The Truth About Music

"What's hot, what's not, and whats next in pop music"

The Starbucks Generation

By Harris posted June 08, 2009 at 16:29

We truly are the Starbucks generation. Of course others may call us the iPod generation or the internet generation, but I think Starbucks really does sum it up. This morning I was in America’s favorite high priced coffee house waiting in line to order a grande iced passion tea lightly sweetened. In front of me were a group of women in their 30′s and an older woman in her 50′s. As they moved through the ordering process at an extremely slow pace I actually wanted to feel bad for them all. They asked things like “Does skinny mean low fat?” and “Can I get a pump of flavor in that?” These were innocent questions that both the barista, and I were annoyed by. Although I wanted to feel bad for their lack of knowledge when ordering coffee in this fast paced world, I was just annoyed. It says something when [...] Continue...
The Greatest Band of "Our" Generation

By Harris posted June 07, 2009 at 14:00

A few nights ago me and a few friends were huddled in a basement, drinking and arguing about the thing we argue most about, music. Although the fights are usually friendly and generally about the idea of “indie,” vs “pop,” this night was different from all other nights. Although the night did not end in bloodshed there were some loud voices and a change in the night topic. The question was asked “who is the greatest band of our generation,” and that’s all we needed. The first important thing was to define “our generation.” As simple as this sounds, I sometimes drifted from what I believed this to be. Either way it was commonly thought of through the night as bands from the 90′s to now. During the opening arguments a few bands were thrown into the mix and quickly stirred around in the pot. The bands included Nirvana, Green [...] Continue...
Harris’ Song of the Week: Heartless (Written by Kanye West) Performed by Kris Allen

By Harris posted June 06, 2009 at 18:44

After winning American Idol it occurred to me that this weeks song of the week “Heartless,” was really his defining song. It shows Kris Allen’s ability to arrange songs and although I love this song as written and performed by Kanye West, it’s ability to be changed by Allen reveals it’s true greatness as a work of art. You can hear the original song somewhere lost in the background as you hear the Idol version orchestrated to include piano, guitar, strings, drums, backing vocals and of course Kris’ excellent vocals. “Heartless,” was surely reinvented for many old timers watching the show who would never of heard of Kanye West. Part of me loves these songs as separate entities, but still part of me would love to see these two get together at the many award shows and duet the song that has now been made famous by two different artists, [...] Continue...
The Truth About Music Radar: June 2nd, 2009

By Harris posted June 02, 2009 at 18:56

Sorry that this post comes so late in the day but I have finally begun working again after a long stretch of full time writing. This week presents a lot of new music that I am anxious to check out. The first thing on my list of things to check out is the sophomore release from Paolo Nutini. Coming off his first album, “These Streets,” which was really solid, “Sunny Side Up,” will feature some new material from the Scottish singer. Check this one out, I think you’ll enjoy it and if not, let me know why.The next album that I’m anxious to get is Taking Back Sunday’s 4th studio album “New Again.” I am getting ready to see them on their upcoming summer tour and possibly again as they perform a few shows with punk lords Blink 182. Although I cannot say that I’m a fan of the band, [...] Continue...