Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Fuzzy Bits: December 13, 2005

New Releases Week!
Among the releases this week is Beck's Guerolito which is a collection of remixes from his Guero album. Like all other remix albums, this one is pretty sketchy at best but does feature a few killer remixes that are well worth mentioning if you haven't heard them already as they were previously released as singles. Those are: "GHETTOCHIP MALFUNCTION (Hell Yes remix by 8Bit)," "Ghost Range (E-Pro remix by Homelife)," and finally "Broken Drum (remix by Boards of Canada)." The others range from decent to relatively disposable, and overall probably won't hold your attention for more than one listen. Also released this week is Ludacris' label Disturbing Tha Peace album, which, like every other label album before, features pretty mediocre talent outside of the major acts, and those few tracks alone don't make the album worth purchasing. Unfortunately overall it looks like another weak release week, so for those looking for something new to get or perhaps even a Christmas purchase, try mulling over the recent reviews and the first portion of the Fuzzy Thoughts Top 40 of 2005 list (the second installment of which will be coming this weekend).

Grammy News!
It would be nice if the Grammy's at least pretended they cared about actual talent rather than simply the most popular artists, but once again the MTV awards for everyone leaves a lot to be desired with their nominations. John Legend (huh?), Mariah Carey (double huh?) and Kanye West lead the list of nominees with eight each.
Album of the Year Nominees
Mariah Carey Emancipation of Mimi
Kanye West Late Registration
U2 How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Gwen Stefani Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Record of the Year Nominees
"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
"Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul
"Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
"Gold Digger" by Kanye West

The only nominations worth noting is that Common received four nominations, including best rap performance and best rap album. Also, The Arcade Fire received a nod for Alternative Album of the Year, competing with Beck, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab for Cutie, and the White Stripes. Surprisingly, Coldplay has been snubbed for the majority of nominations settling for at best Rock Album of the Year and also the previously mentioned White Stripes only received one other nomination. Personally, I'll be waiting for the Shortlist awards.

Prince set to release new album
Prince's new album 3121 should be coming out soon, although a specific date has yet to be set. The video for his single "Te Amo Corazón" was released today on his NPG Music Club webpage. It stars Mia Maestro (Motorcycle Diaries), and was directed by Salma Hayek. Prince plans to support his latest release next year.

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