MJ Climbs A Tree

Such a rare glimpse into the "real" Michael Jackson. This will most likely be the last post on MJ for a while. Thanks to all of you who put up with it, and blogging about the man really isn't much of a tribute but we really lost a great one last week. Rest In Peace Michael.

RIP MJ

Michael Jackson died today at the age of 50. Some people think he's a creepy pedophile but the fact of the matter is this man gave more to music than almost any other person over the span of his career. There will most definitely be a tribute mix to follow soon. Sad day for musc. RIP MJ.

Song of the Day

Your 3 Guys Dancing Oddly To Ocarina Of Time of the Day (PAUSE)

This is not gay. This is hilarious. If you don't enjoy the "Ocarina of Time" music then just do yourself a favor and never come to this blog again.

Wale feat. Mike Posner, Big Sean & Kenn Starr - Wonder Why (prod. 9th Wonder) [Final Version]

Check out Kenn Starr (his blog is featured in the Linktastic section which I know you all go to religiously) on a Wale track entitled "Wonder Why." Yezzur.

DOWNLOAD LINK ------> Wale feat. Mike Posner, Big Sean & Kenn Starr - Wonder Why

Exclusive: Chester French Interview

I recently had a chance to talk with the guys from Chester French who's debut album drops April 21. In a lighthearted and earnest conversation the guys talk about Twitter, their VIP Concierge service for fans and the age-old question of who wins in a fight, Gorilla vs. Bear?

You may or may not have heard the name Chester French bandied about recently. That's not important. What is important is that you pay attention to Chester French. You might be asking yourself hey guy who is Chester French? Good question, I'll answer it because I'm nice like that. No, it's not a fantastical cartoon character who wears suspenders and has a curly mustache like you thought it was. Chester French is a band made up of members D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey. Signed to Pharrell Williams' label, Star Trak, the group is seemingly on a collision course with awesomeness. Their debut album "Love The Future" hits stores April 21 and based on the mixtape they released this past week (for free!) it's sure to be redonk. Hard Peaches recently had a chance to talk to the guys about topics ranging from how they see services like Twitter helping artists reach their audience, their esteemed concierge VIP service, and even their favorite animals and colors. Here's some of the things the guys from Chester French were kind enough to reveal:

HP: First guys, I want to say great job on Jacques Jams Voume 1: Endurance (the groups free mixtape). How was it working with Clinton Sparks and the seemingly endless amount of featured artists?

Chester French: Awesome.

HP: Let's talk about services like Twitter and how you see them helping artists such as yourselves reach fans and potential fans?

D.A.: Well, music should be a communal experience. We're trying to bring people together through a common thread and that's our music. Twitter is just one of the way we can reach people. We also have a Concierge Service on our website www.chesterfrench.com that allows people to sign up and receive exclusive content and invites to special parties. The way we look at is the people who support us know truly are VIP's.

HP: No doubt. It's definitely refreshing to see artists taking an active interest in their fans and supporters. I read that you named your band after the sculptor Daniel Chester French. Why?

D.A.: We thought it was a cool name.

HP: That's a good reason. As people may or may not know you guys went to Harvard and formed your band there. How did you find the Boston music scene and how were you received in general.

D.A.: We played to a lot of empty bars and clubs. We weren't really received that well in Boston, when we went underground and started working is when we found a lot of things happening.

HP: I'm obligated to ask what instruments you guys play?

Max: I play Guitar, Bass and Keys well. I can pretty much hack it on any instrument except woodwinds.

D.A.: I sing and can play drums.

HP: Cool. Who are some of artists that you guys are currently listening to?

Chester French: Eric Satie (a French minimalist composer) and The Talking Heads.

HP: What's the last song you guys listened to?

Chester French: "Get By" by Talib Kweli. We performed it live last night with Talib and it was great.

HP: Awesome, the Nina Simone sample in that song is killer. Now to find out some more about you guys as people, the questions everybody wants to know. What's your favorite color, animal, and great lake.

D.A.: My favorite color is purple. I really like Elephants but also the Bengal Tiger. And my favorite Great Lake is Lake Michigan because I live on it.

