After White House show, Mick Jagger says 'Every gig is a gig'

Playing the White House? Whatevs, according to Mick Jagger.

OK, so that wasn't his exact quote, but that was the gist. In an interview with the Washington Post a couple days after honoring the American blues at the Obama abode, the king of the stage strut replied, when asked if he was nervous beforehand, "I don’t want to sound blasé ... but every gig is a gig, right?"

This is probably a reasonable reply, if huffing and puffing in the East Room is just simply the 1,975,499th performance of your career. But might this be a sign that the Rolling Stones should forgo their next tour in favor of, well, doing something that actually makes one of them feel something again? Even if that just means, you know, holding a newborn baby or something? Just a thought.

Jagger, absent Keith Richards or any of his other band mates, performed alongside B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck and others on Tuesday. In an inspired move, he passed the microphone to President Obama so that he could croon a few lines of “Sweet Home Chicago.” Obama's been showing off his ample tenor lately, as you know. There aren't many A&R agents left in this rough-and-tumble music world, but somebody should discover this guy.

By the way, we're only teasing Jagger about his Kanye shrug toward playing for the president. Later in the interview, he says, like a good British lad, "I’m very honored to have played the White House."

But he didn't have such nice words for "Moves Like Jagger," the ubiquitous Maroon 5 hit that pays homage to his slither. "It’s a very long-lived song, isn’t it?" Jagger said. "That and Adele. Still playing. I get into the car, and there it is, still. And then I go to the club and there it is..."

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— Margaret Wappler

Photo: Jagger's one-time duet partner, President Obama, at Tuesday's White House show. Credit: Win McNamee / Getty Images

Rihanna and Chris Brown put forth two songs and raise questions

Note: This is an expanded review from yesterday's post, "Rihanna, Chris Brown reunite with not one, but two songs."

While the music media world was wringing its hands about Chris Brown’s appearing on Rihanna's remix of “Birthday Cake,” the two former — or current, so far no one really knows — lovers were busy hatching not just one song but two. Not only is Brown lustily serenading Rihanna on “Cake,” but she appears on a new version of his song “Turn Up the Music,” complete with giggles at the end — presumably because they were having such a great time sending confusing, poorly conceived messages to anyone listening.

Let’s break it down track by track: First, there’s “Birthday Cake,” a fire-alarm-festooned sex burner that’s about as subtle as a hot pink thong. This is the song that will really get people talking — and not in a good way. Brown makes a splashy entrance, declaring his intents from the first line: He wants to get joint counseling, of course! Whoops, no. He just misses her body, the same one he assaulted three years ago, and wants to “give it” to her “in the worst way.”

As a mere collection of sounds and beats, there’s a provocative sheen to “Cake” that would make it serviceable fodder for club grinds, but its message is so convoluted given the context that it deserves to drown in the murky waters it was born in.

Rihanna, Chris Brown reunite with not one, but two songs

Update: An expanded version of this review can be read here.

Wow.

While the entirety of the music media world was wringing their hands about Chris Brown appearing on Rihanna's remix of "Birthday Cake," the two former — or current (we're so very confused at this point, please just tell us what is going on, please) — lovers were busy hatching not just one song but two. Not only is Brown lustily serenading Rihanna on "Cake" but she appears on a new version of his song "Turn Up the Music," complete with giggles at the end — presumably because they were having such a great time sending completely insane, mixed messages to anyone listening.

We'll have a full critical reaction posted tomorrow (see update above) but in the meantime, for now, some very snap judgment on the songs. The Chris Brown track is embedded below but you'll have to find the much naughtier "Birthday Cake" on your own.

"Birthday Cake": This is the song that will really get people talking — and not in a good way. Brown makes far from a subtle entrance, declaring his intents from the first line. As a mere collection of sounds and beats, it's provocative and exciting. As a message to any thinking person who's been following their case, it's very confusing. Is this a true sign of romantic reunion or simply two pop stars who are willing to milk their domestic abuse past for more fame and/or notoriety?

