Best Music Videos of the Decade Pt. 1

The countdown of the 100 best albums of the decade is right around the corner. But before we look back on 10 years of great music, I thought it would be fitting to look back on 10 years of great music videos in 3 parts.

These are not really listed in any particular order.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

There has been a lot of talk lately about how kids these days need to exercise. You think they would be a bit more motivated to hop on that treadmill if they knew they were going to have as much fun as OK Go?

Jay-Z - 99 Problems

Jay-Z is a child of New York and makes no bones about his adoration for the NYC. However "99 Problems" finds HOVA truly showing off the town he loves and makes us love it just as much.

Blink-182 - All The Small Things

Was their sound a little too generic at times? Yes. Were their boy band and teen pop targets a bit too easy to make fun of? Maybe. But do you still know the words to this song and get a few giggles when you watch the video?

Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice

Christopher Walken is an Oscar winner. He's also a bumbling buffoon who is aware of his own sillyness. Fatboy Slim is also aware of how silly his songs are and thus thought Walken would be the perfect fit for "Weapon of Choice". I couldn't disagree even if I wanted to.

Eminem - Stan

Eminem's "Stan" dealt with crazed fans and the worshiping of celebrities well before Paris, Britney and Lindsay showed off all of their vaginas for film. With a song this honest and violent, the video had to be just as palpable. Good thing they didn't fail miserably.

Radiohead - House of Cards

Whether breaking the boundaries of what people perceive as rock, to letting fans choose how much money they spend on an album, Radiohead have always been on the cutting edge. This video, which was filmed without the use of cameras and replaced with a new 3D technology, is no exception to the rule.

Weezer - Pork and Beans

Now that MTV doesn't play music, videos have gone viral over the past decade. Weezer, along with YouTube stars such as the Numa Numa kid, made the best viral video ever and got over 20 million views on an other wise disposable song.

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul

Gnarls Barkley's 2006 debut video "Crazy" was an explosion of soul and color. However this video is littered with melancholy as a young couple try to deal with heart break all while Cee-Lo sings the soundtrack.

Johnny Cash - Hurt

The man in black was facing the end of the road when this haunting video was released. Originally a Nine Inch Nails song, "Hurt" finds Cash still embodied as the ultimate outlaw only now he's an outlaw with feelings.

Everclear - AM Radio

The 70s were a good time for Everclear's Art Alexakis. So he decided to sample Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" and relive the glory days with his band mates. The last good video the band ever made.

Modest Mouse - Little Motel

Their music can be so wretchedly twisted and strange at times. However "Little Motel" finds Isaac Brock and Co. feeling a little bit more morose and focused on melody. Sure Coldplay's "The Scientist" may have used the idea first, but Modest Mouse used it more effectively.

Kanye West - Jesus Walks

Kanye West sure is boastful. Some give him grief for it while I simply remember "Jesus Walks" and the powerful images this video shows. Any rapper can rap about Jesus, but it takes a real believer to speak about him with as much conviction as West.

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

The idea of an animated band could've crashed and burned. But this is Gorillaz. "Feel Good Inc." is the band's most beautifully animated and smoothest looking video yet made. The scenes that show Noodles playing lonely guitar on the floating island looks like something out of a movie.

The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl

LEGOs are fun. Even Jack White is aware of this simple truth as The White Stripes get animated in this 2 minute blast of pure garage rock bliss.

OutKast - Ms. Jackson

Big Boi and Andre 3000 are proper gentlemen. When their lady friend becomes spurned they try desperately to make it up to her mama. Even if she doesn't approve, I'd let them give my home an X-treme makeover.

100 Best Albums Update and "Disclaimer"

My countdown of the 100 best albums of the decade that was supposed to start on January 4th next year has been moved up to December 9th of this year. I'm way ahead of schedule and I only have a handful of music left to listen to and critique.

Also I feel it necessary to write a "disclaimer" for lack of a better word.

Needless to say I didn't listen to every single album from the past ten years. I would have needed 3 more Jon LaFollette's to accomplish such a feat. However the total number of records listened to will reach the 215 mark. So that means an average of a little over 20 albums per year.

