Glee vs. American Idol

I was startled last week to glance at the Top 10 singles on iTunes and see that five of the ten songs were either American Idol finalists or Glee songs. Therein was hatched my idea to listen, ponder and compare a few songs from those two shows. The premise of both shows is that they do covers and add their own touch to them. To some extent the American Idol contestants are at an immediate disadvantage because they need to take a song that was likely done well the first time and make it their own- but not so much that they literally change the song. Doing covers of U2, Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra is a tough job and the last thing they probably want is for people to be wishing they were listening to the real version. Glee, on the other hand, has more liberty to mix things up a bit and some of the songs they’ve done on the show are pretty fun, especially if there is a good association to the choreography and scene from the show.

We are a Glee family and I’ve watched enough American Idol this season to keep up, even if I don’t want to commit to hours a week of watching it (we can get through the results show in about 10 minutes). I’m a little surprised that Lee won the whole thing- I think he’s good but not “special” enough that I thought people would vote for him more than anyone else. He’s a bit of a chameleon and adapted to whatever song he chose, not generally making it much of a standout, in my opinion. It will be interesting to hear what he does with his own stuff. In the paper this morning, I read a quick interview with him and he named Dave Matthews as someone he tries to emulate, which isn’t much of a surprise, but I was surprised to learn that his favorite artist is Sufjan Stevens, a bit of an obscure indie singer, which is encouraging. Maybe when Lee has the freedom to do his own thing he’ll stand out a bit more.

Crystal, however, has a pretty distinct style and looked really uncomfortable when she had to break out of her comfort zone on the show. Hopefully she’ll also have the liberty to customize her sound a bit, even though it might not have the same broad audience commercial appeal that someone like Lee probably will. She is definitely talented! I also bought one Michael Lynche song because I really liked him on American Idol and I think he’ll go on to some success if he can channel his sound properly (which I don’t think he did in the song I chose- my bad).

Now, Glee… The actors on this show generally have some pretty impressive credentials, so it’s not totally surprising that they can turn out some good songs. If you watch the show, you not only can picture what they were doing while singing a given song but also the reason they were singing that particular song, which is kind of cool. Isn’t there a song for every mood or situation? Based on Glee there sure is. It’s interesting that a byproduct of the show is a bunch of songs that end up being popular. How could you not love an episode where the glee club’s assignment was to take a “bad” song and make it modern and relevant (take note, American Idol- great theme)! Who would have thought Total Eclipse of the Heart and Safety Dance would end up being popular again?

Here are a handful of songs I’ve chosen based partly on iTunes popularity and partly on personal choice. Hopefully it’s a good enough mix for me to report my very scientific results.

American Idol
· Beautiful Day (U2) – Lee DeWyze – Nothing special about this version, definitely better sung by U2.
· Hallelujah (various) – Lee DeWyze – I read criticism for choosing this song because Simon Cowell apparently owns the rights to it, but it’s a really pretty song. Lee did okay with it- still don’t know if it’s worth listening to his version over another (we got hooked on it in our house from the original Shrek soundtrack).
· Falling Slowly (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) – Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox – I fell in love with this song when it was sung at the Oscars a year or so back- it is a really pretty song, slow and quiet. In my opinion Lee and Crystal jazzed it up a little too much and took away from why it was such a great song to begin with.
· Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney) – Crystal Bowersox – It would be intimidating to sing a song originally done by one of the Beatles, but in this case I think it’s easier not to draw comparisons than it would have been if a male had sung it. She stayed pretty true to the original version and sounded good.
· Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) – Crystal Bowersox – Now this is a version I like better than the original. To me, Crystal’s voice softens the song a little from the brassy original version (I know that was Janis’ style, I just don’t love it). Crystal rocks it toward the end and sounds great!
· The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra) – Michael Lynche – I do love Michael and if I could sit down and have a chat with him about his future, I would steer him more toward John Legend or Al Green than Frank (although that was the challenge that week, so not really his fault, I guess). This particular song is great, and he put kind of a big band sound to it, which unfortunately resulted in kind of a lounge vibe. This didn’t work for me, but I am looking forward to what we hear from him when it’s his own work.

