3 is it?

Yeah, we took it easy on Labor Day.

KKCK:

Pink “Funhouse”
If I’m not mistaken, this might be the most fun  yet lyrically dark song of 2009.  It gets my vote.

Ester Dean “Drop It Low”
This one will test your bass.  After that, it makes a nice ringtone.  A year later, we’ll see if anyone remembers it.

Muse “Uprising”
I have a few friends who love Muse, but I’ve never really been able to get into them.  I like this song a lot more than other Muse songs I’ve heard, and since we have a small history of playing hot Muse songs, I thought what the heck.  Some of the synth parts sounded very 80s, which I liked (and some Muse fans probably find it insulting I thought that).

Pink to click: Pink

One of my favorite MySpace bloggers is thinking about deleting her account.  I double post everything at MySpace and WordPress, but I’m not planning on deleting either.  If you’re somebody who reads this, who used to post on MySpace, drop me a comment or a note to where you’re posting now, if that’s something you’d like to share.  One of my favorite pastimes back in the mid 2000s was checking all the new MySpace blogs that I had to read each day, and now I’m lucky if there’s one or two from non-bands to read.  I have a folder of bookmarks for blogs, and I’m always looking for a few more to read.

Today hasn’t been the best day, so I’m not feeling overly communicative.  There’s always next week, so I’ll spend the next six days thinking of what to write next Wednesday.  The week after that the new music blog will go up either Tuesday or Thursday, as Wednesday is Braeden’s 1st birthday, so I’ll be away from the computer almost all day.

Five songs to answer five questions

The who, the what, the where, the when, the why?

KKCK:

Weezer “I Want You To”
THE WHO: Weezer, that’s who.
KKCK has a long tradition of hopping on the first Weezer single from a new album.  It at least goes back to “Hash Pipe” but might go back to Pinkerton, but that’s speculation on my part.  Records of the Pinkerton era were lost in the great “we never kept decent records until early 1997″ storm.  Some aren’t fond of Weezer’s sound since the green album, but I don’t get the hate or the fascination with Pinkerton that some folks have.  Any Weezer is better than no Weezer in my book.

Whitney Houston “Million Dollar Bill”
THE WHAT: Comeback of the decade?
She’s a late entry, but I remember when Whitney was supposed to be the next Aretha.  One Kevin Costner movie and marriage to Bobby Brown spun her singing career off the rails, but her new album is supposed to get it back on track.  This single has a real retro sound to it that might just work (and the fact it was written by Alecia Keys doesn’t hurt).  I’m rooting for her.

Bon Jovi “We Weren’t Born to Follow”
THE WHERE: Nowhere near Nashville.
I was worried Bon Jovi was going to stay in Nashville after their country success with their last album.  Instead, they decided on getting back to their rock roots and doing a rock album unlike other that they’ve done.  In terms of Bon Jovi, this is a bold and daring move.  Well, Richie Sambora said it would be “unlike any other” Bon Jovi album.  The first single doesn’t live up to that promise, but the Midwest, like Jersey, always loves a new Bon Jovi song.

Fabolous w/The-Dream “Throw It in the Bag”
THE WHEN: Um…when there’s a bag handy?
Okay, this one is a stretch, at least in terms of the question.  In terms of the song, Fabolous decides to skip the slow jam for a more fun, uptempo number.  The-Dream provides a smooth vocal compliment to Fabolous’s smooth flow.  What I’m trying to say is that this is a fun, smooth, uptempo bouncer.

Flyleaf “Again”
WHY: Past success
KKCK had a lot of luck with Flyleaf the last time around, so why not try ‘em again?  I dare say the new single is almost begging for crossover appeal.  Usually a band like this will drop a song that galvinizes their rock cred first, then go for mainstream crossover.  Instead, they’re trying to have it both ways with a song that tries to do both and almost succeeds.  Then again, I said “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas was a “meh” song and that’s morphed into the summer jam of ‘09, so I don’t know why anyone puts stock in anything I say.

Pick to click: Weezer

My dear old eMac is still in the shop, and life keeps giving me other things to focus on for the moment.  I’ll shoot for a full-on blog when my computer is back safe and sound.

Five songs, then a lot of blah-blah

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

KKCK:

Backstreet Boys “Straight Through My Heart”
So, Backstreet’s back…again.  The last time they came back, the song that heralded their return was pure boy band mush.  This time, they come back with a song with some zing, and it’s a more welcome comeback.  It’s also a more daring choice, and I’ll give them credit for that.

Lady Gaga “Paparazzi”
In just about a year, Lady Gaga went from being a curiosity to being able to drop a single on us that will do really well no matter what I say.  Rather than just type gibberish, I’d like to thank Lady Gaga for all the material she’s given KKCK music news.  Be it crazy fashion, crazy quotes, or straight up crazy, Lady Gaga has been a gold mine.  I hope she never goes away, or at least doesn’t while I’m doing music news.