Max: My favorite color is brown...obviously. My favorite animal is a Human and my favorite great lake is the Atlantic Ocean.

HP: Alright, now the people know. Few more questions. Who would win a fight: a gorilla or a bear, assuming they were of equal size and stature.

D.A. (pause) Bear. I mean, bears have claws and they're really fast and they're bigger.

HP: Assume they're equal in size.

Max: It's gotta be a Bear, just their claws and speed...although a Silverback Gorilla is pretty bad.

HP: Don't underestimate the intelligence factor of the Gorilla.

Chester French: (The general consensus was Bear wins)

HP: Can you talk about the creative process for your debut album "Love The Future"

Chester French: We just played a lot of Twister and vibed off that.

HP: That's exactly what I imagined it to be. Last question, are you guys fans of any particular sports teams?

Chester French: As our mixtape Jacques Jams Volume 1: Endurance shows we're a fan of all athletics. It's all about getting your endurance up.

HP: Hahaha, nice. Thanks guys for your time, it's appreciated and best of luck with the new album.

Chester French: Thanks.

While the guys were modest and tolerant of some of the odder questions it's clear that Chester French are employing a grass-roots strategy of reaching out to fans and supporters and making them feel welcome. That combined with the quality of their music seems to be a recipe for success. With innovative marketing strategies and unprecedented accessibility Chester French are creating quite the buzz from within the music industry. It seems only natural that type of enthusiasm will extend to music fans far and wide. Here's wishing the best for the guys from Chester French although I must insist that a gorilla can take a bear in a no-holds barred grudge match.

Pure Human Vocals

So powerful. And creepy. Gotta mention the creepy.

Grammy Predictions

I like to think that I'm really good at predicting outcomes of Award shows. Now I'm testing whether I am in fact good at it or I'm just delusional. Probably a combination of the two. So here are my predictions of who I think will win coveted Grammy's (for categories that I deem pertinent) and who I hope wins in each category.

Record of the Year

Nominees: Adele - Chasing Pavements, Coldplay - Viva La Vida, Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love, M.I.A. - Paper Planes, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Please Read The Letter

Who I want to win: Adele

Who I think will win: Adele

Synopsis: Maybe it's just wishful thinking but I really believe that Adele is going to be the "surprise" winner at this years Grammy's. Her album "19" is fantastic and "Chasing Pavements" appeals to music connaisseur's and pop fans alike. Sure Coldplay could make a push but that song was just OK and they straight stole it from Joe Satriani. Bleeding Love was pretty fucking money but let's be real "Chasing Pavements" takes it out back and has it's way with it when the crowds go home.

Album of the Year

Nominees: Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III, Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand, Radiohead - In Rainbows

Who I want to win: Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman

Who I think will win: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Synopsis: Very weak category this year. Coldplay's album is decent not great, Weezy's album was ultimately disappointing despite being the best selling album of the year. Radiohead, well, they're Radiohead and their album was pretty good but let's be real it's not the best album of the year by any stretch of the imagination. The only album I didn't listen to was Robert Plant's so maybe that's a winner and I just missed it. Ne-Yo's album I liked and it's really just the best of a bad group. I'd be blown away if "Year of the Gentleman" actually wins though.

Song of the Year

Nominees: American Boy, Chasing Pavements, I'm Yours, Love Song, Viva La Vida

Who I want to win: Chasing Pavements

Who I think will win: Chasing Pavements

Synopsis: It's not surprise that I'm pulling for Adele here but I actually think she has a shot in this one. This is a real solid category and some serious competition. This could go to anyone really with the notable exception of "Viva La Vida" since they just stole the song.

Best New Artist

Nominees: Adele, Duffy, Jonas Brothers, Lady Antebellum, Jazmine Sullivan

Who I want to win: Adele

Who I think will win: Jazmine Sullivan

Synopsis: Another very tough category. Everyone is worthy (although I'm not very acquainted with Lady Antebellum) except the Jonas Brothers. I mean I guess people like them right? And by people I of course mean your 10 year old sister. Jazmine Sullivan probably deserves this as much as anyone because her album was extremely solid and she's an amazing artist. Duffy also is pretty good but again I really think Adele should be the winner but I just don't see her sweeping all these categories.