"Turn Up the Music": By far the safer track. So safe I can't really think of anything more to say about it, other than it sounds like reconstituted Kylie Minogue. Listen after the jump:

Watch it now: Jay-Z and Beyoncé's baby on 'Saturday Night Live'

"Saturday Night Live" has been on target lately with its music-world sketches. Latest case in point: This weekend's hilarious bit involving hip-hop power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé's new addition to the world, their baby girl Blue Ivy.

The comedy institution hasn't always been tapped into the beat. Don't hold us to historical record here, but it seems as if there was a long and lonely time, where cold winds blew across the empty plains of "SNL," in terms of pop stars and their endless foibles. Talk about missed opportunities! (And no, just for the record, a smarmy Justin Timberlake pretending to wrap his private parts in a box doesn't count, as awesome as it was.)

A few weeks ago, Kristin Wiig took to Seth Meyers' "Weekend Update" as Lana Del Rey, to defuse the backlash that exploded on the torchy singer after singing a couple of songs that either flopped, confused or mesmerized, depending on your position. "Based on the public's response," Wiig-as-Lana tells Meyers, "I must have clubbed a baby seal while singing the Taliban national anthem."

This weekend's sketch doesn't handle something nearly as contentious. At the center of it all is a well-coiffed Blue Ivy, in her crib, feted by a variety of famous visitors -- a parade, it turns out, of top-notch imitations from the "SNL" cast, including a suitably awkward Bon Iver, played by Timberlake sporting a fake bald pate.

We won't ruin the best moments for you, but we wish we had Jay Pharoah hanging around the Pop & Hiss office, ready at a second's command to launch into his spot-on Jay-Z "ha-ha-ha-ha, YEP!" call.

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-- Margaret Wappler

 

 

 

Grammys 2012: Nicki Minaj and five other weird moments we saw

The Grammy Awards: What would the ceremony be without its weird moments, its awkward collaborations or puzzling choices? Although Adele’s clean sweep lent the night a classy air -- even in spite of her admission that snot was running down her face; hey, anything sounds suave in a British accent -- Sunday night was rife with the kind of fodder that pushes Twitter close to overload. Nicki Minaj performing an exorcism on herself? That was just for starters.

Here are six of the most notable of the evening’s slip-ups, gaffes and other “I don’t get it” moments:

1) The Recording Academy did a tremendous job responding to the sudden death of former pop titan Whitney Houston, arranging a gorgeously simple tribute from Jennifer Hudson. But nobody could’ve predicted the awkwardness of the ceremony’s opening line. Gearing up to perform “We Take Care of Our Own,” Bruce Springsteen asked the crowd, “Anyone alive out there?” Funny how standard warm-up banter can suddenly seem cringe-worthy.

PHOTOS: Best and worst at the Grammys

2) The Foo Fighters, the traditionalist guitar rockers led by Dave Grohl, must’ve been on sale when the Grammys were budgeting Sunday’s performance schedule. The band was omnipresent at the show, from playing in the parking lot outside –- they must’ve torn up too much of the furniture inside already -– to inexplicably joining the late-hour dance-music collaboration with Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, DeadMau5 and David Guetta.

As far as the latter performance, is Grohl really the best representative of the genre-blurring intentions of dance music when only an hour previous, he groused about music made with computers?

3) What’s an award show without Kanye West? He won for best rap performance for his “Otis” collaboration with Jay-Z and also took the best rap album in the pre-telecast for “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” but the Chicago spitfire was nowhere to be seen.

We think we understand why. The innovative Kanye thrives on excitement and unpredictability. And with the recently recovered, wholly genial Adele set to take all her awards, it was the kind of odds lockdown that makes betting, or chest-beating, a moot point.

PHOTOS: Grammy winners

4) Chris Brown: Did we need to see him perform twice? Are we ready to embrace him so full-heartedly? Three years after assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, Brown was embraced by the academy, which invited him to perform his own music on top of some sort of Cubist contraption seemingly designed by Atari. Then later on, he leads the aforementioned dance party that showed rich people what the Coachella dance tent has been like for the last several years.

We have to say that Rihanna would’ve been the better choice to lead that number; her music has tracked bigger with dance crowds from the start. “We Found Love,” her collab with electronica wiz Calvin Harris, is the perfect example of pop, dance and R&B merging into one powerhouse strain. Or what about Lady Gaga –- and why was she relegated to quietly wearing a veil all night? Are performances with eggs or meat-dresses not cool anymore? (Wow, we just got hungry typing that.)