Owl City “Fireflies”
This one is starting to make a run at CHR, while also surging on the alternative chart.  I can understand the Top-40 aspirations of the song, but I’m not sure why it’s rising so fast on the alt-chart.  The first time I heard this song it immediately registered as a pop rock song.  It doesn’t sound like anything else we’re playing, which is always a plus in my world.

3OH!3 “Starstrukk”
I really don’t want to like this song.  I don’t care for the lyrics, and even the edited version makes me nervous.  Something about the herky-jerky beat is irresistible to my ears, no matter how I try to remember why I don’t want to like the song.  3OH!3 is coming off a #1 single, so the follow up is almost always a sure thing on the charts, with few exceptions.

Bowling for Soup “My Wena”
In all my years of radio broadcasting, no song has prompted an angrier caller than this one, and that includes “The Bad Touch” and “Birthday Sex”.  The song is as catchy as any other B4S hit, but the band does go a bit far with the lyrics.  I didn’t think this one would cause too many problems, but I might have misjudged the market.  At least now I can say ” ‘my wena’ got me in trouble at work, but I didn’t get fired.”

Pick to click: Lady Gaga

About a year and a half ago, I started using WordPress as a blogging site, while continuing my weekly (kinda) work blog at MySpace (and later mirrored at WP).  Eventually my WP account had swelled to seven blogs, all dealing with different things.  While I wish I had enough time in the day to update them all regularly, there just isn’t a good way to do that.  I don’t want to spend my son’s childhood at work eight hours a day, and at a computer when I’m home and he’s awake.  Nor do I wish to spend every waking second typing and miss out on spending time with my wife, who has been nothing but supportive of my writing endeavors.  About the time I started writing, I started working on a book that fit my mental state at the time.  However, the actual writing process brought me to a place where I couldn’t work on the book I had started.  I bought a small notebook that I could jot other book ideas in, and soon I had filled over fifty pages with ideas for stories, books, and other things I wanted to write about.  One of those ideas was another novel concept, and I started working on that a few months ago.  With my writing time already spread out among other blogs, the work on this new project has been slow.  The other day an old friend posted a link to a humorous article by a book editor, which detailed the best ways to not get your manuscript looked at.  There was a link to another of her works, which was a test on being cut out to be a writer.  I took the mini quiz, and I scored in the range that said I was close, but it was time to get serious. 

If you’re reading this on MySpace, there’s no cause for alarm.  I’ve been doing these weekly new music blogs since 2004, and they won’t stop.  My blogging at russ4life will now be more sporadic, and 52 Cards is going on hiatus.  Cliffhanger Theater 2 may be postponed, and the 13 Shots blog will be largely unaffected, since I rarely post there anyway.  I may delete fanwitch entirely, but I haven’t decided yet.  I get a few views there, but the bulk of my views are still at my MySpace blog.  The time has come to focus the majority of my energy on finishing the big project, and then submitting it.  The odds of anything happening with it are astronomically low, but I at least want to make an effort. 

It’s been a while since I made the sentiment, but I want to thank all the regular readers for being regulars.  It means a lot.

Four musical cylinders…which ones are firing?

I’ll let you decide.

KKCK:

Kelly Clarkson “Already Gone”
Uptempo/uptempo/ballad is a time honored tactic.  Kelly Clarkson has played it perfectly so far.  While “Already Gone” should do very well, in the grand scheme of KC’s career, this song might be one of the more forgettable successes.  I’ve heard it a bunch and I couldn’t tell you the chorus due to the fact it’s so…bland.

Michael Franti & Spearhead “Say Hey (I Love You)”
On the other side of bland, we have this fun track that almost sounds like something KKCK would have played in the more free-for-all days of the mid to late 1990s.  The funny part about us adding this song is that some anonymous posters at a radio board have been on our case for playing this song for months (I have no idea what station they were listening to).  If the song ends up becoming a big hit, that would amuse me to no end.

Pitbull “Hotel Room Service”
When the “super extra clean” version still warrants a daypart, I know the kids will go nuts for it.

Rita “Love Has Begun”
It’s been a while since we spun an indie record, so we decided to give this singer a go.  Her info indicates she’s big in Israel, and I can’t remember playing an artist who had that claim to fame before.

Pick to click: Pitbull

Looking back over some recent entries, I get the impression I’m really rushing through these things.  I remember when the Wednesday MySpace music blog was the reason I looked forward to Wednesdays (now the big deal on Wednesdays is a new Zero Punctuation review).  I’m not sure if it’s because I’m writing other stuff elsewhere, or because MySpace’s struggles and diminishing popularity.  I’m still trying to figure out how I ended  up more busy at work and yet it seems like I get less done.  Age?  Incompetence?  Bad luck?  Farkle?