I really did try my best to be subjective and unbiased in this thing. I listened to rock, alternative, indie, pop, punk, punk pop, pop rock, prog rock, hip hop, trip hop, folk, country, techno, r&b, soul, nu-soul electronic and every other kind of mix mash you can think of.

I also tried very hard to not have this thing read off like some giant fan boy list. I think I made this list as comprehensive and cohesive as possible with every piece of music deserving to be included. You might think some albums are strange or some artists over rated, but that's the point of something like this. I know I won't make everyone happy. I simply wanted to spark discussion and debate.

I'm also going to change the format. I'll still do 10 albums at at time however I'll post a new set of 10 every day spots 100-21. The next 3 days will feature 20-6 5 spots at a time with the top 5 each getting their own post. I just thought I'd speed the whole process up.

Super excited to share with you guys.

Review: Rihanna - Rated R

Rihanna has more number 1 singles than anyone else this decade. However people's initial thought when she comes to mind is her scuffle with Douche Bag of the Year recipient Chris Brown who violently beat her while en route to last winter's Grammys. Rated R marks the singer's first album since the incident and finds a young star trying to come to terms with such a horrific event while also trying to get people on the dance floor leading to a mix matched, yet better than average, pop album.

Rihanna came on the scene in 2005 with the glossy "Pon de Replay". She was presented as the sexy girl next door who you knew you never had a chance with. However her image ever since then has gotten... well... more "edgier"?

I must admit I found her "Umbrella" phase a bit ridiculous. Are you supposed to be a sadomasochistic house maid? Nope. Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux? Maybe. Trying way too hard? Yup.

Rated R continues in Rihanna's quest for edgy, dark, dance ready tunes. However unlike her last attempt at pushing the envelope, this album comes off a touch more natural. I guess getting the shit beat out of you and having the entire world see your swollen face could make you just a little pissed off. So even if her "toughness" is being forced yet again I guess I'm simply just giving her the benefit of the doubt here.

This record tries to be a learning experience for the 21 year old starlet. Songs like "Stupid In Love" find her reflecting on her initial reaction to return to Brown after the beating. "I gave you a chance to make things right... And you still insist on repeatedly trying to tell me lies" she sings. "This is so stupid, I'm not stupid, Don't talk to me like I'm stupid".

Sure the lyrics are tedious and a bit mundane throughout, but what else did you expect from radio friendly material such as this? I'd still pick Rihanna over Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift any day.

Rihanna claims to be a tough minded single lady now. "Wait Your Turn" finds her brandishing a grenade (Were did you get a hand grenade?) while proclaiming she's a champion. On "Hard" she swear's she tougher than a lion. "Rockstar 101" boasts how hott she is in da club with a Slash making a guest appearance (I wouldn't have known that had I not read that somewhere else seeing as how there isn't any signature Slash moment to be found).

However all the walls built up come crashing down on "Russian Roulette", the best track on Rated R. Rihanna's guard is dropped and her true emotions are bared for all the see. "And you can see my heart beating / You can see it through my chest / Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving / I know that I must pass this test". She's truly vulnerable for the first time in her career. Her voice is powerful is used for every ounce of what it's worth.

"Photographs",which features will.i.am., starts out with good intentions. However Rihanna's longing for the good old days is ruined by the craptastic use of Auto Tune. Jay-Z called for an end to that - didn't you get the memo?

"Fire Bomb" and "The Last Song" are worth mentioning as well - even if they may come off a little routine.

Rated R is quite an odd ball to analyze. Rihanna wants to teach all the children a lesson or two about love, but at the same time wants to get people to dance to the groove. No one dances and gets educated at the same time - except for the kids on Barney - but I don't think they are Rihanna's target audience.

However I suppose it doesn't matter what I think about this album. The bottom line is if you hear any of these tunes when you're out on the town like the Sex and the City girls, you'll still shake what your mama gave ya - then and only then does Rated R hit its mark.

Grade: B-

A Bone To Pick With The AMAs

The American Music Awards are the anti-Grammys and nothing proved that more than last night's ceremony in Los Angeles.

While the Grammys are a venue for credited artists (cough: bands that critics like), producers, engineers and others inside the music industry to slap each other on the back and celebrate their own glory, the AMAs are simply a throw back to high school popularity contests.

"And the award for hottest barely legal piece of eye candy / prom queen wanna be goes to..... TAYLOR SWIFT!"

