, I was irritated with him for relying on typical pretty boy belting as so many early ousters on this show do. But I could actually see him singing some great R&B tunes like Bruno Mars or something. It’s a shame he’ll probably end up like Day26 reject Donnie Klang. He was really good though. I’m only knocking off points for acting like he was above singing “Hanging Tough” or “Funky Cold Medina” in his interview.
Grade: A-

PIA TOSCANO
Whitney Houston, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” (1988)
Serviceable performance, but I’m still not a Pia convert. I was also distracted by her irritating interview about how she could only be calmed down as a kid by having herself videotaped singing. Yeah, it’s about as retarded as it sounds. She was also dressed like Jennifer Lopez auditioning for a remake of Dynasty in this all white pantsuit and I was terribly, terribly horrified just watching her in general. Oh, and the singing. Like I said, I guess it was good. But maybe I just need to start closing my eyes when she performs.
Grade: B

SCOTTY MCCREERY
Travis Tritt, “Can I Trust You With My Heart” (1992)
Scotty was born in 1993, a full year after this “song from the year he was born” came out. I started with that because I am really having a hard time judging Scotty songs. I like country songs, but he sings them in the most irritating deadpan voice that I guess is perfectly on pitch but it’s such a low, gravelly mind-numbing pitch that I can’t be bothered with it.
Grade: B-

KAREN RODRIGUEZ
Taylor Dane, “Love Will Lead You Back” (1990)
1) Stop it with the lies, Idol! Karen was born in 1989, this song came out in January 1990! 2) Karen is so unmemorable I thought her name was Carmen. The most interesting thing about her is that her sister likes Nick Jonas. Or maybe it was Joe. I don’t care. I don’t even remember how she sang this song. I just remember writing down bland.
Grade: C+

CASEY ABRAMS
Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
I didn’t ever expect to hear a Nirvana song on Idol, but I’m glad I did. Because God, was it fantastic. Is there any way Casey isn’t winning this show? He’s phenomenal. He knows it, the judges know it and the audience knows it. It was just an all-around fantastic performance from someone who knows exactly who they are as an artist. He can do funk, he can do rock, and when it’s all blended together it is a beautiful, beautiful thing. I also really liked Casey’s gruff and earnest performance, which is a nice contrast to Cobain’s laid back rendition.
Grade: A

LAUREN ALAINA
Melissa Etheridge, “I’m the Only One” (1993)
This song was technically still on the charts in 1994, when Lauren was born, but I won’t quibble because she was really quite good. Lauren tapped into the heartbreak of the song, which seems like a better arena for her than trying to be sexy like she did last week. Maybe she really is a Kelly Clarkson.
Grade: A-

JACOB LUSK
Heart, “Alone” (1987)
Was it as good as this? No, it was not.
Grade: B-

By the way, I forgot to weigh in last week with the abysmal Michael Jackson medley on elimination night and my correctly predicted ouster of Ashston. I’ll make sure to do that tomorrow.

Bottom Predictions: Naima, Karen, Haley

Loser Predictions: Naima “Back to Cleaning Up at Summerfest” Adedapo

Tennis - Cape Dory

By Ira Madison

Tennis

Cape Dory

Fat Possum

Grade: A-

There’s been a shift in recent pop music to do a “throwback” album. To be fair, it’s mostly indie pop bands who are responsible for this. If mainstream pop ever does throwbacks, it rarely goes farther than an 80s-inspired dance track. But only the late 80s, disco is definitely not okay. Tennis, on the other hand, has gone way back with the retro. This album is firmly planted in late 50s dream pop and sounds like something you’d heard on the radio while meeting friends in a whites only malt shop.
 
Not much is known about the husband-wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore. Their band name is supposed to poke fun at the fact that they look WASPy, but it’s largely just kinda silly. And the album was recorded after a year-long boat trip along the Eastern Seaboard, which is about as white privilege as it gets. Fortunately for us, the silliness stops once you start listening to Cape Dory which is a fine, fine album.

This is an album you fall in love with, which makes sense, seeing as Riley and Moore weren’t married at the time of the recording. The couple was drawn closer to marriage with a sweet mixture of bubbly music and the trials of sailing together for a year. If you’ve ever been in love, are in love, or want to be in love, this is a perfect album. It should be required Valentine’s Day listening, it’s that beautiful to listen to.