Pure speculation.

I don’t talk about albums I’ve heard lately, but I haven’t heard too many lately.  I had mixed feelings about the Dead Weather, but if the Raconteurs are any indicator, I’ll really like their second album more than the first.

I’m starting to wish I’d started a savings account just for the deluge of G.I. Joe related stuff coming down the pipe right now.  The fact I bought G.I. Joe shirts at ShopKo still blows my mind.

Here’s the problem with writing late at night.  I tend to get sleepy, and then I just awkwardly wrap things up with no real warning.

That’s all for this week.  Comments on the new songs are always welcome, or on songs you think we’re lacking.

When I’m alive, I gotta divide four songs

That and other statements clarified below.

KKCK:

David Guetta w/Kelly Rowland “When Love Takes Over”
What was the last dance track, non hip hop/rap division, that we had on?  Cascada?  Ian Van Dahl?  Darude?  Real McCoy?  Rednex?  Okay, maybe I went back a bit to far there.  Hopefully this track gives Kelly Rowland the shot in the arm her post-Destiny’s Child career needs.  To me, she’s always been the most under-rated member of that group. 

Metric “Help, I’m Alive”
This band is selling CDs like crazy in their native Canada, but not so much in the states yet.  Most Canadian artists do quite well on KKCK, so why not give them a shot?  Emily Haines has one of those voices I’d follow off a cliff, much like Fiona Apple or Becca from Rebels Victorious.  This could be a sleeper hit for us, or a non-event.  Our listeners are hard to predict when it comes to bands like this.

Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”
Imagine the most average sounding Black Eyed Peas song possible.  Or, listen to this one.  Why play it then?  These days B.E.P. can toss radio whatever and it will go top ten.  Yet some of their pre-Fergie tracks, like “Weekends”, remain in obscurity.

Linkin Park “New Divide”
I could say the same thing about this track, but it’s a bit above average for a Linkin Park song of the slower variety.  Plus, it’s tied into the new Transformers film, which means it should shoot up the charts fast, and disappear the weekend after the movie opens.

Pick to click: David Guetta w/Kelly Rowland

We’ve had a bit of a switcharoo at work on some shifts.  The biggest change for me was the sudden addition of 10 to 2 PM on our rock station, KARZ.  KARZ and I have had a long and complicated history, going back to her days as KBJJ.  Sitting in here for my prod time, hearing the liners and music, is really putting me in a bad mood.  In the past, every time I’ve been entrusted with something meaningful on KARZ, it has been taken away from me.  In the weeks leading up to the change, I’ve been trying to brainstorm and think of things I can do, but in the end I threw up my hands and said “what’s the point?”.  Granted, this new shift has also taken away my usual time working on commercials while listening to my iPod, and that might be part of the adjustment process as well.  It might be that the music reminds me of my younger days, and not always in good ways.  Whatever the  myriad of reasons, I’ll keep doing the shift.  I’m a team player, and right now I’m the best person available at those times to do the show.  Meanwhile on KKCK, the two shows before mine are now two-headed shows.  Yesterday I debuted my new “co-host”, Mr. Head Phone Bag.  He was a bit negative, but he might be able to get away with saying things ordinarily I couldn’t.  It would seem my show is pretty set where it is no matter what, so I’ve decided to ratchet up the silly/ridiculous factor.  We’ll see how that treats me.

Last weekend was spent in Rochester rollin’ dice and reminiscing.  I finally had the opportunity to play Settlers of Catan, and I’m sold.  I would play that every day if I could, and I might have to get the computer version pretty soon.  I didn’t think a board game could mix cooperation and competition that well, but it worked great.  Even my friend Biff, who is no board game fan, loved it (and almost won the second one).  The weekend in RPGing went a bit non-traditional.  After running it on and off for years, I was finally a player in our ongoing (but dormant for years) G.I. Joe scenario.  We use the Palladium system, but if there’s a better system for running a modern army setting I’d switch.  Palladium is great, but new characters take so long to make.  Saturday night we couldn’t decide what to do, so I took charge and ran the Decipher Star Trek game.  Normally I’d run Marvel or Boot Hill, but my mental well for super heroes and the old west is pretty dry.  However, I’m overflowing with Star Trek ideas.  I think it went pretty well, and I might go with it again next time, if my DMing skills are requested.  Overall the weekend was super great, but I was seriously missing the family while I was there, especially before sleeping and on the long drive home.

Speaking of the family, things are going good.  We’ll find out tomorrow if Braeden can stop using his apnea monitor.  Since we’ve had one alarm since March, I think we’re going to be good.  He’s gotten so good at standing up, especially in his crib.  When he lets us know he wants to get up, we can always expect to find him standing and watching the door for when we come in.  Lately, he’s even started to sleep in that corner of the crib.  He’s currently sporting a scratch on his face from Logan, but a cat can only take so much before he gets annoyed, even Logan.  Kate has been doing pretty well.  Her knee is still bothering her, but we’re getting a second opinion on it tomorrow. 