A friend of mine who is quite the movie buff said that Hollywood has two sets of people - the talented and the good looking. Someone like Tilda Swinton (his words - not mine) may be a good actress yet people like Angelina Jolie receive the glam and glitter. Same situation with the music business.

Last year's Grammy for best album went to the subtle yet brilliant Robert Plant and Alison Krauss duet Raising Sand. The entire affair was tailor made to take home a golden gramophone with two star studded - yet critically acclaimed - names singing rootsy blues folk while also being produced by master technician T-Bone Burnett. Grammys are for talented people.

Sure the music didn't receive much radio airplay and I'll bet $100 that almost 9 out of 10 of my Facebook friends had not even heard of such a record until they just read about it. But that didn't matter because critics and "cool indie" kids ate that shit up like it was never going to exist ever again.

The AMAs are for the beautiful people. Taylor Swift won 5 awards last night including the "prestigious" Artist of the Year trophy. Swift also won Best Female Artist for country AND pop/rock. It's true you can be both at the same time but to actually be nominated and win for both shows just how shallow the masses can be from time to time.

You think Swift is going to get the same kind of love and attention for the good old boys club that is the Grammys? Fat chance.

However the most puzzling surprise was when Michael Jackson won not 1 but 4 trophies including best Male Artist in both the soul and pop categories. I know that celebrities are often celebrated in the year of their death for the works they left behind, but this was complete nonsense.

Michael Jackson didn't release anything new worth celebrating this year. Jackson's last album of all new material came out in 2001 and was a complete failure commercially and critically. If the King of Pop really had lived to play his run of 50 shows in London, would he really have received so much attention tonight? Don't get me wrong I love Jackson's work and I'm glad that his music has found a new audience in the wake of his passing, but the AMAs used the singers name simply to boost ratings and put more money in their pocket.

Sure the Grammys will mention Jackson this coming January. He'll be mentioned during the annual segment where those within the industry who have died are remembered. He may even get his own segment dedicated to him - which he should. But I'll shave my head if he's nominated for anything besides best soundtrack or documentary film.

Speaking of soundtracks - you know how I know the AMAs are a failure at life. Twilight won for best soundtrack. Enough said.

Bullet Points - The Strokes, R.E.M., Bob Dylan

British music magazine, NME (New Musical Express), has just released their list of the 100 best albums of the decade with The Stroke's 2001 deubt Is This It topping the list.

The single "Last Nite" broke the band in America and also pissed off Tom Petty who sued the band over plagiarism for the song's similar riff to "American Girl". The lawsuit was later dropped.

I would love to tell you whether or not This Is It made my own list of the 100 best albums, but I guess you'll just have to wait until next year to find out. I guess I'll have to wait too seeing as how I'm still making the list.

The top 10 albums of the decade were:

1. The Strokes - Is This It
2. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
3. Primal Scream - Xtrmntr
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
6. PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows

You can see the entire list here.

* * *

R.E.M. pulled themselves out of their own 10 year debacle in mediocrity with last year's great comeback album Accelerate.

Now Michael Stipe and company have returned to the studio with producer Jacknife Lee, who has also worked with Weezer, U2 and Snow Patrol on a follow up album.

The band recently released two separate videos showing the trio at work in the studio. You can see those videos below.

No album title or release date has been set.

* * *

Bob Dylan recently released his first ever Christmas album titled Christmas In The Heart with all proceeds going to Feeding America - the nation's largest food relief charity.

Dylan just released the video for the song "Must Be Santa". The clip marks the first time in over a decade in which Dylan himself appears in a video.

You can watch it below.

Review: John Mayer - Battle Studies

John Mayer is the darling child for "sorority pop". He sure knows how to make the ladies weak at the knees with those soft eyes, hair perfectly unkempt to make you think he doesn't give a shit, a soulful "new" take on soft rock, bad boy tattoos and Oh faces during guitar solos that could make a lumberjack change his underwear.

All of his catalog feels right at home softly coming through the speakers of Starbucks while you sip your coffee and text on your iPhone to the friends you think you have. Whether it's "No Such Thing", "Your Body Is A Wonderland", "Daughters" or "Waiting on the World to Change", Mayer, much like Jack Johnson, has always kept his music on the safe side. His new album Battle Studiesis no exception.