Glee
· Poker Face (Lady Gaga) – Until the chorus, it’s hard to even recognize this song no matter how many times you’ve heard the original because it’s quite a bit slower and accompanied only by piano. When I heard this song on the show I didn’t really like, but it’s definitely growing on me.
· Gives You Hell (All American Rejects) – This version is sung by a female, which immediately makes it different from the original, and it’s sung with a lot of feeling (kind of an angry song anyway, not that you can tell from the title), which is cool. I like it!
· Beautiful (Christina Aguilera) – On the show this song was sung by a Jennifer Hudson type girl and I wish she had belted it out a bit more, but it was pretty controlled, even though it was pleasant enough. She got into it a little at the end, but I think it could have been a lot more.

And the winner is: Glee! My reasons: Glee isn’t afraid to REALLY change up the songs, which gives the songs a completely new sound, and they match the songs to a particular situation, making them more heartfelt. I am, however, looking forward to some new songs by the AI crew. Picks from this group:

· Me and Bobby McGee – Crystal Bowersox
· Poker Face – Glee Cast
· Gives You Hell – Glee Cast

Okay, I will use this post as an opportunity to expose people to Sufjan Stevens. A couple of his songs were featured in the movie Little Miss Sunshine. Since he doesn’t seem to do actual videos, use this as more of a way to become acquainted with his work, not necessarily to be entertained by the video. This song is called Chicago and is from his Album Illinoise (yes, Illinoise). If Lee uses Sufjan as his model he’ll be in good shape!

Eighties Flashback

Nothing takes me back to a specific event or time more than a certain song or artist. I went to both high school and college during the eighties, and as with any time period it saw its share of bad music, but there was plenty of good music as well. I consider high school and college as formative years, musically. A lot of what I listened to was influenced by who I hung around and what they were listening to. My college roommate opened the door for me to music beyond Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen, my mainstays, into R.E.M. and U2, both of whom were huge in the late eighties. I had a slightly funkier influence from several older and wiser aunts who were into Talking Heads.

Everyone could compile a list of songs that are memorable to them for some reason from their high school and college days. Here is mine:

· My Best Friend’s Girl (The Cars) – for some reason my friends and I listened to The Cars rather obsessively
· Tempted (Squeeze) – this was a popular bar song. Ah, Squeeze…
· Welcome to the Boomtown (David & David) – I’m not sure why I decided I liked this group and bought the entire album, and I’m also not sure they had another hit
· Modern Love (David Bowie) – I loved David Bowie and bought the Just Dance album with my babysitting money. I’m sure I was NOT David Bowie’s target audience
· Lips Like Sugar (Echo and the Bunnymen) – This was me being sort of edgy in college, although in reality it was my roommate being cool and me just along for the ride
· Pump It Up (Elvis Costello) – I will always associate this song with doing group aerobics in the lounge of my freshman dorm, which I’m sure was quite a sight
· Forever Man (Eric Clapton) – I could not even guess how many times I listened to Clapton’s Behind the Sun [tape] on my Walkman (yes, Walkman!)
· Lean on Me (Club Nouveau) – this was the funky new version of Bill Withers’ song and the girls in the dorm room next door played it over and over and over…
· I’m Sorry (Hothouse Flowers) – While I was studying in Vienna my junior year of college, my roommate there introduced me to this group, and I must say they’ve held up well
· Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police) – I don’t think there’s much I need to say about Synchronicity
· (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville (R.E.M.) – Again, a nod to my college roommate who got me into R.E.M. when they were still kind of toward the beginning of their careers
· Love For Sale (Talking Heads) – my Denver aunts got me into Talking Heads and for some reason my freshman year roommate thought the name of this song was hilarious
· Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2) – I remember that my roommate mentioned that her little sister told her that U2 must hate Sundays as much as she did because of the title of this song- very funny
· The One Thing (INXS) – This group was kind of getting popular in college. I loved the name of this album, Shabooh Shoobah

The eighties also saw the dawn of MTV, and back then they actually played videos. In retrospect, I’m a little shocked that my family a) had cable, and b) my mom allowed what I recall as unlimited doses of music videos. I’m including a video that is as bizarre to watch now as it was then (who could forget Ric Ocasek’s head on the body of a bug???). Enjoy the flashback!