Right now, I’m in the middle of the new Phoenix album.  So far, I’m thinking it’s a keeper.

A solo singer, a duo, and a four piece. What’s missing?

The number three!  Oddly enough, we have three new songs this week.

KKCK:

Jordin Sparks “Battlefield”
This song is in no way a remake of Pat Benetar’s “Love is a Battlefield”.  I wonder why no one remakes Pat Benetar songs?  I can’t remember any recent hit song that was a cover of Pat Benetar, although numerous other 80s artists have been covered, and some very successfully.  I think Jordin could easily have done that song, or maybe “Shadows of the Night”.  Anyway, this new “Battlefield” song is pretty average as far as pop ballads go.  Jordin kind of goes for it on the chorus, but I think she held back, probably at the suggestion of the producer.  That’s not how I would have gone, but I’m not a record producer.

The Fray “Never Say Never”
Remember the first Fray album’s first two singles?  We all thought “Over My Head” was mellow piano rock until the next single made it sound like a bawlz out rocker.  While their new album took everything The Fray was and amped it up, they relapse into a similar single pattern.  “Never Say Never” takes the tempo down a notch in hopes of scoring with the same crowd that shrugged at “Over My Head” but lapped up “How to Save a Life”.  Will the same thing happen on album number three?  If it does, I think we’ve found the Hot AC version of AC/DC, which isn’t a bad thing.

MGMT “Kids”
While I’m happy to see another single from these guys, I was hoping it would have been “Electric Feel”.  Now THAT is one funky jam.  “Kids” is weird but only as weird as “Time to Pretend”.  “Electric Feel” might have been a bit too out there. 

Pick to click: The Fray

Last night I went to Terminator Salvation.  It was better than T3, but not by much.  McG should stick to Charlie’s Angels movies.  If there’s a movie franchise I can list as a “guilty pleasure”, it’s the Charlie’s Angels one.  Hopefully Drew isn’t stringing me along with those rumors that she wants to do a 3rd one.

The new Tori Amos CD was decent.  It wasn’t as adventurous as her last, but it does what it does well, which is sound like a Tori CD.  I’m still hoping to pick up the new Carbon Leaf soon.  I never thought a Rooney song would get stuck in my head, but their theme song for “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is way catchy.

Speaking of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures”, has there ever been a better point in time for comics-inspired cartoons?  “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is really winning me over.  “Wolverine and the X-Men” might be the best X-related series ever.  “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” has somehow made a fun Batman show without making Batman himself a campy character.  New episodes of “Spectacular Spider-Man” start up in a month or so, and that show is arguably the best Spider-Man show ever made.  I can’t think of the last time that many good comic-inspired shows were on at once.  The early 90s came close, but I don’t think the old Fox versions of “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” hold up as well, and the first season of “Iron Man/Fantastic Four” was awful.  Luckily “The Tick” made up for that.

Braeden is close to walking!  It’s crazy to see him starting to stand on his own.  Even though it is way earlier than I’d like, it’s always a treat to find him standing up in his crib, waiting for somebody to free him for the day.  He’s been such a happier baby since he started being able to get around and do some things himself.  I’ve never understood why parents said “they grow up so fast” until now.  Just thinking about the last eight months makes my head swim.  Even after saying that, I wish he’d grow a bit faster.  I have so many games to teach him, cartoons to share with him, and action figures that need more action.  I was going to sell all my old Toy Biz figures on eBay, but now I think I’ll save them to see if he takes an interest in super-heroes.  I have a mostly complete collection of the Transformers “Robot Heroes” and G.I. Joe “Combat Heroes” still in their packaging, but I’ve told Braeden on several occasions that when he’s three he can open them all up if he wants to.

This past weekend we spent a chunk of the weekend with Kate’s family in Iowa.  I had a good time like I always do, but I always feel out of place.  They’re very outdoorsy, and I’m not.  The odd thing is, I could have been that way if my dad hadn’t passed away.  He was a big-time hunter and fisherman, while my mom and step dad were only into fishing (something I have no skill at whatsoever).  I know Kate’s family wants him to get involved with all of that, and I don’t have a problem with it.  It’s just I don’t know how into it I’ll be, and I hope that doesn’t color how he feels about it. 

I think this is a good place to stop.  Have a great rest o’ the May.

Six songs strike again!

Will the horror ever end?

KKCK:

Pop Evil “100 in a 55″
The name of this band might sound odd on a pop station, but this rock ballad is right out of “Rock Ballad 101″ final exams, and it’s an A+.  If more CHRs jump on this, it’s a career changer for them.