This album was born on out Mayer's tabloid-tastic relationships over the past few years. Thanks to rounds with Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly and Jennifer Aniston his emotions have been spent, his heart broken and his musical sensibilities unchanged. I almost feel sorry for the poor guy - almost.

"The album... incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice," Mayer says about the record. "Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook." Too bad this album plays off like A Hitchhiker's Guide to a Rock Star's Muddled Self Therapy.

"Heartbreak Warfare" opens the album sounding eerily like a U2 song with echoing guitar parts riding on top of a typical soft rock beat. "Clouds of sulfur in the air, bombs are falling everywhere" Mayer sings in his typical coo. The lyrics paint an ugly picture of a good thing gone sour yet the music doesn't reflect it. Mayer wants to have his cake and eat it too.

He tries to cover all his bases again on "Assassin" which again leads to mixed results. Minimalist verses and sultry backing vocals try desperately to meld with "rawkin" choruses and fuzzy guitar flourishes. "I was a killer, was the best they'd ever seen." Mayer claims several times. Didn't Mohammed Ali retire?

The most misplaced track on the record is a cover of Robert Johnson's classic "Crossroads". Instead of an organic blues cover, the tune comes off as a forced effort where Mayer simply finds an excuse to jam with his faceless backing group. Mayer becomes tired with his self imposed restrictions on his music halfway through the record and simply gets his pseudo groove on. Nice try but no pudding.

A close second for most awkward moment goes to "Half of My Heart" where Taylor Swift makes an appearance. Mayer shows how much of an opportunist he really is. You think the current pop queen would have been on the album if she wasn't everywhere at once? If Miss Swift was under 18 I'd say Mayer should be investigated for solicitation of a minor.

There are still a few quality songs on Battle Studies. "Who Says", the current single, is a soft ditty where he sings about getting high and simply cutting off from the world. "I don't remember you looking any better - but then again I don't remember you" Mayer sings to an unknown pretty face (what a charming devil). When first hearing this song on the radio a few weeks back I was actually surprised - a John Mayer song that didn't piss me off at all?

"Do You Know Me" and "War of My Life" are other notable songs where Mayer finds a way to perfectly manage his vision and ideas. However many Mayer fans would most likely listen to his older tunes that are a bit more memorable and stay with the listener longer.

Mayer says the album was a new direction for him. However instead of forging a new path, it seems as if he picks and chooses other parts of his career and tries to mesh them into some kind of Frankenstein. He wants so badly to escape the formula of his first 3 albums, yet he continues to not take risks and stick to what he knows works - even if it doesn't always do so.

Battle Studies finds Mayer trying to write a Blood on the Tracks for generation Hollister. Instead his efforts have turned into Adventures in Mishandled Dentist Music.

Grade: C

The Who to Play Super Bowl Halftime Show?

While nothing has been confirmed by the NFL or the band themselves, Sports Illustrated is reporting that the legendary British rock group, The Who, are set to play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on February 7.

"When we have something to announce, we'll announce it," said the NFL.

This makes perfect sense to me. This year's Super Bowl is being aired on CBS, a station that runs 3 Who song regularly for their CSI programming (CSI - "Who Are You" CSI: Miami - "Won't Get Fooled Again" and CSI: New York - "Baba O' Riley").

Guitarist and song writer Pete Townshend announced earlier in the year that there are also plans for a new Who album and world tour next year as well. What better way to publicize your band than by playing the most watched event in sports?

Rumors have also surfaced that The Who are the next band to receive their own music game much like The Beatles: Rock Band which was released in September. In an interview with Mass Live, singer Roger Daltrey was asked about his impression on the fab four's own game.

"The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned" he said.

Looks like 2010 is shaping up to the year of The Who.

The Super Bowl halftime show has long been a staple for A list acts to do their thing - even if their thing was causing controversy (cough - Janet Jackson) or just simply sucking at life (cough - Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen). Other notable acts to play at halftime are Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, U2, Aerosmith, Prince and The Rolling Stones.

If these rumors really are true, look for The Who to put on a stellar show as they are the original stadium rock group and have complete mastery of a big time stage (just look at their appearance at the Concert for New York after the 9/11 attacks - video below).