Starting with “Take Me Somewhere,” the tone is immediately set. It’s a tentative courtship between the lovers and an invitation for listeners to join them for the ride. The added benefit of this album is that all the songs, while similar in theme and production, don’t sound exactly the same as most throwback albums do. The songs are immediately distinguishable, particularly standout tracks “Long Boat Pass,” “Marathon” and “Pigeon.” The latter of which spins the album into a Mark Ronson-esque, slinkier sound that Amy Winehouse might be able to sing if she could pick herself up off the floor. It manages to be hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time, heartbreaking at the thought that Cape Dory eventually has to come to an end, that you might lose the love of your life to the sea.

Anything could happen to Riley and Moore in their marriage, but they’ll always have Cape Dory. And that’s a hell of a lot better than having Paris, I’ll tell you that.

Miranda Cosgrove - High Maintenance

By Ira Madison

Miranda Cosgrove

High Maintenance

Columbia

Grade: C

No one here is expecting Miranda Cosgrove to turn out a brilliant pop album. She’s not Robyn or Britney Spears. But she’s no Kim Zolciak or Rebecca Black either. She’s the star of the immensely successful Nickelodeon show iCarly and she’s not an awful singer. The main problem is I’m never quite sure what kind of singer she is. Most of these teen starlets have an identity — Miley Cyrus sluts it up, Selena Gomez does all this ethereal pop shit — but Miranda seems to be selling wholesome while singing songs that aren’t necessarily unwholesome, but they’re produced by people who make adult music and she seems to be singing about adult things but mostly comes off out of her element.
 
Since this is an EP (I have no idea why, other than the fact that these teen stars pump out music like a Teen Mom does breast milk and shame), I will put an effort into dissecting all five of Cosgrove’s new songs.

“Dancing Crazy”: A song by Avril Lavigne should honestly be the worst and most embarrassing track on the album. But it’s surprisingly not. If it were an Avril song, it’d actually be one of the better ones of her abysmal album. As it is, it’s practically a rip off of “What the Hell” with even more retarded lyrics. Shellback and Max Martin also did some writing, and since they’re responsible for the hotter tracks on Femme Fatale, I tend to hope that Lavigne did the crux of the writing. C+

“High Maintenance” (featuring Rivers Cuomo): What a shitty, shitty song. I actually like recent-era Weezer (well, not Hurley) and I am often a Rivers Cuomo apologist more often than I care to be. But this song is a hot mess. I don’t even know what it’s about. Because taken literally, Cuomo is leaving the keys to his pad to a girl that he’s dating and she is trashing the place or some shit like that, but if it’s Cosgrove she is FUCKING UNDERAGE. And she’s not Asian either, so I don’t get his attraction. Maybe she’s his daughter in the song, though? And he’s trying to become the Billy Ray Cyrus to Cosgrove’s Miley Cyrus in order to fade into irrelevance even quicker than it’s already occurring. F

“Face of Love”: This track was written largely by Lucas Secon, who has churned out a lot of stupid pop shit. He even penned the Kyle Minogue track “Get Outta My Way,” which let’s face it, all her lyrics are stupid but she manages to sell them with such panache that they all sound killer, because she’s a true pop diva. Cosgrove is far from it, so it’s a good thing this is a really good song. It’s actually the best song on the album and I sort of wish it had been a Britney album. Or actually, this could be a hit even sung by Christina Aguilera. That’s how good a pop song this is. Cosgrove’s voice sounds great on it. But I doubt it will be a single and even if it is, it won’t get the exposure it deserves. It also helps that the song was co-written by the writers of “Listen” from Dreamgirls (one of the writers, Anne Preven, also wrote Madonna’s “Sanctuary”). A-

“Kiss You Up”: Why the fuck is she covering a Shontelle song? Now she wants to be R&B? I have no idea what is going on with this album. Every single choice is wildly different from the last one and it’s making my head spin. C- (Shontelle version: B)

“Sayonara”: I really, really like this song. It’s weird and trippy and classic Dr. Luke production, but it was also written by Greg Kurstin of The Bird and the Bee, which explains why the song sounds like something off Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future. At this point, I’ve given up trying to figure out what kind of artist Cosgrove wants to be, but this song is fun enough that I don’t really care. B+

Dr. Luke is doing a bit too much these days. His work on Britney’s album is killer, but maybe he needs to take a bit of a break. Or stick to Katy Perry in his off time. At least I know what I’m getting from a Katy Perry album and the music has more than a snowball’s chance in hell of being played in a club on the weekend.