Keri Hilson w/Ne-Yo & Kanye West “Knock You Down”
I’m still not blown away by Keri Hilson’s voice, but adding Ne-Yo AND Kanye West?  That makes the song hard to ignore.  I will admit to liking this song.  Well, I admit to liking the Kanye parts.

Taking Back Sunday “Sink Into Me”
Way back when, KKCK gave TBS a shot with “Make Damn Sure”.  They’re back with their “new” sound, which is their old sound after a Red Bull or two.  I think the song is missing a loud “WOO” in one spot, but then it really wouldn’t be a TBS song.

Franz Ferdinand “No You Girls”
I thought “Lucid Dreams” would continue our tradition (so far) of playing the lead single from every Franz album.  Somewhere along the line, “Lucid Dreams” got a lot longer and weirder.  “Ulysses” was the next single, but it really didn’t grab me.  As luck would have it, “No You Girls” is now the “official” first single that’s really the third, so we’ll take it with an asterisk.  I don’t think this song is as good as the original mix of “Lucid Dreams” (the new version sounds really keen on headphones), but it is a better single than “Ulysses”. 

Jonas Brothers “Paranoid”
So, this is new, “more mature” sound of the Jo-Bros.  Less vocal harmony = mature?   

D.K. “Gettin’ to the Guap”
This rapper is currently residing in our fair city of Marshall, and he was kind enough to drop off some home recordings.  I read an article a few days ago about how home recording studios are putting big time studios out of business, and his stuff only strengthens that argument.  He’s won over our listeners, and hopefully we can help him win over a few more.  He has this song and others posted at his MySpace site.

Pick to click: Pop Evil

Marshall has been stupid hot and windy lately.  I’m not a fan.  Luckily, we’re back to room temperature outdoors as of tomorrow.

Knight Rider and Terminator: TSCC are dunzo.  The only show I’m tempted to pick up in the fall is the “V” revival, but barely. 

Things in my hood are 98 % good.  The other two per cent is just random crap in my head.  I’ve had some weird bouts of nostalgia lately.  I’d almost call them “trivial regrets”.  Once or twice a day I randomly remember something that happened in the past that I wish I’d handled/done differently, but it’s usually something that has had zero to .5 % impact on my life.  I’m a big believer in the “no regrets” philosophy of life, but my brain likes to rebel on that sometimes.  It just picks weird ways to do battle. 

Kate has been better, but she’s a real trooper.  She’s had a few migraines of late, and now her surgically repaired knee is looking more and more like a malpractice suit in the making.  Then yesterday she threw out her back something fierce.  It isn’t helping that Braeden is entering his “touch everything I’m not supposed to” phase.  Braeden met up with some of Darth Vader’s finest in Sioux Fallsrecently, which was a blast.  He’s also entering a phase a friend of mine’s son went through that he called “baby bonk”.  To Braeden’s credit, he’s inherited his mom’s hard head. 

What I’m hearing about the new Green Day album seems to be a lot of “meh”, and I’m inclined to agree to a certain extent.  Following up what most people consider a landmark album is always tough.  I think they shouldn’t have rushed it out for the summer.  Some of the album sounds like it has great potential, but overall it seems lacking something.  If this was the follow up to any of their other albums, maybe the conversation would be different.  A big disappointment for me was the new advance copy of the new Elvis Costello.  The album never got out of first gear, so if you like your Costello music on the slow side only, maybe give it a spin or two.  I haven’t listened to the new Tori Amos yet, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.

Terminator: Salvation opens this weekend.  I’m hoping to see it sometime soon, but it might get pushed back to next week.  Hopefully I’ll find time to watch T2 again sometime before then.  Why not T3?  I’m still hoping that if I keep ignoring that one it won’t exist.

I’d type more, but I’d like to hit my 5 PM self-imposed deadline for once.

Four songs just beat the midnight deadline

Hey, I had about a half hour to spare.

KKCK:

Sean Kingston “Fire Burning”
Every time Sean Kingston has a new song, I think it will be the one I can’t stand.  Once I spent some time with this song, I knew that this wasn’t that song.  In fact, this one is a bit more fun that anything we’ve played from him.

Incubus “Black Heart Inertia”
This new song hasn’t gotten much CHR love yet, but it will.  Even if it doesn’t, our track record with slower Incubus songs is pretty good.  Dare I say stellar?  Bad puns aside, I really think this one could be a big hit for them.  As their last hit (a two year old song that was never a single) can attest, radio will play Incubus if the song is slow and good.  I predict this will be a song I’m totally sick of in a few months.

