Jan 27, 2015 | Last Updated: 12:12 PM EST
Latest News, Analysis, Opinions and Charts from Music
Jan 27, 2015 | Last Updated: 12:12 PM EST
Latest News, Analysis, Opinions and Charts from Music
Buzz Jan 2015 16:48PM EDT
Ernie Banks, an MLB Hall of Famer and longtime face of the Chicago Cubs organization, died last week at the age of 83. He was an amazing shortstop, winning gold gloves and home run titles and MVP awards during his career, but perhaps he will be best known as representing the Cubs organization better than any other player. The team has been notorious for its inability to secure a World Series title, having not won since 1907 and not even making the big series since 1945. Yet its fans remain some of the friendliest in baseball. Check out five music stars who have also kept their tempers in check while supporting the Cubs over the years.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 16:13PM EDT
Today, Jan. 26, marks the 45th anniversary of Simon & Garfunkel's classic album Bridge Over Troubled Water, which saw the legendary folk-pop duo conclude their career with their most ambitious, eclectic, and well-written collection of songs. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its 11 songs ranked, from weakest to best.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 15:38PM EDT
David Bowie has had several documentaries made about his legendary and varied career but none have come close to the original: Cracked Era, which debuted on the BBC during 1975 and caught the vocalist following the release of Diamond Dogs and his preparation for the tour in support of the album. More relevantly, it caught Bowie at the peak of his addiction to cocaine and gave viewers a look at the paranoia and mental exhaustion it caused him. Bowie was far from the only British musician from that era to be captured on film. Here are five other documentaries (some mad during the decade and some made later looking back) that give viewers a new understanding of that period in UK music history.READ MORE
Exclusives Jan 2015 11:20AM EDT
Each and every week we put together our favorite tracks that had premiered a few days prior into one magnificent mixtape to share with you and your friends. This time around we've decided to share new songs from Death Cab For Cutie, Laura Marling, José González, Mount Eerie and more right here! Let's start 2015 off right!READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 17:24PM EDT
Today, Jan. 25, marks the 15th anniversary of D'Angelo's classic sophomore album, "Voodoo," which combined R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop in such an experimental and masterful way that it came to be seen at the crowning achievement of neo-soul, a movement which also included artists such as Lauryn Hill, The Roots and Erykah Badu. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its 13 songs ranked, from weakest to best.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 16:30PM EDT
Klay Thompson went HAM this week when his Golden State Warriors faced the Sacramento Kings last week: The shooting guard scored 37 points during the third quarter, setting the record for scoring in just one period, along with the record for most 3-pointers during one quarter. The team probably wanted to sing after finishing the game with a 25-point win, but alas the NBA and team executives have requested the team stop posting videos of the team singing its trademark song. Here are five songs that have gotten banned in sports and how they offended (meanwhile you can also check out a shortened video of Thompson's performance here via Sports Illustrated).READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 15:08PM EDT
Australia is one of the toughest places to stage a music festival due to its relative isolation from the rest of the world. There's plenty of fans to provide funding for a limited number of events but it's still tough to draw (and pay) huge acts for traveling so far for what's most likely to be just on appearance (versus a longer tour scenario, where headliners such as Katy Perry can make oodles of cash). Here are five festivals that have undergone downsizing down under recently.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 23:28PM EDT
Today, Jan. 24, marks the 10th anniversary of LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut album, which saw DFA Records founder James Murphy combining the seemingly disparate worlds of punk and dance music into a distinctly '00s sound oozing with New York cool. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its nine exclusive songs ranked, from weakest to best.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 17:19PM EDT
The favorite music of the world's most powerful people is often kept a secret, as one controversial faux pas could be the death of a political career. Things have started to warm up however, as the leaders of the free (and less than free) world have taken to filling the general public in on their Facebook favs. David Cameron told the world this week that he preferred Bryan Ferry over Jay Z, and even Vladimir Putin has warmed enough to inform his constituents that he was "a Russian man and I listen to Russian music." French President Francois Hollande used "Niggas in Paris" as part of a campaign commercial during 2012 (although we doubt he personally is a fan of Jay and Kanye).READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 12:50PM EDT
We charted lyrics from 30 country songs, including this week's Top 10 (Jan. 24), the Top 10 from the final week of Florida Georgia Line's record breaking run (Aug. 24, 2013) and the Top 10 from a decade ago (Jan. 15, 2005).READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 16:02PM EDT
Today the Recording Academy confirmed that LL Cool J will be the host at The Grammys when they go down on February 8. It was hardly a surprise to anyone who's paid attention in recent years: The emcee has hosted the event every year since 2012. That said, it's tough to blame the Academy and CBS for not wanting to shake things up: Although the performer will have now hosted 10 times, the recent results don't lie. The previous three years have featured, respectively, the no. 1, 3, and 2 highest viewerships since the '80s (the 2012 edition got a boost from those tuning in after Whitney Houston's death).READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 16:37PM EDT
Signing a brand new and therefore untested artist can be a risky move for most labels, so in order to get around this, some labels push their new artists to record cover songs for their debut singles as a sort of test run. Here are 10 artists who recorded cover songs for their debut singles.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 14:20PM EDT
President Obama touched on plenty of themes during his State of The Union address but nothing was as popular as that of the middle class, and helping those in lower tax brackets reach it. Music Times found bands that specialize in the topic, including Middle Class Rut, The Middle Class and more.READ MORE
Buzz Jan 2015 13:01PM EDT
On this date 50 years ago The Byrds recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man." That band wasn't the first to do it—Bob Dylan wrote the original version of the song and recorded it just five days prior to The Byrds entering the studio with it—but it would end up that the latter ended up more famous than the first. The song reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been cited as the birthplace of "folk rock" (fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and everything to follow are thankful). Many acts have gone on to cover the track (aside from The Byrds) so Music Times gathered a few of the more famous versions and ranked them accordingly.READ MORE
Exclusives Jan 2015 18:16PM EDT
Experimental singer-songwriter Misty Boyce got her start backing artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, The Naked Brothers Band and most recently, Sara Bareilles, on stage but now it's Boyce's turn to be front and center. A formally trained and highly versatile artist in her own right, Boyce followed up her debut album with her second full-length, 'The Life.' The album is out today on Bandcamp. Ahead of its release, we caught up with Boyce to talk about inspirations behind the album, her favorite memories on tour with Sara Bareilles, adjusting to life in L.A. after moving from New York, and more. Here's what she had to say:READ MORE