I would love to see "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" make the set list. While there are other Who song that I enjoy more, those songs have the biggest stadium shattering potential. Any suggestions from you as to what the band might play?

Bullet Points - Jay-Z, Robert Johnson, Fergie

Fresh off his 3rd release since announcing his retirement, Jay-Z has confirmed more tour dates for the second leg of his Blueprint 3 tour starting next year including a stop in Indianapolis.

The rapper recently performed with U2 in Berlin this past weekend at a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. U2 and MTV, who promoted the concert, received many jeers from critics over the decision to construct a wall to keep those who didn't pay out - so they built a wall to celebrate the destruction of another wall...

Tour dates are listed below. Tickets for shows starting in Houston go on sale tomorrow.

• Nov. 12 - Campaign, IL @ Assembly Hall
• Feb. 22 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
• Feb. 23 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
• Feb. 25 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
• Feb. 27 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
• Feb. 28 - Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum Complex
• Mar. 3 - Washington, CD @ Verizon Center
• Mar. 7 - Norfolk, VA @ Scope Arena
• Mar. 11 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
• Mar. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mellon Arena
• Mar. 19 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
• Mar. 20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
• Mar. 22 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
• Mar. 24 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
• Mar. 26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center

* * *

Legendary blues man Robert Johnson, who claimed to have sold his soul to the devil in order to play the guitar, lived a life full of mystery. Only two known pictures of him are known to exist, his music catalog contains less than 50 songs, and his death, an alleged poisoning in 1938, was such a mystery that 3 grave markers claim to rest above his remains.

However Johnson's birthplace has been confirmed by researchers and historians. He was born in 1911 in a modest home built by his step father in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.

Now 7 decades after his untimely death at the age of 27, the blues icon's home is being restored and will be turned into a museum commemorating his life, music and legacy.

You can listen to his most famous song "Crossroads" below:

* * *

Black Eyed Peas mistress Fergie is entering sex rehab to stop her urges to cheat on her husband - Transformers star Josh Duhamel.

The singer, who says she is bisexual, says she needs to control her desires.

"I've been very honest with him from the get-go," she said. "I think women are beautiful, I've had a lot of fun with women, and I'm not ashamed of it... But just because I enjoy women doesn't mean I'm allowed to have affairs in my relationship."

She claims she learned through talks with her therapists that cheating is wrong - even if it is with women (go figure huh?)

Fergie and Duhamel's marriage, which took place in January this year, has been rocked by allegations of Duhamel's extra marital affair with a stripper - a charge Duhamel denies.

Aerosmith Confusion.

After initially reporting Steven Tyler's exit from Aerosmith, things have become a bit more complicated. 

Last night at a Joe Perry Project show in New York, Tyler unexpectedly appeared on stage during the band's encore and proclaimed that he was not leaving the 4 decade old band. 

"Joe Perry you are a man of many colors," Tyler said. "But I, motherfucker, am the rainbow."

The band then launched into "Walk This Way" with Tyler taking vocal duties (watch below)

All is well that ends well right? 

No.

Perry announced that despite the reunion last night, Aerosmith may still carry on with a new vocalist and that there are still many problems within the band.

"He wants to take two years off from the band," Perry said. "The rest of the band wants to keep on working."

This whole situation is a mess and, as I said yesterday, it's a shame that grown men's egos get in the way after 40 years of friendship and rock n roll. 

Steven Tyler Quits Aerosmith

After 4 decades of fronting Aerosmith, Steven Tyler has abruptly left the band after a year full of band tensions, illness and injuries as well as lackluster ticket sales.

The band finally reached their breaking point on stage in front of a crowd of 50,000 in Abu Dhabi on November 1st. After the gig Tyler took to the internet to post his decision to quit the Boston based group.

"Steven quit as far as I can tell," guitarist Joe Perry said. "I don't know for how long, indefinitely, or whatever."

"Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him - he's one of a kind, " rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford said in a recent interview. "But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?"

Perry took to his twitter account to reassure fans that Aerosmith would carry on without Tyler. "Aerosmith is positively looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of experience and throw it in the bin!"

Tyler, who has been working on a solo album, told Uncut the album will "be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself - Brand Tyler."