Daughtry “No Surprise”
In this line of work, there’s an unwritten rule that CHR jocks should watch and/or care about American Idol.  This is a rule I often break, which leaves me out of the loop until there’s a winner, or until somebody who was on the show hits the right formula.  ChrisDaughtry found that formula pretty quickly.  The guy has pipes, but after hearing one power pop rock track after another come down the pipe from him, I’ve had my fill.  I’ll give this song some props for taking a few chances, but in the end the sum of the parts equals more of the same fromDaughtry.  If you like him, then you’re set.  If not, there’s always…

People in Planes “Last Man Standing”
If there’s one thing our old MD could do like no other, he could spot a song that could cross-over from quite a distance.  That is something I need to work on.  Until then, I’m forced to go with my gut and with the data I have.  That combination led me to give this Welsh alt-rock band a go.  It stands out without sounding too out of place.  Will it work for us?  Hard to say, but the data looks promising, and my gut and ears tell me it could be a real sleeper.

Pick to click: Sean Kingston

Once upon a time there was a radio message board where there were all kinds of slap fights and flame wars about KKCK and KKLS (Sioux Falls CHR, in case you don’t know).  That board died and went away, but another message board came along, and from time to time some of those old wars of words come back up.  Now, on the old message board, I actually got involved from time to time in theseonline arguments.  Since the new site started, I’ve stayed out of the once-a-year online blah-blah.  Now, the old wars of words are back on again, and I’m more tempted than I’ve been in a while to hop on and throw down, but I haven’t.  Judging by the anonymousposting , it’s the same person who used to start all this crap back on the old board.  Whoever he/she/it is, they have one hell of a grudge againstKKCK for doing our music the way we do.  Part of me wants to defend us, and the other part of me wants to correct some errors that are just annoying (they’re puttin’ songs in we’ve never played).  I’ll probably continue to stay out of it.  That’s the prudent thing to do, right?

The blog tonight is a bit late because work was really long today.  Normally I can find enough spare time to bang this out, but today it was wall to wall prod, clients, and other stuff.  Thursday should be a better day all around.

Kate and I are pretty booked for the next few weekends.  If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in Sioux Falls Saturday, Iowa next weekend, and Rochester the weekend after that.  I’m looking forward to each trip, but for totally different reasons.  I don’t think we’re travelling much in June, so in a way that will be nice.

Braeden is doing well.  He’s pulling himself up and you can see he’s only one or two leaps of logic and faith away from walking.  He’s gotten to be pretty smiley around the house, and like his dad he’s a bit shy around strangers.  Kate has been good, other than her knee bothering her.  Hopefully switching hospitals will help in that department.  I passed the “first mother’s day” test, even though she can tell me all she wants there is no such thing.

Everybody is asking what I thought of Star Trek, so here goes.  I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away by it.  After hearing about how it was “not your father’s Trek” and all that noise, I went in expecting something that was more akin to JasonStatham than James Kirk.  I found a few parts a bit slow, which shocked the person I went with. Acting wise, all of the new crew members were great.  I’d say there wasn’t a poor performance in the movie by anyone.The science angle of the movie was a bit shaky, but that can be called a nitpick, since this movie was made for mass consumption and not the same people who can rattle off the reason Kirk/Picard/Sisko/Janeway/Archer (there have to be a few Archer fans out there) is the best Captain.  I did enjoy the passing mention of “Admiral Archer” in the movie, and I had to chuckle that “Enterprise” is the one show totally unaffected by this reset of the Trek universe.  The one thing the movie missed was the old show’s true intent.  “Star Trek”, when it was on top of its game, was a mirror that reflected current society into a prism and presented it in a way that was entertaining, futuristic, and thoughtful.  There were a lot ofmorality plays and tough questions asked on the old show, but there were also episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles “, “The Savage Curtain” (space Lincoln!), and “Spock’s Brain” (dear lord that episode is bad).  The new movie amps up the entertainment value, but Trek goes from being a prism to being a TV screen: just watch and don’tover think it.  I think there’s a place in Trek for that kind of a story, but I’m used to Trek being so much more than that.

If I want mindless, check your brain action, I’ll be good this year.  I’m psyched for Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Have a good rest of the week.

Todays songs: Smashes, Thrashes, Hits, Double, Platinum

You can assign those words to these five songs at your leisure.

KKCK:

Lady Gaga “Lovegame”
What the heck is a disco stick?  Is that like a disco ball?  Lady Gaga talks a big game again.  From what I’ve seen in music news, she doen’t just talk about-she be’s about it.  Is that how I should type that?  “bees about it” is wrong but looks funnier.  Ms. Gaga can do no wrong of late, and this song should do almost as well as the first two, but since she didn’t go to a ballad I think it will only get to the top ten before fizzling.  It isn’t that edgy of a song, but compared to her other two it’s a bit risque.