Here are my predictions for some other categories:

Best Female Pop Performance

My horse: Adele - Chasing Pavements

Expected Winner: Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

Best Male Pop Performance

My Horse: Ne-Yo - Closer

Expected Winner: Ne-Yo - Closer

Best Pop Vocal Album

My Horse: Leona Lewis - Spirit

Expected Winner: Leona Lewis - Spirit

Best Dance Recording

My horse: Rihanna - Disturbia

Expected Winner: Lady Gaga - Just Dance

Best Rock Album:

My Horse: Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

Expected Winner: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Best Female RnB Vocal Performance

My Horse: Jazmine Sullivan - Need U Bad

Expected Winner: Alicia Keys - Superwoman

Best Male RnB Vocal Performance

My Horse: Ne-Yo - Miss Independent

Expected Winner: Ne-Yo - Miss Independent

Best RnB Album

My Horse: Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It

Expected Winner: Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson

Best Contemporary RnB Album

My Horse: J. Holiday - Back Of My Lac

Expected Winner: Jazmine Sullivan - Fearless

Best Rap Solo Performance

My Horse: Lil Wayne - A Milli

Expected Winner: Lil Wayne - A Milli

Best Rap Song

My Horse: Lil Wayne - Lollipop

Expected Winner: Lil Wayne - Lollipop

Best Rap Album

My Horse: T.I. - Paper Trail

Expected Winner: Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Producer Of The Year

My Horse: Will.I.Am

Expected Winner: Will.I.Am

RIP J Dilla

I'm not going to pretend that I'm the preeminent source of knowledge on all things Dilla. Or that I even knew who Dilla was before one of my good friends introduced me to him a while ago. I will say that his music is fucking amazing. If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to anything by him I sincerely hope you take the time today or sometime in the near future to listen. It's impossible to count all the times I've just zoned out listening to his shit. Really it's just other worldly stuff. The good die young huh? RIP J Dilla.

The Most Disturbing Music Video Of All Time...Ever

This seems like a very specific target demographic if you ask me.

American Idol

The new season of American Idol starts tonight and I for one am pretty effing amped! Sure, pretend you're too cool to watch it. What is it that you don't like exactly? The delusional people who think they can sing really well and epicly fail again and again? Or is it the hot pieces that come up and only go to Hollywood because Simon Cowell is a creepy old englishman? I usually say every season that I'm only going to watch the initial auditions and then I'm out. Inevitably I end staying for the whole season because it's awesome. So go ahead and act like you're better than all of us who watch this show. If that's what helps you sleep better at night more power to ya.

Aiiiight

This video shows not much separates T-Pain from a homeless guy. Not bad. Is he white and dropping the n*bomb though?

Britney Spears: For The Record

This was a good one. I don't think I'm overstating it when I say this is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. In case you live on another planet (or have better things to do than worry about Britney Spears) For The Record is the new documentary about Spears that premiered on MTV last night. They filmed Britney for 60 days. Let me point out how fucking insane that is. They filmed the girl for 60 fucking days. I guarantee if you film any human being for 60 days they're gonna bug out at least 3 of those days. And Spears certainly doesn't hold back. Sometimes she comes off as naive, childish and even a little stupid. However, the most compelling part of the documentary is how vulnerable she is. When giving an interview with the film crew she starts to explain how she feels imprisoned and how no one actually listens to her (which is a reasonable enough statement considering they splice footage of Spears trying to tell her posse how she feels trapped and they just laugh at her like she's telling a joke). Mid-sentence she turns to the side and stares off into space and then whispers through tears, "I'm sad," and starts to cry. I don't know how sad you have to be to utter those words on camera and just let it go like that but I'm guessing pretty fucking sad. I defy anyone to not feel bad for the girl during that moment. You can point out that she doesn't talk about her kids that much but I don't really think that's fair considering 60 days worth of footage got condensed into a little over an hour. Listen, I'm always tough on the celebrities. I feel like if you choose to be in the public light to earn your living you need to be prepared to deal with the consequences of being a public figure. This documentary made me question that sentiment. This is just a really good case study of a human being living in an extraordinary situation. Check it.