5) Praise for Rihanna aside, we can’t totally let her off the hook for one of the night’s most plodding medleys. “We Found Love” dribbled into a Coldplay acoustic puddle –- a serious downtick in momentum. If only they’d flipped the order and saved Rihanna’s slick jam for last. Regardless of who started, the set behind both performers was a torrent of images seemingly ripped from someone’s crashing iPhone, an onslaught of multicolor slashes and glowing auras. If this was homage to Steve Jobs, he’s not happy right now.

6) Nicki Minaj’s performance –- Catholic nightmare overload or inspired frightfest? Wait, notice how those two things aren’t that different? It might take us years to process all the ideas at work in Minaj’s performance, and while we applaud her for presenting them all with gusto, it seemed a case of too much, too late. So there was a video in there? And a cross she was hanging from? Or did she levitate? That’s a start, Nicki, but if you want to do “The Exorcist,” your head has to spin around, not ours.

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--Margaret Wappler

Photo: Nicki Minaj scaring the bejesus out of the crowd at the Grammy Awards. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Grammys 2012: Bon Iver wins for best new artist

Wisconsin-bred band Bon Iver, the indie folk project founded by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, was named best new artist at the 54th Grammy Awards, besting crowd favorite Nicki Minaj as well as a diverse set of performers from electronica, rap and country music. Vernon first gained attention for his 2007 debut, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” recorded in isolation in rural Wisconsin and filled with soaring vocal harmonies.

Between his debut and his self-titled second album released last year, Vernon collaborated with Kanye West, a move that introduced his name to a much wider audience. The Chicago hip-hop artist uses Vernon’s voice on the first track of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” and closes the album with a song based on Bon Iver’s “Woods.”

Bon Iver’s second record, with each song based on a real or imaginary place, opened up his sound to soft-rock influences, as well as synths, horns and other instrumentation that veered away from his folk roots. It’s also nominated for alternative music album, counting as one of Vernon’s four Grammy nods this year.

PHOTOS: Grammy winners

This year’s crop for best new artist is heavier on hip-hop than it has been in the last few years, and was also notable for the inclusion of up-and-coming dance titan Skrillex. Notable winners of the award in the last decade include Amy Winehouse, Adele, Carrie Underwood and John Legend.

The Grammys are determined by about 13,000 voting members. The eligibility period for nominated recordings was Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2011. The 2011 awards are being held at the Staples Center and telecast on CBS. They are broadcast live except for viewers on the West Coast.

The latest headlines and any breaking news will be posted here on Pop & Hiss. 

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And the winner is...

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Live coverage of the Grammy pre-show

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Jennifer Hudson to sing Whitney Huston tribute

Show starts with Bruce Springsteen and a prayer

Foo Fighters' 'Wasting Light' wins for rock album

Kanye's MIA and Chris Brown is a turn for the worse

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' wins for rap album

Critic's Notebook: The junking of commercial rock music

Commentary: Where's the love for the supreme Diana Ross?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, right, goes to the stage to receive his Grammy. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

New: Luscious Jackson, Nite Jewel, Ting Tings, Screaming Females

Pop & Hiss takes a look at some of the week's notable new music, in handy, bite-sized form. This week: Luscious Jackson, Nite Jewel, Screaming Females and the Ting Tings.

This post has been corrected. See note at the bottom for details.

• Nite Jewel, the smooth synth project of L.A. musician Ramona Gonzalez, has released a second single from the forthcoming album, “One Second of Love.” “In the Dark” could be the score to a quiet, walking-the-downtown-streets moment in a late '80s movie for single ladies, a less hyperactive “After Hours” but with a female protagonist. From its opening blanket of synths to its few feathery guitar riffs, everything about “In the Dark” is designed to go down easy but not without thought. Gonzalez, her vocals deeply influenced by R&B sirens of the '90s but on the mellow tip, descends into her lower register to stir up the song’s inky liquid center. It’s highly recommended, along with the first single, the more club-popping “One Second of Love.” -- Margaret Wappler