Madcon “Beggin”
If ever there was a song that reminded me of a lot of other artists without sounding like any of them, this is the song.  This song has already been huge around the world, and I can tell why.  It’s very catchy, bouncy, and it walks the tightrope of sounding both original and at home with CHR and Urban formats.  If this song gets the chance, it could be one of this year’s big hits.

All-American Rejects “The Wind Blows”
Man, does this song sound like an 80s power ballad in the beginning.  I’m talkin’ Toto, REO, or “Drive” by the Cars power ballad.  It’s uncanny.  I’m not just saying that because when I run errands on the weekend with Braeden, I pop in some 80s mix CD I made to sing along to.  That has nothing to do with this.  My singing along just keeps him from crying, probably because he hopes that if he’s quiet no other kids will see him in the car with me.  Anyway, AAR get a bit more melodramatic on this one compared to “It Ends Tonight”, for better or worse.  If AAR was an 80s band, this song could have gotten them a sweet co-headlining gig with Night Ranger.

Tinted Windows “Kind of a Girl”
This Voltron of a band (Taylor Hanson-Hanson, James Iha-ex Smashing Pumpkins, Adam SchlonglastnameIcannotspell-Fountains of Wayne, Bun E. Carlos-Cheap Trick!) unite to take us back to the disposable power pop of the mid to late 90s.  Does that make this band the ultimate act of musical recycling?  It’s too happy to be a Pumpkins song, too fast for a Fountains of Wayne song, too tame for a Cheap Trick song, and too hip sounding to be a Hanson song.  In the end, the song probably won’t stand the test of time, but for a time it should be a fun song to have around.

The Ting Tings “That’s Not My Name”
I like the Ting Tings.  I like this song.  However, this song also makes me (and possibly other music selectors) frustrated.  See, on CHR we try to play the mythical “top 40″ songs in the land.  Sometimes, a song will slowly inch into the 31-40 range.  It hangs out there, barely moving, for a while.  This song has been hanging around in that range moving slowly upward at a snail’s pace.  Fast moving songs can move several hundred spins a week (maybe over a thousand) but this song is one of those that moves up anywhere between ten and fifty spins a week.  Other songs are passing it (up and down).  Sometimes a song like this can lose spins and move up, or gain spins and move down.  KKCK has never been married to the notion of just playing the “top 40″, because that’s how we’ve always rolled.  I didn’t hesitate on this song because of the artist (we played “Great DJ” and “Shut Up and Let Me Go” when they were singles).  I hesitated because I kept thinking “I’ll add it this week and then it will tank.”  After four weeks of inch-worming up the chart, I decided to throw it in our light category.  I hope you enjoyed that look int

Pick to click: AAR

Kate has been on my case to go to a doctor for some time now, and in the last few months she wore me down to the point of going.  I had a physical, which went fine.  The thing was that that hospital didn’t do any blood-work.  So, I decided to have it done here in Marshall.  The results came back on Tuesday, and I was braced for the cholesterol speech.  Instead, I found out I had a hand-me-down defect.  My thyroid isn’t working to full capacity, so I started hypothyroid medication today.  I felt a bit energetic and goofy like my mom did when she started it, but I’m pretty sure that was all in my head.  My head did feel weird today.  I could swear I almost felt synapses starting to fire again.  The last few months, I’ve had a really hard time focusing sometimes, which turns out to be a symptom of hypothyroid.  I looked over the list of possible symptoms, and about the only one I didn’t have to some degree was…more a female thing.  I’m excited to see how things are in a few weeks when they start to “kick in”, and a few months from now when things will be totally back to normal.

Things around my neck of the woods otherwise are pretty good.  I just wrote out my mother’s day card about two hours ago.  Writing a mother’s day card now that I’m a parent was really different.  I wound up apologizing for being difficult and gushing about how much my mother means to me.  Sometimes she gets depressed and wonders if she was a good mother at all.  I know that isn’t the case, so I really need to work harder on making sure she knows she was.

So, with BSG, Knight Rider, and Terminator gone, I’ll be writing a lot less about TV.  The only things on TV I really enjoy now are either cartoons, 30 Rock, faux news from Comedy Central, and Craig Ferguson’s show.  Since Craig is on five days a week, that’s more than enough to watch.  I’m hoping to find more time to read and write once Braeden finally gets into a routine.  He’s still refusing to sleep through the night, which is a trait I passed on to him.