I Love The Chosen One

This song has been stuck in my head for many moons. From "The Mighty Boosh" which you should check out.

Album Review: Britney Spears - Circus

First things first: "Circus" is no "Blackout." Got it? Good. That being said this album is decent. It's a combination of some danceable songs and a few ballads. It actually sounds like a combination of her "Blackout" stuff with the Britney Spears of days gone by. The production is solid for the majority of the album (as though we would expect anything less from a Spears' album) but it doesn't have that extra something that propelled "Blackout" into super sleeper awesome status. The title track, "Circus" is good but not great. "Kill the Lights" sounds like it wants to be something special but ends up just being an OK song. My favorite track is definitely, "Lace and Leather." That shit just bumps, unfortunately it's the shortest track on the album. I also kinda fuck with, "Unusual You" not sure why, but I do. I don't know I just expected a whole lot more from this album and I ultimately end up feeling like it let me down. Granted, I haven't tested the album out while inebriated but it definitely is a step back from "Blackout." The irony is that this album will probably end up doing much better commercially than "Blackout" mainly due to the fact that Britney went insane and did no promo for "Blackout" when it was coming out. Ah well.

Official HardPeaches Rating: 5.9/10

The Creepiest Music Video Of All Time

Ummmm. Just a few things. Why are they singing this song to that little black kid? Why do they look like that? Is this our first true glimpse into the realm of Hades?

Solange Knowles - Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams

Album review time!

This album is a sleeper. Yeah, that's right, a sleeper. A juggernaut with ballerina shoes. We all remember kid sis right? You know, Beyonce's little sister? I'll say this, Solange ain't no Beyonce. In this particular case that's not a bad thing. Don't get me wrong I love my Destiny's Child and Beyonce as much as the next person. "Bills, Bills, Bills" is always in my rotation. Solange just chose to go a different way with it. I heard that she was going for that throwback Motown feel that's very popular nowadays a while ago. I was concerned. That's soul music. Was Beyonce's lil' sis gonna be able to pull that off? And that, ultimately, is the greatest thing about this album. At no time during the whole record do you feel like she's being forced to do something outside of her comfort zone. The fact that it works so effortlessly is really a great achievement and a testament to her as an artist. Solange really seems to have a deep respect for those who came before her and in no way is she striving to be Beyonce. My fav tracks have to be the previously mentioned "Sandcastle Disco" the super chilled out "ChampagneChroniKnightCap" which also features Lil' Wayne (is there anything he's not on?...the answer is no) and "Valentine's Day" which sounds exactly like a N.E.R.D song. Speaking of Pharrell and friends the Neptunes produced the entire album. There's a feather in your cap. If you're used to getting albums with just a few songs you like and then the rest is filler this is a suprising and awesome change of pace. Check it.

Official HardPeaches rating: 8/10

Gold Jerry, Gold

Thank me later. There's just so much going on in this video that it's hard to really analyze. Although guitar guy is in the early lead for most awesome. Although I do like fat guy who looks like he was forced to be there. And the lyrics are awesome. And the lead singer is wailing on the bass. I really have to give this video a solid 9.6/10.

It's Official, Britney Is Hot Again

You may remember a few weeks ago I had a post up about how Britney was trying to get hot again. Well guess what? She did it. Against all odds she has returned to her pre-insanity form. I'm still kind of in awe. I mean, I said all along she could do it. She's just really sensitive and had a few bad breaks. Everyone can relate to that right? Not only that but she even won some VMA's (like that fucking means anything). "Piece of Me"me won for best female video. Personally, I stopped watching the VMA's like 10 years ago because I realized they sucked and they also had some weird drill music that year that made my head hurt, but still, good for her. So congratulations Britney, boners for everyone!

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is kinda hot huh? Badonkadonk! Who knew. If you missed it she was the headline speaker at the opening of the DNC. She gave a helluva speech and looked good doing it. Granted, she came out to a Stevie Wonder song and was also played off to one so she could have said anything and I would have liked her, but she was pretty awesome. Well done Barack, well done.

Speech:



Here's what she came out to. Classic.