WTFEntertainment

Hey everyone! Just a quick update to let you all know that the WTFStore has been updated with two new retro designs! PacMan and Incredible Hulk! Check out the PAC-MAN parody before they take it down LOL!

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I’ve been a fan of Alison Krauss ever since I heard her breathtaking a Capella rendition of “Down To The River To Pray” in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?. That song and 15 others make up this beautifully eclectic mess of music called “A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection”. The official press release from Rounder Records reads as follows.

“A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection” is comprised of 16 tracks, highlighting Alison Krauss’s career outside of her traditional releases with longtime band Union Station. The album features Krauss’s collaboration with John Waite on the single “Missing You,” as well as Krauss’s contributions to film soundtracks, including the Oscar-nominated songs “The Scarlet Tide” and “You Will Be My Ain True Love,” written for the motion picture “Cold Mountain,” and “Down to the River to Pray” from the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Known for her collaborations, Krauss also includes several duets in the collection such as the 2003 hit with Brad Paisley, “Whiskey Lullaby,” and her duet with James Taylor for the tribute album “Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers,” “How’s the World Treating You.” The collection debuts five new songs: “You’re Just a Country Boy,” “Jacob’s Dream,” “Simple Love,” “Lay Down Beside Me,” and “Away Down the River,” all of which feature Krauss as a producer.

Alison’s voice is as enchanting as ever with an ability to completely remove me from my head and exist in between the notes she sings. There are very few singers who have that ability and I sincerely hope she keeps making the music she wants to make and avoids the commercial pitfalls of overproduced studio albums. There are a few weak spots in the album but they are more than made up for by the rest of the songs. The sweetest surprise for me was the cover of “Baby Mine”. A little ditty you may remember from a truly heartbreaking scene in the Disney classic Dumbo. I didn’t think the song alone would be as moving but Alison’s voice is absolutely magical and takes you right back to the outside of the tiny circus car with bars on the windows where Dumbo’s mother comforts him in the darkness. Luckily for us, Alison’s voice carries much farther than Mrs. Jumbo’s.

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I will be the first to admit, I enjoy crappy entertainment. I watch TV shows and movies that no one in my age bracket would ever admit to and talk about them openly with my friends and colleagues. I am an unapologetic fan of Avril Lavigne. I picked up her debut album “Let Go” after hearing the first single and I’ve been listening to her brand of bubblegum punk ever since. This morning I watched her latest video “Girlfriend” and even I, with my 14 year old girly taste in music couldn’t believe what I was hearing (or seeing for that matter). I don’t know how the decision was made to create this horrible piece of, and I use the term loosely, music was made but whoever masterminded this song should never be allowed in music again. The song itself is completely devoid of the charm and honesty that I saw in both her previous albums in songs like “Anything But Ordinary” and “My Happy Ending”. Those other two albums were written, if not by a strong maturing young woman, at least with them in mind. This new song and video strip away all the things I loved about the first two albums, and Avril herself, and leave us with another Britney Spears. Granted this one has better guitars but that’s not saying a whole lot.

Avril seems to be going backwards. She used to make songs about crushes and lost loves and now she’s moved into the trap a lot of young women sadly fall into. The song and video show once again how young women are portrayed in a lot of media. As vicious bitches who will stop at nothing to get the man they desire. There is a gang mentality, girl on girl violence and a general lack of anything even remotely resembling empowerment. It’s a shame really. Avril seemed to be offering so much more.

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I’m not too terribly familiar with Wilco. My only exposure to them is one song in an episode of Gilmore Girls but I liked it so I thought I would give their upcoming album a listen and see if a whole bunch of Wilco was as good as one tune on a soundtrack. The short answer is, kind of.

I can’t say I loved this album. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly inspired pieces of music mixed in there. The problem is, they are smooshed inside some truly mediocre songs. The song “You Are My Face” was obviously inspired by Pink Floyd’s later works, but only in places. There are transitions that remind me of the better tracks off “The Division Bell” but for the most part the song is just kind of there. I don’t feel any emotion even though the lyrics are quite good. Sadly, this song is indicative of the bulk of the album. A lot of these songs would work well in a film or on the television show as a snippet of music. Several of the tracks, the aforementioned “You Are My Face” included feel broken due to awkward changes in tempo.

Wilco is heavily inspired by 70’s rock music. The Pink Floyd presence isn’t the only one that can be heard. There is a dose of Neal Young, Eric Clapton and Queen mixed in their sound as well. A lot of the lyrics seem like they could be blues songs especially “Hate It Here”, arguably the best song on the album and the one I’m most likely to listen to again.

If you’ve heard Wilco before and like their sound, I would suggest you check out Modest Mouse or Ben Folds for something a little better. Sky Blue Sky will be released May 15^th.

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