Back in the days of yore, I was a big time Kiss fan.  I drove to Sioux Falls on icy roads to see them on the Revenge Tour.  I stuck up for them in various rock arguments.  I pre-ordered their action figures.  Sometime around the second or third farewell tour and the umpteenth greatest hits album, I was done.  I quit them cold turkey.  I still had a spot in my life for Revenge, but anything else by them was nothing I wanted to hear ever again.  I had imagined them in my mind to be a band that cared about music a certain way, but I was living in some kind of naive fantasy land about that.  Recently, for some reason or another, I was feeling nostalgic for Kiss.  I’d bought Double Platinum with birthday money in high school, and I’d almost worn them out.  I noticed the CD at work years ago, and last night I brought it home and ripped it into my computer.  Today at work I gave it a listen (along with the songs on Smashes, Thrashes and Hits that aren’t on Double Platinum) and it was like they’d never left my music library.  My inner Kiss fan and I are now at an understanding, which actually makes me happier than it should.  However, this doesn’t mean I’m picking up the new album that Gene and Paul are working on.  At least, not until I hear a song or two off it.

Question on my mind: are you for or against Monopoly with the debit card reader?  It speeds things up, but at the same time I like having my unorganized stack of bills in front of me.  How will our young board game players learn to make change if they don’t get stuck being the banker once in a while?

Six songs? Who do I complain to about all this?

Durrrrr…

KKCK:

Pitbull “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”
Most of what I’d heard from Pitbull in the past was very…how shall I say this…yell-centric?  Yelly?  How about…if Pitbull was a blogger he’d TYPE IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME.  At least, that’s the stuff I’d heard.  When I clicked on this track, I was braced for that.  Instead, I hear an incredibly poppy, bouncy track.  I was literally dumbfounded.  Yesterday the song came on my wife’s car stereo, and I found myself really getting into it.  Perhaps I’ve misjudged Mr. Pitbull. 

Kristinia DeBarge “Goodbye”
Rather than actually do a mash up, this song is a new song written on top of an old one.  At least, that’s how I’d describe it.  The chorus brings back the familiar “na-na-na-na hey-hey-hey goodbye” line, while the verses feature Kristinia’s very confident vocals.  She has the genes to stick around, but only time will tell if she will.  Getting a hit with a gimmicky song often ends without too many other hits.

Jessie James “Wanted”
Based on the emails from her label, and the CD cover, and all the promotion, I’d think we were adding her due to her being extremely easy on the eyes.  Did it work?  The song is trending well, and the sound is akin to some kind of Katy Perry sass and energy with a hint of an almost Sheryl Crow roots rock sound.  Her voice sounds like somebody else I can’t think of.  I’d guess she’ll have a modest hit with this, but I’m not sold on long term potential without hearing more.  If it’s any consolation, I think her voice would work well on Country, so if the pop thing doesn’t work out she can always switch over.  It worked for Darius Rucker and Michelle Branch.

Silversun Pickups “Panic Switch”
The new CD by the Pickups is a lot like their first album, but it’s more of what the first album was.  It’s like getting a cheese pizza, and then the second time you get it it has more cheese.  Sure, the crust and sauce are still there and are still good, but there’s more of why you got the pizza in the first place.  I’m not trying to say the Silversun Pickups are cheesy, I’m just craving pizza and I’m metaphor challenged. 

Rob Thomas “Her Diamonds”
It’s Rob freakin’ Thomas.  If you don’t know what he sounds like by now you’re not paying attention.  If you forgot, Rob Thomas solo = MB20 with less rockin’ and more layered production.  This song reminds me of his music in general without reminding me of any one song, so he wins this round.

Katy Perry “Waking Up in Vegas”
I thought Katy’s well had run dry on this album, but then I see this song rocketing up the charts almost as fast as any of her other songs.  Demand for Katy is something I’ll never underestimate again.  After kissing girls and waking up in Vegas, one wonders what Katy will have to write about on her next album to stay edgy.  I for one can’t wait to see who/what she kisses and when/where/how she wakes up.  Oh, the song is just a bit slower than “Hot n’ Cold” and the lyrics feature the staple wacky hi-jinx one associates with waking up in Vegas unexpectedly.

Pick to click:  Pitbull

Today is a cloudy, rainy, cool day.  I’m listening to Leona Naess and feeling generally gloomy.  An old co-worker pal of mine was let go from his job yesterday, which was a downer.  Between that and Creed getting back together, the week hasn’t been ideal.  Earlier this year I posted somewhere (Facebook?  MySpace?  Twitter?) that I thought April was going to be a great month, or something great was going to happen, or some other such nonsense.  It was a genuine hunch I had that is proving to be rather not true.  April only has a few more days to go, so if it wants to live up to my hype it had better hurry.

I had some fun last night on my old computer.  I was playing with an old version of Kid Pix Studio.  It was included with my ‘97 Power Mac, and I spent several minutes doing all kinds of crazy things to the KKCK logo.  I’ve been trying to make a new Shagg logo, and I actually did one I liked on regular photoshop after I realized I had no way to get stuff off my old computer.  It has no USB ports, and my new computer doesn’t have a disk drive.  My old computer has a SCSI port, for all the good that does.

I’m not feeling like writing a lot else.  Hopefully your day gets a bit more sunshine than mine.