The Black Keys: Brothers

I have to admit that I’m rather surprised this album is so high on iTunes right now (#2 a week after its release), not because it’s not good (it’s very good), but because it just doesn’t seem like it has the sound that would give it a wide audience appeal, particularly in its first week out and being a band that isn’t super widely known (I don’t think- maybe it’s just me). I reviewed Tighten Up in Misc. Singles and loved it. I was excited and surprised to see it doing so well sales-wise, so I took the plunge and bought the album. I can only blame myself for not knowing what I’m getting in these situations, but in this case it’s a good thing! If I had known this was a very bluesy album I doubt I would have bought it, but I have really grown to like it.

My first couple times listening to an album if I’m not familiar with the artist is always kind of a blur- it has an overall sound and that’s about all I come away with. To be honest, I didn’t really like it at first since when I listened to it I was not sitting in a smoky club and am not currently going through a bad breakup but rather was sitting on my back porch or going about my suburban mom kitchen duties- possibly not quite the right setting for this one. My kids were also not impressed, and this one is definitely not designed for the ‘tween or teen set. I thought the overall tempo of the songs was very slow and the lyrics fairly depressing (more on that later). When I started considering the songs individually and got to know them better, however, it turned out there is only one song that I really think is over the top blues and I don’t enjoy. In fact, I’m having a hard time narrowing down a list of singles to recommend because I like so many and think they’re probably better as a group than on an individual basis.

I often think that whether you like or don’t like a particular song or album has to do with what mood you’re in and what emotions the songs evoke. This one digs deep as the sound and lyrics are so soulful. When I found out that one of the two members of the group was going through a bad divorce while the songs were being written, it kind of made sense. I almost feel like I’m invading his privacy listening to the songs and knowing that. Mind you, not all of the songs are sad or depressing- there are upbeat moments, but the blues sound in general is not going to make your pre-party playlist. After I had listened to this album a few times through, I decided that The Black Keys could be compared to Ray Lamontagne in case you already know you like his sound.

Get this album but know that you need to give it some time and consider it contemplatively. Let it reach those deep down feelings and you will really appreciate (and enjoy) it. Okay, I tried to list the singles I would recommend and ended up with a list of 9 of the 15 songs on the album, which is ridiculous. The video for Tighten Up is below. That song is probably the most upbeat and I still think it has the potential to be popular on a wider scale. I guess if you held a gun to my head and told me to pick one or two more to recommend I would say Everlasting Light and The Only One as those would give you a good taste of what the overall album sounds like.

On another note, I’m still loving New Pornographers’ album. If you didn’t catch the video in my previous post check it out- they’re good.

The New Pornographers: Together

One of the things I like about writing these posts is that it has pushed me to try music that I might not ordinarily listen to. It also gives my brain something to do when it’s not otherwise engaged (see previous post). I find it very easy to get caught up in a daily routine that seems quite similar from one day to the next, and while being a mom to four kids is very challenging and rewarding and my job certainly keeps me busy, I sometimes feel itchy to experience more. To me, music is more accessible, from both a monetary and logistical standpoint, than other new experiences (travel or art or even dining). I’ve found it hard to express why I like or dislike a particular song or album, especially in a way that other people will find either interesting or compelling. Music is such a personal thing, so why let someone else choose what new music you hear by just listening to the radio? Whether you like or dislike something new, it’s fun to try something that might be outside of your everyday realm. I also think it’s cool to find music that everyone else isn’t listening to.

And that is my transition to Together by The New Pornographers. I liked Crash Years (from Misc. Singles II) so much that I thought I’d try the whole album by this band. As I mentioned in that post, I had subconsciously formed an opinion of this group based on their name, assuming there would be some vulgarity associated with their music- how Tipper Gore of me! In reality, they are an indie group comprised of two females and five males, and they mix up their music pretty well. Some songs have female leads, some male leads and some both, kind of like listening to a mix tape. You could definitely play this in the car with your kids, although I’m not sure how happy they would be about that- this is not as flashy as Ke$ha or Lady Gaga.

The iTunes version of this album has 3 bonus tracks, bringing the total number of songs to 14. While there are no songs that I strongly dislike, some favorites have definitely emerged. Test drive the 30-second version on iTunes and fork over $0.99 for one of these songs:

· A Bite Out of My Bed (shared lead vocals)
· Valkyrie in the Roller Disco (male lead)
· My Shepherd (female lead) – my favorite
· Crash Years (female lead) - getting radio play
· Your Hands (Together) (shared lead vocals) - video below
· Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk (shared lead vocals)

The video for Your Hands is below, and so far it is the only video from this album, which just came out two weeks ago. Impressive martial arts- enjoy!