Video Of The Week: Alabama Shakes

So many choices this week (Nick Cave, Mindy McCready), but the one act that I just had to feature was Alabama Shakes. Up until a week ago, I had no idea they even existed, but thanks to lead singer-guitarist Brittany Howard and bassist Zac Cockrell playing in the Levon Helm tribute (singing ''The Weight'') at the Grammys two Sundays ago - Howard out-piped Mavis Staples, a very rare feat indeed - they are now a household name.

And this past Saturday, they rocked the hell out of Saturday Night Live performing two songs, including this one, which is a simple, repetitive groove, simple lyrics, but a gut-wrenching performance to bring it all home.

The Internets Respond To Chris Brown Getting A Grammy

Last year, people were upset that Arcade Fire beat Eminem and other big names (such as Justin Bieber!) for the Best Album award.

This year, the interwebs are aflame because Chris Brown won. ''How can an institution like the Grammys award a woman-beater?'', ''What message are we sending kids?'', etc.

First off, the Grammys are supposed to reward talent, and, in any given year, an outstanding achievement in music. Not social graces, not political stance, not eco-friendly. Not even ''good person''. Axl Rose (also a wife beater) has Grammys, so do Mötley Crüe, and not only are they assholes, they are also the worst example you could give to kids not just in regards to how they treat women, but also drug use.

Also, this year, the Grammys awarded the Foo Fighters a prize, yet they have recently been outed as HIV deniers.


But no one is asking the real question: ''how could a song so bad win a fucking prize?''


On the other hand, there are thousands of brainless teenagers who took to Twitter this morning to show the whole world how utterly stupid they are by saying they'd like to get the shit beat out of them by Chris Brown.

I mean: hey, I know there are a bunch of star-fuckers out there, but this shit is insane:

Some of these fucking bitches look like they're in relationships... one could be a man... a few claim to LOVE him (Happy Valentine's!)... one has said it many times... and one wishes it would happen...

I say there should be a contest with a couple of judges and Brown - his vote counts for 2 - and the winner gets punched in the face repeatedly by him, live, on stage, in front of all the others. We'll see to what extent they're actually willing to go for it when the blood starts pouring. maybe he can find a wife there, should hooking back up with Rihanna not pan out.

The Arcade Fire Backlash(es)

Two Sundays ago, Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Best Album (before winning the Brit awards two days later), beating the likes of Eminem, Katy Perry... and enraged a shitload of Justin Bieber fans. Which, of course, is good in itself. Now, if they could just kill themselves in protest...

Uh... no it's not. Just like it wasn't when New Kids On The Block didn't beat Guns N' Roses, just like it wasn't when the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync and Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and the Spice Girls co-existed... wait, yes, that was weird. No, actually, no, it was boring. And safe. But mostly boring.

The most common response from ''common people'', of course, was: ''Who is Arcade Fire?'', as can be seen in this clip:

And Facebook posts like this one:

The legality? Like having a decent band win over mass-dump-whore-pop-that-will-be-forgotten-in-5-years is illegal or something?

I guess since she came out, Rosie O'Donnell's finger is elsewhere than on the pulse of the youth...

This clip answers the question, albeit a tad too well:

With the obvious ''their song was in the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are'' bit and all. But what I find funniest from talk show people is they were all given free promo copies of the Grammys 2010 Nominees in which Arcade Fire appear, of course, and where it's specified they're in the running for two of the top prizes. And yet, as half-assed journalists, they never felt the need to inquire further about this mystery act?

They had better beware, because hipsters just might attack them for their ignorance:

For more Arcade Fire fun, make sure to visit the blog: Who Is Arcade Fire. Hour of fun.

Poor Miley Cyrus!

So it's been a long fucking while, eh? I know there are tons of more important stuff to be taking on, but, I need to start somewhere...

So I'm in my boxer shorts and t-shirt, waiting for a friend to tell me if he's coming over or not, and I stumble upon this very funny piece of non-news: Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray (the achy breaky heartbreaker from almost two decades ago, now going the Jon Bon Jovi washed-up-singer-turns-actor route) and pop star of the moment, was given the cold shoulder by none other than Radiohead at the Grammys.

She couldn't take it, so she left - didn't even stay to watch them perform.

If, really, they were her favourite band in the whole wide world, then she might've tried reading up on them once in a while... we're talking about a band that:

- after making it big with the song Creep in 1993 (the third time it was released as a single, by the way), stopped playing it, a few times even replying ''we're not a fucking jukebox'' when it's requested live

- after releasing one of the best, if not THE best, rock record of all time, OK Computer, in 1997, pretty much stopped making straightforward rock music altogether

- as a matter of fact, their next record, Kid A, could well have been made by an electronica/experimental/psychedelic act

- from Kid A onwards, during their live performances, Jonny Greenwood, the band's best guitarist, possibly among the best rock guitarists in the world for the past decade, pretty much stopped playing guitar on stage, playing with bleeping machines and transistor radios instead...
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So... regardless of what anyone thinks of Miley Cyrus talent-wise, intelligence-wise... she is still a modern day bubblegum pop star, bred for kids, hoping to stay long enough to make a dent in pop the Aguilera/Spears/Simpson way.

I'm not sure Radiohead would give Coldplay the time of day at the Grammys. So, sorry, Miley, but what you represent is of no interest to Radiohead, and even if you weren't you, with everything that implies (family history in music, starting out as an actress rather than a singer, having your own fucking wing in your dad's mansion, etc.), they probably wouldn't have wanted to meet you anyway.

It's not you, it's them. And it's also a little bit you.