Tensions had been rising within the band between Tyler and Perry over the past 4 years. While Perry wanted to return the band to their blues roots like "Walk This Way", Tyler wanted to take Aerosmith to the more polished pop rock sound of "Jaded" and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing".

It's hard to pick sides in this fight. While Tyler's choice of songs sold well, many fans and critics disregarded the band's efforts. "Girls of Summer" is by far the worst Aerosmith song ever made - and that is what Tyler wants it.

However Perry's choice hasn't met with much success either. The band's 2004 blues cover album Honkin' on Bobo barely went gold (which is a flop for a band that has over 11 platinum records).

Regardless, it is sad to see a band this legendary have in fighting simply because egos are too big. But that is rock n roll I suppose.

Review: Them Crooked Vultures - Self Titled

Rock experiments such as super groups often end up being as effective as strapping a rocket to an elephant. Sure it might go far but does it ever go far enough? The lofty expectations of padded resumes and star studded line ups are never met and a nasty ring is left in the listener's ear - enter Them Crooked Vultures.

Rock’s latest group of superdom featuring drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), bassist  John Paul Jones(Led Zeppelin) and vocalsist /  riffmeister Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) put every other super group (with the exception of Cream) to shame on their eponymous debut.

What sets this band apart from other failed attempts at incredi-greatness is the chemistry each member shares with the other. Grohl and Homme teamed up in 2002 to make up half of the Queens line up while Jones sat in on a Foo Fighters album as well as a concert in London last year. The awkwardness of the first date is skipped and traded in for a glorious honeymoon.

"No One Loves Me and Neither Do I", starts out with a hop, skip and a jump on drums that rolls right into a funky stop and go riff. "I've got a wonderful place to put your face and she was right," Homme sings in his signature falsetto. He does his best white boy James Brown through much of the first half of this tune. However the meat and potatoes come in the second half which turns into an all out crunch fest with sliding guitars and thundering bass that makes head banging completely acceptable (even if it is a cliche).

TCV keep the groove machine going on "Gunman" with wah -wah pedal and syncopation aplenty. The song fits in right at home on the dance floor as well as blasting through your car stereo while you're going 90 down the freeway. Stoner rock never made you want to tap your toes so damn much.

"Elephants" that finds Homme playing one of his trickiest yet catchiest guitar hooks ever, and with a 90 second instrumental opening every member shows how comfortable they are in their new skin. Homme is obviously more than content in his new environment and can't help but boast about it as he sings "Like lumbering giants in a shameful parade we came to ruin all and make a rotten trade."

John Paul Jones is the unsung hero (if there can be such a thing with this band) on the album. While his bass playing is still just as sturdy and powerful as it always was, it's his subtle work on other instruments that really add a whole new dimension to this band beyond the traditional trio mix.

His keyboard solo on "Scumbag Blues" really gives the track more swagger and feeling. "Spinning in Daffodils", the album closer, opens with a lovely piano ballad before giving way to an uneasy guitar riff making the song all the more dirty yet appealing. "Interlude With the Ludes" even finds Jones playing the 80s-tastic keytar - I know right?

This album is not for light weights. It’s sink or swim as four songs clock in at over five minutes (two of which are more than seven) which can be quite exhaustive by the time the 63 minute running time fades to an end.

Balance is probably the bigger issue here for Them Crooked Vultures. While the first half of the album fits precisely into place with one good idea rolling into another, the middle is the most forgettable with less than stellar tunes "Bandoliers" and "Interludes with the Ludes" coming off as nothing more than filler material. However "Reptiles" and "Warsaw or the First Breath You Take Before Giving Up" offer enough ear candy to keep you around for a rewarding end.

The bottom line still remains. Even though they may not always hit their intended target, this band has injected more than enough excitement into a rather lack luster year for new music. Not only that, but they've also perfectly written The Idiot's Guide To Be In A Super Group and Not Be Named The Damned Yankees

Grade: B+

Bullet Points - No Doubt, U2, Foo Fighters

No Doubt are taking legal action against Activision, makers of Band Hero and Guitar Hero, to have avatars in their likeness removed from the game.

A deal was originally signed that would feature an animated version of the band performing their hits "Don't Speak" and "Just A Girl". However, much like the Kurt Cobain Guitar Hero 5 case just a few months ago, not only could No Doubt play as themselves but other artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones, 3 Doors Down and Everclear.