• Though a handful of songs from the Ting Tings' 2008 debut "We Started Nothing" became ubiquitious in commercials and movie teasers, the snappy English pop duo are weirder than they let on. At their most high-spirited, the duo of singer/guitarist/rock 'n' roll cheerleader Katie White and drummer/producer Jules de Martino are a dance-rock equivalent of a cartoon pep rally, slapping together punk guitars, New Wave coldness and brassy vocals. "Soul Killing," the latest peek into the sophomore album "Sounds from Nowheresville," due March 13, shows the band's knack for bridging the familiar and the wacky. The band at first seems to be striking a reggae groove, but the rocking-chair beat and chant of "they will never hold us down" soon starts to feel more like a nod to Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." Yet the Ting Tings remain all attitude. White sings, raps and chants, and the mix of hand-claps and vibrating rhythms -- the sound of a heavily synthesized vibrating metal sheet -- recalls the jerkiness of the Clash's "This is Radio Clash." -- Todd Martens

Grammys 2012: Fleet Foxes has foot in folk past, ear for today

 Nominated for contemporary folk album for ‘Helplessness Blues,’ Fleet Foxes is just happy to be part of the group with its classic American sound and contemporary influences.

Until Fleet Foxes won a contemporary folk nomination this year for “Helplessness Blues,” the band’s singer-songwriter Robin Pecknold’s association with the Grammys was like most young people’s — if you watched the telecast at all, you were happy for your dad when his band won and miffed when your own heroes didn’t take the crown.

“I remember feeling really conflicted,” said Pecknold, 25, recalling a particularly painful Grammy win in 2001. Radiohead’s “Kid A” was pitted against Steely Dan’s comeback, “Two Against Nature” for album of the year, not to mention Eminem’s critically adored “The Marshall Mathers LP.” In the end, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s jazzy licks triumphed over the scribbly electronics of “Kid A.” “My dad is a huge Steely Dan fan, and he was so excited that they’d come back on the scene. But I really wanted ‘Kid A’ to win, and they deserved to win. I haven’t paid a ton of attention to the Grammys since then.”

PHOTOS: Grammy Awards 2012 rehearsals

Except for last fall, when the 2012 nominations came rolling in. “I was definitely curious to see if we’d be nominated for anything,” said Pecknold from his home in Portland, Ore. “Then the nominations came out and we weren’t part of the main ones, but when you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page,” his voice trails off.

Judge decides Chris Brown should stay under supervised probation

On Thursday, nearly three years to the day after Chris Brown was charged with assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, leaving her bloodied, bruised and unable to perform at the Grammys, a judge has decided that Brown should continue serving his five-year probation sentence.

Brown's attorney Mark Geragos asked that the Grammy-nominated R&B singer, who was not in court attendance, be allowed to end his supervised probation early, due to good behavior. But Superior Court Judge George Lomeli agreed with prosecutors that Brown should continue to report to a probation officer in his home state in Virginia.

His lawyer's request came after the singer received positive marks from his probation officer, who wrote in a report that Brown has been truthful with officers, passed all required drug tests and “has made great strides” while under probation supervision.

The lady gangsta fantasy of M.I.A.'s video for 'Bad Girls'

Today M.I.A., aka Maya Arulpragasam, debuted her video for new single “Bad Girls,” working again with “Born Free” co-conspirator Romain Gavras. Filmed in Ouarzazate, Morocco, the country’s film capital also seen in “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Gladiator” and several other Western movies, the video is meant to evoke a Persian Gulf landscape – dusty, baked, semi-apocalpytic and in the hands of M.I.A. and Gavras, utterly hard-core.

Set to M.I.A.’s Punjabi-laced chill-banger, “Bad Girls” is a lady gangsta fantasy but one that plays off very real ingredients from life in the Middle East. There’s crumbled architecture, sustained over years of attack; smouldering oil tankards; young men in kaffiyeh, standing around dangerously bored; mysterious women covered from head to toe, with only their kohl-lined eyes flashing out. Most of us Americans have seen that existence only in bits of CNN video, left to venture our own conclusions about their daily grind.