The Band: The Middle East Location: Townsville, Queensland, Australia Label: Missing Piece Records Upcoming Album: I Want That You Are Always Happy (due: July 12th) Learn More: http://www.themiddleeastmusic.com
The band has a low-key sound akin to the idea of Elliott Smith had he had the opportunity to record with She & Him; it’s light, smartly developed and has the hooks to dig into your brain without you suspecting anything. The single, “Jesus Came To My Birthday Party,” is featured on their new album, due out on Tuesday, which is the follow-up to 2008′s Recordings of the Middle East. They’ve built their touring chops while opening for up-and-comers like Mumford & Sons, and clearly they’re a band worth keeping an ear toward. The album’s already a top twenty hit in Australia — now it’s set to be their breakthrough in the US. Enjoy the free download and feel free to post your opinions on the single below!
Why not just give it to the Be Sharps? Oh wait ...
The Grammy nominations for “Best New Artist” are:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spaulding
And the winner is … who the fuck is Esperanza Spaulding?
Okay, seriously. I know the Grammys don’t mean jack these days, and NARAS wouldn’t be itself if they didn’t screw up at least one big award. But I think Bob Lefsetz summed it up with one line: “This is what eviscerates the credibility of NARAS. Is it a mainstream clusterfuck or an insider circle jerk?”
Indeed.
You change the rules to make sure Drake can still be nominated. You add in Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons — and Mumford has actually sold more than 750,000 copies of their debut, despite supposedly not having amarketable sound.
Then you nominate “Leave it to Bieber” to keep the teen set interested, and the best they can think of is to give the award to a jazz bassist and singer who has sold maybe 5,000 copies of her albums if she’s lucky. Oh, wait, it’s a Herbie Hancock sized conspiracy to help her have next week’s #1 album when thousands of drooling TV viewing morons rush out to buy what the Grammys’ told them insiders really are listening to.
Esperanza Spaulding is Best New Artist? Please.
Why not just give it to the Be Sharps? Oh wait ...
The Grammy nominations for “Best New Artist” are:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spaulding
And the winner is … who the fuck is Esperanza Spaulding?
Okay, seriously. I know the Grammys don’t mean jack these days, and NARAS wouldn’t be itself if they didn’t screw up at least one big award. But I think Bob Lefsetz summed it up with one line: “This is what eviscerates the credibility of NARAS. Is it a mainstream clusterfuck or an insider circle jerk?”
Indeed.
You change the rules to make sure Drake can still be nominated. You add in Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons — and Mumford has actually sold more than 750,000 copies of their debut, despite supposedly not having amarketable sound.
Then you nominate “Leave it to Bieber” to keep the teen set interested, and the best they can think of is to give the award to a jazz bassist and singer who has sold maybe 5,000 copies of her albums if she’s lucky. Oh, wait, it’s a Herbie Hancock sized conspiracy to help her have next week’s #1 album when thousands of drooling TV viewing morons rush out to buy what the Grammys’ told them insiders really are listening to.
Puhleeeze … It’s Jethro Tull in the metal category all over again. I’ll let Homer Simpson lead us out:
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February 14, 2011 | Categories: Commentary | Tags: Best New Artist, Bob Lefsetz, Drake, Esperanza Spaulding, Florence + The Machine, Grammy, Herbie Hancock, Homer Simpson, Jethro Tull, Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, NARAS | 2 Comments »