Blink-182 Announces Return

If you watched the Grammy's on Sunday night you may have seen Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, and Tom DeLonge on stage together announcing that their band, Blink-182 was back together and making music. From the mid '90s until their hiatus in 2005 Blink-182 was probably the most popular pop-punk band on the scene. Personally, I preferred their early music (Buddha, Chesire Cat, Dude Ranch) more than their music from this decade. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this reunion.

Grammy Predictions Gone Wrong

Well, it is safe to say that my Grammy predictions were terrible and completely wrong. I only had one correct prediction and that was ADELE for best new artist. Oh well, better luck next year. I think it is great that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant came away as the big winners. Also, U2's opening performance was strong and set the tone for the evening. A complete list of the Grammy winners can be found here.

Grammy Predictions

Here are my Grammy predictions for this evening. Tomorrow I will go over how I did and also provide a small review of the awards show.

Album of the Year: "In Rainbows" - Radiohead
Record of the Year: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
Song of the Year: "Chasing Pavements" - ADELE
Best New Artist: ADELE
Best Rock Album: "Only By Night" - Kings of Leon
Best Alternative Album: "In Rainbows" - Radiohead
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group: "Violet Hill" - Coldplay
Best Rock Song: "House of Cards" - Radiohead
Best Rap Album: "American Gangster" - Jay-Z
Best Rap Song: "Swagga Like Us" - Jay-Z & T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil' Wayne

Pearl Jam hitting the studio for new '09 album

Pearl Jam is set to start recording tracks for their '09 album and without record label backing. According to RollingStone.com, Pearl Jam's self-release album is set to hit shelves sometime in the fall. The new album may have a more optimistic feel with short powerful rock songs. Producing the album is Brendan O'Brien who also produced Pearl Jam's 1998 album "Yield". This could be a big year for the band as not only are they releasing the new album, but they are also re-releasing "Ten" as I mentioned in a previous post.

The Day the Music Died

Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Many credit Holly as being the most influential musician of early rock and roll even though his success lasted only a year and a half. The Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, praise Holly as one of the main reasons they ever got into music. Below is a live performance of Buddy Holly and the Crickets singing "Peggy Sue".

Notorious

I have seen a trend in my postings so far, and that trend is the 1990s. So sticking with that trend I thought I would bring up the new movie chronicling the life of the Notorious B.I.G. simply titled "Notorious". Overall the movie has been well received, with The Hollywood Reporter saying it is the first gotta-see movie of 2009. Rolling Stone gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Below is the movie trailer.

Ten - Reissue

If you haven't heard already, Pearl Jam will be reissuing their debut album "Ten" this year. Not only will it be remastered and remixed, but it will also include demos of "Alive" and "Once". There will be four editions, which will all be released on March 24. A Super Delux Edition will feature a DVD of their Unplugged session, as well as four vinyl LPs. The LPs will consist of the original "Ten", a remixed "Ten", and two LP live set from their 1992 concert "Drop in the Park". The reissue is part of a buildup to the band's 20th Anniversary in 2011. Here is the official press release.

Let's revisit the original (Released August 27, 1991):

* Once
* Even Flow
* Alive (Live performance video below)
* Why Go
* Black
* Jeremy
* Oceans
* Porch
* Garden
* Deep
* Release

Preview: New Music Tuesday

New Releases for Tuesday, January 27, 2009

It is not a very good week for New Releases this Tuesday. Below are the most notable:




Working On a Dream - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Amoeba's Secret - PAUL MCCARTNEY
Boombox - KYLIE MINOGUE
Fleet Foxes (Special Edition) - FLEET FOXES

The biggest release is without a doubt The Boss' 12 song album which also includes a 30 minute DVD of in-studio footage, dialogue, and recording of the album. Included in the 12 tracks is the Golden Globe winning (Best Original Song), "The Wrestler".

See the entire list of January 27th new releases here

Pandora

Everyone is always looking for new ways to get their hands on free music and with the current economic situation strangling our nation, today is no different. One great way to listen to endless music for no charge is through online "jukebox" sites. Yahoo Music has had a version of this running for a couple years now, but my favorite (and in my opinion the best) is Pandora. Here is how it works: you must register with Pandora, which is easy and takes only 2 minutes. After you have registered you are taken to their main page where you are able to "create a station". You type in either a song or artist of your choosing (I chose The White Stripes) and Pandora then creates a radio station for you based on the song or artist you choose. The first song is always going to be a popular song from that particular artist. In this case "Black Math" by the Stripes was played first. The next song was "Alone, Together" by The Strokes, next....Black Keys.....then...The Beatles. And the endless playlist begins! You can also pick a radio station based on music genre. I found this to also be a good option and will give you a broader listening experience. To keep this running as a free site you do have to take in advertisements here and there, but they are minimal and do not take away from the listening experience. There is also an option to buy an annual subscription at $36 a month. This will allow you to listen to music 100% free of advertising, along with other benefits. Give Pandora a try! Pandora

What really happened to Kurt Cobain?

The book "Love & Death" by Max Wallace and Ian Halperin digs into the mysterious happenings around the death of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Although officially ruled a suicide, there has been wide-ranging speculation that indeed Kurt was murdered and this book makes you think that this could be possible. Wallace and Halperin do some impressive investigative journalism as they divulge (through their findings) the psycopath nature of Courtney Love. The stories they lay out about the relationship between Courtney and Kurt, as well as the overall behavior of Courtney leading up to Kurt's death make you wonder not only about her mental state, but also what she was capable of. However, the book comes off as if Wallace and Halperin were dead set on the idea that Kurt was murdered and tried to mold their investigation to fit this theory. Although Courtney is crazy, I have doubts that she was able to go from rock star wannabe to criminal mastermind. I recommend this book to any music fan interested in the history and turmoil surrounding one of the most influential rock and roll musicians of the 20th century.

Welcome!!

What is the Metro Music Box you may ask. A one stop shop of music news, music reviews, music evolution, and music ideas. Here you will find information regarding new albums, old albums, new ways to obtain music online (legally), general music news, basically all things music. Feel free to comment on any postings.