A court document relating to the lawsuit states, "While No Doubt are avid fans of The Rolling Stones and even have performed in concerts with The Rolling Stones, the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice choir boasting about having sex with prostitutes."

Band Hero is in stores now.

* * *

Even though their latest album, No Line on the Horizon, has sold over 1 million copies and their current tour has broken attendance records, U2 still find themselves disappointed with their latest creative effort.

While the Irish quartet's 2 previous albums, All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, sold 7 million copies combined No Line has struggled to find a solid radio single to attract more significant sales.

"We weren't really in the mind set," front man Bono said about the struggling sales in a recent interview with Spinner. "We felt that the album was kind of an almost extinct species and we should approach it in totality and create a mood and a feeling, and a beginning, middle and an end. And I suppose we've made a work that is a bit challenging."

"I think in a sense, the more interesting challenge is, 'What is rock n roll in this changing world?" bassist Adam Clayton said. "Because to some extent the concept of the music fan - the concept of a person who buys music and listens to music for the pleasure for music itself - is an outdated idea."

Make no mistake though. U2 is still doing just fine financially. At a recent show in California where the band broke their own attendance record, it is reported they made a whopping 9 million dollars.

* * *

Dave Grohl has some uneasiness with the Foo Fighters new greatest hits album saying that the move is "premature"

The band's record company has been pushing for a best of album for quite some time as it is written in the Foo's contract.

"It still seems premature because we're still a functioning, active band," Grohl said in an interview with British radio station Radio 1. "Those things can look like an obituary."

Grohl says the band was asked 4 years ago for a greatest hits package but said it wasn't the right time.

"Don't we need more hits?" Grohl said.

The 16 track album is in stores today and features 2 new songs "Wheels" and "Word Forward"

The Foo Fighters are on hiatus. Grohl is currently drumming for the super group Them Crooked Vultures with John Paul Jones and Josh Homme.

Bullet Points - Michael Jackson, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Michael Jackson's concert film, This Is It, took the top spot at the box office taking in $21.3 million over the Halloween weekend.

The rockumentary, which consists of pieced together rehearsal footage for what would have been Jackson's comeback/farewell concert series in London, has made $101 million dollars worldwide since it's release on October 27.

The good returns has prompted Sony to keep the film, which was only intended for a 2 week theatrical run, in multiplexes everywhere until at least Thanksgiving.

Yet for how well the film has done, the record for highest opening weekend for a concert film still belongs to last year's Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: The Best Of Both Worlds Conert which took in $31.1 million.

You can read my review for This Is It here.

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U2 outdid themselves when their 360 tour stopped at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California on October 25 and broke the record for highest ever concert attendance for one headliner previously set by - U2.

The Irish quartet played to a packed house of 97,014 shattering their own previous record of 86,145 set in 1987 in Philadelphia for the Joshua Tree tour.

The concert was also streamed live on U2's You Tube channel where an estimated 7 million tuned in to witness the band plow through a retrospective set.

U2 will bring their epic record breaking tour back to the U.S. next summer. Dates are below.

• 06/06 - Anaheim, CA @ Angel Stadium
• 06/12 - Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
• 06/16- Oakland, CA @ Oakland Coliseum
• 06/20 - Seattle, WA @ Qwest Field
• 06/23 - Edmonton, AB - Commonwealth Stadium
• 06/30 - East Langsing, MI - Spartan Stadium
• 07/03 - Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
• 07/06 - Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
• 07/09 - Miami, FL @ Land Shark Stadium
• 07/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
• 07/16 - Montreal, QC @ Venue TBA
• 07/19 - New York, NY @ New Meadowlands Stadium

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After taking a year long hiatus The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced plans for a new album.

"We're gonna write it for a while, it usually takes us a while," drummer Chad Smith said in an interview with Clash Magazine. Smith speculated that the record would be out "sometime next year, maybe this time [next year]".

The time off for the band has found bassist Flea working with Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and Smith drumming for the Sammy Hagar fronted super group Chickenfoot.

The LP in progress would be the first for The Chili Peppers since 2006's sprawling, and often boring, double album Stadium Arcadium.